Chapter 62: Golden Combination

  "Really? Really? I've been searching for it everywhere!" Zhou Yingjie exclaimed excitedly.

  These days, I've been hearing Sun Cheng and the others mention how Gu Zhenhua led them out of the city and defeated Li Yan. Now that I see him, he's indeed heroic and has brought so many soldiers from the Gengning Army, with great strength, there's no reason not to agree.

  With the addition of Zhou Yingjie, everyone's interest was even higher. Gu Zhenhua personally invited Li Jibo over and smiled: "Mr. Li, you are the only elder here, would you be so kind as to help host this?"

  Li Jibai also burst out laughing: "Alright, but let's keep things simple. You two just chat for a bit, then kowtow to the heavens a few times and that'll do. As for beheading a chicken or burning yellow paper, we can talk about that later when things have settled down."

  "What you said makes sense."

  Everyone followed Li Jibo's words and reported their ages. Sun Cheng and Li Xu were of the same age, but Sun Cheng was a month older, still being the eldest, Li Xu second, Gao Hongtu third, Lu Yong fourth, Guo Yunlong fifth, Xue Biao sixth, Gu Zhenhua seventh, Xie Bin eighth, Zhou Yingjie ninth, and Yue Poru became tenth.

  They knocked their heads together and became sworn brothers, the relationship between them grew more intimate, they chatted and laughed freely, talking very enthusiastically. In the midst of conversation, Zhou Yingjie would occasionally steal glances at the Guanning Army's troops.

  It happened that Gu Zhenhua saw him and laughed: "Ninth brother, what have you got on your mind? We brothers speak directly, I'll give you a big gift package."

  Zhou Yingjie's face turned red, and he hastily said: "I've long heard that the Guanning Army is well-equipped. I took a look at their warhorses, and indeed, there are an astonishing number of them - probably several thousand."

  Gu Zhenhua suddenly laughed and said, "We got more than 10,000 of the best war horses from Shanhai Pass, and among them is also a share for my younger brother."

  Gu Zhenhua said with a glance at Li Xu and Guo Yunlong, smiling: "Since we're all one family now, we should share our strengths and weaknesses, good things should be shared among everyone to enhance our combat effectiveness."

  "That's right, Seventh Brother, you arrange it." Li Xu and the others nodded in agreement.

  In fact, this is also the purpose of Gu Zhenhua's advocacy for surrender. When he came out of Beijing, the personnel in Gu Zhenhua's team were already very complicated, and now they have joined the Ganning Army, as well as the border army brought by Zhou Yingjie, it's a big mess.

  Facing such a combination, it's not light or heavy, can't fight or scold. For the time being, there is only one way to use the method of knocking heads and holding hands to win over the military heart, and wait for everything until a stable base is established.

  Gu Zhenhua was also very glad that Zhou Yingjie had joined, bringing with him over a thousand soldiers. Together with the original forces of Sun Cheng and others, they were just enough to form a numerical balance with the Guanning Army, making it more convenient for Gu Zhenhua to command and control.

  Everyone came to the front of the war horse, especially Zhou Yingjie. Looking at the spirited and lively war horse, their eyes all shone with excitement. Among the horses, he immediately spotted a tall white horse. This horse was completely pure white from head to toe, without a single mixed hair, just like a snowball, exceptionally eye-catching.

  Zhou Yingjie didn't say a word, and with three dodges and two leaps, he arrived beside the white horse. Before the white horse could react, Zhou Yingjie had already jumped up.

  What's wrong!

  A white horse let out a loud whinny, its two front legs suddenly leaving the ground, trying to throw Zhou Yingjie off, but Zhou Yingjie held tightly onto the saddle, as steady as Mount Tai. The white horse galloped wildly, jumping and leaping with all its might, trying to shake Zhou Yingjie off, but Zhou Yingjie didn't budge an inch.

  "Good!" Sun Cheng and Li Xu couldn't help but cheer.

  "Lao Jiu is indeed a worthy descendant of Jiangmen's Tiger Son, his horsemanship is truly impressive!"

  Lu Yong also laughed and said: "White horse white robe, paired with a silver spear, our ninth brother is the world's Changshan Zhao Zilong!"

  A few people chatted and laughed, Zhou Yingjie had already ridden the white horse for five or six laps, and his speed had gradually slowed down. Zhou Yingjie pulled the reins and finally stopped.

  He excitedly patted the horse's back and said with a smile: "Brothers, can you give this horse to me as a reward?"

  "Not just this one, each of our brothers will be equipped with two war horses, so our speed can also be increased."

  Gu Zhenhua laughed and shouted to all the Gu Ning army: "Brothers, I said before that the war horses brought out by brothers are everyone's private property. Now there are more than 2,000 brothers who have come, and we want everyone to give up half of their war horses. I will not let anyone suffer a loss, each horse is calculated at twenty taels of silver."

  Sun Cheng also smiled and said: "Seventh brother, to be honest with you, we don't have anything else, but we did get a lot of gold, silver, and treasure. We'll take care of the money."

  They had just sworn allegiance, and besides, it was a tense time of war, so no one had much to say. The Gengning Army allocated 5,000 war horses, which immediately armed Zhou Yingjie's men, with two horses per person. These border soldiers were overjoyed when they saw the war horses.

  They had been in the border army for many years but had never received such treatment. In an instant, they were filled with goodwill towards Gu Zhenhua and were extremely grateful.

  At this time, Guo Yunlong took a look at Zhou Yingjie's subordinates' attire and immediately furrowed his brow. Most of them not only didn't have armor but also wore tattered clothes, looking like beggars.

  " Ninth brother, how come you and your brothers don't even have a complete suit of armor?"

  "Brother Five, back in the army days, many brothers couldn't even get a complete set of armor, let alone helmets and armor! After breaking out of the siege and killing our way out, we were scattered all over the place, no way to equip ourselves."

  Kuo Yun-lung hastily said: "We brought not only war horses from Shanhai Pass, but also a lot of armor and bows and arrows. Let's give each brother a set."

  Gu Zhenhua also smiled and said: "That's right, let's go take another look at the armor."

  Gu Zhenhua led the crowd to the front of the horse carriage, suddenly lifted the canvas on the horse carriage, and instantly revealed what was inside. Zhou Yingjie and others took a glance, and their eyes widened in an instant.

  A suit of armor, all made with fine workmanship, at least 70-80% new. He had followed Zhou Yu for many years and was very clear in his mind that such armor could only be worn by the generals of the border army, and ordinary soldiers couldn't even think about it. From this, we can also see that the equipment of the Guanning Army is excellent, not just empty talk.

  Zhou Yingjie opened five horse-drawn carriages one after another, all of which were filled with various types of armor, including chain mail, cotton armor, and leather armor. The dazzling array was almost blinding to the eyes.

  "Seventh Brother, are these armors all for us?"

  "Of course," Gu Zhenhua said with a smile, "Quickly let your brothers change into their equipment."

  "Alright!"

  Zhou Ying Jie excitedly waved his leg and ran, calling over the soldiers under him. These soldiers, upon hearing that there were brand new armor, all got excited and rushed over to choose their favorites.

  On the spot, someone threw away their tattered clothes and changed into brand new armor. On the side, there were also bows and arrows, and these soldiers each received a bow.

  Wearing shiny armor on his body, with a bow and arrow hanging from his waist, and a quiver of arrows on his back, each soldier was armed to the teeth, and the fierce aura all over his body was revealed.

  Gu Zhenhua also nodded frequently, although the Guanning Army was known as the strongest army in the world, due to various reasons, they had lost more battles than won against the Qing. On the other hand, Zhou Yuji's troops were not as well-equipped as the Guanning Army, but they were brave and fought valiantly, often winning with fewer numbers, making them a model for the Ming army at the end of the dynasty.

  Originally, they were already strong troops, and now they had the right equipment, so their combat effectiveness suddenly surged. Gu Zhenhua was overjoyed to have two powerful armies in his hands, and he couldn't express his delight in words. The top priority was to win the hearts of the soldiers and make them thoroughly his own forces.

  "Gentlemen, the crown prince is in my army, and the late emperor's edict and jade seal are also here. I will immediately request that the crown prince confer a posthumous title on General Zhou and pursue his royal rank!"

  Perhaps later generations do not care about this, but for the people of the Ming Dynasty, posthumous honor is the greatest comfort to the living. Many people pursue this, and Zhou Yuji's family loyalty and bravery, whether fighting against the Qing or against the bandit king, are worthy of the word "hero"!

  Gu Zhenhua immediately went to see Zhu Ciyan, who had been dull and stupid since Kou Gui's death, with no one by his side. Gu Zhenhua just went through the motions and immediately announced to everyone that Zhou Yuji was posthumously titled King of Jin, with the posthumous name Zhongwu!

  When they heard this, Zhou Yingjie and others burst into tears, and the old soldiers who had followed Zhou Yuji to fight were all extremely excited and wailed in grief.

  "General Town, Commander-in-Chief, did you hear that? You have been posthumously promoted to King and given the posthumous name of Zhongwu, Zhongwu!"

  It's no wonder they're so excited, as not many posthumous kings have been conferred. Xu Da, the founding general of the Ming Dynasty, only received the title of King of Zhongshan, which is a two-character king, obviously lower than a one-character king.

  In the posthumous title, Zhongwu is the first of the common titles. The civil officials start with the word "wen", the military generals start with the word "wu", and those who are both civil and military start with the word "zhong". Zhuge Liang, a legendary figure in history, was awarded the posthumous title of Zhongwu.

  Looking at the famous ministers of all generations, only after Yue Fei's death was he posthumously titled King of E, first given the posthumous title Wu Mu, and later changed to Zhongwu. Without a doubt, Gu Zhenhua's approach directly elevated Zhou Yuji to the same level as Yue Fei. As subordinates of Zhou Yuji, how could these soldiers not be excited?

  Zhou Yingjie led everyone, kneeling down in front of Gu Zhenhua, and they all kowtowed together.

  "Many thanks to Zhongyong Bo for his great kindness! We swear to follow Zhongyong Bo to the death and will never betray him!"

  Of course, this is also Gu Zhenhua's means, and he was overjoyed that these soldiers could return to their senses so quickly.

  "Brothers, General Zhou has been at the forefront of fighting against the Qing dynasty all his life, a model for soldiers. Now that the Qing is wreaking havoc on China again, I hope you will lift your spirits, remember General Zhou's legacy and defend the people of the world."

  "General Zhongyong, rest assured! Even if we die in battle, we will never bring shame to the General!"

  These soldiers were also very simple-minded. Gu Zhenhua gave them war horses, armor, bows and arrows, and gave Zhou Yuji such a big face, so they naturally wanted to be loyal to him.

  Zhou Yingjie calmed down his excited mood and said to everyone: "I'm really ashamed to take so many things from my brothers. I also have some things, let's just say it's a borrowed flower to worship the Buddha, please accept them."

  Zhou Yingjie took a Remington rifle and said with a red face: "This was brought out from the capital by Seventh Brother, I used it for a few days, found that its range is far, power is great, very reliable."

  Li Xu took it and carefully examined it, nodding repeatedly: "Good stuff, good stuff! Younger brother, if you can bring out a thousand of these, the account for war horses will be settled!"