Over the years, the implementation of the policy of using the civil to control the military and the civil to respect the military had subtly brought about changes, causing the attitude of the civil officials before Tumu Castle and the civil officials after Tumu Castle towards the army and the generals were worlds apart.
It had been too long since Tumu Fort, and the civil officials had been high and mighty for too long. They had never known what it meant to be heroic in the Han and Tang Dynasties, what it meant to be a true soldier, and what it meant to truly protect the country.
At this moment, as they looked at the numbers they had personally calculated, they seemed … to understand …
Was this martial arts? Was this the illustrious martial arts of the era when emperors ascended to the altar and worshipped generals? Was this information that only existed in the history books, the stuff they talked about over tea and meals?
Huo Qubing … Wei Qing … Li Jing … Li Ji … Xu Da … Lan Yu …
These names that were like demonic gods were too far away from them, so far away that they could almost ignore them.
Think about it, these glorious names, go and take a look. Those who exploited the common people, and when they met someone with a higher status, they would be servile. On one side, there were war wolves, fierce tigers, and on the other side, there were sick cats meowing. How could such a difference make people sigh with emotion?
Even if they saw these sick cats, these sick cats that bore the title of soldiers, they probably wouldn't feel the slightest bit of fear, right?
Society had discriminated against soldiers and looked down on them for more than a year or two. This was something that everyone was very used to, and it was almost customary. When facing these people, who could feel even the slightest bit of respect?
But when they saw these terrifying achievements, these numbers, they felt like the ink had turned into scarlet blood when they were written on paper …
There had been more than one or two officials that had been frightened out of their wits in the last two days.
Then, they thought about how those soldiers had brazenly escorted those ten Northern Barbarians back to the capital!
Those ten people had been carried by ten donkey carts, their hands, feet, and necks chained and tied to a wooden cross. Several strips of cloth had been hung from the cross, on which were written their names and identities. They were the leaders of a tribe with hundreds of thousands of people, the Khan's uncle, the Khan's son, the Great Leader, and so on. Each one of them was the leader of hundreds of thousands of Northern Barbarians. What did it mean that they had been captured?
It signified a hearty victory …
Along the way, people kept shouting at the top of their lungs that the Ming Dynasty Army had won a great battle and killed hundreds of thousands of Northern Barbarians. They were all captives. Soon, the entire capital was shocked.
Those captives were firmly locked up and were in a sorry state. They were escorted by a majestic army of 500 people into the capital to be presented to His Majesty the Emperor. Along the way, there were countless commoners watching the spectacle, shouting and shouting. How intense was the scene?
No one knew who started it, but rotten eggs and vegetables were thrown at them. The people who had suffered enough at the hands of the Northern Barbarians were instigated to throw things at the leaders of the Northern Barbarians like crazy. No matter where they were, they would throw whatever they could at them. Those people usually lived a noble life, and even after being captured, they did not change their nature. How could they endure such treatment?
He roared at the top of his lungs.
Needless to say, it really scared a lot of people.
As a result, the soldiers who were escorting the captives were not happy. A leader shouted, "You still dare to be arrogant? Beat them up! "Dozens of soldiers immediately rushed to the carriages, raised their fists, and beat the captives viciously. They did not use weapons. They just used their fists and legs. After a round of beating, the captives' noses and faces were bruised and swollen. Their faces looked like they had opened a dye shop.
Some of the officials who had seen it with their own eyes couldn't help but say that it was truly a relief. The commoners immediately felt confident that they had someone to back them up. After the soldiers left, rotten eggs and rotten vegetables were thrown at them again, smashing them all the way.
Later, His Majesty the Emperor was very pleased. He personally ordered the army to escort the captives to the gate of the Imperial City. His Majesty the Emperor personally appeared at the gate of the Imperial City. How many people were there to watch?
His Majesty the Emperor also issued a decree to directly reject the proposal of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice to sentence these Northern Barbarians. Some were flogged to death, some were beheaded with 100 lashes, and some were hanged to death. There was also a particularly fierce captive who refused to admit defeat. He was ordered to be executed by a thousand cuts to comfort the soldiers and commoners at the border who had suffered a lot.
That would be a great release of anger.
Those fellows who used to be insufferably arrogant, in the face of life and death, would also cry, beg for mercy, speak softly, and pee their pants. The way they looked when they defecated and urinated was really hilarious. They were the living embodiment of a coward.
That tragic yet wonderful execution had a strong impact on the commoners and officials in the capital. After that, the entire capital was passionately discussing the great victory at the Daming Border Station.
No one knew the exact number, but everyone dared to say the words "several hundred thousand". In any case, that was what the "warriors" who escorted the captives said.
Yes, when the commoners in the capital talked about the army, they no longer called them "Qiu Ba". Instead, they called them "warriors".
This change in address reflected the change in the hearts of the people. In the past few days, many people had taken the initiative to send food and drinks to the camp of the 500 "warriors" outside the capital, saying that they wanted to thank them for killing the Northern Barbarians and giving them a peaceful life. Otherwise, they would have to live in fear all day, afraid that the Northern Barbarians would attack them at their doorsteps.
How many years has it been since this happened?
"Is that true?"
Is that true?
The official in charge of the statistics smiled bitterly.
"There will only be more, not less. After this battle, within ten years, the Northern Barbarians will no longer be a threat …"
They could only tell Shi Xing this. Shi Xing did not speak anymore. With a complicated expression, he prepared to enter the palace.
The Emperor named Shi Xing and asked him to give him the exact numbers as soon as possible. He wanted to see them, so Shi Xing did not dare to delay.
In the past few days, the Emperor's prestige had increased greatly. He frequently met with the bigwigs in the palace to discuss with them how to deal with the aftermath of this great victory. He appeared to be much more arbitrary and domineering. Many suggestions were rejected by him and he insisted on doing things according to his wishes.
For example, the Director of the Board of Rites represented the Emperor to welcome the victorious army out of the city, how many miles of decorations should be arranged, how many people should watch and cheer, which gate should the army enter the palace through, which palace should they receive the meritorious generals, the amount of rewards, and so on.
On these issues, the Emperor appeared to be unusually domineering. He did not allow any objections and had a face that said, "I am the boss, I have the final say." The bigwigs were a little depressed. However, at this moment, they strangely felt that they did not have the confidence to argue with the Emperor …
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