Chapter 59: Where Are the Soldiers of the Three Armies?

With this in mind, Liu Zeqing let out a cold, sharp laugh. "It seems that Master Qin Xia is unaware that I also have five hundred personal retainers under my command! Since you wish to conduct an inspection, do not overlook these five hundred crack troops of mine!"

After speaking, Liu Zeqing cast a piercing gaze at Zhu Cilang, then stood up abruptly. He raised his right hand, splayed his fingers, and gestured sharply into the air.

At once, not far from where Liu Zeqing stood, the formation of five hundred retainers clad in cotton-padded armor—positioned opposite the seventeen veteran guards—snapped into a solemn, rigid stance. Following Liu Zeqing’s signal, the five hundred men marched forward in perfect unison, turning to face the hundred or so musketeers under the command of the seventeenth guard. As they stared each other down, it was as if sparks were flying between them.

Seeing this, Yang Chuan and Sheng Zhongquan exchanged a look, and smiles bloomed across their faces.

"Master Qin, how do these five hundred personal retainers of the Shandong Garrison compare to the patrol troops of the Tax Office under your command?" Sheng Zhongquan asked, looking at Zhu Cilang with an implication that needed no explanation.

In the late Ming Dynasty, battles were rarely fought by standard government troops. When the annual military budget for ten thousand men was issued, it passed through the Ministry of Revenue and provincial officials before reaching the generals, by which time only about forty percent remained. Even if a general were scrupulously honest, a ten-thousand-man payroll could only support four thousand soldiers. If one encountered a commander like Liu Zeqing—who was notorious for embezzling military funds and bleeding his troops dry—that same budget might only sustain two or three thousand.

Even then, the soldiers' pay was often discounted. The "conscientious" ones paid eighty percent, while the ruthless ones left the soldiers with barely enough for a meager ration.

Consequently, Ming generals often had to rely on their personal retainers to fight wars. Unlike the regular soldiers listed on official rosters, these personal retainers were the generals' own private property and were effectively professional soldiers. They rarely had to worry about basic survival; no matter how greedy a general was, he would still provide eighty or ninety percent of their pay. A commander like Liu Zeqing, who obsessed over maintaining these retainers, would even offer rewards from time to time to secure their loyalty. Such retainers were far more obedient, well-drilled, and skilled in martial arts.

Thus, when Liu Zeqing realized that his five thousand "window-dressing" soldiers could not intimidate Zhu Cilang, he immediately brought out his personal elite.

Although the hundred-odd personal guards in Zhu Cilang’s hands were indeed fierce and capable, in Liu Zeqing’s eyes, their prowess was limited to one-on-one combat; they would surely crumble in a large-scale brawl.

Sure enough, as the five hundred retainers moved into position, a sudden hush fell over the field.

Liu Zeqing’s force of five hundred retainers was considered substantial among the northern generals. Regardless of their true quality, the sheer display of force alone served to bolster the morale of his camp.

*So, Master Qin Xia, you want an inspection?*

*Fine!*

*I will show you the elite troops I have at my disposal!*

*Once you are suppressed, won't you be mine to manipulate as I please?*

Thinking this, Liu Zeqing looked at Zhu Cilang with a slow-growing smile, as if he could already see the young man begging for mercy.

Behind Zhu Cilang, Chang Zhilang felt a wave of anxiety. In the current situation, if Zhu Cilang tried to use force, he would likely be soundly beaten. Moreover... these were all imperial officials and troops; how had it come to this?

Chang Zhilang felt the world had descended into madness, yet to the local veterans like Liu Zeqing, Yang Chuan, and Sheng Zhongquan, this was perfectly normal. If they could truly extort one hundred thousand taels of silver from Zhu Cilang, what did it matter if the internal strife reached the imperial court?

"Come, come, let us calculate how much military funding should be issued for such a formidable force. Master Qin is, after all, the God of Wealth for our Linqing; a single Tax Office can collect two or three thousand taels of silver a day. Surely, a mere one hundred thousand taels for military expenses is no problem!" Yang Chuan clapped his hands, quietly doubling the fifty thousand taels he had mentioned moments before. And this, clearly, did not even include the kickbacks they expected from weapons and armor procurement.

Sheng Zhongquan also laughed. "Indeed, indeed. Given Master Qin’s generosity, once he has seen such elite troops, he surely won't be stingy with the supplies."

Zhu Cilang narrowed his eyes as he assessed the five hundred retainers.

This was clearly Liu Zeqing’s greatest reliance—the very foundation of all his wealth and power.

But in Zhu Cilang's eyes... they were nothing special.

Ruan Yingzhao and Liu Kecheng, two of Liu Zeqing’s subordinate generals, had not gone so far as to drag beggars off the street to fill their ranks for pay. However, in Zhu Cilang’s view, the so-called combat troops under their command were no better than beggars.

With their monthly pay of one tael and five mace being skimmed until only five or seven mace remained—often delayed by months—these soldiers could barely feed themselves, let alone undergo training.

More importantly, to these generals, these soldiers were nothing more than cannon fodder. It was absurd to suggest the generals valued them; they treated them as slave property. While they might not intentionally starve them to death, there was certainly no care or respect to be found.

Since the generals did not treat the soldiers as human beings, there was no reason for the soldiers to risk their lives for these masters.

Naturally, such a force possessed no spirit or resolve. To Zhu Cilang’s discerning eye, calling them "beggars" was actually a compliment.

As for these retainers under Liu Zeqing, under Zhu Cilang’s scrutiny, they managed to rise above the level of beggars, barely qualifying as a functional fighting force.

But to call them "elite"... that was out of the question.

They were merely a standard army that had undergone some training; their morale was mediocre, and they possessed neither brilliant battle records nor any shred of conviction.

As these thoughts turned in Zhu Cilang’s mind, he spoke with a subtle expression: "As for the military supplies... I naturally intend to provide them."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zeqing laughed without restraint. "Haha, good. Those who know the times are wise men!"

Yang Chuan and Sheng Zhongquan exchanged a glance, each seeing the triumph in the other’s eyes. Simultaneously, a thought occurred to them both: *If we don't squeeze one hundred and fifty thousand taels out of Master Qin after being toyed with by him, how could we ever be satisfied?*

Just as they were envisioning their one hundred and fifty thousand taels...

Zhu Cilang’s expression shifted, his tone changed, and an imposing aura surged from his entire being: "But that funding is for the three thousand elite troops under my own command! What are these broken scraps and beggar-like things in the Shandong Garrison that they deserve to receive silver from my hands?"

Before they could interrupt, Zhu Cilang shouted at the top of his voice: "Liu Sheng, Liu Zhen, Liu Quan!"

"Where are the troops of the three armies? Enter the camp for inspection!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the drums began to roll again.

*Boom, boom, boom...*

"Subordinate Liu Sheng, here! Infantry battalion, listen up! Fall in, march in step! Enter the camp for inspection!"

A clear, resonant voice rang out.

*Thump, thump, thump...*

The sound of uniform footsteps echoed once more.

Led by Liu Sheng, the soldiers, clad in crisp, new-style military uniforms, marched in perfect formation into the grand parade ground.