Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 99 Three Arrows
About a quarter of an hour later, Emperor Chongzhen stood on the top of the city again, looking at the bandit camp in the distance.

Those nine people didn't know much. They just asked that the bandit army was about 20 people. Among them, the so-called Mianhou Yuan Zongdi led the army. He should have gone south instead of capturing Yanmen Pass.

In addition, there is news that the troops who are not the direct line of the Liu bandits are all panic-stricken, fearing that they will be rushed to attack Ningwuguan by the direct line of the Liu bandits.In their view, as long as it is the turn of the draw to attack Ningwuguan, it is basically equivalent to coming to the Hall of Yama.

Emperor Chongzhen saw that the bandits in the distance seemed to be gathering and were about to start the next round of attack.

Suddenly, he said: "Zhou Qing, when the war starts again later, open the gate of Wengcheng."

Zhou Yuji, who was standing next to him, was a little surprised when he heard this, and immediately responded: "Your Majesty, are you going to lure thieves into the Wengcheng and then destroy them?"

Having said this, he immediately added: "The general has already done it once, the bandit army should not be fooled!"

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen turned to look at him, shook his head and said, "That's not what I meant. I just want them to put down their swords and guns and surrender in the city to survive!"

If the battle at Ningwuguan continues, the troops who are not directly related to Li Zicheng's old camp and the defenders on the city will be consumed, and Li Zicheng's main force will not be harmed.The same is true. These cannon fodder who were rushed to attack Ningwuguan may not really work for Li Zicheng.

If we say that food and grass are tight here in Ningwuguan, there is nothing to say.

However, a large amount of supplies from the Shanxi merchants who ransacked their homes in Xuanfu will be shipped soon.In this case, at least in the eyes of Emperor Chongzhen, unnecessary consumption can be avoided. The lives lost are all young and strong men. Even if they are not allowed to join the army and return to the rear to farm, they are all part of the restoration of the Chinese nation.

If others do not have the power to arrange them, but he is the Ming Emperor, and he has the power to arrange them.

From a war point of view, it can also win him the morale of the military and the people, and let people know the kindness of the emperor and the cruelty of the bandits.

In terms of people's hearts, Li Zicheng is still a little young and only stays at the most primitive stage.

After hearing the emperor's words, Zhou Yuji did not immediately agree. Instead, the words of the nine injured thieves immediately flashed through his mind. He weighed it silently, and then said: "I will make arrangements now!"

The necessary precautions are still indispensable. More elite troops should be arranged at the head of the inner city to stand by. If the bandits entering the city are obedient, they will naturally survive. If they have ulterior motives, they will become the second batch of corpses in Wengcheng.

Listening to Zhou Yuji giving orders, He Zan, who had been silent for a long time, opened his mouth and said to Emperor Chongzhen: "Your Majesty, I think that the enemy troops attacking the city may not appreciate it. Once the war starts, people will go crazy."

This is something only someone who has fought in a war can say.

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while and said: "Then don't let the war begin first. Once the rebels are approaching, give them a message. If necessary, reveal that I am here because I promised that they can survive." "

When He Zan heard this, he couldn't help but hesitate and said: "This..."

During the previous military meeting, they discussed taking advantage of the fact that the rebel army did not know that the emperor was here, and therefore did not know that there were reinforcements, so as to use the danger of Ningwuguan to consume the rebel army.

Emperor Chongzhen understood what he was thinking, and while looking at the rebels outside the city, he said: "Yanmen Pass has been recaptured. If we report back quickly, within a day or two, the rebels will definitely know that there are reinforcements at Ningwuguan."

At this point, after a pause, he added: "One more thing, those who are consumed are not the elites of the thief army. This kind of consumption is meaningless to me!"

Zhou Yuji had already finished arranging things and came back. Hearing the emperor's words, he fell silent for a while, and then spoke in agreement: "Your Majesty is wise!"

After finishing speaking, he immediately added: "However, the rebels know that His Majesty is behind Ningwuguan and see that we will put the rebels in. They may send old thieves and dead soldiers to mix in with the intention of looking for opportunities to cause chaos."

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen immediately sneered and said: "They have disarmed their weapons and then taken them to the camp outside the city for screening. Are they still afraid of these small tricks?"

Having said this, he pointed at the army of Li thieves outside the city and said: "I even wish I could finish off all the thieves like this. Anyone who dares to lay down their weapons is a lamb to be slaughtered!"

Hearing this, Zhou Yuji couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. As a general fighting on one side, he didn't have the courage of the emperor, so he said no more.

Instead, Emperor Chongzhen thought of something and immediately ordered: "Call those nine people. I have something to say to them!"

After finishing speaking, he suddenly remembered that those nine people were basically injured in their legs and feet, making it difficult to move, so he added: "Forget it, I will go down to see them."

Zhou Yuji and others didn't know what the emperor was going to do. Seeing that the attacking thieves were still far away, they followed the emperor down to the top of the city.

When Emperor Chongzhen walked down the city, these nine people were still in Wengcheng and were about to leave.As soon as they saw Emperor Chongzhen coming again, they all immediately fell to their knees with their heads on the ground and did not dare to move.

Obviously, during the time Emperor Chongzhen left, they already knew that the person who just spoke to them was the Ming Emperor.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at the nine of them, softened his tone, and said to them: "I have something for you to do. As long as you do it well, each of you will be rewarded with ten taels of silver, which will pay for your journey home!"

After hearing this, none of the nine people dared to raise their heads and just agreed.

Emperor Chongzhen knew that he didn't have much time, so he didn't say much. He said directly: "There are bandits attacking outside the city again. I can't bear that they all die under the city. When you leave the city, shout to them at the city gate. As long as you are outside the city, If you lay down your weapons, you can enter the Wengcheng to survive. I will pardon them. They can join the army or go home, but they must not become thieves again!"

Hearing this, one of them looked up. He was still the one who spoke first. There was obvious surprise on his face, and he said: "But... can it be said... that the emperor said it?"

After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly and said, "Of course, this is what I said!"

When the man heard this, he immediately said excitedly: "Thank you, Your Majesty... ah no... Your grace is so great... Long live Your Majesty!"

Perhaps knowing that he was talking nonsense, he added: "The villain knows that none of them want to die!"

When other people heard him talking to the emperor, it seemed that the emperor was not evil, so they all had the courage to raise their heads, and while staring at the emperor, they nodded repeatedly and agreed with the man's words.

Outside the city, on the south bank of the Huihe River, the person supervising the battle team stepped forward and shouted: "His Royal Highness has decreed that the first person to attack the city, Feng Ningwu Bo, will be rewarded with a thousand taels! The Ningwuguan defenders are at the end of their war effort, and they will surely be able to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop." Drum down, charge!”

The horn sound of "woo woo woo" is long and disturbing.

The sound of "dong dong dong" war drums is dull and heart-stopping.

No matter what, these [-]-strong Dashun army soldiers had no choice but to cross the red Hui River whether they wanted to or not, then roared and numbed themselves as they rushed upward.

Getting closer and closer to the city wall of Ningwuguan, getting closer and closer. Seeing that they entered the attack range of the defenders at the top of the city, all the soldiers of the Dashun Army were frightened. With the blessing of their ancestors and the blessing of the gods, it was not them who died.

However, they suddenly discovered that there was no movement from the defenders on top of the city.In the past, fights were started at this distance. What happened this time?
Just when they were wondering, suddenly, they saw the city gate of Ningwuguan open, and nine people walking on crutches walked out.

At this moment, all the charging Dashun soldiers were stunned: What is going on?
Their first reaction was that they thought this was another trap set by the imperial army.

The last time, all the soldiers who stormed the city gate were thrown down from the top of the city by the imperial army. Ningwuguan was still in the hands of the army!

Is it possible that they will be fooled this time?If you don't attack the city head, but just rush into the city gate, you will be beaten into the Wengcheng.

The soldiers of the Dashun Army were not fooled, and when they were about to shout and start charging again, they heard the nine men standing at the open city gate and shouting loudly.

"Brothers, we are under Marshal Zhang. My name is Zhang Ergou. Don't fight!"

"Brothers, if you want to survive, throw away your weapons and go into the city!"

"Do you want to die here? Do you want anything else at home? Those who want to survive throw away their weapons and go to the city."

"The emperor has said that if we are pardoned, we can join the army or go home, but we can no longer be thieves!"

"..."

These nine people were shouting as hard as they could.

Their shouting made the soldiers of the Dashun Army who were just about to continue the attack dumbfounded.Because of this scene, they never thought about it. What is going on?
Among the nine people shouting desperately, someone finally recognized him and said to his companions: "Hey, that's right. Isn't that Zhang Hu's person from Taiyuan in the previous wave? He's not dead?"

Others were also surprised and started talking to the people around them.

"What do you mean? If you lose your weapon and enter the city, you can survive?"

"What can we do to survive? King Chuang's army is here, and Ningwuguan will be captured sooner or later!" "But can we survive until then?"

"No, this is a lie. Why did the emperor say he would pardon us? The emperor is in the Forbidden City, so he still cares about us?"

"..."

Amidst the heated discussions, this place filled with blood and dead people suddenly changed its appearance.

I saw that these soldiers of the Dashun Army did not continue to shout and kill, but stood there and talked to each other. The noise was like a vegetable market.

This scene made Li Zicheng and others who were watching the battle from a distance stunned.

The soldiers under his command were charging towards each other, and were about to start fighting, but suddenly stopped, and then seemed to be chatting. This kind of thing is really unheard of!

But no matter what, this is definitely not what Li Zicheng wants to see.So, after he came to his senses, he frowned and said, "What's going on?"

When he asked this question, no one answered him. They were all confused.

After Li Zicheng looked through his clairvoyance, he saw the city gate was open and someone was talking at the door. He probably guessed something, but it was not a good thing anyway, so he shouted in a cold voice: "What does the supervising team do for food?"

What he wants is to fight, not chat!

At the foot of Ningwuguan City, these Dashun Army soldiers finally looked at their heads. Zhou Dabiao, who commanded these two thousand people, was originally from a thousand households in Taiyuan.

Zhou Dabiao's focus was naturally different. He looked at the city head, then at the people at the city gate, and shouted loudly: "Stop lying, you can't say that the emperor is here, can you? Where's Marshal Zhou, come out and be a Promise, you’re not lying to us!”

He is self-aware and does not think that his team can capture Ningwuguan.However, with the supervising team behind him, he had to come.If possible, he certainly wouldn't want to die in Ningwu Pass.

He didn't believe what the nine people at the city gate said.Unless Zhou Yuji comes out to explain and guarantee it, I can still believe it and give it a try.

His men had the same idea as him and immediately agreed.

"Yes, it doesn't matter what you say. If Marshal Zhou says it, we will believe it!"

"The emperor is far away in the capital, so don't lie to us about the emperor. We only trust Marshal Zhou!"

"..."

Just as they were shouting, Zhou Yuji appeared on the top of the city, looked at the Dashun soldiers below, and shouted loudly: "Your Majesty is merciful and allows you to put down your weapons and enter the city to survive! Otherwise, Ningwuguan City will There are more of you innocent souls!"

He was speaking with his visor uncovered. Naturally, someone in the city could recognize him and found out that it was indeed Marshal Zhou who said that if he dropped his weapon and entered the city to survive, many people became interested and looked at their superior officer in anticipation. Shangguan sends a message.

At this moment, a roar came from behind them.

"What are you doing, what are you doing, not attacking the city?"

"Do you want to die? Don't you know that those who disobey military orders will die?"

"..."

Everyone turned around to look, only to see that the men who were supervising the battle team had already crossed the Huihe River, waving their swords and guns in their hands, and began to drive away the Dashun army.

There was a sudden commotion among the soldiers who were lagging behind. When they saw the people supervising the battle team approaching them, they all panicked.

These people who supervise the battle team are not just good at talking. They have killed countless of their own people!
When Zhou Yuji saw this scene on the top of the city, he immediately frowned. With the supervision team disrupting the situation, he was afraid that all the emperor's good intentions would be ruined!

At this moment, he suddenly heard someone beside him say: "Is this a distance of almost two hundred steps?"

When Zhou Yuji heard the words, he didn't even need to turn around to look. He knew that the emperor was coming from the inner city. He was immediately startled and turned around to look at Emperor Chongzhen, wanting to persuade him.

As a result, he saw at a glance that the emperor was already drawing his bow and nodding an arrow.

Is this to shoot the supervisory team in the bandit army?
Zhou Yuji was shocked and did not give any more advice, but turned to look outside the city.

At this moment, he heard the "bang bang bang" sound of the bowstring ringing in his ears, and the arrows seemed to be connected together, shooting into the distance at high speed.

No one expected this scene, they were all stunned, and subconsciously turned their heads to look at where the arrow was going.

"Oh……"

Hearing a few screams, two of the war supervisors who were at the forefront, brandishing swords and guns in an attempt to drive away the siege soldiers in front of them, fell to the ground.

At this moment, everyone was dumbfounded. This place that was supposed to be a battlefield was extremely quiet.

This distance is at least two hundred steps away. Even if you have the advantage of being condescending, it is not easy to hit!
However, this man on top of the city actually shot the two supervising team members!
What is this, an absolute marksman!
The remaining team members who were supervising the battle were the first to come to their senses. Regardless of the two companions who were shot but not dead, they were so frightened that they quickly retreated and stayed far away. They did not stop until they reached the edge of the Hui River, and then looked towards them with lingering fear. City head.

The defenders on the city were also stunned, but after they came to their senses, excitement surged from the bottom of their hearts: The emperor is so powerful, how can the war be invincible!
I don’t know who it was, but he said with sincerity: “Your Majesty is mighty!”

After hearing this, everyone else excitedly praised: "Your Majesty is mighty!"

The sound may not be loud enough, but the soldiers of the Dashun Army under the city heard it clearly.

But it was they who heard clearly that they were immediately dumbfounded: Is this archer the emperor?How can this be!

Emperor Chongzhen was quite satisfied with the few arrows he shot in front of so many people, and felt a slight sense of accomplishment.

When he saw that Li Zicheng's supervising team had been driven back, he looked towards the city and shouted: "This is my will. You can survive by putting down your weapons and entering the city!"

After these words were spoken, it was like a thunder, hitting the heads of the Dashun soldiers below the city, shocking them.

Is such a powerful marksman really the current emperor?

Suddenly, among the Dashun troops closest to the city gate, someone threw the spear in his hand to the ground, made a "clang" sound, and shouted: "I want to live!"

After saying that, he was the first to walk towards the city gate.

Regardless of whether they believed it or not, the sharpshooter on top of the city was really the emperor, but one fact was before them. If they wanted to attack Ningwuguan, they would basically die here, and there would be no accidents.

As long as you don't want to die, it's a good choice.Especially those who are small soldiers have less worries and only need to consider whether they can survive!
One person took the lead, and suddenly, the soldiers of Dashun Army outside the city were like dominoes, triggering a chain effect. Other soldiers also lost their swords and guns, and then entered the city gate.

When Zhou Dabiao saw it, he knew that people's hearts were like this. He couldn't stop him even if he wanted to. If he really wanted to stop him, maybe the unknown marksman on top of the city could kill him with one arrow.

So, he also said "Hey", then threw away the weapon in his hand and walked towards the city gate.

When the soldiers of the Dashun Army behind him saw him, more and more people threw away their weapons, and the sound of "dinging, banging, clanging" suddenly became continuous.

The crowd also filed into the city gate.

The supervising team members were dumbfounded when they saw this scene.He wanted to rush forward and kill people, but he was afraid of the sharpshooters on top of the city. For a moment, he could only watch helplessly as the soldiers of the Dashun Army who were supposed to be fighting dropped their weapons and entered the city gate.

In this way, this time the Dashun Army's attack on Ningwuguan ended with the injury of two war supervisors.

There is a legend in later generations that the emperor hit Ningwuguan with three arrows!

(End of this chapter)