Chapter 444 The Emperor's Invitation
King Donghai and Cui Teng gained a lot. One night and one morning, they captured more than 300 people hurried from the capital, removed their slaves, a total of 132 people, and they were all taken to the military camp. They all trembled with fright, and even hugged their heads and cried, calling their fathers and mothers.
The more these people cried, the happier Cui Teng was, but the King of the East Sea understood that Cui Teng had caused the emperor a big problem.
Han Ruzi himself understands that although this matter can be big or small, it is actually a dilemma: the punishment is too light, it will be cheaper for these pampered and powerful sons, and the trend of "replacing soldiers" will become more popular; the punishment is too heavy, but it involves too much. , is a kind of harm to the emperor and the court.
"Give them a chance and tell those who came from the capital to eliminate the epidemic of the 'Children Army' within two days, which can be regarded as a crime and meritorious service."
Cui Teng was a little disappointed, "Is it so cheap for them?"
The King of the East Sea said: "Speaking of which, in fact, they are all from their own family. These sons are either descendants of the clan or descendants of aristocratic families. They are all related to the royal family. Cui Teng, what do you want your majesty to do? ?"
Cui Teng was silent.
Eliminating the non-existent epidemic disease is of course not a punishment. Han Ruzi continued: "I will also give the 'Children Army' generals two days to clear the camp of impostors. After two days, I will review the army again."
The emperor's will was conveyed, and the "Children's Army" camp became a mess, pretending that the epidemic was the best idea they could come up with. The emperor put a little pressure on them, and they had no idea. They could only wait for the father and brother in the city to come to help. .
The first person who came to intercede for them was Zong Zhengqing Han He. He had a grandson in the camp, not an impostor, but more than half of the perpetrators were clan children and some foreign relatives. Zongzheng's house should be responsible for this.
Han Heel, who was honored by the emperor as "the old man", can't even straighten his waist. He usually takes three breaks for every mile on foot, but now he is running all the way from the city to the hunting ground. I can't gallop, and I arrive at the barracks after nightfall.
Before Han He could rest, he walked into the tent with the help of the servant, and was supported by the eunuch instead. Just as he was about to kneel to meet him, the emperor stood up from his seat, took a few steps to meet him, personally supported one of the old man's arm, and sent him to sit on the stool. it is good.
"This is not the capital, so there is no need to hold ceremony."
Han He really didn't have the strength to pay attention to etiquette, so he sat down, took a few breaths, and was about to speak when the emperor's face suddenly changed, and he said solemnly: "Boss came just right, I have something unclear, and I want to ask the boss to explain. ."
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty, please speak." Han He had to swallow his words first.
"Am I a foolish lord?"
Han Hee was startled, and immediately stood up, but was held down by the emperor.
"Your Majesty is a rare wise monarch in history, how come you say 'dumb monarch'?"
"I am not a smug lord, why does the clan treat me as a stunned lord? Is there something wrong with me that makes the clan unhappy?"
Han He was startled again, but he still couldn't stand up and said with a wry smile: "Your Majesty's words are serious, the clan is your majesty's arm, the family is close relatives with the same surname, and everyone from above and down is grateful for His Majesty's kindness. will also overturn."
Han Ruzi let out a long sigh, "It is not my own power to turn the tide, and there must be many children of the clan to sit in the Quartet to maintain the stability of the Great Chu."
Han He nodded, just as he was about to say his own words, the emperor changed his words and took the lead again.
"After all, I am young, and my father and brother died early. Every time I think of this, I feel sad. The elder is the elder of the clan. I have always regarded the elder as a father and an ancestor, so I urge the elder to come out of the mountain and take charge of the clan again."
The emperor's father and grandfather were all emperors, and Han Heke could not afford such an identity, so he hurriedly said: "The old minister is incompetent, and he failed to educate the children of the clan. I am ashamed of Your Majesty's trust."
"A group of naughty teenagers are making fun, what's wrong with the boss?"
Han He was stunned for a moment. "Young man fooling around" was his rhetoric, but the emperor said it first.
"I have something to ask for, and I hope the boss can help you."
Han He was stunned for a second. He was entrusted by many aristocratic families and tried his best to beg His Majesty's mercy, but the emperor was the first to ask for help. This made him very embarrassed. It was like sitting on a needle felt, "Why did Your Majesty say this? The monarch, the minister, the minister, your Majesty's decree, and the old minister should sacrifice his life and perform his duty."
Han Ruzi shook his head, "That's the problem, I don't want to issue a decree, so as not to hurt the clan's surname, what does the boss think?"
Han He hurriedly said, "That's right, Your Majesty is right, His Majesty means..."
"Please go back to the city, sir, and say to the clan on my behalf: It is my responsibility to face difficulties in the great Chu, and I shall rise to the challenge, but it is difficult to support alone.
Han He was very excited, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty's words are serious, the clan's children can only rush in front of His Majesty, how dare you drag your feet, things in the camp..."
"I don't want to bring this up again." Han Ruzi waved his hand, "I myself am still young, I know what 'young and frivolous' means, and I won't pursue it further. I just have a pure heart, and I don't know how to tell the clan. It is revealed, so please help the boss and make it clear to the imperial family."
Han He said sternly: "I must make it clear, if there is a deceiver in front of Your Majesty, there is no need for His Majesty to speak, and the old minister will kill him under the staff first!"
Han Heel slammed his hands and clenched his teeth.
"With the assurance of the boss, I can rest assured." Han Ruzi let out a sigh of relief, "I have high hopes for this 'children army'. If we can get the sincere support of the clan, this army will be invincible."
Han He was also an old fox, but at this time he didn't understand the meaning of the emperor's words, and he agreed, "I really support it, how could the imperial family not support Your Majesty?"
"I and the clan are my own family, an unusual monarch and minister."
"My family, of course my family."
Han He left, and immediately went to the "Children's Army" camp. He first scolded the impostor, and then scolded the person who suggested to pretend to be sick. Finally, he said: "There is a fire pit in front, Your Majesty asked you to jump, you also Jump down without hesitation, let alone find someone to replace you. Even if you look embarrassed, don't blame the old man for being cruel. Push you down first, and then push your father and brother down together. Don't expect anyone to help you, in the military camp It's all honest here, understand?"
It turned out that it was just verbal punishment, and everyone was relieved. It was nothing to be scolded by Zong Zhengqing, so they all nodded and agreed.
Han He also left a few descendants of the feudal lords alone, and gave special instructions before leaving the camp and returning to Beijing.
After Han He, several other ministers came. One was to plead guilty, and the other was to beg for mercy. Han Ruzi all treated them in the same way, but asked them to help and explain the emperor's intentions to each family.
Two days later, the "epidemic disease" was completely eliminated, and the emperor came to the camp again to review.
This time, the "Children Army" showed its true colors.
The main force in the army is still those "replacement soldiers". They have served in the army in place of their masters since childhood, and they are skilled in drills. When the emperor first inspected them, they were at the front of the line, and behind them were some soldiers who performed better. Dear son, just let them hide in the tent and don't come out. There are two thousand people in total, and no one can see if there are less than one or two hundred people.
Now all tricks are useless, but in just two days, no one can build a well-trained army.
The team was crooked and the orders were confused, and the generals in the army became more and more guilty, but the emperor did not express dissatisfaction, but nodded and said to the generals: "This is the real situation of Da Chu, those false tricks before are also deceiving themselves, It is tantamount to dying in front of the enemy."
The hunting drill, which was postponed for several days, officially began. The emperor participated in the whole process, but rarely spoke.
Except for the five guards, most of the generals are descendants of ordinary families, and it is no problem to arrange troops, but they are too timid to be too strict with the powerful children under their command, and they cannot relax in front of the emperor. , so it's a dilemma.
The hunting effect was unsatisfactory. Each army finally reached the designated position. The missed time was not too long, and there were not too many soldiers left behind. It couldn’t compare with the elite southern and northern armies, but it was not much worse than the ordinary army.
The young soldiers who suffered this kind of hardship for the first time all looked forward to the end of the hunt as soon as possible, but no one thought that the hardship had just begun.
Han Ruzi summoned the Ministry of War officials a few days ago to repeatedly check the roster of the "Children's Army" to ensure that no one was impostor.
Many aristocratic families have "replacement soldiers", and some of them didn't come this time. Han Ruzi "invited" each family to hand over people, and the reason is very simple: "Since it is a "replacement soldier", let's replace it generously. When it's time to hire people, why not let them join the army? It's also a help from each family."
More than 500 "replacement soldiers" were all incorporated into the Northern Army.
The hunting drill that lasted for several days finally came to an end, and the emperor reviewed it again, gave food and wine, and comforted the soldiers.
For the two thousand soldiers of the "Children's Army", the suffering is finally over, and soon they will find that they are facing real suffering.
Han Ruzi summoned more than a dozen major generals and military officials of the "Children's Army" and uttered the decree in public: "To raise soldiers is to practice, to train them to move, although marching is easy, the first exercise of physical strength, the second exercise of coordination, and the third exercise of passwords and banners are the most effective." The children's army' is my own army, entrusted by all the families, and the more important it is, I have specially ordered to practice and march to the broken iron city outside the fortress.
Everyone was shocked, but the emperor didn't want to discuss with anyone. What he issued was an imperial decree. An hour later, a weeping army set out from the camp, as if they were about to go to a battlefield with no return.
Han Ruzi did not let any veterans and veterans follow him. The marching route, supplies along the way, camp arrangements, and communication with localities were all drawn up by the generals of the "Children's Army".
Iron Broken City is an ominous place for the family. Many noble children have died there, and now a large number of people are rushing to it. Everyone feels bad, but these days they have been told by their father and brother. Rebuked, did not dare to disobey the emperor's will in the slightest, while crying, he had to gallop on horseback, daring not to fall behind.
Han Ruzi did not return to the city immediately, but waited in the same place.
In the city, he had to abide by the rules of the court. Outside the city, Han Ruzi wanted to talk about the rules of the army. He wanted to see who else would dare to intercede.