106: New Army

Chapter 106 New Army

zhengyong Year 6, August 2nd.

Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate Yuan Qichang impeached Tian Wenjing, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. The Emperor was furious and ordered a joint trial by the Three Judicial Offices!

zhengyong Year 6, August 9th.

Tian Wenjing was escorted back to the capital and detained in the Dali Temple Heavenly Prison.

zhengyong Year 6, August 10th.

Tian Wenjing's younger sister, Consort Wen, pleaded for her brother and forced her way into White Jade Capital. The Emperor was furious, stripped her of her title, and demoted her to a beauty.

zhengyong Year 6, August 15th.

Tian Wenjing committed suicide in the Dali Temple Heavenly Prison, but fortunately was saved by the Shadow Guard, and at the same time, seven Dali Temple jailers and wardens were arrested.

That night, Tian Wenjing was transferred to the Jinyi Guard's imperial prison.

The seven Dali Temple jailers, wardens, and others were also detained.

zhengyong Year 6, August 20th.

Zhou Zicheng, the Right Minister of Dali Temple, hanged himself, leaving a suicide note confessing to all crimes.

The Emperor was furious.

zhengyong Year 6, August 25th.

Tian Wenjing confessed, implicating thirty-two officials of various ranks.

zhengyong Year 6, August 26th.

Following the clues, the Jinyi Guard arrested officials related to the Yong Province Grand Canal.

Chen Dongming, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel; Pan Shien, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue; supervising censors from the Censorate; and others were arrested and imprisoned.

zhengyong Year 6, September 3rd.

A total of 131 officials of various ranks within Yong Province were arrested and imprisoned, including over thirty local landlords and Family members.

Some Family members used fortified manors as cities to drive away the arresting personnel.

Some Family members even contacted rebels, gathering mountain bandits and others to besiege the county government office, thereby rebelling!

zhengyong Year 6, September 10th.

A total of seventy-three officials of various ranks within Bing Province were arrested and imprisoned.

Bing Province Family also contacted local mountain bandits and horse thieves to attack the county government office, but they were suppressed by General Cui Xiawu, who happened to be escorting indemnities, horses, livestock, and other goods.

To wipe out the rebels in Bing Province, Cui Xiawu, at the repeated requests of local officials in Bing Province, temporarily stationed himself in Jinyang Commandery to suppress the rebellion.

zhengyong Year 6, September 15th.

The entire province of Yong rebelled, and the unrest spread to Shu Province, Bing Province, You Province, Jing Province, Yangzhou, and other places where rebels also roamed.

zhengyong Year 6, September 20th.

An official submitted a memorial to re-establish the system of regional governors to suppress the rioters in various provinces, but was rebuked by Emperor Zhengyong.

zhengyong Year 6, September 25th.

Lu Xiangqing was transferred to Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and the former Jiangzuo Administration Commissioner Zheng Xuanyue was transferred to Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Liang Fan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was transferred to the position of Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate.

zhengyong Year 6, October 1st.

Tian Wenjing and twenty-two other officials of various ranks were beheaded at the vegetable market.

Tian Wenjing had his nine familial generations executed.

More than a hundred other officials with slightly lesser crimes avoided execution by paying 890,000 mu of atonement fields.

zhengyong Year 6, October 5th.

Beauty Wen committed suicide in the harem. Remembering her two years of entering the palace and her meritorious service in caretaking, Your Majesty had her buried with the rituals of a consort.

zhengyong Year 6, October 10th.

Zheng Yi's figure appeared in a large drill field at the foot of Tianshou Mountain.

Under Zheng Yi's instruction, Tianshou Mountain had long gradually transformed into a New Army training camp.

About two years ago, after the Ministry of Works developed matchlock guns under Zheng Yi's guidance, he already had the idea of training a New Army.

In his conception, the New Army was completely modeled after modern military standards and transformed according to the actual situation of Great Yu.

Organized into divisions, regiments, battalions, and companies, a division had about ten thousand people, formed by four regiments, with each regiment having about three thousand people.

Moreover, they were equipped with the more advanced flintlock muskets!

As early as a year ago, the Ministry of Works had developed flintlock muskets under Zheng Yi's conception.

Compared with previous matchlock guns, the flintlock muskets were of higher quality, more accurate, and had a longer shooting range.

In addition to flintlock muskets, each soldier was also equipped with 50 rounds of ammunition, 20 wooden-handled grenades, and a bayonet that could be attached to the muzzle of the flintlock musket.

Each regiment was equipped with 100 Red Barbarian Cannons, maintained and cared for by specially trained artillerymen.

Zheng Yi did not form a specialized artillery regiment; besides the scarcity of cannons, the reason was also that the weight of the cannons nowadays was simply too heavy, greatly reducing mobility.

As such, it was better to distribute the Red Barbarian Cannons evenly among the various regiments of the New Army for them to use freely.

Today's arsenal, under the dual effect of Zheng Yi's heavy financial investment and the recruitment of refugees, already had more than 20,000 workers.

The flintlock muskets, gunpowder, ammunition, grenades, and Red Barbarian Cannons produced daily were a huge number.

As for these firearms, guns, grenades, and other thermal weapons, apart from a portion distributed to the Imperial Guards, Shenji Camp, Minister Miao, Shi Heilang, Xu Mujun, and other people's troops...

Over seventy percent of the consumption was all spent on the New Army!

Zheng Yi had formed as many as five divisions of the New Army.

Coupled with auxiliary troops and baggage troops, the number of the New Army reached over 100,000 people!

I wonder what kind of impact a modernized army of over 100,000 holding flintlock muskets and supported by artillery would cause to this world?

Moreover, the most important thing was that, apart from these more than 50,000 New Army soldiers who had been trained for two years, he had also continuously recruited refugees and trained new troops over these two years.

The second and third batches of the New Army were still training today, and in another two years, it would be their stage!

The second batch, 80,000 people.

The third batch, 150,000 people!

This was already the limit that Zheng Yi could bear with all the current circulating funds of his inner treasury plus the Royal Chamber of Commerce.

They had to be taken out for military training to test their success, and they also had to annihilate those families and landlords to make up for the royal losses.

Zheng Yi slowly walked up to the podium, facing rows of neatly standing, burning-eyed young men.

New Army!

Each of them wore camouflage uniforms, held flintlock muskets, and their gazes followed Zheng Yi's movement.

"Salute~!!!"

A soldier transformed from a Shadow Guard shouted loudly. With a 'swish' sound, the huge square formation of over 50,000 people almost uniformly raised their hands in a salute and shouted in unison: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"

"May Your Majesty live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"

Over 50,000 people shouted long live, their Aura soaring to the skies, and the birds in the surrounding forest were frightened into flight.

"Everyone, attention!!!"

With another 'swish' sound, over 50,000 people stood at attention simultaneously, their Aura majestic.

To train these more than 50,000 people, Zheng Yi had indeed invested a massive fortune.

They were all selected from refugees across various places, and they were already deeply grateful to Zheng Yi.

Not only were their rations and pay sufficient, but he also frequently came to give them speeches and training.

Moreover, he sent most of the young Shadow Guards deep into the New Army to explain the magnificent achievements of Your Majesty to them.

Under Zheng Yi's deliberate cultivation and narration, it was enough to guarantee the loyalty of these more than 50,000 people.

Furthermore, Zheng Yi specially selected a large number of activists and loyal individuals among them, recruited them as members of the Emperors Party, and assigned positions such as company commanders and battalion commanders based on their personal abilities and training scores.

As for the regiment commanders and division commanders, they were served by experienced generals transferred from the Imperial Guards and Shenji Camp.

Trained as such, the new soldiers of over 50,000 far exceeded ordinary commandery troops in both physical fitness and combat awareness.

What they lacked now was simply actual combat experience.

And now, what Zheng Yi was doing was to enhance their actual combat experience!

"Gentlemen!"

Zheng Yi spoke, and with the blessing of his mighty Internal Energy, his voice spread throughout the entire military camp.

Almost every single one of the more than 50,000 new soldiers could hear his clear voice.

"Raise an army for a thousand days, use them for a single moment!"

"Now our Great Yu is tottering, and we desperately need loyal men like you to restore order and protect the common people of the world!"

"Today there are disloyal people in Yong Province who bewitch refugees to cause chaos, and even slaughter the Son of Heaven's personal army, taking cities as strongpoints to rebel against Great Yu. This is truly the utmost disrespect!"

"After two years of training, it is time for you to pacify the war and chaos for the people of the world, for Great Yu, and for Us, slaughtering the rebels and returning peace to the world!"

His voice spread throughout the entire camp, echoing in the ears of every new soldier.

The more than 50,000 new soldiers immediately shouted in unison: "To die for Your Majesty!!!"

Their voices shook the clouds, like dark clouds pressing down on a city.

"Dismissed!"

"Prepare to break camp!"

Led by their respective officers, the more than 50,000 people immediately dismissed and prepared for the departure.

As for Zheng Yi, he came to the military tent and granted an audience to the five division commanders.

These five people were all capable generals carefully selected by Zheng Yi.

Although young, they were loyal enough, and they all came from the Emperors Party, being incomparably loyal to him.

The First Division Commander, Qu Bo, came from the Shadow Guard and was a member of the Emperors Party.

Twenty-seven years old, a First Grade Realm Martial Artist.

The Second Division Commander, Tian Yiguang.

Thirty-eight years old, fourth place in the martial examination, a First Grade Realm Martial Artist.

Formerly an Imperial Guard, he had guarded Zheng Yi for several years and was gradually infected by Zheng Yi's personal charm.

His salary and rewards were never interrupted, and his loyalty to Zheng Yi grew daily.

Furthermore, after Zheng Yi's review, he joined the Emperors Party.

The Third Division Commander, Yao Song.

Thirty-two years old, a Second Grade Realm Martial Artist.

Formerly a chiliarch of the Imperial Guards and a captain of the Shenji Camp, he was a comrade-in-arms of Zhao Tieshan and entered the New Army upon Zhao Tieshan's recommendation.

After undergoing a series of training and having excellent assessment scores during the training period, along with experience in firearm combat, he was specially promoted to the Third Division Commander.

The Fourth Division Commander, Xu Hu.

Forty-five years old, a Second Grade Realm Martial Artist.

Formerly a personal soldier of Xu Mujun and a member of the Xu Family, he retired after being severely injured and disabled, living a sloppy and helpless late life.

Later, he was promoted by Zheng Yi to train the New Army.

Because Zheng Yi had the grace of promoting him, coupled with the orders of Xu Mujun and Xu Qingluan, he died for Your Majesty.

The Fifth Division Commander, Zheng Yuanqing.

Thirty-one years old, a First Grade Realm Martial Artist.

Emperor Zhengyong's paternal cousin, a member of the imperial clan, and the second son of Zheng Zongxian.

Since childhood, he loved brandishing swords and spears. Under Zheng Zongxian's influence, his martial arts progress was rapid, and he had a close relationship with Zheng Yi.

His personality loved military life the most, but Prince Xian had explicitly forbidden him from joining the army.

Later, he was persuaded by Zheng Yi and ordered to join the New Army. He showed great interest and talent in firearms, and his marksmanship was astonishing.

These five people were all close to Zheng Yi—either they were Shadow Guards, promoted by Zheng Yi, owed Zheng Yi immense favors, or were members of his own clan.

In this way, the absolute loyalty of the New Army could be guaranteed.

Even if Zheng Yi used some loyal and mediocre people, he would never employ those with disloyal intentions.

The same was true for other regiment commanders, battalion commanders, and company commanders.

"We subordinates greet Your Majesty!"

Zheng Yi walked in, and the five of them simultaneously knelt on one knee, respectfully saluting.

"Rise and be excused!"

Zheng Yi sat on the main seat and said calmly: "As the saying goes, a soldier who has not seen blood is not a qualified soldier."

"The new recruits have been newly formed for two years now, and it is time to bring them out to experience real war!"

"My five beloved ministers, do you have confidence?"

The five people's eyes lit up, and Zheng Yuanqing took the lead in saying: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. Although the New Army was newly formed, with Your Majesty's sharp firearms plus the new method of troop training, it is enough to match a hundred with one!"

"No, it is to match a thousand, to match ten thousand with one!"

"Good!"

Zheng Yi clapped and said: "What We want is precisely this kind of morale from you!"

"For this military training, the First Division, Second Division, and Third Division will enter Yong Province to fight."

"The Fourth Division and Fifth Division will enter Shu Province to fight."

"We will not give you explicit missions; everyone has the right to act expediently."

"Suppressing rioters, killing bandit leaders, and capturing rebels will all be decided by you without needing to ask for instructions."

"Do you all have confidence?"

Using a New Army equipped with new firearms to deal with a group of rebels who might not even have armor, Zheng Yi felt it was a bit like using anti-aircraft guns to shoot mosquitoes.

If they still couldn't suppress the rioters under such circumstances, they might as well buy a piece of tofu and crash into it to die.

The real purpose of this operation was still to train the troops!

Let this group of new recruits all see blood!

The five people said in unison: "To die for Your Majesty!"

Xu Hu, who had the richest actual combat experience among the five, suddenly said: "Your Majesty, five divisions are entering Bing Province and Shu Province to suppress the rioters, what about Bing Province?"

"We have our own arrangements for Bing Province."

Zheng Yi said calmly: "You five must remember, when suppressing rioters, as long as the rioters flee, do not pursue them. After all, they are all Our subjects, just bewitched by people with ulterior motives."

"But when facing anti-rebel armies, as well as rebellious landlords and Families, kill them without pardon. Do you understand?"

"We subjects obey the decree!"

"Go down and prepare; we will set off soon."

"Understood!"

The five people successively retreated, but Liu Chengen walked in from outside and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, someone requests an audience."

"Who?"

Zheng Yi frowned and said: "Didn't We say that when We are in the military camp, all political affairs are to be handled by the Cabinet?"

"It is not political affairs."

Liu Chengen said in a low voice: "It is... the Mojin Captains and the others."