I have a cornucopia

Chapter 248: Fake Prince, Emperor's death, how pleasant it sounds

the next day.

On a devastated battlefield.

"Yes, if you can avoid fleeing on the battlefield for the first time, you will be considered a winner."

Yang Feng looked at the scene of corpses all around him with satisfaction.

It is indeed a win.

There were nearly two hundred bodies of Qing soldiers left, and most of them were killed by banjiu guns.

This caliber has reached the standard of modern artillery. Although it is bulky, at least in this era, it is no longer able to withstand any armor, let alone European plate armor. If plate armor, even high-end customized plate armor, can still block this heavy arquebus with a bullet of more than 50 grams, the current Europeans do not need to reduce the size of the arquebus to the Sur type...

In fact, the turtledove gun was also a real heavy commodity in Europe at that time, especially those produced by the Ming Dynasty with bullets of one tael and eight cents.

It's also exaggerated in Europe.

The current price of matchlock bullets in Europe is roughly 20 to per pound, and because there is no standardization and the tolerance is huge, their bullets are not that standard.

Eight bullets per pound is the current level of the turtledove gun, but it is not as good as the turtledove gun with one tael and eight cents of bullets.

The extensive use of this weapon caused the Qing army to suffer huge casualties even when facing rookies like the Guangdong militia on the battlefield. After all, in the past they could laugh at the Ming army's bird gun bullets after the battle, just like shaking off sand, but now even if they were hit by a bullet in a non-fatal position, it would still be a serious injury, and no matter how thick the armor was, it would not be able to stop it, unless they were like Yang Feng, but then they could not bear the weight. In fact, some Qing soldiers have begun to go into battle bare-chested without armor...

It can't be stopped anyway.

Just give up.

However, the casualties of the Guangdong militia were not serious.

The armor they wore was a bit beyond the capabilities of the Qing army's bows and arrows.

The forged steel breastplate with a chest fold line could protect against cavalry arrows from dozens of meters away. It was the first time that the Qing army, which was attacking at night, encountered such a formation. They did not dare to get too close under the dense firepower. After all, the latter's dense spears would also be a test for the cavalry's turning in front of the formation.

If you turn slower, you will hit it directly.

Because other parts of the body were not protected, these militiamen suffered more injuries to their limbs, but this was not a problem for the medical level of the Northern Expedition Army.

As for the Qing army's sneak attack on Xijiangkou, it was inevitable.

In fact, the two sides were facing each other across the Chu River, and there was no real obstacle in between. In the past, Qing cavalry often crossed the Chu River and went south to plunder.

Of course, it was just looting, and the success rate was not high. After all, this area was heavily guarded.

Many militias such as Yingtian and Huizhou were located in this area.

In addition, the area was densely populated with military garrisons, so there were castles of all sizes everywhere. After the garrison of militia and the arming of young and strong men, it was difficult for a small group of cavalry to plunder. Besides, there was nothing to rob. After all, the rich had already fled to Nanjing, and those who were left were only military households who could not make a living if they left the fields.

In fact, there are more soldiers than civilians in this area.

As for this time...

“But I’m still very disappointed!”

He then turned around and looked at several people who had been pinned to the ground by his followers.

This includes a commander of the Yingtian militia, but he is not from the Northern Expedition Army. The Yingtian Battalion of the Northern Expedition Army was only drawn from the Yingtian militia. Even if the Yingtian Battalion was drawn out, the Yingtian militia still had more than 5,000 people. The county was the battalion, and the commander of the battalion was the commander. Then the entire Yingtian militia had one commander. There were also guerrillas who were theoretically under the control of Gao Jie, and a nearby guard commander, and then the Jiangpu County Magistrate and the head of the Jiangpu Township Worthies Association. They were all captured by the entourage and pressed on the battlefield.

"I really don't understand. There are a total of 500 Jianlu cavalrymen fighting against 1,500 Northern Expedition troops. How can you be less than ten miles away and yet claim not to know?

The closest distance between you is less than three miles!
Could it be that the sound of the banjiu gun's gunfire was so weak that it could not be heard three miles away?

You have 700 militiamen, 500 garrison soldiers, 300 recruits, and cavalry, at least 3,000 local militiamen. You also know that there are tens of thousands of northern expeditionary troops a dozen miles behind, and tens of thousands more crossing the river on the south bank, but no one came out to reinforce?"

Yang Feng said.

"It's unfair, King of Donghai. I am only a county magistrate and have no military power."

"Your Majesty, I am just a commoner. I was chosen by my fellow villagers to be the leader of this meeting. How can you ask me to reinforce the government troops?"

The county magistrate and the head of the local association protested their injustice together.

"This king is very fair, so whether you are wronged or not, you should ask them, do you think they are wronged?"

Yang Feng asked the three generals.

"Your Majesty, they are not wronged, it is me who is wronged. I wanted to send troops to rescue them, but they stopped me, saying that the people outside are from Guangdong and have nothing to do with us."

The guerrilla protested his injustice without hesitation.

"What about you?"

Yang Feng looked at the commander.

"Your Majesty, I only got this command because of my ancestors' influence. Even in the meeting of local sages, I have to listen to Grandpa He. The soldiers in the guards are also counted as local militia. Grandpa He does not allow local militia to leave the city, so how can I provide reinforcements? I am really wronged. I also said in the meeting of local sages that I would go out to provide reinforcements, but the local sages were unwilling to do so."

The latter said with tears in his eyes.

Because the Five Military Governor's Office existed in name only, the garrisons around Nanjing had actually become integrated with the prefectures and counties. After all, the hereditary military commanders in the garrisons had already become gentry. Those garrisons that were actually local could of course set up their own local celebrities association or something, but the non-local garrisons could not be distinguished from the local areas, and the hereditary military commanders were of course also local celebrities. It was indeed unfair to count him in this way, after all, his words might not count in the local celebrities association.

Of course, it is also possible that he is just trying to pass on the blame. After all, he may really not dare to come out.

"You are a fourth-rank commander, but you are actually controlled by a civilian. You still have the nerve to cry out for injustice. Did you also cry out for injustice when you received your salary?"

Yang Feng said with contempt.

The latter was speechless.

"What about you? Are they wronged?"

Yang Feng looked at the militia commander.

"Replying to the king, he is the nephew of Grandpa He, he must avoid suspicion."

The guerrilla shouted viciously.

There was laughter all around, making the atmosphere a little weird.

"Then you really have to avoid suspicion. Besides, two out of three people are enough. This king is fair and will not wrongly accuse a good person. You know whether you have wronged him or not. I don't care what you did in the past. Now that my brothers have been killed by you, you must pay for them, whether you are a military general, a civil official, or some elder or wise man.

That’s fair.”

Yang Feng said.

Then he stretched out his hand, and the attendant beside him immediately raised the imperial sword...

Although it is a bit exaggerated to say that he lifted it, his imperial sword is indeed unique. Considering that there may be a lot of heads to be chopped off during this northern expedition, in order to avoid the embarrassment of not being able to chop them, the imperial sword of Prince Yang was specially made. The sword body alone is one and a half meters long, plus a nearly one-meter hilt, which is actually a thickened and widened horse-slaying sword, weighing dozens of kilograms, and a entourage can actually carry it. But he still lifted it with domineering look.

Prince Yang raised his hand and picked up the imperial sword.

"Here is the Imperial Sword. If I were here in person, I would kill you first and report later. Today, I will kill you first as a sacrifice for the Northern Expedition!"

After saying this, he slashed down with the sword in his hand.

The leader and the magistrate were standing next to each other and kneeling side by side, so they were beheaded at the same time by the sword of exaggerated length.

The Guangdong militiamen around, who had just experienced the first bloody battle, knelt down in front of Prince Yang without hesitation.

This is someone worth serving.

He could execute those responsible for the deaths of dozens of soldiers, regardless of their identities.

Then Yang Feng cut off the heads of the other three people, and then carried the bloody imperial sword and looked at the kneeling soldiers around him.

"Bai Gui!"

he shouted.

Bai Gui, who was injured, stepped forward immediately.

He was actually the real hero of this battle. If he had not led the cavalry to break through the Qing army, the will of the Guangdong militia soldiers who were new to the battlefield would have been almost inevitable. It was his joining that made the militia realize that they also had cavalry, and very brave cavalry at that, which stabilized the formation. With their formation, as long as they did not run away and could maintain a stable output, the hundreds of Qing cavalry were completely useless.

So this is why coordination on the battlefield is necessary. Even if the phalanx tactics are very strong, it will not work without the coordination of cavalry. Similarly, if this time it was not the Qing cavalry that attacked, but like they did when they dealt with Qi Jin, they directly dragged the red cannon to the battlefield, then any formation would be useless and would eventually be smashed to pieces by heavy artillery. Of course, the Guangdong militia also had cannons, and the proportion of cannons was extremely high, but they were not transported to the south bank at that time.

Yang Feng looked at him with satisfaction and took out a striking ruby...

"Your Majesty, please return to the city quickly. Huang Zongxi will lead several thousand students from the Imperial College to the Chengtian Gate to kneel down and ask the Regent to grant him the title of Crown Prince."

At the same time, a shout came from the intercom on his chest.

Bai Gui, who was watching him, was stunned. He stared at Yang Feng's chest in amazement, listening to the shouting that was obviously beyond his understanding.

"A fake prince?"

Yang Feng was also shocked.

"Yes, this is what they proposed, and the people all support it. Many people have already followed them and knelt down in obeisance."

said the voice on the intercom.

This is the entourage on the south bank.

Walkie-talkies were not something new to him. In fact, his followers had quite a few of them. Although they did not understand this magical thing at all, they were used to using it to communicate.

Yang Feng casually threw the ruby ​​to Bai Gui.

"It's your reward!"

He said.

The latter took it with trembling hands, as if he was looking at a god.

Then Yang Feng looked at Zhang Jiayu...

"Take my imperial sword and your soldiers to Pukou City. No one is allowed to leave Pukou without my order. Anyone who violates this order will be killed without mercy. No matter who it is or what the reason is, no one is allowed to leave without my order."

He said.

This kind of thing requires someone who sticks to principles, and Zhang Jiayu should be considered a person who can stick to principles.

Then Yang Feng signaled to his attendants, who immediately stepped forward carrying the Imperial Sword. Bai Gui stood up smartly and called on his cavalry to protect the Imperial Sword. He had now put himself in the state of a loyal dog. After all, Prince Yang was obviously not an ordinary man. What's more, he was so generous that he threw such a big ruby ​​directly to him. Where can you find such a boss?

Zhang Jiayu was also confused. He watched Yang Feng prepare to leave and hurried after him...

"King of the East Sea, what happened?"

he asked as he followed.

"Nothing, someone just wants to play the yellow robe game."

Yang Feng said.

Zhang Jiayu woke up instantly.

This was indeed a big deal, but due to the long distance, the Guangdong gentry did not have a deep feeling for Chongzhen, and also because they were not familiar with him at all, Gu Jiang and others did not look for him.

Of course, Yang Feng was not interested in caring about him.

Prince Yang boarded the ship as quickly as possible and headed for the south bank.

This matter is definitely not just about Huang Zongxi. The scholars in Nanzhili and Zhejiang have already formed factions. Through those academies, they have completed a common theoretical system, and Huang Zongxi is just a banner, a person who specifically advocates these things outside. Behind him are academies scattered all over the country, with countless scholars and the real powerful factions spread throughout the militia. Therefore, Huang Zongxi and the students of the Imperial Academy are just pioneers, and the awakened new generation behind them are ready to go.

It should be considered the awakened generation.

After all, they are now truly entering a new era, especially Huang Zongxi, who has even begun to truly discuss royal power.

In a sense, this is actually connecting to the process that was interrupted by our Qing Dynasty in history, and because of Yang Feng's operation, it entered a fast-forward process that was like forcing growth.

They were already really thinking about the monarchy, and they didn't want Chongzhen's shadow to hang over their heads, especially when the Northern Expedition officially began. After all, Prince Yang was almost invincible against our Qing Dynasty. With him leading the Northern Expedition, it would definitely succeed, but the real trouble would come after the success. Without Jianlu, they would have to face Li Zicheng, and Li Zicheng had Chongzhen in his hands. After experiencing the happiness without Chongzhen, they really didn't want this emperor now. It's okay if they haven't tasted happiness, but the most feared thing is that this kind of thing gives them short-term happiness, and then makes them have to face the darkness that is about to come...

"Your Majesty the Emperor has failed."

Yang Feng stood on the deck and sighed.

Indeed, it was such a failure, so much so that everyone would rather go through the trouble of violating Confucian principles and accept a female protagonist and interpret the scriptures for her than want this former emperor.

Of course, it is still His Majesty the Emperor.

But who can I blame? I did it all myself.
The Northern Expedition is necessary, and after the Northern Expedition we must face the issue of welcoming back the emperor. In this case, let's cut off his retreat first!

"Fake title of crown prince, the emperor has passed away, it sounds so good, so they have actually been prepared for it for a long time?"

A strange smile suddenly appeared on Yang Feng's face.

then……

A centipede boat carrying soldiers across the river suddenly turned strangely when it was about to pass by Yang Feng, accompanied by a series of terrified shouts. The oars of this centipede boat, which was much larger than the one under Yang Feng's feet, which had no time to retract, collided with the oars on Yang Feng's boat, which had no time to retract. Then the hull of the centipede boat on the opposite side collided with the stern of Yang Feng's boat, accompanied by a dull collision and the sound of wood breaking. The deck under Yang Feng's feet suddenly lifted up, and he was caught off guard and fell into the river...

(End of this chapter)