Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 98
Only three bow string sounds were heard, "bang bang bang", and then another "bang" was heard.

Everyone was staring at the emperor shooting arrows, but when they saw it, their eyes all popped out!It was as if they saw something they never expected!
Even Zhou Yuji was very surprised and froze there.

Emperor Chongzhen only shot three arrows in a row and then stopped. He glanced at the target and then said with a smile: "Has this target been used for too long, so it is not strong?"

There were no arrows on the target, and there was an empty space in the middle. However, all three arrows penetrated the target and were nailed to the earth wall behind the target.

After hearing what Emperor Chongzhen said, Zhou Yuji came back to his senses and turned to look at the emperor.At this moment, he truly realized that it was said that the emperor was bestowed with great power. How great was this power?

This archery target has indeed been used for a long time, but he did not shoot through the target, but the emperor was able to shoot through the target. This can already show how strong the emperor's bow string is, and further proves how strong the emperor's arm strength is. Much better than him.

After a while, he came back to his senses and said sincerely: "Your Majesty's three arrows all hit the bull's-eye. He is truly a master shot!"

The emperor shot three arrows, all in a row, hitting the target at a distance of a hundred paces. He was indeed a marksman.

The soldiers who were watching were surprised and sighed in low voices when they saw how powerful their emperor was.

But who would have expected that Fang Zhenghua next to him listened, took over the topic, and said with a smile: "Long live the target, even if you shoot at an archery target 150 paces away, you can already hit the target with your arrows!"

Zhou Yuji: "..."

Onlookers: "..."

If they were surprised before, at this moment, they were shocked and speechless!
150 steps can be so accurate, how many people in the world can do it?
Zhou Yuji could hit the target at a distance of 150 steps, but he was not sure about hitting the bullseye.You know, the farther the distance, the requirements to hit the bullseye increase several times.If your arm strength is not strong enough, not only will you not be able to fire a rigid bow, but even if you can, it will be difficult to stay steady when shooting, let alone hit the target.

Zhou Yuji came to his senses and immediately said with admiration: "I will try your majesty's spear skills again!"

He saw that Emperor Chongzhen was equipped with a spear, and he happened to be armed with a spear, so he put away his bow and arrows, took out a wooden stick from the weapon rack, and assumed the posture of a spear.

No matter how courageous he was, he would not dare to use his own spear.Otherwise, if one of them fails to grasp it during the competition, even if the emperor wears three layers of armor, he will still be afraid of hurting the emperor.

When Emperor Chongzhen saw his appearance, he hesitated for a moment, then threw his spear to Fang Zhenghua, and went to get a wooden stick from the weapons rack.

Zhou Yuji did not make excuses, saying that the emperor could use real guns.In fact, the emperor's archery skills far exceeded his surprise.

Emperor Chongzhen took up his posture and said with a smile: "Then I will attack first!"

After he finished speaking, without waiting for Zhou Yuji's reply, he stabbed him with a gun.

All the onlookers lowered their voices and held their breath, staring at the field.If they thought it must be Dashuai Zhou who won before, they no longer have this idea at this time.

At this time, when Zhou Yuji saw the wooden stick coming towards him, he calmly stepped aside, used the body of the stick to deflect the emperor's wooden stick, and then prepared to fight back.

But who would have expected that the emperor's stick suddenly shook and hit his stick violently.

Zhou Yuji felt a strong force coming from the stick, almost shaking him so much that he couldn't hold the stick. Fortunately, he had experienced many battles and immediately jumped away, avoiding the next attack of the emperor's wooden stick.

At this moment, he truly realized the strength of the emperor, and he no longer confronted him head-on. Every time the wooden sticks were about to come into contact, he put his mind to it and wandered away from the emperor, using his spear skills to deal with it. emperor.

In the center of the martial arts arena, the emperor was almost chasing Zhou Yuji. From the onlookers' eyes, it seemed that Zhou Yuji had been beaten by the emperor and was unable to fight back.

The entire martial arts arena became silent, and everyone looked at this scene stupidly.

Suddenly, Zhou Yuji made a feint, and when he jumped back, without looking back, the long stick in his hand was like a long snake, killing a carbine, and thrust it into the chest of the pursuing emperor.

When Emperor Chongzhen saw it, he immediately laughed and said: "Zhou Qing is still the best, I lose!"

When Zhou Yuji saw it, he naturally took back his long stick, stood up, and said sincerely: "Your Majesty's spear skills are very good, but he still lacks battlefield practice. However, if on the real battlefield, enemies who are not familiar with your Majesty's details will probably be able to meet him face to face." Your Majesty’s guns and flowers will knock off your weapons!”

Emperor Chongzhen was very happy after hearing this. He immediately looked at Fang Zhenghua and said, "My spear skills were all taught by my great companion. It seems I need more practice!"

At this point, he shouted loudly: "Lead the horse!"

Infantry combat and cavalry combat are two completely different styles of fighting. Since there is an opportunity to fight with a fierce general like Zhou Yuji, it is natural to try them one by one.

Zhou Yuji also wanted to see if the emperor's skills were comprehensive, so he accompanied him in sparring.

In cavalry battles, they used lances and swords. In short, they competed in all possible fighting scenes they might encounter on the battlefield.

During the whole process, the onlookers exclaimed "Oh" from time to time and looked at their emperor with admiration in their eyes.

After all the competitions were over, Zhou Yuji got off his horse, removed his weapon, went to the emperor, and said seriously: "General, don't worry anymore!"

Although it was just a sentence, it was enough to show that the emperor's battlefield fighting skills had been recognized by him.

However, before Emperor Chongzhen had time to be happy, Zhou Yuji said again: "However, the situations encountered on the battlefield are ever-changing. Your Majesty, please pay attention to every opponent. Once there is a battle, kill him with one blow if you can. On the battlefield It’s not a competition, it’s a life-and-death fight!”

Emperor Chongzhen listened, nodded, and replied seriously: "I understand!"

Zhou Yuji was not reassured and asked Emperor Chongzhen: "Have all the personal guards around your majesty been on the battlefield?"

Emperor Chongzhen listened, thought for a while and replied: "Most of them are."

Some of his bodyguards were Tang Tong's original bodyguards, and some were promoted from the Jinyi Guards School Lieutenants.

After hearing this, Zhou Yuji did not hesitate and suggested to Emperor Chongzhen: "On the battlefield, we are not fighting alone. If the general wants to lead his own bodyguards, let's have another try with your majesty leading his own bodyguards!"

Emperor Chongzhen did not bother Zhou Yuji's nagging. When he heard what he said, he knew that he was doing it for his own good, so he nodded and said, "Okay, let's have another contest!"

The martial arts field in the city was a bit too small, so they moved outside the city, of course, to the north side where there were no Liuli thieves.

The result of the competition was a bit unexpected for Emperor Chongzhen.Originally, he thought that there were masters like Fang Zhenghua among his guards and that their loyalty to the emperor would be no problem, but the competition ended in a disastrous defeat.

The reason is also very simple. Zhou Yuji's personal guards and their generals cooperated perfectly, while Emperor Chongzhen's personal guards often had problems with their cooperation during the fight between the two sides. In the end, they all stood in front of the emperor and died for the emperor, and were directly killed by Zhou Yuji with a small amount of effort. The cost was to kill them all.

This time, Zhou Yuji did not find fault, but said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, can you let the general's personal guards train them in the past few days?"

"Okay!" Emperor Chongzhen also realized that he did not fight alone on the battlefield, but fought as a team. If Zhou Yuji had his heart, how could he refuse?

Zhou Yuji no longer mentioned the emperor's inability to visit the front line in person, but when he accompanied the emperor back to Ningwuguan, he introduced it to Emperor Chongzhen: "Judging from the experience of fighting against the enemy over the years, Jianlu is the most cunning. The two are the most cunning. When armies are fighting, their archers often use various covers to get close and shoot their opposing generals with heavy arrows. If you face Jianlu in the future, you should keep this in mind."

Hearing what he said, Emperor Chongzhen immediately remembered that Zhang Xianzhong was killed by the Manchus first, so his men were completely defeated.I have to say that this tactic, which is to capture the thief first, is indeed very effective.And this must be done by personal guards, or reminders, or cover. Otherwise, the battlefield is so chaotic, and it is impossible for a general to take care of all situations.

From this, it has to be said that the experiences shared by Zhou Yuji are valuable battlefield experiences.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen humbly asked Zhou Yuji for advice on various situations on the battlefield and how to deal with them, and the two sides chatted a lot.

In the afternoon, Emperor Chongzhen accompanied Zhou Yuji to the top of the city.

Before the change, Zhou Yuji would definitely have remonstrated, but this time, he did not. It was obvious that the previous competition with the emperor in various aspects had made him feel relieved.

Beyond the outer city wall, the battle was raging.Emperor Chongzhen stood on the arrow tower in the inner city and could clearly see the defenders relying on the city wall to fight back.

These city defenders were no longer Zhou Yuji's men, but soldiers from Datong.By gradually replacing Zhou Yuji's men with the old and the new, these Datong soldiers were obviously skilled in their counterattacks, and no one panicked in this fierce battle.

Even so, from time to time, we can still see the defenders being injured and retreating. If they are unlucky, they are shot in the head by muskets, bows, arrows, crossbows, etc. from thieves under the city. I am afraid they cannot be saved.

However, there were more casualties among the bandits below the city. This can be seen from the gradually weakening shouts of killing outside the city. There were fewer and fewer bandits attacking the city, and their morale was getting lower and lower.

Looking at the scene outside, Zhou Yuji introduced to Emperor Chongzhen: "Ningwuguan is very dangerous. As long as there is gunpowder on top of the city, it can suppress the bandit army's use of artillery to blow down the city wall. If the bandits want to capture Ningwuguan, they must Almost like a dream!”

In the original history, Ningwuguan was breached because it ran out of gunpowder and did not replenish it, so Li Zicheng's army blew down the city wall.

Emperor Chongzhen listened, nodded and said: "With the improvement of firearms, future wars will eventually be decided by firearms!"

This can be seen even if he does not come from later generations.

No, Zhou Yuji just nodded in agreement and said: "In terms of firearms, according to the last general's observation, building captives is the most important!"

"Oh?" Emperor Chongzhen was a little surprised after hearing this, and turned to look at Zhou Yuji to listen to his explanation.

He only listened to Zhou Yuji's introduction to him: "Jianlu's firearms are of good quality and can shoot far, and their military discipline is strict. No one dares to fire without a military order. The proportion of firearms in the army is nearly half!"

At this point, he pointed to the outside of the city with his hand and said: "I wonder if your majesty has noticed that although the bandits have firearms, they are all good and bad. On the battlefield, there are also those who explode their barrels. Therefore, the bandits' Fire blunderbuss are actually not powerful enough, so we shouldn’t dare to load more gunpowder!”

Emperor Chongzhen didn't see this, but he didn't care about it. Instead, he asked Zhou Yuji: "What about the firearms in the imperial army?"

After hearing this, Zhou Yuji answered him with a stern face: "In the last general, all firearms have been strictly inspected and loaded quantitatively. However, after coming from the Datong Army, there have been cases of gunshots exploding!"

Emperor Chongzhen frowned slightly after hearing this, and kept this matter in mind.

They were talking about the war on the battlefield. After a while, there was a sound of gold outside the city, and the bandits retreated without success.

When Emperor Chongzhen saw it, he immediately said to Zhou Yuji: "Let's go and have a look at the outer city!"

After hearing this, Zhou Yuji did not stop him, but accompanied him there.

After visiting the injured soldiers and the reserve soldiers repairing the city wall, Emperor Chongzhen finally stood on the outside of the city wall and looked out of the city.

On the slope outside the city, there was another mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood. There were corpses of stray thieves lying everywhere, and there were still undead stray thieves moaning in pain.

In front of Emperor Chongzhen's eyes, it was most intuitively demonstrated how worthless human life is!

Emperor Chongzhen glanced around the city and saw the corpses lying down. At least most of them were wearing red mandarin duck war jackets, and they were no different from the imperial officers and soldiers.Most of the bandits, whether they were originally officers or soldiers of the imperial court, had their cotton armor and clothes patched one after another.

Those who are dead know nothing, and those who are not dead are groaning in pain, waiting for the arrival of black and white.

Seeing this scene, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly said: "Send people down and bring back to the city all those who can be rescued."

When Zhou Yuji heard this, he advised: "Your Majesty, kindness does not lead to troops, they..."

Emperor Chongzhen didn't wait for him to finish speaking, then turned to look at him and said: "They are just trying to survive in these troubled times. Rescue them and ask them about the situation at the bandit camp."

Zhou Yuji originally wanted to persuade him again, but when he heard the second half of his words, his heart suddenly moved and he stopped trying. He quickly agreed and immediately went to arrange for someone to do this.

After a while, a group of soldiers came out of the city gate and searched the mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood outside the city. They rescued all the surviving bandits back to Wengcheng. There were only nine in total.

Most of these nine people had their legs and feet injured and were unable to escape.

They were all a little frightened. They looked at the officers and soldiers who were standing in a circle with their swords and guns unsheathed. They didn't know what was going to greet them.
Accompanied by Zhou Yuji, Emperor Chongzhen came down from the city and came to them. He glanced at them and looked at the panic in their eyes. Then he said, "Why are you standing there? Quickly bandage their wounds."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Upon hearing this, the soldiers on the side quickly received the order, and then bandaged the leg wounds of the nine bandits.

These nine thieves were like tiny ants, and they hurriedly thanked him humbly, but then they suddenly froze and looked at Emperor Chongzhen as if they were a little stupid.

But no one spoke, as if they were worried that if they did one more thing, their good intentions would be gone!

The trembling look can easily remind people of the fish on the knife board.

After they were bandaged, Emperor Chongzhen asked in a gentle tone: "Where are you from, and why do you want to be thieves?"

After these nine people heard his words, you looked at me and I looked at you. No one answered first. Their expressions were a little uneasy.

When Zhou Yuji saw it, he immediately shouted in a cold voice: "Your Majesty asked a question, why don't you answer it quickly?"

Hearing this, the nine people were a little confused, and then they all looked at Emperor Chongzhen with expressions of disbelief.

But maybe they were worried, so they didn't dare not answer, and the oldest one among them said: "The villain is from Taiyuan, King Chuang... No, no, no... The bandits have come and they have something to eat, so... just... Join the army...become a thief."

His words had a strong accent, but Emperor Chongzhen still understood him.

After he opened his mouth, several other people also followed suit. They were probably all about the same. They were just making a living in the bandit army. As for how big their ideals were, they didn't have any.

Moreover, most of them originally came from military households, some were in the military and some were not.Among the nine people, none of them were old thieves who had followed Li Zicheng for many years.

Emperor Chongzhen was not surprised when he heard this.

Li Zicheng's army did not have military pay, but he was responsible for their food.Of course, the treatment on the old thief's side must be better. It is absolutely impossible for cannon fodder like these who come to die to be treated the same as the old thief.

If it weren't for the court's incompetence... well, it would be his own fault. Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but smile bitterly when he thought of this.

So, he opened his mouth and said, "You guys, rest in peace and recover. I'll let you go home after the war. I won't punish you."

When these anxious people heard his words, they hurriedly kowtowed. The first person to speak thanked him and said: "This handsome... man, my leg injury can be healed." I can atone for the sins of those who kill thieves!"

The emperor definitely couldn't be the emperor, he was probably a certain commander-in-chief, so he still called him that.

After hearing this, the others also expressed their opinions, saying that they wanted to join the army and did not want to go home.

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen asked: "Then you must tell the truth about the situation over there with the bandits, tell as much as you want!"

In later generations, our rabbit was a very powerful political worker, able to transform the opponent into a combat force for our army.At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there were basically no professional teams in this field. Most of them were just living for food and hanging around.

Emperor Chongzhen, as the soul of later generations, would naturally not be consistent with the views of people of this era in his treatment of prisoners.Not to mention, the height from which he views things and people must be from the height of the Chinese nation, not the feudal monarchy of one family and one surname.

Therefore, his attitude towards prisoners was obviously different from Zhou Yuji and others.

　Thanks to a Broken Dream for the 200 starting coin reward!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)