Zhu Mo's brushstrokes flowed in one go, vigorous and flamboyant, carrying a palpable aura of sharp killing intent.
Mu Zhaobi gazed at the characters for a few moments, sensing a profound righteousness within the words. He was suddenly reminded of the early days of the founding dynasty, when generals and ministers were in harmony, their spirits soaring to the heavens. Was it not much like this very day?
Code Wu Liu San Qi Si San Lu Qi Wu
One must understand,
He was, after all, different from the Yan family.
Although since the Hongzhi reign, the fortunes of them, the meritorious officials, had been steadily declining, and with many imperial princes being targeted by factions, the meritorious officials naturally could not fare any better. For nearly a hundred years, across several generations, they had endured difficult times. Court factions often exploited popular discontent, seizing upon any minor slip to impeach relentlessly.
When Jiajing ascended the throne, it was a peak period for factionalism. Yang Tinghe actually led a hundred officials to confront the emperor, demanding an immediate restoration of the imperial system. Had they succeeded, it was likely that feudal lords would have been enfeluffed again, and they, the meritorious officials, would have become villains condemned by all under heaven. Fortunately, Jiajing possessed great stratagem; he not only pacified Yang Tinghe but also broke some of the constraints imposed by the founding emperor, re-employing some meritorious officials. Their destinies then began to rise from their low ebb.
But who could have foreseen?
Twenty years later, father and son Yan Song dominated the court, factions re-emerged, and meritorious officials could only resort to the channels of the Yan family. From Qiu Luan onwards, Li Tingzhu, Liu Shiyan, Guo Cong, and including Mu Zhaobi himself, they had actually been surviving in the cracks. Regarding the future situation, they were naturally extremely anxious. It was precisely for this reason that Mu Zhaobi had greatly amplified the secret sacrifices to Emperor Jianwen, rallying many meritorious officials to prevent a recurrence of the situation since the Hongzhi reign.
If one were to ask their inner thoughts, in this time of national crisis, how could they be as heartless as the Yan family? But on the other hand, if they were asked to support Zhu Mo's reforms, they were also unwilling to the extreme!
At this very moment,
This was precisely Mu Zhaobi's state of mind.
He was filled with patriotic fervor by Zhu Mo's vision for the nation's long-term prosperity, yet simultaneously worried about his own future. He racked his brains but could not fathom why the Emperor had employed someone like Zhu Mo, nor how he could implement such reforms that disregarded two thousand years of tradition. Even if the Imperial Grandson and Huang Zicheng's methods were incorrect, there was no need to go to Zhu Mo's extreme!
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For a moment,
Mu Zhaobi's thoughts wandered, and he remained silent for a long time.
After the crowd's admiration, Zhu Mo smiled faintly and said, "Everyone, we will enter the city tomorrow. At that time, we will select soldiers and appoint generals at the Wuhou Shrine!"
Mu Zhaobi nodded and said in a deep voice:
"An Xiaoliang, Wang Fu, the two of you must depart immediately! Report military intelligence along the way!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
The two knelt on one knee simultaneously.
Zhu Mo was quite satisfied with An Xiaoliang's performance, saying:
"General An, General Wang, if you encounter Mang Yinglong's vanguard, do not engage them head-on! You must observe carefully: how many Portuguese troops and arquebusiers are there? How are they matched? How are they deployed? How quickly do they load their firearms? Report all these details!"
Mu Zhaobi and You Juying secretly nodded: This Zhu Mo was indeed experienced in battle; not only was he calm and unhurried, but he also consistently grasped the most crucial points.
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...
At dawn the next day,
The army marched into the city. After a parade through the city, the entire army emerged from the south gate and encamped at the mountain pass to the south.
Zhu Mo and You Juying set up a recruitment platform at the east gate. It was one zhang square, not large, but built very high, fully ten feet. Besides a pole, there was nothing else on the platform. The pole carried Zhu Mo's banner, which fluttered spiritedly in the breeze, its black and white colors striking.
Prefect Liu Zhangkuan saw that Mu Zhaobi was no longer making any small moves. He then thought that with the strong enemy pressing down, if Yongchang were indeed lost, he, as the prefect, would absolutely not survive. Even if Mu Zhaobi prevented it, he would still have to implement Zhu Mo's strategy. If he could truly recruit tens of thousands of volunteers, he might be able to save his life.
He immediately worked with great effort, calling upon nearly all the yamen runners in the city, and requisitioning many laborers. He divided them into small teams, beating gongs and drums, and set off to the countryside to recruit soldiers.
Zhu Mo saw Mu Zhaobi's contemptuous expression and immediately said:
"Lord Liu, this is still not enough! I will add some prestige for you, which will surely boost morale!"
Saying this,
He loudly said:
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"Zhuo Wu, bring them over!"
Whoosh!
With the sound of orderly marching, a scholar led a three-hundred-man arquebusier company. Although the number was not large, each man carried an arquebus wrapped in blue cloth on his back. Moreover, they had always received good treatment and had long been experienced in battle, giving them a faint aura of a great army.
Just as Mu Zhaobi's eyes showed envy, Zhu Mo shouted, "You three men as a group, escort Lord Liu's recruitment team to the countryside to recruit soldiers! Do you still remember military discipline?"
All the soldiers shouted in unison:
"We remember!"
Then,
A powerful song suddenly echoed through the air—
"Where do the Great Ming imperial troops come from?
They come from ordinary people's homes.
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Where do the Great Ming imperial troops go?
To protect families, protect the nation, protect the world.
Do not be household retainers or subordinates,
Only for descendants, not for slavery.
Fear not hardship, fear not difficulty,
Do not speak of seniority, do not speak of age.
Unite as brothers,
To promote righteousness in the human world.
If asked what righteousness is,
Everyone's heart returns to Yao and Shun.
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Thus can one win a hundred battles,
The great way is flawless, the sun and moon shine brightly."
Amidst the military song,
The three hundred men moved in an orderly fashion, quickly dividing into one hundred groups, each attached to Liu Zhangkuan's recruitment team. These movements were performed in one go, with no disorder whatsoever.
The various commanders had never seen such imperial troops, nor had they ever heard such military songs. They exchanged glances immediately. Mu Zhaobi, however, suddenly felt his face lose all color, experiencing a feeling of being utterly shamed—
This military song was in plain language, understandable to anyone, and its meaning was very clear, expressing the mentality of ordinary disciples joining the army. He couldn't help but wonder why no one had ever conceived of it, and Zhu Mo had beaten him to it! The effect of such a military song on morale was simply astounding!
But there was one point, he couldn't quite articulate the feeling: why did these lyrics have such a strange flavor? Not being household retainers, not speaking of seniority—weren't these different from the imperial troops he led?
One must understand,
In the minds of them, the veteran soldiers, the imperial army primarily emphasized loyalty and righteousness, and hierarchy. The departmentalization and household retainer system were particularly common in the Jiajing reign, and even the court had never spoken against it. Moreover, in battle, subordinate troops were often even more formidable than ordinary imperial troops. Therefore, for more than a decade, ever since Yang Bo recruited volunteers in Datong and organized them into household retainers, generals had often followed suit. Even within the衛軍 (Wei Jun - guard troops), departmentalization had become a trend. For example, commanders like Wang Fu and He An also led troops through affiliation by status, and the results were not bad. However, compared to the scene before them, the difference was too great.
Therefore,
Discussion group five six three seven four three six seven five
At this moment, this song struck the ears of the generals like a thunderclap!
All the generals were from the Wei Jun, having fought since the age of fifteen or sixteen. This was the first time they had seen such a vigorous and unpretentious military formation. At this moment, they couldn't help but cast their gazes towards Zhu Mo.
Zhu Mo, however, smiled faintly and said:
"These are the citizen soldiers of the Great Ming."