A small soldier of the frontier army in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 869
(Brother Cd, you calculated the strength of the protagonist and allies too much, which caused me to recalculate several times, but thank you for your opinion, especially some of the establishments in it are very good. And Brother Dongli, yours The proposal is very good. The essence is used up, and I will add it next week.)
On the eighth day of April in the 17th year of Chongzhen, the general who conquered the captives, Yongning Hou Wangdou personally published the mobilization declaration "Rise Up", which aroused the enthusiasm of the whole people.

In various parts of Xuanfu Town, groups of teenagers held their swords and marched on the streets, weeping and bleeding.In the Baoanzhou restaurant, Li Xiangqing has completely integrated into the atmosphere of the East Road. Like his elder brother Zhou Houren, his face was flushed from drinking, he slapped the table with his scabbard, and shouted: "Send troops, send troops, kill all the thieves and all the barbarians!"

They danced swords and sang loudly, and sang the military song of the Jingbian Army together, "The Horse Steps on the Swallow".

People from all walks of life and all walks of life have formed associations to express their support for the dispatch of troops.A large number of people flooded the streets, cheering for the Jingbian Army's upcoming troops. Whenever the sergeant passed by, there was a voice of shouting "Wan Sheng".

Crowds of people crowded the streets, and countless sun, moon, wave and wave flags were flying. In particular, many people flocked to the General's Mansion. They were densely packed in the square, shouting "Wan Sheng" excitedly at the mansion, and their cheers were like a tsunami. Wave after wave.

Boiling and passionate, there are boiling crowds everywhere, dazzling swords and cold lights, and fluttering small flags.A few years ago, there was already a kind of simple nationalism in this land, and now this passion is completely combined.

"The war has begun, and the country needs you!"

"Mister and wife, donate some money and food for the soldiers who are going to war."

All the students from Duhufu and Xuanfu Town took to the streets to give impassioned publicity speeches for the upcoming war, and many people spontaneously raised donations for the soldiers.This is not only the students of the Wang Dou system, but also the scholars of various academies.

Everyone has realized that no matter the bandits or the Tartars, these two monsters must be eradicated completely, otherwise their peaceful and stable life will be affected in the future.

The same is true of ordinary people, needless to say the Tartars, every time a beast-like thing enters the customs, it will bring a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, and blood will flow everywhere.As for the thieves, perhaps some people didn't know much about them at first, but now they know that they are a bunch of locusts, and wherever they go, they are clean.

I have worked so hard to support my family, if the bandits come, and I will be raided like the people in the capital, what should I do?So they must all be wiped out.No matter the thieves or the tartars, they must be killed cleanly.

Unknowingly, they also spontaneously became like a wave, and finally all the people were swept away, forming a kind of fanaticism among the whole people.

They donate money and materials, and they are all willing to do their part for sending troops.

The hearts of the people have never been so united.

The hearts of the people have never been so hot.

On the ninth day of the lunar new year, the Sanjin Commercial Bank announced that it would donate 100 million silver dollars to the soldiers on the expedition. In particular, Zheng Jinglun, the chairman of the Sanjin Commercial Bank, and Lai Mancheng, the vice president, donated 15 silver dollars each in their own names, which aroused great excitement from all walks of life. uproar.

On the tenth day of the lunar new year, Yongning Hou Wangdou expressed his appreciation for this. At the same time, he said that the money and goods donated by the people are all their clothes, food in their mouths, and the income from saving clothes and food on weekdays.Although they did good deeds for the country, how could their kindness not be rewarded?
He ordered that the money and goods donated by the people be converted into bonds and handed over to the people one by one. He also said that not only will the principal be fully returned in the future, but also dividends, and the interest rate will be higher than that of banks.It also attracted a large wave of donations.

This time, a large number of gentry made a bold move. Originally, they also followed the trend of donating money and materials, but at most it was a hundred or a thousand silver dollars to show their hearts.As soon as the bonds were issued, they snapped up [-] to [-] silver dollars.

On the 150th, the Wang family in Datong bought bonds worth [-] million silver dollars in one go. The rich people from Taiyuan Prefecture, Pingyang Prefecture and other places rushed to Xuanfu Town to snap up the bonds, and rich people from Shaanxi, Ningxia and other places Hear the wind and move.

The Mongols outside the Great Wall also rushed to buy them desperately.

The final donation amount quickly approached the 500 million silver dollar mark.

……

"I never thought there would be so many righteous people in Xuanfu Town!"

In Yuangu Palace, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy wearing a net scarf and a bright yellow python robe was saying with emotion.

This young man was wearing the clothes representing the crown prince, and his face was childish. At this moment, there was still a trace of excitement on it. He was the crown prince Zhu Cihong who had escaped from the capital.

There are a few people standing beside him, but they are some righteous men who rescued the prince from Beijing that day.A smiling fat man, Wu Yishi, looked kindly, but from time to time there was a glimmer of light in his eyes.One is about forty years old, tall and thin, with high cheekbones, gloomy and silent, and looks like an old farmer.

The prince called him Li Yishi, and when people called him Qiangye, he sometimes called him Qiangye.

There is another person, about 30 years old, with a melancholy expression and a slightly inconvenient right arm. The prince called him Xiao Yishi.

On the evening of March [-]th, the prince was rescued by a righteous man and fled Beijing from You'anmen, then went south to Laishui, and then went up the Juma River until he fled to Mashuikou.Then enter Xuanfu Town East Road, go to Zhencheng via Baoanzhou and other places.

What he saw and heard along the way opened the eyes of this young man.

Poor Zhu Cihong spent most of his time in the Zhongcui Palace after being crowned prince in the third year of Chongzhen, and then he went out to give lectures in the 11th year of Chongzhen. One by one, the ministers of the court and the ministers explained to him the subtle words and righteousness, and it didn’t pass a day Easy and happy days.

At this time, the state affairs were troubled, bothering his father and this young man. That kind of heartache and exhaustion lasted until that night, and he would never forget the scene of crying and parting with his father, queen and queen that night.That kind of sadness and heartbreak lasted until the moment he fled to Xuanfu Town.

Even in the few days of fleeing, there were also turmoil, mountains and rivers were broken, and what I saw was unbearable.However, after escaping into Xuanfu Town, it is another world. There is no more starvation, no more refugees and beggars, no more soldiers and thieves, only stability, safety, wealth, and beauty.

The villages and forts in Xuanfu Town are clean and tidy, and the villages are densely packed. The roads here are wide and flat, and the pedestrians walking on the roads are full of vitality, with red faces and full of vitality.The people here are rich and high-spirited, polite and orderly.

The planning here is excellent, well-organized, and the law and order are excellent. Being surrounded by followers is just a show of pomp, and it is no longer a worry about safety.The prince saw that many girls in the town were also shopping at night, and they didn't have the slightest worry about their personal safety.

It is densely populated, the chickens and dogs are familiar with each other, and the shops are bustling, row upon row. Compared with what I have heard and seen in the memorials, this place is completely another beautiful world.

Everything had a great impact on the young man. At that time, he told the righteous people around him that Daming's future should be like that of Xuanfu Town.

After arriving in Zhencheng, he also had a very good impression of Yongning Hou Wangdou. He was neither arrogant nor obsequious, calm and stable, with a gully in his heart, and he respected him very much. Getting along with him was like a spring breeze.Every time he talks with him, the prince feels very rewarding, and he really wants to have a long talk with him, but unfortunately Yongninghou is busy with official duties, so there are not many opportunities like this.

His attitude has also undergone a 180-degree change. He often said to the righteous men around him: "I hate the treacherous officials for blinding the father, so that a great talent like Marquis Yongning cannot be reused, and the state affairs have become like this."

During these years when the crown prince was in the palace, the officials around him would naturally not speak well of Wang Dou, and would often attack him in front of him and fight for the interests of the people, especially domineering and domineering. The king must stay away.

However, what he saw in his eyes and what he heard in his ears made his thoughts go in a completely different direction.Afterwards, he read the newspapers more, saw the matter of chasing stolen goods and helping pay, and saw that officials and merchants were confiscated with countless silver, he couldn't help sneering: "This generation is so unjust, there should be such a report!"

He recalled that at that time, his father was doing his best for food and pay, and all the civil and military officials were pushing back and forth. It turned out that it was to take refuge in the new dynasty.It's a pity that the nature of the thieves has not changed, and they finally drank the bitter fruit brewed by themselves, and the poor people in the capital suffered accordingly.

He said bitterly: "Competing for profit with the people, competing for profit with the people, the officials have been saying in front of the lonely king that the Marquis of Yongning is fighting for the profit with the people. Now I understand that the people are only referring to themselves! A group of rats, in vain Disregarding the favor of the emperor, it is only for personal gain!"

I also read in the newspaper that the senior scholar Chen Yan, the national patriarch Zhou Kui and others were copied out of no less than 50 taels of silver each, and how much was the internal money of my father's emperor?All the gold, silver and utensils in the palace add up to only 30 taels, and there is only 20 taels of silver left in the treasury.

And these rats, as ministers, have more silver in their homes than the national treasury.

He said even more bitterly: "This generation deserves to die without sympathy! The thieves are chasing after their stolen goods and paying their wages, well done! Let's see if you still want to join the new dynasty!"

He said to the righteous men around him: "These pious people always say bad things about the Marquis of Yongning, and now they alone understand what it means to fight for the interests of the people. It is still what the Marquis of Yongning said is good. Benefits are only for their family, what the Marquis of Yongning said is great benefits. Take it from the people and use it for the people, this is why the Xuan Mansion is so peaceful and rich."

He further said: "If the Ming Dynasty wants to become prosperous and prosperous, it must follow the path of Xuanfu Town."

But he was a little worried, he had discussed with Wang Dou, Wang Dou thought that the day before the troops were dispatched, the crown prince could announce the supervision of the country, and the name would be right.Of course the crown prince agreed. Apart from worshiping Marquis Yongning as the Duke of Jingguo, "supervisor of all Chinese and foreign military forces" and "doctor Guanglu", he also wanted to worship him as the first and assistant minister of the cabinet.

However, Wang Dou declined. Except for the position of governor, he recommended Chen Xinjia, the former minister of the Ministry of War, as the minister of the cabinet, and Ji Shiwei, the governor of the Ministry of household affairs.The rest, he thinks, can be discussed again, and selected from the hundred officials after recovering Shenjing.

For example, he believes that the history of the Minister of the Ministry of War in Nanjing can be upright and strict, and it seems that he can be the censor of the Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, or the Minister of the Ministry of Rites.The governor of Fengyang, Ma Shiying, is a steady and stable person, and it seems that he can also go to Beijing to seek a seat.

It's just that the prince is worried: "I just found out today that all the loyal officials are in Xuanfu Town, and the rest are all decent people. Can Shi Kefa and others be of great use?"

According to what the crown prince thought, the cabinet ministers and the six senior officials should all be replaced in Xuanfu Town, and the people in the Duhufu would be good.

However, now Wang Dou just chooses Zhong Rong as the left servant of the Ministry of Households, Lin Daofu as the right servant of the Ministry of War, Fu Mingqi as the left servant of the Ministry of Rites, Tian Changguo as the right servant of the Ministry of Industry, Chi Da as the right servant of the Ministry of Punishment, and others. Positions, hardly moved much.

Oh, I did recommend many people to serve as local governors, prefectural and county officials, but they were too far from what the prince had imagined, which made him a little dissatisfied.

Of course, what the two reached an agreement on was that Wu Yishi and the others were commendable for their loyalty, and they should be used exceptionally well. They should be appointed commanders of Jinyiwei, and they should all be commanders of affairs.

However, the crown prince was still worried. He said to the righteous people around him: "Officials outside Xuanfu town say they have no talents and no morals. Can they be qualified for these positions? Just like Shi Kefa, Ma Shiying, etc., I am afraid that they will be a decent generation. "

He sighed: "The Marquis of Yongning and I said that we should unite all the forces that can be united, focus on the overall situation, and stabilize Daming... But, why are loyal ministers always wronged? According to the talents of Xuanfu Town, Duhufu and other princes , They are cabinet ministers, and there are more than enough for six books."

This young man who grew up in a closed environment has completely changed his outlook on life and values ​​since he stepped into Xuanfu Town. He even hates hearing people say that Yongninghou is wrong.The eunuch Du Xun, the guarding eunuch of Xuanfu Town, had secretly come to report to him about fighting the king, which made the prince extremely dissatisfied and disgusted with Du Xun.

However, seeing that Marquis Yongning is so open-minded, Du Xun is so scheming and sinister, and still let him do the important job of the chief of the Urban Management Bureau in Xuanfu Town, maybe he can learn from it.After recovering Shenjing in the future, let Du Xun be the director of the Urban Management Bureau.

In the future, Shenjing will be regained and the state affairs will be managed. The young man feels uneasy again. He asks the righteous men around him, hoping to hear their opinions.

This road is full of dangers, running around and killing, and breaking through the siege several times. The righteous men seem to be omnipotent. Not to mention their loyalty to themselves, the young man can't help but feel dependent on them. The young man wants to hear them. the opinion of.

Xiao Yishi said: "Although the villain is not from Xuanfu Town, I also know that the Marquis of Yongning has a military and civil affairs academy, which specializes in training officials. There are too many officials in the rest of the Ming Dynasty. Maybe you can discuss with the Marquis and send more officials. Go to Xuanfu Town for training, learn how to do things, not how to be an official."

The prince said enthusiastically: "That's right, the so-called those who are close to Zhu are red, and those who are close to ink are black. If you gather with corrupt officials, you will become corrupt, and if you gather with loyal and upright officials, you will become better. It is true that we must send more officials. Training, forming a routine."

Li Yishi said: "Xuanfu Town is a paradise on earth, but I heard that the Marquis of Yongning is actually very idle, and his subordinates do all the work."

The prince said: "I have heard about it, and the Marquis of Yongning also told me that it is worthwhile for the Gu Wang to think about it. If you use the Marquis of Yongning, you must use it well. Don't think wildly, it is futile for the monarch and his ministers to be suspicious. One person The power is also limited, otherwise, what would the ancestors do if they set up the prime minister as the chief assistant?"

Wu Yishi smiled and said: "The villain doesn't know much, but he knows a word, be close to a virtuous minister, and stay away from a villain."

The crown prince greatly appreciated: "That's right, the virtuous minister is the Marquis of Yongning, and there is nothing wrong with listening to him more. Although the emperor is diligent, there are too many treacherous ministers around him, so the capital will suffer."

He said with emotion: "Indeed, there are too few people like Marquis Yongning who are dedicated to the country, so there are more righteous people in Xuanfu Town, but few rest places."

After arriving in Xuanfu Town, apart from eagerly reading the previous Xuanfu Times, the prince also made private visits in micro-services, and strolled all over the streets under the cover of righteous men. After all, young people are lively and do not want to be locked in the house, and want to take a walk outside .

The law and order here is also very good, there is no danger of any kind, and no one cares about him...

Marquis Yongning actually knew about several private visits by the crown prince's incognito clothes. He said: "It's a good thing to go to the people more often, have fun with the people, and understand their aspirations. This is the image of the sage, but you must pay attention to safety."

The prince's heart was warmed by what he said, and he felt free and unrestrained.If this was in the original palace, and the ministers of the lecture class knew about it, they would all have to kneel down and remonstrate to death, and he would never stop until he was turned into a rigid Mr. Morality.

Compared with being in the palace these days, the prince feels that Yongning Hou is a loyal minister.

This morning, accompanied by other righteous men, he secretly went to the street again. At this time, the mobilization declaration had been issued, and the street was full of heat. Countless people flocked to the street. They waved small flags, and there were many teenagers who were similar to his age. Parade speeches, everything makes him excited and fresh.

There are also many students soliciting donations. When passing by a street, the prince also saw a few girls' school students urging donations. The prince also donated five silver dollars to a girl's box. The girl said sweetly: "Thank you righteous."

Let his heart beat hard a few times.

As you can see along the way, there are endless donations. This is all spontaneous from the people.

When he came back, he also heard the shocking news. The Sanjin Commercial Bank announced a donation of 100 million silver dollars, which made the prince deeply moved. Compared with the capital at that time, there were too many volunteers in Xuanfu Town, which made him even more determined that Daming must go to Xuanfu Town The determination of the road.

At this time, there was still a hint of excitement on his face, and he stayed in the Gu Palace for a while, still feeling restless, after Chen Xinjia, Ji Shiwei and others who came to visit again left, he changed clothes with Wu Yishi and others, Sneak out of the house.

In the afternoon, the streets were even more lively, and there were crowds of parades everywhere, such as Lin's slogans. He first went to a restaurant and sang "Ma Treading Yan Ran" with all the drinkers. Strolling to the front of the General's Mansion, the square here is full of people's heads, and the flags are waving like a sea.

Hearing the tsunami-like sound of Wan Sheng, the crown prince couldn't help shouting. He shouted Wan Sheng for half an hour, and felt his voice was a little hoarse, so he walked away unsatisfied. When he came back, he was still so excited that he couldn't sleep. .

Everything in Xuanfu Town, especially the fiery atmosphere, fascinated him deeply.

……

Rhythmic clanging sounds, sparks splashing, heavy, hydraulic forging hammers constantly hitting the red iron material, forging it into a uniform, thick and textured iron plate.Looking around, there are dense forging hammers, and craftsmen coming and going are busy handling forging hammers and raw materials. The fiery power of steel is undoubtedly displayed here.

Some craftsmen wearing fox hats and smocks took the iron plates to cool down, and then piled them aside. Looking around, the piles were like mountains.

There are also factory sheds with these fine iron plates, but they are first tempered and then sent under a huge hydraulic forging hammer, and there seems to be a formwork underneath.Then the large hydraulic forging hammer started, slowly raised, and finally rushed down, with a huge punching force, and with a bang, it stamped the iron fine plate into a certain shape.

What appears to be the front half of a soldier's breastplate, which was then removed, tempered, and finally formed into the required armor.

There were loud bang bangs and there was more than one stamping machine in the wide factory shed, and the templates under each stamping machine were not the same.

The front half and back half of the breastplate were stamped out continuously, and combined to form a complete pair of fine iron breastplate.

A master-like man wearing glasses looked at these breastplates from time to time. Breastplates were constantly being pulled out and sent to the outside shooting range for testing. They were hacked, stabbed with arrows, shot with arrows, and even bombarded with firecrackers at different distances.

After a pair of breastplates were forged and punched out, they were still semi-finished after passing the quality inspection, and were sent to another workshop.Most of them are military women, who also wear uniforms. They are responsible for lining, piercing and fine grinding.Compared with the scale armor, the manufacture of these breastplates is relatively simple, but it is enough to apply to Yuan Tunding.

Moreover, these armors are made of refined iron. This kind of equipment is not available to many servants in the Ming army, even if it is used by the C-rank army, it is still very powerful, and it is exclusive to the Ming Dynasty.

The lining is sewn and wrapped, and the girdle is fitted, and the breastplate is finally completed.

Looking around, the breastplate was polished and shiny, shining with the texture of metal, and the inner lining was thick dark red cloth so that it would not wear the body.The two sleeves are more than half sleeves.Highlighted at the collar, flipped to resemble a shoulder scarf.The red cloth lining on the lower side reaches about the thigh, and the overall aesthetic feeling is quite dazzling.

The girdle on the two ribs is also made of leather with holes. After wearing this breastplate, the sergeant is matched with an eight-petal cap and an iron hat. The image is mighty and heroic.

This is the Jiajiaying military factory in Xuanfu Town. In addition to making blunderbusses, it also produces armor and weapons.

Compared with when Wang Dou first arrived in Xuanfu Town, the changes here are also obvious. Reservoirs have been built on the river, so that all hydraulic drilling machines and hydraulic forging hammers have a stable flow of water, so the production efficiency is amazing.

Last year, due to the compilation and equipping of soldiers, the armor that had been hoarded in the military factory was completely empty. However, under the strong productivity, the warehouse was quickly filled again.If there is any damage in battle, it can be replaced soon, so as to ensure that the soldiers are equipped with good equipment, and they don't need to worry about the future, and it is good to fight with peace of mind.

And if this situation is not limited to the Jiajiaying military factory, it is just because the steel factory is next to it, the scale of this military factory is getting bigger and bigger.

……

Huailaiwei, an old-fashioned warm shop 25 miles west of the city.

This line is the place where the soldiers will march. It is guaranteed that the soldiers will eat well, drink well, and rest well along the way. This is something that must be guaranteed by the castle along the way.So each post station shop became a military depot, and a steady stream of supplies was transported to each warm shop.

Looking at this area, Chenzi Nuanpu, Old Character Nuanpu, Yizi Nuanpu, chickens, ducks, pigs, fish, sheep, vegetables, fruits, flour, large and small rice, hemp rope, wood, water tanks, all kinds of materials, Try to gather in these warm shops.

The logistics staff waved white silver coins and colorful food stamps, and only purchased supplies from the various forts and castles, as well as major merchants, and the people spontaneously supported them.

Near the warm shop, Chen Xu is directing the construction of some pergola, which is for the soldiers passing by to drink and rest. Not far away, there are students and personnel from the Propaganda Department busy writing slogans on the wall of the warm shop. Many children are watching , while waving the sun and moon flags, jumping and cheering.

Chen Xu broke into a sweat. These pergolas should have been built long ago, but...

Firecrackers blare, gongs and drums blare, and another group of folks from the hometown came to beat gongs and drums. I saw them all carrying pigs, sheep, vegetables and fruits, and they came here impressively. Obviously, they were nearby. People spontaneously came to support supplies.

A logistics worker beside him patted his head: "Oh, what wave is this, I'm going to be paralyzed from exhaustion."

Another logistics worker said: "The neighbors have provided too much support, and there is no place to pile it up...not to mention 20 people, even 40 people can't run out."

After the mobilization, the enthusiasm of the people has reached an astonishing level. They brought in all kinds of things, and the warehouses of the military depots were filled with various supplies. There were even coffin shops that donated a lot of coffins to the marching army. , People don't know whether to praise it or criticize it.

Hearing their complaints, Chen Xu suddenly frowned, and he shouted: "These are righteous people, Anke's words are useless."

His eyes were in a trance, and he seemed to recall the past when he was a trench-filling hero. In a blink of an eye, these years have passed, and the changes in Xuanfu Town are vivid in his memory.

He said: "The people's hearts are so, what can the husband say?"

He greeted him with a smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)