There was a burst of flames from the distant sky, but there were still not many people on the streets of Luojing City. There were more soldiers patrolling with torches.
When the army was attacking the city, a strict curfew was implemented in the city to prevent someone from taking advantage of the chaos to do evil and cause large-scale chaos.
After the new king issued an order, the defenders in the city took action, which made the streets noisy.
The night watchman holding the gong was announcing the time while beating the gong. He also announced the current recruitment policy and promised a large sum of money. If anyone wanted to step out of the line, he just had to shout out immediately, and a patrolling soldier would come to confirm his identity and strength, and then he would sign and be taken away with the army. After arriving at the camp, someone would naturally come to organize them and distribute weapons and simple armor.
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At this moment, in front of the Ye Mansion, except for the occasional noise coming from afar, it was rather quiet. The Red Scale Halberd Guards stood in an orderly manner holding torches. Just when the lieutenant general lost his patience and was about to order someone to break in, someone finally came out.
"Squeak--" After the door was pushed open, an old man walked out with his servants and maids to greet the general outside the door.
"Sir, I am the housekeeper of the mansion. I wonder what brings you here so late at night." Although the people in the Ye mansion roughly guessed the purpose of these people's visit, they still asked cautiously.
"Hmph, so slow." The lieutenant general stepped forward, surrounded by his personal guards, and took out the imperial edict written by Huang Juan and began to read it. The gist of it was that all the major families in Luojing were obliged to contribute men to defend the city, and the minimum number of people that each family must contribute was listed.
"Your Majesty, are you going to recruit a thousand men? This...how could there be such a number of servants and guards in the Ye Mansion now?" The housekeeper said in embarrassment, holding his sweaty forehead.
They had previously expected that sending about 400-500 people would be enough. If they sent a thousand people, it would empty the family's coffers.
"There are not enough available clansmen. Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, the Ye family should also do their part." The lieutenant general spoke nonchalantly. He knew these families well. They all liked to hoard supplies and hide personnel. Although they were honest and low-key, they would definitely surprise others if they really took out their money.
As the saying goes, if you have a plan, I have a ladder to climb over the wall. The thoughts and plans discussed by the people in the Ye family were already anticipated by the ministers in the court. It would be difficult for anyone to reach that position.
As a result, the housekeeper was unable to make a decision, so he had to send someone to notify the head of the backyard and the upper echelons of the Ye Mansion.
Seeing the messengers running away at full speed, the lieutenant general snorted with disdain, but didn't bother to intervene. Instead, he ordered a half-man-high incense burner to be placed in front of the mansion. Freshly lit incense was inserted into the burner. If the mansion was not fully prepared by the end of the incense, the person would be held responsible.
Judging from the burning rate of the incense, it is estimated that it will burn out within five minutes. It can be said that time is quite tight. After all, there is a bloody battle going on at the north wall. These Red Scale Halberd Guards are facing great pressure to recruit soldiers temporarily. If there are not enough people, they will have to take on the responsibility themselves. This cannot be solved by bribery. It requires a life-and-death struggle.
"Sir, the head of the Ye family is here." Just as the lieutenant turned his back, looked at the fire in the distant sky, and speculated about the battle situation over there, a personal guard came to his ear and whispered.
"Oh." As he said that, the tall lieutenant general turned around and looked into the courtyard of Ye Mansion. A handsome man in his twenties or thirties was walking towards the gate of the mansion with a large group of clansmen wearing black shirts.
"My name is Ye Zhen, and I am the current head of the Ye Mansion. Your Excellency is a general in the Red Scale Army." He behaved properly and politely, and walked forward to speak without being humble.
"That's right." Although he disliked these people from aristocratic families, the general didn't waste any time making things difficult for them and went straight to the point.
"How many people have you mobilized now? Follow them immediately. Don't worry about weapons and armor. The arsenal in Luojing is fully equipped with various easy-to-operate firearms."
"I have already sent someone to notify all the rooms in the mansion. The personnel will be gathered soon. Please wait for a moment, General. However..."
"Just what?" The lieutenant general raised his eyebrows, seeming unhappy.
"But I also need to leave a small number of people to guard the Ye Mansion, otherwise the orphans and widows will have a hard time." Ye Zhen said simply.
"Oh, now you are an orphan and a widow, and you call yourself weak." He looked at the head of the Ye family coldly. If it were usual, he would definitely not dare to offend such a noble family, but today was different. So what if he offended them? Could they dare to rebel on the spot?
Seeing that the situation was about to reach a stalemate, an old man from the Ye Mansion walked out and came to the front of the fire.
"Please calm down, sir. We all know how urgent the situation tonight is, and we have no intention of condoning it to protect ourselves. It's just that the Ye Mansion has a declining population, and is not as prosperous as other aristocratic families..." As he spoke, several servants behind him brought forward several large boxes, and then placed them on the ground with a thud, making a heavy echo.
Hearing the crisp echo of the collision in the box, the soldiers present all changed their minds. Then the box opened, revealing that it was full of golden things, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone present.
These two boxes were filled with Golden Sparrow Coiled Dragon Dishes made by the Dynasty. They were shaped like miniature bowls, with beautiful and delicate swimming coiled dragons engraved inside. They now emitted a charming halo under the firelight, and the dragon breath emanating from them was also extremely pure. They were authentic works of the Dynasty, not imitations from some remote places.
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