The horse grew very fast, and the "Qianli Snow" recommended by Feng Youxian had grown significantly in a few months. Zhang Ning was riding on its back, and its raised head matched the conqueror's arrogant momentum. Zhang Ning looked up.
In the dilapidated city tower that had been ravaged by the war, a group of soldiers had already planted the yellow-backed Suzaku flag on the top of the city.
The officials kneeling on the roadside outside the city gate had lost all dignity and knelt down to survive. They were not even looked at. Many officials in Changde Mansion have fled, but there are still many officials left, most of whom are locals.
They are local snakes. Their family property is all in Changde. They usually dominate the people and are the ones who directly control the power at the grassroots level.
Amidst the beating of leather drums, groups of Suzaku Army soldiers formally marched into Changde City. Countless iron shoes trampled neatly on the ground, making loud and shocking footsteps. This powerful feeling alone
The sound seemed to indicate force. The nearby Taoyuan, Wuling and other places have quickly surrendered, and I believe Longyang County in the southwest will also surrender. The prefectures and counties may not support the "rebels" occupation, but they don't want to
Making unnecessary sacrifices for this civil war shows integrity.
"Extraordinary people do extraordinary things, and only Yu Qian dares to give such an order." Zhang Ning looked around and sighed.
Everyone then laughed sporadically, mostly with a sense of ridicule. Only winners are qualified to laugh at others like this. However, most of them misunderstood what Zhang Ning meant. Zhang Ning did not mean to laugh at Yu Qian.
He thought of Yu Qian's performance in the battle to defend Beijing according to historical data. At that time, hundreds of thousands of elite troops in the Beijing camp were almost wiped out. The whole court was shrouded in a pessimistic atmosphere. Some people even advocated moving the capital. However, Yu Qian became the main combatant and was ordered to respond to the crisis.
; But this time he gave up retreat so easily, which really didn't match Zhang Ning's impression. However, in Zhang Ning's rational thinking, Yu Qian's doing so was undoubtedly the best choice from the perspective of the war itself. The weapons of the Suzaku Army
The phalanx was already ahead of the military development of this era, and it was usually impossible for the conventional infantry of the official army to defeat the firearms phalanx.
A Ming Dynasty person would inevitably have limited thinking at that time, let alone a literati. Zhang Ning was a little surprised that Yu Qian could understand the war situation so quickly instead of being stubborn on the concept of troop numbers.
At this moment, Wei Bin, the commander of the Yongding Battalion, said calmly: "It's a pity that the cavalry regiment failed to pursue it in time, otherwise the result would have been much greater."
Wei Bin was obviously dissatisfied and blaming Feng Youxian, not only for matters, but also for people. Feng Youxian was a recent joiner, but he held an important position since he arrived, so it was inevitable that there would be some distance between him and the old people in the Suzaku Army.
Chen Gai was Wei Bin's subordinate, and he was always an outspoken person. At this time, he also said in a joking tone: "Commander Feng couldn't bear to chase the poor bandits, so he let him go on purpose, right?"
Feng Youxian's face was very ugly. Even Zhang Ning thought this "joke" made sense. Feng Youxian was not ruthless enough to surrender to the army... But this seemed very reasonable to Zhang Ning, indicating that Feng Youxian was not a crazed extreme.
man of.
Zhang Ning said a few words for Feng Youxian: "Even I didn't expect that the officers and soldiers were really going to run away. Who would have thought so beforehand? Only after confirming the facts did Feng command Feng to use cavalry to pursue him. He must be worried that he would fall into a trap by rushing in.
You are walking slowly...General Feng, is that so?"
At that time, in addition to withdrawing part of the main army from the waterway, most of the main force retreated to Yiyang via Longyang City, abandoning most of the baggage but taking away a large number of horses. Zhang Ning's Chinese army concluded from many signs that they were indeed going to run away, and immediately mobilized his horse corps to pursue them.
To expand the results of the battle, the cavalry commander was Feng Youxian.
Feng Youxian said sternly: "Your Majesty Mingjian, this is exactly the case. After our army dispatched and crossed Longyang City, most of the enemy's army may have been close to Yiyang. At that time, not only the cities in Longyang County were still in the hands of the official army, but also Yiyang and other places were not guarded.
Weak. My cavalry went deep alone, and the surrounding area was beyond our control and clear. The general was a little worried and even made a mistake, please punish me."
"It's not a big mistake to be cautious, even though we lost the chance to fight because of it." Zhang Ning nodded, then reached out and patted Feng Youxian's arm kindly, and said to the people around him, "No matter what, the battle at Shichang Bay will decide the overall situation.
General Feng's well-deserved first contribution, who among you is dissatisfied?"
Feng Youxian hurriedly lowered his posture and bowed: "If you don't dare to take the position, the last general cannot really take the lead. If it weren't for the prince to coordinate the overall situation and Mr. Wei (Wei Bin) to be good at seizing opportunities, how could the last general have made any merit? The last general just obeyed orders and did what he did.
It’s just a matter of duty, not seeking merit but seeking no fault.”
He spoke in a rather sophisticated official tone, and his expressions and gestures were extremely humble and sincere, but Zhang Ning really didn't think that these words came from Feng Youxian's true intentions. He, Feng Youxian, was still young and strong. If he was really that humble and had no ambition or ambition,
He should farm at home instead of joining the Suzaku Army and re-entering the army. Feng Youxian said this probably just because he didn't want to offend anyone.
Zhang Ning did not criticize, but said with sincerity: "The road ahead is still difficult and dangerous. I hope you will not forget the overall situation, be fair in everything, and do not let those who have the ability and merit be discouraged."
This sentence was ostensibly addressed to Feng Youxian, but in reality it was addressed to the civil and military officers present.
Finally, a general said: "Commander Feng leads the way, brothers are convinced." Everyone agreed.
Wei Bin finally spoke: "Speaking of the Battle of Shichang Bay, someone also recognized the ability of Commander Feng. I have some free time another day. The brothers in the camp will prepare a drink for you to celebrate your victory." Feng Youxian hurriedly bowed and said: "Exit.
It is better to be respectful to an official than to obey orders."
Zhang Ning smiled and said: "It's good to drink to make you happy, but getting drunk will harm your health."
The Suzaku Army marched into Changde City and took control of all the major transportation routes. All the officers and soldiers surrendered. The next day, several small groups of soldiers and horses that blocked the Suzaku Army in the south also surrendered.
Regarding the prisoners, some military generals clamored to behead the brothers who died in Lizhou, because some of these military prisoners of war were Qin Yousheng's subordinates who participated in the Battle of Lizhou. But Zhang Ning immediately rejected those generals' offer without thinking.
request. The Council of Ministers quickly ordered that the identity list of prisoners be counted first, and all officers and soldiers below the flag officer level be released and allowed to go home to reunite with their families. Officers were to be tried, and some generals who had participated in the massacre were executed. For the first time, the Council of Ministers
A new crime "war criminal" was used.
Zhang Ning's reason for releasing the captured soldiers is very simple. After the people are released, they are unlikely to pose any threat to the Suzaku Army. This is just a civil war; at the same time, the idea of weakening the court's war potential through killing is meaningless.
There are millions of people living in their hometown, how many can you kill?
Immediately afterwards, some regular laws were promulgated. In addition to reaffirming military discipline within the Suzaku Army and not disturbing the people and committing crimes, etc., the people's peace notice was also posted. The new ruler solemnly made many promises to the local officers and soldiers to reassure people.
Let the people do their own thing. Zhang Ning did not interfere with these matters. They were all arranged by the Council on a daily basis. Zhang Ning once again felt that he played an important role in establishing this yamen, which really relieved him of a lot of burdens, many of which he alone could not have imagined.
Officials themselves can handle matters according to the rules.
Perhaps Zhang Ning felt that he needed a "creative" approach. After arriving in Changde, he promulgated an unusual decree called "Equality between the Military and the Civilian." He ordered all prefectures and counties under his rule to cancel the registration status of military households and change all military households to civilian registrations.
, in the future, you can take imperial examinations, do business, etc. without restrictions.
This decree was actually extraordinary at this time. In the past, military households were essentially second-class citizens. They might not be better than lowly citizens, but not much better. They were not only discriminated against in society, but also subject to many restrictions. They could not take the imperial examination or engage in business.
, and hereditary, similar to semi-slaves. The proof is that the children of military households usually marry people from the same place of origin, and people of civilian origin are not willing to marry them. People do not want their descendants to have no future for generations to come.
Taizu said, "I raise millions of troops without costing the people a grain of rice." The dream is good, but the reality is counterproductive. The Ming Dynasty has only been founded less than sixty years ago, and the combat effectiveness of the army has been declining. At the same time, it has quickly spread out.
Countless questions.
When Zhang Ning was discussing matters with civil servants, he argued in an article that military membership was a bad policy. He believed that national armament was the responsibility of everyone from top to bottom, and there was no reason for only some people to bear both military service and military rations.
This statement is unfair; a fair approach is that everyone from the royal family, nobles, civil servants, to the common people should contribute to military preparations.
There was almost no resistance to the decree. Like Chenzhou, Changde was under the rule of the Suzaku Army from the day the city was destroyed. The former officials had no say and could only succumb to the iron heel and rely on their breath to survive;
Military generals are responsible for daily management of military affairs. This kind of policy has no conflict with their interests. It's just that a few knowledgeable civil servants know that the military system is actually from the hands of Taizu, and it can be regarded as an "ancestral system." However, since Zhang Ning
As the descendants of Taizu, they all violated the ancestral system. The people below were not great scholars, so no one bothered to care.
In fact, in Zhang Ning's opinion, it was such an unfair policy that even the charter system could not last long. Serious problems arose after the middle of the Ming Dynasty, because in the past, national defense was maintained by squeezing military households, and soon the army was ruined and military expenditures were difficult to maintain.
, instead it had no choice but to be borne by the national treasury, which dragged down the entire finance. Military expenditure became the largest item of expenditure of the treasury. Zhang Ning believed that the military system also had a certain responsibility for the financial problems of the Ming Dynasty.
However, after abolishing the established national policy of the imperial court, he failed to design a new system to replace it; but the problem at hand was not a problem yet. What he faced was how to defeat powerful enemies, not how to govern the country.
Zhang Ning stood on the top of the city of Changde Mansion, looking at the rivers, fields, and mountains in his sight for a long time. He thought with enlightenment that a person's eyes are indeed determined by his position; just a few years ago, he never
Those who really care about these things only see how their own families live their lives.