Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 29 This is working for me, how can you be so stingy!

The autumn air is crisp and clear, and the sky is as clean as if it had been washed.

On the drill ground in the western suburbs of the capital, dust billowed as nearly ten thousand soldiers from the Four Guards Battalion and the Warriors Battalion stood in formation, awaiting the new emperor's inspection.

When Zhu Youjian's imperial carriage appeared at the far end of the training ground, Xu Yingyuan, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, who had been waiting there, and two fully armored camp officers immediately rushed forward to greet him.

"Your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"

The three of them knelt down together and performed a grand salute.

Zhu Youjian reined in his horse, but his gaze passed over them and fell upon the dark mass of troops behind him.

Despite the cool autumn weather, the two officers on duty had beads of sweat on their foreheads, which slid down their cheeks and soaked their collars. Their expressions were so tense that they were almost contorted.

Zhu Youjian's lips curled into a faint smile.

At first glance, the military formation on the drill ground appeared quite orderly, with flags waving and swords and spears standing like a forest, giving it a rather imposing air.

But if one concentrates even slightly, one can hear an uncontrollable buzzing sound within the seemingly solemn military formation, like countless flies buzzing, occasionally interspersed with a few anxious shouts.

Just then, the soldiers at the very front of the army seemed to finally see the bright yellow imperial dragon flag, and a series of commotions broke out at the front of the ranks.

Immediately afterwards, as if the first domino had been toppled, a series of shouts, curses, and the clash of weapons spread rapidly from front to back.

In just a dozen or so breaths, the originally noisy military formation miraculously quieted down, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Xu Yingyuan raised his head and asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, may we begin proofreading?"

Zhu Youjian waved his hand, neither saying to begin nor not to begin, but simply gave the horse a gentle nudge, and the imperial horse beneath him began to move forward at a leisurely pace.

Instead of heading towards the high training platform, he walked straight towards the front of the army formation.

Upon seeing this, Xu Yingyuan quickly got up and followed closely behind.

The two officers in charge of the camp exchanged a glance and had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow.

The soldiers in the first rank of the formation were indeed elite.

Most of them had dark skin, fierce expressions, thick and brand-new cotton armor, and polished spears.

Upon seeing the emperor's gaze sweep over them, each of them straightened their chests as much as possible, their eyes filled with eagerness and longing, as if they wanted to show their best side to the emperor.

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger, and continued to ride his horse slowly backward along the edge of the formation.

The two officers on duty were on tenterhooks.

One of them anxiously reached out and tugged at Xu Yingyuan's sleeve, his lips moving but he dared not utter a sound.

Xu Yingyuan, however, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He slightly shifted his body and dodged the emperor's pull, remaining silent and focused on his own thoughts as he followed behind the emperor.

The entire drill ground was deathly silent, with only the occasional suppressed shout from the depths of the ranks, an attempt to maintain order.

All eyes followed the magnificent imperial horse and the young emperor riding it.

However, the further Zhu Youjian walked, the more shocking the scene in the procession became.

The soldiers' armor ranged from brand new to old, and then to tattered. Some even wore only a faded, worn-out battle jacket, unable to even afford a full suit of armor.

Their physique changed from robust and muscular to thin and weak, even pale and sickly.

Their momentum shifted from fervent and fierce to numb, evasive, and even cowardly.

When Zhu Youjian had reached about halfway through the army formation, he suddenly reined in his horse.

His gaze lingered on one person.

It was an old man with gray hair, hunched over, wearing a tattered coat with several large holes, and what he was leaning on was more like a rusty iron rod than a spear.

He tried to keep his head down, as if trying to hide himself, but his slightly trembling body betrayed his inner fear.

Beside him stood a boy who looked about eleven or twelve years old.

The standard helmet looked so large on his head that it almost covered his entire head.

He had to stretch out a thin hand and struggle to hold onto the edge of the helmet just to barely make his face visible.

Unlike the old man beside him who cowered in fear, the boy was looking up, his clear black and white eyes filled with curiosity, showing no fear or numbness, as he stared intently at Zhu Youjian on horseback.

Zhu Youjian suddenly found it amusing.

He leaned down slightly, trying to make his voice sound gentler.

"What are you doing here, you're so young?"

When the boy heard the emperor's question, he seemed excited. He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and was missing a front tooth in the middle, making him look particularly comical.

"I...I don't know either. The village head said that if I come and stand here for a day, I'll get five liters of grain!"

Children speak without restraint, their clear voices carrying exceptionally well across the quiet schoolyard.

Upon hearing this, the old man beside him trembled like a leaf in the wind.

The two officers following behind Zhu Youjian knelt down with a thud, their faces ashen, sweat pouring down their faces, unable to even beg for mercy.

"Haha...hahahaha!"

Zhu Youjian was amused by this remark and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Laughter echoed across the training ground, leaving everyone bewildered.

After laughing, he pointed at the young man and said to Xu Yingyuan behind him, "Since you've come to work for me, how can you be so stingy!"

Having said that, he raised his voice and said, "Xu Yingyuan, give him a shi (a unit of dry measure)."

One stone!
The harvest of Nakata in the capital region for a season is no more than one shi (a unit of dry measure)! The soldiers in the main camp receive no more than one shi of rations per month!
If eaten sparingly, one stone is enough to feed an adult for several months.

The boy was stunned, and so were the soldiers behind him.

Immediately, a murmur of surprise and commotion arose from the crowd.

After Zhu Youjian finished speaking, he turned to leave.

But as soon as he turned his horse around, he seemed to remember something, turned back, and gently tapped Xu Yingyuan's shoulder with his whip.

"You, personally arrange for someone to deliver it to his home. Don't let this honest young man suffer any harm."

He spoke these words very softly, yet they made the two officers even more terrified.

Having said that, Zhu Youjian looked at no one again, squeezed his legs together, and his horse neighed loudly before galloping towards the distant training platform.

"Clang, clang, clang—" He dismounted and strode up to the high platform, where he sat down with an air of authority on a large chair covered with tiger skin.

His gaze was coldly fixed on the troops below the stage, whose formation had become increasingly disorganized and chaotic due to the reward of a single stone earlier.

Before long, Xu Yingyuan and the two distraught camp officers also rushed to the foot of the training platform, standing with their hands at their sides, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The stage was deathly silent, while the audience below was in an uproar.

The difference of a few inches is like two different worlds.

After a long while, a smile suddenly appeared on Zhu Youjian's face again.

"Never mind," he said calmly. "No martial arts practice today, let's go straight to archery practice."

He turned to look at Xu Yingyuan: "What are the standards for the military examinations nowadays?"

Xu Yingyuan dared not be negligent and quickly bowed in reply.

"Your Majesty, the martial arts examination is divided into three parts."

"The first is mounted archery, which involves shooting from thirty paces away, and hitting three out of nine arrows is considered passing."

"The second is foot archery, which involves shooting at a target from eighty paces away. One arrow that hits the target out of nine is considered a pass."

"Only after passing the first two rounds can one be tested on policy essays."

Zhu Youjian raised his eyebrows: "Oh? What kind of questions are asked in the policy essays?"

Xu Yingyuan replied, "They are the Seven Military Classics, including Sun Tzu's Art of War, Wu Zi's Art of War, and the Six Secret Teachings."

Zhu Youjian understood.

Exams are like building rockets, while jobs are like tightening screws.

It's surprising that the Ming Dynasty, a century ago, was also so inefficient and superficial.

Does the Ming Dynasty today lack generals who are all talk and no action, and who are skilled in strategy and tactics?

No, what we lack are capable people who can train troops thoroughly and defend the city!
Reading these books is not as practical as reading Qi Jiguang's "Records of Military Training" or Chen Gui's "Records of City Defense".

The most difficult things in the world must be done by starting with the easiest; the greatest things in the world must be done by starting with the smallest.

However, from Sarhu to Liaojin, from high-ranking officials to local petty officials, who was willing to do the work?
Who doesn't dream of rising on the wind and soaring ninety thousand miles high?

Well then, everything has a beginning, so let's start with this initial, minute matter.

Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment, and then made up his mind.

He slammed his hand on the armrest and declared loudly, "Issue my decree!"

Everyone on the stage knelt down.

"Today's archery competition is open to all, regardless of rank or status: officers, elite soldiers, able-bodied men, or those on a single ration."

"We will not ask about strategies or arguments, only the archery scores."

"Those who meet the standards for both horsemanship and archery in the martial arts examination will be specially rewarded with five taels of silver!"

"Those who meet even one of the martial arts examination standards will receive a top reward!"

"Those whose martial arts examination standards are lowered by one grade will receive a medium reward!"

"Those whose martial arts examination standards are lowered by one grade will receive a lower reward!"

"You decide the specific reward amount and demotion criteria," Zhu Youjian turned his gaze to Xu Yingyuan, "but limit it to a special reward of five taels of silver. Don't let my warriors lose heart!"

"My lord, I obey your order!"

Before everyone could step down from the stage to pay their respects, Zhu Youjian added a sentence in a low voice.

"Oh, right."

"Those who are fraudulently serving should not be put up there to embarrass themselves..."

Upon hearing this, the two officers in command went limp and almost collapsed to the ground, drenched in cold sweat, and could only nod in agreement.

As soon as the emperor issued his decree, the entire drill ground erupted into chaos, like a pot of boiling water.

Those setting up the firing range were running back and forth carrying straw targets.

The flag officers shouted and cursed at the top of their lungs, trying to reorganize the ranks.

Meanwhile, the actual soldiers, their eyes gleaming, were eager and rushed towards the shooting range.

Five taels of silver!

Based on current prices in the capital, that's 10 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain!
How many months can it last? Huh? How many months exactly? I can't figure it out!
Anyway, fuck it!
Zhu Youjian gripped his riding whip, staring blankly at the chaotic yet vibrant scene below the stage. After a while, he suddenly remembered something.

He turned around and beckoned over the eunuch Ma Wenke, who was standing not far away.

"You, return to the palace immediately and summon Gao Shiming."

"Let him bring all the eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, and plenty of silver."

A sharp glint flashed in Zhu Youjian's eyes.

"Later, make sure to properly register every single warrior who emerged victorious from today's test!"
-
Here's a picture of a Ming Dynasty military examination; this is the second archery competition.

The Ming Dynasty even had a strict "archery ceremony," which involved officials of different ranks sitting in certain places and deciding who went first and who went last.

　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　1. I checked Qi Jiguang's "Records of Military Training," which clearly stipulates that subordinates should "kneel twice and bow once" when meeting the commander of the camp. Civil officials also often kneeled when paying homage (otherwise, Hai Rui wouldn't have been called Hai the Pen Holder). The Ming Dynasty emperors repeatedly issued edicts to correct the kneeling custom, but it was the prevailing custom among both civil and military officials.

　　2. At this time, the price of grain in the capital was 0.5 taels per shi.

　　3. In the Ming Dynasty, ordinary soldiers in the capital garrison received 1 shi (a unit of dry measure) of grain per month, while elite soldiers received double that. According to the Ministry of Finance's memorials, frontline soldiers received 2 sheng (another unit of dry measure) of grain and 0.02 yin (another unit of dry measure) of salt and vegetables per day.

　　4. The Warriors Battalion had a strength of 3000+ men, and the Four Guards Battalion had a strength of 7000+ men. Records from the 42nd year of the Wanli reign show that both were short by nearly half. The original text reads: “The officers and soldiers numbered 3,647, only half of the total. The horses numbered 1,043, but none arrived. The Four Guards Battalion had 7,240 officers and soldiers, but only 4,600 were present. The same applies to the horses. We request that the Ministry of Justice investigate this matter.” — *History of Ming Dynasty, Volume 65, Military Affairs*

　　5. Then, in the fifth year of the Tianqi reign, a reorganization was carried out, but the details of the reorganization are not mentioned. I here assume it was one level below the Imperial Guard (because the Tianqi Emperor did not leave the palace and could not see it), but better than the Beijing Garrison. However, in reality, there was a lot of room for variation, which belongs to the ambiguous area not mentioned in historical records.

　　6. As for the fierce and powerful Yongwei Battalion that many people remember, it was a 3000-strong force that was refined after merging the two battalions. It was trained in the ninth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign.

　　There's another chapter tonight, either 3 or 4K words, I'm still typing it, but I'll post this one first.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)