This offering of victory was only four months after the last offering of prisoners at the Meridian Gate, but its significance was completely different.
The previous time, mainly to boost the morale of the army, only one Jia Lazhangjing of the Qing army was captured, and only a few hundred Qing army heads were captured.
But this time, all the Qing troops have retreated, and peace has returned to the capital. What's more, those captured this time were Beile Yuetuo, the commander-in-chief of the invading Qing troops, and the leader of the red flag, Jia La Zhangjing and Niulu Zhangjing. Members, thousands of heads of Qing soldiers.
Its scale far exceeds the previous great victories against the Qing army. It can be said to be a unique feat. How can it not make people's blood boil and their hearts surge.
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Amid the cheers of the people in the capital, Chen Xinjia, Zhang Cheng and other generals escorted the slave chief Yue Tuo's body to the Ming Dynasty Gate. He was tied high to a cart, wearing his gilded armor, and the corpse was He looked at the people of the Ming Dynasty's capital with stern eyes.
After that, there were dozens of carts, filled with the heads of Qing soldiers, as well as captured flags, golden drums, armor and weapons. The scene was extremely shocking!
Here, the mighty Han generals stood guard on both sides, passed through the Daming Gate and entered the square in front of the Meridian Gate. Each of their generals was only allowed to bring a hundred sergeants. Dozens of generals from Xuanda and Shaanxi led Thousands of officers and soldiers lined up outside the Meridian Gate.
Emperor Chongzhen has been waiting here for a long time, and the officials in the capital are standing on both sides to wait for him.
When Lu Xiangsheng's coffin came up, Emperor Chongzhen supported the coffin and burst into tears. The eunuchs and ministers all whispered comfort beside him, asking the emperor to take care of the dragon body.
Yang Sichang bowed and stood behind Emperor Chongzhen, also bursting into tears, seemingly crying very sadly. Zhang Cheng saw this and was quite moved by his appearance.
Looking at all this, Zhang Cheng looked up to the sky, with tears in his eyes:
"Master Governor, have you seen this? You deserve all this!"
In front of the Meridian Gate, after the grand victory ceremony, the body of Zhenbeile Yuetuo, the slave chieftain of the Qing Dynasty, who was emblazoned with a red flag and mounted on the mountain, was sent to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. The heads of the Qing soldiers were transported to the Western Market and erected in Beijing.
On that day, there was a carnival in the capital, and the people were excited for a long time!
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On the same day, after presenting the victory gift, Emperor Chongzhen gave a banquet in the imperial garden to Chen Xinjia, the governor of Xuanda, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, and Zhang Cheng, the guerrilla of Xuanzang. He also invited Xue Guoguan and Yang Sichang from the cabinet to accompany the banquet.
While the monarchs and ministers in the imperial garden feasted and celebrated, the people of the capital were also caught up in the carnival. Especially in the West Market, where the first-level imperial palace was stacked, there were so many spectators that it was difficult to squeeze in a seat.
The officials from the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Rites were also busy discussing how to assess the merits of various Qinwang generals and how to reward them?
They can't make the final decision, but they must at least come up with the approval standards and reward plan for decision-making.
In the imperial garden, Emperor Chongzhen gave warm words of encouragement and condolences to Yang Sichang, Chen Xinjia, Zhang Cheng and other great heroes in his mind. At the same time, he also had deep expectations for Chen Xinjia and Hong Chengchou and encouraged them to work hard to defend the place. .
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On March 24, the twelfth year of Chongzhen, in the Forbidden City, Beijing, in the imperial palace.
In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen was carefully examining the last list in his hand.
The Qing army retreated, and everyone in the government and the public breathed a sigh of relief. After yesterday's victory at the Meridian Gate, related aftermath matters were in full swing. Those who made meritorious services needed to be rewarded, and those who lost their lives also needed to be punished.
Emperor Chongzhen ordered his cabinet minister Yang Sichang to take charge of the tasks of rewarding and punishing officials. Yang Sichang reported five things that happened, namely the loss of opportunities to guard the border, the destruction of the city, the loss of the vassal, the loss of the commander-in-chief, and the support of troops to wait and see.
The final result was determined by Zheng Xizhao, the director of Jizhen, Sun Maolin, the sub-supervisory officer, Chen Zubao, the governor of Shuntian, Zhang Qiping, the governor of Zhending, Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong, Zu Kuan, the chief of the aid and suppression army, etc., down to the various prefecture and county divisions, a total of Thirty-six people were criticized for death, and more than two hundred people were belittled.
The former chief assistant of the cabinet, Liu Yuliang, who asked himself to supervise the armies, was also deregistered and ordered to return to his place of origin immediately. He was originally assistant to Xue Guoguan and was finally promoted to the position of chief assistant.
Except for slight adjustments, Emperor Chongzhen basically had no objections to the punishment list drawn up by Yang Sichang.
However, Emperor Chongzhen pondered for a long time about the list of promotions, and finally summoned Yang Sichang to speak.
"Zhang Cheng has made so many great achievements, but he only actually taught the avant-garde commanding officer of Xuanfu, and used guerrillas to serve as the general guarding the Xiabei Road of Xuanzhen?"
Pointing to Zhang Cheng's name on the list of awards, Emperor Chongzhen was full of questions and asked Yang Sichang to explain.
Zhang Cheng was originally a member of the Wei Suo system, and his family had a hereditary military position in Xuanzhen. However, his father was weak and devoted himself to studying, so his uncle Zhang Yan inherited the military position and was promoted to the rank of general due to his merits.
After Zhang Cheng joined the army, under the care of his uncle, he was promoted to the rank of Cavalry Commander Qian. After joining the guard this time, he gained even more military exploits. Even though he had just been promoted to guerrilla general due to his merit, it was only a few months ago.
But Zhang Cheng's amazing feats of killing Ma Zhan and Yue Tuo in succession, no matter how high the reward is, it's not enough!
Now, being able to serve as a guerrilla guard all the way to Xuanzang is already a high-ranking and low-ranking job. The only difference is the title of a general.
In addition, Emperor Chongzhen personally assigned Zhang Cheng the title of leader among the three armies. Even for the sake of the emperor, Zhang Cheng and Yang Sichang, who were guarding the whole army, should at least be appointed as a staff general. Even if they were appointed as deputy commander-in-chief, it would not be enough. Pass.
Faced with Emperor Chongzhen's question, Yang Sichang hurriedly said respectfully: "Returning to the emperor, this is my intention to preserve my loyal and brave generals of the Ming Dynasty."
Seeing that Chongzhen was listening carefully, Yang Sichang continued: "General Zhang has made many meritorious deeds, but he is young and has little experience, and his sudden rise to a high position will make him arrogant.
If you don't remember his achievements temporarily and let him continue to practice, General Zhang is a person who knows the general situation and will definitely understand the meaning of the imperial court's preservation. "
Emperor Chongzhen's face brightened slightly and he paced slowly in the pavilion. Yang Sichang's words reminded him.
Although Zhang Cheng was commendable for his loyalty and bravery, he was only twenty-two years old and had already risen to the high position of commander and commander of the Guards.
If he makes new achievements in the future and good news comes, according to Zhang Cheng's performance, it is not impossible. At the end of the day, what should he do if he has no title and no reward?
As early as the Battle of Ma Fang, Emperor Chongzhen had paid special attention to Zhang Cheng. After the victory of Shiqiao and the sacrifice of prisoners, Chongzhen was even more impressed.
Emperor Chongzhen also had an in-depth understanding of the subsequent battles between Gaoyang and Huolu. Even the defeat of Julu was due to the huge disparity in strength and was not a crime of war.
Moreover, Zhang Cheng not only fought bravely, but also was very resourceful. When Lu Xiang was promoted to the army, he made many suggestions and suggestions.
The Ming Dynasty had generals like this. Emperor Chongzhen felt somewhat comforted. It was not that the Ming Dynasty did not dare to fight with good generals.
However, it would not be good if Zhang Cheng stands out too much. If he is given too many rewards this time, not only will he be arrogant and arrogant, but he may also make other generals jealous, which will be detrimental to the country.
If we now appoint Zhang Cheng as a staff general or deputy general, not to mention the issue of vacancies in Xuanzang, at such an age, he suddenly rises to a high position, with a heavy army at his disposal, and what follows is unfathomable ambition and ambition. Delusion.
Will Zhang Cheng still be so loyal to the court?
