In the following period, Wang Fuzhi explained to the leaders of the Yuyuan Army the various benefits of the Ming Dynasty's official army.
Including monthly salary, travel rations, reward silver, pension policies, etc.
After saying this, Wang Fuzhi sat back in his seat and observed everyone's expressions.
Although he took the initiative in the negotiations, he did not deliberately manipulate the other party.
Instead, I told them everything I could.
The main focus is sincerity.
The most taboo thing when recruiting is to hide things.
Some things may be kept hidden for a short period of time, but they will definitely leak out over time.
You will only suffer the consequences then.
The leaders of the Yuyuan Army were silent at first, and then began a small-scale discussion.
"It feels okay!" someone said.
"It's more than okay, it's simply great! Ordinary soldiers get a little over one or two taels of silver a month, and they can also receive it if they are injured. Those who die in battle not only receive pensions, but the court also gives money to their families. Not to mention officers, all kinds of benefits are doubled!" another person responded.
"I'm afraid that the promises are good, but the reality is not so good!" some people worry.
"What is there to be afraid of? If the imperial court really did that, others would have rebelled long ago without us taking the lead."
"From what you said, you are willing to accept the amnesty?"
"Why not? After we are recruited and return home in military uniform, not only our fellow villagers, but even the local officials will not dare to look down on us."
"But after the surrender, they asked us to go to Liaodong. Aren't they forcing us to die?"
"What the hell are you doing?" Someone immediately retorted, "So the court gave you so much money just to let you lie around at home and have fun? The mission of a soldier is to fight. If you win a battle, you will not only get rewards, but also merits! The more merits you get, the higher your official position will be, and the more the folks will think highly of you."
"When a sergeant returns to his hometown, the village chief will welcome him. When a captain returns to his hometown, even the county magistrate has to come out to pay his respects!"
As time went on, the leaders' discussions grew in size and voice.
After an unknown amount of time, the long-lost silence returned to the military tent.
"Your Excellency the Imperial Envoy," Ren Qi bowed deeply to Wang Fuzhi.
"Do you agree to surrender?" Wang Fuzhi asked.
Ren Qi looked strange, "We are still discussing it."
Wang Fuzhi looked outside the tent and found that the sun was setting in the west.
It will be dark soon.
"Since we haven't come to a conclusion yet, I'll go back and come back tomorrow!"
"Alright!" Ren Qi said apologetically, "I will personally escort you out of the camp."
"No need," Wang Fuzhi waved his hand, "You are the leader of the Yuyuan Army. It is better for you and I to keep some distance at this time, so as not to cause unnecessary suspicion."
"Okay," Ren Qi said to Liang Min, "You escort the imperial envoy out of the camp, and I will discuss it with the brothers."
Liang Min nodded and asked a few trusted people to lead the way, while he walked out beside Wang Fuzhi.
After walking out of the military tent, the smell of cooking smoke wafted into the air.
Liang Min took a deep breath and looked back. When he found that no one was following him, he moved closer to Wang Fuzhi and whispered, "My Lord, if nothing unexpected happens, some people agree to surrender and some people disagree."
"I know," Wang Fuzhi smiled, "Everyone has their own aspirations, and they cannot be forced."
"Things are difficult to handle right now," Liang Min said with difficulty. "Just now, Ren Qi, Zhang Qi and I discussed the issue. They agree to surrender, but they don't want to force those who disagree to accept the surrender."
"If we rashly let those people go, we're afraid that the court will hold us accountable. So... this matter is very difficult to handle!"
"Justice!" Wang Fuzhi said directly: "Ren Qi and Zhang Qi's actions are indeed just."
Wang Fuzhi understood it in his heart.
These rebel leaders are able to convince everyone and must have their own strengths.
Among these, righteousness is undoubtedly one of the indispensable qualities.
If a leader cannot be righteous, it will be difficult for him to gain the loyalty of his subordinates, let alone respect and trust.
After thinking quickly, Wang Fuzhi said to Liang Min, "Go back and tell Ren Qi and Zhang Qi that I will give them one night to deal with internal issues. Tomorrow morning, I will accept surrender at the gate of the camp."
The meaning of this sentence is to let Ren Qi and Zhang Qi take advantage of the cover of night to release those who are unwilling to accept the amnesty.
"Once the news gets out, it will probably be bad for you, sir!" Liang Min was a little worried.
"There is no advantage or disadvantage," Wang Fuzhi smiled calmly, "Even if we don't let those people go, they will pretend to accept the amnesty for their own protection, and then rebel again when the time comes. Rather than that, it is better to let them go as soon as possible."
"Sir, you are the imperial envoy who is in charge of recruiting people. Will it affect your career if you only recruit a part of the people?"
"It won't have any impact," Wang Fuzhi said nonchalantly. "The matter of recruiting people for amnesty is a combination of suppression and appeasement. Only by letting them see the power of the government army can they be forced to accept the amnesty. What's more, I am only a seventh-rank county magistrate. Even if it affects my career, it won't affect me much!"
By now they had arrived at the entrance of the camp.
Liang Min personally handed the reins of the warhorse to Wang Fuzhi and Deng Yue, a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and watched them leave.
Li Dingguo, who lived two miles west of the camp, could no longer wait.
When he saw someone coming out of the camp, he immediately sent someone to meet them.
After joining the main force, Li Dingguo hurriedly asked, "Lord Wang, how is the recruitment going?"
"It went smoothly, but some of them were unwilling to surrender, so I gave them one night to evacuate."
"Overnight?" Li Dingguo looked up at the remaining ray of sunlight in the western sky. "Is it tonight?"
"Yes," Wang Fuzhi nodded in confirmation.
"In that case, why don't we set up an ambush outside the rebel camp at night and launch a surprise attack when those rebels who are unwilling to surrender are leaving?"
"Theoretically, it's fine, but I've already promised them that they can evacuate at night. Doing so is not only unrighteous, but also damages the image of the government!"
"All's fair in war!" Li Dingguo reminded.
"General Li's words are indeed correct, but they are not enemies in the true sense, so we should use a conciliatory policy to make them surrender!"
"Those rebels will still fight against the government after they leave. It will be trouble sooner or later!"
"It may not be a problem," Wang Fuzhi raised his head with a smile on his face, "First, we can fight a few small battles to let them see the fighting power of the government army, and then find a way to defeat them without fighting!"
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