Chapter 10: His Majesty Has Confidential Matters to Instruct

"We have prepared one million taels of silver!"

Everything else is empty — only silver is real. The transmigrated Chongzhen Emperor was not as optimistic as the original, led astray, believing that righteous cause alone could make soldiers throw away their heads and spill their blood.

The soldiers of the Great Ming today are not the armies of some later Celestial Dynasty. In their hearts there is no thought of "the army and the people are one family," still less any idea of defending home and country.

For a Great Ming soldier, serving as a soldier and eating grain is the most natural thing in the world — if you don't give them their grain and pay, you still expect the military lords to sell their lives for you?

If not for the deep blood-feud with the Jianzhou barbarians, if not for their own parents, wives, and children behind them, if not for having no ground left to retreat from, these roughnecks on Pidao would have run off long ago.

The Chongzhen Emperor, who had read plenty of essential transmigrator teaching materials in the later age, knew very clearly in his heart that reality is not like those dramas powered by love.

If you want to buy people's hearts, you have to serve the hard dishes — and nothing is harder than real gold and silver!

So after confiscating Huang Liji's household and getting his hands on several million taels of silver, the Chongzhen Emperor did nothing else. The very first thing was to have Wang Cheng'en bring one million taels of silver to Pidao and first make up all the back pay owed over these years.

And to make sure these barely literate roughnecks understood his meaning, the Chongzhen Emperor deliberately used a vernacular oral edict.

This was actually quite normal. The old Zhu family rose from humble beginnings, and Old Zhu the Fourth's imperial edicts were full of phrases like "We, you lot, work hard, come home early" — the Chongzhen Emperor using plain speech was nothing remarkable.

The effect was immediate. The moment Wang Cheng'en's voice fell, the assembled officers and soldiers on Pidao erupted.

Even among soldiers, there are ranks and grades — if the Capital Camps were the birth mother's own sons, and the frontier armies were the stepmother's fosterlings, then the men here on Pidao could only count as raised by the neighbors, having gone four or five years without even seeing what pay silver looked like!

And the Chongzhen Emperor's oral edict that Wang Cheng'en was relaying was clearly not finished yet.

"We know that the soldiers of Liaodong have suffered. Because you have penetrated deep behind enemy lines, fighting bloody battles on the front line, yet you cannot even get the most basic grain and pay."

"This is the fault of Us and of the various lords of the court!"

"We guarantee to you, and We ask all you soldiers to trust Us — give Us five years!"

"We will, bit by bit, make up all the back pay the court has owed! Whether the frontier armies of the Nine Borders, or the soldiers of Liaodong, or the soldiers of the Capital Camps, We will make up every bit of grain and pay!"

"We, your Great Ming Emperor, guarantee to you: within the next five years, We will ensure that all soldiers can eat their fill and dress warmly! That all can receive sufficient grain and pay!"

"In the future, your children will be able to study, become officials, trade, and farm!"

"Your relatives, We will bring into the Ming interior to settle — they will not need to endure hardship alongside you in Liaodong any longer! From now on, We will not let soldiers bleed and also shed tears!"

"We will establish a Shrine of the Loyal and Martyred on the plaza before the Gate of Accepting Heaven. All soldiers who sacrifice themselves for the nation shall enter the Shrine of the Loyal and Martyred. Each year at Qingming, We shall personally lead the civil and military officials in worship!

So long as the Great Ming does not perish, the loyal martyrs who gave their lives for the nation shall endure together with the state, forever receiving blood offerings!"

A dozen loud-voiced Han Generals bellowed out in unison the Chongzhen Emperor's oral edict that Wang Cheng'en proclaimed, ensuring every man on the parade ground could hear clearly.

It completely exploded. For the soldiers of Pidao, the Chongzhen Emperor's oral edict that Wang Cheng'en brought this time was no mere bomb — it was a Big Ivan–grade atomic bomb!

"His Majesty has not forgotten us, His Majesty still remembers us!" Almost no one could believe what they were hearing: "Is this real? In the future our children can study too?"

"We're finally getting paid? The little brats at home finally won't have to go hungry, sob…" Some were already so overcome they wept aloud.

"Brother Wang the Second, do you think we can enter that Shrine of the Loyal and Martyred after we die too?"

Still others stood with red-rimmed eyes, gazing skyward through tears, too moved to speak, feeling only that to meet such an emperor, their ancestors must have accumulated virtue for eight lifetimes! Even dying in battle for the Emperor would be worth it!

Wang Cheng'en stood on the reviewing platform, watching the reactions of the Dongjiang Garrison troops below, nodding inwardly to himself without pause.

Everything before his eyes showed that the Chongzhen Emperor had achieved his desired goal: so long as the grain and pay were distributed bit by bit, and the Emperor's promises fulfilled bit by bit, then the ten-thousand-odd soldiers below the platform would become the Emperor's most loyal hounds, and any enemy standing in the Emperor's path would be bitten to death by them — torn to shreds!

Wang Cheng'en cleared his throat and continued: "Silence! Mao Wenlong, General-in-Chief of Pacifying Liao with Plenipotentiary Authority and Left Army Regional Commander, receive the decree!"

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: It is hereby ordered: The Dongjiang Garrison shall be taken as the foundation and elevated to Dongjiang Prefecture.

In the coming days, the court shall select and dispatch officials of all levels here.

Because Dongjiang Prefecture hangs isolated in the rear of the Jianzhou barbarians, the Dongjiang Army is specially established, directly subordinate to the Ministry of War and not subject to the control of Liaodong or Denglai.

Mao Wenlong, General-in-Chief of Pacifying Liao with Plenipotentiary Authority and Left Army Regional Commander, is appointed Senior General of the Dongjiang Army, principal second rank.

Furthermore, for Mao Wenlong's meritorious service in tying down the Jianzhou barbarians, he is specially granted the title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent. Thus decreed!"

The moment this decree was issued, whether it was Mao Wenlong kneeling below the platform or the assembled soldiers of Pidao, all stood frozen on the spot.

Throughout the Ming dynasty, a Regional Commander like Mao Wenlong who controlled a territory, though without formal rank, was generally addressed as "Marshal So-and-So," which sounded far more imposing than any general title, but in reality he was still subject to the constraints or jurisdiction of the various Governors.

Yet once this principal second-rank Senior General title appeared, everything changed at once.

Because from the very founding of the Ming dynasty, no such title as Senior General had ever been established.

The position of Senior General had existed in the Former Han and Former Tang — it carried real power over life and death, execution and pardon, nearly all concentrated in one man's will, and was immeasurably greater than any Regional Commander or Grand Marshal.

Now that the Son of Heaven had reestablished the Senior General rank, and even enfeoffed Mao Wenlong as Senior General with the additional title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent, this was practically a clarion signal broadcast for all to hear: the dynasty was beginning to put military men to heavy use, and from now on the social status of military men would be elevated!

Wang Cheng'en saw Mao Wenlong kneeling below the platform, not accepting the decree, just staring blankly with his head lowered, and so he raised his voice: "Senior General! Will you not accept the imperial edict?!"

Only then did Mao Wenlong below the platform react.

He raised his head, his tiger-like eyes brimming with tears, too overcome to contain himself, and in a trembling, choked voice said: "Your Majesty did not disdain your servant's lowly origins, and has treated your servant with such generous favor — your servant hates that he cannot die ten thousand deaths to repay Your Majesty's profound grace!

Your servant Mao Wenlong accepts the decree. Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"

After Mao Wenlong had accepted the decree, Wang Cheng'en slowly descended the reviewing platform, helped Mao Wenlong to his feet, and said: "Good! Good! Good! The Senior General is truly a man of deep feeling! Worthy of His Majesty's high regard!"

Mao Wenlong's heart surged with emotion, moved by the Chongzhen Emperor's generous grace in promoting him so highly without regard for his origins, and he loudly declared to Wang Cheng'en: "Please, Eunuch, convey to His Majesty on this humble general's behalf: His Majesty's generous grace is such that Wenlong could not repay one part in ten thousand even by dying ten thousand deaths.

Henceforth, this humble general shall serve the royal cause with utter loyalty. Whatever His Majesty commands, be it a mountain of blades or a sea of flames, this humble general shall not so much as furrow his brow!"

Hearing Mao Wenlong's pledge of loyalty, Wang Cheng'en was also overjoyed on Chongzhen's behalf.

Recalling the instructions Chongzhen had given before his departure, he said to Mao Wenlong: "Senior General, please lead us to the main tent. His Majesty has further confidential matters which he instructed us must be told to the Senior General in person."

(End of chapter)