As soon as they heard this, many people in the Zhongjun tent's eyes lit up. If this is the case, the speed of the infantry can be accelerated. No matter how fast the Jianlu army is, after all, they want to escort the looted Ming people, and their speed will definitely not be faster than the Ming army with mules and carriages!
Hong Chengchou didn't believe it. Because in his experience, what he saw more often was that the local squires in the Ming Dynasty all shouted to him to kill thieves, but when he asked them to pay some money, they all cried out that they were poor. How come in the hands of this little magistrate, he actually has the ability to make the squires of Jinzhou donate their animal power?
Thinking about this, he immediately asked with a little curiosity: "How do you get them to donate? So confident?"
"Return to the Governor! If I'm not sure, I wouldn't dare to bring it up here." Upon hearing this, Chen Hongxu immediately clasped his fists and replied, "I've been with them through thick and thin. I believe they will listen to me!"
After hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng smiled and explained to Hong Chengchou: "Heng Jiu didn't know that he was under great pressure for the sake of the people of Jinzhou. He blatantly refused Liu Yuliang's request to lead troops into the city, and brought the people of Jinzhou with him. , under the attack of the entire Jianlu army, he defended the city and saved all the people in the city. Now the squires in Jinzhou all obey him. At first, they all thought about paying people to find someone to punish Liu Yuliang. he."
In fact, this incident happened not long ago. Hong Chengchou had been on his way, and after arriving, he fought with the Manchu and Qing troops. At this time, Liu Yuliang's head had long been hung on the Zhengyang Gate, and not many people still mentioned this matter. Therefore, when Lu Xiangsheng said this, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting couldn't help being surprised, and then they looked at Chen Hongxu with admiration in their eyes.
Wang Chengen didn't understand much about military affairs, but he knew a little about what was being discussed at this time, so he said: "The emperor publicly praised Chen Zhizhou as the pillar of the country, and he will definitely reuse him when the Japanese troops retreat!"
Upon hearing this, people who had heard about it for the first time, including Lu Jiude, Liu Yuanbin and other people from the Yongwei Camp, were also surprised. That's a compliment from the emperor, so this person will definitely be promoted!
Sun Chuanting originally thought that he had been bold enough to adopt the strategy of "clearing the villages to pay for his wages" and offended many people. But he didn't expect that a small magistrate would dare to refuse the chief minister's request to enter the city. This was really brave enough!
If he knew that Chen Xinjia was not even a Jinshi, but just a candidate, he would probably be even more surprised.
In the Chinese military tent, after a side conversation, Lu Xiangsheng quickly brought the topic back to the main topic, and heard him ask Chen Hongxu seriously: "How many mules and carriages can be used in Jinzhou?"
"I can probably collect two hundred vehicles, or a little less." Upon hearing this, Chen Hongxu made an estimate in his mind and answered immediately.
A cart cannot pull something too heavy, otherwise the animals will not be able to bear it. Based on the five armored infantry, there were only a thousand people, which seemed a little too few. However, something is better than nothing.
The emperor's appreciation and support also made them feel pressured. If they didn't try their best, they would be unworthy of the emperor.
Lu Xiangsheng thought in his mind, and immediately made a decision, and said resolutely: "Immediately pass on my military order to requisition all animal power in the surrounding states and cities. Anyone who dares to refuse will be punished as a prisoner."
If it were Hong Chengchou, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to say such a thing. However, Lu Xiangsheng had already made a decision, showing his tough side.
However, after saying this, Lu Xiangsheng paused and added: "Those who make a living by animal power will be treated as if they were bought by the court if they are given market price silver and cannot refuse."
Having said this, he turned around and looked around at the feudal officials and supervisors present, and said in a deep voice: "If the imperial court is to blame for this matter, I, as the commander-in-chief, should take full responsibility for it."
When Sun Chuanting heard this, he remembered the emperor's secret decree before, and couldn't help but feel more confident in his heart, and said: "I am also willing to bear this responsibility with you!"
At this time, no matter what Hong Chengchou was thinking, in front of so many supervisors and military generals, he couldn't help but speak: "I am willing to bear the responsibility with you!"
Lu Xiangsheng did not rush to resist responsibilities with them, but just glanced at them with relief. It was rare to have such colleagues to work with.
Of course, he is not stupid. He knows that the reason for this result is because there is a taller person who is more responsible, so that they can rest assured.
There was no time to think too much. Lu Xiangsheng's brows did not loosen and he continued: "However, the surrounding areas have been ravaged by the rebels. Even if we can gather a few more states and cities, I'm afraid we won't be able to transport many troops. However, the national crisis is facing us, so we can only do our best to serve the country. That’s it. Everyone will obey the order!”
When they heard that a formal military order was about to be issued, everyone who was sitting stood up, and the military generals stepped out of the queue, clasped their fists and raised their hands together in response: "The general is here!"
"You will quickly select the most elite soldiers under your command. As soon as the animal power arrives, you will go north immediately."
"Yes!" These generals accepted the order without hesitation.
Soon, there was movement outside and inside Jinzhou City. The prefect Chen Hongxu mobilized in the city, and the mules and carriages were quickly delivered to the army outside the city. The military camps outside the city are preparing to depart. In addition to riding in cars, other infantry troops also had to go north on foot to complete their tasks.
Although Emperor Chongzhen was far away in the capital, he knew all the contents of this military meeting through the eavesdropping seeds in Wang Chengen. So, he immediately asked someone to bring the relevant map and studied it carefully.
Lu Xiangsheng and others have already talked about Jianlu's possible movements and their countermeasures. Emperor Chongzhen's view only confirmed what they said.
On the route the Ming army planned to march, Hejian Mansion had already been conquered by the Manchu and Qing troops, so forget it here. Next, there are Wen'an, Baoding, and Bazhou, which can be considered a big city, and there should be a lot of livestock available. This may not be enough, so add a solid one.
After considering this matter, Emperor Chongzhen had to lament that without mechanized troops, relying on animal power to transfer military power would be quite costly. Especially in this severe cold weather, this large-scale use of animal power will consume a lot of rations, and the animals will freeze to death from exhaustion. In other words, this is all money!
However, that's what war is, all it takes is money.
Emperor Chongzhen also considered that Lu Xiangsheng had collected livestock nearby. If he was in a hurry, many animals might die in the second half of the journey. In this case, he felt that the above cities alone were not safe.
After thinking for a while, he set his sights on the capital, the largest city in the north of the Ming Dynasty. Just the horses in the Beijing camp and the noble families of various officials are a very large number. A major treason case has just been solved. Those nobles have been beaten hard and are trembling with fear. If they don't speak now, then when will they wait!
With this in mind, he sent an order to the cabinet, the Supervisor of Ceremonies, and the Six Ministries and Nine Ministers to discuss matters in the Wenhua Hall.
As soon as everyone arrived, Emperor Chongzhen announced straight to the point: "Now the war against the captives has reached a critical juncture, and the soldiers at the front are in urgent need of horses for military use. I have decided that I will recruit horses from the nobles. As long as they are horses, they cannot hump except for young horses." Anyone other than human beings will be recruited. As for the civil servants and military officers in the capital city, the ministers and others will go and recruit them. Do you have any opinions?"
If it had been different before, maybe someone would have come out to oppose it. But at this time, a major rebellion had just occurred in the capital. The reason was that the people involved did not want to lose money to the country. So, one lost 400,000 taels in compensation, and his title was reduced, and the man was gone; the other one also lost his title, and lost 300,000 taels due to heavy bleeding. As for the other two who were rebellious, let alone them.
This bloody lesson made the officials in the palace, or in other words, the capital, realize the fact that when the country is facing a national crisis, if you can spend money to eliminate the disaster, you should do so.
Compared with the rumors in the capital that the emperor decided to borrow money from civil and military officials, relatives and nobles, this matter of recruiting horses is actually easier to respond to.
After all, if you want to borrow money, how much should you lend? If you borrow too much, how did you get the money? Is it obvious to tell the emperor that I am greedy and have money? If he borrows less, will the emperor feel that he is not sincere, leading to disaster? Horses don't have this worry. If they have it, they will have it, and if they don't, they won't. Anyway, the loss will not be too great.
Furthermore, the emperor himself made it clear about this matter, and he went to recruit nobles. With such a precedent, it would not be out of the ordinary for them to issue orders to civil and military officials to collect horses.
With this in mind, after the hall was quiet for a while, everyone responded in unison to the emperor, saying there was no problem.
In this regard, Emperor Chongzhen also felt that it was a bit smooth. It should be that he had shocked the courtiers before, and the effect was not bad. So, he struck while the iron was hot, and because of the urgent need at the front, he immediately summoned all the nobles of the capital to come to Wuying Hall for an audience.
It can be said that these nobles from the capital came to see him with uneasiness. It was really the recent events that scared them. A duke, two marquises, and an earl were severely punished. Speaking of which, the lightest one was the former Jiadingbo, who was only fined 300,000 taels of silver and had to return the shops and properties he had stolen.
Although these nobles have never done anything to rebel against the prince, there are always some illegal things. For example, there are even a few people who have connections with the palace about things like plunder and robbery. They have been worried that if they have done something good, the emperor will suddenly find out about it, and then they will end up like the nobles in front of them.
Although there are many nobles and nobles in Wuying Hall, even if the emperor hasn't come yet, everyone is very quiet and well-behaved!
As soon as Emperor Chongzhen arrived, he immediately noticed this when he looked at the honorable guests, and couldn't help but sneer in his heart. To put it bluntly, these nobles are actually like naughty boys. When the original Emperor Chongzhen had no ability to control them, they all acted recklessly. They only knew how to eat, drink and have fun, and enjoy the glory and wealth given to them by the Ming Dynasty, but they did not think about it at all. , while having benefits, they also have corresponding obligations.
Now that they have killed the chickens and frightened the monkeys, everyone is very worried again, fearing that they will also end up miserable. Just by looking at them, they know that most of these nobles are actually idiots, and they have long lost the heroic appearance of their ancestors.
Emperor Chongzhen naturally would not give them a good look, and said to them with a cold face: "I have called you here because the front line is in urgent need of horses. Therefore, all the horses in the capital, including the royal family, nobles, civil servants and generals, must be recruited. You All governments are no exception, who has any opinions?"
He went straight to the point, so straightforwardly, to see if they would give it to him or not. The attitude shown makes people feel particularly strong.
These nobles were also surprised by this, and for a moment, they were a little unable to react. However, one person immediately responded: "Your Majesty, since it is an urgent need on the front line, I should help you and do my best for the country. This is what we should do. Otherwise, the country will not be able to support us for three hundred years." If you do something, you will really bring shame to your ancestors, and you will be unworthy of the grace granted by Taizu."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen was a little surprised. He seemed to be very enlightened, so he looked closely and found that it was Liu Kongzhao, the uncle of sincerity.
He didn't know that in the original history, among the many nobles of the Ming Dynasty, apart from Prince Mu's Mansion in Yunnan, only Liu Kongzhao, the sincere uncle, proved with his actions that he had the Ming Dynasty in his heart.
After the former Emperor Chongzhen died in the capital, Emperor Hongguang quickly established a small court of the Southern Ming Dynasty in Jinling. Liu Kongzhao became one of the backbone forces of the Southern Ming Dynasty. He played a great role in arranging Jiang defense against the Qing army and cooperating with the anti-Qing hero Zhang Huangyan's navy. Unfortunately, Emperor Hongguang's small court had fierce internal fighting and no cohesion. The Qing army collapsed as soon as it arrived.
After the failure of the resistance against the Qing Dynasty in Jinling, Liu Kongzhao went south to rely on the anti-Qing hero Zhang Mingzhen, and took naval warships to the north to fight against the Qing army many times. His son Liu Yongxi died heroically in the battle. Later, Liu Kongzhao went south to defect to the Southern Ming forces such as Emperor Longwu and King Zhu Yihai of Lu, but he suffered defeats one after another. Seeing that the situation was over, Liu Kongzhao sailed into the sea and has been missing since then.
As for the remaining nobles, they either surrendered to Li Zicheng or to the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Some of them even surrendered to Li Zicheng first and then to the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Anyway, no one wanted to be loyal to the country, and they had raised them for hundreds of years in vain. Became a white-eyed wolf for a while.
At this time, in the Wuying Hall, Liu Kongzhao spoke like this. The other nobles came to their senses and did not dare to neglect, it was just a few horses, so they immediately followed and agreed with Liu Kongzhao's words.
Emperor Chongzhen originally wanted to scare them again, but he never thought that Liu Kongzhao would take the lead and things would go very smoothly, making it difficult for him to get angry. However, he did not let them go so simply and continued to say with a cold face: "You have to prepare the fodder your horses need for at least ten days. The imperial court is currently unable to provide a large amount of food and fodder supplies."
Hearing this, many nobles opened their mouths slightly. They did not expect this, but they still replied sincerely. Uncle Liu Kongzhao said: "Your Majesty, this is what I should do! Maybe I thought, since it is If the frontline needs it, then it is better for me to send people directly to the frontline, without Your Majesty having to worry about such trivial matters."
"..." The other nobles were speechless and looked at Liu Kongzhao, thinking that you are asking for trouble! What if something happens to the horses on the road?
After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Liu Kongzhao, and began to pay attention to Liu Kongzhao in his heart. If this Liu Kongzhao hadn't done a lot of shameful things to be so active, then he was a man who truly served the country and was worth using. Thinking like this, he decided in his mind that he would go back and ask the factory guard to check him carefully. If it could be used, that would be good.
For the distinguished group, we cannot always suppress them forcefully, but we must also set an example and reuse them. Only by using sticks and carrots together can these distinguished groups be dealt with obediently.
With this in mind, Emperor Chongzhen agreed to Liu Kongzhao's request, and also decided to give all the horses obtained by civil and military officials and other means to these nobles and send them to the front line. Each family has registered how many horses they are responsible for sending, and they need the seal of the frontline commander for acceptance, so that this matter can be considered completed.
No matter what, this can be regarded as a small test for Xungui.
It has to be said that the capital is home to the largest number of wealthy people, noble groups, civil and military officials, plus the horses in the capital's army, so there are more than 8,000 horses in total.
On the third day, these horses were sent by the nobles and rushed to the front line.
At the same time, Emperor Chongzhen issued another imperial edict to the big cities on the way forward for the Ming army, asking local officials to use the method Lu Xiangsheng used to force mules and horses to prepare to form a relay to transport the infantry.
An operation to support the army that had never been seen in the history of the Ming Dynasty began with such vigor.
. m.
