prosperous age

Chapter 1135 1226 The Censorate
The ancients said that "killing the surrendered is unlucky", which means that massacring prisoners is an unlucky thing. However, there are still a few cases where commanders will choose to massacre the surrendered soldiers. The most famous massacre of surrendered soldiers in history was Bai Qi. In the Battle of Changping, he massacred 40 surrendered soldiers and was called the "human butcher".

The surrendered soldiers were people without the ability to resist, so it was easy to massacre them, and they were usually killed in a pit.
Many people may think that the so-called "pit killing" is to dig a pit and bury the person alive, but in fact it is not the case.

In ancient records, it was actually written as "阬杀" instead of "坑杀".

For example, in Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian: The Biography of Xiang Yu", there is a record that "after they were pulled out, they were all threshed to pieces."

This "阬" has the same pronunciation as "坑", but it only means "a hole set in the city wall, that is, a city gate."

In fact, the so-called pit killing should not be understood literally. The real meaning refers to the act of ancient armies killing enemy soldiers and piling up their bodies after a battle.

There was a custom in ancient Chinese armies that the victorious side would pile up the bodies of the defeated side's casualties on both sides of the road, cover them with soil and tamp them down to form large pyramid-shaped mounds, called "Jingguan" or "Wujun", to show off their military achievements.

When Bai Qi killed 400,000 Zhao soldiers, he was actually building a Jingguan.

As for the spread of the saying that killing prisoners is an ominous thing, it has only two effects: one is that the opponent thinks you are "breaking the rules" and will retaliate against you in the same brutal way; the other is that the opponent thinks there is no benefit in surrendering and will fight you to the death in the future.

Of course, moral and religious ideas are also important, mainly because such behavior is seen as immoral and cruel.

The prisoners had already surrendered, and killing them was believed to bring about bad consequences. Although killing prisoners was sometimes also a psychological warfare strategy to deter the enemy by showing cruelty to them, it might also trigger a strong backlash and revenge mentality from the enemy.

For this reason, ancient generals needed to weigh the pros and cons comprehensively before making a decision when deciding whether to kill or not.

When Bai Qi killed 400,000 Zhao soldiers, his sole intention was to completely shake the foundation of the Zhao State.

In fact, it was also because of the Battle of Changping that the State of Zhao never recovered and became one of the seven major powers in the Warring States Period to be kicked out.

Of course, Bai Qi was eventually forced to commit suicide due to the aftermath of the Battle of Changping.

Yes, the famous general Bai Qi won an unprecedented victory in Changping, but his ending was also closely linked to this battle.

After the Battle of Changping, Bai Qi wanted to destroy the State of Zhao in one fell swoop. Therefore, the State of Zhao was extremely weak after the Battle of Changping and had not yet organized an army to guard Handan.

The other five countries had not yet come to their senses and were even more afraid of the Qin army. At this time, an attack on Zhao would surely lead to victory.

However, Fan Ju thought that Zhao should not be destroyed at this time to avoid attacks from the five countries, so the King of Qin asked Bai Qi to return.

After Bai Qi returned to his country, the King of Qin changed his mind and believed that Zhao should be destroyed, so he wanted Bai Qi to lead the troops to fight.

Bai Qi believed that the opportunity to fight had been lost and that another attack on Zhao would lead to defeat, so he refused to go into battle.

The King of Qin then sent another general to lead troops to attack Zhao, but was defeated. This led to the five kingdoms joining forces to attack Qin and they marched straight to Hangu Pass.

The King of Qin asked Bai Qi to lead the troops to repel the enemy outside the pass. Bai Qi said that there was no need for him to guard Hangu Pass, and one general would be enough.

Sure enough, General Meng Wu guarded Hangu Pass, but the King of Qin thought that Bai Qi was disobedient and difficult to control, so he ordered Bai Qi to be executed.

In fact, it was rumored that Bai Qi committed suicide, but in fact he committed suicide with the King of Qin's sword.

For this reason, whenever there is a killing of prisoners, those who oppose it will use the example of Bai Qi to persuade others.

However, Li Chengliang was eager to pacify Burma at this time, so he naturally needed a stable rear base. He also hoped that the prisoners of war would be obedient and help the Ming army carry supplies, so he chose to intimidate them with thunder.

As for the rest, I can no longer take care of it.

As soon as the warrant was written, someone was sent to deliver it to Luo Rufang, asking him to execute it as soon as possible.

He wrote two copies of this order, one of which was handed directly to the generals in the prisoner camp. He was also worried that Luo Rufang would be unwilling to carry out this order and would argue with him.

As for concealing it, Li Chengliang didn't even think about it.

Such a big thing cannot be hidden from anyone, so it is better to do it openly than to do it secretly.

Anyway, as long as the Burmese affairs are handled well, Li Chengliang believes that Zhang Juzheng and Wei Guangde in the capital will help him clean up his mess.

In fact, he was also fantasizing about another person, that is, the British royal family.

In 1410 AD, the eighth year of the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, the great general Zhang Fu of the Ming Dynasty conquered Jiaozhi and fought with Ji Kuang at Yujiang River, defeating Chen Ji Kuang.

Ji Kuo was terrified and fled. The Ming soldiers chased him to Guling County, Huichao and Lingchanghaikou, beheaded more than 3,000 people, captured his general Li Nong, and killed more than 2,000 prisoners of war after the war to "build a Jingguan".

Of course, Zhang Fu dared to do the same as before, as Li Chengliang did not dare to kill these prisoners.

After Li Chengliang issued the order, the news quickly spread in the army, naturally causing the generals to be surprised and puzzled.

Although people kept going to the central military tent to persuade him, Li Chengliang refused to listen and continued to do as he wished.

Even though Mu Changzuo, who was commanding an army outside, rushed back and had an argument with Li Chengliang, he was unable to persuade Li Chengliang to change his mind.

Luo Rufang, who was still stranded in Lujiang City, was also shocked when he saw Li Chengliang's order.

He hurriedly wrote a letter to Li Chengliang to plead for mercy. He could agree to other things, but killing the prisoners was absolutely not allowed.

However, just one day after he sent the letter, he received news that more than a thousand Burmese prisoners of war had been killed in the prisoner camp in accordance with Li Chengliang's orders.

At this time, the Ming army had surrounded Yingjiang Ferry, and Hanba and Mengbolu were ultimately a step slow.

At this time, there were only 30,000 to 40,000 Burmese troops crossing the river, and there were still tens of thousands of people on the riverside who were unable to cross the river in time.

Under the cover of Portuguese cannons and bird guns, the Ming army continued to reap the lives of Burmese soldiers.

Under such pressure, the remaining 40,000 people finally surrendered to the Ming army under the leadership of Hanba.

At this point, the main force of the 170,000 troops led by Mang Yinglong had been wiped out under Li Chengliang's relentless pressure, and only 50,000 people remained who fled to Nanyaguan in a panic.

"What? The Burmese king is retreating to Mengyang and Gongzhang?"

After Mang Yinglong left Nanyaguan with his son and the remaining troops, the Ming army immediately followed.

The scouts soon discovered the retreat direction of the Burmese army and reported it to Li Chengliang.

To be honest, Mang Yinglong's retreat route was somewhat beyond Li Chengliang's expectations.

In his opinion, going through Hanlong Pass would undoubtedly be the fastest way to return to Myanmar.

With the eldest son Li Rusong in charge, as long as the Ming army only followed the defeated Burmese troops, they could completely annihilate the main force of the Burmese army outside Hanlong Pass and capture and kill the Burmese King Mang Yinglong.

However, Mang Yinglong did not play by the rules and chose to escape by a detour.

As for the current situation in the south, Li Chengliang only knew that the Ming army had arrived at the city of Hanlong Pass, but the Burmese army resisted stubbornly and failed to break the city.

As for Li Rusong's troops outside the Great Wall, no news has been received yet.

Due to the obstruction of Hanlong Pass, the communication between the northern and southern parts of the Ming army was poor and it was difficult to contact each other.

There are still tens of thousands of Burmese troops at Hanlong Pass.

After sending the scouts away, Li Chengliang immediately sent someone to call his fifth son Li Rumei.

Li Rumei is only thirteen years old now, and is still a teenager according to today's thinking.

However, those who come from military families disagree with this.

In fact, Li Chengliang is now accumulating merits for his sons.

Before this, Li Chengliang sent all three of his sons out, leaving the fourth son, Li Ruzhang, to serve by his side, and the fifth son, Li Rumei, to serve in the central military camp.

"Father."

Li Rumei entered the military tent and immediately saluted and shouted.

"Okay, I called you here today to tell you something."

Li Chengliang spoke.

When Li Rumei heard that her father had something to tell her, she immediately bowed and said, "Please tell me, father." "You should lead a team of soldiers to Hanlong Pass immediately and find a way to contact your eldest brother outside the pass.

I have a warrant here, you can give it to Zhang Guangyin, and I will leave Hanlong Pass to your eldest brother to handle."

Li Chengliang immediately expressed his thoughts.

Now that the main force of the Burmese army has been defeated, the remaining Burmese troops must be in a state of panic. This is a perfect opportunity for Li Rusong to practice.

Zhang Guangyin was the commander of the Ming army in Shidian. He was originally a garrison lieutenant general and now had more than 30,000 soldiers under his command. Together with the troops under Li Rusong, their number was not much less than that of the Burmese army in Hanlong Pass.

The letter to Zhang Guangyin naturally asked him to obey Li Rusong's orders and promised to recommend credit for him if the mission was accomplished.

The people have been arranged in a pie in the sky. The court will certainly not be stingy with rewards for this war against Burma. By then, the level of merit will all depend on Li Chengliang's memorial requesting merit.

For Li Chengliang, the most important thing was naturally to capture and kill Mang Yinglong, and then talk about the credit of destroying the country.

"Yes, father."

When Li Rumei heard the task Li Chengliang assigned to him, he naturally agreed.

Now that the Burmese army has been defeated, he is not afraid of any villains along the way who would dare to covet him.

What's more, he has a team of personal soldiers protecting him.

Even when we arrived at Hanlong Pass, I was still a little worried about how to contact the big brother outside the pass.

Li Rumei had been with Li Chengliang for a long time, so she naturally knew the situation in Hanlong Pass.

Previously, after Zhang Guangyin reported that the army had arrived at Hanlong Pass, he had tried to contact Li Rusong on the other side, but the surrounding mountains prevented communication.

"Go down, get ready early, and be ready to leave immediately."

Li Chengliang handed the two written letters to Li Rumei and asked him to go down and prepare for the trip.

After Li Rumei left, Li Chengliang immediately ordered to set off for Nanyaguan early the next morning.

His current location is still one day away from Nanyaguan.

It can only be said that settling the more than 40,000 surrendered soldiers took up more of his time.

The Ming army's vanguard had already passed Yingjiang, and he had to stay on the other side of the river to deal with the follow-up.

Now that the Burmese army's escape route is clear and there are no Ming troops blocking them ahead, Li Chengliang has to travel day and night and lead the Ming army in pursuit.

However, he did not know that after Li Rusong saw the letter and learned about the current situation, he actually abandoned the tens of thousands of Burmese troops inside Hanlong Pass, and left Li Ruzhen and Li Rumei at the pass. He only surrounded the area but did not attack. Instead, he led his army to join forces with his second brother Li Rubai, and marched south from Mengmi to attack Ava City.

They broke into the city before the remaining troops of Mang Yinglong arrived, and took advantage of their rest to completely annihilate the Burmese king's troops, killing and wounding the Burmese king Mang Yinglong and capturing Mang Yingli alive.

"Marshal, this is the battle report from the past few days. Should it be sent to the capital?"

After arranging everything, Li Chengliang was about to take a rest when a clerk came in to ask for instructions.

When generals led troops outside, they needed to report battle reports from the front lines to the court and send them to the Ministry of War every few days.

However, how the battle report should be written and what can be included in the battle report depends on the decision of the generals.

"Let me see."

Li Chengliang took the battle report and read it carefully. It was roughly written according to his requirements, and the killing of prisoners was not concealed.

However, his explanation for this was given in the battle report, which was to intimidate tens of thousands of Burmese prisoners of war.

The Ming army has now captured as many as 60,000 to 70,000 Burmese soldiers. If we are not careful, it could lead to a disaster, so we cannot take it lightly.

Li Chengliang believed that killing the prisoners was the right thing to do in order to let the remaining Burmese troops know how powerful they were.

As for whether Luo Rufang had submitted a memorial to impeach him, Li Chengliang was too lazy to care.

At this time, the capital of the Ming Dynasty seemed calm on the surface. In the past few days, the number of people who went to Zhang Siwei's mansion to congratulate him increased significantly, and there were often many guests waiting outside the door until very late.

After all, cabinet ministers are added only once every few years, and many people want to board Zhang Siwei's ship.

If I could pass the exam and get into the cabinet with new cabinet member Zhang, then I would be on the same boat with the Prime Minister.

Everyone in the capital knows that the two Mr. Zhangs have a very good relationship.

As for Brother Liu Tai, who once talked about it in private, let him vent his anger to the Prime Minister.

"Lord Wei, Yu Yingchang went to the Prime Minister's duty room."

Others did not pay attention to Zhang Juzheng, but as his neighbor, Wei Guangde never relaxed his attention on Zhang Juzheng.

"Do you know why he came to the cabinet?"

Wei Guangde was a little puzzled and asked.

"I don't know."

Lu Bu answered carefully.

"Ask someone."

Wei Guangde simply gave an instruction and continued to look through the memorial in his hand.

Yu Yingchang was the censor of the Censorate. Normally, he should not have come to the cabinet without any business.

But since he was here, he naturally talked about official business in the yamen, but Wei Guangde still had no idea what it was all about.

Soon, Lu Bu trotted back to the duty room, walked straight to Wei Guangde, and whispered in his ear.

"hehe."

After listening to Lu Bu's report, Wei Guangde was so angry that he laughed.

He knew that this was a bit rude.

"Okay, forget about this."

Wei Guangde shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Go down."

Yu Yingchang is from Shanxi and is obviously a member of Zhang Siwei's faction. He came to the cabinet today to hand back the memorial that had been handled by the cabinet before, which was Zhang Xueyan's impeachment of Liu Tai for corruption.

After research, the Censorate decided to send Yingchang to Liaodong to investigate the matter.

After Lu Bu left, Wei Guangde's relaxed smile quickly disappeared.

In fact, on the surface, this seems to be just a trivial matter, but it made Wei Guangde unable to laugh.

Yes, now Chen Zan is the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. Wei Guangde originally thought that he would be a fair person, but he did not expect him to make such a decision at this time.

Wei Guangde felt a little uneasy. He was worried that the Censorate would choose to side with Zhang Juzheng after seeing that he was in control of the cabinet.

You know, in order to maintain balance, Wei Guangde and Zhang Juzheng did not take the initiative to place people in the Censorate, and they were both avoiding suspicion.

Although Wei Guangde had already prepared people and planned to find a suitable time to introduce them to the Censorate.

But if the people in the Censorate choose to side with one side, that would be very bad.

In fact, in Wei Guangde's opinion, letting Yu Yingchang inspect Liaodong was basically a death sentence for Liu Tai, and this was not the character of those people in the Censorate.

No matter what, the reason why Liu Tai was reprimanded by Zhang Juzheng was actually due to the arrogance of the censors, that is, the dispute between the governor and the provincial governor.