The rogue bandits in the late Ming Dynasty originated from famine.
In order to plunder food, they traveled thousands of miles and poisoned hundreds of states.
Many of their actions are detestable and despised.
Their hands were indeed stained with the blood of innocents, and hundreds of thousands, even millions, of innocent people died because of him.
Many people blame them for the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the fall of Lu Shen in China, and the loss of clothes.
Some people even said, "If you don't die of hunger, be like the mantis."
Many people have forgotten one thing, whether it is Gao Yingxiang or others.
Most of them were just ordinary people or soldiers during the uprising.
Some of them are refugees who have fled due to disasters, others are common people who have been forced to have nowhere to go due to taxes, soldiers who have been owed wages for many years and are unable to support their families, and poor tenant farmers who have lost their land and been oppressed.
At first they just wanted a meal and a way to survive.
All they want is to survive.
When there was a great disaster in Shaanxi, what they were waiting for was not an imperial mission to relieve the famine, but a growing tax bill.
The envoy of conquest is eager for a spark.
The name of search is as dense as a cow's hair.
The civil commotion broke out.
The world has forced them to a dead end, and those adults who sit high in the temple have turned them into bandits, driving them to a dead end.
Is it reasonable to ask a group of people who don't even have enough to eat to strictly abide by "benevolence, justice, etiquette, wisdom and trust" and morality? Is this possible?
The problems faced by the peasant army in the late Ming Dynasty were more difficult than those of the peasant armies that launched uprisings in previous dynasties.
Although the famine allowed them to gather a large amount of manpower in the early stages of the uprising, it also made many places uninhabitable, and they were unable to occupy the original places as bases.
Historically, when the peasant rebel army developed to a certain scale, it would begin to restrict military discipline and develop in a formal direction.
However, the civil unrest in the late Ming Dynasty lasted for more than ten years, but it never developed to a certain scale.
Although the Ming army at this time suffered repeated defeats on the Liaodong battlefield, the Ming army was actually not weak.
The failure in the Liaodong battlefield was not actually due to military strength, but more to a political issue.
Ming troops came from all directions to suppress the rebellion, forcing them to become rogues.
If we don't continue to coerce ordinary people into using them as military force, they will be wiped out in a short time. Therefore, the final consequence is that in the later stages of the civil uprising, the peasant armies everywhere evolved into rogue bandits.
At first they relied on the swords and guns in their hands, but they ate rice again and survived.
But among them, some not only ate rice, but also meat. They also tasted flesh and blood.
So many people began to walk down the wrong path, and they raised their butcher knives towards those who were as poor as themselves.
No matter in any group, there will always be some people with ulterior motives and moral corruption.
But this cannot be used as a reason to completely deny it.
In the torrent of time, everyone is just being carried forward.
Even though he struggled desperately, he still seemed extremely powerless.
How can the general trend of the world be changed easily?
At the end of the Ming Dynasty, the civil uprising swept most of China and lasted throughout the Chongzhen period.
Among them, there are indeed crazy people, there are indeed cruel and bloodthirsty people, and there are indeed people who are completely unscrupulous.
But among them, there are also visionaries and steadfast ones.
The peasant army in the late Ming Dynasty was fortunate to have three visionary leaders.
One is Wang Jiayin. He occupied Fugu as his foundation and did not move around. Instead, he developed on the spot, constantly expanded his territory, and actively fought against the invading Ming army.
It's a pity that he died at the hands of a traitor and a traitor.
The second one is Wang Ziyong. After Wang Jiayin's death, he stood up and took charge. He wanted to replace Wang Jiayin and inherit Wang Jiayin's last wish.
It's a pity that his ability is insufficient and his ambition is empty, but it is difficult to save the overall situation.
He failed and eventually died of illness in Jiyuan. In his hands, the 36th Battalion of Rebels began to transform into rogues, because they could only survive by being rogues.
The last one is Gao Yingxiang.
When he took over as the leader of the alliance, the world was completely in chaos. The seventy-two battalions were mixed, and the atmosphere in the army was already difficult to change.
He was very aware of this situation, so after he was elected as the leader of the alliance, the first thing he wanted to do was to capture Xi'an and capture Guanzhong.
He knew very well that only by occupying a fixed territory and improving armaments could he be able to make up for the infantry, have the strength to confront the Ming army head-on, and get rid of his status as a rogue bandit.
However, he ultimately failed.
…
Although the rain was light, the drops still made a loud noise when they fell on everyone.
The sound of war drums coming from the entrance of the valley seemed so distant against the sound of rain that it seemed to be coming from the horizon.
Rainwater accumulates on high slopes, and after reaching a certain level, it slowly flows down the high slopes.
Chen Wang stepped forward, and the surrounding soldiers retreated to both sides, making way for a passage.
At this time, on the high slope, all the personal guards who were originally guarding Gao Yingxiang had been killed.
As long as Chen Wang gives an order, his soldiers can rush forward and capture Gao Yingxiang alive.
Chen Wang clenched the Yan Ling Dao in his hand. If he and Gao Yingxiang were in the same situation, he would never be as calm as Gao Yingxiang.
In fact, Chen Wang had a lot of things he wanted to ask Gao Yingxiang, but in the end these questions were stuck in his throat and there was no way to ask them.
As a camp general, he could not have too much communication with Gao Yingxiang.
Hundreds of pairs of ears were listening to their conversation.
Gao Yingxiang stood alone in the encirclement, holding a Yanling sword in his hand.
Even though he was surrounded by enemies, there was still no trace of fear on his face.
Chen Wang looked at Gao Yingxiang, who was standing not far in front of him, and his mind went back and forth.
Although the result was a defeat at Heishuiyu, what happened to Gao Yingxiang has actually changed.
In the original time and space, Gao Yingxiang was also ambushed in Heishui Valley, but he was not defeated and was trapped in the valley.
Cao Bianjiao did not participate in the Battle of Heishui Valley, but was encircling and suppressing Guo Tianxing who had surrendered and rebelled.
On July 15th, Gao Yingxiang left Heishui Valley and stationed soldiers at the Xianyou Temple.
However, when he left the valley on the 16th and was ambushed by the Ming army, Gao Yingxiang commanded the army to counterattack without any hesitation, and even won the first battle.
The Supervisory Biao Battalion under Sun Chuanting was defeated several times. General Li Yuchun was injured and was discharged from the battle. The camp suffered heavy losses.
After Hong Chengchou arrived with his troops, he finally held the line of defense and blocked Gao Yingxiang's subsequent attack.
On July 20, after four days of fierce fighting, Gao Yingxiang still did not give up hope. He led his troops to attack again.
In this attack, Gao Yingxiang led the army to break through Heishui Valley and retreat all the way to the northwest, hoping to evacuate towards Fengxiang Mansion.
He was just one step away from escaping and ascending to heaven.
But just on Ma Zhaoyuan, Gao Yingxiang and his soldiers and horses were entangled by the Ming army during their evacuation, and they happened to meet Zu Kuan, who was leading troops all the way from Xi'an for reinforcements.
First there was heavy rain, then heavy fog. At this time, Gao Yingxiang still did not think about surrendering or giving up. He went to the front line in person to boost morale and led his troops to defeat the Ming army's offensives again and again.
However, he did not expect that his battalion leader Qian Gongji Zhang Er and the leader Huang Long had already negotiated terms with the Ming army in private and chose to surrender.
During the battle at Ma Zhaoyuan, they took advantage of the heavy fog after the rain to secretly pull the soldiers southward...
The battle line was completely broken, and Gao Yingxiang was defeated and captured. He was then sent to the capital and suffered the death penalty of Lingchi.
From being captured to the capital, even on the execution platform, Gao Yingxiang never begged for mercy.
The peasant armies of the late Ming Dynasty were lucky because they had three visionary leaders who led them forward and constantly corrected their mistakes.
But the peasant army in the late Ming Dynasty was also unfortunate because they only had three visionary leaders.
After Gao Yingxiang's death, neither Li Zicheng nor Zhang Xianzhong was able to take the lead and move forward unswervingly.
Even after Li Zicheng finally founded the country and proclaimed himself emperor, he was still unable to completely get rid of his bandit habits.
After Yi Yishi's defeat, he actually chose to abandon the city of Beijing. Then when facing the Qing army, he still used the same tactics to deal with the Ming army...
Although Li Zicheng far surpassed Gao Yingxiang in terms of achievements, he did not have the same spirit as Gao Yingxiang.
"Woo————"
The sound of horns sounded one after another in the distance, one after another, interrupting Chen Wang's thoughts.
Chen Wang could see clearly that a large number of Ming army cavalry suddenly appeared at the entrance of the valley.
There is no doubt that Hong Chengchou had already arrived with his troops at this time.
"The victory or defeat has been decided..."
Gao Yingxiang looked back at the valley. He knew he was about to die, but his expression was surprisingly calm.
Life and death have destiny, wealth and honor are in heaven.
It seems that this destiny does not belong to him...
…
The thunder and lightning have disappeared, the wind and rain have passed.
As the sky became brighter, the rain became lighter and lighter.
Although the light rain was still pattering, the sun was already shining through the gaps between the clouds in the Heishui Valley.
Light finally returned to the earth, and the world became bright again.
It's just that the current Heishui Valley is not the same emerald green as in the past, but a strange dark red color.
Under the Beishan there is also the direction of the valley. A large number of corpses are piled up layer by layer, like a city wall made of flesh and blood.
The black water flowing through the valley can no longer be called black water at this time. Perhaps it is more appropriate to call it a blood river.
In the valley of Heishui Valley, a large group of Ming army's elite cavalry were chasing the remaining escaping invaders.
And more intruders had their hands tied behind their backs, kneeling on the ground, and became prisoners.
The light soldiers of the Ming army armed with sharp axes and sharp blades walked on the battlefield, waving the blades in their hands to cut off the heads.
Behind them were people holding bags and baskets, searching for anything they could continue to use.
Armor, weapons, gold and stones, jewelry, utensils, and even clothing and shoes...
A large number of horses were centralized and managed, and the cavalrymen pointing their whips drove the horses towards the makeshift horse stalls.
The Battle of Blackwater Valley has actually come to an end, the dust has settled, everything is over.
Beishan camp, inside the Chinese military tent.
Hong Chengchou is wearing a python robe and a black veil on his head, sitting on the left side of the center.
Sun Chuanting also wore a black gauze on his head and a scarlet official uniform. He sat next to Hong Chengchou, sitting on the right side of the middle seat.
The golden pheasant embroidered on the chest patch shows his status as governor.
All the Ming army generals in the tent were sitting on both sides.
The person sitting first on the left is undoubtedly Zu Kuan.
Zu Kuan was promoted to the governor of Qianshi because of his military exploits in relieving the invading rebels in Shandong.
Later, because of his meritorious service in battle, he was named deputy Qianhu of the outer guard and promoted to deputy chief soldier.
He was transferred to the pass to quell the rebellion, and was appointed deputy commander-in-chief of support and suppression, with the highest status among the generals.
At this time, Cao Wenzhao was leading the army to confront Li Zicheng in Yan'an Mansion. Hong Chengchou brought only generals such as He Renlong, Cao Bianjiao, Gao Jie, and Sun Shoufa to come to the rescue.
He Renlong is still only the deputy commander-in-chief. Naturally, his status is not as high as that of Zu Kuan. He only sits on the right side.
Then Li Chongzhen, Cao Bianjiao, Gao Gui, Gao Jie, Sun Shoufa and others sat in rows according to their grades.
Everyone was still wearing their armor, and the armor on their bodies smelled of blood, and the smell in the tent they brought was also quite unpleasant.
But no one frowned and was dissatisfied because of this. These things were all too common on the battlefield.
Both Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting looked calm and at ease.
All the generals and commanders in the tent were seated, but in the end there was one spot left vacant.
This position sat opposite Li Chongzhen. Cao Bianjiao did not sit there, but sat next to Li Chongzhen.
Li Chongzhen was the deputy commander-in-chief. Together with Zu Kuan, he led the cavalry into the pass to suppress the enemy. Apart from Zu Kuan and He Renlong, he had the highest status.
According to the order of seats, the person sitting opposite him was just lower in status than him, but higher than Cao Bianjiao.
The eyes of all the generals in the tent naturally focused on it.
No one spoke at this time. They already knew the general situation of what happened in the Battle of Blackwater Valley.
Everyone knows who this position is reserved for.
All the generals and commanders were waiting patiently with their eyes and noses in mind.
Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou were talking in low voices about government and military affairs.
Nothing in the military tent could affect their mood.
After a long silence, a burst of rapid horse hooves suddenly sounded from outside the tent, followed by noise outside the tent. All of this naturally attracted everyone's attention.
Including Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting, everyone in the tent raised their eyes to look at the position of the curtain.
The curtain was opened, and what came into view was a suit of armor that was almost soaked in blood, and then a face covered in blood.
Chen Wang stepped into the tent, and rain mixed with blood rolled down his armor.
Chen Wang raised his head and looked at Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting who were sitting at the top, bowed down and said in a deep voice.
"I was lucky enough to win in my humble position. I killed the thief and the chief Gao Yingxiang in formation. Fortunately, I did not disgrace my life!"
I tried the anti-theft chapter, but I don’t know if it works. If there are repeated paragraphs, you can refresh the app and it should be a normal chapter.
After this chapter, the farming development stage begins.
This chapter does not whitewash the actions of the bandits in the late Ming Dynasty.
However, the main culprits for the deterioration of the situation and the demise of the Ming Dynasty were actually the increasingly expanding and controlled civil servant group and the greedy gentry and landlords.
