Chapter 284: Unexpected Path (Part 9)
On the flat city wall, the shells projected high-speed flying metal fragments in all directions with the explosion point as the center. The Eight Banners Army on the city had never expected to suffer such casualties. They were dumbfounded when they saw their companions bleeding and struggling in pain near the explosion point.
Wang Weichang, who was standing below the city walls, didn't care about the casualties on the top of the city walls, because the city walls were built to defend against diagonal attacks from below. Wang Weichang couldn't see the situation on the top of the city walls. The regiment commander only knew that the top of the city walls, which was extremely flat for the convenience of mobilizing troops, had no defense against the explosion of artillery shells falling from the sky. On the contrary, the solid top of the city walls would make the explosion more effective.
With the hope of inflicting as much casualties on the enemy as possible, Regiment Commander Wang Weichang ordered the bombardment to continue. Soon, the Eight Banners Army on the city walls began to feel the casualties brought on by the continuous bombardment.
Seeing the bare top of the city wall, Dayuan Biyan had no place to hide or hide. The bannermen were so scared that they hid in the corners and dared not move. They stood up and cursed in anger.
Just as he cursed a few more times, several more shells flew up to the top of the city with strange whistling sounds and exploded. Da Yuanbi was suddenly terrified and could not curse any more. He turned around and ran towards the stairs, escaping from this extremely dangerous place on the top of the city.
The leader ran away, and the Eight Banners warriors on the top of the city were stunned and didn't know what was going on. They were hit by several more shells, and more than a dozen people were killed or injured, but they didn't wait for Da Yuanbi to come back to continue commanding everyone to fight against the bandits. Those who were smart suddenly realized the problem and cursed, "What a piece of shit! Run away first!"
Those who understood the situation cursed and followed suit, rushing down the city and running back into the city to escape.
Before long, the city walls were empty, with only those who were injured and unable to move struggling in their own blood. Those who were not so seriously injured also dragged their injured bodies to escape desperately. The flowing blood outlined the movement paths of those people, leading from the city walls to different residences.
The Han army's death squad bit their knives and climbed up to the top of the empty city wall. They immediately shouted the situation above to the people below with great joy.
Wang Weichang was overjoyed and immediately sent someone to report, "We have occupied the entire city wall."
As soon as Huo Chong heard this news, the next piece of news came immediately, "The city gate has been opened, and the troops have entered."
Just as he finished speaking, faint gunshots were heard from the city, where the only sound was artillery fire. The gunshots were very dense, and it was obvious that there was a large-scale battle.
Not only did the other generals change their expressions, but even Huo Chong changed his expression. Everyone exchanged glances, and Lei Hu immediately mobilized his troops according to the emergency plan.
Letting the Qing go is one thing, trusting the Qing is another. The Han army's firearms are sharp, so they especially like to fight big battles. With such fierce gunfire, the scale of the battle must be at least more than a thousand people.
As soon as Lei Hu finished assigning tasks, the density of gunfire decreased rapidly. After a while, the gunfire could no longer be heard. The generals were really worried and all went to Mancheng. When they arrived at the gate, they saw that the bannermen were tied into long strings with long ropes and were being escorted out.
Not long after, Wang Weichang ran out and angrily recounted what happened two hours ago.
The troops did not underestimate the enemy at all and were very cautious after entering the city. When the vanguard entered the center of the city, the Eight Banners personnel from all over rushed out and launched an attack. The troops immediately fought back, killing and wounding countless enemies.
Huo Chong couldn't help but exchange a few glances with Lei Hu and the others. From the description, he could already imagine the brutality of the battle at that time.
Wang Weichang did not continue to introduce the battle situation, but shouted: "Governor, we are not allowed to shoot prisoners, but please agree this time. Some people must be shot!"
"Why?" Huo Chong only dared to ask and did not dare to refuse immediately.
"Many of us were stabbed by old ladies and children . Governor, I saw seven or eight of them."
"Ah?" Huo Chong felt as if his heart was hit hard. He was so shocked that he didn't know what to say.
Lei Hu and the others also looked extremely gloomy. Wang Weichang continued, "Our people were stabbed, but they didn't kill them. Governor, these people must be shot."
"So...what now?" Huo Chong had to ask.
"Our people were not shot immediately. When they saw that they were in trouble, they knelt down and surrendered, crying and pretending to be pitiful. The troops did not kill them. Some of our brothers have already been injured and died." Wang Weichang's eyes turned red when he said this.
Huo Chong wanted to say something, but the words were on the tip of his tongue. The Han army had shot prisoners before. They had previously killed Qing officials in southern Zhili and Henan. However, this was their goal from the beginning: to destroy the local people's confidence in the Qing rule by killing officials.
Shooting prisoners is another matter. Killing prisoners when the enemy has already laid down their arms is venting one's anger.
Lei Hu came over and whispered, "Sir, why not just shoot him?"
"No." Huo Chong answered instinctively. If he agreed to execute the prisoners now, it would be tantamount to negating all the previous efforts.
Lei Hu advised: "What should we do? We have to make everyone feel good."
"Do you feel good? After the battle is over, I will give a speech to everyone in person. This document will be announced to the entire army. But prisoners are not allowed to be shot. This rule cannot be broken." Huo Chong decided not to shoot the prisoners.
The sky gradually darkened, and General Jiangning, who was heading west, saw the sun was about to set, and suddenly he was overwhelmed with sorrow. He reined in his horse, and tears welled up in his eyes.
About four thousand or six thousand people chose to stay in Jiangning City. According to them, they were going to fight with Huo Chong.
The general knew that the Han army's firearms were powerful. If he did not bring a large group of troops, he would die in Jiangning with these people. After leaving Jiangning, the general hurried on his way, fearing that Huo Chong would change his mind. At this time, the scouts repeatedly confirmed that Huo Chong did not pursue. Feeling safe, the general suddenly thought of the bannermen who stayed in Jiangning City. The general's vision was blurred and he couldn't help choking up.
"Report! General, the enemy army has sent people here."
The general's heart started beating wildly at the report. He wiped his face with his hand and his vision became clear again.
Not long after, the Han army envoy came to him and said, "General, the bannermen who remained in Jiangning City have surrendered. Our army will not kill the prisoners and has already pushed them to the north of the river. Please send someone to meet them."
The officer next to him roared angrily, "You killed so many of us, and you still dare to do us a favor!"
The Han envoy was puzzled by the reaction of these guys and could only taunt them: "If you are not convinced, you can go back and fight us again. Shouting here is useless."
"I will kill you!" An officer from the Eight Banners prepared to draw his sword and fight the envoy to the death.
General Jiang Ning could not stand this pretense and could only shout: "When two countries are at war, they do not kill envoys. Aren't you ashamed?"
After stopping his subordinates who probably didn't dare to really take action, the general shouted at the Han army envoy, "Get lost!"
At this time, the Han army participating in the siege of Mancheng had already lined up in the city. Huo Chongru had promised to give a speech to everyone in person.
"Comrades. In this battle, some people were ambushed and killed by old people and children. Your regiment commander asked me to order the execution of those prisoners. I refused. It's not that your regiment commander didn't say it, it's that I didn't agree."
First, he wanted to clear Wang Weichang's hatred. Huo Chong looked at the angry soldiers and knew that the hatred was now directed at him.
"Comrades, we are not allowed to mistreat prisoners or execute them. It is good for us. The Eight Banners Army gave up Jiangning because some of their men were captured by us and later released. Then they went back to serve in the army and were captured again. I heard that they surrendered very quickly the second time they were captured. That is why they survived twice. They are smart."
Hearing this, some mocking laughter came from the formation, and the atmosphere became slightly better.
"This time, a comrade was killed, and his death was very unfair. Everyone is angry. I want to ask everyone one thing. When you see old ladies and children, do you not regard them as enemies? When you see those old, weak women and children, do you think they are weak, not enemies. Think about it, is this the case?"
After saying this, no one answered immediately. However, Huo Chong felt that the atmosphere had changed. It was a very subtle change, but it was a real change. The resentment that Huo Chong had transferred to himself began to form a turbulent flow, and no longer everyone was staring at Huo Chong with one heart.
"Comrades. Our enemies are not just grown men. I have to say that the troops did not make it clear before. Generally speaking, old ladies and children do not participate in the battle, and no one would expect them to attack us. However, the Manchus, young and old, think we are the enemy. They will attack the enemy, that is, attack us. As long as the Manchus see that the attack is ineffective, they will kneel down and beg for mercy. This time, I want to emphasize that anyone who rushes towards us on the battlefield in the future is an enemy and can be shot to death."
At this point, Huo Chong felt his resentment disappear quickly. The young soldiers from good families understood the key points of what Huo Chong said, and realized that everyone's accidental casualties were caused by their own lack of definition of the enemy.
However, no one shouted "Leave no one alive, kill everyone, old or young".
Huo Chong waited for a while, but still no one shouted such words in anger.
Huo Chong heaved a sigh of relief. He was both pleased and moved.
Good families in China are good families. As long as the troops have systematic education, complete discipline and implementation, they would rather bear some casualties than commit the evil of massacre.
Respect the old as well as the old of your own family, and respect the young as well as the young of others. The good Chinese families are so kind, so in the history that Huo Chong knows, they have done countless actions that foreigners cannot understand. Because those foreigners who have no cultural tradition of kindness have been transformed into monsters by their army. They can no longer understand what kindness is.
In the torrent of brutal competition in this industrial age, China has never lacked kindness, but only lacked industrialized weapons, equipment and training.
The order to disband was given, and the soldiers left the playground in a depressed mood. Huo Chong felt sorry for them, but he couldn't make them fully understand what they were facing.
This was a brutal war. Class struggle was brutal enough, and national sentiment was mixed in.
The Manchus believed that the world belonged to them, and that the Manchu upper class would not let go until all the cannon fodder they could use was used up. The Manchus also believed that everything they had was given by the Manchu upper class, and mistakenly believed that protecting the interests of the Manchu upper class was equivalent to protecting the interests of the Manchus themselves.
This battle has only lifted a little bit of the veil of this cruel war. Perhaps there will be more cruel and bloody battles in the future.
Huo Chong really didn't want to imagine the future, so he could only focus on the present. The current situation was that Jiangning City, also known as Nanjing City, fell into the hands of the Han army.
Capturing this place means a new starting point. Huo Chong must continue to advance the Han regime based on the reality that has already happened. For example, if he wants to become a king or an emperor, he must first think of a name for the country.
For the Han regime, the name of the country was indeed a very important worry. The Qing Dynasty, which already had a name, did not have such a problem. Whether it was the Beijing regime or the Shengjing regime, what they were fighting for was the name of the Qing Dynasty.
General Basai led more than 40,000 troops to fight against the 70,000 Shengjing troops in Luanzhou. The general was most looking forward to retreating to Tongzhou for reorganization, but Hong Zhou's order shattered his expectations.
In the imperial edict, Hong Zhou first announced that all previous crimes of Deputy General Basai were absolved. He was officially promoted from the position of Deputy General to the position of General of Shengjing.
Of course, Hong Zhou was not just talking big. A batch of muskets, artillery and food supplies were delivered to the camp, allowing the Shengjing general Aixinjueluo Basai, who had suffered losses, to replenish his troops.
The general felt relieved now. As long as he had food and weapons, he could hold on and continue fighting the Shengjing rebels.
Hong Zhou was relieved after hearing the detailed news from the returning envoy. It was true that a country needs a good general in times of crisis. Fortunately, under the guidance of his thirteenth uncle, he did not dismiss Basai because of a momentary anger.
If the leader of these 40,000 troops was a traitor in the capital, Hong Zhou would have to face an overwhelming force of 100,000 rebels.
Old Thirteen was not happy after hearing Hong Zhou's praise, "Your Majesty, Basai must not retreat to Tongzhou. No matter what he says, they cannot retreat to Tongzhou. In addition, Henan does not need to be taken care of for now, and Ortai and Yue Zhongqi should be transferred back."
Hong Zhou had already written the imperial edict, but he had not yet completely decided to give up Henan. He asked, "Why can't Basai be allowed to retreat back to Tongzhou?"
Old Thirteen didn't hold back and pointed out the key point directly, "Once the rebels reach Tongzhou, there will be more people who can't be trusted."
Hong Zhou was very unhappy to hear such words. He could not help but ask, "Are Huo Chong's men so loyal to him?"
"Your Majesty. No matter how arrogant Huo Chong is, his subordinates know that as long as the court slows down, they will be killed. In order to survive, these people must follow Huo Chong. The rebels in Shengjing have seized power. When Cao Cao marched south, the officials in Jiangdong wanted to surrender one after another. What did Lu Su say?"
This kind of question and answer was no longer a dialogue between the emperor and his subjects, but an education from the elder, Old Thirteen, to the younger Hong Zhou. Hong Zhou felt a little uncomfortable, but he immediately became aware of his own unhappiness.
If he hadn't realized it, it wouldn't have been a big deal. But because he realized it, Hong Zhou felt more and more uncomfortable.
Fearing that he was really angry with his uncle, Hong Zhou immediately followed his uncle's train of thought. The education level of the Qing princes was quite good, and Hong Zhou remembered the conversation between Lu Su and Sun Quan without flipping through the book.
Lu Su told Sun Quan: I just observed that everyone is talking about you, and they all want you to make a mistake, so you are not qualified to join them in a big plan. Now I, Lu Su, can welcome Cao Cao, but you, the general, cannot. Why do you say that? Now if I welcome Cao Cao, Cao Cao should send me back to my hometown and evaluate my reputation and status. I can still be a small official, ride an ox cart, have followers, make friends with scholars and officials, and slowly rise up, and I will definitely become a governor of a state or county. But if you, the general, welcome Cao Cao, how will you be arranged? I hope you can make a big plan as soon as possible and stop listening to everyone's discussions.
Thinking back to this, Hong Zhou couldn't help but praise: "You are right, it is indeed so."
Old Thirteen was unwilling to repeat this in front of the officials of the Grand Council. Seeing that Hong Zhou had remembered, he continued, "We don't need to worry about what's happening to Huo Chong in the south. Even if Jiangnan is completely lost, after we take back Shengjing, we will just go south again. When Dorgon went south, we had a foothold in the interior. It's completely different now."
Hong Zhou did not answer immediately, but turned to look at the Prime Minister, Lao Shisi. He saw that Lao Shisi looked helpless and had nothing to say. Hong Zhou felt a little disappointed.
Just as he was about to ask other military ministers, the Fourteenth Elder spoke up, "Your Majesty. Ortai and Yue Zhongqi are both loyal ministers. I think they should be used. However, can you think again about using the Green Camp to kill the Eight Banners?"
Hong Zhou was furious. It wasn't Old Fourteen who said this first, many people had mentioned it before.
There were Manchus, Mongols, and Han Chinese in the Eight Banners Army. The Eight Banners fought each other, and most of Basai's men were Han Eight Banners. Some people were already saying weird things, such as "How can Han people kill Manchus?"
Only a few bastards would say that kind of bullshit. There are many people who oppose the Green Camp's killing of Manchus. Hong Zhou thinks that at least 20% of Manchu officials have said similar things.
These words made Hong Zhou angry when he thought about them. The reason why the Green Camp was called in was because the Eight Banners were useless!
In the early years of the Qing Dynasty, the Green Camp Army, which was mostly Han Chinese, was only responsible for guarding the territory, but as the Eight Banners became corrupt, the importance of the Green Camp grew. During the Three Feudatories Rebellion, the Qing army used the Green Camp as its backbone and sent more than 400,000 Green Camp soldiers to fight.
The Green Camp did not have the iron-clad crops of the Eight Banners. They ate less than the Eight Banners, but made more contributions than the Eight Banners. When it came to whether to pledge allegiance to Hong Zhou, the Manchus remembered that the Green Camp did not even have a banner, and that it would be a crime of insubordination to attack the Manchus.
Hong Zhou thought that the people who said this might be supporting the Shengjing rebels, and said unhappily: "Fourteenth Uncle, the Shengjing rebels don't care whether we are Manchus or not. If they enter the city, will they let the Empress Dowager go?"
When Old Fourteen heard about his mother's safety, he immediately panicked. No one dared to touch Old Fourteen before, and Old Fourteen never thought about what would happen to his mother. Thinking of this, Old Fourteen immediately prepared to fight Old Eight to the end.
If the Eighth Prince captured the capital, needless to say, the Fourteenth Prince's own mother would be dead.
