The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 763 Resurrection
Fifty thousand elite Qi troops lined up on the south bank of the Han River. The artillery bombardment that had lasted for several days by both sides had stopped, and the army formations were in a safe area outside the range of the artillery.

Emperor Guangde was about to arrive here to carry out the final war mobilization, and the soldiers had been waiting by the river for more than an hour.

The weather is cold.

It was a morning in early winter of the seventh year in Guangde. The sky was gloomy and the cold wind was blowing. The soldiers in black uniforms felt like they were in a huge ice cellar.

There were some cavalrymen who were frozen or fell off their horses in the motionless column, but the Qi army had strict military law, and even if the body could not move, they had to keep their heads held high.

A blood-red sun emerged from the surface of the river in the east, and the cold earth seemed to suddenly feel a hint of warmth. Suddenly, three military bugles sounded, and the black feathers on the top of the cavalry's helmets rustled, like flickering flames in the cold night.

The horses snorted, and white mist came out of their mouths and noses. The soldiers' faces turned red due to the gait of their helmets. Their hands and feet were cold, and their chests and backs felt like they were wrapped in ice. Fortunately, Emperor Guangde finally arrived.

The soldiers saw the emperor coming from afar. The horse under Emperor Guangde's crotch was huge and much taller than an ordinary horse. He held a musket in one hand and the reins in the other. His whole body was covered with medals, as dense as a layer of armor.

Liu Kan was majestic and heroic, and he came.

"Tiger! Tiger! Tiger!"

The cavalry thrust their lances into the sky and let out a deafening shout.

The densely packed infantry made similar movements, and after roaring three times, the entire south bank of the Han River seemed to be boiling, with a flowing black ocean all around.

Emperor Guangde rode on a tall horse and slowly scanned the crowd. Compared with the last military parade, Liu Kan was obviously much older, with white hair on his temples. It was hard to believe that the emperor was only thirty years old this year.

Emperor Guangde raised his arm and waved to the soldiers. He reined in his horse in front of each battalion commander and turned to look him over from head to toe.

"Okay, guard from Da Qi, what's your name? Where are you from?"

"Wang Erchui! Your Majesty! I'm from Xinxiang, Henan!" A battalion officer answered loudly, while lifting his helmet to reveal a heroic face.

Emperor Guangde smiled and nodded: "Henan is good, Henan people are honest."

Wang Erchui continued, "Your Majesty, I will lead 1000 cavalry and 350 artillerymen to fight for the Great Qi for five years."

"Wang Erchui, please return to the line!" After Liu Kan said this, he rode his horse to the front of the battalion officer of another infantry team.

"Guard of Da Qi, who are you? Where are you from? How many soldiers are you in charge of?" he asked again.

"Fan Biao of Tieling City, Your Majesty! I command a thousand soldiers!" Fan Biao had just removed the visor from his helmet and, giving a standard military salute to Emperor Guangde, declared, "I also command 2000 cavalry, 7000 infantry, and 20 siege chariots. Thanks to the bravery of our soldiers and the Emperor's grace, we defeated the rebels in Yunmeng and killed of them!"

"Well done! Tieling is a big city. Who knows, maybe Da Qi will make Tieling its capital in the future!"

"Fan Biao, I have a question for you," Emperor Guangde asked, looking back at Xiangyang City. "If there were comrades you knew in the city, such as the Fourth Corps under Qin Jianxun, and you encountered your former comrades during the siege, what would you do?"

Without hesitation, Fan Biao roared, "Your Majesty, no matter who they are, if they dare to stop you and betray the Great Qi, I and my entire army will kill them all!"

"it is good!"

Liu Kan nodded with satisfaction, stepped forward and patted Fan Biao on the shoulder, and instructed Li Juying, "These horses have lost weight, give them more fodder."

The team was endless and there was no end in sight.

Emperor Guangde continued walking along the south bank of the Han River.

"Guardian of Da Qi, who are you? Where are you from? How confident are you in this battle?"

He asked again and again, his tone always ups and downs, his voice full of magnetism and infectiousness.

"Zeng Lifa of Taojiang, Hunan, is currently serving as the battalion commander of the Third Battalion of the Second Corps. Your Majesty! Last month, I led two thousand soldiers to kill eight thousand rebels in Sui County." "Taojiang? Beautiful mountains and rivers, rich in beauties!" Emperor Guangde's words drew laughter from the surrounding entourage. Turning to Grand Secretary Kang Jingxiu, the emperor ordered, "Promote him two ranks."

Kang Jingxiu lowered his voice and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice. I heard that the Third Battalion massacred Sui County. Among the 8,000 people, only 1,000 were rebels, and the rest were civilians. I think not only should they not be rewarded, but they should be severely punished..."

Emperor Guangde quickly interrupted: "War is a life-or-death struggle. I have always been known for my kindness. How could I do such a thing as killing a general in battle? Reward!"

Kang Jingxiu stopped talking and felt indignant.

Emperor Guangde continued to inspect his troops.

His mount suddenly stopped in front of a blond-haired, blue-eyed, red-haired foreign officer.

"Who are you then? I thought there were no more mercenaries in Da Qi."

Minister of Rites Kang Guangxu urged his horse forward and was about to explain when the big-nosed, blond-haired European officer in front of the queue spoke.

"Alardo of the Kingdom of Sweden, Duke of Amonne..."

"Oh, yes, I remember now." Emperor Guangde patted his forehead. "You are the Duke of Alardo Amonne who escorted the envoys back from Europe to Da Qi, was imprisoned by my father, and later naturalized as a citizen of the Celestial Empire and took up arms?"

Kang Guangxu, who was standing next to him, was stunned.

Eight years ago, Duke Amonne went to Da Qi to discuss a marriage between the two countries, but was imprisoned by Emperor Guangde. He was forced to renounce his Catholic faith and join the Qi army as a military adviser.

Liu Kan actually blamed everything on his father.

"Alardo is very capable. How has everything been in Da Qi these years? If you encounter any difficulties, please report them to the Grand Steward promptly..."

Emperor Guangde stretched out his big hands and shook the Swedish Duke's hairy hands tightly. After exchanging a few words, he hurried to the next queue.

~~~~~
"Yanzhou Wu Zhichong, 800 artillerymen, all here, except those killed! Your Majesty, please review them!"

"Wu Jie from Yueyang! Mo Yuedong from Taiyuan! Yu Buping from Fuzhou!"

At noon, Emperor Guangde passed by rows of black troops. His eyes gradually lost focus, and the faces of the soldiers under the banner began to become blurred.

Auxiliary soldiers and civilians were already fetching water and cooking, while others were busy reinforcing the tents. The battlefield was filled with all kinds of noises, including clanging and banging. Craftsmen were hammering on shield carts and battering rams, making final preparations for the upcoming battle.

"What about you?"

Liu Kan came before a knight covered in blood and dirt.

The style of the armor was very old. A leaping black dragon could be vaguely seen on the extremely thin black piping. The dragon's tail had disappeared and was covered with a layer of blood. The blood had dried up, and it was unknown how much time had passed.

Although the armor was a little damaged, it was generally stitched quite tightly, and a black feather was inserted into the helmet.

This was a style of armor that Emperor Guangde had never seen before.

Behind this black knight stood a large crowd of hundreds of equally mysterious cavalrymen.

Among the entourage, Kang Jingxiu, the oldest, had a look of fear on his face.

"Your Majesty, this is me," a ghostly voice rang out from the closed helmet, as if it was not the throat but the armor plates that were vibrating, causing a gentle echo.

(End of this chapter)