The prisoner of war camp was divided into small camps by barbed wire, and this was one of them.
"gather----"
As soon as Xiang Xiaoqiang, Zheng Yucong, and a group of accompanying Qing army officers appeared, under the high-pitched command, the Ming army prisoners of war in the entire camp immediately put aside their ongoing sports and entertainment, quickly gathered together, and lined up in the open space in front of the barracks.
Stand still. Several Qing soldiers stood beside him, also standing straight.
There were two or three people carrying cameras and one carrying a hand-cranked video camera. They were all looking around for the best angle. Some aimed their lenses at Xiaoqiang, some at Zheng Yucong, and some at the prisoners of war.
.They are all members of the propaganda machine of the Northern Qing Dynasty. Today they are going to film "the touching scene of the Qing Dynasty defending the Southern Ming invading army" and the precious footage of the Southern Ming senior officials coming to "please apologize" to the Qing Dynasty for domestic propaganda.
As a relative of the Ming Dynasty royal family, Zheng Yucong was already used to seeing the camera. She glanced at them and ignored them. Although Xiang Xiaoqiang was also used to the camera, she felt extremely awkward at this moment, thinking about her every move.
The next day it might be published in the "Qing Daily" as an "apology photo", which made me feel sick.
Xiang Xiaoqiang took a look and found that there were about a hundred prisoners of war in this camp, almost a company. These people had brand new prison uniforms, but they were all thin and quite dark. They stood straight with their chests raised, motionless, looking at Zheng Yucong
, their eyes were very excited, several people tightened their mouths, their throats rolled, and even their eyes filled with tears.
Xiang Xiaoqiang believed he could tell what was a performance and what was true love. The prisoners of war in front of him were excited from the bottom of their hearts, and he was absolutely sure.
Xiang Xiaoqiang knew that most of these soldiers were much younger than himself, most of them were eighteen or nineteen years old and had served in the military just after graduating from high school. The faces of the soldiers in front of him looked like they were several years older.
They looked aged. Especially their eyes, they looked old. Although they could not be considered as skinny, they were already very thin. Their faces and hands were black and red, and there were many dry cracks and scars on the rough backs of their hands.
.
These young soldiers of the Ming Dynasty grew up in the humid climate of the south of the Yangtze River, but now they are in the arid Gobi Desert where the wind and sand are raging in Inner Mongolia.
It was still January when they were captured, and it has been more than half a year now. Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't know what they had experienced in the prisoner-of-war camp during these six months. But looking at their sunburned faces and hands, it was still...
Although they are not skinny, they are very thin, so I already have a rough estimate in my mind.
...Although this place is called a "prisoner of war camp", it is also a labor camp. It is nothing more than using prisoners of war as labor force for mining. Since Emperor Guangwu said, "We have won the war, all the officers and soldiers have been victorious, and there are no prisoners of war."
The Ming army prisoners of war had no hope of being exchanged back to the Ming Dynasty. The Northern Qing authorities began to unscrupulously send them to the Chifeng Copper Mine labor camp and use them as hard labor prisoners.
Forcing enemy prisoners of war to engage in heavy manual labor is a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions. How much more so in a "labor camp" like the Beiqing that is comparable to a Siberian labor camp?
However, Xiang Xiaoqiang is a little unsure, is this labor camp the traditional kind of labor camp in the Northern Qing Dynasty? After all, the prisoners of war he sees now, although they are thin, dark, and haggard, are still human-like after all.
, it’s not like the kind that has endured
It looks like the most miserable and inhumane torture. Or maybe I made a mistake? Is this really an ordinary prisoner of war camp, where at most the prisoners of war are allowed to work in the mines? Or is it that although they have been captured for more than half a year, they were sent
It didn't take long to come in?
But the young prisoners of war looked at Zheng Yucong with much more kindness than they looked at Xiang Xiaoqiang. Xiang Xiaoqiang knew why. These soldiers were captured during the Nanjing Defense War in January, and Xiang Xiaoqiang's current reputation, among them
In all likelihood, it was established in the late stages of the Battle of Nanjing and a series of international events that followed for more than half a year. During the Battle of Nanjing
Before, Xiang Xiaoqiang was considered a celebrity in Nanming, but after all, he was only based on his experience of saving people in the Northern Qing Dynasty and the New Year's coup. His photos had only appeared in newspapers two or three times, and only some people knew him.
No one knows her. On the contrary, Zheng Yucong has been a popular member of the royal family for many years. Especially among young men, almost everyone does not recognize her in her photos.
I am used to an information-rich environment, but after a few days in Beiqing, where information is closed, I feel uncomfortable and out of breath. The young people in front of me, who grew up in that environment in Nanming, have spent more than half a year in this tin can.
!
If it were Xiang Xiaoqiang himself, he couldn't guarantee that he would go crazy.
…
"Brothers..." Xiang Xiaoqiang did not speak loudly, but said in a low voice hoarsely, "You have suffered... The princess and I are here to pick you up, and everyone will be able to go home soon..."
The spotlights flashed several times on both sides, and the Beiqing personnel carrying the cameras changed their positions slightly, and continued to carry the machines and look at them expressionlessly.
The prisoners of war looked at each other, they all seemed more excited, their throats were swelling, but they did not dare to speak.
Nearly half of the prisoners of war were staring at Zheng Yucong, not lustfully, but rather confused.
Princess?
Zheng Yucong's mind turned quickly, and he understood their doubts at once, and said with a sad smile:
"That's me. Haha, in January, I was still 'Miss Zheng', and now I am the princess... You may not know that my grandfather, King Yanping, has... passed away."
After saying this, all the prisoners of war understood. Such a casual sentence made everyone feel that the world has changed, and it suddenly felt like a dream.
Zheng Yuqing introduced with a smile:
"Everyone knows Mr. Xiang?...Haha, you don't know that he was the hero of the Nanjing Defense War. Just a few hours after you were captured by the Sixth Division of the Eight Banners on the other side of the river, he led the People's Guard to defeat the Eight Banners.
The Sixth Division also captured division commander Ha Feng'a alive..."
There was another look of excitement among the prisoners of war. They smiled at Xiaoqiang and waved their hands.
However, several Beiqing officials and military officers nearby looked extremely nervous. Several of them coughed loudly and cast threatening glances at her.
But who is Zheng Yucong? He glanced at them and ignored them, smiling and talking more and more enthusiastically:
"A few days later, Mr. Xiang led troops to fight across the Yangtze River, surrounded Pukou, bombed planes and tanks, and captured 150,000 Qing soldiers. Brothers, our Ming Dynasty won a great victory in this war.
!”
There was still silence among the prisoners of war, but many of them raised their heads, their eyes filled with tears of excitement, biting their lips hard, and tears rolled down their cheeks.
The accompanying Beiqing officials were horrified. They looked at the surrounding Beiqing soldiers standing here, and the Qing army officers from the prisoner of war camp were also here. Their ranks were not high, and the truth of the war was also to them.
You are deceived. You must not let Princess Nanming’s mouth “break the news” again at this time! The Qing team cannot withstand such words!
"Your Highness the Princess!"
The highest-ranking Beiqing official here couldn't care less. He came over angrily and scolded directly:
"Stop talking!"
Xiang Xiaoqiang was shocked. He never expected that an official from the receiving party in Beiqing, who did not dare to make any decisions without asking for instructions, now dared to "step forward" and tried to block Princess Mingfang.
mouth.
He squinted his eyes, folded his arms, and stared coldly. If this guy dared to attack Zheng Yucong, Xiang Xiaoqiang would not care about anything and would break the bridge of his nose first. Don't look at the machine guns and bayonets here.
, no one dared to touch the two of them. Even if he knocked this guy unconscious, he might not dare to fight back. His identity is here, and the important political tasks of these officials are here, and I don't dare to borrow their courage.
Hit yourself back before asking for permission.
Zheng Yuqing turned her face, looked at the official up and down with arrogant eyes, and said with a faint smile:
"What are you?"
"You..." This Beiqing official was also extremely nervous, but he still said bravely, "Stop talking!"
"Why?"
Officials from the Northern Qing Dynasty seem to have said just this:
"You...stop talking!"
"Who are you?"
"Stop talking!"
"You are not qualified to speak to the princess. If you have anything to say, your emperor should come and tell me!"
"You..." The Beiqing official gritted his teeth and turned pale, but he still insisted, "Stop talking!"
Many of the more than a hundred Ming army prisoners of war could not help laughing and lowered their heads at this moment.
"My lord," Xiang Xiaoqiang asked with a smile, "everything our princess said is true. I personally captured the 150,000 Qing troops back, and now most of them have become Ming citizens. Excuse me.
, is there anything wrong with telling it to our own brothers? Your officials, which nerves are pricked by these few truths?"
"Because..." the official gritted his teeth and said bravely, "This is confidential!"
Another Beiqing official was frightened and hurried up and scolded Xiang Xiaoqiang:
"General Xiang, what kind of secret is this? It's just a rumor! You are here as guests, how can you open your mouth to spread rumors!... Our emperor is so kind and righteous that he let your Nanming invading army go back. Not only are you ungrateful, but you took the opportunity to incite
, to undermine the morale of our Qing officers and soldiers..."
"Ha!" Zheng Yucong caught his words and laughed bitterly, "It turns out that the morale of the Qing army is so fragile! Can it be destroyed by just two truths? Ah, well, sir, take note of the morale of the Beiqing army.
Our predictions are much more fragile and can be destroyed by a few words of truth! This is very useful to our intelligence agencies."
Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled and said:
"Yes, Princess, the general has written it down... Haha, speaking of secrets, my lord, you have leaked such a high secret of your army... Haha, I can't help you."
This officer from the Northern Qing Dynasty turned pale in an instant and stared at them blankly, almost out of his body with fright.
All the military and political officials of the Northern Qing Dynasty present were dumbfounded. After a while, an officer winked, and immediately two more officers came to the front, one on the left and one on the right, sandwiching the unfortunate official who said the wrong thing, and kept silent.
He was kidnapped and taken away loudly.
Then the officer immediately changed his smiling face and smiled at Xiaoqiang and Zheng Yucong:
"Hahaha... Your Highness, General Xiang, please don't mind... How can you two want to undermine the morale of our army? It's just a few words to make your brothers happy... What are you doing?
Just a few jokes, there’s no point in talking about disintegration or demoralization, right? Hahaha... Come on, come on, I’ll take you to see the food and accommodation of your noble brothers..."
Zheng Yucong and Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at each other, and Xiao Nizi smiled proudly.
Xiang Xiaoqiang also looked at the officer, especially her epaulettes... Although it was not a black dragonfly, Xiang Xiaoqiang could clearly smell the smell of sticky sticks. This was an old rival.