The ministers were immediately in an uproar. Was the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine intended to elevate the status of the general?
"Long live!"
The first person to react was Zhang Fu. He was in tears and his excitement was beyond words.
He is the highest-level meritorious dignitary in the Ming Dynasty, but he often cannot get the right to speak in front of the civil servant group.
"Long live!"
Immediately afterwards, there was Li Zhen, the Bo of Xiangcheng who had been following Zhu Qizhen.
"Long live! Long live! Long live!"
This time, the shouts shook the sky. They were two thousand soldiers from the Three Thousand Battalion.
You know, before this, they were not even qualified to enter Beijing and receive the welcome of the people.
For many years, starting from their ancestors, every time they returned from a battle, they would silently return to the camp. Although there were rewards from the court and they could celebrate when they returned to the camp, they had never had such honor as today.
Only a few military attaches and generals have the opportunity to walk into the city gate and accept the cheers of the people.
It's different now. The emperor suddenly ordered the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine. In other words, every soldier who went out to fight, even if he died on the battlefield, would have the opportunity to walk through the city gate and accept the worship of future generations.
At this moment, whether he is a new recruit or a veteran who has been in the army for decades, whether he is a passionate young man or a veteran who has been tempered by years, he straightens his back unconsciously.
Although the Ming Dynasty did not abolish the hierarchical system of the previous dynasty, it divided household registration. Military households have always been looked down upon.
For them like Qiu Ba, the Martyrs' Shrine is the highest honor. In the past, they would not even dare to think about it.
The soldiers cheered, but the ministers were silent.
Especially civil servants. In the Ming Dynasty, scholars were selected through imperial examinations. They studied hard for more than ten years in order to one day be named on the gold medal list and soar into the sky.
But now, they see that military generals are rising, and they feel vaguely that their status is not guaranteed.
As the Minister of Rites, Hu Hui felt that he should say something, but he didn’t know where to start.
The soldiers were enthusiastic and supported Zhu Qizhen into the city from Andingmen.
People along the street burned incense and worshiped, holding incense burners in their hands, just waiting to pay homage to the victorious emperor.
Rumors have long circulated that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty led 3,000 people deep into the desert and killed seven in and seven out of the rear of Oala. The legend was so miraculous.
The storytellers in the teahouse have already started talking, but they dare not mention the emperor's name. They only say that during the Western Han Dynasty, the 17-year-old young general Huo Qubing personally led 800 cavalry to attack hundreds of miles and went straight to the Xiongnu base camp, killing two enemies.
More than a thousand people became gods in one battle and were awarded the title of Champion.
The common people listened with gusto, and naturally knew who the storyteller was referring to. Now that they heard that the Holy Master had returned to Beijing, they all lined up, just waiting to get a chance to have the luck of the real dragon.
The three thousand battalion entered the city, and there were hundreds of civil and military officials in front of them, so they slowed down. However, the people were not impatient at all. They couldn't get enough of the victorious soldiers.
If there are some people whose children are in the team, they will be even more excited. From time to time they will give pointers and loudly introduce to the neighbors that this is their children’s team.
Finally, the emperor's chariot arrived, and the welcome ceremony reached its climax.
Seeing the people's response, Hu Hu murmured to himself: "The emperor has matured!"
At first, he thought the emperor's move was a bit ridiculous. He led two thousand troops through the city, simply ignoring the safety of the capital, and announced the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine, which shocked him even more.
The Martyrs' Shrine will be used to commemorate the soldiers who died fighting for the country. This move will immediately win over the hearts of the military and the people. If someone stands up to oppose it, it is hard to imagine what will happen.
Two thousand people marched in neat and majestic steps along the main street to Chongwen Gate, then turned west and finally arrived at Daming Gate.
At this point, the three thousand battalions stopped and formed a neat square formation.
Li Zhence immediately stepped forward and said loudly: "The three thousand battalions have been assembled. Please give instructions from the emperor!"
Zhu Qizhen got on his horse and drew out the sword from his waist, which shone in the sunlight.
He looked at the familiar faces below, as if he had returned to the endless grassland, the endless Onan River, the ice-covered Lake Baikal, and the never-ending north wind.
"The Ming army is mighty!"
"Long live the emperor! Long live! Long live!"
Two thousand soldiers shouted in unison, their voices sonorous and powerful, piercing the sky.
Zhu Qizhen was very satisfied. Through the experience of this battle, the Three Thousand Battalion had grown into an elite soldier in hundreds of battles. The shortcomings accumulated over the past century in the Ming Dynasty have emerged. Regardless of the military, government, agriculture and commerce, from top to bottom, reforms must be made. Now there is
With the Three Thousand Battalion as the trump card, the construction of the army will be much easier.
"Li Zhen, arrange for the soldiers to return to their base and give them a good reward tonight!"
"I obey the decree!"
Next, hundreds of officials led Zhu Qizhen into the palace. Empress Dowager Sun and Empress Qian had been waiting for a long time. Only then did they hear the loud shouts outside the palace, and their eyes were filled with excitement.
Now that I see the emperor returning safely, I can’t stop crying.
Zhu Qizhen first greeted Empress Dowager Sun, and then looked at Empress Qian, who was crying with pear blossoms in the rain, which made people pity her.
I have to say that the queen of the Ming Dynasty is very good-looking. In my memory, No. 18 is still pretty, but compared to the queen Qian in front of her, forget it, there is no comparison...
In the Fengtian Palace, hundreds of officials met, and the first court meeting after the orthodox emperor returned from his personal expedition officially began.
Zhu Qizhen was not polite to everyone, and came up directly to announce three things.
First, build the Martyrs' Shrine. This was discussed before entering the city.
Secondly, all soldiers will be rewarded based on their merits, and the follow-up placement and compensation for the dead and injured will be carried out.
Third, investigate Wang Zhen’s party members, and anyone who gets close to Wang Zhen will be severely investigated.
The ministers have no opinion on the second and third points. If you want to fight a war, you will naturally be rewarded based on your merits. As for the investigation of Wang Zhen's party members, in fact, all officials in the court have long disliked Wang Zhen.
The power is too great, and I really can’t do it.
However, there are differences regarding the first item, the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine.
Hu Hu, the Minister of Rites, was the first to say: "I have read all the ancestral etiquette, but I don't know what specifications should be used for the Martyrs' Shrine. If the emperor cares about the soldiers on the front line, I suggest giving more rewards!"
Zhu Qizhen's face began to look ugly. Before he could speak, Zhang Fu couldn't help but stand up.
"Hu Shangshu's words are wrong. Is the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine a century-old plan of our dynasty, and can it be compared with a mere reward?"
Hu Xi said with a dark face: "The incident at the Martyrs' Shrine is unprecedented. How can the emperor's words of comfort to the soldiers be taken seriously?"
"That's nonsense!" Zhang Fu retorted, pointing at Hu Hui's nose, "Soldiers fought bloody battles, don't they even deserve the qualifications of an ancestral hall?"
Hu Hui still said unhurriedly: "It's not that it's not worthy, it's that the imperial court's finances are tight now, and it has to support the military expenditures of the nine sides every year. The disasters everywhere are already stretched thin, and there is simply no way to spend so much money. If it is built hastily,
It is even more disrespectful to the soldiers. Wang Shangshu, do you think this is true?"
Wang Zuo, the Minister of the Ministry of Finance, was eating melons and watching a play when he was suddenly called by Hu Hui. He had to bite the bullet and said: "What Hu Minister said is absolutely true. The Ministry of Finance is indeed... nervous."
Zhang Fu said angrily: "Wang Shangshu, when we were on the front line, it was the emperor and all the soldiers who rushed to the front to keep us safe. Now we are just building an ancestral hall. How can you be so harsh and worthy of dying on the front line?"
Soldiers?"
"What the British Lord said is absolutely true!" Chen Ying, Marquis of Taining, also stood up and said, "I think that when the late emperor was in power, he never criticized our Ming soldiers so harshly."
Wang Zuo was immediately troubled and had to say: "You two don't know. Our dynasty's finances have indeed been seriously accumulated. It is better to cut some of the military pay for various guards. Maybe we can collect enough silver. What do you think, Minister?" Yu Qian raised his head and said blankly: "Abolition of military pay, how can this be done?"
Wang Zuo said with a helpless look: "Even Minister Yu said it can't be done, so there's nothing I can do about it!"
"When did I say no?" Yu Qian wanted to curse angrily, "I said that we can't abolish the military salaries of various military stations, but the Martyrs' Shrine still needs to be built!"
Wang Zuo spread his hands: "There is no money!"
Yu Qian said with a dark face: "If you don't have money, your Ministry of Household Affairs will find a way. How about going to the Ministry of War for this kind of thing?"
Just when everyone was quarreling, Zhu Qizhen, who was sitting on the dragon throne, finally couldn't sit still.