Ping An Biography

The horse grows fast, and the "Qianlixue" recommended by Feng Youxian has obviously grown a lot in a few months. Zhang Ning rides on its back. Its raised head perfectly matches the conqueror's arrogance.Zhang Ning looked up at the dilapidated city tower that had been ravaged by the flames of war. A group of soldiers had planted the yellow-bottomed Suzaku flag on the top of the city.

And the officials kneeling on the side of the road outside the city gate had already lost their dignity and bowed their knees to survive, without even being looked at.Many officials in Changde's mansion have already fled, but there are still many officials left, most of whom are local tyrants, whose family property is in Changde, and usually domineering over the people, they are the people who directly hold the power at the grassroots level.

Amidst the beating of leather drums, teams of Suzaku Army officers and soldiers formally marched into Changde City.Countless iron shoes trampled on the ground neatly, making a shocking and loud footsteps. Just this powerful sound seemed to indicate force.The nearby Taoyuan, Wuling and other places have surrendered quickly, and it is believed that Longyang County in the southwest will also surrender.The prefectures and counties may not support the occupation of the "rebels", but they also do not want to make unnecessary sacrifices for this civil war to show their integrity.

"Extraordinary people do extraordinary things, and only Yu Qian dares to order like that." Zhang Ning sighed as he looked around.

Everyone immediately laughed sporadically, mostly with some sarcasm, and only winners are qualified to laugh at others like this.But most of them misunderstood what Zhang Ning meant, and Zhang Ning didn't mean to laugh at Yu Qian.

He thought of Yu Qian's performance in the defense of Beijing in historical materials. At that time, the hundreds of thousands of elites in the Beijing camp were almost wiped out, and the entire court was shrouded in a pessimistic atmosphere. But this time he gave up and retreated so easily, which really didn't match Zhang Ning's impression.However, in Zhang Ning's rational thinking, it is undoubtedly the best choice for Yu Qian to do so from the perspective of the war itself. The firearm phalanx of the Suzaku Army has already led the military development of this era, and the regular infantry of the official army is usually not It is possible to defeat the firearms phalanx.

It is inevitable that a person from the Ming Dynasty was limited in his thinking at the time, let alone a literati. Zhang Ning was a little surprised that Yu Qian was able to recognize the war situation so quickly instead of being stubborn on the concept of the number of troops.

At this moment, Wei Bin, the commander of the Yongding Battalion, said calmly: "It's a pity that the horse corps failed to pursue in time, otherwise the result of the battle would be much greater."

Wei Bin obviously expressed his dissatisfaction and blame against Feng Youxian, not only for things, but also for people.Feng Youxian was originally a newcomer, but he occupied an important position right away, so he was inevitably at a distance from the old men in the Suzaku Army.

Chen Gai was Wei Bin's subordinate, and he was an outspoken person. At this time, he also said in a tone that seemed to be joking: "Could it be that Commander Feng couldn't bear to chase down the poor, so he deliberately let go?"

Feng Youxian's face was very ugly. Even Zhang Ning felt that this "joke" made sense. Feng Youxian's extreme defection to the generals was really not cruel enough to the officers and soldiers... But this is very reasonable in Zhang Ning's view, which shows that Feng Youxian is not a crazy extreme man of.

Zhang Ning said a few words for Feng Youxian: "Even I didn't think that the officers and soldiers would really run away. Who of you would think so beforehand? After confirming the facts, he sent Commander Feng to chase after him with cavalry. He must be worried about making a fool of himself." That's why I walked slowly...General Feng, isn't that the case?"

At that time, the main force of the government and army except for withdrawing part from the waterway, most of them retreated to Yiyang through Longyang City, discarding most of the baggage but taking a large number of horses.Zhang Ningzhong's army concluded from many signs that they were indeed going to run away, and immediately dispatched the cavalry regiment to pursue and expand the results of the battle, and the cavalry commander was Feng Youxian.

Feng Youxian said sternly: "Your Majesty Mingjian, that's exactly the case. After our army dispatched to cross Longyang City, most of the enemy troops may have already approached Yiyang. Weak. Our cavalry went deep alone, and the surrounding area is not controlled or clearly understood. The last general was a little worried, so that he missed the job. Please punish him."

"It's not a big mistake to be cautious, although the result is a lost opportunity." Zhang Ning nodded, then stretched out his hand and patted Feng Youxian's shoulder kindly, and said to the left and right, "Anyway, the battle at Shichang Bay will decide the overall situation. General Feng's well-deserved first contribution, who is not convinced?"

Feng Youxian hurriedly lowered his posture and said: "Don't dare to do it, the general will not be able to take the lead. If the prince hadn't coordinated the overall situation and Mr. Wei (Wei Bin) was good at judging the opportunity, how could the general be able to make meritorious service? The general just obeyed orders and did it. It’s just a job, don’t ask for merit but seek no fault.”

He spoke in an official tone and was quite sophisticated, and his expression and posture were extremely humble and sincere, but Zhang Ning really didn't think that these words came from Feng Youxian's heart.He, Feng Youxian, was a young man. If he was really humble and lacked ambition and self-motivation, he should have farmed at home instead of joining the Suzaku Army and re-emerging from the mountains. Feng Youxian probably just didn't want to offend people when he said this.

Zhang Ning didn't point it out, but said earnestly: "The road ahead is still difficult and dangerous. I hope you don't forget the overall situation. Do everything fairly and don't chill the hearts of those who have the ability and meritorious service."

This sentence was ostensibly addressed to Feng Youxian, but in fact it was addressed to the civil servants and generals present.

Finally a general said: "Commander Feng led the first effort, brothers are convinced." Everyone echoed.

Wei Bin finally opened his mouth and said: "Speaking of the Battle of Shichang Bay, someone also recognized Commander Feng's ability, so I have a little leisure some other day, and the brothers in the camp will set up a drink for you to celebrate the victory." Feng Youxian hurriedly said: "Exit It is better to obey orders than to be respectful to officials."

Zhang Ning said with a smile: "It's good to be happy when you drink, but getting drunk will hurt your health."

The Suzaku army marched into Changde City, controlled all the main traffic routes, and all the armed forces of the officers and soldiers surrendered.The next day, several small groups of soldiers and horses who blocked the Suzaku army in the south also surrendered.

Regarding the captives, some generals clamored to chop off the brothers who died in Lizhou, because some of the officers and soldiers prisoners of war were subordinates of Tan Yousheng who participated in the battle of Lizhou.But Zhang Ning immediately rejected the generals' request without even thinking about it.The Senate Department quickly ordered that the roster of prisoners' identities be counted first, and all officers and soldiers below the general banner officer be released, allowing them to go home and reunite with their families.Officers will be tried, and some generals who participated in the massacre will be executed. For the first time, the Senate has used a new charge of "war criminals".

Zhang Ning's reason for releasing the captured soldiers is very simple. After the people are released, they are unlikely to pose any threat to the Suzaku Army. This is just a civil war; There are millions of people with registered permanent residence, how many can you kill?

Immediately afterwards, some regular decrees were promulgated one after another. In addition to reiterating military discipline within the Suzaku Army and not disturbing the people and committing crimes, the Anmin Announcement was also posted. The new ruler made many solemn promises to the local officers and soldiers to reassure people. Let the people settle down to their own affairs.Zhang Ning didn't bother with these matters, it was all made by the Senate Department on a daily basis; Zhang Ning once again felt the important role of establishing this yamen, which really relieved him a lot of burdens, and the officials themselves made many things that he couldn't think of alone. I can do it according to the rules.

Perhaps Zhang Ning felt that he needed a "creative" approach, and after arriving in Changde, he promulgated an unusual decree called "Equality between the military and the civilians."He ordered all prefectures and counties to be ruled, cancel the military household registration, and all military households should be changed to civilian registration. In the future, there will be no restrictions on imperial examinations and business.

This decree is actually very different at this time. In the past, military households were essentially second-class civilians, which may not be much better than low-level households. Not only were they discriminated against in society, they were also subject to many restrictions. They could not take the imperial examination and do business , and hereditary, almost like a half-slave.The proof is that the children of military households generally marry people of the same origin, and people of civilian origin are not willing to marry them. People don't want their children and grandchildren to have no success for generations.

Taizu said, "I raise millions of soldiers without spending a grain of rice on the people." The dream is good, but the reality is counterproductive. The Ming Dynasty has only been established for less than 60 years, and the combat effectiveness of the army has been declining. The problem.

When discussing matters with various civil officials, Zhang Ning discussed in an article that he believed that military membership is a bad government.He believes that the country's military is the responsibility of everyone from top to bottom, and there is no reason for only some people to bear both military service and military rations. The common people should contribute to the armed forces.

There is almost no resistance to government orders. Like Chenzhou, Changde has been under the rule of the Suzaku Army since the day the city was destroyed. Generals, the daily management of government and military affairs is the most important thing, and this policy does not conflict with their interests.It's just that a few knowledgeable civil servants know that the military system actually came from the Taizu, which can be regarded as an "ancestral system". I'm too lazy to take care of it.

In fact, in Zhang Ning's view, it is an overly unfair policy, even if the patriarchal constitution cannot last long.Serious problems arose after the mid-Ming Dynasty, because in the past, national defense was maintained by squeezing military households, but soon the government soldiers became corrupt and the military expenditure was difficult to maintain, so they had no choice but to pay for it from the treasury. As a result, the entire finance was dragged down, and the military expenditure became the largest expenditure of the treasury. One; Zhang Ning believes that the military system also bears a certain responsibility for the financial problems of the Ming Dynasty.

However, he abolished the established national policy of the imperial court, and he failed to design a new system to replace it; but the problem at hand is not a problem. What he faces is how to defeat a powerful enemy, not how to govern the country.

Zhang Ning stood on the top of the city of Changde Mansion, looking at the rivers, fields, and mountains in his sight for a long time, thinking that a person's eyes are indeed determined by his position; just a few years ago, he never Really caring about these things, all I see is how my family lives.