Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 225 Undercurrent (two chapters in one)

One faction was the group that advocated for the incorporation of defeated soldiers. They believed that as long as the defeated soldiers were integrated into the government army, they would be spared from death and had no intention of wiping out all the enemies.

On the one hand, many generals suffered heavy losses and were in urgent need of baoyi and Korean reinforcements. Even some bannermen from the Eight Banners of Manchu and Mongolia were accepted.

After all, these days only those who have soldiers under their command have the right to speak. If all the soldiers are killed, even if you are promoted, you will still be a commander without any troops.

On the other hand, the commanders-in-chief were all civil officials. Whether they were the military governors at the front or the governors stationed in Dengzhou in the rear, they were all worried that excessive killing would lead to impeachment and attacks from the officials in the court.

Of course, the most important reason is that the civil officials do not have many direct troops.

If he could save the lives of the bannermen and use them for his own purposes, he would have a useful armed force, and would be more confident in controlling the unruly soldiers in the future.

The armed baoyi were all Han people with shaved heads, so they were very easy to train.

The other faction of military merit was more greedy. They wanted to kill all the armed bannermen to gain military merit.

They originally wanted to kill the Koreans, but unfortunately these people were Korean soldiers recruited by the Qing Dynasty.

They all wore Han Chinese clothing with their hair tied up, which was not much different from the Ming Dynasty's official army. It was too late to shave their heads now.

Civil officials have their own methods and procedures for inspecting heads. The heads of real Tartars, traitors, rebels, and bandits all have different characteristics.

The levels of military merit also vary accordingly.

Even if we take the Koreans with tied hair as the Baoyi who shaved their heads, it is not enough. Besides, this battle took place in southern Liaoning, and at most the heads given to them would be counted as those of pirates or bandits with tied hair.

The value of military merit varies greatly.

Moreover, there were only 3,000 captured Koreans, and they were distributed to the generals of all ranks according to their contribution points. The highest number was only 400 to 500, and the lowest number probably didn't even get 200.

Beheading a hundred real Tartars is far better than beheading a thousand pirates and bandits.

Unfortunately, a large number of real Tartar heads were in the hands of the Beiwei Army.

The heads captured in the Battle of Changsheng Island have earned the Beiwei Army's commander a promotion from guerrilla to lieutenant general.

If the victory report of this battle is delivered to the court, I am afraid he will be directly promoted to deputy general, or even general!

In the end, the generals of the two factions discussed it repeatedly and decided to kill every 30% of the baoyi to gain some military merit, and the surviving baoyi and Koreans would be distributed to the generals to supplement the troops.

The Beiwei Army suffered the "heaviest losses" in manpower, so it was assigned 2,000 Koreans as auxiliary troops.

Those generals who did not receive many troops and did not achieve any outstanding results were unhappy.

Envy and jealousy burned like a raging fire in their hearts, but they were too embarrassed to go to the "nouveau riche" Beiwei Army to buy heads.

It’s like the old seniors will never bow to the younger generation, and the old aristocrats will look down on the nouveau riche all their lives.

Seeing that the troops pursuing the defeated soldiers kept bringing back some heads, they felt that the Qing soldiers were nothing special. They were too embarrassed to buy heads, so couldn't they just cut them off with their own hands?
They didn't even attend the celebration banquet in the evening, but directly gathered their troops and pursued with fire.

Including the surrendered soldiers, a total of 26,000 government troops, infantry and cavalry hurried north. According to the confessions of the surrendered soldiers, there were only a little over 10,000 enemy soldiers left.

The Beiwei Army was able to defeat the Tatars and force them to flee in panic. Why couldn't they achieve another great victory with their numerical advantage?

Twenty-six thousand against more than ten thousand Tartars, the advantage is on my side!
……

The officers and soldiers who were eager to make meritorious service left, while the Beiwei Army and some rational civil and military officials remained in place, waiting for Dengzhou to transport food, fodder and military equipment.

The Beiwei army, which had 4,900 men before the war, lost 300 pitiful auxiliary soldiers after a fierce battle. However, after the military victory, with the addition of new players eager to kill the Tartars, the total number of men actually increased instead of decreased, reaching 5,400.

If the Korean prisoners were included, the Beiwei Army's strength at this time exceeded 7,000 people.

When Yang Zhenwu heard this, he was shocked.

When other people fought in wars, their numbers would decrease as the battle went on. However, the Beiwei Army's numbers grew larger and larger, and they became stronger and stronger. Each one of them was like a "hairless monkey" that popped out from a crack in a rock.

He could not guess that these "new recruits" really crawled out of the ground. He just thought that the Beiwei Army had a method of training soldiers, and that no matter whether they were civilians or former slaves, they could be trained into a first-class and strong army.

It's not that no one asked about the Beiwei Army's training methods, so he took the opportunity of buying heads to mention the training methods.

However, the other party's answers were all the same old methods such as sufficient food and wages, stable training, mentoring by veterans, multiple actual combats, etc.

When asked, they either start to dodge the question or start talking nonsense, ranging from poetry and songs to astronomy and the universe, and then back to rivers, highways, agriculture, forestry and water conservancy.

Yang Zhenwu was completely baffled by the Beiwei Army's style of action.

As soon as night fell, the Beiwei Army seemed like a different person and began to play music and party.

They built a spacious wooden stage and welcomed everyone to watch. Yang Zhenwu also joined in the fun and squeezed into the front row.

A handsome young man with a good voice used a loudspeaker to call out names and invite people.

Every time, a soldier would come on stage to receive the silver or bronze medals handed over by the host.

Then he proudly held up the medal and shouted out his ranking, as enthusiastic as a scholar who saw his name on the list of successful candidates.

"I got the title of butcher!"

"Oh yeah, it's the title of Golden Breakthrough!"

“I’m the fashionista!”

Yang Zhenwu frowned when he heard such strange words.

Is this title really worth being so happy about? What’s the use of it if you have no money and no status?
Yang Zhenwu thought to himself, wouldn't it be a joy to hear the news of rewards and promotions from the court?

The higher the ranking, the more the corners of the soldier's mouth curled up. Some even had the leisure to pretend to be riding a horse and throwing the reins, trotting around the edge of the wooden platform, "Gee! Gee! Gee!"

The elite soldiers of the Beiwei Army in the audience were not in the mood to have fun with their brothers. Jealousy and envy turned into the sound of grinding their teeth. They wanted to go on stage and beat up their teammates and snatch the reward for themselves.

Seeing this, Yang Zhenwu wondered if the Beiwei Army was not united internally?
Even if I am really jealous, I will hide it in my heart and congratulate my brother on the surface.

The elite soldiers of the Beiwei Army didn't even act out their performance. They didn't act like the brave soldiers who cooperated well in wartime and could entrust their lives to their brothers.

The award ceremony ended quickly, and then hundreds of people suddenly rushed onto the stage, dancing a funny dance in unison.

He heard several elite soldiers beside him say something like "Aimu Weipi (MVP) settlement screen", and he laughed out loud, swaying along with the dance steps, twisting his hips, moving his arms, and his eyebrows conveyed a knowing smile that could be understood with just one expression.

Although they were speaking Chinese, Yang Zhenwu could not understand a single word.

He really wanted to board the "treasure ship" of the Beiwei Army. These days, he could not make a way for the future by relying on his own mediocrity. Only by following the right leader could he gain enough military merit.

But he didn't understand the Beiwei Army's "secret language" at all.

He could only try hard to imitate the Beiwei Army's catchphrases, their occasional jumping, backflips, and squatting postures, and learn their leisurely and elegant love of dance and music.

Some are even imitating the dance moves of "Aimu Weipi", shaking their hips and swinging their arms.

"Hahahaha, look, the NPC is learning to dance like us!"

"Of course, that's what cultural victory is!" The speaker proudly leaned back, with his upper body forming a 60-degree angle with the ground.

Another word I don't understand.

Enpixi.

Yang Zhenwu chuckled foolishly. Nearly fifty years old and still a mid-level officer, he knew that his future was limited. Relying on his current achievements and the speed of his promotion, he was afraid that even if he died he would not be able to return to his previous position, and he might even be suddenly "laid off" one day.

He is like an old employee whose salary was cut in middle age but whose life pressure has increased instead of decreased, and he humbly looks for part-time jobs to supplement his family income.

Although his life was much better than that of ordinary people, he was unwilling to "sink" like this.

Others are too embarrassed to bargain with Beiwei Jun, but he is willing to do so. It's just his old face, how much is it worth?

As long as the Beiwei Army is willing to accept him as a "little brother", he would be willing to sacrifice his reputation and acknowledge the Beiwei Army's less than 30-year-old commander as his godfather.

If you don’t work hard and don’t lose face these days, are you going to wait for fame and fortune to come to you?

Facing the discussion of the two elite soldiers of the Beiwei Army, Yang Zhenwu remembered their favorite gesture, which they said was a way to express respect to both the enemy and ourselves.

So he raised his left and right middle fingers to the others, a blessing smile on his face, "Left hand, right hand, slow motion..."

But this action coupled with the smile seemed full of sarcasm.

"Damn it, the NPC actually learned to taunt with the middle finger!"

"Nima's!"

Several players also gave Yang Zhenwu the middle finger, which made the latter think that he was conveying goodwill and smiled even more brightly.

……

Zhang Xianzhong was walking aimlessly along the city wall alone.

Outside the city, tents stretched for miles, and orange bonfires were scattered everywhere, looking like hundreds of lights dispelling the darkness in the dim night.

The cool evening breeze blew by, and from the distant woods came the rustling sound of leaves rubbing against each other, like waves rising and falling.

Zhang Xianzhong looked far to the north. The distant land was shrouded in darkness, as if a giant dragon was swallowing the world into its abyssal belly.

The player lurking in the capital sent a message before nightfall:

The Ming army in western Liaoning that attacked Yizhou and Guangning was defeated, and the Qing army surrounded Jinzhou.

Hong Chengchou sent his generals to fight with the Qing troops. The two sides fought fiercely several times, with each winning and losing. Seeing that the situation was favorable, Huang Taiji personally led the main army to the scene.

Hong Chengchou was originally unprepared, and was urged by the emperor's military department to rush into battle. When he saw the Qing emperor coming in person, he was so frightened that he dared not move forward even a single step.

Huang Taiji seized the opportunity to cut off the Ming army's retreat and trapped Hong Chengchou's main force in Songshan.

According to the speed of the Ming Dynasty's military orders, it will take a few days for a military order to be sent to southern Liaoning to dispatch Ming troops to cross the sea to rescue Jinzhou.

However, after a series of discussions, less than half of the players wanted to go to western Liaoning to rescue Jinzhou.

Rather than rushing to Liaoxi for rescue and being controlled by various high-ranking officials, it would be better to open a new battlefield and take ships deep into the Liaozhong Plain to attack the Qing cities. This would also force Huang Taiji to withdraw his troops and resolve the crisis in Jinzhou and Songshan.

Thousands of players were stationed in Fuzhou, waiting for the ships heading north.

When the time comes, Huang Taiji will return to rescue Liaozhong, and players will be able to experience the excitement of a real decisive battle.

"Does Admiral Zhang also have the habit of taking nighttime walks on the city walls?"

The powerful voice sounded like a lion beside him. Zhang Xianzhong turned his head and found that it was Chen Jinghe.

This man was a deputy general under the Baoding Governor, commanding more than 2,000 soldiers. Behind the "girly pink" filter, he was a stubborn donkey.

“It’s so comfortable to have some fresh air at night.”

Zhang Xianzhong closed his eyes tightly, quietly feeling the comfort of the evening breeze gently pulling at the roots of his hair. He loved the natural night scenes of ancient times without light pollution, especially those that appeared more harmonious under special filters.

Chen Jinghe followed suit, closing his eyes and quietly feeling the evening breeze.

"It's really comfortable," Chen Jinghe said. "It's like galloping against the wind on horseback... This battle was won thanks to Lieutenant General Zhang's strategy and the Beiwei soldiers' dedication. Otherwise, southern Liaoning would have fallen again, and those poor Liao people would have been reduced to the Tartars' slaves, suffering day and night..."

"It's just a small contribution, not worth mentioning. It's the cooperation of the generals and officers from all the divisions that has led to today's victory. I and the Beiwei Army alone could not have won."

"Commander Zhang, there's no need to belittle yourself. I've long heard that the Black Flag Battalion is incredibly brave and worthy of being the pillars of our nation. The Beiwei Army also originated from the Black Flag Battalion, and they've repeatedly defeated the Qing forces on land and sea. This shows that the Beiwei Army and the Black Flag Battalion are not much different.

After this battle, Lieutenant General Zhang will surely be promoted to General. However, the Liaoxi front has achieved nothing, and its vanguard was defeated by the Tartars. I'm afraid it's no longer useful."

"..." Zhang Xianzhong did not say anything. He looked up and down at this "stubborn kid" and thought that this person should be like other government troops. The intelligence he obtained about western Liaoning was just old information from a few days ago.

They didn't know that Huang Taiji's main force had already surrounded Jinzhou.

Seeing Zhang Xianzhong's expression calm, Chen Jinghe said in a deep voice, "To recapture Liaodong, the imperial court will rely even more heavily on the Beiwei Army. They'll establish Liaonan Town, just like they did with Dongjiang. This position should go to Lieutenant General Zhang. I'm sure within two years, Liaonan Town, and indeed all of Liaodong, will be ruled by the Zhang family, right?"

Chen Jinghe turned his head to look at Zhang Xianzhong. Lieutenant General Chen had a serious expression on his face, and his stern eyes seemed to shoot out a cold light that could hurt people.

Zhang Xianzhong was shocked. This kind of words was like pointing fingers at someone, saying that he had ulterior motives and was planning a rebellion.

It was not the intelligent NPC that saw through his deep ambitions that made Zhang Xianzhong panic, after all, the Black Flag Camp would rebel one day.

It's just that the position the two of them were in was very delicate. This wasn't a small dark room with good sound insulation where they could talk about private topics with confidence.

There were no players standing guard on the city wall, but soldiers of other generals.

Zhang Xianzhong looked back and saw that the guards on the city wall were standing every ten meters, and there were braziers for lighting on the top of the wall.

Chen Jinghe just took advantage of the "safe zone" between the two sentries to make subtle remarks. Isn't this guy afraid that someone with ulterior motives might hear and spread the news?

Most of the officers and soldiers in this "coalition" are "loyalists", and the Beiwei Army is also secretly "corrupting" many middle and lower-level officers and generals, but the results are slow.

Selling heads or even giving them away as gifts is not very useful. Military generals will be promoted or transferred after gaining military merits, and the relationship between the two sides will fade after several years of separation.

The only way is to slowly corrupt the hereditary military officers of Denglai and some grassroots civil and military officials.

If there is spare capacity, it would be best to organize more people to colonize the southern Liaoning region and completely control southern Liaoning in the hands of the Beiwei Army.

Of course, this is also the strategic goal of the main task of controlling southern Liaoning.

Chen Jinghe was a soldier under the command of the Governor of Baoding. He was nearly forty years old and should be considered an absolute "loyalist".

He whispered to Zhang Xianzhong, who had illegal intentions, that you might monopolize southern Liaoning.

This is like pointing at the displaced Liu Bei in front of Cao Cao and Sun Quan and saying, "You are the emperor destined by heaven, and in a few years everyone will become your prisoner."

Is it a temptation or a threat?

Of course, Zhang Xianzhong could not say that our Black Flag Camp was going to rebel and seize the world and kill all competitors.

The two walked side by side past the second sentry guard, and the third guard was far enough away to talk at a safe distance.

Zhang Xianzhong laughed self-deprecatingly. "I'm just a small lieutenant general. How can I possibly control the entire Liaodong region? Rectifying the thousands of arrogant and reckless Beiwei soldiers has already exhausted me. How can I conquer such a vast region like Liaodong with only a few thousand of my brothers? Furthermore, whether to establish a town or appoint the commander-in-chief is entirely up to the imperial court..."

"Haha, Lieutenant General Zhang, you're joking. In my opinion, Lieutenant General Zhang is a true hero! Being the King of Liaodong is a waste of his talent. He should be the ruler of the world!"

The "stubborn donkey" tried hard to smile, but the corners of his mouth only twitched slightly, revealing a row of soft rag doll teeth.

Zhang Xianzhong was slightly stunned and thought to himself, are you kid here talking nonsense about heroes to me?

Zhang Xianzhong said, "Recently, the beggars in the Central Plains are on the rise. In less than two years, they've swept across Henan and Huguang, and are on the verge of sweeping across several provinces. Compared to those brave enough to fight these bandits, I'm just a babbling child."

Chen Jinghe frowned, shook his head, and said, "The beggar bandits are murderous and tyrannical, with no intention of winning over the gentry and common people. They appear to hate evil with all their might, but in reality they are crude and incompetent, with no talent to draw upon. They only know how to resort to killing. If the killing continues for too long, chaos and collapse will surely ensue."

The more Zhang Xianzhong listened, the more he felt that this kid was looking for "rebellious" colleagues.

Zhang Xianzhong added, "The Western Bandits and the Chuang Bandits have fought dozens of battles, both large and small. Last year's defeat didn't discourage them; instead, they grew stronger and stronger. Now that the two factions have regrouped and are sweeping across the southwest, they might even be able to seize control of the world."

"The Western Bandits and the Chuang Bandits were originally bandits from the northwest, roaming around and exploiting the people. Now that the Beggar Bandits are ahead of them, their power is so great. Who would want to join the Western Bandits and the Chuang Bandits? These people are nothing but dry bones in the grave."

Chen Jinghe stopped, put his hands on the rough wall, and looked at the rustling woods in the distance.

Zhang Xianzhong also stopped and leaned against the wall, gazing into the distance. "The current emperor is diligent in governing the country and personally handles all matters. He is truly a wise ruler. As long as Your Majesty is given time to defeat the bandits and pacify the invaders, the Ming Dynasty will remain stable and the world will be at peace."

"Humph! The decline of national affairs is all due to this man! What kind of Ming is he..."

"Brother Chen, be careful with your words!" Zhang Xianzhong quickly grabbed Lieutenant General Chen's mouth and slowly let go until he passed the next checkpoint.

Seeing Chen Jinghe say such "treasonous" words, Zhang Xianzhong pondered for a moment and threw out an important figure to test him -

"Li Mu, the Left General of Southern Henan, has high hopes from the imperial court. He's only in his early twenties, yet he's already held the title of General. He's a true champion! The Black Banners under his command are all veterans of our Beiwei Army, elite warriors who are brave and fearless. If the empire were to change, he could restore order and rise to the top."

"Haha. Commander Li, while capable, is a foolishly loyal man. He's repeatedly sacrificed his life for the imperial court, even at the expense of his soldiers. I'm afraid the widows and children of southern Henan resent him, accusing him of sacrificing his soldiers' lives for his own position. If he had maintained his own army, what could the imperial court do to him? He could have conquered the world in just three to five years. It's a pity that he's been so blinded by the 'favor of recognition' that he's abandoned his grand ambitions and chosen to help build a dilapidated house."

Chen Jinghe admired the gray moonlight as if nothing had happened, while expressing what was in his mind.

If there were bystanders present who did not know the identities of the two men, they would probably think that this was a middle-aged man imparting his experience to a young man, but Zhang Xianzhong would not let his guard down.

These middle-aged people are almost all experienced and wise. If they are naive and romantic and think that Chen Jinghe is the one who taught them the secret skills in martial arts novels, they are totally wrong.

We should look at Chen Jinghe’s words from two perspectives. Does what Chen Jinghe said make sense?

Of course it makes sense.

Chen Jinghe pointed out the strengths and weaknesses of the competitors, which helped Zhang Xianzhong to view the competitors from a strategic perspective, just like Zhuge Kongming pointed out the weaknesses of Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of troops and inspired Sun Quan's determination to resist Cao.

Zhang Xianzhong was more or less confident because of Chen Jinghe's words - the heroes of the late Ming Dynasty were all small fry, and the Black Flag Camp's rebellion had a bright future.

However, Zhang Xianzhong still felt that he could not rebel.

Although the Black Flag Army interest group has the strength to rebel, it still lacks cadres.

Once the war breaks out, it will not stop until the Ming Dynasty is overthrown and the world is occupied.

This is good news for war-crazy players, but it is too tiring for Zhang Xianzhong.

He enjoyed fighting for a while and then slowly farming and building the country. Occasionally, he would travel around as a knight, or go to the countryside to act as a circuit judge.

If you suddenly have no choice, you can only go down this path until the end.

He was unwilling to do so, and many others shared the same idea.

What's more, the player's cadres have never been able to keep up with the speed of expansion. Many territories of the Beggar Army and the Immortal Army rely on "surrenders" and "officials" of varying quality recruited by themselves.

Zhang Xianzhong smiled bitterly, "You're right, but I'm not very talented or well-educated. I don't think I'm fit to rule the world. Who becomes emperor is none of my business. I'd rather be a wealthy man after I achieve success, with children and grandchildren around, and spend my days hunting and listening to music. How happy I am."

"It's a good cover-up, but not good enough."

The firewood burning in the brazier on the wall crackled, and the flickering flames cast a mixed light on Lieutenant General Chen's face. The middle-aged man looked straight at him, and a sharp light seemed to flash in his eyes.

The firelight illuminated the resolute face, revealing the wrinkles left by the years. Chen Jinghe paused and continued.

"Recovering Liaodong is a feat that is as great as ascending to heaven. If the Beiwei Army ever conquers Liaodong, do you think the court will allow you to return home and spend your old age in peace?
When the birds are gone, the bows are put away. When the rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. If the court summons you to the capital, will you go or not? If you don't go, it's no different from rebellion. It's better to make plans now, even if this dog is disloyal to the court!"

"You have good writing skills." Zhang Xianzhong answered the question irrelevantly.

"Oh." Chen Jinghe smiled bitterly. "My father once said I had the talent to become a successful candidate, but the Tartar invaded Liaozhong, and I had no choice but to pick up my sword. I hacked and killed, all the way from Liaozhong to Liaonan, then to Dengzhou, and finally to Zhili... I longed, longed to fight my way back home.

But I have been waiting until my hair has turned white, but I still haven't been able to recover even an inch of my homeland.

I finally understand the misery of the poets of the weak Song Dynasty. Their homeland was lost, but the gentlemen were fighting for power and profit, flattering the superiors and bullying the inferiors!
As a Liao native, I haven't been able to return home for over a decade. I, Chen Jinghe, have had enough of those idiots at the imperial court! Seeing the Beiwei army's valiant and unstoppable fighting today, I know I can fight my way back to Liaodong, back to my homeland!

"I……"

"Commander Zhang!" Chen Jinghe suddenly knelt on one knee, tears welling in his eyes. "Everything I said today comes from the bottom of my heart! If you think I'm plotting to harm you today, then report every word I said tonight to the governor and the court, and I'll bet I was wrong!"

"Lieutenant General Chen, please stand up." Zhang Xianzhong firmly grasped Chen Jinghe's arm. The brutal force shocked the latter so much that he secretly sighed that this boy was so terrifying.

"It's not proper for a deputy general like you to kneel before a mere lieutenant general..."

"Commander Zhang..." Chen Jinghe's face was full of disappointment, and there was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"But I do understand the principles of fate. On the eighth day of the ninth month of a certain year, my flower will bloom and all other flowers will die. The fragrance will soar through the sky and permeate the capital, and the entire city will be covered in black armor..."

Zhang Xianzhong suddenly placed his palm on Lieutenant General Chen's shoulder and stared at him straight. The ambition in his eyes shocked Lieutenant General Chen.

"Deputy General Chen, do you understand?"

"!"

Chen Jinghe felt as if a great sense of happiness had descended from the sky and hit his head, and his voice became excited.

"I understood!"

(End of this chapter)