Chapter Fifty-Six: The Bloody Battle of Great Harmony Nine
Chongzhen found an open space and sat down cross-legged, leaning against the city wall and looking up at the sky. The Qing army's offensive lasted for several hours. It was not until dawn in the morning that the sky gradually became light and the troops retreated.
Wang Chengen carefully held the lunch box, followed by two household servants holding quilts in their arms. The three of them took the supplies to the top of the city and looked around for Chongzhen's whereabouts.
"Long live you, are you hungry? This servant brought you some food." Wang Chengen saw Chongzhen sitting in the corner, and while greeting him, he knelt down in front of Chongzhen and put the lunch box on the ground.
Chongzhen's body was covered with dust and blood, and his face was muddy and dark. If it weren't for the bright yellow mountain armor, it would be difficult to see it at a glance. He looked at the food in the food box, and saw that there were two meats, one vegetable and a soup on the plate, all white.
The rice is served in a porcelain bowl, steaming upwards.
"I have no appetite, please give the food to them." Chongzhen pointed to the resting soldiers who could be seen everywhere in the city.
"This... Long live my lord, why don't you have some? I'll just prepare some for them."
"Stop talking nonsense and do as I say. Take the bedding back with you. If you think there are too many, send them to the wounded camp." Chongzhen's mind was still immersed in the fierce battle last night, so his tone was decisive, with a hint of anger.
Rage.
Wang Chengen was overwhelmed by the momentum. He picked up the lunch box with fear and fear, and obediently distributed it to the guards on the city, and then left with the equally frightened servants.
The soldiers were exhausted after fighting all night and were drooping their eyelids listlessly. Suddenly they heard that the emperor was kind and gave his meal to everyone to share, and they all jumped for joy.
Several leading officers came to express their gratitude, but Chongzhen dismissed them casually. The food was not enough for two people, so it was not a big favor. But when he saw all the soldiers cheering up and gathering around each other, each of them eating a bite, Chongzhen felt a little relieved.
Seeing the three people slowly coming down the steps, Sun Xuanhuai, who was waiting at the foot of the city, hurried forward to salute and asked: "Mr. Wang, is your Majesty okay?"
Wang Chengen couldn't help but sigh, and said with a sad face: "Master Sun, please follow the rules, long live everything is well." After saying that, he left slowly without stopping.
Sun Xuanhuai saw that Mr. Wang had a strange expression, but he didn't ask any questions. He came with some civilian husbands and made a special trip to deliver dry food and blankets to the guards in the city. After arranging the matter, Sun Xuanhuai went to see Chongzhen alone.
"You came."
"Your Majesty is sitting here. It's easy for me to give you a meal." Sun Xuanhuai finished his salute and sat across from him. The two of them asked and answered questions. Sun Xuanhuai discussed the current situation in the city and how everything was running, and discussed everything with Chongzhen in every detail.
Report one by one.
"Where is the Jin gentry?" Chongzhen asked specifically when talking about the stability of people's hearts.
"Thanks to your majesty, no one from the big households in the city has left, and they are all willing to support your majesty in the fight against the invaders. In the past two days, most of the food reserves have been donated, and even the servants of each family have been donated to protect the courtyard, saying that they will help your majesty.
Add more manpower.”
After hearing this, Chongzhen nodded slightly. Perhaps coming to Datong was really in tune with God's will. For him, issues involving the "gentry and aristocrats" were quite difficult. Without them, money and food would be troublesome. To control them, just
Talking about things out of thin air and coercion with weapons are completely unacceptable.
Even the capital city has been lost, how tempting can the painted cake be? As for the threat of swords and weapons, it is nothing more than a matter of extending one's head and then shrinking one's head. When the situation is urgent, everyone will play together.
Therefore, it is necessary to choose an "agent" to temporarily neutralize these problems for Chongzhen. Sun Xuanhuai, a leader of the Jin gentry, is the most suitable candidate. He has the concept of "country" in mind, is practical and pragmatic in his work, and is a rare talent.
Chongzhen adjusted his figure slightly and said: "I owe them a lot! But you also know that in this situation, I want to reward but can't."
"We do things to repay the emperor's favor at the top and serve the imperial court at the bottom, that's all." Sun Xuanhuai said categorically. No matter what other people think, the buttocks must not be crooked.
"The merits will not be rewarded, and the guilty will not be punished. Although Tang Yu could not be converted, I will not treat anyone who has contributed to the Ming Dynasty badly. Sun Xuanhuai, what do you think of the future?" At this point, Chongzhen jumped to the topic, alluding to military affairs.
.
Sun Xuanhuai immediately expressed that he could not answer and asked Your Majesty to clarify his doubts.
"Whether it is Datong or Shanxi, it is definitely untenable. Everything I did in Datong is for the purpose of going south better." Before Sun Xuanhuai could ask, Chongzhen spoke again: "As for how to go south, I should consider it.
Things that you should consider after going south. I might as well explain things to you first. If I go south, I will definitely kill some, capture some, and help some."
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by killing a group of people, capturing a group of people, and supporting a group of people?"
"You will understand in the future that I intend to let the Shanxi merchants who are willing to follow me replace the status of some Zhejiang and Fujian merchants and monopolize the royal maritime trade for me." After Chongzhen finished speaking, he silently watched Sun Xuanhuai's expression.
Although the world is declining, the legal orthodoxy of the emperor of tomorrow is still there. Although this pie is really big, it is equivalent to binding all the Datong gentry to support themselves to the death. As long as they can go south, they will have a hundred times a thousand times.
return.
Businessmen value profits. Even Sun Xuanhuai himself, when he first tried to persuade others to stay, had the intention of using the emperor's order to promise huge profits without authorization, because he was familiar with this four-character mantra.
Sun Xuanhuai did not say anything, but solemnly bowed to Chongzhen three times, intending to thank the Shanxi merchants who were behind him.
"Go and get to work. Every soldier must be taken care of, and he must not be left hungry or cold." Chongzhen warned earnestly, and Sun Xuanhuai took the order and left.
While Chongzhen was resting his mind with his eyes closed, Sun Xuanhuai left and came back. When he came back, he was carrying a bunch of cakes in his left hand and a brown coarse cloth blanket hanging on his right arm. He handed it to Chongzhen and said: "Your Majesty, this is the military center
It’s standard and you also get a copy.”
"Okay." Chongzhen took it, covered his legs with a blanket, and ate the cake like the soldiers around him.
.......
"Doctor, help me, I'm dying."
"Save me first."
"Ah...uh..."
The floor of the wounded soldiers' house was in a mess, with bright red cloth belts scattered everywhere. The beds were full, and the wounded soldiers who were sent later could not be accommodated. Song Xiance hurriedly called Old Chen Tou and others and asked them to spare their hands to build two more rooms.
.
The chief medical officer who accompanied the army was named Li, with the single name Xuanzi.
Li Xuan ran among the wounded soldiers, seemingly helpless to deal with those with deeper wounds.
As a doctor, what he is least good at is dealing with trauma. He was framed by his colleagues and was sent to the army as a medical officer. He can treat ordinary minor injuries without any worries, but when he encounters such a big scene like this, he suddenly panics.
Hands and feet.
"Master Song, I have come to discuss something with you." Li Xuan finally summoned the courage to find Song Xiance, who was supervising the expansion.
"What's the matter? Hey, slow down, don't collapse." Song Xiance asked while directing the workers.
Li Xuan looked a little uneasy: "Master Song, it is really difficult for a lower-level official to handle the matter of the wounded soldiers. Do you think?" After saying that, he handed out a gold ingot from his sleeve. Song Xiance glanced at it. The weight of this gold ingot was huge.
Really, he asked with a smile in his eyes: "What does this mean?"
"To be honest, the person who was sent here in the middle of the night was too seriously injured, and the lower official is really unable to treat him. If the higher ups are to blame, please give Mr. Song a kind word."
Song Xiance took the gold ingot and put it in his arms, saying: "You only care about medical treatment. How long they can live depends on their own destiny. Your Majesty will not blame them." Li Xuan nodded his thanks repeatedly, and then handed over another gold ingot.
"The piece just now was for honoring your lord for tea, and this piece is a thank you gift for you."