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Chapter 733: The Burial of a Servant on the Battlefield

"Your Majesty, I have three sons, Chengxue, Chengmin, and Chengchang. My eldest son, Chengxue, died four years ago. Your Majesty has graciously allowed me to return home to take care of the family."

As they were talking about the bank run, they were suddenly asked about the population of their family. Even Ye Xianggao, who was the best at guessing the opinions of his superiors, was confused. While reporting, he glanced at Yuan Keli opposite him and Yuan Yingtai beside him, trying to find clues from the faces of these two close ministers of the emperor.

"Well, it's a pity that they died young and the old had to bury the young. Did Cheng Min and Cheng Chang get married? Do they have any offspring?" The emperor seemed to have a unclear memory of the past. He touched his chin, thought for a while, and then continued to ask.

"...all of them are married and have seven grandchildren, three of whom are adults, two of whom have passed the imperial examination and become scholars, and the remaining four also study every day!" Unfortunately, Ye Xianggao did not see any inspiration from the two Yuans' faces, so he could only bite the bullet and answer truthfully.

"If I want one of your grandsons to join the army and serve the country, would you be willing?" Well, after all the twists and turns, the emperor finally revealed his true intentions. He actually wanted to force the grandson of the prime minister to join the army.

As soon as these words came out, all the ministers who were originally like old monks in meditation suddenly looked at Ye Xianggao, as if they understood something. It was obvious that this old man who was firmly in the position of Prime Minister must have participated in the run on Sun Moon Bank. Now that the incident had been exposed, he was retaliated by the emperor.

This is a really bad move. You covet the profits of Sun Moon Bank, so I want your grandson's life. The revenge will not be overnight, and it also has the effect of killing the chicken to scare the monkey. From now on, anyone who wants to attack the emperor or the new policy must first count how many times his children and grandchildren have served in the army.

"...I...could not ask for more!" But Ye Xianggao didn't understand why the emperor's machete suddenly fell on his head.

Participating in a run on Sun Moon Bank? That was absolutely impossible. Not only did he not do that, but his family also guaranteed that they would not do that. As an official from Fujian and a close minister to the emperor, he had some foresight.

Although he had no real power, dared not take bribes, and even dared not indulge his family, he lost many opportunities to make money, but investing in the new policy did not go against the emperor's will.

The Ye family was among the first group to respond to the call to reclaim wasteland and plant sweet wheat and sweet potatoes. They also own tea and lychee gardens, and also invested in a cannery, making them one of the beneficiaries of the new policy.

A few years ago, my family bought a good piece of land in Annan to run a rubber plantation. Part of the money was borrowed from the Sun Moon Bank. There is no time to establish good relations, and there is no reason to follow the businessmen from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to wade into muddy water.

"Good! Very good. Just based on this sentence, I am worthy of being the Prince's Guardian! Lord Ye, don't worry too much about your grandson's safety. I have never been defeated in the navy or the army, and the new army should be about the same.

Even if they return home wrapped in their horsehide, it is their due. As the descendants of an imperial official, it is only natural for them to fight for the country, the imperial court, and the people. The emperor guards the country's gates, and the people build their homes; the king dies for the country, and the ministers are buried on the battlefield.

Now I have managed to guard the country's borders, but I may die on the battlefield in the future. My dear ministers should also show your love for the country, the court, and the people through practical actions like me.

Only when the emperor and his subjects are at the forefront, the people will not secretly curse you for being in high positions and enjoying wealth and splendor. But we can't really take up swords and guns to fight the enemy, so let our children and grandchildren do it instead.

I have an idea that I am ready to discuss with you all. If it is feasible, then I will write it into the Great Ming Law. From now on, all royal family members and court officials of the fifth rank and above will have one out of three children and grandchildren enlist in the army.

The legitimate sons and grandsons will be given priority, and if there are not enough, the illegitimate sons will be used to fill the gap, and the only son will be exempted. The first five-year period will be completed, and the people will return home after the period. If you want to stay in the army for a long time, you must be above the rank of a hundred households to be eligible to apply, and I will personally decide."

In fact, Ye Xianggao did not commit any mistakes. He was only named by the emperor because he sat close to him. Moreover, he contributed a legitimate grandson, and his title was promoted from the Prince's Guardian to the Prince's Guardian. Although it is only one level, to reach the top level, one must have made great contributions. Usually, only after retirement or death will the title be added posthumously. "I accept the order to thank you. I will write a letter to my family immediately to ask my grandson to come to Beijing as soon as possible. I will fight for your majesty and the court and devote myself to it..."

Of course, as far as Ye Xianggao himself is concerned, he may not want to exchange his own grandson for a title. But there is a saying that goes, people in the arena are not free to do what they want, and people in the officialdom are even more free to do what they want.

The emperor said he had an idea to discuss with his courtiers. Sometimes he really wanted to discuss it, and sometimes he had made up his mind and was ready to see what everyone thought. Now it was obviously the latter, so what was the point of choosing?

Don't just say you want one grandson, you have to give another one, and you have to give it generously and with great passion. Otherwise, if you give away the grandson but don't show enough support, you won't get the benefits you deserve, which is even more of a loss!

"..."But Ye Xianggao's thanks put all the officials present in a difficult position.

The chief ministers and ministers of the cabinet were all selfless in their service to the emperor and the court, so who could say that their children couldn't serve in the army? But to say that they could serve in the army was too much against their will, so they looked at each other, hoping that others would be the first to object.

"Well, what Ye Daxueshi said is right. As an emperor, I naturally cannot let my subjects go in front. However, I have no children. Fortunately, I still have three younger brothers. Let the seventh brother Chang Ying take his place.

First, the warriors of the Imperial Horse Administration will be trained for three months at the Xicheng Bingmasi training ground in Xianyifang, and then the navy, army or new army will be dispatched according to their own conditions. I will personally watch and see who dares to cheat the emperor! "

Seeing that no one responded actively after setting an example, Hong Tao used his ultimate move and set an example himself. You all feel sorry for your children and grandchildren and don't want them to fight on the battlefield, right? Well, the emperor will send his younger brother first, and then tell him whether he will follow or not.

"I have a son, who is only eighteen years old. He is poorly disciplined and has a bad temper..." Seeing that the emperor had thrown his younger brother into the army and the situation was irreversible, Yuan Keli, who was sitting in the first seat on the right, gritted his teeth and prepared to abandon his son as well.

"Dudu, how dare you! Wang Chengen, you come and tell Chief of Staff Yuan where his crime is!" Unfortunately, he was rudely interrupted by the emperor before he could finish his words.

"Chief of Staff Yuan, the Emperor has clearly stated that only one out of three people will be selected, and only sons will be exempted. You only have one son in your family, and no grandchildren, so this is against the rules. If you don't listen carefully, you are disrespecting the emperor. Chief of Staff, please respect yourself..."

If anyone knew about this in advance, it must be Wang Chengen. He led the Cuju team to investigate and collect information about the family situations of thousands of officials above the fifth rank in the two capitals. He knew roughly how many children and grandchildren each family had.

"Your Majesty, there is one thing I don't understand..." Since the emperor did not inform him in advance, the Minister of Personnel Yuan Yingtai tried to hold back but still couldn't help asking.

He really couldn't understand why the emperor did this, forcing officials, nobles and royal family members to send their children and grandchildren to the army, which brought no benefits other than the people cheering.

The court, which had been stable, might be thrown into turmoil again. Officials who had already surrendered might have to continue to struggle, not for themselves, but so that their descendants would not have to fight on the battlefield.

(End of this chapter)