The third day of August in the first year of Wuding.
Emperor Wu Ding held a military parade at the Guangjimen Campus in Linqing. During this period, the heads of more than 15,000 Ming troops were built into the imperial palace to punish the Ming troops for burning, killing, looting and rebelling against the Qi Dynasty, and to demonstrate Qi's martial arts achievements to all generations.
On that day, the Guangjimen Grand Campus was bustling with people. About 100,000 Linqing people (a total of 500,000 people in the city) witnessed the entire military parade.
More than 15,900 human heads were built by thirty Linqing masons into a pyramid shape that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The craftsmen used superb craftsmanship to seal the upper layers of the pyramid with soil, and then tamped the whole... and finally presented it. The effect can be described as shocking.
More than 15,900 enemy heads turned into a three-foot-tall (twelve-meter) pyramid. The outermost layer of heads faced in all directions, and looked so ferocious that no living person dared to look directly at it.
At early noon, Emperor Wu Ding, dressed in military uniform, climbed onto the Guangji Gate Tower to review the Qi army officers and soldiers who had completed their formation outside the city.
More than 13,000 soldiers and horses of different types were arranged in strict formations and passed in front of Guangji Gate in sequence.
In front of Guangjimen City, drums and horns sounded, bamboo whistles blew continuously, and accompanied by bursts of deafening shouts of long live, all the troops moved forward slowly, with the cavalry battalion in the front, the fire and gun soldiers, swords, shields and spearmen in the middle, and the artillery and auxiliary troops in the rear. , after groups of troops passed through the main campus, they continued to circle the north and south streets of Zhoucheng, and finally returned to their respective military camps.
Emperor Wu Ding stood on the city wall and waved frequently to the soldiers. Finally, the emperor gave a brand new black antelope flag to the general Pu Gang.
The black antelope flag is the flag of the 14th Guards Army. The flags of the Qi Army all use animals as patterns. It is decided by the first commander himself and there are no restrictions. However, in Liaodong, beasts such as dragons, tigers, lions and leopards have been Other guards occupied it, and when it was Pu Gang's turn, he chose the antelope, which is said to mean that the 14th Army reacted quickly on the battlefield and its soldiers were quick. It was partly for this reason that Emperor Wu Ding sent the Fourteenth Army to aid Shandong.
"Your Majesty, except for the artillery and cavalry, which are veterans, most of the other battalions are new recruits recruited in the past three months..."
Liu Zhaosun nodded slightly: "Okay, the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead, and each generation becomes stronger than the previous generation. After this battle, we will all have a strong army in the future!"
The training officer Xing Zhongyi supplemented the explanation in a low voice beside him. Emperor Wuding was quite satisfied with the new army in front of him. Hearing the training officer say that many of them had only been in the army for more than three months, Emperor Wuding felt a little relieved after hearing this. comfort.
At present, Daqi is torn apart, and the time-travelers whose temperaments have changed drastically and are increasingly murderous will certainly not tolerate these young people surviving. Killing them all and leaving no one behind will become the new goal of future battles. I don't know whether it is a blessing or a misfortune for Du Du and Li Zhu. Until now, Emperor Wu Ding has not yet grasped the changes in Liaodong.
If this demigod were to know about the heinous crimes committed by Jiannu and North Korea in his home base of Kaiyuan, Liu Zhaosun would have to deal with these two traitors who avenged their kindness with hatred, and it would be more than just building a Jingguan.
On that day, Emperor Wuding issued an edict to reward the three armies. The officers and soldiers of the Qi army were rewarded according to their merits and promoted based on their merits. I will not go into details here.
When each battalion passed through the North and South Streets of Linqing, people were crowded with people watching.
Linqing was besieged for two months, and the Ming army flooded the city several times. It can be said that Shen Zao breeds frogs (Note 1), and it was almost defeated several times.
If the soldiers of the Qi army had not fought to the death, this prosperous and fertile land would have been robbed by the bandits and the Ming army. The people of the city who had been spared from the war were grateful and spontaneously stood on both sides of the street, holding bowls and basins filled with rice, noodles and meat. There were many They were reluctant to eat the food themselves and wanted to offer it to Master Wang.
Although the Jiangbei Fourth Battalion once called itself the King's Division, that King's Division was better at robbing the people than the bandits. During the Northern Expedition, they would kill good soldiers from time to time and use fellow soldiers' heads in exchange for military merit.
It is self-evident which king the common people support.
Tan Er was walking forward behind the guards. Suddenly, a commoner came over with a bowl of chili peppers. Also brought with him was a big carp that had just been fished out of the canal. He had a special affection for the ingredients and couldn't resist it. After some hesitation, he secretly stuffed the carp into his arms, thinking that when he went back, he would make a sweet and sour carp dish for Emperor Wu Ding...
Many years later, Tan Ershao couldn't help but shed tears when he recalled the scene of Linqing people eating pots of pulp to welcome Master Wang that day.
According to Kaiyuan's military regulations, military officers were not allowed to take advantage of civilians. Because of this bowl of chili peppers and this carp, after the military parade ended that day, Tan Er was handed over to the Zhenfu soldiers and beaten with fifteen military sticks...
~~~~~
After this battle, especially the subsequent Beijing viewing and military parade, the Qi army's reputation resounded throughout Shandong.
Emperor Wuding's record of killing hundreds of people quickly spread throughout the Beiyun River, and various rumors abounded.
There are many versions of the description of the emperor's strength. Currently, the most authoritative and credible version is:
The current emperor is the red-haired ghost Xiang Yu (it is rumored that Liu Zhaosun's hair is red). He is the reincarnation of Emperor Zhenwu of Jingle Palace in Junzhou. He is so powerful that he has two hammers weighing 800 kilograms hanging around his neck and a big gun in his hand. Weighing 13,700 kilograms, it is comparable to Sun Wukong’s Ruyi Golden Cudgel...
Photographed in Emperor Wuding's Military Majesty, on the fifth day of August, people from Qinghe and Guan counties around Linqing sent congratulations to celebrate the king's victory. Also sent were two thousand stones of military rations, ten fat pigs, and Zhu Changhuan dispatched local Nanming officials.
When Emperor Wu Ding ascended the throne, he issued an edict not to leave the capital. Many prefectures and counties in Shandong, Henan and other places mostly obeyed the imperial orders and watched the Qi army fight with the rebels. After the outbreak of the plague and the explosion of Wang Gongchang, the magistrates and prefectures sent by Liu Zhaosun to various places were all massacred by local tyrants (such as Ma Qihong in Henan Province), and various regions became independent. At this time, seeing the rise of Daqi, they immediately sent envoys to Linqing Prefecture. City, expressed his willingness to surrender to the new dynasty.
Liu Zhaosun knew very well that there was a high probability that these wallflowers were still working in secret. He thought that if he changed the Ming Dynasty on the plaque at the yamen gate to Da Qi, he would be safe, and he could continue to live in his own territory and be a local emperor.
Unfortunately, this time they thought wrong.
~~~~~
On August 10, the first year of Wuding, he visited Chaoguan Palace in Linqing.
In the lobby of the Chaoguan Yamen, Emperor Wu Ding was fully clothed in armor and sitting at the top, scanning the people present with cold and sharp eyes.
Sitting next to him were Pu Gang, Xing Zhongyi, Zhang Dong, Li Sanguang, Lao Songtou, Francis and several county and prefecture magistrates in Denglai.
As the Battle of Linqing came to an end and all seizures were cleared, Emperor Wu Ding collected intelligence from all parties and prepared to start a new battle.
On this day, the emperor summoned a group of civil and military followers and announced in public that a large-scale cleanup operation was about to begin.
All the civil and military officers and generals who stayed behind in Linqing were present, and the main hall of the Yamen was packed with people.
Pu Gang, the chief officer of the 14th Guards Army, Xing Zhongyi, the training officer, Zhang Dong, the chief officer of the Imperial Guards, Li Sanguang, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, the magistrate of Qiu County, Guantao County under the jurisdiction of Linqing, and Francis, the southeastern district missionary.
In the past two months, surviving Qi officials have continued to go to Linqing from Henan and Northern Zhili to join forces with the 14th Army for survival.
Li Sanguang, a disciple of the late Xu Xiake, Minister of Industry;
Old Songtou, who is not very good at medical skills but always loves to treat people;
Francis, the priest who was passionate about preaching and was almost eaten by the refugees;
The magistrate of Daqi County who was expelled as soon as he took office in Dengzhou (one of them was named Lu Xiangsheng)
Zhang Chun's rebellion, the bandits' eastward march, then the plague and drought, and finally the explosion of Wang Gong's factory... A series of natural and man-made disasters caused the northern provinces to lose millions of people. Originally, Da Qi entrusted the provinces with military affairs in Henan, Officials from Shandong and other places also died and fled, and finally gathered in Linqing Prefecture City to fight for survival, so now in Linqing, you can see many faces that you have not seen for a long time.
After Li Sanguang escaped from Sakhalin Island, he had been recuperating in Dengzhou until the Dengzhou defenders were mobilized to assist the capital. The situation in Dengzhou gradually deteriorated, and he was forced to move to Jining, and finally followed the 14th Army to Linqing. .
Like Yang Tong, he now only has one arm left (the other one was eaten by the Gesala people), but one of them did not allow the blacksmith in the workshop to add an iron hook - Li Sanguang mainly spends his energy on mapping and mining. He doesn't need to swing a hook to kill people like Yang Tong.
In contrast, Francis's fate was not so tragic. The Portuguese missionary had been staying in Henan to spread the archbishop's gospel to the local people and gentry. When he saw a scholar, he wanted to kill Emperor Wu Ding, who was in his thirties. The long names of the words were repeated, and first of all, they conquered these scholars who believed in Confucianism... Francis' missionary career ended in the drought half a year ago. This loyal priest of the archbishop was almost eaten by a hungry man. The refugees caught and ate them. Fortunately, two Qi troops did not stop passing by at night, so they rescued the Portuguese, and the three of them fled to Linqing together...
Emperor Wu Ding planned to ask missionaries to strengthen the propaganda of the concepts related to the reincarnation of the Zhenwu God in order to further deify himself, and ultimately mold the Daqi Emperor into a demigod integrating the formation religion - in fact, there is no need to shape him, he is already a demigod now.
Yes, those things that the time traveler despised and hated before, now he regards them as a standard.
Because the starting point of the empire will be reopened here.
~~~
Emperor Wu Ding was extremely dissatisfied with the tolerant policy of the Linqing garrison. In the past three months, Linqing merchants had traded with the 14th Army. Many merchants had infiltrated Linqing officials. There were merchants among the four gate guards of the city. Servant.
If the Fourteenth Army hadn't held on to the isolated city and had just achieved a great victory, the Emperor's current tyrannical character would have led to a bloodbath of the Fourteenth Army based on this collusion with merchants.
One of the definitions of a tyrant is one who kills not only his enemies but his own people as well.
In the past, the god of death always accompanied my emperor, but now, my emperor is the god of death.
This sentence will be confirmed in blood and fire in the next few years, and will become an unbreakable truth in Daqi.
However, Pu Gang, Xing Zhongyi, Francis and others did not have a deep understanding of this truth because they did not follow the emperor and experienced the great plague in the capital and the explosion of Wang Gong Factory.
~~~~
"There are no less than a hundred families in Linqing Prefecture who are colluding with the traitor Zhu Changhui, and half of them are conspiring with the Jiangbei Fourth Battalion to take advantage of the opportunity to rebel!"
Emperor Wu Ding's voice suddenly rose, shaking the surrounding teacups. Everyone was frightened by this aura and did not dare to raise their heads.
"General Pu Shen!"
"The general is here!"
Pu Gang agreed, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead.
Liu Zhaosun glared angrily: "How did you do things in Linqing! You can't just let these thieves go and wait for them to come and assassinate me!"
At that time, the troops in the city were stretched thin, and there were powerful enemies outside the city. Pugang felt that he was unable to spare his hands to deal with these merchants, so he always adopted a soft policy.
"Your Majesty clearly knows that the Qi army at that time was not strong enough, with only 5,000 men and horses, and it had to guard four gates. Moreover, its foundation in Linqing was shallow..."
"Not a single one of these merchants can be left alive! Kill them all!"
The instructor, Xing Zhongyi, defended himself in a low voice: "Your Majesty, when we were in Kaiyuan, you said that it was based on business, so..."
"That's not a reason! Today is not what it used to be. Nowadays, the canal trade is declining day by day. Why are these moths still left? I will not keep useless people. Anyone who is involved with the thieves will be killed!"
Emperor Wu Ding was so murderous that you could hear a needle drop in the hall.
No one dared to speak.
The magistrate of Qiu County, who was sitting in the corner, slowly raised his head without fear of the emperor's sharp gaze.
"Lu Xiangsheng, do you have something to say?"
Note:
1. "Guoyu · Jin Yu 9": "The Jin troops surrounded and irrigated them, Shen Zao produced frogs, and the people had no intention of rebellion." "Warring States Policy·Zhao Ce 1": "Today the city is not without three boards. The frogs are raised in the mortar stove , man and horse eat each other.”
