Shortly after the sun went down, drums sounded in the Bell and Drum Towers, and the officers guarding the city and the censor patrolling the city began to shout and lock the doors.
It's still early, but the curfew is already about to begin.
The city gates and street entrances were full of armored Manchurian soldiers, and groups of infantry patrolled the streets, scanning every pedestrian who appeared on the streets with alert eyes.
Pedestrians hurried home in a hurry to the sound of drums.
The drum will sound three hundred times at dusk. When the drum stops, if you are still stuck in the street, you will be whipped in the least case, or beheaded in the worst case.
With the Qing army's successive military defeats in the Central Plains, the atmosphere in Beijing is becoming more and more tense day by day, and the Manchus are becoming more and more wary of the Han people. If there is any trouble, they will definitely kill the wrong one rather than let it go.
A gathering of three or more people without any reason is considered treason.
Recently, restaurants and restaurants have basically closed down.
Most of the restaurants are closed. Food prices are soaring, but there are still a few restaurants that can still have food, not to mention that the soldiers are checking several times a day. Every time they come to check, they always have to eat and get cards. Who can bear it?
.
On the other hand, the guests in the restaurants were captured and accused of plotting rebellion, colluding with prisoners, and being spies of the Southern Dynasties. In several restaurants, even the owners and waiters were caught and beheaded at the market entrance.
Famine and terror are shrouding the capital.
"The meeting of kings and ministers is discussing moving the capital again, and there is a lot of noise. It is said that the regent uncle Daishan was so angry that he coughed up blood in the palace,"
In the small shop on West Street, Mr. Liu from the Household Department was drinking with shopkeeper Song under the elm tree in the backyard. There was a pot of Laobaigan, five-spice peanuts, cucumbers, salted duck eggs, pig head meat, and fried flowering beans.
Today's appetizer is very hard.
The two men each had a glass of Laobaigan, took a sip, and drank quickly with a few cups. They both ate with relish.
"This full of Tatars won't last more than a few days."
Lao Song took a sip of wine and slowly thought about it.
"Well, the Tatars still wanted to negotiate peace with me, but unexpectedly they lost their wives and lost their troops, hahaha."
"They sent the three Dorgon brothers and Hauge's wives, concubines, and daughters to the south to get married, and also gave them some gold, silver, ginseng, and mink skins. As a result, the Northern Expeditionary Army went north from Daming and defeated Guangning, Shunde, and Zhao.
Prefecture, all the way to Zhengding Prefecture, Henan, Shandong, Hebei, Shanxi and other rebel armies joined forces in Zhengding City, plus Zhili Hai Shixing and other generals were demoted, anyway, it was really lively."
"One hundred thousand volunteers will gather in Zhengding. The next step is to surround Baoding, right?"
"Come on, let's have a drink. I hope Master Wang can come to Beijing as soon as possible. I don't want to spend more than one day." Liu Erye saved a lot of small yellow croakers. He spent the whole day inquiring about news and delivering intelligence for Ming Dynasty. He was also very nervous. Now,
I just hope this will end soon.
The several dishes that go with the wine are very delicious, especially when paired with the Lao Baigan. The more they eat, the more delicious they become. In addition, the good news made both of them blush.
"Don't you think the Tatars were very arrogant before? Why are they so useless now? They seem to have been beaten all the time in the past few years and have done nothing."
Song Heng smiled and filled up another glass for Lao Liu.
"That's not what I said. The Manchu Tatars are still relatively powerful. It's just that after entering the customs, it went too smoothly. In just half a year, two armies went south, destroyed Li Zicheng in Hubei, defeated Hongguang in Nanjing, and then surrendered to Lu.
Supervising the country in Hangzhou, it can be said that the military power is unparalleled.
Thinking that he could just pass on the message, he sent his troops back to the capital. The princes and ministers were vying for power in the court, while the Eight Banners were running around to enclose the land, accept surrender, and arrest the fugitives. How could they care about anything else? "
"From the remote and cold Liaodong outside the Guanhai Pass, it suddenly occupied most of the Central Plains. This colorful world was suddenly lost.
In fact, wasn't it true that Li Zicheng was unstoppable and swept across the Central Plains in a short period of time, heading straight for Beijing, but ended up sitting in these four-nine cities for how many days?"
After all, Lao Song was born in a genuine Jinyiwei, and he had a thorough understanding of the world's situation.
It's not that Li Zicheng can't fight, it's not that the Manchu Tatars can't fight anymore, it's not that the Ming army can't fight forever.
"Navigating the sea depends on the helmsman. Whether you can fight or not depends on the leader. Back then, Nurhaci, Huang Taiji, etc. were still very capable of fighting and dared to fight. The Tatars could not do anything without fighting hard outside the customs. In order to survive, women wanted land and money.
Including Li Zicheng and others, it is the same. If you don't fight hard, you will die. Do you dare not to fight?"
It’s not that the Qing army suddenly became unable to fight, nor that the Ming army suddenly became stronger.
The people are still the same group of people, but their mentality has changed. The most important thing is that the leader has changed.
"Tu Guobao used to be a salt dealer and a water pirate. Hong Chengchou recruited him and led him to suppress bandits in the Central Plains. He also made many achievements. But later when he went outside the Pass, he always suffered defeats. Once the Qing army entered the Pass, more
He surrendered immediately, turned around and acted as the Tatar vanguard, but he was as brave as a tiger.
He became the governor of Jiangning, but faced the emperor's troops and lost Suzhou. Isn't it amazing?
You said he was dying, but he surrendered to the imperial court, took a naval ship, and landed ashore near Cangzhou with a battalion of old brothers. Within a few years, Zhili was in chaos, fighting from the sea to Baoding, and from Baoding to
In the Taihang Mountains, and now Po Zhengding Mansion.
The Tatars suffered a lot of heavy losses at his hands. Can you believe that when he landed in Cangzhou, he only brought one battalion with him? But now, after several years of tossing, several rebel armies have gathered together, and he, the governor of Zhili, has already
There are 100,000 horses.
Even Prince An Yue Le doesn’t dare to stroke the tiger’s beard now.”
This is what's so magical, even confusing.
He is still the same person, and he is still a national treasure, but looking at his achievements is confusing.
"I think, in fact, these generals and soldiers have goals, know who to fight for, why to fight, and have protection, etc. As the saying goes, merit is rewarded and demerit is punished.
Tu Guobao is still the same Tu Guobao, and he still has those old brothers under his command, but the battalion soldiers are different. Their families are resettled in the rear, and their lives are guaranteed. These soldiers are even divided into fields in the rear, and the emperor even gave them land.
Marry them wives. These people fight for their families and themselves, as well as for the country and the court.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Their food and salary are guaranteed, and they will be rewarded for their meritorious service.
Why are Tu Guobao and the others so good at fighting in Zhili?
Because of their meritorious service, the court rewarded them with money, land, and official positions. There were hundreds of people in the battalion, and those who survived were at least eighth- and ninth-grade officers now, right?
Some have even been directly promoted to fifth- and sixth-grade battalion officers, or even fourth- and fifth-grade standard generals. Do you think these people will lose morale?
A battalion officer earns dozens of taels of pay per month.
Why can’t we fight the Tatars again?
In the past, the Tatars rewarded them with real money and silver, and they always won battles. The profits from plundering, loot, etc. were divided up, which was also very generous. Naturally, their morale was high. But in recent years, they have always lost battles, with heavy casualties, and naturally their morale has been low.
I'm afraid.
What's more, the Tatars' taxes and canal transportation have collapsed. Let alone seizures and rewards, even normal food and wages cannot be supplied. Isn't this just like the Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers during Chongzhen?
Mr. Liu thinks this is true.
"I think one more thing needs to be added, that is, our Emperor Shaotian is like a god with his troops and uses a lot of firearms in the army. The artillery and muskets are very sharp and can completely restrain the bravery of the Manchu cavalry and archery. In addition, during the early battles in Jiangnan, Emperor Shaotian also
Can use the rivers and seas, and the advantages of boats, to suppress the Tatar cavalry."
Song Heng smiled and nodded, "There is one more thing you forgot to mention, that is Emperor Shaotian is also very good at employing people. He is good at instigating rebellion and recruiting peace. Many former Ming generals such as Tu Guobao were surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. Later, they were all replaced one after another, let alone Yan Wogong.
In the meantime, Dorgon was so angry that he vomited blood."
"Hahaha!"
The two couldn't help laughing.
"To put it bluntly, this is all because the Wang Qi is in the south and the Ming Dynasty Qi has not been exhausted."
"Yes, Emperor Shaotian has stronger luck, so when times come, heaven and earth all work together to transport heroes without freedom. People like Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Huang Taiji also had kingly Qi, so they were able to move so quickly
Rise up, but in the end there is no royal energy in life.
Emperor Shaotian is the real emperor, so when he came out, everyone was defeated and retreated."
Chinese people have always believed in fate.
The power of kings is given by heaven, so the human emperor is also called the Son of Heaven.
These are all things that are destined. If you don't have that destiny, you can't be the emperor.
So some things that seem unreasonable, if you take this as a set, it will be completely reasonable.
Zhu Yihai was destined to be the real dragon emperor, while Li Zicheng, Huang Taiji, Zhang Xianzhong, Dorgon and Fulin were all false dragons and little dragons.
······
Xi'an Gate, Prince Li's Mansion.
This house was originally the residence of Zhou Kui, the abbot of the Chongzhen Kingdom. It is majestic in scale, covers a wide area, and has multiple doors.
In recent years, people in the capital have added a new saying, "Prince Li's Mansion House, Prince Yu's Mansion Wall", which means that Prince Li's Mansion has many houses and the walls of Prince Yu's Mansion are high. Prince Li's Mansion stretches from Dajiangfang Hutong in the south to Shangshang Hutong in the north, covering an area of nearly 500 square meters.
mu.
However, at this time, Prince Li's Mansion, which covers the largest area in Beijing, was shrouded in sadness.
Nurhachi's legitimate second son, his most brave son, was once given the honorary title "Gu Ying Batulu" by him, which means "the best of warriors" in Manchu. Today, the Emperor Shunzhi honors him as the hereditary title of Emperor's Uncle and Regent.
Prince Heshuoli is on his deathbed.
The former one of the four great Belles, and now the regent, is now as pale as paper, with many blood stains on his beard and chest.
He was coughing and wheezing.
Daishan's descendants gathered around, and many people from his mother's family, the Tong family, also came.
Another regent, Jilharang, also came with many princes, Beile.
Daishan coughed for a while, coughed up a lot of blood, and finally stopped.
He raised his hand with difficulty, and Jilharang stepped forward and asked the cousin, "What else do you want to confess?"
Sixty-six-year-old Dai Shan looked at this group of people, his mouth opened, and two lines of tears fell from the corners of his eyes.
At this moment, more than sixty years of his life flashed before his eyes like a marquee.
At that time, Chu Ying, his eldest brother from the same mother, became the heir to the Hou Jin Dynasty for a time due to his outstanding military exploits and status as the eldest son. Unfortunately, he was cruel by nature and offended the five ministers, and finally lost the throne.
Dai Shanben was one of the five ministers. He, Amin and other five ministers jointly appealed to Nurhaci to deprive Chu Ying of his status as heir and remove him from power. After Chu Ying was removed, Dai Shan was the oldest among the disciples, and he
He was brave and good at fighting, had great military achievements, and owned two red flags, so he was able to take over the post of governor. Nurhachi also publicly told the princes and princes that after a hundred years, all his young sons and Fujin would be given to Daishan for adoption.
It's a pity that after eight years of being an heir, he was eventually deposed as heir.