Four hundred and twentieth chapters Taiyuan Xiancheng
In late February, the weather gradually improved and winter was about to pass.
The temperature during the day has reached above freezing.
There was a heavy snowfall a few days ago, but it was difficult to stand. The snow on the ground was burned by the sun and turned into honeycomb snowdrifts.
After seeing off the four generals of the frontier army, Wei Nan also left Linfen with the main force and marched towards Taiyuan.
Now Luo Xin Group only has one big city left in Hedong, Taiyuan, or this is the only city.
Yangqu, Taigu, Shouyang and other places around Taiyuan have all taken refuge in Wei Nan.
There is only one isolated city in Taiyuan on Hedong Road.
During the winter, Wei Nan wrote to Jiang Gong many times, hoping that he would abandon the dark side and turn to the bright side as soon as possible.
Jiang Gong is also very stubborn and has persisted until now with no intention of surrendering.
Of course, Jiang Gong made no other moves and just defended an isolated city in Taiyuan.
According to the information obtained by the spies, it was Luo Xin who gave Jiang Gong the order to defend Taiyuan.
Now that the weather is getting slightly warmer, the Renaissance Army no longer needs to stay in the city, so Wei Nan mobilizes his troops and goes north to prepare to completely trap Taiyuan and end the war on Hedong Road.
At the end of February, Wei Nan led the Western Northern Expedition to arrive at Taiyuan City.
Artillery was set up at the four city gates, ready to launch a fierce attack on Taiyuan at any time.
"The traitor general Jiang Gong, the defender of Taiyuan City. You have reached the end of your rope."
"The bandit leader Luo Xin was driven to Handan by our main force before the Spring Festival. After the spring begins, Luo Xin will be completely destroyed!"
"There is no hope for you to get closer to them, and it is even more wishful thinking to wait for him to rescue you!"
"Your East Route Army surrendered to our East Route Northern Expedition Army a few days ago. They have been given the treatment of retaining their original organizational structure. They have abandoned the dark side and turned to the bright side. They have been reorganized into the Second Army of the East Route Northern Expedition Army. They have become part of the official army.
member!"
"Defenders in Taiyuan City, the Renaissance Army has surrounded you like iron barrels. You can no longer escape. If Luo Xin asks you to hold on, he will make you wait for death!"
"You should stop making inaction sacrifices for Luo Xin alone."
"Stop resisting immediately, lay down your weapons, and surrender in an orderly manner."
"From Jiang Gong, Jiang Cai, Ge Yue, and Wang Dadong onwards, regardless of generals or status, their lives will be guaranteed."
Advertisements urging surrender were shouted around Taiyuan City at least five times a day.
Wei Nan found a few warriors with the loudest voices and shouted loudly with a loudspeaker made of wooden boards, which could be heard clearly within forty or fifty meters inside the city wall.
Song Yang copied this letter to persuade him to surrender, as well as its rhetoric and content from an encyclopedia.
It was written by a great man of his own time.
Cycling advertisements has a very obvious effect on destroying the morale of the thieves.
Taiyuan City is not short of food. Jiang Gong still has enough food for two years!
But can this city be defended for two years?
If it were before the natural disaster, Jiang Gong would have been able to hold on for two years.
But now...
All of his soldiers had fought against the Western Route Northern Expedition Army many times.
The power of artillery is still fresh in my memory.
No one wants to face that terrifying destructive ability physically.
Although Taiyuan has a strong and tall city wall, Jiang Gong and his few trusted generals did not think they could resist for long.
The wall of Anding City was directly blown down by unscrupulous cannons. Some of the bandits who fled fled to Taiyuan, making Taiyuan's military morale even more unstable.
"General! They are giving us the last chance by not attacking the city now. If we don't surrender now, we may not have the chance to surrender later."
"Yes, General. I think what they said is right. King Xin asked us to hold on to Taiyuan. Doesn't he want us to wait for death?"
"He himself was beaten and fled all the way, throwing away his armor. What's the point of letting us hold on here?"
"I think he just wants to have a backing up!"
Jiang Gong was surrounded by three generals. They were Jiang Cai, Ge Yue, and Wang Dadong mentioned in the previous article.
These three people are Jiang Gong's lieutenants and confidants.
There was originally a person assigned by Luo Xin to monitor Jiang Gong, but that guy was unlucky before the Spring Festival. He drank too much and went out to urinate. He caught the cold wind and died of cold.
From then on, Jiang Gong had the final say in Taiyuan City.
Someone suggested to Jiang Gong to retreat eastward and join Luo Xin.
However, Jiang Gong said that Luo Xin asked them to stay in Taiyuan and wait for rescue.
Several letters have been sent to Wei Nan urging him to surrender.
Jiang Gong didn't give a clear answer. He wanted to wait a little longer to see what was going on with Luo Xin.
Now that Wei Nan is here, there is no way to delay it.
None of the generals under his command wanted to fight, as they knew they could not defeat him.
As soon as Taiyuan was surrounded, he immediately came to Jiang Gong for persuasion.
"Oh! King Xin has treated me so well, I really can't bear to abandon him!" Jiang Gong sighed heavily.
"What is not thin? Cousin, your status has never been higher than that of Heizi and Zhang Lei, and is even inferior to Ma Wei."
"Then King Xin is just using us as tools!"
The person who spoke was Jiang Cai, Jiang Gong's clan brother, who had joined Luo Xin with him very early.
His talents are no less than Jiang Gong's, but it's a pity that he has never been reused.
It is impossible for Luo Xin to allow two brothers with both talents to be in high positions.
He is a suspicious person, fearing that the two brothers will gain real power and join forces to rebel against him.
So Jiang Cai could only make a living as a deputy general under Jiang Gong.
Jiang Cai has long complained about Luo Xin, and now it is impossible for him to die for Luo Xin.
"General, the world has changed. We can't defeat the Confederate Army at all. If we hold on, we will only die."
"Besides, we have helped Luo Xin hold off the Confederate Army for so long. We have already exhausted our benevolence and righteousness! Why should we die for him in Taiyuan again?"
Several people tried to persuade Jiang Gong with their words.
These three people have restrained their subordinates and told the defenders not to attack the Confederate army under the city.
Even though the Confederate army had reached the base of the city to persuade them to surrender, the defenders at the top of the city did not make any move.
This is also the reason why Wei Nan did not directly order people to open fire and attack the city.
He felt that Jiang Gong still had the possibility to fight for it.
"Cousin! Make up your mind! The Confederate artillery is already aimed at us. If we don't make up our minds quickly, we will all die!"
"Yes, General! None of our brothers want to fight now. If a war breaks out, there is a high possibility of mutiny! Once we mutiny, our end will be even worse!"
"General! Surrender!"
The three of them increased their tone. If Jiang Gong still refused to die, the three of them might have to tie Jiang Gong directly.
Jiang Gong's expression changed several times, and finally he shook his head and sighed: "That's alright! If it comes down, let it go down!"
He also went through an inner struggle, and Luo Xin was indeed very polite to him on the surface, which could be regarded as a kind gesture.
Jiang Gong also has a certain sense of loyalty.
But now that none of the soldiers under his command want to fight, he can't just go to war as a commander.
Coupled with the critical situation, there was really no other way, so Jiang Gong finally chose to compromise.
Of course, this is the only way to go, the way in Jiang Gong's heart.
"Okay! Cousin! It should have been surrendered long ago! I will go outside the city to deliver a message!" Jiang Cai said and was about to walk out.
"slow!"
Jiang Gong stopped Jiang Cai and looked up at his three confidants and said: "Since we have decided to surrender, we have to make some plans for the future."
"Some conditions still need to be discussed." Jiang Gong emphasized.
He made up his mind to surrender, and his attitude changed.
Some benefits must be discussed in advance, which is also to maximize their own interests.
The three cronies looked at each other and nodded.
In the end, it was Jiang Cai who went out of the city to contact Wei Nanjun.
At the same time, a surrender agreement was handed over.
Wei Nan personally received Jiang Cai, looked at the surrender agreement, and said with a smile: "The terms you offered are not as big as a lion's mouth."
"However, there is not only one way to resettle and accept you."
The surrender agreement mentioned that the rebel army in Taiyuan surrendered to Wei Nan and accepted the leadership of Song Yang, but required a complete organizational restructuring and the same treatment as the Fuxing Army.
This is actually not too much. This is the condition for Mopuna's reorganization of the Second Army.
But the quality of the soldiers is different, and those guys like Mopu have also lowered the average quality of the Renaissance Army.
Therefore, Wei Nan is not very willing to accept them as the Renaissance Army.
Besides, the rebels in Taiyuan surrendered too late, so it was impossible to give Mopu and his men the same treatment.
"Now, I'll give you two ways."
"First, turn your troops into civilians, accept official allocations, put down your weapons and go to the state capitals to become ordinary people. The official will give each of you fifty acres of land, as well as subsidies and tax exemptions for improved seeds in the first year; and half tax for the first five years.
policy."
"Of course, generals at all levels will adopt the settlement policy step by step. When selecting officials in the territory, former military experience can be used as a priority selection, management and appointment condition."
"In addition, for Jiang Gong and the three of you, you can choose to directly become local officials, at least at the level of county magistrate."
"Secondly, you can continue to serve as a soldier if you want, but it is not the Renaissance Army. The prince plans to use troops against Japan and needs some soldiers who can fight."
"If you go to the Japanese country, your treatment will be the same as that of the Renaissance Army, and it will even be easier for you to obtain military exploits. The Japanese pirates in the Japanese country are not very powerful in combat."
"If you achieve military exploits in the Japanese country, you can be awarded the title of military general and return to your hometown with honor, or you can stay in the Japanese country and become a frontier official."
"Only these two roads, go back and discuss with Jiang Gong."
Regarding the placement of the Taiyuan bandits, Wei Nan had already communicated with Song Yang.
They either refused to serve the people and returned to their places after being dispersed; or they refused to join the army, but they could not serve as soldiers in Daqian and could only go to the Japanese country.
After all, the quality of the rebel soldiers was somewhat inferior, not even as good as the elite guardsmen before the natural disaster.
Keeping them in Daqian will require energy and retraining.
It is difficult for thieves who are already veteran soldiers to adapt to the training requirements of the Renaissance Army.
The troops who surrendered in Kaifeng are an example. After all these days, their training is not very good.
Liu Huairen once planned to give up training those surrendered soldiers.
In the end, Cui Shan said that a group of people would be selected from among them, and those who really didn't work would be dismissed and sent home to farm.
With the Kaifeng troops surrendered and the lesson learned from that guy Mopu.
So Song Yang decided to give the Taiyuan bandits only two ways, either go home and farm, or go to fight in the Japanese country.
Jiang Cai returned to Taiyuan City with Wei Nan's two policies.
When Jiang Gong heard these two policies, he immediately fell silent.
He was considering which option would be more suitable for them.
Choosing the first option to turn soldiers into civilians is tantamount to giving up your current status.
Become a rich man or at most become a local official such as a prefect or county magistrate.
This road is considered safe and stable, but there is no higher development.
They are demoted generals and if they are not particularly outstanding, it will be difficult for them to improve.
If you don’t have any ideals or ambitions, it’s more appropriate to choose this path.
The second way is to go on an expedition to the Japanese country and leave Daqian directly to go to a foreign country.
But it is possible to obtain military exploits. If you have enough military exploits, you can become a serious general. Not only will you be honored, but you can also prove your talents.
The most important thing is that it is much easier to fight against the Japanese than against the Southern Army. Although Jiang Gong does not mean to despise the Japanese.
But speaking of the matter, during the time when Jiang Gong was fighting against the Fuxing Army, he already understood that there would never be an enemy more powerful than the Fuxing Army in this world.
In addition, the elimination of the Japanese country is also a contribution to the destruction of the country, and the future development level will definitely be good.
The worst thing is to stay in the Japanese country and serve as an official such as Jiedushi, which has a lot of power and is very comfortable.
Overall, both options have their own pros and cons.
After Jiang Gong was silent for a while, he looked at Jiang Cai and the others and asked:
"Three brothers, you have followed me for many years. Now it's time to choose the path for the future. Please share your thoughts."
Jiang Cai was the first to stand up and said: "My opinion is to choose the first option! After fighting for these years, I am already tired of fighting and killing. It is better to return to the countryside and be a county magistrate, where I can also manage the people. To benefit the village.”
"What Jiang Cai said is right. I am also tired from playing and want to take a rest."
"Indeed. That's what I thought too."
The other two people also made the same choice as Jiang Cai.
None of the three people chose to go to Japan.
These days, leaving home and going to fight in a foreign country is not the first choice for people of this era after all.
Jiang Gong nodded slightly, he respected the ideas of Jiang Cai and the others.
But he still had some thoughts about going to Japan.
Jiang Gong was quite talented in military affairs and also had ideals and ambitions.
Not willing to return to my hometown.
"Let's do this. Let the brothers below count them one by one and see what everyone chooses."
"Don't worry, no matter what you choose, I won't force you."
"As the saying goes, everyone has their own ambitions, and everyone has the right to choose their own future. Now that we have reached this point, let everyone decide their own future."
Jiang Gong stood up and said.
"Cousin... do you want to go to Japan?"
After listening to Jiang Gong's words, Jiang knew that Jiang Gong wanted to go to Japan.
He has been following Jiang Gong since he came out. Now that Jiang Gong wants to go to Japan, he is also a little shaken.
"Let's go and make statistics. Let's count the brothers' choices first." Jiang Gong did not answer, but waved his hand and said.
Jiang Cai and the other three could only clasp their fists and leave.
Jiang Gong now has 47,000 soldiers.
These are the elite confidantes who followed him all the way back to Taiyuan.
It is also all his current family assets.
The army originally numbered 70,000 to 80,000 when the expedition was launched, but has now been reduced by nearly half.
Jiang Cai and the other two came to the military camp with two choices.
It is easy for the soldiers to choose. Explain these two paths clearly to everyone.
Then it was divided into two areas. Those who stood on the east side went to the Japanese country, and those who stood on the west side turned their troops into civilians.
The result was not unexpected. Out of 47,000 people, only more than 3,300 chose to go to Japan.
All the others chose to turn into soldiers and return to their hometowns to farm.
In the past few years, I have been fighting with Luo Xin and barely had a good day.
Most of them are tired of this life of traveling here and there.
Especially since they fought against the Southern Army, they have been defeated repeatedly and have lost their will to fight. Now that they have the opportunity to return to their hometown, they will naturally choose to turn their troops into civilians.
Most of the more than 3,000 people who chose to go to Japan were idle and idle people.
If they are allowed to return to their hometowns to farm, they may eventually starve to death.
That's why they decided to go to Japan to try to get a good background.
The next day, Jiang Gong looked at the results in his hands, shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Alas! Brothers have lost their ambitions after all!"
"Okay. Since the brothers have made their own choices, let's follow their own choices."
"Ah Cai, send this result to Wei Nan, the Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army."
Jiang Gong handed the results to Jiang Cai and also attached a letter.
"This letter is from me to Governor Wei Nan." Jiang Gong warned.
"Cousin, have you... decided to go to Japan?" Jiang Cai couldn't help but ask.
"Yes! If you have some ideals and ambitions in your heart, you will always have to venture out." Jiang Gong said with a wry smile.
"Then I'll follow..."
"No! You go back to your hometown. We brothers can choose separately. If my brother falls into trouble in the future, I can still go back to my hometown to find you."
"Go ahead and send the letter."
Jiang Gong interrupted Jiang Cai's words, waved his hand and said.
Jiang Cai was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily and turned to leave.
He still has to stay, as Jiang Gong said, the Jiang family has to keep one of them.
…
"Dear Governor of Weinan, the surrendered general Jiang Gong pays tribute to you."
After seeing Jiang Gong's relief, Wei Nan smiled and said, "If Jiang Gong chooses to return to his hometown, then I will persuade him to stay."
"His talents are good, and there is room for him to develop in the Japanese country. Moreover, the Japanese country is currently in troubled times, and it is an opportunity to make contributions. If he can make military exploits, he will return to his hometown with honor."
After closing the letter, Wei Nan said to Jiang Cai: "Since you have made your choice, then go out of the city tomorrow to surrender."
"Yes! It all depends on the command of the Grand Governor." Jiang Cai clasped his fists and already corrected his identity.
On the second day, a white flag was erected on the top of Taiyuan City, and the Luo-character flag was slowly lowered.
At three quarters of noon, Jiang Gong led officials above the general level out of the city to surrender.
Wei Nan accepted Jiang Gong's surrender on behalf of Song Yang.
He also conveyed Song Yang's oral instructions in public and appointed Jiang Gong as the general of the Northern Expeditionary Reorganized Third Army.
After the Taiyuan incident, he led more than 3,000 officers and soldiers to Kaifeng to accept Song Yang's interview and detailed arrangements.
At this point, Taiyuan was restored and Hedong Road was completely returned to Daqian.
The area west of Hedong Road, all the way to the east of Longyou Road, returned to the Daqian territory and was placed under the rule of Song Yang.
The 40,000 thieves in Taiyuan had to wait until March 7th to turn them into civilians.
On this day, Qiao Jinglong went north to Taiyuan, and he was responsible for arranging and allocating the whereabouts of 40,000 people.
Of course, most of them are still returned to their place of origin.
Only a few areas can only be arranged by the authorities because their place of origin no longer exists.
Wei Nan no longer needs to guard this matter.
Leaving Wan Qianyan behind to help, he took Bai Wenju eastward directly into Hengzhou, Hebei Province, and controlled Zhending, Luquan and other places.
A situation of siege was formed against the remnants of Luo Xin's troops entrenched in Mingzhou, Xingzhou and other places.