Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 72 No retreat
After listening to this, Zhang Huangyan kept nodding to affirm and encourage Gu Defu, and then he called on the other four people who raised their hands one by one. The answers of these four people were almost the same. They all regarded Zhu Cilang as their savior and wanted to repay him with their lives.

These trackers work along the canal all year round. Although they have seen more of the world than the ordinary farmers who stay in their hometowns to make a living, they are still at the bottom of society after all. Over the years, they have hardly seen any kind people towards them.

Those officials, clerks, rich merchants, and even servants were either extorted and exploited, or treated as brute beasts that could speak human language. How could they have any basic respect?
Now, although the training of being a soldier is very hard and there are many rules, it is not as hard as pulling the oars in the past. Not to mention that there is no need to worry about food and clothing in the barracks, the living conditions are much better than before, there is a monthly salary to be received, and you don’t have to be bullied anymore.

Not only that, the officers here did not deduct money as rumored, and they did not dare to enslave the soldiers.

Firstly, the military salaries were not paid by them at all. Secondly, the existence of military judges and instructors greatly restricted the power of officers.

That’s right, the sticks used by those military soldiers were indeed too harsh.

In the past six months, every new recruit has been beaten almost a dozen times. Before that, they would have their monthly salary deducted by one to three cents every month for failing to meet training standards.

As several people took turns complaining, the emotions of the entire Tianwu Left Camp were mobilized. And the nervousness and fear of the people who had just assembled because of the upcoming expedition gradually dissipated.

But Zhang Huangyan would not stop there, and this was not what Zhu Cilang wanted. Although he wanted to create an image of a mighty, generous and supreme emperor in the hearts of his soldiers, this was not enough to support a strong army.

You have to know that Zhu Cilang established the instructor position not to deify himself, but to shape the beliefs of this army and let them understand why they are fighting. This is the most fundamental thing.

Soon, Zhang Huangyan raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet, and then he suddenly became serious and asked with a cold face:
"You are right, all of this is due to your Majesty's kindness and grace, but have you ever thought about why your Majesty does this?

And why did you come from Shandong, Henan, Northern Zhili, your hometowns to the canal, and then leave your homes and come to Jiangnan, to Yingtian Prefecture?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the queue suddenly became quiet. Many people's originally depressed expressions slowly changed in an instant, and some even turned into angry faces, and they clenched their fists.

If it weren't for various natural and man-made disasters, if they couldn't survive, or even their parents and siblings were all killed, how could they be willing to leave their hometown?
Zhao Zhengdong and his family originally owned more than 20 acres of land, as did his two brothers. However, starting eight years ago, the land had been hit by droughts. However, the taxes levied by the court not only did not decrease, but increased several times.

In desperation, he could only borrow grain from the home of a scholar in town to tide him over the disaster. However, the drought continued for the next four years, and how could he repay the debt? After the interest compounded, he could only use the twenty or so acres of land at home to repay the debt.

One of his two brothers died when he was captured by the government and forced to serve in the army, and the other contracted an illness after being caught in the rain and suffered for a while, but ultimately could not be saved.

When he heard this, scenes from the past came flooding back to Zhao Zhengdong's mind. He thought of his two dead brothers, and the day when he went to sign a pledge to borrow grain and accidentally saw the cellar of Mr. Zhang's house in the town - he had never seen so much grain in his life, piles upon piles filling up the cellar.
"It's those hypocritical local tyrants and corrupt officials who have forced us to leave our homes and beg for food, where we are looked down upon and bullied. For every dan of grain we receive, we must return six dan in less than six months. They've ripped us off with all the food in the world."

Zhao Zhengdong, who had always been calm, roared loudly, pouring out all the bitterness in his stomach at once. Others were also infected. The soldiers who had been watching quietly raised their hands and vomited out all the grievances they had suffered.

Many of them were originally small self-employed farmers in the village, and many were also tenants. If they could not make a living in their hometown, why would they come out to make a living?

Moreover, among them, a considerable number of people have lost their entire families and are left alone, which is why most of the soldiers are isolated and alone.

As they were talking, soon there were sounds of sobbing in the queue.

Zhang Huangyan and Lin Changfeng on the stage were also deeply moved. Zhang Huangyan came from a family of officials and had not experienced these things, but since he was old enough to understand, he had been concerned about the country and the people, and cared about the suffering of the people. He was also very empathetic. Listening to these complaints, his heart was also filled with sadness.

Lin Changfeng was born into a military family. He had fought in wars over the years and had seen too many people leaving their homes and losing their families. How could he not know that what they said was true?
Seeing that the emotions in the audience were beginning to vent, Zhang Huangyan raised his hand again to signal for silence. He had done this seven times in other military camps and was now completely familiar with it.

"Everyone is right. It is those local tyrants, those corrupt officials, those profiteers, those bandits, those Tartars, it is these evil people who have caused us to leave our homes and go hungry.
So, do you all understand now why Your Majesty, upon arriving in Nanjing, began to crack down on corrupt officials, to fight against the local tyrants and the weak, to distribute land to everyone, and to crack down on profiteers who drive up grain prices?"

As Zhang Huangyan spoke, he slowly stepped forward. He looked around at the soldiers of the Tianwu Left Camp who were all looking at him eagerly, and continued in a sonorous and powerful voice:

"It is for the common people of the world to have a way to live. Your Majesty is the emperor and father of the people of the world. Of course, you are thinking about the people in your heart and hope that everyone lives well.

However, there are many corrupt officials in the prefectures below, many unscrupulous merchants and wicked gentry, as well as bandits and vagrants. The most hateful ones are the Tartars. They have all lost all conscience."

"Swear allegiance to His Majesty to the death!"

Suddenly, a shout came from the queue, and then the entire "Tianwu Left Camp" became boiling, and the shouts shook the sky and the earth.

"I swear allegiance to your majesty until death! I swear allegiance to your majesty until death!"

Zhang Huangyan spoke again only after the atmosphere in the audience had calmed down a little. What he really wanted to say was that Zhu Cilang's real goal had just begun.

"But brothers, can anyone tell me, besides the reasons I just mentioned, what is the real reason why you are being bullied, hungry, and unable to survive?
Why are you the ones who have to suffer? Why are you the ones who have to leave your homeland? Why are the Tartars still chasing us even though we have already reached Jiangnan?

Zhang Huangyan stood on the stage and asked loudly again, but this time, he confused everyone. The soldiers below the stage didn't know how to answer. Aren't those the real reasons?

But Zhang Huangyan did not wait for their answer. When everyone was still confused and emotionally agitated, he shouted:
"Because you were too weak before. You couldn't fight the servants of the local tyrants and evil gentry, and the retainers of those profiteers. You didn't dare to fight them. Soldiers could bully you at will, and bandits could kill you at will. The Tartars entered the border, burning, killing, and looting, but you had no ability to resist at all."

Zhang Huangyan paused, and at this moment everyone in the audience, even Lin Changfeng, focused their attention on him.

You know, someone like Lin Changfeng, who's been in the military for years, values ​​strength above all else. Only if you're strong enough can you survive on the battlefield; otherwise, everything else is meaningless. The new recruits in the audience were furious, but for a moment, they could only hold it in. After listening to Zhang Huangyan's words, they now understood that the fundamental reason they'd been bullied was that they weren't strong enough.

Zhang Huangyan's voice soon rang out again:
"Once, when the Tartars were wreaking havoc outside the Great Wall and killing millions of Liao people, everyone said that it was a Liao people's business and had nothing to do with the interior of the Great Wall, so there was no need to worry about it. Some even said that the troops outside the Great Wall should just be withdrawn!

But later, the Tartars attacked the capital and Xuanda, looted everything around the capital, and killed people so that blood flowed like a river. Many people dared not make sarcastic remarks anymore, but they still had a hope, thinking that Shandong was so far away from Liaodong that nothing would happen.

But everyone knows what happened later. Jinan and Shandong, places we once thought the Tartars could not reach, were burned, killed, and looted everywhere. It was a horrific sight.
Today, the Tartars are coming again. You left your homes and came to the south of the Yangtze River, but the Tartars still did not let you go and chased you. These ruthless horse bandits are coming to kill you, rob your land, food, wives and daughters, and turn you and your sons into their slaves?

The question I just asked you is also the question His Majesty wanted to ask you. Do you remember?
If the Tartars attack Jiangnan, do you have the ability to save your lives, your land, your wives and daughters?
If the Tartars attack Jiangnan, do you still have a way to retreat? From outside the Great Wall to inside the Great Wall, from the capital to Jinan, from Jinan to Shandong, from Shandong to Jiangnan, where else can you retreat to?

Now, the Qing army is about to move south again. This time, it is not a matter of bullying them, but to kill them all and plunder Southern Zhili.

These soldiers from Shandong and northern Zhili all knew how ferocious and vicious the Tartars were. Wherever they went, there were corpses everywhere and no one could hear the sound of a chicken or dog.

For a moment, everyone's eyes were on Zhang Huangyan, wanting to know from him how to avoid being bullied, how to defeat the Tartars heading south, and how to protect their families and lands.

Zhang Huangyan did not pause at all and continued:

"Your Majesty has something to say to you. Your Majesty wants me to tell you:

You have exerted your utmost strength on the training grounds, endured the beatings of your officers, endured six months of arduous training, and have learned most of the combat techniques found in military manuals.
You are not alone, nor are you just those dozens of unarmed fellow countrymen. Behind you is the Ming Dynasty, His Majesty who leads the army in person, and the thousands of comrades who fight and train side by side with you and are about to share life and death with you. The swords, spears, and shields in your hands are the indestructible muskets and artillery.

These are what you rely on to deal with the Tartars. What the Tartars want to kill is not any one of you, but the 10,000 soldiers of our Palace Army, the Ming Dynasty court, and Your Majesty.

You marched north and fought bloody battles with the Tartars, not to defend the court or His Majesty, but to defend your own homes. If you don't kill the Tartars, you will be the ones to die!

The Tartars will not only kill people, but will also take all the land allocated to you. Then they will shave your sons' heads so that they cannot wear our Han clothes. They will be turned into slaves from head to toe. Generation after generation, your descendants will have to farm the land and be slaves to the Tartars, and they will not be able to recognize their ancestors even after their death.

Do you have any way out? Can you let something like this happen?"

“No, no, no!!!”

The more than 2,000 soldiers of the Tianwu Left Camp below the stage were extremely excited and shouted in unison.

They never thought that they could represent so many things and have so much support. The sense of belonging, honor and pride that they had gradually cultivated during this period of time suddenly flooded their hearts.

At this moment, they all seemed to realize one thing - their identity and destiny had changed from the moment they went south.

Zhang Huangyan continued to roar:

"From the moment you joined the Palace Army, your future was bright. As long as we defeat the Tartars heading south, more people will join us in the future. You won't be just a soldier forever.

Sergeant, captain, flag captain, captain, lieutenant, captain, or even battalion commander, as long as you have the ability and military merit, anyone can be promoted and bring honor to your family.

Do you understand? As long as you have the ability to fight the bandits, kill the Tartars, and recapture Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Shaanxi, Northern Zhili, and even Liaodong, you will have official positions, military pay, rewards, houses, and wives!

After several months of experience, Zhang Huangyan has become well versed in inspiring speech skills, and his speeches are indeed inspired by his heart, but at the same time, every step and every word have been planned in advance.

These trackers, who came from peasant households and tenant farmers, did not understand the importance of family and country, but they knew they had suffered a lot and lived a miserable life. They knew they needed to have enough food to eat, to marry, to have children, and to have a house to live in.
In other words, for these trackers who cannot read a single word, it does not matter if you speak logically or use flowery language. What they need is that you explain clearly why and what the benefits are. Then they will know whether they should risk their lives or not.

They were not afraid of hardship, suffering, or even death. They were only afraid of losing their land, having no food to eat, and their descendants becoming slaves of the Tartars, having their heads shaved and their clothes changed, and not being able to recognize their ancestors.

"Where does the military merit come from?" Zhang Huangyan shouted again.

The audience's emotions were already aroused, and then there was a roar of response:

"On the battlefield! On the battlefield! On the battlefield!"

"Be loyal to His Majesty and kill the Tartars! Kill the Tartars! Kill the Tartars!" Lin Changfeng was also very excited at this time. As soon as the noise from the audience died down, he suddenly shouted.

Then, there was another round of shouting:
"Serve His Majesty, kill the Tartars, kill the Tartars, kill the Tartars!!!"

　Thanks to the book friend "Yuekenlu Dazhuang" for the reward.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)