Chapter Forty-Six: The Soul of the Army-The Last Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty(A few words, full of meaning.)

Liu Sheng suddenly felt his pride stirring awake, and an unprecedented desire began to take root within him.

He understood that this disturbance was the emotion of countless soldiers, rising together.

Before long, Fu Rugui cast one look across them, and the more than four hundred men once again fell silent. Only Fu Rugui’s low voice remained, clear in the stillness: If my lord treats me as a man of the realm, I shall repay him as a man of the realm.

I, Qin Yiming, have swept the Ministry of Revenue clean, adjusted the tax rates, and merged the Bamboo and Timber Levy Office. I have endured endless slander, malice, hostility, and even attacks. Fortunately, everything I have done is right, in accord with the way of heaven, and in service to the needs of the people beneath the sky. It is a mighty and unstoppable path, and for that reason I have been fortunate enough to receive more encouragement and praise. But in my eyes, no one has suffered more slander and malice than you men, the soldiers who defend our homeland at the risk of your lives. Fu Zhen said that I, Qin Yiming, have treated my brothers as human beings, and so you are willing to heed my command and fight to the death. But that is not enough. Far, far from enough. Because I know that you, and all those brave men at the frontier, on the battlefield, and in countless places unseen by others, who have taken up blade and spear to defend our country and our homes, are the bravest and finest men among the people of the Great Ming! More than that, you are heroes whom this bright and open heaven will remember forever!

So I will never let you lack clothing or food. I will never let your rations or pay fall short. And I will make sure that in this Great Ming, you can stand upright and say with dignity that you are its heroes, that you are truly outstanding and courageous people of the Great Ming!

And I, Qin Yiming, will lead just such a brave and remarkable army. I will make you obey my commands, follow me, and defend our homes and our country! I will have all the thieves and bandits, all the Tartars who invade our homes, plunder our property, and seize our wives and children, killed to the last man! That is the answer to why we fight!

My lord... most of what you said I do not really understand, but somehow it has made my heart feel hot. Right now, even if there were a million rebel scum ahead of me, I would still dare to go and kill. Even if I died, I would die content. Countless old soldiers seemed to feel something ignite within their hearts.

Listening to Zhu Cilang’s words, Fu Zhen felt his eyes grow wet in an instant. We... are heroes? We are the brave and outstanding people of the Great Ming?

Beside him, Fu Rugui at that moment suddenly understood many things that had once seemed hazy and unclear. What are we? Why do we fight? Not merely to win merit and build a name... Qin Xia, Qin Yiming! Qin Yiming! Qin Yiming! Well said!

Men of arms are by no means rough, vulgar wretches. We are the brave and outstanding people of the Great Ming! We are the heroes this bright heaven will remember! Fu Rugui cried out. I swear to follow Yiming unto death! Defend our homes and our country, and may our Great Ming endure forever!

I swear to follow Yiming unto death! Defend our homes and our country, and may our Great Ming endure forever!

...

Zhu Cilang looked at the scene, let out a long breath, and smiled softly.

With such brave men at my side, how could a great undertaking fail? The Great Ming shall surely endure forever in my hands!

With that thought, Zhu Cilang joined in the shout: Whether in our own age or in ages past, may the heroes who gave themselves for the throne and realm of the Great Ming endure forever!

...

Old Seventeen watched this scene solemnly, his heart surging with a thousand conflicting emotions. He was used to slaughter, to life and death partings, and had long since seen through the darkness of this world. Yet no matter how he restrained himself, Zhu Cilang still stirred the hot blood in his chest and set his convictions ablaze.

He looked at the many soldiers whose faces were lit with fervor. Most of them, Old Seventeen included, did not understand the meaning behind much of what Zhu Cilang had said.

But Zhu Cilang’s plain and straightforward words still made the essence of it clear to them.

Follow Zhu Cilang, and there will be enough to eat, warm clothes to wear, and more importantly, you will be treated as human beings, treated as heroes!

Heed Zhu Cilang’s command, defend our homes and our country, and you are heroes!

At this moment, what they could not yet realize was that something buried for a hundred years was breaking through the soil here and now. The dignity of warriors was finally being carefully protected by someone. And these warriors would erupt with an endless strength, repaying it as men of the realm.

Though most of them still could not grasp the deeper meaning.

That did not stop them from doing it.

And Old Seventeen at last understood a question that Fu Rugui had once been unable to comprehend.

After Zhu Cilang hastily trained his personal guard in the capital, he had to turn his attention to other pressing matters. After that, he gathered the guard and the four hundred-odd militia soldiers who had once been a rabble, and continued their training in a village estate outside the capital.

Although Fu Rugui used the training methods he had learned from Zhu Cilang, and fully supported and trusted him in logistics and personnel matters, the troops Fu Rugui trained still always fell a little short.

Whether in discipline, formation, or even in spirit, they were inferior in every respect to the guard under Old Seventeen’s command.

For this reason, Fu Rugui had once thought the problem lay in their lack of seasoned veterans. So, after obtaining Zhu Cilang’s approval, he brought in men like Fu Zhen from the household troops as a veteran backbone, hastening the maturation of this reborn force.

At first, Fu Rugui believed that with Fu Zhen and the others added in, they should be able to close the gap with Old Seventeen’s guard, and that even if there were still some issues, they would not matter much.

He had not expected that when he saw Old Seventeen leading the guard into battle, their strict discipline and fearless bearing would still make Fu Rugui profoundly feel a gap that was real and undeniable, yet impossible to put into words.

And now, Old Seventeen understood.

That gap did not lie in training, nor in discipline, nor in sufficient supply and support.

It was a spirit, a conviction deeply hidden in every soldier’s heart.

The guard’s loyalty had been won by Zhu Cilang’s own ventures into danger. Old Seventeen and the other one hundred and twenty-one men were willing to fight and die for Zhu Cilang without fear because they had already been conquered by him.

Their convictions and their military soul had already taken form.

That is to say... Zhu Cilang’s actions had won them over, making him worthy of their lives in pursuit.

That was the guard’s conviction: unconditional loyalty.

And now, not only the guard, but also these four hundred-odd militia soldiers, had gained a new conviction: defend our homes and our country!

More than that, they had gained another reason to follow Zhu Cilang, loyal and without regret.

That reason was Zhu Cilang’s recognition.

Recognition of courage, respect for warriors, and the careful safeguarding of a soldier’s dignity!

From now on, these men were no longer mere mercenaries bound to Zhu Cilang by gold, silver, and favors. They were an army with conviction, one that understood its own identity and knew why it fought.

An army with a military soul!

Fu Rugui watched all this in silence, not even noticing when Zhu Cilang had left.