Chapter 29: Rushing to Deliver Money-The Last Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty(A few words, full of meaning.)

"Such a formation, looking like a dense forest, is truly formidable. With this spear array in place, no one can hope to breach it within three paces."

"A spear array in the front and matchlock muskets in the rear—this combination makes it even more terrifying. I hear it was precisely these musketeers that allowed Lord Qin to rout Li Yan's forces in a single blow. And that Li Yan is none other than one of the fiercest commanders under the Rebel Leader..."

Listening to the chatter among the others, Li Wenlin of Puyang County felt a rising wave of astonishment. Out of the corner of his eye, Li Wenlin glanced at Sun Rufei of the Sun family from Dongming County, who sat smiling serenely. Inwardly, Li Wenlin cursed bitterly, suspecting that the Sun family had long since recognized the prowess of these troops and had already attached themselves to Lord Qin. How hateful it was that he... only realized it today, when it was surely too late.

"The cavalry formation is coming!"

"And artillery! So many cannons!"

"Truly a formidable army... What a terrifyingly strong force!"

"Look quickly, what is that? Heavens, those are the rebel banners! This is..."

The crowd buzzed with noise, and though Li Wenlin's voice trailed off towards the end, he lowered it to a murmur: "This is a display of martial might..."

One tattered banner after another appeared, and names that had once run rampant without restraint across both Dongming and Puyang resurfaced before everyone's eyes.

Shi Jiulang, Qin Dalang, Jiang Bu, Li Guogui...

Yet, looking at the banners bearing the bold characters for Shi, Qin, Jiang, and Li—now utterly tattered and carelessly tossed onto a baggage wagon by the imperial troops—everyone understood that they no longer needed to fear the raids of these rebel armies.

The force that now held supreme martial power and guarded the region was the Shandong Garrison and the Linqing Battalion under Zhu Cilang's command!

This also meant... the master of this endlessly war-torn land had now changed.

"Mighty are the imperial troops! Long live the Great Ming!" Just as the gentry and merchants like Li Wenlin were whispering among themselves, a disheveled and emaciated man suddenly cried out in a hoarse voice from the crowd of onlookers below the viewing platform.

Zhu Cilang cast a glance in that direction, and Sun Rufei at his side suddenly sighed and said, "My Lord, please forgive this man's rudeness. His name is Zhou Xin, and he once owned some thirty mu of land—he was considered a respectable scholar. Unfortunately, after the rebel Li Yan's forces arrived, Zhou Xin's wife was seized and violated. Ever since then, Zhou Xin has lost his mind... A truly pitiful wretch..."

Clearly, those who shared Zhou Xin's harrowing experiences were not few in number.

When the imperial troops defeated the bandits who had ravaged Dongming County and paraded their captured banners to display their martial might, countless commoners whose homes had been ruined and families destroyed by the bandits wailed in anguish, yet raised their voices in passionate and excited cheers.

"Mighty are the imperial troops! Long live the Great Ming!"

...

Suddenly, Zhu Cilang stood up, looked out at the countless soldiers below the platform, and demanded in a ringing voice, "Tell me, why are the brave soldiers marching to Kaifeng?"

"To charge into Kaifeng and rescue the suffering people! To protect our homes and country, and long live the Great Ming!"

...

Several thousand men roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

And the commoners nearby went wild, joining in the deafening chant.

"To charge into Kaifeng and rescue the suffering people! To protect our homes and country, and long live the Great Ming!"

...

Behind Zhu Cilang, the gathered gentry and merchants gazed at this scene, their hearts churning long after the echoes faded. Even after Zhu Cilang led them into the Military Supervisor's Mansion, faced with a hall full of delicacies and fine wine, they continued to talk incessantly about what they had witnessed that day, interspersing it with accounts of imperial troops seen in other places. Such comparisons provided endless fuel for conversation.

"Why is the gap so vast between other Ming armies and the troops under Lord Qin Yiming? The soldiers in Henan are nothing more than a mob of beggars!"

"Actually, the troops from Shandong weren't much better originally—just another pack of beggars, save for the personal guards under Liu Zeqing. Yet now that the Shandong Garrison is in the hands of Qin Yiming, they've undergone such a miraculous transformation..."

"In times of national turmoil, one yearns for capable generals..."

"Even with Lord Qin Yiming being this formidable, those at the very top will likely... heh heh..."

"Silence... Don't forget, in their eyes, we are nothing more than lambs waiting to be slaughtered!"

...

At last, the murmurs subsided. Clearly, having been invited here by Zhu Cilang, these men finally grasped the true meaning behind the gathering.

Zhu Cilang's smile was warm and amiable, enough to make any young woman's heart flutter like a startled fawn. But to the merchants present, it looked precisely like a butcher sizing up sheep awaiting the slaughter.

The gentry fared somewhat better; both Puyang and Dongming were frequently plagued by warfare and local instability. Having long been accustomed to extortion from various military strongmen and bandits, they had already resigned themselves to their fate. Even if Zhu Cilang hadn't brought it up, they would have prepared offerings, tailoring their tribute to suit the situation. Given Zhu Cilang's impressive display of martial might today, they naturally intended to heavily pad their contributions, hoping to offer a sum that would satisfy him.

As for the other merchants who had come from Linqing, their backgrounds were somewhat more complex. A small handful with deep connections naturally had no fear of Zhu Cilang going too far; at worst, they would part with some wealth and grain to secure a favorable relationship.

However, the vast majority of the visiting merchants lacked any profound backing. Most of them understood that this was a deliberate move by Zhu Cilang—he had singled out a group of "upstarts" who relied not on influential connections, but on personal shrewdness and capability to make their fortunes.

For these upstarts, sudden wealth was merely a stroke of abrupt fortune, and they dared not be as high-profile as their counterparts in later generations. Any who flaunt their wealth too openly would long ago have been purged and stripped of their assets—how could they possibly still be breathing to speak here today? In the eyes of the powerful and influential, weren't merchants simply lambs waiting for the shearer?

In truth, these people had never intended to come in the first place. They had been coerced by the dual pressure of the Prefect of Linqing and Yang Chuan—two local tyrants—and intimidated by the formidable reputation of the Tax Collection Inspectorate, which finally forced them to travel to Henan. Naturally, each of them harbored deep anxiety in his heart regarding his current status and the ordeal he might soon face.

Seeing that the crowd had quieted down, Zhu Cilang gave a light cough, narrowed his eyes, and addressed the assembled gentry and merchants: "My lords, having witnessed the review of the Shandong Garrison and the Linqing Battalion today, what are your thoughts?"

The climax had arrived!

Weren't they summoned here from a thousand miles away precisely to be squeezed for contributions and money?

For a moment, the atmosphere grew slightly chilled.

Only the gentry representatives from Puyang and Dongming vied with one another to speak first. Li Wenlin stepped forward and said loudly, "My Lord... Your humble student observed today that although the imperial troops are neat and stern in appearance, they are rather lacking in armor. Therefore, your student is willing to donate three thousand liang of silver to aid the imperial army in suppressing the rebels..."

Beside him, seeing Li Wenlin seize the initiative, Sun Rufei grew frantic and shouted loudly, "My Lord! Your student's youngest son, Sun He, has always practiced martial arts and values chivalry; he is willing to lead two hundred volunteers from Dongming to enlist in the army! On behalf of the Sun family and the entirety of Dongming, your student also pledges a donation of three thousand shi of grain and two thousand liang of silver!"

"The sons of Puyang are equally eager to enlist and join such a mighty host..." Seeing Sun Rufei go to such lengths—even sending his own son—Li Wenlin felt an even greater sense of urgency. (To be continued.)