Ming Dynasty 1627

Chapter 164 The Emperor's Far-Reaching Plans, the Common Man's Ambitions

Outside Di'anmen, at the Yongwei Battalion's drill ground, banners fluttered like a forest.

Thousands of soldiers, fully armored and armed, stood silently on the drill ground like pine trees.

Their eyes were all focused on the tall command platform in front of them.

On the stage, Emperor Zhu Youjian of the Ming Dynasty, dressed in his imperial robes, stood tall and straight, yet remained silent for a long time.

Behind him stood Xu Yingyuan, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, and six newly appointed captains, including Cao Bianjiao.

Like the soldiers below the stage, they held their breath and waited quietly.

No one knew what their emperor was thinking, and no one dared to urge him on.

However, the mind of this monarch, who was unfathomable in the eyes of his subjects, had already drifted far away.

His gaze seemed to be surveying the military formation before him, but his thoughts drifted aimlessly, following the spinach he had seen that morning.

It snowed in the capital yesterday.

A short, heavy, and dry snowfall.

The snowflakes fell heavily, seemingly with great force, but ended in just half an hour.

After landing, it didn't accumulate at all, and by the time the sun came out this morning, it had vanished without a trace.

Before coming to the drill ground this morning, he made a special trip to Rabbit Hill and asked a few elderly farmers for advice.

They said this snowfall was a bit strange, but it wasn't uncommon in previous years. As long as it snowed a few more times, it wouldn't be a disaster.

It's just ordinary...

Is this normal?
Zhu Youjian, who already had the answer in his mind, naturally did not think so.

In his later life, he was a humanities student, not a science student.

This resulted in him having only a superficial understanding of things like the Great Leap Forward's steel production and manual telegraphing, so he could only work with the people of the Ming Dynasty to deduce the technology tree from scratch.

However, the knowledge of liberal arts students is not entirely useless.

For example, he knew perfectly well how the specter known as the "Little Ice Age" destroyed this great empire.

Why is a temperature drop of only one or two degrees so serious?
Is the crop yield reduced due to insufficient heat?

It's not that simple!
As a country dominated by a subtropical monsoon climate, the vast majority of rainfall in China depends on the abundant moisture brought from the ocean by the southeast monsoon.

The strength and advance of the southeast monsoon are precisely controlled by the subtropical high.

In normal years, the subtropical high pressure system acts like a loyal general, steadily moving northward in the summer, pushing the rain belt from South China all the way to North China, bathing the entire region in abundant rainfall.

But... the temperature dropped.

Global cooling has slowed the warming of continental regions in summer, resulting in a weakening of the thermal low pressure system.

When the temperature difference is low, the power to push water vapor from the ocean high pressure to the continent low pressure region is naturally insufficient.

This is the first truth about the Little Ice Age catastrophe: the summer monsoon was weakened overall, and the total amount of water vapor decreased.

What's even more alarming is that the northward movement of the subtropical high pressure will also be weakened by the "cooling down" of the continent.

It will become unsteady on its feet, and may even linger or wander in the Jianghuai region for an extended period of time.

As a result, the south suffered severe flooding and torrential rains, while the vast north remained barren, unable to receive any life-saving rain.

By the time the subtropical high finally gathered enough strength to barely move north, the crops in the fields had already been scorched and died of thirst under the blazing sun.

This is the second truth about the Little Ice Age disaster, and also the real killer move that destroyed the Ming Dynasty!
—Floods in the south and drought in the north!
Compared to the chain reaction of a drop in temperature, what is the crop yield reduction caused by a mere one or two degrees of heat loss?

Zhu Youjian frowned slightly.

Now, personnel, military, and finance are gradually being implemented.

The number of official documents he had to review and examine each day was also decreasing.

It's time to take some time to start preparing for the tech tree advancement.

This includes steam engines, military industry, and naturally, it also includes the humanities and sciences field he is very familiar with—meteorological theory.

Otherwise, once the new policies in Beizhili are implemented, the landlords who have suffered losses and the civil officials who have been suppressed will definitely join forces when they encounter this natural disaster.

His desk will be piled high with memorials accusing him of "moral failings in his new policies" and "warnings from natural disasters," and even his crotch will be covered in excrement.

So, how do we begin...?

Liberal arts student Zhu Youjian, standing on this platform, under the noses of thousands of people, stares blankly as he imagines his future.

He eventually came to his senses on his own.

He glanced at the solemn faces below the stage, quickly snapping out of his dazed state as an "early bird" and switching into the working mode of the Ming Emperor.

"Xu Yingyuan," his voice was calm and even, "issue the reward."

"The slaves obey the order."

Xu Yingyuan, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, bowed respectfully, then stepped forward, took out a roll of yellow silk from his sleeve, unrolled it, and loudly proclaimed:
"The emperor is destined to be carried by heaven, and the edict says:"

"Since its establishment, the Brave Guard Battalion has seen many of you eagerly enlist and train diligently, which greatly pleases me. Today, I have assessed more than two thousand men. Although none of them were selected, their physical strength and courage are far superior to those of ordinary soldiers. If they were placed in any other unit, they would be considered elite troops."

"However, the Brave Guard Battalion is the Emperor's personal army, the sharpest blade of the nation. Only the best of the best can be selected to join. Now, I will distribute you two thousand men to various units of the Beijing Garrison. I hope you will remain diligent and strive to be the best, so that there may still be a time when you can return to the Brave Guard Battalion!"

"His Majesty is merciful. It is already autumn and the weather is getting colder. Considering your hard work in training, he hereby bestows upon all the officers and soldiers of the Brave Guard Battalion a cotton coat, a bowl of imperial wine, and ten gold-backed coins to encourage their will."

"Those who are eliminated shall all receive a reward, as a sign of my benevolence!"

Xu Yingyuan's voice echoed on the high platform, and every word clearly reached the ears of the thousands of soldiers below.

After a brief silence, a deafening roar erupted into the sky.

"Long live my emperor! Long live! Long live!"

All the soldiers, whether they stayed or were eliminated, knelt on one knee, the sound of their armor plates clashing creating a powerful symphony.

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction and raised his hand in a gesture of support: "Reward him."

"Rewards will be given!"

The high-pitched and drawn-out chanting, starting from the command platform, was relayed by a group of eunuchs and spread to every corner of the entire training ground.

The ceremony began.

Teams and groups.

The eunuchs stationed at the camp held rosters and began calling out names loudly.

Each eliminated team walked out of the queue amidst a silent gaze.

Those teams, whose reputations spread far and wide, gradually disappeared from the direction of the training ground's exit, just yesterday vying for rankings.

The remaining soldiers remained silent, simply watching everything unfold.

In a corner of the training ground, the atmosphere in Zhang Fu's formation was extremely complex.

Fatty Sun looked around and forced a smile, saying, "I can earn a bowl of wine before I leave, and I won't have to suffer the hardships of winter training, so it's not a bad thing."

No one responded to him.

The smile on Fatty Sun's face gradually froze, eventually turning into a barely audible sigh.

He knew how insincere his words were.

Who wouldn't want to stay in the Brave Guard Battalion? Who wouldn't want to become a member of the Emperor's personal guard?

But since things have come to this, it's just wishful thinking.

Corporal Zhang Fu gripped the hilt of his knife, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, staring intently ahead. His lips were pressed into a resolute line, like a tiger about to be driven from the mountains, his eyes filled with resentment and suppressed rage.

The brave guard battalion was eliminated, and the teams were eliminated as a unit.

As a forward selected by Datong, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't overcome the fact that his team officer was too useless!
pity!Sigh!
That damn squad leader! That damn Liu Ruoxian! Don't let me run into you in Beijing!

Li Mazi lowered his triangular eyes, expressionless, and simply plucked the bowstring with his fingers again and again, making a soft "humming" sound.

The sound of the bowstring vibrating seemed to be a reflection of his chaotic state of mind, disturbing his peace of mind.

Broken tendons and bones can be repaired; but once the spirit is broken, it is impossible to rebuild.

What a coincidence that they were all once fierce soldiers in the border towns, tough guys who crawled out of piles of dead bodies.

That Chen, who stuttered, was not good at speaking, yet he had taken three heads of the Western barbarians.

He simply exchanged it all for money to buy medicine for his mother, which is why he was still just a common soldier.

Although Chen the Skinny and Sun the Fat were both from the Jingji Garrison, they were real men who had served in the army and fought in the border regions!
But at this moment, everyone felt the chill of "loss" slowly eroding their very bones.

That damn squad leader!
Finally, a camp officer came to them with a roster.

"Zhang Fuwu, step forward!"

coming.

Zhang Fu took a deep breath, released his grip on the hilt of his sword, and led his four men out of formation, heading towards the camp gate.

Every step felt like stepping on a red-hot iron plate, searing his heart with pain.

A long passage had already been cleared at the camp gate.

In the middle of the passage, more than ten tables were set up, with a row of eunuchs sitting behind them, and behind them piles of brand-new cotton-padded clothes.

The five men silently surrendered their swords and bows, feeling a sense of lightness on their bodies, but a sense of gloom in their hearts.

They were led to a table.

A eunuch in charge of registration glanced up at them, then called out to the back without turning his head: "Two large-character items, three medium-character items."

Several idle servants immediately pulled out five cotton-padded coats from the mountain of cotton-padded clothes and casually tossed them onto the table.

The eunuch gestured with his chin towards the cotton-padded coat and said in a businesslike manner, "Take it. If you wear this coat to the Beijing Garrison, don't tarnish the reputation of our Brave Guard Battalion."

The five men silently picked up the cotton-padded coats. They felt thick and made of high-quality cotton fabric, far superior to the cheap clothes found in garrisons and border towns.

Passing through this row of tables, there is another row of long tables ahead.

Behind the table were several large boxes, filled with gleaming gold coins, all of them five-qian coins with gold backs.

On the table were strings of coins.

The eunuch in charge of distributing the money saw them, counted out five strings of copper coins, and handed them over with a slight smile, saying almost the exact same words as in the previous instance:
"Take it. Taking this gold-backed coin means you've received His Majesty's blessing. When you go to the capital garrison, don't disgrace the name of our Valiant Guard."

Zhang Fu silently accepted the money and distributed it to the four people behind him.

A single gold-backed coin worth five qian (approximately 150 grams) is worth almost 100 wen (approximately 500 cash) on the market, which is quite a generous reward.

However, everyone preferred not to accept this favor.

They continued walking a few more steps along the passage, and they were now outside the camp, where a bright and open view suddenly appeared before them.

On the last long table, bowls of clear wine were filled, their aroma filling the air.

The eunuch guarding the long table smiled and pointed, saying, "Drink up, this is the finest imperial wine from the palace. After you finish this bowl of wine, when you go to the capital garrison, don't tarnish the reputation of our Brave Guard Battalion."

There it is again.

One sentence after another, like a curse, or even a whip, lashed at everyone's heart.

This time, however, Zhang Fu and his group of five stopped in their tracks, looked at each other, and hesitated.

Li Mazi looked at the bowl of wine with a complicated expression.

The eunuch didn't urge them, but just looked at them with a smile.

Zhang Fu remained silent for a moment.

Suddenly, he stepped forward, firmly pressed his right thumb against the rim of the celadon bowl, picked it up, tilted his head back, and gulped it down in one go!
A surge of heat burned from his throat to his stomach, instantly igniting the boundless passion and resentment within him.

He forcefully raised his hand, intending to smash the large bowl hard on the ground!
"Don't fall!"

The eunuch shouted, "This is a wine bowl bestowed by the Emperor! If you break it, you'll have to pay for the entire string of gold coins!"

Zhang Fuyang's raised arm paused slightly in mid-air.

He saw the eunuch's smiling face, and he also saw the smooth celadon bowl in his hand.

A true man should have lofty aspirations; how can he be bound by a bowl of rice or a penny?
"Snapped!"

A crisp loud noise!

He slammed the large celadon bowl to the ground, shattering it into pieces!

He pulled out the heavy gold-backed coin from his pocket and casually tossed it onto the table.

"I, Zhang Fu, will buy this bowl of wine!"

His voice was booming, each word carrying immense weight!

After saying that, he turned around abruptly, no longer looking at the mess, nor paying attention to the gasps and commotion behind him.

He strode towards the assembly point outside the camp, his back ramrod straight, like a javelin that would rather break than bend!

Sun Pangzi and his three companions looked at each other, staring at Zhang Fu's resolute back and then at the scattered copper coins and porcelain shards on the ground. The anger that had been suppressed in their chests for so long was suddenly ignited!
"Damn it!" Fatty Sun stomped his foot angrily and threw the string of coins in his hand onto the table. "The sergeant is right! I, Old Sun, will buy this bowl of wine too!"

Li Mazi was even more decisive, picking up his wine bowl and drinking it all in one gulp, then smashing it hard on the ground with a crisp sound!
"Count me in!"

Zhang the skinny guy followed suit, smashing bowls and throwing money!
"And I!"

Four people, four crisp sounds, four strings of copper coins!
Only Chen the Stutterer clenched the copper coin tightly in his hand, and finally sighed, carefully put the bowl down, and then chased after them.

The eunuch behind the table watched this scene with his hands tied behind his back, saying nothing, but only slightly narrowing his eyes.

The assembly point was noisy and bustling; some people had already been led to report to the Beijing garrison.

The five men ignored all of that and simply turned their gazes toward the tall command platform.

On the high platform, His Majesty's yellow casual robes shone brightly in the sunlight.

The wind made the banner behind His Majesty flutter loudly, and the banner with the character "Ming" on it looked like a burning flame.

Zhang Fu's hand instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword at his waist, but he only found nothing there.

Yes, the sword and bow were handed over upon leaving the camp.

But in Zhang Fu's heart, another knife was being drawn at this moment.

"How could Zhang Fu of Datong be absent from the Emperor's personal guard!"

……

……

The young eunuch behind the table watched them leave with a smile, without getting angry.

He simply turned around and told the servants to bring a dustpan to sweep.

A few servants quickly swept the broken porcelain behind the pile of wine jars.

But it turned out that the ground was already littered with broken bowls.

(End of this chapter)