Dashun Yongchang

Shitku couldn't help but asked Zu Kefa: "What you said is simple, but the Shunjun fortresses across the Dawen River are densely packed like the old forests in Changbai Mountain. How do you divide and isolate individual fortresses?" Let's attack?"

Zu Kefa looked at Doduo and nodded slightly to himself, and then went on to say: "Actually, there are two ways to break through the defense line of the Shun army. The first is to select a few troops and launch an all-out attack on the entire defense line. When the offensive cover makes Shunjun's fortress unable to look around, focus on attacking a few key fortresses, so as to break through the front line of defense in one fell swoop, and then go around behind the Shunjun fortress to cooperate with other fortresses. will eventually collapse..."

Doduo understood the tactic Zukefa wanted to use just after listening to it once, but the cost of using this tactic seemed a bit high, because these selected troops would inevitably suffer heavy casualties, and those who could be used as vanguards were probably full of people The backbone of the army, the Han people simply cannot afford such a slam tactics. If the fortress cannot be taken down in a short period of time, the casualties will be so great that the troops' attack will be difficult to maintain.

The Manchu generals with rich combat experience in the big tent also quickly figured out the secret, so someone said to Duo Duo: "Although the method proposed by Zu Zhangjing sounds good, but the slaves think that this method is not worth the candle. Is a human life worth a few earthen fences? Please think twice."

Duoduo took a look at the expressions of everyone in the big tent, then turned his gaze back to Zu Kefa and asked, "Then what is the second method?"

Zu Kefa replied respectfully: "Back to the general, the second way is to use the enemy's tower to destroy the enemy's tower. The biggest advantage of Shunjun's small enemy tower is that the city wall is short and there is a gentle slope in front of the fortress, which makes it difficult for our artillery to hit.

Then our army built an earthen platform of the same height in front of the enemy's platform in Shunjun, and then transported the red cannons to the earthen platform, so that the cannons could be aimed directly at the fort design, so the firearms in the Shunjun fortress were not as powerful as our red cannons. In a confrontation, it becomes a situation in which our army shoots at the Shun army's enemy platforms one by one, and the Shun army cannot fight back.It’s just that building such an earthen platform is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it cannot be completed in a short time...”

Before Doduo could speak, the Manchu generals had already voiced their approval. Nu Shan said, "Since those Han people are not active in fighting, do they have any objections to building an earthen platform..."

Chapter 355

Now that we have found a way to break the defense line of the Shunjun fortress without the need for bloodshed, the Manchu generals who were full of resentment in the big tent finally calmed down and stopped chasing the responsibility of the Han officials in the Battle of Cao County. .

However, Duoduo knew in his heart that it was not that these Manchus let go of their prejudice against Han officials, but that these Manchu relatives gave up the idea of ​​challenging the authority of their brothers after seeing the hope of breaking through the defense line of the Shun army.

Moving the capital into the customs to compete for the world is a national policy of the Qing Dynasty formulated by Dorgon as the regent uncle. The final result of provoking the dispute between Manchu and Han was to deny this national policy, advocating that the Manchus return to the outside of the customs to form their own country and the Han people use the Yellow River Or the Great Wall as the boundary, which is the situation where the Liao and Song Dynasties are facing each other.After Beijing and Datong were in their hands, the current Qing Dynasty is indeed almost similar to the territory of the Liao Kingdom.

From a historical point of view, the Liao Kingdom, which occupied the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun, did not allow the Song Dynasty to cross the line between Beijing and Datong. Therefore, some Manchus believe that the current territory of the Qing Dynasty is enough to defend Manchuria, and there is really no need to continue The fight with the Han continued.

For example, Daishan, who was driven home by Dorgon for the elderly, believed that the land in the south was full of Han people, and occupying the south undoubtedly weakened the power of the Manchus in the country and strengthened the power of the Han people.What they need is the wealth of the Han people, not the land and population. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the Manchus to let the Han people pay the annual coins regularly after drawing a boundary with the Han people.

It's just that Daishan was born at an untimely time. What they met were the two most wonderful monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty. He was the most daring civil servant under the Ming system, destroying the last bit of mutual trust between civil and military for his own selfishness.

The Manchu peacemakers who could not get a response from Ming Dynasty were finally purged one by one by Huang Taiji. By the time Huang Taiji passed away, Daishan had lost the support of the younger generation, because Huang Taiji’s strategy of detouring into customs and looting greatly inspired him. The younger generation of Manchuria relies on the desire to get ahead through war, and the looting of the previous few times of entering the customs has indeed satisfied some Manchurians.

Therefore, although the national policy of Daishan is in line with the interests of the Manchu conservatives, but because of the lack of party members to cheer for it, and the fact that Daishan is too old, compared with the Dorgon brothers who are in full swing, the Eight Banners still avoid it after all. The kings of the White Banner, Daishan was finally driven home by Dorgon to retire.

Judging from the current situation, the national policy advocated by Dorgon has actually become the righteousness of his uncle regent. If this national policy is overturned, it means that Dorgon's status as uncle regent is also on the verge of collapse.These Manchu relatives are obviously aware of this, so until the last moment, it will be difficult for them to unite and fight the white flag kings to the death.

Seeing that the Manchu people in the big tent are no longer making fuss about the Manchu and Han issues, Duoduo will naturally not continue to delve into this issue. Before defeating Li Zicheng, it is impossible for the White Banners to completely suppress the opposition voices within the Eight Banners However, too much persecution will only make those middle forces also fall to the factions that oppose the white flag.

Seeing that the atmosphere in the big tent had finally returned to normal, Duoduo took advantage of the situation and pushed the discussion to the next stage, "...to build enemy towers to break through the Shun army's fortress line of defense, this matter will be left to Zu Kefa and Liu Zhongjin.

Next, let’s talk about how to deal with the siege of Li Zicheng’s main force on Nikan and Tong Tulai. Of course, this is only a possibility. Li Zicheng’s main force appeared in Cao County, and it may also be to deal with the Azig army who attacked Guide. of.We need to choose the biggest possibility among these two possibilities, and then make corresponding countermeasures respectively. "

The generals in the big tent finally put their minds on the battle of the Heshun Army, Nu Shan said: "The terrain in Henan is flat, and it is the coldest time of the year, even the Yellow River is frozen, which is good for the cavalry Combat. The king of Wuying has many cavalry, how can the Shun army surround the king of Wuying with infantry?

On the other hand, Nikan and Tong Tulai were confronted by the two cities of Dingtao and Chengwu, and the capital city of Caozhou on the side was taken back by the Shun Army. No matter how you look at it, it is most likely that the main force of the Shun Army will besiege this group of people. of.Moreover, the battle of Cao County has just been lost,

Nikan and Tong Tulai are also suspicious of the morale of the troops. If the Shun army attacks them aggressively, Nikan and Tong Tulai may be in danger. "

Baiyintu, Fulakta, Azignikan, Han Dai and other Manchu relatives all spoke in support of Nushan's proposition. After the defeat in Cao County, they are no longer willing to see another big setback on this road In that case, even if the Shun Army is defeated in the end, it will be difficult to escape the accountability of the King's Council of Ministers when they return to Beijing.

Although Duoduo's heart is also inclined to Li Zicheng's main force to besiege Nikan and Tong Tulai, but he always feels a little uneasy in his heart, as if something has been ignored by him.

However, as the Manchu and Han generals in the big tent generally believed that the main force of the Shun army would deal with it first

Nikan and Tong Tulai's journey, after eliminating the threat of the Qing army to Dingtao and Chengwu, could also threaten the main flank of the Qing army on the Dawen River, and finally thwarted their plan for the southern expedition.For this inference, Doduo also thinks it is very possible.

Under the speeches of these Manchu and Han generals, Doduo's hesitation gradually dissipated, and his uneasiness also disappeared. Finally, he made a decision: "Since you all think that the main force of the Shun Army is besieging Nikan, Tong The opportunity of Tulai's team is relatively high, so we have to deal with it in this direction..."

The generals in the big tent are very clear what Duduo means. If the main target of the Shun Army is the Azig Army, then Nikan and Tong Tulai will continue to attack Dingtao and Chengwu with all their strength. , So that the Shun army can't care about one thing and lose another.But if it is judged that the target of the Shun Army is Nikan and Tong Tulai, then Nikan and Tong Tulai will switch from offense to defense. When the main force of the Shun Army comes to attack, they will stabilize the camp and wait for the main force to rescue them.

Next, Duoduo's formation was indeed arranged according to this strategy. One was to pass orders to

Let Nikan and Tong Tulai prepare for local defense; the second is to let Nu Shan and others gather the mobile forces in the camp, and immediately assist Nikan and Tong Tulai after the main force of the Shun Army appears. And restrain the main force of the Shun army, so as not to let it escape; the third is to order the Boluo and Ashan troops to speed up and arrive at Caozhou Fucheng within three days, and then take back Caozhou City and wipe out the Manjiadong and Yuyuan thieves to protect them. The flanks of the Nikan and Tongturai armies.

The meeting has almost ended the discussion of the main affairs here.

Duoduo briefly mentioned a few more people and then ended the meeting, but he still felt that there was something dissatisfied in his heart, so he asked the guards to call Han Dai back.After Han Dai came in, Duoduo, who was leaning on the brazier to warm the fire, frowned and asked, "Has Azig not replied yet?"

Han Dai saluted Duoduo before replying: "

The king of Wuying County crossed the Yellow River all the way and went straight to the hinterland of Henan. The contact between our army and the king of Wuying County needs to go around the Yellow River and cross Zhengzhou, and then rush to the army of the King of Wuying County. The journey alone takes more than 15 days. The messenger sent to King Wuying was ten days ago, and it would take at least five to ten days to receive a reply from King Wuying. "

At this time, Duoduo somewhat understood where his uneasiness and dissatisfaction came from, and it was from this unreliable brother from the same mother.In the past, when Father Khan raised his troops against the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchen clan was full of talented generals. Apart from Father Khan, there were five ministers and brothers of Father Khan who could lead the army alone.

When Huang Taiji called Khan, in addition to the four major Baylors, there were also young generals like Yue Tuo.But today, there are not many generals among the Manchus, or there are not many generals who can be trusted by the Dorgon brothers.From the four generals set up by the three-way army this time, it can be seen that apart from the three brothers Dorgon, Hauge was just introduced for show.

But Duo Duo didn't take seriously the leadership ability of his two elder brothers. Dorgon's good at governing people is not in governing the army, and Azig can't do well in governing the people and the army. If he went to lead an army to attack alone, this person would be confused.When Huang Taiji was alive, he never let Azig lead the battle alone. This was not to guard against him, but because he believed that Azige did not have the ability to restrain Baylor.

Although Duoduo was not convinced by Huang Taiji, he agreed with Huang Taiji's judgment.

However, as one of the kings of the White Banner, although he knew that Azig was not qualified to be the commander of the army, Dorgon could only let this brother lead the army to conquer, and he could not let those Manchu relatives who did not agree with the White Banner control him. Army all the way.This is probably one of the sequelae left over from the turmoil surrounding the battle for Khan status after Huang Taiji's death. At this time, Dorgon could no longer trust those Manchu relatives who were not from Baiqi.

Duoduo is very worried now, Azig should not be confused again at this time, and do some stupid things like seeing small profits and forgetting righteousness, if this time the Southern Expedition cannot defeat Li Zicheng's main force, then the chance to win the world will be lost Most of the time.After all, the slogan of helping Daming suppress thieves is just to deceive those stupid people. The longer the time drags on, the more sober the Han people in the pass will be.

Once the Han people in the pass understand that this is a lie, then some people will inevitably turn to Li Zicheng completely. At that time, the appeal of the Han bureaucrats who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty to the Han people in the pass will be greatly reduced.Without these docile Han people farming and transporting food and fodder for the Manchus, and even serving as soldiers on the battlefield, then what would they use to conquer the whole of China?

After thinking about this, Duoduo told Han Dai: "You write another letter to Azig, asking him not to go further south. His goal is Guide. Li Zicheng's main force should be in the Between Guide and Dingtao, if Li Zicheng's main force is not captured, no matter how many places he occupies, what's the point? Our two armies should be as close as possible so that Li Zicheng's army can penetrate seamlessly..."

When Duoduo asked Han Dai to write to Azige, Azige was standing on the shore of the lake outside Chenzhou City personally urging the army to attack the city. However, the ice layer in the center of the lake is still not enough to pass heavy objects, so it is difficult for the Qing army to attack Chenzhou City with a wide front, so Azig stood there angrily, but the Qing army who attacked the city Still fell back again.

Chapter 356 Chen Zhouyi

Standing on the high ground by the lake, Azig saw that the army that had failed in the attack still wanted to continue to retreat outside the lake. He said angrily to the guards around him: "Ji Lai, Maha, You take people to drive those routs back, let them continue to attack the city, and tell those Han people that I have given them enough time to get familiar with the defense facilities of this city, but they have wasted more than 2 days of my time , I’m going to have dinner today in Chenzhou City, if they can’t open the city gate before sunset, then they won’t be able to eat tonight.”

When Azig was furious, almost no one was willing to violate his will, especially the guards around him. After staying with Azig for a long time, everyone knew very well that this master always blamed others for his mistakes Even if he is prevented from doing stupid things, there will be no good fruit to eat afterwards, especially after Tian Conghan is gone, as the rightful white banner kings, Azig's temper is getting bigger and bigger.

Of course, there are also a few of Azig's confidantes among the guards. They know that the reason why Azig is so angry recently is that after the Khan entered the pass, he gave Dorgon the title of his uncle Regent. The elder brother is also eligible for the title of uncle.

There are almost no scholars around Azig. After all, he has always regarded his father Nurhachi as an idol. When he saw Nurhachi treating the Han people as cattle and horses when he was alive, he thought that this was the reason why the Manchus were powerful. He is one of the representatives of the Manchus who dislike the power of the Han officials the most, but he is not disgusted with the wealth created by the Han people and the beauties among the Han people. He is always the first to speak out in support every time he enters the customs and loots.

Although his two brothers from the same mother both advocate the view of Manchu supremacy in public, they still treat Han people who are useful to them with courtesy, but Azig does not say that he treats Han people, even Manchus and Mongols. That is to say, if you beat him, you can beat and scold him, so naturally it is impossible for anyone with any brains to take refuge in him.

The four belors had been wary of Azige for a while when they forced the concubine to death. They were worried that Azige was just pretending to be stupid because of the situation. Later, they found out that the eldest son of the concubine was really stupid, but he was the weakest of the four belors. That one is the ruthless person who pretends to be a pig and eats a tiger.

But Azig didn't see himself that way. Under the persecution of the Four Baylors, he succumbed and agreed to let his mother be buried in Nurhaci. Losing respect, this is his biggest heart disease.

At this time, the internal power struggle in Manchuria was quite bloody. Huang Taiji did not know how many relatives were forced to death for the Khan position. Even his nephew Yue Tuo who supported him the most was suppressed by him because of the growth of power, and finally died in depression.Therefore, supporting a master is tantamount to betting the lives of the whole clan, but how can a son who dare not even defend his own mother protect his subordinates?Therefore, almost none of the Manchurians with a little brain were willing to support Azig.

But Azig denied this. He believed that the Manchurians did not support him because he failed to make achievements like his father. If he could create the same great achievements as his father, who would be dissatisfied with himself.Therefore, Azig on the battlefield became unscrupulous for life and death for a while, which slightly changed the Manchu people's view of him, thinking that Azig had at least inherited the military ability of Destiny Khan.

After Huang Taiji finally passed away, Azig felt that his time had finally come, but no one mentioned him when he was fighting for the position of Khan, and even his two half-brothers didn't take him seriously. Azig's self-esteem was greatly frustrated.Although he didn't dare to hope for Khan's position, everyone should at least remember that he is also the son of Destiny Khan and has the right to inherit the Khan's position, but now everyone treats him as a passerby, which makes Ah who has regained his self-confidence by relying on his military achievements Zige was greatly disappointed.

After the battle for Khan status came to an end, Azig wanted to find an opportunity to justify himself. At this time, he also realized that his military exploits did not make the Manchus really respect him, so he needed a higher reputation to get the Manchus. Respect, such as the title of Uncle King like Dorgon, he feels that as long as he does not want the regency power, it is not too much to have the title of Uncle King. Isn't he the son of Nurhachi?

Most of Azig’s confidantes are warriors with only courage. Azige’s aversion to Han Chinese culture makes it impossible for him to have any confidantes who learn Chinese characters by his side. He despises such people, and others are unwilling to serve them he.These warriors did not see the political meaning of the title Uncle King at all. They only felt that in terms of blood relationship, Azig was indeed qualified for the title of Uncle King. After all, he was Dorgon's same mother and brother. Add Uncle Wang's.

As for why the Nine Kings didn't give Azig the title of Uncle King, the regent presides over the court, and the title of Uncle King must be approved by the Nine Kings first, so this cannot be something that the seven-year-old Khan can decide on his own.Although these Manchu people have no brains, they still have this common sense, but they feel that the Nine Kings did not give the two brothers the title of Uncle King. The reward for the brother returning from victory, after all, at the level of the kings, there is almost nothing to reward.

Hearing the words of these confidants, Azige also agreed in his heart, thinking that when he returned to the court after victory, he would unite with the ten kings to write a letter and ask the nine kings to give them both the title of uncle king, then there would be no doubts in the court The voice of the White Banners, the kings of the White Banners are truly superior to the Eight Banners, just like the four major Baylors ruled the dynasty together.

Therefore, Azig did not come here with the purpose of looting this time in the southward conquest, he just wanted to make a great contribution so that everyone in the court would have nothing to say about his invitation to be a king can be said.With such a goal in mind, the Azig army marched very quickly after crossing the Yellow River, and did not stay in place to plunder the wealth of the Han people.

The only thing that Azig didn't expect was that he had treated these Han people so magnanimously. The Han people in Chenzhou dared to go back on their promises and tricked him again and again. This greatly angered him. Driven by his self-esteem, This was the reason for the non-stop siege for three consecutive days.

The Manchu generals not far from Azig gathered in groups of three or four. Subai, Ming Andali, and Jueluo Guoke of the two white flags stood under a tree that had lost all its leaves. Bai supported the tree trunk and looked at the defeated army in the distance. He sighed and said, "The morale is really gone. If we don't change the new force to go up, these Han people alone may not be able to defeat this Chenzhou city."

Ming An Dali bit a piece of dry grass and looked at Chenzhou City in the distance and said quietly: "If we had started to attack the city as soon as we arrived instead of sending people to surrender, then maybe we would have taken it. But if you don't attack the city for a few days, now the city The hearts of the people should be satisfied. At this time, the siege of the city is to fight against the people in the whole city. Without cannons and warriors to go first, we have to besiege them for a long time until they run out of food. But our food is less than that in the city. Is there any need to fight in the city?"

The younger Jueluo Guoke also nodded and said in agreement: "Indeed, didn't the ten kings' messenger who just arrived have conveyed the ten kings' opinions, and the ten kings asked us to attack Guide Mansion to create pressure for the Shun army instead of attacking the city everywhere?" , I think what the ten kings said is right. As long as Li Zicheng's army is wiped out first, can this Chenzhou City still go to the sky? It can be taken down by sending a partial division. Now there is Li Zicheng's army outside Chenzhou City. The people are united against me, and while we are attacking the city, we still have to worry about Li Zicheng's army coming to help, how can this battle go on?"

Hearing the complaints from his two colleagues, Subai also felt helpless. He subconsciously turned his head and looked towards the other side, only to see Yibai and Omoktu from the Zhenglan Banner and Zhenghongqi from the bushes seven or eight steps away. Ajilai and Hilgen of Zhenghuangqi were standing and chatting together, and their behavior didn't seem to take the current defeat of the siege to heart.

Subai immediately felt from the bottom of his heart that this city was indeed impossible to attack, and the only thing that could be lost in Chenzhou City was that Azig's face had nothing to do with the others, because the target of their army was Li Zicheng's army, not Li Zicheng's. Chenzhou City on the non-essential road.Although the access to Haozhou and Suzhou was opened after taking down Chenzhou City, these places were only the periphery of Li Zicheng's army, and could only cause loss of personnel and wealth to the areas controlled by Li Zicheng, but could not defeat Li Zicheng.

The only places where Li Zicheng's army can't give up are Guide and Xuzhou. After losing these two key points, Li Zicheng can't stand north of the Huaihe River.The request brought to Azige by the people sent by the ten kings can be said to be the target of the war on Li Zicheng's army, which is to grasp the key point. Chen Zhoucheng, who lost face, went to Guide again.

Of course, Azig is not completely arrogant and unreasonable. At least one of his demands cannot be refuted by everyone, that is, there is food in Chenzhou City. If Chenzhou City is not captured and the granary here is taken, can everyone gather around Decheng to eat? Does the soil swallow snow?In order to reduce the use of food carried by the army, Wu Sangui's army was sent to the surrounding areas to collect food and fodder as early as five days ago. However, the Shun Army has implemented a policy of fortifying the walls and clearing the wilderness in this area. Except for a few fortresses, there is almost no food left.

Wu Sangui's army had even gone to Liu Hongqi's site to collect grain and fodder, so he had a conflict with Liu Hongqi's subordinates, because this conflict directly led to Liu Hongqi's refusal to come to Chenzhou to swear allegiance to Azig in person, and he was only willing to accept the Azig faction People went to Runing to inspect the troops, which also made Azig suspicious of Liu Hongqi's surrender, but at this time he didn't want to make trouble, so he did not come to see him according to Liu Hongqi's request. procedures.

In fact, not only Azige has doubts about Liu Hongqi, but the generals of the Qing army here also think that even if Liu Hongqi did not surrender to the Qing Dynasty in a hypocritical manner, he is used to being the emperor of the land and does not want to obey any orders from the court. This kind of person must not be People who keep their own place should seize and kill them to avoid future troubles. However, they really don't have the time to deal with this kind of local tyrants in Henan, so it's not too much to appease them.

The only problem now is that Azig still has a basic ability to judge in other matters, but he lost this ability to judge when attacking Chenzhou City, which made everyone feel in a dilemma.These foreign flag generals gathered together to chat and talk, and they refused to pay more attention to the affairs of the siege, which showed that they already had a basic understanding, that is, there was really no need to fight Chenzhou City.

Subai thought for a while, and said to the two colleagues beside him: "We should go and persuade the general, Chenzhou City really can't go on fighting..."

Chapter 357 Chen Zhou II

Standing on the top of Ximen City, Zhu Guozhen watched the Qing army recede like a tide, and felt inexplicably at ease. As a general of the peasant army, he naturally disliked the tactics of defending the city. After all, the rebel army used to fight against the imperial court.

Fighting the city defense battle with the imperial court is almost locking oneself in a prison built with brick walls, and there is no possibility of victory at all. Leading the peasants who could not survive and the scoundrels in the city against the army encircled and suppressed by the imperial court.

In addition, people in cities are almost all supporters of stable order, and their lives depend on orderly order to maintain it. Therefore, as long as they are not unable to survive, the people in the city naturally dislike farmers who disrupt order. This is why Li Zicheng didn't have many rebel generals objecting when he abandoned Beijing.

When Zhu Guozhen was thinking about how long it would take for the Qing army to organize the next attack, the deputy general beside him

Gong Deping said to him with a happy smile: "The attack power of the Qing army has begun to decline. If they continue to attack like this, let alone defend for three days, I think they will not be able to break through this city if they defend for another ten days and a half a month." .”

Gong Deping's words resonated with some of the generals around him. Most of these people were generals of the rebel army who stood firm against the city for the first time. Like Zhu Guozhen, they were puzzled about whether they could hold Chenzhou City. After coming down, they finally gained some confidence in defending the city.

Zhu Guozhen looked back at his subordinates, and was about to praise them, but when he saw the figure in the distance directing the young and strong to carry the wounded to the city and replenish the defensive supplies at the top of the city, he changed his words and said: " Speaking of which, Staff Officer Yan is the number one contributor to defending this city, if there is no Staff Officer Yan to help us calm down and give us advice, how can we persist until today if we defend the city by ourselves."

Gong Deping opened his mouth but couldn't say what his boss said was wrong. Although he had a prejudice against scholars, he believed that the world was ruined by those scholars. After all, they were often bullied by the masters when they were farming in the countryside, and the master They are basically scholars, in fact, they don't need the masters to do it themselves, just the dogs of the masters can make them unable to survive.

Therefore, after entering the city of Beijing, he actively supported General Quan's pursuit of stolen goods from those scholars. Seeing the high-ranking gentlemen in the past showing their ugly faces under the stick, the peasants who were in awe of scholars since childhood, all have great revenge. The feeling of pleasure is no different from that of farmers like them when the old men are under the stick, or even worse.

This stick is exactly the torture tool invented by the old men to punish the bad guys. In addition, there are other methods such as standing cages and tiger benches, so that you will not die immediately but will suffer a lot.So what is a troublemaker?Anyone who goes against the masters is a troublemaker.Especially those peasants who have no money to pay the land rent and state tax, almost every year a few are singled out to make an example to others.

Gong Deping was very dissatisfied with those scholars who said that the peasant army's torture of officials was a tyrannical act. They just let these officials enjoy the way they used to pay the peasants in the past, which was a relatively safe one. , Then what are the punishments that the officials of the Ming Dynasty imposed on ordinary people in the past few hundred years?

It’s just that the position of scholars all over the world is on the side of officials. In the eyes of ordinary people, what scholars agree with is right, and the people and things they oppose are wrong. This is a mark that has been immersed in Chinese people’s thinking for thousands of years. Yes, it's not a concept that one or two rebels can change.

As generals who were born in the peasant army, almost everyone bears blood feuds. Most of these hatreds are related to officials or gentry. Therefore, the disapproval of the scholars' behavior of the rebel army did not make these generals of the peasant army bow their heads and admit their mistakes. Instead, these generals felt that they were scholars. Sure enough, I agree with the old men,

Gong Deping is also one of them who has this idea.

In Gong Deping's view, since these scholars want to stand on the side of the officials, the rebel army should also clean up the scholars. Anyway, most of the scholars are landlords with good family backgrounds. No burden.

There are actually quite a few people in the rebel army who have ideas like Gong Deping's. For example, the Daxi Army, which broke up with Li Zicheng, is also dominated by peasant rebels. After taking down Chengdu, the retaliation against those officials of the Ming Dynasty is actually much more intense than that of the Dashun Army. .After all, the purpose of the Dashun Army was to recover stolen goods and pay, while the Daxi Army simply ransacked their homes and executed them.

Although the methods adopted by the two armies are different, the degree of hatred for the property owners in the two armies is actually about the same. Think about how these officials are still rich and well-fed when they sell their sons and daughters without paying rent and taxes. The peasant army officers and soldiers whose families were ruined were indignant.As long as these officials provide some property, they can keep hundreds of peasant households alive, but they don't take away any hair, and they still want to scrape the last layer of skin from the peasants who are struggling to die. Is there such a reason in the world?

However, after going south from Beijing, Li Zicheng exposed the critics and exploitation methods of scholars and officials from the standpoint of farmers, and made it clear that he would defend the interests of farmers, workers and businessmen, and not allow scholars to use their privileges to encroach on the interests of other classes. Only then did peasant army generals like Gong Deping change their minds.

In the past, it was always difficult for them to distinguish the position of the scholars. They just thought that the scholars in the world were all one family, so they regarded all the scholars in the world as the enemies of the rebel army.However, under Li Zicheng's extensive lectures, the generals of the peasant army finally had some understanding of the internal situation of the scholars. It turns out that not all scholars are from the same family. There are scholars who maintain feudal rule, and there are also scholars who pursue the truth. The most important thing is that the rebels themselves should cultivate scholars who agree with their own ideals.

With this preliminary division, the generals of the rebel army changed their past pure views of envy or hatred towards scholars, and began to think about

Which scholars are able to serve the rebels, and which scholars are traitors who are willing to sell the country and the nation for their own selfishness.

After the rebel army had such a preliminary understanding of scholars, Li Zicheng's policies on literacy education for officers and compulsory education for children in the army all gained universal support. For the first time, the soldiers of the peasant army realized that knowledge is not The exclusive property of scholars, in fact, everyone can change their lives by learning knowledge, and what is needed to manage a country is knowledge, not those scholars.

It was through this series of proclamations that Li Zicheng turned his abandonment of Beijing's trip to the south into an opportunity for the adjustment of Dashun's national policy and the reorganization of the army.This reversed the impression that the Dashun Army had failed in the Qing army's southward march in the hearts of the soldiers, thus further strengthening their control over the army.

If it is said that when the Dashun Army entered Beijing, all the officers and men of the Dashun Army thought in their minds were nothing more than the idea of ​​changing the dynasty and getting revenge, but after this trip to the south, the soldiers of the Dashun Army finally realized for the first time what to do. The establishment of a new country has a clear idea. This new country can no longer let those officials have the final say, and the people should also have the right to participate in state affairs.

The blueprint of the new country drawn by Li Zicheng has won the approval of most of the officers and men of the Dashun Army. They spent more than ten years and sacrificed countless lives to attack the imperial court that oppressed them. Of course, they do not want to establish another peaceful The old court is exactly the same as the Dashun court, which will make their ten-year struggle meaningless.

Just like in Beijing, the generals of the rebel army represented by Liu Zongmin said to Li Zicheng, "The emperor asked you to do it, so why don't we just need some rich and beauties?"

Now, the middle and lower ranks of the rebel army have similar views on the founding heroes. There are only a few hundred of the founding heroes. The wealth and privileges of the founding heroes cannot satisfy all the soldiers, but if the people have the power to participate in state affairs, although everyone does not know how to exercise this power, it is much more attractive than the tradition of the old dynasty .

It was precisely because of the desire to build a new country that was different from the old dynasty that rebel generals such as Zhu Guozhen had the idea of ​​defending the country, because they felt that this new country was not Li Zicheng's country, but our own country.

Of course, it is not enough for the volunteer soldiers to have this kind of consciousness. If they cannot get the support of the local people, they will not be able to hold the city.Why did the local people support the rebel army instead of simply surrendering to the Qing army to avoid the flames of war? This also requires the local people to agree with the proposition of the Marshal's Mansion.

In order to get these local people to support the Marshal's Mansion, in addition to gaining the support of the local people in terms of policies, it is also important to call on the local people to support the Marshal's Mansion through the scholars who cooperate with the Marshal's Mansion.

from Xuzhou

Staff officer Yan Ermei was one of the representatives of these scholars. Yan Ermei was born in a local prominent family in Xuzhou. When the peasant army invaded Beijing, he organized rural soldiers to resist the generals of the rebel army who went south to appease and was arrested.

Shun Army officials at the time tried to kill

Yan Ermei tried to frighten the families of the local gentry in Xuzhou, but at the plea of ​​these local gentry, and Huai'an killed the Dashun officials who went to appease them, the officials of the Shun army stationed in Xuzhou stopped ordering Yan Ermei's execution.

However, as Li Zicheng took the prince southward, after appeasing the local gentry in Xuzhou in the name of the prince, he released Yan Ermei to ease the relationship with the local gentry in Xuzhou.Although Yan Ermei was not grateful for Li Zicheng's life-saving grace, under the persuasion of the crown prince and Wan Shouqi, Yan Ermei accepted the recruitment of the Marshal's Mansion and joined the staff headquarters.

It was Yan Ermei's arrival that made the people of Chenzhou accept the Dashun Army's idea of ​​defending the city. Therefore, even Gong Deping, who did not like scholars, could not say that scholars were useless against his conscience.

Chapter 358 Chen Zhou III

Yan Ermei checked and calculated various materials according to the atlas in his hand, and talked with the clerks around him from time to time, in order to grasp the consumption speed of every material in the city as much as possible, and calculate the consumption speed of these materials The strength of the enemy's attack and the duration of the defense.