Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 307: Eat the Emperor's Salary, Be Loyal to the Emperor

More than a hundred elite soldiers followed Li Mu and walked quickly.

Li Mulong walked with the gait of a tiger, stepping onto the imposing platform for reviewing the generals. He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his black uniform gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Dozens of civil and military officials, both great and small, had been waiting at the reviewing platform for a long time.

Seeing the appearance of General Li who was promoted to Earl, the civil officials and military supervisors immediately bowed their heads and greeted him respectfully with "Greetings, Lord Li".

Standing high on the wooden platform, the protagonist's eyes were as sharp as an eagle, slowly sweeping across the infantry formations below the platform.

A Black Flag Battalion of more than 10,000 recruits filled the field of vision.

The soldiers wore uniform mandarin duck-patterned battle jackets and held weapons that gleamed with cold light. The firearms battalion and artillery team were placed at the rear of each battalion.

Although their formations were neat, their morale was not much better than that of the average Ming army. They were just a show unit used to deal with "inspections" -

The original two Beiyang military towns have been expanded to three towns, with the addition of a force of 3,000 elite black cavalry directly under the command of Li Mu.

The number of combat troops under Li Mu's control has exceeded 40,000, not including the militia that can be recruited at any time.

Of course, such a large number of troops will not be made public to the military supervisor. The elite troops of the other two towns are hidden in the Dabie Mountains for military exercises.

And Li Mu could only mobilize more than 10,000 soldiers and horses as he said on the surface.

As for the extra soldiers that the civil officials accidentally discovered, they were all militiamen and local warriors who were "spontaneously loyal to the Ming Dynasty". Li Mu only subsidized these righteous men with some money and food at his discretion.

When Li Mu's power was not great before, local civil officials relied on the "rule of using civil officials to control military power" to restrict him.

However, with the incident of "the Black Flag Battalion was unable to enter the city and was completely annihilated", the current emperor was furious and severely executed a group of civil servants. Local governors no longer dared to hinder the Black Flag Battalion.

Of course, the governors and governors-general could not suppress the retired generals even if they wanted to.

Li Mu had made many great achievements, and ordinary civil officials could no longer suppress him, so the court had to send more eunuchs to "assist" Li Mu's troops.

Considering that Gao Qiqian died suddenly in the barracks and the real culprit has not been identified yet, Zhu Youjian repeatedly instructed the military supervisor not to incite a mutiny, but only to report everything he saw and heard, and by the way remind Li Qing to suppress the bandits as soon as possible.

If the eunuchs instigated a mutiny because of their money-making, Zhu Youjian would know nothing about it...

As one of the emperor's trusted eunuchs, Wang Jiude kept his majesty's instructions in mind.

Dozens of civil and military officials are present now, and he can convey the emperor's will in front of all the soldiers.

When will Lord Li send troops to fight the bandits?

You must know that although the Jiannu in Liaodong was destroyed, the situation in the Ming Dynasty did not improve, but worsened day by day, and the three taxes of silver had to be collected without a penny less.

The original beggar bandits split into three. The beggar bandits attacked Luoyang, the wild wolf bandits surrounded Kaifeng, and the immortal bandits wreaked havoc in the Han River basin.

The Western Bandits were active in Jiangxi and Nanzhi, while the Chuang Bandits also captured cities and territory in Shaanxi and Gansu, seizing the Longyou area.

The territory occupied by these bandit troops has surrounded Lord Li's base. If Lord Li does not send troops, these bandit troops will become a powerful force.

Hearing this, Li Mu did not express his opinion directly. Instead, he signaled everyone to take a look at the results of his Black Flag Camp's martial arts performance first.

He waved his hand, and trumpets and drums sounded. Military flags, signaling the arrival of the battle, were waved one after another.

At this time, the soldiers in the audience received instructions and began to train according to their respective camps.

At first, their pace and changes in formation were quite methodical. Sometimes they formed a dense square formation, and sometimes they turned into a marching column. The momentum of them stabbing spears and waving swords in unison was quite inspiring.

However, as the white smoke from the cannons gradually obscured the soldiers from various camps, the changing tones of war drums gradually began to sound.

The soldiers in the audience seemed to be possessed by a demon, or as if their disguise of "well-trained" could no longer be maintained and they were forced to show their true colors.

Some of them had disordered steps, some forgot the movements, and some couldn't light the firecrackers for a long time.

Some officers also shouted the wrong orders, causing the soldiers' muscle memory to conflict with military orders, resulting in a split between the front and back of the troops.

Some people stopped suddenly, while others continued to move forward, just like a chain reaction on the highway, causing hundreds of people to collide with each other.

Some soldiers pushed each other during the march, accusing each other of completely wrong drill movements. If an officer had not drawn his sword and shouted at them, there would probably have been a fight on the spot.

Only the 3,000 elite cavalrymen directly under Li Mu performed the best, drawing their bows and aiming at targets, or holding up special bird guns to shoot at wooden models of enemy soldiers.

Some cavalrymen formed a wall of horses, charging forward in waves, brandishing their swords to chop down wooden figures at human height, or charge at scarecrow riders at the height of wooden horses...

However, the cavalry drills were conducted in the rear of the infantry formations, and the civil and military officials could not see clearly without the help of a "telescope", so they could only focus on the terrible infantry formations in front of them.

Some civil officials who brought their own telescopes saw the bravery of the cavalry, but they could not hide the flaws and the performance of the infantry formation was really poor.

The solemn face became more and more embarrassed. Li Mu put on an angry look, slapping the armrest of the wooden chair and standing up, "Stop!"

He roared at the audience, "The people pay three salaries and grains to support the training of the Black Flag Battalion. That's over two hundred thousand dollars a year, and this is how you train? Shame on you, shame on you! All the lieutenants who participated in the training today will be dragged out and beaten with a hundred military sticks!"

After Li Mu finished speaking, he narrowed his eyes slightly and observed the reactions of the military supervisor and the civil and military officials, as if everything was under his control.

The civil and military officials all had expressions of disbelief on their faces, as if they couldn't believe that the once mighty Black Flag Battalion had declined to such a degree.

Seeing these terrible scenes, the military supervisor Wang Jiude frowned and his expression gradually became ugly. "How can this be so careless? How can this be so disgraceful!"

While the direct subordinates around Li Mu appeared to be indescribably ashamed, they actually knew the reasons behind this "chaos".

Seeing that several deputy generals were about to be taken to the stage and beaten with military sticks, several of Li Mu's subordinates quickly stood up to "plead": the Black Flag Battalion had traveled thousands of miles to participate in the Liaodong decisive battle, and the veterans had suffered heavy losses.

Right now, the Black Flag Battalion is full of newly recruited soldiers. How can they be combat-ready?
Even if the Black Flag Battalion is a donkey, it should take a break after fighting so many battles. Are they the only Black Flag Battalion capable of fighting in the Ming Dynasty?

Even if we only have the elite troops of the Black Flag Battalion, we can't just use all our strength on a stubborn donkey.

If the Black Flag Camp's vitality is really exhausted, who will come to fight against the bandits?
Several generals spoke with tears in their eyes, and even stripped off their armor to expose their chests and backs. The healed scars were like pale pink worms, swaying from side to side as their muscles moved.

"Marshal, the Black Flag Battalion can't fight anymore, it's time to take a break... Marshal and General Zhang have made great contributions to saving the emperor, but in the end they were only awarded a small title, and General Zhang didn't even have a title..." "Li Wu" had a sincere face, with two lines of turbid tears mixed with dust hanging from the corners of his eyes.

"Shut up! How dare you talk nonsense about His Majesty!" Li Mu cursed.

When the other civil and military officials heard this, they all felt mixed emotions.

The emperor was almost forced to death by the Jiannu, and it was the timely arrival of Li and Zhang's armies that saved the emperor's life.

At least they should be granted the titles of Duke and Marquis, but in the end they were only given such a small amount. The generals all felt that it was not justified. At the moment, they felt deeply sympathetic towards the Black Flag Battalion who were "putting out fires" everywhere.

"We are the ones who earn the emperor's salary and are loyal to him. How can we stop here? His Majesty has treated us well, yet every word you say is based solely on your own interests. How can you possibly have His Majesty in mind?" Li Mu suddenly raised his voice, drew his sword from his waist, and placed it on Li Wu's neck. "Today, I, Li Mu, will eliminate this traitor for His Majesty!"

Seeing that the loyal minister Li Mu was "serious", the onlookers immediately stood up to plead for mercy, saying that the Black Flag Battalion had indeed suffered a lot and the newly recruited soldiers were not able to fight, so they should be given a few more months to train the troops.

After all, the enemy armies these days are more ferocious than each other. How can we dare to fight without training for half a year? Other civil officials also spoke out to persuade Lord Li, asking him to spare them this time for the sake of Li Wu and others' meritorious service.

Although the rebel army inside the pass is growing stronger, there are still the fierce soldiers of the Beiwei Army in Liaodong.

At worst, I can ask His Majesty to dispatch strong troops from outside the Great Wall to suppress the bandits. With two strong armies joining forces from the north and the south, no matter how strong the bandits are, they can be wiped out.

"The joint north-south campaign involves a large number of troops. It will take time to deploy them and gather funds and rations. I'm afraid it will take more than a year." Li Mu sheathed his sword and said with a look of sorrow, "Thousands of people are still suffering under the rule of the rebel army. How can we have the leisure to train our troops..."

"We can only make the people suffer."

"Master Li, please don't blame yourself. We have always done our best in matters of state. Even if you wanted to kill the bandits, you wouldn't be able to wipe them out in a short time."

"The soldiers of the Black Flag Battalion have worked hard, but we must also take our time in upholding our loyalty to the emperor. We must not waste the blood and bones of these loyal and righteous men..."

Seeing that all the civil and military officials, and even the military supervisors, were behaving in this way, Li Mu's mouth curled up slightly in an imperceptible arc.

This was their unanimous request that the Black Flag Battalion train for a few more months, and it was not something Li Mu forced.

Li Mu helped Li Wu up and rewarded him for his merits while whispering in his ear, "How are the food and ammunition reserves going?"

The sound of the game reward of three merit points rang in his ears, and Li Wu's worry turned into a smile. He thanked the Marshal for his forgiveness with great emotion, and then whispered, "I've been stockpiling this for a year and a half..."

"Well, it's not enough. We need to prepare according to the number of 3,000 elite cavalry, 4 garrisons, 50,000 combat soldiers, and 80,000 militiamen."

"Goodness, Lord Li is planning to make a big news? That would take at least half a year to prepare."

"It's okay. It's better to gather more food before the battle than to loot afterward," Li Mu said. "Don't include captured spoils in your logistics. Fighting to support the war is useful, but it's a poison to us."

When Li Mu slowly helped Li Wu up, the two had already exchanged the "Great Loyalty Strategy".

As General Li sat back in his wooden chair, the soldiers below continued their half-real, half-fake, chaotic training mode.

Perhaps it's just your illusion, but after being scolded by Lord Li, these soldiers seem to have improved a lot...

At this moment, Lord Li supported his chin with one hand, as if he was lost in thought.

Li Wu looked at Li Mu with concern, "My Lord, I'm sure you're worried about the critical situation these days."

It seemed that every time the enemy army captured a few cities, Li Mu would fall into a state of contemplation, as if his mind drifted into an unknown realm.

Perhaps the news of the capture of several key cities caused Lord Li to worry.

If Li Mu was a scholar, he would probably be portrayed as a "loyal minister" who cares about the country and the people.

"Don't disturb my lord, let him be alone for a while." Li Wu asked everyone to leave, and the civil and military officials did not resist.

After all, Li Mu is one of the few pillars of the Ming Dynasty, and he cannot afford to make any mistakes.

Some people wanted to persuade Lord Li to take care of his health, but the words were on the tip of their tongues but they couldn't say them.

As they walked down from the reviewing platform, they sighed in their hearts: Your Majesty has really found a treasure. Marquis Guanjun, Yue Wumu, and Qi Shaobao have become one in the Chongzhen Dynasty!

The merits of serving the king were greatly reduced, but Lord Li had no resentment at all.

This is too loyal!
No wonder His Majesty conferred the title of Earl of Loyalty and Righteousness on Li Mu. The words "loyalty and righteousness" are probably the best description of Lord Li's virtues!
All the civil and military officials and military supervisors left, leaving only Li Mu and a group of trusted guards on the reviewing platform.

Every time Li Mu "lost his mind", he was indeed concerned about the recent situation, but this time it was about North Korea.

The reward for controlling North Korea has arrived.

[Use puppets to control the eight provinces of North Korea, and you have become the true master of North Korea
You seem to be only one step away from the pinnacle of loyalty. The small stage can no longer hide the huge dragon. The history of many countries and mortals in the future may be rewritten by you.
Destiny value received 100000
Reward 0.5 resurrection reserves, the current number of second permanent resurrection points that can be built: ]

Li Mu saw the glaring decimal point in an instant.

The reward was issued, but only half was issued. It's like a certain Pinxixi app. The reward can indeed be given to you, but you just need to work harder and fill in all the decimal places to get it...

good, very good, excellent!

Li Mu took a deep breath and threw away the distracting thoughts of taking half of the reward from his mind.

Although the military victory in the Korean War did not generate much destiny points, the formal establishment of the puppet rule still provided a big wave.

The expanded destiny value brought by the beggar army previously summoned more than 3,000 players.

Including the remaining amount from before, Li Mu now has 160,000 destiny points on hand.

Without saying anything, Li Mu immediately invested 100,000 destiny points and started drawing cards.

Three thousand new players are ready to go, and a batch of food, flashlights and other practical props have been added to the system warehouse.

At present, the total number of players controlled by Li Mu has exceeded 30,000. The combat group, farming group, research and development group, guerrilla group, and undercover group are all thriving and prospering.

The achievements made by the Beiwei Army in Korea are commendable, as they mean that the rule of Liaodong is becoming more stable.

Once there is a change in the world and Liaodong falls into an "isolated state", Korea in the rear will be able to make up for the lack of money, food, supplies and labor in Liaodong.

Li Mu was also impressed by the Beiwei Army's management innovations in military and internal affairs.

After all, he had stayed in ancient times for too long, and his heart had been assimilated into half an ancient person, so he was completely unfamiliar with those new management models.

If the player hadn't boldly conducted social experiments, he wouldn't have known that he could govern the country in this "innovative" way.

What about "carbon-based communication network", "grid-based suppression of rebellion", "carbon-based data cloud synchronization", "swarm thinking", "end-of-line elimination and grabbing credit"?

He more or less understood these principles, but when it came to putting them into practice, he really couldn't do it.

This group of gamers who usually look silly and violent actually taught him a lesson on "new management".

However, Li Mu's path to loyalty also had to be accelerated.

No matter how the Beiwei Army defended itself for its expedition to Korea, it was an unauthorized action, and the Ming court would definitely have to take some action.

At this moment, Li Mu suddenly received a report from his confidant:

The intelligence department he founded, the "Political Security Bureau", arrested a spy planted by the Ming court.

……

Going back many days, Chen Jing'an had been in southern Henan for more than half a year.

(End of this chapter)