Back to Daming to be a genius

Chapter 121 Suspicious by nature

(PS: The second update will be delivered. It will be August in more than an hour, bowing and begging for the last July and August monthly tickets.)
On the night of the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, there was a lot of wind and snow. After resting for a day and having a full meal of pancake broth, the soldiers of the Ming army guarding Jinzhou gradually regained their strength. The hanging baskets put down the soldiers, cleaned the adjacent battlefield under the city wall, collected recyclable weapons and a little property from the corpses, and harvested the heads of the slave soldiers so that they could be pickled with quicklime and sent to Shanhaiguan to ask for merit. Repairing the city wall, stuffing the rocks on the ground into the wall pits dug out by the Jiannu, filling the gaps with plaster hastily repaired, it was too busy.Occasionally, the generals at the grassroots level could be heard yelling and cursing, "Don't waste your time by cutting off your mother's head, the heads of Mongolian soldiers and Han soldiers who built slaves are not counted as military exploits, you know?"

"It's okay, let's cut it." Hei Yunlong's voice came from the city wall, and he said with a smile: "You think we are Dongzhen soldiers, so unlucky that getting the head of an old slave woman is not considered credit? You don't think about our military equipment either. Who is Mr. Zhang? He should be a nine-thousand-year-old godson! Those sesame and mung bean officials who take heads dare to make things difficult for us, unless he doesn't want his own head!"

"Brother Man, it's not considered credit for the Dongzhen soldiers to get the head of the old woman who built slaves? What do you mean?" The voice of Young Master Zhang suddenly came from behind Hei Yunlong.Hei Yunlong hurriedly looked back, only to see that Young Master Zhang had led his soldiers to patrol the city and came behind him at some point. He probably felt strange when he heard Hei Yunlong's words, so Young Master Zhang asked Man Gui, who was by his side, the reason.

Man Gui replied with a bitter smile: "Brother Zhang, the thing is like this. In the past, Marshal Mao of Dongzhen used to sneak up on the Jiannu enemy's rear, behead Jiannu guards and Jiannu people, and send their heads to Shanhaiguan to record their merits in exchange for military pay. Grain and grass, at that time, no matter whether it was the soldiers who built slaves or ordinary people who built slaves, even the traitors with pigtails shaved on their heads and the heads of traitors were credited, so Marshal Mao could return with full rewards every time. But three years after the apocalypse, statistics The place where Dongzhen’s military exploits were made was replaced by Ningqian Road. The officials who counted the heads were very harsh. Not to mention the traitors and the heads of the traitors."

"Even if it's a real head of a slave soldier." Hei Yunlong added angrily: "The military master has to touch the scalp with his hands to check carefully whether the head's hair is freshly shaved. I don’t even bother to cut down Jiannu’s old people and children.”

"There are also us Mongolians." Man Gui also said sullenly: "In the past, the warriors of the Mongolian tribe, every time they cut off the head of a slave soldier, they could send it to our army in exchange for twenty catties of pig iron or some salt and tea. Soldiers like to organize a sneak attack on Jiannu, and reduce our pressure from the side. But before and after the transfer of military achievements statistics to Ning, how many Jiannu heads can’t be exchanged for anything, and the warriors of the Mongolian tribe are of course boring.”

"How unreasonable!" Young Master Zhang said angrily, "The heads of Jiannu old men and children are not counted as meritorious service. Is it necessary to wait for Jiannu children to grow up to become great Jiannu and kill hundreds of Ming people before his head counts as military exploits? Jiannu A woman's head is not counted as a military exploit. Could it be that a Jiannu woman gave birth to ten or eight Jiannu who harmed the people of Ming Dynasty? Those old Jiannu had their hands stained with the blood of the Ming people. If they don't kill them to avenge their revenge, they should die No? No, I have to take care of this matter. When I get back in touch with Mr. Gao, I will immediately ask Mr. Gao to take back the right to count Dongzhen’s military exploits in Shanhaiguan! Also, the acquisition of Jiannu’s head must be restarted. You have to increase the price! Damn, every time the Mongolian tribe kills a Jian slave, we lose one enemy on the battlefield. If you don’t even understand this truth, have you read the book in the stomach of a dog?”

"Sure enough, Brother Zhang understands us soldiers. We tied our heads to our trouser belts to kill Jian slaves. We didn't try to make meritorious service and earn some money to support our family. What else were we planning? If Marshal Mao heard Brother Zhang's words, he would definitely I was moved to tears." Hei Yunlong laughed a few times, and then shouted towards the city: "Brothers, do you hear that? Cut off my head hard, and you can exchange for military exploits!"

"Brother Hei, you misunderstood me." Young Master Zhang hurriedly stopped, shook his head and said, "I am not encouraging you to forcefully cut off the heads of the traitors and traitors in the slave army. In the slave army, the Han and Mongols, except for a few , Most of them are innocent people who were forced to be cannon fodder by the Jiannu army. You have also seen that every time Jiannu charged, the people who were rushed to the forefront by the supervising team were basically Han and Mongols, and their combat effectiveness was very poor. , there are very few who really fight with us with their lives. Let’s do this, anyway, there are so many corpses, the heads of the traitors and traitors will be cut here, and the rest will be picked up and cut off. The rest of the traitors and traitors will be given to Let them leave a whole body."

"Only cut off the heads of Jiannu? That's too few, I'm afraid there are at most one or two out of ten." Hei Yunlong said with a mournful face.Young Master Zhang replied: "Then cut off the heads of those traitors and traitors with pigtails. These traitors and traitors voluntarily shave their hair and braids to please their masters. It is right not to leave their whole bodies .Convey my order to the four gates, and let the brothers who clean up the battlefield of the four gates do the same."

"Yes." Hei Yunlong, who was so happy, agreed weakly, and then passed on the order of Young Master Zhang.Young Master Zhang saw what Hei Yunlong was thinking, sighed, and said, "Brother Hei, I didn't force you to give up your credit. I am a Han, General Man is a Mongol, and General Ma Shilong is a Hui. You seem to be of mixed Han and Mongolian blood." , like these traitors who died in battle, we all shed the blood of Chinese descendants. We were forced to kill each other because of the brutality and poison of the slaves. On the battlefield, we are life and death enemies, but outside the battlefield, If you can give them a little kindness, just give it as much as you can. I’m not giving mercy indiscriminately. I let you only cut off the heads of slaves and traitors with pigtails on their heads, and leave a whole body for other traitors. I also want to tell those traitors and traitors in the Jiannu army that blood is thicker than water, as long as they are willing to rein in their horses and turn to the light, we will still give them a chance to reform themselves."

Master Zhang’s words are sincere and come from the heart, especially the sentence that blood is thicker than water, which moved the soldiers of Mangui’s lineage who are mainly Mongols with tears in their eyes. He cupped his hands in a choked voice and said, "Brother Zhang, I really admire you more and more. In the past, Master Gao transferred me to your subordinates to obey orders. I listened to other people's sowing dissension, and I felt unhappy and didn't give you a good face. Now it seems that Mr. Gao actually loves us so much that he transferred us to your subordinates..." At this point, Man Gui burst into tears, obviously remembering the ostracism he suffered in the past, and compared with the present, That's what makes it so emotional.

"Brother Man, let him go about the past." Young Master Zhang also knew how Man Gui had been excluded in the Ningqian army, sighed, patted Man Gui on the shoulder and said, "Don't worry, brother, as long as I am still in Liaodong For one day, I will never let you suffer any grievances, nor will I let your brothers suffer any grievances. You know my backer in the court, as long as I am here, no one will dare to give you any grievances!" Man Gui Nodding with tears in his eyes, many Mongolian soldiers of the Ming army around him also cried directly, feeling more cordial to Young Master Zhang.

"There is an enemy!" A scream interrupted the feelings of the Mangui army. Before Master Zhang gave an order, all the soldiers of the Mangui Department of the Ming army on the north gate of Jinzhou had rushed to the edge of the city to draw their bows and arrows to kill the enemy. Mangui He also quickly pulled Young Master Zhang to his back to avoid Jian Nu's sneak attack.Fortunately, there were not many black shadows in the distance, and some people shouted in Chinese: "Brothers in Jinzhou, don't shoot arrows. We are Han people in Liaodong, and we are here to surrender."

"Put down your weapon and walk over one by one with your hands raised." Man Gui shouted and ordered.Those black shadows followed the order, dropped their weapons and raised their hands, walked to the city one by one, and took a closer look with the light of the torches. They were really five Jiannu Han soldiers whose clothes were different from those of the Jiannu Eight Banners.Man Gui carefully observed that there was no Jiannu army following him, so he ordered these Jiannu Han soldiers to be tied up, hung up on the city wall with ropes, and escorted to Young Master Zhang.The leader of the Jiannu Han soldiers looked left and right, and kept asking: "Where is Master Zhang Haogu in Jinzhou? I have a confidential military report to him."

"I'm Zhang Haogu, tell me if you have any confidential military information." Young Master Zhang observed the expressions of these Jiannu Han soldiers and replied calmly.The few Jiannu Han soldiers obviously didn't expect that the little white face in front of them was the legendary young master Zhang who killed Jiannu, they were so frightened that they hurriedly knelt down together, and the Jiannu Han soldiers who led them kowtowed and said: "The villain Long Laosi, it turns out to be The tiger-skin postman in Liaodong saw Mr. Zhang in Jinzhou's army, but the villain can't see Mount Tai. I didn't expect Mr. Zhang to be so young. The villain deserves death. Please forgive me, Mr. Zhang."

"The tiger-skin post in Liaodong? The post seems to be north of Shenyang. Could it be that you surrendered and became a slave when Yuan Yingtai was the governor of Liaodong?" Young Master Zhang Hu asked.The fourth dragon kowtowed and replied: "Master Zhang is wise, the villain was indeed captured by Jiannu to serve as a soldier when Jiannu attacked Shenyang in the first year of Tianqi. But the villain can swear to the sky, the villain has never I never hurt a Ming soldier, but was forced by Jiannu to fight Jinzhou."

"Been forced by Jianu to fight Jinzhou? Then when Jianu asked the Han soldiers to charge in front, why didn't I see you?" Young Master Zhang winked and asked the soldiers to take off the helmet on the fourth dragon's head. A thin pigtail braid was revealed.The fourth dragon didn't know what Young Master Zhang meant, so he just kowtowed and replied, "Master Zhang, the villain was also forced to charge by Jiannu, it's just that the slave was lucky not to be injured by the bow and arrows of the Ming army. Maybe it was because there were too many people at that time, Master Zhang, you didn't see the villain."

"Oh, then you said that you have reported to me confidential military information, what confidential military information?" Young Master Zhang asked noncommittally.Mr. Long kowtowed heavily, and said with a smile on his face, "My congratulations to Mr. Zhang, congratulations to Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang, do you know that last night your Hongyi cannon severely injured the man who built slaves?"

"It can't be Nuerhachi, the old Jiannu?" Young Master Zhang asked casually.Long Laosi was stunned at first, and then exclaimed in surprise: "Master Zhang, do you know about this? Last night, it was Nuerhachi old Jiannu who was injured by your Hongyi cannon!"

"Nurhachi old Jiannu was injured by our Hongyi cannon?" Almost all the soldiers of the Ming army present were boiling, and Young Master Zhang was also a little dumbfounded, unable to believe that his luck would be as good as Yuan Chonghuan.But Young Master Zhang quickly calmed down again, and hurriedly asked: "Fourth Long, you said that old Nuerhachi Jiannu was injured by my Hongyi cannon, so why did he withdraw until dawn? Is what you said true or not?" False, what evidence is there?"

"The slaves dare to guarantee with their heads that Nuerhachi, the old Jiannu, was really seriously injured by you, Mr. Zhang." Long Laosi said flatteringly: "Actually, the villain only knew about this during the day. The thing is, after Nu'erhachi was injured by you last night, he was afraid of affecting the morale of the army, so he didn't dare to speak until Jiannu's army was beaten back by you, Mr. Zhang. But after returning to the Xiaolinghe barracks, Nu'er Hachi’s injury was not enough to hide. Later, Jiannu’s generals wanted to vent their anger on the old Jiannu, and planned to kill some Han soldiers who were weak in fighting. The villains were afraid of being killed, so they secretly ran over and surrendered to Jinzhou. I heard a major military situation about Jiannu, because the old Jiannu Nuerhachi was seriously injured, the Jiannu army will withdraw to Shenyang tomorrow during the day, so that the old Jiannu will not die on the Jinzhou battlefield."

"Brother Zhang, do you think what he said is true? The old Jiannu was severely injured by us, and Jiannu's army will withdraw tomorrow?" Man Gui asked, grabbing Young Master Zhang's arm in surprise.Young Master Zhang remained calm, calculating nervously in his mind, and tentatively asked the Fourth Dragon, "Since Long, since you are an ordinary Jiannu Han soldier, then the Jiannu general is going to kill you who are not effective in fighting!" How did you know that the Han soldiers and the Jiannu army are about to withdraw, such a major military event?"

"Damn it, this bastard is as cunning as in the legend. Fortunately, Mr. Fan has already considered it." Long Laosi muttered in his heart, and then flatteringly replied: "Master Zhang, the villain has a cousin. It is Master Fan Wencheng's personal soldier. He followed Master Fan to the camp of Jiannu Huang Taiji to discuss matters. He heard what Huang Taiji and Fan Wencheng said. My cousin knows that I have always been the fastest on the battlefield, and he knows that I am sure. When disaster was inevitable, he secretly told me to run away, and then the villain led a few Han brothers who were usually on good terms with him and ran out to surrender to Mr. Zhang."

"Brother Zhang, this thing might be true." Man Gui said in surprise: "Last night, the old Jiannu personally went into battle to direct the siege, and we fired so many cannons, maybe we got hit by one shot." .Tomorrow, if the army of founding slaves really withdraws to Shenyang, it proves that you may have really accomplished a feat!"

"Is this really the case? Could it be that the old Jiannu is destined to be killed by the Hongyi Cannon?" Young Master Zhang was skeptical, and then ordered: "Detain these surrendered soldiers, lock them up temporarily, and reward them with wine and meat first." , if the army of founding slaves really withdraws tomorrow, I will personally reward them."

"Decree!" The soldiers of the Ming army happily agreed, and escorted those Jiannu soldiers into the city to be imprisoned.The news that Nuerhachi might be killed by the Hongyi Cannon also spread like the wind on the Jinzhou City Wall. In a short while, the four gates of Jinzhou cheered and cheered, and they all said that this time they had made a world-class feat.Young Master Zhang suppressed his excitement, and asked Song Xiance about last night's battle situation, and Song Xiance, who was in charge of scouting the enemy's situation last night, also answered honestly: "That's right, after the Jiannu siege vehicles rushed up the city wall last night, we It was discovered that the commander-in-chief of the old Jiannu appeared on the front line several times to command the siege, but whether it was hit by our Hongyi cannons, it was too dark and too far away, so I didn’t see it.”

"Could it be true? Nurhachi old Jiannu is really going to die this year? Under the shells of the Hongyi Cannon?" Young Master Zhang was skeptical, but due to lack of information, Young Master Zhang had no choice but to put this matter aside for the time being. , the order to strengthen the defense must not be taken lightly, wait for the dawn to see the situation of the slave army...

…………

The night passed quickly, and at dawn, the news that the old Jiannu Nuerhachi might be seriously injured by the Hongyi cannon also spread throughout the city of Jinzhou. Surprised, the soldiers and civilians of Jinzhou naturally cheered, saying that this time finally After avenging the Han people who were innocently massacred in Liaodong, Jinzhou City can also rest easy.The eunuch Ji Yong, Mao Yuanyi, Lu Wanling and other civilian officials were also surprised and delighted, and rushed to Young Master Zhang to verify the truth of the news.But when Ji Yong and others found Young Master Zhang in the East Gate Tower of Jinzhou, Young Master Zhang was warming up at the fire in the tower while flipping through "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and thinking hard.Without further ado, Ji Yong rushed forward and pulled Young Master Zhang by his sleeve, and shouted, "Tanhualang, I heard that our Hongyi cannon injured Nuerhachi old Jiannu, is it true?"

"There is this news, but it's not sure whether it's true or not." Young Master Zhang replied with a smile, and then told what happened last night and what happened last night. Brother, why are you still staring blankly? Why don’t you send someone to monitor the movement of the Jiannu army? As long as the Jiannu army really withdraws, it will prove that we have seriously injured Nuerhachi, the old Jiannu!” “My God! What a credit this is! Tanhualang, this time our family has been honored with you, maybe thanks to your blessing, our family can be admitted to the inspector of ceremonies once more!"

"What's the rush? I sent scouts out a long time ago. If Jiannu really wants to withdraw, I believe there will be news soon." Young Master Zhang replied with a smile.Before the words were finished, Zhao Liaojiao, the guard of the south gate, had already rushed into the tower, and shouted to Young Master Zhang in great surprise: "Brother Zhang, great news! The scouts I sent reported that Jiannu was stationed in Xiaoling The slave-building army on Yanli Mountain in the south of the river has pulled out its camp and retreated to the east! The slave-building army outside the north gate and west gate are also packing up their camps and preparing to retreat!"

"Ah——! Jianu has withdrawn! Jianu has really withdrawn!" Ji Yong, Lu Wanling and others cheered, hugging each other and jumping and jumping. Fortunately, they finally withstood Jiannu's mad attack and defended Jinzhou. He also achieved unprecedented feats.On the Jinzhou city wall outside the city tower, the cheers and celebrations of Jinzhou soldiers and civilians have been heard for ten miles, and there are more people hugging and shouting.Young Master Zhang listened to the movement outside, and said calmly: "General Zhao, go back to the west gate and continue to hold on. You must not take it lightly. Tell the soldiers that I will go to patrol the city in a while. If anyone is slack and lazy, Be careful that our military law is ruthless. Also, continue to monitor the movement of the slave army, and report to me immediately if there is any abnormality."

After all, the suspicious young master Zhang opened the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" again, and continued to study while pondering in his heart: "If I am the old Jian slave of Nuerhachi, and use the swindle to trick the Jinzhou defenders to relax their guard, then What method will I use next to attack the city?"

(End of this chapter)