I have a cornucopia

Chapter 212 Leading beasts to eat people
The unfortunate Huang Shu was caught in this way.

Of course, he was just one of many unlucky souls in this debacle.

Because Ajige didn't care about these dogs when he ran away...

Dogs are dogs. How could their owners care about them when they are fleeing in panic? Ajige is not a dog lover. He may even do it on purpose. After all, there are still hundreds of thousands of Ming troops and militia in Yangzhou City who have a blood feud with the Qing army. Leaving these cannon fodder behind is enough to cover the retreat of the main force of the Eight Banners. After all, they are only tens of thousands of pigs, and it will take several days for the Yangzhou defenders to catch them.

The value of cannon fodder must also be maximized.

These were bandits who had surrendered to the Ming army and who fantasized about opening up Yangzhou and looting.

Dorgon never thought of taking them back to raise them as his own crops.

and so……

Yangzhou.

"Kill them all?"

Yang Feng said with some entanglement.

Gao Jie and his troops who fought back from Yangzhou captured more than 30,000 prisoners.

The surrender records of many of these prisoners can be roughly divided into four distinct seasons during this year.

Among them, some initially joined Gao Jie and worked together in Nanjing to support the emperor, then ran to join Liu Liangzuo and fantasized about joining him to seize Yangzhou. After Liu Liangzuo was defeated, he was incorporated into the official army by Shi Kefa again. Then he worked in Fengyang until the Qing army went south, and quickly joined the Qing army again and continued to fantasize about opening Yangzhou and making a fortune.

Now that the Qing army was defeated, they quickly surrendered and prepared to continue working.

These are no longer four distinct seasons.

This is five jumps a year.

"If you want to say that it's easy to massacre them, just give them money tomorrow to dismiss them. They won't doubt us. Ambush musketeers and cannons in the parade grounds. When the time comes, the musketeers and cannons will fire at the same time, and the rest will be trampled by the cavalry."

Gao Jie said.

He has won the friendship of Prince Yang with this defense, and even the regent has reported to the emperor to confer him a title, but this is obviously impossible to achieve, after all, he and Li Zicheng still have personal grudges. But it is precisely because of this that, in the current situation, the gentry in Jiangnan have begun to regard him as a pillar, because He Tengjiao has given up resistance, he and Wang Guangtai, Ma Jinzhong and others gave up Xiangyang and Chengtian, and then retreated to Jingzhou and Wuchang. As for Li Zicheng's army, it is heading south to Hankou in two routes with Li Laiheng and Tian Jianxiu as the vanguard. It is estimated that they will soon reach Hankou and go down the river.

However, the first thing Li Zicheng needs to face next is not the Nanjing Group, but Zhu Cilang's Ming Dynasty...

Pseudo-Ming.

The Qing army did give up the attack on Yangzhou, but that did not mean they would admit defeat and flee north.

They couldn't run either.

This trip south is a matter of life and death for them.

Although they failed to capture Yangzhou, they still controlled a large area of ​​land in the south, and many of them were grain-producing areas, which was a good supplement for them. It was only at this time that they were truly finished running away to the north.

Dorgon had already retreated to Chuzhou, Ajige had retreated to Xuyi, and except for Anqing, Chao County was still holding out, and the entire Huaixi area all the way to Huangmei had surrendered. Of course, to be precise, they were all loyal to the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty. How could they surrender? They just suddenly realized that the emperor had passed away, and now the traitor Li Zicheng was using puppets to deceive the loyalty of the world.

Of course we can't continue to make mistakes.

When the emperor passes away, it is only natural for the prince to succeed to the throne.

In this case, everyone must be loyal to the new emperor. They are even considering changing Zhu Cilang's reign title, and Zhu Cilang has already made Fengyang the capital again...

Reasonable and legal!

Of course, the place where the Zhu family started out was the capital.

Besides, that place was originally Zhongdu.

In short, the Ming emperor with Zhongdu Fengyang as his capital had already established his own court, but according to the Ming-Qing Mutual Assistance Treaty (of course, there was no such treaty in fact), but there was indeed an alliance between Zhu Cilang and Dorgon. According to this alliance, the Qing army had the right to station in any city including the capitals of the Ming Dynasty.

They also have the right to operate within the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming army's battles were commanded by the Qing army.

……

There are many more anyway.

Therefore, there were 10,000 Qing troops stationed in Fengyang City, and Suksaha, a close confidant of Dorgon, was in charge.

As for Jingnan Prince Liu Zehan...

He was in a cage not far from Yang Feng, and his uncle, Liu Liangchen, the former Fengyang General of the Qing Dynasty, had actually died for the Qing Dynasty because he was hit by a cannonball from the Yangzhou defenders. It was said that his lower body was broken by the cannonball, and he screamed all night as if he was cut in half before he died.

But in any case, a new force has emerged on the land of Ming Dynasty.

Also called Ming Dynasty.

It was just denounced as fake.

Of course, they also said that Chongzhen’s Ming Dynasty was fake.

So if Li Zicheng went downstream, he would have to face this group first. Although they did not take Anqing, they were besieging Anqing. In order to block the reinforcements from Jiangxi, they even crossed the river upstream to fight with Jiangxi militia for Madang. In fact, the scale of the battle upstream was already very large. In order to protect the gate of Hukou, the Jiangxi gentry was very ruthless, and militias from all over the country kept going north. Even if the Qing army fought in the Madang area, it could not stop the Jiangxi militia from reinforcing Anqing. They could just go north by land from Poyang. What's more, the Qing army did not have the ability to block the Yangtze River. In fact, their battle to cross the river to fight for Madang was not smooth.

This is the superiority of the militia model. As long as it is for the purpose of protecting their hometown, both gentry and ordinary militia soldiers can show a certain fighting will.

Of course, if they are allowed to burn, kill and loot at will, they can also fight abroad.

But you have to unlock the power for them.

The Regent's hands-off governance model pleasantly surprised all the local gentry to find that they could be so happy.
In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial power did not extend below the county level.

But imperial power is still imperial power. The gentry can call the shots in the local area, but when faced with the extermination of the whole family, they are actually powerless. The gentry did not really unlock the power. They just controlled the local area to the maximum extent within the rules of imperial power.

They controlled the place for the emperor.

The fact that the imperial power does not extend below the county level is a tacit understanding between the imperial power and the gentry. It is given by the former to the latter, and the latter in return guarantees the rule of the former. But now with the extreme decline of the imperial power, the gentry suddenly find that they can abandon the imperial power and break free from the shackles. This is different from the original Hongguang Dynasty in history. The failure of the Hongguang Dynasty lies precisely in his inability to recognize the reality, his unwillingness to give in to the gentry, and his desire to maintain the imperial power. Of course, this is not impossible, but it requires strength. Hongguang has no strength at all. He relies on the four towns in Jiangbei, but the latter has no strength at all. In the end, Hongguang can neither maintain the imperial power nor gain the support of the gentry.

And he thought that those who could provide him with support were a group of fence-sitters and warlords who could betray him at any time.

This is where the chaos of the Hongguang Dynasty lies.

But it’s different to be a regent.

She really doesn't care.

She really threw all local power to the gentry.

Of course, the main reason why she was not afraid was because she knew that when she needed to take it back, she could ask Yang Feng to take it back for her. And the most important thing at the moment was to mobilize the enthusiasm of the gentry, let them take action, and solve the crisis of national destruction first.

Then the gentry happily rushed into their prosperous times.

They organized group training.

They vigorously developed military industry.

They looked greedily at their neighbors' money.

……

Greed is driving them to become stronger, and their greed is forcing those who are still living a life of drunkenness and debauchery to take quick action to avoid becoming the target of others' predation.

The Hao strengthening competition began.

When a group with hundreds of millions of people, massive wealth, and even certain technological strength begins this kind of strengthening competition, competing to expand their military forces, the strength of our Qing Dynasty is no longer enough. After all, the competition of strength is about financial resources, population, food and technology.

What does my Qing Dynasty have?
If there is no money and no food, there will be a revival of slavery.

What to fight for?

Dorgon failed to capture Yangzhou this time, so he would never have a chance in the future. As the power of the gentry continued to grow, he would not be able to show off at Guabu Mountain, and even at Coal Hill for a few years. In fact, it was hard to say whether he could still show off at Coal Hill, because Hauge had already controlled the capital, and some ministers even advised him to become regent.

It can be said that the best opportunity for our Qing Dynasty has been lost.

The comparison of strength between the two sides has begun to change quietly.

Of course, Yang Feng is still powerful.

"Your Majesty, make a prompt decision!"

Gao Jie was like a little devil, bewitching Yang Feng who was still struggling.

Killed?

This is indeed the best solution.

In fact, if Yang Feng had slaughtered all these guys last time, perhaps the strength of the Qing army would not have soared to 200,000 or 300,000 this time, and the intensity of the attack on Yangzhou would have been weaker.

There might also be fewer deaths.

It has to be said that this era is really not suitable for normal people. Only crazy people and real heroes who regard human life as worthless can make the right choice in such an era. The result of Yang Feng's unwillingness to massacre these rebel soldiers was that they killed more innocent elderly, weak, women and children.

"I'll leave it to you. If you need help, go find Liu Yuanqing!"

Yang Feng patted Gao Jie on the shoulder and said with some sadness.

After all, he was changed by this era.

"Your Majesty, you cannot be kind these days. They all deserved to die. Three hundred thousand people died in Yangzhou in the two incidents, and these dogs were stained with blood every time. They are just like a group of wild dogs. You can't treat them as human beings. They are no longer human beings. They have become wild beasts. When they are alive, they will only eat people in groups. Besides, they really eat people. They have used people as military rations for a long time, and they only eat women and children, because they think old meat is too coarse."

Gao Jie said.

"Okay, let's send them on their way!"

Yang Feng said irritably.

Gao Jie left quickly and went back to plan how to kill those of his men who had just surrendered.

Yang Feng silently looked at the devastated Yangzhou in front of him. The people who were cleaning up the ruins were still busy, carrying away the burnt wood, knocking down the broken walls, and putting the bones that had been thrown in the mud for many days into bags. It was difficult to find out who they belonged to. All of them had to be transported out of the city and buried in several large pits, just like the last time.

People have even become numb.

This is troubled times.

Just like the chaotic times more than 700 years ago when human flesh cost ten cents and dog flesh cost fifty cents in this city.

A group of people came up, led by a few familiar faces: Chen Zilong, Shen Tingyang, and Xia Yunyi.

"Your humble servant greets His Majesty."

Chen Zilong and others bowed and said.

They all had the title of Censor and were considered court officials.

"We are not outsiders, so please stop making fun of us. You all know what happened to this prince. Besides, the prince is not worth much now. When I passed by Huai'an before, several princes stopped me and cried poor, begging me to give them some money for food!"

Yang Feng said.

He wasn't lying.

At this time, Prince Fu and Prince Lu were in Huai'an. The princess really wanted to take them to Nanjing, but Ma Shiying and others opposed it. Especially Prince Fu and Prince Lu were too sensitive. It would be troublesome to go to Nanjing, so they stayed in Huai'an temporarily. Because Chongzhen had issued an order long ago, the royal family members who lost their fiefs would no longer be given salaries temporarily, but given land to support themselves. Although everyone knew that this was purely a death sentence, they still obeyed this imperial order happily.

So Nanjing no longer gave them salaries.

You can cultivate the land if you want.

There is plenty of wasteland.

You can choose any place you want, Fengyang or Chengtian?
The royal family members don’t want anything. If they are kicked out into the wilderness and starve to death, no one will care. In a city like Huai’an, at least buying food is cheaper. But if they live off the land for too long, some will inevitably starve.

When Yang Feng passed by Huai'an, he was surrounded by a bunch of princes crying poor, and one of them stole his wallet. Fortunately, Prince Yang was kind and didn't make things difficult for him after catching him. After all, the prince looked like he was suffering from long-term malnutrition. However, it was definitely impossible to give him alms. Wouldn't it be a joke to give alms to the prince? Instead, he could make a report to them, and maybe ask the regent to buy them some sweet potatoes to make do with.

What's wrong with sweet potatoes?
If Emperor Injo Sun had had a sweet potato, he would not have starved to death.

"What happened to this little brother?"

Yang Feng looked at Xia Wanchun who was walking on crutches. Because of his age, he was very special among these people.

"This is my son, who was stabbed in the leg by a Jianlu spear."

Xia Yunyi said quickly.

"Well, that should be my nephew. He is indeed a young hero."

Yang Feng said.

Then he looked at the other one.

"Zhang Huangyan, a candidate from Yin County, has come to see His Majesty. He is now serving as an aide to the Duke of Dongyang."

The latter said quickly.

"Since you are a candidate, you should become an official. We don't know when the imperial examination will be reopened. We can't let your future be delayed like this. You see, I am a candidate who has become an official. I will report to His Majesty later. Those who defend Yangzhou this time will be given official positions if they have merits, and honors if they have no merits."

Yang Feng said.

Of course, the reaction was calm...

Who cares about this now? Or who cares about a small official now? What else does he have when he holds military power?
"Taiwan Governor, Li Zicheng's army of 300,000 has arrived in Huguang. Do you have any plan to resist him?"

Chen Zilong said.

"Uh, this..."

Yang Feng pondered for a moment.

Everyone looked at him with longing eyes.

Having said that, they had crawled out of a sea of ​​blood and corpses, so they certainly knew what Li Zicheng's 300,000 troops marching south of the Yangtze River meant. Now, even if they wanted to resist, they were powerless. The militias of various units had suffered heavy losses and were simply unable to fight again. The only one who could save south of the Yangtze River was Yang Feng.

"How about we negotiate?"

Yang Feng said sincerely.

(End of this chapter)