Although Bai Wenxuan surrendered and killed Pan Duao to save his life, the sporadic fighting in Chongqing still lasted for a whole day before ending.
After all, the army is fighting in chaos, especially after entering street fighting. Where can there be a command center? The news of the general's surrender may not be quickly conveyed to the ears of the troops fighting separately.
Some captains, rogue officers at the brigade level, even if they hear the officers and soldiers announce that Bai Wenxuan has surrendered and force them to put down their weapons immediately, they will think it is a lie.
Unless Bai Wenxuan himself was tied up and ran over to each position to shout, they would not believe it, and this would take time.
On the morning of the seventh day of the first lunar month, the lingering smoke gradually dissipated everywhere in Chongqing.
After controlling the situation, the officers and soldiers also took inventory of the city's population and damage, and then confirmed that almost no good people survived. Those left behind by Zhang Xianzhong were indeed strong recruits who were willing to become thieves.
More than 200,000 people and nearly 300,000 were completely slaughtered and looted by Zhang Xianzhong, so he used so much money to snowball and expand his army.
(Note: In history, Zhang Xianzhong massacred Wuchang, Chongqing, and Chengdu are all clear historical facts. There is no need for butterfly effect or blackmail.
But to say that Zhang Xianzhong slaughtered all Sichuan is both watery and a bit unreasonable. The specific proportion of slaughter between Zhang Xianzhong and the Qing army cannot be verified. It is said that each killed a small half to a large half, so I will not jump to a conclusion.
But it is certain that the above-mentioned big cities will be massacred as soon as they enter the city.)
The situation was so complicated that Zhu Shuren had no choice but to deal with the surrendered troops partially.
First of all, many people have innocent blood stained on their hands, and there are quite a lot of them. Some of them massacred the city many times. It is absolutely impossible for this kind of troops to be directly integrated into the official army.
Even if it is used as cannon fodder in a death camp and used against Zhang Xianzhong's camp in subsequent battles, who knows if it will turn against him again.
So in a hurry, Zhu Shuren could only cut through the mess quickly and established a few principles for drawing lines.
First, lock everyone up and temporarily put them in a hard labor camp to slowly screen them.
For those in Sichuan who have just been kidnapped, you can see if there are any bad deeds. If they are just trying to survive and are still healthy and not weak, then they can be integrated into Fang Guoan's army after a short period of transformation.
Of course, this also includes Wang Guangchang and Wang Guangxing under Fang Guoan, and Tan Wen and others under Qin Liangyu.
If they are local recruits from Sichuan, but are found to be land gangsters, they can only conduct militarized land reclamation and resume production, but cannot be issued weapons.
In addition, these Sichuan people were all robbed. After the officers and soldiers arrived, it was impossible to directly return the robbed property, and it was impossible to calculate it, which would easily lead to false accounts and confusion. Therefore, they all took out a share from the loot.
, it can be used as resettlement expenses to rehabilitate, and each person will be given a few shi of food to survive the cold winter and spring famine, and some will be left as seeds for spring plowing.
These locals are relatively easy to arrange. Only the old camp in Zhang Xianzhong's army needs to be dealt with carefully.
Zhu Shuren did not want to divide the danger based on region, but the current situation was such that he had no choice but to make a simple one-size-fits-all decision and differentiate between Shaanxi old camp and Henan old camp according to the number of years he had been a thief.
For Shaanxi people who have followed Zhang Xianzhong for more than seven or eight years, they will definitely not be incorporated into the army. They will all be sentenced to the heaviest hard labor and strictly monitored. These people are too dangerous. Even if they are to be used as death camps in the future,
We have to wait until the Tatars enter the customs and fight with the Qing army, and then release these people to fight in the most dangerous battles. Only when they come back alive can they gradually be relieved of their guilt.
The old battalions in Henan generally serve in the army for a maximum of five or six years, and those in Huguang have even fewer soldiers. They can be gradually eliminated as death camps and screened as appropriate in the subsequent battles to suppress the bandits.
Finally, Zhu Shuren also asked the prisoners to identify each other among the old Shaanxi thieves, and selected some who had committed the most heinous crimes, such as those who had actively participated in massacres and plunders many times, and beheaded hundreds of them.
The soldiers who surrendered in Huguang, Henan, who wanted to immediately pick up their weapons and be exempted from the punishment of the hard labor camp, had to participate in the execution. They stabbed the old Shaanxi thieves who were sentenced to be executed. They only needed to stab each one once, and there was no need to stab them to death directly.
Just see blood.
After all, Zhu Shuren couldn't massacre the surrendered troops. There were only a few hundred who deserved the death penalty, and there were tens of thousands of surrendered troops who needed surrender certificates, which was simply not enough to kill.
After receiving the certificate of surrender, Zhu Shuren will of course take the initiative to publicize it to the outside world. All of his surrender troops have received the certificate of surrender. In this way, once the news reaches Zhang Xianzhong's ears in the future, his old Shaanxi thieves will follow these Henan and Huguang traitors.
With hatred aroused, the traitors in Henan and Huguang would not be so easily swayed and surrendered.
Of course, it is doubtful how effective this little trick is, but it is better than nothing, and it is also a matter of urgency.
…
After spending two days in Chongqing to reorganize the rear area, and transporting another batch of military rations from Fengjie to Chongqing to stock up, and ensuring the material basis for subsequent attacks, it was almost time for Zhu Shuren to resume their westward march.
At the same time, in the past two days, the princes and uncles who stayed behind in Huguang to supervise the army, as well as the new Sichuan governor Fang Kongzhen and his family, also rushed to Chongqing. (Except Fang Yizhi, who wanted to stay in Wuchang.
official)
Originally, Zhu Shuren planned to "break into Chongqing City to celebrate the New Year" before the war, but in the end it was not until the sixth day of the first lunar month that he broke through the city, and the sporadic fighting was not completely ended until the seventh day of the first lunar month.
Wang Gonggong and Fang Kongzhen actually arrived in Fengjie County on the third day of the first lunar month, but after snooping around the rear, they learned that the battle situation at the front was still tight, and their group of eunuchs and civil servants had nothing to do, so they stayed for two more days.
After Fengjie received the news of the city's destruction, he hurried forward in a hurry.
Although Zhu Shuren spent the New Year in the 16th year of Chongzhen in the military camp, and those people spent it on a boat on the Yangtze River, at least they arrived in Chongqing to celebrate the Lantern Festival.
It was the tenth day of the first lunar month when everyone arrived.
The city was in dilapidated condition, and it was impossible for Zhu Shuren to throw a grand banquet, so they just brought a ham that was used for military ration storage and transportation, plus some fresh fish just caught from the Yangtze River, to entertain Wang Gonggong and Fang Kongzheng and his party.
As for the officials and staff who have a lower status than them, they can't even smell the ham. At most, they just drink the soup boiled with ham bones in one bowl and put a small fish in the soup.
The food was so hard that the princes, even though they did not read much, immediately realized the current predicament and difficulties in Chongqing. They did not dare to ask for food and drink, but instead they became quite jealous of Zhu Shuren's military audacity.
Awe.
And Zhu Shuren also knew in his heart that the only person he needed to maintain some respect and stability at the moment was the prince in front of him——
It will be related to the issue of how Fang Kongzhen reported the situation in Sichuan to Chongzhen after Chongqing was captured and established a temporary headquarters in Chongqing.
If Chongzhen asked Zhu Shuren whether he was passive and sabotaged in assisting Fang Kongzhen to take office and regain his foothold in Sichuan, or even to support the bandits, he would still have to rely on the report of the prince who oversaw the army.
Therefore, Zhu Shuren acted very safely. Although he was pragmatic and lived a miserable life and could not get much good food and clothing, on the other hand, he was absolutely full of etiquette. Even if it was just a few pieces of ham and fish, he would personally toast him and persuade him to eat.
At the same time, in order to let the prince realize the difficulty of taking Chongqing so quickly, Zhu Shuren specially removed the shackles of Bai Wenxuan, who was in a captive state, but was guarded by special elite guards and sent to the hall to be questioned at any time by the prince.
In addition, even if they come, Zhu Shuren will still be able to do his best. For those who surrender, even if they come late, he will not abuse them in life, and will give Bai Wenxuan a fish and two bowls of rice.
A few cups of bad wine, it was the best meal Bai Wenxuan had in the four days since he was captured.
At the banquet where water, wine and vegetables were served, Zhu Shuren also briefly described the difficulty of the Battle of Chongqing in front of the prince. He also asked the prince to keep the tactical details secret for the time being, because there were some tricks that were not used this time.
, maybe it can be used next time.
Then, Zhu Shuren sadly mentioned: "There is another piece of bad news. I will hear it when my father-in-law goes to Heaven to hear it: On the third day of the first lunar month, that is, seven days ago, I received the report of the expedition to the front, and Chengdu was captured by Zhang Xianzhong.
In the next few days, new information came back one after another. On the sixth day of the lunar month, it was believed that Zhang Xianzhong had massacred the city in Chengdu. The day before yesterday, it was confirmed that the entire family of the King of Shu was dead——
However, it happened on New Year's Eve, and when our army arrived in Chongqing and started organizing the siege, it was already around the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. It only took less than ten days to recapture the eastern Sichuan gateway, which was already very fast. At that time
It is impossible for me to ignore the fact that the food route is cut off and rush directly to Chengdu to rescue.
Even if we march non-stop, do not need food routes, and only rely on carrying food with us to fight, we will have to march along the Yangtze River and Minjiang River from Chongqing to Chengdu, a distance of at least 900 miles.
In five days, the infantry cannot go that far by boat. If they don't march along the river on foot, they will be exhausted by the time they get there. If our army's more than 10,000 cavalry were allowed to abandon the infantry and go ahead, they would have reached the gates of Chengdu.
It has lost its combat effectiveness, so it is really impossible to rescue it.
Please tell your Majesty the truth about this after your father-in-law returns to Beijing. The generals and governors of Huguang and Sichuan will all be grateful to you for speaking up."
After hearing this, Wang Gonggong was also shocked, and at the same time he felt a bit sad. But when he looked at the battle situation in Chongqing, he saw that Zhu Shuren completely resolved the battle in a total of twelve days, which was already very remarkable.
In the previous places such as Wanxian and Hezhou, it took as little as one or two days and as long as three or five days. From Yiling into Sichuan to Fengjie to Wanxian to Chongqing, it took two journeys of seven to eight hundred miles, which added up to
We have already traveled 1,500 miles westward along the Yangtze River, what else can the emperor ask for?
Chengdu was temporarily destroyed and massacred, but it was too late to save it.
We can only hope that the subsequent damage will not expand further. It would be an unexpected surprise if Zhang Xianzhong was completely killed in the Sichuan Basin.
Compared with the degree of surprise of Wang Gonggong, Bai Wenxuan's shock was even more serious and inexplicable.
"What? What Guo Xingye said when he sent Tan Wen to trick me into surrendering was actually true? Chengdu was really captured by Zhang Xianzhong? He actually dared to use real information to use the trick, and he was not afraid of boosting the morale of the defending troops.
?
Or is it that I don’t believe that he is accurate, or even if I believe it, I don’t dare or don’t feel the need to announce it to the entire army immediately? This military strategy that corresponds to reality and reality is simply terrible! I am really convinced that I lost at the hands of such a person.
.
Alas, could it be that God is punishing Zhang Xianzhong? Seeing him killing so much, he wants to punish him with the surname of the country... If he continues, everyone will really betray their relatives and leave."
Bai Wenxuan was shocked, but he couldn't help but show it. Even the spoons in his hand couldn't help but fall to the ground, making a crisp sound, just like Liu Bei heard Cao Cao say, "Today's heroes are the only ones who make you and Cao listen."
"It's almost time."
Of course, this does not mean that Bai Wenxuan's psychological quality is too poor. After all, he is now a prisoner and has no military aircraft to keep secrets, so there is no need to cover up his emotions deliberately.
Wang Gonggong and Fang Kongzhen, who were sitting on top, also noticed this abnormality. Fang Kongzhen was steady and pretended not to see it when he saw it.
However, the prince had no scruples and immediately asked: "Why did General Tang Xiang lose his composure?"
Bai Wenxuan did not dare to hide anything, so he spoke concisely. After hearing this, Wang Gonggong was also slightly shocked. He did not expect that Zhu Shuren was so eclectic in his tactics, so capable of taking and letting go. He really dared to take risks.
After sighing with emotion, Wang Gonggong remembered to ask how Chengdu was conquered. After all, he also had to consider how to explain to Chongzhen when he returned.
Bai Wenxuan pricked up his ears when he heard this question in the audience, because he also wanted to know the answer very much.
Of course, Zhu Shuren would not hide this situation. The clearer he made it, the less likely Chongzhen would be to suspect his responsibility in the future.
So he described it in detail: "My father-in-law may not know that the city walls of Chengdu have indeed fallen into disrepair for hundreds of years. This is because the troops stationed in Shuzhong since ancient times have never expected that after the enemy invades the Chengdu Plain, they can rely on defending the Chengdu city to hold on.
.
According to my intensified investigation in the following days, the most detailed information I have learned so far is that Zhang Xianzhong used the two or three days before New Year's Eve to relax his siege efforts and induce the officers and soldiers to slack off, thinking that the bandits would also have to rest during the New Year.
, then he suddenly increased his intensity on New Year's Eve, catching Shao Jiechun's defenders off guard.
In addition, Zhang Xianzhong lacked firearms and did not use gunpowder when he first attacked the city, which paralyzed the officers and soldiers. On the last day, he sent a large number of digging wooden donkeys to dig and destroy the city wall, and also used all the gunpowder in the bandit army. The key point
When the city was bombed, a section of the city wall was completely blown down, and street fighting broke out in the city.
According to the latest news, Shao Jiechun should have died for his country along with the King of Shu."
(Note: Zhang Xianzhong used gunpowder to blow down part of the Chengdu city wall. This is also a historical fact. There is no reverse cheat in the book to make it more difficult for Zhu Shuren. In history, when Zhang Xianzhong defeated Chengdu, this was an important factor, but it was not the only factor.
)
After hearing this, the prince couldn't help but sigh.
Fang Kongzhen, who was on the side, knew more about military affairs, so his sighing comments were more meaningful: "It is really unexpected that the Chengdu city wall is so vulnerable.
Shao Jiechun was not sufficiently vigilant and was probably too careless. He did not expect that Chengdu's city walls would be so invulnerable - as far as I know, just half a year ago, when Li Zicheng attacked Kaifeng guarded by Chen Yongfu and Chen Zongzhen, he used almost
Exactly the same moves,
They drove the civilians to push the wooden donkeys that dug the city, and regardless of casualties, they forced the defenders to carry the lost stones and firearms to the base of the wall to destroy and dig holes. They then filled the coffins with gunpowder and carried them to the wall holes to bury them, ignite fire and blast them. However, the Kaifeng city wall is high.
Li Zicheng tried several times but failed. It is said that he miscalculated the power of the blast and killed many soldiers who dug into the wall to bury explosives.
That was all before May and June of last year, and Sichuan was not in an emergency at that time. Shao Jiechun knew all the information about these battles, but he did not expect that he was left in the dark and did not take precautions.
Sure enough, the war is fierce and dangerous, and we must not rely on our old experience to conquer the world. Once we are paralyzed, we may pay the price with our lives at any time, alas."
Fang Kongzhen's words were from a fair standpoint, and he found a way out of the death of Shao Jiechun and the King of Shu. The prince didn't know much about military affairs, and after being explained by such a neutral bystander, he certainly didn't
I learned a lot and I know how to report to Chongzhen after returning to Beijing and explain the lessons learned.
Fang Kongzheng seemed to be saying "the dead are the greatest" and saying good things for Shao Jiechun who died for his country, but in fact, he was helping Zhu Shuren from the side, and then indirectly helping himself——
If Chongzhen could understand the truth and lessons, he would no longer pursue the case of Shao Jiechun who died for his country. How could he be dissatisfied with Zhu Shuren and Fang Kongzhen who later cleaned up the mess?
This is like a fund manager. When he takes over the client's funds, the market of Big A has already dropped below 1,000 points. Then no matter how he speculates in the future, there will be no room for decline. No matter how much the client's capital is lost, it is not to blame.
On his head.
What he and Zhu Shuren took over was a plate that was in the basement on the 18th floor just after they got it!
Climbing back to the seventeenth floor underground is all their credit and ability!
Eunuch Wang was not convinced by these few words, but he also stated that he would not go to Chengdu.
He stayed in Chongqing, waiting for Mr. Guo Xing to prepare the army for the next expedition, and then respectfully sent off Qin Zongzhen (Qin Liangyu), Fang Shenjiang, Zhang Daotai (Zhang Huangyan, newly named Sichuan Bingbei Qianshi), Fang Futai
(Fang Kongzhen), as well as the Huguang reinforcements temporarily assigned to Fang Futai and Zhang Daotai's command, went to Chengdu to encircle and destroy Zhang Xianzhong.
Since Chengdu has lost everything, it is not that important whether it can be retrieved as soon as possible.
In contrast, it is more important to block Zhang Xianzhong's route of continuing to flee west and north, so that he can completely catch a turtle in the jar and die in Sichuan.
Therefore, the final battle in Chengdu must not be a pursuit battle or a defeat battle, but an outflanking route must be deployed in advance and it must be a complete encirclement and annihilation battle.
Zhu Shuren also suggested that on the way to Chengdu, the largest main force must take the Minjiang route——
Although Chengdu is close to the Minjiang River, it is on the east bank of the Minjiang River after all. Therefore, if the return route of the Minjiang River is cut off from the west, from Qingcheng Mountain in Meishan, Leshan, to Dujiangyan, blocking the pass where the Minjiang River leaves Qingcheng Mountain, it will prevent Zhang Xianzhong from escaping to the northwest to become a mountain monkey.
.
This method of treatment is like trying to prevent a cancerous abscess from festering. When removing it, you need to remove a little more of the good flesh next to it to prevent the sepsis from being removed completely and leaving residual poison.
There is a price, that is, the people of Chengdu may suffer a little longer, and the massacre and looting will continue for a few more days. But in order to completely solve the problem in Chengdu and for the sake of the world, this is the only way. Fang Kongzhen and Zhang Huangyan
No choice.
Wang Gonggong also fully understood this strategic idea and said that he would stay in Chongqing until after the Lantern Festival, and then return to Beijing to explain the difficulties to His Majesty.
[A book-chasing app recommended to me by an old book friend I have known for ten years, Yeguo Reading! It is so easy to use. I rely on this app to read and listen to books while driving and before going to bed. You can download it here.]