Volume 1: Birth! Seven time travelers Chapter 182: Fireside Chats
On March 12, 1612, after the six new Jurchen beiles led their respective tribes to leave the area around the Suzi River, Zhu Youdong ordered his men to burn down the city of Hetuala, and then led his army back west.
On the 18th, the army returned to Sarhu. On this day, small snowflakes were floating in the sky.
"This should be the last snow of this winter. After this, winter will pass and spring will come. The mountains and rivers will thaw, all things will come back to life, the grass will grow and the birds will fly. Ah, this scene, just thinking about it makes me yearn for it."
"Haha, what's up, Yang Jinglie? Are you feeling poetic right now? Why don't you recite a poem?"
"Lord Jie Huan, although Yang Hao has been far away in Liaodong these years, he can still see it frequently in the Jinling Daily. The poem about frogs written by His Highness in the past, which says which insect dares to make a sound, is really domineering. If I were to ask you, who would dare to compose a poem today when Your Highness is here? We should ask Your Highness to compose a poem!"
"That's right!" The civil officials nodded slightly and reservedly to Yang Hao's offer. The military generals immediately started to cheer: "Your Highness, although we are not good at writing, we are also impressed by your poem about frogs. Today, Your Highness has led us to such a great victory. In this situation, please write a poem. In this way, when people in the future read Your Highness's masterpiece, they will probably think of us by your side when Your Highness wrote the poem, so we can also leave our names in history with Your Highness."
"Ha~~" Zhu Youdong smiled slightly after listening to the flattery without substance from these warriors: "I don't have any poems at the moment. But I do have a lyric, please listen carefully."
"I'm all ears."
"Please stand up, everyone."
"Your Highness!" Yang Hao raised his head first, tears flashing in his eyes: "After this poem is published, who in the world dares to recite the poem about snow? I am so lucky to be able to witness the birth of this poem with your own eyes beside Your Highness!"
Xiong Tingbi, who always showed his emotions, was in tears at this moment: "Your Highness's poem describes the emperors of all ages, and exudes infinite dominance. I feel that with this poem accompanying me, all the hardships I have endured in Liaodong over the past five years are worth it! I...I am able to serve such a heroic lord, and my life is worth it!"
"Your Highness!" Even a man like Yuan Keli had red eyes: "We have met such a wise master. Even if we die in the future, our lives will be worthwhile!"
"Hahaha~~ You are too polite. I am only about to turn twelve this year. What do you mean by wise ruler or not? A wise ruler? That's my royal grandfather! Let's go, speed up the march, we have to enter the border wall today!"
"I obey your orders!"
Along the way, with the intentional connivance of Yuan Keli, Xiong Tingbi and others, this poem spread rapidly throughout the army. Wherever it went, it caused the three armies to shout in unison. As a result, the morale of the whole army suddenly exploded, and the pace of the army quickly accelerated. Finally, that night, the whole army successfully entered Fushun Pass.
After all, this body was not even twelve years old. Zhu Youdong was somewhat exhausted after riding a horse for a whole day. So after entering the customs, Zhu Youdong asked someone to find a room for him and went to sleep there.
However, the civil and military officials, who were all excited at the moment, did not feel sleepy at all. They called a few close friends according to their closeness, lit a fire in a corner that they thought was remote, and gathered around it to start a night talk.
"Come, Commander, please take a seat."
"Oh, Commander Du, aren't you embarrassing me by doing this? How can you deserve this?"
"Hahaha, you deserve it, Commander Xiao. Everyone saw clearly the Battle of Sarhu more than half a month ago. We fought desperately for a whole day, but not only did we achieve little, we almost lost. But as soon as your Kuandian Guards made a move, the Jiannu were immediately defeated. Today, I will move the stool for you. You totally deserve it."
Although Xiao Bozhi, the commander of Kuandian, was full of pride at the moment, his face did not show any fluctuations: "General Du, although you have been in Liaodong as the general for a short time, I think you know what Kuandian was like before. It was the only Han settlement outside the Liaodong border wall. When General Li was here, we were ready to give it up. If it weren't for your highness's help... hehe, maybe I would have to start from the bottom of the small flag after returning to the border wall."
"Yes, after this expedition to Jianzhou, I am completely convinced of your ability. Apart from other things, if it weren't for the armor given by your Highness, I might have died in Sarhu." After saying this, Du Song turned around and said to his nephew Du Hongyu, the captain of Henghai Guard, "Hongyu, you are so lucky to be able to work under your Highness. You must work harder in the future. My Du family will swear to be loyal to your Highness until death!"
"Second Grandfather," the young Du Hongyu raised his head and said, "We, the Henghai Guards, are your Highness's personal guards. Even if the whole world is against your Highness, we will definitely fight for your Highness to the end!"
"Well said! How many years has the Ming Dynasty been in existence? I have never seen a wise leader as domineering as Your Highness. My Du family will definitely follow Your Highness' lead in the future!"
On the other side, Li Rubai also called several of his younger brothers and nephews together.
"Shizhong, do you think there is any other meaning behind His Highness reciting the poem "沁园春雪" in public today?"
"Haha, Second Uncle, are you trying to say that His Highness is being too conspicuous by doing this?"
"Yes, such a majestic and powerful verse should be sung by the emperor. It's a little early for the crown prince to sing it now."
"Uncle, I don't think so. On the contrary, the timing of chanting is just right."
"Oh?" A cunning look appeared on Li Rubai's face: "Why do you say that?"
Li Shizhong, who had trained with Zhu Youdong for seven or eight years and was no longer the Wuxia Amon of the past, said frankly: "Although Your Highness gave the credit of planning and strategizing to Yang Jinglue in the post-war report, there are many people and the truth of this war can be known by those who are interested with a little inquiry. In this way, those who don't like the crown prince will only be more wary of him. If the crown prince wants to stabilize his position, he can take advantage of the situation to show his ambition and let those who already have hope in him strengthen their confidence in him. So my nephew said that it is just the right time to chant this poem now."
"Ah..." Li Rubai sighed, "To be honest, Nurhaci is a vicious wolf raised by my Li family. If the Crown Prince hadn't intervened in time, this vicious wolf would have completely lost control and turned against its master. In this way, my father's reputation would have been ruined, and my Li family would have completely declined. It can be said that the Crown Prince has been very kind to my Li family, not to mention that my Li family and the Crown Prince have been tied together for a long time and cannot be separated. However, this involves the struggle for the throne and even the throne. If you are not careful, there will be a lot of heads rolling."
"Haha, second uncle, this is what I think. Ever since I started serving the Crown Prince, he has been a very upright person, and he is extremely filial to the Emperor and the Crown Prince. But as the Crown Prince's brilliance becomes more and more dazzling, the Crown Prince's attitude towards him becomes worse and worse. After this war, the Emperor will probably be wary of the Crown Prince. But so what? The Emperor has stopped the mining tax under pressure from his ministers. If it weren't for the Crown Prince making money to subsidize the palace, our Ming Dynasty wouldn't even be able to raise the money to fight this war. The Crown Prince already has his own team in Jiangnan, and he has the most capable Henghai Guards in the world. If he still doesn't make it clear what he wants to do at this moment, it would be disappointing to us followers."
"Yes." Standing up, Li Rubai slowly scanned the Li family members one by one, "Everyone, before the expedition, my father wrote a letter asking our Li family to help the crown prince with all our strength. Now it seems that my father was right. Our Li family seems to be rich and powerful now, but in this era of suppressing military power with culture, a villain like Zhang Heming could easily bring down my father who worked so hard and made great contributions... In short, if this situation does not change, our Li family will be doomed if we are not careful."
Taking a deep breath, Li Rubai said, "But fortunately, we have a crown prince. After so many years, our Ming Dynasty finally has a crown prince who is capable, responsible, loyal to his subjects, and does not discriminate against warriors like us! Such a crown prince is the hope of all warriors in our Ming Dynasty. So, today, as the oldest of the second generation of the Li family, I would like to say hello to everyone. No matter how the political situation changes in the future, we must support the crown prince to the end!"
The military commanders were actually connecting with each other like Li Jia and Du Song. But generally speaking, they were just showing their loyalty and unifying their understanding. The discussion among the civil officials was a bit sinister.
"Gululu." After taking a leisurely sip of tea, Yuan Keli glanced at Zhang Jingyue with his eyes slanted: "Doctor Zhang, you examined the prince's health at the beginning of this year. What do you think of the prince's health?"
Zhang Jingyue, who had been treating the rich and powerful in his early years, was a little panicked when he heard Yuan Keli's blunt words, but he soon calmed down: "The prince's essence has been severely depleted. If we hadn't brainstormed and used some tonic medicine to keep him alive over the years, he would have been unable to stand up long ago."
"Hmm..." After nodding slightly, Yuan Keli said, "I am no longer a minister of the Ming Dynasty. I am only your Highness's teacher. Everything I do will only be for the benefit of Mr. Dong."
Xiong Tingbi beside him smiled heartily: "I am now a minister of the Ming Dynasty, but the crown prince is my sovereign."
Wu Youke, Zhang Jingyue and the others looked at each other and said in a very simple manner: "We are His Highness's students. If the master has something to do, it is only natural for the disciples to do the work!"
"Very good." Yuan Keli nodded to everyone: " As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind. After this battle, Your Highness has gained a lot of support and loyalty, but it will also surely attract a lot of criticism and hostility. As ministers, we must first have firm beliefs and believe that Your Highness is the only one who can lead our Ming Dynasty out of this cycle of order and chaos. Second, we must be determined to sacrifice. Whoever dares to harm Your Highness, we will definitely use any means to eliminate him!"
