When Zhao Huaizhong was still drinking with Zhu Daolin on Phi Island, there was already jubilation inside and outside the capital.

When the news of the great victory in Liaodong reached the capital on 17 May, it immediately caused a violent shock, and although the Chinese military minister of the DPRK, who first received the news, was shocked and half-convinced, Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the military department, even loudly questioned Zhu Daolin in front of the emperor and his courtiers.

Unable to withstand the volcanic eruption of the vast number of people who had suffered humiliation for more than 10 years and were looking forward day and night for the news of victory, overnight, the great victory of Liaodong spread all over the city, cheers and firecrackers resounded throughout the city, and the prestige of the young Fengguo general Zhu Daolin and the Dongjiang New Army was like the sky, and the praise was spread everywhere.

May 18, noon.

Zhang Yizhen, the deputy general of the Dongjiang Army, who wore a steel helmet and armor and rode a tall war horse, led 200 elite soldiers to hold high the red and black battle flags, and escorted 4,874 solid Tartar heads, thousands of Tartar battle flags and weapons stained with gunpowder, and 315 bloodstained captured iron armor to Chaoyangmen in 15 large carriages, and was immediately stunned by the scene in front of him.

Tens of thousands of people in the capital gathered outside the city to wait, and the crowd of people who welcomed them was five miles long, and the exclamations and cheers were earth-shattering.

The captains of the city gates, the officers of the military department, and the hundreds of warriors in brocade clothes who came to greet them were willing to break the rules and lead the officers and men of the Dongjiang New Army who returned from great victory to ride into the city on horseback, and accept the cheers and admiration of countless soldiers and civilians.

In the afternoon of the same day, Emperor Chongzhen and hundreds of civil and military officials all went out to the ancestral temple to hold a grand ancestor worship ceremony amid the cheers and firecrackers of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

The heads of the 15 big carts of Tartars and the trophies were placed on the altar in front of the ancestral temple, and the young Emperor Chongzhen wept with joy, and the civil and military officials and nobles who attended the ceremony had to admit Zhu Daolin's merits regardless of whether they were close to Zhu Daolin and the rapidly rising Dongjiang New Army.

The nobles of Jingzhong and the eunuchs of the inner court, who had a good relationship with Zhu Daolin, were full of joy and praise. Neutral civil and military officials, who realized that Zhu Daolin had risen strongly, reconsidered their positions.

……

……

At night, incense curls in the inner study and candlelight is bright.

Emperor Chongzhen, who gradually calmed down from his excitement, took a deep breath, opened the recital entrusted by Zhu Daolin to Zhang Yizhen again, and read it carefully under the smiling gaze of his henchmen eunuchs Wang Chengen and Zhang Yixian.

Long. The fluctuating emperor put down the three-page piece of music, slapped the table, and sighed faintly: "Zhu Aiqing is really wise and extraordinary!" ”

He really did not live up to my expectations, and did not take advantage of the situation to invite credit, he got carried away, told me in detail about the hard-won victory in Liaodong, and repeatedly reminded me to pay close attention to the front line of Xuanda, mobilize troops as much as possible to enrich the line from Datong to Yanmen, and beware of the angry Tartar army from Duolun to the south to retaliate. I was deeply moved by the loyalty and filial piety of my fist! ”

"Alas...... The two of you also talk about it, in the past six months, have I treated Zhu Aiqing a little badly? ”

Wang Chengen and Zhang Yixian looked at each other, but they didn't expect the emperor to ask this sentence, and finally Zhang Yixian, who was still scheming, comforted in a low voice:

"Thunder, rain and dew are all Jun's grace, loyalty to the monarch and serving the country is the duty of a minister, and there is nothing wrong with General Zhu in the saint. What's more, before this, who would have expected that the Dongjiang New Army, which had only been stationed on Phi Island for half a year, would be able to achieve such an eye-catching victory? Now General Zhu and the Dongjiang New Army under his command have made war achievements. The Holy One will reward meritorious deeds according to the law. ”

Emperor Chongzhen's heart suddenly felt a lot better, but he still felt that he still owed Zhu Daolin: "That being said, Zhu Aiqing didn't get the slightest help from me to clean up the mess in Dongjiang Town, and the dignified Ming didn't give him a penny or a pound of food, so it was difficult for him." ”

Not to be outdone, Wang Chengen explained: "The saint doesn't need to worry, I think General Zhu won't care about this." General Zhu is loyal, filial, wise and brave, leads troops well, and is proficient in business, rich in the world, and never cares about some military salaries, money and food. Otherwise, he would not solve problems for the court and the saint again and again. ”

"According to the slaves, what General Zhu wants is the opportunity to display his talents, to put it mildly, what he wants is to leave a reputation in history, heroes and heroes throughout the ages, few people have lost the word fame and fortune."

Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help grinning: "You dog slave, you really get to the root, looking at what Zhu Aiqing has done in the past two years, it is indeed as you said, but you still have to say the same, he is still lustful, haha!" ”

Wang Chengen and Zhang Yixian laughed, and Zhang Yixian took advantage of the emperor's happiness to remind carefully: "Holy Lord, this great victory in Liaodong swept away the decline and inspired the people!" ”

"Zhang Yizhen, the deputy general of the Dongjiang New Army, is still waiting for the will of the saint, how to reward the Dongjiang New Army and a general with outstanding military achievements, I am afraid that the saint will have to bother more!"

"Well, it's to reward well, and to inform the world!"

After Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, his slender fingertips habitually tapped on the table: "Since I ascended the throne, my Ming army has fought against Houjin Hulu for nearly six years, and has never won the great victory of beheading thousands......"

"I couldn't believe it when I suddenly received the good news yesterday, and several important ministers of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Household questioned it in front of the court, and several young imperial historians actually asked me to severely punish Zhu Aiqing for lying about his military exploits in front of the Manchu Dynasty, but what was the result!?"

"Just after noon today, the dusty officers and soldiers of the Dongjiang New Army sent more than 4,000 Tartar heads and a large number of seizures, and nearly 100 third-level officials of the Ministry of War and Jinyi Guards carefully inspected them, and finally there was no problem, all of them were real Tartar heads!"

"If such a prominent achievement is not rewarded, I am afraid that it will make my Ming soldiers and the subjects of the world feel cold!"

After the young emperor sighed, he didn't ask for the opinions of the two henchmen and eunuchs, and after a little weighing, he set the reward: "Although Zhu Aiqing is richer than me, I can't help but reward him heavily......"

"In this way, Wang Chengen, you remember: reward the officers and soldiers of the Dongjiang New Army with 100,000 taels of silver, and all the officers above the battalion officer will be promoted to one level, and the commander of the Dongjiang Army, Wu Jichengjin, will command Tongzhi, award the rank of general, and give the title of General Zhaoyong; The deputy generals of the Dongjiang Army, Zhang Yizhen, Jiang Yulong, and Li Yumingjin, commanded the affairs, awarded the rank of guerrilla general, and conferred the title of general Dingyuan. ”

"As for Zhu Aiqing...... Give him the dragon and tiger general of the second grade, and then add the title of Earl of Jinghai! ”

Zhang Yixian, who was always worried about Zhu Daolin in his heart, hurriedly persuaded: "Holy Lord, this matter of knighthood is too important, is it a delay?" ”

"Oh? What do you mean by that? ”

Emperor Chongzhen immediately came to his senses.

Zhang Yixian bowed his head and bent over, and talked eloquently: "General Zhu relied on his own strength, from scratch, from weak to strong, in just two years, not only established a naval division with dozens of large and small warships with 10,000 people, but also trained tens of thousands of elite land divisions, from beginning to end did not ask the court and the saint to ask for a tael of silver, it can be seen that General Zhu still has great potential." ”

"This time, General Zhu quietly launched the Liaodong War, his strategy and ability to use troops far surpassed that of Mao Wenlong, and tens of thousands of Dongjiang New Army was even more powerful, both weapons and equipment and food and salary treatment are far above our Ming Army, and new contributions are just around the corner!"

"If the Holy Lord gives General Zhu the title of Earl now, then in the future, if General Zhu makes military exploits again, he should be given the title of Marquis or even the Duke of the Kingdom, so the slave thinks that it is better to slow down first, otherwise the reward will be too heavy, and there will be no reward at that time!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly, and humbly accepted the advice: "Since this is the case, I will reward his wife with a second-grade fate, presumably Zhu Aiqing can also understand my good intentions." ”

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