Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 59
Emperor Chongzhen watched Empress Zhou leave, then looked up at the sky. He felt that the arrangements for the soldiers in Jizhen were almost complete. With concern in his heart, he decided to go and have a look.

Another reason is that he and Queen Zhou said that military power must be in their own hands.The so-called military power does not refer to identity and power, but to making the military obedient.

At least Emperor Chongzhen knew that one of the methods used by famous generals in ancient times to win over their troops was the story of someone sucking the soldiers' wounds!Although he may not necessarily know how to do it, he knows what it means, which is to live and eat together with his soldiers, share joys and sorrows, and be recognized by the army. At least he must perform in this regard.

Go and see how the Jizhen soldiers are doing, firstly, to reassure them, and secondly, to feel more at ease.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen galloped his horse in the Forbidden City, exited the Xuanwu Gate, crossed the Yuhe Bridge from the north to the west gate, and rushed along the bank of Taiye Pond to the inner teaching field.

………………

The soldiers from Jizhen arrived at the capital in the morning, originally full of complaints.After all, it was a very cold day and we had to rush to the capital at almost the speed of a forced march. We were cold, hungry and had no hope.

But they didn't expect that after arriving in the capital, the emperor went out to meet them in person. What they didn't expect was that the emperor even paid off their arrears, and each of them received at least more than 20 taels of silver, which was a huge sum. A huge sum of money!Especially for these frontier soldiers, it is simply a help in times of need!

This was not over yet. Then there was a rebellion in the capital city. They followed the emperor to put down the rebellion. They originally thought that they would fight, and it was worthwhile to sacrifice their lives. However, they did not expect that they were all silver spears and candle holders. This kind of rebellion was completely childish. Playing house, the rebellion was suppressed without them taking any action!
That is, the murder at the Meridian Gate shocked them.Of course, the wealth at Meridian Gate also shocked them.

Later, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince came out in person and arranged for them to camp at the inner training ground in the imperial city. Although they were very hungry and it took a long time to eat, everyone was excited and full of longing for the future.

The frontier army was transformed into the Beijing camp, and the Imperial Guards came. At least they would not be hungry, cold or in need of pay in the future.

For this reason, they showed extra effort in moving camps, stationing, etc., to prove that their frontier army was worthy of the court's attention.

It was already evening, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had arranged for them to leave. When they were about to leave, they suddenly heard that the emperor had arrived, which made them suddenly excited again.

The emperor is here!

In the cold wind, the whole army lined up, everyone stood up straight!

Prince Zhu Cixiang greeted the emperor surrounded by generals and immediately reported the situation of the placement of the army.

As a young man, the handling of military affairs had a subtle influence on him. He felt a little passionate and wanted him to lead the army on behalf of his father and conquer the world.

In fact, with the help of Tang Tong, He Zhen and others, there will definitely be no problem in arranging the army.

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen affirmed, and then rode up to the military formation and scanned the army.

He was still very satisfied with the spirit displayed by the soldiers of Jizhen.

This army has about 500 cavalrymen. The Beijing camp formed yesterday only has about 5000 cavalrymen, most of whom were scraped together from various places.There are now more than [-] cavalry in total, which is definitely not enough.But there is also Fang Zhenghua, who should be arriving tomorrow.Then we can gather together in the city. There is no need for elite cavalry, only mounted infantry.The purpose of riding a horse is just to rush on the road and see if you can raise an army of [-] cavalry.

With these in mind, Emperor Chongzhen faced the Jizhen soldiers in front of him and said loudly: "Now you are already preparing soldiers in the Beijing camp. In two days I will lead the cavalry to go on an expedition. If you have any requests, just tell me and I will solve it for you. !”

He hoped that after the army set off, there would be no worries.Only in this way can the soldiers he leads be able to fight, instead of being hampered by other things and causing their combat effectiveness to be damaged.

Emperor Chongzhen's voice was loud and could be heard by many people.

But the most important thing about being a soldier is military pay!In the past, if we wanted to send troops to fight, we would definitely make a fuss about military pay, but now, there is no need for it.Therefore, after Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, no one spoke.

When Tang Tong saw it, he wanted to take two steps forward and flatter the emperor. With this kind of treatment, how could he still ask for it!

However, at this moment, Emperor Chongzhen looked behind him and asked loudly: "Tang San, do you have something to say?"

Tang San is the most powerful archer in the army, the one who can shoot a 140-pound bow.

He was indeed a little hesitant just now, not sure whether it was appropriate to speak.Unexpectedly, he was discovered by the emperor, so he did not hesitate. He immediately took the reins of the war horse with one hand and knelt down on one knee to play: "I will go on an expedition with your majesty in the next two days. I will definitely not wait until my family from Jizhen moves to the capital. The villain has no acquaintances in the capital, the villain... The villain doesn't know how to provide his family with the military salary?"

This matter may be a trivial matter to the emperor; but to the soldier himself and his family, it is definitely a huge matter.

There are no acquaintances to trust, and I carry military pay with me. If I die in battle, it is really unknown whether the military pay will reach the hands of my family. There is even a high possibility that my family will not get anything at all!
When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he understood his worries very well. He also saw that many soldiers, especially the cavalry soldiers, showed very concerned expressions, so he asked Tang Tongdao: "How many days will it take for their family to move to the capital?" ?”

This matter is actually not under Tang Tong's control.But after all, he has led troops for more than ten years, so he has more or less experience.

Therefore, when he heard the emperor's question, he quickly replied: "Your Majesty, this matter requires the Ministry of War to issue a document. After receiving it at the local level, they will inform their families. They will consider packing their things and traveling on the road. It will take about half a month to a month. .”

Tang Tong actually didn't say that if there was a card jam at the Ministry of War, and another card card at the local government, and the moving expenses were charged, the families of these soldiers might not be able to move to the capital in a month.

As soon as Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he knew that he would definitely not be able to wait that long.In fact, he wanted to rush to reinforce Ningwuguan as soon as possible.However, Tang San's request was indeed very important.

Looking at the faces looking at him expectantly, Emperor Chongzhen thought about it for a moment, then turned to Zhu Cixiang and said: "Go and do it yourself. Among the shops to be inspected, there are banks that are the best. If not, choose a large one." It is used as a bank to keep the property of the soldiers. After the families of the soldiers arrive in the capital, they can go to the bank to collect the soldiers' property without charging any storage fees!"

In the late Ming Dynasty, there were already banks, banks and the like.But it is very different from the banks of later generations. For depositing money, a custody fee is charged instead of interest.

(End of this chapter)