Chapter 13: Chapter 13

"Companion Wang, once those men finish their meat, let them go home."

After watching the "brave fellows" take their pay, Zhu Cilang returned to the main hall. Just as he began eating with Wu Xiang, Wu Sanfu, and Wang Cheng'en, he suddenly issued an order that startled everyone.

"Ah? Let them go home? It's only been half a day..." Wang Cheng'en looked pained. "Each man took one qian of silver, and they leave after half a day? Isn't that money too easy to earn?"

Zhu Cilang smiled. "If the money is too easy to earn, even more people will come tomorrow! Today there were only a thousand men... and half of them were Purified Army troops and Embroidered Uniform Guard riders. How can they be sent into battle? We need the veterans and brave fellows to go back and recruit more. Birds of a feather flock together — they're bound to know other stout men who can earn this one qian of silver. Bring them all in."

At these words, everyone present was stunned!

The Crown Prince is brilliant! Truly brilliant... To think of such a clever way to gather troops.

There are still plenty of strong men in Beijing. Who wouldn't want a deal like this — one qian of silver a day, meat to eat, and nothing to do?

Tomorrow it won't be three or four hundred brave fellows — it'll be two or three thousand!

Zhu Cilang took in the admiring gazes of everyone around him and thought to himself: This trick is nothing special. Isn't it just the way market manipulators lure retail investors into following the trend? Give them a taste of profit first, and once enough small investors pile in, trap them all at the top and turn them into shareholders.

Only this time, the ones to be trapped aren't retail investors, but brave men who can fight on the battlefield... Today it's half a day for one qian of silver. Tomorrow — heh heh — once they come, don't expect to go home again. All of you just obediently follow this Crown Prince to Jiangnan and do something great!

But the ones being trapped aren't only these brave fellows. Wu Xiang and his son Wu Sanfu have been trapped by Zhu Cilang just the same. The letter Wu Xiang wrote to Wu Sangui has trapped his entire family of over thirty people — and that letter is now in Zhu Cilang's pocket. Once this letter is delivered to Chongzhen, who would still believe Wu Xiang is not one of Zhu Cilang's men?

And the Wu family will only sink deeper and deeper, with no chance of ever getting out... They've "traded stocks until they became shareholders." Oh, no, that's not right — it's not "trading stocks," it's "venture capital." Wu Xiang and Wu Sanfu, that muddle-headed father and son, have thrown all thirty-plus members of the Wu family into Zhu Cilang's "angel round" — and taken only a very small stake.

From now on, the old Wu family is in the Crown Prince's pocket.

The more he thought about it, the happier he felt!

"Thousand Years," Wu Xiang suddenly set down his wine cup and furrowed his brow, "you gave too much today... Giving too much will whet people's appetites. Later, if you give less, it will be hard to manage. One qian of silver a day — even halved, that's still a military wage that can be paid out over the long term!"

"Isn't that the truth," Wang Cheng'en said with a pained look. "We don't have much silver on hand!"

Zhu Cilang laughed heartily and waved his hand. "No matter, no matter... We have our own way of making men risk their lives. There's no need to give one qian of silver every day."

Wu Xiang was still doubtful. "If not one qian of silver, then how much?"

Zhu Cilang smiled. "You'll know once Father-in-law's household retainers arrive."

Wu Xiang was taken aback. "My household retainers?"

Zhu Cilang smiled. "And the Zu family's retainers as well. Who from the Zu family is in the capital?"

Wang Cheng'en interjected, "It's Zu Zepu. He holds the rank of Embroidered Uniform Guard Chiliarch."

Zu Zepu was Zu Dashou's son, granted the title of Embroidered Uniform Guard Chiliarch and kept in Beijing — in reality, a hostage of the court. In history, this man had also gone to Nanjing and spent some time in the Hongguang court. Later, he accompanied Zuo Maodi's mission to Beijing, met his father there, shaved his head and surrendered to the Qing, and eventually served as a Governor-General under the Qing.

But in this timeline, he's certainly finished. Once Zhu Cilang has his eye on someone, can there be any good outcome? Just wait to be trapped to death!

"Have him come too," Zhu Cilang ordered. "Bring the Zu family's household retainers and report to Us at the Inner Drill Ground tomorrow."

"I'll go and summon him," Wu Xiang said, taking on the task.

"Then We are obliged to you." Zhu Cilang smiled. "Please tell him on Our behalf that although his father Zu Dashou has surrendered to the Tartar curs, We know Zu Dashou's loyalty — We know his body is in the Tartar camp but his heart remains with the Ming."

"This... this... that should be so." Wu Xiang smiled awkwardly. His principal wife was Zu Dashou's younger sister, and the two families were extremely close, so he naturally knew exactly what was in Zu Dashou's heart.

In the two years after the Battle of Song-Jin, Zu Dashou had written no small number of letters urging Wu Sangui to surrender, and had even wanted to send troops to raid the Zhonghousuo fortress where Wu Xiang was living in retirement. If the Wu family had not planted spies at Zu Dashou's side, Wu Xiang would now be sitting in Shengjing.

The first small drink between Zhu Cilang and his father-in-law did not last long. These were extraordinary times, and everything was kept simple. Moreover, Zhu Cilang did not dare drink much — in his memory, this sixteen-year-old body had barely ever touched alcohol. He must not get dead drunk; that would be trouble.

After the meal, Wu Sanfu went back to his own residence first to report the good news and muster men. Of course, the matter of escorting the Emperor south still had to be kept secret. It could not be spoken of until the very last moment.

So Wu Sanfu only said he was bringing men into the imperial city to protect the Emperor. As for Zhu Cilang's plan to take Wu Sanmei as a secondary consort, that could be mentioned, to give the family something to be happy about first. Still, he had to caution them not to spread it around before the imperial decree was issued, lest a pack of civil officials meddle in it.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhu Cilang sent someone to the Duanjing Hall where he lived to fetch a large number of "blank slips" — the princely decrees he had personally written the previous night and stamped with the Seal of the Crown Prince. He also had the Secretariat Drafter Bi Jiucheng, who was standing guard there, bring the Four Treasures of the Study along.

"Your Highness, what are these?" Wu Xiang asked, curious at the sight.

"These are options," Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "They're to be issued to the brave fellows who follow Us in escorting the Emperor... Father-in-law's household retainers will each get one as well. We cannot let them risk their lives for nothing."

"And what is an option?" Wu Xiang was still baffled.

Zhu Cilang patiently explained, "The 'opt' means a future period; the 'ion' means the wealth, land, offices, and so on that can be obtained. In other words, what benefits one can receive after following Us to Jiangnan.

Don't Father-in-law's household retainers all have several hundred mu of farmland beyond the Pass? Don't they all draw fourteen months of full pay? Now they are abandoning their homes and property to escort the Emperor south. Every one of them is a meritorious servant of the state, and once the deed is done, they should naturally be richly rewarded. This option is the agreement of how We shall reward them after arriving at the auxiliary capital.

This is Our plan: those retainers without official rank, or with rank below the junior seventh grade, shall be appointed Embroidered Uniform Guard Squad Leaders and granted 300 mu of paddy farmland in Jiangnan. Those with rank above the junior seventh grade shall be promoted two grades, up to Assistant Regional Commander, and granted 500 mu of paddy farmland in Jiangnan. In addition, all retainers shall be granted the title of Meritorious Servant of National Salvation, to honor their deeds."

This was issuing stock options — oh, rather, land and office options!

The office of Embroidered Uniform Guard Squad Leader at the junior seventh grade may not look high, but it was still an official post! Most of Wu Xiang's retainers were commoners; becoming officials would be a leap to heaven in a single bound. And 300 mu of Jiangnan paddy land was also a huge fortune for retainers who lived by the blade. It wasn't that they didn't each have several hundred mu beyond the Pass — but that was dry farmland in western Liaoning during the Little Ice Age. Because the weather was too cold, the harvests were not high. And there weren't many people left beyond the Pass now; land was plentiful and people few, so land couldn't even be rented out, making it hard to live off land rents. Jiangnan was different. One mu of paddy land yielding one shi of rice in rent per year was not considered high. 300 mu meant 300 shi of rice; milled into white rice, that was still over 200 shi, and converted to silver, that was several hundred taels!

Zhu Cilang smiled and said to Wu Xiang, "Father-in-law, my esteemed elder, last night your son-in-law did not sleep a wink and wrote a thousand princely decrees, all granting options! Not only does every one of the Wu family's retainers get a share, but tomorrow, every brave fellow of the capital who follows us will also get a share — just a bit less. Each man gets 50 mu of Jiangnan paddy land, plus the office of Embroidered Uniform Guard Lieutenant.

In addition, all retainers and brave fellows will be paid ten taels of silver in wages at once, another ten taels upon reaching Tianjin, and ten more after arriving in Jiangnan!"

Isn't the Crown Prince's extravagance a bit too much?

Wu Xiang, Wu Sanfu, and Wang Cheng'en were all stunned. Offices, land, and that much gleaming silver... Does your family have that much money? Do you know how poor your father is?

Zhu Cilang understood what they were thinking and merely smiled. "Once We reach Jiangnan, there will be money and land... We are the Crown Prince of the Great Ming, the foundation of the state. Our word is Our bond, and Our debts are always repaid!"

Thanks to Alliance Leader Xunxujianjin for the reward. The bonus chapter for the Alliance Leader will be made up after the new-book period ends, because the new-book period has a set word count and schedule. Luoluo cannot update too much, or the book would leave the rankings early. Thank you for your support. Da Luoluo bows in gratitude.

(End of Chapter)