Li Xiao thought about the plan to stay in Jinjiazhuang Fort for a long time, but he felt that he had not thought it through, and the time was not ripe for the Tartars to withdraw from the army, so he did not say it to anyone for the time being. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

Time flies, and soon, it is the second day of the eighth month of the leap month.

During this time, Li Xiao's whole army reorganized the soldiers and horses, trained the recruits, repaired the city walls, buried the corpses, treated the wounded, and settled the people.

In the afternoon of that day, Li Xiao was inspecting the resettlement of the people in the fort, when suddenly the garrison soldiers at the head of the city hurriedly came to report that there were hundreds of cavalry and horses in the south, and they were rushing towards Jinjiazhuang Fort.

Li Xiao hurriedly boarded the castle gate and looked at the hall, and sure enough, there were about 300 cavalry of the Ming army, unorganized, and the banners were scattered in his direction.

"Ah, it's General Yao!"

Li Xiao saw in astonishment from the clairvoyant mirror that Yao Wenchang, a staff general with his helmet had been lost, his hair was scattered, and his face was stained with blood and dirt, leading a group of defeated soldiers and horses, including Hong Meng, the captain of Jiading, to rush towards Jinjiazhuang Fort in a panic. There were panicked and frightened expressions on everyone's faces, as if they had just escaped from the battlefield for their lives.

What's going on?

I remember that when we set off from Wuding Prefecture, Shandong, this Yao Wenchang was a general, but he brought a full 5,000 soldiers and horses!

Soon, Yao Wenchang's remnants walked to the gate of Jinjiazhuang Fort, Yao Wenchang saw Li Xiao who was on the gate of the fort at a glance, and hurriedly turned over and dismounted, shouting in a desolate voice: "It's Li Qianhu above, it's Yao Wenchang, please open the city gate quickly!" ”

Li Xiao hurriedly opened the door and let Yao Wenchang and the others enter.

As soon as Yao Wenchang entered the castle, he held Li Xiao's hand tightly and cried loudly.

"General Yao, didn't I hear that your department went to Wanquan Right Guard, how did you become embarrassed?" Seeing Yao Wenchang so out of shape, Li Xiao was inexplicably surprised, and he couldn't react for a while.

"Moti! It's over, it's all over, my Yao Wenchang soldiers and horses are all gone, it's completely over! Yao Wenchang let go of his grip on Li Xiao's hand, covered his face with both hands, and cried more and more.

"Li Qianhu, listen to you." Hong Meng, the captain of the family next to him, choked up and replied.

Li Xiao listened to Hong Meng's narration, and his brows became more and more wrinkled.

It turned out that this Yao Wenchang Department had received a military order from the Imperial Military Department to Wanquan Right Guard on the same day, but according to Hong Meng's plan, he deliberately delayed the road for a long time, and only walked less than 20 miles a day, in order to arrive as late as possible.

Moreover, in order to delay time, Yao Wenchang's department originally took the border of Baoan Prefecture in the west of Beizhili, so that he could travel a lot less. As a result, Yao Wenchang and Hong Meng discussed and decided, on the grounds that the road was unfamiliar, deliberately changed to the boundary of Yanqing Prefecture in the east, entered Xuanfu East Road, went west from the East Road, went to Wanquan Dusi, and then turned to the north, and finally arrived at Wanquan Youwei.

The two of them chose this way, of course, to extend their time on the road as long as possible.

It's just unlucky, when Yao Wenchang's department was marching to the main fort of Longmen Guard, which was burned by the Tartars, he suddenly encountered thousands of Tartars coming from the north side of the Nanhe River.

Yao Wenchang's army, which was demoralized and had no fighting spirit, was hit by the Tartar Thunder and quickly collapsed.

The Tartars chased the north and slaughtered wantonly, and Yao Wenchang's troops fled in all directions, bleeding all over the field.

Half an hour later, all the infantry of Yao Wenchang's army were wiped out, and all the grain and grass fell into the hands of the enemy, leaving only hundreds of cavalry to protect Yao Wenchang himself, desperately crossing the South River, fleeing to the north bank, and finally escaping with his life.

Yao Wenchang and others, who were desperate and unfamiliar with the place, were looking around at a loss, and suddenly thought that Li Xiaobu was sent to Jinjiazhuang Fort that day to guard the dragon gate, and the group rushed to Jinjiazhuang Fort as if they had caught a life-saving straw.

"Have you ever seen the Tartar flag?"

"I see it clearly, it's a blue flag tartar!"

Hong Meng hurriedly returned, and Li Xiao sighed unconsciously.

There is no doubt that the one who annihilated Yao Wenchang's department was the Zhenglan Banner Jiala's True Love Bali Department who suffered defeat in his own Jinjiazhuang Fort and had to retreat.

It is estimated that this Tartar has vented all his anger and depression on this unlucky Yao Wenchang.

This person is also considered unlucky.

Tian Wei, the chief of General A next to him, suddenly couldn't help laughing, and he told Yao Wenchang and others how Li Xiaojun held Jinjiazhuang Fort that day and captured a lot of Tartar heads.

Listening to Tian Wei's boasting, the faces of Yao Wenchang, Hong Meng and others were full of disbelief. Hong Meng's mouth was even more open enough to hold an egg.

"This dog Tartar can also bully you, if you run into our army, Lao Tzu must knock out its dog teeth and cut off its dog head!"

Tian Wei's ending words made Yao Wenchang's face blush, and it was difficult to raise his head.

"Tian Wei, Hugh has to boast and chew his tongue here! Don't hurry up and get out of here! Seeing Yao Wenchang so embarrassed, Li Xiao shouted angrily at Tian Wei.

Tian Wei laughed twice and retreated.

"It's not easy for you to fight to the death, please go down and rest first, and then discuss." Li Xiao comforted Yao Wenchang a few words, and then asked Wei Zhen to appease An Qian and lead everyone to find a few empty houses for them to settle down and rest.

Looking at the back of Yao Wenchang and the others, Li Xiao felt a long sigh in his heart.

Speaking of which, it was still himself, a butterfly from later generations, who flapped his wings and changed the original course of history, which could have been spent in confusion by Yao Wenchang's troops, encountered this unwarranted disaster.

The cause and effect involved in this, how can people not sigh.

So, what should be done with the remnants of Yao Wenchang now?

Li Xiao, who returned to the official hall, was still pacing in the courtyard and thinking.

If he just took him in like this, then, after the Tartars retreated, this Yao Wenchang would definitely be strictly held accountable by the imperial military department. And Liu Zeqing, the general soldier of Shandong, will also be killed because of his soldiers and horses, and he will be ruthless. If this is the case, this Yao Wenchang will not be able to escape a dead word left and right.

In Li Xiao's heart, he didn't want Yao Wenchang to die like this.

Last time in Wuding Prefecture, Shandong, Li Xiao's troops and Yao Wenchang's troops had a friction and conflict, Yao Wenchang punished his own soldiers, apologized to Li Xiao and entertained him, which left a deep impression on him.

Such a person can be called mediocre in terms of fighting and fighting, but in terms of human feelings, he is extremely good at seeing the wind and rudder.

He saw that Li Xiao's soldiers were tough and difficult to commit, and as a battalion general, he was able to put down his body to win over a small thousand generals, such a person who knew the times and understood the power of change, in a sense, it was worth befriending.

Moreover, this Yao Wenchang, as a subordinate of Liu Zeqing's cronies, is one of the four major Jingang under his subordinates, and he is quite powerful in the northeastern and western parts of Shandong, and he is a powerful figure.

If Li Xiao can give him a favor now, help him get out of the end of certain death. Judging from this person's flexibility, Li Xiao can expect that Yao Wenchang will definitely be grateful to himself for such a gesture of sending charcoal in the snow, and he is afraid that he will be rewarded in the future.

In other words, if he rescued Yao Wenchang by grace, he would undoubtedly be able to dig up the cornerstone of the opponent in the camp of Liu Zeqing, who has always been hostile to him, and arrange a chess piece that is quite beneficial to him.

Put a long line to catch big fish.

Li Xiao finally stopped pacing, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

That night, Li Xiao went to the side room of the official hall to meet Zu Dale.

Zu Dale was already very good at this time, he was born in a family of military generals, his body was actually quite strong, because he did not hurt his bones, and he had the century-old ginseng given by Li Xiao to replenish his qi and blood, and he recovered quite quickly.

Seeing Li Xiao come in, Zu Dale was about to beckon him to sit down. Li Xiao motioned to him and asked him to retreat.

After his subordinates exited the room, Li Xiao said to Zu Dale in a deep voice: "Master Zu, I came here tonight, but I have something to discuss with my lord. ”

"Li Xiao, what do you want to talk about, but it doesn't hurt to say."

"Lord Zu, what I want to talk about is now the matter of the distribution between the head and the captives." Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

"Oh."

"Lord Zu, our army was stationed in this fort, and a total of 697 Jurchen Tartar heads, 255 Mongol Tatar heads, 249 Han army heads, and 23 Jurchen Tatars, 48 Mongol Tatars, 10 Han soldiers, and 335 captive Ming troops. Now, I am worried about how to distribute these heads. Li Xiao went straight to the point and said bluntly to Zu Dale.

"Li Xiao, such a big victory, but our army has not had a magnificent military feat since the victory of Ningjin. If it weren't for the fact that there is a limit to every promotion, Li Xiao, with such great merit, it would be enough for you to be promoted to the chief soldier. Zu Dale looked at Li Xiao with an admiring expression, and then lowered his voice and asked Li Xiao: "Are you afraid that the above will not be greedy for your military merits?" ”

"Exactly." Li Xiao sighed lightly and said: "I have no support here, if I report this, I am afraid that such a military feat will not be sent to the imperial court at all, and it will be divided and swallowed up by the officials of the Xuan Mansion." ”

"Could it be that Li Xiao, you came to see the old man, but you want the old man to help report his military merits?" Zu Dale said with a smile.

Li Xiao bowed his hand: "This is exactly what it means, if there is no ancestor to help report it, then all the military merits we have obtained in the bloody battle will be made for others." ”

"I would have been grateful to you for saving your life that day, and you were so friendly with the little girl. The old man has to help. Zu Dale laughed and asked again: "But I don't know Li Xiao, what plan do you have in your heart?" ”

"Lord Zu, according to the understanding of the Ming military merit system, leading the leading officers, but all the official positions above the general flag, below the commander, and more than dozens of people, the subordinates will be awarded ten slaves and thieves, and they will be promoted to one level, and each additional ten will be promoted to one level. Up to the third level, the second level is actually awarded, and the first level is signed. And in addition to 50 taels of silver for each Tartar head, there were additional silver and silk for the prize. I don't know if it's right or not? ”

"Yes, yes."

"Oh, if that's the case, in the next time, you can rely on 30 Jurchen Tartar heads, you can bypass the commander and know the same knowledge, and finally become the commander." Li Xiao chuckled.

"Yes, if there is someone in the court, it is a super-qualified promotion, and it is common for him to be promoted to the commander of the same knowledge." Zu Dale nodded and said, "However, although your official rank can only reach the commander, the possibility of further progress is greater if the military rank is sent to a non-quality position like this." According to the general's point of view, Li Xiao, your current military position is the general, and with such great achievements, you should be able to surpass the thousand generals and garrisons and be promoted to the position of the capital secretary. ”

Li Xiao was silent for a moment, then he smiled again and said to Zu Dale: "My lord, I thank you for your help this time. I want to give 200 Jurchen Tartar heads to adults. ”

Zu Dale seemed to have been stung by a wasp, and his whole body shook violently.

Good fellow, 200 Jurchen Tartar heads, this is a great gift!

In these years, the Jurchen Tartar head is the most valuable, referred to as the head of the Eastern Emperor, and is most valued by the imperial court.

The second level is the head of the Mongolian Tartars, referred to as the Northern Captives, the two heads can be awarded half a level, but compared to the Jurchen Tartars, the heads of these Mongolian Tartars are not very valued by the imperial court, like in the last years of Wanli, Li Chengliang Magui and other general generals, cut off the heads of a large number of Mongolians, are hundreds of thousands of cuts, each promotion is limited.

The third is the surrender of the Han army of Jin, and Li Chuang, Wang Zhang Xianzhong and other rogues of the head, the gold content of the head has been greatly reduced, and it is necessary to behead 16 or even 20 to actually confer the first level, and the attraction of these heads to the official army has been greatly reduced.

And the worst is the head of bandits and bandits in various parts of the Ming Empire, because guarding the land and Jing'an is the responsibility of the Ming army in various places, so this kind of bandit head is the most worthless, generally forty or fifty to be awarded a level, and the imperial court military department is also the most neglectful of this kind of military exploits, and the issuance of rewards and promotions is always delayed.

Zu Dale had an excited look on his face, and it was almost difficult to control himself.

According to the military merit law of the Ming Dynasty, from the command to the military position, every 30 Tartar heads can be upgraded by one level, of course, the higher the head, the more heads are needed. Now Li Xiao is willing to give himself a full 200 Jurchen Tartar heads, which is enough to ensure that he is promoted to the general army, and the military rank can also be commanded by the capital, and he can be promoted to the governor of the capital, and Wuxun can also be added from the protector to the upper guard, if it is the early stage of the dynasty, it is not difficult to be promoted to the lord of the marquis.

With such a feat, then if he lost the 1,000 reinforcements on the bank of the Nanhe River, the imperial court would naturally not pursue it.

This Li Xiao is so broad-minded, which really makes him sincerely admire.

"Li Xiao, you are so affectionate, the old man treated you like that at the beginning, but he deserved it." Zu Dale was excited, but there was a faint look of shame on his face.

"Master Zu, the past is cloudy, so there is no need to mention it again. In this battle of fortification, the Liaodong soldiers of the adults also had a lot of merit and helped our army a lot. In the future, there will be a lot of reliance on adults. Li Xiao replied with a smile.

Zu Dale smiled awkwardly, and hurriedly changed the topic: "Li Xiao, how do you plan to distribute the remaining heads?" ”

"I want to divide the 249 heads of the Han army to the soldiers of Benbao and Du Shaoru's troops. The 255 Mongolian Tartar heads were distributed to General Yao Wenchang, who was defeated today. Li Xiao said calmly.

"This, Li Xiao, you gave it to the soldiers of Benbao and Du Shaoru's army, and the general can still understand, after all, they also participated in the battle of defending the fort. It's just that why did you give such a valuable military feat to such a defeated general who had no friendship with you? When Zu Dale heard that Li Xiao was going to give his military merits to Yao Wenchang, he couldn't help but be quite puzzled.

Suddenly, he raised his head and whispered to Li Xiao: "Could it be that you want to win over this person?" ”

Li Xiao smiled and nodded.

"Master Zu, this Yao Wenchang general, although he doesn't have much contact with Zaixia, but from the bottom of it, this person is a flexible person, and he doesn't have the kind of arrogance that thinks very highly of himself. As long as I, Li Xiao, do not collapse myself, people like Yao Wenchang can become my good helpers, so I am willing to divide his head to protect his military position. ”

Although Li Xiao said it vaguely, a person like Zu Dale, who has been in the officialdom for a long time, can't see Li Xiao's thoughts. He smiled faintly and said: "Li Xiao, the old man didn't see that you are so scheming, it's really rare, so let's follow your opinion." ”

Zu Dale paused, and continued to ask Li Xiao: "Then there are still 467 Jurchen Tartar heads, what should we do with them?" ”

Li Xiao pondered for a while, and said to Zu Dale: "These heads, they still have to be handed over, and it is not very beneficial to put them in my place. I was thinking that I could exchange interests with the officials of the Xuan Mansion at that time. ”

"Oh? What do you mean by that? ”

"Well, there are still some details that I haven't thought through, but adults will know when they arrive. In short, there is no reason for these heads to be turned in in vain. Li Xiao said with a smile.

Zu Dale also laughed: "Li Xiao, you guy has a lot of ghosts, and the old man doesn't get to the bottom of it." By the way, there are also those Jurchen, Mongol, and Han prisoners, what are you going to do with them? You must know that since the end of Wanli, the dynasty has never captured so many prisoners since the end of Wanli, and these captives are very precious. ”

"These captives are all reported in the name of their own officials."

"Oh, that's the case, if that's the case, you've reached the limit of your promotion this time, but it's a bit of a waste." Zu Dale thought about it and said with some puzzlement.

"Don't waste it, I'm doing this just to make my Li Xiao's name, Jane in the emperor's heart, difficult to erase!" Li Xiao's answer was concise and clear, but very firm.

(Thank you for the monthly pass, thank you for your support) (To be continued.) )