Chapter 57: Troop Deployment on the Training Ground

[Congratulations to Sword Master Ming Zun on becoming the Captain ~ One More Chapter Added]

“I accept the order!”

“I accept the order!”

Zhou Yanru and Wang Cheng’en responded in unison.

After the two departed, Zhu Youjian opened a memorial that the court officials had not been allowed to see.

It was a petition from Zhu Cilang, urging Liu Zeqing to lead the troops of the Shandong Garrison into Henan to quell the rebellion. Recalling Zhou Yanru’s words, Zhu Youjian sneered coldly.

“The responsibility for arranging funds and provisions should lie with the Ministry of Revenue. When the time comes, they will surely send a deputy minister to Shandong to oversee the procurement. The Ministry of Works and the Ministry of War will handle the preparation of arms and equipment. How could a mere sixth-rank official—even with imperial authorization—manage to procure everything needed for a whole garrison’s officers in Shandong? Liu Zeqing and Zhou Yanru must have ulterior motives!”

“Only my own Qilin son can be wholeheartedly devoted to the public good. Hmph, do they really think that if no provisions are gathered in Shandong, I would be powerless to support my son? I am the Son of Heaven, ruler of all under heaven! The imperial treasury is abundant; what is a little military supply? Even if the tax office has to be emptied out for Cilang to use, so be it. It’s just that the Ministries of War, Works, and Revenue moving into Shandong will inevitably cause delays. But even so, it will be enough for Liu Zeqing to fight well. As for this memorial… sigh, Cilang, although I can appoint you supervisor of the Shandong Garrison without issue, it would be reckless for the Crown Prince to personally lead troops into battle. Military affairs are perilous—how could I bear it?”

With this in mind, Zhu Youjian picked up his red brush and boldly crossed out the words “supervise the army” and “personally lead” on the secret directive.

Just as he put down his brush—

Wang Cheng’en appeared, his face pale as death, followed closely by an even paler Si En. The two approached, and all nearby palace attendants quickly dispersed.

Thud…

Si En knelt deeply, bowing repeatedly. Beside him, Wang Cheng’en forced himself to remain composed, bowing as he spoke: “Your Majesty, urgent news! The Crown Prince… the Crown Prince has… he has…”

“Personally led the troops into Henan!”

Click…

The red brush dropped from the Chongzhen Emperor’s hand.

---

South of Linqing City, the Shandong Garrison’s main drill ground.

Liu Zeqing was brimming with confidence, exchanging smiles with Yang Chuan and Sheng Zhongquan.

How could they not be pleased?

Today was the day the army would set out, and also the day Zhu Cilang was to deliver the military supplies. In recent days, Chang Zhilang had been busy to no end. Meanwhile, the tax office, while collecting revenue, had also begun mobilizing the logistics for military provisions.

It must be said, throughout Linqing Prefecture, even the prefectural government could not mobilize logistical resources as effectively as the tax office.

Don’t forget what kind of place Linqing is.

It is the northern region’s core transport hub. Most of the northern cloth shipments pass through here. Thus, a mere few thousand or tens of thousands of armor pieces were simply a matter of organizing manpower for the tax office.

But this was no difficult task, as Linqing was far from a backward town.

It was densely populated and commercially bustling. There were over a thousand shops in the city and countless workshops. Under Wu Sen’s supervision, within only six days, seventy percent of the military uniforms had already been completed.

The armor was likely to be a bit more troublesome, requiring transfers from various places and reports submitted to the court.

Fortunately, the court had recently issued an imperial edict; the Ministries of War and Works would handle these transfers.

To Liu Zeqing, Yang Chuan, and Sheng Zhongquan, this was like pure silver falling into their pockets—and in boxes, with at least hundreds of thousands in silver.

Now, it was about to be theirs. How could they not be happy?

Perhaps feeling assured of victory, when Liu Zeqing’s subordinates Ruan Yingzhao and Liu Kecheng led their troops into the drill ground, the entire formation was crooked and disorganized, and the assembly lasted barely fifteen minutes.

Though the soldiers barely formed a semblance of a military formation, it took nearly fifteen minutes to straighten out the ranks.

While Liu Zeqing was not particularly skilled at leading troops, he was highly perceptive and clear about the situation in the army. A quick glance revealed that these two fools had only brought their own troops.

What were their own troops?

That meant only the soldiers they truly had on hand.

In truth, the Shandong Garrison’s total military strength was supposed to be four battalions, twenty thousand men. But to say Liu Zeqing really commanded four full battalions was nonsense. Counting his personal guards plus the troops under Liu Kecheng and Ruan Yingzhao, the total did not even reach two full battalions.

A quick scan made it clear. Liu Kecheng had brought about eighteen hundred men, Ruan Yingzhao even fewer, about seventeen hundred. The other officers combined mustered barely a thousand more. Only Liu Zeqing himself was honest, bringing all five hundred-plus of his personal guards.

But even adding them all together, that was roughly five thousand men—yet they were about to receive supplies for twenty thousand!

“Hmph… Although it’s only five thousand men, that’s more than enough to deal with a hundred or so spearmen,” Liu Zeqing thought, though he was displeased that no one had bothered to round up the city’s beggars to bolster their numbers. But considering he had five thousand men, surely Qin Xia wouldn’t dare resist and refuse the silver.

Looking at the black mass of five thousand men arrayed before him, their sheer numbers alone could easily cow Zhu Cilang.

With that thought, Liu Zeqing dismissed the small details.

Once all of Liu Zeqing’s troops had entered the large drill ground, Yang Chuan and Sheng Zhongquan smiled and nodded, laughing heartily.

“Today, Qin Xia won’t escape even if he sprouts wings!” Sheng Zhongquan could hardly contain his joy.

Yang Chuan nodded more reservedly, refraining from speaking outright.

As for Liu Zeqing, he arrogantly declared, “If Qin Xia doesn’t dare show up, I’ll tear down his tax office!”

At this, Yang Chuan could no longer contain his laughter.

But their smiles quickly froze.

Boom…

A drumbeat sounded.

“What’s that noise?” Yang Chuan frowned.

Liu Zeqing’s expression changed; he suddenly recalled a term and exclaimed, “It’s the military drum!”

Sure enough, from the corner of the drill ground, the drumbeats of the capital could be heard striking out.

Step… step…

Alongside the drumbeats, the sound of orderly footsteps echoed.

Liu Zeqing’s gaze sharpened as he looked over, suddenly seeing a hundred spearmen, their formations tight, boots striking the ground in unison.

“So these are the spearmen who completely subdued General Liu Yong?” Liu Zeqing sneered coldly.

However, these spearmen did not wear armor today. They were clad in fresh, uniform military attire. The style was exceptionally new and striking.

Unlike the traditional Ming dynasty short robes or usual armored battle jackets, this uniform featured a standing collar with Ming-style buttons, entirely different from any clothing seen in the market today. The uniform bore no flashy patterns. The bright red tunic exuded a sense of renewed discipline and vigorous spirit.

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