Volume 2: The Capital, I’m Back Chapter 58 No Money
The ministers were immediately in an uproar. Was building the Martyrs' Shrine an attempt to elevate the status of military generals?
"Long live!"
The first person to react was Zhang Fu. He was in tears and was so excited that he couldn't express it in words.
He is the highest-ranking meritorious and powerful person in the Ming Dynasty, but he often cannot get the right to speak in front of the group of civil officials.
"Long live!"
Next came Li Zhen, the Earl of Xiangcheng, who had always followed Zhu Qizhen.
"Long live Long live Long live!"
This time, the shouting was deafening, it was from the two thousand soldiers of the Three Thousand Battalion.
You know, before this, they didn't even have the qualifications to enter Beijing and be welcomed by the people.
For many years, starting from their ancestors, every time they came back from a battle, they would return to the camp quietly. Although there were rewards from the imperial court and they could celebrate to their heart's content when they returned to the camp, they had never had such an honor as today.
Only a few military officers and generals had the opportunity to enter the city gate and accept the cheers of the people.
Things are different now. The emperor suddenly ordered the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine. That is to say, every soldier who goes to the battlefield, even if he dies on the battlefield, will have the opportunity to enter the city gate and receive offerings from future generations.
At this moment, no matter whether they were new recruits or veterans who had served in the army for decades, no matter whether they were passionate young men or old soldiers who had been tempered by the years, they all straightened their backs unconsciously.
Although the Ming Dynasty did not abolish the class system of the previous dynasty, it divided the household registration system, and military households have always been looked down upon.
For these soldiers, the Martyrs' Shrine is the highest honor. In the past, they dared not even think about it.
The soldiers cheered, but the ministers remained silent.
Especially for civil officials, the Ming Dynasty used the imperial examination system to select officials. They studied hard for more than ten years just to one day be able to pass the imperial examination and rise to the top.
But now, they see the rise of military generals and feel that their own position is no longer secure.
As the Minister of Rites, Hu Yi felt that he should say something, but he didn't know where to start.
The soldiers were very enthusiastic and escorted Zhu Qizhen into the city through Anding Gate.
People along the street burned incense and worshiped, holding incense burners in their hands, waiting to see the triumphant emperor with their own eyes.
There have long been rumors that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty led 3,000 men deep into the desert and fought their way in and out of the rear of the Oirat Mongols seven times, which sounded incredible.
The storytellers in the teahouse had already started their stories, but they dared not mention the emperor's name. They only said that during the Western Han Dynasty, a young general named Huo Qubing, who was only seventeen years old, led eight hundred cavalrymen to attack the Huns' base camp at the age of hundreds of miles, killing more than two thousand enemies. He became a god in one battle and was awarded the title of Marquis Guanjun.
The common people listened with great interest and naturally knew who the storyteller was referring to. Now that they heard that the emperor was returning to the capital, they lined up one by one, just waiting to get a taste of the true dragon's luck.
The three thousand troops entered the city. With civil and military officials in front of them, they slowed down their pace. However, the people did not show any impatience and could not get enough of looking at the triumphant soldiers.
Those who had children in the team would be even more excited. They would give pointers from time to time and loudly introduce to their neighbors that this was their children's team.
Finally, the emperor arrived and the welcoming ceremony reached its climax.
Seeing the people's reactions, Hu Yi murmured to himself: "The emperor has matured!"
At first he thought that the emperor's move was a bit ridiculous. Leading two thousand troops through the city was simply ignoring the safety of the capital. The announcement of the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine made him even more surprised.
The Martyrs' Shrine will be used to commemorate the soldiers who died on the battlefield for the country. This move immediately won the hearts of the military and civilians. If someone stood up to oppose it at this time, it is hard to imagine what the outcome would be.
Two thousand soldiers and horses marched in neat and majestic steps along the main street all the way to Chongwenmen, turned west, and finally arrived at Damingmen.
At this point, the three thousand camps stopped and formed a neat square formation.
Li Zhen rode forward and shouted, "Three thousand troops have been assembled. Please give instructions, Your Majesty!"
Zhu Qizhen jumped on his horse and drew the sword from his waist, which sparkled in the sunlight.
He looked at the familiar faces below, as if he was back in the endless grassland, the endless Onon River, the icy Lake Baikal, and the endless north wind.
"The Ming army is mighty!"
"Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!"
Two thousand soldiers shouted in unison, their voices were sonorous and powerful, piercing the sky.
Zhu Qizhen was very satisfied. Through the experience of this battle, the Three Thousand Battalion had long since grown into a battle-hardened force. The ills accumulated over the Ming Dynasty over a hundred years had already emerged. Reforms must be made from top to bottom, whether in the military, politics, agriculture or commerce. Now that they had the Three Thousand Battalion as their trump card, building the army would be much easier.
"Li Zhen, arrange for the soldiers to return to the base and reward them well tonight!"
"I obey your order!"
Next, all the officials escorted Zhu Qizhen into the palace. Empress Dowager Sun and Queen Qian had been waiting for a long time. When they heard the deafening shouts outside the palace, they were already filled with tears of excitement.
Now that I see the emperor returning safely, I can't stop crying.
Zhu Qizhen first paid his respects to Empress Dowager Sun, and then looked at Queen Qian, who was crying with tears in her eyes, looking very pitiful.
I have to say that the queens of the Ming Dynasty were very beautiful. From what I remember, No. 18 was still quite pretty, but compared to the Queen Qian in front of me, forget it, there is no comparison...
In the Fengtian Hall, all officials came to the court to meet the emperor, and the first court meeting after Emperor Zhengtong's return from the expedition officially began.
Zhu Qizhen didn't bother to be polite with anyone and just came up and announced three things directly.
First, the construction of the Martyrs' Shrine, which was already discussed before entering the city.
Second, all soldiers will be rewarded according to their merits, and the dead and wounded will be resettled and given pensions.
Third, investigate Wang Zhen’s followers, and anyone who is close to Wang Zhen will be strictly investigated.
The ministers had no objection to the second and third points. After all, if they were fighting a war, then those who won would be rewarded according to their merits. As for investigating Wang Zhen's followers, in fact, all the officials in the court had long disliked Wang Zhen, but they were unable to do anything about it because Wang Zhen was too powerful.
However, there were differences of opinion on the first point, the construction of a shrine to martyrs.
Minister of Rites Hu Yi was the first to speak: "I have read through the ancestral rituals, but I don't know what specifications the Martyrs' Shrine should have. If the emperor sympathizes with the soldiers on the front line, I suggest giving them more rewards!"
Zhu Qizhen's face began to look ugly, and before he could say anything, Zhang Fuxian couldn't help but stand up.
"Minister Hu is wrong. Building the Martyrs' Shrine is a century-long plan of our dynasty. How can it be compared with a mere reward?"
Hu Yi said with a dark face: "There is no precedent for this in the Martyrs' Shrine. How can we take the emperor's words of comforting those soldiers seriously!"
"That's just nonsense!" Zhang Fu pointed at Hu Yi's nose and retorted, "Soldiers fought on the battlefield, don't they deserve to have a ancestral hall?"
Hu Yi continued to speak calmly, "It's not that they are not worthy, but the court is in a tight financial situation right now. Every year, we have to support the military expenses of the nine borders. We have already been stretched to the limit due to disasters in various places. We simply can't come up with that much money. If we hastily build it, it will be disrespectful to the soldiers. Minister Wang, don't you think this is the truth?"
Wang Zuo, the Minister of Revenue, was watching the show while eating melons. Suddenly, Hu Yi called his name. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Minister Hu is right. The Ministry of Revenue is indeed... nervous."
Zhang Fu angrily said, "Minister Wang, it was the emperor and the soldiers who rushed to the front to keep you safe. Now you are just asking us to build a shrine, but you are so harsh. Are you worthy of the soldiers who died on the front line?"
"Duke Ying is right!" Taining Marquis Chen Ying also stood up and said, "When the late emperor was in power, he never criticized the Ming soldiers so harshly."
Wang Zuo was immediately in a dilemma and could only say, "You two may not know that our dynasty's finances are indeed in a state of dire straits. How about cutting some of the military salaries of the garrisons in various places? Perhaps we can raise enough silver. What do you think, Minister Yu?"
Yu Qian raised his head and said in bewilderment, "How can we cut the military pay?"
Wang Zuo said helplessly: "Minister Yu said it's no use, so there's nothing I can do!"
"When did I say it's not possible?" Yu Qian was so angry that he wanted to curse, "I said that the military pay of the garrisons in various places cannot be cut, but the Martyrs' Shrine still needs to be repaired!"
Wang Zuo spread his hands and said, "I don't have any money!"
Yu Qian said with a dark face: "If you don't have money, your Ministry of Revenue can find a way. Do you have to ask the Ministry of War for such a matter?"
Just as everyone was arguing, Zhu Qizhen, who was sitting on the dragon throne, finally could not sit still anymore.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing!"
