Huangming

Chapter 82 Secretly Recruiting Personal Guards, Entrapment (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)

Inside the East Warm Pavilion.

Zhu Youxiao looked at the three restless men under his command and said softly, "The three of you have all received the title of marquis because of the blessings of your ancestors. However, more than two hundred years have passed and your family has declined. Do you feel that you have disgraced your ancestors' name?"

Marquis Dingyuan, Deng Shaoyu, immediately stood up and said, “The merits of my ancestors are still vivid in my mind. During the Jingnan Campaign, my ancestor led three thousand Iron Falcon Guards to cut off the Southern Army’s supply lines. When I heard about this, I was greatly inspired and wished I could follow in my ancestor’s footsteps and serve the country loyally. Now that the family has declined, I am determined to revitalize the Marquis’s mansion!”

If not now, when?

His Dingyuan Marquis's mansion was so poor that they were almost starving!

Lu Tian was seized, and his income plummeted.

If we don't seize this opportunity, the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion will truly be doomed.

Marquis Yongkang, Xu Yingyuan, and Marquis Fengcheng, Li Chengzuo, also stepped forward to express their loyalty.

"Your Majesty has summoned us today. Whether we face mountains of knives or seas of fire, we will obey without hesitation. We will follow Your Majesty's command and serve Your Majesty to the death, to be loyal to the Ming Dynasty, and to honor the glory of our ancestors!"

"it is good!"

Zhu Youxiao nodded, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

The reason he summoned these three men was that he truly lacked loyal and capable subordinates.

The loyalty of the Ming Dynasty nobles, especially those who had fallen on hard times, was much higher than that of the officials outside the capital, once they were given even a little appointment and favor.

The interests of the nobles and the emperor were highly aligned.

Especially when he was down on his luck.

Zhu Youxiao had already ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate the backgrounds of these three men. They were quite capable and did not have any bad habits such as frequenting brothels or indulging in wine and women.

These were the nobles who could still be saved.

Thinking of this, Zhu Youxiao's eyes gleamed, and he slowly said:

"Since I ascended the throne, my court officials have been oppressive, my nobles have been shirking their responsibilities, the border regions have been rife with violence and laxity, state affairs have been difficult to manage, the four guards have become corrupt, and the capital garrison is difficult to control. The Ming Dynasty has come to my hands and is already teetering on the brink of collapse. I fear that one day the country will cease to be a country and the people will cease to be people."

The three listened attentively, their fists clenching tighter and tighter, their hearts pounding with excitement.

"If the Beijing Garrison is even slightly corrupt, my Great Ming Dynasty will be in turmoil. If the Beijing Garrison is completely corrupt, the people in all regions will rise up in rebellion! Therefore, I am determined to reform the Beijing Garrison!"

Upon hearing this, the eyes of all three lit up.

But what followed was concern.

Although they are nobles, they have long lost their influence in the Beijing Garrison. If they were to go and reorganize the Beijing Garrison, they would likely face the danger of being stabbed in the back or committing suicide out of fear of punishment.

"Your Majesty, we would rather die ten thousand times than not share your burdens. However, even if we risk our lives, it is still difficult to reorganize the capital garrison."

The interests involved in the Beijing garrison are too numerous.

This is a deep pit.

"I'm not sending you to your deaths."

Zhu Youxiao looked at the three men with furrowed brows and said, "The Beijing Garrison is in disarray and difficult to deal with. I intend to establish the Ruijian Battalion in Xishan and the Jinwei Battalion in Fengtai, collectively known as the Yulin. What do you all think?"

Recruiting soldiers?

The three men's eyes immediately lit up.

“Recruiting soldiers is indeed feasible, but will the Ministry of War agree?” Marquis Dingyuan Deng Shaoyu became worried again.

"This matter is a secret decree of mine and does not need to go through the Ministry of War."

of course
Even if it goes through the Ministry of War, who would dare to stop it?
Upon hearing this, everyone hesitated for a moment.

Upon seeing the appearance of the three men, Zhu Youxiao immediately understood their thoughts.

He immediately scoffed, glanced at the three of them, and asked with a cold laugh, "What, are you scared?"

Seeing the three men's timid and hesitant demeanor, Zhu Youxiao continued to mock them, "When did the nobles of my Great Ming become so hesitant and timid? Could your ancestors have achieved the merit of becoming marquises without the courage to forge ahead?"

bang~
Zhu Youxiao slammed his hand on the imperial desk, causing the three men to shudder and nearly fall off their stools.

"Look at yourselves! If you don't even have the guts, how can you expect to revitalize the Marquis's mansion? The reason why there are so few capable nobles in our Great Ming Dynasty is because they are cowardly as mice, always looking back and forth. They have no ambition of their ancestors, but only the cowardice of rats. How can you achieve the feats of your ancestors with such behavior?"

The emperor snorted coldly, sighed deeply, and said, "If you are afraid, then get out of the East Warm Pavilion. I have seen the true capabilities of the nobles of my Great Ming Dynasty. They are truly hopeless and rotten wood that cannot be carved! I will simply rely on officials from outside the capital in the future."

The emperor has already said so much, how dare they disobey?
Do you even want to live?
A resolute look flashed in the eyes of Marquis Dingyuan, Deng Shaoyu.

Those who have nothing to lose are not afraid of those who have something to lose. The Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion has already fallen to such a state, what is there to be afraid of?

Let’s do it, brothers!
Marquis Dingyuan, Deng Shaoyu, immediately rose, knelt down, and shouted loudly:
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go through fire and water, and charge into battle for you!" Perhaps to increase the credibility of his words, he gritted his teeth and growled again:
"If I break this oath, I will personally thank the Great Ming, and the entire Marquis of Dingyuan's nine generations of his family will be exterminated!"

What a ruthless military order!

Marquis Yongkang, Xu Yingyuan, and Marquis Fengcheng, Li Chengzhu, exchanged a glance, knowing they had no other choice. They knelt down and said:
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go through fire and water for you!"

"If I break this oath, I will personally thank the Ming Dynasty, and the entire Yongkang Marquis's (Fengcheng Marquis's) clan will be exterminated!"

Only then was Zhu Youxiao somewhat satisfied with the three men's reactions.

"Marquis Dingyuan!"

"Your subject is here." Deng Shaoyu awaited the emperor's orders.

"I hereby order you to recruit able-bodied refugees and good men from good families in Beizhili to form the Xishan Elite Battalion, and settle their families in the imperial estate. The force will be 3,000 men! Afterwards, go to Shandong to recruit 7,000 young men."

The refugees occupying the area outside the capital city are likely to cause trouble. Recruiting their able-bodied men and turning them into our own forces is a good way to deal with them.

Marquis Dingyuan, Deng Shaoyu, immediately replied, "Your subject obeys!"

Recruiting 10,000 soldiers—what immense power that is!

Even if they weren't greedy, a little bit of money leaking out would make life in the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion much more comfortable.

The prosperity of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion depends on this event.

Zhu Youxiao then looked at Marquis Yongkang Xu Yingyuan and Marquis Fengcheng Li Chengzuo and said, "One of you should go to Henan to recruit young and strong people from the disaster area; the other should go to Yiwu, Zhejiang to recruit miners and young and strong people to form a personal guard, with each of you having 10,000 soldiers."

"I accept your order!"

Of course, Zhu Youxiao did not simply issue orders without following up.

"You need not worry about any expenses, but let me make this clear from the beginning: I have entrusted you with important responsibilities, so I expect you not to engage in corruption, bribery, or oppression of the people, lest you ruin your mission."

Palace eunuchs will accompany you to supervise, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will stay by your side day and night. You must be loyal and dutiful, and not fail my high expectations.”

Speaking of which.

Zhu Youxiao's pupils contracted slightly, his eyes radiating murderous intent.

Clang!
He drew the Yongle sword from the weapon rack beside the throne and slashed it directly at a corner of the imperial desk.

The sword was so sharp that it instantly separated a corner of the imperial desk.

Zhu Youxiao swept his cold gaze across the three men and said in a chilling voice, "If you fail to live up to my expectations, this imperial desk will be your fate!"

Thump~
The three men quickly knelt down and declared emphatically, "Your Majesty, we will certainly live up to your expectations. If we fail in our duties, we will be punished accordingly!"

The emperor nodded in satisfaction: "It's quite eye-catching."

"Get up!"

Zhu Youxiao glanced at the three men and said calmly, "If you handle this task well, my reward will be enough to help you rebuild your family fortunes. I will not enjoy the glory of the Ming Dynasty alone!"

With the emperor's promise, the three men became even more motivated.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly handle the recruitment of soldiers well and live up to your high expectations!"

After arranging the recruitment of soldiers, Zhu Youxiao felt much more relaxed.

Once the Zhejiang troops entered the capital, along with the newly recruited soldiers from the newly promoted nobles and the old soldiers of the capital garrison, a three-way balance of power was established.

As is well known, triangles are stable.

Then he was able to implement sweeping reforms.

of course
The recruitment system was, after all, carried out in secret. If he wanted the officials to acknowledge it and the capital garrison to keep quiet, he would need to come up with a backup plan.

Just then, Wei Zhongxian strode over to the outside of the East Warm Pavilion.

Upon being informed by an official, Wei Zhongxian strode into the pavilion.

"This servant, Wei Zhongxian, greets Your Majesty."

After bowing, Wei Zhongxian, panting heavily, hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been tracking Li Xiong, the eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen, and has discovered that he has connections with convicted merchants!"

Upon hearing this, the emperor's eyes lit up, and he became very interested.

When Zhu Youxiao was cleaning up the inner court, he deliberately left five eunuchs behind. Knowing that they had evidence of crimes, he did not take action against them, but instead promoted them to key positions.

Are you just bored and have nothing better to do?
Do not!
He's trying to entrap us!
Now, finally someone is starting to make a move!
PS:

Thank you all for your monthly votes! This is the first time I've seen someone cast 58 votes. You're amazing!
We're still a little short of 1000 monthly votes, everyone please give it your all!
(End of this chapter)