After meeting with the caravan guards in the morning, Zhu Pingjin ordered the team to be disbanded. The mountains were bitterly cold in the early morning, and he didn't want to cause non-combat attrition. But Song Zhenzong wouldn't let them be idle, and took them up the mountain to find a bamboo forest while the meal was still early, and cut down one or two hundred old bamboos of suitable thickness and carried them back. Zhu Pingjin compared his height and estimated that he was about five and a half feet, first intercepted a section, and then ordered each person to prepare two bamboo spears based on this length. One by one, it is sharpened, and then it is dried and hardened on the fire, and temporarily used as a weapon; The other one was left as it was, wrapped in a cloth head, and used for confrontation training later. He estimated that the baggage vehicle had arrived, so he arranged for Song to take some beggars to the sentry post to carry the food and clothes back, and Cao Santai and Luo Jingyun took some beggars into the kitchen to boil water and prepare for a bath. He himself took this opportunity to trim up, and by the way, sorted out the ideas for building the army in his mind.

The beggars carried their food and clothing into the house, and all of them had smiles on their faces. The kitchen boiled water in a large pot and the tub was carried into the room. Luo Jingyun was first given a heavy responsibility and was full of interest. His first order was for all the soldiers to take off their beggar uniforms and line up to bathe in the buckets. Luo Jingyun especially emphasized that between the soldiers, they must use loofah cloth to scrub each other to ensure that they are clean. The hair must be broken and rinsed, then cut short with a brush. After washing, the soldiers immediately received a new set of gray cotton jackets, cotton pants, underwear, and a quilt in Zhu Pingjian's hands, and the tattered uniform called Hanako was thrown in the center of the drying field outside.

Zhu Pingjin insisted on handing out the clothes himself, apparently indicating that he was the soldier's food and clothing parent.

Lunch tooth sacrifice.

Many beggars are sacrificed for the first time in their lives. I can't get enough to eat, and eating meat is, of course, just a dream. So when Zhu Pingjin announced that he had meat to eat, the whole army was thunderous with joy, as if he had won a battle. A few people were not sure, and kept wandering around the kitchen until the smell of bacon came out of the kitchen, and then several people swallowed their saliva and rushed back to report the news, causing a small commotion again.

For lunch, not only did each person have three slices of fat, thick, and salty bacon, but there was also a bowl of wine for every 12 people. However, although this tooth sacrifice is good, it must be beaten according to Zhu Pingjin's new rules. The team gathered again in the drying field, and it was Song Zhensi's command. This Song Zhensi saw that his cousin was so majestic, and insisted on staying and working with his eldest brother. Zhu Pingjin felt that it was the time to employ people, and Song Zhensi's addition did not have much impact on his control of the troops, so he readily agreed. Song Zhensi's learning ability is stronger than his brother's, and he is naturally generous when he shouts passwords. The troops were quickly lined up under his command, and Song Zhensi asked Zhu Pingjin if he could have dinner, and Zhu Pingjin replied yes, and then the troops immediately began to move. They lined up in groups of twelve with bamboo tubes to eat, and then led bacon and soju in front of Cao Santai's meat barrel and Wang Sizhong's wine barrel, and finally returned to the same place and squatted on the spot. When all the people received the food, wine and meat, Zhu Pingjin nodded, and Song Zhensi shouted: "Open the meal!" There was a sudden sound of eating and drinking in the drying field, and there was no one who talked nonsense, and Zhu Pingjian's pre-dinner speech brewing in his stomach was suffocated alive.

Zhu Pingjin watched all this from the side, and the neat and orderly scene made him very satisfied. He sighed to the people around him: "In the future, we must write the article "all actions obey military orders" into military discipline. The army, that's what it is, eating, sleeping,, urinating, and obeying military orders. In this way, they are usually used to it, and they will not run around on the battlefield! General Song, Mr. He, you are all from Jiangmen, do you think this is the truth? ”

Song Zhenzong said: "The words sound right, but this and urine is coming, and the king of heaven can't control it!" ”

Zhu Pingjin shook his head and said solemnly: "The army is a disciplined force, and it is necessary to start from such trivial things as eating, sleeping, and urinating!" The battle is about to start on the battlefield, you said you want to and pee, let the thieves wait for you for a while, and then start fighting when you finish pulling, is this okay? ”

"What if you really can't hold it back?"

Zhu Pingjin said: "Then pull it into your pants, it's better than losing your life anyway!" ”

Everyone around laughed. He Youyi finished laughing and said to Zhu Pingjin: "Just now, the prince said that he would write the article 'all actions obey military orders' into the military discipline, and the minister thought it was extremely necessary!" 'You shall not commit adultery and plunder the people,' and this article should also be written into military discipline. However, the minister also suggested that one more article should be added to 'allegiance to the prince' as the first military discipline. ”

Zhu Pingjin looked around and looked at the reactions of others. The others shouted the slogan in the morning, and they all felt that this was logical, so they nodded one after another, only Shu Guoping shook his head.

Zhu Pingjin looked at Shu Guoping, smiled and did not speak. Shu Guoping thought for a while before he spoke: "Shizi, the student thinks this is inappropriate. ”

Seeing that the prince stopped and waited, Shu Guoping explained the reason:

"My ancestor was born in a slight cold, and he was angry that the Mongolian Tatars bullied my Han people, so he raised troops in Huaisi and served the king of Ming. After decades of battlefield battles, the Tatars were expelled, China was restored, and the emperor was established. Students think that in all the dynasties of China, I am the only one who is the Ming Dynasty and the most righteous country; I am hundreds of emperors in China, only my ancestor, the most righteous! Taizu established regulations, strict laws and disciplines, opened imperial examinations, persuaded and educated, eliminated corruption, and showed compassion for all people. Since the Ming Dynasty was built, where three hundred years, the descendants of Taizu, whether virtuous or unscrupulous, the people can finally get food and clothing for a lifetime. For example, in the Wanli Dynasty, the Son of Heaven did not go to court for forty years, and the people could still have no worries about food and clothing, and drink wine. I have been with the grace of the Ming Dynasty for 300 years, and I have been extremely in the clans, Shixun, hundred officials, and gentry, and issued to the Li people, the common people, the prostitutes, and the Tan (dan, untouchables) households. Therefore, everyone in the world regards the Ming Dynasty as the Chinese Zhengshuo, and the people all regard the Son of Heaven as the Ming Zhengshuo! Since the beginning of this dynasty, traitorous ministers have been in charge, misleading the country and the king! Disasters from heaven, starvation all over the world, rampant thieves, and the invasion of Beijing by the East are all warnings from heaven to my Ming! This mistake is not the fault of the Son of Heaven, but the fault of the officials! Although today's son has made mistakes, he has not lost his morality, so why not go to it! ”

Shu Guoping paused for a moment and continued: "Taizu divided the feudal domains to protect the central government. The prince and the prince were sealed by the Shu domain, which was the lineage of the ancestors, and the ancestors were just sheltered. If there is my Ming Dynasty, there will be Shu Domain; If there is my Shu domain, there will be a son. The prince and the Ming Dynasty share weal and woe, honor and disgrace. Therefore, the students thought that the first article of this military discipline was intended to be 'loyal to the Ming Dynasty and the Son of Heaven'. In this way, the Son of Heaven shall not be worried, the traitors shall not slander, the people shall not doubt, and the soldiers shall not be in chaos! ”

A small episode in the middle of a meal has raised a fundamental question of right and wrong.

This is related to the armed forces that Zhu Pingjin has worked so hard to build, and who his sharp teeth are aimed at!

Zhu Pingjin's heart churned. He knows where the future will be. The status of the prince of the Shu domain, this is his biggest advantage in politics at present. However, he can neither control the mainstream thinking of society, nor can he change the inherent thinking patterns of people. The "Jingnan" or peasant uprisings were all under the banner of "anti-corruption (evil) officials and not anti-emperors." If there is something in the world, it is all the fault of the officials, and the emperor is right. Why is this happening?

The idea of loyalty to the monarch that has not changed for thousands of years is just a surface floating on the water. The fundamental reason is the state system of divine monarchy. Since the Son of Heaven is the Son of Heaven, the absolute authority of the Son of Heaven must not be shaken. Because once the authority is shaken, it means that the identity of the "son of heaven" is shaken, that is, the legitimacy of the emperor is shaken, which will trigger countless pretenders to the throne or contenders for power, and then lead to chaos in the world. Rather than pointing out the emperor's mistakes and demanding that they be corrected, the price paid is completely disproportionate to the benefits! China's oldest and most stubborn political concept, the concept of unification of "no two days in the sky, no two kings in the country", comes from this. Therefore, it is a great event for the emperor to give himself an edict of guilt, which will definitely be recorded in the history of the present and future generations, and passed on to all generations. Emperor Chongzhen of this dynasty seems to be the emperor who takes his own edict the least seriously.

Shu Guoping is right. Flaunting the banner of allegiance to oneself now is contrary to one's original intention of using the name of the so-called caravan to build an army in a covert manner. Once this kind of banner is made public, it is impossible to take it back, and it will certainly be known to the court officials, and the consequences are unpredictable. Not to mention that the time is not ripe now, even for a long time to come, whether such a flag is suitable is also a big question. Although He Youyi is extremely talented, he is too strong in his sense of profit and too flattering, so in order to compete with Shu Guoping for favor, he came up with a completely bad idea. Although Shu Guoping did not clearly express his stance to get closer to himself, his overall view and integrity are above He Youyi. Zhu Pingjin was in his heart, and immediately reversed the status of Shu Guoping and He Youyi. As for people like He Youyi, they also need to use it, and they have to use it greatly. Yin and yang are mutually beneficial, and it is the way of the king.

Zhu Pingjin thought about it here, and the argument over there continued.

The slogan of "allegiance to the prince" was first shouted by He Youyi in the drying field, and of course he had to fight for it on the basis of reason. He asked Shu Guoping: "The students of 'allegiance to the Ming Dynasty' have no objections, but this 'allegiance to the Son of Heaven' is inappropriate for the students. If the Son of Heaven is deceived by traitors and sends an edict to King Qin of Shu Mansion, according to Mr. Shu's wishes, will I wait or not? ”

Shu Guoping said: "Since it is a traitor, of course I won't go!" ”

He Youyi bit it and wouldn't let go: "If it's a close minister of the Son of Heaven and holding the blood edict of the Son of Heaven, will I wait or not?" If I wait, I will be besieged halfway, or I will die of battle or starvation; If I can't wait, how can I explain it to the military discipline and the soldiers? ”

Shu Guoping: "......"

If the two sides continue to argue, it will affect unity, and Zhu Pingjin is even more reluctant to write a message of loyalty to the Son of Heaven. He smiled and said:

"There is no need to dispute this matter. Zhou Gong has clouds, although the world is big, there are virtuous people living in it. What is virtuous, the party is today, and the living people are also. The people are the foundation of the country, and only with the people can there be a country, and only with the people can there be a king. The family and the country are one, and the monarch and the people are also one. According to the son of this world, this military discipline is supposed to restrain the behavior of soldiers, and loyalty to the Son of Heaven is in the heart, and it is not easy to write military discipline. It is better for us to add a basic purpose of protecting the caravan on top of the military disciplines, that is, 'loyalty to the Ming Dynasty, protection of the country and the people'. In addition, thieves often cheat on the battlefield, throw money and goods, induce officers and soldiers to scramble, and then turn around and kill back, and officers and soldiers are often defeated. Therefore, this son thought that there should be an article added to the military discipline, called 'all seized and handed in'. ”

With He Youyi's high IQ, he actually knew that he had made a low-level mistake in a hurry. Now that Zhu Pingjin has made a decision, of course he immediately supports it. Shu Guoping didn't feel anything wrong. As for the two warriors, they just stood up and yelled: "Okay! ”

A sudden controversy led to the early emergence of the three major disciplines. Zhu Pingjin laughed and said to Cao Sanbao and Cao Santai: "The soldiers have already eaten, when will we eat?" ”

As the sun set, the three hundred and fifty-one soldiers were refreshed. They lined up in good spirits, each with a bamboo gun in their hands. Chen Youfu, the tallest soldier in the ranks, held a red flag embroidered with three large golden characters of "Protect Caravan". These three characters are the handwriting of Liao Daheng, the current governor of Sichuan.

In front of everyone, Zhu Pingjin ordered all the beggars' clothes to be set on fire. In the midst of the raging fire, Zhu Pingjin shouted in the loudest voice: "Today, the nineteenth day of the first month of the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, is the day when our caravan is officially formed, and it is also a day worth remembering forever!" From today on, you have become the family of my palace and a soldier! From today onwards, I am saved! Thousands of my people in the Ming Dynasty have been saved! ”

The mountain wind blew through Zhu Pingjian and spread his voice far away.