Shipin Dalizheng

Behind him are Rong An, Rong Dahu, and Rong Sanzhu.

"You guys are going too?"

Rong Dahu was a little embarrassed. "Actually, I'm still afraid, but Dad said that even though the young uncle is so young, he still wants to fight for the clan. If we still hide in the back and dare not show up, it would be shameless."

Rong Tang didn't know how to describe this feeling. It was like all his efforts were not completely in vain.

He looked at Rong An and said, "Didn't I arrange for you to manage the affairs of the seven villages so that you can prepare for the imperial examination next year? What are you doing here?"

Rong An had a complicated expression. "Master, you forgot one thing. If the imperial court wants to recruit soldiers on a large scale, and there aren't enough people who volunteer, they'll have to force conscription later. I heard that the first group of volunteers will get two taels of silver as a settlement allowance. Later, the imperial court will have no money for war, so they'll force people to serve in the military. Those who don't go will have to pay fifteen to twenty taels of silver. In Rongjia Village, one in three adult men will be drafted, so we have to give at least thirty. Right now, the village has to pay five or six hundred taels to be exempted from military service, and we can't even come up with that."

Rong Tang then realized that he had taken things for granted. He had known the inside story for a long time and had always thought that as long as he took the initiative to join, everything would be fine. He had never considered that this battle might take a long time and might not be over for several years.

What Rong An said is very likely to become a reality.

Rong Sanzhu and Rong Dahu's expressions turned serious. They originally thought that it would be shameful not to come, but it turned out that there was a great possibility that they had no choice but to come. What about those people in the village who were afraid of fighting and dared not stand out?

Is he going to borrow money from the uncle to avoid military service? He is going to fight for his country at such a young age, who would have the nerve to lend him money?

After much thought, Rong Tang still did not agree with the villagers of Rongjia Village to go with them. The reason was very simple, because his team was not a normal combat force. To use a more appropriate term, it was a special forces team, and these ordinary villagers were just a burden.

"Listen to me, this time, I can only take Uncle Dahai with me as the representative of Rongjia Village. The rest of us haven't been trained and can't go on the battlefield."

Rong An was also a little anxious. "But what if the imperial court forces us to join the army? It's better to follow Lord Bo than to follow other generals to the battlefield. At least we are family and can look after each other. We won't die in vain."

His considerations were indeed correct. Rong Tang scratched his head and walked around in circles, "But what's the point of you following me? I can't even give you military status. If you lose your life, you won't even get a pension from the court!"

What a mess! He had originally intended to act privately, but now he was following a secret imperial decree... Wait, wait... He suddenly thought, if he was traveling under imperial decree, would that count as official business? If so, asking the emperor for his staffing and travel expenses would be reasonable, right?

"You guys wait here, I'll ask someone."

The person he was looking for was Sima Zhi, who had also received an order to reorganize his troops and set out soon.

As soon as he saw Rong Tang, he asked, "How did you know I was the leader of the vanguard army?"

Rong Tang didn't know it before, but now he knows, "Because your camp is equipped with the strongest weapons."

Sima Zhi waved his hand. "It's totally insufficient. We've only equipped them with a thousand swords and a thousand spears. To serve as a vanguard, we need fast horses. This poor imperial court doesn't know when it will be able to provide them with a complete supply."

After complaining for a while, he looked up and down after listening to Rong Tang's thoughts. He finally spoke, "I've never heard of a situation like yours. If it's just work, it's reasonable to ask for some military funds. But you said it was a secret decree. Although I don't know what you're doing, I'm afraid you can't apply directly to the Ministry of War."

This was also the reason why Rong Tang was troubled. All funds had to be applied for from the Ministry of War. He had no official position and no military rank. If he rashly asked the Ministry of War for money, he would definitely be kicked out.

He had some, but he had to pay for his work for the court. What was he trying to gain? If his subordinates were killed or injured in the future, he would not receive any compensation, and he would not even have the reputation of having contributed to the country.

"There's another way. You can have your people enlist through formal channels and obtain military status first, but there's no guarantee where they'll be assigned, and they might not even be returned to you."

Rong Tang was a little discouraged. "If you say that, even I should enlist and wait for assignment."

The edict establishing the crown prince also stated that he would join the army at the age of sixteen, but now it was more than a year earlier.

Sima Zhi's eyes widened. "Don't you know? You didn't have to join the army on purpose. You were born into the military. Don't forget that your grandfather was knighted for his military merits. For military generals like you, the only way to continue your ancestors' glory is to join the army."

Rong Tang was shocked when he heard this, "I was born to be a soldier?"

"Of course not! What do you think? But there are also those cowardly second-generation dandies who spend money to avoid military service, leaving them with only an empty title. They live a life of luxury and idleness for a few decades, and then they fall into decline."

Rong Tang squatted on the ground, scratching his hair, then stood up, stood up for a while, squatted down again, and suddenly it was as if his Ren and Du meridians were opened up, and he jumped two steps. "Since I was born into the military and have a title, do I have the right to form my own army?"

Sima Zhi was shocked. "That's not just random talk. You want to form an army yourself..."

"Rong Jiajun, how did you get here?"

Rong Tang excitedly asked Sima Zhi, "How did my grandfather's Rong Family Army come about? I heard that he formed it himself."

Sima Zhi's heart was agitated, and he hurriedly explained, "Nephew, listen to your fourth uncle. Your grandfather started out as a private. He was brave, resourceful, and caring for his men. Many people later joined him, and the Rong Family Army was formed. But you must first obtain authorization from the Ministry of War to be eligible to recruit new soldiers... Hey, nephew, why are you running away?"

By the time he uttered his last words, Rong Tang had already mounted his horse and was running dozens of meters away.

Going to the Ministry of War to ask for authorization is impossible, it's too troublesome. If he wants to find someone, he should look for the one who assigned him the task.

Emperor Xuanning rested for two or three hours. Although his sleep quality was poor, he was in high spirits and had the energy to review memorials and work in the afternoon.

The war was about to begin, and they needed silver, lots of it. The loincloth that had been left uncovered to balance the Ministry of Revenue had to be partially uncovered. A few fat pigs were selected. He then issued several more imperial edicts, ordering the Ministry of Justice to investigate the corruption case of Minister Liang. All of a sudden, all officials who had any ties to Minister Liang were implicated.

There was a report outside that the Earl of Jian'an had come again. Emperor Xuanning pinched his nose and asked to let the scoundrel in. Rong Tang threw a tantrum, asked for the imperial military edict, and left with satisfaction.

Emperor Xuanning was in great pain. "This scoundrel is really persistent. Why can't I do anything about him?"

He Daban secretly curled his lips. Why? The one who knows how to stir things up gets candy! The key is that the Earl of Jian'an stirs things up very well, making Emperor Xuanning unable to extricate himself from the role of a kind and gentle old father. If any of the princes were half as capable as him in playing rogue, they would have the position of crown prince.

"Hi, Your Majesty, isn't Earl Jian'an also working for you? We don't know how capable he is yet, but his ideas are always good."

Emperor Xuanning also sighed, "I think so too. Although this boy is a bit of a scoundrel, his courage surpasses many dandies."

In the afternoon, the people of Shangjing discovered that there was a table at the door of Jian'an Earl's Mansion with the words "Recruitment" hung on it, and Rong An was sitting behind the table to register.

Someone felt strange and stepped forward to ask, "Isn't it the Ministry of War that recruits soldiers? Can the Jian'an Earl's Mansion recruit soldiers independently?"

Rong An pointed at the dragon flag and said, "We are the special forces of the Rong family's new army. We have a separate unit and are directly under the command of His Majesty. Do you want to sign up? We will give you double the salary, generous treatment, and good food."