Chapter 151

"Brother Xianzhi."

Qian Qianyi, his expression strange, stared at Shi Kefa. "Your face is truly broad."

"Hmm?"

Shi Kefa was first stunned, then understood. "I was indeed presumptuous."

"You actually want to inspect the military camp." Qian Qianyi shook his head repeatedly. "The Grand Marshal actually agreed."

"Is the Grand Marshal not trying to recruit you?"

"Impossible." Shi Kefa immediately denied it. "As a subject of Ming, I naturally must be loyal to the Great Ming."

He admitted that the common people under Lin Dao's rule lived quite well.

But to have him defect to Lin Dao was absolutely impossible.

Not to mention anything else, just Lin Dao abandoning the scholar-official path made him unable to accept it.

He came from an official family and was even a hereditary Hundred Household of the Jinyiwei; he was a true son of the Great Ming.

Defect to rebels?

Did he really think everyone was Qian Qianyi?

"Let's go." Qian Qianyi got on the horse cart and called out. "Once you enter the military unit, do not speak or move too much. The Grand Marshal governs the army with very strict military law."

"Nothing more than severe punishments and harsh laws." Shi Kefa followed him into the cart, chuckling softly. "All departments and military units are like this."

With both grain and pay lacking, if you want the soldiers to obey, there is nothing left but severe punishments and harsh laws.

Opening his mouth, Qian Qianyi swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue back down.

Even if I wear my mouth and tongue raw, it cannot compare to you seeing it with your own eyes!

The carriage train left the city and arrived at a military camp more than ten li outside the city.

The Grand Marshal's personal guards accompanying them stepped forward to present Lin Dao's handwritten decree and handled the entry procedures.

Only then was the carriage train permitted to enter.

Getting out of the cart, Shi Kefa looked around; his first impression was that the area was very large.

"This place was previously a manor of the Duke of Wei's residence."

Qian Qianyi explained. "The Grand Marshal took it and converted it into a military camp."

Shi Kefa nodded and said nothing.

The meritorious nobles' cunning seizure and plundering of fertile land and annexation of territory—scholars actually understood this better than anyone.

It was just that they themselves did the same thing, so naturally they had no face to blame others.

Shi Kefa, dressed in Great Ming official robes, drew many sidelong glances within the military camp.

Fortunately, military discipline was strict; the soldiers at most surveyed him, and no one rushed over to chop off his head to exchange for military merit.

The acting commander of this camp followed him with a grim face, vigilantly watching at all times.

The various camps under Lin Dao's command had no guerrilla warfare, assistant commanders, or such military organizations; each camp was led by a commander.

It was just that these commanders all had the prefix "acting."

Meaning temporary, not a regular position.

To become regular, one must establish corresponding military merit.

Among the righteous army, the most competitive were actually these commanders; every one of them had red eyes, wanting to fight and wanting to establish military merit.

In the Central Plains, as long as one entered this line of work, who did not want to become regular!

Shi Kefa's first question was.

"Can it be by mealtime?"

He had also led troops before, so naturally he understood the importance of eating in a military unit.

Originally he just wanted to see the grain and grass reserves in the army.

Unexpectedly, the commander nodded with a grim face. "Just about to eat lunch."

Shi Kefa was stunned on the spot.

He asked uncertainly. "Is today a bestowed meal?"

The commander immediately responded. "The Grand Marshal's military order: three meals a day!"

Three meals a day, for people of the Modern World, was a very normal thing.

Even at night there had to be a late-night snack.

But for ancient people, especially commoners, being able to eat two meals a day was already considered good fortune.

In the Great Ming's military units, two meals a day were for elite troops.

Three meals were the treatment for officers and elite household servants.

Shi Kefa came back to his senses, worried and anxious.

Silently following the commander to the kitchen without speaking.

Watching the soldiers line up in order to receive food, watching the rice and dishes filling the bowls.

Shi Kefa subconsciously wanted to say, "You are acting to fool me~~~"

But when the words reached his mouth, he changed them to "The Grand Marshal is open and aboveboard, absolutely not such a person."

Although he had only met Lin Dao once, he trusted Lin Dao's confident bearing.

He believed the Grand Marshal was not a fraudulent, deceitful, hypocritical villain.

Precisely because of this, Shi Kefa's worry on his face grew heavier.

He understood too well the meaning of three meals a day.

The rebel soldiers who had vegetables and meat to eat—their combat will and combat power far surpassed the Ming Army soldiers who ate only two meals a day, or even just one meal of mixed grain and wild vegetables.

Qian Qianyi, who had hardly spoken since entering the military camp, smiled and said. "Coming early is not as good as coming at the right time; how about eating a meal here?"

Shi Kefa and the others naturally would not refuse.

A large bowl of rice was more than enough, and the rice was fragrant, sweet, and pure white, with no gravel or fragments.

They came at a lucky time; today's meat dish was luncheon meat stir-fried with potatoes.

According to the rules, the dish named first gets a larger portion, and the portion of luncheon meat was quite generous.

Plus a large spoonful of oil-stir-fried cabbage.

When the camp cook serves rice, his hand cannot shake.

Anyone who dares to shake will be beaten on the spot by the soldiers.

Even if the military judge arrives, it is still the cook who is unlucky.

One chopstickful into the mouth—it was dripping with oil, meat fragrance filling the cheeks.

"They even added spices!"

Though it was clearly delicious, Shi Kefa ate it as if chewing wax.

Throughout the entire meal, he was heavy-hearted and wore a worried frown.

Instead, the eunuch and the Jinyiwei ate happily without a care.

Recalling what his own soldiers under command were eating.

Comparing it with what was eaten in Lin Dao's army, Shi Kefa worried so much he could barely eat.

He could guarantee that if war broke out between the two sides.

Lin Dao only needed to put the food on display, and the imperial court's troops would surely be lured away by more than half.

"Why, why give the military households such high treatment!"

"Wouldn't it be better to use it to subsidize the seeds of learning!"

He ate as if chewing wax.

Afterward, visiting the barracks and such, he was also muddled.

Until they reached the drill ground, where he saw large numbers of soldiers training incessantly, and only then did Shi Kefa recover some of his spirits.

"Drilling today?"

Hearing the inquiry, the commander's gaze as he looked over was like looking at a fool: "Eating so full, of course they train every day!"

Shi Kefa fell silent once more.

Among the Ming Army, those who drill every five days and every ten days are undoubtedly elite troops.

Common military households spend far more time holding hoes than holding blades and spears.

With such a huge gap in training, it will be directly reflected in combat power once on the battlefield.

Shi Kefa raised his head to gaze at the sky and let out a long sigh.

Alas, what can be done~ what can be done~~

Before leaving the camp, Shi Kefa saw a large empty plot with a planned layout, and lines marked on the ground with lime powder.

He couldn't help but ask, "What place is this?"

The commander's response dealt him another heavy blow.

"This is an outdoor night school."

"A night school is a school."

"The soldiers train during the day, so learning is held at night, hence it's called night school."

"Learn literacy, learn reason. Learn arithmetic, learn measurement. Learn morality, repay kindness and righteousness."

"Soldiers who complete their studies can be promoted to military ranks in the army; upon retirement they can enter local government offices, and their desire to learn is extremely enthusiastic."

"Only after opening the night school did we know that it's not only scholars who are the seeds of learning!"

These words made Shi Kefa's heart and spirit tremble.

Shi Kefa was muddled all the way.

Muddled leaving Jinling City, muddled boarding the ship, muddled returning to Luzhou.

When writing the memorial, he skillfully ground the ink and spread the paper.

But when he sat down and lifted the brush, he didn't know what to write.

This trip to Jinling City brought him a huge shock.

Even in his heart he vaguely felt that this was the Great Ming in his mind!

"Forget it, the Supervising Army and the Jinyiwei have their own reports."

"Just speak the truth."

After finishing the memorial, he examined it carefully.

Shi Kefa ultimately still couldn't help but add a few sentences.

He requested that His Majesty the Emperor, no matter what, prioritize pacification and recruitment; even if it meant a marriage alliance and making him a prince consort, they must not directly start a fight.

No matter what, use every means possible to recruit and pacify him~~~

Without a doubt.

Shi Kefa's memorial was delivered to the Chongzhen Emperor, and the result was that the Emperor flew into a rage!

Pacify and recruit, pacify and recruit—with what do we pacify and recruit?

You even dare to propose a marriage alliance; for shame, you are still a scholar—surely you haven't forgotten the old matters of the Former Dynasty?

The furious Chongzhen Emperor, after reading the memorial of the attending eunuch, felt fear and anxiety amid his rage.

He vaguely sensed that this rebel Lin Dao was not of the same stripe as Li Chuang and his ilk, and was even harder to deal with.

Not hard to deal with, but there is no way to respond.

Guan Wai has long been smashed to pieces, and the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry is barely surviving within Shan Hai Guan.

Sun Chuanting was defeated, and the Central Plains were already in grave danger.

Now even Jiangnan has been lost, this Great Ming~~~

The Chongzhen Emperor could do nothing about the rebel bandits, but he could do something about the civil and military officials who still listened to the Imperial Court.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard cavalry left the city heading south, directly to arrest Shi Kefa and throw him into Tian Prison.

Can't deal with the rebel bandits, but can't deal with you?

Next, the Chongzhen Emperor's Imperial Edict fell into the hands of Lu Jiude and Huang Degong.

Faced with the Emperor's urging, they could only grit their teeth and prepare for an attack.

But the preparations were not yet complete when the Emperor's Imperial Edict came again.

This time it was not to urge them to retake Jinling, but to order them to hurry to Hu Guang to rescue the King of Chu.

Zhang Xianzhong advanced south from Huangmei, broke Qi Prefecture, took Qishui, seized Huangzhou, Macheng, and other places.

The spearhead pointed directly at Wuchang Prefecture.

The Chongzhen Emperor was desperate, not daring to lose the King of Chu again, and hastily ordered the nearby Ming Army to go rescue him.

As for Lin Dao of Jiangnan, he had always been shrinking in Jiangnan training troops, with no major troop movements, so just pretend he doesn't exist.

The corresponding news soon reached Lin Dao's side.

A map was spread on the table, and Lin Dao's finger fell on Wuchang Prefecture.

"The Great West King has not yet proclaimed himself king."

"Hu Guang is a good place, the granary of the world."

"We cannot let this place be smashed to pieces by Zhang Xianzhong."

His finger slid and fell again on Jiujiang Prefecture.

"To take Hu Guang, first take Jiujiang."

Lin Dao slapped his palm onto the map.

"Jiujiang's Zuo Liangyu, Bandit Army!"

"Muster the troops and horses, we should send troops."

The new soldier training had already shown initial results.

Draft a batch of veteran soldiers over, organize a legion to advance west along the Da Jiang.

In Jiangnan warfare, the fleet is very important.

Lin Dao's investment in the navy was also great, pouring in a large batch of silver.

Fishermen along the river and boat sailors were conscripted in large numbers to fill the navy.

Even in the Modern World, a large number of wooden sailing ships equipped with engines were ordered.

As for artillery, the artisans of Yonghe Spacetime have been making them.

It's just that the workload is too great and manpower is insufficient, resulting in low output.

Lin Dao purchased a large quantity of artillery from Wanli Mirror through the Ye Jia.

As for the price paid, it was the large quantities of porcelain, Ling Luo Luo Duan, and various primary industrial products from the Modern World that were collected.

After making various preparations, Lin Dao personally led over ten Yingjun of troops mainly composed of soldiers from Yiwu, Taizhou, Chuzhou, Wenzhou, and other places.

Advancing by land and water, heading straight for Jiujiang Prefecture.

End of Chapter