The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 333 The Great World
"cut!!!"

As the token was thrown to the ground by the executioner, a group of executioners on the execution platform suddenly swung their knives downwards, and dozens of bloody heads immediately rolled to the ground.

Such a bloody scene did not arouse fear in anyone under the execution platform, but instead made the already exciting scene even more turbulent.

The people who had just been beheaded on the execution platform were none other than the family of Zhu Changxun, the King of Fortune, who was sealed in Luoyang.

Because of this, it aroused the indignation and excitement of the soldiers and civilians watching.

Luoyang is an important town in the west of Henan. King Fu Zhu Changxun did not rule Luoyang for a long time, and it was only during the Wanli period.

Compared with the kings who had already been enfeoffed in the early Ming Dynasty, the time was undoubtedly much shorter.

However, the property held in Prince Fu's Mansion was even greater than that of the vassal kings who had been enfeoffed since the early Ming Dynasty.

Even if you say that you are richest in the world, it is not an exaggeration.

Most of the places in Henan are in chaos and desolate.

But King Fu still lived a luxurious life in Luoyang City.

A wall of Fuwang Palace separates the two worlds.

Inside the walls are wine pools, meat forests, and scenes of drunkenness and wealth, with endless extravagance and extravagance.

Outside the wall, there are bones exposed in the wild and there are no roosters crowing for thousands of miles. It is like a purgatory on earth.

"The King of Fortune, Zhu Changxun, is a prince and is the richest in the world. Henan is suffering from a famine, but he refuses to give out any money to help the people. He even raises taxes and rents. He should be put to death!"

Li Yan, wearing an iron crown, a black robe, and a sword, stood on the execution platform and counted the sins of King Fu.

Not long ago, Li Yan had already sent people to enumerate these sins, posted them everywhere, and preached to the people in the city.

Li Yan did not accuse Zhu Changxun of any of these things.

After Zhu Changxun became a vassal, he made many requests for land, salt, commercial taxes, etc., all of which were agreed to by Wanli at the time.

Most of the taxes in Luoyang Mansion are to be escorted to Prince Fu's Mansion, which is simply a scandal in the world.

This time Henan was severely hit by the disaster. Not only did Zhu Changxun not provide any help, he even increased taxes and prices, hoarding rice everywhere, raising food prices, and taking advantage of the situation.

Then, taking advantage of the fact that the people in Luoyang Mansion were going bankrupt due to famine, they purchased fields and slaves at low prices, which aroused hatred and resentment.

Especially when tens of thousands of soldiers were approaching the city, Zhu Changxun was unwilling to give out any amount of money, food, and rice in the treasury. He only reluctantly sent out thousands of taels of silver as military supplies.

Both the soldiers and the people in Luoyang City had already complained about King Fu.

Before Li Yan led his army to Luoyang, the deputy generals Liu Jianyi and Luo Tai stationed outside Dongguan claimed to go to war and took away nearly half of the troops in Luoyang's city defense.

Liu Jianyi and Luo Tai were suffocating from the beginning. They led troops to help Luoyang, but Wang Yinchang, the deputy military envoy in charge of city defense, asked them to station outside the city and did not let them enter the city.

They led the troops to the Qili River and met the vanguard of the Wan Min Army. They immediately surrendered to the Wan Min Army and chose to change their flags.

The subsequent offensive and defensive battle in Luoyang came to an end even before Li Yan ordered his troops to attack.

The commander-in-chief, Wang Shaoyu, was a greedy man and extremely greedy for money. He often deducted the soldiers' pay, not only eating empty pay but also drinking the blood of the soldiers. Driving the soldiers was like driving oxen and horses.

When Li Yan's troops approached the city, King Fu Zhu Changxun finally panicked and sent someone to reward the army with three thousand taels of military supplies.

However, all three thousand taels of silver were swallowed by Wang Shaoyu, and not a single cent was distributed.

With his wits dimmed and a formidable enemy facing him, Wang Shaoyu's choice was undoubtedly a way to die.

That night, hundreds of soldiers from Wang Shaoyu's army revolted at the top of the city, opened the city gate, killed Wang Shaoyu, captured political participant Wang Yinchang, and opened the door to welcome thousands of people's troops into the city.

It took Li Yan three days to lead his troops from Yanshi to Luoyang.

In just one night, Li Yan obtained an intact Luoyang City without any bloodshed.

All the soldiers in Luoyang City also chose to surrender, which once again expanded the strength and armament of Li Yan's command.

And most importantly, for a long period of time, the Ten Thousand People's Army will no longer be constrained by the problem of insufficient money and food.

The arsenal in Luoyang City also caused a huge increase in the army of the people.

"The princes and nobles enjoy themselves wantonly, exploit us, and treat us like pigs and dogs!"

Li Yan's heart was full of pride at this time. He stood on the execution platform and looked at the people below the stage who were cheering for him, and his mood couldn't help but follow them.

"From now on, they will never be able to sit on our heads and dominate us!"

Li Yan's words were like a huge stone falling into a calm pool, and it only made the crowd excited in the blink of an eye.

Capturing Luoyang without any blood would boost morale and morale of the army more than attacking Luoyang City.

As the head coach, Li Yan can clearly see the changes in the spirit of his subordinates.

When the army first came to Luoyang, the refugees wandering outside the city petitioned to serve as vanguards, digging earth and rocks, filling trenches and ditches, and helping to attack the city.

When entering Luoyang, the people lined the streets to welcome him with great enthusiasm. It is not an exaggeration to say that they would like to welcome Master Wang by saying "eat the pot of pulp".

Entering the city, Li Yan noticed that all the soldiers under his command were holding their heads high and their chests high, full of vigor, which was very different from before.

In the past, despite repeated orders and severe crackdowns, there were always soldiers who defied military law and did things that disturbed the people.

But this time, within a few days of entering the city, nothing like this happened.

Although Li Yan didn't know the reason, what he knew was that this was a good thing, and there might be more and more such things in the future.

The execution on the execution platform continued.

In addition to the Fuwang lineage, there are many wealthy landlords and powerful gentry in Luoyang City.

They are all the key targets of the Wanmin Army.

Li Yan stepped off the execution platform and went directly to the street behind.

On the street behind the execution platform, a group of generals from the Ten Thousand People's Army had been waiting for a long time.

However, the person standing in front of the crowd today is not the red lady who often wears red robes, but a mature man with a broad face and thick eyebrows.

This young man's name was Li Jiyu. Before Li Yan took power, he was actually the largest force in the Henan civil uprising. He was listed by the Ming Dynasty as the leader of the thieves in Henan. At the time, he had more than 40,000 followers under his command, running rampant. Between the river and you.

Later, he was defeated by He Renlong and retreated into the mountains. After the Shaanxi soldiers entered Shaanxi, they revived again.

Li Yan defeated Dengfeng and issued an article in Guangdong. After some thinking, Li Jiyu led his troops to the meeting and was recruited by Li Yan.

Li Jiyu came to join him, which made Li Yan's appeal and prestige even stronger.

Facing Li Jiyu, Li Yan naturally would not take it easy.

Now Li Jiyu has actually become the third most powerful person in the Wanmin Army, second only to Li Yan and Hong Niangzi, and can be regarded as Li Yan's right-hand man.

"We have captured all the merchants hoarding grain in Luoyang City, and we have also learned the situation of the granaries everywhere."

"The arsenal has also been taken over. Master Niu is in the process of collecting it. It is expected that all suitable items will be counted tomorrow."

Li Yan nodded, patted Li Jiyu on the shoulder, and praised.

"Very good, these days are hard for everyone."

"King Xin's words are serious. We all admire King Xin's righteousness. It is truly an honor for us to serve King Xin. There will be no hard work."

Li Jiyu looked solemn and showed great respect for Li Yan's attitude.

Li Yan asked without putting on airs and his tone was still gentle. "Has there been any news about the opening of the warehouse to release grain tomorrow?"

"They have been released in the past few days, and the surrounding refugees have gathered here after hearing the news."

After receiving a positive answer, Li Yan felt a little more relaxed.

"Since ancient times, it's not about the number of soldiers, but about the quality. This time, we must be cautious in releasing food and recruiting soldiers."

"The ninth battalion of the headquarters will also be reorganized in the past few days. All the soldiers who have been eliminated will be transferred to auxiliary troops and logistics. You will be responsible for these arrangements."

Many times, Li Yan is completely crossing the river by feeling for the stones.

A huge burden was on his shoulders, but he couldn't show it at all.

Because he is the leader, the eyes of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people are watching him, waiting for him to lead them forward.

The first purpose of opening warehouses and releasing grain is to sell people's hearts and minds and reverse their unfavorable position in public opinion.

"Those who win the hearts of the people can win the world." Li Yan didn't understand the deep meaning of this sentence before, but now he has a clear understanding of it.

This time, Luoyang was captured without bloodshed, largely due to the invisible and intangible popular support there.

Mencius is right.

The people of the region do not rely on the boundaries of the frontier, the country is consolidated without the dangers of mountains and rivers, and the people of the world do not rely on the benefits of military revolution.

Those who gain the way help more, those who lose the way help few.

When there is little help, relatives will be there; when there is much help, the world will follow.

Because rewards and punishments are clear, no looting, and no harsh punishment, the will of the defenders in various places to defend the city is very weak, and there are basically no strongholds.

On the contrary, the Ming court's approach greatly lost the support of the people and even caused the defenders to rebel.

At the same time, opening warehouses to release grain will inevitably attract a large number of people who want to join their army.

There are nine battalions under Li Yan's command. Each battalion has a size of more than 10,000 people, with a total of about 100,000 people. This is already a very large number.

Li Yan is not prepared to increase this number, because commanding 100,000 people is already the maximum limit of his command at present, and it is very reluctant.

He was originally a monk on the way, and he had read a lot of military books. However, commanding a hundred thousand people did not only require reading military books, but also required a lot of experience.

And these are exactly what he lacks most now.

Nine battalions and one hundred thousand are enough.

What needs to be done now is to gradually develop and grow with these 100,000 people as the core, and constantly survive and eliminate the fittest to build a strong army.

Only in this way can it be possible to obtain the qualifications of a separatist party.

"Don't worry, Prince Xin, nothing will go wrong if you leave this matter to me."

Li Jiyu made a sworn promise.

Li Yan got on the horse, and all the generals also got on their horses.

The capture of Luoyang inspired the three armies, but because of Li Yan, they did not get carried away.

"Everyone."

Li Yan looked resolute, his eyes were piercing, and his eyes were full of energy, as if they were burning with fire.

"The Ming Dynasty is incompetent, the world is in chaos, and comrades from all over the world gather to respond!"

Li Yan's heart was like a mirror, and victory did not go to his head.

"Luoyang is not our destination."

He is literate and has read books. He knows the corruption of the place and the shortcomings of the army. He knows how powerful the Ming Dynasty is and how big the world is.

Corruption in military and political affairs has led to a long period of lax military readiness. Generals and generals are arrogant, domineering, and disobeying orders. They often do not cooperate with each other during battles, and even harm each other.

In order to preserve their strength, most Ming army generals often chose to retreat without fighting whenever they encountered stronger opponents.

There are indeed generals who are willing to work hard on the battlefield and serve the country wholeheartedly, but the number of these people is very small and not enough to be feared.

The imperial court was in arrears of pay for a long time, and most of the soldiers were hungry and cold. Therefore, many people were dissatisfied and had no fighting spirit.

Either flee or surrender, or even be willing to help them win as an insider.

It was precisely because of these reasons that Li Yan was able to defeat the Henan officers and soldiers three times with his weak troops.

But it will be different from now on.

Li Yan naturally knew what kind of sensation the fall of Qinfan would cause.

I am afraid that soon, the Ming court will mobilize all available troops and horses around him to attack him, vowing to wipe him out in one fell swoop.

The strongest troops of the Ming Dynasty were almost all in Jiubian in the north, and the soldiers and horses in Henan were not strong troops.

Next time, what they have to face will be the border troops from the north and the elite soldiers and generals drawn from various parts of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Yan's eyes gradually became cold.

The most important thing now is to train troops and develop a strong army that can cope with the coming storms and waves.

"The great age is coming, the strong will become strong, the weak will perish..."

Li Yan has received news from Ruzhou.

The Crock Pot led 30,000 soldiers in Ruzhou City, but they were defeated by the Ming Army in less than an hour.

Wuguan only had a thousand cavalry to flee, and the number of soldiers and horses that later fled into Luoyang Mansion was only more than 3,000. The rest were all scattered. Those who escaped were also unmotivated by the military, and their colors changed after hearing the name of the Ming Army.

The general of that Ming army was the famous Liaodong general who was famous all over the world in the Battle of King Qin not long ago—Chen Wang!
"Two days."

Li Yan raised his head, his eyes firm again.

"We have two days left."

"The news cannot be sealed forever. Maybe it will be leaked tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow, or it may have already been leaked."

"The Hanzhong Army may march north to Luoyang Mansion at any time."

Li Yan knew very well that Luoyang Mansion could not be defended.

Tongguan was guarded by the Ming army, and the surrounding passes were also in the hands of the Ming army.

Although Luoyang is rich, it is a dead place.

It's like a piece of fat that's been poisoned.

If they really dare to swallow it, they will indeed be able to fill themselves up, but they will definitely die from the poison soon after.

They must go.

"Two days later, the army will head east..."

Li Yan's expression was stern, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes.

"us……"

"Enter Kaifeng again!"