Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 140 The Pact of Five Grains, the Reward of Dukes and Marquises (6k)
The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. More than a hundred elite military officers, selected from among the elite soldiers, stood with their heads bowed in solemn silence, creating a tense and deadly atmosphere.

Cao Bianjiao stood in the queue, feeling his mouth dry and the veins on his forehead throbbing.

The last time I had this feeling was when I was sixteen.

"Transform into a dragon, go, and cut off its head." The uncle's voice was calm and without any ripples.

He obeyed the order, dismounted, walked to the corpse, and drew his sword.

The first cut severed only half of the neck; the pale white knuckles jammed the blade.
An old soldier next to him chuckled and said, "Brother Cao, just hold the knife horizontally and press it down at an angle. You can't use a chop!"

He pretended not to hear, his face flushed red, and with all his might, he stabbed again.

This time, his neck snapped with a crack.

But no sooner had the man died than blood gushed out of his chest with a "plop," splattering all over his face and body.

He still remembers that taste.

It's like... like a watermelon that's been salted, eaten down to the rind, and then left out overnight.

It's sweet, salty, and has a strong fishy smell.

Later, the severed head was handed over by the uncle, who was then a squad leader.

Later, when the good news came, the severed head became the guerrilla commander's achievement.

Somehow, he, a sergeant who had only beheaded one person, was promoted to squad leader, while his uncle became a battalion commander.

A few years later, he became a battalion commander, while his uncle became a guerrilla fighter.

However, the original guerrilla commander was impeached and removed by Master Xiong (Xiong Tingbi).

Everything seems to have changed, yet nothing seems to have changed at all.

……

As I was lost in thought, a slight commotion suddenly arose in the queue ahead.

Cao Bianjiao suddenly came to his senses, raised his head slightly, and caught a glimpse of a bright yellow dragon robe stepping down from the throne out of the corner of his eye.

Yes, Your Majesty!
His heart tightened, and he immediately lowered his head again.

But then a clear and gentle voice rang out from the front of the line.

"Sun Yingyuan, did you write this with your feet? You need to practice more, it's making my eyes go blind."

A low, barely suppressed laugh rippled through the crowd, followed by Sun Yingyuan's muffled, awkward reply: "Yes...yes...Your Majesty, this humble general will go back and practice, go back and practice!"

Cao Bianjiao nervously swallowed his sticky saliva, his heart pounding even faster.

In his answer sheet, he wrote down almost every problem he knew about in the military.

He also wrote down some things that he himself or his uncle had done, with the specific locations slightly vague.

Ghost employees, falsely claiming credit, withholding fodder, reselling military equipment, killing innocent people and claiming credit...

What if someone else writes it if I don't?
What if no one else writes, and you're the only one writing?
Is His Majesty about to begin the investigation? Should I send a letter to my uncle tonight, reminding him to be careful?
A jumble of chaotic thoughts swirled in his mind, making him extremely anxious.

"Zuo Liangyu, your red face is almost as red as Guan Yu in the temple." His Majesty's voice came over. "But Lord Guan can read the Spring and Autumn Annals. Eight out of ten of your characters are missing limbs. This is not good."

"This humble general, cough... I will definitely study the characters diligently, and I promise next time..." Zuo Liangyu blushed even more with embarrassment.

Cao Bianjiao couldn't help but lift his eyelids slightly again. Through the gap in the crowd, he could only see a corner of the emperor's dragon robe.

"Huang Degong, you've grown a good beard, and your exam paper is also very well done!"

"Wu Fangrui, your ranking in the school's review has dropped a bit recently. Can you catch up before the monthly exam?"

"Xie Youpeng, I heard your wife gave you a big, healthy son? Gao Banban, give him a few gold coins, so I can share in his joy!"

"Zhu Chengye..."

The emperor's voice was unhurried, gradually approaching.

He spoke a few kind words to everyone, sometimes joking, sometimes encouraging, sometimes showing concern...

The oppressive atmosphere that had been silent for more than half an hour gradually became relaxed and lively in just a few words.

All eyes followed the bright yellow figure, their expressions softening, and bursts of laughter erupted from time to time.

Suddenly, Cao Bianjiao felt the figures in front of him disperse.

He looked up abruptly and met a pair of smiling eyes.

It's the emperor!
Cao Bianjiao felt as if his heart was about to leap out of his throat, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists.

Zhu Youjian simply stepped forward and punched him in the chest.

—Your Majesty may not be very good at archery, but you are quite strong.

"Sure, Cao Bianjiao."

The emperor's voice was tinged with laughter.

"Your paper today was really well done; I've seen it. However, your proofreading score was a little weak. You need to work harder on the monthly exam, or you'll be kicked out of the Brave Guard Camp."

—No problem! No problem! His Majesty said I wrote well!
Overwhelmed by a mixture of fear and joy, Cao Bianjiao's head spun. He grinned, revealing a somewhat foolish smile, and humbly replied with a few words.

However, his ears were ringing, and he couldn't even hear what he was saying.

Zhu Youjian simply smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and then walked toward the next person.

“Kong Youde…”

“Zhou Yuji…”

……

After talking to all the more than one hundred officers, Zhu Youjian breathed a sigh of relief.

Later generations have said that Napoleon could remember the name of every soldier under his command.

Zhu Youjian strongly suspected that this was a rumor, or just a political propaganda tactic to win people's hearts.

The Yongwei Battalion has now swelled to nearly six thousand men; even if he memorized all their names every day, he still couldn't remember them all.

However, he had indeed put in a lot of effort to find out the names, hometowns, family backgrounds, achievements, and even some recent minor changes in the lives of the more than one hundred core officers of the Yongwei Battalion.

During the daily review, he would have Gao Shiming summarize the latest information for him, and then he would repeatedly recite, memorize, and recite again.

Fortunately, this young body has a fairly good memory.

He didn't know if ancient generals had undergone the same cramming-style training as him.

But I think it should be useful, right?
At this moment, the originally strict formation had unknowingly completely dispersed, and everyone surrounded Zhu Youjian, forming a somewhat irregular circle.

Zhu Youjian looked at the faces before him, some excited, some reverent, and some slightly reserved. After thinking for a moment, he simply waved his hand.

"Don't stand up, sit down where you are."

Everyone was slightly taken aback, but then they all did as instructed and sat down cross-legged with some hesitation.

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction. Hmm, it has a bit of that feeling of sitting on the ground during military training in later generations.

Military training was one of the few direct experiences he had related to the military in his previous life.

He walked slowly through the crowd with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the faces, some young and some weathered.

Suddenly, he stopped and pointed.

"Liu Qicai, stand up."

The soldier whose name was called was startled and quickly scrambled to his feet, standing nervously with his hands at his sides.

Seeing his expression, Zhu Youjian laughed and waved his hand, "Don't be afraid, we're just chatting."

He asked in a gentle tone, "I remember you are from the capital, and your home is located at the foot of the southern city wall. You have two children, one seven years old and the other three years old, right?"

The man named Liu Qicai breathed a sigh of relief, a simple and honest smile spreading across his face. He quickly replied, "Yes, Your Majesty has a good memory. My eldest son is seven years old, and the youngest just turned three."

Zhu Youjian nodded and then asked, "How much silver would a family of five like yours spend per month living in the capital?"

Liu Qi scratched his head, counted on his fingers, and then bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, not counting major expenses such as clothes and medical treatment, just the cost of food, drink, and sanitation alone would require at least two taels of silver a month."

Upon hearing this, the military officers who had just been transferred from Xuanfu, Yizhou and other places were all speechless.

They entered the Yongwei Camp upon arriving in the capital, and before they had even experienced the prices in the capital, they were quite taken aback.

On the contrary, the generals from Liaodong felt better, even though Liaodong was a desolate place where the cost of living was very high.

Zhu Youjian raised his hand and pressed down lightly, instantly calming the slight agitation.

He then looked at Liu Qicai and continued to ask, "Is the monthly ration for the Yongwei Battalion still sufficient?"

Mentioning this, Liu Qicai's smile became even more genuine. He exclaimed, "Enough! More than enough! I'm a squad leader now, and I get two and a half shi of rice a month. At market prices, that's two and a half taels of silver, enough to feed my whole family! Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian smiled slightly, but the smile gradually faded.

He stared at Liu Qicai and slowly asked, "What if I deduct five dou of rice from your pay?"

Liu Qicai's smile froze instantly.

The officers sitting on the ground also keenly sensed the change in atmosphere; the previously warm atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Zhu Youjian ignored the reactions of the crowd and continued to press, "What if your team leader and your battalion commander take another five dou of rice every month from the remaining two shi of rice?"

"How much do you have left? Is there enough for your wife and kids to eat?"

Liu Qicai stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, unable to utter a single word.

His scrawled handwriting might look alright on paper, but His Majesty probably wouldn't even have the patience to read it.

But ultimately, he didn't have the courage to directly reveal the truth about the affair.

Zhu Youjian sighed softly and waved his hand: "Sit down."

He turned around, faced the crowd, and his voice became low.

"I have already reviewed all of your answers."

"I'm very satisfied."

"I am satisfied with your loyalty to me. Every word on the paper comes from the bottom of your hearts. It is clear that you truly regard me as your sovereign and father, which is why you dare to speak so frankly."

"But I am also heartbroken!"

His voice suddenly rose in pitch, echoing throughout the hall.

"I am heartbroken. How could my Great Ming Dynasty and my Great Ming army have deteriorated to such a state!"

The soldiers were deathly silent, and many even began to feel uneasy, shifting their bodies unconsciously.

Zhu Youjian's gaze was sharp as a knife, sweeping across the crowd again before settling on Cao Bianjiao.

"Cao Bianjiao, come and answer me."

Cao Bianjiao's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately stood up, shouting, "Your subordinate is here!"

Zhu Youjian pointed to a rugged-looking general next to him and asked, "If Kong Youde, who sits next to you, embezzled five dou of rice from the military rations every month, would you embezzle with him?"

Kong Youde, whose name was called, blinked awkwardly. When he saw the emperor's gaze sweep over him, he quickly forced a simple and honest smile.

Without the slightest hesitation, Cao Bianjiao straightened his chest and said resolutely, "This humble general will never associate with him!"

Zhu Youjian nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

"What if the people around you, like Zhu Chengye, Chen Quanmeng, and Zhou Yuji..."

In one breath, he called out the names of more than a dozen people sitting around Cao Bianjiao.

"...If they were all willing to embezzle those five bushels of rice, what would you do?"

Cao Bianjiao hesitated.

He recalled the things he and his uncle had done in Liaodong.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He wanted to say, "This humble general is still not greedy," but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Zhu Youjian surveyed the hall, his finger tracing over each person present.

"What if all one hundred or so colleagues present embezzled those five bushels of rice?"

Can you still hold onto your true self?

His voice gradually rose:

"If the entire Beijing Garrison! The entire Nine Garrisons! The entire world! Is greedy for these five pecks of rice!" "Who among you present could resist such greed?!"

Each interrogation was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Cao Bianjiao's heart, and the hearts of everyone else as well.

Cao Bianjiao clenched his teeth tightly, the veins on his neck bulging, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh, but he remained silent.

Zhu Youjian looked at him, the sharpness in his eyes slowly fading, turning into a long sigh.

"You can sit down too."

He looked at the men in front of him, some with their heads bowed and silent, others with uneasy expressions, and suddenly waved his hand.

"Sit closer, sit even closer, gather around."

The officers moved forward in hushed tones, and the already scattered circle became even more tightly packed, almost shoulder to shoulder.

Zhu Youjian stood among them, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"I have read your reports. The monthly rations vary from town to town in the nine border regions, and the amount of embezzlement varies. However, exploitation is everywhere and unavoidable for everyone."

"I ask you, is this correct?"

No one answered.

Everyone was looking at him with complicated expressions, and most of them were hesitant.

This... shouldn't we say that's not right? Is that what Your Majesty meant?

Zhu Youjian raised his voice slightly and asked again, "I'm asking you, is this correct?!"

"...That's not right."

"...That doesn't seem right."

"...How can this be allowed..."

A few scattered responses finally rang out from the crowd.

Zhu Youjian shook his head, seemingly very dissatisfied.

He took a deep breath and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me loudly, is this right?!"

This time, the voices were finally more in sync.

"wrong!"

Zhu Youjian shook his head again: "The voice is too soft, damn it, did they not eat?! I will ask you one more time, is it right or wrong to embezzle military rations and exploit the soldiers?!"

"wrong!!!"

This time, it was a roar from hundreds of fierce warriors, who used all their strength to shout in unison!

The sound waves reverberated through the main hall, causing dust to fall from the beams and pillars.

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction.

He pressed his hands down slightly, and the violent aura instantly subsided.

"Very well, it's enough that you all think this is wrong."

He stepped out of the circle and posed another question:
"Right now, some of you are squad leaders, some are company officers, and the highest rank you get is platoon leader. How long do you think it will take you to become a general?"

Upon hearing this, the officers, who had been somewhat uneasy, immediately began to chatter amongst themselves again.

"General? That would take...ten years?"

"If things go smoothly, five years should be enough!"

"That's impossible. You'd be lucky to even reach the rank of brigade commander in your entire life..."

"I think I encountered one that lasted for two years..."

Zhu Youjian did not interrupt them, but waited patiently until the discussion gradually subsided and everyone's attention was focused on him again. Only then did he slowly extend three fingers.

His voice was deep, yet it seemed to possess a strange, magical power.

"Three years."

"Within three years at most, at least five of you will become generals, a dozen or so lieutenant generals or guerrillas, and countless captains and battalion commanders."

Inside the main hall, it fell silent instantly, with only heavy breathing audible.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, eagerly watching their emperor.

Zhu Youjian met their gazes and said, word by word, "Why?"

"Because you are the Emperor's personal guard, personally selected, inspected and trained by me every day!"

"I know the name of every one of you, I know the origin of every one of you, and I have even personally competed in archery with many of you!"

At this point, Zhu Youjian suddenly chuckled and pointed at Sun Yingyuan, saying:

"At the beginning, you didn't dare to go all out when competing with me."

"In the end, that scoundrel Sun Yingyuan actually dared to shoot down the arrow that I had finally managed to hit the bullseye with.

A low chuckle rippled through the crowd, and the atmosphere relaxed once more, but everyone's eyes were brighter and more fervent than before.

Zhu Youjian stopped laughing and changed the subject.

"Then, among you, is there anyone who is capable of being ennobled as a marquis?"

These words were like a drop of water falling into a pot of boiling oil!

Everyone's breathing became incredibly heavy in an instant, and their eyes shone with an unprecedented light!
He shall be granted a title of nobility!

For martial artists, this is such an honor, such an unattainable dream!

But this time, no one dared to make a sound. Everyone restrained themselves and stared intently at their emperor, waiting for him to say something next.

Zhu Youjian's gaze slowly swept over their faces, which were flushed with excitement.

Zuo Liangyu, Huang Degong...

I vaguely remember that he was granted the title of Marquis, but he didn't bring an encyclopedia with him, so I can't remember what kind of title he was granted.

Kong Youde was even more extraordinary; he was granted the title of King...

He was merely a king of the Manchu Qing dynasty.

Nobility is merely bait for a king's fishing rod; it should be used when necessary.

Even if we grant him a salary of 10 shi (a unit of dry measure), what does it matter as long as we can pacify Liaodong?!

Zhu Youjian sighed inwardly, then shook his head.

"Actually, I don't know either."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a little disappointed, yet unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. The voices were so uniform that they sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet hall.

Zhu Youjian looked at their disappointed expressions and suddenly smiled.

"But my title is already prepared."

"Three dukes, eight marquises, and thirty earls!"

"Tell me, which of you is qualified to sit in these positions?!"

Everyone's mind went blank in that instant!
Some people gaped in disbelief, while others instinctively pinched their thighs hard, only to have their companions wince in pain.

Some people looked around blankly, as if searching for future dukes and marquises, or perhaps for their future rivals.

The entire hall was clearly silent, yet in an instant, it was filled with a buzzing noise.

Zhu Youjian suddenly clapped his hands!
The crisp sound instantly silenced all the noise.

He pointed his finger directly at Cao Bianjiao.

"Cao Bianjiao, do you want to be a duke?"

Cao Bianjiao suddenly stood up, at a loss for what to do. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Duke?

He was just a minor officer in Liaodong.

Once inside the Brave Guard Battalion, he was merely a squad leader in charge of 60 men!

Let alone the Duke, he might not even be able to snatch the position of Commander-in-Chief in 10 days...

Among these hundred-plus people, there are truly many hidden talents.

Due to poor teamwork, his performance in the past few days has been hovering at the bottom of the rankings!

The title of duke was more distant to him than the moon in the sky.

Zhu Youjian looked at his youthful appearance, laughed, and waved for him to sit down.

Cao Bianjiao sat down as instructed, but his heart was instantly filled with a great sense of loss and melancholy.

Zhu Youjian then pointed to Sun Yingyuan.

"Sun Yingyuan, do you want to be a duke?"

The towering man stood up, but he seemed somewhat hesitant, his usual swagger completely gone. Like a timid monkey, he stammered for a long time, but still dared not reply.

Zhu Youjian frowned and said with feigned impatience, "If you don't want to, then forget it. I'll find someone else for my dukedom."

"I want to!"

Sun Yingyuan immediately became anxious and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Your Majesty! I want to be it! I dream of being it!"

The voice was so sharp it was almost distorted, yet not a single laugh escaped its lips.

All eyes were fixed on the supreme emperor.

Zhu Youjian burst into laughter, which echoed throughout the hall.

"Thinking about it is a good thing!"

"A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier! A general who doesn't want to be ennobled is not a good general for me!"

His laughter stopped abruptly, and his expression suddenly turned serious.

"However, I cannot simply bestow a dukedom upon you out of thin air!"

"Ten days later, the first monthly exam will be held. Those who excel in the exam will be selected as captains!"

"Forty days from now, the second monthly exam will be held to select commanders!"

"Seventy days from now, the third monthly exam will be held to select the battalion commander!"

"In another year or two, you will be sent to various towns along the nine borders. At that time, the positions of general, brigade commander, and guerrilla commander will be a piece of cake!"

"By then..."

Zhu Youjian smiled slightly, but his eyes became incredibly sharp.

"If any of you have forgotten this 'five pecks of rice' agreement made today, or forgotten what I have said today."

"Don't blame me for not showing any mercy!"

The generals, who had just been excited about the position of duke or marquis, suddenly felt a chill rise from their spines and became trembling.

"As for the titles of Duke, Marquis, and Earl..."

Zhu Youjian did not continue speaking, but slowly turned around and, step by step, climbed back up the steps to the throne.

All eyes followed his figure upwards.

Finally, he slowly sat down on the dragon throne, which symbolized the highest power in the world.

By this time, the sky was already dusky, and the afterglow of the setting sun slanted in from outside the palace, but was blocked by the golden pillars, casting the emperor's face in shadow, making it difficult to see clearly.

A moment later, everyone heard the emperor's voice drifting from the shadows:
"You shall exchange the heads of the Tartars for them."

"He who can kill a thousand slaves will be ennobled as a count; he who can kill ten thousand slaves will be ennobled as a marquis..."

"And whoever can cut off the heads of the four great princes and use them as wine vessels for me will naturally be granted the title of Duke!"

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)