A member of the Qianhu family rushed to Zhu Changwu and reported that rows of Ming soldiers had assembled in Xuanwu Gate. Following the order, they lined up one by one and stood in place with weapons in hand.
"Master Commander, Master Zhang has already searched the Chengguo Duke's Mansion and found what you want. However, because there are too many items and it takes time to sort them out, he sent a young man to report to you, and he also brought three boxes of silver. , saying that I am afraid that you will be of great use." Xiaoqi, a Jinyiwei, led people to carry three wooden boxes to the Xuanwu Gate Tower and reported loudly to Zhu Changwu.
"Okay, good job." Zhu Changwu looked overjoyed when he heard that three boxes of silver jewelry were brought over.
Just now he was thinking about how to improve the morale of the army. I'm afraid just drawing cakes won't do it. After all, the generals of the Ming Dynasty have been drawing cakes for so many years. I'm afraid the soldiers below are already immune to this trick. He wants the following Soldiers work hard, so they have to get some dry goods out.
There are three big boxes of silver. A rough calculation shows that one box can hold five thousand taels of silver. Three boxes is fifteen thousand taels.
Fifteen thousand taels may seem like a lot at first glance, but if divided among 15,000 soldiers, it would only be one tael per person, which is a bit less. But it doesn't matter, at least the rice for the pot is there first, and I can already do some things first.
"Xiao Liangzi, come here. We are going to find some wooden boxes of the same size right away. Put the stones in them and carry them to the tower. Be quick. Remember, no one else can know except the Jin Yiwei." Zhu Changwu raised the corner of his mouth. I thought of a solution that was not a solution.
"Don't worry, young master, I'll get it done right now." After taking a look at the box containing the silver, he found that it was a very ordinary one. After taking note of the style, Liang Jun hurriedly ran towards the bottom of the tower with some imperial guards. go.
"General Wu, are everyone here?" Looking back, Zhu Changwu asked Wu Linzheng, who was ordering generals.
"If I go back to the general, there are still two thousand families who haven't arrived. Since they are far away, they are rushing here quickly. They should be close." Wu Linzheng answered with hesitation on his face, thinking After thinking for a while, he said: "General, all the troops have been transferred to Xuanwu Gate. If intruders suddenly attack other city gates, danger may come at any time."
"It doesn't matter. Today's intruders are most afraid of death. Unless there is no hope at all, they will never really come to attack the city. Don't worry." Zhu Changwu smiled and shook his head, speaking very confidently.
Will Li Zicheng's Dashun army attack the city?
If it was before, the answer is yes. They fought all the way and did a lot of things to attack the city and plunder the land. They killed countless innocent people and looted how much wealth. But precisely because of this, the army of thieves who had some money in their hands lost the murderous aura they had before.
Don't be afraid of wearing shoes if you are barefoot.
In the past, when I had nothing but my life, I naturally dared to do anything.
But now, with victory just around the corner and wealth richer, who is still willing to fight to the death at this time?
Especially if you die in the last battle, you will be in a panic.
Don't think that these intruders are stupid. There are many selfish and smart people among them. For this reason, Zhu Changwu concluded that they would not easily choose to waste their troops in siege. Especially since he sent Liang Jun to talk to the other party, those who have hope will not choose to take risks.
Zhu Changwu judged based on psychology that the intruder would not take action. Wu Linzheng didn't know this, so he was always on tenterhooks. But who allows himself to be a subordinate?
General Zhu Changwu said that there was no problem, so he could only treat the matter as if there was no problem. Some people may say that this is bureaucratic righteousness, but in fact... well, the prodigal admitted, this is it.
After waiting for a while, the last two thousand-man teams finally arrived.
Wu Linzheng is still qualified. At least he knows how many troops there are in the capital at this time that can be mobilized. If it is said to be fifteen thousand people, it means fifteen thousand people.
Fifteen teams were crowded inside Xuanwumen. As the number of people increased, the number of discussions below also increased. Even if some people didn’t know what they were doing here at first, they heard the voices around them. The more people talked about it, the more they all guessed that they were gathering here to prepare for a fight with the intruders.
When it comes to fighting, the morale of these 15,000 Ming troops obviously begins to decline.
They only have 15,000 people, but I heard that the army of intruders has already exceeded one million people. How are they going to fight this battle?
In addition, these Ming soldiers have not received pay for who knows how long. Who will work for you if you have no money?
How can the morale of the Ming army improve at this moment when they don't have enough to eat, don't have warm clothes, their families suffer, and they don't get respect from society?
Even in the hearts of many Ming soldiers, the war was not for themselves, but for their own commanders. Then the question arises. Normally, the commander treats them only averagely, or even badly, so why should I sacrifice my life for you?
Soldiers are just for food, but when these most basic requirements cannot be met, how can you expect them to have morale and win with less?
Haha, stop joking?
The soldiers below have already begun to discuss that when a fight breaks out, they will choose the best time to escape.
That is to say, they can avoid being resented and criticized by the captains and centurions, and they can also save their own lives. This is the problem they need to consider and face.
"Quiet." Holding a large speaker that was simply folded into a circle in his hand, Zhu Changwu's somewhat abrupt voice suddenly made the tens of thousands of Ming troops become much quieter.
Zhu Changwu was very satisfied with the fact that everyone focused on himself. He even liked these soldiers more than anything else.
Because just now, he met with the fifteen captains and proposed a plan to counterattack the intruders, but he was directly opposed.
Without it, none of these captains would agree to go out to fight. In their view, it is extremely difficult to stay in the capital and defend the city. If they open the city gate and rush out at this time, wouldn't it be equivalent to striking an egg with an egg against a stone? Isn't it asking for death?
Zhu Changwu wanted to die, but they couldn't control it, but if he wanted to force himself to die, I'm sorry, there was no way.
As expected, the fifteen thousand captains gave up their plans. After Zhu Changwu, who had been well prepared, gave an order, a group of Jinyi guards in flying fish uniforms rushed over and controlled all fifteen people.
During this period, there were two captains who still wanted to resist because of their skills. Needless to say, Zhu Changwu killed him without any ceremony.
This is the only good thing about the system. No matter who you kill, you can get at least one point. If he could only kill enemies but not his own people, and if points were deducted for breaking the rules, Zhu Changwu would have a headache.
After killing two people and kidnapping thirteen people, Zhu Changwu decided to talk directly to the soldiers face to face. He firmly believed that the more ordinary the soldiers were, the kinder they would be and the less they would have so many twists and turns.
Just like that, Zhu Changwu came. After seeing everyone's eyes on him, he continued to speak. "Brothers, comrades, comrades, relatives, family members..."
Regardless of whether the title is correct or not, in short, Zhu Changwu's purpose is to bring everyone closer to each other. He is afraid that a title will make some people dissatisfied, so he simply tells everything he knows, even if he is confused, he can also be confused. Hit one.
Sure enough, when Zhu Changwu's title was changed, the faces of many Ming army soldiers became obviously better.
In fact, people are like this. No matter what status they are, they all crave respect. Often even if he is a beggar, if you respect him, he may show you his best side and prove to you that your vision is not wrong.
For the first impression, it can be said that Zhu Changwu left a good impression on the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. Following him, he continued to say: "Let me introduce myself first. My name is Zhu Changwu. I am the seventh son of King Xiang, and I am also personally named by His Majesty. The general is in charge of all the military affairs of the entire capital. By the way, I also have another position, the commander-in-chief of the Secret Intelligence Department, haha, how about it, majestic?"
This rhetorical question first stunned the soldiers below, and then some of the less funny people started laughing.
Laughter is contagious, and more and more Ming soldiers followed suit. Obviously at this moment, in their eyes, Zhu Changwu was very approachable. He was not at all like their commanders. They were not big officials, but their nostrils were soaring to the sky every day, and they were as strong as 2,580,000 men.
Zhu Changwu was also laughing, and he continued to laugh with everyone for a while, and then he continued: "Brothers, I don't like to mince words when I talk, and I like to speak directly. I've asked you to come this time. As you just said below, you are here to fight. Yes, I know that some people may not understand when I say this, and they may ask, there are rumors that there are millions of thieves outside, and we only have so many people, how can we do it? Will you win?"
"Well, this is indeed a question." Zhu Changwu asked and answered himself, and then stopped talking.
This approach made the Ming soldiers below, who originally wanted to speak out and ask a few questions, were stunned for a moment.
They have never seen a leading general like Zhu Changwu who would not tell the truth and dared to speak out about any difficult issues.
Isn't he afraid that saying this will lower the morale of the army even more?
It is because of Zhu Changwu's statement that some people who were about to refute stopped speaking. They were really curious about what this young and outrageous general would say next, and what other shocking words he could say. .
After waiting for about five breaths, the fifteen thousand Ming army was quiet for five breaths, and then Zhu Changwu's voice sounded again. "Okay, to be honest, I can't guarantee that we will win if we fight against the intruder. Yes, I can't guarantee it, but what I know is..."
