Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 273: Military Pay and the Emperor's Favor
The selection of exemplary guards lasted all morning. Ultimately, it turned out that Sun Chengzong's standards were too high. Mao Yuanyi's selection criteria were quite low: he only required guards to stand straight, not be too thin, have fewer facial wrinkles, and not have too much gray hair at their temples. Even so, out of the more than 2,000 guards in Tianjin, only 342 were selected, barely enough to satisfy Mao Yuanyi.

If we were to select according to the standards of the elite Jinyiwei, I'm afraid more than half of the 342 people would have to be reduced.

After the encirclement was cleared, Mao Yuanyi came to Sun Chengzong, bowed and said, "Sir, this is all."

"Okay. Arrange them according to the camp system first. Those that are less than a team will also be counted as a team." Sun Chengzong did not question Mao Yuanyi's choice, nor did he force him to form a division.

"Yes." Mao Yuanyi took the order and left.

"All stations in Tianjin, form up!" Sun Chengzong shouted.

"Yes!" The five captains returned to their units trembling with fear and restored order.

It was hard not to be trembling. During the selection process, Sun Chengzong and Lu Wenzhao beside him were like two pieces of cast iron, clutching the hilts of their swords, almost motionless. Lu Wenzhao was fine; he was young and unarmored, so it wasn't surprising that he'd spent a whole morning in his military uniform exposed to the wind.

Meanwhile, the governor, Lord Sun, was nearly sixty. He wore Shen Caiyu's oversized armor, his face sullen, not a smile on his face. The captain's thoughts raced, wondering if the governor's expression was due to the weight of the armor or the frustrating state of his guards.

"Reporting to the Governor, the troops are assembled." After the troops were assembled, the five thousand commanders came to the front of the martial arts arena.

"Come up."

"Yes." The thousand households trotted up to the stage and came in front of Sun Chengzong.

"Hmph! You guys are sucking blood from the soldiers, aren't you?" Even before the captains had formed their positions, they heard Lu Wenzhao's cold snort. "You're all gorging yourself, with countless concubines at home. All you do is go to brothels and listen to music. Look at the soldiers under your command! They're old and skinny. Aren't you ashamed?" Lu Wenzhao grew increasingly agitated, his right hand gripping the sword trembling, as if he were about to draw it and strike someone down.

"I am guilty! Please, Governor, show me mercy and forgive me." Liu Zuyao knelt first, followed by the other four thousand households.

Sun Chengzong stood with his head held high. He didn't speak immediately, but gave them a moment's pause before saying, "Everyone, get up. Although the Tianjin guards are more vulnerable than I expected, I promised not to hold you accountable, and I won't break my promise."

After saying this, Sun Chengzong turned to face Lu Wenzhao and asked, "Deputy Captain Lu, the responsibility for the corruption in the garrison cannot be entirely blamed on them. As the Divine Governor has accused us of, the main culprits for the corruption in our garrison's military administration are the officials who hold the seal and the clerk, while the generals and captains are nothing but coercive followers. Ignoring the leaders and followers and treating them all the same is a violation of our dynasty's principle of combining leniency and severity. As the Governor, they will not dare to do this again. Why not give them a chance to live?"

"Only the Holy Lord can rule the world by law. The Jinyiwei are the emperor's personal guards, and the Dongsifang is responsible for apprehending traitors both within and without the court. These two are also laws passed down by our ancestors. Although you are the emperor's mentor, I cannot turn a blind eye or turn a deaf ear to this!" Lu Wenzhao clasped his hands. "Those with different ideals cannot work together. Farewell!" With that, he swept his sleeves and left.

"You!" Sun Chengzong stretched out his hand, but did not grab Lu Wenzhao's shoulder. "Alas!" Sun Chengzong sighed as if with regret.

"Your Excellency! Please save us!" The thousand households didn't care what the occasion was. They just crawled under Sun Chengzong's boots and kowtowed repeatedly.

Looking at the situation today, if it weren’t for Emperor Sun’s mentor blocking the way, I’m afraid the Jinyiwei would have arrested people directly.

"Oh. I have my job, he has his responsibilities, and I have no control over the Jinyiwei." Sun Chengzong said with regret.

"Please. Please help me!" After experiencing three blows and forgiveness in the past two days, including "divorce concubine," "check the register," and "check the soldiers," Liu Zuyao almost regarded Sun Chengzong as his ancestor. He kowtowed so vigorously and loudly that he might not have been so attentive even when worshipping his ancestors' tablets.

Although the other thousand households also knelt and kowtowed, none of them were as exaggerated as Liu Zuyao.

"Alright, alright. Get up, everyone!" Sun Chengzong felt it was almost time. "A man without integrity cannot stand. If the emperor asks, I will speak for you."

"Thank you, Your Excellency the Governor." The thousand households felt relieved and stood up one after another.

Sun Chengzong looked around solemnly, lowered his voice, and said quietly, "Someone has to shoulder this responsibility. Do you understand?"

The thousand households naturally understood who Sun Chengzong was referring to as "someone." "I understand," they said, looking at each other and immediately reaching a tacit understanding. They nodded repeatedly and responded in unison.

"Take your people back. It's noon, it's time for lunch." Sun Chengzong waved his hand.

"Yes."

------

Three hundred and forty-two people. Seven empty teams, less than one division.

But even such a force, which is far from large, needs grassroots officers to convey the will of the upper-level commanders.

The examination and selection of officers took time. To ensure immediate deployment of this unit and to isolate it from the garrisons, Sun Chengzong instructed Mao Yuanyi to select seven bright young soldiers from among the imperial guards to serve as temporary captains of the central army under his command. Of course, Sun Chengzong would not allow them to perform extra work in vain; until their return to the capital, these seven young soldiers would receive a stipend from the governor's office.

"Line up! Go to see the governor!" Mao Yuanyi ordered.

"Line up!" The newly appointed grassroots officers commanded their soldiers to line up under the reviewing stand.

After the commotion subsided, Sun Chengzong came out to give a speech. "As governor of the army, I prioritize loyalty. This loyalty means loyalty to the Emperor and loyalty to the Ming Dynasty! You must always remember that your wages and food are provided by the Emperor, not by me, Sun Chengzong, or anyone else. The disloyal are useless! Anyone who dares to be disloyal to the Emperor will be executed without mercy!" His face was solemn, his voice booming, and every syllable was measured with just the right amount of rhythm.

"Secondly, I demand uniformity and unity of purpose from top to bottom. Soldiers at all levels must strictly follow orders. Once an order is issued, no one may question it. Violators will be executed immediately! At the same time, officers must not assault or abuse their own soldiers without cause. If a soldier is punished without fault, they can appeal directly to me. I will conduct a thorough investigation. If any evidence is found, the officer, regardless of rank, will be immediately dismissed and given a cane. However, if it is determined that a soldier deliberately made a false accusation, he will be executed immediately!"

"Besides," Sun Chengzong paused, then scanned everyone in the queue with his eyes. Finally, he said rather nonsensically, "Eat first! We can discuss other military rules and regulations later."

The food was served. Sun Chengzong sat on a chair and ate with the Beijing soldiers and standard-bearers present. The food was not sumptuous, but at least it was not stale or sour, and there were at least a few bites of oily meat.

After a meal, the troops were assembled on the parade ground. Meanwhile, under Lu Shanji's command, the Beijing soldiers carried a medium-sized box and a square table onto the platform.

"This is the pay I promised you. Because corrupt officials have embezzled the treasury, there's no cloth left. I've decided to give you two coins of silver. You can buy it yourself." Sun Chengzong opened the box, and the white silver immediately shone in the sunlight. And the gleaming silver echoed with the desire and greed in the soldiers' eyes.

At this moment, Sun Chengzong closed the box lid, dispelling the silver light and greed. "Everyone has one. Line up and come up to receive it. No noise or crowding. Remember the rules I have set. Those who violate them will be expelled from this camp!"

"Team A!" Sun Chengzong had already decided to use the new numbering system for record keeping. However, in order to avoid communication barriers with the soldiers under him, he also decided to adopt a set of corresponding traditional names for daily addressing.

"Yes." The chief of the Beijing troops came to the stage with his men.

After all 51 members of Team A came on stage, Sun Chengzong took the initiative to step aside and let Lu Shanji, the head of grain at the Ministry of Revenue, distribute the grain.

Lu Shanji pulled a standard one-liang official silver ingot from the box and handed it to the first standard-bearer who came to collect his pay. Sun Chengzong had excellent eyesight, and as soon as the man came, he immediately recognized this first soldier of Team A as the first guard selected by Mao Yuanyi. The standard-bearer took the one-liang silver with trembling hands and swallowed hard. In his entire life, he had never touched a full-liang silver ingot. The silver was hard and cold, but the standard-bearer felt his palms burning.

"Thank you, Governor! Thank you, sir!" The standard-bearer bowed repeatedly to Sun Chengzong and Lu Shanji while holding the silver.

But unexpectedly, Sun Chengzong showed no appreciation and suddenly shouted, frightening the standard-bearer's smile to death. "Wrong!"

The standard-bearer was at a loss and could only kneel down on the ground instinctively.

"I just said that the emperor gave the pay. Lu and I were just distributing it on your behalf. You forgot about it after you finished your meal!" Sun Chengzong shouted. His voice was so loud that one would think the governor was really angry and wanted to have this poor standard-bearer dragged out and chopped off.

"I am guilty, I am guilty!" The standard-bearer put the silver aside and kowtowed repeatedly.

Sun Chengzong originally wanted to expel him from the standard-bearing battalion and send him back to the garrison to establish this precedent and eliminate the possibility of internal and external strife and suspicion between the emperor and his ministers at the source.

But in the end, he couldn't bear to do it.

"Face north, thank you!" Sun Chengzong bowed towards Beijing to show the direction to the pacesetters.

"Thank you, His Majesty! Thank you, His Majesty!" The standard-bearer kowtowed facing north, leading the other standard-bearers present to praise the emperor in unison.

"Go down and continue distributing money!" Sun Chengzong bent down, picked up the silver and put it in the standard-bearer's hand.

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It was already afternoon, and the sky was dark. A melodious bell rang from the north, solemnly reminding everyone that the city was about to be closed.

The locals had anticipated this, and most had stopped entering or leaving. Only a few outsiders, who hadn't calculated their timing, rushed in and out in a hurry. Strangely, the soldiers guarding the gate didn't stop them or force the gate shut, but instead allowed these reckless people, who had no idea how to manage their time, to come and go freely.

"Captain." The flag officer and two lieutenants in charge of the Gongbei Gate ran to the Zhennan Gate and reported to their superior, Lu Wenzhao. From then on, all the Jinyiwei East Office personnel were present.

"Return to the team." Lu Wenzhao nodded slightly. He then walked towards the leader of the Jinyiwei Tianjin Hundred Households Division. A quarter of an hour ago, a full-strength leader of the Tianjin Division, totaling fifty-six people, also arrived at the Zhennan Gate.

"Zhang Zongqi."

"Captain Lu." General Zhang returned the greeting.

"The mission is over. You must return to your base. No delay is allowed." Lu Wenzhao ordered.

"Yes." Zhang Zongqi said respectfully but secretly.

Zhang Zongqi was very dissatisfied with this mission. According to the rules of the Jinyiwei, the imperial envoys from Beijing could act at their own discretion after arriving in the local area and unconditionally dispatch the local centurions. The dispatched centurions were required to bring food and pay for the dispatch. In other words, if they received the dispatch order, all expenses would be borne by the centurions themselves. In turn, the centurions could also ask the prefectures and counties that provided them with supplies to make up for the expenses. After all, the burden would eventually fall on the people, and Zhang Zongqi would not pay the money and food himself. Naturally, Zhang Zongqi would not be dissatisfied with this.

What really displeased General Zhang was not the loss, but the lack of profit. When an imperial envoy arrived at a local area, he was expected to take bribes and engage in open corruption, and then share the spoils with everyone he met. He didn't ask for meat, but could General Tang still have a few sips?
But this Lu guy was a complete anomaly. He didn't eat meat himself, and he wouldn't let anyone else have soup. He didn't get anything out of this trip, it was just bad luck.

But Zhang Zongqi, who was on a mission in place of the officer in charge of the station, was helpless. Captain Lu was holding him at the mercy of the enemy. All Captain Lu had to do was file an impeachment complaint with the Commanding Generals in Beijing, and he, and the entire Tianjin Hundred Households Station, would be forced to resign. So, Captain Lu was being polite; at least he didn't ask for a bribe from Zhang Zongqi.

Zhang Zongqi returned with his men, who had pieced together a full banner. However, Lu Wenzhao's own men had not yet left.

Another quarter of an hour later, the defenders of Tianjin Weisuo were driven back by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, and the Zhennan Gate was closed. However, the drawbridge was confiscated and still lay across the moat.

As the sun set, Lu Wenzhao waited patiently.

The person who had agreed to see him off was a little late, but he did not break his promise in the end.

"Deputy Captain Lu." Sun Chengzong had already taken off his military uniform and changed into casual clothes.

"Master Sun." Lu Wenzhao bowed deeply.

Sun Chengzong was stunned for a moment, but tolerantly didn't correct him. "Deputy Captain Lu, thank you for your hard work."

"You're welcome." Lu Wenzhao returned the greeting.

"This is a document from the Governor's Office. With it, you can call upon any ship in Tianjin Port." Sun Chengzong took out a hard document from his arms and handed it to Lu Wenzhao personally.

"Then I will leave. Please take care of yourself." Lu Wenzhao took this thing with both hands, which had more symbolic meaning than practical significance.

"Bon Voyage."

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After bidding farewell to Lu Wenzhao, Sun Chengzong went to the military camp again. After listening to the first day's recruitment and arranging the subsequent recruitment and training matters, Sun Chengzong returned to his residence in the command headquarters.

"The plaque for the Fuyuan has been completed." Sun Sui, a servant who had just turned thirty, held a candle for his master. "Do you want to replace it?"

"No hurry, wait a little longer." Sun Chengzong took out a written memorial and spread it out on both sides, then took out a few sheets of manuscript paper. He copied and revised it at the same time.

The treasury at Tianjin Weicheng was nearly empty, not enough for him to distribute. To gain the emperor's trust, he had no choice but to act first and report later, using the stolen silver from the bribe ship. Three hundred taels wasn't much, but he had to explain this matter clearly to the emperor.

After finishing the draft, Sun Chengzong checked it again before copying it onto a leaf. "Please bring out the box the emperor gave me," Sun Chengzong instructed Sun Sui.

"Yes." Sun Sui opened the cabinet and took out a square box. He then opened the box with a key. He then held a box with a silver lock in front of Sun Chengzong.

Sun Chengzong removed the key he carried from his waist, opened the specially made box, and placed the secret folder flush inside. After relocking it, he handed the box back to Sun Sui and said, "Send it to Chengtian Gate. There are eunuchs there who collect these. I'll go there when the city gates open tomorrow. Take my post token and change horses along the way."

"Yes, sir."

(End of this chapter)