Regardless of whether the imperial court actually sent people to implement the "Two Tigers Stratagem", anyway, when Gao Qian opened boxes of silver and distributed rewards to the soldiers, the morale of the entire Northern Expeditionary Army was boiling.
stand up.
A spark fell into the haystack, and with a bang, it turned into a blazing flame, doubling the momentum of the Ming army. The soldiers shook their weapons, slapped their armors and shields, and shouted wildly:
"Long live Zhentai! Long live Zhentai!..."
Ma Shiying did not hear his name from the mouths of the troops, and each army only shouted the name of their respective camp commanders. This made him slightly disappointed, but then Ma Shiying was intoxicated in the dream of ZTE's success.
When Li Laiheng issued the order for a general attack by the entire army, the Ming army was still in a state of intoxication. It was obvious that they were only less than a few dozen miles away from the battlefield of this great battle.
But whether it was Ma Shiying, Gao Qian, Liu Liangzuo and others, the Ming army's military officials all had the illusion that the decisive battle between Shun and Qing had nothing to do with them.
After they accepted the huge annual tribute sent by Bohetuo, and stimulated by the gold and silver treasures, they followed the thousands of Qing soldiers sent by Dorgon as guides and began to march.
The Northern Expeditionary Army's lack of discipline and lax ranks have reached an unspeakable level. Although Zheng Sen is shorter than a soldier and has not accumulated much military acumen, even with the tactical acumen he learned from his father Zheng Zhilong,
It can be seen how fragile the Ming army's front is.
Even Zheng Sen felt that if the several thousand Qing troops who were guiding the Northern Expedition suddenly made a counterattack, the 60,000 Nanming army would most likely collapse and be directly defeated by less than one-tenth of the Qing army.
Defeated by partial division.
When he thought of this, Zheng Sen swallowed hard and felt a chill running down his back:
How could I, a great Ming Dynasty, stretch my hips like this on the battlefield of a decisive battle that affects the fate of the world?
There are more than 10,000 Shun troops inside the city, 100,000 Qing troops outside the city, and 80,000 Shun troops on the outside. On the north side of the battlefield, along Mount Tai, there are another 30,000 Shun troops confronting 60,000 Qing troops.
Now another 60,000 Northern Expeditionary Army troops from the Southern Ming Dynasty have joined the battlefield. With Xuzhou as the center and a range of hundreds of miles from north to south, as many as 350,000 soldiers with strings and armor have gathered.
This is already a great battle unprecedented in hundreds of years.
"Uncle... I see that the Northern Expeditionary Army is so disorganized. Many soldiers leave their posts without authorization and plunder the people. There are even many people who go deep into the counties and counties along the way, rob women, and hang out among the flowers and willows all day long.
With this style of work, how to conduct the Northern Expedition and how to recover, there is really no point in reviving the cause!"
Among the generals of the Northern Expedition of the Southern Ming Dynasty, Zheng Sen seemed to be the only one who maintained a rational and clear mind and a relatively calm and objective thinking.
Zheng Sen added: "Chuang Ni still has strength, and Donglu should not be underestimated. Neither of them can be defeated by our weak and scattered army. The most important thing today is to organize the official administration and clear up the government, and then we can conquer the valley and train the troops."
, after taking over the power of the Jiangbei vassal town and training up an extremely capable army, the northern bandits and captives were exhausted one after another, so our dynasty set out for the northern expedition again.
Only by putting the initiative in my hands can we achieve results. Now I am just making wedding clothes for Hulu after taking care of Dorgon!"
However, Zheng Sen's impassioned speech did not impress his uncle Zhenjiang Commander Zheng Hongkui. Instead, Zheng Hongkui said seriously:
"Damu, you are too young!
I am following Mayao Cao in the Northern Expedition. This is what your father has ordered. What do you think your father said? For our Northern Expedition, we only need to send ships to transport all the troops from the vassal towns in the north and south of the Yangtze River across the Huaihe River.
As for how their Northern Expedition went, and whether they can restore the land in Henan and Shandong, what does it have to do with our Zheng family?
If the Mayao Cao Northern Expedition fails and all the military forces in the vassal towns north and south of the Yangtze River are severely damaged, wouldn't it be a great opportunity for our Zheng family to enter Jinling and take control of the government?"
Zheng Sen looked at his uncle in disbelief. Only then did he realize that not only the three towns in Jiangbei, not only the Zhejiang Yong in Jiangnan and the Beilai warlords, but even his own father and uncle had no interest in the Northern Expedition.
, they are just making their own little calculations.
How can we talk about restoring the Central Plains in such a different situation?
Seeing Zheng Hongkui stroking his beard and smiling softly, he felt extremely ridiculous and wanted to say something to dissuade him, but then he knew that his words had no weight at all now.
Zheng Sen seemed to have had his spine shaken, and he walked out of the tent exhausted.
He felt lost in his heart, listening to the cheers of the Northern Expeditionary Army soldiers for the gold and silver treasures, and walked slowly forward. Occasionally, there were a few soldiers grabbing young and beautiful women and laughing on the roadside. Zheng Sen could see their
Banner was Liu Liangzuo's subordinate, so he had to pretend to turn a deaf ear.
It wasn't until he reached the garrison camp in Shandong Town that he suddenly realized that he had been surrounded by a group of light cavalry.
"Liu Zhentai?"
Liu Zeqing led more than a dozen knights who, judging from the sophistication of the armor, should be servants, surrounded Zheng Sen. Zheng Sen did not panic, he clasped his fists and asked:
"What is Liu Zhentai doing? Now all the armies are rushing to Xuzhou, for fear that they will fall behind and not be able to grab the rumored treasure of King Chuang. Why is Shandong Town still behind the whole army?"
Liu Zeqing looked at the crowds of people heading north, his face full of disdain:
"I have seen people seeking death before, but this is the first time I have seen someone so overjoyed to seek death."
Liu Zeqing's words moved Zheng Sen's heart. He knew that the soldiers and horses of Shandong Town had been basically wiped out by the Dashun Army and the Qing Army as early as the north. Among the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River, there were often rumors that the Shandong Town Army under Liu Zeqing's command was actually...
They are all undercover spies sent by the Shun Army.
It's just that Liu Zeqing is one of the Jiangnan vassals after all, and the warlord's domineering style is no worse than Gao Qian and Liu Liangzuo. Even if others have some speculation, they will never dare to risk their lives in front of Liu Zeqing with such rumors.
But now when Zheng Sen heard Liu Zeqing talking like this, he felt that the temperament of these servant cavalrymen in Shandong Town was indeed incompatible with the Nanming army.
Zheng Sen didn't know how to describe it, but he just felt different in some subtle details.
He suddenly thought of something: Yes, the military discipline in Shandong Town was not very good, but Zheng Sen had not heard of any bad things like burning, killing, looting, etc. that Shandong Town had done after Liu Zeqing went south.
This is very strange. Did Shandong Town’s temperament suddenly change after crossing the Yangtze River?
Liu Zeqing looked at Zheng Sen's thoughtful expression and laughed loudly:
"Stop guessing, kid! Yes, many of the cavalry in Shandong Town were handed over to this town by King Li Jin. What's not to say? Gao Qian and even Ma Shiying have accepted bribes from the Donglu South Mission. Who can this be?
have no idea?
Then I accept Li Laiheng’s bribe and that’s not a big deal, right?”
Cold sweat broke out on Zheng Sen's forehead: "What does it have to do with me to be free and easy in town?"
Liu Zeqing snorted coldly: "Zheng Damu, there is a desperate atmosphere in the Northern Expeditionary Army right now. I think you are the only one who is relatively sober. I guess your uncle who is the commander-in-chief of Zhenjiang is also making some small calculations.
They all have different intentions, why don’t we work together?”
Zheng Sen became even more nervous: "What on earth is the commander talking about? I don't understand!"
Liu Zeqing dismounted and held Zheng Sen's shoulders: "Let me tell you straight, you go back and tell Zheng Hongkui...or you can do it yourself! The Qing army is definitely no match for Li Laiheng. What kind of person do you think King Jin is? He is a god descended from heaven.
General! How could Dorgon be his opponent?
If you go to Xuzhou to fight against the Dashun Army now, you are looking for your own damn end.
No matter what you think, I will not die anyway. I have made preparations. Once the three towns in Jiangbei confront the Shun Army, I will lead my troops back to Nanjing.
The three towns in Jiangbei are enemies of Li Laiheng, and the end will be very tragic. When the time comes, there will be no troops to defend the Yangtze River, and we will have to rely on our own towns to defend Jinling. Zheng Sen, if you are smart, come with me!"
Liu Zeqing's words shocked Zheng Sen. He never expected that Shandong Town was ready to escape from the battlefield, and he never expected that Liu Zeqing would say these words directly to him.
"Zhentai believes in me so much?" Zheng Sen's face was uncertain. He knew that he could not convince Zheng Hongkui, and he quickly calculated the pros and cons of all aspects in his mind, and finally gritted his teeth and said:
"I heard that Li Laiheng, who broke into the army, said, 'The imperial court does not know how to employ people, and the fate of the country will not be long'. Dorgon issued an order to shave his hair, and Ma Shiying blindly trusted the three towns in Jiangbei. They are all people who cannot employ people... Zhentai, I
trust you!"
Liu Zeqing scolded: "What the hell? I obviously said this first!"