Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 115
The capital city was in a panic because of the arrival of Li Zicheng's army.This situation was encountered once in the second year of Chongzhen. At that time, there was still King Qin's army, but now, there is no army of King Qin at all.

Fortunately, before Emperor Chongzhen left, he had been reminded and a new Beijing camp had been established.The plague in the capital has not shown any signs of recurrence after a month of prevention, especially sanitation, rodent eradication, isolation and other operations.Coupled with the early implementation of the Armor Protection Law, things were finally in order.

However, the fear of the common people and the fear of wealthy people are naturally inevitable.A tense atmosphere always hangs over the capital.

But what they never expected was that the bandit army stayed under the capital city for two days and then left!
If you didn't know better, you would have thought that the bandits came here to take a look at the city walls of the capital and breathe the air of the capital.

The real reason for this, Prince Zhu Cixiang was the most certain: "It must be my father's reason, there is no need to guess anymore."

He was actually a little disappointed. He had promised his father that he would be in the city!

As a hot-blooded young man, he has had many dreams, in which he dreamed of fighting to the death in the bloody storm, killing waves of bandits, or driving them off the city.And the armor on his body was also stained with the blood of his enemies!

When Zhu Cixiang was alone, he would sometimes ask secretly in his heart: "Father, how many heads have you taken?"

Fortunately, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't hear him. Otherwise, he would probably be ashamed. At least so far, he doesn't have any of the heads that Zhu Cixiang imagined.

Unless it was a very urgent situation, both his generals and his personal guard Fang Zhenghua would not allow him to fight.

Despite this, Emperor Chongzhen's battlefield skills, including the skills of bow, horse, sword and spear, were practiced every day.

When Li Zicheng broke camp from the capital city, Emperor Chongzhen had also led his army to leave Baoding and go south.

Even though he had already sent a message saying that Li Zicheng's army would arrive in the near future and that Baoding City should continue to strengthen its defense, the people in the city still put down their work and knelt down on the roadside to see the emperor off.

Although the rain stopped yesterday, the ground was still wet. The people of Baoding, both men and women, knelt on the mud, which moved Emperor Chongzhen very much.

In this era, materials were not abundant, and most people did not have a new piece of clothing a year. The clothes on their bodies were mended for three years and three years, and they were cherished.But at this moment, even though he had given the order, they still came to see him off, and they still knelt in the mud and didn't care that the mud stained their clothes.

People in this era may have various shortcomings, but they are actually very simple.They will remember whoever treats them well!
It was because the emperor failed to act well that the people lived a miserable life!
Looking at everything in front of him, Emperor Chongzhen swore secretly in his heart: Since he has traveled through time, he must seek the greatest happiness for the people of the world, so that they can solve the problem of hunger and cold as soon as possible and live a good life!
So, when he walked out of the city gate, Emperor Chongzhen reined in his horse and stopped, turned around to face the civil servants, military officers, and fellow villagers who were following behind him, and said loudly: "Get ready for war. When I return to the army, I will see each of you again!"

After hearing this, Shao Zongyuan, the governor of Baoding, took the lead in thanking him.

Emperor Chongzhen then looked at Liu Jiuqing, the commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp who was staying in Baoding, and said: "Baoding city is broken, you are the only one to ask!"

When Liu Jiuqing heard this, he immediately clasped his fists and responded loudly: "As long as the general is not dead, Baoding will be worry-free!"

When the local military commanders in Baoding heard this, they were immediately excited and consciously came out of the queue. They all pledged: People are in the city!

Emperor Chongzhen nodded, looked at the female general Liu Lanyu, and told her: "We must take good care of the injured soldiers in the city. Anyone who wants to join the Lanling Camp can have special arrangements made. Just ask Shao Qing!"

Lanling Camp will continue to stay in Baoding to take care of the wounded soldiers. According to Liu Lanyu's report, some Baoding women are already asking about becoming female soldiers, and some of them are even from Baoding City.For such a person, Liu Lanyu did not dare to make decisions without authorization, so she reported to Emperor Chongzhen.There are also some women who also want to join the female soldiers, but their families still don't agree.

What Emperor Chongzhen said at this time was that matters related to female soldiers, as long as they voluntarily participate and meet the conditions, let Shao Zongyuan handle it.Give her a free life and no longer have a lowly status, or persuade her family members so that she can enter the Lanling Camp.

"The general obeys the order!" Liu Lanyu was overjoyed and responded loudly.

After explaining this, Emperor Chongzhen said no more, turned the horse's head, and with a "drive" sound, the horse started running, facing the rising sun, and galloped southward.

Fang Zhenghua and the cavalry troops of the Jinyi Guard School also rode on horseback to catch up.

The officers and soldiers directly under the imperial command also followed suit.

Under the sun, the athletes galloped, the hoofbeats rumbled, and they embarked on the journey again.

To the south of Baoding, there are small cities such as Qingdu, Dingzhou, and Xinle, and then we reach the location of Zhending Fucheng.

In these troubled times, the small town has poor defense and is extremely vulnerable to bandits.

Located in the Gyeonggi area and under the jurisdiction of Northern Zhili, every time the Liaodong Jianlu invaded the customs and plundered, these places were affected. The old and the weak were killed, the young and strong men and women were plundered outside the customs, and their property was robbed, etc., even if The leeks were cut off one after another, and the remaining people had to endure the epidemic, chaos, and the officials and bandits. It can be said that by the time of the 17th year of Chongzhen, there were almost no people left in the small town.

As Li Zicheng's army marched all the way north, these small towns were naturally occupied by them.

However, after Baoding was defeated, Zhou Yuji led his army in pursuit south, and the Dashun troops in these small towns also fled south.When Emperor Chongzhen went all the way south, he could only see that many of these small towns were on fire. The rebels set fire to the cities before fleeing.The new ruins are still visible with fireworks; the old ruins are overgrown with weeds.

There were not many people left in the city, hiding in the dark in panic.From time to time, bones are seen in the wild fields on the roadside.

Looking at this, Emperor Chongzhen was silent all the way.

When the country of Dashun prospers, the people suffer; when the Ming dynasty falls, the people suffer; when the world is a little chaotic, it is the ordinary people who suffer!
At this moment, he knew that the people in Baoding City were kneeling down not because of his status as emperor, but because they were kneeling down in the hope that he could bring them peace!

Thinking about this, Emperor Chongzhen felt more and more that the burden on his shoulders was really very heavy!

He secretly swore in his heart: Maybe, he can work harder!

………………

It was about three hundred miles from Baoding City to Zhending City. After marching for several days, Emperor Chongzhen met Zhou Yuji who was greeting him in Xinle City, which was closest to Zhending City, and listened to his report.

Just listen to Zhou Yuji's report to Emperor Chongzhen who was taking off his armor: "The final general controls the daily schedule and drives the defeated soldiers to escape to Zhending. The three hundred elites selected are also mixed in with the chaotic defeated soldiers. Tonight in the evening , they all just blended into Zhending City."

At this point, he may have thought of something, and immediately added: "Your Majesty, don't worry, the [-] bandits have lost their organization and are fleeing for their lives in chaos. It is absolutely impossible to sort out the Zhending City in a short time. Qie Mo will rush in today Zhending has the largest number of defeated soldiers, as many as five thousand. It is absolutely impossible to sort out and screen them before our army attacks the city tomorrow."

There has been a failure in Daizhou's fraud, and I have summed up the experience afterwards. I have also asked the parties involved, Zhou Dabiao and others, and I understand why they were discovered.Therefore, this time the deception of the city was based on the previous lessons. For this reason, Emperor Chongzhen sent the most experienced Zhou Yuji. Before entering Baoding City, he had been controlling the pace to chase the defeated thieves and drove them according to Emperor Chongzhen's instructions. I want to rush to Zhending Mansion.

Rescue of Baoding City is the beginning of this war, and the most important thing is whether Zhending City can be captured.To this end, deployment begins before the war begins.This time the siege was by no means just a deception. The infantry was brought in to prepare for a strong attack.

Baoding is located halfway between the capital and Zhending. When news of Baoding reached the capital, considering that the bandit army moved south immediately, there was not much time left for Emperor Chongzhen to attack Zhending.

In order to determine this battle, time is tight and the requirements are very high. There is only one chance of fighting. Once the battle cannot be won, the army must move and look for opportunities to fight again. Otherwise, it will definitely be very dangerous if Li Zicheng's main force catches up.

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen didn't ask any more questions. He still believed in Zhou Yuji's abilities. He just ordered that the entire army rest and prepare for tomorrow's battle.

In the northeast corner of Xinle City, the Ma Ke Division of the newly established Beijing Camp is stationed. Most of the soldiers have just been converted from prisoners.It was rare to rest early, so some soldiers gathered around to talk.

"Have you heard? If you serve as a soldier in the Beijing camp, not only will your military salary be paid on time, but I heard that if you don't serve as a soldier in the future, the court will also arrange to work in the local government!"

"I've also heard that the military pay thing must be true. I heard that those of them have even paid off their pay arrears. How can they be in arrears with their military pay in the future?" "I'm really envious. I've been in the army for a long time. I have never received military pay! I was owed military pay before in Taiyuan, and after joining the Dashun Army... I have not seen any military pay. I hope that this month will be over soon, and I can see what a tael of silver is like! "

"By the way, do you guys know? I also heard that if someone dies in battle, the emperor will build a Hall of Loyalty and Martyrs in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, where you can go in and enjoy the incense. As long as the Ming Dynasty is still there, you can enjoy this incense! "

"Impossible, I've never heard of this!"

"I don't think it's possible either. It's probably only possible for a general or something like that. We're all in the same boat. Who cares about you?"

"..."

While they were discussing, they suddenly heard the sound of footsteps. When they turned around, they saw their commander coming with a group of royal guards. They were all frightened into silence.

But who would have expected that the captain of the Jinyi Guards arrived at their side, and then heard their commander personally introduce: "The people in this barracks are the 12 members of Team A."

Hearing this, several Jinyi guards took out a booklet, glanced at the 12 people in the barracks, and then looked at the book and called their names: "Fan Wangui?"

"Here!" Fan Wangui responded loudly immediately after hearing the sound, feeling a little uneasy. He didn't know what would happen if someone from Jin Yiwei came to his door.
The Jinyi Guardsman who called the roll glanced at him, then looked at the booklet, and read aloud: "Fan Wangui, from Yangqu, Taiyuan, has a mother and a younger brother and sister. He joined the army on March 17, 23th year of Chongzhen."

After finishing reading, he looked at Fan Wangui and asked, "Is that right?"

Fan Wangui was a little confused about what he meant and immediately replied: "Yes!"

Hearing his words, the Jin Yiwei captain looked at the booklet in his hand and said, "Qin Ergou?"

"Yes!" Another soldier puffed up his chest and replied quickly.

The Jinyi Guardsman looked at him and said with a smile: "Your name is quite interesting!"

After finishing speaking, he didn't wait for Qin Ergou to speak, then looked at the booklet and read loudly: "I am from Fan Village, Yuci, Taiyuan. I have an old father at home. He joined the army on March 17, 23th year of Chongzhen. Is that right?"

"Yes!" Qin Ergou responded immediately after hearing this, and then, perhaps because he saw the smile on the face of the imperial guard, he asked tentatively: "Sir, what are you doing?"

After hearing this, the Jinyi Guards School Captain did not put on any airs, but immediately replied: "There will be a battle tomorrow. You are new recruits and need to be verified again. If you die in the battle, your tablets can be left in the Hall of Loyalty and Martyrs. , and the pension can also be distributed to your family members.”

Hearing this, the people in Team A couldn't help but look at each other, but they didn't expect this to be true.

Fan Wangui saw that the Jin Yiwei captain was easy to talk to, so he quickly asked: "Sir, I heard that if you are disabled or will not be a soldier in the future, can you still arrange to work in the Yamen, with a salary?"

When the others heard this, they immediately stared at the Imperial Guard Captain, wanting to know the answer.Even Marco is very concerned.

The Jinyi Guardsman replied without thinking: "That's right, His Majesty said this when he was at Ningwuguan!"

After he finished speaking, he began to verify the list again.

The twelve men finished quickly and they headed to the next barracks.

However, in this barracks, everyone's emotions exploded.

Before, they had only heard rumors from old soldiers, but to be honest, they couldn't believe it.Even if there is such a thing, most of them think that it is the treatment that only the veterans who follow the emperor in the war receive.As a result, they didn't expect that they would be treated like this, which was definitely very exciting for them.

Ever since I was born, I have almost never encountered good things, but I didn't expect that I would encounter them now.

Of course, while they were excited, some people also thought of a situation and said worriedly: "Will a lot of people die in tomorrow's war? Let's verify these things of ours to see if we, the people, are likely to die." Die in battle?"

When Fan Wangui heard this, he glanced at him with disdain, and then asked: "Do you think your life is so valuable? It's just a cheap life. If you can live one more day, you will earn it. Now what if you die tomorrow? , I can enter the Loyalty Hall, and my family can still receive pensions, where can I find such good things?"

"No!" Qin Ergou said after hearing this, "Even if you are disabled, you can still go to the Yamen to receive your salary? How can you get such a big advantage? There is smoke coming out of the ancestral grave! In other places, would such a good thing be possible?"

Hearing this, several colleagues nodded.In the past, whether it was on the side of the official army or the Dashun Army, everyone had a life. How many people cared whether he lived or died?
But now that I have joined the emperor's capital camp, where can I find such benefits?

Human life is really worthless in troubled times, so this is a good price!
Their barracks were excited, and most of the other named barracks also confirmed the news and were equally excited. It wasn't until dark that they reminded each other to rest and wait for tomorrow's battle to be successful.

Early the next morning, the weather was overcast and there seemed to be signs of rain.

After the army had breakfast, the whole army set off.

The cavalry and infantry marched out in an orderly manner. Team after team did not stop at night, whipping their whips and horses, shouting "drive, drive", and dispersed in various directions.

The banners were flying, the horses' hooves were rumbling, and the morale of the army was like a rainbow. At nearly noon, the army arrived outside Zhending City.

On the top of Zhending City, the main generals of Dashun Army came to the top of the city after hearing the news.

Li Zijing, whose injured arm had not yet healed, looked at the imperial officers and soldiers outside the city and immediately started to make a fuss, saying: "How many people are there? Forty thousand? Fifty thousand? There can't be more. It's just these few people. Who gives them the courage?" Come to attack the city?"

There are [-] troops in Zhending City to protect the food and the children. Plus Liu Fangliang's troops and troops who have fled from various places, there are about [-] troops.Who has ever heard that the siege team has fewer troops than the defenders?
After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Cihou Liu Fangliang beside him, and mocked: "You seem to have 9 horses, but are you beaten to pieces by these 5 or [-] people?"

Liu Fangliang heard this very harshly, but since he was Li Zicheng's brother, he couldn't turn his back. He just explained with a gloomy face: "I was attacked when I was about to capture Baoding! And I have already lost 4 horses before, all of them It’s less than [-]!”

In order to find reasons for his failure, he deliberately said less about his military strength.

Gao Guiying, who had been silent until now, interrupted and said, "Don't underestimate it. This is the army led by the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Can't you see that everyone has high morale? Do other Ming armies have this kind of morale?"

Li Zijing had a deep hatred for the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and his arm was still hurting. When he heard this, he immediately retorted: "So what, the arrogant soldiers will be defeated! After defeating Baoding, come and attack us Zhending, this But it’s a siege battle. Look, they’re still cooking pots of rice in front of us. It’s so deceptive and lawless!”

"The last general is willing to lead the army out of the city to teach them a lesson!" Liu Fangliang said to Gao Guiying, clasping his fists.

His side has more troops than the other side, and he really wants to regain his position!
After hearing this, Gao Guiying shook his head and said: "Our army has been newly defeated, and its morale is far inferior to that of the opponent. We must first defend the city to drain the opponent's morale, and then look for an opportunity to take action! I expected that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty would not dare to attack His Highness's main force, so he wanted to seize it." Food, let him try it..."

As he was talking, he saw a group of knights coming towards the city. When Gao Guiying saw them, he recognized them and immediately said: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty is here."

When Li Zijing heard this, his arm suddenly hurt again and he quickly took a few steps back.

(End of this chapter)