Ming dynasty,

Outside the capital.

A long line of troops came from the north. They held high the banner of the Ming army and wore strong armor. They looked dusty, but their solemn and murderous aura soared into the sky.

This is the Ming army that has just returned from victory on the grassland.

The leader is the Governor of Mongolia, the Shanghu Army, General Longhu, and Dingyuan Bo Cao Wenzhao; the deputy is the commander of the fifth military camp of the capital, the captain of Qingche, and General Zhaoyi Zhou Yuji.

Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji had already learned the news from the messenger, and the emperor and his chief minister were waiting for them at the city gate.

The moment of honoring the ancestors was just around the corner. The two looked at each other and Cao Wenzhao shouted: "Brothers, the emperor and Yuan Fu are bringing the people of the capital to welcome us. Cheer up!"

It is a big event for the army that went to Mongolia to return to camp.

In order to demonstrate his martial arts prowess, Zhu Youxiao directly led his ministers and nobles to the city gate to welcome the returning victorious army.

Teams of flying knights reported the distance back and forth. When the army in the distance was getting closer and closer, Zhu Youxiao looked at the banners of the Ming Dynasty. Teams of Ming army knights could not help but feel excited: "My army is back.

!”

The civil servants and nobles behind you look at me and I look at you. No one dares to say anything at this time.

Facing Zhu Youxiao, who was going from one victory to another, they seemed too weak at the moment.

Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji were neatly dressed and riding horses at the forefront. Behind them were tens of thousands of mighty troops, as well as tens of thousands of prisoners of war and a large amount of loot.

The swaying Ming army battle flags and the long fiery red marching team can be seen clearly even from miles away.

Accompanied by the sound of rumbling drums and horns, dust was flying in the distance, and the flags covered the sky. The army with the spirit of killing was marching forward, one after another, tall war horses, and knights wearing strong armor.

The lances were raised high to form a forest of spears. Under the sunlight, the blades of the spears reflected the dazzling light, making it difficult to open one's eyes.

The evil spirits that these soldiers who had gone through bloody battles made these civil servants and nobles who were talking in high places in the temple hold their breath.

Wearing a five-claw dragon robe and a benevolent crown with dragon wings, Zhu Youxiao stood on the city tower with his hands behind his hands, Zhang Haogu standing beside him, and behind him were all the civil and military officials.

When the army arrived in front of the city gate, people on both sides had gathered to watch. On both sides of the road were guards in royal robes maintaining order, and at the city gate there were Han generals lined up in a row, standing solemnly with axes and banners.

Cao Wenzhao waved his hand to stop the army, and then he and Zhou Yuji rode forward.

The two rode their horses to the city tower, got off their horses and knelt down on one knee: "I was ordered to leave the fortress, and finally came back victorious. Fortunately, I did not disgrace my order."

Zhu Youxiao on the tower looked at the two young generals of the Ming Dynasty and said with a smile: "Okay!"

"Wang Tiqian, declare the decree!"

Wang Tiqian, who was holding the imperial edict, led a group of palace people to the outside of the city. When he saw Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji, he smiled and nodded, and then unfolded the imperial edict: "According to the edict of Emperor Tiancheng Yun, he said: Over the years, we have been in trouble, and for me,

The stubborn diseases of the Ming Dynasty have caused great harm to our subjects at the borders of the Ming Dynasty. The Tatars and Liaodong are both ambitious and collude with each other, intending to plot against us in the Central Plains. Now we have good generals who lead their troops out of the fortress, cross the vast sea, ride horses to Monan, and pacify the Tatars and Jurchens

I am very pleased to have my troops promote the majesty of our country, the Ming Dynasty, and let the power of God spread across the grassland."

"Cao Wenzhao, Governor of Mongolia and General of the Dragon and Tiger Guards, was brave and brave, and was commendable for his loyalty and bravery. He defeated a hundred thousand Tatars. He was specially promoted to the Crown Prince and Tutor, awarded the honorary title of Doctor, was promoted to the Zhu Kingdom, and was promoted to the rank of Dingyuan Hou."

"The commander of the five military camps, General Zhaoyi, Commander of Qingchao, Zhou Yuji, took the lead in chasing the enemy to the north. He was promoted to Prince Shaofu, awarded the title of General of Dingguo, was promoted to protect the army, and was given the title of Wei Yuanbo."

Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji looked at each other and decided to increase their rank, rank, title, and honor.

A series of rewards were thrown down, and the two of them immediately kowtowed: "My lord, I accept the decree and thank you for your kindness. Long live my emperor."

What was read out in public was naturally the general's reward. After all, there are so many generals and captains in each department, how could it be possible to read them all here? Those are all going to the palace to be rewarded one by one. Everyone has merit, including the soldiers.

All are rewarded for military merit.

Everyone knows these things, so even ordinary soldiers are very happy. They are calculating how much money their military merits are worth, whether they can be promoted, and whether they will have a medal from the Battle of Monan on their chests.

In the reform of the new army, military merit is mainly based on collective achievements, but outstanding individual performance will not be buried. In addition, according to the functional division of combat army, auxiliary army, and logistics army, it is ensured that everyone has credit. After all, fighting does not all rely on soldiers.

The support from the friendly forces on both wings and the food and fodder supplies for the logistics personnel are extremely small.

And in order to highlight the honor of the military, the commended soldiers will not only receive publicity in their hometowns, go to the yamen to express condolences, but also receive medals.

Wearing a battle-hardened armor, with big red flowers on both men and horses, and military medals hanging on his left chest, he paraded around the streets to show off his martial arts, which was an honor only reserved for a man.

After Wang Tiqian announced the decree, the palace people in the rear immediately put new ribbons on Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji, hung red flowers on them, and carefully hung medals on their chest armor, including the Monan Battle Medal and the Battle of Saihan Mountain.

With the medals hanging on his chest, Wang Tigan smiled and said: "Two generals, mount your horses and enter the city."

Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji saluted Zhu Youxiao on the tower, then got on their horses and said, "Soldiers, enter the city!"

The banners of various Mongolian tribes and alliances and the triangular dragon flags of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were scattered on the street. Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji were in front, and the generals were behind, followed by the third battalion of the capital. Balian and Nadu's tribes had made great contributions.

Thousands of knighted soldiers, all riding horses and wearing armor, lined up to enter the city.

Horse hooves trampled on the large banners and the eight flags and dragon flags. The heroic soldiers on the war horses were wearing big red flowers and medals, wearing iron armor and cloaks, which attracted the people on both sides to applaud.

This trampled not only the flag, but also the Tatar tribe and the Liaodong slaves. This meant that the cavalry of the Ming Dynasty had trampled it to the ground, and it meant that the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty once again conquered all directions.

"Long live! Long live the Ming army! Long live the Ming Dynasty!"

The people cheered and shouted, and the young people looked with envy at the soldiers riding horses through the streets. They were wearing iron armor, riding horses, galloping across the desert, and serving on the battlefield. They were truly worthy of being men.

The young girls who were about to show off looked shyly at those heroic officers. These officers had experienced fierce battles on the battlefield and the cold wind outside the Great Wall. Each one of them was not only mature and reliable, but also had a bright future. Their resolute faces impressed these girls.

My heart is pounding, which girl doesn't have a child, and which girl doesn't have the dream of being a hero and a beauty?

It is foreseeable that these officers and soldiers who parade around to show off their martial arts will inevitably be stepped down by matchmakers in the future. These are all wealthy husbands.

Zhu Youxiao and Zhang Haogu have already descended from the city tower, and soon there will be a wave of rewards in the imperial city.

After the generals paraded through the streets and entered the imperial city, Zhu Youxiao awarded rewards again. This time, he targeted all the rewarded officers and meritorious soldiers, including Li Zhao, Wang Lin, Zhao Guangli, Han Wu, Zhang Yi, Huang Hua, and Yan

Hundreds of people including Fei, the commander-in-chief of one unit, and captains of various units, etc., received the reward.

Then came the rewards for the officers and soldiers of each department. In short, everyone was rewarded, given money, medals, allocated fields, and promoted according to merit.

No matter whether you are charging on horseback, manipulating artillery, or transporting grain, grass and gunpowder in the rear, you will be rewarded according to your merit, as much as you deserve, and no one's reward will be withheld.

After all, the rewards are not given by the officers. Everyone receives the money, and the white money is placed in front of them. Every soldier who receives the money has a bright smile on his face. They have heard what the officer said,

For this battle, their rewards will be calculated separately. They will receive double military pay, and their families will also receive awards. Officials from the county will send fifty kilograms of rice, noodles, and ten kilograms of meat.

These are additional awards given to the family by the imperial court.

As for those who were injured and died in battle, the court also gave other gifts. For example, for those who died in war, not only would the court give their families a one-time salary of five years, but they would also give them a monthly salary for another five years. During the holidays, the officials of the Yamen would send them to their families.

Rice noodles, oil and salt will also be nailed on the door of the house to indicate their identity.

After lavishly awarding meritorious military generals, Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji went to the palace to report on their duties and described the specific battle history to Zhu Youxiao in detail.

After all, as the commander-in-chief, their descriptions allowed Zhu Youxiao and Zhang Haogu to understand the actual situation better, which was much more detailed than the few words in the victory report.

In the Hall of Wuying, Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji even temporarily acted as two sides in the decisive battle and once again demonstrated the battle of Chahanhot and the battle of Saihan Mountain on the sand table.

Zhu Youxiao and Zhang Haogu watched the review on the sand table and asked Cao Wenzhao about his passing from time to time. When the review was over, Zhu Youxiao finally understood why Huang Taiji was betrayed by the Mongolian ministries and why he was defeated.

So miserable.

"Huang Taiji planned to use the firepower of our Ming army to consume the fresh troops of the Mongolian ministries and alliances. He deliberately only allowed the Mongolian ministries to send troops in the first three days, and often withdrew after only half a day of fighting. On the one hand, it consumed our army's firearms, and on the other hand, it consumed the strength of the Mongolian ministries.

.”

"In this way, our military firearms have been consumed to the tune of 7788, and the strength of the Mongolian tribes has also been weakened to the point where they can be controlled. As long as he can win, and then distribute some pasture herdsmen, cattle and sheep slaves to the Mongolian tribes, then the Mongolian tribes will

I just accepted this loss."

"But he was too arrogant. For three consecutive days, he asked Mongolian soldiers to come up and die, but he refused to let his Eight Banners soldiers go into battle. He did not expect that our army's reinforcements would come so quickly, and he was too confident in his Eight Banners soldiers."

"If he attacks with an army of 100,000 people encircled and attacked from the front, with the Mongolian troops attracting our firearms from the front, and the Eight Banners vests charging into the formation on the two wings, our army will not be able to fight without enough barbed wire, large-area trenches, and horse traps.

It may last for three days, but it will be difficult for two days.”

Zhu Youxiao smiled and said: "It seems that Huang Taiji is still a good helper for my Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Haogu also smiled, didn't he?

It can be said that Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji are able to achieve their current majestic achievements because of the support of Huang Taiji.

It can be said that in this life, the reason why Huang Taiji was able to conquer half of Horqin, and even almost conquered the entire Chahar Grassland even though Liaodong was in ruins and had no food and wages, was all because of Lin Danbaltu and Ruitu Taiji.

It was the two Chahar men who personally brought Huang Taiji to a height that did not belong to him.

The reason why Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji were able to pursue death and defeat Shi Yanran was all due to Huang Taiji's early arrogance and his little thinking.

If Cao Wenzhao and Zhou Yuji will leave their names in history in the future, Huang Taiji will have at least one-third of the credit.

Just like the Soochow Emperor who carried Zhang Liao into the Martial Arts Temple, Huang Taiji will inevitably have the title of Manchu Emperor in the future.

Thinking of this, Zhang Haogu frowned. The Manchu Emperor seemed to be Kang Mazi?

But the next second, Zhang Haogu's brows widened. With the Donglin Party members in Liaodong being corrupt and accepting bribes, and what Huang Taiji had done, it was not certain whether there would be Kang Mazi in the future.

In fact, according to the original historical trend, there was no problem for Huang Taiji to play this trick, but who made the Ming Dynasty different now? He still judged the Ming army according to the same old thinking, thinking that the Ming army would not easily break out of the fortress, and that the Ming army would not be able to rush for reinforcements.

If it is so fast, then if he fights the wrong battle with wrong strategic judgment, he will lose everything!

Does Huang Taiji regret it?

regret!

I regret it so much!

After escaping back to Liaodong with the defeated generals, Huang Taiji felt extremely regretful when he saw that the 40,000 Eight Banners warriors who had followed him on the expedition were now only around 10,000. In addition, Dorgon, who was seriously injured by the Ming army's artillery, led his army.
To be continued...