In the evening, when the heat subsided, Dorgon's army followed the Chaobai River to Shunyi County for more than ten miles and had to stop because the front line had been cut off by the Ming army.
Exploration horses from the front have confirmed that at least 50,000 Ming troops have gathered around Shunyi City, and Geng Zhongming's 2,000 men, horses, people, livestock and food are deeply trapped in it. Originally surrounded on the northwest sides, it is now surrounded on three sides and only the east side is left. Over there is the rolling tide of the white river, which is hard to fly.
It would be self-defeating to think of anything else now. Looking back at the murderous Ming army's tens of thousands of cavalry a few miles away, Dorgon calmly ordered his men to leave 5,000 horses behind, and then left from the west under the supervision of the Ming army. We bypassed Shunyi County and continued northward along the Chaobai River for five or six miles before stopping.
At this time, Chang Yu had also arrived outside Shunyi City and led his three battalions directly into the encirclement. This made Geng Zhongming's two thousand soldiers and horses very nervous. He Zhang Gong drew his sword and waited for an order to break through desperately.
However, Geng Zhongming did not issue any military orders because he had received Dorgon's order: Do not resist, and the other party would let him go if he dropped the things.
Geng Zhongming immediately understood that an agreement had been reached, and Dorgon had to pay a high price to redeem them. Otherwise, how could the little eunuch easily miss the opportunity to capture two enemy kings and one general alive!
The little eunuch, who was always unforgiving of power, did not try to humiliate Geng Zhongming and others. Instead, he ordered people to check and receive the supplies. After Tu Yuan and Hao Yaoqi escorted their troops northward, they stopped at the north of Shunyi City.
At this time, dusk was beginning to fall, and the Qing army troops continued to move north along the river, gradually disappearing into the night.
Chang Yu also ordered Huang Degong's four subordinates, Qiu Yue, Chen Xiance, Huang Ming, and Ma Degong, to lead five thousand troops northward and follow the Qing army ten miles behind to monitor. Then he ordered the army to camp outside the city, and he took Li Yan and others. Enter Shunyi County.
In Shunyi Yamen, Yang E held a celebration banquet to entertain a group of Ming army generals. During the banquet, the generals laughed and ate happily but drank little. To be precise, only one person drank, while the rest of the greedy people drooled but could only stare. This made Wang Yongji and Yang E I was very surprised. After some inquiring, I learned that alcohol was banned during the war, except for Hao Yaoqi.
Even Huang Chuangzi, who was not afraid of anyone that day, could bear not to drink, and did not dare to resist the order at all. This little eunuch was so tough, and the two of them murmured mentally.
But I had just been chatting with the young eunuch for a long time. He was obviously a young man who loved to joke and didn't have any airs to get along with the generals under his command. Yes, he didn't have any official airs at all. It could even be said that if he was thrown into the crowd, he would not be able to get along with anyone. I thought he would be the famous Admiral of Ming Dynasty East Factory!
What's more important is that although they had heard for a long time that Admiral Dongchang was a young man, they didn't expect him to be so young. The two of them were secretly amazed. A hero really comes from a boy!
In addition to admiration, the two of them even recommended themselves to follow Chang Yu to kill the enemy and defend the country to repay the emperor's grace. Although they were not good at bow and horse riding and shooting, they could make plans and do their best.
To be honest, Chang Yu despises them. There is no place for him who is neither civilized nor military. However, what Li Yan reminded him in Xianghe was also very correct. Even if he does not cultivate party members, there are two or three people in the court who can help him at critical moments. It is also very necessary to stand on your own side.
Although Wang Yongji later surrendered to the Qing court, which was a stain on him, he could still be used as an honest and honest official. He just wanted to be used in another place. Chang Yu already had an idea in his mind. As for Yang E, who was a loyal minister, he could be used in another way.
"If nothing goes wrong, the Tatars will be able to leave seclusion in at most two days, and the war will be over. I'm afraid there will be no room for the two governors to use their skills." Chang Yu said lightly. Wang Yongji and Yang E looked at each other with regret: " If it is useful in the future, it will only be driven by the governor!"
This move by the two of them was undoubtedly equivalent to a vote of confidence, and Chang Yu also readily agreed: "There are many places where the two of you can be used in the great Ming Dynasty. When the governor returns to Beijing, he will be put to great use, and it is not in vain for the two of them to join the army." The pain of traveling thousands of miles."
Wang Yongji and Yang E were overjoyed. They knew that although there was no credit this time, there was hard work. The meaning of the little eunuch's words was clear enough. Putting aside the importance of reuse, the door seemed to be open to them.
This made the two of them feel a little strange, or a little mixed. When Wei Zhongxian was at the height of his power, many people relied on him to protect themselves, but they were mostly ashamed of it. Now, the two of them are willing to attach themselves to this little eunuch. How come they are both eunuchs and are so happy.
Hey, what does that fellow Wei Zhongxian do? He only fights with the Donglin Party every day, kills Zhongliang, and steals the people's wealth. But what the little eunuch does is to drive out the Tartars, kill the thieves, and put down the rebellion. Who in the government and the public does not do this? I wish him well, but if he hadn't turned the tide, the war in the north and south would probably be over by the beginning of next year.
This is by no means alarmist. At the beginning of the year, hundreds of thousands of bandit troops besieged Taiyuan. If the little eunuch hadn't put out the fire, they would have reached the capital along the west road. The bandit army in Baoding City would also have been forced to the capital if it hadn't been for his fire rescue. The Qing army entered the Pass in large numbers... Even if the Ming Dynasty was at its most powerful, it might not be able to withstand these three knives, let alone the Ming Dynasty at this time.
Therefore, if Chang Yu had not been born out of nowhere, everyone would have a clear picture of what Ming Dynasty would be like now. Chongzhen knew this very well, and so did the ministers in the court.
Therefore, Chang Yu became extremely important. Emperor Chongzhen regarded it as a precious egg. Although many of the ministers and nobles in the court were very dissatisfied with the little eunuch, they did not dare to come out and play around at this time. At the same time, they also This earned him a good reputation for Dongchang and attracted a group of patriotic and loyal ministers and enthusiastic people to come and rely on him willingly.
This is what is called, if you bloom, the butterflies will come.
In troubled times, there are countless rebellious ministers and thieves, and people who are greedy for life and afraid of death and live in the same camp. Of course, there are also loyal and courageous civil servants and generals who go forward one after another to help the great cause.
Late at night, after all the generals had had enough water and food, they went out of the city to patrol the camp. Chang Yu, Li Yan and others stayed in the city's Yamen to drink tea and chat with Wang Yongji and Yang E.
Wang Yongji is the governor of Jiliao, which is the position of Hong Chengchou at the beginning. He has three governors under his jurisdiction: the governor of Jizhou, the governor of Shuntian and the governor of Liaodong. He is an absolute military boss and has common topics with Chang Yu in military affairs. , the conversation couldn't stop until the early morning.
At this time, news came from the front that the Qing army entered Huairou and camped on the banks of the Chaobai River to rest.
"The Tatars have calmed down," Li Muchian chuckled. "Shunyi to Huairou is only about forty miles away, but the Qing army has walked for so long. Even if they are walking and cavalry now, the distance is considered slow."
"I ran too fast in the past few days. We were exhausted and our morale was low when we hit a wall today. It's pretty good to be able to run dozens of miles in one breath. If it goes as expected, they won't be in a hurry tonight." Li Yan said softly, and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Lord Governor, do you think that Dorgon is really willing to trade Zu Dashou for Azige after he returns?" Yang E felt that Huang Taiji was so clever when he recruited Zu Dashou that he had tried his best and showed the greatest sincerity. After finally surrendering him, will he really be exchanged for it?
"Then Azig is the Prince of Tatars and Dorgon's brother. Of course he will change." Wang Yongji scolded him for being Yang E's immediate boss. He was a little angry when he asked such childish words.
Chang Yu chuckled: "How can a hero like Dorgon have much family ties at all? If there is no interest involved, he is his biological father. He will kill him even if he says it. It is just because he likes Azig's yellow flag. If he loses this With the blessing of a powerful force, he lost power faster in the fight with Hao in the court."
"In that case, why did the Lord Governor trade him for his ancestor's longevity? Is it just to deceive Dorgon into making casual remarks?" Wang Yongji asked. Chang Yu looked up at him and chuckled: "In the eyes of the governor, ten Azigs are not worth one ancestor's birthday!"
Ah, Wang Yongji and Yang E looked puzzled. In fact, let alone they didn't understand, even Li Yan and Li Muxian didn't understand why the little eunuch valued a commander-in-chief who surrendered to the Tatars so much. Logically speaking, even if he had to change It’s time to replace Hong Chengchou.
But Chang Yu couldn't tell them the reason in detail, but there were enough reasons to switch to Zu Dashou instead of Hong Chengchou. Although they both surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, they were fundamentally different. Zu Dashou stayed alone in Jinzhou for several years and did not hesitate to kill people. He had to lose every inch of land for food, and after surrendering, he was almost dawdling, unlike Hong Chengchou who worked hard to make plans for the Qing Dynasty and slashed at the Ming Dynasty with his sword.
Simply put, Zu Dashou represents the indomitable soul of the Ming Dynasty soldiers and is the only surrendered general that Chang Yu can forgive.