Chapter 46 Recruiting Soldiers
In the center of the capital's most bustling district, a high platform was erected, and the Jinwu Guard's recruitment flag was planted high on it, fluttering and rustling in the wind.
When the people of the capital saw this, they immediately surrounded him and asked about the registration. The guards wearing the Jinwu Guard uniforms answered their questions one by one.
"What? Only recruiting women? Are you kidding me? Can women serve in the army and fight in wars? Don't be scared and cry before you even go to the battlefield."
"You're recruiting personal soldiers for Queen Mother Chi? That won't work. Women should stay home weaving and raising children. With their bodies, how can they protect the Queen Mother? We still have to recruit men."
"That's right, Empress Dowager Chi is too shortsighted. You should know that soldiers should be homeless, unemployed, and unattached. Women have to get married and have children, so letting them serve in the army would be a joke!"
When the curious people heard this, they immediately started laughing and cursing, and even Empress Dowager Chi had something to say.
The captain of the Golden Crow Guard on the stage heard this and immediately swept his cold gaze towards the crowd, sternly demanding, "Who is insulting His Majesty?"
The guard pointed, "These are the ruffians."
A low growl sounded, "Catch him!"
Several guards immediately drew their swords and rushed over, grabbing the men who had spoken rudely. They chained their hands and feet, dragged them to the pillars in front of the stage, and locked them up.
The men were so frightened that their faces turned pale, and they all begged for mercy, "My lords, my ladies, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this time. I will never dare to say nonsense again."
"Now you know you can't talk nonsense. It's too late." The captain of the guards held down the hilt of the sword at his waist with one hand, looked at the people in front of him, and said coldly, "The court recruits soldiers to maintain peace and order. You are making trouble here. Are you trying to rebel? Anyone who dares to make trouble again will join them and be thrown into prison!"
As soon as the captain of the guard said this, the crowd, which had been noisy just now, suddenly fell silent. Some shook their heads and quietly walked away from the back. Suddenly, more than half of the crowd had disappeared.
The guard in charge of recruiting soldiers hurriedly raised his hand and shouted, "As long as you are selected, you will be provided with shelter, food, and wages. All expenses will be fully covered by the court!"
However, there were still few responses.
A woman was watching from the sidelines, not daring to step forward. The man pulled her away and said, "What are you looking at? Go home and cook!"
The guard looked at the registration list, which had so many names of applicants that he could count them on his ten fingers, and was immediately disappointed.
At this moment, a loud voice came from the front, "I want to be called up. Should I sign up here?"
The guard immediately raised his head and saw the person coming. His eyes lit up immediately, "Yes, what's your name?"
"Li Mengnu."
"Ah! Aren't you the one who dared to reject even the Emperor? I heard your story from the sisters of the Golden Crow Guard. You're truly amazing!"
"Thank you, and thank you for getting me out of jail. Unfortunately, when I got home, my father forced me to get married again. It was so boring. I might as well join the army. Do you provide food and accommodation?"
"Yes, of course!"
Li Mengnu finally felt relieved. She pressed her thumb on the ink pad, then took the list and pressed her fingerprint on her name.
Not long after, the list came into the hands of Zhao Mingyue, who was observing among the guards.
Zhao Mingyue looked expectant. "How is it? Did many people apply?"
She saw so many people coming to ask questions and thought that there should be about a hundred people signing up. Anyway, first come, first served, and they could screen them later.
Unexpectedly, the guard looked uneasy. "Princess, we have already recruited ten people."
Zhao Mingyue's eyes widened in surprise, "How could this happen?"
You have to know that the twelve guards of the imperial guards are hereditary soldiers, and many people want to join but cannot. Especially the emperor's guards, but most of the people who serve in front of the emperor are royal relatives who want to get a title and receive a salary.
Why are there so few people responding when it’s the turn of the Jinwu Guards?
Even if people don't like women learning martial arts, there shouldn't be hundreds of strong women in such a big capital city, right?
Zhao Mingyue clenched the list in her hand, frowning. How could she explain to her mother if this continued?
She immediately turned to look at Xue Qi next to her and asked for help: "Master Xue, what should we do now?"
Xue Qi seemed to be lost in thought and didn't hear what Zhao Mingyue said. Zhao Mingyue quickly reached out and tugged at her sleeve, "Master Xue, please give me some advice."
Xue Qi finally came back to his senses, looked up at her, and pondered for a moment, "Princess, have you ever thought about why His Majesty asked you to recruit soldiers?"
Zhao Mingyue was stunned. Of course she had thought about this question, but she didn't dare to say it. She carefully glanced around and said in a low voice, "My mother asked me to gain more experience. I guess she wants to train me to be her successor."
Xue Qi smiled slightly, "The princess is indeed smart."
Zhao Mingyue blushed. She knew her own limitations and didn't dare to accept Xue Qi's praise. She was about to say something modest when Xue Qi changed the subject.
"However, when His Majesty asks you to recruit soldiers, he is actually helping you build up your own power."
Zhao Mingyue's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head, "No! I'm helping my mother recruit soldiers. How can you say I'm cultivating my own power?"
Xue Qi smiled and looked at her as if he was looking at some innocent animal, feeling both helpless and loving.
"When recruiting soldiers, only the strongest can be selected. Since soldiers are hereditary, their quality varies greatly. Yet, the Twelve Imperial Guards still have more hereditary soldiers and fewer recruits. Princess, have you ever thought about why?"
Zhao Mingyue shook her head blankly, "I don't know, please give me some advice, Master Xue."
Xue Qi explained slowly, "Although the recruits are highly qualified, most of them are homeless and jobless. The recruiting officers spend a lot of time with the soldiers, living and eating with them. As long as they show kindness and trust to the soldiers, they will regard the officers as their mothers and sisters, and fight for them until their death. In this way, the imperial army becomes a private army."
Zhao Mingyue shook her head again, "No, the Golden Crow Guards are always A-niang's personal guards. Sixth Master, Yuzhao, and Lingqiong, they will only die for A-niang."
Xue Qi frowned, as if she was too persistent. If she wanted to say more, Zhao Mingyue quickly stopped her. "Master Xue, please stop. I understand what you mean, but my mother and I have a deep relationship. She loves me, and I believe she loves me. I really just want to share her worries and complete the tasks she asked. I have no other thoughts."
Xue Qi looked at her deeply and sighed softly, "Princess, you have a pure heart, but... that's all. I'll teach you a way. First, recruit soldiers to fill the vacancies in the Golden Crow Guard. If you do this..."
Zhao Mingyue raised her eyebrows after hearing what she said. "I knew Master was smart. Thank you, Master!"
————
At the same time, Zhen Ruicai and Xie Qinjian were standing by the window of the restaurant opposite the platform, watching the busy recruitment of soldiers by the Jinwu Guard.
Zhen Ruicai was originally worried that if the Golden Crow Guards became powerful, it would weaken his power as the commander of the imperial guards.
Moreover, in recent years, there have been floods in the south and droughts in the north, and the tax silver is getting less and less every year. If all the silver is allocated to the Jinwu Guard, how can there be money to support the rest of the army?
First, he broke the hereditary system of the guards. Now, would the next step be to lay off his soldiers under the pretext of lack of money?
Therefore, when he heard that Zhao Mingyue was bringing people here to recruit soldiers, he immediately ran over to see what was going on.
Seeing the paucity of applicants, he immediately burst out laughing, "Haha! Empress Dowager Chi went to great lengths to allocate funds to the Yiluansi, but in the end, they couldn't even recruit a single person. What a joke."
Zhen Rui withdrew his gaze, turned around, walked to the table and sat down, poured himself a glass of wine, and tasted it with a comfortable expression.
Xie Qinjian was still standing by the window, his eyes scanning the crowd, as if looking for someone.
But after hearing Zhen Ruicai's sarcasm, he couldn't help but add, "Uncle, I've said it before, women can't accomplish anything great."
"Xie Qinjian, how dare you say that?" Zhen Rui, having just heard him speak, became angry again and said angrily, "I asked you to deal with that woman Zhao Yuzhang. You said it was easy, but you still failed!"
"Uncle, I underestimated the enemy at that moment. Who knew that Zhao Yuzhang would not sleep in the middle of the night?" As he spoke, a hint of hostility flashed in Xie Qinjian's eyes.
He raised his hand to cover his chest. Even though the wound there had healed, he still felt a dull pain.
Fortunately, he had learned his lesson and wore armor under his clothes that could withstand all damage.
He won't lose next time.
But now, it is more important to find the princess who spoke for him in the Nanyang Palace. He has been preparing for a long time to thank her properly.
Xie Qinjian raised his head again and looked towards the high platform opposite. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Wasn't that the person?!
————
Zhao Mingyue supported herself on the edge of the platform, jumped up and landed on it.
She walked to the center of the platform and clapped her hands, and two guards brought over a box covered with a red cloth.
The crowd below raised their heads and whispered, "Who is this woman? She's so shameless to show herself in public!"
The guards immediately shouted, "Quiet! This is Her Royal Highness the Princess!"
Everyone was shocked. "What? Is this really a princess? Aren't princesses said to be as beautiful as fairies?"
"What princess? There's no princess! Let me see!"
The crowd was in an uproar. Out of curiosity and awe for the royal family, they all pressed towards the platform, wanting to catch a glimpse of the princess.
Zhao Mingyue looked at the crowd of people below the stage and felt all kinds of gazes falling on her, some with good intentions and some with bad ones. Suddenly, she felt a little timid and subconsciously took two steps back.
When she came to her senses, she felt embarrassed and angry. What was there to be afraid of? Could these people actually eat her?
She took a deep breath and stretched her hand to the side, and a guard took out a steel knife and placed it in her hand.
Zhao Mingyue gripped the knife handle tightly, made a knife flower, and poked the red cloth with the tip of the knife. A piece of golden gold immediately appeared, which shocked everyone in the audience.
Zhao Mingyue looked at everyone and said loudly, "I am defending the ring today. Whoever can defeat me can take the 100 taels of gold. If you lose, you will become my soldier!"
The crowd suddenly became excited. Recruiting female soldiers was already surprising, and now the princess came out to fight in person, which was even more shocking.
Soon, the news spread throughout the capital, and even people around the capital knew about it. Crowds of people gathered, wanting to see the excitement.
As soon as Zhao Mingyue finished speaking, a man jumped onto the stage with an obsessed look on his face, "I would die to compete with the princess!"
The captain of the guard raised his foot and kicked him off the stage, "Get out, we don't accept men!"
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