"The above-mentioned generals have all given me embroidered spring knives, Luan belts, red python robes and flying fish suits, chainmail gold belts, and a silver seal of 'Emperor Ben Zhongliang', so that they can report my affairs accurately and confidentially."
Then, Li Jin read another sentence before announcing the decree.
So Hu Shouren and others received the reward and thanked him again.
Needless to say, the Xiuchundao has always been a ritual weapon given to senior military ministers by the Ming Dynasty, just like the command sword used by senior generals in later generations.
The python suit and flying fish suit are also a kind of ceremonial reward given by the emperor to senior military ministers.
Chain mail is a type of dense armor made of ring-shaped iron. It is light in weight and highly flexible. It is the best armor of this era. It is also often a high-end armor given by the emperor to high-ranking generals in the Ming Dynasty.
Zhu Yijun now gave them chain mail, naturally to show their honor and to let them better demonstrate the image of the emperor as a pro-soldier.
After Hu Shouren and others received the reward, Zhu Yijun said: "You must live up to the honor I bestow upon you today. You must know your loyalty and your righteousness. You must also know that being a close minister of the emperor is different from other ministers!"
"You must ask for greetings at any time and report things at any time, and you must not leave it to the staff or let others know; no matter how big or small, family affairs, state affairs, and world affairs must be reported to me. I have given you the right to report secretly, so that you and I can know each other. You should remember the meaning of closeness!"
"Please remember this!"
Hu Shouren and others all replied, their expressions solemn and their eyes shining brightly.
It was not until a long time after they left the palace gate that they all came back to their senses. They each held their iron helmets with locks and flower decorations, walked with big steps by the palace wall, and started chatting at the same time.
"Why does the Emperor ask us to do things at any time? I really don't want my bad handwriting to be seen by His Majesty every day. Besides, if you ask me to write, you might as well kill me!"
Liu Wei said something first at this time.
Ma Gui gave him a kick: "You still dislike me! This is a privilege that many governors and civil servants do not have, and they can directly reach the heaven!"
"In other words, if any civil servant or minister makes you feel wronged, you can directly complain to His Majesty."
"It's just that you can't just play secretly when something important comes up. That way it's easy for others to notice that you're making moves. You have to play some unimportant things first to confuse the audience and make people not know what you're playing. Is it something important? I just want to say hello, let His Majesty know that he is safe, and talk about the people's conditions and the weather."
With that said, Ma Gui asked Li Rusong: "Brother Li, what do you plan to play for His Majesty first?"
Li Rusong squinted at the sun in front of him: "No one except Your Majesty knows the content of this secret memorial, right?"
Ma Gui nodded: "Probably."
Because Li Rusong and Ma Gui had been studying together for a long time, their relationship had already reached the point where they could talk about almost everything. At this moment, he said: "I want to tell your majesty that my father loves to raise bandits, so he always refuses to do so." I’ll kill you with all my heart!”
After the chief generals of the Six Guards of the Pro-Army were appointed, it was officially time to recruit and train troops.
There is no shortage of young people in Ming Dynasty.
In the Guangyang Canal area, there are more than 100,000 trackers waiting to pull fibers, and they are also a good source of soldiers. During the slack season, there are hundreds of thousands more.
Moreover, there were actually many people in the Ming Dynasty who took martial arts subjects, and now there are many who stay in the capital.
In addition, the soldiers of the pro-military guards were treated better than those of the southern soldiers.
Therefore, when the notice was posted, there were many brave men in Gyeonggi area who applied for the army.
Just to prevent Haoyou's slaves from mixing with foreigners, the household registration will be strictly checked.
Fortunately, Zhu Yijun ordered a census to be conducted across the country at the beginning of the year, and Gyeonggi Province was the first to receive the imperial edict. Bureaucrats such as Yin Shiyingyue of Shuntian Prefecture and Zhang Lu, Governor of Baoding, had already made a clear census of the population of Gyeonggi Province.
Therefore, it is not difficult to verify whether the family background of young recruits in the Gyeonggi area is innocent.
In accordance with Zhu Yijun's order, the Hubu, Shuntianfu, Xingbu, Duchayuan, Jinyiwei and pro-military guards each sent a number of officials and generals to form the Imperial Recruitment Minister, who was responsible for recruiting troops.
The reason why so many ministries and agencies participated together was to facilitate the investigation of the case.
Among them, the Household Department checks the tax records, the Shuntian Prefecture checks the family situation, the Criminal Department checks the criminal status of himself and his immediate family members, and the Metropolitan Procuratorate and Jinyiwei mainly supervise.
The main person responsible for the selection is the general who is close to the military guards.
"The arms are quite strong! He is a practicing master, he must be able to ride and shoot?"
At this time, Ma Shilong walked up to Yi Qingzhuang, squeezed his arm, and asked a question.
The young man replied: "Yes!"
Then, Ma Shilong suddenly became happy and asked: "What's your name? Does it have any fame?"
"Chen Ce."
"Passed the martial arts exam in the fourth year of Wanli."
After hearing this, Ma Shilong walked towards Li Rusong, and when passing by Luo Shangzhi, the general of the Southern Army who was also selecting recruits here, he deliberately pulled the gold-inlaid python jade hanging from his waist while loosening his belt. Then he walked up to Li Rusong and said, "Master, I have chosen a good man for my humble position. His index finger is calloused and he has a martial arts background."
"Then take it away quickly! Otherwise, you won't be recruited by other guards."
Li Rusong put his hands on his hips as he spoke.
As a result, Ma Shilong saw several pieces of python jade on Li Rusong's waist, as well as the flying fish python clothes scattered under the chainmail leg skirt. His pride suddenly disappeared completely, and he said yes and left.
Luo Shangzhi saw Ma Shilong's python jade, and while bringing a few selected young men over to show Chen Wenliang, he said to Chen Wenliang:
"Master, can you tell Marquis Qi that he will send me there to conquer the Japanese in the future? I haven't taken a stronghold and captured a city for a long time."
Chen Wenliang glanced at these young men and said: "Let them run a few more laps. After finishing, let them count. Anyone who is slow, wrong, or careless will be thrown away!"
Then, Chen Wenliang said: "Don't be greedy, you have to pay for it with your life. Qi Shuai said that being a general has only one purpose, and that is to win the battle. As for whether you need to take risks, charge into the battle, seize the city and kill the general, that's all. It depends on the situation, and don’t forget your responsibilities as a general for the sake of personal military merit!”
"yes!"
Luo Shangzhi responded and continued to select new recruits.
About two months later, in August of the eighth year of Wanli, the Six Guards of the pro-army army completed their recruitment.
Because not all 50,000 troops must be recruited through recruitment. In fact, about half of them are selected from the border army and various local guards.
What's more, Li Rusong, Ma Gui and others were also ordered to recruit a group of guardsmen from the garrison who were good at riding and shooting.
Therefore, the entire recruitment did not take much time.
Even most of the time during the recruitment process is spent on political review.
After all, he is the emperor's personal military guard, so he must be serious in this regard.
Training began after the recruitment was completed. Originally, the southern soldiers were responsible for training the infantry and artillery vehicle battalions, while the northern soldiers were responsible for riding and shooting.
Zhu Yijun has issued an edict that all new recruits to the pro-military guards will automatically change their status to pro-military guards, and a plaque of "Emperor's Guards" will be given to their family. After I remove my armor and return to the field, I will be given priority to be selected as a grassroots official such as the local inspection department. , the children can be given priority to be elected as local official soldiers, and local officials must treat such families with courtesy.
Therefore, for these officers and soldiers who join the imperial guard, serving the emperor's army is also a very honorable thing in itself.
What's more, the identity of the emperor has a very strong positive meaning in this era.
Therefore, when training, I train very actively up and down.
"Why do I hear reciting on the training ground?"
On this day, Zhu Yijun specially came to the school grounds of the pro-military guards in the imperial city and asked about Governor Hu Shouren.
Hu Shouren replied: "Back to your Majesty, this is the military training rule passed down by Qi Hou. The soldiers must first memorize the orders and military regulations. Those who are literate are taught to read aloud to those who are illiterate. Those who are illiterate must learn to read. Those who can learn well will go there again. Teach the illiterate. Only by familiarizing yourself with the commands can all types of soldiers use them properly in the future."
"So, most of the southern soldiers are literate?"
Zhu Yijun then asked about Hu Shouren.
Hu Shouren nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty, most of the soldiers in the South are literate, because there is an official school specifically responsible for firearms test firing. To write down test firing experience for various types of firearms, soldiers need to master it, not just firearms, but There are also boxcars, sidecars and various types of artillery, all of which have to read the writings passed down from above, so it’s not enough if you don’t know them, and the gunners have to know some calculations.”
Zhu Yijun didn't say anything after hearing this. He only sighed in his heart that it was no wonder that Qi Jiajun was so powerful. This was not a classical military branch at all. He asked the soldiers to memorize the articles and learn to read first. Those who didn't know thought that Qi Jiguang was a time traveler.
(End of chapter)
