Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 31 What? You're Sun Yingyuan?

"By imperial decree, the selected warriors are to ascend the stage to receive their rewards!"

As the eunuch's shrill shouts rang out, the crowd below the stage naturally parted to make way for him.

The first person to step onto the platform was an exceptionally burly man.

He wore a faded coarse cloth shirt, had large, rough hands and feet, a dark face, but unusually bright eyes.

He stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said in a booming voice, "This humble subject, Sun Yingyuan, pays his respects to Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

The eunuch in charge of announcing the names immediately shouted at the top of his lungs: "Imperial Horse Supervisor, Sun Yingyuan! Skilled in archery and horsemanship, his technique surpasses all others! The Emperor bestows upon him a special reward of five taels of silver!"

Zhu Youjian's heart skipped a beat!
Sun Yingyuan?
You're Sun Yingyuan?!
He stared intently at the man kneeling below the stage.

This man was extremely tall.

With broad shoulders, a thick back, and strong joints, his waist was more than twice the size of Zhu Youjian's, exuding an explosive sense of power.

He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. Although his face was covered in dust, it couldn't hide his fierce and brave spirit.

What a perfect image of an ancient warrior!

Even someone as ignorant as him could tell at a glance that this person must be exceptionally brave.

This must be Sun Yingyuan from the historical records!
Sun Yingyuan, who was known as one of the "Three Great Generals of the Beijing Garrison" along with Huang Degong and Zhou Yuji in the later years of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign!
Zhu Youjian felt a sense of absurdity welling up inside him.

Such a general, who would be a pillar of the Beijing Garrison in the future, was at this moment just a stable boy tending horses at the Tianshi Temple pasture.

History is truly more bizarre than any storybook.

He could no longer contain himself and personally took two ingots and ten-tael silver coins from the silver box beside him, and strode over to Sun Yingyuan.

"What a brave warrior!"

Zhu Youjian's voice was full of appreciation. He bent down, helped Sun Yingyuan up, stuffed the heavy silver ingot into his hand, and patted his broad shoulder hard.

"The warriors are skilled, yet they are confined to the hay; this is my oversight."

"Now that you have been able to show your talent before me, I will not allow such a bright pearl to be tarnished."

"This ingot of silver is an extra reward from me. Take it back and make sure your family is settled."

"From this day forward, you are no longer a horse groom of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Become my Great Han General!"

Sun Yingyuan was stunned at first, then a huge surge of joy welled up in his heart.

He held the cold, heavy silver ingot in both hands, feeling as if it weighed a ton.

His eyes instantly reddened as he looked at the young emperor before him.

He was originally a down-on-his-luck military household in Jizhou who herded horses for others. This year, there was a slight drought in the north, and his master was also struggling, so he was sent out to find other ways to make a living.

That's how he ended up in the capital, where he used his horse-taming skills to sneak into the pastures and earn some rice. He never expected to have such an incredible opportunity today!
“Your Majesty…this humble subject…I am all alone, with no family,” Sun Yingyuan replied, his voice choked with emotion.

In reality, the "Great Han General" was not a general at all. The common people from this area were new to the capital and knew nothing, which led to a little misunderstanding.

However, Zhu Youjian did not correct him, but just laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"No problem, no problem! If you can be brave and invincible on the battlefield and achieve great feats, why worry about family and beautiful women?"

Sun Yingyuan's voice was already trembling with sobs; his words were simple, yet they conveyed a heartfelt sincerity and determination.

"Your Majesty's grace! This humble general, Sun Yingyuan, is willing to die for Your Majesty! I would gladly give my life for you!"

"Get up," Zhu Youjian said gently. "I am waiting to see the day you achieve great things."

Sun Yingyuan stood up and stepped aside.

Zhu Youjian's emotions remained unsettled for a long time.

If Sun Yingyuan alone has already surprised him so much, what about Zhou Yuji and Huang Degong?
Could they also be buried in some corner, waiting to be discovered by oneself?
And where are those fierce generals who became famous in later generations, such as Zhao Shuaijiao and Cao Bianjiao?

Liaodong? Shaanxi? Shanxi? Zhili?
He was filled with anticipation, and he was even more enthusiastic about handing out the rewards.

"Li Tieniu, Fourth Guard Battalion! Top reward: four taels of silver!"

"Zhang Dashan, of the Brave Guard Battalion! Top reward: four taels of silver!"

The twenty-eight warriors who received the highest honors walked excitedly onto the platform.

Many of them had never seen so much silver in their lives, let alone imagined that it would be bestowed upon them by the emperor himself.

Each person trembled with excitement and tears welled in their eyes as they received the heavy reward from Zhu Youjian, their kowtows filled with gratitude. Meanwhile, the eunuchs beside them diligently recorded the names and units of these warriors.

After the top prizes are distributed, the next prize, which has the largest number of participants, is the middle prize.

"Zhao Shitou of the Fourth Guard Battalion, a reward of two taels of silver!"

"Wang Mazi, from the Brave Guard Battalion, is awarded two taels of silver!"

……

At first, Zhu Youjian was in high spirits and offered a few words of encouragement to each soldier who went up to receive his reward.

But as the number of people increased, his movements gradually became mechanical, and the smile on his face began to stiffen.

My arms started to ache from the repeated lifting and lowering.

His voice had become somewhat hoarse from talking so much.

Looking at the sea of ​​people below the stage, his initial enthusiasm gradually cooled.

A thought suddenly popped into my head.

wrong.

That's not how things should be done.

When Yuan Shikai trained troops at Xiaozhan, he used generous pay to win over the hearts of the people. Did he also personally distribute the pay to each and every soldier in this way?

……

Well, that's actually quite possible.

All Yuan Shikai's endeavors were simply military training; success meant success, failure meant failure.

But he's different...

The Ming Dynasty has many problems, and he can't always do everything himself.

The emperor's authority lies in setting rules and managing officials, not in doing everything personally.

A sage governs officials, not the people.

What I need to do is establish a fair, effective system that ensures rewards are accurately distributed to everyone, and supervise the officials who implement this system.

Instead of turning yourself into a tool for distributing money.

After offering some self-justification, Zhu Youjian stopped what he was doing and said to Xu Yingyuan, who was standing beside him, "There's no need for the rest of the rewards to be presented on stage."

"Those who receive the reward shall be arranged in groups of ten, and may simply register below the platform to receive their reward. I will be here watching them."

"According to the order!"

Xu Yingyuan immediately relayed the imperial decree.

Soon, the order below the stage changed, and the soldiers began to line up in groups of ten to receive their rewards, which immediately increased the speed.

However, the thousands of soldiers in the training ground who had not received any reward gradually began to stir.

They watched their companions gleefully collect their piles of silver, their eyes filled with envy and disappointment. Some even plopped down on the ground, looking utterly dejected.

Zhu Youjian, however, remained indifferent to all of this.

He simply stood quietly on the high platform, his gaze steady, listening attentively as the eunuch loudly announced the names of each recipient.

"Liu San Gou, Fourth Guard Battalion, hereby receive a reward of one tael!"

"Chen Erdan, commander of the Brave Guard Battalion, is hereby awarded one tael of silver!"

……

The autumn sunlight cast his long shadow across the training ground, a space filled with both hope and despair.

However, those on the training ground didn't know that this was only the beginning...

　[Historical Materials in this Chapter]

　　1. I just calculated that if 3000 people personally distributed all the rewards, it would take a whole day…

　　2. "Sun Yingyuan, whose origins are unknown, was originally employed by the Imperial Horse Administration, specializing in horse herding. He rose through the ranks to become a military officer in the Beijing Garrison and then supervised the Yongwei Battalion. In July of the thirteenth year, he decisively defeated Luo Rucai at Fengyiping, a feat hailed as the greatest achievement in Jingchu (Hubei and Hubei provinces)." — *History of Ming Dynasty, Biographies, Volume 269*

　　
　
(End of this chapter)