In Kaifeng City, Henan Governor's Yamen.
After the bloody battle during the day, various units of the New Army entered the city one after another to rest and recuperate. The battlefield outside the city was in a mess. Henan Governor Gao Mingheng, the official Huang Shu and others mobilized a large number of people to go out of the city to clean up the battlefield and bury the corpses of the bandits left on the battlefield. Transport all the heads and various captured materials into the city.
The remains of the fallen soldiers of each battalion of the New Army, as well as the wounded of each battalion, were collected by the baggage soldiers and medical officers of each battalion, and all were transported to the city for resettlement.
At this time, in the main hall of the governor's office, everyone elected Liu Yan to sit at the top. Governor Gao Mingheng, deputy general Chen Yongfu, and the commanders and commanders of the new army battalions gathered together to hold a military meeting.
The town governor Xun Jingyun has already counted the casualties of each battalion and is reporting to Liu Yan at this time.
In this battle, the new army's guard battalion, middle battalion, cavalry battalion, artillery battalion, and left battalion went out to fight one after another, while the right battalion and the rear battalion were stationed in the city.
After a whole day of bloody fighting, the Guards Battalion had 417 dead soldiers and 953 wounded;
The center camp lost 903 killed and 1,215 wounded;
The cavalry battalion lost two thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight men killed and 659 wounded;
The artillery battalion had one hundred and eight killed and sixty-two wounded;
The left camp had 398 killed and 118 wounded.
In a day's bloody battle, each battalion of the New Army lost more than 4,500 soldiers, and more than 3,000 people were injured, and they were unable to go into battle in a short period of time.
After Xun Jingyun finished reporting, Liu Yan's face darkened. Such casualties were not so heavy even in the Liaodong battlefield against the slave cavalry.
At this time, everyone looked at Liu Yan and saw Liu Yan saying: "Our army suffered heavy casualties in this battle. It can be seen that the bandit army is by no means a mob. They have a large number of troops, and there are elite soldiers and horses in each camp. Our army cannot underestimate the enemy! "
Everyone deeply believed that it was true. On today's battlefield, the almost endless strength of the bandit army left a deep impression on the generals of each battalion. If it weren't for the new army's well-equipped and powerful combat power, and if it weren't for the new army's absolute superiority in firepower, If the official army were replaced by other soldiers and horses in this battle, then the bandit army would definitely win today's battle!
At this time Wang Yue asked: "Deputy Xun, how many heads should I behead?"
"More than 138,500 levels!"
Everyone was excited when they heard this, and Wang Yue jumped up and said loudly: "More than 138,500 levels!"
Xun Jingyun added: "In addition, the formation killed the mighty general Li You on the right and Xin Sizhong, the mighty general on the left, and captured more than 39,000 bandits."
At this time, the gloom on Liu Yan's face dissipated a little. Wu Guojin next to him said: "Headquarters, I would like to add one more thing: In the evening, I interrogated several prisoners with Wang Yang, the chief of the investigation, and one of them He was the captain of the bandit camp. According to what the prisoner said, Zhang Nai, the mighty general of the bandit camp, was also beheaded by our army, but his body was snatched away by his subordinates."
"In addition, there is another prisoner who was captured by the cavalry battalion soldiers when all the bandit army fled. He is a commander in the bandit army."
"According to what the commander said, Li Zicheng was not dead, but injured, so..."
Wu Guojin's meaning was very obvious. Perhaps the greatest achievement of this battle was just an empty joy, and everyone was filled with regret.
Liu Yan said: "You don't have to be too sorry. This town doesn't want to kill Li Zicheng in one battle. After all, this person is still very capable of escaping."
Everyone burst into laughter.
"However, the killing of the rogue general Zhang Nai and the wounding of Li Zicheng in this battle must still be recorded in the victory report. As for whether the Ministry of War recognizes it or not, this town will not care."
Gao Mingheng, the governor of Henan Province, was smiling broadly at this moment. They all said that the new army in Qinglai Town was strong. Today, he really saw what a strong army is!
"Haha, General Liu is mighty! The New Army soldiers are brave! With General Liu and the New Army soldiers in the country, the scourge of rogue bandits will eventually be eradicated. This is gratifying!"
Liu Yan just smiled faintly. How many victories can he eradicate the scourge of thieves? Beautiful thought! Without money and food relief and good governance for people's livelihood, even if Li Zicheng, Liu Zongmin and other intruders were beheaded today, and all the brave cavalry and armored soldiers were beheaded, the plague of rogue bandits would still not be cut off.
As long as the imperial court continues to impose excessive internal taxes and officials everywhere continue to be corrupt and pervert the law, Liu Zicheng, Wang Zicheng, and Zhao Zicheng will appear sooner or later, and the army of rogue bandits will be like leeks. Once they are cut, they will continue to pop up, and there will be no end. ! 33
However, there was no need for Liu Yan to tell Gao Mingheng these words. He was just a governor and had no influence on the court's major policies.
So Liu Yan said: "In today's bloody battle, our new army soldiers also suffered heavy casualties. The soldiers are in urgent need of rest and recuperation, so I asked Master Gao to allocate money, food and materials overnight."
"Currently, all the money, food and materials in the city are in the treasury and are guarded by our new army officers. Deputy Xun will provide the amount of supplies our army needs to Mr. Gao, and Mr. Gao will go to transfer and distribute them."
Gao Mingheng said: "This is my responsibility. Don't worry, Mr. Liu, I won't make any mistakes."
Chen Yongfu was very excited at this time and said: "Lord, after today's battle, the morale of the bandit tribes must be low. Our army might as well deploy an elite force to sneak attack the bandit camp overnight, maybe we can completely defeat Li Chuang's army!"
Gao Mingheng also cast an expectant look. He obviously wanted Liu Yan to send troops again. As long as Li Zicheng's troops could be defeated as soon as possible, he, the governor of Henan, would get a lot of credit no matter what. Chen Yongfu on the side was the same, looking eager to try.
But Liu Yan immediately rejected Chen Yongfu's suggestion.
joke!
The officers and soldiers of each battalion of the New Army have been fighting bloody battles for a whole day. The officers and soldiers of each battalion have not only suffered huge casualties, but are also very tired. At this time, sending troops to rob the camp, regardless of whether they can succeed, the officers and soldiers of the New Army have to pay for it. How many casualties?
Liu Yan is not a good old man who can be manipulated by others, nor is he a foolish and loyal person. He will use the heads of his soldiers to exchange the credit of others. Liu Yan will not do anything to lose money!
"Haha, Li Zicheng is not an easy person. He suffered a loss in today's battle. He will definitely be on strict guard. There is no need to mention the robbery of the camp. It will never succeed!"
Upon seeing this, Chen Yongfu thought that Liu Yan was worried that the thieves were prepared, so he prepared to continue to dissuade him, but was stopped by Gao Mingheng.
Liu Yan's meaning was already very clear. Gao Mingheng was a smart man, so he could naturally see it and said: "Haha, in this case, let's forget about the robbery of the camp and let the new army officers and soldiers have a good rest."
Only then did Chen Yongfu react and echoed again and again.
The rest of them, Wang Yue, Zhang Yi, Wang Bo, Shen Tuo and others, looked unhappy and looked at the two men with unfriendly looks.
Gao Mingheng also felt it, so he changed the topic and said to Liu Yan with a smile: "General Liu, look at how to write this victory report. If I am the one writing it, I will definitely write down all the merits and bravery of the new army soldiers. When the time comes, His Majesty Longyan will be delighted, General Liu and the new army officers and soldiers will..."
Liu Yan directly interrupted Gao Mingheng and said, "I don't need to worry about the good news, Mr. Gao. This town will write it myself!"
"In addition, the town will also write down the credit for Mr. Gao's hard work in providing food and General Chen's defense of the city. Please rest assured!"
Gao Mingheng was disappointed, smiled coquettishly, and stopped talking.
Chen Yongfu also glanced at Gao Mingheng with some dissatisfaction, and then said: "Master of the town, do you also want to inform King Zhou?"
"Well, early tomorrow morning, this town will send someone to inform King Zhou and inform the whole city of today's victory to strengthen the determination of the people in the city to resist the enemy!"
Early the next morning, the news that the new army in Qinglai Town beheaded more than 138,000 bandits and captured more than 39,000 people spread throughout Kaifeng City. The people in the city suddenly rejoiced. The ban is still in place in the city, and the people in the city have already taken to the streets to celebrate.
After Zhou King Zhu Gongzhen received the notification sent by Liu Yan, he also looked happy and said to the people around him: "Haha, Liu Yan is also a capable general. He took my money and food and really severely damaged the bandit army." , it seems that I also want to write a letter to express my deeds of donating money and food, and to support Liu Yan!"
Also on this morning, Liu Yan sent a team out of the city from the north gate of Kaifeng without stopping at night, and sent the victory report of yesterday's battle to the capital.
In the victory report, Liu Yan not only mentioned the merits and casualties of the New Army soldiers, but also specifically mentioned the lack of money and food supplies in Kaifeng City, and asked the Ministry of War to continuously transport money and food to Kaifeng.
Although the money and food in the city can still support him now, Liu Yan adheres to the principle of the more the better and will never let go of the benefits he can ask for from the court. Anyway, if you don’t want the money and food, it won’t reach the Liaodong battlefield, let alone the hands of the people!
Liu Yan then inspected the wounded soldiers camp set up on the school grounds in the city. Among the more than 3,000 wounded soldiers in each battalion of the New Army, about 20% were seriously wounded. Even if they could be saved, they would still be disabled.
Liu Yan then said to Xun Jingyun: "All soldiers who died in battle and seriously injured soldiers must be recorded one by one. After returning, the rewards and pensions from the court will be issued as usual, and I will give another one from the General Military Office!"
Xun Jingyun said with emotion: "Don't worry, the commander-in-chief, my subordinates will save it!"
"grown ups!"
At this time, Wu Guojin came on horseback, hurriedly came to Liu Yan, and whispered: "Sir, my subordinates interrogated the whereabouts of Lu Duchen's remains from a prisoner in the bandit firearms camp!"
"What!"
Liu Yan's eyes widened, anger, shock, and surprise intertwined in his eyes, and he asked sharply: "Where is the governor!"
Wu Guojin immediately made a detailed report: the prisoner was a captain under Li Dingguo. He was very clear about Li Dingguo's private collection of Lu Xiangsheng's remains and secret burial east of Kaifeng City. Even Li Zicheng later denounced Li Dingguo and Li Yan strongly supported Li Dingguo. I know a lot about everything.
Following Liu Yan's order, Wu Guojin screened and interrogated all the rogue officers among the thirty-nine thousand prisoners, and only then learned this important information.
The Captain of the Bandit Firearms Battalion was also a smart man. He heard Li Dingguo mention the relationship between Liu Yan and Lu Xiangsheng, so he took the initiative to reveal it to Wu Guojin, just to save himself from death.
Liu Yan sighed, maybe God couldn't bear the hero's remains to suffer disaster, so he made this arrangement!
"Immediately take that rogue captain with you, bring sacrifices and incense. If what he says is true, then pay homage to this town in front of the tomb. When this battle is over, this town will go and pay homage in person. .”
"yes!"
Wu Guojin asked: "How to deal with the rogue captain?"
"Bring him back and imprison him first. After this battle is over, cut off his thumbs on both hands and then let him go."
Liu Yan has always hated thieves and soldiers. He believes that those who can hold an official position among the thieves have their hands stained with the blood of the people. He will never take one of the more than 39,000 prisoners. After the war, he will The thumbs of both hands of the prisoners were cut off and then handed over to Gao Mingheng for disposal.
Historically, the Ming court accepted many captives of bandits. Then whenever Li Zicheng or Zhang Xianzhong regained their power, those captives either coerced the people to seek refuge, or they opened the city one after another to surrender and dedicated the city to the army of bandits. It’s a disaster if anyone stays!
As for Li Laiheng, Li Dingguo, Gao Yigong, Tian Jianxiu and others, after all, in history, they were all famous generals who preferred death over surrender to fight against the Manchu and Qing Tatars. Although they were stained with a lot of common people's blood, they were unambiguous in terms of national justice. .
So for these people, Liu Yan was still willing to be lenient as long as they could find their way back.
Wu Guojin then hurriedly went to find Lu Xiangsheng's remains, while Liu Yan returned to the capital commander's office. This place had been requisitioned by Liu Yan as a temporary Chinese army, and Miao Shao led the guards' battalion soldiers to station here.
As soon as Liu Yang came to the main hall, he saw Miao Shao walking quickly and said: "Sir, there have just been messages sent by night guards from various battalions. Early this morning, Li Zicheng sent many soldiers and horses to escort There are many empty trucks, as if they are going to load some supplies elsewhere!"
Some people died, but not completely...
