My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

The Tang Emperor immediately noticed the confusion in Zhu Cilang's eyes, and quickly explained:

"Your Highness, you are unaware that Prince Rui only arrived in Hanzhong in the seventh year of the Tianqi reign."

"Moreover, Prince Rui's lineage is small, with only two sons under the age of ten, which does not meet the requirements for joining the Zhu Family Army. That is why there are no members of Prince Rui's lineage in the Zhu Family Army."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang suddenly realized that Prince Rui had indeed been granted the title of prince only in the last ten years or so.

This newly appointed prince is naturally incomparable to those established princes who have been operating in their fiefdoms for many years and have large families.

Besides, Prince Rui only has two young children, so how could he possibly join Zhu's army?

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but shake his head slightly, a gesture that carried a hint of self-mockery and relief.

"I almost forgot about that."

Having said that, he strode off toward the Prince Rui's residence.

Seeing this, the Tang King and his entourage did not follow them inside, as they knew they were not qualified to live in the Prince Rui's mansion.

After watching Zhu Cilang's figure disappear inside the mansion gate, they all dispersed.

Upon entering the Prince Rui's residence, Zhu Cilang was immediately greeted by a refreshing and elegant atmosphere.

The courtyards of the mansion were arranged in a well-organized manner, with artificial hills and ponds complementing each other perfectly, truly befitting the residence of a prince.

Immediately afterwards, with the help of his attendants, he took a comfortable hot bath.

The hot water slid over his skin, carrying away the fatigue and dust of the journey, leaving him feeling incredibly refreshed, as if every pore was breathing freely.

After taking a bath and changing into clean clothes, Zhu Cilang then prepared to formally receive all the civil and military officials.

As for the welcome banquet, we'll have to postpone it for now.

However, the main people to be received were the local chieftains and military leaders from Guizhou.

Because the army under the imperial court had been completely settled the moment Zhu Cilang arrived, only the chieftain soldiers from Guizhou were still somewhat restless.

The main hall of Prince Rui's Mansion was brightly lit, spacious and well-lit.

Zhu Cilang sat in the main seat and received the Ming army generals from various places one by one. Then, a group of people dressed in strange clothes slowly walked in from the door.

Their clothes were colorful and varied in pattern, as if they came from another world.

But in fact, these people were chieftains from Guizhou. The reason they were so peculiar was due to their lifestyle.

Moreover, the military organization system of the Tusi soldiers in Guizhou was very different from the formal garrison system of the Ming Dynasty. It was deeply rooted in the social structure of the local ethnic minorities and had very strong blood ties and tribal elements.

Their official ranks can be summarized as follows:

The hereditary lords and chieftains were also military leaders with absolute military command authority, and their official titles were conferred by the Ming Dynasty.

For example, official positions such as Pacification Commissioner, Pacification Commissioner, and Governor-General.

If we had to say, Qin Liangyu could also be considered a Tusi (chieftain), except that she was a Tusi in Sichuan.

Below the chieftain were the assistant chieftain and the vice chieftain, who were the chieftain's deputies or core members of the clan, similar to a deputy commander or senior advisor, assisting the chieftain in managing military and political affairs.

Then came the local chieftains, headmen, and tribal chiefs, followed by Mu Zhuo, Miao Se, Yi Xu, and then the local garrison commanders, local centurions, and local battalion commanders, and finally the lowest-ranking soldiers.

This may seem a bit complicated, but just think of the chieftain as the general.

The local officials, including the Tu Tongzhi and Tu Qianshi, were appointed as deputy commanders-in-chief.

The local chieftains and headmen were appointed as assistant generals and guerrilla generals.

If we treat Mu Zhuo, Mu Se, Yi Xu, as well as the Tu Shoubei, Tu Qianzong, and Tu Bazong as equivalent to Qianhu, Fu Qianhu, and Baihu, we can understand the organizational structure of the Tusi army.

Because these 20,000 soldiers were pieced together from dozens of chieftains of varying sizes, on average, each chieftain sent less than a thousand men, and some sent as few as three to five hundred.

This resulted in the soldiers of these chieftains not being of high rank, with the highest being a local garrison commander, roughly equivalent to a thousand-household commander in the Ming Dynasty.

Their official positions were clearly insignificant in the face of Zhu Cilang.

Because anyone who was around Zhu Cilang held a higher official position than them.

Moreover, these Guizhou Tusi soldiers, though called Tusi soldiers, were actually no different from peasants.

Most of them didn't even have a decent set of armor, except for a few leaders who wore uniquely designed leather armor.

The rest were all wearing tattered cotton-padded clothes, patched upon patched, their original colors faded and dull.

Moreover, they are generally short, less than 1.6 meters tall, but they are quite sturdy.

When the chieftain's soldiers entered, most people around them showed disdain on their faces.

They thought to themselves, "These people are dressed in such shabby clothes and are so short. What kind of fighting power could they possibly have?"

They're nothing but a bunch of rabble!
Only Zhu Cilang remained calm, showing no sign of looking down on these people.

Because he knew that Guizhou at that time was also a harsh and cold place, and these ethnic minorities had been ruled by chieftains for a long time and did not live well.

Meanwhile, the chieftain's soldiers were already trembling with fear.

As soon as they entered the city, they saw that the entire city of Hanzhong was filled with Ming soldiers in armor. These were Zhu Cilang's personal guards and elite troops selected from the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, the Tengxiang Five Guards, and the Beijing Garrison.

They stood tall and straight, with firm gazes, exuding an aura of authority.

These people were generally around 1.8 meters tall, and with the heavy armor they wore, their height suddenly reached 1.9 meters, making them appear exceptionally tall and imposing.

These chieftain soldiers were only about 1.6 meters tall, so in their eyes, the Ming soldiers in front of them were like giants.

Their towering figures, like insurmountable mountains, filled them with fear and awe.

As a result, they couldn't help but feel afraid again.

Although they had clashed with the Ming army before, the Ming troops stationed in Guizhou were not as intimidating.

Because most of the garrison troops were locals, and these people had lived in the impoverished areas of Guizhou for many years, their height was naturally not very tall.

Moreover, their equipment was rudimentary and their combat strength was weak, so the chieftain's soldiers did not feel much pressure when fighting them. This was also their first time witnessing the regular army of the Ming Dynasty!
And this sense of oppression was secondary; what was truly deadly was that they had heard something before: the current crown prince liked to keep tigers and would often feed people to the tigers!
Moreover, they had gone along when welcoming the Crown Prince, but given their status, it was impossible for them to stand at the front, so they didn't see whether there was a tiger next to the Crown Prince.

However, some people could still faintly hear the roars of tigers coming from within the ranks. The sound was deep and powerful, as if it came from hell, sending chills down their spines.

This proves that the legend about this prince is true; he really did like raising tigers and even liked feeding them human flesh!
The thought of this terrified the chieftain's soldiers, who were so afraid that they might accidentally offend the prince and end up being fed to the tigers!
Thus, Zhu Cilang remained unaware that in the eyes of these chieftain soldiers, he had become an incomparably cruel demon.
When the chieftain's soldiers finally arrived before Zhu Cilang, Li Hu, who was standing beside Zhu Cilang, immediately rebuked them:
"Why aren't you kneeling before His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The sound echoed in the hall like a booming bell, making the ears of the chieftain's soldiers ring.

The next second, the chieftain's soldiers hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed. Their movements were flustered and clumsy, and some even almost fell to the ground due to their nervousness.

"This humble subject pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince."

In an instant, all sorts of names were shouted out, the voices chaotic and filled with fear and unease.

In fact, under normal circumstances, this group of people should have referred to themselves as "your subject", "your humble servant", or "your subordinate" when they met Zhu Cilang.

After all, according to the rules, the Tusi (chieftains) were also subjects of the Ming Dynasty, and they, as subjects of the Tusi, naturally had the same rights!
However, this group of people clearly did not realize this. In their minds, their master was just a chieftain, not the crown prince or emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course, Zhu Cilang didn't care about this.

He glanced at the chieftain's soldiers below, then gave a casual order:

"Everyone, get up."

Upon hearing this, the chieftain's soldiers slowly stood up, but they were still terrified.

At this moment, they were surrounded by Ming soldiers, all of whom were tall, strong, and imposing, making them appear very small.

More importantly, the official positions that anyone here could casually hold were enough to crush them, and could even threaten their chieftain.

Just then, Zhu Cilang suddenly asked:
"I previously sent a batch of silver to each of the local chieftains in Guizhou to recruit soldiers. Now that you're here, you should have received that silver, right?"

This question was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, instantly creating ripples among the chieftain's soldiers.

Because they had indeed received some silver from the chieftain before they arrived.

However, they did not know that the silver was given to them by the Ming Dynasty, and thought that it was a reward from the chieftain because they were about to go on a campaign.

After a moment of silence, a chieftain who seemed somewhat clever stepped forward shakily from the crowd and cautiously said:

"Your Highness, we did indeed receive some silver."

Zhu Cilang narrowed his eyes slightly, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, and asked again:

"How much did you get?"

The man said:

"Fifty taels of silver."

Fifty taels?
Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang frowned slightly, then carefully examined the person before him once more.

Although the man was short, he was very strong and wore armor, so it was clear that he was a high-ranking chieftain.

Zhu Cilang then asked:
"What is your name? What is your official rank?"

The man quickly said:

"Your Highness, my name is Ga Yong, and I currently hold the position of local garrison commander."

Earthly defense?
Zhu Cilang was curious when he heard this word, but for a moment he couldn't figure out what kind of official position it was.

He quickly searched his memory for relevant information, but could not find any matching information.

Seeing this, Lin Zhaoding, the Guizhou General, quickly stepped forward and explained in a low voice:

"Your Highness, the chieftain's garrison commander is equivalent to a thousand-household commander in the imperial court. He commands approximately two thousand people."

"However, less than seven hundred of these civilians are capable of fighting, so he probably only has about seven hundred soldiers under his command."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded in sudden realization, thinking to himself, "So the local garrison commander corresponds to the Ming Dynasty's thousand-household commander!"
This conversion makes it easier to understand.

After regaining his senses, Zhu Cilang's lips curled up slightly, and he said with a smile:

"Your chieftain is really stingy, because according to the silver I gave, someone of your rank should be entitled to a reward of five hundred taels of silver!"

Zhu Cilang wasn't bragging; he had spared no expense to ensure a successful victory in this war!
In short, he increased the rewards for all soldiers going to war. The rewards for ordinary soldiers were increased to 20 taels of silver, 50 taels for junior officers, 100 taels for centurions, 300 taels for deputy commanders, and 500 taels for commanders. Those of higher rank could even receive 2,000 to 3,000 taels of silver!
The main selling point is being rich and willful!
Similarly, in order to treat all soldiers equally, Zhu Cilang treated the soldiers from ethnic minorities in the same way, so that they would feel the court's attention and be willing to serve the court.

I never expected that the chieftain would be so dishonest. He gave me 500 taels of silver, but only gave me 50 taels. It seems he embezzled the remaining 450 taels.

At the same time, the other chieftains and soldiers present were also stunned when these words were spoken.

Their eyes widened, their mouths slightly agape, as if they couldn't believe their ears.

One of them even muttered to himself:

"What's going on? I'm also a local commander, but my chieftain only gave me twenty taels of silver!"

Good heavens, this one is even more greedy, he embezzled four hundred and eighty taels!

In an instant, the other chieftains and soldiers also couldn't help but become angry.

Their faces flushed red, veins bulged on their foreheads, and their hands clenched into fists, their anger rising steadily.

Because the reward money they received was basically between twenty and fifty taels, and never more than fifty taels!

They had always known that their chieftain was exploiting them, but having lived in this place, they had long been used to it.

Moreover, they were also exploiting their soldiers in a roundabout way, so everyone thought it was normal and no big deal.

However, to be fair, they only received less than fifty taels of silver out of five hundred taels, which was outrageous!
They'd be willing to accept even half of what they were given!

But now they haven't even gotten half of it, they've only gotten less than one-tenth!

Anyone in that situation would be furious. (End of Chapter)