Chapter One Hundred and Thirty-fifth: Is It Said To Have No Clothes?
On the fifth day of August in the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty, at noon, the sun hung high above our heads, and the sun was still scorching the earth.
On the large campus north of Dushikou Castle on Xuanfu North Road, more than three thousand soldiers stood solemnly in armor and armed with weapons. Despite the scorching sun, they remained unmoved and as solid as a rock.
Zhang Cheng stood upright on the high platform and shouted loudly to boost the morale of the troops.
"When you join the army, you become a sergeant and receive pay as a soldier. There is nothing wrong with that. But where does the pay come from? It was obtained by your parents, brothers and sisters, who worked hard in the wind and rain.
Now if someone wants to kidnap your parents, brothers and sisters, rob the food and salary that should be given to you, and disrupt the way for us all to live in peace, will you be willing?"
"I don't want to, I don't want to, I don't want to!"
The shouts resounded throughout the school grounds and were heard from miles away.
"Since you joined the army, you have been training hard in the scorching sun, wind and rain for three months. I will feed you three large meals of meat every month. As the saying goes, a thousand days of raising an army can be spent in a moment.
Now I want you to be my swords and guns, my cannons, to fight for me in all directions, to quell bandits and put an end to chaos, are you willing?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Zhang Cheng felt very relieved that it was not in vain that he went around raising grains and meat to feed these soldiers. Looking at the majestic and high-spirited military formation under the high platform, he once again drew out the sword from his waist and raised it high above his head, shouting loudly:
"The Ming Dynasty is mighty, Xuanzhen is mighty, and the North Road is mighty!"
"Mighty, mighty, mighty!"
…………
"Tiger tiger tiger!"
Amidst bursts of roars, Zhang Cheng, Li Guofu and other officers stood on the high platform and watched as more than 1,500 officers from the second unit of the Dushi Infantry Battalion and the cavalry battalion and the cavalry unit set out in formation.
I saw more than 1,500 sergeants rolling forward like a torrent of iron armor while the flags were fluttering on the school field. First, Chen Zhong's subordinates, a group of hundreds of cavalrymen, lined up in front. The horses stepped neatly on the solid ground, making "ta da da da" sounds.
"The sound of hoofbeats is very rhythmic.
After the five hundred troops passed by, the sergeants from the Second Division of the Infantry Battalion formed an array of four people, slowly stepped on the ground of the school ground, and walked towards the gate of the school ground.
The leaders, General Qian Jin Yong and Chen Zhong, rode their horses to the foot of the high platform. On their waists were the sabers Zhang Cheng had just awarded to them. This was a newly made saber made by the Yunzhou Craftsman Ying Sword and Gun Bureau, and it was extremely sophisticated.
This batch of sabers was not made in large numbers. They were made according to Zhang Cheng's instructions and specially made for the officers above the 100th Commander under his command. Originally, a special awarding ceremony was to be held to award them to the 100th Commanders of each battalion one by one.
But now Jin Yong and Chen Zhong were about to lead the army into battle, so they temporarily brought seventeen new sabers from Yunzhou and awarded them to them first, as well as the two generals under their command and the total of thirteen hundred commanders.
"Commander, Commander, I'm about to set off. Commander, please wait for the news!" Jin Yong shouted while riding his horse and clasping his fists under the high platform.
Zhang Cheng stood on the stage and shouted loudly: "The new army is just starting out. On this long trip, you must be careful in everything and don't be careless!"
"Jin Yong accepts the order, Commander-in-Chief, please rest assured."
Zhang Cheng added: "Chen Zhong, you are leading the army alone this time. You must be careful in everything and assist Jin Yong to eliminate the bandits and stabilize Xuanzang Town!"
"Chen Zhong accepts the order, please rest assured, General, he will fulfill his mission!"
Watching Jin Yong and Chen Zhong riding away, surveillance eunuch Li Guofu felt complicated.
He saw today that although the North Road New Army was new and had only been practicing for three months, it looked quite elite, with such vigor and energy that he had never seen elsewhere.
However, a closer look at the attitude of the soldiers toward Zhang Cheng, especially the repeated calls of "Commander Commander", gave him a subtle feeling that something was wrong.
It stands to reason that if Zhang Cheng can really train an elite force, he, Li Guofu, should be happy. After all, he was ordered by the emperor to come here to monitor Zhang Cheng's training of the new army. If he succeeds, he will live up to his mission and be worthy of the people in the palace.
Long live the Lord.
But now he has another thought. When such a large army is organized, should he listen to the emperor or Zhang Cheng? What Zhang Cheng did is not out of the ordinary, but will it be in the future?
"How can I say that I have no clothes? I share the same robe with you.
The king raised his army, repaired my sword and spear, and shared the same enemy with me!
How can I say that I have no clothes? I am in the same boat as my son.
The king has raised his army, repaired my spear and halberd, and worked with me together!
How can I say that I have no clothes? I wear the same clothes as my son.
The king raised his troops, repaired my armor and soldiers, and went with me!"
A loud military song rang out from the gate of the school grounds, and the sound instantly resounded throughout the school grounds. Even Zhang Cheng couldn't help but sing along with the soldiers.
…………
"The dew is white on the autumnal equinox night, and the night is cool."
Zhang Cheng said the ancient proverb, took off his cloak and put it on Liu Ying's body. He spread his arms to hug her petite body and said, "My Ying'er, what are you thinking about?"
Liu Ying leaned against Zhang Cheng's chest, looking at the willow branches in the distance and said with a hint of resentment: "The general will go to marry the mistress of the house in person in the future?"
Zhang Cheng held Liu Ying's small hand tightly with his big hand, and felt a slight cold feeling in it. He said with a little distress: "Ying'er, the autumn wind is bleak outside, let me accompany you into the house."
"The slave family wants to lean into the general's arms like this, but the autumn wind blows. As long as the general is there, the slave family is not afraid."
Zhang Cheng held the shy beauty in his arms tighter and said softly: "Silly girl, how could you be beaten by the autumn wind while I'm here?"
After saying that, a princess picked up Liu Ying by the waist and walked slowly out of the pavilion. Liu Ying obediently rested her head on his shoulder, put her right arm around Zhang Cheng's neck, and said coquettishly: "General, please let me go to the slave house."
Come down and let the servants see you, they will laugh at you."
Zhang Cheng, however, said indifferently: "Whoever dares to laugh, I will tear his mouth to pieces!"
While he was joking, he carried Liu Ying into the room, and then a sound of laughter and exclamations came from the room. The autumn breeze covered the silk silk and sang the most beautiful things in the world!
…………
On the sixth day of August, the morning breeze was cool, blowing the willow branches and blowing them back and forth.
Zhang Cheng had already wished the two old ladies good morning and had breakfast with them. They were chatting in the room. Aunt Zhang Han saw that Zhang Cheng was a little thinner than before, so she said with concern:
"Cheng'er, you are now an admiral-general. You don't have to do everything yourself. Leave trivial matters to your subordinates. Your own health is the most important thing."
Zhang Cheng smiled and said: "Auntie, please be at ease, Cheng'er can take it easy. Things on the North Road were only difficult at the beginning, but now most of them have gradually become regulated, and Cheng'er no longer needs to personally intervene in many matters."
He turned to his mother Zhang Yang and said: "Mother, Cheng'er has made some arrangements for Dushi in recent days, and will go to Yunzhou and Chicheng to make some arrangements. After that, he will go to the capital to meet the bride in Ji Mansion.
Already."
"Cheng'er must be careful on the road and don't neglect safety!"
"Mother, please rest assured that Cheng'er will take care of you and will not be careless again. This time Cheng'er welcomes the daughter of the Ji family to Chicheng for a short break and will rush back to Dushi on an auspicious day. Wedding invitations will be sent everywhere in the next few days.
Cheng'er is not here during this period, so foreign guests will be received by Jin Xinpeng, Yan Qingrong, Wu Zhizhong and others. Guests from the family, as well as the female relatives who are coming, will have to trouble my mother and aunt!"
"It's natural. Your aunt and I are both looking forward to this day!"