On the banks of the Danshui River, simple military camps.

The 5,000 soldiers who defected were supplied with two meals a day. Their weapons and armor have been confiscated by the Datong army, but everyone doesn't care about it.

If it weren't for the fact that their families were still in Shanxi, they would even want to settle in Huaiqing Mansion!

Every day, missionaries come in teams of 100 people, divided into teams of five, to visit the countryside. 500 people set off in one day, and all the visits were completed in 10 days.

There are not many immigrants in Huaiqing Province, and there are not many surviving local people, so it can be called a vast and sparsely populated area. After the government divided the land to the peasants, the terra nullius could also be reclaimed, which was regarded as the government tenant lease to the peasants, and then divided it when the immigrants came.

Industrious people always want to plow more, how much they can plant, and work hard day and night.

Two bumper harvests in a row have made them rich quickly. In some borderless lands, they ploughed and did not report it, and there were always a few fish that slipped through the net, and the grain was full of pits and grains.

Another 500 soldiers returned to the camp from a nearby village.

"The peasants here are so rich that every family has food. The house I went to see, a large earthen warehouse, was full of grain. ”

"The land endowment of the government is not heavy, and there is no need to serve conscription, life is really comfortable, and I don't do it if I change the gods."

"What should the whole family flee to Henan in the first place, and stay in that hellish Shanxi?"

"What about the plague in Henan a few years ago, I don't know how many people died."

"We are here, but the mother-in-law and the baby are still in Shanxi. Even if this Hao Dashuai wants to run, he should wait a few more days, and then let's bring his family with him. ”

"yes, if only the kid were here. When the time comes, he will not be a soldier, and the whole family will farm honestly, and he will wake up with a smile in his dreams that day. ”

“……”

A team of Datong dragoons suddenly rushed to the barracks and called Hao Shaoqi's subordinate generals: "You can go back to Shanxi!" ”

The generals were stunned and at a loss.

The dragoon general, named Sui Bin, said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, go back and tell Li Zicheng that you were deceived by Hao Shaoqi." You don't even bring your family, how can you be sincere? ”

Five thousand bare-handed soldiers were escorted back to Shanxi by dragoons.

Before leaving, some bachelors, as well as bastards who disregarded their families, knelt on the ground and cried that they did not want to go back, and they wanted to stay in Henan to divide their fields and become farmers.

If you don't go back, you have to go back, 5,000 soldiers, that is, 5,000 volunteer propagandists.

When he came to the checkpoint occupied by the Dashun army, the general guarding the pass was shocked, and thought that the Datong army was coming.

After some inquiry, the general guarding the pass did not dare to slack off, and immediately sent someone to deliver the message quickly.

Li Zicheng, who was too far away, was extremely puzzled when he received the news, and called Niu Jinxing to ask: "Prime Minister Niu Cheng, what kind of medicine is sold in this gourd surnamed Zhao?" If a general in the south defects with his troops, we must be a high-ranking official, how can he kill Hao Shaoqi? The news spreads that in the future, the two armies will fight, and which one will dare to surrender? ”

Niu Jinxing was also confused, and said: "It's better to recruit people to Taiyuan and do an interview." As for the rebels who came back, they cannot be reused or punished heavily, they didn't bring their families, they were all taken away by Hao Shaoqi. ”

The two sides handed over at the pass, and the dragoons returned for the most part. The remaining hundred dragoons, escorting the civil officials of the legation, went all the way to Taiyuan.

Li Zicheng was also generous, not confiscating the equipment of the dragoons, and allowing them to travel in full armor.

The civil official who led the envoy was named Liu Xiangke, a native of Fuping, Shaanxi. Xiucai was born, and went south with Fu Shan at the beginning, and now he is a minor official of the Ministry of Rites in the Datong Imperial Court.

Historically, the reputation of this product is not very good, and it is the "tiger skin" in the "Five Tigers of the Southern Ming Dynasty".

The five controlled the government, excluded dissidents, and bent the law for bribes, but Liu Xiangke still had a bottom line, and in the end he did not surrender, but fled into the mountains and did not want to be an official.

The other four were extremely disgusting.

Tiger head Yuan Pengnian, the son of Yuan Zhongdao, after the Qing Dynasty, drafted a notice saying: "The money rat tail is the elegance of the new dynasty; Eguan Bo belt, the bad rules of the country. ”

When he learned that Jin Shenghuan raised troops in Jiangxi, Li Chengdong also intended to oppose the Qing Dynasty, and immediately helped Li Chengdong plan to control the politics of the Southern Ming Dynasty from then on. Emperor Yongli was so angry that he said directly: "In the future, the promotion of officials will be up to Yuan Pengnian." "This thing even dared to quarrel with Emperor Yongli in person.

After the fall of the Yongli small court, Yuan Pengnian was cleared again. Even the Qing Dynasty didn't want him, thinking that this product was a repeated villain.

Huya Golden Castle, although it did not descend to the Qing Dynasty, but became a rich monk, often went in and out of the home of the Manchu Qing Dynasty officials and nobles, and also wrote "Pingnan Wang Yuangong Chuifan" for Shang Kexi tree monument to set up a biography.

Tiger tail Ding Shi Kui, hemp slip down clear.

Tiger Claw Meng Zhengfa, living in seclusion in Hunan, writing books to whitewash the henchmen, and writing himself as an upright gentleman.

Today's Liu Xiangke is not a tiger skin, when he went south, he was even a hot-blooded young man. Not only is it not corrupt and perverts the law, but it is also known for being "honest" in the Datong court, which is clean and honest as a whole. I have been an official for several years, and I still live in the official's dormitory, and I usually use my money to buy books to read, and my only hobby is to participate in literary meetings.

Zhao Han did not have a palace, nor did Li Zicheng, and he had been living in the Jin Palace.

Liu Xiangke, escorted by several dragoons, came to the Ming Jin Palace, and he bowed his hand and said: "Liu Xiangke, the director of the Rites Department of the Datong Imperial Court, meet His Royal Highness." ”

"Bold, don't bow down when you see Your Majesty!" A eunuch scolded.

Liu Xiangke stood with his hands in his hands, held his head high and said, "I, Your Majesty the Emperor of Datong, have canceled the kneeling salute. Even if I meet the Emperor Datong, I don't have to kneel, let alone just meet the puppet emperor! ”

The left and right guards were about to start, Li Zicheng raised his hand and smiled: "If you don't kneel, don't kneel." Listen to your accent, also from Shaanxi? ”

Liu Xiangke said: "People from Fuping, Shaanxi. ”

Li Zicheng asked for a seat, and said with a smile: "There are very few Shaanxi officials in Nanjing, if you are bullied by the southerners, you can stay in Taiyuan as an official." You have a lot of backbone and courage, and I lack such a civil official. You are in charge of the sixth grade in Nanjing, as long as you stay in Taiyuan, we will give you a five-level promotion! ”

Liu Xiang sneered: "If I stay, do you dare to accept it?" Inducing an envoy to defect is tantamount to going to war! ”

"Hahahaha," Li Zicheng laughed, "it's funny." Nanjing Imperial Court, how many officials like you are there? ”

Liu Xiangke said: "I am in the same court, there are countless capable ministers and heroes, and there are a large number of clean officials and honest officials. Like me, it is not worth mentioning at all, and being able to be the head of the Ministry of Rites is already His Majesty's grace. ”

Li Zicheng didn't want to listen to the other party's bragging, so he only asked: "Emperor Zhao of Nanjing, why did he cut Hao Shaoqi?" ”

Liu Xiangke asked rhetorically: "Why did Hao Shaoqi defect?" ”

Li Zicheng said: "Corrupt and pervert the law, do not listen to the emperor's orders, he is afraid that I will punish the crime." ”

Liu Xiangke said with a smile: "What good is it for those who are corrupt and pervert the law?" What Your Excellency doesn't want, will my Majesty the Emperor Datong want? In my Datong court, if you embezzle more than 20 taels of silver, you will lose your official position at least and be exiled at worst! ”

Hearing this, Li Zicheng was solemn and sighed for the last time.

Liu Xiangke said again: "My Majesty the Emperor Datong, I came from a humble background and started from the end of the micro, but I am just a scholar. It is precisely because we have all the people in our hearts and cannot tolerate corrupt officials that hundreds of millions of people have returned to their hearts. is to ascend the throne and become the emperor, and he has not forgotten his original intention. Do you know the "Three Plains"? People-oriented! A person who exploits the people, I don't want it with the court! It is the two provinces of Shanxi and Shanxi, and Your Majesty also asked me to bring a word. ”

"What?" Li Zicheng asked.

"Your Majesty said," Liu Xiangke said with a smile, "In these two provinces of Shanxi and Shaanxi, I hope Your Excellency will treat the people well." When Nanjing has all the money and food, His Majesty will raise troops to get it. If you are familiar with current affairs, you can also bring the household map to Nanjing to donate. ”

Li Zicheng was already laughing angrily: "What a big breath! ”

The Datong Imperial Court has already survived the most difficult time, and next year it will have enough military rations. This is a deliberate attempt to provoke Li Zicheng, and it is best for Li Zicheng to take the initiative to attack and have a big defeat outside Shanxi.

The terrain in Shanxi is really hard to break into, there are mountains and Xiongguan everywhere!

Even if the Datong army wants to attack, it will first attack Beizhili, and then attack Shanxi after the Manchu Qing Dynasty is cleaned up.

This time, Hao Shaoqi's head was cut off, which was also paving the way for the future attack on Shanxi. What the soldiers and the people said about the fine work and the merchants, the soldiers and the people may not believe it, but the five thousand soldiers went back to publicize it, and it could quickly spread among the Dashun army - Emperor Zhao of Nanjing was benevolent and righteous, and he was very good to the people, and everyone could eat enough.

Many landlords in Shanxi had been persuaded by the meticulous work that even if their land and property were divided, they were willing to welcome the Datong army.

Li Zicheng's rule is indeed good, but that is only relative to the Ming Dynasty, and it is also relative to the people at the bottom.

The real situation is: civilian officials are pressed by military generals, and as long as there is a garrison, the military generals basically have the final say. It is difficult for civil officials to be greedy for big things, but they can only be greedy for small things. The real greed is all local military generals. Moreover, after more than 10 years of drought and war, there are not many people left. If the generals want to loot, they must attack the landlords and merchants.

The gentry and businessmen in Shanxi are not having a very good time.

More importantly, there are psychological problems of those military generals. They crawled out of the mountain of corpses and the sea of blood, and finally settled down for a few years, and then they felt that they could start to enjoy happiness. And they know how to do it, after the Datong army beat the Manchus back to Liaodong, they didn't think that Li Zicheng could win, and sooner or later he would be destroyed by Zhao Han.

In that case, then take the opportunity to make money and enjoy it.

Most of Li Zicheng's high-level generals have become corrupt and degenerate, and the people's hearts and military spirit have long been dispersed.

Waving his hand to let Liu Xiangke retreat, Niu Jinxing walked out of the side hall.

"How?" Li Zicheng asked.

Niu Jinxing shook his head: "No clue." But it's certain that the surname Zhao didn't take us seriously. ”

Li Zicheng said: "After two years of stockpiling grain, we can already fight. If you want to go south, where to start? ”

Niu Jinxing said: "When it comes to war, Your Majesty understands it better than your ministers. ”

Li Zicheng was silent for a moment.

Where else to start? Of course, it is to hit the north of Zhili.

In the entire Beizhili, Li Zicheng accounted for most of it, and Zhao Han accounted for a small half. In the future, Hebei will be a battlefield, and there is no natural danger there, and it will all rely on the defense of cities.

At that time, the strategy or something will no longer be useful, and you will have to compete with real knives and guns in combat effectiveness and logistics.

Niu Jinxing suddenly said: "It's better to make an appointment with the Tartars and send troops together next year!" ”

(It's not available today, but it's made up tomorrow.) ）