No one expected that when the situation was great, such discordant news suddenly came.
Although the imperial officers and soldiers under Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu were at most the vanguard of the imperial army in Huguang, the defeat in this battle did not cause any damage to the main force of the imperial army.
However, the impact of this war was very serious.
For a moment, everyone looked at Xingguo Gong, wondering how Xingguo Gong would handle this matter. Privately, they were all speculating.
"I knew a long time ago that the bandits from the Eight Kings would really have to accept recruitment. Look, something has happened now!"
"Yes, if Zhang Kewang hadn't suddenly stabbed him in the back, this battle would have been a small defeat, but now it's a big defeat!"
"These thieves are the most abominable. They have not kept their word once or twice. This time, the Duke should see their faces clearly and must deal with them severely to prevent them from rebelling again!"
"Yes, strike first to gain advantage, strike later and suffer disaster! We can no longer trust these thieves!"
"..."
As for the bandits who had been recruited, they were privately worried after hearing the news, especially when they heard the gossip and gossip around them.
"It's all Zhang Kewang. He can continue to seek death if he wants to. Why did he rebel after being recruited? Isn't this harming us?"
"Really, that little bastard, I wish I could... Forget it, I can't beat him, but he's nothing, I've seen it a long time ago!"
"What should I do now? I'm ready to go back to my hometown. What if the court changes its mind and I can't go back?"
"Haha, are you still worried about whether you can go back? Didn't you hear someone say that they might want to continue treating us as thieves and suffer for those bastards!"
"..."
The people below were panic-stricken. Whether they were originally officers and soldiers of the imperial court, ordinary thieves who had accepted the recruitment, or those old thieves, they all had various reactions because of this incident.
Zhang Mingwei has been busy with the measurement and redistribution of grain fields, the establishment of the field army, the engineering army and other issues. He is very busy. Suddenly he received an urgent report of the defeat, and then the Jin Yiwei also reported the situation below, which made him a little helpless.
Zhang Mingwei also knew that this defeat was the result of taking too big a step and talking nonsense.
If you do it step by step, accept the recruitment, reorganize the bandits, and complete these things, it will not be easy for Sun Kewang to rebel even if he wants to. Even if he wants to rebel, he will know it immediately and he will not stab him in the back.
And the reason why we took too big a step is also because the early stage was too smooth. Because thieves will accept the recruitment, but they don't think about anything else.
Thinking of this, Zhang Mingwei couldn't help but reflect on himself. Because he believed from the beginning that Zhang Xianzhong should be stubborn and it was impossible to deal with him so easily.
My mind was numb and I was busy with things, so something happened.
After knowing this about himself, Zhang Mingwei immediately convened an enlarged meeting, summoning all the guerrilla and above generals who could come over from Huguang, as well as the original bandit leaders who had surrendered, to attend the meeting.
So, all of a sudden, generals from all over the country rushed to Wuchang Mansion under the protection of their personal guards.
Such a big movement, and after the news of the defeat spread, everyone immediately guessed that the meeting held by the Duke was definitely related to the previous defeat.
So, naturally, everyone was paying attention to this meeting with various thoughts and moods.
"Do you think the Guildhall will be furious and punish these ruthless thieves?"
"That's for sure. He was bitten by a white-eyed wolf like this, and the Duke's reputation of being invincible in battle is gone!"
"Don't talk nonsense. It's not a war fought by the Duke. Can it be blamed on the Duke? What, the Duke is in charge? Your eye saw the Duke leave Wuchang. That means the defeat in Hanyang, okay?"
"I don't know what the Guildhall will do with us. We really want to accept the recruitment!"
"We will definitely be angered. Moreover, no one will accept the government's recruitment in the future."
"That's the truth. That Zhang Kewang, the disaster this time has been great, has messed up all the recruitment matters!"
"..."
Amid such discussions, the enlarged meeting has begun.
There are too many generals to stand in the hall. Therefore, this expanded meeting was held on the school grounds in Wuchang City.
The weather at this time was already a bit cold. In Wuchang Prefecture on the edge of the Yangtze River, the wind blows even harder.
However, the generals in front of the general stage were divided into two camps. On one side were the original imperial army generals, and on the other side were the surrendered bandit leaders. They all stood there with their heads held high and their chests upright, not showing any signs of coldness. Affected by wind.
However, if you observe carefully, you can see that the officers and generals of the imperial court are a little angry, while the bandit leaders are a little more uneasy.
After Zhang Mingwei arrived surrounded by Jin Yiwei, he watched them greet each other in unison below and noticed the different changes on both sides. However, he didn't say anything.
After the generals saluted, the two generals Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu, who had escaped, both came out, knelt down on one knee, apologized to Zhang Mingwei, and officially started the meeting.
"The last general is incompetent and was defeated by the eight kings. Please punish him!"
"The general suffered a disastrous defeat and lost the reputation of the Duke!"
Listening to their pleas, everyone's eyes were fixed on Duke Xing to see what he would do.
I saw Duke Xingguo sitting on the handsome chair, looking at the two of them with a serious expression and saying: "Although victory or defeat is a common matter for military officers, if I don't deal with you, I will not know how to respect you, and I will be sorry for the soldiers who died in the battle."
This was what it meant. Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu both lowered their heads and listened, naturally feeling a little nervous.
Things like losing a battle can be trivial or serious. If it is trivial, it means committing a crime and making meritorious service, which is equivalent to nothing; if it is serious, it is possible to be executed.
However, they did not expect that they heard the Duke change his subject and say: "However, this defeat is also due to my carelessness. If I give you strict orders not to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly, this disastrous defeat may not have happened. Therefore, I will tell you The emperor has submitted a petition to request for disposal. In addition, I will personally pay for the pensions for the soldiers who died in the battle."
Upon hearing this, Liu Jin couldn't help it. He immediately stepped out of the queue, clasped his fists and said loudly: "Last time, the master donated all the money to the refugees in the capital. Although the emperor received a reward after the Battle of Kaifeng, so many people died in the battle. With the pension for the soldiers, wouldn’t it mean that the master has no financial resources again!”
Hearing this, Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu, Ai Nengqi and others standing in front of the bandit queue all stared at Duke Xingguo in surprise. They did not expect that such a thing could happen!
On the side of the imperial generals, Supervisor Lu Jiude, who was standing at the front, immediately came out and said: "This battle actually has nothing to do with the Duke of the country. If it is true, those thieves are too cunning and will never die. , so that the Duke’s compassionate and kind intentions were ruined by them.”
"General second the proposal!" Liu Liangzuo heard this and immediately followed him out. Taking the opportunity to flatter the Duke, he hugged the Duke's thigh and said, "These bandits have surrendered and rebelled again. This is not the first time. General Yi Mo In view of this, it is better to put them all..."
While speaking, he specifically glanced at Li Dingguo and the others, viciously. Although he didn't finish his words, his meaning was fully revealed.
Li Dingguo and the others were not fools, so they naturally heard it, and their expressions suddenly changed.
However, at this moment, Zhang Mingwei heard a cold shout: "That's enough!"
Seeing him angry, no one dared to speak anymore. The only sound was the whistling cold wind.
Zhang Mingwei glanced down and said coldly: "This is my decision, not a discussion. Bai Guangen, Zhang Luofu!"
"The crime will be here!" Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu heard this and responded loudly.
"You and the two of you will be reduced to guerrillas and learn the lessons of this war. Do you understand?"
When Bai Guangen and Zhang Luofu heard this punishment, they couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they continued to lead the army in the war, they were not afraid of losing their military merits, so they immediately responded loudly.
But at the same time, they felt a little ashamed because they lost the battle and had harmed Duke Xingguo!
Watching the two of them retreat, Zhang Mingwei stood up from his seat, walked down the general stage, and came to the middle of the two clearly distinguished arrays. He looked at Li Dingguo and others and said in a gentle tone: "They are them, you are them. You guys, don’t have anything to worry about!”
After finishing speaking, he saw the expressions of gratitude on Li Dingguo's and others' faces. Without waiting for them to speak, he turned to look at the court generals, his expression became serious, and he said loudly: "For the sake of peace in the world, they are willing to recruit people. Accepting the reorganization is their sincerity. If you are unwilling, how can you accept the reorganization? If you can't distinguish right from wrong, how can you stand alone?"
Whether or not there is sincerity can indeed be distinguished from this point. Because if the army accepts reorganization, it will no longer be possible to listen to them and continue to rebel.
For the generals of the imperial court, after being taught this by Duke Xingguo, even if they had different opinions in their hearts, they obediently lowered their heads.
As for Li Dingguo and the others, when they heard that Duke Xingguo was so wise, they all became even more excited.
"From now on, you will all serve the country and be loyal to the king. Don't distinguish between each other. You are all in the army. Do you understand?"
"clear!"
"I didn't hear you clearly, please speak louder!" Zhang Mingwei was very dissatisfied when he heard the responses one after another, so he shouted loudly.
"Understood!" This time, the generals on both sides responded almost in unison.
"Okay!" Zhang Mingwei praised loudly after hearing this, and then said: "Remember, regardless of each other, we are all the same! If I find out in the future that someone fails to cooperate with friendly forces because of this, I will definitely not spare him! "
