In the lobby of the residence of Governor Ji Liao of Songshan Fort, the eunuch Wang Chengen and Fang Zhenghua, the eunuch of the ceremony, stood up and walked to the incense table together after some humility.
Although Wang Chengen was more favored than Fang Zhenghua in front of Emperor Chongzhen, he was very cautious, thinking that this time Fang Zhenghua was ordered to come to Liaodong to deliver the decree, so he should be responsible for reading it.
Although Fang Zhenghua was also the eunuch Bingbi, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, he was incomparable to Wang Chengen, the admiral of Dongchang. He had no choice but to drag Wang Chengen to read the imperial edict together.
"Director Hong, please accept the order!" Fang Zhenghua said in a very high-pitched voice to Hong Chengchou, Governor of Jiliao, and others.
There was a sound of the collision of armor leaves, and all the civil and military officials immediately knelt down in the lobby. From the Governor of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou and Futai Qiu Minyang, to the chief military officers of each town, they all bowed and knelt down on the spot.
In the cabin, a huge incense table stood in the middle of the upper room, with an incense burner burning on it and various offerings placed. The ceremonial supervisor, Bingbi, and the eunuch Fang Zhenghua wore a gold-embedded three-mountain cap and a brocade robe. An exquisite jade belt is tied around the waist, which is extremely eye-catching.
He was holding a yellow silk dark dragon envelope in his left hand, standing behind the incense table with Wang Chengen. Four young eunuchs with very delicate faces stood behind him, and there were eight elite cavalrymen from the capital on each side. Soldiers.
Each of them has bright armor and a bright red cloak. From the outside, they all look energetic and majestic. Even compared with the bravest warriors in Xuanfu Town, they are not far behind.
When Fang Zhenghua saw that Hong Chengchou and others were all ready, he drank in a high-pitched voice: "The imperial edict has arrived. Hong Chengchou, Minister of the Ministry of War and right deputy censor of the capital, Governor of Jiliao Military Affairs, Chief Military Officer of Xuanfu Town and General Zhenshuo Zhang Sincerely... accept the order..."
Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, immediately knelt on his knees, put his head on the ground, and said very respectfully: "My minister, Hong Chengchou, wishes the emperor good health. Long live the emperor!"
Immediately afterwards, Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, and Zhang Ruoqi, the commander-in-chief of the army, also bowed down and bowed down, followed by Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu, Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan, and then the officials of Liaodong and the generals who aided Liao.
After all the officials and generals in the governor's hall knelt down, they sang in unison again: "...Long live my emperor! Long live my emperor!"
Only then did Fang Zhenghua take the rectangular brocade box from the hands of the young eunuch beside him. He took off the silk wrapping and took out a scroll. He slowly unfolded it and read: "The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven. The edict says:... The saint is the sect of Gangchang." , must demonstrate the righteousness of driving away slaves and defending the country.
At that time, Wei Qin admired the way of heaven, so his agreement was based on public opinion. Today, the truth has not yet been restored. Although the Tartars are full of ferocious flames, their evil is already abundant. The laws of heaven and people's hearts are so obvious that they cannot be concealed.
Today, Hong Chengchou is the commander of Ji Liao, driving away the bandits and lifting the Jin siege. Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu, is also supervising the troops to reinforce Liao. They have won consecutive battles and killed the slave king, strengthened our army, and promoted our country's prestige. An army advances alone and is the first to break the siege of Jin Dynasty. It is time to greatly increase the rank. "
Fang Zhenghua's face straightened at this time and he continued reading: "The supervisor Hong Chengchou has outstanding merits. In addition to his Shaobao and Crown Prince's Taibao, he was given a python suit and a belt, brocade ribbon and silk. He also had 50,000 gold in silver and red silk in his pocket. There are eight hundred horses inside and outside, for the purpose of rewarding meritorious service, how wonderful!..."
Hong Chengchou knelt on the ground, walked forward on his knees, and worshiped with choked sobs: "I, Hong Chengchou, thank your Majesty for your kindness..."
After he thanked him, he burst into tears. Hong Chengchou's aides Li Song, Xie Sixin and others were also extremely excited. Even the governor of Liaodong Qiu Minyang, the commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi and other officials were envious.
In December of the seventh year of Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen dismissed Chen Qiyu, who had failed to encircle and suppress the bandits, and still appointed Hong Chengchou as the governor of the three sides. He also appointed him as the crown prince's Taibao and the title of Minister of the Ministry of War, and governor of Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Huguang. , the military affairs of the five provinces of Sichuan, and became the most important military commander in the Ming Dynasty to suppress the bandits.
Now, thanks to his efforts in defeating the slaves in Liaodong, he has been promoted to Shaobao and Crown Prince Taibao. What an honor is this?
Although the title of Shaobao and Taibao of the Crown Prince are just empty titles, they represent the supreme honor. You must know that few people in the Ming Dynasty can live to receive this honor.
The three positions of the Crown Prince Taibao, the Crown Prince Taishi, and the Crown Prince Taifu are collectively called the "Three Masters of the Ming Dynasty". Although they all hold first-class official titles, they are assistant ministers of the Prince's East Palace. They are the ones specially selected by the current emperor to govern the world. minister.
Although all the "Prince's Three Masters" were later changed to fictitious titles and had nothing to do with the responsibility of tutoring the Prince, they also became a symbol of the glory of civil servants and military officers.
Although Shaobao was also from the first-grade official rank, Shaobao, together with the young master and the young master, were collectively known as the "Three Orphans" of the Ming Dynasty. They were responsible for assisting the emperor in handling important state affairs and held an important position.
But like the "Three Prince Masters", since the Xuande and Zhengtheng years, the Three Sovereigns of the Ming Dynasty have gradually become honorary honors with false titles, mostly for the purpose of rewarding the ministers of civil and military officials with additional posts or gifts.
The difference between the Shaobao and the Prince's Taibao is that one is an auxiliary official in the Prince's East Palace, while the other is a subordinate of the current emperor. There is naturally a big difference.
Just like Qi Jiguang, the military god of the Ming Dynasty who once served as the governor of the left. He was first named the prince's Taibao due to his meritorious service, and then was promoted to Shaobao and the prince's Taibao. Therefore, Qi Jiguang is also mostly called Qi Shaobao.
Fang Zhenghua's imperial edict has not yet been read out, but Hong Chengchou cannot be delayed here. He sang in a high-pitched voice: "Hong Duchen, hurry up and accept the edict."
After hearing this, Hong Chengchou raised his hand as if he had just woken up from a dream, and took the imperial edict tremblingly. Fang Zhenghua whispered again in a sharp voice: "Hurry up and help the old gentleman up."
Staff member Xie Sixin hurriedly stepped forward and helped Hong Chengchou to stand up. Several young eunuchs held exquisite trays with various gifts from the emperor. Li Song and other staff members came to accept them on their behalf.
Then, as an angel, Fang Zheng straightened his clothes, and then shouted loudly: "Zhang Cheng, the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town and General Zhenshuo, accepted the order."
Zhang Cheng was originally kneeling behind Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao. Like Hong Chengchou, he knelt forward and bowed to the ground: "Your Majesty, Zhang Cheng accepts the order!"
Fang Zhenghua seemed to be very concerned about Zhang Cheng. He did not directly read out the imperial edict in his hand. Instead, he looked at Zhang Cheng again and again, and then took out another imperial edict from another Huang Ling Dark Dragon envelope and read it out. stand up.
Zhang Cheng knelt on the ground in front of the incense table. Although he knew in his heart that he was the focus of today's imperial decree, he could not guess how the current emperor would reward him.
Logically speaking, he is now the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town, how else can he be rewarded? In his mind, it was nothing more than some false titles, posthumous titles, bequests, etc., but as he listened, he realized that something was wrong.
The more Zhang Cheng listened, the more shocked he became. The generous reward Emperor Chongzhen gave him was completely beyond his expectation.
"The emperor was entrusted with the destiny of heaven, and the edict said: Since ancient times, emperors have relied on the strength of their teachers and military officials to pacify the world; when the sea is quiet and quiet, the troops are invigorated, the soldiers are rested, and the heroes are rewarded...
Zhang Cheng, the general of Zhenshuo, led his army and led the captured soldiers. In the front, there was Qin Wang Gong, who killed the slave chieftain and his relatives Ma Zhan and Yue Tuo in front of the formation. Later, he sent reinforcements to Henan to save the prince of Fu, but he was defeated and rebelled. The achievement of saving Kaifeng;
Now he led his troops to aid the Liao Dynasty, fought consecutive battles, and killed thousands of soldiers. This greatly boosted the morale of the army and strengthened the power of our country. He even captured the traitor and puppet king Duduo in front of the battle, and killed several generals under Gushan Ezhen, the slave traitor. 10. There is no point in capturing the banners and drums.
...The two slave kings' achievements were extremely great, unprecedented in history. They also won the first place in the victory of the Jin Encirclement. They greatly spread the prestige of our country to the outside world. They are not only commendable for their loyalty and bravery, but also 'top of the three armies'...
Why should I be stingy with the reward? I promoted him to the Governor of the Rear Army Governor's Mansion, and was awarded the title of "General Zhenshuo". He was initially awarded the title of General of Hussars, and was awarded the title of Military Honor to protect the army. He was still stationed in Xuanfu, and actually served as the chief military officer of Xuanfu Town. thing.
Give him the military title of Yongyi, give him the camp title of Weiyuan, give him the title of Yong Ningbo, give him the royal title, give him iron coupons, and give him a thousand shi of food and salary. Yin Yizi
The remaining meritorious deeds of his unit will be verified by the Ministry of War, and then their merits will be listed and rewarded. "
What kind of honor is it for a general to bear the seal of "General Zhenshuo"?
For example, the Jingning Temple at the southwest corner of Chi Castle on North Road of Xuanfu Town was converted into the Temple of Changping Marquis Yang Gong, which enshrines the spiritual throne of Yang Yingguo and Wu Xianggong, the military minister of Xuanli and Fengtian Yiwei of the Ming Dynasty.
Duke Wu Xiang of the Kingdom of Yang Ying was Yang Hong, a famous general in the early Ming Dynasty. He was born in the Hongwu period. In the first year of Yongle, his father inherited the post of Baihu Order and garrisoned Kaiping.
After that, he began to follow Ming Chengzu Zhu Di in the Northern Expedition and guarded the border for many years. In the first year of Zhengtong, he was promoted to guerrilla general due to his merit, and was soon promoted to the capital to command the military affairs.
Then in the ninth year of Zhengtong, he became the governor of Zuo. In the thirteenth year of Zhengtong, he began to wear the seal of General Zhenshuo and serve as a general military officer to guard Xuanfu.
Yang Hong had been guarding and fighting in the border areas for more than 40 years. He was known as a general because of his courage and skill in fighting. His reputation shocked the north and south. The tribes in the north were very afraid of him and called him "King Yang".
After Daizong came to the throne, Yang Hong was granted the title of Changping Bo for his meritorious service. Later, after the victory in the defense of Beijing, he was granted the title of Marquis. After Yingzong was welcomed back, Yang Hong was awarded the title of "Fengtian Yiwei Xuanli Military Minister" and was given the title of "Fengtianyiweixuanliwuchen". Vouchers.
In the second year of Jingtai, Yang Hong even wore the seal of General Zhenshuo and still guarded Xuanfu. He was afraid of being full and begged for leave, but Daizong refused. Later, he returned to Beijing due to illness and died soon after at the age of seventy-one.
After his death, he was given the posthumous title "Wu Xiang" by Duke Ying Guo, so people in the world often called him Duke Wu Xiang of Yang Ying Guo.
However, Yang Hong had been guarding and fighting at the border for more than 40 years before he was awarded the title of "Changping Bo" for his meritorious service and was awarded the seal of "General Zhenshuo". However, Zhang Cheng has only been in the army for nearly ten years and has shown his merits before the king. Only during these three or four years.
Then he was given a military number, a battalion number, and even the seal of "General Zhenshuo" by the current emperor. What an incredible honor this is?
As for Zhang Cheng being given the title of "Uncle Ning Yuan", that is even more incredible!
In other words, since the Zhou Dynasty, China has had a five-level title system of duke, marquis, uncle, son, and male. The Western aristocracy in later generations was just a translation of the ancient Chinese titles.
However, because the Western countries became more powerful in later generations, the world became more familiar with the Western title system, but gradually forgot the rules and inheritance of their ancestors.
The five-level title system has remained unchanged for thousands of years. In the Ming Dynasty, the two levels of titles were abolished, and only the three levels of duke, marquis and uncle were retained. It was further stipulated that "no title can be awarded unless it is for social and military merit." It is also not allowed without special purpose.
The titles of the Ming Dynasty were further subdivided into two types. One was a title that was only awarded for life, that is, it was not hereditary; the other was a title that could be hereditary. "Either in the world or not, depending on the size of the military merit, all would be given certificates."
In the Ming Dynasty, in addition to those who were awarded titles due to military merit, there were also people who were awarded titles due to Confucius's descendants in Qufu, Yan Shenggong, Prince Consort Duwei, and relatives. They were awarded titles due to favor, but they only gave titles, not titles. Give coupons.
At the same time, there are some differences between the dukes, marquises, and earls of the Ming Dynasty and those of the previous dynasties. That is, the dukes, marquises, and earls of the Ming Dynasty only had titles and official salaries, but no actual fiefdoms.
As for Zhang Cheng, he was actually awarded a title for his military merits. On his iron certificate, it was clearly written: "Uncle Yong Ning, one thousand dan per year, if his descendants do not attack, he will be spared two deaths, and his son will be spared one death."
This shows that Zhang Cheng's "Uncle Yongning" is a non-hereditary and irreplaceable iron-hatted knighthood. He is only considered an earl when he is alive and his descendants are not allowed to inherit it. However, even so, he is still very famous.
Zhang Cheng felt a trance in his heart. It all seemed to happen suddenly. It had only been more than four years since he came to this world, and he had risen from a small official of a thousand households to the Yongning Bo of the Ming Dynasty. He was even more admired. The chief military officer of the Xuanfu, printed by General Zhenshuo.
This was an honor that no one else could achieve after a lifetime of hard work, and he was not immune to it. His excitement could not be suppressed for a moment, and his body was trembling slightly.
Everyone in the lobby was stunned on the spot. Among them, Chen Jiugao, Wang Pu, Li Fuming and others were surprised and happy. They were surprised that the emperor's reward for Zhang Cheng was so generous, but they were happy that they presented Zhang Cheng with such a generous reward. Come closer, it’s really good!
Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen, Tang Tong, Zu Dabi, Fu Yingchong, Zu Dale and other generals were also very excited. Although they were jealous, they were still happy that Zhang Cheng was crowned uncle.
After all, everyone was born as a warrior. Even though Zhang Cheng was both an uncle and the general of Zhenshuo, everyone was envious, jealous, and resentful, and their emotions were complicated and intertwined.
But it also gave them a glimmer of hope. After all, in the Ming Dynasty, it had been many years since a warrior had been awarded the title of uncle for his merits. Now that Zhang Cheng could be awarded the title of uncle for his military merits, how could they not also ignite hope?
Wu Sangui's expression was very complicated, intertwined with envy and jealousy, and also revealed a feeling of expectation. Of course, he was more happy. He thought that today Zhang Cheng could be conferred the title of uncle for his merit, and that Wu Sangui would be able to do the same in the future!
The Taoist Supervisor Wang Zhizhen, Miyun Commander-in-Chief Tang Tong and others had livid faces, fear and jealousy in their hearts. This is unfair. How come Zhang Cheng, a lucky man, was granted the title of uncle?
The conscience of heaven and earth is really unfair!
"Long live, long live, long live my emperor!"
Zhang Cheng knelt on the ground. He thanked the emperor loudly, took the imperial edict, and handed it over to Zhang Chengfang and others. There was also a certificate. He was made an uncle because of his merit, so he had both a certificate and a certificate. .
The coupons were made of iron. In the Ming Dynasty, the words on them were filled in with gold powder, so they were also called "gold-book iron coupons."
