Chapter 57: Loyalty and Devotion to the Country

The next day.

In the early morning sunlight, on Chongwen Gate Street, the sudden booming of drums echoed. Merchants and travelers who had just entered the city looked up to see two strong men carrying a large drum out of the gate of Mingshi Quarter. Behind them, another strong man was beating the drum vigorously, the sounds of a military command reverberating through the air.

Following them was a cavalryman in full helmet and armor.

He held a red flag with both hands. On it, the four golden characters “Loyalty and Devotion to the Country” fluttered in the wind. On the inner side of the flag was a row of smaller vertical characters.

The Hejian People’s Volunteer Corps.

Behind this cavalryman, Yang Xin, also in full helmet and armor, rode forward. His black full iron armor reflected the sunlight, and his bright red cape fluttered. The plume on his phoenix-wing helmet swayed. In his left hand, he led three horses. One carried a specially made wooden frame holding the massive Green Dragon Crescent Blade. The other two horses were loaded with weapons like a bow and arrows and iron maces, along with various packages and other supplies.

In his right hand, he held an ox horn.

Behind him were Huang Zhen and three other cavalrymen who were actually illicit salt traders.

They too wore full iron armor, holding reins in one hand and long spears in the other. Small triangular flags were attached to their spears. As for behind them…

There was no one else.

At present, the Hejian People’s Volunteer Corps consisted of only these six men. Further back were Wang Wang and Huang Ying, who had come to see them off.

However, the title “Hejian People’s Volunteer Corps” was officially recognized, and the four characters “Loyalty and Devotion to the Country” were personally written by the Imperial Eldest Grandson.

Yang Xin was redeeming his crimes with merit, while Huang Zhen and the other four had volunteered to follow. They were not Yang Xin’s household servants, so this was an expression of the Hejian people’s loyalty to the emperor. To demonstrate their loyalty to the emperor, the five righteous people of Hejian willingly went to Liaodong to fight enemies for the country. What was their action if not “Loyalty and Devotion to the Country”? If all of the Great Ming were like them, would there be any worry about the Jiannu not being destroyed? Such righteous deeds must be supported. Therefore, not only did the Imperial Eldest Grandson personally inscribe “Loyalty and Devotion to the Country,” but the Liaodong Provincial Governor Xiong Tingbi personally bestowed the name “Hejian People’s Volunteer Corps.”

Originally, it was supposed to be a “battalion,” but Yang Xin insisted on changing it to “army.”

Thus, the Hejian People’s Volunteer Corps made its official debut…

Pedestrians on the street stopped one after another.

Everyone looked at them in astonishment. Soon, some pointed at Yang Xin and whispered among themselves. Clearly, his fame was already considerable.

If his previous actions had only given him a certain level of notoriety, now his deeds were practically known to every man, woman, and child in the capital. After all, his experiences were too legendary. As he had said, he was like a firefly in the darkness—it was impossible not to attract attention. From a fugitive to a treasure presenter commissioned by a deity, then to a sorcerer, then to a commoner idol who beat up officials, and now to a warrior loyal and devoted to the country…

This series of twists and turns was simply astonishing!

Amidst all this attention, Yang Xin raised his horn and blew it suddenly. The clear sound of the horn, accompanied by the war drums, echoed down the long street, even faintly evoking the atmosphere of battle.

Suddenly, from the other end of the long street, the same horn sound rang out. Immediately afterward, a large contingent of cavalry appeared. In the middle of the cavalry was a special carriage. Its overall shape resembled a small house with doors on three sides. It had a circular eave, with various decorations hanging down all around. The carriage roof was a semicircular arch. Through the open front door, a young man wearing mourning clothes could be seen sitting upright in the central seat.

But that was not the most eye-catching.

The most eye-catching thing was that in front of the carriage, it was not horses, but an elephant.

An elephant-drawn carriage.

The entire street fell silent.

Everyone stared in shock as the elephant pulled the carriage slowly past, its massive size showcasing the carriage’s prestige. Some who reacted quickly hurriedly bowed in respect, while the merchants and travelers were so frightened that they cleared the road as quickly as possible.

An elephant-drawn carriage!

At the very least, this indicated a feudal prince.

Even a commandery prince was not qualified for this!

The emperor had the Grand Carriage, the Jade Carriage; the crown prince had the Golden Carriage; feudal princes had the Elephant Carriage…

Well, actually, there was also the imperial grandson.

Yang Xin and the soldiers leading the procession ahead both blew their horns as they drew closer. An official who had initially wanted to cause trouble quietly retreated. With an elephant-drawn carriage appearing, who dared to disturb? Although this was the top-tier mode of transportation for the Great Ming imperial family, unless it was the most solemn occasion, no one would actually use it. Riding in a sedan chair was more comfortable and convenient. But similarly, when the Imperial Eldest Grandson brought out the elephant carriage, it was a warning to the Five City Military Inspectorate: he took this matter very seriously. If anyone dared to make him unhappy at this moment, he would make them unhappy for a lifetime.

Finally, the two processions met on the long street. Yang Xin and the others quickly dismounted and performed a formal bow to Tianqi.

Tianqi stepped out of the elephant carriage.

“Rise, righteous warriors. Today, you are traveling far to Liaodong to fight enemies for the country. I, Youxiao, have nothing to give you but three cups of light wine to see you off with honor!”

He said slowly.

Nine Thousand Years Old, who was following him, immediately handed him a tray. Tianqi picked up a cup. Yang Xin, kneeling before him, received it with both hands…

“The first cup is to honor the heroic spirits who died fighting for our country in Liaodong!”

Yang Xin shouted.

After saying this, he poured the wine onto the ground.

Tianqi promptly presented the second cup.

“The second cup is to honor the suffering people of Liaodong!”

Yang Xin shouted.

Then he poured this cup onto the ground as well.

Tianqi presented the third cup.

“The third cup wishes our emperor a long, long life! May the Great Ming’s fortune prosper, and may peace reign forever across the land!”

Yang Xin shouted.

Then he drank this cup in one gulp.

“Good! This is what a true man of the Great Ming should be like. Mount your horses, righteous warriors. I, Youxiao, shall beat the drums to see you off. On the day you present the heads of the Jiannu at the palace steps, I shall celebrate your achievements!”

Tianqi said.

After speaking, he went over, took the reins of Yang Xin’s horse, and placed them in his hand.

Yang Xin stood up, took the reins, and immediately mounted the horse. He reached out and grabbed the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. The Western Regions horse beneath him, suddenly burdened with the increased weight, snorted in dissatisfaction. But Yang Xin had no interest in its feelings at the moment, because behind Tianqi’s elephant carriage, a soldier was driving forward a poor-quality horse with a paper effigy of a Jiannu on its back.

Yang Xin then urged his warhorse forward.

However, the combined weight of him and the blade exceeded three hundred pounds, already overwhelming the horse beneath him. Even though this was a top-tier Western Regions horse in the Great Ming, carrying such a weight was barely manageable. Trying to force it to run was simply outrageous, especially when he swung the blade. When that one hundred twenty pounds shifted to one side, it wasn’t just about weight anymore.

Yang Xin, posing for a charge, suddenly felt the ground come closer…

His reflexes were extremely fast. The moment the horse beneath him knelt, he leaped up, dragging the Green Dragon Crescent Blade with him and landing in front of the horse.

The poor-quality horse ahead galloped toward him in panic.

Yang Xin gripped the blade with both hands, roared, and charged forward. At the moment they met, he swung the Green Dragon Crescent Blade horizontally. The blade, reflecting the morning sun, traced a golden arc through the air, crashing into the chest of the poor-quality horse. It swept through amid a spray of blood, and then the horse’s head, along with half its body, along with the flying blood and the bisected paper effigy, flew backward and upward. The remaining half of the body flipped over and continued sliding forward before collapsing.

Yang Xin, maintaining his horizontal slashing pose, slowly stood up.

He looked around with a proud, disdainful gaze.

All around him, cheers erupted.

A fierce general!

An absolute fierce general!

Whether ordinary people cared about the war beyond the frontier or not, the appearance of a fierce general was always uplifting. Moreover, this war had already truly affected the capital city, with food prices continuously rising. Furthermore, places like Tianjin and Shanhai Pass had already begun strengthening coastal defenses. After all, the capital city stood right on the path southward from the frontier barbarians. Once Liaodong could not hold, the Jiannu would surely attack the passes. This place was, after all, not the southern capital, and this city had been attacked more than once—from the Oirats in the past to Altan Khan during the Jiajing era. This capital city was not only the capital but also the most crucial fortress in the entire border defense system.

In such circumstances, the emergence of a super fierce general was always heartening.

Liu the Great Blade had died on the battlefield.

But now our Great Ming had produced Yang the Great Blade. Liu the Great Blade had long been old and not what he once was, but this Yang the Great Blade was still young. Our Great Ming’s new generation of fierce generals had taken over from the old…

“Yang the Great Blade!”

…

Amid the cheers, Yang Xin strode forward proudly.

Beside him, on the horse’s back, the one hundred twenty-pound Green Dragon Crescent Blade still dripped with the blood of the innocent poor-quality horse. Ahead of him, the drums still beat, though now it was Tianqi beating them. The flag bearing “Loyalty and Devotion to the Country” still fluttered. Yang Xin also blew the horn from time to time. At this moment, he was the brightest star. Everyone remembered his name; everyone praised his deeds…

This was what he wanted.

The Great Ming also needed to put on a show. Just as the censors eagerly sought court beatings, he too wanted his name to spread throughout the land. Only then could he proceed with his future plans. Otherwise, for a commoner to achieve his ideals in this era was nothing but a dream. Why did Wang Gen make himself an exaggerated tall hat and wander around like a “shamate” of that era? Why did Li Zhi make such unconventional statements? His statements were considered non-mainstream even four hundred years later, let alone in this era. These people all had the same goal: to attract more attention to themselves. Only with more and more people paying attention could their real core ideas spread.

What he was doing now was no different from Wang Gen putting on an exaggerated tall hat.

He simply wanted to become famous.

Thus, Yang Xin proceeded along Xuanwu Gate Street and then turned onto Chaoyang Gate Street. As for Tianqi, he only beat the drums for a few minutes as a gesture before boarding the elephant carriage and returning. But even without his elephant carriage, that time was enough for people to spread the word and come out to watch this special procession.

Yang Xin, beating the drum and blowing the horn, proudly exited Chaoyang Gate.

Outside Chaoyang Gate, an army of three thousand cavalrymen stood in formation, waiting. Each was splendidly dressed and mounted, appearing majestic and imposing…

Of course, they were not waiting for him.

On Chaoyang Gate Street, which he had just passed, Xiong Tingbi was swiftly approaching with his subordinates, including Cao Wenzhao and Chen Yujie. These were elite troops from the Capital Garrison that Wanli had assigned to him. These cavalrymen, carefully selected from the Three Thousand Battalion, represented the strongest combat force of the three major garrisons at that time. They would demonstrate to the Liaodong army and people the prowess of the invincible army that had once struck directly to Lake Buyur…