lovenovelstory Chapter 3 Inheritance of the Title, Appointment
Chapter 3 Inheritance of the Title, Appointment
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"
I have heard that the way to govern a country is to reward merit, and the way to maintain order in the world is to continue what has been lost.
Li Wenzhong, the Duke of Cao, is my nephew. He is a founding hero who has made great contributions to the country and benefited the people.
......
I hereby grant you, Li Jinglong, the hereditary title of Duke of Cao, with a stipend of three thousand shi of grain, and bestow upon you an iron certificate, so that your title may be inherited without fail.
You should strive to uphold your original aspirations, cultivate your virtues, never Don't forget your father's loyalty and diligence, serve the country above and establish yourselves below, so that you may be worthy of the martyrs and bring glory to the nation.
So be it!
"Your Majesty, I thank you! Long live the Emperor!"
At the bottom of the steps, Li Jinglong led his entire family in bowing and kowtowing in gratitude!
Although the imperial edict was long and the sentences were difficult to understand, Li Jinglong still grasped the key point, which was to confer upon him the title of Duke of Cao and a salary of three thousand shi (a unit of grain).
"Lord Cao, this humble servant offers my congratulations!" The old eunuch looked at Li Jinglong with a broad smile.
"You're too kind, Your Excellency!" Li Jinglong bowed and was about to rise when he was stopped by a eunuch. "Duke Cao, the decree announcing the succession to the title has been read, but His Majesty has another decree!"
Li Jinglong had no choice but to kneel down again, ready to receive the imperial decree!
"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"
In governing an emperor, it is essential to establish meritorious officials to solidify the vassal states and to select capable individuals to manage military affairs. You, Li Jinglong, son of a meritorious official, inherited the title of Duke of Cao. You are inherently loyal and honest, possess profound wisdom and insight, are respectful and cautious in your conduct, and have devoted yourself to the country for many years.
You are hereby appointed as a counselor of the Left Army Commandery to assist in military affairs. I urge you to strive diligently and not fail this imperial decree!
So be it!
"Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace! Long live the Emperor!" Li Jinglong thanked the Emperor again.
Even Li Jinglong was surprised that the imperial edicts for inheriting the title and the appointment arrived at the same time. It seems that Emperor Zhu really favored him.
"Duke Cao, congratulations! This is double happiness!" The eunuch said with a beaming smile.
"Guards, distribute the rewards!" Li Jinglong waved his hand, and the servants of the Li residence began distributing rewards to the entire procession delivering the imperial edict.
After the procession delivering the imperial decree left, the entire Li family instantly erupted in excitement!
Li Zengzhi and Li Fangying were overjoyed and went to Li Jinglong's side to congratulate him.
"His Majesty's favor towards the Li family remains undiminished. We brothers will certainly live up to His Majesty's grace and serve the country with loyalty!" Li Jinglong said with righteous indignation.
"I will heed your teachings, elder brother!"
Seeing the admiration in his two younger brothers' eyes, Li Jinglong thought to himself: The Imperial Guards in the manor, remember to report what I said to Old Zhu!
After everyone dispersed, Li Jinglong inquired about the spring planting at the Li family's estate with the steward, Li Yuan. After receiving a positive reply, he then looked at his two younger brothers.
Li Zengzhi was fifteen, and Li Fangying was fourteen. The three were born to the same mother, Bi, and were all born to the principal wife.
In the household, there is also a younger sister, born to Li Jinglong's stepmother, but she is still young, only ten years old.
"The mourning period for your father is over, and you two should return to the Imperial Academy. Remember, don't cause trouble at school!" Li Jinglong said, looking at the two of them.
"Understood, Big Brother!" Li Fangying immediately nodded in agreement. Li Zengzhi wanted to refuse, but seeing Li Jinglong's unyielding attitude, he ultimately did not say anything.
After settling things at home, Li Jinglong returned to his study. He was going to the Governor's Mansion for his shift and needed to find some materials to familiarize himself with beforehand.
The next morning, Li Jinglong, accompanied by his servant, arrived at the Left Army Commander's Mansion.
The offices of the Five Military Commissions were located in the area between Chang'an Street, south of the Imperial Palace, and Chongli Street, near Zhengyang Gate. All the central institutions of the Ming Dynasty were located in this area.
The Six Ministries and the Five Military Commissions were located on the left and right sides of Hongwu Gate, close to the offices of the Office of Transmission, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices.
The predecessor of the Five Military Commands was the Grand Military Command. After Li Wenzhong returned to Beijing from Beiping, he took up the post of Grand Military Commander. However, in the thirteenth year of Hongwu, after Zhu Yuanzhang executed Hu Weiyong, he abolished the position of prime minister and divided the Grand Military Command into five. Li Wenzhong continued to hold the position of Grand Military Commander of the Left Army Command.
Each of the Five Military Commands has its own territory under its jurisdiction, and the Left Military Command, which Li Jinglong is going to, is responsible for the garrisons in Liaodong, Shandong, and Zhejiang, as well as some of the garrisons in the capital.
After being checked at the main gate, Li Jinglong was about to enter when, unexpectedly, a guard at the gate suddenly stood up and announced to the servants inside:
"Counselor of the Governor's Office, Duke Cao has arrived!"
Whether the people inside felt anything from that shout or not, Li Jinglong was definitely embarrassed! Did he, a duke, really have that much prestige?
Upon hearing the announcement, many officials and clerks came out of the hall and stood on both sides.
Li Jinglong quickly waved his hand to disperse the officials who wanted to line up.
Seeing the officials disperse, Li Jinglong turned to Shen Jun, the Chief Clerk of the Governor's Office who had greeted him: "Chief Clerk Shen, is this formal announcement upon entering the Governor's Office a standard procedure?"
Shen Jun was born into a military household under the Left Army Commandery. He later passed the imperial examination and was promoted to the Left Army Commandery.
Upon hearing Li Jinglong's question, Shen Jun hesitated, looking somewhat conflicted.
"Speak freely!"
Shen Jun hesitated for a moment before saying, "Lord, when the Prince of Qiyang was acting as the Left Army Commander, there was no such rule. It was established later by Marquis Tang!"
Marquis of Yan'an, Tang Shengzong?
That's right! Ever since Li Wenzhong fell seriously ill, the Right Vice-General Tang Shengzong has been in charge of affairs. However, since Tang Shengzong was stationed in Liaodong in the sixteenth year of Hongwu, three years have passed and he has not yet returned to the capital.
Li Jinglong sighed inwardly: This is really high-profile behavior!
"Tell the guards that from now on, I don't need to announce my arrival!" Li Jinglong instructed, then asked, "Has there been any military business lately?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, there is currently no fighting in my Left Army Command area; it's all just routine matters such as military registration verification and training reporting!" Shen Jun replied.
Li Jinglong nodded. "Bring me all the documents related to garrison training and combat. I want to familiarize myself with them!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
A short while later, Shen Jun walked in with two or three people, each carrying a large stack of files.
"My lord, all the training and combat records since the establishment of the Left Army Command in the thirteenth year of the Hongwu reign are here!"
"Hmm, put it here! I'll take a look later!"
After everyone left, Li Jinglong picked up a file and began to read it leisurely.
"In the first month of the fourteenth year of Hongwu, the Northern Yuan Pingzhang Naierbuqa attacked the border. In the second month, 15,000 soldiers from the six garrisons in Shandong were transferred to fight against the Northern Yuan and were placed under the command of Right General Fu."
"We set out in April and fought at Huishan and Beihuanghe in May. We won both battles and captured Beiyuan Pingzhang Bielibuhua and others. Among them, the garrison troops under our jurisdiction beheaded more than 2,300, captured more than 3,100, killed 537, maimed 246, and wounded 688."
After reviewing the casualty ratio, which was roughly one to two, Li Jinglong gained a preliminary understanding of the Ming army's combat capabilities at this time.
"In August of the sixteenth year of Hongwu, Japanese pirates invaded Wenzhou and Taizhou. After they were driven back, 1,964 soldiers of Wenzhou and Taizhou who had made meritorious contributions in capturing and killing Japanese pirates were rewarded."
Upon seeing this, Li Jinglong immediately perked up, thinking, "Well done!"
However, his good fortune was short-lived. Just as Li Jinglong was leisurely reviewing documents, a palace eunuch came to deliver a message that Zhu Biao had summoned him.