Rise From the Humble

"It turns out it's Mr. Zhu. I'm disrespectful." Chen Dacheng carefully looked at Zhu Pingan's waistband and made sure it was correct. He returned the waistband to Zhu Pingan with both hands, and then said with a self-deprecating smile, "Master Zhu is a fourth-rank official of the imperial court. , If there are any problems that Mr. Zhu can’t solve, you need help from a peasant like me.”

Zhu Pingan held up his hands and said with a wry smile: "I really need Patriarch Chen's help in this matter. I came to your county to recruit soldiers. Recruitment notices are plastered all over Yiwu."

"It's not that they're all plastered. In our Beilei Village, we don't have them on the end of the village, even on the toilet door at the west end of the village."

"Lao Li's pig pen was not spared either."

After hearing Zhu Ping'an's words, the villagers in the yard couldn't help but laugh and chattered.

"Although the notices are posted all over, no one has signed up to join the army. Patriarch Chen has always been prestigious in your area. He came here to visit today. He hopes that Patriarch Chen will mobilize and encourage the villagers to enlist in the army, exterminate the Japanese pirates, and serve the imperial court."

Zhu Ping'an smiled wryly and admitted that the results of recruiting troops were not good, and sincerely asked Chen Dacheng for help, hoping that he would help him.

"Haha, Master Zhu's words are a bit overwhelming. I have read Master Zhu's recruitment notice. Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the country. His literary talent is so inspiring and inspiring that even Master Zhu's wonderful encouragement and mobilization have no effect. , I am a country folk with a stupid tongue, what good can I do, so Master Zhu went to the wrong temple to worship the wrong Bodhisattva, so it is better to hire someone wiser."

Chen Dacheng smiled and shook his head, rejecting Zhu Pingan. He didn't support the villagers' recruitment, so how could he help Zhu Pingan.

Yesterday, people from the county government came to the village to post recruitment notices and mine management notices. After reading the recruitment notices, he summoned the clan members and announced, "No one from the Chen family or the villagers of Beilei are allowed to go to the county to recruit soldiers! "

It's not that I, Chen Dacheng, don't understand current affairs, but that the government and army are so weak that they can't be trusted and have long lost hope in them.

Chen Dacheng knew very well what the Wei Suo Ming Army was like. There was no way out if he joined the army. How many officers and soldiers of the guard station faced the Japanese pirates, abandoned their helmets and armor, ran faster than a rabbit, and caused harm to the common people even more hateful than the Japanese pirates!

It is better to rely on the officers and soldiers to fight against Japanese pirates and defend the country than to organize the villagers' armed forces to protect their hometown.

Therefore, after seeing the recruitment notice, he announced to his tribe and villagers that no one was allowed to go to the county town to recruit soldiers.

"Clan Chief Chen, now the Japanese pirates are raging in the south of the Yangtze River. They are rampant, killing people and setting fires. They commit all kinds of evil. If we don't suppress them, sooner or later the Japanese pirates will come to Yiwu. Everyone is responsible for the rise and fall of the world. As men of the Ming Dynasty, how can we sit back and watch the Japanese pirates wreak havoc? In the land of China, we have an unshirkable responsibility to protect our country. Without a country, there is no home. Only by wiping out the Japanese pirates as soon as possible can we protect our country and protect our country. A good man should serve his country, hold a three-foot sword, and make contributions to the world." Zhu Ping'an's eyes were burning. He looked at Chen Dacheng and spoke with emotion.

"What Mr. Zhu said is true," Chen Dacheng echoed without interest, without saying anything further.

Seeing that Chen Dacheng was unmoved, Zhu Pingan was not discouraged and continued to persuade him from the bottom of his heart: "Clan Chief Chen, there have been frequent armed fights in Yiwu before. The result of the big armed fights can only be bloodshed and death in vain. The casualties are meaningless and How can you be as valuable as enlisting in the army to fight against Japanese pirates, defend your homeland, and do a sacred, glorious, and vigorous cause to honor your ancestors and make your name in history?"

In addition to starting from the great cause, Zhu Ping'an also started from the perspective of personal interests and persuaded Chen Dacheng and others:

"Moreover, now the government has strictly controlled the minerals, acknowledged the existing status of the minerals, and strictly prohibited armed fighting. There is no need to worry about the villagers joining the army and affecting the interests of the clan; in addition, Yiwu itself has many mountains and little land, and the people's income is limited. In addition, Such a long period of armed fighting has made the people's lives even more difficult. Many people have no food to eat and no clothes to cover their bodies. However, our Zhejiang army is paid one or two and a half silver per month. If the discipline performance assessment is excellent, the salary will be even higher. For every Japanese pirate killed, With a reward of thirty taels of silver, joining the army and getting paid is also a very good way out."

Facing Zhu Ping'an's heartfelt and passionate persuasion, Chen Dacheng spoke, "Do you want to hear the truth, or a lie?"

"I came here sincerely to visit and ask for help from Patriarch Chen today. Naturally, I listen to the truth." Zhu Pingan replied without hesitation.

"Okay, since you want to listen to the truth, then the common people will be offended." Chen Dacheng saluted Zhu Ping'an with his hands clasped in his fists, and then said with a look of indignation, "A man who is born in this world naturally wants to make a difference in his lifetime. Guangzong Yaozu! With the Japanese pirates now in sight, ordinary people also have the desire to kill the Japanese. However, the corrupt and unfair official uniforms and the weak and weak officers and soldiers who bully the people are really disappointing. A few days ago, a small group of Japanese pirates fled to Yiwu, and the officers and soldiers of the Yiwu Guards did not fight. He fled and watched helplessly as the Japanese pirates burned, killed and looted a village and then made a living. After that, the officers and soldiers of the guard station used the excuse of suppressing Japanese pirates to forcibly confiscate money and food from several villages, which was more troublesome than if the Japanese pirates had failed. Like this Examples abound all over the country. Your Majesty asked us to join the army. Haha, we Yiwu children join such an army. Even if we die in battle, we will not be blamed. If we don’t die in battle, we will become a disaster to the people."

When Zhu Pingan heard this, he suddenly understood.

It is true that as Magistrate Zhao said, Chen Dacheng did not trust the government and the army, so he prevented villagers and clans from recruiting soldiers.

"Clan Chief Chen, do you know why I am recruiting troops?" Zhu Pingan asked.

"Why did you come here to recruit soldiers? How can ordinary people know?" Chen Dacheng shook his head and replied without knowing why.

"The name of the army under my command is the 'Zhejiang Army', the full name is 'Jiangzhe Regiment Training Army'. It is not an officer and army of a guard station, and is different from the officer and army of a guard station. The day before yesterday, Mr. Zhang Jing, the governor-general of the seven provinces in the south of the Yangtze River, and I signed the approval letter for recruiting troops. With this approval, I can select 1,200 sergeants from any official army to join our Zhejiang Army. However, I did not select soldiers from the official army. Instead, I came all the way to your place to recruit soldiers. It is precisely Because I know very well that the officers and soldiers are too weak to fight, the military discipline is broken and it is difficult to fight, and they are too timid and afraid to fight, so they cannot shoulder the great responsibility of destroying the Japanese. Therefore, I did not select the officers and soldiers, but traveled thousands of miles to recruit troops in your place. The reason why I traveled thousands of miles I came to your land to recruit troops because I heard about your struggle for mines. You Yiwu people are brave, united, and tough. You are a natural-born military force. With a little training, you will become a strong army famous all over the world! This is military discipline. A strict and capable army! I want to fight side by side with you, annihilate the Japanese pirates, restore peace to the world, and achieve unparalleled achievements! So I, Zhu Pingan, came all the way to your place to recruit troops!"

Zhu Ping'an stroked his chest with his hand and spoke to Chen Dacheng and others from the bottom of his heart and sincerely.