The next day, Hong Chengchou braved the cold wind and light snow to leave the city and arrived at the left camp of the New Army. Wu Sangui hurriedly came out to greet him after hearing the news.
"Haha, uncle, how is the reorganization of the soldiers in the camp?"
Wu Sangui pointed to the soldiers and horses around him who were exercising and said: "The soldiers in the camp have been reorganized, but there is a lot of shortage of military equipment, money and food."
"Well, this is inevitable."
The two walked while talking and came to the Chinese army's tent. Hong Chengchou said: "Last night, I thought about what the elder said carefully, and I think it makes sense, so I want to see King Dashun and ask him. I'd like to give you some advice. After thinking about it, it's better to talk to the eldest uncle first, so that when King Dashun asks you again, we won't agree with each other."
Wu Sangui lowered his voice slightly and asked, "What strategies do you want to offer, sir?"
Hong Chengchou said: "In today's world, the Ming Dynasty is on the verge of death and there is no threat. The only one who can stop Dashun from taking over the world is Liu Yan. Since you and I have no way out, then accompany Li Zicheng to the end. As long as Li Zicheng can sit in the Golden Palace in Beijing, then you and I can be regarded as the founding heroes of the country."
"Just wanting to defeat Liu Yan is not easy, at least not with the current strength of the Dashun Army."
Hong Chengchou said: "I also talked with Li Yan and Gu Junen yesterday, and I learned from it that the Dashun Army's battalions relied too much on their strength, and they were not very careful about the training, selection, and armament of each battalion's soldiers and horses. It is important to note that each battalion has its own training methods, and even the equipment between the battalions is very different. So I am ready to offer advice to King Dashun: drill the soldiers and horses of each battalion strictly, and follow the example of Liu Yan
The new army was reorganized in a regular manner, and firearms units were also prepared in each battalion, so that they could have the power to fight Liu Yan. "
Wu Sangui agreed very much and said: "Your Excellency, this proposal is very good. I will fully support it."
Hong Chengchou said with a smile: "Well, I will set off to see King Dashun now, and the eldest uncle must also make preparations in advance."
"yes."
Hong Chengchou drove to the Xinzhou magistrate's office. At this time, the plaque outside had been replaced with a plaque saying "Dashun Palace".
Hong Chengchou got off the car and entered the concierge to wait. After an announcement, Hong Chengchou was led to the front hall.
"I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"
Hong Chengchou solemnly kowtowed and saluted. Li Zicheng was very happy when he saw this. As expected, there was no way out. Hong Chengchou's attitude changed drastically and he became much more practical in doing things.
"Mr. Hong, don't be polite, sit down."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
After sitting down, Li Zicheng asked with a smile: "What advice does Mr. Hong have today?"
Hong Chengchou said: "Your Majesty, I think there is something to be added to the battalion reorganization strategy that Mr. Li made earlier, so I came here to report it to Your Majesty."
"oh?"
Li Zicheng thought for a while, and then ordered someone to ask Li Yan and Gu Junen. After they arrived in a hurry, Li Zicheng said, "Okay, please give me some advice, Mr. Hong."
When Li Yan and Gu Junen heard that Hong Chengchou had additional opinions, they were also curious and looked at Hong Chengchou.
Hong Chengchou said: "Your Majesty, I believe that the reorganization of our Dashun Army is led by Liu Yan's tribe. The reason why Liu Yan's tribe is strong is that, first, it has sharp firearms, second, the entire army is armored and fully defensive, and third, the drills are rigorous and the soldiers' combat capabilities are strong. Strong, fourth is sufficient money and food, sufficient troops
rates. "
"If our Dashun soldiers want to defeat Liu Yan's tribe, they must start from these four points to rectify it: First, in addition to the firearms battalion, the other battalions of our Dashun army will also be equipped with certain firearms to minimize the size of our army. There is a gap in firepower with Liu Yan's troops. Second, all the cavalry and armored soldiers of each battalion should be wearing armor. If the armor is insufficient, they should be supplemented with shields. Third, each battalion cannot do its own thing in training, but use Liu Yan's new army as a model to implement strict and unified The same is true for knights and armored soldiers, and the dead soldiers of each battalion must also participate in the drills. We must not use human sea tactics to fight casualties as in the past. Fourth, money and food should be collected from treasuries in cities and merchants and gentry in various places. Provide supplies for soldiers in each battalion and allow millions of soldiers to train with peace of mind."
At this time, both Li Yan and Gu Junen kept nodding, and Hong Chengchou's suggestion was very consistent with the two of them. And Li Zicheng also looked happy. Hong Chengchou was indeed the governor of Jiliao and the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty cabinet. He saw the problem to the point and pointed out directly the gap between the Dashun Army and Liu Yan's tribe.
After Hong Chengchou finished speaking, Li Yan thought of a question and said, "Everything Mr. Hong said makes sense. If Mr. Hong's suggestions are implemented, the combat effectiveness of our Dashun battalions will definitely be greatly improved. . But now time is a big problem. Will Liu Yan give us enough time to train our troops and mobilize money and food?"
Gu Junen also raised another question: "Although Dashun now occupies Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi, there are still two troops of Wang Pu and Li Fuming threatening Datong Town in the north, and there are also many Ming troops stationed in Jiangnan provinces in the south. people everywhere
We are in dire straits. At this time, we are collecting money and food to supply the army. I am worried that something will change? "
Li Zicheng looked at Hong Chengchou and said, "What can Mr. Hong do to solve this problem?"
Hong Chengchou said: "The time issue raised by Mr. Li is not a concern, because our Dashun soldiers need time to reorganize, and Liu Yan also needs time."
"Why?"
Li Zicheng, Li Yan and Gu Junen asked questions almost at the same time.
Hong Chengchou said: "Based on my understanding of the Ming court, if Liu Yan led his troops to achieve such a huge victory, the Lin party members in the DPRK would definitely suppress him, and the two sides would definitely be in a stalemate over the reward issue. In addition, the Ming court's financial resources have dried up. , there is no money and food to supply Liu Yan’s army of hundreds of thousands for the expedition, so Liu Yan will not send troops to attack in a short period of time. If your Majesty is still worried, you can send more scouts to explore various parts of Zhili and Shandong in the north. "
"Well, Mr. Gu should pay close attention to this matter and send more scouts from each battalion to investigate."
Gu Junen took the order.
Then Hong Chengchou continued: "In addition, there are two troops in the north, Wang Pu and Li Fuming. These two are both leaders and leaders. I can write a letter and let them lead their troops to surrender. In this way, the whole of Shanxi The toilet belongs to Dashun."
"good!"
Li Zicheng smiled and said: "If Wang Pu and Li Fuming are willing to surrender, I will confer them the title of General Guo Yi. Together with their troops, they will be assigned to the left camp of the New Army, under the command of General Wu Sangui."
"yes."
Hong Chengchou said: "As for the hardships of the people everywhere, there is nothing we can do. We can only let the people suffer a little longer. As long as I, the Dashun Million Lions, have completed their reorganization and training and defeated Liu Yan's tribe, I can help the people of the world."
Gain at least ten years to recuperate, and then the people of the world will be able to take a breather. "
Gu Junen and Li Yan admired Hong Chengchou's opinions very much and seconded their opinions to Li Zicheng.
"In this case, Mr. Hong will formulate the training methods for each battalion and promote them in each battalion as soon as possible."
"yes."
"Mr. Li is responsible for the deployment of military equipment, firearms, money and food in various places. Mr. Gu is responsible for monitoring the movements of Liu Yan's department."
"yes."
After that, the bandit battalions began to reorganize and drill on a grand scale. The army of millions of bandits was trained according to the drill strategy compiled by Hong Chengchou. Li Zicheng also made up his mind and ordered Liu Zongmin, Li Guo, Li Laiheng and other battalion generals to strictly supervise. Li Zicheng himself He even had to inspect each battalion every day. If he found anyone who did not drill seriously, did not drill according to Hong Chengchou's strategy, or was negligent in management, all of them would be severely punished. For more than ten days in a row, Li Zicheng had already been punished because of lax drills. question, more than forty people were killed, and the whole army was in awe for a while.
Hong Chengchou wrote two autographed letters and then sent them to Datong Town. Within a few days, Wang Pu and Li Fuming received Hong Chengchou's autographed letters.
"what to do?"
Li Fuming asked with fear on his face: "Now even Hongge Lao has surrendered to Li Zicheng, and the 119,000 elite troops on the border have been wiped out in one battle. Li Zicheng's million-strong army will rush into Beizhili at any time. The Ming Dynasty is over, we might as well do it." Have you surrendered?"
Wang Pu gritted his teeth and said, "Didn't you and I receive a report from the court a few days ago that Liu Yan has been granted the title of Duke of Lu? With Liu Yan here, can't we still stop Li Zicheng's troops?"
"But the ones sent out will not be collected at night.
News came that Liu Yan has probably fallen out with the imperial court now. His new army has blocked all the passes in Beizhili. We can't get in without closing in at night. Maybe Liu Yan wants to abolish the establishment. , the world is already in chaos! "
"not to mention……"
Li Fuming said with a sad expression: "Before, you and I failed to lead the army to Tongguan in time. Liu Yan has a deep friendship with Cao Bianjiao and Yang Guozhu, and it is said that he has been on good terms with Sun Chuanting for a long time. Liu Yan will most likely remember this debt to you and me. , didn’t it written in the Tang newspaper that Ma Ke had been killed by Liu Yan’s men?”
Wang Pu felt a chill in his heart, and felt that he was now desperate, and then said: "Forget it, let's surrender to Li Zicheng. With Hong Chengchou and Wu Sangui here, we are one, and we can still be taken care of to some extent."
Li Fuming said: "Okay, then let's write back to Hong Chengchou."
The horse headed south. When Hong Chengchou got the replies from Wang Pu and Li Fuming, he burst out laughing and hurriedly took the replies to the "palace".
"Your Majesty, it's done!"
Li Zicheng looked at the reply and said with a smile: "Okay! Mr. Hong's action is really extraordinary, so I sent Mr. Hong and his people to take over Wang Pu and Li Fuming."
"I accept your order!"
At the beginning of the first month of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, Hong Chengchou led a thousand knights from the old battalion to Datong City. Wang Pu and Li Fuming led a group of generals out of the city to greet them, and then everyone entered the city.
"Haha, we are old acquaintances. Let's all sit down."
Hong Chengchou sat in the front seat, while Wang Pu and Li Fuming sat respectfully at the bottom.
Hong Chengchou looked at the two men and said with a smile: "The two generals came to vote in time. King Dashun is very happy."
, an order has been given to confer the title of General Wang Bing to the New Army Zuoying General Zuo Guoyi, and to confer the title of General Li Bing to the New Army Zuoying General You Guoyi. The two subordinate officers were also integrated into the New Army Zuoying. "
"The commanding general of the New Army's left camp is Wu Sangui. When the time comes that we can do things together again, we will definitely be able to accomplish something great!"
Wang Pu and Li Fuming were completely relieved and saluted and thanked them one after another.
The next day, Hong Chengchou left Datong City with Wang Pu, Li Fuming, and more than 10,000 Ming troops under their command, and rushed to Xinzhou to join the bandit army.
Li Zicheng held a banquet at the "palace" in the city to welcome Wang Pu and Li Fuming. He immediately ordered the two soldiers and horses to be integrated into the left camp of the new army, and they all served as brave cavalry and armored soldiers in the camp.
When the generals of each battalion saw that two more generals of the Ming Dynasty had come to surrender, everyone was happy, and the atmosphere of the banquet became more and more lively.
Only Chen Yongfu and Chen De's father and son looked calm and not too happy.
In the battle to attack Xinzhou, Chen Yongfu killed Liu Zhaoji, which was a great achievement. Li Zicheng only rewarded him with some money and had no explanation. During this reorganization, the right battalion of the New Army also had the fewest troops and generals, and was assigned the least military equipment. It was obvious that Li Zicheng was deliberately suppressing himself.
"well!"
But Chen Yongfu understood that he had no other choice but to endure this silently.
After three rounds of drinking, Li Zicheng picked up his wine glass and said loudly: "Tomorrow, another batch of money, food, and soldiers will arrive. Mr. Li will be responsible for distributing it. The soldiers of each battalion must seize the time to practice and don't be perfunctory!"
"As you command!"
