Updated: 2013-02-22

During the Battle of Dasheng Pass, the Ming army's reconnaissance before the war was obviously not thorough enough. There were almost 3,000 Qing soldiers in the enemy camp, but Li Xinghan believed that there were only one or two thousand people. The main reason was that the reconnaissance time was too hurrying, and the Qing army was careless and completely unguarded. There were not many sentinels around the camp, which made the Ming army scouts realize that the opponent's strength was insufficient, which was a mob. Judging from the results of the battle, the resistance intensity of this green camp unit with nearly 3,000 people was not as strong as Deng Ming's expectations. Originally, Deng Ming believed that there were at most two thousand miscellaneous soldiers in the camp.

In this battle, the Ming army captured hundreds of prisoners. Based on the previous prisoner policies, the guards estimated that Deng Ming would be more tolerant of these prisoners, but Deng Ming's reaction today was completely different. Deng Ming told the guards and the officers of the Zhejiang Army that they would identify the women rescued by the Ming army, and those Qing soldiers who plundered them from their homes, as well as those who robbed the people's wealth in Zhenjiang, should be selected to see how many they could recognize.

"These rebel soldiers and their officers," Deng Ming waved his hand gently and said to the Zhejiang Army officers: "You can do it."

Although Deng Ming did not clearly explain what to do, he obviously did not intend to let them live, that is, the difference between tied up and thrown into the river or beheaded.

Not only did Deng Ming's performance today exceed the Guards' expectations, but the Guards and Zhejiang Army officers' reactions were also beyond Deng Ming's expectations.

"Killing prisoners is forbidden." Ren Tang first raised his objection.

On the battlefield, even if the soldiers killed the enemy soldiers who knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, Ren Tang would not think that this was a surrender, but just did not accept the other party's surrender. On this issue, Deng Ming's view is similar. It is impossible to blame a soldier who was fighting for the sake of the enemy.

However, Deng Ming had always given good treatment to the enemy soldiers who survived after the war, or to the enemy who surrendered in an established manner, but Ren Tang opposed them to be executed for no reason.

"I did not kill them for no reason. They raped and looted and could not be forgiven." Deng Ming retorted, and he felt intolerable about the behavior of washing the city. Deng Ming asked strangely: "Shangshu Zhang has an order that soldiers will be executed even if they take the people's money. Do you think Zhang Shangshu did a good job. But these thieves who harmed the people, looted and sold good women, would you beg for mercy for them?"

"Since the admiral was spared their treason, why did they still pursue their plundering?" A Zhejiang general had a clear confusion on his face. They did not resist Deng Ming's order, but were surprised by his reasons: "The Tartars were cruel. Zhang Shangshu said that our dignified royal army was different from the Tartars. The Tartars plundered the people, but we did not commit any crime. The Tartars killed the surrendered soldiers, and we gave the enemy soldiers who had gone astray a chance to repent."

"I'm not killing the surrendered soldiers, I just feel that these people deserve the crime." Deng Ming once again explained it to himself.

In this era, if a good woman was robbed from her hometown, they might never have the chance to go home again. Although some wealthy families could follow the army's whereabouts and search for their daughter's whereabouts, most families did not have such ability. Deng Ming knew that this behavior of the Qing army not only destroyed the lives of many women and destroyed the happiness of countless families, but also caused many omitted women to die miserably in foreign lands. What made Deng Ming most angry was that many of the criminals were Han people, and they seemed to be nothing after committing this crime. When interrogating several prisoners just now, Deng Ming felt that they did not feel guilty or self-blame, and regarded this kind of despicable behavior as a normal thing, and exonerated himself: This is the generals and the superiors working on the army, so everyone went to rob one, so I would also rob one, even if they could sell a tael of silver in the future.

After listening to Deng Ming's statement, the Zhejiang generals seemed even more confused, and several guards also frowned, showing an incomprehensible look.

"The unforgivable rebellion can be forgiven, but the plunder is a death sentence..." After listening with all his attention, Ren Tang asked: "In the admiral's mind, which kind of soldier is more unforgivable to betray the court and hurt the people?"

Ren Tang's problem stunned Deng Ming. There is no doubt that rebellion should be a more serious crime. Feudal society takes allegiance to the court as its first principle; treating the people well will help stabilize the rule of the court, so it is also necessary. But when the country needs allegiance to the army, the court will not mind using the lives and property of the people to reward soldiers.

Deng Ming thought in his mind that the Qing army generals before were ready-made examples, and Li Chengdong was a typical example. Although he brutally slaughtered the people again and again, as long as he could re-submit the Ming Dynasty, his previous act of killing the people was nothing in the eyes of the court.

When he was in Huguang, Deng Ming captured a large number of prisoners and released them without any abuse. Now the Qing army in Huguang is deeply convinced that Deng Ming will not pursue their rebellious behavior; the current situation is similar. The Qing army around Nanjing will definitely open their eyes wide to see how Deng Ming deals with prisoners of war and whether they will forgive their crimes for serving the Qing court. But even though they know what the correct answer is, Deng Ming still finds it difficult to let go.

Unlike those Zhejiang Army who lacked contact with Deng Ming, for Deng Ming's guards, this problem awakened the dreamer. Zhao Tianba and Zhou Kaihuang looked at each other quickly, and both showed a sudden enlightenment. The other Deng Ming's guards also disappeared. However, the guards did not implement Deng Ming's order, and the disposal of prisoners of war was temporarily shelved. The most urgent issue at the moment was to interrogate the prisoners and figure out the strength of the Nanjing enemy.

After most of the people retreated, Li Xinghan suddenly said to Deng Ming: "Mr. He is loving the people, but if he dealt with these prisoners, others would not believe that Mr. He is in order to restore justice to the people, but would think that Mr. He is unwilling to pardon them because the green camps around Nanjing helped the Tartars and contributed to the Tartars, so he refused to pardon them."

"Yes." Deng Ming nodded without explaining it.

In addition to Li Xinghan, Zhou Kaihuang and others also held a similar view, that is, they must be cautious in handling prisoners. It would be fine if the Ming army had not pardoned prisoners of war. Now they have finally accumulated some good reputation in Huguang and have begun to benefit from it. If the handling is not done properly this time, all previous efforts may be wasted.

Deng Ming still didn't explain anything.

Because the Green Camp has always harmed the people, most of the soldiers of the Green Camp have done bad things to the point of doing bad things. Even if Deng Ming's attitude is clearly known to the world, it will lead to those Green Camps with bad records to resist desperately. The leniency of the past can reflect the wisdom of the king. Even Yongli knows that the righteous act of loyalty to the court is enough to erase all previous crimes. If Yongli regards Li Chengdong's various evil deeds of killing innocent people as more important than loyal to the court, then the people in the world will think that the emperor is stupid, second to Duke Xiang of Song, and the benevolence of a woman.

Because of his subordinates' opposition, Deng Ming did not allow the victims to identify the criminals for the time being, but just told his subordinates that he needed to consider it.

As Deng Ming's anger gradually subsided, he began to doubt whether he was a little bloodthirsty. These soldiers were not the culprit after all. Of course, Deng Ming still couldn't accept other reasons. He believed that although fairness and justice were difficult to obtain, they were worthy of fighting for and had an unquestionable important position. Deng Ming felt that it was impossible to put everything on a scale, and used the only trade-off criterion of "whether it is beneficial to rule" to decide the choice based on this standard.

After the guards retreated, Zhou Kaihuang said to Zhao Tianba: "It's good..."

"Of course it's good for you," before Zhou Kaihuang finished speaking, Li Xinghan interrupted, "If it weren't for the kindness of sir, how could you two thieves sleep at night?"

If others criticize him like this, Zhao Tianba and Zhou Kaihuang will turn against each other immediately, but Li Xinghan calls him a thief, and they just smiled slightly.

"After all, there are only a few hundred soldiers. Even if you kill them, it's no big deal. You just said it too seriously." Zhao Tianba was silent just now, not quarrel about Deng Ming's attitude. Now he said to his partners: "We know the teacher's thoughts well, but how do others know? The Green Camp may think that someone in the surrendered soldiers was rude and offended the husband, which led to this end; or that the husband had a confidant and killed prisoners and vented hatred. This is normal. No one really cared about the lives of these soldiers. You are confused."

After hearing what Zhao Tianba said, Zhou Kaihuang and others felt it was reasonable. However, Li Xinghan was still a little worried: "Sir, have released so many prisoners, and I am afraid that if you are a little unbearable, you will be in trouble."

"The small ones who can make big plans will not be too small, right?" Zhao Tianba laughed and said, "The prisoners were released three times in a row, and each time they were sent to severance silver. There were tens of thousands of people in the past and afterwards. How could such a great reputation be easily damaged? Even if the gentleman killed many of these hundreds of prisoners, there may not be anyone in the world believe it. At least the people in Huguang will definitely not believe it. Even if they believe it, they will find a reason for the gentleman. If you want to shake your reputation, unless... well, unless..."

Zhao Tianba thought about several numbers and felt that it was not enough to shake the leniency that Deng Ming already had. Finally, he said: "Unless it is Guan Qiyi, a big leader like Jiang Guozhu or Liang Huafeng decided to surrender to his husband, but the husband refused to accept the surrender because they were the culprits of robbery and looting in Zhenjiang and other places, and resolutely refused to pardon them."

"This is impossible." Li Xinghan laughed: "It's so ridiculous."

"I'm just an example." Zhao Tianba didn't believe that this would happen. He further explained: "For example, one of these three people would lead the army anyway, but the gentleman would stand up for the people in Zhenjiang, kill the culprit to pay tribute to the people who died, or execute him in public, and vent his anger for the people who were captured by his wife and daughter. This would shock the world, and the green camp would know that the gentleman would not forgive the sins they had committed in the past. Not to mention the green camp in the north, even the green camp in Huguang who heard about this, he would not know what thoughts would come to mind."

"That's too merciful. Although Mr. Wang is kind, he is definitely not Duke Xiang of Song." The more Zhou Kaihuang heard, the more he felt that this analogy was too bizarre. If he put such heavyweight figures on the king's scale, even if there were tens of thousands of people on the other side, Liang Huafeng and others would be more important: "If you really care about loyalty, Jiang Guozhu and Liang Huafeng, who led troops, will be punished even if the sin is ten times greater."

"I said, I'm just an example." Seeing that everyone's spearhead began to point at him, Zhao Tianba reiterated. He looked up at the sun. It was just past the hour of Si and it was still early at noon.

...

At this time in Songjiang Prefecture, Guan Qizhong. Jiang Guozhu and Liang Huafeng stood arrogantly in front of Ma Fengzhi. Guan Qizhong, the leader, shouted sternly: "Do you know your guilt!"

At the end of the story, Guan Xiaozhong's tail sound suddenly rose, which seemed very funny, and then he sneezes.

Liang Huafeng behind him asked with concern: "Admiral, how are you in good health?"

"It's okay." Jiangnan Admiral Guan Xiaozhong replied, feeling that this sudden sneeze made his shouting lose its lust and damaged his majestic image.

After receiving the news that Zheng Chenggong had retreated from Nanjing, Beijing quickly sent a secret decree, ordering to prepare for the arrest of Ma Fengzhi. When Zheng Chenggong led the army into the estuary of the Yangtze River, Ma Fengzhi held his troops and was unforgivable for the crime. However, the secret decree stated that he should not be alerted for the time being, and then take action after Zheng Chenggong completely withdrew from the estuary of the Yangtze River to avoid Ma Fengzhi's dog from jumping over the wall. This secret decree indicated that he was loyal to the Jiangnan Admiral, and only he and the governor of Liangjiang Lang Tingzuo had the right to take a look.

Guan Qizhong felt that this was the court's trust in him, which was not only glorious, but also reassured him. After discovering that Zheng Chenggong withdrew from Chongming Island, Guan Qizhong asked Ma Fengzhi to come to see him, the admiral of Jiangnan, to discuss the post-war matters. Ma Fengzhi believed that the Ming army had retreated, and Guan Qizhong led the army to station in Suzhou Prefecture, so he came to see him with luck and was immediately taken down by Guan Qizhong. After showing the secret order to everyone, Guan Qizhong ordered Ma Fengzhi to be put into a prison cart and escorted to Nanjing.

After dealing with Ma Fengzhi's case, Jiangnan no longer had any Ming army that could threaten the rule of the Qing court. Jiangnan's admiral Guan Qiong was relieved. Although he was defeated by Zheng Chenggong in Zhenjiang and suffered huge losses, he finally made a contribution to Nanjing's city and finally turned the danger into safety. Standing next to him was Jiangnan Governor Jiang Guozhu. When he saw Ma Fengzhi being locked in a prison car, his feelings were similar to Guan Qiong. After Zhenjiang's defeat, he also had a perfect ending.

Liang Huafeng, who became famous for the Battle of Nanjing, is now qualified to be with Guan Qizhong. Jiang Guozhu stands together. He looks at Guan Qizhong and Jiang Guozhu coldly, observing the expressions on their faces - both of them are full of emotion and joy.

Liang Huafeng sneered in his heart: "Let's let you two be proud for another day."

Liang Huafeng had the secret orders of the court transferred by Lang Tingzuo in his arms. The first thing was to promote Liang Huafeng from the commander of Susong Navy to the new Jiangnan Admiral. The first order handed over to the new Jiangnan Admiral was to remove all official positions of the old Jiangnan Admiral, Ji Jin and Governor Jiang Guozhu, monitor them to lead the troops back to Nanjing, and then go to the prison to wait for the court to deal with it.

Lang Tingzuo had instructed him personally: This imperial edict will not only be announced after Zheng Chenggong completely withdrew from the Yangtze River, but also after Guan Qizhong arrested Ma Fengzhi.

Needless to say, the reason why Zheng Chenggong left the Yangtze River first was definitely because he was afraid that they would jump over the wall with Ma Fengzhi; and asking them to lead the team back to Nanjing was a torture intentionally given by Shunzhi, which made these two people repeatedly tortured by huge fear and luck. When they returned to Nanjing, their fear would probably fade away due to time. Even Jinzhong and Jiang Guozhu would be full of hope of being pardoned. At this time, Shunzhi would give them the last blow and get greater pleasure.

Today at noon, the evening celebration banquet was the last enjoyment given by Emperor Shunzhi to Guan Xiaozhong and Jiang Guozhu, giving them the last chance to get flattery and flattery from their subordinates, and letting them have the fantasy of receiving awards. And tomorrow morning, Liang Huafeng will take out the secret order and sober up the two of them.

...

In Beijing, the court officials were congratulating Shunzhi. A few days ago, the news that Zheng Chenggong withdrew from the Yangtze River had been delivered to Beijing in a hurry. Yesterday, Lang Tingzuo also reported the latest news in an urgent manner, reporting that Ma Fengzhi had left the army honestly and was expected to arrive at Guan Qizhong today, and he would take down the guy at both ends of the rat.

"Well, after the news is confirmed, all the family members who are loyal to you will be imprisoned." Shunzhi said in a plain tone.

The Battle of Zhenjiang caused the death of thousands of Eight Banners of Manchus. After learning about this, the Eight Banners children were eager to eat their flesh and sleep with their skins. Shunzhi was also angry with these two guys: How many slaves do I have in total? You lost more than 4,000 at once!

The lives of Manchus are very valuable, and Shunzhi cannot not give an explanation to the Eight Banners' children. Moreover, even if Guan Xiaozhong and Jiang Guozhu are not allowed to die, Shunzhi's 4,000 Eight Banners slaves could not survive. What made Shunzhi feel funny was that these two guys were working hard in the subsequent battle in Nanjing, thinking about making meritorious contributions. Although it was ridiculous, because of their hard work, Shunzhi decided to spare their lives and give them the opportunity to see the fate of their relatives with their own eyes.

The punishment for Guan Xiaozhong and Jiang Guozhu has been confirmed, that is, whip 100, confiscate the property, send him to the Northern Region as a slave, and his wife and daughter into the camp. This decision was circulated a few days ago. After hearing this, the Eight Banners of Beijing even shouted happily, saying that it would be okay to deal with it like this, even if these two guys are not dead, the only pity is that they cannot see their expressions when they return to Nanjing and hear the imperial edict with their own ears.

...

At noon, Guan Qizhong did not drink too much wine. Unlike Jiang Guozhu, he made an excuse to get out of the celebration banquet early, returned to the camp to call his confidant, and asked if there was any news coming from Beijing.

As a Han army bannerman, Guan Qizhen still has something to do with Beijing. After Zhenjiang's defeat, there was news that the Eight Banners' children were yelling to be irreconcilable with him. After hearing about this, Guan Qizhen was shattered and wanted to die several times. Fortunately, Lord Oboi's attitude gave Guan Qizhen new hope. Oboi called his family in Beijing many times to encourage Guan Qizhen to atone for his merits and atone for his sins, and repeatedly guaranteed that the emperor knew very well that victory or defeat was common in military affairs and would not ask for full blame.

Lord Oboi basically means the emperor himself. Then Guan Yiquan used his strength to work hard, devoted himself every day to defend Nanjing for the court, and at least he had to die for his family's safety.

However, after Zheng Chenggong retreated to Chongming Island, the voices of Beijing attacking Guan Qizhong did not stop. Although Lord Oboi's smile remained unchanged, his family felt that the attitude of the slaves in his house had changed a little, and his eyes seemed to be filled with mockery.

The guard took out a wax ball. It was just sent by Guan Feizhen's mother, who sent someone. He used the gateway in the inn and sent it in an emergency as an emergency military situation.

After learning that it was a fake and urgent delivery, Guan Xiaozhong's body shook involuntarily. After taking the wax ball, he ordered his personal soldiers to disperse, and his fingers trembled and took out the notes from it.

There is only one word on the note:

"escape!"

Suddenly, Guan Yizhen felt dizzy and lay on the ground and couldn't move. He sighed: "Is there a king's land under the world? Where can my son escape? And if his son escapes, what will happen to the whole family? How dare he escape?"
Chapter completed!