After the two generals led the heavily armed troops down the city wall, officials such as Zhang Jing followed them and paid close attention to the development of the situation.
"Why can't I see that the beggars and the prodigal son below are the accomplices of the Japanese pirates? It's rare that the beggars repay their gratitude and the prodigal son returns to the right path and volunteers to defend the city. Don't blame them. Once the human heart is chilled, it can never be warmed up again."
Even at this point, many officials still remained skeptical, and some even watched from the city wall and made sarcastic remarks.
"You didn't realize that the Japanese pirates from Shangyu would come to harass Yingtian, and you regarded the warning from nephew Ping'an as a joke. But now, the Japanese pirates from Shangyu are showing off their power under the city. Let's see who is the joke..."
The Duke of Wei responded without any hesitation, making those skeptical officials blush.
Logically speaking, as one of the three giants of Yingtian, his status in the officialdom of Yingtian is extremely high. However, since he was born into a noble family and was a military man, he has always been looked down upon by civil officials who came from the imperial examination system. They think that the Duke of Wei is just a military man who relies on the legacy of his ancestors. The social atmosphere of the time is that civil officials are valued and military officials are despised. As a result, the Duke of Wei's status in the hearts of the people is far lower than that of Zhang Jing, who is also one of the three giants of Yingtian. Even Eunuch He's status is much higher than his. The Duke of Wei has been holding a grudge for a long time.
He and the Marquis of Linhuai insisted on guarding and identifying beggars and ruffians to see if they were the accomplices of the Japanese pirates. If these officials criticized this move, they were criticizing him, the Duke of Wei, so the Duke of Wei retorted without hesitation.
The reason why the Duke of Wei placed his bet on Zhu Ping'an's suggestion, besides wanting to gain military merit, was also to show off his power, restore his prestige, win the position he deserves, and make those civil servants who looked down on him look up to and respect him.
"Humph, Duke Wei, have you forgotten that you were one of those who regarded Lord Zhu's warning as a joke?!"
One official was choked, snorted, and said in dissatisfaction.
"Cough cough..." Duke Wei blushed and had to cough to ease the embarrassment.
"We know our mistakes and can correct them, unlike some people who know their mistakes but don't, and make even more mistakes..." Linhuai Hou chimed in.
"Hmph... If there are no Japanese pirates among the beggars and prodigals below the city, let's see how you will end up."
The official choked.
Soon, in everyone's sight, the two generals led their troops to the foot of the city and came to the beggars and ruffians.
"You are grateful and have returned to your parents. You volunteered to defend the city. The adults appreciate you very much. Your request to help defend the city gate at the most dangerous gate is even more appreciated and praised by the adults. The adults specially sent me to commend you and reward each of you with a set of full body armor. You are allowed to go to the armory in front to choose a weapon that suits you. Whether it is a sword, a spear, a halberd, an axe, a hook, a fork, or a bow, crossbow, or a musket, you can choose whatever you want. At the same time, after this battle, you are allowed to stay in the barracks and serve, and your treatment is the same as other soldiers."
A general stood in front of the beggars and ruffians and spoke to them with approval.
Well, the acting is good, not revealing anything. Zhang Jing and other officials on the city wall were very satisfied with the general's performance.
"Thank you, sir. I will definitely guard the city well and not let the Japanese pirates set foot in the city. I will not let you down."
Upon hearing this, the beggars and ruffians in the city all smiled happily and expressed their opinions sincerely.
"Look, this is a true expression of feelings... There are no Japanese pirates involved." Some officials in the city could not help but sigh when they saw this scene.
"Come here, they will be brothers from now on. Give each of these brothers a waist badge, and then take them to get armor and weapons." The general waved his hand and gave orders to the soldier who was holding a tray with piles of waist badges on it.
"Yes, sir." Several soldiers came out from behind the general, holding trays with stacks of badges on them. They came to the beggars and ruffians and distributed the badges to them one by one.
"Yoshi..." A beggar with a dirty turban on his head couldn't help but smile when he received the badge, and he blurted out Japanese when he was happy. These Ming soldiers were really stupid, they achieved their goal so easily. After receiving the armor and weapons, they must "well" help the Ming army to guard the city gate.
A beggar next to him who was also wearing a headscarf suddenly changed his expression and kicked him immediately.
The beggar immediately realized that he had lost his composure, but he reacted quickly, rolled his eyes, and quickly said, "Hey... wash it, my hands are too dirty, they have even stained this waist badge."
If the general didn't know in advance that there might be Japanese pirates among these beggars and ruffians, he might have been fooled by the beggar's responsiveness. However, his mission was to guard and identify the Japanese pirates among the beggars and ruffians, so he had been paying attention to their every move. When the beggar blurted out the word "Yao Xi" just now, the general's eyelids could not help but jump. He tried to act as if nothing had happened, and said to the beggar with a smile, "No need to wash, it won't be too late to wash after the battle. Go get your armor and weapons first. With the Japanese pirates at hand, the overall situation is the most important thing."
"Yes." A group of beggars and ruffians responded.
"There are two temporary weapon and armor supply stations under the nearby wall. Each supply station has four warehouses. In order to increase the speed, you will be divided into eight teams. Each team will go to a warehouse to get armor and weapons. After putting on armor and holding weapons, come to help defend the city gate. You take them to the warehouse to get armor and weapons."
The general gave the order.
The beggars and ruffians did not suspect anything and divided themselves into eight teams under the command of the general, and were led in different directions by soldiers.
The eight warehouses were all at the base of the wall and were actually very close to each other, so they soon arrived at the warehouse where armor and weapons were stored.
After all, it is an armor and weapons warehouse, so it is normal to be heavily guarded.
After all, it is an armor and weapons storehouse, so it is normal that the seriously ill people guarding it are fully armed. Those who are close to the water get the moon first.
After all, it's an armor and weapons warehouse, so it's normal for heavy troops to surround us, right? ! ! Wait! ! Why are they surrounding us? ! Where are the armor and weapons? Why can't I see anything
This is not normal at all!!!
"What are you doing?" A beggar with a scarf wrapped around his head suddenly changed his expression and shouted loudly.
"I'm going to change your armor. Take off your clothes and turbans. Let us see what size armor suits you so that we can put it on you. Swords and knives are merciless on the battlefield. Armor is a good thing. It can save your life at a critical moment. This is all because of your superiors' care for you. Don't be ungrateful."
The heavily armed soldiers surrounded eight groups of beggars and ruffians and gave serious and irresistible orders.
"Hehe, there's no need to be so particular. Anything good is fine." The beggar and the thug waved their hands, forcing a smile and politely refused.