Episode 149 The battle must be won

That night, in the Jiangxinzhou section of Nanjing, only 25 people finally reached the other side of hope alive.

Tonight, the Yangtze River was stained with blood and tears.

The people who were rescued on the Ming patrol boat collapsed on the deck without exception, and after a few seconds, they hugged the Ming sailors in front of them tightly and cried.

A few people grabbed the railing of the patrol boat and headed towards the Qing army patrol boat that was gradually moving away to the west, crying loudly about their relatives and crying out for their lives. A few hundred meters away, in the direction of the Qing army's patrol boat, the same heart-rending shouts were faintly heard. However, in addition to the grief of the eternal separation of flesh and blood, there was also a terrible cry of physical pain.

On the patrol boats of the Ming army, the sailors hurriedly draped the newly rescued defectors with sheets, and then poured them a large sip of liquor to help them recover their strength and body temperature. Although it is summer, the Yangtze River during the flood season is not as warm as the swimming pool, and it is also cold. Even if it's not as cold as in winter, it's long enough to freeze people to the point of losing their strength.

These big men who dare to gamble and fight, who have gone through countless hardships and deaths with the strongest will and physique, are like children at this moment, holding these Nanming sailors who are more immature than themselves and crying bitterly. While crying loudly, he didn't know what to say in his mouth, and his face was full of tears and snot.

It was not the first time that most of the sailors had performed such a mission, but they still felt a tremor in their hearts. The sailors also hugged their trembling compatriot tightly, patted him on the back, and comforted:

"Good brother, good job...... That's a good job...... It's okay...... You escaped...... You're free...... From now on, I will be free......"

"Ah......" The man in his thirties in the sailor's arms held his snot and tears, let go of his voice, and said while crying, "I'm coming...... What the hell is coming......"

"Yes, brother, you're here...... Never have to go back......"

"You don't have to go back......"

"Yes, you don't have to go back, you succeeded, you're doing well."

"You guys here...... While...... When you are a common person, you will not be bullied by officials, right......"

The sailor hugged him tightly, patted him on the back and said:

"Don't worry, brother, it's good that our people here don't bully the officials."

"That'...... Heard...... You have the greatest law here, and the common people have been wronged, so there is a place to reason, right......?"

The sailor laughed:

"That's not much, of course the royal law is the biggest. Our little prince here beat someone, and he still loses money and squats in the game. ”

The man's crying slowed down a little, he gasped heavily, and then choked up and asked:

"Brother...... I heard that you can eat enough here, and you can eat all the fine grains, right......"

"Cutting, what is fine grain, as long as you are not lazy and willing to work, it is very realistic to eat meat every day."

The man's chest rose and fell violently a few times, and tears came out of his eyes again. He pursed his mouth, wiped his tears with his thick arms, patted the sailor's back, choked up and nodded, and said:

"Okay, it's worth it...... It's worth it...... They didn't lie to me...... It's worth ......"

……

Several patrol boats of the Ming army continued to search on the river, mainly to salvage the corpses, so that those who did not reach Daming alive could also set foot on the land of Daming and be buried here after death.

In addition, they also had a fluke mentality, hoping to find one or two more fugitives alive. …… But that hope is slim. It's been almost an hour, and there are no more people on the river who can move. On the defense line of the Ming army on the east bank, dozens of large-caliber searchlights were also turned on, and in addition, one after another, lighting up this section of the river as if it were daylight.

When the fugitives crossed the Yangtze River before, it was the Beiqing side that desperately lit up, and the Nanming side desperately played smoke screens. Now the main thing is to salvage the corpses, so the Northern Qing patrol boats are not robbed with the Ming army. The Ming army began to do everything they could to illuminate the river.

The patrol boats that rescued people returned to the Jiangxinzhou wharf.

In the observation fort, there was no sound for a long time, and everyone was quiet.

Until Zhu Yourong let out a long sigh and ordered:

"Turn on the lights."

The red light was turned on again, and Zhu Yourong looked at everyone. Everyone's face was very complicated, whether it was a minister or a military general, and whether they were in favor of or against the Northern Expedition, they could clearly see that their spirits had been shocked, or stimulated. The observation fort was red, and the colors could not be seen clearly. But if it were ordinary light, many people's faces would be pale by now.

Shen Rongxuan spoke first:

"Your Majesty, do you want to meet these defectors now? Say a few words to them? ”

Zhu Yourong shook his head:

"No need...... What they need most now is not my reception, but eating and sleeping. …… By the way, what kind of treatment does our Daming treat to receive defectors from the north? ”

Shen Rongxuan replied:

"Back to Your Majesty, before the war last year, it was a one-time subsidy of 100 Mingyang settlement expenses for each ordinary defector. This is enough for a defector to rent an apartment in a city like Nanjing, buy a set of basic furniture and daily necessities, and the remaining money is enough to maintain a simple life for half a year. However, after the war this year, we increased the treatment of defectors, and the settling-in allowance was increased to 150 yuan. That's enough to provide them with a year's worth of living. ”

"Then ......," Zhu Yourong asked, "what if a year has passed and their livelihood has not yet been settled?" ”

Shen Rongxuan smiled:

"Your Majesty, this hasn't happened yet. Those who can make it from the north are the ones with the most tenacious will and the most eager to change their fate. Although their education is generally very low, and some are even illiterate, this is not very important. Once they are given a level playing field, they will be able to do better than the native-born Ming people. Many of our industrial and commercial tycoons in the Ming Dynasty, as well as many leaders in other industries, were all people who escaped from the north back then. ”

The trauma in Zhu Yourong's heart was comforted. She nodded and said softly:

"That's very good."

She paused for a moment, breathed a sigh of relief, and said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I said that I would be here with you to finish our meeting. Now, then, I'll say a few more words. ”

As soon as Zhu Yourong said this, Zhang Zhaoxian raised his eyes and glanced at the commander of the Jiangxinzhou Fortress. The commander of the fortress immediately understood, immediately gave several of his officers a look, and then leaned over and said:

"Your Majesty, the ministers will retire for the time being."

Then he withdrew with a couple of officers and closed the door.

An intelligence officer from Dongchang came in and whispered a few words to Shen Rongxuan. Shen Rongxuan nodded, asked him to go down first, and whispered a few words to Zhu Yourong. Zhu Yourong nodded, looking slightly relieved.

At this time, there were only participants in the Observation Castle with the highest military and political council of the Empire.

Zhu Yourong said with emotion:

"When I was a child, I read the book of sages, and Yasheng had a classic, "Under the Ugly Chapters and Sentences of Gongsun", which impressed me the most. But at that time, I was still young, so I shouldn't have understood the meaning very deeply. Later, when I grew up, I also learned more about military affairs, and I felt more and more benefited from the connection.

"Especially tonight. After tonight, I don't know how you are, but I really re-understand the classic work of Yasheng, and I have more and more reverence for the sages. More than 2,000 years have passed, and the language of the Divine Flashes seems to have been tailor-made for tonight's situation......"

Xiang Xiaoqiang, like everyone, bowed his head and listened to His Majesty's "training". Although he traveled from later generations, he also knew that Zhu Yourong had a "sub-sage", which was Mencius. In Chinese Confucian culture, Confucius is honored as a sage, and Mencius is honored as a sub-sage. As for which of the "Mencius" of this "Gongsun Chou Chapter and Sentence" is, Xiang Xiaoqiang does not know. In the past, in middle school, I only learned a few things like "Analects" and "Mencius". But he knew that these people in front of him, not only ministers, but also military generals had also been familiar with the classics of Chinese sages since childhood. Xiang Xiaoqiang, a college student in later generations, didn't know, and couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

Zhu Yourong turned around slowly, holding on to the cement edge of the observation window, looking at the brightly lit Yangtze River outside, as well as the Daming patrol boat shuttling above to salvage the corpses. After a while, she whispered:

“…… The time is not as good as the location, and the location is not as good as the people.

“…… The city of three miles, the Guo of seven miles, the ring and attack it without victory. If the husband attacks it, there will be those who have the right time, but the one who does not win is not as good as the location.

“…… The city is not high, the pool is not deep, the military revolution is not strong, and the rice millet is not much.

“…… Therefore, it is said: The people of the domain do not use the boundaries of the frontier, the country does not take the risk of mountains and streams, and the world does not take the benefits of the military revolution. Those who have attained the Tao have much help, and those who have lost the Tao have little help. Widows are helpless, relatives are on the side. If you help more, the world will follow it. With the world's obedience, attack the relatives of the side, so the gentleman does not fight, the battle will be won. ”

The ministers lowered their heads, and they were all silently experiencing this famous policy of Mencius. Xiang Xiaoqiang now understands that the so-called "Under the Ugly Chapters and Sentences of Gongsun" turned out to be the famous "There is much help for the righteous, but little help for the unjust". This is one of the few sage chapters that I learned in my early middle school, and it is also one of the most widely circulated and deeply rooted immortal chapters in Mencius.

"Everyone should understand the meaning...... Zhu Yourong said softly and reverently, "A very small city, besieged by the enemy's superior forces, but it cannot be conquered for a long time...... Since the enemy army can besiege for a long time, it must have an innate advantage in weather, season, and total strength. The 'time of day' here can be completely expanded and understood, and it can be an advantage in total strength, logistics, and resources...... In short, collectively referred to as 'Heavenly Time'. But even with these advantages, the city is still difficult to take...... The reason is very simple, the defender is defending by virtue of the high city and deep pool, and he can be ten with one. Therefore, the time is not as good as the place.

"But the same city, even larger and taller than the previous one, with a deeper moat, better defended, and more well stocked, yet the defenders abandoned the city and fled, or surrendered easily...... This is not a problem of location, but of people. …… In the final analysis, it is not the weather, the comparison of forces, the terrain, or the equipment that determines the outcome of a war...... It's people, people who use it all. Or rather, the human heart. If there is a problem in people's hearts, no matter how good the other conditions are, it will not help.

"In the recent battle to defend Nanjing, the Qing Dynasty took advantage of the fog of the Yangtze River, which had not been encountered in 50 years, and launched an unprecedented southern invasion with an unprecedented scale, which can be said to have taken advantage of the time. However, the defense line of the Yangtze River in our Ming Dynasty is impregnable, and the defenders of our Ming Dynasty will be regarded as death and united. Qing Yu couldn't attack for a long time, and returned with a feather. If you want to say, 'The time is not as good as the place', this is the perfect place.

"A little further afield. Three hundred years ago, in order to deal with the Later Jin Jiannu and recover the whole Liao, our Ming Dynasty adopted the strategy of steadily fighting steadily, building castles and gradually compressing Jiannu. At that time, the country poured rice millet into the country, and built a series of military fortresses along the western Liaoning corridor. At that time, the big city and the small fort echoed each other from afar, and the forts and forts were connected, which could be described as a high city and a deep pool, which was indestructible. In particular, the Shanhaiguan of Gongwei Jingshi is also known as 'the first Xiongguan in the world'.

"At that time, I was in an absolute and absolute advantage over Houjin, whether it was the total population, the total military strength, the economic capacity, the quality of personnel, the land area, the grain output, the industrial capacity, or the influence on the surrounding ethnic minorities. Even if you drag out the protracted war and fight the economy, over time, you can completely drag down Jiannu. …… But it's painful, at that time, my lord and young ministers were weak, the traitorous eunuchs were in power, and the officials were deeply corrupt. Civil officials are greedy for money, military generals are afraid of death, and they are all rats when they look at the dynasty. Even those who sincerely serve the country will soon be unable to gain a foothold in jealousy and exclusion.

"Those fortresses in western Liaoxi, although they all have the strongest city defense, the most sophisticated armor, and the most sufficient military rations, but whether they are the supervisors or the main generals, when facing the attack of Jiannu, what they think about is not how to kill the enemy and serve the country, but how to save their own lives and future. Because in their opinion, after all, resistance has the possibility of failure and death, and abandoning the city and escaping is undoubtedly 100% safe. The hearts of my Ming people have long been scattered...... As a result, an erroneous general retreat order, countless fortresses in western Liaoning, high cities and deep pools, countless materials, ordnance, grain and grass...... Reduced to ashes in an instant. I have a Ming strategy of operating western Liaoning, compressing Jiannu, years of huge investment, and painstaking management, all of which have been abandoned. My best chance to destroy Houjin has also been reduced to ashes.

"At that time, a few hundred Jiannu cavalry could chase after tens of thousands of my Ming soldiers, and it was as easy as hunting...... At that time, there were those who defected to the construction of slaves, those who killed the people and made meritorious contributions, those who sold rice to the enemy, those who embezzled military money, those who killed generals without permission, and those who slandered and confused the monarch...... In the end, even the Shanhaiguan guards of the Gongwei Jingshi became traitors...... Shanhaiguan, the world's first Xiongguan...... What about the first Xiongguan? can't stand the guard and be a traitor!

"Ladies and gentlemen...... In the final analysis, whether it is the time or location, the only thing that can make them really play a role is the last one - people. Back then, when I was in the Ming Dynasty, I occupied all the heavens and the geographical advantages. But our hearts have been scattered. We have never been so miserable in the 'people' ring, and we have never been so miserable, and we have been so defeated that the Mengyuan tragedy was repeated in China...... Fortunately, after my Ming Dynasty retreated to the south of the Yangtze River, I learned from the pain, and since then I have worked hard to stabilize it, and although I have faced the southern invasion of the Qing Dynasty several times, I have been able to resist it.

"A century ago, the gunboats of the Western powers came to East Asia indiscriminately. They brought two things to the table: trade treaties and good institutions. The Manchus, the Southern Ming, and Japan each made different choices. The Manchus regarded the Western powers as enemies, hated and feared them. They regarded the foreigners' trade treaties and excellent institutions as humiliating and humiliating the country, and they had to accept the former and reject the latter to the extreme. And the Ming Dynasty and Japan, one is a defeated general of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the other is a student of Chinese civilization for thousands of years, their mentality is much more modest than that of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and they can put down their faces, and regard the Western powers as teachers and learn from others with an open mind.

"I will follow the example of Britain and take the initiative to change the constitution and change the law. Today, thanks to the excellent system of the people-lord constitutionalism, China has become the first choice for the immigration and political refuge of outstanding talents from various Asian countries, and has become the most civilized, richest and most desirable country in Asia. The vast territory, abundant resources, and large population of the Manchu Qing Dynasty were all incomparable to our Ming Dynasty in the past. But now, we've offset it. Not only has it been neutralized, but our superiority is still increasing, and the north and south of the Yangtze River are already changing offensive and defensive positions.

"Yasheng said it well: the people of the domain do not use the boundaries of the frontier. It is futile to rely on the barbed wire fence on the border to enclose the people and prevent them from choosing to join a better state power. If people are not allowed to choose with their hands, the people will choose with their feet. What was the result of the Manchus, who used machine guns and barbed wire, to turn the country into a big prison and the entire population into prisoners? Everyone saw tonight that the people over there would rather die than escape from their cages. The human heart is imprisoned for a while, but it cannot be imprisoned forever.

"One can imagine what would have happened to the common people if we had fought it. What will happen to the soldiers of the Qing army. The soldiers of the Qing army are also the sons of ordinary people. Now the Manchu regime has lost the hearts of the people. Not only was the 'people' heart lost, but even their Eight Banners disciples and their most intimate people were forced to become enemies of them by themselves......

"Why did I know that there was a mass exodus south tonight? Because Dongchang reported to me, the best tank designers of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, that is, Dr. Dorobelle and Aixin Jueluo-Pu Heng, were also on the list of those who fled south...... Mr. Pu Heng studied in Germany in his early years, and later in the United Kingdom, where he studied mechanical design and tank vehicle design. After returning to the Northern Qing Dynasty, his famous works were the 'Barutu' tank and the 'Kubu' tank. But even so, because Britain is my traditional ally of the Ming Dynasty, Mr. Pu Heng's status in the UK has always made him deeply politically excluded......

"After Germany recently broke off diplomatic relations with the Manchus, Mr. Pu Heng's status in Germany became the source of his disaster...... Until the last two months, in order to save Mr. Pu Heng from further persecution, the underground organization of our Dongchang got in touch with him and arranged for him to flee south. …… I just received a report that Mr. Pu Heng had landed on Jiangxinzhou safely. From then on, the Manchus would no longer have excellent military experts. The only military expert they can call 'excellent' has been forced by them to defect to Daming. Since then, I have one more excellent tank designer.

"To fight a war is to fight people's hearts. Fighting a civil war between the same people is even more striking. As the saying goes, those who have attained the Tao have much help, and those who have lost the Tao have little help. Widows are helpless, relatives are on the side. If you help more, the world will follow it. The Manchu Qing Dynasty was already a 'relative rebellion', and compared to the Manchu Dynasty, our Ming Dynasty was a veritable 'the world is obedient'.

"Ladies and gentlemen, at this point, the Supreme Military and Political Council of our empire can be regarded as over. Now I solemnly announce that the next national policy of the Ming Dynasty will be the Northern Expedition to the Manchu Qing Dynasty and the restoration of China. What I brought you to see with your own eyes tonight was not just a flight south on the river, but the hearts of the people on both sides of the strait. I hope that in the future, we can sincerely unite and unite as one to jointly complete our historical mission. I ask you to believe in this sentence:

"——With the obedience of the world, the rebellion of the relatives, so the gentleman does not fight, and the battle will be won."