My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 164 Chongzhen: Should I kowtow to you?
At the same time, Zheng Chenggong and Zhang Shize silently calculated the speed and distance of the Guanning Cavalry.

Although it was their first time on the battlefield, both of them were full of calmness and confidence.

After a moment, Zhang Shize took the lead in giving orders.

"shooting!"

The next second, the soldiers he led pulled the trigger in an instant, their movements in unison, like well-trained machines.

boom!
boom!
boom!
A series of gunshots rang out instantly.

After firing, they quickly passed the flintlock in their hands to the rear, then took over a loaded flintlock and fired again, and so on.

In just over ten seconds, the 500 soldiers on Zhang Shize's side fired more than a thousand bullets.

The dense gunfire echoed on the battlefield like a passionate war song.

Immediately afterwards, Zheng Chenggong also gave the order to shoot!

"shooting!"

Then, another burst of continuous gunfire rang out.

At this moment, the Guanning cavalry, which were originally so aggressive, had already lost their composure.

Because as early as when the first wave of gunfire sounded, dozens of people on the Guanning Iron Cavalry side were hit. Their bodies were shaking with the impact of the bullets, and some even fell off their horses.

Just over a dozen seconds later, more than a hundred people were shot, not counting the horses that were hit.

You must know that on a real battlefield, if a war horse is hit, it is equivalent to the cavalry being hit.

Because a cavalryman who loses his warhorse is like a bird that loses its wings, losing its mobility and combat effectiveness.

In this way, before the Guanning Iron Cavalry rushed to the Beijing Camp soldiers, the Beijing Camp soldiers had fired at least more than 8,000 bullets!

At least more than a thousand of them hit the Guanning Cavalry!

Even Wu Sangui was hit by a mud pill on the face, which made him grimace in pain and was extremely frightened.

He touched his face almost subconsciously, secretly glad that this was just a drill.

If he were on the battlefield, he would have been dead by now.

Wu Sangui never imagined that the power of the flintlock rifle was so great that the Guanning Cavalry suffered such heavy losses during the charge.

Finally, the Guanning Iron Cavalry gradually stopped when they were about to approach the soldiers of the Beijing camp.

At this moment, they all looked depressed, with loss and helplessness in their eyes.

Their original confidence and pride were completely shattered by the dense gunfire.

After the final inspection, it was found that at least 700 of the 1,000 people were hit, and among the remaining 300 people, more than 100 horses were hit, and only 200 were intact.

Such heavy casualties are truly chilling.

Moreover, if it were on a real battlefield, facing such severe losses, the army would have collapsed long ago and would not have been able to hold on to the end.

In this way, Zhu Cilang won the final victory!

In fact, Hong Chengchou and others had already keenly predicted the outcome the moment the gunshots rang out.

Standing on the Ningyuan city wall, they were high above and could use telescopes to take in the entire battlefield situation.

The firing speed and accuracy of the flintlock rifle were so astonishingly high that no army could withstand its volley of fire.

There was even someone who was silently calculating how many bullets the leading shooter could fire in one minute.

After getting the answer, the expression on his face gradually changed from initial surprise to shock!
Because the final result was that twelve bullets were fired in one minute!

Others may not have noticed this, but they also know that the firearms army in front of them is absolutely unmatched by any other army!

The Guanning Cavalry is no good!

Even the Jiannu can’t do it!
The existence of hot air balloons allows this firearms army to grasp all the surrounding intelligence and enemy deployments at any time and anywhere, making any strategies and tricks impossible to escape.

The existence of flintlock rifles is a nightmare for all armies!

Such efficient shooting speed and power made everyone realize that the cavalry's traditional charge tactics had no chance of getting close in the face of such firepower.

The result of the previous exercise was like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of these generals hard, forcing them to re-examine the direction of future wars.

The previous war mode that relied on cavalry charges and close combat has completely lost its advantage in the face of advanced firearms such as flintlock rifles!
In fact, even Zhu Cilang did not expect that the combination of hot air balloons and flintlock rifles would lead to such a battle situation.

If he had known this earlier, he might not have gone to so much trouble to find a way to make the Jiannu split their forces.

No matter how many people the Jiannu have, they can sweep them away!

But of course, there's no point in saying this now.
At this moment, Chongzhen stood on the wall of Ningyuan. The biting north wind blew his robe, but it could not conceal his excited heart.

This was the first time Chongzhen watched a battle scene with a flintlock rifle. To be honest, it was really shocking!

Even the invincible Guanning Iron Cavalry would be defeated instantly when they encountered this team equipped with flintlock rifles!
Now, Chongzhen finally understood why Zhu Cilang was so confident!

With such a magical weapon, why worry about the destruction of the Jiannu?
After the drill, there was no point in staying here any longer, so everyone returned to the Governor's Mansion.

Except for Zhu Cilang, Chongzhen and Hong Chengchou who were in a very good mood, the other generals remained silent along the way.

Walking into the lobby of the Governor's Mansion, they stood on both sides in turn, with their heads lowered and expressions of loss written all over their faces.

As for why this is the case?

This was entirely because with the emergence and popularization of flintlock rifles, the Ming Dynasty's war model underwent earth-shaking changes, and the combat experience and tactical knowledge accumulated by these generals over the years seemed to become worthless in an instant.

They were afraid that they would not be able to keep up with the times and would be forgotten by the court.

If that's the case, it would be even more painful than killing them!

Just then, a figure stumbled in. Who else could it be but Wu Sangui?

Wu Sangui staggered in, his armor covered in dust, his hair disheveled, and he looked extremely embarrassed.

Upon seeing Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, Wu Sangui fell to his knees with a thud and said in a frustrated voice:

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, I have been defeated."

When Chongzhen heard this, he just felt funny in his heart, because just before setting out, Wu Sangui still looked confident of victory.

Unexpectedly, after just over an hour, Wu Sangui became as dejected as a defeated rooster.

But it wasn't his fault. Looking around the world, no matter which army came, they were no match for those armies equipped with flintlock rifles.

Zhu Cilang looked at Wu Sangui, who was kneeling on the ground with a depressed look on his face, and smiled slightly. He then personally helped him up and comforted him:

"General Wu, don't blame yourself. This is not your fault. It's just that times have changed!"

After a pause, Zhu Cilang looked at the other generals present and said:
"There is still a long way to go in the future, and many battles await you."

"You are all the backbone of our Ming Dynasty. Your loyalty is evident. We will continue to rely on you."

"When we return to the capital, we will leave a large portion of all the firearms we brought with us, such as flintlock rifles and hot air balloons, for you to share."

"After you get the things, each of you will select elite soldiers and form a new firearms army."

"The capital has been continuously producing flintlock rifles and various firearms. After we return to the capital, I will allocate a new batch of firearms to you."

"In short, I want every soldier in the Ming Dynasty to be equipped with such a weapon."

After hearing these words, the gloom in the hearts of the generals gradually dissipated. They looked at each other, and the light of hope rekindled in their eyes.

After all, they were just afraid that they would be abandoned, but from what Zhu Cilang said, he had no intention of abandoning them at all. Instead, he wanted to allocate them new firearms to form a new army.

This is really the best thing for them!
When everyone calmed down a bit, Zhu Cilang cleared his throat and continued:
"In this battle, the Beijing Battalion will be the main force, charging in the front and will undoubtedly achieve great military exploits."

"It would be unfair to calculate military merit simply by the number of enemy heads captured."

"Therefore, I have decided that military merit in this battle will be assessed based on 'battlefield merit'!"

"This includes the soldiers' heroic performance in combat, their tactical execution capabilities, and their contributions to the overall situation."

"Of course, the Jiannu's head is still worth one hundred taels of silver, and these silvers will be distributed according to military merit after the war."

In the beginning, the military merit system of the Ming Dynasty did not calculate military merit based on the number of heads captured, but rather evaluated military merit based on the soldiers' specific performance on the battlefield.

This is what is called "showing off one's achievements on the battlefield."

From the Hongwu period to the Jiajing period, military merit was basically assessed by performances on the battlefield!
But later, as time went on, those military generals used various means to falsely report their military achievements and ask for rewards from the court.

The imperial court was helpless, and such matters were difficult to investigate, so they gradually changed to a system of calculating military merit based on the number of heads taken.

Although there are still occasional cases of killing innocent people and taking credit for their achievements, it is much better than before.

As for why it was necessary to use the method of commending military achievements on the battlefield, it was entirely because with the emergence of flintlock rifles, the method of calculating military merits using heads was no longer effective.

Because if nothing unexpected happens, in this battle, the Beijing Camp can at least take down more than 80% of the enemy's lives!

But if that were the case, it would be too unfair to other armies.

What if, in the end, tens of thousands of border troops didn't get a single kill, wouldn't that mean they had no contribution in this battle?
This is obviously not possible!
Therefore, it is most appropriate to use battlefield performances to assess military merits this time!

Because in the end, all the credit was basically decided by Zhu Cilang himself.

And he will definitely not let the meritorious officials suffer, nor will he let the soldiers who cannot obtain the heads feel disheartened!

In short, after this tough battle, everyone will be a hero and everyone will get money!

When the others present heard that Zhu Cilang was actually going to use battlefield performances to assess military merits this time, they were stunned at first, and then they all breathed a sigh of relief.

The look he gave Zhu Cilang also changed.

Because they knew that Zhu Cilang was actually thinking about them.

After all, if military merit is really calculated based on the number of heads this time, these border troops who are not equipped with flintlock rifles may not get a single cent. But if it is about showing off their merits on the battlefield, then they can still give it a try!
Then, everyone hurriedly bowed and said:

"His Royal Highness the Prince is wise!"

Zhu Cilang said again:
"Pass the order down. The army will assemble early tomorrow morning and officially begin the war!"

"When you return, prepare as quickly as possible and don't let anything go wrong!"

When everyone heard this, they hurriedly said seriously:

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I guarantee with my life that there will be absolutely no trouble!"

After repeated assurances, everyone went about their business.

Even Zhu Cilang is the same!
Time passed quickly, and it was afternoon in a blink of an eye.

Chongzhen sat on a carved sandalwood chair with a frown on his face, his hands tapping unconsciously on the armrests, his expression full of worry.

Although it seemed that Zhu Cilang had considered everything, there was actually one thing he felt Zhu Cilang definitely had not considered.

That's about the post-war reward!

He had already generously rewarded the soldiers with a large amount of silver, totaling more than 2.6 million taels of silver! But after the war, he still needed to use silver to reward and appease the soldiers who fought bravely on the battlefield.

But this incident was like a huge rock weighing heavily on Chongzhen's heart, making him worried.

Because he always felt that there might not be much silver left of the silver he brought this time, and there might not even be one million taels of silver.

But this money is definitely not enough!

If he won a battle but received no reward in silver, how would the soldiers view him as the emperor?

Thinking of this, Chongzhen felt even more headache.

If only I hadn’t rewarded you with that silver before.

But it seems that saying this is of no use now.
Then, Chongzhen seemed to have made up his mind, he sat up straight and called out loudly:

"Come here, go and call the prince to me!"

The voice echoed in the house, carrying an unquestionable majesty.

The eunuch guarding the door heard Chongzhen's call, trembled all over, hurriedly responded, and then ran quickly towards the courtyard where Zhu Cilang lived.

Not long after, the young eunuch hurried back panting, with beads of sweat on his forehead and a look of nervousness and anxiety on his face.

Before he could even stand still, he reported with a nervous look on his face:

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is not in the room. I heard that he seemed to be in the treasury, so I went to the treasury again."

"But he was stopped by someone who said the prince was busy with something important and would come to see His Majesty after he was done!"

The so-called treasury is actually a warehouse where property is stored within the governor's office.

When Chongzhen heard this, a trace of thought flashed in his eyes, and he thought to himself that this rebellious son must have the same idea as me and was also considering the issue of silver.

Then, Chongzhen did not plan to wait for Zhu Cilang to come, but wanted to go to the treasury to check it out in person.

Let’s see how much silver is left of the money we brought this time.

If it's not enough, see if you can think of other ways to remedy it.

In this way, Chongzhen hurried to the treasury of the Governor's Mansion with a few eunuchs.

The young eunuch Wang Xi who was guarding the door of the treasury was Zhu Cilang's trusted eunuch.

When he saw Chongzhen coming from afar, his expression suddenly tensed and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed down.

Wang Xi first straightened his clothes, then walked quickly forward and gave Chongzhen a standard salute.

Chongzhen nodded slightly, then asked:
"Is the prince in there?"

Wang Xi suppressed his inner tension, raised his head, and replied with a trembling voice:
"Your Majesty, I am here."

Chongzhen nodded slightly and was about to step in, but Wang Xi seemed to be suddenly driven by something and hurriedly stepped forward to block Chongzhen.

This is because Zhu Cilang had previously stated that no one was allowed to enter without his permission.

Although Wang Xi was not sure whether this "anyone" included Chongzhen, out of loyalty to Zhu Cilang, he decided to go and inform him first.

So he swallowed and said tremblingly:

"Your Majesty, how about I go and inform His Royal Highness the Crown Prince first?"

Chongzhen was a little puzzled as to why this little eunuch suddenly stood in front of him.

But when he heard this, his originally calm face suddenly turned gloomy, and a trace of uncontrollable anger flashed in his eyes!

What a joke!
He is an emperor, but he needs to inform the prince even when he enters the treasury?

This dog slave really doesn't take him seriously!
You must know that he is still the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

In a rage, Chongzhen suddenly raised his foot and kicked Wang Xi to the ground, cursing:
"You dog slave! Open your dog eyes and see clearly, I am still the emperor!"

Wang Xi uttered a muffled groan, flew backwards, and fell to the ground, curling up in pain.

But Chongzhen didn't even look at him and strode straight into the treasury.

Wang Xi was in so much pain that tears welled up in his eyes. He covered the place where he was kicked with both hands tightly and lay on the ground, unable to get up for a while.

But what he was thinking in his heart was that he was useless and had not done what the prince had asked him to do.
At this time, in the treasury, Zhu Cilang was busy buying silver, rice, meat and other things from the system store.

Recently, Zhu Cilang bought almost all the meat used to reward the army from the system store, and the same was true for the silver!

And tonight's meal is particularly important, because the army will set out tomorrow, so he plans to buy some wine and meat from the system store to reward the three armies and boost morale!

Li Hu and others had already moved out several batches of supplies, but it was still far from enough.

Suddenly at this moment, Zhu Cilang heard a series of hurried footsteps coming from far away behind him, and then the footsteps stopped abruptly not far away.

Zhu Cilang paused for a moment, a hint of displeasure on his face as he said:
"Didn't I say that no one is allowed to come in without my order?"

As he spoke, he did not stop his actions. With a wave of his hand, a large amount of silver fell from the sky like magic and piled up into a small mountain in front of him.

Soon after, piles of meat appeared one after another. Each piece of meat was bright in color and exuded an attractive luster, and was also piled up into mountains.

However, at this moment, Zhu Cilang suddenly heard a dull sound behind him, as if someone fell.

Zhu Cilang was filled with displeasure, thinking that these servants were becoming more and more unruly. It would have been fine if they had just come in without permission, but they also had to make some noise. Could it be that he was too lenient with them on a normal day?

Is that why they are so presumptuous?
Thinking of this, he turned around quickly and was about to scold a few words, but the next second, he was shocked by the scene in front of him!

Because at this moment, the person appearing before him was none other than Chongzhen!

At this moment, Chongzhen fell to the ground in a mess. The Yishan crown on his head, which symbolized the emperor's majesty, fell crookedly to the side. A few strands of hair fell from his temples, and his face was full of fear and confusion.

His eyes widened as he stared at the mountain of silver and meat in front of Zhu Cilang, as if he had seen the most incredible sight in the world.

What did he just see?
He saw Zhu Cilang just waved his hand lightly, and then a mountain of silver and a mountain of meat appeared in front of him.

This was so unbelievable that he found it hard to accept for a while.

But soon, Zhu Cilang came to his senses, and a hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes.

It was all his own negligence that allowed Fang Zhenghua, Li Hu, Zheng Chenggong, Li Ruolian and others to go out on business together, leaving him with only a young eunuch by his side.

Although he was asked to guard the door just now, how could he dare to stop Emperor Chongzhen?

Look, Chongzhen rushed in and witnessed everything that had just happened!
This means that his secret has been exposed!
Now that things have come to this, Zhu Cilang no longer intends to hide it.

He first took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and then started to busy himself again.

He wanted to finish the important business first, and then confront Chongzhen!
Immediately afterwards, mountains of silver, meat, and rice appeared out of thin air in front of him, filling the entire treasury.

At this time, Chongzhen was already stunned. His lips trembled slightly. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't open his mouth. It seemed as if his throat was choked by something.

His eyes were full of complexity and awe. He looked at Zhu Cilang for a while, then at the various supplies that appeared out of thin air. He seemed unable to understand the shocking scene before him.

A moment later, Zhu Cilang finished his busy work. The various materials he exchanged had filled the entire treasury, enough to reward the three armies.

Then he walked up to Chongzhen, bent down to pick up the fallen Yishan crown, gently shook off the dust on it, and then put it directly on Chongzhen's head.

Then he stretched out his hands and helped Chongzhen up.

Although Chongzhen was still immersed in great shock at this time, he gradually came to his senses. With the help of Zhu Cilang, he stood up tremblingly and asked in a trembling voice:
"Just now... What happened just now? How could you conjure these things out of thin air?"

The moment Zhu Cilang saw Chongzhen, he knew that this matter could no longer be concealed!
So he decided to confront Chongzhen directly!

Moreover, this incident could be used to make Chongzhen behave himself in the future and not cause any more trouble.

From this point of view, it doesn't seem like a bad thing that the secret has been exposed.

But of course, he would not say such absurd things as that he had a system and was a time traveler.

Then, Zhu Cilang said calmly:
"I originally wanted to keep this a secret from Father, but since he has seen it, I have no choice but to tell you the truth!"

"In fact, I am the reincarnation of the Great Emperor Zhenwu!"

Chongzhen was shocked again. In fact, when he just witnessed that scene, he thought of the existence of gods.

After all, apart from gods, how could anyone in this world produce silver and meat out of thin air?
But he didn't dare to think about it that way, as he felt it was too bizarre, even a little absurd.

Until this moment, Zhu Cilang admitted it himself, and Chongzhen had no choice but to believe it!

But even though he believed it, his eyes were still filled with confusion and shock, as if he still couldn't figure out what was going on.

For example: Why did Emperor Zhenwu reincarnate as his son?

Zhu Cilang continued:
"Father, I believe you have also noticed the changes in me."

"Aren't you curious? Why did the previously elegant prince suddenly change his temperament and even rebel?"

"It's simple. This is because I have awakened my memories of my past life and know that I am the reincarnation of the Great Emperor Zhenwu. I also have a premonition that the Ming Dynasty will fall in three years."

"So, in order to save the Ming Dynasty, I chose to rebel."

"After all, the Ming Dynasty has worshipped the Great Emperor Zhenwu for over two hundred years. I cannot let the Ming Dynasty fall like this. I want to save the Ming Dynasty."

“That’s why the rebellion happened.”

At this moment, Zhu Cilang knew that he had to tell this lie in an extremely convincing way in order to completely intimidate Chongzhen.

So, he talked a lot, and his words became more and more outrageous, saying that he was reincarnated as a human with the mission of saving the world and that the secret must not be revealed.

Such words just poured out all at once.

As he spoke, Chongzhen's face, which was originally full of shock, became more and more complicated.

From doubt to hesitation, and then to gradual conviction, his eyes were filled with complex emotions such as excitement, nervousness, admiration and respect.

When Zhu Cilang saw this scene, he knew that Chongzhen had been convinced by him!

All emperors of the Ming Dynasty had great respect for the Great Emperor Zhenwu, and Chongzhen was no exception.

Even the imperial court held a grand worship ceremony every year.

Perhaps it was because of this belief that Chongzhen quickly accepted the claim that Zhu Cilang was the reincarnation of Zhenwu Emperor.

After all, the scene he just saw couldn't deceive anyone!

Chongzhen was so shocked that he couldn't express it in words when he thought that the great Emperor Zhenwu had been reincarnated as his own son.

But before the excitement wore off, Chongzhen's expression suddenly tensed up, and a conflicted look appeared on his face again.

Because he didn't know how to call Zhu Cilang from now on?
Although they are father and son in name, the other party is the reincarnation of Zhenwu Emperor after all!

Moreover, he himself goes to kneel down and worship the Great Emperor Zhenwu every year. In this case, doesn’t it mean that he has been kneeling down to worship his own son?
As soon as this thought came to his mind, Chongzhen felt uncomfortable all over and felt awkward no matter how he thought about it.

Looking at the living 'Zhenwu Great Emperor' in front of him, a thought even came to his mind:
Should I kowtow right now?

(End of this chapter)