Huangming

Chapter 108 Imperial Decree, Loyalty Forged in Frost

With the emperor's encouragement, the practice of posthumously awarding titles to military officers of the previous dynasty was quickly implemented.

Many of the censors in the Censorate and the officials in the Six Ministries were newly promoted. Most of these people either attached themselves to eunuchs or claimed to be part of the emperor's faction. After learning the emperor's intentions, they all eagerly submitted memorials.

In an instant, the imperial court was teeming with life, and all things were flourishing!

November 2nd, the first year of the Taichang reign.

noon.

In the East Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Tianqi, Zhu Youxiao, was playing with a wooden carving. Of course, this wooden carving was not carved by him, but by Zhu Youxiao before his soul transmigrated.

It must be said that the carpenter emperor was quite skilled.

The figure is sculpted with remarkable realism and unique technique, demonstrating the skill of a master.

Interest is indeed the best teacher.

at this time.

The eunuch Li Yongzhen from the Directorate of Ceremonial carefully presented a memorial.

"Your Majesty, Imperial Censor Li Kuilong and others have jointly submitted a memorial requesting that the former dynasty's loyal and valiant martyrs be posthumously honored."

Zhu Youxiao didn't even look up, continuing to carve the wood: "Oh? Who are they?"

Li Yongzhen opened the memorial and read aloud: "Sun Sui, the governor of Jiangxi during the Zhengde reign, refused to surrender when the Prince of Ning rebelled and was hacked to death..."

The emperor paused in his work: "I remember that before he died, he called Prince Ning a 'river bandit of Poyang'?"

"Your Majesty is wise," Li Yongzhen bowed in agreement, then continued, "And there was Yang Jisheng during the Jiajing reign, who was executed by dismemberment for impeaching Yan Song, and even carved words on the prison wall before his death..."

Zhu Youxiao frowned and put down the carving knife: "These people should all be posthumously honored."

He picked up a vermilion brush and circled the names of Sun Sui and Yang Jisheng.

Lee Yong-jeong continued to name more than ten people, then said, "There are a total of seventy-three people among them."

Zhu You nodded.

These seventy-three people were the number he had revealed.

Li Yongzhen hesitated for a moment, then turned to the last part of the memorial: "There is one more thing... Veterans of Jizhou have jointly submitted a memorial requesting the exoneration of the Qi Family Army who were wrongfully killed during the Wanli era."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youxiao immediately nodded.

"Issue an edict to exonerate them; we must not discourage the soldiers!"

Zhu Youxiao now needs to rely heavily on Qi Jiguang's army, so naturally he needs to ensure their loyalty.

If you want to use someone, you have to treat them well. Once they're no longer of use, you treat them the way you should.

Moreover, exonerating the Qi Family Army was merely a side matter.

"The servant understands."

Zhu Youxiao put the wooden carving aside and then asked, "Has the Imperial Brother-in-law arrived?"

Li Yongzhen nodded and said, "They're waiting at Qianqing Palace!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Let him in."

Not long after, the emperor's brother-in-law, Wang Sheng, slowly entered the East Warm Pavilion.

"Your subject, Wang Sheng, respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health."

After assuming power for several days, a group of people surrounded him. Wang Sheng was in much better condition than when he first came to meet the emperor.

I also learned a lot about the rules and regulations in the palace.

In Zhu Youxiao's view, the biggest change in the emperor's brother-in-law was that he had become more confident.

Once a person becomes confident, their entire demeanor changes.

Power!
For men, it's like an aphrodisiac, no wonder so many people are drawn to it.

"I am well, Your Majesty, please have a seat."

After Wang Sheng sat down, Zhu Youxiao asked, "Are you settling in well with the four guard battalions? Are there any difficulties?"

Wang Sheng immediately replied, "It's not difficult. With His Majesty backing me up, no one below dares to act recklessly. Besides, Eunuch Wei and Commander Li Ruzhen are both very easy to talk to."

Zhu Youxiao understood the implied meaning in the words.

"So, some people are doing bad things behind the scenes?"

Wang Sheng shook his head and said, "It's not really about doing bad things in secret. It's just that when the people from the Fourth Guard Battalion stopped listening to them, they made a few sarcastic remarks."

It's probably people like Zhu Chunchen.

Zhu Chunchen dared not say anything to the emperor, but these people, relying on their noble status, dared to make sarcastic remarks to the emperor's brothers-in-law.

"It's alright, their spots will be available soon."

The reason we didn't punish them before was that we thought they would take the blame for the Fourth Guard Battalion's reorganization and redeem themselves through meritorious service.

As a result, these individuals were lazy and cunning when it came to reorganizing the Four Guards Battalion, and their efforts had limited effect.

Unlike Li Ruzhen, he was not as clever and hardworking.

Since that's the case, don't blame him for being ruthless.

After all, the crimes of these three are too numerous to count, and dealing with them would be too easy.

Just pick one at random, and that'll be enough to give them a good dressing down.

However, there's no rush to clean up now.

Once the pigs are fattened up and the Beijing garrison is reorganized, we can deal with those imperial parasites together.

"Have they been training diligently these days?"

Wang Sheng nodded and said:
"The soldiers of the Four Guards Battalion train day and night without slacking off. During military drills, they are lined up like a forest, advancing and retreating in an orderly manner. Their swordsmanship and gunnery are all based on the manuals recorded in General Qi's 'New Book of Military Efficiency.' They use incense sticks to keep track of time for slashing, thrusting, and reloading, striving for speed and accuracy."

As for artillery, they even invited artillery craftsmen from Dengzhou to instruct them on how to calibrate the rifling, and conducted live-fire exercises three times every ten days, with the crenellations of the city walls serving as targets.

"To defend the city, they take turns on duty and patrol at night with lanterns; to attack the city, they use ladders, dig tunnels, and even employ explosives..."

He paused briefly, glancing at the emperor tapping his fingertips lightly on the table, and quickly added, "But the consumption of firearms is enormous, and the Ministry of War..."

Zhu Youxiao remained calm and said, "There is no need to worry about firearms. It is impossible to train a strong army without spending some money."

The money he confiscated from his home was not used to build palaces or for personal enjoyment, but was used to train troops! My neighbors hoarded grain, so I hoarded guns; my neighbors were my granaries.

If the military is inadequate, what difference is there between the Ming Dynasty and a granary in the eyes of foreign invaders?
If you want to steal, then steal.

"With Your Majesty's words, I understand the situation."

Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng felt much more at ease.

He was afraid that the cost of training troops would be too high, causing the emperor to feel distressed and making the training impossible to continue.

after all
Besides the consumption of these firearms, such high-intensity training would be completely impossible without sufficient meat.

The cost of food alone is a huge sum.

"I can accept the costs of training troops, but if anyone dares to profit from it, I will not let them off lightly."

Embezzling the money and grain that I painstakingly confiscated?

My money!
He dares to kill anyone who dares to be greedy!
Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng felt a chill run down his spine. He immediately replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured. The entire procurement process was overseen by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot. Moreover, I have tracked every detail. They cannot deceive me."

I can't fool you?

That's not necessarily true.

With Wang Sheng watching over things, minor corruption might occur, but major corruption could be prevented.

In this way, Zhu Youxiao's goal was achieved.

"I trust the Emperor's brother-in-law to handle things."

Then, Zhu Youxiao changed the subject and asked:

"How is the Marquis of Dingyuan's recruitment of soldiers in the capital region progressing?"

Marquis Dingyuan, Deng Shaoyu, has been recruiting soldiers in the capital region for some time now. Given the number of refugees outside Beijing, the situation of the Li family's servants is not uncommon.

With a little recruitment, there are many soldiers who can fight.

Perhaps the most time-consuming part is screening these people and figuring out how to determine their loyalty.

"The Marquis of Dingyuan has recruited more than two thousand soldiers in the capital region. However, these people are not to be added to the Four Guards Camp, but to establish a new camp in Xishan."

Zhu Youxiao was naturally aware of this situation.

"You are all my confidants. If there are any problems, discuss them with each other. If you still cannot reach a decision, present it directly to me."

Wang Sheng immediately agreed.

"Wei Chen obeys!"

The snow fell silently. In the plum garden on the southern outskirts of Beijing, a pool of flowing water, not yet frozen, meandered through the rugged artificial hills.

This manor covers an area of ​​more than 30 acres and was originally the private property of Wang An, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

When Wang An fell from power, the Embroidered Uniform Guard seized the land deed. Zhu Youxiao saw that the pavilions and terraces there were exquisite and that it was close to the Beijing garrison's drill ground, so he generously rewarded it to Qi Jin, who had been summoned back to the capital.

At this moment, Qi Jin was sitting with the brothers Tong Zhongkui and Qin Bangping in a hexagonal pavilion overlooking the water.

Shaoxing rice wine was warming on the stone table, and the silver charcoal in the charcoal brazier was burning red-hot. A few snowflakes managed to sneak in through the gaps in the eaves and land on Qin Minping's armor.

"This garden is quite comfortable. The nobles in the palace really know how to enjoy life."

Tong Zhongkui broke the clay seal on the wine jar and glimpsed the Zhejiang soldiers standing solemnly under the corridor.

"I heard that Wang An demolished more than seventy houses to build this 'Listening to Snow Pavilion'?"

Qi Jin sneered and slammed the bronze wine pot down on the table: "Therefore, when His Majesty bestowed the residence, I specially requested Shuntian Prefecture to allocate ten acres of the back garden so that those displaced people could return and grow crops."

He suddenly raised his hand and caught a snowflake, letting it melt into a water stain in his palm.

"Just like our Qi Family Army, even if the bones of those who froze to death thaw, their blood still seeps into the soil to nourish future generations."

Qin Bangping was a dark-skinned middle-aged man. At this moment, his attention was not on the manor, but on the recent commotion in the court. He asked softly, "I heard that His Majesty is posthumously honoring the loyal and righteous men of the previous dynasty?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Jin's expression turned solemn. He clasped his hands in a fist salute towards the Forbidden City and said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty's grace is boundless. Not only has the injustice done to Qi Jiguang's army been redressed, but the posthumous title of 'Loyal Martyrs of the Former Dynasty' has also been bestowed upon them. This is truly an unprecedented act of divine grace in a century! We soldiers are uncouth and have always been looked down upon by civil officials. However, Your Majesty has shown us such favor, bestowing upon us residences and rewards, and has also reorganized the capital garrison and enforced strict military discipline, so that our soldiers will no longer suffer from the misappropriation of their pay and the enslavement of their labor. On behalf of Qi Jiguang's army, this old minister kowtows in gratitude for Your Majesty's grace. In the end, Your Majesty knows that the blood of us soldiers has not yet cooled!"

Tong Zhongkui also felt this deeply.

"When we supported Liaodong before, the situation there was truly disappointing. Now that we have met His Majesty, with such a wise ruler in charge, I am even more confident in turning things around in Liaodong."

Qin Bangping and Qin Minping had only been in the capital for a short time, but the emperor's recent actions had already captivated them.

His Majesty's wrists are not at all like those of a young man.

The Ming Dynasty is now riddled with deep-seated problems, and perhaps only Your Majesty can eradicate these chronic ailments.

Qi Jin pounded his chest and said, "We warriors are meant to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. Today, the emperor is wise and treats us so well. What does it matter if we die for him?"

Qi Jin looked at everyone, pondered for a moment, and said, "I'm already preparing to have those old brothers come and help."

The Qi family army, disheartened by the imperial court, scattered across the fields.

But the passion that General Qi left in their hearts is still there. Now that the new emperor is wise and has exonerated them, why not come and assist him?
It's better than dying of old age at home!
The reputation of Qi Jiguang's army must be rebuilt.

His Majesty wants to recruit a new army. Although those men are old and may not be able to fight or charge into battle, they can serve as instructors in the rear without any problem.

Tong Zhongkui said, "With all our soldiers fighting with one heart and one mind, what is there to fear from the mere Jurchens?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Jin felt a surge of pride and said, "Excellent! You are all loyal and patriotic people. Let us join hands for the country, first helping His Majesty train a strong army, and then deal with the Jurchens!"

These soldiers had very simple and honest ideas.

All they need is respect and sufficient provisions.

Those who perform meritorious service will be rewarded, and those who commit wrongdoings will be punished.

As long as these most basic requirements are met, their loyalty will make them fearless in the face of death.

However.
Before Zhu Youxiao's soul transmigrated, the Ming Dynasty couldn't even meet these requirements.

The emperor viewed soldiers as mere numbers in a game; once they died, they died without any emotional impact.

Those civil officials, harboring their own filth, didn't even consider them human beings.

Fortunately.

Everything is moving in a positive direction now.

With His Majesty, the sun shines high in the sky, and we warriors can have dignity!
They will surely support such a ruler, and they will risk their lives to chop anyone who opposes him into mincemeat!
(End of this chapter)