What surprised and frightened Zu Dashou was not the orders, but the fact that they were announced by the Jinyiwei.
"So that everyone knows, I am Du Zhenyu, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
Du Zhenyu's face was stern, with a light red scar slanting across his forehead like an earthworm. The black cloak behind him fluttered gently. On his waist was not the Embroidered Spring Knife, but the Goose Feather Knife, a sharp military weapon, which seemed to be fixed at his waist and did not move at all.
Behind him stood two Dongchang guards, holding their embroidered spring swords in their hands and staring at the more than a thousand defeated soldiers with cold eyes.
A centurion was a sixth-rank official, a guerrilla commander was a lieutenant general, and a military officer was a fifth-rank official. In other words, Zu Dashou's rank was higher than Du Zhenyu's.
Zu Dashou, however, was in awe, and dared not act arrogantly. He stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I am Zu Dashou, the guerrilla commander of the Central Army, a subordinate of Governor Wang. I have led my defeated troops here, and I am willing to obey Captain Du's orders."
Du Zhenyu raised his eyebrows and said with a half-smile, "I don't deserve this. General Zu's rank is higher than mine, so these troops should be under the general's command. Your Majesty ordered me to obey General Xiong's orders, so how dare I disobey?"
Zu Dashou tried to refuse again, but Du Zhenyu still refused, so Zu Dashou had no choice but to continue leading these defeated soldiers.
The Jinyiwei and Dongchang men were so frightened that not only Zu Dashou, a guerrilla in the central army, was afraid, but even the generals, governors, governors-general, and even high-ranking officials in the court were all terrified.
After the Ji Si Incident in history, Yuan Chonghuan was imprisoned and questioned, and Zu Dashou led the Guanning Army to leave the capital and return to Liaodong.
Later, although Zu Dashou accepted the appeasement of the court, he did not dare to leave the military camp easily, for fear of being secretly arrested by the East Factory.
At that time, the Liaoxi warlords had already gained power, and the imperial court did not have much power to restrain them.
At that time, Zu Dashou had been promoted to the general of the Liaodong vanguard, and was holding the seal of the general of the Liaodong vanguard. He had many servants and personal soldiers under his command, but he was still so afraid of the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang, not to mention that he was just a guerrilla in the central army.
Out of fear, Zu Dashou gave up the idea of escaping, reorganized his troops, and obeyed orders.
At that time, although my Zu family was a prominent family in Liaodong, it was still far from being a warlord with its own army. If the imperial court wanted to exterminate your entire family, it could really do so.
The defeated soldiers continued to flee, but were all stopped by the checkpoints set up in Luyang Fort and other important transportation routes. Other defenders also followed the order and abandoned the small fort to move closer to Luyang Fort.
The combined deterrent effect of the imperial edict, the Embroidered Uniform Guards, the Eastern Depot guards, the Imperial Sword, and the military orders is still very great.
The Emperor is serious, who wouldn't be afraid? Can you escape the sword of the Eastern Tartars, the Emperor's wrath, and the severe punishment of national law and military discipline?
Since shrinking back and running away will inevitably lead to death, and may even bring harm to your family, then give it a try. Maybe you can survive and even make a contribution!
If you think it through, you can make a decision. If you stick your head out, you'll get hurt. If you hide your head, you'll get hurt. It all depends on how you want to deal with it and how you weigh the pros and cons.
The same scene was constantly played out in Zhenwu Fort, Yizhou, Xixing Fort, Shisanshanyi and other places.
Officers from various departments urged their soldiers to follow orders, either to fortify their positions and clear the fields, or to assemble at designated strategic locations, or to have government servants and soldiers maintain and protect the people while they fetched their own food and supplies and moved westward.
The entire Guangning area was mobilized, and gradually two major Ming army groups were formed, guarding Guangning City and Youtunwei respectively.
There is no need to say much about the importance of Guangning City. As for Youtunwei, it is a major granary in the Guangning area, storing more than 500,000 dan of grain, which must not fall into the hands of the Eastern Tartars.
With Zhu Youxiao's reminder, Xiong Tingbi, who had already decided to defend Guangning, naturally understood the importance of Youtunwei.
Even if the Right Garrison could not hold out, the stored grain must be burned, leaving not a single grain for the Eastern Tartars. This was his strict order, and he sent his trusted generals, along with Captain Du Zhenyu, to lead the Jinyiwei to suppress and supervise the rebellion.
All the people of Youtunwei left the city, and carts and horses freed up by the Ming army, carrying food, slowly headed westward.
"Sir, except for leaving 200 war horses for scouts, all the horses and mules have been lent to the people to carry food." The captain of the personal guards walked up to the top of the city wall and bowed to report to Zu Dashou, the nominal supreme commander.
Zu Dashou nodded and said, "Since we are going to defend this city to the death, there is no point in keeping the horses. Well, you have done a good job, you can leave first!"
This statement was a bit hypocritical, but Du Zhenyu, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was right next to him, with his arms folded across his chest, looking out of the city leisurely.
"As the military strategy says: 'If there are ten of them, surround them.'" Du Zhenyu said slowly, without turning his head, "Over 20,000 soldiers have already gathered in Youtunwei City. Could the Later Jin Dynasty have 200,000 to attack?"
Zu Dashou grinned secretly, but pretended to laugh with a sense of relief, "Haha, even if we count all the men and women in the Later Jin who can hold weapons, we still can't even get 200,000."
Du Zhenyu smiled faintly and said, "I see that the surrounding troops have almost gathered. Please ask General Zu to assemble the entire army and read out the emperor's decree!"
"Does His Majesty have any further instructions?" Zu Dashou blurted out subconsciously, then immediately realized something was wrong and hurriedly bowed, saying, "I will now issue an order. All troops muster and respectfully listen to His Majesty's instructions."
Without a horse, it would be even harder to escape the Eastern Tartars' pursuit by running on two legs. Even though Zu Dashou was addicted to running away, he knew that he couldn't run away now.
……………..
In Guangning City, on the parade ground, more than 36,000 Ming soldiers stood solemnly, listening respectfully to the imperial edict.
"...For soldiers killed in battle, their salaries will be doubled and their wives and children will be paid as usual for ten years. They will also be granted thirty mu of meritorious land, which will never be taxed..."
The eunuch's shrill voice rang out on the high platform, followed by the Jinyiwei riding around the venue and repeating loudly so that everyone could hear it.
"Long live, long live, long live!" Under the leadership of the officers, all officers and soldiers knelt on one knee and kowtowed to thank God for his grace.
"...Officers below the rank of Qianzong who died in battle will be posthumously awarded the third rank, with a salary paid for ten years, and an additional fifty mu of meritorious land exempt from taxation. One of their sons will be promoted to the rank of Bazong..."
"...Generals and officers above the rank of Qianzong who died in battle will be posthumously awarded the title of General, receive a ten-year salary, and be granted one hundred acres of meritorious land, exempt from permanent taxation. Their sons will also be granted the rank of Qianzong..."
"...all those who died fighting for their country should have their monuments engraved on stone, be granted funeral rites, and be honored with ancestral temples..."
"...Defend Guangning, and officers will be promoted two ranks, and soldiers will be rewarded with fifty taels of silver; kill one enemy, and receive sixty taels of silver; suffer one frontal wound, and receive five taels of silver; seriously wounded, and receive twenty taels of silver..."
The shrill voice finally stopped, and the Jinyiwei's final round-the-field announcement was completed.
"Long live, long live, long live!"
Under the leadership of the officers, all the soldiers knelt on one leg and shouted "Long live the emperor". The shouts shook the sky and lasted for a long time.
Yes, there were unprecedented rewards and pensions. From soldiers to officers, their wives and children would be protected from hunger and cold after they died in battle, and their descendants would be able to become officials through his influence.
Carving stone tablets, granting funeral rites, building temples and worshipping them were the treatments that only high-ranking generals could enjoy, so that their names could be passed down to future generations. However, the emperor included the soldiers in this treatment as well.
Perhaps it was only at this time that the soldiers understood why the clerk recorded their names and the names and addresses of their families.
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