The social turmoil at the end of the Ming Dynasty was mainly manifested in the military and political turmoil. Of course, this army also included the peasant army, that is, the armed bandit of the government, as well as the armed forces of the Saiwai Tatars (Manchurian Tartars, Mongol Tartars).

The army at the end of the Ming Dynasty was constantly changing its identity due to being captured in battle, mutiny, desertion, and so on. The regular army, which originally belonged to the government, became a thief when it fought with the thieves, and if they were defeated and caught, or if they became deserters.

The reverse is true. Originally, they belonged to thieves, but they were arrested by the government because of the war, surrendered to the government, and became the regular army of the imperial court after being appeased and absorbed.

There are even some jumping clowns who can be soldiers for several rounds in their lives, such as the notorious Wu Sangui, Li Chengdong and others, there are not a few such people.

The well-known Wu Sangui was a soldier for the Ming Dynasty first, then a soldier for the Qing Dynasty, and finally a soldier for himself, which was also a rebellion against Kangxi, but he only served as the dew emperor for a few days, and then disappeared.

Li Chengdong was a thief first and then a soldier, when he was a soldier, he first became a soldier for Daming, then he was a soldier for the Qing Dynasty, and finally he was a soldier for Daming.

The identities of these people have become like fantasy chameleons, and in just one or two decades, even their parents probably don't know them anymore.

Therefore, the collection of prisoners and the reorganization of the army was a normal phenomenon in the various armies in the late Ming Dynasty. It was a means for the imperial court to suppress it and change it to appeasement. It is also a way for various warlords to expand their strength.

In this regard, the great warlord of the late Ming Dynasty, Zuo Liangyu did the best. From a general military officer with only tens of thousands of horses, in just a few years, he suddenly became Wu Changbo, who has an army of 800,000. True, most of the troops under his command were adapted from prisoners.

Now Lin Yi is also going to adapt the prisoner, and this is not the first time he has adapted the prisoner, he has already had several successful experiences, and he can be said to be familiar with the road.

However, Lin Yi took prisoners, which is absolutely different from Zuo Liangyu and others, it is by no means just a matter of touching his head, first of all, he must follow the principle of voluntariness and never force any prisoner to follow him as a soldier to fight. If these prisoners are unwilling to serve as soldiers, they can be released and dismissed on the spot as long as they promise not to oppose the court in the future.

The reason why these captives should be registered before they are released and dismissed is that Lin Yi is to prevent them from being clever and backsliding on their word in the future, if they are captured as prisoners for the second time, then there will be no chance, Lin Yi will not be spared, this is a means for him.

In addition, the prisoners who are willing to stay and follow Lin Yi as soldiers have to pass the physical examination, and they are by no means cut into the basket is a dish, the physique is too poor, the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled, Lin Yi will persuade them to leave.

After some screening, these captives can become Lin Yi's soldiers, and then Lin Yi will not discriminate against these prisoners, and they will be equal in terms of military discipline and treatment, with clear rewards and punishments. to maintain the stability of the team and iron discipline.

Moreover, Lin Yi's army does not raise idlers, in addition to fighting is training, whether it is a logistics soldier or a front-line combat soldier, there are no untrained soldiers, no old soldiers, including himself, he also insists on practicing martial arts to maintain combat effectiveness.

This is Lin Yi's application of the experience of special soldiers and military management in later generations to ancient times.

Now these more than 8,000 thieves have begun to accept the adaptation according to Lin Yi's previous policies.

Among them, there were more than 3,000 captives, that is, Li Guo and Hao Weiqi, who were captured from the tiger's mouth, and they have undergone a change of thinking after these days. At first, I thought that if it fell into Lin Yi's hands, he might be beheaded, or he would be co-opted. Because in the past, after the army fought back and forth and was captured, it was nothing more than these two situations. Among these people, of course, there are veterans who have become oilers, and there are also thieves who have been divided and integrated.

But then they found out that they had never been treated like they had before. They were not interrogated, their heads were not cut off, they were raised like this, three meals a day, as long as they did not make trouble, honestly, and no one troubled them.

These captives saw that Lin Yi's captives were really good, and among the troops who came to see them, those regular soldiers who were adapted from the thieves, and those they knew, this was mainly the old subordinates of Luo Rucai, who had fallen into the sky, and some of them had fought side by side.

In these years, who is not mixed with food and soldiers, as long as there is food and drink, now with Lin Yi, there is not only food and drink, but also money to spend, why not do it? Where there is a way for a person, who wants to put his head on the waistband of his trousers and be a thief?

Therefore, as soon as Lin Yi's generals announced a change in the policy of treating prisoners, these people rushed to sign up and ask to stay, and even feared that Lin Yi would not want them, and few people were willing to be released and dismissed.

Everyone used to be thieves, they all followed Li Zicheng, and now they are all prisoners, so many people are scrambling to take the lead, due to the herd mentality, it also caused a sensational effect, and as a result, they all asked to stay, to be the regular army of the imperial court, follow Lin Yigan, transfer the gun, and want to beat their old boss Li Zicheng.

It was these thieves who were newly captured in Nanyang World War I that responded enthusiastically. I heard that those who are unwilling to become soldiers can be released on the spot, and they will not be blamed for the past. Some people were skeptical, so they asked to be disarmed and returned to the field, no longer live a life of fighting, killing and killing, and become a submissive citizen of the imperial court, and some of them signed up in this way.

After the first screening, more than 6,000 were willing to stay, and only more than 2,000 were willing to be released or dismissed.

However, among these captives, more than 200 people were beheaded in public, the reason is that after registering, questioning, and checking, these more than 200 people were released from Lin Yi's previous capture, and now they have been caught again, these people are mainly the old subordinates of Shot Collapse and Luo Rucai, who were caught by Lin Yi and released, they ran to Li Zicheng's side again, and now they have been arrested and checked out of their identities, so they are unlucky.

Therefore, Lin Yi cut off their heads in public in accordance with the established policy, and also to teach a lesson to the other captives.

Then for the remaining ones who were caught for the first time, after education and registration, these 2,000 people were really released and dismissed in batches, and they were not to blame for the previous crimes, these people really felt that they had picked up a big bargain, and they really didn't dare to be thieves anymore.

Then the remaining 6,000 people were examined, and nearly 1,000 people were unqualified and persuaded to leave, and these people were also released and dismissed on the spot, went home to farm, and took their children.

The remaining 5,500 men were eligible, and they were then reorganized into battalions, and given armor, weapons, horses, and rations. After these major battles, the battalions with more casualties were more organized, and the battalions with fewer casualties were replenished, and then they were educated in army discipline.

In this way, after the reduction of casualties in the war and the increase in the number of prisoners, Lin Yi's total strength now reached 25,000.

That is to say, after the Battle of Baishuihe, after Luo Rucai's army was incorporated, 22,000 men and horses, after these major battles with Li Zicheng, all the war casualties were reduced and supplemented, and there were 3,000 more men and horses.

Just like a snowball, the more Lin Yi's army fought, not the fewer people and horses, but the more people and horses.

Of course, the complicated work of collecting and compiling prisoners could not be completed in three days or two days, and Lin Yi handed over the specific work to Zu Keyong, Wang Jian and others to be responsible.

Three days will arrive in the blink of an eye, and today is the time to exchange knives for people agreed with Tian Jianxiu.

Lin Yi also made preparations, let the standard camp and the musket battalion be on guard, he personally led the guard battalion to escort Li Guo, and met Tian Jianxiu five miles out of the camp gate.

The two sides stopped more than a hundred meters apart, which was a relatively safe distance for both sides.

Seeing Lin Yi on the opposite side and Li Guo who was escorting, Tian Jianxiu was full of spring breeze, and saluted Lin Yi with a fist, "The Great Commander is really a trustworthy person, don't come to harm?" ”

"Hehe, each other, Tian Da's demeanor is still the same." Lin Yi smiled and bowed his hand on the horse, which was considered a return of the courtesy.

After the two sides exchanged pleasantries, they got to the point and began to exchange knives for people, Tian Jianxiu waved his hand to his subordinates, and the two soldiers nodded in agreement, and drove a carriage towards Lin Yi......