Chapter 1214 Women's Army
Early in the morning, the military camp became noisy again.
As soon as the soldiers stepped out of their tents, they saw people talking on a high platform in front of the camp. The soldiers were gathered around listening, and some were whispering among themselves. A few of them went up to them and asked, "What's going on?"
One of the older men turned around and glanced at them, then smiled and said, "You young people can go up and apply."
"Should we choose? What should we choose?"
"The Queen Consort of Qin came to the army to select soldiers and join her women's army."
"Women's Army?"
The three words startled everyone, and they all burst into laughter. One of the soldiers, with dark skin and bulging muscles, laughed loudly: "What women's army? Is it appropriate to be ordered around by women? What do women know?"
The others chimed in, "That's right, what do women know about leading troops?"
“We are all fine men, why would we go to the women’s army? Whoever goes will be this—” he said, holding up his little finger.
Everyone burst into laughter.
The older soldier glanced at them with disdain, shook his head, and turned away. But another soldier beside him, with a wound on his cheek, who had just returned from the Eastern Capital with the King of Qin, said to them, "What do you know, you cooped up in Chang'an? Do you know what achievements the Women's Army has made? Those who are not good enough are not even worthy of going."
Several people were puzzled: "What kind of record could they possibly have?"
The man sneered, "The Princess Consort of Qin led three hundred cavalrymen and held off an army of eighty thousand at Huyang Valley! Eighty thousand!"
Upon hearing these two numbers, everyone stared in astonishment, especially the dark-skinned soldier, who wore an expression of disbelief: "Three hundred? Eighty thousand? You must be kidding me."
Others also said, "How is that possible?"
"The fact that the King of Qin led three thousand cavalry against Xiao Yuansui's army of one hundred thousand is already frightening enough. But three hundred against eighty thousand? Isn't that just a fantasy?"
"They're just trying to fool us."
The two soldiers exchanged a glance and sneered, "So you guys, holed up in Chang'an, not only have no military merit, but you've also lost your worldly experience. If it weren't for such a great victory, would Princess Qin have received such a generous reward from the Emperor? Besides, whether it's the current dynasty or the previous one, have you ever heard of an emperor letting a woman lead troops and even bestowing upon her a name!"
"That's right, Princess Qin's women's army is full of tough guys."
"It's a pity I'm too old. The Princess of Qin requires soldiers to be around thirty years old, otherwise I would definitely go."
"She paid more to the soldiers than others."
Upon hearing the words "military pay," the people around became even more interested and crowded around, asking, "Really? The Princess of Qin is giving out a lot of military pay?"
The middle-aged soldier said, "Of course, Princess Qin is rich. This time, she relieved the crisis in Xia Prefecture and blocked the enemy army in Huyang Valley. The Emperor was very pleased and rewarded her with a lot of gold and silver. Princess Qin was already rich, but now I heard that she is richer than a country."
"Serving under her will definitely come with its own set of benefits."
The young soldiers' eyes lit up. They looked at each other without saying a word, but their expressions showed excitement. They tentatively stepped forward.
On the other side, Shang Ruyi sat in Yuwen Ye's tent, sipping tea with a smile. This was the seventh day since they returned to Chang'an. Yuwen Ye had been resting in the palace for the first two days and had also visited Chu Ruoyan. From the third day onwards, he moved into the military camp, naturally to reorganize the Twelfth Army and allocate manpower. The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, but they didn't expect that early this morning, Shang Ruyi would bring Tu She'er to the military camp, saying that she had brought him a change of clothes. Indeed, she received a bulging bundle from Tu She'er. But after sitting down for a short while, she made an outrageous demand to select soldiers for her women's army in the military.
This commotion caused quite a stir outside.
Hearing the noise outside, Yuwen Ye said irritably, "You're really something now."
Shang Ruyi said in a serious tone, "You promised to give me three hundred men, Your Highness Prince Qin, you cannot go back on your word."
Yuwen Ye said, "I promised to give it to you, not so you could come to the military camp and cause such a scene."
Shang Ruyi remained silent. Instead, she stood up and walked to the tent entrance, looking at the soldiers lining up outside to be selected. They were all tall, strong, and imposing. First, they had to pass the physical test, and then they had to compete with Gao Feng, Jiang Kesheng, and their personal guards. Only those who could pass the test of these people could be selected.
As more and more people were being selected, Shang Ruyi beamed with joy: "Whether there's trouble or not, this is the day. I'll stop once I've selected three hundred people."
Yuwen Ye shook his head helplessly and asked again, "Where do you plan to place these three hundred people?"
Shang Ruyi walked back and said, "I heard that you had the Imperial Guards and the Valiant Guards switch responsibilities. My men are going to enter the Right Imperial Guard, but they will only be under my command."
Yuwen Ye snorted coldly and didn't say anything—the Right Feathered Forest Guard General was Shen Wuzheng. Shang Ruyi had placed his own troops in the Right Feathered Forest Guard, obviously to make it easier for him to manage them, and this would indeed make it less likely for them to clash with other soldiers.
He took a sip of tea before slowly saying, "You've come to the army today to select people. Have you finished dealing with things in the palace?"
Shang Ruyi then walked back and sat down, saying, "I go to pay my respects to my father every day. He saw that I had some injuries, so he exempted me from paying my respects and told me to take good care of myself."
"..."
"The Ministry of Rites also sent over a few brochures as candidates for the Prince of Qin's residence. I took a look and found two houses that I think are quite nice. I asked them to send over more detailed blueprints so I can show them to you later."
"..."
"By the way, I went to Shicui Palace again yesterday, but Consort Tao still refused to see me."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye frowned slightly.
Shang Ruyi said, "However, you don't need to worry too much. I don't think Tao Jieyu is a fool. It's just that she's too badly injured and needs some time to recover. These things don't heal so easily."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye's eyes dimmed.
Realizing that they were both thinking the same thing, the atmosphere in the tent became heavy. Shang Ruyi rallied herself and continued, "But I always believe in her; she can get back on her feet."
Yuwen Ye was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm entrusting this matter to you."
"Um."
Shang Ruyi nodded and said, "Before I left the city today, I went to the school in Chang Le Fang. The school has thirty-two students, eleven of whom are girls."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye was somewhat taken aback: "Eleven female students? So many?"
Shang Ruyi smiled and said, "Do you think girls only want to learn embroidery and knitting? In fact, if given the opportunity, who wouldn't want to learn to read and write? It's just that families with sons spend their money on their sons and are reluctant to spend it on their daughters. I reduced their tuition by half, and those with some knowledge sent their daughters here."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Ye fell silent for a long while before saying, "You're right—families with both sons and daughters often pour all their money into their sons, while being stingy with their daughters. No wonder all the girls are blind to money."
Shang Ruyi said, "Actually, the root of the problem lies with the imperial court."
"oh?"
Yuwen Ye looked up at her: "What do you mean?"
Shang Ruyi said, "The imperial examinations are only for men to take and enter officialdom. Women who study cannot achieve anything—or rather, they cannot turn their education into money and return their official positions to their parents. Naturally, no one is willing to waste their money."
"..."
"Therefore, if the palace could have more female officials and more positions for women in various industries, people would naturally be willing to send their daughters to school."
Yuwen Ye nodded and said, "That makes sense."
After saying that, he looked at Shang Ruyi and said with a half-smile, "When Empress Du was in power, she already appointed many female officials. Now you want to increase the number of female officials... If this continues, women will become emperors."
Shang Ruyi blinked: "I see... Ah."
|
After a lot of effort, we finally gathered 300 people.
Shang Ruyi looked at the strong, brave, and fierce soldiers and nodded in satisfaction. Standing on the high platform, she smiled and said to the crowd, "I know you must have some reservations. If you follow me, you have to be called the 'Women's Army,' which doesn't sound very good to men. Moreover, this isn't the only disadvantage you'll suffer."
Everyone was stunned upon hearing this.
Shang Ruyi said, "My soldiers fight tough battles, and when war comes, they have to be at the forefront."
"..."
"You can ask the people who came back from Huyang Valley about this, or you can ask Gao Feng and Jiang Kesheng."
"..."
"However, there's no such thing as always being at a disadvantage in this world. Once you're under my command and become part of my women's army, your pay will be on time, and it will be at least 30% more than what you received before!"
Upon hearing "30%", the soldiers' eyes immediately lit up.
Shang Ruyi continued, "As long as you train diligently and fight bravely, I will not treat you unfairly. Those who make meritorious contributions will be rewarded even more! If there are any casualties, I will also provide compensation for your families, so that you will have no worries about the future."
"..."
"So, men of the Women's Army,"
She raised her hand, pointing high into the sky: "A man should have lofty ambitions, rather than be a reckless man who will live a life of poverty. Follow me, and let's make a name for ourselves!"
These words stirred the crowd's blood, and they all raised their strong arms, waving them and shouting, "Women's Army, achieve great things! Women's Army, achieve great things!"
The sound shook the entire area!
This was the second time he had watched his own soldiers cheer for someone else in his own camp, and the one receiving such cheers and praise was the same person. Yuwen Ye stood on one side of the high platform, watching Shang Ruyi stand there—although the sky was gloomy, the wind was howling, and the snowflakes were blowing across people's cheeks, leaving a cold, knife-like chill, at this moment Shang Ruyi seemed to stand like a sun in everyone's sight, her body radiating an inexplicable brilliance that illuminated almost everyone.
Yuwen Ye seemed to be amazed and stunned by the sunlight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com