Before dawn, after the results of the Japanese pirates' night attack came out, Zhao Wenhua ordered the commanders of each camp to come to the tent to discuss the matter.
Veteran He Qing used to be proud of his seniority and was always late for every meeting.
He often boasted of his qualifications. I was a famous general in Sichuan and Shu. I inherited my ancestor's position and was appointed as a commander-in-chief during the Zhengde period. Due to my outstanding ability, I was promoted to the garrison of Yunlian in a short time. In the early years of Jiajing, the local chieftain Longzheng and local woman Zhilu of the Mang tribe rebelled. It was me, He Qing, who led the troops to quell their rebellion and was promoted to deputy general for my merit. A few years later, more than ten forts of the Weimao tribe robbed military pay and attacked the forts of Maozhou and Changning. It was me, He Qing, who led the troops with the then deputy envoy Zhu Wan to wipe them out. The various tribes competed to offer their main culprit, swore an oath of blood and cut off their fingers and ears, and vowed not to rebel again. I was promoted to acting governor-general for my merit. But later I took up the post while recuperating from illness. Later, when the war broke out on the border, the emperor summoned my troops to fight, but I declined because I was not well yet, which angered the emperor. The emperor took away my governor-general title, demoted me to the rank of commander-in-chief, and sent me to the Ministry of War to do errands.
If not, you youngsters, what qualifications do you have to be on the same level as me? You are all just juniors serving under me.
However, today was an exception. As soon as he received the news, he set off and was the first to arrive at General Zhao Wenhua's tent.
The reason why they no longer relied on their seniority and came late was that their battalion suffered the heaviest casualties and the greatest losses in this night attack by the Japanese pirates.
On the one hand, he felt ashamed, but most importantly, he was worried that Zhao Wenhua would make an example of him.
Therefore, he came to the general's tent actively, and was positive in attitude and actions so as not to irritate Zhao Wenhua.
When he arrived at the general's tent, Zhao Wenhua was not there.
There was nothing in the commander's tent except a long desk where Zhao Wenhua worked and a commander's chair that belonged to him.
"Old General, Lord Zhao is drafting an official document with Lord Hu. Please wait a moment."
A personal soldier stepped forward cautiously and asked He Qing to wait for a moment, fearing that the old general would lose his temper.
The personal soldiers had already figured out these days that among these generals, only the two veteran generals, He Qing and Shen Xiyi, were difficult to serve.
"No problem, no problem. Official documents are important. I'll just wait." He Qing was very nice this time. He waved his hand and was very easy to talk to.
Not long after He Qing sat down, someone else came.
The second person to come in was Shen Xiyi.
Shen Xiyi's experience was almost identical to He Qing's. He also inherited the position of Fengyiwei Commander from his ancestors during the Zhengde period. He also fought in the south and the north. He was first promoted to the deputy commander, then to the lieutenant general, and then to the general, stationed in Guizhou. Two years later, he also returned home to recuperate. Then, when the war on the frontier broke out, Emperor Jiajing summoned him to lead the troops, but he refused on the grounds of illness, which angered Emperor Jiajing. He was demoted to the deputy commander and waited for orders in the Ministry of War.
After Shen Xiyi was transferred to Jiangnan, like He Qing, he often relied on his seniority as a veteran and was negligent.
The reason why he actively came to the commander's tent to listen to orders this time was because his camp suffered heavy losses in the night attack by the Japanese pirates. Like He Qing, he was worried about being used as an example, so he actively came to listen to orders in order not to irritate Zhao Wenhua.
"Master Shen is here."
After He Qing saw Shen Xiyi enter the general's tent, he greeted her and took the initiative to stand on Shen Xiyi's right.
In ancient times, the seating order in the officialdom was very strict. During the Zhou, Qin and Han dynasties, the right was respected. During the Sui, Tang and Song dynasties, the left was respected and the right was inferior. During the Ming dynasty, Emperor Hongwu decreed that the left was respected, which became a custom.
The reason why He Qing took the initiative to give up the position on the left was that during the night attack by the Japanese pirates, more than 400 people died in his camp, while only more than 370 people died in Shen Xiyi's army. Shen Xiyi was more qualified to stand on the left.
Not long after Shen Xiyi arrived, someone else entered the tent.
The person who came in this time was Tang Kekuan.
After Tang Kekuan came in, He Qing and Shen Xiyi both moved to the right at the same time and gave the seat on their left to Tang Kekuan.
Although Tang Kekuan's army lost 406 men and injured more than 300, they killed 27 Japanese pirates who attacked the camp. These gains were enough to make He Qing and Shen Xiyi retreat and give way.
You know, even though He Qing and Shen Xiyi's armies suffered heavy losses, they didn't capture even a single Japanese pirate's head.
"General He, General Shen, how dare we..." Tang Kekuan declined but did not move.
Tang Kekuan had long been dissatisfied with the two veteran generals who relied on their seniority to bully others. The two veteran generals, relying on their seniority, were often arrogant and neglectful of the young generals. Moreover, the two veteran generals used their experience as an excuse to repeatedly fail to seriously implement the instructions of Governor Zhang's generals and to cooperate with them in exercises and drills.
After learning that the two veterans' camps had suffered heavy losses but gained nothing, he smiled secretly in his heart.
Seeing the two veterans admit defeat and give up their seats, he was secretly very happy. He pretended to refuse and then stood there calmly.
Soon, someone else came in.
The person who came this time was Yu Dayou.
Yu Dayou was a tall and strong man with broad shoulders and a strong waist. After entering the general's tent, he took the initiative to step forward and greet the two old generals He Qing and Shen Xiyi, and then greeted Tang Kekuan with a smile and a fist.
Although Yu Dayou now holds a higher official position than them, he still treats them with respect as a junior, because He Qing and Shen Xiyi were once his immediate superiors, and Yu Dayou had been their deputies or generals under them.
Although He Qing and Shen Xiyi are not as high-ranking as him now, they often treat him like their former superiors.
But Yu Dayou still treated them with great respect.
"General Yu is here, please..."
He Qing and Shen Xiyi did not act like old leaders this time. They clasped their fists in return and took the initiative to move to the right, leaving the seat on the left for Yu Dayou.
Although Yu Dayou's army suffered heavy casualties due to the Japanese pirates' night attack, with 398 soldiers killed, the number of Japanese pirates who attacked his army was larger, as many as 80, which was more than the number of Japanese pirates who attacked their three-man camp.
What's more, what made them even more cautious was that the eighty Japanese pirates who attacked Yu Dayou's military camp left behind sixty-five corpses.
"General Yu, please."
Tang Kekuan clasped his fists and invited Yu Dayou to stand on the left.
He admired Yu Dayou very much. He admired Yu Dayou's ability to stand alone against thousands of enemies and his command.
Yu Dayou repeatedly declined, but He Qing, Shen Xiyi and Tang Kekuan were very insistent, so Yu Dayou had to stand on the left.
Not long after Yu Dayou arrived, Linhuai Hou walked in leisurely with a protruding belly.
Linhuai Hou had a flushed face and an arrogant look. After coming in, he looked at the situation in the commander's tent and walked calmly to the far left.
Last night, Zhu Ping'an gave him eighty corpses of Japanese pirates. He and the Zhejiang Army rescued the civilian camp and saved thousands of people. He also cooperated with the Zhejiang Army to capture eighteen heads of Japanese pirates, and Zhu Ping'an gave them all to him.
The capture of ninety-eight Japanese pirates' heads and the rescue of tens of thousands of civilians gave him enough confidence to stand on the left of the emperor.
He Qing, Shen Xiyi, Tang Kekuan, Yu Dayou and others also took the initiative to move to the right...