Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 151 Revenge
Emperor Chongzhen noticed their expressions and said to Kong Youde: "Please tell me again the current military and military preparations in Liaodong!"

Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming had already reported this before. It didn't take much for them to say it again at this time. They immediately responded respectfully: "For this troop dispatch, Jianlu will recruit men under seventy and over fifteen to join the army. The old and weak will guard Liaodong. The elite troops entered the bandits. The total strength of Liaodong is about [-], mainly guarding Liaoyang and Shengjing... Shenyang, and the rest of the places are like empty structures, without much strength."

When Wu Sangui heard this, he immediately frowned and reported to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, outside Shanhaiguan, there is Jianlu Aixinjueluo Tunqi stationed with five thousand troops, and they are all elite, not old or weak. !”

When Kong Youde heard this, he immediately remembered it and quickly said: "Your Majesty, these are the troops left behind by the slave chief Dorgon before he entered the pass, and he negotiated with him... Marshal Wu."

Emperor Chongzhen listened, nodded, then looked at Wu Sangui and said: "Wu Qing has more than [-] troops. I want you to lead the troops to invade Liaodong, not to regain the lost territory, but to follow the example of Jianqing every time he entered the invaders' pass. To avoid the fortified city and attack the strength of Jianlu. Is it possible?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Sangui and others suddenly looked embarrassed.

If he had gone to the capital directly after returning from Shanhaiguan, he might have found a reason to refuse after hearing this.However, now that he has a good understanding of the current situation from his own house, what he has seen at the bank, etc., he does not dare to refuse directly, but hesitation is inevitable.

When Emperor Chongzhen saw it, he immediately said "Yeah".

After Wu Sangui heard this, he quickly replied: "Your Majesty, the general has never gone deep into the Liao region. I don't know the specific terrain and enemy conditions, so I am afraid that I will live up to your Majesty's expectations!"

When Emperor Chongzhen heard this, he pointed at Kong Youde and others and said: "The two of them have three thousand men and horses, and they are accompanying you on the expedition. They are familiar with the terrain and enemy conditions."

Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming were a little surprised when they heard this.But this was the emperor's intention, so they didn't say anything.

After Wu Sangui heard this, he glanced at Kong Youde and others, and sweat broke out on his forehead. He did not dare to refuse, but to be honest, he was really afraid of this matter.

He was used to defending the city before, but now he was asked to attack, and he had to go deep into Liaodong.Moreover, for this kind of war, you can only bring a small amount of food and grass, and you have to fight to support the war.Once there is no supply in Liaodong, the army will starve and freeze.

Seeing him like this, Kong Youde sneered in his heart, and immediately clasped his fists and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I am willing to go!"

Although Geng Zhongming was injured and could not clasp his fists, he did not hesitate to shout loudly: "Your Majesty, the general is willing to go!"

I think back then, when they were still under Marshal Mao, they dared to land in Liaodong from the island and go deep into the interior with only crude weapons and armor.Conditions are much better now than then, so there is no reason to be afraid.

Wu Sangui's back became wet in just a few minutes.Although outsiders can't see it yet, he knows it himself.

Seeing the seemingly provocative responses from Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming, he did not hesitate any longer and could only clasp his fists and chant: "Your Majesty, I will obey your decree!"

If you continue to hesitate and disobey the order, the matter may be big or small, and it is not impossible to behead your head or something.If in the past the emperor might have had scruples because of the importance of Guan Ning's army, now that the emperor had an army far more powerful than Guan Ning's army, how could he still have any scruples?
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen turned his eyes to several other generals of Guan Ning's army.

When Yang Kun and others saw the emperor looking over him, they did not dare to neglect and immediately said: "The general will obey the order!"

When Emperor Chongzhen heard that they all expressed their stance, he smiled slightly and said: "We are all good men of the Ming Dynasty. How can we be afraid of the barbarians? I am in the capital to contain the main force of the rebels. You don't have to worry about making a big fuss in Liaodong." At the same time, let’s show off the cowardice of having been beaten by the imperialists at home for so many years and not daring to go out to fight!”

Hearing this, Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming were fine, but Wu Sangui and others from Guan Ningjun's group couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.

The emperor's words, didn't the implication mean that Guan Ningjun was a coward in the past?They couldn't refute this yet.

Not just because the person speaking is the emperor, but because this is the fact: Guan Ningjun has never taken the initiative to attack!
In the past, they would have had excuses to say that Jianlu was powerful and invincible in field battles; but now, the emperor had personally proved it to them, defeating Jianlu in field battles and even capturing the slave chief alive.

Emperor Chongzhen saw the expressions of Wu Sangui and others, but did not say anything more about this aspect. He just said: "In this battle, all the spoils gained belong to your two armies and do not need to be turned over. Wu Qing is the chief, and Kong Qing is the deputy. , I will send Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of War, to supervise the army. The matter of war should be discussed between the two of you. If we cannot agree, the opinion of the supervisor will be the final opinion!"

When Wu Sangui and others heard this, they were happy at first, and then a little surprised.

Fortunately, the emperor made it clear that the spoils of this expedition were their own and did not need to be turned over, which was a good thing; but what surprised them was that the emperor wanted to send Wai Lang, a member of the Ministry of War, to supervise the army.

According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, civilian officials generally led the army. Although military generals led the troops in battle, in name, there were still civilian officials at the top, such as governors and governors. Very few military generals actually led the army.

If this convention is followed, the official position of Yuan Wailang of the Ministry of War is not low, and he is still from the Ministry of War. Generally speaking, it is normal for this Yuan Wailang of the Ministry of War to be the commander-in-chief.

Now I am only supervising the army, that is really surprising!

While they were thinking about it, they heard Emperor Chongzhen say to them again: "I will give you three days to wait. First, I will go to the capital camp to take a closer look and learn more about Jianlu with them. We will set off in three days!"

Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming were actually okay. After all, they were originally in the Jianlu Army, and they knew very well what kind of situation Jianlu was in.Moreover, they participated in the battles of Changping and Huairou, not to mention that they felt afraid of Jianlu.But Guan Ningjun was a little timid, so he let them go to the current Beijing camp to experience it and stimulate them. This was the purpose of what he said just now.

After saying this, Emperor Chongzhen asked them to retreat.

Later, a civil servant was summoned to see him.

This civil servant was none other than the War Ministry member Wai Lang mentioned by Emperor Chongzhen just now, who was the supervisor of the Liao Army.

After the ceremony, Emperor Chongzhen was heard saying to this man: "Does Yang Qing know something about the situation in Liaodong?"

This man's surname was Yang, his given name was Tinglin, and his courtesy name was Boxiang. He was Lu Xiangsheng, the director of the Ministry of War and the supervisor of praise painting.After Lu Xiangsheng died in battle, he was demoted and later reinstated.However, in the original history, before he could take office in Beijing, the capital was captured by Li Zicheng.So he returned to the south and continued to fight against the Qing Dynasty. In October of the second year of Longwu, the city of Ganzhou that he held was destroyed and he died in the water to die for his country.

In this plane, it was already July of the 17th year of Chongzhen, so he naturally rushed to the capital.

Emperor Chongzhen was so busy these days that he noticed him and promoted him to the rank of Yuanwailang of the Ministry of War.

In fact, he was a Jinshi in the fourth year of Chongzhen. He was as famous as Ni Yuanlu and Huang Daozhou, and was called "Three Hanlin".The other two were either in charge of the Metropolitan Procuratorate or the Minister of Household Affairs, but he was far inferior to the two with the same name. He was only the sixth-rank head of the Ministry of War. He was suppressed just because he always spoke for Lu Xiangsheng.

At this time, I heard Yang Tinglin say: "After the ministers received the order, in the past few days, there have been soldiers from the Jing camp to learn about the situation in Liaodong."

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen said to him: "I have issued an order to order the Guanning Army and the Dongjiang Army to jointly send troops to Liaodong in three days. It is disrespectful to come and go without going back. The goal is not to recover the lost territory or punish the Jianlu. , focus on weakening its strength, sweep across Liaodong, and win a quick victory. You will be the supervisor of the expedition..."

He told the general situation, and then asked: "Is your Majesty willing?"

After Yang Tinglin heard this, although he was a little surprised that the commander of this army was a general and he was only supervising the army, he said excitedly about this: "Your Majesty, Wei Chen has been dreaming of this day for a long time. Liaodong fell, Wei Chen I once thought that it would be difficult to recover, but I didn’t expect that now I have the opportunity to send troops to Liaodong. I am willing to fight with the army, even if I die, I will have no regrets!"

Until now, only Jianlu had sent troops to the pass, while the imperial officers and soldiers could only passively defend. But even so, cities and places continued to be lost.For an ambitious literati, this is absolutely intolerable.Yang Tinglin's words are actually almost to the level of "Wang Shibei fixed the day of the Central Plains, and he never forgot to tell Nai Weng when making family sacrifices."

Emperor Chongzhen felt this and couldn't help but said in a firm tone: "You are not allowed to die. I will definitely recover Liaodong. Now I am just sending troops to collect some interest."

"Wei Chen obeys the decree!" Yang Tinglin was excited after hearing this, and immediately responded, "Wei Chen is waiting for the day when your Majesty will truly regain Liaodong, and is willing to lead horses and hold stirrups for Your Majesty!"

If it were before, he wouldn't have said that.Because the imperial court simply did not have the strength to regain Liaodong, he could not tell lies with his eyes open and flatter the emperor.

But now, the emperor has used his record to prove that he has the ability to defeat the Jianlu army. Isn't this a hope?
Emperor Chongzhen smiled when he heard what he said, and then said to him sternly: "I am going to supervise the army. Please pay attention to two things..."

Hearing the emperor's explanation again, Yang Tinglin quickly listened attentively.

"First, Guan Ning's army has been suppressed by the Jianlu for a long time, and many in the army are afraid. You should encourage them appropriately and improve their morale. Only in this way can the war be fought successfully!"

When Yang Tinglin heard this, he looked angry and immediately replied: "Wei Chen has written it down!"

"Second, for Liaodong, we must divide and rule. The Jurchens will be destroyed if we establish the state. Other tribes will be exempted from death penalty if they surrender. The specific details will be determined by the situation."

This kind of thing is actually mentioned in military books.Yang Tinglin may not have the talent to lead troops in war, but he has definitely read military books and knows the purpose of doing so, so he immediately echoed: "I obey the order!"

So, three days later, Emperor Chongzhen took the time to visit the soldiers who already belonged to the Beijing camp, who were originally the subordinates of Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming.

On the school grounds, three thousand soldiers gathered, and Wu Sangui and others were also there. They heard the emperor standing on the general platform and saying loudly: "You were once soldiers of the Dongjiang Army of the imperial court. You were all killed by the captives, and your relatives were killed." Friends are parted by life and death. Although I later surrendered to Jianlu, I know that it was not your original intention to serve your enemies..."

The three thousand soldiers listened quietly, and it could be seen that many of them seemed to be lost in memories.That memory may be a bit far away for them, but it is certainly impossible for them to forget it.

"Now I can assure you that the imperial court will never treat you badly again. Although you have been transferred from the Beijing camp this time, I believe that many soldiers are actually envious of you because you are the first batch to truly attack Jianlu. Revenge! Your relatives will be relieved when they see it in the spirit of heaven. You have not forgotten their pain..."

When these former soldiers of the Dongjiang Army heard this, they may have thought of their past life and death, and the faces of their relatives who would have otherwise been forgotten, and many of them had their eyes red.

"I believe that you can let Jianlu know that their past sins are not unjust, but the time has not come yet. Now, you are the life-threatening impermanence sent by King Yama, and let Jianlu ride on your head for so many years. , Jianlu, whose hands are actually stained with the blood of your relatives and friends, it’s time to pay the price!"

They were actually ready to forget those relatives and friends, but they also felt a sense of guilt buried deep in their hearts.I originally thought that they would live like this for the rest of their lives.When I see my relatives and friends after my death, I can only say that I am really powerless, I am very sorry, I am sorry, no matter what my relatives and friends say, they will admit it.

But now, they actually discovered that the forgetting they wanted was actually not forgotten at all. With the emperor's words, the faces of relatives and friends appeared in front of their eyes, and the scenes they had spent together were recalled again.

At this moment, they realized that they would never forget them until they died!

Finally, someone shed tears.The so-called man does not shed tears lightly, just because he has not reached the point of sadness.This emotion that has been suppressed for many years finally no longer needs to be suppressed!

"Revenge, I want revenge!"

Someone spoke his mind, and others followed suit.

"revenge!"

"Vengeance Snow Hate!"

"..."

Wu Sangui was a little shocked when he saw this scene.

Although he himself had no relatives who died tragically at the hands of the Jianlu, his subordinates were all Han people from Liaodong, and they were all more or less poisoned by the Jianlu.He had never thought about this before, but now after listening to the emperor's words, he suddenly felt that his men might not be afraid to leave the city or launch an attack on Liaodong.

Yang Tinglin was also shocked when he saw the outbursts of these surrendered soldiers whom he had actually despised.He suddenly realized that it seemed that the court had indeed treated them badly in the past.These Liaodong men, if they had the support of the imperial court, would definitely fight to the death against the Jianlu.

He himself took on the role of these Liaodong men. They had to live under the hands of people with deep hatred and sacrifice their lives for them. The suffering in their hearts may not be less!You must have truly despaired of the court to make such a choice, right?
Emperor Chongzhen waited for them to shout for a while, then his voice became quieter, and then he said seriously: "I hope that when you come back victorious, I can see that each of you can reward your merits and honor your ancestors!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "Guangzong Yaozu" in his voice.Because these people in front of them would never be able to honor their ancestors before, but now, they can do it!

Sure enough, when the three thousand soldiers heard this, they were all excited.Obviously, the four words "Guangzong Yaozu" are indeed very important to them.

The pre-war mobilization was completed and the army set off immediately.At this time, no one in the capital knew what they were going to do.

Emperor Chongzhen hoped that they would return victoriously and announce the good news at that time.

Later, he himself went to the Gunpowder Bureau located in the northeast corner of the imperial city.There is only one purpose for coming here, and that is to have requirements for gunpowder.

In this era, the proportion of black powder was actually well understood.At least by this time in the late Ming Dynasty, they already knew that the gunpowder used for shooting was nitrate nine sulfur one, and the gunpowder used for blasting was seven nitrate sulfur three, supplemented by carbon powder.Even the formulas of black powder used in artillery of different calibers are different. This is recorded in Ming Dynasty military books such as "Weaponry".

Perhaps for this era, this is already the most advanced black powder ratio.However, Emperor Chongzhen knew something.

The black powder ratio of the Manchu and Qing dynasties has been the same as that of the late Ming dynasty, with no improvements.Therefore, there is still a lot of room for improvement in the purification of gunpowder.There is also the ratio of gunpowder, which is not so crude.If he remembered correctly, the optimal black powder ratio verified by later generations was with a decimal point.Of course, this premise is the further purification of gunpowder ingredients.

During the Opium Wars, the invading British army was still using black powder.When they captured the Humen Fort, they captured the black powder used by the Manchu army.Originally they thought they could get supplies, but they found that the power of black powder was so different from their own that they didn't bother to get it and just dumped it into the sea.

Based on this, Emperor Chongzhen felt that further purification of black powder and a better-proportioned formula would greatly improve the combat effectiveness of the army.Therefore, he took some time out and came to the Gunpowder Bureau.

At first, Wang Chengen, who was accompanying him, disagreed and immediately advised him to just let him handle anything, as he was afraid that the emperor would be in danger if he went to the Gunpowder Bureau.

Because the gunpowder of this era was still powdered gunpowder, it could be dangerous if it encountered certain conditions when mixing.This is also the reason why the Gunpowder Bureau was set up in the most corner of the imperial city.

After Emperor Chongzhen decided to go and see it in person, Wang Chengen quickly ordered his servants to rush over and stop all gunpowder craftsmen. After checking for any possible dangers, he accompanied the emperor there.

(End of this chapter)