Chapter 67: The Drumming Cave
Dust flies, pickaxes dance, and the road to Tengchong is bustling with people. Amidst the crowd, there's a special team of prisoners, clad in tattered clothes, shaved heads, and chained together at the ankles, digging into the earth under the watchful eyes of Ming soldiers or local militiamen nearby.
These are indeed the surrendered Gansu Green Camp officers and soldiers, who are serving hard labor to atone for their crimes. This is Zhu Yongxing's temporary prisoner policy.
"Now that the words '降者不杀' have been spoken, although Zhu Yongxing does not want to forgive these people who owe innocent lives in his heart, he also realizes that he cannot be impulsive. He has long-term plans and must have a long-term vision, and cannot just seek temporary pleasure, causing future enemies to fight to the death."
In the chaotic world, soldiers are like bandits. The Qing army's discipline is corrupt, and they bully civilians for their own pleasure. Even Li Dingguo had such a defeat after executing He Jiuyi. When He's troops fled in disarray, he was worried that the fleeing soldiers might serve as guides for the Qing army to launch a surprise attack. Therefore, all the houses in Menggen Town were burned down, and the young and strong Miao people were taken away, while the weak, old, and young were killed.
Undoubtedly, Zhu Yongxing faced a difficult choice in how to treat the captives and was in an insoluble dilemma. But he knew one thing, it was wrong to kill all the captives, before thinking of a specific solution, he had no choice but to use this batch of captives as laborers.
These porters were also screened, and after mutual accusations and exposures, some captives who had blood debts were treated differently because of their meritorious denunciations. Only more than 40 Shaanxi Green Camp officers and soldiers who were relatively clean got Zhu Yongxing's solemn promise: those who were willing to join the Ming army would be welcomed, and those who were not would be sent back home after the war with travel expenses.
"Bang!" A dazed prisoner of war, Sun Sishun from the Gansu Green Camp, was hit on the back with a bamboo stick, and a local soldier scolded him in strange Mandarin.
Alas, Sun Sishun let out a sigh and wielded his pickaxe with all his might. Humans are indeed strange creatures; on the battlefield they glare with their eyes and fight to the death, but once they relax and choose to surrender, becoming prisoners, it's hard for them to muster up the will to resist again.
Who made himself a murderer and arsonist, this is the punishment of heaven. Sun Sishun blamed himself and produced such psychology, which has a great relationship with Zhu Yongxing. For these captives, it is essential to condemn them and make them repent. Under Zhu Yongxing's command, some victims who suffered from the Qing army's torture were gathered together, some escaped from Yongchang, and others came from even farther away. Either they were directly invited to the prisoner camp or their tragic experiences were recorded by others, and then used to frequently accuse and condemn these captives.
First, they would severely criticize and then force the captives to self-criticize until they cried bitterly, truly recognizing their own crimes. This was not Zhu Yongxing's innovation, but rather his plagiarism of later generations' methods. In fact, it has been proven that this brainwashing-style indoctrination and education is effective. Sun Sishun is a prime example; he can now relatively consciously regard the abuse and hard labor as the retribution he deserves.
The sound of horseshoes was urgent, and more than a dozen cavalrymen galloped along the remaining intact one-third of the road. Then they reined in their horses and shouted, and several Ming army riders stopped beside this group of captives.
"Halt your work for now." A Ming army cavalryman paused for a moment, seeing that everyone had stopped working and turned their attention to him. He then loudly proclaimed: "His Highness has decreed that among the prisoners of war, those who are good at singing and willing to use their skills to help our Ming army defeat the enemy will be granted amnesty. Those who wish to do so, step forward, and you will immediately become a soldier of our Ming army."
Faced with this sudden good fortune, the prisoners of war did not immediately come to their senses. What is this condition and why is it so?
Sun Sishun was also surprised and couldn't help but take a closer look at these few Ming army cavalrymen, only to find himself face to face with a familiar face. It turned out that one of the riders was actually his brother from the Gansu Green Camp, nicknamed Wang Cai'er, who was often teased for being timid and kind-hearted, but unexpectedly had become a member of the Ming army.
The gaze met, and the Ming army who had been captured and turned into a regular smiled awkwardly, hesitated for a moment, and respectfully said to the official: "Sir, I know a few people who are good at singing Bangzi tunes, I wonder..."
"Go ask him if you know him." The leader of the Ming army was just a lieutenant, but he heard that the new soldier called out respectfully and his expression slightly cleared. He said: "You need to have a loud voice, His Highness only wants fifty people, and being chosen is considered good luck."
"Adults have big voices, but small people have even bigger voices."
"Adults and children have loud voices, and they can also sing well in a high-pitched tone."
"Adults and children have been singing folk songs since childhood, others say they sing better than opera actors."
……
Many prisoners of war finally came to their senses and, upon hearing that the quota was limited, who wouldn't want to get rid of this bitter job immediately? Many people plucked up the courage to boast about themselves, hoping to become one of the lucky ones.
Qin Opera is a colloquial name, and the correct name should be Qin Opera. It was formed in Qin, refined in Han, flourished in Tang, completed in Yuan, matured in Ming, and broadcasted in Qing. After several evolutions, it has become a grand spectacle. It can be said to be a very ancient drama form, known as the ancestor of Chinese opera. Because it uses jujube wood clappers as percussion instruments, it is also called "Qin Opera" or "Guagua Zi" (because the clapper makes a "guagua" sound when struck).
Because Qin Opera has a long history and is popular in the northwest regions of Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, there are not a few people who know how to sing it among the Green Camp soldiers from Shaanxi and Gansu. As for whether they sing well or badly, that's hard to say. Anyway, Zhu Yongxing chose those surrendered soldiers who knew Qin Opera not because he wanted to listen to a few tunes, but because he had another purpose in mind.
"You, you, and you..." Wang Xiang'er pointed with her hand, calling out a few familiar brothers, taking the back door, letting these guys leave ahead of time.
Ming army's small flag jumped off the horse, explained to the guarding Tartar soldiers, who dared not disobey, all accompanied by smiles and flattery. The selection of personnel was quickly completed, and the Tartar soldiers came forward to open the shackles. Fifty lucky ones gathered together, escorted by a dozen Ming army cavalrymen, and went far away.
"Heaven bless, Bodhisattva bless, finally don't have to serve hard labor." Sun Sishun's ankle was rubbed raw and bleeding by the wooden cangue, but he still took big strides, closely following the team, constantly praying in his heart. When he happened to meet Wang Cai'er's gaze, he hurriedly nodded his head in gratitude.
"Wang Dou, it's so dull to walk like this. Why don't you sing those few lines of lyrics written by the prince? You can also teach them at the same time." The Ming army commander saw that the mixed cavalry and infantry were not moving quickly, and couldn't help but frown, saying to Wang Yan: "When we meet the prince, if everyone can sing a couple of lines like that, the prince will be delighted too."
