These princes and marquis who were kneeling on the ground heard that Zhu Youdong asked them to go to the battlefield to earn the title. Immediately, their faces turned pale, and it was okay for them to verbally show their loyalty, but they didn't have the courage to let them go to the battlefield.

But Zhu Youdong didn't care about their unwilling expressions, and continued: "It just so happens that you are all loyal to Daming, and this is not an embarrassment for you." As you said just now, as long as there is an army, you will go to the battlefield for the Ming Dynasty without hesitation. This is exactly what you can't ask for, as long as you have military merits, the court is restoring your title, which is a natural thing. ”

After listening to Zhu Youdong's words, everyone became even more uncomfortable. Just shouting slogans, of course, no one is false. Now let them come to the real thing, and suddenly they don't dare to come forward. also scolded Zhu Youdong in his heart for being insidious and cunning. I obviously didn't want to restore their titles, but I wanted to make such a condition.

I didn't know that I would not restore their titles, but what was even more odious was that he sent them directly to the battlefield to die. Who doesn't know the situation of these people, in the three hundred years of the Ming Dynasty, do they dare to take the lead in the court? In any case, these people are afraid to go to war.

Xu Wenjue first couldn't hold his breath and said, "Your Highness, are you about to let us go to the battlefield?" We haven't been on the battlefield, and we haven't led troops, but we have to delay the military aircraft. ”

Zhu Youdong said: "It's okay, you didn't go to command the army, and you didn't lead the troops." Since he did not bring troops, he could not delay military affairs. Zhu Guobi screamed: "What? Instead of commanding the army, are we directly charging with knives and fighting with the Qing army? ”

Zhu Youdong said: "Then what do you think you are going to do?" You didn't lead the army, and you gave your army directly, didn't that send our soldiers to death? You are all nobles of the Ming Dynasty, and as I said just now, you are willing to fight to the death with the Qing army. I believe that you, even if you are a small soldier, can still earn a knighthood step by step. ”

Xu Wenjue shouted in his heart: "Lao Tzu is here to listen to you, I don't really want to fight to the death with the Qing soldiers." Lao Tzu is not stupid, don't die. But with a crying face on his face, he said to Zhu Youdong: "Your Highness, isn't this asking us to die?" None of us have ever been on the battlefield, so please be merciful and give us a way to live. ”

Zhu Youdong pretended to be surprised and said, "No, why didn't you give you a way to live?" You see so many of our soldiers fighting to the death on the battlefield. Otherwise, how can we recover the Ming Dynasty? And none of you have ever been to the battlefield? This is impossible, you have never been on the battlefield since you were a noble minister. You still say that after the generals, ah? Is it worthy of your title? ”

Tang Guozuo and Zhu Guobi didn't care about their age, and kowtowed and said: "Your Highness, it's true, we haven't been on the battlefield before, please be kind to Your Highness." Since my Ming Dynasty, since Yingzong, the army is basically controlled by Wenchen, and the governor's mansion of the five armies of the imperial court has simply become an ornament, and it is useless at all. ”

Zhu Youdong frowned and said, "This is difficult, none of you have ever been to the battlefield, so how can you restore your title?" Tang Guozuo can also see that Zhu Youdong has no intention of restoring their title at all. He immediately said: "Your Highness, we are all guilty people, and we are not worthy of having a knighthood, and please ask Your Highness to be merciful and not let us go to the battlefield." ”

Zhu Youdong said: "No, you are all my nobles of the Ming Dynasty, since you are nobles, where can you not have a title?" What's more, you are also loyal to my Ming Dynasty, and the court should not treat you badly no matter what. If you don't have a title, then who will be loyal to me in the future. ”

Tang Guozuo and the others didn't understand what Zhu Youdong meant for a while, and obviously didn't want to restore their titles. Listening to Zhu Youdong's tone now, it seems that he wants to take them as an example of commending loyalty. Xu Wenjue asked, "I don't know what His Highness's plans are." ”

Zhu Youdong said: "Your title, I will leave it empty for you, and when you earn the corresponding merits, or make the corresponding merits, I will naturally restore it to you." But now, because of your past, in order not to cause instability in the army, but also to resist the great cause of the Qing Dynasty. Your titles will not be restored in wartime, and if you are willing to join the army and fight, it will not be too late to return it to you when you have earned military merits. ”

When Tang Guozuo and the others heard this, they secretly said in their hearts: "Isn't this still letting us go to the battlefield?" Damn, the surname Zhu is really black. Zhu Youdong didn't pay attention to what they were thinking, and said, "As for your family property and fields." All of them were first returned to the imperial court. When you have your title restored, I will return it to you. Okay, wait a minute, you will go to Yingtianfu and register your property and business. ”

When Tang Guozuo and the others heard this, Zhu Youdong not only did not plan to return the title to them, but also took away their family property. Immediately, everyone complained in their hearts, not only did they not want to return the title, but even their former family property was confiscated. Since they didn't want to come, everyone immediately didn't want to go to register.

Now if you talk about your family's properties, you can't be confiscated by Zhu Youdong. It's better to wait and find a way to get it back slowly. Now let Zhu Youdong know how much property his family has snatched, isn't that asking for trouble for himself? Looking at Zhu Youdong's attitude today, maybe when the time comes, he will cause some kind of killing disaster for himself.

Zhu Youdong also saw that these people were unwilling to register, and immediately said: "If the number of fields you register, or the name of the property is wrong. In the future, if it is found that there is any excess, the excess will be directly collected by the imperial court. Whoever uses these things to talk about things in the future will not come back. ”

Then Zhu Youdong said to Peng Changbao: "After Nanjing is settled, immediately send people to find those nobles who died for the Ming Dynasty, and see if they have any descendants alive." After finding them, the court asked them to settle them. Peng Changbao immediately said: "Your Highness, rest assured, when Nanjing City settles down, I will immediately send someone to find it." ”

Tang Guozuo and the others were suddenly very embarrassed, they were all people who surrendered to the Qing court. They came to ask for the title, but Zhu Youdong not only refused to give it, but also sent them to the battlefield. Now he said in front of them that he would have a good life and settle the descendants of those martyrs. Tang Guozuo and others also understood that Zhu Youdong was punishing them for surrendering to the Qing court.

Zhu Guobi, the Baoguo Duke who took the lead in surrendering, saw that he couldn't get back the title now, so he immediately wanted to return directly. Maybe when, the future kings of the Ming Dynasty will be able to remember their ancestral deeds and reward some titles. It's like trying to force it here now. One can't get it right, but it's going to go to the battlefield desperately.

When he surrendered to the Qing court, his wife persuaded him to die for the country, but he didn't have the courage. Not to mention going to the battlefield and fighting directly with the Qing soldiers. After thinking of this, he preemptively said: "Your Highness, the minister doesn't want to ask for the title of the imperial court." The minister surrendered to the Qing court on the same day, disgrace the ancestors. The minister is not eligible to accept this title. ”

Seeing that Zhu Guobi retreated, Xu Wenjue also said: "Your Highness, the minister is also ashamed, and the city doesn't ask for this title." Please ask His Royal Highness to give his ministers a grass house, and Rong Chen will guard the tomb for his ancestors and Emperor Gaozu. "Xu Wenjue is the queen of Zhongshan King Xu Da.

Xu Da's tomb was buried on Zhongshan with Zhu Yuanzhang, so Xu Wenjue said that he was guarding the tomb for his ancestors and Zhu Yuanzhang. When the others heard Xu Wenjue's words, they were all envious. Who called people's ancestors so bullish.

Now Xu Wenjue not only found a reason for himself not to go to the battlefield, but also showed the merits of his ancestors by the way. The courtiers who can be buried together by Zhu Yuanzhang, Daming is the only one. Now you, Zhu Youdong, actually don't care about the life or death of Xu Da's descendants for a small title. This is for Zhu Youdong, there is a problem.

If you restore the title, you can't just restore the title of Xu Wenjue alone, if you want to restore the others, you have to restore it together. But after restoring the titles of these people, the titles were no longer worthless in Zhu Youdong's army. What kind of knighthood can be won by cats and dogs, you give it to those generals who have made great achievements, do you think they are willing?

If you don't restore the title, this means that you Zhu Youdong is mean and unkind, Xu Da is such a meritorious person to the Ming Dynasty, you actually let their descendants live in the grass house, which does not show your imperial grace at all.

This move is still possible for other emperors of the Ming Dynasty, but will Zhu Youdong care about this? Today's Da Ming, although he is still wearing the coat of the Zhu family, he Zhu Youdong is not a member of the Zhu family at all. What's more, in today's world, it can be said that he single-handedly beat it.

For Xu Da and others, he, Zhu Youdong, can respect them, but for this reason, let him treat this Ming moth even more. Zhu Youdong only has one sentence, that is, "I'm sorry, Zhu Youdong doesn't serve." But the others didn't know about this situation, and when they saw Xu Wenjue's brilliant trick, they immediately applauded in their hearts.

In the hearts of these people, Zhu Youdong's best way is to restore their titles. In order to buy those scholars and officials who claim to be the widows of the Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, who would admit that you Zhu Youdong are Ming orthodoxy. Who will come to support your court, and if there is no court supported by officials and scholars, is it still the court?

Everyone seemed to have seen that Zhu Youdong was forced to agree to restore their titles. No matter how reluctant Zhu Youdong was, he had to bow his head in front of the overall situation. Although everyone endured it, they did not laugh out loud. But Zhu Youdong could still see the smile in their eyes.

Zhu Youdong also smiled, smiling very happily. When Tang Guozuo and the others were inexplicable, Zhu Youdong spoke: "Well, the exploits of King Zhongshan are unique in the Ming Dynasty. Not only him, but also Chang Yuchun, Tang He, Li Shanchang, and Li Wenzhong. The Chengguo Gong, the British Duke and others who were later martyred also made great contributions to the Ming Dynasty. ”

Hearing Zhu Youdong say this, Tang Guozuo and the others were very happy. Zhu Youdong was about to compromise at this time, and their titles were hopeless, but now they could come back. Tang Guozuo and others, who were immediately named, pretended to be modest and said: "Some of the meager contributions of the ancestors should not be shown off too much. Now the children and grandchildren are incompetent, and the ancestors are disgraced. ”

Zhu Youdong said: "Also, most of their descendants are not successful now, I think so." If their children and grandchildren are indeed unsuccessful, they should not be restored to the title. The unification was made by the imperial court in offering incense, so as not to disgrace the siege gates of these Ming Dynasty. ”

"What?" Hearing Zhu Youdong's words, everyone was stunned. Why was it enshrined by the imperial court? And what about our titles?

Zhu Youdong ignored these stunned people, and continued: "Let the Ministry of Rites handle these things, and give them sacrifices on schedule." In this way, there will be no descendants in the future, so that the incense of the ancestors will not be saved. Okay, that's it, you guys go back first. As for whether you go to the army or not, you can make up your own mind. ”