Episode 175 Medal

Under the watchful eye of a Qing heavy cruiser, a light cruiser, and six destroyers, this 8,000-ton, dirty, and dilapidated old Northern Qing freighter, carrying 1,500 prisoners of war from the Southern Ming Dynasty, Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zheng Yuxuan, tossed at sea at a moderate speed of 12 knots for 20 hours, on August 18.

At this meeting, the Ming army obviously learned the lesson of the last time, and became tougher, sending the battle cruiser Zhurong, two heavy cruisers, and twelve destroyers, forming a powerful detachment and completely overwhelming the Qing army with absolute superiority. As soon as the two sides met, the Ming fleet quickly controlled the entire sea area, and then a destroyer quickly approached the Qing freighter, and the two ships were helped, and the personnel boarded the freighter, saw Xiang Xiaoqiang and Zheng Yuxuan, and checked 1,500 Ming prisoners of war. After confirming that it was correct, three destroyers surrounded the Qing freighter and sailed back to their own fleet.

Just when the commander of the Qing fleet thought that the Ming army was going to take the hostages with the advantage, and he didn't dare to fight, three tall cruise ships appeared behind the Ming fleet. The three large passenger ships were all 30,000 tons, carrying the first batch of 17,500 Qing prisoners of war who voluntarily returned to the Northern Qing Dynasty, the younger brother of the Guangwu Emperor, and several representatives of the Southern Ming Dynasty. In addition, one of the cruise ships carried several boxes containing 250 kilograms of gold and tungsten bars.

Qing Fang lowered the dinghy and boarded three cruise ships. After they checked that the hostages were correct and the goods were correct, representatives of both sides signed to confirm it. At this point, the first exchange is complete. The three cruise ships will follow the Qing fleet to the Northern Qing Dynasty.

On the morning of August 19, Xiang Xiaoqiang, Zheng Yuxuan and the first batch of 1,500 Ming officers and soldiers landed at Shanghai Port and returned to Nanjing by train.

……

Outside the Nanjing Railway Station, hundreds of military vehicles and requisitioned buses were parked. They carried 965 Ming officers and soldiers, and slowly entered the city from Zhengyang Gate in the south of the city in the sound of majestic military music.

On both sides of the majestic city tower of Zhengyang Gate, two thousand firecrackers are crackling and exploding, and there is a red silk on the city gate hole, on which is the empress Zhu Yourong personally inscribed four big characters:

- Welcome home!

These scrawny Ming officers and soldiers suffered a lot of grievances in the north, and they just thought about coming back, but they didn't expect to be treated so high after they came back, and they were all so excited that they burst into tears.

There has been no war between the Ming and Qing dynasties for more than 30 years, and in the Ming and Qing wars more than 30 years ago, many people in the Ming army were captured, and the two sides exchanged prisoners after the war. But more than thirty years ago, the concept of the Ming people, when the captives were not morally demanding of them, but at least they were disgraceful. However, the past 30 years or so have also been the 30 years in which the Ming Restoration has changed the law the most rapidly and people's thinking has changed the most. In addition, this "new citizens" and prisoners of war turmoil touched the hearts of the people of the Ming Dynasty. What prisoners of war are not prisoners of war has been thrown aside, and everyone has subconsciously formed a concept:

These officers and soldiers are our children, they have suffered outside, and now they are finally back.

Of the 1,500 officers and men, 535 were in poor health and were sent to the hospital for treatment after they landed in Shanghai. The remaining 965 officers and soldiers are not in too bad health. In fact, according to the standards of Nanming, all 1,500 people had to be hospitalized for recuperation, but all of them wanted to participate in Nanjing's entrance ceremony and accept the queen's reception. In the end, it was the doctors in Shanghai who made the decision and "forcibly detained" some of the hospitalizations with poor health, and the rest were released to Nanjing.

……

The convoy drove slowly along the avenue, and the military band in front played and marched, and the loud military music fluttered in the sky, as if this was not a prisoner of war who had just been released, but an army that had returned to Beijing in triumph.

Nanjing citizens and students crowded on both sides of the road, waving small national flags in their hands and cheering.

Tens of thousands of people in the crowd were family members of Ming prisoners of war, only a small part of them were the families of these 965 officers and soldiers, and most of the rest were the families of the thousands of prisoners of war who were still in the Northern Qing Dynasty. They crowded at the forefront on both sides of the road, and although most of them were women, children, and old, all the citizens spontaneously made the best place for them to come to the front.

The families of the prisoners of war rushed out of the crowd on both sides, threw themselves on both sides of the military vehicles and buses, and trotted along the windows of the cars, looking for and shouting for their sons, husbands, and brothers. From time to time, there would be bursts of joy, that is, relatives saw each other, and then there was a cry.

The convoy commander was also touched by all this, and he couldn't bear to watch these relatives hold hands with each other through the car window, crying and trotting. It's cruel. But now there are hundreds of cars entering the city, all of which are marching in long lines on this road, and it is impossible to stop the convoy every once in a while and let the soldiers who have found their relatives get off and reunite. He had no choice but to order the convoy to drive slower, as slowly as possible, so that those relatives could talk and be calmer under the car.

The convoy traveled north along Yanping Road, and when it reached Xinjiekou, it turned east and drove onto Changping Road. Finally, at the easternmost end of Changping Road, in front of Xihuamen Square of the Forbidden City of Nanjing, No. 1 Changping Road, assemble.

Xihua Gate is the west gate of the Forbidden City in Nanjing. Although Xihuamen Square is very wide, there are already many families of prisoners of war, Praetorian Guards, and relevant military and political officials gathered here, so these hundreds of cars stopped on both sides of the west end of Changping Road.

Outside the red palace wall of Xihua Gate, Zhu Yourong had already stood outside the palace gate early and had been waiting for half an hour. On either side of her, stood Zheng Gongyin, the king of Yanping, Shen Rongxuan, the first auxiliary minister, Zhang Zhaoxian, the chief of the general staff of the General Headquarters, the three eldest princesses, Zheng Yuxuan, Xiang Xiaoqiang, and more than a dozen other military and political officials......

……

965 officers and men, dressed in brand-new Ming army uniforms, jumped out of the car. Although they were tortured and emaciated, they all burst out with 12 percent of their spirits, lined up in high-pitched orders, reported their numbers, and lined up in their original formations, as if they had returned to the time before they were captured and in the defense of Nanjing.

There were tens of thousands of people in the square, but it was unusually quiet, and only the sound of the officers and soldiers echoed one after another.

"Chief of the General Staff-" The deputy division commander ran to the palace gate and shouted, "The new 74th Motorized Rifle Division of the Ming Army has ——, 965 people——, and the formation is complete——, please give instructions——!!! ”

Zhang Zhaoxian turned around again, faced Zhu Yourong, and played a military salute.

Zhu Yourong took a step forward and did not speak, but unexpectedly stretched out his hand to the deputy division commander to shake hands with him. The commander of the newly formed 74th Motorized Infantry Division had already died, and the deputy division commander was stunned at the moment, and immediately puffed up his chest and shook hands with Zhu Yourong.

"Good work!" Zhu Yourong said softly, "We will never forget the great sacrifices you have made for the people, for the country, and for me. ”

The deputy division commander bowed down and choked up:

"Your Majesty is serious...... In the battle for Nanjing, we did not contribute much...... Compared to the brother troops, we are far behind......"

朱优榕 says:

"But you pay more."

The deputy division commander lowered his head and choked up:

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Then he turned around and made a gesture. Two soldiers of the 74th Motor Infantry Division came out of the ranks, carrying Zhang Liansheng's urn to the sound of slow-paced snare drums, and walked slowly to Zhu Yourong.

Next to Zhu Yourong, Zhang Zhao first held a tray, and Zhu Yourong picked up a first-class plum blossom medal from the tray and solemnly placed it on top of Zhang Liansheng's urn.

Then, she took off her wide-brimmed hat and bowed her head in silence.

All military and political officials, officers and soldiers, as well as the citizens in the square, also bowed their heads in silence.

Zhang Liansheng's matter, now they all know. Now he has become a symbol of the indomitable Ming prisoners of war.

Next, the 1,500 officers and soldiers who returned to Daming were awarded medals. Each person has a second-class plum blossom medal, and there are no fewer for one person. At this moment, in the wards of several hospitals in Shanghai, there were also officers holding medal trays and wearing them one by one for the officers and soldiers on the hospital beds.

On the Xihuamen Square outside the Forbidden City in Nanjing, Zhu Yourong, Zheng Gongyin, Zhang Zhaoxian, and Shen Rongxuan personally wore medals for these 965 officers and soldiers. Except for the four of them, there are no officers under the pretense of hands. This is also a great honor for these officers and men who have suffered so much. Their second-class Plum Blossom Medal must have been worn on their chests by one of the empress, the king of Yanping, the first minister, and the chief of the general staff.

……

The ceremony continued until noon.

After the afternoon ceremony, Xiang Xiaoqiang rushed to the imperial headquarters.