Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 845 Returning Home in Glory
The title reform that Zhu Shenzhui is currently promoting is also based on this consideration. He uses the change in the title inheritance system to force the nobles to make progress, and to make those nobles in the Ming Dynasty who have been living a carefree life for more than two hundred years, feeling a sense of crisis, and hoping that a few talents will emerge from among them.

But Chang Yanling was different. He was already Marquis of Huaiyuan, which made him the best among the nobles in the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, the Chang family had an extraordinary background and had great influence among the nobles. More importantly, from the memorial submitted by Chang Yanling, it can be seen that Chang Yanling not only had ideas, but also had the determination to do things. Although it was difficult to judge his abilities, he was a very good candidate among the nobles based on this alone.

Moreover, Chang Yanling was not in the capital, but in Nanjing, which made Zhu Shenzhui value him more. With the pacification of the domestic bandits, Zhu Shenzhui had to solve the current situation of the north and south of the Ming Dynasty after he ascended the throne. Although the Ming Dynasty now looked like a whole, it was actually divided into two parts, the north and the south. Fortunately, the north was under the control of Zhu Shenzhui, but the south was in a semi-independent state. On the surface, it obeyed the orders of the court, but in fact it was an "independent kingdom". The ones who really had the final say in the south were the civil service groups and the local gentry groups. The imperial power of the Ming Dynasty in the south was far less than that in the north.

This situation must change. The Ming Dynasty cannot always be in a state of confrontation between the North and the South. Otherwise, what is the point of Zhu Shenzhui being the emperor?
Moreover, the south is an important tax base for the Ming Dynasty. Business in the south is extremely prosperous and it has been less affected by natural disasters in recent years. The Ming Dynasty cannot survive relying solely on the north. It is necessary to take back the jurisdiction and taxation of the south. This is also what Zhu Shencui must do.

Just as the bearded man had judged before, Zhu Shenzui has now begun to deal with the affairs in the south. Precisely because of this, Chang Yanling in Nanjing is extremely important. The Chang family has been in Nanjing for many years and is very familiar with the situation in the south. Moreover, Huaiyuan Hou is one of the most prestigious and influential families among the nobles. If Zhu Shenzui has Chang Yanling's support and efforts while taking action in the south, then things will be much easier.

Taking Chang Yanling's sister as Shufei was not only for the purpose of balancing the civil service group and the noble group, but also to take this opportunity to win over Chang Yanling for his own use. Not to mention that Chang Yanling already had ideas and ambitions to do things, just his sister became Shufei, then everyone would be a family. Chang Yanling was on board Zhu Shencui's boat, and whether from the perspective of family interests or his own considerations, he would unconditionally support Zhu Shencui.

Just as Zhu Shenzhui decided on the candidate for his concubine and suppressed the matter, a group of people were heading south on the official road in Zhuji, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang, far away.

"Xiao Linzi, where are we?" On a carriage in the team, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and an old man in a brocade robe stuck his head out and asked. The old man looked like an old farmer, with a dark face and wrinkles of time. Moreover, the old man had only one arm, and the sleeve of his right hand was empty.

"Sir, we are almost at Wuzhi Mountain. Once we pass Wuzhi Mountain, we will enter Jinhua Prefecture." A young officer rode his horse forward a few steps, parallel to the carriage and said with a smile.

"It's almost there, we're finally there..." Lou Lao Er smiled happily, he was very familiar with the Five Fingers Mountain, he had been there many times in the past years. Of course, this Five Fingers Mountain was not the Five Fingers Mountain that was pressing down on the Monkey King, it was a mountain between Jinhua Prefecture and Shaoxing Prefecture. This mountain was not famous originally, it was just named because the peak looked like five fingers. Later, a guy named Wu Cheng'en wrote a script of "Journey to the West". Wu Cheng'en was from Nanzhili, he studied in Jiangnan when he was young, and traveled to many places in Zhejiang. Perhaps it was because of this experience that Wu Cheng'en wrote about the Five Fingers Mountain when he was writing the script.

With the completion of "Journey to the West" and its gradual spread, the originally unknown Five Finger Mountain gradually became famous because of Monkey King. But in the eyes of local people, the mountain is still the same mountain, and their ancestors have been watching it for generations, so it is not surprising.

But now the Five Finger Mountain has a different meaning for Lou Laoer, because after crossing the Five Finger Mountain, you will enter the territory of Jinhua Prefecture from Shaoxing Prefecture, and continue forward a hundred miles to reach Yiwu County. Lou Laoer's hometown is in Yiwu, so when he arrives in Yiwu, he will be home.

Back then, Lou Laoer, Lao Jin and Yan Laosi were taken to Shanxi by people sent by Zhou Anmin because of Zhu Shenzui, which marked the beginning of their legendary life.

Originally, the three of them were veterans of the Qi Family Army, which was stationed in Jizhou. They traveled thousands of miles from their hometown to the border to serve as soldiers, and they have been soldiers for more than ten years. The three of them have also grown from young and vigorous people to middle-aged people. Although they have made meritorious services and earned some money, the battlefield is brutal and no matter how good the Qi Family Army is at fighting, they are still flesh and blood. Lou Laoer and his men are no exception. However, their luck is better than those brothers who died in battle. Although they were injured and lost an arm, they still survived and returned to their hometown.

After returning to their hometown, the three old soldiers (disabled) did not have an easy life there. Although they had earned some money during their years of military service, the problem was that they spent money lavishly on a daily basis and did not save much. Moreover, they had to settle down and recuperate after returning to their hometown, which cost them even more money. After a few years, the money they brought back was almost spent. Moreover, due to their disabilities, they could not do farm work. Although they bought a few acres of land and rented it to others to grow crops and earned some income from the rent, this income was just enough to make ends meet.

I thought my life was over, but unexpectedly, a turning point came just when the loess was buried up to my chest. At that time, Zhou Anmin was entrusted by Zhu Shenzhu to send people to Yiwu to find veterans of the Qi family army, intending to find some veterans to help train the troops in the north. At that time, it was not long after the Battle of Hunhe River. Because the Zhejiang army was annihilated in the Battle of Hunhe River, the local people in Yiwu had complaints against the court, and no one was willing to follow the people. Even the Emperor Tianqi's intention to rebuild the Zhejiang army in the local area was rejected, not to mention the people sent by Zhou Anmin.

Finally, Zhou Anmin's people took great efforts to convince Lao Jin, Lou Lao Er and Yan Lao Si. First, they were indeed short of money. Second, they were disabled and had a hard time. In addition, Zhu Shenzhui offered a high salary and too many benefits. The three of them discussed that since they were in such a situation, they might as well go to the north to see the situation first. Even if they met a liar, it would be okay. Who would spend so much money to cheat the three of them? If this matter is really as good as the visitor said, it may be a way out.

In this way, Lou Laoer and the other two followed the people sent by Zhou Anmin to Shanxi, and then met Zhu Shenzhui. I won't say much about what happened later. Everyone knows that under Zhu Shenzhui, the three of them used all their skills to help train a new army, and it was the existence of this new army that allowed Zhu Shenzhui to step onto the road he later took from a private salt dealer. He first controlled the Tenger tribe, and later took the opportunity to become the ruler of the Tumed tribe, and led the Mongols to defeat the Dorgon brothers who invaded the west. After that, Zhu Shenzhui directly raised an army in Shanxi, and in the name of clearing the emperor's side and pacifying the national crisis, he directly fought to the capital, and in one fell swoop took down the center of the Ming Dynasty, was promoted to regent, and finally became the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

It can be said that Zhu Shenzui’s success was not only due to his planning and preparation, but also because he had an unstoppable army - the New Army.

It is precisely because of the existence of this army that Zhu Shencui was able to reach where he is today, and Lou Laoer and three others who helped Zhu Shencui train this army and made it a real army made great contributions.

Zhu Shenzui was a man who would not treat his meritorious officials unfairly. Shortly after he ascended the throne, he rewarded those who had followed him before one by one.

The person who made the greatest contribution was of course Wang Jinwu. Needless to say, Wang Jinwu had already been the Earl of Ningshan because of his military achievements. This time, he was promoted from the Earl of Ningshan to the first class of Ningshan Marquis, which instantly made him one of the most honorable titles among the nobles.

In addition to Wang Jinwu, Zhou Anmin, Wang Chuer, Wang Yinsheng, Wang Tieshu, Wang Gui, Xia Dong, Li You, Li Hu, Lu Yishen, Hu Lin and even Ma Shizhou were also rewarded, and each of them was given the title of earl, viscount, or baron. As for Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, uncle and nephew, Zuo Liangyu, He Renlong, Huang Degong, Gao Jie and other generals, they were also given titles. It can be said that everyone was happy.

In addition, there is the famous Qin Liangyu. Zhu Shenzhui would certainly not forget this extraordinary woman. Not only did he directly confer the title of the first-rank loyal earl on her, and also gave her the title of the first-rank Haoming lady, in addition to this, he also specially bestowed on her a dragon robe and ceremonial guards, and added the title of the Prince's Junior Tutor. This honor was unparalleled at the time, and she could be said to be the first woman to be conferred a title and held an actual position.

Lou Laoer and the other two naturally received rewards as well. All three of them were granted the title of Viscount. Among them, Lao Jin, who had made the greatest contribution, was granted the title of first-class Viscount. Lou Laoer and Yan Laosi were both second-class Viscounts. In addition to the titles, there were many other rewards. For these three old military leaders, this was wealth and glory that they had never imagined. You have to know that when the three of them returned to their hometown with disabilities, they just lived a hard life in the countryside. How could they have imagined that they would see this day today?
Old Jin is the oldest. After moving to the capital last year, he has been semi-retired due to health reasons. His family has also been brought to the capital a long time ago, and it seems that he plans to spend the rest of his life in the capital.

Yan Laosi is in good health, and is still the head coach of the new army. He lives a very comfortable life. Not long ago, he married a concubine. This old guy is old but his heart is young. In the past few years, he has married several women, and they have given birth to two sons and three daughters. He lives a very good life.

Although Lou Lao Er also found a woman, he was not as promiscuous as Yan Lao Si. The woman he found was an ordinary girl who fled to the vicinity of the capital during the Ji Yi Rebellion of Huang Taiji. When she heard that the Jiannu had entered the pass, the woman's family, who lived in Zhili, wanted to go to the capital to avoid the disaster, but they were abducted by the Jiannu on the way. Later, when the Ming army counterattacked, she took advantage of the Jiannu's carelessness and escaped. Although she escaped with her life, her family was destroyed and she ended up wandering alone near the capital.

When Zhu Shenzhui launched his rebellion and attacked the capital, Lou Laoer happened to arrive in the capital with the army and happened to meet this homeless woman. Feeling sorry for her, Lou Laoer kindly took her in. The woman helped take care of Lou Laoer wholeheartedly, and after a while they fell in love. Lou Laoer did not despise the woman's identity, and the woman did not despise Lou Laoer's age and disability, and so they became a couple.

(End of this chapter)