Liu Wenxiu was good at stabilizing the morale of the army, which was why Zhang Xianzhong urgently transferred him. However, it is precisely because of this that he knows better than anyone else what the military morale is today!
It would have been fine if Li Dingguo had not surrendered, but as Li Dingguo surrendered and he personally came to Wuchang City to persuade him to surrender, this would have a greater impact on the military morale in Wuchang City!
If we insist on refusing to surrender, it will be impossible to defend Wuchang City under the attack of the imperial army.
But now, there is an opportunity. Li Laiheng and Li Dingguo are role models!
Thinking this, Liu Wenxiu sighed in her heart, and finally said to Li Dingguo: "We surrender!"
Upon hearing this, Li Dingguo was overjoyed and immediately responded: "Wenxiu, then we can still serve the country together and let's see who can win him the title of wife and son first!"
After he finished speaking, he came back to his senses and immediately asked in surprise: "Where is my foster father? Is his foster father not in the city?"
After hearing this, Liu Wenxiu shook his head and said, "My adoptive father sent me back urgently, while he went to Hanyang!"
When Li Dingguo heard this, he immediately turned around and drove his horse to Li Dingguo to report: "Liu Wenxiu is the only one in the city who is willing to surrender to the court and serve the country. My foster father is no longer in the city and has gone to Hanyang Mansion."
Zhang Mingwei was overjoyed when he heard that the Wuchang Prefecture surrendered without a fight, and Liu Wenxiu accepted the recruitment. This result was what he wanted to see the most. As for Zhang Xianzhong running away, he didn't care much.
So, he immediately sent an order to Zhou Yuji to prepare to accept Liu Wenxiu's surrender.
It wasn't that he didn't want to send more troops to pursue Zhang Xianzhong, but after launching a sudden attack from Huangzhou Mansion, he advanced all the way to the gates of Wuchang City. The bandits who surrendered along the way, plus those in Wuchang Mansion, were probably More than three hundred thousand.
Zhang Mingwei's troops only have about 50,000 troops, so they can't waste time, otherwise if there is a problem, the consequences will be disastrous and they will be overturned.
The bandits who have been recruited must be settled first, and other imperial officers and soldiers from all walks of life must come to Wuchang Mansion to join together, and then they can continue to march westward to pursue Zhang Xianzhong's troops. Anyway, to drive Zhang Xianzhong westward, it is best to rush into Sichuan, and then catch all the bandits and rebels in the jar. This is the most ideal situation.
Not long after, Liu Wenxiu brought a group of the highest-ranking generals in the city, without weapons, to see Duke Xingguo.
This time, although it was not as exaggerated as Li Dingguo's, it was not far behind.
Zhang Mingwei dismounted and faced him surrounded by generals. He laughed loudly and said: "Wen Xiu's benevolent heart saved the military disaster and brought peace to the people of Ming Dynasty. Such an act of abandoning darkness and turning to light will definitely be praised by the people!"
Liu Wenxiu didn't expect that the powerful Duke Xingguo would praise him before he could say anything to apologize. Immediately, he felt grateful and no longer regretted his decision to surrender, and he quickly apologized humbly.
There was also Li Dingguo beside the Duke. He intervened, and the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Just like that, Wuchang Mansion fell without a fight. The bandits in the city felt very relieved when they saw Liu Wenxiu and Li Dingguo patrolling the city with Duke Xingguo.
As a result, the entire process of accepting recruitment went extremely smoothly.
Two days later, Ye refused to accept the report and said that Zhang Xianzhong was indeed at Hanyang Mansion.
Although the reorganization and registration of the bandits here are still in progress, generals at all levels have requested a battle to pursue Zhang Xianzhong. Even Liu Wenxiu and Li Dingguo asked Zhang Mingwei to fight, hoping to persuade Zhang Xianzhong and other bandits to surrender.
After Zhang Mingwei thought for a while, he sent Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu to pursue them, accompanied by Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu. It would also be a good thing to persuade Zhang Xianzhong and other thieves to accept the recruitment. However, according to his opinion, Zhang Xianzhong should be an old stubborn and would not accept recruitment.
As for Zhang Mingwei himself, it's not that he doesn't want to go to Hanyang, but that there are too many things to do.
Although he surrendered without a fight, there were too many bandits who accepted recruitment, and there were more things that required him to make decisions. As for the bandits who were reported, those who wanted to return to their hometowns to farm, and those who wanted to continue fighting, should go to farm. Or being incorporated into combat troops, etc., including coordinating with local officials, contacting the prince in Nanjing, logistical matters, etc., it was really too much.
Especially now that it's October, the cold air coming from the north comes one after another, and it's time for the entire army to change their military uniforms.
Maybe for other people, this kind of thing is as easy as it can be. However, Zhang Mingwei didn't think so. If he wanted his soldiers to fight bravely, he had to at least ensure their logistics.
Fortunately, with the power in his hands and the money collected from Yangzhou, there is no problem in ensuring these.
In addition, the troops of Liu Liangzuo and Huang Degong are about to arrive at Wuchang Mansion. Zhang Mingwei also has to review their two armies and reorganize those who should be reorganized. A large number of Jin Yiwei captains should also be deployed in their armies, so that the establishment of all the imperial army that can fight is the same as the imperial army under his command. At least there are Jin Yiwei at the level of the general banner, and the general will no longer have to say everything. Have the final say.
Only in this way can we control these imperial troops that have been outside for a long time.
………………
Two days later, Huang Degong and Liu Liangzuo led their troops to Wuchang Mansion.
To be honest, they had been a little disdainful of Duke Xingguo's military order before, which required them to advance slowly and steadily, focusing on psychological warfare.
I feel that Zhang Xianzhong's men are all old thieves. If it is so easy to defeat these thieves and persuade them to accept recruitment, it is basically impossible.
You must know that Zhang Xianzhong's troops had only been recruited in Gucheng before, and then rebelled, causing the governor Xiong Wencan who was in charge of recruiting him to be killed in the city.
However, what happened next shocked them both.
At first, they were very surprised. Such a psychological attack could be so effective? They talked casually, but the morale of the army on the bandits' side was unstable. However, they also soon learned that it turned out that there were already insiders in the imperial court among the bandit army, and it was Duke Xingguo who sent them here half a year ago.
The situation seemed to be going well, and of course the two of them were happy. However, they never expected that suddenly, the bandits would retreat in large numbers, and then they would raise their troops to pursue them.
As a result, before they could catch up to Wuchang Mansion, news came that Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu had accepted the recruitment, and the army of bandits including Wuchang Mansion were all being reorganized, but there was no request for the original troops and horses, etc. .
This also means that the bandit army really accepted the recruitment, and the battle that was originally thought to be huge ended quietly.
Whether it was Liu Liangzuo or Huang Degong, they had seen with their own eyes the power of Duke Xingguo. Therefore, he came quickly to see Duke Xingguo without any hesitation.
Even their immediate boss, Lu Jiude, the eunuch who was hiding behind them, came on flying horses and eventually went with them to see Duke Xingguo.
Lu Jiude was originally a faction of Wang Zhixin. He was sent by Wang Zhixin and had always controlled the Beijing camp. Later, he had the power to supervise the imperial army in Fengyang in the south.
However, when Wang Zhixin was liquidated, Lu Jiude was pardoned because of his military exploits.
Even so, Lu Jiude was still frightened when he saw Duke Xingguo's words. He never knew how to hug Duke Xingguo's thigh instead.
Now that he had this opportunity for a great victory, he would naturally not let it go. Liu Liangzuo and Huang Degong were stunned by his compliments to Zhang Mingwei.
The great eunuch in the palace who was originally so majestic in front of them actually still has such a side?
If they were in the capital, they would not be surprised by this situation. Because as long as you are a member of the palace, regardless of your status, as long as you meet Duke Xingguo, it will be the same.
Originally, no matter who it was, the imperial court would definitely not be happy to send so many royal guards to their army. This is true even for Huang Degong, who has no evil intentions.
But after seeing this, they didn't even dare to fart. Whatever Duke Xingguo said, that's what happened.
So, just like that, hundreds of thousands of troops gathered inside and outside Wuchang Mansion, all undergoing reorganization, but they did not cause any commotion.
Under normal circumstances, no matter how powerful Zhang Mingwei is, he can't arrange for so many people.
However, Wuchang Prefecture happened to be the place where the King of Chu lived, which was passed down from the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. Although the wealth accumulated over hundreds of years was robbed by Zhang Xianzhong, the fixed assets could not be taken away, including the land.
With the experience in Kaifeng and the original King of Chu seeking death, Zhang Xianzhong had his family wiped out. Needless to say, the land that originally belonged to the King of Chu could be used to settle most of the bandits.
However, this matter is too big and involves local squires. With the experience in Kaifeng, a heavyweight will definitely be in charge.
Zhang Mingwei himself will continue to pursue Zhang Xianzhong's troops and fight in Shu. It is impossible to stay here for a long time. But there is one person who is suitable, and that is the prince in Jinling.
But it will take time for the prince to arrive.
While Zhang Mingwei was busy in Wuchang Mansion, news from the front line came one after another.
Ai Nengqi was persuaded by Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu and led his men to accept recruitment. This is certainly good news.
Then, Sun Kewang also came down upon hearing the news. This was another good news, and it also stimulated the pursuing imperial officers and soldiers. Now it’s Zhang Xianzhong’s team, it depends on who gets this great contribution!
However, perhaps it was too smooth. In order to gain credit, Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu couldn't wait to resettle the bandits who had just surrendered, so they went after Zhang Xianzhong's troops.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Xianzhong ambushed Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu halfway. Before the two of them could stabilize their position, Sun Kewang, who had surrendered before, came out from behind. Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu were instantly killed, and the entire army collapsed.
This news was immediately reported to Wuchang Mansion, and the atmosphere here immediately changed.
