In Zhu Yongxing's view, if you have the time and energy, why not replace defense with offense, and completely sweep away the Qing army south of the Yangtze River and in the upper reaches of Yuezhou, so as to grasp the natural dangers of the Yangtze River? At that time, the Changsha naval division that surrendered to Wu Sangui was not strong in strength, but it was enough to overwhelm the Qing army that had just established a base camp in Jingzhou. Why not wait for the Qing army to gather in Yuezhou and passively defend against the repeated attacks of the Qing army to seize Yuezhou?

Jingzhou gradually became clear in the telescope's field of vision, five miles outside the south gate of the city is the Yangtze River, a large embankment blocking the surging river, protecting this low-lying ancient city.

"Jingzhou is most afraid of bursting the embankment, if the river is broken, the Qing army in Jingzhou will be all fish and turtles, but-" Zhu Yongxing confirmed his judgment, put down the binoculars and sighed: "We are the king's master!" ”

Jingzhou is a city to prevent river water from irrigating the city, and there are long embankments on the east, south and west sides. Therefore, it is most afraid of bursting the embankment and releasing water. And the Qing army used this as a base camp, which was really as stupid as Kang Xiaosan back then, looking at the map and commanding blindly, but Wu Sangui was even more stupid, so that Kang Xiaosan won by luck.

Wu Sangui in history was still worried about the hundreds of thousands of living beings in the city, and he couldn't bear to break the embankment, flood the Qing army, and harm the people, and rejected his subordinates' construction of "breaking the Jingzhou embankment, Jingzhou will be broken", Zhu Yongxing naturally did not dare to bear the infamy of the ages.

Inspecting Jingzhou, Zhu Yongxing was naturally the flagship of Chen Shangchuan, the commander-in-chief of the Yangtze River Naval Division, with a large ship and many guns, and was the most powerful and safe warship in the Yangtze River Naval Division. At this time, there were also Wang Guangxing, the Duke of Jingguo, Li Laiheng, the Duke of Linguo, and Yidu Houta Tianbao and others on the ship.

Hearing Zhu Yongxing say to himself about flooding Jingzhou, everyone didn't dare to answer, and when Zhu Yongxing said that Wang Shi couldn't break the embankment, Xingping Hou Dang Shousu just opened his mouth, and Ma Tengyun stretched out his elbow and touched him. Shake your head at him gently.

Speaking of water attack, the commentary talks about Guan Yu's flooding of the Seventh Army, while Li Zicheng's flooding of Kaifeng is a human tragedy. As the remnants of the Great Shun Army, how could they not know about this. As for the meaning of Zhu Yongxing's words, they couldn't figure it out, how dare they answer casually.

Zhu Yongxing observed for a moment. He also asked the gunners of the ship whether they could bombard Jingzhou on the river, and only after receiving a reply did he order the ship to return.

abandoned the ship and landed ashore, and Zhu Yongxing officially hosted a banquet for the generals of Kuidong. As the leader of Kuidong, the king of Zheng, Liu Tichun and Hao Shaoqi, blocked the Qing army in Zhuxi and Zhushan, and now came to join forces to attack Jingzhou, led by Li Laiheng, the Duke of Linguo.

"I didn't expect the shape to change so quickly, I thought it would take a lot of time to see you!" Zhu Yongxing changed into civilian clothes and smiled very casually. "Come, this first cup is to thank you for your determination to resist the Qing Dynasty, contain a large number of Qing troops, and make great contributions to the great cause of Zhongxing."

"His Royal Highness Xie praised, the last general really didn't dare to wait." Li Laiheng hurriedly raised a glass on behalf of everyone.

"There's nothing you don't dare to do, the credit is there, everyone can see it!" Zhu Yongxing took a small sip lightly, and then put down the wine glass. said: "When the Qing army attacked the southwest on a large scale, you relieved the crisis for the imperial court. Attack Chongqing to contain the Qing army. From this incident, you can see that you are taking into account the overall situation, are loyal to the imperial court, and resolutely resist the Qing Dynasty. ”

When Li Laiheng and the others heard Zhu Yongxing mention this matter, their faces were focused, but they were really happy in their hearts.

This important anti-Qing armed force, with the former Dashun Army as the main body, was almost always discriminated against and excluded in the Southern Ming court, as early as the Longwu period, when He Tengjiao, Zhang Kuang and others controlled the entire territory of Hunan. He made it difficult for him in many ways in terms of food and salary, and later in the Yongli court, he was overwhelmed by Qu Shiyun, Chen Bangfu, Li Yuanyin and others. When Sun Kewang came to power, he never provided him with logistical support.

Compared with this, Zhu Yongxing is very generous and fair. Now he speaks of the old things in an appreciative tone. Apparently more cordial and welcoming.

"Expelling the Tartars and restoring Huaxia is the goal that Gu has long proposed, which is the so-called great cause of Zhongxing." Zhu Yongxing paused and continued: "To have today's shape depends on the sincere unity of all the armies, the unity of orders, and the ability to coordinate and cooperate in combat. If there are internal disputes and each selfish is important, how can there be the current situation? ”

"What Your Highness said is very true." Li Laiheng saw Zhu Yongxing's gaze sweeping over, and replied: "If the force is divided, it is weak, and a plate of loose sand will naturally not be able to compete with the Tartars." ”

Zhu Yongxing nodded with a smile, stretched out his hand to point and evaluate one by one, "King Guangxing of Jingguo, Yunyang moved that day, and so far there have been tears in Jiuyuan." Not only did he not share the sky with the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but also knew the righteousness, handed over the local governance power to the imperial court, and incorporated his own army into the Ming army. ”

"The last general is also selfish, and when he saw His Highness's sincerity, he came to his senses, and asked His Highness not to sin." Wang Guangxing was secretly happy in his heart, but his attitude was respectful.

Qihou Hezhen, in Hanzhong against the Qing Dynasty, attacked Fengxiang, and then united with various anti-Qing teams to attack Xi'an, which was a great momentum. I heard that the reason for the anti-Qing Dynasty was the dissolution of Meng Qiaofang, the governor of Shaanxi in the Manchu Qing Dynasty, but I don't know if it is true? Zhu Yongxing looked at He Zhen with a smile, "What about now, what do you think about proposing military reform and forming an army to fight against Shuo?" ”

To ask this question is to be blunt. He Zhen was originally a Ming general, and then joined the Dashun Army, and then joined the Qing court, which can be described as three changes of ownership, and the current military reform is similar to the situation when he was forced to rebel, Zhu Yongxing asked this, He Zhen couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart.

"Back to His Royal Highness, the last general will erect a flag against the Qing Dynasty, one is Meng Qiaofang's suspicion, and the other is that he is even more focused on the Ming Dynasty and hates the tyranny of the Manchu Dynasty." He Zhen said cautiously: "As for the reform of the military system, it is a move by the imperial court to unify the affairs and powers. Since ancient times, the separation of military and political affairs has also been common sense. ”

"It's a little insincere!" Zhu Yongxing smiled and waved his hand, stopped He Zhen's defense, and then stretched out his hand to point at the party shousu, and said: "Xingping Marquis Dang Shousu, when Kong, Shang, and Geng rebelled against the army to attack Guangdong and Hunan Gui, you once accompanied the late marquis Gao Bizheng to lead elite soldiers and horses to the pilgrimage to meet the saints, and proposed two important proposals, one of which is to change the situation of Xunzhen's separation, and the financial revenue and the appointment of officials should be arranged by the imperial court in a unified manner, so as to concentrate limited financial resources and troops to save the country. Lonely remembers, right? ”

"Back to Your Highness, this is indeed the case." Dang Shousu hesitated for a moment and said: "Therefore, the princes and the last generals saw that the ministers who held the military power blindly supported the army and respected themselves, beggar-thy-neighbor, and had no overall plan. At that time, the shape shì was critical, so there was this construction. ”

"Time has passed, what do you think now?" Zhu Yongxing flicked the wine glass lightly, making a slight crisp sound. said: "At that time, the loyalty camp was repeatedly harassed, lacking food and salary, and was in a difficult situation. Now, although Kuidong is poor and desolate, it is much better than the situation at that time. ”

"The last general, the last general still holds this opinion. No change. Dang Shousu heard Zhu Yongxing's words, hesitated, and replied.

Zhu Yongxing smiled faintly, stretched out his hand and pointed one by one, explaining the experiences and exploits of Ta Tianbao, Ma Xiangyun and others clearly, naturally there were deletions and additions, and tried not to touch their faults.

"Linguo Gong Li Laiheng-" Zhu Yongxing finally focused his eyes on Li Laiheng, nodded again and again, and his appreciation was beyond words.

Li Laiheng spent most of his life fighting against the Manchus. Maolu Mountain became the last tragic battle of the anti-Qing forces on the mainland. Although the soldiers were defeated and died, they swore not to bow their heads, and the national integrity of killing and becoming benevolent is enough to reflect the sun and the moon! Li Laiheng was defeated, and there was no one in the Central Plains who was a single inch of land, but Zhu Zhengtun was overseas, and since then China has fallen for three hundred years, what a pity!

"You're good. A cup of solitary respect. Zhu Yongxing pondered for a moment and raised his glass. Then drink it all.

"Your Highness." Li Laiheng saw Zhu Yongxing's appreciation, but he didn't know the specific reason.

After a glass of wine, Zhu Yongxing pondered for a long time, and slowly said: "At the beginning of leaving Burma and entering Yunnan, although the remnants of various armies were assembled one after another, the army was in chaos. The generals were skeptical. Lonely step by step, to the present shape, what is the person to rely on? ”

"It is His Highness who is wise and powerful, so that the soldiers will return to their hearts and the Jedi will rise. Unstoppable. King Guangxing of Jingguo hurriedly complimented him.

"Well, Lone is smarter than others, and sees farther than others." Zhu Yongxing nodded with a smile, his face calmed down again, and continued: "But this is not complete. Lone thinks that the most important thing is to treat people with sincerity and promise, so as to convince people. Doubts, not only in the face of the Tartars, the outcome is unknown, but also this historical problem. They are all Ming troops, and there is no difference in Lone's eyes, as long as they are still fighting against the Manchu Qing Dynasty, they do not surrender on their knees, there are no armed forces that hurt the people and harm the people, and Lone treats everyone equally, and his heart is grateful and admired. But because of different backgrounds, including you, I'm afraid I'm still worried about this, right? ”

Zhu Yongxing paused, and Li Laiheng opened his mouth to defend himself, but he still didn't say anything, waiting for Zhu Yongxing to continue.

"The body disease is easy to treat, but the heart disease is difficult to treat!" Zhu Yongxing sighed and continued: "What you think in your lonely heart, it is not convincing to say it, it can only be proved with practical actions. There are cares for the wounded, compassion for the dead, resettlement for retirement, and clear rewards and punishments, and fairness and selflessness, which gradually made the Ming army in the southwest return to their hearts. Like King Jin, King Zhao, etc., their own glory and wealth are one thing, and it is also their wish to make their subordinates have a good home. Do you have this hope? ”

"Your Highness is wise." Li Laiheng arched his hand and said: "It is indeed our wish to follow our subordinates to fight in the south and the north, trekking through mountains and rivers for thousands of miles, and allowing them to enjoy a happy life." As for the glory and wealth, the last general did not dare to have too much extravagance. ”

"The last general is the same as the Duke of Linguo." The crowd chimed in.

"That's a lie." Zhu Yongxing pointed around with a smile and teased: "I can't occupy a county, and I'm not willing to hand it over to the court, it's too small!" ”

"Your Highness has taught you a lesson." Ma Xiangyun said with a smile: "His Royal Highness is ambitious in the world, and my eyelids are indeed shallow." ”

"In the final analysis, you still don't know about the Lone King." Zhu Yongxing raised his glass, turned around, took a sip, and said, "Some things are hard to say, but if you don't make it clear, this knot will be difficult to solve." 'Don't be an An An starvation, follow the praying mantis', this is what Yang Sichang said, right? Bullshit, is this talking about human words, a secretary of the military department, an important minister of the court, who has always regarded himself as an official of his parents, and actually wants his people to starve in peace? ”

Yang Sichang, who was responsible for suppressing Zhang Xianzhong at the end of the Ming Dynasty, made "Xijiang Yue", the first split is "Don't be an an's starvation, especially the praying mantis." This poem was also well received among the scholars of the Ming court, and I felt that it was very right. When the peasants have no food to eat, they have to starve to death quietly at home, so how can they run around and cause trouble for the government? also dared to resist grain and taxes, and even rebelled to cause chaos to the imperial court, which was really innocent.

In fact, in terms of Li Ziyuan's life experience and deeds, he is certainly not a "hero" who promotes historical progress, but he is also not a natural thug. Compared with Zhang Jiao, Fang La, the White Lotus Sect, the Qinglian Sect, and the later Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, the peasant uprisings led by Li Zicheng were actually the least religious. His revolt was driven entirely by famine.

Northern Shaanxi is located in the bitter cold Loess Plateau, the land is barren, rainfall is scarce, and the tax and "additional distribution" in the late Ming Dynasty were levied on a per mu basis, without considering the actual output. This is extremely unreasonable for northern Shaanxi, which is vast and sparsely populated. The most unbearable thing for the local people is that northern Shaanxi was originally located inland, and the residents lived on farming, and there was basically no industry and commerce, but the various "additional distributions" of the government only collected money. If you don't want food, this is tantamount to adding an extra burden to the peasants.

In addition, the endless forced labor and the various looting caused a large number of peasants to flee, and in order to "complete the grain", the government stipulated that if one household fled, the remaining nine households would make up for it, and the remaining nine households would make up for it.

Chongzhen two years. In "Beichen Great Hunger", Ma Maocai, a native of Yan'an, recorded in detail the tragic situation of drought and no rain at that time, the displacement of the people, and the grief everywhere:

Yan'an Mansion, the township of Chenxiang, has no rain for a year since last year, and the grass and trees are scorched. In August and September, the people compete to pick the grass in the mountains and eat. Its grains are like chaff skin, and its taste is bitter and astringent. Eat. It can only be extended to immortality. After October, when the canopy is exhausted, the bark is stripped and eaten. The trees but the elm are not good. Miscellaneous bark for food, can also slow down its death. At the end of the year and the bark of the tree is exhausted, they dig up the rocks in the mountains and eat. Its stone name is green leaves, the taste is fishy and greasy, less food is full, and after a few days, the abdomen is distended and falls to death. There are people who are unwilling to eat stones and die. Gathering together for thieves...... Occasionally, those who have won are also fearless, and say: Die of hunger and die of thieves! Rather than sit and starve to death, why die for a thief, but for a full ghost.

This heart-wrenching piece of an ancient official still shakes people when they read it today. The words of the hungry people three hundred years ago were direct and heartfelt, and they were closer to the truth than the articles published in the core journals by a dozen scholars in later generations. Because according to the "law of blood reward". Since the "risk coefficient" borne by "starvation" and "theft" is the same, then according to the principle of "maximizing profits", of course, "being a thief" should be chosen, because "being a thief" can at least eat enough to die.

The conscientious officer went on to write in his memoir: "The most pitiful one, like the one with a wing on the west side of Ansai, will abandon one or two babies every day." There are those who cry, there are those who call out to their parents, and there are those who eat their dung. By the next morning, the son who had been abandoned had no life, and there were those who had abandoned him. What's even more strange, children and loners, as soon as they go out of the city, there is no trace. Later, when I saw the people outside the door, I cooked human bones for salary, and cooked human flesh for food, and I knew that the people before me were all eaten by them. And the cannibal man will die of red and swollen eyes and heat in the next few days. So the dead man rested on his pillow, and the stench was terrible. Several pits were dug outside the county, each of which could accommodate hundreds of people, to cover their remains. When the minister came, he had already filled more than three pits, and those who could not hide it several miles away did not know how many of them.

Ma Mao used "the most pitiful" and "even more alienated" to prepare for the tragic situation of white bones and cannibalism at that time, and the place where this tragedy occurred "Ansai" was the ancestral home of Gao Yingxiang, an early peasant leader. At the same time, it can also be seen that famine is certainly caused by drought, but as long as there is a willingness to help, it is not completely impossible. "Gathering for thieves" just means that there is something to steal, otherwise what is the use of "getting together"? If the government had been able to "make up for the deficit", it would have minimized the damage caused by natural disasters. But what do they do?

…… Some Si was terrified of the strictness of the order, and had to be strict in urging the department. If there are only one or two people in a household, these one or two people will inevitably lose the money and food of one household; There are only one or two households in the first class, and it is bound to make these one or two households lose the money and grain of the first class. And so on, every mile and every county are all the same. Now the people can only flee with hatred and drift to other places. Flee here to the other, and flee here again. If you flee, you will become a thief, and the reason why this thief is all over Qin.

As soon as there was a "man-made disaster", the Ming court not only did not think of relief, but instead imposed three salaries (Liao, Liao, and Lian) continuously, and there were "private factions" outside the Ming Dynasty, and "fire consumption" in addition to the "private factions", which made the people poor and wealthy, and thousands of miles of recklessness. At this time, Li Zicheng's "three-year exemption", "flat buying and selling", and opening a warehouse for disaster relief won the hearts of the Central Plains.

Therefore, in essence, it is closer to the truth to directly refer to them as "hungry people" than to call them "peasant revolutionary army", "volunteers" or "thieves", "cowards", "bandits" and "thieves". The "hungry" are certainly not the capital of pride, but they are not inherently disgraceful either; Grain grabbing (as the peasant army itself called "fighting grain") was certainly not an honor, but when all kinds of avenues of honest labor were blocked one by one, snatching grain to eat was almost an unrepeachable feat, at least no more shameless than those who took the rice from other people's bowls.

In other words, the purpose of the "rebellion" of the hungry people is not to be loyal to a certain person or a certain "ism", but to their own stomach. To put it simply, it's just to treat you to dinner.

There is a very interesting phenomenon in the peasant uprising at the end of the Ming Dynasty, that is, almost all the leaders of the rebel army have the experience of recruiting and surrendering. The unruly Zhang Xianzhong was also officially appeased in the eleventh year of Chongzhen and accepted the title of deputy general given to him by Xiong Wencan. When a patrol named Lin Mingqiu came to Gucheng, Zhang immediately knelt down and saluted him according to the etiquette of officialdom.

Historians are dealing with this historical record in real time, or pretending not to know - they really can't get around it, so they say that this is a "strategy"; Or rather, this is the "duality of the peasant class". In fact, this just shows that none of the peasant leaders of the uprising, including Li Zicheng, really rebelled, at least at the beginning of the uprising, none of them thought of "replacing them." (To be continued......)