On September 13, after another day of bargaining, the merits of everyone in the Ming army's counterattack in Liaodong were finally finalized.
There are almost all political tactics here. Depending on the official position of each person, as well as the distance between the governor Hong Chengchou, the commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi, and Futai Qiu Minyang, the merits assessed will naturally be different.
Unless they can be like Zhang Cheng, who not only strives for the first place and takes all the credit, but also has a strong backing in the Ministry of War and the palace, otherwise even if they gain credit, they will be shared by people with more background.
Just imagine, if Zhang Cheng had not had Chen Xinjia and the current emperor as his backstage boss, would he still be able to hold this great achievement firmly in his hands?
Even if the soldiers under his command are capable of fighting and fight bravely, what will happen?
After all, two fists are difficult to defeat with four hands. How could he alone deal with the dozens of civil and military officers and generals in Liaodong?
If that's the case, I'm afraid even the first effort will be given away in the end, but it may not be impossible.
Because, no matter how powerful Zhang Cheng is, he is bound to be controlled by the system if he is in such a huge system. He will eventually bow to the system and bow to the huge bureaucracy of the Ming Dynasty.
But Zhang Cheng just doesn’t want to do this!
Therefore, he worked hard to make friends with Lu Xiangsheng, Yang Sichang, Chen Xinjia and other governors and cabinet elders, and also made friends with and bribed those dissatisfied officials in the court.
The purpose is not just to form an independent team to serve him so that he can survive in the troubled times of the Ming Dynasty, but as time goes by, he may now have more than just a small goal of "survive".
"People's hearts can change", Zhang Cheng is like this.
As his status became more stable, Zhang Cheng's mentality also gradually grew. The improvement of his status also made his ideals gradually improve, thus strengthening his lofty goal in his heart!
Of course, as a man of two generations, Zhang Cheng naturally knows the power of a team, and also knows the necessary conditions for team cohesion, which is to create a big pie for team members.
As long as they can see hope, as long as they are constantly moving forward, as long as the snowball is still pushing forward, it will get bigger and bigger, and more and more people will join the team that pushes the snowball.
Come in.
Moreover, as the snowball gets bigger, those who join later will become better and better, and those who joined earlier will gradually be eliminated. In this way, a virtuous cycle of survival of the fittest is formed.
But this method, just like the "pyramid marketing" that modern people are familiar with, will eventually become too big to push the snowball, and it will even roll back and bite those who pushed the snowball.
But this situation is not an issue that Zhang Cheng needs to consider now!
Regarding the future of this snowball, future people are responsible for solving it. What Zhang Cheng needs to do now is just one thing - draw a circle on the pie and push the snowball bigger. The bigger the better.
…………
On September 14, the imperial edict of commendation was finally delivered to the Songshan front. The person who came to read out the imperial edict was Wang Chengen, the eunuch Bingbi, the eunuch and eunuch of the East Factory.
After Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, received the letter, he hurriedly ordered people to put down the incense burners on the incense table, and led all the officials and generals out of the east gate of Songshan Fort to personally greet the imperial envoys.
Outside the city gate, everyone was just a little polite, and then they gathered around one of the celebrities in front of the emperor, and Wang Cheng'en, the eunuch, walked to the governor's palace with his pen.
Naturally, Wang Chengen went first. Besides Governor Hong Chengchou, the only person accompanying him on horseback was Zhang Cheng, the general in charge of the Xuanfu. Even the commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi and the governor Qiu Minyang could only follow behind.
Moreover, along the way, Wang Chengen and Hong Chengchou seemed to be just on official terms. They didn't say a few words together. Instead, they had a lively chat with Zhang Cheng. They walked in side by side, talking and laughing.
This really makes everyone envious, especially the commander-in-chief Zhang Ruoqi. In Liaodong, he always relied on the trust of his soldier Chen Xinjia and the name of the current emperor to dominate everyone, dominate and dictate the military.
Just a few days ago, he had a quarrel with Zhang Cheng over military affairs. Although he chose to endure it at the time, he was really unconvinced. But seeing this scene today, he couldn't help but think about his future path again.
Even Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and Qiu Minyang, the governor of Liaodong, secretly speculated in their hearts that Zhang Cheng was favored by the emperor and had done many things to take advantage of the local area, which was why he achieved today's achievements.
Now it seems to be true, what kind of person is this Wang Chengen? He is an old friend of the current emperor, and one of the few internal officials who can gain the emperor's trust.
With Wang Chengen's identity and status, he could treat Zhang Cheng like this. It can be seen that Zhang Cheng's holy love has not declined, and the emperor is still very kind to him, so Wang Chengen treats him like this.
Wang Cheng'en, surrounded by Hong Chengchou and others, entered the lobby of the Governor's residence. He was not polite and went straight to the top. He stood after coming to the incense table, turned around and faced everyone, with a serious face.
He cleared his throat first, and then said loudly in a high-pitched voice: "The imperial edict has arrived. Governor Hong Chengchou of Jiliao and others will kneel down to receive the edict!"
"Clatter" came a sound of vibrating and colliding beetle leaves.
The main hall was crowded with kneeling officers and generals of the Ming Dynasty. Because they were on the front line of the war, all the officers and generals from Governor Hong Chengchou down were wearing armor. When they knelt down and knelt down, their armor leaves trembled and made a loud noise.
Wang Cheng'en read out the imperial edict with a majestic look. The content was nothing more than encouraging the generals to serve in front of the battle line, drive away the Tartars, report to the court, and bring peace to the people.
He also commended the achievements of the officials and generals below Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and hoped that they would continue their efforts and drive away the slave thieves in one fell swoop. This time, only Zhang Cheng's merits will be rewarded first. The merits of the rest of the people in this battle will be evaluated and then rewarded.
After the imperial edict was read out, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, led the officials and generals to thank Huang Enhao again and then stepped forward to receive the imperial edict with both hands.
Zhang Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Xuanfu who was the only one to receive an award this time, also knelt down to receive General Zhenshuo's seal ribbon and other items, as well as the armor and sword given by the emperor.
After everything was done, Hong Chengchou invited Wang Chengen to attend the banquet prepared in advance.
However, Wang Chengen did not seem to care much about the banquet. He proposed that while it was still early, he would first see the corpses of Duduo, Ashan, Eshuo and others, as well as examine the heads of the Tatar thieves.
Hong Chengchou could naturally understand Wang Chengen's mood of being loyal and diligent in the king's affairs. He did not say much at the moment and led all the officials to accompany him to the small martial arts field next to the governor's residence.
Wang Chengen first looked at the corpses of Duduo and the others. All the wounds on their bodies had been repaired, even the broken armors. So although they looked a bit scary and exuded an icy cold air, they were generally still intact.
.
After Wang Chengen saw it, he was deeply satisfied, especially the set of gilt armor worn by Duduo and others, which was extremely luxurious and showed their extraordinary status.
After seeing the heads of Tatar thieves, the smile on Wang Chengen's face became brighter. He caressed the piles of Tatar heads like treasures.
Wang Chengen said: "Your Majesty, a great victory, really a great victory, an unprecedented great victory!"
He choked out his words more and more, and tears flowed from his eyes, falling on the head of the Tatar in front of him. Even Hong Chengchou who was accompanying him was deeply moved by this scene.
Zhang Cheng even warned: "Your Majesty, this great victory comforts the Holy Heart. Even if you are happy for today, you should also take care of your health. You have been tired all the way, so why don't we go to the banquet first and rest early?"
.”
Wang Chengen grabbed Zhang Cheng's hand, his voice trembling slightly: "Okay, okay, okay. You Zhang Cheng, you really lived up to your sacred heart and killed the slave thief and fake king Duduo. The emperor was very happy.
"
He just held Zhang Cheng's hand and walked all the way back to the governor's camp. Hong Chengchou and others had no choice but to follow behind, but they couldn't even talk to each other, which made all the commanders-in-chief extremely envious.
Wang Cheng'en whispered to Zhang Cheng again: "The emperor originally wanted to make you an uncle, but the elders thought that your sudden high position would be very detrimental to the country and you, so they tried their best to advise the emperor to wait for you to achieve special achievements before making a reward.
"
Zhang Cheng hurriedly added: "Zhang Cheng wholeheartedly serves the imperial court and serves the emperor loyally. He dare not ask for rewards."
Although Wang Chengen looked very calm, his eyes never left Zhang Cheng, carefully observing the changes in his expression, and then continued: "The soldiers shed blood on the battlefield, so they must be rewarded. Don't chill the hearts of the soldiers."
He couldn't help but hold Zhang Cheng's hand tightly and said: "You must not feel chilled by this. Not only should you not be chilled, but you must sacrifice your life in front of the battle and kill the enemy bravely. Only in this way can the emperor stop the mouths of all ministers."
Zhang Cheng hurriedly lowered his head slightly and whispered in Wang Chengen's ear: "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, Zhang Cheng will live up to your Majesty and His grace."
…………
In Songshan City, the officials of the Ming Dynasty gathered together to celebrate the victory at Changling Mountain. However, the Qing Dynasty, from the emperor to the officials, all looked sad.
In fact, as early as the fifth day of September, Emperor Huang Taiji of the Qing Dynasty had received a joint report from General Gong Adai, the auxiliary general of the country, Sheng Zhong, a member of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, Zhenshuotuo, and others.
It was like a bolt from the blue, like thunder on the ground, completely shattering Huang Taiji's dream!
It turned out that Fan Wencheng, Xi Fu, Gang Lin and others, the inner academy bachelors, interpreted two dreams for him one after another, which made Huang Taiji have great expectations for the Liaodong war.
While they were fully expecting the Jinzhou incident to be over, defeating the last Ming army in one fell swoop, and working hard to capture the Ming Dynasty's land and people in the future, the bad news came that the Western Front's sneak attack on the Xingta grain road failed.
In particular, the death of Prince Yu Duduo in battle was like a hammer that hit Huang Taiji's chest so hard that he couldn't breathe for a long time.
Since the beginning of the army, there have been such defeats, losing tens of thousands of warriors of the Qing Dynasty, and even a prince was killed in the battle. Gushan Ezhen also lost two people in front of the battle.
"It has never happened before... it has never happened before!"
Huang Taiji's expression changed rapidly. His brows were furrowed, with a sad look on his face. He stared straight at the carved windows of the hall. Gradually, Huang Taiji's thoughts shifted from the sadness when he heard the bad news to how to deal with the funeral.
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He didn't say a word, just looked out the window intently, while his mind was rapidly thinking about the power adjustment issue after the defeat of this war.
This time's strategy was completely decided by him. Of course, other princes, Baylor, and ministers also agreed. After all, under realistic conditions, Huang Taiji's strategy can be said to be completely correct.
They attempted to use Shimen Mountain and Huangtu Ridge to contain the main force of the Ming army on the Songjin front, and then send out a partial division to attack Xingshan and Tashan. It would be better if the Ming army's food route could be cut off.
In Huang Taiji's plan, Prince Rui Dorgon was stationed at Shimen Mountain, commanding the Zhengbai Banner and the Xianglan Banner Qing army to contain the main force of the Ming army, and then Su Prince Hauge led the Zhenglan Banner Qing army to contain the Xuanda troops in the Huangtu Ridge direction.
Prince Duduo of Yu led the main force of the Qing army from the other five banners, and went south along the Nuer River Valley to make surprise attacks on Xingshan, Tashan and other places. It would be better if they could capture these fortresses. If they could not capture them, they would cut off all the access roads to make the Ming army behind
The road was cut off to disrupt the morale of the army.
Among the three main forces of the Qing army, the two most important ones were actually led by two brothers named Dorgon and Duduo. This was actually Huang Taiji's helpless move.
After all, his own son, Prince Yu Hauge, was embarrassed to take on the important task, and this battle of Jinzhou was also a battle related to the fate of the country, so he did not dare to be careless in the slightest.
But he couldn't completely rest assured about Dorgon and the Duoduo brothers, so he sent Prince Zheng Jierhalang and Azige to check and balance Dorgon, lest his prestige in the court and the army would grow, and he would eventually become
The tail is too big to fall off.
At the same time, he also sent the two flags of Zhenghuang and Xianghuang, which he directly led, to Duduo to command, which was also a way of checking and balancing.
Because in this way, their meritorious service on the battlefield will not affect the loyalty of Jierhalang, Azige, Ashan, Bayintu and others to themselves.
However, they could divide Dorgon and Duduo's military achievements so that they would not receive huge rewards for their merits in a single battle and increase their prestige.
But God's calculations are not as good as those of man. Huang Taiji has calculated everything and has calculated everything, but he has failed to calculate that there is an extra person in this world who is dedicated to restraining him!
Now that the army on the western front has been defeated, Huang Taiji's military strategy has completely failed, which will inevitably seriously affect his prestige in the hearts of the princes, Baylor and ministers.
At the same time, due to Dorgon's outstanding performance on the center-line battlefield, it was originally a strategic idea to abandon Shimen Mountain, but Dorgon defeated tens of thousands of soldiers and horses of the Ming army in Ma Ke and Bai Guang'en on the south bank of the Xiaoling River.
Even when they faced off against the troops of the four towns including Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Tingchen, and Tang Tong, they fought vigorously and even once attacked Shimen Mountain and almost recaptured it.
On the other hand, Hauge's troops on the east route only needed to cross the Xiaoling River to contain the Ming army's Xuanda troops. However, Hauge was eager to make a contribution and crossed the river privately to seize the Ming army's river mouth to store grain, but was defeated instead.
Every time he thought about this, his heart couldn't calm down. Hauge was able to march and fight reluctantly, but he was reckless and not good at using tactics. How could he rule a country while facing south?
It's not that he doesn't have any sons, but except for Hauge, who is already an adult, the rest are still young.
At this moment, an urgent report came in. Huang Taiji just glanced at it and was shocked. Even the hand holding the report was trembling slightly.
He hurriedly opened the cover. It was okay not to look at it. But after taking a look, Huang Taiji could no longer hold back, "Wow! Wow! Wow!" He spat out three large mouthfuls of blood.