On the outskirts of Beijing, the wolf's den

"What's going on in the Jiangbei Army? What are the adults going to do? Jin Qiude just learned that Zhendonghou went to Fengyang in person, and he was resolutely opposed when Zhendonghou put forward the initial idea, but this turned out to be good, Zhendonghou waited until the person arrived at the place before sending a letter to inform him.

"But...... It's still fortunate that the Jiangbei Army," Zhao Slowxiong has already seen the military information sent by the eight hundred miles of urgency, and like Jin Qiude, he also opposes Zhendonghou being in danger, judging from the latest military information, Li Zicheng has not yet arrived, but Zhendonghou has mastered tens of thousands of well-equipped southern troops: "Mount Tai, Xiliu, it seems that there is no possibility of arriving in time." ”

"It's not their fault," Jin Qiude immediately excused his subordinates: "They think that the adults are still in Jinan, of course they have to defend them." ”

"So you can even shirk the orders of the General Staff Division?" Zhao Slowxiong asked coldly: "Their courage is getting bigger and bigger, you are really a good soldier for adults." ”

"It's my fault too?" Jin Qiude listened to Zhao Slowxiong's unkind tone, and asked in amazement.

"You're the chief of staff of the Forces nouvelles, it's not your fault, whose fault is it?"

Jin Qiude paused for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was an octave higher: "This is not on Changsheng Island again, don't talk about me, even the adults don't have the power to kill these old brothers, now I ask them to listen to me, stop chewing their tongues in front of the court, they are helping the adults to speak and obey the orders of the adults." What if I don't talk to them properly? ”

Zhao Slowxiong said: "It sounds like you have a lot of complaints about adults. ”

"Of course I have complaints, and my complaints are gone." Jin Qiude angrily threw his helmet on the table, as the battle situation became more and more unsmooth, the staff department's ability to grasp the new army continued to decline: "I don't understand what is so difficult about this ***?" Now this group of people is holding the salary of the Ming Dynasty and is the general of the Ming Dynasty, if the adults show that the carriage and horses are reversed, where will there be so much trouble? ”

Seeing that Jin Qiude was angry, Zhao Slowxiong immediately closed his mouth.

And Jin Qiude didn't say it, as soon as he said it, it was like opening the sluice, and he couldn't hold it anymore: "I've never heard of someone who wants to *** and is afraid of a bad reputation!" Just use your method, wash this Beijing division, the soldiers all have blood on their hands, and the generals will kill if they don't fall, so they can't do it if they want to be loyal ministers and filial sons, so naturally they can only follow the adults to the end. Looking forward to doing big things, and wanting the world, and wanting not to get blood on your hands, how can there be such a cheap thing? Okay now, now we can't even do this, if we wash the city now, then Li Zicheng will suddenly become the expectation of everyone, and he will become a wedding dress for the thief. ”

"It's far away, it's far away." Zhao slow-bear waved his hand; "I was looking for you today for something else."

"What's the matter?" Jin Qiude asked angrily, Zhao Slowxiong doesn't care about anything, just picks thorns, so as long as he comes to visit because of something, there is generally no good thing.

"The fire battalion and the military judge fought, well, it was actually the fire battalion that beat the military judge." Zhao told Jin Qiude that after returning to the Beijing Division this time, some military judges still followed the old rules to check the military discipline of the battalions around the Beijing Division, but were bombarded by several battalions: "The people in the fire battalion also shouted at the beaten military judges: 'When Lord Yang was here, we sold your face, and now that Lord Yang is gone, you still dare to be so arrogant, and you don't pee to take care of yourself.'" It's not word for word, but it's about the same. ”

"Brother Wang said?" Jin Qiude's arrogance disappeared without a trace all of a sudden, and his expression looked a little sluggish.

"No, but he didn't care, and there was no punishment."

"Brother Yang's bones are not cold, why don't I know?" Jin Qiude held his head and sat in his chair, he knew that Zhao Wanxiong had another source, but it was said that he should know about this conflict at the first time.

"It's not that you don't know, now the military law is in charge of Xiao Li." After Yang Zhiyuan's death, Jin Qiude was worried that Zhendonghou would taboo his too much power, so he strongly recommended Li Yunrui, Huangshi's brother-in-law, to be in charge of the military justice system, and Li Yunrui felt that if he let his son take care of it, maybe Hou Ye would be more at ease: first, his son was Mrs. Huang's nephew, and their aunt and nephew had a good relationship; second, Zhendonghou and his children have a good relationship with their son; Third, Li Yunrui is reluctant to say that his son is a rice bucket, but at least he is not very capable, and Zhendonghou will not worry about his son playing a conspiracy - Li Yunrui feels that his meaning is very clear, and Zhendonghou must also know that if he really wants to play some conspiracy behind Zhendonghou's back, he will never let his rice bucket son help.

"It was recommended by you, and when Brother Li asked his son to take care of it, not only did you not object, but you also agreed," Zhao Slowxiong saw that anger was accumulating on Jin Qiude's face again, so he reminded: "Do you have a more suitable candidate?" ”

"Nope." Jin Qiude sat on the chair like a deflated ball, he felt that his son was actually very suitable for the position, but Jin Qiude had a lot of power in his hands, so he said that he did not want to give the impression that Zhendonghou coveted more power. Jin Qiude is familiar with history books, and it is difficult to say what will happen to him, and he doesn't want to cause trouble for the entire family.

"A few days ago, Song Jianjun came to me...... "Zhao Slow-Xiong didn't open any pot, Song Jianjun reported to Zhao Slow-Xiong on behalf of the teaching team: The quality of the soldiers of the new army has seriously declined. There was a group of soldiers who were volunteers similar to Xu Ping, and there were more who came to sign up for the army because they believed that the Hou of Zhendong was invincible, no matter which of the two was the case, the morale was very high, and the training was hard. But now the first type of people who should have signed up have already signed up, and the second kind of resources have long been exhausted: "Song Jianjun said that he had looked for you, but it was useless." ”

"Yes." Jin Qiude knew about this, because there were fewer and fewer volunteers, the new army now recruits recruits with generous remuneration as the main means of attraction: once each soldier joins the army, he can get a settling-in allowance of 20 taels, and the monthly military salary plus subsidy is close to 3 taels. Song Jianjun reported that a large number of escapes began to occur in the new army, and many soldiers tried to abscond after receiving settling-in allowances and military salaries: there were hundreds of thousands of deserters under the Ming Dynasty, so this was a very safe crime, and as long as they could successfully escape from the army, they would not have to worry about the subsequent pursuit of the imperial court.

As the chief of staff of the new army, Jin Qiude knew that this situation was not only happening in the teaching team, but in all battalions: "Hou Ye has never formulated any regulations for arresting deserters, and I remember that when we were on Changsheng Island, as long as a soldier joined the army for three months, he would never have any thoughts of desertion, so I didn't think about this issue at all." In fact, the current problem is already very serious, several battalions have imitated the methods of other Ming troops, closely monitoring the recruits, which of course greatly aggravates the sense of distrust in the new army, Jin Qiude believes that this is a vicious circle, but he has no way, he said to Zhao Slowxiong lightly: "There are more battalion officers than Song Jianjun's fierce words, and some people want to set up a team dedicated to monitoring recruits." ”

"Did you report it to the adults?"

"How could an adult agree? How could an adult agree to guard his subordinates like a thief? Jin Qiude said weakly: "I let them do it themselves, as long as they blatantly set up a special team to guard against new recruits, I will turn a blind eye." ”

Zhao Wanxiong looked at Jin Qiude carefully for a while, and slowly opened his mouth and said, "If this matter is linked to the affairs of the Jiangbei Army, I have a concern. ”

Jin Qiude adjusted his sitting posture, put his hands together on his abdomen, and quietly looked at Zhao Wanxiong.

After so many years of getting along, Jin Qiude knows Zhao Wanxiong's character very well, and the latter did not disappoint him: "I'm afraid the adults are very disappointed in the new army." ”

"My lord also makes me a little disappointed, if my lord promises the road of the prince, I think the old brothers will believe it, and they will not chase these small profits like they are now, but ......" Jin Qiude nodded slightly: "But the new army has indeed disappointed the lord." ”

"Your Excellency may want to try the combat effectiveness of other armies, and try to see if he has other armies to rely on."

"They are not as good as the new army," Jin Qiude snorted, "If it weren't for Xu Ping, the new army would have been able to not disappoint the adults." ”

"Your Excellency must know this, but your Excellency may want to see who else he can rely on if the new army is not enough." Zhao Slowxiong said: "So the adults do not disclose their whereabouts to us, of course, there are military considerations, but I am afraid that the adults still have a concern: that is, if it is not under his nose, the new army will still listen to him." ”

Jin Qiude frowned: "Everyone has seven emotions and six desires, and when I work for adults, I sometimes think about my own affairs, but the new army is reliable, at least *** is enough." ”

"What if the adults refuse to give the old brothers a reward? What if the adults refuse to let the soldiers stain their blood? Zhao had a feeling that the Marquis of Zhendong didn't seem to intend to give too many rewards to his old subordinates—even if they followed him to usurp the throne: "You and I don't care, but what about the others?" If the adults don't give as much as the emperor, how many of the old brothers will go with him? ”

Jin Qiude shook his head for a while: "I don't believe adults think so, our old brother is the most reliable, why don't you give it to others?" Adults and they have never shared hardships and hardships. ”

"That's the best, but the adults already have an opinion on the new army, and we have to think about how to save it for our new army."

"Our new army?" Jin Qiude's brows immediately twisted into a ball again, and blurted out: "What do you mean by 'our new army'?" When the adults and the new army are one, we are the new army of the adults, and if the adults and the new army are not one, then it is the ...... of 'the adults and us' and the 'new army of them'"

Jin Qiude was stunned for a moment, the casualness on Fang Cai's face disappeared without a trace, he leaned forward and looked at Zhao Slowxiong: "Are you testing me?" ”

"After so many years, there have been too many changes, how could I have thought that we also need to send people to spy on recruits, how could I have thought that officers were corrupt and bribed?" Zhao Slowxiong's face showed no shame: "Twenty years ago, after the Battle of Xifengkou, we gave each other an evaluation, and I must make sure that it is still correct today. ”

"If one day, no matter how much we oppose or plead, the adults will make up their minds to rush into the Forbidden City alone with a sword - to send them to death," Jin Qiude remembers that it was when the two of them were drinking, jokingly commenting on each other: "Brother Zhao, you will plan how to use a sword to usurp the throne, and I will carry the sword and go with the adults." ”

"Yes, I am still the same today, since you haven't changed, then there are two of us, and the others still can't make waves." Zhao Slowxiong replied: "I have always hidden some things from the adults in the new army, and I guess you have some too. ”

"There are some," Jin Qiude frankly admitted, and some messy things Jin Qiude did not report to Zhendonghou, for fear of affecting the latter's confidence in creating a great cause: "But I don't need me, there is Brother Yang." ”

"We are needed now," Zhao said, "I guess there are some things I know you don't know." ”

"For example?"

"There are instructors in the teaching team who sell questions......"

"I know, and if I cheat afterwards, I will have to pay a tael of silver for one point."

……

"Many battalions are engaged in smuggling contraband, and they also send team officers to the heroic bodyguards around the station."

"Old Huang Li, it used to be ordered by the battalion, but now it's different, it's the team that goes to find work to do, and the battalion takes the lead. The firefighting battalion is the most generous and only draws forty percent, and the others are generally drawn five, and when there was no war in Shandong, the Panshi battalion used a horse-drawn cart to pull cannons to sell Korean ginseng. ”

……

"Of the five newly formed battalions, a thousand is always one thousand taels, and the Flame Battalion is the most expensive, and one thousand always costs one thousand two hundred and ......."

"I also know this, Song Jianjun came to me and said that no matter what, the first place in the teaching team should have a position of 1000 generals, and I gave him a approval."

"Then do you know that you still collect money?"

"What?!"

"But only two hundred taels were collected, and your warrant is still useful."

……

"Rumors, I'm not sure, someone sold a batch of rifles to Shandong tyrants, and then reported the loss......"

"Yes." Kim interrupted Zhao's statement.

"But you must not know that the Military Intelligence Department was aware of this, and as a result, the bribes were not reported." Zhao was a little unhappy with being interrupted.

"You're a rumor, aren't you?"

"It's really a rumor."

"You can be sure that there is such a thing, but only a few people know about it, and adults don't know about it."

"How can this kind of thing not be reported to adults?"

"The amount is not large, and Li Yunrui personally came to ask me to keep it secret."

"It's ***, it's not Korean ginseng! How can it be hidden? Why did Li Yunrui come to please, he knew the person who took bribes? ”

"I know, it's the money his wife and son collect." Jin Qiude spread his hands: "Do I dare to take care of Madame's sister and nephew?" ”

……

Nanzhili, near Fengyang

When leading the army to hurry away, Xu Ping suddenly received the news that the camp had been defeated.

"How many officers and soldiers are there? How did you lose? ”

The few cavalrymen who were stopped and ran the fastest were brought to Xu Ping: "To tell you the truth, I will never embarrass you!" "Tens of thousands of people have failed to break into the camp, and it is neither meaningful nor fair to embarrass these deserters.

"Huang Hou, Huang Hou suddenly arrived."

A cavalryman reported that the Marquis of Zhendong suddenly appeared on the battlefield early this morning, and the officers and men who had been lifeless suddenly let out a thunderous cheer after a moment of consternation, and this cheer at first baffled the troops and the other officers and men who had not yet seen the Marquis of Zhendong. Huang Hou walked slowly in front of the formation, slowly reviewing the military formation of officers and soldiers, until the last Ming soldier realized who he had seen.

"Huang Hou...... Ever since he planted talismans for everyone, the plague god has been sent away. The few cavalrymen standing in front of Xu Ping looked dejected.

Some Ming soldiers learned the news from their companions when the Marquis of Zhendong inspected him, and shouted to him one by one with joy. Some of the soldiers of the Ming army who had deserted were confused when they heard the cheers, and then ran back to join the army after asking about the situation out of curiosity.

The generals of all walks of life, who had been prepared for a long time, jumped out and loudly encouraged their soldiers: "Brothers, I used to have a lot of places where I couldn't stand you, but! Look, that's Huang Hou, you are just going to desert me, but will you be deserted by Huang Hou? ”

The morale of the Ming army suddenly became extremely high, although standing in front of Xu Ping, a cavalryman who broke into the camp couldn't help but mutter: "If the villain was on the side of the officers and soldiers today, he would never leave Huang Hou and escape." "A plague caused by cholera killed many people in his hometown when this cavalryman was a child, and his parents escaped death with the help of the instructor sent by the Metropolitan Governor's Office, although he knew that this cavalryman today could not tell how Zhendonghou did it, but he did not have the courage to fight Zhendonghou at all.

He was not the only one who held this idea, such as Liu Zongmin's artillery officer, who had also received the favor of Zhendonghou: the village next door to him failed to avoid smallpox because he did not believe in Zhendonghou's talisman, and his village did not get sick because he received pox from the Governor's people. When this running officer encountered a surprise attack - when he saw Zhendonghou at first glance, he refused to open fire on the Ming army.

Originally, there were a large number of officers and men, and the greatest advantage of the camp that had come from a long distance was morale and confidence in victory, but as a result, both were at a disadvantage all of a sudden.

He was completely unprepared to break into the camp and explore the horses, and at that time, he also watched Zhendonghou show off his might in front of the army, and no one dared to challenge him. Luo Rucai's elite cavalry originally threatened that if the Marquis of Zhendong dared to come, he would definitely behead him in front of Li Zicheng's horse, but it turned out that these horse bandits with the most loose discipline were the first to desert today.

"King Ji saw that it was really Huang Hou, and he turned around and ran without saying a word, not to mention, the Dongjiang Army ran faster than the Chu Army! Seeing King Ji running like a rabbit, the people on King Cao's side also began to run away, shouting 'defeated, defeated' as they ran. ”

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