Chapter 880 Fighting on two fronts, the furious Chongzhen

Author: Feng Shaoyu

Jinan Prefecture, Licheng.

At this time, it was just dawn, and there was still some residual mist from the night in the air, but the Datongshe military camp outside Licheng was already bustling with people, and the prisoners of the Ming military guard were lined up neatly.

team, waiting quietly for questioning.

Zhou Yuji paid great attention to the recruitment of soldiers this time. All the six recruiting points in the six prefectures of Shandong were under the responsibility of the captain. The captain personally selected them in order to select 30,000 good family members.

The tall man looked nervously at the person sitting in front of him. The captain was younger than him, but he was wearing the captain's exclusive officer robe. As soon as he sat there, his aura started to rise.

The man couldn't help but think of the previous battle with Xia Jin.

In that battle, the officers and soldiers from the four regions cooperated with 50,000 elites from the Beijing camp, and a total of 200,000 troops faced off against the Datong Society's 40,000 troops. As a result, the 100,000 people standing in front of them were directly defeated by the Datong Society's more than 10,000 elites!

Groups of Datong soldiers wearing cotton-padded armor, tasseled helmets, and holding fireguns lined up neatly, held high battle flags, and marched against the Ming army's artillery rockets, even if the arrows fell on their heads, even if the artillery fire exploded around them.

Even though it was opened, it didn't move them at all.

With only ten thousand people, their momentum is as strong as the crashing waves. Even if they are faced with thousands of troops, they still turn a blind eye. When such ten thousand people approach the imperial army formation, open fire and launch a charge, the imperial officers and soldiers understand what is happening.

Called the real elite, what did the heavenly army look like during the Apocalypse era that oppressed all directions?

And those ten thousand people were divided into twenty-four battalions, and the leader of one battalion was the captain in front of him.

While his thoughts were spinning, the man could still recall the volley of guns that sounded like a thunderous explosion, and the shining bayonets. Even now, the echoes can't help but make people shiver.

"What is your name?"

The captain's words brought back the man's wandering thoughts.

The man quickly said respectfully: "Wang Ermao."

"Where are you from?"

"Jiang County."

"Oh, you're from Pingyang Mansion. How did you join the military camp? Tell me about your experience."

"There is a severe drought in Shanxi. The family has no way to survive. My parents can't feed their three children. I can get five coins from the army and manage two meals a day, so I join the army."

"Then why do you want to join us?"

"I don't want to work for this bastard court anymore. I want to change my life. I want to have a full stomach. I want my parents to live."

"Okay, be ambitious! Our purpose in Datong Society is to change the way of life for everyone in the world, to have a full stomach, to farm, to have clothes to wear, and to have enough food and clothing. This is called innovation. You man

Looks like he's in good health, has a lot of strength, and is a loyal person, so come over."

The man named Wang Ermao nodded and walked towards the other team with the wooden sign he just received.

After Wang Ermao left, someone else came forward. It was still a familiar process.

"What is your name?"

"Zhang Xiaowu."

"Where are you from?"

“From Taikang, Henan.”

"How did you join the military camp?"

"I was forcibly captured. I originally came out to seek a living with my fellow villagers, but I was captured by the guards and became a fellow village warrior. My fellow villagers are gone, and I don't know where I'm going. But I know that you are the new party.

I want to follow you, the good officials who came to provide relief during the floods in Henan."

"Sigh, your age and physique don't meet the requirements."

The captain rubbed his brows worriedly. General Zhou Yuji wanted to establish two new towns. Except for the officers, all new people would be used, mainly these prisoners.

It seems that the two towns need at least 32,000 new soldiers, but in the Battle of Xiajin, nearly 40,000 people were captured, and there were also the previous prisoners, and the guardsmen who had defected to the army added up to the equivalent of 200,000 people.

For people over 30,000, this ratio is much smaller.

There was a reason why we selected these prisoners. Originally, these prisoners were strong men selected from various places. In addition, they had at least some training background, and many of them were farmers and townspeople. They also met the Datong Society's consistent recruitment requirements.

As soon as these prisoners heard that the Datong Society was recruiting regular soldiers, they all signed up enthusiastically. Although the Datong Society had a lot of training, the training was hard, and the military discipline was strict, the treatment in the Datong Society was really good, with three meals a day and three meals a day.

One meal of meat a day, oil and water every day, and military pay. If you work for a few years and make meritorious deeds, you will have a military field.

Unlike the imperial court, Datong Society keeps its word.

Moreover, the reputation of Datong Society in recent years is obvious to all. Who brought the New Deal and allowed the people to live in peace and prosperity for ten years.

Therefore, following the Datong Society has a much better future than following the imperial court.

But there is also a problem. There are too many people who want to join the Datong Society. Recruitment is also based on merit. The height and physical requirements of the candidates are all required. The person in front of me is more like a child than a soldier.

Zhang Xiaowu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly said: "Sir, I really want to follow you. I had no choice before and was forced to become a young man. But we all thought about the good of your Datong Club, and no one wanted to

Fight with you."

"I look like I've lost some weight, but I know a lot, so it's really hard for me to stay here and cook."

"What's going on?" A captain walked over quickly. He had just seen something moving here.

After the captain told the captain about the situation, the captain looked at Zhang Xiaowu and then said with a smile: "It's a good thing to have ambition. Didn't Yuan Fu also say that ambition is not about age? This kid looks at

He's a little younger and a little thinner, but that's what happens when you don't have enough food. Let him stay in the kitchen now."

After hearing this, Zhang Xiaowu said excitedly: "Thank you, sir, thank you, sir, I will kneel down for you!"

"stand up!"

The captain picked up Zhang Xiaowu, looked at the people around him, and said loudly: "Let me tell you first, no matter whether you are good or bad, there is no reason to kneel here in Datong Society. We are all human beings, and no one is better than anyone else.

No matter how noble you are, stand up straight, stand well, don't kneel down, and don't imitate those things done by the imperial officers and soldiers, Datong Society doesn't like that!"

Shandong's plan to recruit prisoners was progressing very smoothly, but the battle was inexplicably collapsed. The vanguard collapsed and fled, and the entire army was in rout. Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Chengguo, was licking his wounds.

It seemed that he only lost tens of thousands of people in that battle, but in fact, he lost a lot of firearms and artillery. Plus the food and baggage, his army was unable to fight in the short term and could only wait for the court to send new ordnance.

and supplies.

This time Zhu Chunchen learned a lot. He did not want the latest artillery built by the court. The quality of the artillery of the Chongzhen Dynasty was really not reassuring. He directly wrote a note asking the court to provide the field heavy artillery built between the fifth and twelfth years of Tianqi.

Tianqi Dynasty's firearms can still make people feel at ease.

Compared with today's chaotic chaos of demons and the corruption of the Chongzhen Dynasty, the Tianqi Dynasty has strict laws and regulations, and has implemented new laws. The ordnance used in successive years of wars is very sophisticated, whether it is armor, firearms, or swords, they are all first-class.

One of the best.

As for the swords and firearms made by the Chongzhen Dynasty, Zhu Chunchen could only describe them as sighing.

But he had no choice, because his Chengguo government was also involved in the business of the Ordnance Bureau, so all the ordnance Zhu Chunchen wanted to use were improvised weapons that were not suitable for use. He hoped that the imperial court would allocate ordnance from the previous dynasty for emergency use, so as to save Zhu You.

The inspector wondered if there was something wrong with the ordnance.

Lacking enough ordnance and food, Zhu Chunchen immersed himself in Henan and waited patiently, regardless of the situation in Shandong. This also gave Zhou Yuji enough time to develop prisoners and recruit troops.

It really didn't take much time to gather the soldiers and horses from the two towns. The middle and low-level officers were all ready-made. There were many officers in the seventh and eighth towns waiting for promotion. The wars in Shandong were one after another, and many people made meritorious deeds.

, now the two new towns have also been provided with promotion positions for these meritorious officials.

Zhou Yuji looked at the list of people who needed to be promoted, quickly signed his name and said: "Send this list to the center and ask Yuan Fu for approval as soon as possible."

Liaodong, Shenyang, Datong Society Center.

As the war started, Zhang Haogu became even busier. Datong Society mobilized soldiers and horses from five towns in Shandong and Gansu and Shaanxi, and money and food were spent continuously like water. Now, finally, results have been achieved.

"Yuan Fu, the situation in Shandong has stabilized. After two battles, Zhou Yuji defeated the imperial army one after another. Now Shandong is completely under our control. This is the information sent by Zhou Yuji." Gu Yanwu said as the general reported.

Go to Zhang Hao’s ancient desk case.

"I feel relieved that Zhou Yuji is in Shandong."

As Zhang Haogu spoke, he put down the booklet at hand and picked up the general newspaper and looked at it carefully. Seeing this, Gu Yanwu refilled Zhang Haogu's hot tea and waited quietly.

After Zhang Haogu read it, he nodded: "Ning Ren, please invite Chief Zhang and Chief Lu, and Governor Cao as well."

Soon, Zhang Ruitu, Lu Xiangsheng, and Cao Wenzhao arrived at Qinzheng Hall.

"This is the booklet Zhou Yuji sent from Shandong. Let's take a look." Zhang Haogu said.

After Zhang Ruitu, Lu Xiangsheng, and Cao Wenzhao read the excerpts one by one, Zhang Haogu asked: "Everyone, please tell me."

Cao Wenzhao said: "It is normal to temporarily organize new troops in two towns. Zhou Yuji's situation in Shandong is not as good as ours. He is surrounded by imperial officers and soldiers from all directions. Only two towns are not enough to open up the situation, and those prisoners of the guard cannot always be

Logistics is used. If you organize and train two towns, you can intimidate the capital in the north, and you can go to the south of the Yangtze River. In any case, at least he will not be short of money."

Zhang Haogu waved his hand: "It's not a big deal for him to organize and train new armies in the two towns, and I don't mean to say anything about it."

"The general will not give you orders. We are in the Northeast, and he is alone in Shandong. He knows the situation he is facing, and we cannot understand it. Since he needs to expand his army, let him expand it."

"In the final analysis, when Zhou Yuji and Shi Kefa were asked to take charge of Shandong and Gansu, there were not many people assigned to them. It is normal for them to develop on their own."

"What I want to show you is the description of Zhu Chunchen's army in the excerpt. Do you see any tricks?"

Seeing that everyone was still hesitant, Zhang Haogu slapped the table: "The imperial court has no money and no food. Now the imperial court has nothing in its sleeves and nothing to come up with!"

"Zhili is right on the edge of Henan. If the imperial court had enough money and food, just like what Zhou Yuji did in Shandong, the emperor would have sent more troops to conquer us. He even went all the way to Shandong and Liaodong, so that the people of the world could see what the imperial court was doing.

means."

"But right now, we are as stable as Mount Tai in Liaodong, and Zhou Yuji is also developing steadily in Shandong. What does this mean? It means that the court has more than enough ambition but not enough strength. It means that the court cannot spend money and food to send more troops. It also shows that Chongzhen

I'm already at my wits' end."

Lu Xiangsheng nodded: "Yes, if we follow the previous dynasty, the imperial court can mobilize tens of thousands of troops to conquer one side at any time, and there will never be a shortage of money, food, ordnance. Later, the imperial court can mobilize an army of 100,000 in any direction. If there is a

On the one hand, there is a problem with the war, and the imperial reinforcements have arrived long ago."

"But now, Zhou Yuji's information has been sent to us, and the imperial court is still hesitant to make a decision on sending reinforcements and dispatching food and fodder. Obviously, the imperial court has nothing to support."

"Without money and food, the court is nothing but an empty shell."

Zhang Ruitu shook his head: "Think about the past dynasty, and then think about it now. I don't know what the emperor wants. It's not like the court really has no money or food. Among those nobles and ministers, which family doesn't have piles of food?

, that family doesn’t have a lot of gold and silver?”

"The emperor doesn't want to ask the noble ministers for money or food at all. He doesn't even want to ask the gentry for money or food. He just stiffens his neck and plunders it from the people. How much food can the people have? How much food can they withstand from top to bottom?

Scratch?”

Zhang Haogu stretched out his hand and said, "That's the point. The world can't stand Chongzhen's torment like this!"

"Everyone has understood the situation of all parties. The world is obviously going to be in turmoil. The white-haired wind on the grassland is getting more and more severe, and there are more and more droughts in the north. However, the floods in the south have never stopped. This

There are floods in the south and drought in the north. Which one does not need money and food from the court? Which one does not need a strong center to lead and stabilize the situation?"

"But the Chongzhen Dynasty could not do this. Their central government did not have enough ability and skill, and those who compromised from all parties did not have the courage to do things to stabilize the world. They could only make peace and tear down the east wall to repair the west wall.

"

As he spoke, Zhang Haogu sighed: "The world is about to be in complete chaos. The situation is changing and natural disasters are happening one after another. If the previous dynasty is still there, we are in the center, and the new policies and laws are still there, there are still ways to govern."

"After all, overseas trade continues, and money and food are constantly sent in from overseas. If the court has money and food, it can stabilize the situation. At that time, the court will lead everyone to continue to build water conservancy projects and build ditches. If they do more construction, they will use work instead of work.

Relief, this hurdle can always be overcome."

"But at this time of year, we are huddled in Liaodong. Every place is dominated by corrupt officials. Incompetent people control the center of the court. They embezzle money and assets of the court and ruin a good situation like this."

"Sea trade has been cut off, money and food from outside cannot come in, there are many passes in various places, trade routes are blocked, and we are encountering severe droughts and floods."

Zhang Ruitu smiled and said: "Yuan Fu, what you said is really confusing to the authorities. Even if you and I are still in the center and Chongzhen is in power, and these empty talkers and incompetent people are holding us back everywhere, how much can you and I do?

"

"On the contrary, now that we have jumped out of the imperial court and are not subject to restrictions, we can actually do a lot of things."

Lu Xiangsheng also said: "Yes, if you continue to be bound by those rules and regulations in the court and be held back by corrupt officials, no matter how many people there are, it won't be enough. People in the court spend all their energy on intrigues and fighting for power.

How can you still care about the suffering of the people?"

Zhang Haogu nodded and tapped his fingers on the table: "The imperial court is out of money and food. If we rely on the imperial court to provide disaster relief, given the current operating conditions of the imperial court and the people in the center who are constantly holding us back, the people will have to be displaced and killed everywhere.

No."

"We cannot count on the imperial court. We must shoulder this responsibility. After all, we want to revolutionize the world, revolutionize the world, and lead the people of the world, so we must shoulder corresponding responsibilities. We must move faster."

"Ning Ren, I will review Shandong's report immediately. Send it as soon as possible. The Central Committee agrees with Zhou Yuji's plan, approves his army expansion plan and strategic plan, and approves his meritorious service to be promoted. I will leave Shandong's affairs to him. Tell me

He, he is the governor of Shandong and the president of two towns. Later, he may be the governor of three provinces and the president of four towns. Let him do what he likes."

With that said, Zhang Haogu quickly gave instructions and gave the instructions to Gu Yanwu.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Haogu looked at Lu Xiangsheng: "Now we need enough food. It is absolutely not enough to rely solely on the output of our three northeastern provinces. We also need food from outside."

"Contact Nanyang and buy food from Nanyang."

Lu Xiangsheng said: "Getting food from Nanyang is one way, but this long-distance operation is very expensive."

"We can't just worry about these. The food doesn't need to be transported to Liaodong, it can be transported directly to Shandong. Zhou Yuji is currently singing in Shandong. He is attracting the attention of the court for us. We must give him more help."

Zhang Haogu said.

Zhang Ruitu said: "In addition, we can also increase our propaganda power to let the people of the world see the true face of the imperial court, let the people of the world know what the center of the imperial court and those noble gentry did, and why Chongzhen ignored the noble gentry.

They only exploit the people."

Zhang Haogu responded: "Yes, the people of the world must see clearly the true appearance of this decadent court, and the people of the world must realize that these noble gentry and officials are officials who protect each other, and they work together. As long as they exist, they will suppress the people."

If the blood sucks from the head for a day, all of them must be removed so that the people can straighten their backs and breathe freely."

Cao Wenzhao couldn't help but laugh and said: "Okay, over there Zhou Yuji dispatched troops and generals to intimidate Zhili, and here widespread propaganda exposed the darkness of the imperial court. In addition, natural disasters continued, local people rose up in rebellion, and Emperor Chongzhen was going to be in dire straits."

"If he is really capable of dealing with this, it means that he still has some abilities, and he is not very ambitious and talented. It's a pity that he is really full of empty talk and has no real talent or learning." Zhang Haogu said, feeling a little jealous.

The meaning of steel is in it.

"It's a pity that all the hard work we have done fell into the hands of such a fatuous and incompetent emperor. Now that the world has been reduced to this, I really don't know how he will face the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty after his death."
Chapter completed!