Zhu Chunchen, Duke of Chengguo, was the most dedicated among the nobles at the Daigentala Palace because he wanted to take over as the commander-in-chief after Zhang Weixian became official.
The commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp is a man who is envied by everyone!
The hundreds of thousands of soldiers on the books are paid several million a year, and the salary is no less than that of Liao Town. But there are at least tens of thousands of soldiers in Liao Town who can really kill people, and they are not just paid but not working, and a considerable part of the vacant positions in Liao Town have been "exchanged" into servants who supervise the charge.
The Beijing camp was more comfortable. Although the generals in the Beijing camp also had servants, they were servants who looked after the homes and courtyards and had no access to the battlefield at all. So the vacancies in Jingying are really substantial! And isn’t the Beijing Camp in Beijing? At the emperor's feet, there is a large population, and it is easy to hire temporary soldiers. Unlike outside Shanhaiguan, there are only a few people in total. If the Shangguan orders troops, there won't be enough people!
But it's different in Beijing. How many people can't afford one or two hundred yuan a day plus two full meals? Therefore, the vacancies in the Beijing camp are very generous, not 30% to 45%, but 80% to 90%!
Basically, in addition to the officers and officials' guard of honor, and the air soldiers who stand guard at the gate, there are also a very small number of soldiers who can respond to emergencies inside and outside the capital. They are basically account soldiers or part-time soldiers - they are usually busy with their own careers. , show your face when ordering troops.
Of course, the oil and water in Jingying is so huge that it is impossible for Zong Rong to eat it all. Up and down, inside and outside, all aspects must be moisturized. But the share attributed to Zongrong is still very considerable.
In order to get this benefit, Zhu Chunchen has never worked as hard as he does now in his life. Regardless of his fat body and clumsy movements, he plays horseback archery with the little emperor in front of and behind the horse, and sometimes even wears armor!
And the little emperor also ignored the government affairs and only played with the knight in front of the tent. He played all day long. There are also different ways to play, including riding and shooting in the morning, horse racing in the afternoon, and sometimes even dismounting and wearing armor to run around.
Although Zhu Youjian did not ask Zhu Chunchen to play with him, in order to curry favor with the little emperor, Zhu Chunchen had no choice but to grit his teeth and play along. It was impossible to play the whole game, at most it would only be half a game or most of the game... . I have been playing like this for more than a month. I have backache and leg pain all day long, and I have also lost weight through sleepless nights. I wonder if my life will be shortened if I continue like this?
Early this morning, Zhu Chunchen, who was still sleeping soundly in his tent with a little Mongolian lady in his arms, was guarded by his little brother, a twelve or thirteen-year-old child (hereditary imperial guard Qianhu, imperial guard) Zhu Chunjie Wake up... Needless to say, the Emperor is having fun again!
In desperation, Zhu Chunchen had no choice but to let the little Mongolian lady help him put on a long body armor that was a bit too big. He also carried a heavy iron helmet, took a large piece of hard naan bread, and left the tent. He got on his horse and went to the palace of Daigantala.
When he arrived at the palace, he found that a large group of civil and military officials had arrived before him. Everyone was wearing python robes and black gauze, and they all stared at him.
Why are you here wearing armor and carrying a helmet? Today, the emperor called everyone to discuss the matter of Huang Taiji's entrance...Does Duke Cheng Guo want to invite Miao to go out to fight against Huang Taiji?
Ah, it turns out that this Zhu Chunchen is not a flatterer, but a true loyalist!
When everyone thought of the word loyalty, the expressions on their faces changed. They were all solemn and full of admiration.
"His Majesty the Emperor has arrived, and all the officials are respectfully welcoming..."
At this moment, a eunuch started shouting. It turned out that Zhu Youjian had arrived!
This time, everyone no longer regarded him as a prince. They all stood in groups and kowtowed to the emperor. Zhu Chunchen also swaggered to his seat - stood next to Zhang Weixian, and then knelt down on one knee. He now wears dozens of kilograms of armor, so it is not convenient for him to salute, so he can only kneel down on one knee. Fortunately, the palace is not too particular about etiquette, otherwise he would not be able to wear armor and go to court!
Amidst the shouts of long live the mountain, Zhu Youjian had arrived in the courtyard of the palace and sat down on a chair under the eaves. Then he saw Zhu Chunchen, who was wearing heavy armor.
Zhu Youjian always knew Zhu Chunchen's "loyalty". In his previous life, he was a general under the traitor and had fought against both bandits and Tatars!
Now I must have heard about Huang Taiji's entrance, so I put on my battle armor, volunteered, and went to risk my life with Huang Taiji!
So loyal!
"Pingshen, Pingshen..." Zhu Youjian smiled and waved his hand, making a group of courtiers stand up. After everyone had stood up, he said to Zhu Chunchen: "Mr. Cheng, you are wearing armor and going to court today. Are you going to be a loyal minister and warrior of the Ming Dynasty and kill prisoners for the country?"
"Yes, I want to be a loyal minister and warrior of the Ming Dynasty, killing prisoners for the country!"
Zhu Chunchen's words were unambiguous, but he was beating a drum in his heart.
The little emperor's words don't sound quite right! Why do we say "kill prisoners for the country"?
Didn’t it mean that the Southern Emperor and the Northern Khan were in harmony with each other? Why are you still shouting about beating and killing?
It turns out that Zhu Chunchen didn't know about Huang Taiji's entrance... This news reached the palace yesterday evening.
Zhu Chunchen was too tired after playing horseback riding with Zhu Youjian for a long time yesterday, so he ate something when he returned to the tent, washed up and went to bed. I overslept this morning and came here without wiping my face or brushing my teeth. Of course, I didn't know that the prisoner the little emperor wanted to kill had already turned into Huang Taiji.
"Okay! If you are loyal!" Zhu Youjian nodded solemnly, "Then I will appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp!"
What? Is he now a general?
Zhu Chunchen was excited and secretly glanced at Zhang Weixian. He found that the old man was nodding towards him with a relaxed smile on his face!
At this time, Zhu Chunchen hurriedly left the office to salute, but he still knelt down on one knee and said loudly: "I thank Your Majesty for your kindness. I will take care of the heroes of the Beijing camp for Your Majesty. If any bandits cause trouble, I will take the lead and lead the elites of the Beijing camp." Get rid of them all!”
"Okay!" Zhu Youjian clapped his hands, "What I want is your words... Yesterday, the cabinet forwarded a joint report from Jiliao Governor Wang Zhichen and Liaodong Governor Yuan Chonghuan, saying that Huang Taiji, the slave-building thief chieftain, was married I led an army of tens of thousands and broke through the border wall of Yiyuankou. Now I am confronting the armies of Liao Town and Jizhen. I plan to march personally and fight to the death with Huang Taiji!
Duke Cheng, since you are so loyal, I will give you a chance to lead the army and lead the elite of the Beijing camp as the vanguard of the army! "
What?
Huang Taiji's tens of thousands of troops broke through the entrance to Yiyuan! You want me to be the vanguard to fight Huang Taiji! Zhu Chunchen was dumbfounded. Was he going to be a general or a loyal martyr?
Seeing Zhu Chunchen kneeling there like a "wooden sculpture" and motionless, Zhu Youjian also felt strange. Why did this loyal minister look so frightened? Are you afraid of death?
"Mr. Cheng Guo," Zhu Youjian's tone darkened, "Why don't you accept the order? Do you want to resist the order?"
Those who resist the decree will be beheaded!
"No, no...I dare not resist the decree." How could Zhu Chunchen dare to resist the decree? He kept saying, "I'm just not sure that I can kill Huang Taiji."
Also kill Huang Taiji...Zhu Youjian said: Where are you going to kill? If the one at the gate of Yiyuan is really Huang Taiji, he will be a demon! In the previous life, Donglu had entered the country five times, most of which were to avoid the real situation and only fight the Ming army a few times outside Beijing. But that was under the city walls of Beijing! Prior to this, Yuan Chonghuan led an army of 20,000 people to fight in Jizhou Pingcheng but failed. This time, Yuan Chonghuan gathered 50,000 troops at his doorstep, and deployed them calmly. He had already occupied a favorable location and was invincible.
How could Huang Taiji choose the inner battlefield of Shanhaiguan for the decisive battle when Yuan Chonghuan chose it?
Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian smiled and said to Zhu Chunchen: "The 50,000 troops led by Wang Zhichen, Yuan Chonghuan, and Zhao have laid a dragnet in Shanhaiguan, and they are already invincible... So in this battle we We are sure of it! Zhu Chunchen, you, the vanguard, are just holding a position behind Jiliao's elite soldiers. The good thing of killing Huang Taiji is not your turn!"
