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墨書 Inktalez
The Peculiar War God of the Song Dynasty
The Qin Emperor, dressed in a golden robe, accepted their gratitude and turned to head back to his palace.
He truly felt exhausted, having originally planned to retreat south for a while, only to be stopped and forced to remain in the imperial palace!
Soon, a major event would unfold outside Tokyo City, as tens of thousands of Jin Army soldiers surged in like a tide, leading to a fierce battle.
Just thinking about it gave him a headache; he preferred to go to his palace and hold the Queen tightly for a good sleep, without worrying about anything else!
Many Imperial Guards clad in Black Armor accompanied him back, showing great respect towards Li Gang and the others.
Li Bangyan and some members of the Peace Faction also followed, though their intentions were unclear.
Li Gang and Qin Feng were pleased, exchanging respectful greetings with each other.
They arrived at the palace just in time to prevent the Emperor from fleeing south with the royal consorts, stabilizing the hearts of the people—what a brilliant move!
Li Gang also proposed that the Emperor issue an Appointment of Talents, inviting capable individuals from Tokyo City to serve, which was agreed upon—truly a relief for everyone.
Qin Feng's idea was particularly unique; he suggested using prisoners sentenced to heavy penalties—who must be brutal individuals—to fight desperately for their lives.
"It seems that Qin Feng is indeed talented in both civil and military matters; he came up with this clever plan to persuade the Emperor to pardon the prisoners and allow them to take up arms against the enemy. Truly courageous."
Qin Feng smiled at Li Gang, acknowledging that it was his Appointment of Talents that inspired this idea; it wasn't entirely his own invention.
Historically, this practice can be traced back to the Qin State in ancient China, where they heavily relied on convicted criminals to fight fiercely for their freedom.
"Actually, it wasn't my original idea; it was proposed long ago in the Qin State by someone who used this strategy to defeat enemies."
At this moment, Li Gang and Wang Ding also recalled it. Both of them were well-educated and had read numerous historical texts, so they were aware of this.
Commander of the Guard Di Wu and several Generals, along with the remaining Civil Officials, did not know about it; the era was too distant, and they had never heard of it.
Right Chancellor Li Gang smiled as he looked at Qin Feng. Although this person was young, he was quite knowledgeable. Clearly a Civil Official, he should have been idle and uninterested in military affairs.
However, he understood a lot, even recalling strategies from long ago, which he almost forgot.
Previously, they had not noticed his exceptional qualities; they only knew he could compose poetry and lyrics. Was that merely an act?
Since the Appointment of Talents had already been confirmed, it was time to send someone to handle it, to recruit talented individuals for the service of the country.
Looking at the several Generals beside him, Di Wu's people were the most capable, having the greatest influence in Tokyo City. It would be him.
He said, "Brother Di Wu! I entrust you with this matter of recruiting talents. Please send more people to the streets of Tokyo to start recruiting wise individuals!"
"It is likely that most will be rough commoners, but they must possess some skills to dare to enlist and serve the country. Scholars can also be included; just make sure to record them all!"
"Don't let me down; I have high hopes for you. I still have some trivial matters to attend to, so I must hurry."
Right Chancellor Li Gang then took those around him and walked in another direction, hurriedly, as if there were important matters at hand.
Commander of the Guard Di Wu could only agree with him. Now that everyone had left, it was clear that this task was entrusted to him!
But he was just a Military Official and usually did not deal with such matters; those were handled by his subordinates.
He looked at the respectful Qin Feng beside him and thought of a plan.
He patted him on the shoulder, looking quite polite.
"Brother Qin! You know, I deal with major matters; these trivial things are handled by the Deputy Commander, which is you."
Qin Feng was somewhat surprised. The Chancellor had been entrusted to him, so how had it suddenly fallen to himself? It felt a bit too much!
He continued, "Actually, this is something that can't be delayed any longer. Just recruit some people into the army. There's no need for you to go personally; just a few commanders or a few Duties of the Imperial Guard Commander Liu Xian will do. They can lead dozens of people and disperse them throughout Tokyo."
Qin Feng thought for a moment and smiled, realizing it seemed quite simple; he could just send someone below to handle it.
"Turns out it's quite simple. I'll have Zhang Mu Liu Xian and the others take care of it. They are all experienced individuals who know what to do; they just need to register."
Di Wu, wearing Golden Armor, glanced at Qin Feng, who was in plain clothes. He had indeed gotten up late and hadn't even changed his clothes.
The armor must have been left at the Cavalry Command Office; he hadn't had time to change.
He also recalled someone—Zhang Mu's younger brother, Zhang Sen.
During the last patrol at the northern Cavalry Camp, he had thought Zhang Sen was talented; his horsemanship was excellent, and his martial skills were also commendable. It would be good for him to gain some experience.
As they walked forward, he said, "Qin Feng! Have Zhang Mu bring his brother Zhang Sen along. I see he's a talented individual with decent martial skills; gaining experience in these trivial matters will be useful in the future."
He smiled in agreement, feeling that there weren't enough people anyway, so it was perfect to add him to the count.
The two walked out of the palace gates. Once outside, the Imperial Guards carrying large bundles retreated, returning to their original calm demeanor.
Upon arriving at the Cavalry Command Office, Qin Feng was busy looking for them to handle matters.
Soon, they gathered their people and rushed to various places in Tokyo to start recruiting talented individuals!
Qin Feng had never seen a recruitment for talents before and felt a bit uneasy about it, so he followed along without changing his clothes.
He was with Liu Xian's group, divided into more than ten teams, each consisting of a few people, carrying brushes and ink, as well as chairs and tents.
It was a very cold winter; although the sun was shining, the cold wind still pierced through, so setting up a tent would help alleviate some suffering and keep them warmer.
Upon reaching a bustling street, they began to set up tents, placing down the tables and chairs they brought, and started recruiting talents.
They also posted a gray-yellow official notice that stated the emperor had issued an Appointment of Talents. With the Jin Army approaching, anyone willing to enlist and achieve merit would be generously rewarded.
Regardless of which profession they came from, as long as they were healthy, skilled in martial arts, and dared to fight against the Jin people, they could sign up for military service with preferential treatment.
Just after putting up the gray-yellow notice on the wall, which was stamped with the imperial seal, many people gathered around.
Everyone was curious and filled with enthusiasm.
However, being a soldier was not easy; in the past, one had to spend money to send gifts. Especially in Tokyo City, the Imperial Guards were quite arrogant and engaged in some shady dealings.
After a while, many people surrounded the area, but there were not many who signed up.
Although there were rewards for achievements, killing on the battlefield was not easy; it was either you die or I die. Being careless in military service could cost one their life.
Qin Feng and Liu Xian were also feeling idle and encouraged everyone to enthusiastically enlist since there would be substantial rewards for those who achieved merit. However, very few signed up for military service.
Suddenly, a tall man pushed through several people in front of him and hurried over with a big smile on his face.
He was about six feet tall, with a strong build that felt like he weighed nearly two hundred pounds. It wasn't the clumsy kind of fat; it was a kind of agility and ferocity.
He laughed heartily, looking somewhat intimidating, and sat down on the bench where people were signing up.
He said, "I am the butcher from City Alley. I just sold the pork I slaughtered and saw a crowd gathered here. After asking around, I found out that you are recruiting soldiers to fight against the Jin Invaders. This is truly heartening."
"Those Jin people are like pigs and dogs, occupying our land and slaughtering our Song People. I've long been fed up with them. I want to chop them down to honor our fallen Song People."
"My name is Zhang San. I used to be a butcher, just killing pigs. Quickly write down my name; I want to enlist and fight the Jin people. I don't believe they are stronger than me!"
Qin Feng looked at this man with admiration. He certainly had great strength and exuded a murderous aura, but being a butcher meant that killing people would be even easier for him.
The key was his patriotic spirit; he was unafraid of the Jin Invaders, which was truly commendable.
Liu Xian cast a disdainful glance. This recruitment was meant for exceptional individuals, like skilled street performers or heroes from the green forest, to bring them under his command.
A mere butcher coming to join in the excitement, especially one who looked so hefty, would eat more than several people combined; he couldn't afford to support him.
He said, "We can't have you as a butcher; you're too hefty for us to support. Go back to slaughtering pigs! Next!"
Butcher Zhang San was displeased. He genuinely wanted to enlist and kill those Jin Invaders. He wasn't afraid of them; he was very strong and could easily take them down.
He pleaded, "Please have mercy, Official! I can manage with less food; I'm truly patriotic and have long been disgusted by those Jin people. They are just relying on borrowed power; they aren't that formidable. I can take down several of them myself."
Liu Xian still didn't want to agree but couldn't stand these common folk. Was a butcher considered an exceptional person? Even if he ate less, he would still consume more than two people combined; he couldn't afford it!
Just as he was about to speak again, Qin Feng's friendly voice came from beside him.
"Good, we need someone like you, tall and strong, not afraid of the Jin people at all. In fact, they are nothing and can be easily killed. You will be our soldier, so quickly write down your name and occupation."
Butcher Zhang San hurriedly expressed his gratitude and stood to the side.
Liu Xian was only responsible for interviewing them, asking a few simple questions. Recording names and occupations was handled by the nearby Imperial Guards.
He glanced at Qin Feng and said, "Brother Qin, you dare to recruit just a butcher? Besides being strong, what else can he do? The emperor wants us to recruit skilled fighters who dare to kill enemies; this is too casual."
Qin Feng did not respond to him but looked at the many Common People gathered around, many of whom were tall and strong but came from humble backgrounds.
He said, "This recruitment order does not care where these people come from; anyone from any profession can join. Whether they are pig slaughterers or street sweepers, as long as they have the heart to serve the country and are willing to fight against the Jin people to protect their homes, they can enlist."
"The Jin people have invaded our land and slaughtered our families; they have already reached Tokyo City. If we don't enlist to fight them now, when will we? Do you want to wait until they kill your families?"
Many of the common people felt deeply moved after hearing this and signed up for military service with tears in their eyes, their inner fury surging forth.
They felt it was necessary to protect their families; the Jin people were like vicious wolves that could not be tamed and must be killed.
Even some ragged refugees came forward to enlist, eager to kill the sinful Jin people; all were accepted.
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