Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

"Think about it!" 20,000 Liaodong veterans shouted.

The return of 100,000 Liaodong people to the Ming Dynasty could still make them grateful, even though Guanningjin was not their hometown.

However, most of Guan Ningjin's Liaodong veterans' hometowns are on both sides of the Liaohe River. If Zhang Shikang had not mentioned it, many people seemed to have buried the word hometown deep in their hearts.

Hometown, what a nice name.

However, when you have a hometown and cannot return, it is a completely different feeling.

After Zhang Shikang finished speaking, many Liaodong veterans began to wipe their tears. Thinking of this, Zhang Shikang said loudly again:

"Train well, and I will take you home within three years!"

There was once a man who claimed that he could pacify Liao in five years, but he became a joke.

But now, in front of 20,000 Liao soldiers, Zhang Shikang once again reduced the sentence by two years in the same way.

Huaining Marquis Sun Weifan was the most excited. He didn't care what others thought, but he had the deepest faith in Zhang Shikang's ability.

Now that the imperial court has completed the unification of internal affairs, in a few months, when the provinces in the south of the Yangtze River complete the initial round of tax and land reforms, the Ming Dynasty will be reborn.

In the north of the Ming Dynasty, the canal digging campaign would soon begin, and new crops were also being cultivated and waiting to be promoted.

All of this shows that Zhang Shikang was not bragging and he has the ability.

The reason why Sun Weifan was happy was not only because he would witness the Ming Dynasty regaining its lost territory with his own eyes, but also because war meant military merit.

The 20,000 Liao soldiers said nothing, and no one knew who started it first. A moment later, all the soldiers knelt on one knee in front of Zhang Shikang.

It was also from this time that the entire Guanningjin community felt truly at home.

After leaving the parade ground, Zhang Shikang summoned the Zu family again.

Including Wu Sangui, there were about twenty or thirty people sitting or standing in the living room.

Zhang Shikang gave Zu's family a dignified exit, and even those who were not granted titles were awarded military honors.

The Ming Dynasty has already issued an edict to increase the salaries of officials. Generally speaking, even if they do nothing in their lives, the salaries from their official titles can ensure that they have no worries about food and clothing.

But nearly half of the young people in the Zu family are still depressed. They are not as old as Zu Dashou and Zu Dabi, and they are also at the age to enjoy their retirement.

Some of them were only in their twenties or thirties, which was a good time for them to make achievements, but at this time, they were asked by the court to retire.

After Zhang Shikang entered the living room, he walked towards the main seat and waved to everyone present:

"Please take a seat, there is no need to be polite. I called you here to tell you about the possible arrangements for the future.

Perhaps Ningyuan Hou has already told you that in the future the Ming Dynasty may build a school specifically for training military generals.

This is not to comfort you, but it is what I will definitely do from now on.

In addition, in the near future, the Ming army may go overseas, where there are more vast lands waiting for you to occupy.

This requires more military talent.

You don't have to lose heart, if there is a big war in the future, you may be called upon at any time." Zhang Shikang said after taking a sip of tea.

What he was talking about was naturally colonization. Whether it was going to Australia or the more distant North and South America, troops needed to be sent, otherwise the local indigenous people would drive the colonists into the sea in minutes.

After hearing this, many young people present had light in their eyes again.

"Marshal, is overseas very big?" Yongping uncle Zeyuan asked softly.

Although he had experienced many wars, he had also been to many places and had a lot of experience.

But including Zu Zeyuan, almost all of the Zu family members present had never known anything about the ocean.

They have seen the sea, and some have even been on a ship, but no one has ever reached the other side of the ocean.

"Of course it is big. In this world, the ocean occupies 70%, and the territory currently controlled by our Ming Dynasty is less than 10% of the remaining 30% of land.

As long as I am here, our Ming Dynasty will never stand still again. On the other side of the ocean are copper mines, iron mines and a large number of high-yield crops that the Ming Dynasty lacks.

In the future, we will need to take these back." Zhang Shikang said casually.

The Liansheng Chamber of Commerce is responsible for trade and transportation, while the future colonial team will be responsible for local security, and the three will complement the Ming Dynasty's naval fleet.

"Don't worry, Marshal. Even if I am idle at home, I will never slack off in martial arts and military affairs." Zu Zeyuan said excitedly.

They automatically ignored Zhang Shikang's explanation of the vastness of the ocean and thought that the Marshal must be bragging. The ocean is so big, who would measure it?

The other members of the Zu family also expressed their opinions one after another, and there was no longer any frustration on their faces.

But Zu Dashou frowned slightly.

"General, our Ming Dynasty is a country of etiquette. If we also engage in plundering, I'm afraid it will damage the reputation of our Ming Dynasty!"

Although Zu Dashou was a military man and had not learned much Confucian classics, he had learned a lot and knew the Ming court's attitude towards most foreign affairs.

The Ming Dynasty now had more than 20 tributary states, and also listed Korea and Ryukyu as countries that would not be conquered.

Why? Of course, it is to show the country's prestige.

Chinese culture emphasizes that one must have a legitimate reason to fight. For more than 200 years, the Ming Dynasty has never conquered other countries without a reason.

Zu Dashou is old after all, and now he is also considered a member of the court's nobles. Naturally, he has reason to maintain the reputation of the court.

But Zu Dashou's tone was still very humble. It seemed like he was defending, but in fact it was more like a reminder.

Zhang Shikang was not angry at all. This was very normal in the Ming Dynasty. If these words were said in the court, he could foresee that Hai Zhongqi and other court officials would definitely object.

"How much is reputation worth?

What was the Ming Dynasty like two years ago?

When the ancestral tomb of His Majesty the Current Emperor was dug up, why did no one say that it was damaging to his reputation?

The court lost Liaodong, do you dare to say that you have no responsibility? Why don't you mention your reputation?" Zhang Shikang asked in return.

Only he dared to call the monk bald. At that time, Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng captured Fengyang and dug up the imperial tombs in Fengyang. Brother Chongzhen even cried all night and wrote a self-criticism edict.

Having their ancestral graves dug up is undoubtedly a great shame for their descendants.

When the imperial court lost Liaodong, Zu Chengxun of the Zu family served as the commander-in-chief in Liaodong. He lost Liaodong, Liaoxi and then Guangning.

Zhang Shikang could say that even if his ancestors had no merits, they had worked hard, but the ancestors themselves could not say so.

Zu Dashou was choked by Zhang Shikang and immediately shut up obediently.

Zu Dabi even nudged his elder brother with his elbow, meaning, "Brother, why are you talking so much?"

Whatever the commander-in-chief says, that’s it.

After Zhang Shikang appeased Zu's family, he looked at Wu Sangui again.

Wu Sangui actually had complicated feelings. All of his ancestors were stripped of their military power in one day, and he took over their positions.

Not only was he conferred the title of Weiwu Earl by the imperial court, he was also promoted to the commander-in-chief of military affairs of Guanningjin with the seal of the vanguard general of the expedition to Liao, and was in charge of all the troops of Guanningjin.

There is excitement, but there is also anxiety.

"Xiao Guizi, what are you thinking about?"

……