Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 155 Yongye
In the Ideological and Political Hall, more than a hundred military merit inspectors stood in the hall, but they all looked tired at this time.

The Qing invaders outside the city continued to attack the city, and they also recruited young men and distributed food and wages inside the city.

The city has been bombarded with gunfire almost every day these days, and the people in various districts are also in a state of panic. Everyone is under great pressure.
Chen Shangchuan watched Chen Qice, who was wearing a yellow scarf on his arm, walk in and was about to ask about the city defense situation.

After their method of recruiting young and strong men was adopted by the court, several people in their area were promoted.

Chen Shangchuan, Qu Dajun and others were both scholars after all. They each chose to be the county magistrate of Panyu in Nanhai, and they still managed the city's patrol envoys.

Chen Qi Ce, however, took several of his servants and chose to serve as a military merit envoy in the army. Kuang Hong also gave up his position as a county magistrate and served as a military merit envoy in the army.

Chen Shangchuan was about to ask a question when a loud shout suddenly rang out from the entrance of the lobby.

"His Royal Highness the Regent has arrived."

Everyone in the hall was shocked when they heard this. They were summoned in the middle of the night and originally thought that the court was going to assign some kind of recruitment task, but who would have thought that the Regent would come tonight?
While everyone in the hall was still in a daze, a young man in a bright yellow dragon robe had already walked from the side aisle and walked directly to the main hall.

The inspectors stared at the young man in the dragon robe above them in a daze. They were silent for a moment, and then, under the leadership of someone unknown, they all knelt down.

"Your Highness the Regent is here to see you."

"No need to be polite, just get up."

A deep voice came from above, and the inspectors stood up from the ground.
At this time, the hall was silent. Everyone lowered their heads with serious expressions, but some people could not help but secretly look upwards.
The hall was crowded with people and the lights were not bright. People at the back of the hall could only see a figure in a yellow robe standing in front of them, but could not see the face of His Royal Highness the Regent at all.
However, the inspectors behind them felt that the figure in front of them was emitting a hazy golden light, which frightened them so much that they dared not look up.
As the first official to be promoted, Chen Shangchuan stood in front of the inspectors and could naturally see the Regent in front of the hall.

His Highness the Regent was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, which was stained with blood and dust, and he looked a little embarrassed.
His Highness the Regent was tall, but his face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked extremely tired. There was no golden light shining everywhere.

Before Chen Shangchuan could think any more, His Royal Highness the Regent spoke up.
"You are all my own people. You have helped the court stabilize the city these days. You have done a great job."

"A loyal minister is known in times of turmoil. I did not make a mistake in choosing him."

"I have called you here today because I have something for you to do."

The inspectors below all smiled when they heard His Royal Highness the Regent's words, and then they all spoke in unison:

"Your Highness, please give your orders."

The inspectors in the hall bowed and kowtowed, and Zhu Lang spoke directly.

"The Qing invaders are attacking the city very quickly. I have three things to tell you."

"The First Imperial Army has reached 30 miles outside Guangzhou this afternoon, but the reinforcements have been spotted by the Qing invaders, who have sent troops to block the Imperial Army's reinforcements. We will have to hold out for another day tomorrow before the reinforcements can arrive."

"The Second Qing invaders will certainly fight to the death to attack the city tomorrow, and the imperial guards have been killed or wounded. There will be no one left to lead the charge tomorrow. To defend the city tomorrow, we can only rely on the young and strong men in the city to risk their lives."

"Third, to boost the morale of the young soldiers defending the city, I and the court have decided to grant each soldier defending the city 50 mu of land. Those who died in battle will inherit the land from their families. As long as Guangzhou can be defended, all the young soldiers defending the city will be granted 50 mu of land. I and the officials above the fourth rank in the court have issued an edict with seals, and the court will never break its promise."

"Later, you will take the imperial edict to the army to boost morale. Tonight, all the soldiers must be informed of the imperial edict. Do you understand?"

"The minister obeys the order"

The inspectors below responded subconsciously, and Zhu Lang saw that everyone below had accepted the order, so he said no more and left with Li Chengzhi.

In the hall, a group of inspectors looked at the seals of the Minister of Rites, the Minister of Revenue, the Supervisory Office, and the Guangzhou prefect on the imperial edict in their hands. Everyone looked stunned.
Dozens of soldiers gathered around the fire on the top of the city wall. Zhu Lang stood beside the fire, and behind him stood Lu Daqi, Su Guansheng and other ministers of the court.

The young men who gathered around had dark red blood stains on their clothes, and some of them had gauze bandaged on their arms and chests.
At this time, everyone's face was tired, staring blankly at Zhu Lang and others beside the fire.
"My fellow soldiers, I have called you all here tonight to tell you some news from the court."

Zhu Lang glanced at the gathered soldiers and saw that everyone was silent. He spoke again.

"You wait in the west of the city. Some of you should have seen the scouts who suddenly arrived at the edge of the city this afternoon. Yes, the imperial court's reinforcements are already thirty miles outside Guangzhou City. The reinforcements are coming soon!"

Zhu Lang spoke loudly, and the soldiers below finally changed their expressions when they heard this.
Although the red-armored cavalrymen were eventually driven away this afternoon, some soldiers still saw
When everyone heard His Royal Highness the Regent admit it, they immediately believed it.
But before everyone could be happy, the young man beside the fire spoke in a deep voice:

"It is true that reinforcements are coming, but I do not want to hide it from you. The Qing invaders outside the city have also discovered the imperial reinforcements and have sent troops to intercept them."

The soldiers beside the fire were all stunned when they heard this, and the expressions of Lu Daqi and others behind him changed slightly.

Telling the soldiers that reinforcements are coming is the right thing to do to boost morale, but why did Your Highness also tell them about the Qing invaders intercepting the reinforcements? How can this boost morale?
But Zhu Lang ignored the reactions of Lu Daqi and others behind him and continued to speak loudly.

"Why did the Qing invaders intercept the imperial reinforcements?"

"Because the Qing invaders are still determined to continue attacking the city, they will definitely fight to the death tomorrow. The battle tomorrow will be even more brutal than today. Everyone present will probably die in battle tomorrow. Are you afraid?"

The soldiers around the fire all lowered their heads and looked away. For a moment, no one spoke.

Xu Wu stood beside the fire wearing a set of leather armor. Ever since His Highness the Regent patted him on the shoulder and praised his military and literary skills, Xu Wu was given a full set of leather armor.

Not only that, after his military exploits were confirmed, Xu Wu was directly promoted. Now, like Pan Xing, he is in charge of dozens of young and strong flag officers in the army.
Xu Wu looked at his young men who were cowering with fear, and felt a little anxious. He didn't care about much else, and hinted to the captains beside him, and then shouted loudly.

"We are not afraid to die for His Highness"

The soldiers below heard Xu Wu shouting, and finally joined in, but they sounded a little weak. Seeing this, Lu Daqi and others looked a little ugly. His Highness personally went to the city to encourage them, but it was still like this. It can be seen that the Qing army's desperate and brutal siege today really scared these young and strong people in the city.
These people were already timid. Without the imperial guards leading the battle, they would probably retreat immediately at the slightest sign of trouble tomorrow.
Zhu Lang's expression remained unchanged. He pressed his palms to stop the soldiers from shouting, and then continued

"Well, the soldiers in my Ming army are indeed brave and courageous."

"To be honest, I am not as brave as you. I am very scared now."

"Before I became the Regent Emperor, I was a prince in the Guiwang Palace. I have been living a life of luxury since birth. There are so many delicious and fun things in this world, but I have never seen them before."

"Don't be afraid of being laughed at by you all. Since the day I was besieged in the city, I have been awakened almost every night, for fear that the Qing invaders would suddenly rush to my bed and chop off my head at any time."

"You may not know that I haven't even been the regent for a full month. I haven't even had time to enjoy myself before I was surrounded by those Tartars in the city. It would be a shame if I died like this."

"Everyone is not afraid of death. I am afraid of death too."

The soldiers below listened to what Zhu Lang said, and suddenly a few laughs were heard in the crowd, but soon the laughter disappeared.
But at this moment, everyone's eyes were all looking at His Royal Highness the Regent who was beside the fire with a look of emotion, while Gu Yuanjing, Chen Bangyan and others behind him were all stunned.

Zhu Lang looked at the surrounding soldiers' eyes and continued to speak.

"I am now the regent of the Ming Dynasty. What is a regent? It is what everyone calls the emperor."

"As long as I abandon the city, I can still enjoy endless wealth and glory in the future. In fact, the ministers in the court have long advised me to leave the city as soon as possible, but you all know why I finally decided to stay and risk my life to defend the city with you soldiers."

Zhu Lang looked at the soldiers who had gathered their attention, his face straightened, and he spoke in a deep voice:

"Why should I stay to defend the city?"

"Because I am the emperor, the father in the eyes of the people of the world!"

"As a king and father, how can you shrink back and run away when you see the thieves trying to break in? You can only watch the children of the people fall into the hands of the thieves and cry without help."

"So even though I am terrified, I still decided to stay in the city, organize everyone, and defend the city together to resist the Tartar bandits outside the city."

"I am the father of all the people in this world, and you are the father and son of the family. If the Tartars outside the city are allowed to attack the city, they will certainly plunder and slaughter people in the city."

"You are now defending the city not only for the court, but also for your family members at home. If we lead the way, your family members at home will be safe."

"The Tartars are outside the city now, and our families are right behind us. Soldiers, are you willing to accompany me to drive out the Tartars and protect our home and the city?"

The soldiers beside the fire gradually lost their expression after hearing this. The firelight reflected their eyes, and their expressions gradually became firm.
"Drive out the Tartars and protect our home and city"

I don't know who started it, but the soldiers around the fire suddenly shouted in unison.

"Well, the soldiers of our Ming Dynasty are indeed brave men of steel. I have heard what you said, and my trip tonight has not been in vain!"

Zhu Lang looked at the people whose morale had been boosted and spoke loudly, but then his voice became gloomy again.

"My Imperial Guards have suffered heavy casualties while defending the city these days. Now there are only a few dozen people who can fight. You are defending the city together with the Imperial Guards, and you also know the situation. When you defend the city tomorrow, the Imperial Guards will not be able to stand in front of you."

"I know that the morale of the army is low, but I have been thinking hard all night and can't think of any way to defend the city."

"I and the court can only rely on you soldiers to defend the city. That is why I came to the army tonight to announce the court's reward and boost the morale of the troops."

"I and the court have decided that for those who participate in the defense of the city, in addition to the silver reward for killing the enemy, everyone will be granted 50 acres of land. As long as Guangzhou can be defended tomorrow, everyone will be granted land regardless of whether they have made military achievements or not."

Zhu Lang stood by the fire, raised his arms and shouted, and the soldiers were also slightly moved when they heard his words.

For people of this era, land is more precious than silver. Fifty acres of land is already a valuable asset that can be passed down from generation to generation.

Even if someone doesn't plan to farm, 50 mu of land can be sold for at least dozens of taels of silver. For ordinary people like them, this is already an astronomical figure.
Zhu Lang looked at the soldiers with slightly disturbed expressions, took out the imperial edict from his sleeve, and opened it beside the fire.
"This is the decree of granting land that the court just issued."

All the soldiers leaned over to look at the silk imperial edict in Zhu Lang's hand, but it was dark at night. Not to mention them, even Zhu Lang might not be able to see the handwriting on the imperial edict clearly, and these soldiers might not be able to understand the meaning of the imperial edict.
But even so, the soldiers beside the fire all leaned forward and looked at the thin silk cloth.

Zhu Lang stood by the fire, holding up the silk. All the soldiers followed his movements, their eyes fixed on the silk imperial edict.
"You soldiers may not be able to read the contents of this decree, but it doesn't matter. Just remember the seal on it."

"There are more than a dozen seals on it. Some are from me, some are from the cabinet, including Lu and Su, and some are from the Ministry of Revenue Inspection Office, as well as from the civil and military ministers of the court such as Wu'an Hou."

"Now all the civil and military officials in the court have signed this edict with their seals. As long as you can defend Guangzhou for the court tomorrow, whether you live or die, these acres of land will be granted to your households. When the father dies, the son inherits. When the elder brother dies, the younger brother inherits."

"Today, I, along with all the ministers in the court, promise you that as long as the court remains, these fifty acres of land will be your family's permanent property."

Zhu Lang raised the imperial edict and spoke loudly. The red flames made the seals on the imperial edict even brighter red. Ministers such as Lu Daqi and Su Guansheng also stood beside the fire and made loud promises to the soldiers.

"Defend the city, defend the city, die for His Highness"

Beside the fire, before Xu Wu could lead them, the soldiers beside the fire had already shouted in unison.
On the walls, a group of young men gathered around fires. A group of inspectors held up the imperial edict, which would later be called the Yongli Edict, and loudly announced it to the young men guarding the city.

In the night, cheers were heard from various places on the city walls, and then spread to the darkness in the distance.

(End of this chapter)