Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 25 Li Zicheng Wants to Negotiate
As for why the order to capture prisoners was issued...

Taking prisoners was very normal in this era. Yesterday they were Ming troops, today they became the main force of the peasant army, and the day after tomorrow they might become the Eight Banners of the Han people.

The main point is that you work wherever you get food.

At this time, the capital had only a few hundred thousand people due to long-term wars and the cold climate of the Little Ice Age.

The city defense requires strong soldiers, and civilians are needed to serve as logistics.

The Ministry of Works is still busy renovating military equipment, and the city walls and gates also need to be reinforced.

Just the 3,500 black-armored cavalrymen he brought with him, each cavalryman needs at least two auxiliary soldiers, which means 7,000 people in total.

Just now, Wu Xiang asked for 10,000 kilograms of gunpowder, and making gunpowder also requires people.

There are simply not enough people in the capital.

Just before coming here, Ni Yuanlu was almost driven crazy by Zhang Fengxiang from the Ministry of Industry.

Seeing that Zhu Youjian didn't say anything, Wu Xiang thought he was dissatisfied with his empty city plan.

After all, this is the imperial city. If other city gates are lost, the consequences will be unimaginable.

The ministers, nobles and the emperor are all in the city!

"Your Majesty, I apologize." Wu Xiang knelt on one knee and clasped his hands together.

The generals around were stunned, not understanding why Wu Xiang was asking for forgiveness.

But most of the people present were Wu's personal soldiers and the generals mentioned by Wu Xiang. When Wu Xiang knelt, there were only Li Guozhen and Wang Erhu around him.

Everyone knelt down.

"I will plead guilty."

Zhu Youjian suddenly came back to his senses and looked at Wu Xiang, who was acting particularly tough in front of him. He didn't understand why he had to kneel.

"My dear minister, you have made great achievements and achieved great success. What crime have you committed?"

"I set up the empty city plan without asking for permission, which put Your Majesty in danger. I apologize!" Wu Xiang answered in a strong voice.

It's said to be an apology, but it looks more like seeking credit.

Normally, the emperor should loudly praise the achievements and make it clear that there were no faults.

The good reputation of a humble minister and a wise king.

However, Wu Xiang's coercive behavior made Zhu Youjian's expression become a little cold.

Every battle you win must be rewarded, and every merit must be rewarded.

This old fellow Wu Xiang is sure that he has no one to use and is trying to get benefits for himself!
The fact that the Ming Dynasty fell into decline so quickly was closely related to the fact that these generals blindly took the blame for themselves.

After thinking for a while with his eyes narrowed, Zhu Youjian sneered and spoke.

"You are guilty, but your crime is not in the plan, but in why you didn't report it to the Ministry of War for joint trial before you made the plan."

"This..." Wu Xiang was speechless for a moment, and almost cursed Zhu Youjian in his heart.

There is no such thing as demolishing the bridge as soon as you get on it!

Too much!

"As the Governor-General of the capital, I have the responsibility to protect the capital. As long as the capital is not lost, I do not need to report to the Ministry of War."

Zhu Youjian smiled and nodded, but it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

He walked up to Wu Xiang and helped him up with both hands.

"Yes, since you know that you are the governor of the capital, why do you ask me for forgiveness?"

Wu Xiang understood what Zhu Youjian said.

Your duty is just to defend the city and block the next wave of attacks. What kind of achievement can you claim to have?

Your Majesty is so stingy that if you don't hold on until Li Zicheng withdraws his troops, or until Wu Sangui protects the royal family and migrates south, you will gain nothing.

I couldn't help but feel sorry that all the efforts made during the defense of the city were wasted.

He bowed again and was about to end the topic.

"Thank you, Your Majesty..."

Just as he opened his mouth, he was interrupted by Wang Chengen's sharp voice. "Lieutenant General Wu Wei has been rewarded with five hundred taels of silver and promoted to a captain of the 3,000th Battalion."

Everyone in the audience was stunned at the same time.

No one would have thought that the only one who was rewarded was Wu Xiang's adopted son Wu Wei.

Even he himself didn't expect it.

He knelt there blankly, feeling a little overwhelmed.

It was Wang Chengen who reminded him, "Where is Captain Wu? Why don't you come forward and thank me?"

Wu Wei was awakened at this moment, and walked forward quickly with a flushed face.

He knelt heavily on the ground, "I... the little one... no, I will thank your majesty for his grace!"

Zhu Youjian still had that chuckle on his face. He stretched out his hand and pulled Wu Wei up. "Captain Wu led the troops and killed several people in battle. I saw it all. Keep up the good work. My 3,000-man battalion doesn't even have a general yet."

Wu Wei's breathing became rapid and his eyes turned red.

He was just a soldier who had suffered from the war in Liaodong. If he had not been adopted as a son by Wu Xiang because of his bravery, he would probably be struggling to make a living somewhere now.

I never thought that I would meet the emperor in this life, let alone be helped up by the emperor himself.

This fearless man on the battlefield was about to kneel down again, but was stopped by Zhu Youjian.

"No need to be so polite. Captain Wu doesn't look like someone from the Central Plains. I wonder where he's from or when he joined the army."

"I am the Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong, a native of Dingliaowei. In the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign, the Tartars came and I lost my parents, wife, and children. I had no choice but to join the army to make a living."

Faced with Zhu Youjian's cordial greetings, Wu Wei seemed particularly nervous and spoke haltingly.

"Don't be nervous, earn more military merits, and then follow me to reclaim Liaodong and avenge your parents, wife, and children!"

"Really... no, that's right, sir!" Wu Wei felt numb all over and didn't know what to say.

Zhu Youjian wanted to say a few more words to win over the people's hearts, but a young eunuch hurried over and whispered something in Wang Chengen's ear.

The latter was stunned at first, then quickly walked up to Zhu Youjian.

In a voice that only the two of them could hear, he said, "Your Majesty, the rebellious envoy has arrived..."

Zhu Youjian nodded gently, reached out and patted Wu Wei on the shoulder, "Do a good job, I will always pay attention to you."

After saying that, he stood up and walked straight out of the city wall.

Looking at Zhu Youjian's not-so-tall back.

Wu Wei was almost dumbfounded. Today he just led the cavalry to charge the formation and killed a few bandits.

So he went from being a lieutenant general with only a title to a centurion in the Beijing camp?!
Not only did she get to see the almighty emperor in person, she also chatted with him about family matters, and before she left, he even said he would keep an eye on her??!

Am I dreaming?!
……

Zhu Youjian didn't know what Wu Wei was thinking, and he didn't care.

Rewarding Wu Wei specifically was a plan Zhu Youjian had made from the beginning.

Veteran military leaders like Wu Xiang and Wu Sangui cannot be reused, but if one wants to reorganize the army, these leaders cannot be avoided.

At present, all the armies and generals in the entire Ming Dynasty who are still able to fight and have combat experience are under the command of these military leaders.

System rewards can replace the army, but generals, especially senior generals, are irreplaceable.

Since even the red entry is not given to the general, it is almost certain that the entry will not be given to the general.

Zhu Youjian had no choice but to poach talents from these military leaders, picking up some young generals with solid foundation, experience and talent and slowly training them.

Wu Wei is the test subject!
As for the identity of Wu Wei's adopted son, Zhu Youjian really didn't care. An adopted son was a servant of the personal army, and every general had dozens or even hundreds of adopted sons.

There is no pressure at all when digging!

As soon as he arrived in front of the Meridian Gate on his white horse, he saw Ni Yuanlu, who had just been promoted to the chief minister of the cabinet but still served as the Minister of Rites, rushing over.

The first time he saw Zhu Youjian, Ni Yuanlu asked in disbelief.

"Your Majesty, the rebels want to negotiate?"

Zhu Youjian shook his head and said, "It's not the rebels who want peace talks, it's Li Zicheng who wants peace talks."

(End of this chapter)