Chapter 446 Awarding Officers
Chapter 446 Awarding Officers
At the beginning of April, the government troops began to gather one after another.
The first to arrive in Xuchang were the Yushan Defense from Yangdi and the Yingqiao Defense from Xiangcheng.
There were more than 560 people in total, carrying swords and holding bows, and their spirits were high.
On the fourth day of April, the shogunate distributed a batch of crowns, clothes, and utensils.
"This is called a 'military cap', and each person has one. If you lose it, you will have to pay for it." The clerk took a military cap from the cart and handed it to the commander of the troops, Xu Meng.
Xu Meng was a native of Yingchuan, and claimed that his ancestors were from another branch of the Xu family of Zhaoling. But seeing how he looked like a wretch, with a big body and few words to his name, everyone laughed at him for pretending to be a scholar.
This time he made a fool of himself again. Looking at the military cap in his hand, he complained to the clerk, "I have heard of the practice of adding sable hair to a dog's tail, but why is there no sable hair on this military cap?"
The clerk laughed when he heard this and said, "Don't be ridiculous, Commander Xu. How can a military commander compare to Diao Chan?"
Diao Chan is a common name.
There is a rule in the imperial court that the Shizhong and Changshi wear a military cap with a golden pendant, a cicada pattern on it, and a sable hair and golden pole. The Shizhong wears the left pendant and the Changshi wears the right pendant.
This is a legacy of the crown worn by King Wuling of Zhao when he wore Hu clothing and rode and shot arrows.
The north was cold, and the Hu people often used mink fur to warm their foreheads. The Zhao people learned from this and began to wear it as a crown. After the Qin Dynasty conquered Zhao, it gave this crown to its courtiers for use. This custom has been followed since the Han and Wei dynasties.
This crown is also known as the Diao Chan Crown. The warrior who wears this crown is also called Diao Chan. Generally, it can only be worn by middle and senior generals or the emperor's servants. For example, the crown that Shao Xun often wears is the Diao Chan Crown.
Xu Meng heard some news from somewhere, but didn't fully understand it, so he made a fool of himself.
"This crown is not called 'Diao Chan', it's called 'Long Crown'." The clerk picked up another martial crown and tapped it lightly with his fingers. A few dull sounds were heard, indicating that it was quite hard.
The cage crown is considered the "basic style" of the military crown, with a flat upper cap as the lining and a painted gauze cap on top. The fabric used to make the cap is originally quite sparse, but after being painted, it becomes a cage-shaped hard shell.
The cage crown is also called Wubian.
After the explanation, the clerk distributed military caps and uniforms to the generals, deputy generals, chief secretaries, and Sima of other departments.
The system of government soldiers is being improved, but the system is rough.
According to the preliminary design, each defense would have 300 people and a Sima of the Separate Department would be appointed. When Liu Bei was the Prime Minister of Pingyuan, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei had served as Sima of the Separate Department.
The four defenses are supervised by one officer, and the chief officer is the military supervisor. There is also a military general, a deputy military general, and a military chief secretary. The chief and deputy military generals are responsible for training during the slack season, and the chief secretary is responsible for clerical and logistical work.
When not going out to fight, the government soldiers are scattered in the countryside. Anyone who fails to order the garrison commander, garrison commander-in-chief, deputy garrison commander, garrison chief secretary, or other garrison commander to gather them will be executed immediately.
In other words, the lower-level soldiers of the government soldiers usually farmed and practiced martial arts at home. Except for collective military training during the slack season, the officers and soldiers of the government soldiers were not allowed to be summoned at will - this was a routine explored in the Tang Dynasty, which effectively prevented the soldiers from being controlled by the generals.
From this we can see that the soldiers did not spend much time together, and the officers were not very familiar with their subordinates' abilities and personalities. Strictly speaking, this was not very good. Compared with the recruited soldiers who had been together for many years, there was a lot less mutual understanding and cooperation.
But this is a low-cost force. After a one-time investment, the daily maintenance costs are very low.
The government soldiers also have their own advantages, namely that they can purchase equipment suitable for their own use and decide for themselves how to hone their martial arts.
In general, after a long time, the martial arts of the palace soldiers were quite good, and they were versatile, able to use all kinds of weapons and had strong adaptability on the battlefield.
After issuing the military cap, they also issued official uniforms and swords.
Officials above the seventh rank wore court robes because they were qualified to attend court, although they did not necessarily actually attend.
Officials of the seventh rank and below wear official uniforms.
Official uniform, also known as provincial uniform, is a simplified version of court uniform, without white collar and collar, white edge, ribbon, knee-guard, hairpin, etc.
He didn't have a sword originally, this was a special request from Shao Xun.
But this sword...
"It's actually a wooden sword! Is the court so poor?" someone shouted.
"You know what, although this sword can't kill people, it's quite beautiful." Someone teased.
On the sword head, there are carvings of jade, gold, silver, and tortoise shell, depending on the grade.
Everyone touched the sword head and looked at the scabbard with exquisite patterns painted on it, and a different kind of emotion arose in their hearts.
Military caps, official uniforms, swords, and even boots were distributed.
Some people couldn't wait and took off their clothes on the spot and put on new clothes, which made others laugh.
The clerk shook his head and smiled bitterly.
The vulgar people are like monkeys in human clothing. The morals of the world are going downhill. The morals of the world are going downhill.
He recalled the old events during the time of Sima Lun, the Prince of Zhao. Even the servants in the palace were given official titles and were notorious for adding insult to injury. That was probably the first time in the dynasty that the dignity of officials and ministers was trampled underfoot.
This is the second time Mr. Chen has done this. Alas.
Although he works for the shogunate, it doesn't mean he approves of everything.
These clumsy and sturdy men in front of me can't read a single word, and they only know how to pick up knives and kill people.
The majestic official uniforms always look funny when worn by them.
Official uniforms, court robes, crown ornaments, etc., are very dependent on the quality of the person who wears them.
When some people wear it, they look handsome and graceful, with extraordinary bearing, giving people a feeling of being in the air and detached from the world.
When some people wear it, it looks awkward and ugly no matter how they wear it.
In fact, it doesn't look good on Mr. Chen, but he has a good temperament. He is calm and peaceful, intimidating without being angry, and has a bit of majesty.
These newly appointed military governors and generals are far inferior.
Look at them joking with each other -
"When Governor Xu wears this, his wife won't recognize him when he gets home. I'm afraid he'll be kicked out of the house."
"Your mother! Why does this official uniform feel heavier than iron armor when I wear it?"
"Haha, the authority is very powerful."
"That's right. I'm an official now, and I won't take it off even when I sleep." "When I return to Yangdi in a while, I'll go to the homes of those Tu people. They rely on their thousands of troops and act bossy all the time, but they're actually just commoners. Damn it, I'll make them kneel down."
"Haha, don't be like that. When they see you become an official, they will bring their troops to serve you overnight, and maybe they will become a higher official than you."
"Ha ha!"
Everyone was overjoyed, with smiles from the heart on their faces.
I no longer have to worry about food and clothing, and now I have an official position, so my life is more promising.
After all, all of this was given by Mr. Chen.
After returning home, he urged his sons and nephews to intensify their martial arts training so that they could continue to fight for Mr. Chen in the future and fight for a bright future.
Well, it would be better for him to learn a few more words. Don't be like him who can't read a single word. It will be difficult for him to get promoted, let alone become a local official.
But these are all happy troubles.
Even if he is a military officer of the seventh, eighth or ninth rank, he is a figure that cannot be ignored in the village. Who dares to bully him?
The clerk watched silently from the side, feeling as if something in his heart was broken and he felt extremely uncomfortable.
But he is very good at adjusting his mentality.
The fact that these rough and crude warriors could become officials meant that scholars like him without any family background also had the possibility of rising.
Admittedly, he had read very few books, and the few books he had read were vague and full of errors, and he was not sure whether he had read them correctly.
In terms of cultural level, he is definitely inferior to the children of scholars.
The problem is that his requirements are not high. He just wants an official position, even if it is the lowest level position of the ninth rank.
After becoming an official, he may be invited by people of higher status to attend parties and banquets, and have the opportunity to read more books, learn more things, and slowly accumulate wealth.
By then, future generations will certainly be more knowledgeable than him and will be able to go further than him.
This is how a family overcomes difficulties and moves forward generation after generation.
"Lord Chen will summon you tomorrow. Please wear your official uniforms and military caps and don't be late for the event. Remember this." The clerk gave this warning before leaving.
The few people who were still laughing suddenly looked stern, stood up straight subconsciously, and nodded repeatedly.
******
April 5th, sunny.
Inside the Shao Mansion, Shao Xun picked up a "Buqu Du Seal" and glanced at it.
This was made by the Shaofu, and the efficiency is very high.
The overall size is not big, about two or three centimeters in length, width and height, a very small copper official seal.
There is a camel button on the seal, which looks quite delicate. The text on the bottom of the seal is sharp, upright and clear, and does not seem to be a shoddy product.
He also has an official seal.
The official seal of Duke Chenjun has a horse seal, while the official seal of General Pingdong has a turtle seal. Overall, it is much larger than the "Seal of the Commander of the Buqu Command" and "Seal of the Commander of the Buqu Command", and is more exquisitely made.
"Xu Meng." Shao Xun put down the official seal and called softly.
"I am here." Xu Meng responded loudly.
"Keep this seal. You are now the leader of the Yushan Guards. Thousands of elite soldiers are in your hands. Don't let me down." Shao Xun took his hand, stuffed the seal into his hand, and said.
Xu Meng took the official seal reverently, looking somewhat excited.
Someone coughed lightly.
Xu Meng reacted and knelt down on the spot.
Shao Xun pulled him up and said, "How can you humiliate a brave man? Come here, give him two pieces of silk and some wine and food."
"Yes." A servant immediately went to prepare.
Next, Shao Xun distributed official seals to several other people.
Everyone had to give some encouragement, and some even called out their names, which made them very excited.
"You all deserve this." Shao Xun waved his hand to let everyone sit down, and said with a smile: "I also rose from the sword, and I know it's not easy to be a warrior. Fighting in the battlefield, how can you justify not rewarding your merits? Even if the court forgets, I will ask for it for you."
Everyone looked excited after hearing this.
Who said that you must be rewarded for your meritorious service? There is no such rule in the imperial court.
Giving you a reward is a gift.
It is normal not to give you a reward.
This has been the case not only in the Ming Dynasty but also since the Han Dynasty.
Only a few people were awarded titles for military merit. Most people received no reward for their achievements because fighting was their duty.
What reward shall be given to the peasants who were called up from the fields, who have left their homes abandoned, and who are then sent home?
Who will provide compensation after death in battle?
How many so-called Yulin orphans are there? They are just pretending.
Moreover, I can't pretend to do it. What's your identity? Are you qualified to be a Yulin Lang after you died in battle?
Identity is an invisible but unmistakable chasm.
Being able to help these lowest-level fighters stand out and become high-ranking officials is like being their second parents.
This kind of good thing usually only happens when troubled times begin and a new dynasty is established.
Well, the new dynasty was established...
Everyone was thoughtful and even slowly developed greater ambitions.
The servants brought up wine and food, and everyone had a portion.
Shao Xun saw this and said with a smile: "Let's go to the courtyard to have a drink together and have fun with you all."
Everyone responded loudly and followed Shao Xun respectfully.
(End of this chapter)