Men longed to make achievements and be immediately conferred the title of marquis. Women naturally also longed for their husbands to make achievements. The imperial court would confer the official title to the husband and the official title to the wife. The status of the wife of the official title was quite high. Nominally, she had the same status as the husband and even the right to enter the court to meet the Empress. It was not something an ordinary woman could get.
"It's a pity that the adults and uncles are all outside. If only one of them was with you, you wouldn't be so isolated. You'd be better off if the uncles came to help."
Yang Caiyun's words reminded Xiao Ruxun that he was born in a family of generals. His grandfather, Xiao Han, had been the deputy commander of Liangzhou. His father, Xiao Wenkui, was the deputy commander of the capital camp and the Governor Tongzhi. His three elder brothers, Xiao Rulan, Xiao Ruhui, and Xiao Ruzhi, were all children of generals. They were very brave and resourceful. Although the four sons were hereditary, they were not weak generals. In the eyes of the declining and awkward Daming family of generals, they were still quite outstanding.
However, this was also related to the harsh living environment of the children of generals in the border army. They had to learn martial arts from a young age to strengthen their bodies and prepare for war. After all, the Nine Border Army of Daming had never been free of war since the founding of the country. Compared with the capital camp that had long been corrupted, the Nine Border Army had stronger fighting power and organization. However, the strongest fighting power was mostly the private army of the families of generals, such as the famous Guanning Iron Cavalry. The official army was comparatively weaker.
The four sons of the Xiao family in Yan 'an all had rather elegant and even feminine names, which showed that the father who named them was quite cultured and diligent in educating his children. This was also consistent with the historical records of Xiao Ruxun. According to the historical records, Xiao Ruxun was born in a family of generals, but he could write poems, which showed that he was not illiterate. Therefore, many literati liked to associate with him, whether intentionally or unintentionally. After a long time, the cost of association became too high. Xiao Ruxun could not refuse them, and all knowledgeable people sighed. This was the famous idiom. Unfortunately, in this idiom, Xiao Ruxun's image was not very positive.
The father was in the capital, the third brother Xiao Ruzhi was in Nanjing, and only the eldest brother Xiao Rulan and second brother Xiao Ruhui were in the three regions of Shaanxi. However, they were stationed separately and could not see each other all year round. It was indeed a pity that they could not reunite with their family. It would be great if they could meet their relatives on the way to war …
However, the current Xiao Ruxun was a little nervous. He was afraid that after meeting his relatives, he would not be able to recognize them and reveal some flaws.
The young couple flirted for a while and then focused on the overall situation. Yang Caiyun invited a doctor to diagnose Xiao Ruxun again. The doctor marveled at Xiao Ruxun's excellent physical quality. He stopped bleeding quickly and healed his wounds quickly. Based on this trend, he would be able to move normally in ten days to half a month. However, if he wanted to fight on the battlefield again, he would need to rest for more than a month. During this period, he must not be arrogant, impatient, or angry.
Later, Yang Caiyun asked a maid to bring some porridge and side dishes and served them to Xiao Ruxun. When Xiao Ruxun asked her why she did not eat, she even teased Xiao Ruxun by saying that she was a feast for the eyes. This made Xiao Ruxun's face turn red and he felt that he had lost face. He secretly thought that if it was not for the fact that he was not feeling well, he would definitely put this little girl in 18 different positions and teach her a lesson.
However, Yang Caiyun could do this to reduce the pressure on her husband. What a beautiful and pure heart Yang Caiyun!
In the afternoon, Xiao Ruxun asked Yang Caiyun to help him put on his regular clothes. He put on a net scarf, straightened his clothes, and put on a light leather armor. With the help of his bodyguards, he reluctantly mounted a horse and went to patrol the city.
It was said that after the battle ended yesterday morning, when Xiao Ruxun returned, he was bleeding a lot and his face was pale. Although he was still conscious, many people had seen it. Yang Caiyun was afraid that the people in the city would not be calm, so she suggested that Xiao Ruxun patrol the whole city to appease the people. Xiao Ruxun also had some plans. He wanted to go to the city to inspect the situation of the firearms. Since they were preparing to defend the city, all kinds of supplies were indispensable. However, before that, there was one more important thing.
Xiao Ruxun asked the head of the bodyguards, Wang Er, to bring the name list of all the officers in the army.
It was fine if it was the lower ranks of the army, but if he didn't know the names of the officers, then it would be too strange.
Xiao Ruxun's current official position was Ningxia's General and Pinglu City's Garrison. In other words, he was the General of a road in Ningxia Town and the garrison officer of Pinglu City. Not only was he responsible for the defense of the road, but he was also responsible for the safety of Pinglu City. In essence, he was stationed in Pinglu City and was also responsible for the safety of the road. A General was a third-rank military position. For Xiao Ruxun to be able to become a third-rank military position at the age of twenty-two, it was estimated that only the hereditary system of military officers in the Ming Dynasty could produce such an oddity.
There were usually three thousand soldiers under the command of a General. Including the auxiliary soldiers and some requisitioned civilian workers, if a General led an army to battle, there would be four to five thousand soldiers. Within the system of three thousand soldiers, there were three thousand Qianzong, six Qianzong, and thirty Qianzong. After that, there were countless Qianzong and Qianzong. In reality, they only needed to pay attention to the three thousand Qianzong and six Qianzong. If they managed these people well, they would be able to firmly control the entire army.
However, unlike other regions, the Nine Border Towns of the Ming Dynasty were not actually included in the political divisions. Instead, they were guarded by military towns. In fact, the vast interior was governed by civil officials, while the Nine Border Towns were guarded by the military system. Those in charge of civil affairs and military affairs were almost all hereditary generals, with a small number of promoted officers. Only the power of finance and personnel was firmly in the hands of the imperial court. In the local areas, the local Zongbing, Deputy Zongbing, General, and Garrison all had their own functions and powers.
Just like in Pinglu City, after receiving the letter of appointment, the Imperial Court would allocate food, fodder, money, and goods. The rest of the matters, such as civil affairs, military affairs, and finance, were all decided by Xiao Ruxun alone. The lives and deaths of tens of thousands of people in the city were all in the hands of Xiao Ruxun. Even a first-ranked military officer, the highest military officer in command of the army, was mostly a hereditary officer in the Nine Borders. One could imagine that a first-ranked military officer in his twenties or thirties was really nothing in the Nine Borders.
This also indirectly confirmed the reality that the Daming Dynasty at this time valued civil affairs and belittled military affairs.
The imperial court no longer attached importance to the individual ability of military officers. They only hoped that they could manage their subordinates well and form a fighting force. In times of war, they only needed to listen to the orders of civil officials and charge fiercely. There was no need to think about strategies and tactics. These were all matters for the civil officials who led the army. However, it was different from the Song Dynasty. One should not underestimate the civil officials who led the army in the Ming Dynasty. It was really not easy to become a civil official in the Ming Dynasty. In the later years of the Ming Dynasty, civil officials who led the army were treated and trained as orthodox military officers. How could so many valiant generals be led by a civil official? That was because this civil official was really capable.
In the eyes of the imperial court, a hereditary military officer like Xiao Ruxun was only a head of the army. If he could not show his prestige and achievements to prove that he had the talent to lead the army, he would only be a head of the army for the rest of his life. It would be impossible for him to enter the eyes of the highest ruling group. Even if you were really talented and super strong generals, like Qi Jiguang, in the eyes of the civil officials, you were just a hunting dog that could bite people to death. You were just a bargaining chip of the civil officials in the political struggle, and you still had to listen to the words of the hunters.
It was hard to say, but this was the reality.
It should be said that the Ming Dynasty was slightly better than the Song Dynasty. The Song Dynasty really treated the generals as pigs and dogs. In the Ming Dynasty, they still treated some generals as human beings. They didn't dare to casually lack the salary, equipment, and food of the border army. Otherwise, they would really quit!
Originally, Xiao Ruxun liked to write poems and make friends with the literati. It was probably because he was suppressed by the civil officials that he wanted to change the situation in another place and get better treatment. In the end, he was not skilled enough and ended up like a sieve.
Now, Xiao Ruxun wouldn't do those stupid things. It should be known that the increase in the difficulty of the imperial examinations in the Daming made the literati who came from the imperial examinations arrogant. It was almost innate to despise and even despise martial artists. It was almost impossible to gain the recognition of the literati as a martial artist, unless one became someone like Li Chengliang. Li Chengliang's family had guarded Liaodong for decades and was almost the second Mu Family guarding Liaodong.
Now, the first thing Xiao Ruxun had to do was to defend Pinglu and try to make a name for himself in the battle of Ningxia. Then, he would find a way to join the battle in Korea!
Xiao Ruxun knew very well that while the battle of Ningxia was going on, in the fourth month of the 20th year of Wanli, the Prime Minister of Japan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, sent 140,000 elite soldiers from the Japanese Warring States Period, who had just ended the Warring States Period, to conquer Korea and Daming. This Prime Minister's appetite was really big. It was so big that Xiao Ruxun wanted to laugh, but at the same time, he felt a little cold.
During this period, when the Daming was still maintaining the status of the Celestial Empire, if he could get rid of two disasters at the same time, Japan and the Jurchens, he would definitely be able to gain some bargaining chips in the future. In order to achieve these two long-term goals, Xiao Ruxun regarded the ongoing battle of Ningxia as an important opportunity.
War was not only a disaster but also an opportunity for some people. This was undeniable.
Xiao Ruxun, who had been in the ruling position for many years, instantly got into his role.
After remembering the names of the three thousand commanders and six generals, Xiao Ruxun looked at the name list as he set out to patrol the city. The cavalry slowly moved around the small Pinglu City. The people in the city and the soldiers who maintained order in the city saw General Xiao, who had just won a great battle but was said to be dead or alive, patrolling the city on horseback, and their hearts calmed down.
In this era where the prestige of the general was used to command the army and stabilize the city, the safety of the general was related to the victory of a battle. Needless to say, the importance of the general went without saying. The general patrolling the city could stimulate the morale and stabilize the people's hearts, and it was the best tranquilizer for the army and the city on the verge of a great battle.
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