I

Page 299

He is a typical military leader in the late Ming Dynasty, and his thinking has long been solidified.

He can give up wealth, he can give up titles, he can give up official positions, but he can't give up the army!

Because in his consciousness, abandoning the army is waiting for death.There are too many examples like Daming. If you have soldiers, you have everything, but if you don't have soldiers, you have nothing. It is normal to end up in exile.

Zuo Liangyu asked: "If we join forces, how should we fight?"

Pan Duao replied: "My lord, attack Xinyang and Luoshan in the north, and Guangji and Huangmei in the south. As for Zuohou, Xuzhou, Dangshan, Shangqiu, Kaocheng... you can attack wherever you want. Such a three-sided attack, Zhao Han will definitely focus on his head." Regardless of the tail."

"I'll think about it again." Zuo Liangyu hesitated.

He knew how capable he was, so he didn't dare to fight Zhao Han easily.But he didn't dare to join Zhao Han, he was afraid of being deprived of military power, and afraid of being killed.

It turned out that he still wanted to procrastinate, but Zhao Han was already on the border with him, so he either came to beat him directly, or went to deal with Zhang Xianzhong.

You can't delay, you can't fight, you can't surrender.

How is this good?

Zuo Liangyu convened his brains and discussed for half a month, but he still couldn't find any way out.

Pan Du'ao waited all the time, waiting anxiously, despising Zuo Liangyu's indecision in his heart.

A few days later, Zhang Dai came to Dongchangfu City as a messenger.

"I admire the king of Wu very much, and I am willing to submit to him sincerely," Zuo Liangyu said, "I am willing to be the vanguard of the king. You must swear to die!"

This guy hinted at retaining the army as soon as he opened his mouth, how could Zhang Dai agree?

It's not even possible to pretend to be a snake, otherwise Zuo Liangyu used Zhao Han's name to burn, kill, loot and expand wantonly in Shandong?It just ruined the reputation of Zhao Han and Datong Army!

Zhang Dai said truthfully: "As long as Zuo Hou is willing to surrender, after handing over the army, five large ships can be used to transport goods and goods, and go to Nanjing to buy a house and a house to enjoy peace and happiness."

Zuo Liangyu sighed, "I can't just think about myself. I'm afraid many people don't want to be disarmed and return to the fields."

"The generals under Zuohou's command, the king of Wu has his own arrangement, and he will definitely not treat him harshly," Zhang Dai said. "Since he started his army, the king of Wu has always kept his word and never backed down. To put it bluntly, since he promised to let Zuo If you want to be a rich man, then you won’t be able to settle accounts after the autumn, and Zuo Hou has no weight to make an exception for King Wu.”

"I can trust King Wu's character and conduct, and let me think about it again." Zuo Liangyu was a little moved.

Zhang Dai continued to reason, and Zuo Liangyu almost agreed.

However, this guy is still unwilling to make a final statement. His habit is to wait and see.

What Zuo Liangyu thought in his heart was that maybe when Zhang Xianzhong and Zhao Han fought, he would lead his troops to join him at the critical moment, so he could take the opportunity to reap more benefits!

After sending Zhang Dai away, Zuo Liangyu summoned Pan Duao again: "I have decided that as long as your army sends troops first, the Shandong army will definitely go south."

"This is a wise move!" Pan Duao was overjoyed.

Zuo Liangyu deliberately made a promise to let Zhang Xianzhong and Zhao Han go to war.First, let Zhao Han's troops point to Hubei, and don't come to Shandong for the time being; second, observe the outcome of the war between the two sides, jump out to stand in line at critical times, and take the opportunity to ask for more benefits!

But Zhang Xianzhong wanted to fight with all his heart!

He didn't dare to fight at first, but this year Hubei suffered a severe spring drought, and the number of troops exploded.Zhang Xianzhong's military rations could no longer hold up, so he had to find a place to get a few votes, and Zhao Han's territory was a natural supply ground.

Anhui is so rich and prosperous, Zhang Xianzhong was so greedy that he was drooling.

In the Anhui area north of the Yangtze River, although Zhao Han only occupied it for half a year, he had already completed the division of land and immigration.In Zhang Xianzhong's eyes, it appears to be particularly wealthy, with a large population, a large amount of food, and a large amount of goods, at least much stronger than his Hubei!

Alas, Zhang Xianzhong also wanted to develop the people's livelihood. Both the military and civilian villages were in full swing, but in the event of a catastrophe, he had to go back to his old business.

In the spring of this year, Zhang Xianzhong once again forcibly expropriated grain and grass, and forced countless people to become civilian husbands.He didn't have the patience to develop the territory against natural disasters, so he simply overdrawn the power of the people to fight, and maybe he could take down the Jianghuai area.

Liao Zhifang and Xu Yixian tried hard to persuade each other, but to no avail, Zhang Xianzhong had already made up his mind.

……

"Your Highness, according to the news from the detailed work, Zhang Xianzhong is wantonly collecting food and grass, recruiting civilians, and more and more troops are stationed along the Yangtze River."

The person who spoke was Xu Ying. He has finally returned to Nanjing and is still in charge of the intelligence department, a bit like the head of Jinyiwei.

Zhao Han frowned suddenly: "He must be crazy, now is the spring plowing season!"

Xu Ying said: "It is estimated that the spring drought is severe, and Zhang Xianzhong does not build water conservancy projects, so even if he sows, he will not receive much food. He simply gave up spring plowing, and took advantage of our army's summer grain harvest, and led the army to invade the Jianghuai area. His riverside The increase of garrisons in the city is also to prevent our army from attacking from the Yangtze River."

Zhao Han summoned all the main officials, and after some discussion, he made a quick decision.

First, all localities must do a good job of spring plowing, and the work of drought relief and disaster relief cannot be stopped.

Second, issue grain bonds, do a good job in publicity, and collect grain from the people.

Third, [-] farmers and soldiers and [-] civilian husbands were mobilized in Hunan; [-] farmers and soldiers and [-] civilian husbands were mobilized in Jiangxi.Gather along the Yangtze River and be ready to go out at any time!

Fourth, Jiangnan summoned [-] farmers and soldiers and [-] civilian husbands to immediately support the direction of Guangji.

Fifth, Xinyang Prefecture recruited [-] peasants, soldiers, and [-] peasants on the spot.

Sixth, Fei Ruhe returned to defend Xuzhou, and Zhang Tieniu moved to Taizhuang (Taierzhuang).While guarding against Zuo Liangyu, prepare for a counterattack at any time, and dispatch [-] civilians from northern Jiangsu.

Seventh, Huang Yao's new mountain division in Shizhou Prefecture was waiting for orders to cross the river and capture Yiling.

Once a full-scale war breaks out this time, the economy and people's livelihood under Zhao Han's rule will definitely be seriously affected.

But within the acceptable range, the vast number of working people at the bottom have changed from eating three meals a day to eating two meals by tightening their belts.

Fortunately, this spring, the weather in Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang is good. The grain shipped from Vietnam can be transported to the coast of Jiangsu to relieve the pressure.

However, there are really not many grains shipped by sea, because the profits are not rich enough.

Even if Zhao Han is exempted from grain import duties, the maritime merchants will only use the grain as ballast to make a little money by the way.

Vietnam does have a lot of grain, but Vietnam's land transportation is also poor, and the transportation cost is extremely high, so grain can only be bought in the coastal areas of Vietnam.

As for food in the Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar, don't even think about it.Shipping by sea is extremely risky. Ships may be destroyed at any time, and high-profit commodities are worth the risk. It is absolutely impossible for maritime merchants to transport grain over long distances.

The war with Zhang Xianzhong had nothing to do with Zhao Han's meddling in Sichuan.

Because even if Zhang Xianzhong attacked Sichuan, he would not dare to mobilize too many troops, so he had to be on guard against Zhao Han at all times.In the event of a catastrophe, whether to fight or not, who will make Zhao Han's territory more prosperous?

Just when the two sides were dispatching troops and generals, Zuo Liangyu, who planned to wait and see the direction of the wind, suddenly received a shocking news.

"Master Hou, the intruders have entered Beizhili!"

"what?"

The drought in Beizhili was equally serious. Because no food and salary had been paid, the defenders of Kaizhou, Guangping, and Damingfu rebelled.

Two general soldiers were killed, one general soldier fled, and one general soldier defected to the enemy. Governor Chen Xinjia fled back to Beijing with the governor in a state of embarrassment.

Li Zicheng's general in the Henan direction led his troops into Beizhili, then headed northwest, and flanked Sun Chuanting with Li Zicheng from east to west.

Sun Chuanting was defeated and fled back to Beijing, Li Zicheng broke through the Taihang Mountains and entered!

Li Zicheng claimed to have 40 soldiers, and the cities along the way surrendered in anticipation.Even the troops stationed at the imperial mausoleum took the initiative to seek refuge with Li Zicheng, and the eunuchs guarding the mausoleum even became leaders.

In the whole of Beizhili, there are only Hong Chengchou's Jizhen soldiers, and they are still working hard to suppress bandits.

When Hong Chengchou heard the news, he was about to lead his troops to serve the king. Li Zicheng had already led his troops to the city of Beijing.

Volume Five Leaping in the Abyss

Chapter 362 [Still the Crooked Neck Tree]

Historically, if Chongzhen wanted to move the capital to Nanjing, he had to prepare at least one month in advance.

Li Zicheng's capture of Beijing was an extremely exciting battle.First, the troops were divided into two groups, and then the troops were divided again, cutting off the officers and soldiers from the north and the south, and approaching with a pincer offensive, forming a large encirclement strategy for Beijing.

At the same time, some divisions blocked the canal. Even if Chongzhen fled south, he could only go to sea from Tianjin.

Now there is no need for that, the imperial court can't pay the military salary, and the officers and soldiers have surrendered one after another, Li Zicheng can just push it all the way.

Along the way, Li Zicheng's army did not harm the poor people.

There is nothing wrong with it, the common people are all poor ghosts, and it is difficult for them to survive, so how can they have money and food to rob?

However, the gentry was a bit unlucky.

Especially the gentry in the city are often tortured.

When Li Zicheng attacked Taiyuan, he worked very hard to copy the army, and the Beijing army was just a copy of the Taiyuan army.

On the eighth day of April, Zhao Han's birthday.

Li Zicheng's vanguard troops occupied the earthen wall of the northern city of Yuan Dadu.The capital was terrified, all officials turned pale, and the emperor and his concubines feasted and had fun.

The next day, the vanguard of the Dashun Army arrived at the foot of Beijing.

Li Zicheng had already proclaimed himself emperor on the way to enter the army, and the country was named "Dashun" and "Jianyuan", and he only had to go to Beijing to hold a ceremony of enthronement.

Xiangcheng Bo Li Guozhen commanded the three major battalions of the Beijing army, stationed outside the city, and formed a confrontation with Beijing.

When the soldiers of Dashun arrived, Li Guozhen fled without a fight. Not only did he lose his armor, food and grass, but he also threw more than a dozen cannons at Li Zicheng.

The important task of guarding the city fell into the hands of the eunuch.

Many Beijing soldiers who had never been trained were driven to the city wall to defend.Their armaments are sufficient, but unfortunately they have no military rations, so they can only stand guard on the city wall hungry.

There is still food at home, and relatives carry miscellaneous grain porridge and call their names along the city wall, just asking their sons, brothers, and fathers to have a full meal before they die in battle.

But the situation was so chaotic that they couldn't find their families.

If relatives meet, the soldiers will go down the city wall, and the whole family will cry, causing the entire wall to start wailing.

Suddenly galloping up, Gao Chun, the eunuch guarding the mausoleum who surrendered, shouted loudly: "The King Chuang has an order. As long as Chongzhen abdicates, the lives of the royal family can be preserved, and the people of Beijing will not be attacked!"

"Pull him up!" said Wang Dehua, the eunuch in charge of guarding the city.

Gao Chun was hanged to the city in baskets, and the two eunuchs discussed separately.

Gao Chun asked, "Who is the commander-in-chief in the city?"

"I'm in charge." Wang Dehua said.

Gao Chun asked again: "Where are the two supervisors, Sun Chuanting and Chen Xinjia?"

Wang Dehua said: "Sun Chuanting has been released from military power and is in prison. Governor Chen does not see any visitors behind closed doors, and seems to have no will to resist." After finishing speaking, Wang Dehua asked, "Brother Gao, can you recommend one or two? We have admired King Chuang for a long time. .”

Gao Chun smiled and said, "Hey, it should be called the emperor. King Chuang has already established himself as emperor, and his country is called Dashun."

Wang Dehua said: "Brother Gao, please go back and tell Emperor Dashun that Chongzhen has already made up his mind to die, and has already sent the prince and daughter to Nanjing."

"There is such a thing?" Gao Chun has been guarding the tomb, and the news is very closed.

Wang Dehua said: "Let's talk about surrendering soldiers, and we will soon open the city to welcome the new emperor."

Li Zicheng's temporary headquarters was in Changping, and Gao Chun rode all the way to report the situation in Beijing.

Li Zicheng asked in surprise, "Have the princes and daughters been sent to Nanjing?"

"Indeed." Gao Chun said.

Niu Jinxing sighed: "Your Majesty and Zhao Han are the ones who fight for the world. Your Majesty should be diligent in governing and loving the people, treat scholars well, and reorganize the army. Copying salaries is not a long-term solution. You have to grow your own grain and collect taxes."

"I said that King Chuang didn't pay the food, so can he go back on his word?" Song Xiance immediately objected, "What's more, the northern provinces are suffering from severe drought, how can they grow food? The eunuchs and officials in Beijing are all dead. If they take away their money and food, they can support the army!"

Niu Jinxing asked back: "How long can the army be supported by the salary alone? In the future, if our army can't win quickly in the north-south hegemony, what will we use to fight Zhao Han?"

Song Xiance sneered: "Chuang Wang didn't pay the food when he came. This nursery rhyme spread to the south, and the people everywhere will definitely respond. At that time, even Zhao Han's soldiers will turn against His Majesty! Eighteen sons, the main artifact, Your Majesty is the destiny Lord, how can you not win the world?"

"Okay, we'll talk about this later." Li Zicheng didn't want to argue anymore.

Niu Jinxing's method is too slow to take effect, and as Song Xiance said, the provinces are in severe drought to grow food.If you really want to farm the land honestly, the Dashun soldiers will all starve to death before the food is grown.

Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin immediately led the main force to approach Beijing.

As soon as Li Zicheng's banner arrived, the city gates of Beijing were opened wide, and all the guards fled back home.

Wang Dehua led the eunuch out of the city and knelt down to meet him. Li Zicheng nodded and said, "You have meritorious service in dedicating the city, so follow me to serve."

"Thank you Long Live Lord for your appreciation!" Wang Dehua immediately hit the snake with a stick.

The titles of emperor, grandfather, and long live Lord belonged to the imperial court in the Ming Dynasty, and they had to be close to the emperor.

In the Qing Dynasty, foreign ministers could also shout like this.

That's because some foreign ministers of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were born in the royal family's coat, and they called the emperor and Long live Lord as domestic slaves.

If Hanchen didn't have the status of coating, he wouldn't be qualified to call the Manchu emperor Long Live.

The soldiers cleared the way, Li Zicheng rode in front on horseback, Liu Zongmin was a horse behind, followed by the two military advisers, and the two eunuchs Wang Dehua and Gao Chun could only trot all the way.

When the team came outside the Meridian Gate, hundreds of civil and military officials were kneeling and waiting there.

Wang Dehua rushed up immediately, pointing at the officials and yelling: "Where is the emperor who is a traitor to the country? What are you waiting for here!"