Guangzong Yaoming

Chapter 100: Unconventional, Martial Arts Over Literature (First Order Request)

The ceremony of presenting prisoners was held to demonstrate military prowess. Liu Jing and Qin Liangyu did not dismount their horses until they reached the Duanmen Gate inside Chengtian Gate, and led the way inside.

Now, Qin Liangyu is twenty-seven years old.

At this time, she was wearing a general's uniform, and her demeanor was elegant. At first glance, she really looked like a scholar-general.

Qin Liangyu had only participated in the Battle of Bozhou since last year, and had not suffered much from the ravages of time and the battlefield.

Liu Jing next to her looked like a typical warrior, currently in his prime, tall and strong.

When they arrived not far from the Meridian Gate, they waited quietly for the ceremony to begin.

Zhu Changluo looked down from above and couldn't help but notice Qin Liangyu's appearance first.

Although literary works portray her as a great beauty, the real situation...all I can say is don't think too much about it.

Zhu Changluo was not planning to become a thief of Cao.

He was now surprised at Qin Liangyu's generosity and calmness.

But according to the battle report of Bozhou, she was not only good at riding and shooting, but also proficient in poetry and writing, and quite courageous.

In this era, she was able to possess these qualities, and as she was the wife of a chieftain, her demeanor was certainly not comparable to that of ordinary women.

It can only be said that due to the secular concepts of the time, Qin Liangyu's most "useful" twenty years were delayed.

After Bozhou was pacified, the imperial court was already discussing taking this opportunity to transform the Bozhou area into a people-run government. In the blink of an eye, a talented female general like Qin Liangyu had no place to use her talents.

Originally, it was not until the first year of Taichang, when the imperial court was in a state of disarray, that they remembered that there was a talented general in the southwest, and ordered her to send troops to provide assistance.

Later, she led the army many times and fought in battles, and Chongzhen wrote poems for her. During the Southern Ming Dynasty, she was even granted the title of Marquis while she was still alive.

It was extremely rare for a female general to be granted the title of nobility, although it was due to the Southern Ming's desperate efforts to seek medical help.

Now Zhu Changluo does not have so many shackles on his body, and the only way out is to rely on people's thinking.

At the prisoner presentation ceremony, in addition to the necessary sacrifices, the other three important matters were: the treatment of the rebel leader Yang family and his subordinates, the commendation and reward for the victory in Bozhou, and the imperial edict to confer new honors to various nobles in order to highlight the military achievements of the Wanli Dynasty.

Zhu Changluo only had to watch the ceremony throughout and didn't have to say anything.

There have been enough irritations to the civil servants recently, so there is no need to add more drama to the prisoner presentation ceremony to boost military morale.

We agreed to let the people rest first.

When Qin Liangyu heard that Liu Jing was conferred the title of Earl of Zhangyong, she couldn't help but look at him in surprise.

She herself was also surprised: in order to recognize her contribution, the emperor specially granted her the title of Lady and gave her the robes of a third-rank military officer.

Her husband was promoted first, and her brother Qin Bangping was appointed as the Jinyi Guard Captain by favor, and went to the capital to serve.

After the ceremony, Tian Yi came to announce the decree: "I heard that the first meritorious female general in suppressing the rebellion in Bozhou was a heroine in Nanchuan Road, and the Holy Mother Empress Dowager specially summoned her."

The ministers felt somewhat strange as they watched Qin Liangyu being led into the Meridian Gate.

Is it really that Empress Dowager Li wants to see her?

Of course, no one should secretly speculate whether the emperor has inherited the legacy of Emperor Taizu of Wei.

Qin Liangyu walked into the Forbidden City.

She was probably the first woman to enter the huge Forbidden City wearing a general's robe.

There was no need for such a strong murderous intention in the palace. After she was led to Yidexuan in the Yangxin Palace, she found that her third-rank military officer's robe was already prepared, and two palace maids helped her change her clothes there.

He was then led to the main hall of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, where Empress Dowager Li was indeed there, but the emperor was also there.

"Your servant Qin Liangyu pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor and the Holy Mother Empress Dowager."

Empress Dowager Li looked at her in amazement, and only spoke after hearing her voice: "You are actually a woman! The Emperor said that you were the first to make the contribution to suppressing the rebellion in Bozhou?"

"I dare not boast of my achievements, but I followed orders and killed the enemy. Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful for your grace."

Zhu Changluo then smiled and said, "Although Li Hualong is inevitably inferior to others, he is fair in commending the merits of Bozhou. He did not remove the first merit of Zhang Yongbo because of his recklessness, nor did he ignore Qin Liangyu's merits because she was a woman."

Then he looked at Qin Liangyu and said, "Today, I see that you are truly a man of both civil and military talents. I can only grant you an imperial decree and official uniforms. Don't blame me for not being rewarded for your merits."

"How dare I? Your Majesty, I and my husband are deeply grateful for your grace."

Qin Liangyu was of course a little uneasy, but she tried to remain calm.

Zhu Changluo was very impressed to see that she was still open and generous even here, and that she took it for granted to call herself a subject because she had received the imperial edict and wore official uniform.

Next, it was Empress Dowager Li who asked her curiously about her experiences and what happened when she led the troops in battle.

I was a little frightened when I attended the court meeting yesterday. After Zhu Changluo left, he no longer avoided telling Zhu Yijun the purpose of his arrangements.

Knowing that his son was planning to attack the civil officials, and hearing that he had already subdued Tian Le, the Minister of War, Zhu Yijun felt unpredictable.

However, it will be difficult for the paralyzed emperor to appear at today's ceremony of presenting captives.

This occasion of glory that should have belonged to him could only be won over by his son through rewarding meritorious service and conferring titles on military officials.

When mentioning that Qin Liangyu had been chosen as the female prisoner to be offered as a captive, Zhu Changluo also asked Empress Dowager Li to summon her for a meeting today.

What it was for is also stated there.

So after satisfying her curiosity, Empress Dowager Li gave some gifts out of joy, and then said: "Your Ma family is loyal to the court, which is very good. The emperor still wants to use you, and I will stay away from military and national affairs for now."

After she left, only the emperor, Qin Liangyu, Tian Yi and Cheng Jing were left in the Yangxin Palace. "I won't hide it from you. The court is discussing how to deal with Bozhou from now on." Zhu Changluo asked Qin Liangyu to sit on the soft stool and said, "Generally speaking, we will change the natives to officials, and set up two military and civilian offices, one in Sichuan and one in Guizhou."

"Your Highness and I will obey the orders of the court."

"It was my idea to summon you. Needless to say, your husband is also a capable and brave general. Qin Liangyu, I want to ask you, are you and your family willing to give up the hereditary chieftainship of the Shizhu Xuanfu Division and come to the capital to serve as officials?"

Qin Liangyu was shocked: "Your Majesty, the court is also going to get rid of the Shizhu Xuanfu Division?"

"It is a military and civil government. The chieftain Zhongshun will not be removed, but from now on, officials from the imperial court will govern the area."

Zhu Changluo looked at her, wondering how important the position of chieftain was to her.

But no one in the world could offer a more unacceptable stake than the emperor.

"I know your son is still young. You heard today that I conferred titles on him. I just want to know if you and Ma Qiancheng are willing to fight for a title for your son? Isn't this better than continuing to be a paid envoy in the future?"

Qin Liangyu couldn't help but open her mouth slightly in surprise.

"...How dare I have such extravagant hopes?"

Soon, Qin Liangyu got up from her seat, knelt down, and answered nervously.

Zhu Changluo laughed, "I am not a pedantic monarch. Good generals are hard to find. Even though you are a woman, I hope you can serve me and show your strengths. Ma Qiancheng will come to the capital and serve as a lieutenant general in the Yongwei Battalion under the supervision of the Imperial Horse Administration, leading a battalion of white-pole soldiers. You cannot attend the court, but you can still receive my orders to lead the army to war in the future. How do you do that?"

The Four Guard Battalions supervised by the Imperial Horse were now only slightly better than the other Imperial Guards, but they had also been neglected a lot.

These were purely the emperor's private army, and he also intended to streamline them into a brave guard battalion.

If the White Spear Soldiers who had just been trained in the Battle of Bozhou could be recruited into the Yongwei Camp, they would immediately become a useful army.

As long as Ma Qiancheng and Qin Liangyu agreed to his request, they would be completely loyal to the emperor and obey his orders even though they were unfamiliar with the place after arriving in Beijing.

Qin Liangyu had never thought about this, and looked at Zhu Changluo with great surprise when she heard this.

She looked extremely hesitant. "My husband and I are natives from the border area, and the white-pole soldiers are just brave warriors. Your Majesty..."

"In my eyes, all ethnic groups are my subjects. Ma Gui and Dayun are not Han people, but I still made them barons!" Zhu Changluo stared at her, "Since I summoned you, I naturally know you. You are both brave and courageous, and you are also good at writing. Although you will definitely be unfamiliar with the place after entering the capital, I want your private army. It depends on whether you are willing to come to the capital to serve me! The position of the envoy will still be reserved for Ma Qiancheng, and someone will take his place. The salary of the Tusi soldiers who enlisted in Bozhou will be paid by me."

This is a special private army that Zhu Changluo can win over, and it does have a demonstration effect.

The Ming Dynasty worked hard for many years, and many chieftains in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Huguang and other places that surrendered were better sources of soldiers.

By conferring the title of earl on Dayun, a foreigner, the Ming Dynasty will not have to reject these people in the future.

As long as Zhu Changluo is willing to give them a stage.

Can an old meritorious official like the Duke of Ying really be trained in the Beijing camp?

Zhu Changluo remained skeptical.

But this does not mean that he has no solution. He can allow some obedient old meritorious officials to have a chance to gain military merit in the future.

He was nothing more than a yes-man and a mouthpiece. Above him was the emperor, and below him were generals and soldiers who were brave and capable of fighting but still lacked some achievements.

Only the emperor's orders are recognized, nothing else.

There will certainly be other obstacles in this matter, but Zhu Changluo must first make Ma Qiancheng and Qin Liangyu willing.

Qin Liangyu naturally had to go back and discuss with Ma Qiancheng first, so there was no need for her to stay in the palace for a long time.

At this time, the imperial edict was announced to the world after the ceremony of surrendering prisoners, and the capital was already in an uproar.

The three marquises and five uncles, and the storytellers in the teahouses and taverns were the first to react.

"Let's talk about the Mandarin Duck Formation. The ten-foot-long wolf-whip will sweep down and... swish! Oh! Guess what? It will scrape off a lot of blood and flesh. The Japanese pirates will cry for their parents, right?"

If the deeds of people like Liu Jing among the people are not rich enough, then Yu Dayou, Qi Jiguang and Li Chengliang are different.

The storyteller's saliva was flying, and the common people in the capital city below were praising him one after another.

At the same time, they eagerly ranked these generals in terms of military strength and merit.

"If you ask me, Yu Long and Qi Hu are still better than Dong Li and Xi Ma now."

"Why hasn't Lord Horse been conferred a title? They say he is the reincarnation of Lord Horse!"

"Hey, it's said that like fathers, like sons, like daughters. I heard that Lord Ma's son is useless and got into trouble in Shanhaiguan, which implicated Lord Ma. What a good father and bad son..."

Ordinary people are only interested in who is strong and who is weak and what the ranking is.

Before long, storytellers and booksellers would naturally make up some stories about how this group of new meritorious officials had displayed their power in Mobei, Liaodong, the three western borders, Korea, and the southwest over the years. There would be a huge market for such stories.

This is the side effect of conferring so many titles at one time: it shows off one's power, which at least makes the common people happy when they hear it, and it also arouses some of their desire for war.

And this is exactly what the gentry are worried about.

"Being brave and aggressive is not a good thing for the country!"

"I heard that the faces of the elders were very solemn after the court was dismissed yesterday. I went to visit an uncle, but was not allowed to see him. There was an undercurrent in the capital last night."

"Could it be the same as the previous proposal to exempt him? Your Majesty values ​​martial arts over civility?"

"Humph, it's more than just disrespecting literature?" Some people complained, "The Ministry of Justice has already seized the family of Hou Yuanfu, the military department's chief secretary! He was punished for speaking out in court! How can the new dynasty disrespect literature?"

(End of this chapter)