On a wide playground in Alimari City, tens of thousands of Ming Dynasty soldiers lined up in neat ranks, each with their heads raised and their chests held high, their eyes resolute, with an extremely fiery look in their eyes.
After several months of fighting, they not only captured the Western Region, but even the areas in the middle of the river. They punched the Tatar tribes in the north, kicked the Kazakh Khanate in the west, overpowered the hero Shabani Khan, and destroyed the Turpan Khanate.
, the Chagatai Khanate plus Said Khan who was entrenched in Hotan and Aksu.
All the tribes in the entire Western Region, large and small, were killed and frightened by them. They were all frightened by their attacks.
Finally, it is time to reward based on merit. Emperor Hongzhi's imperial edict on rewards has arrived. Many people are silently calculating in their hearts what kind of rewards they can get for their military achievements.
Standing in front of the square formation were Wang Shouren, Yang Yun, Han Yi, Huo Yun and other generals, all with smiles on their faces, quietly waiting for the awards ceremony to begin.
Liu Jin, who was dressed in crimson robes, held the imperial edict in his hand and walked to the podium in a hurry. When everyone saw it, they immediately pricked up their ears.
There were 200,000 soldiers in the Western Expedition. This time, only 10,000 people came to attend the awards ceremony. They were all representatives drawn from various armies. The Western Regions and the Hezhong area still need large armies to guard them. It is impossible to really tell everyone
Gather here in Alimari to participate in the awards conference.
The most important awards meeting is held here. Each army also has award meetings to reward meritorious officers.
With the arrival of Liu Jin, behind Liu Jin, strong men came carrying big boxes. Soon the boxes were placed neatly on the podium, the lids were opened, and the white silver coins shone with charming light.
light.
To reward soldiers, silver is the most real thing, and banknotes are useless. Only the charming and shining silver is the most motivational thing.
In addition to silver, there are also gold, silver, and bronze medals as well as certificates of awards signed by the emperor. Well, this system is also learned from later generations.
Although material rewards are very important, honor is also indispensable. In later generations, real soldiers will value honor above all else. Therefore, in the new army, Liu Jin naturally established an honor system based on the systems of later generations.
Standing on the podium, Liu Jin looked at the army in front of him. It already looked like the army of later generations, and his hard work was not in vain.
"In the winter of the fourteenth year of Hongzhi, the Turpan Khanate in the Western Region openly provoked our Ming Dynasty, colluded with the Hami Guards, plundered the border residents, and invaded our territory. Our Ming Dynasty could not bear it anymore and sent 200,000 troops to march westward. Thanks to the blessings of the Ming Dynasty's ancestors, the Ming Dynasty's emperor Wen Tao
In the military strategy, all the princes in the DPRK worked together, and we, the Ming Dynasty, worked together as one, and the soldiers of the Western Expedition fought bravely to kill the enemy... The Western Expedition lasted for four months, and went through the Battle of Hami, the Battle of Anle City in Turpan, the decisive battle of Chagatai, the Battle of Hezhong, and the
There were hundreds of wars, big and small, including the Battle of Markand.”
"The entire army fought bravely to kill the enemy, fought bravely, fought consecutive battles, conquered cities and conquered the territory, and was invincible. Wherever the troops came, all the tribes surrendered, regained our homeland of the Central Plains, the Western Region, and opened up the Hezhong area for our Ming Dynasty..."
Liu Jin's voice was very loud and clearly reached the ears of everyone present.
Everyone listened very carefully. Although they all knew that this was an opening statement with little nutrition, everyone listened with gusto and their blood was boiling. The scene from the recent battle with all parties seemed to be echoing in their minds.
A small book stand used by book lovers.
"Our Ming Dynasty reformed the military system and implemented a compulsory military service system. In the army, meritorious services are rewarded, and rewards and punishments are clear. I will commend the meritorious officers and soldiers in this Western Expedition."
When Liu Jin read this, everyone's spirits were suddenly shaken, and the main event was coming.
Everyone pricked up their ears, cheered up, and listened carefully.
"Liu Rong, Cao Yi, Dong Xing, Zhao Guozhong, Wang Zhidao!"
As Liu Jin finished speaking, five disabled soldiers stepped onto the podium with the support of their comrades. The five of them came to receive the award on behalf of the disabled soldiers.
Looking at the five people in front of them, Liu Rong lost his left hand, Cao Yi broke a leg, Dong Xing lost an eye, Zhao Guozhong could only sit in a wheelchair, and Wang Zhidao lost his ears.
Marching in the cold winter, you not only have to face death in war, but also face the test of severe cold. Many soldiers did not die in the hands of the enemy, but suffered frostbite and died of frostbite in the severe cold weather.
Liu Jin gave a very respectful military salute to the five people. The military salute was also made by Liu Jin with reference to the military system of later generations. Soldiers did not need to kneel to anyone except the emperor and their parents. A military salute was enough.
The five of them were also excited to give Liu Jin a gift in return. Although they used to salute Liu Jin when they met him in the army, it was different now.
"Liu Rong fought bravely and killed twelve enemies. He was rewarded with three hundred and sixty taels of silver, three hundred and sixty acres of farmland in the river, three orchids from the Western Regions, five slaves, one horse, two cattle, ten sheep, and cloth.
Thirty horses."
"In addition, a medal of bravery from the Ming Dynasty was awarded, and a certificate of bravery signed by the emperor of Ming Dynasty!"
Liu Jin kept reading out the rewards. Among them were real gold and silver. He was rewarded with 360 taels of silver. Killing an enemy was almost 20 taels of silver. In addition, the two days and 360 acres of the river area,
This is real money.
In addition, during the Western Expedition, the Ming soldiers captured a large number of slaves from various tribes in the Western Regions, including a large number of women and slaves. For tribes that were unwilling to surrender to the Ming, or constantly resisted the Ming and killed the Ming soldiers, Liu Jin
But there was no mercy at all.
He killed all the men he could, captured them and sold them as slaves, or simply rewarded meritorious soldiers as slaves. In short, Liu Jin had no intention of being a good person.
Especially in the Hezhong area, because they wanted to clean up the Hezhong area, the army killed and cleaned up the Hezhong area wantonly, and captured many slaves and prisoners.
Just selling slaves cost a lot of money, which was also an important source of income for the Ming Dynasty soldiers.
There was money, fertile land, and rewards for orchids and slaves, as well as cattle, sheep, and horses. This Western Expedition also obtained a large number of cattle and sheep.
Naturally, it is impossible to rush these cattle and sheep back to the capital or the Central Plains. It is best to digest them on the spot or be eaten by the soldiers. The uneaten ones will also be rewarded as prizes to the soldiers of the three armies.
In addition to real gold and silver, there are also medals and certificates, which are of an honorary nature. Especially this certificate, which has the signature of Emperor Hongzhi and the seal of Emperor Hongzhi. Of course, it is definitely not a jade seal, but the personal one of Emperor Hongzhi.
seal.
Being able to obtain Emperor Hongzhi's calligraphy is undoubtedly a supreme honor for ordinary people. As for whether this is the signature of Emperor Hongzhi (when the emperor was too lazy, the eunuchs, censors and the like around him would help write for him), this
It is no longer important, Emperor Hongzhi said it is.
Liu Rong took the heavy cloth bag containing silver coins with one hand, and then Liu Jin put a medal representing honor on him and presented him with a certificate of merit written by Emperor Hongzhi.
When receiving the certificate of award, Liu Rong also saluted very respectfully in the direction of the east capital, which showed his respect for the Emperor of Heaven.
After the salute, the medals and certificates were solemnly put away. As for the bag containing the silver coins, comrades in arms were naturally there to help carry it. The rewarded farmland needed to be collected in the Hezhong area, as well as the orchids, slaves, cattle, sheep, horses, cloth, etc.
In this way, you can just collect it by yourself with the voucher from the start of the game.
"Long live the Ming Dynasty, long live the Ming Dynasty!"
At the end, Liu Rong shouted with all his strength.
This is a habitual statement, but it is also a statement from the bottom of my heart.
He was originally a child of a poor family with many brothers. He was the seventh eldest son. The poor people in the family could not even eat enough to eat. The imperial court implemented compulsory military service. Because their family had many brothers, Liu Rong was finally drafted.
Became a soldier.
Although he is now missing one hand, he has no regrets at all during the past few years as a soldier, because being a soldier not only allowed him to have enough to eat, but also enabled him to read and write, and learned some knowledge and culture.
What's more important is that after serving as a soldier for several years, he also accumulated a lot of money. Because he was a soldier, his family was exempted from taxes, and his life suddenly became much better.
Relying on the money he sent home, several of his brothers who couldn't get wives got married and started businesses. However, this time he fought bravely and killed the enemy bravely, and received a large amount of money and land as rewards, which was enough to ensure that he would have no food and clothing after he retired from the army.
Worry, and was discharged from the army due to disability.
There was an arrangement from above for him to go to the Hezhong area and become a small town mayor in the town where his farmland is located. This mayor is a junior official even smaller than the county magistrate, but it is still an arrangement and an official.
From being an illiterate boy from a poor family, he suddenly turned around. What could he be dissatisfied with such a reversal in his life? As for the left hand he lost in battle, it was the honor of his life.
With the certificate in his hand, the medal hanging on his chest, the heavy silver bag and the fertile land, his voice became extremely loud.
Such a Ming Dynasty is a Ming Dynasty worthy of everyone fighting and dying for, and such an emperor is a holy emperor.
"Long live the Ming Dynasty, long live the Emperor!"
As Liu Rong shouted out, tens of thousands of soldiers on the entire playground soon followed suit and shouted out in unison. The voices were neat and loud, resounding through the sky and echoing continuously.
This made the factory guards who secretly recorded all this couldn't help but pick up their pens and write this.
The loyalty of the Ming Dynasty soldiers to the Emperor is unquestionable. Anyone may betray the Emperor, but the Ming Dynasty soldiers cannot betray the Emperor.
Liu Jin, the Marquis of Liaodong, was loyal to the emperor without any second thoughts, because in the Ming army, Liu Jin tried hard to make every Ming soldier swear allegiance to the Ming Dynasty and the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, not to him as the commander-in-chief.
The awards ceremony continued, and meritorious soldiers continued to come on stage to receive their awards.