Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 157 Special Treatment
During the Three Kingdoms period, there was a very famous war called the Huo Shao Company.This fire burned down the wealth that Liu Bei had worked hard to create all his life.

The reason for this is that Liu Bei's attack on Soochow was delayed until summer. The heat was unbearable and the battle was basically impossible. It was too hot and had to move the camp to the woods, which created conditions for Lu Xun's fire.

It can be seen that climatic conditions have a really great impact on war.

If his men were all robots, he wouldn't mind continuing to chase the bandits, or even take advantage of the victory, and then kill the bandits on the Jinghai side.

But in fact, in the hot summer, it is really impossible to fight continuously.

After Emperor Chongzhen's decree was passed down, the entire army stopped pursuing, the heavy infantry began to rest and regroup, and the light infantry cleaned the battlefield.At this time, the Lanling Battalion dispatched with the army did not participate in the attack, but they had work to do.Find the wounded and treat the wounded.Their figures are active everywhere on the battlefield.

The soldiers of the Dashun Army who surrendered were naturally covered in sweat. When they met the imperial officers and soldiers cleaning the battlefield, they were very cooperative and did whatever they were told. Not only because they didn't want to die, but also because they couldn't stand the heat and wanted to go early. Finish.

About an hour later, the battle report came out.

On the imperial side, a total of 150 soldiers were killed and 78 wounded.The reason why more people were killed than injured was actually because there was no close combat at all.When the imperial officers and soldiers rushed in, the soldiers of Dashun Army chose to surrender or escape.

Therefore, the soldiers who died in battle were basically hit by artillery or muskets during the charge. This kind of death basically cannot be saved.

On the Dashun Army side, a total of more than 780 people were killed and more than 300 injured. Basically, the [-] infantry troops did not escape and were all captured. There were also [-] cavalry troops who did not escape and chose to surrender.

As far as this result is concerned, it is the greatest victory among great victories anyway.

Emperor Chongzhen knew that the capital must be very worried, so he sent the imperial guards to report the victory.

However, the army did not return triumphantly. At this time, Emperor Chongzhen was holding a military meeting.

The camps of the soldiers of the Dashun Army became the property of the imperial officers and soldiers. There was still food and grass available here, but the owner had changed.

In the Chinese military tent used by Liu Zongmin, Emperor Chongzhen was telling his generals: "It is almost certain that Jianlu escaped. The news that it was Wu Sangui and Kong Youde's troops attacking Liaodong has been transmitted back to the pass, so Jianlu will I can’t wait to rush back to save my lair.”

These generals who had just been in the joy of victory were very surprised when they heard this.

Because not many people knew about Emperor Chongzhen's arrangements for Wu Sangui.Upon hearing this, Liu Jiuqing quickly said: "Your Majesty, the last general is also willing to lead troops to liberate Liaodong!"

In the past, when the imperial officers and soldiers went to Liaodong, they would definitely talk about it. But now, they have won more battles and gained confidence. No, there are people who take the initiative to fight.

After Ning Long heard this, he immediately asked for a fight, as if he was afraid of falling behind others: "Your Majesty, the last general is also willing to lead troops to attack Jianlu's lair!"

Others still wanted to express their position. Emperor Chongzhen smiled and waved his hands and said: "It is not the time to recover Liaodong yet. I have also told them to estimate the time it takes for the built captives in the pass to receive news and return reinforcements. This time , just to collect some interest. When the time is right, I will take you to lead the troops to regain Liaodong!"

After hearing this, all the generals felt a little regretful.

But before they had time to speak again, they heard Emperor Chongzhen say to them again: "The Jianlu who stayed on the Tianjin Guard side must have fled back to Liaodong. The main purpose of our military meeting is to see how to defeat This Jianlu will weaken the Liaodong Jianlu even more!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuji immediately spoke: "Your Majesty, considering the position of this group of prisoners, they are most likely to escape from Qingshui Mingyue Pass! General Mo will lead his troops to immediately rush to Qingshui Mingyue Pass to ambush!"

Qingshui Mingyue Pass was known as Lengkou in later generations, that is, the northern pass in Yongping, Qian'an and other places.Previously, Jianlu broke through Xifengkou and then swept through Yongping, Qian'an and other places. For them, Qingshui Mingyue Pass must have been destroyed by them.Moreover, if you go from Qingshui Mingyue Pass, you can avoid the capital to a greater extent.

As expected of Zhou Yuji, he immediately guessed the same conclusion as Emperor Chongzhen.

So, he looked at Zhou Yuji and nodded approvingly, and then said: "There are about [-] Jianlu prisoners left in the pass. They don't dare to stay in the pass for too long, and they must rush back to save Liaodong! We can try our best to save them If you stay in the pass, you should stay in the pass as much as possible, so as to deal a heavy blow to the strength of the Liaodong Jianlu."

When He Zan heard this, he stepped out and clasped his fists and said: "Your Majesty, there is an army of Li thieves on the other side of Jinghai. What will happen to them? We have to guard against them!"

Emperor Chongzhen didn't need to ask for this, Zhou Yuji answered him: "Jianlu breaks camp and leaves, which will definitely make Li thief suspicious. After the defeated army here escapes back, Jianlu leaves again, then Li thief will never dare to come again." Stay in the land of Gyeonggi!”

After hearing this, another commander-in-chief, Wei Shizhen, went out to express his opinion: "Your Majesty, why don't we pick up the soft persimmons and pinch them, just like this time, let's kill the Li thief first?"

The strategy decided this time was to fight the weaker Li thieves' army first, and then fight Jianlu in a decisive battle.Although Jianlu escaped in the end, the final result was a great victory.Such a victory is still very attractive.Therefore, Wei Shizhen thought about doing it again.

But just after he finished speaking, Zhou Yuji shook his head and said: "The army of Li thieves is in the Jinghai area. It is very difficult to encircle and suppress it. They can escape everywhere. Even when our army rushes over, the army of Li thieves may have already escaped. Jianlu It's different here, we are in Changping, but we can travel along the Great Wall, and Jianlu has to return north from Tianjin Wei, so it is easier to block Jianlu."

Having said this, he seemed to think for a moment, and then immediately added: "If Jianlu really came out of Qingshui Mingyue Pass, the distance should be closer than us. But they don't know the situation at the moment. After receiving the news It takes time, it takes time to make a decision, and it takes time to break camp and leave, so we should be able to do it in time."

If you drive directly from Changping, it will be about five or six hundred miles away; and if you drive from Tianjin Wei to Qingshui Mingyue Pass, it will be about four hundred miles.But as Zhou Yuji said, the news from Jianlu's side has been delayed and may still be delayed. Therefore, theoretically speaking, it is entirely possible to block the remaining Jianlu army in the pass.

However, Zhou Yuji frowned, obviously there was still a problem.No, after hesitating for a moment, he reported to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, what should we do if we still have this prisoner for the current plan? More than 5 prisoners are not a small number, and enough troops must be left to guard them. But Jianlu's The combat power is indeed strong, if we go to ambush Jianlu, there may be huge casualties if the army is small!"

When the imperial army left the capital, there were 7. After this battle, there were probably more than 7. If the troops were left to guard the more than 5 bandits, they would have to be at least [-]. They would be divided into two groups of [-] and take turns to guard them. .

On the Jianlu side, there are probably about [-] troops.As far as this comparison of military strength is concerned, they are actually about the same.Zhou Yuji believed that the imperial army could win, but the Jianlu were elites after all, so the imperial army might suffer heavy losses.

After finishing speaking, he paused and added: "If His Majesty allows these thieves to join the army as usual, although we will have more troops, we will definitely not have enough time. It will take time to integrate them into the armies. If time If it’s not enough, it will drag down the combat effectiveness of the original army, so it’s better not to use it!”

Only experienced generals would know this. When he raised this matter, it was not that the emperor did not understand the truth, but that as the emperor's most trusted general, he needed to explain all the points that came to his mind. , this is his responsibility.

When Emperor Chongzhen heard that this was what he was worried about, he immediately smiled and said: "Since it can't be completed in a short time according to the original method, then we won't compile it!"

At this point, seeing that he seemed to want to speak, Emperor Chongzhen added: "There is no need to send someone to guard him!"

Hearing this, the generals in the Chinese military tent suddenly didn't understand. They neither incorporated them into the army nor sent people to guard them. Could it be that they were letting these bandits go home?This quantity is too large and cannot be released directly. It would be better to organize them to work in the fields than to put them back.

Seeing their expressions, Emperor Chongzhen knew that they had misunderstood, and said to them again: "This bandit army basically surrendered in an organized manner, so let them still follow their original organizational structure and go with us to fight against the banditry." That’s it!”

After Zhou Yuji and others heard this, they all looked at each other, the expressions on their faces mostly showing surprise.

Just surrendered, can you help fight the war as is?We still have to fight against the elite Jianlu army, is that impossible?
It seems that I have never heard of such a thing before. Doesn't it make sense?

Generally speaking, the morale of an army that has surrendered has been extremely low, whether it is ordinary soldiers or even officers.This kind of army certainly cannot fight immediately.The safest thing is to deploy the elite soldiers among them and add them to the existing army, and only a small proportion can be added. Only in this way can it be considered a reasonable use of the reduced soldiers, which is the previous practice!
To be honest, no one thought it was okay for the emperor to say this, but they just didn't speak out against it.

However, Emperor Chongzhen, of course, did not say this casually, but had basis for it.

Li Zicheng's army was led by Liu Zongmin, Li Guo and Gao Yigong, who were direct descendants of Li Zicheng. There is no doubt that the military quality of his soldiers was high.

It's just that this army has to do immoral things, lose military morale, and have low morale. This is one aspect.

On the other hand, it was also the strategic influence that Emperor Chongzhen had adopted on Li Zicheng's army, which further damaged the morale and morale of this army.When Emperor Chongzhen was fighting Li Zicheng's army, he reiterated several times that everyone except Li Zicheng could be pardoned, and as long as they did not resist, they would survive!This is not just a slogan, but also actual actions, such as the release of [-] soldiers. This is a big deal.

If, on the other hand, Emperor Chongzhen killed the bandits when he caught them, then it would be impossible for the bandits to surrender like this this time.Because surrender means death, then you must resist to the end!
Another factor is that Emperor Chongzhen has established prestige. Not only his officers and soldiers believe what he says, but also the soldiers of Li Zicheng's army.

In addition, Emperor Chongzhen tried every means to protect his soldiers, setting up a loyalty hall for the dead, arranging for the disabled to go to the Yamen, etc. These benefits were also very attractive to Li Zicheng's army.

Under this background, justice was used to fight injustice. Finally, when the imperial officers and soldiers showed their invincible momentum, and Li Zicheng's army knew that it was bound to lose, it was only natural that most people chose to surrender.

But as mentioned just now, this does not mean that this army has no combat effectiveness.

Emperor Chongzhen speculated based on various information fed back by his subordinates that he could give it a try.

At this time, he also saw the disbelief of his generals, but he did not explain it. Anyway, facts speak louder than words.If he thinks wrong, Baladido will be slapped in the face later.

Subsequently, Emperor Chongzhen sent a decree to assemble officers with the rank of commander-in-chief and above.

About 600 people finally gathered in the open space of the camp.

After all, they had just surrendered, and they didn't know how the court would arrange for them. Everyone felt a little uneasy and stood still according to their military rank, waiting for the court to deal with it.

As a result, they did not expect that the emperor came in person.

Nowadays, they may not know other people, but the emperor must know them.

In front of the two armies, the emperor held a huge iron shield in one hand and charged with a hammer in the other. This scene was engraved in their minds.

As soon as they saw the emperor's armor, they knew that the emperor was coming.

They couldn't help but admire such an emperor!

Immediately, everyone stood up straight, as if waiting for the superior's review.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at them and saw that they seemed to be in good spirits, so he said: "I remember everything I said, so you don't need to worry. I came to see you today so that you can prove it to me. Let’s see if it’s worth it for me to recruit you all into the capital camp, to become the most elite soldiers of the imperial court, to fight with me in the world, and to bring peace to the people of the world?”

After a pause, he added: "Or, you can disarm and return to the fields, and I won't stop you! Come, let me see. Those who want to disarm and return to the fields raise their hands, and I will arrange for you to go back!"

It can be said that these people present are all professional soldiers.They are all military officers, how could they think of going home and becoming farmers when the world is still in chaos!

Therefore, no one came forward.Obviously, they actually wanted to enter the Beijing camp. After all, for all soldiers in the world, the best place to serve as a soldier is the Beijing camp where they go on an expedition.

However, it can be seen from their faces that many of them are actually hesitant.

When Emperor Chongzhen saw it, he understood what they were hesitating about, and said directly: "You may be wondering why your allies didn't show up? In fact, I sent an army to conquer Liaodong, and Jianlu rushed back to save his lair! But Tianjin Wei still has There are tens of thousands of Jianlu, and I have decided to keep them here. If you can prove yourself in a battle with Jianlu, I will allow you to enter the capital camp!"

Upon hearing this, most of the hesitant prisoners immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

In fact, they were not afraid of fighting Jianlu, but they were afraid that the emperor would ask them to kill the remaining Li Zicheng's army.

They had just surrendered, and they were asked to pick up swords and guns to kill their former companions. Many people still couldn't bear it, so they hesitated.

Emperor Chongzhen saw the change in their faces and felt confident, so he continued: "The Jianlu were barbarians. When they rebelled in Liaodong, they killed the Han people on sight. There were originally millions of Han people in Liaodong, but they killed them all. It was almost the same. As a result, Liaodong was vast and sparsely populated, and there was no one to help them work. So they entered the customs again to plunder people and supplies, and I don’t know how many Han families in the customs were destroyed, and their wives and children were separated!"

"Why is the imperial court unable to provide disaster relief, resulting in constant famine in various places, which also affects you? Speaking of which, it is also the Jianlu who are responsible for the evil. If they had not rebelled and killed so many Han people, the imperial court would not have invested countless money and resources in Liaodong. People can have money to provide disaster relief!”

"For such barbarians, it will be a disaster for the Han people to stay, so I want to keep them in the pass and not let them escape back. You should all be Han people, are you willing to fight with me?"

As soon as Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, a young man shouted with an angry face: "I, Li Laiheng, am willing to kill the Tatars!"

Hearing the voice, Emperor Chongzhen turned around and looked a little surprised, thinking that this Li Laiheng couldn't be the Li Laiheng who persisted in resisting the Qing Dynasty to the end in history, right?

"I'm willing to kill the Tatars!"

"Your Majesty doesn't know that we have long disliked the Tatars!"

"It's just that with a pig tail, it doesn't look pleasing to the eye!"

"..."

Hundreds of officers from the Dashun Army spoke one by one to express their thoughts.

Emperor Chongzhen actually knew about this situation.Because when the imperial officers and soldiers were engaged in scout battles at night, they had already reported what they saw.

Emperor Chongzhen did not speak immediately, but just glanced at them. When he saw that each of them had spoken, he nodded and said: "Okay, I trust you, so I will let you go back and lead your original subordinates, and move with my army." Go fight Jianlu. Are you worthy of my trust?"

Upon hearing this, these Dashun Army officers immediately became excited.

They never expected that the emperor would not reorganize them and let them retain their original military positions.I have to say that this is definitely something that requires a lot of trust.

For a moment, they immediately expressed their opinions excitedly.

"I swear to be loyal to Your Majesty to the death!"

"This little man's life will be entrusted to His Majesty!"

"Go up the mountain of swords and go down into the sea of ​​fire, your Majesty, just say a word!"

"..."

Emperor Chongzhen listened, nodded and said: "Okay, in that case, I believe you. You go back immediately and tell your soldiers about the situation. As long as you fight this battle well, you will be my soldiers in the capital!" "

In the eyes of these former Dashun Army officers, he was extremely brave, loyal, good to his subordinates, and kept his word. Where could he find such a good emperor? He was not much better than Li Zicheng?

If you don't follow this, you are a fool!

(End of this chapter)