Just when Li Zicheng and others in Shangqiu City were planning to capture Wang Jiayin and present it to the officers and soldiers as a sign of surrender, Tang Feng, who was in the camp outside the city, received an order asking him to immediately eliminate the rebels.
More than half a month has passed since Tang Feng came to Henan to quell the chaos. The imperial court finally learned about his strategy of leading his army to attack Shangqiu through the local government and Dongchang's spies. When it was learned that he had only sent a surrendered army with average combat power to attack the city, but left the Liaodong Army in the camp, some people in the court began to complain about him.
Chongzhen no longer trusted Tang Feng, but now that he had made such a decision, he couldn't tolerate it anymore. So he immediately issued an imperial edict, ordering him to capture Shangqiu within five days after receiving the edict, otherwise he would be severely punished.
After receiving the imperial edict, Tang Feng locked himself in the tent and did not see anyone else. One day later, when he came out again, he immediately ordered the Liaodong Army to replace the Henan Army and begin to attack Shangqiu City. In fact, everyone understands that after a long period of siege, the defensive strength of the rebels in the city has been greatly reduced. Even if the Liaodong Army is not dispatched, as long as the three armies of Shanxi, Shaanxi and Henan jointly attack the city at the same time, this small town will not be able to hold on. Living.
But when they saw Tang Feng's gloomy face, no one dared to say anything. They could see that Tang Feng must be extremely angry. In fact, after experiencing this period of time, they also understood Tang Feng's good intentions. In just half a month, these guards who had limited combat power were The officers and soldiers and the surrendered troops have been greatly improved, so it seems that Tang Feng's strategy is still very suitable. But now that the imperial court has issued a decree, of course everyone can no longer rebel and has no choice but to act according to orders.
The Liaodong Army has been really depressed these days. They only watch others continue to go to the battlefield, but they are just watching from behind. If it weren't for military orders, they would have given up long ago. Now, it was finally his turn to show off his skills. The soldiers were in high spirits and lined up to prepare after breakfast.
But just when the army was about to launch a strong attack, the Shangqiu city gate suddenly opened, and then the rebels took Wang Jiayin out and raised a lowering flag. This really surprised Wu Sangui and others who were preparing to march forward. However, the matter was too big and they did not dare to make any decisions. They had to go and report to Tang Feng and let him make the decision.
Tang Feng had a gloomy face today after making the decision to attack the city with the Liaodong Army. He knew that the imperial court was already planning to attack him. Once Shangqiu is captured, he will naturally be recruited back to the capital, and it is hard to say what will happen next. But now he doesn't have complete control over the entire team, and he doesn't dare to risk doing anything disobedient, so he can only take it one step at a time. Just as he was thinking about how to counterattack in his tent, some soldiers came in to report the surrender of the rebels in the city.
"There is such a thing, let me go and see it." Tang Feng hurried out, vaguely feeling in his heart that this seemed to be an opportunity, an opportunity to block those in the court who criticized his improper use of troops. .
When Tang Feng came to the front, several people from the rebel army had already escorted Wang Jiayin to the front of the official army. A young general said: "Generals, we have no intention of going against the government. It is only because of the instigation and coercion of Wang Jiayin and the dead Gao Yingxiang that we have repeatedly made enemies of the heavenly soldiers. Now we will kill this culprit. The culprit is here, I hope the generals can forgive us."
When everyone heard this, they all looked at Tang Feng, but Tang Feng looked at Wang Jiayin who was lying on the ground in a very embarrassed state, but his eyes were full of grief and anger, and asked: "Is he Wang Jiayin? The thief who rebelled in the first place? "
"Yes, sir!" The young man saw that Tang Feng was only wearing casual clothes, but the soldiers were very respectful to him. They immediately guessed his identity, so they also said respectfully: "This time we have no way out. , but he still refused to submit to the imperial court and still dreamed of fighting. We couldn't bear it anymore, so we tied him up and surrendered to the army. "
Tang Feng nodded slightly. He knew that the other party would not deceive him about this kind of thing. However, he was still very curious about the young man in front of him, so he asked, "Who are you? Do you possibly represent all the people in the city?"
"Li Zicheng, a common man, is one of his subordinates. Most of us are willing to surrender this time, and the other die-hard loyalists have also been captured by us. Just don't worry, sir."
"You are Li Zicheng" Tang Feng carefully began to look at the terminator of the Ming Dynasty in front of him. He looked very tall, handsome, and somewhat heroic, but he seemed a little too young in age, and he looked far less threatening than he thought. Although the Ming Dynasty court and he already had a grudge, he still didn't want it to be ruined. This was also the key to the dispute between him and the court. Those officials in the DPRK only knew how to cling to the laws of their ancestors, and only knew how to use their power to grab more benefits, but they ignored the life and death of the people. He really couldn't watch such things continue to happen.??
"Sir" The soldier beside him called Tang Feng softly and pulled his sleeves, which made Tang Feng come out of his thoughts. He smiled at Li Zicheng and said: "Since you sincerely surrender, I will naturally not embarrass you. Bring everyone out and put down your weapons. I will not attack you again."
"Yes" Li Zicheng quickly agreed, turned around and walked towards the city. He was also a little strange in his heart, how could the dignified imperial coach, Anping Hou Tang Feng know his name, and he was startled because of it.
However, this doubt did not affect their surrender. Soon, the rebels in the city came out one by one, holding their weapons high, and then piled the weapons aside according to the instructions. They themselves lined up and waited for the official. The decline of the army.
Tang Feng did not interfere with the surrender. He just ordered people to keep an eye on the rebels who had been detained together, and then returned to his tent and wrote a report. Not long ago, he had already had an idea, as long as he said his previous decision was to reduce the casualties of soldiers on both sides, and now that there is an actual situation of the surrender of the anti-army forces, those in the DPRK and China who want to use the issue to show off are also looking for There is no better excuse to criticize yourself.
The report was quickly written, and Li Zicheng and others were also very honest. Tang Feng led the army and surrendered troops to Shangqiu. On the one hand, he ordered the soldiers to help the people in the city rebuild their homes, and on the other hand, he waited for the court's decree to arrive. In the end, he still couldn't make up his mind. After all, he was just a meritorious person now, and the emperor had no way of convicting himself on what matters. But now that the internal and external troubles of the Ming Dynasty have been calmed down, and there really shouldn't be any more disputes, he resolutely decided to hand over his wealth and life to the imperial court for the sake of the people of the world. Of course, this is also closely related to the fact that until now, the power of the Liaodong Army is not under his complete control.
On the eighth day of August, the imperial court finally had a response to this matter. In addition to commending the bravery of the officers and soldiers and the excellent command of Tang Feng and others, it was also necessary to allow Tang Feng and a group of meritorious generals to return to the capital to receive rewards. The court's decision was completely within Tang Feng's expectations. Those officials in the court would not rest assured that they had been in charge of such a large number of elite soldiers. Now that the matter was over, they would naturally recall themselves to the capital, while the other generals were just In order not to be so conspicuous, he let them enter the capital with him.
In this regard, Tang Feng had no intention of objecting. He immediately gathered all the generals together and made the imperial court's intention clear. "We have to show something when we enter the capital this time, so we should select a group of strong soldiers from the surrendered rebels to enter the capital together to show victory to the imperial court, so that the imperial court's reward for us will not feel abrupt. As for this I think I will leave all military affairs to you, Brother Lianghuan, and I hope you won¡¯t disappoint me." Tang Feng said sincerely.
Wu Xiang nodded quickly and said: "Don't worry, Mr. Hou, the general will definitely do everything well." This time, Tang Feng was able to obey orders like this, which really made him relieved. After he felt the dissatisfaction in Tang Feng's heart, he was very entangled. Now he is fine, everything is over. Although he was not included in the imperial court's list of awards this time, because Wu Sangui's contribution was ranked second, second only to coach Tang Feng, he, as a father, naturally would not have any complaints.
After making some preparations, on the tenth day of August, everyone left Henan and headed for Beijing. After learning that Tang Feng and other important generals had left, Li Zicheng felt ready to move again. To be honest, he was very dissatisfied with the current situation. They were now prisoners. Although they were not restricted, there were always officers and soldiers watching around them, which made him feel very insecure. So taking an opportunity, he went to discuss with Li Yan again to see if he could act according to the situation. At the same time, there was a question he had always wanted to ask that needed Li Yan's answer.
After the surrender, in order to prevent Tang Feng from recognizing him, Li Yan kept a low profile and pretended to be an ordinary sergeant, which made it easier for the two of them to meet. "Master Li, look at how many generals have left the army. Can we do something?" When they met, Li Zicheng said straight to the point.
"No, haven't you noticed? Now the officers and soldiers are guarding us more strictly than before. Obviously those people also know that we will be restless after the generals leave." Li Yan shook his head and said: "And now we don't have any We are unable to resist, and everyone has no weapons. How can we be the enemy of the government and the army? Just bear with it a little longer, we will be relocated to another place soon, and then the opportunity will come."
"It seems like this is the best option." Li Zicheng thought about it and had to give up this tempting plan. Then he asked again: "Last time, I remember you said we still had a chance, but I didn't know what it was?"
"These days, I have been paying attention to the situation in various places, and I have discovered a very interesting thing. It turns out that nearly 80% of the fields in the Ming Dynasty were divided up by wealthy people, and ordinary people had no choice but to survive in order to survive.Rent other people's fields so that they can be exploited. General Lee, do you think these people have no anger in their hearts? So I think that next time, when we start an uprising again, we can start from this aspect. As long as enough people who are dissatisfied with our current situation support us, we will be greatly empowered to achieve the things we really want to see. "
"Gao, why didn't I think of this?" Li Zicheng said happily.
"But this will have to wait until we make a comeback. The only thing we can do now is to protect ourselves and not let the government have any excuses to go against us." Li Yan said solemnly.
After a period of traveling, on August 18, Tang Feng and his group of thousands finally arrived in Beijing. Although the Mid-Autumn Festival had passed, the people in the capital still happily came to Andingmen to welcome the return of their heroes after the imperial court's victory in quelling the chaos. Although the court already had opinions on Tang Feng, the public understanding was very simple. Anyone who served the country was of course a hero and should be warmly supported.
Tang Feng led about a hundred prisoners and Wang Jiayin, who was still alive, into the city. At this time, some court officials who heard the news also came to greet them. This is the case in officialdom. Even if the conflict between you and someone reaches an irreconcilable level, you still have to show unity in public.
The imperial court sent three people from six ministers and dozens of officials to welcome Tang Feng into the city. This was quite a big deal. Tang Feng didn't dare to make excuses, so he smiled and chatted with these officials who didn't have a good relationship with him.
"The Marquis of Anping is indeed a hero in the eyes of our Ming soldiers. In a short period of time, he conquered three provinces and defeated hundreds of thousands of rebels. This really greatly enhanced the prestige of my court."
"My lords, this is too much praise. This is just the virtue of His Majesty, and the sacrifice of the soldiers of the three armies. My personal contribution is insignificant. But my lords in the capital, in order to quell the chaos, we did not waste money and food. This is a lot of support from your lords at the rear. So when it comes to talking about it, my contribution is really not worth mentioning."
Seeing that Tang Feng was so low-key, the officials were a little surprised. In fact, the reason why they said this was not only a necessary clich¨¦, but also to arouse Tang Feng's arrogance, so that they might be able to trick him again. But they didn't expect that Tang Feng didn't receive this merit. They could only laugh and say that Mr. Hou was serious.
While talking, everyone had already entered the imperial city, where the emperor was already waiting to receive these meritorious ministers.
After seeing the driver, Tang Feng told the story of his efforts to quell the chaos during this period. Of course, he never mentioned the practice of taking money and food from the rebels and distributing it to the soldiers. The officials in the DPRK and the Central Government did not mention this in a tacit understanding, because now is the time to discuss merits and rewards, not the time to discuss Tang Feng's faults.
Then, Tang Feng said again: "Your Majesty, I want to apologize to you. That day outside Shangqiu City, because I didn't want to commit more killings, I didn't order the elite soldiers of Liaodong to attack the city immediately, so the war could not end for a long time. But fortunately Those rebels finally chose the right path"
On this point, Chongzhen has already read Tang Feng's report, so of course he cannot punish him for this matter. Then he smiled and comforted: "Tang Qing, you not only have no fault, but your contribution is more outstanding than that of annihilating the enemy. After all, they are all my subjects of the Ming Dynasty. If this chaos can be ended peacefully, as long as It will be a blessing to my court, and you don't have to blame yourself at all." After appeasing Tang Feng, Chongzhen began to announce the court's rewards for those who had contributed to quelling the chaos.
As the coach of the three armies, Tang Feng¡¯s contribution is undoubtedly the first. Not only did he receive some real rewards, but he was also promoted to the title of third-class Lord An Guo again, which was something that had not happened in decades. Tang Feng couldn't believe what he said, but the Holy Spirit had already said it, so it was obviously no longer a joke. He could only kneel down to receive the reward, and at the same time he also knew that this was the emperor's final concession.
¡°The next person the emperor mentioned had the second most merit was not Wu Sangui as he had thought before, but instead the supervisor Tang Wenzheng. In addition to some rewards, the emperor even bluntly asked him to stay in the army and serve the country. Then there are generals such as Wu Sangui who have made many contributions.
These generals have all been promoted to positions, and it has also been mentioned that they should return to the army to serve the country again. But there was no mention of Tang Feng at all. This was quickly noticed. Tang Feng knew this very well. After this, it would be difficult for him to lead troops again.
For such a result, Tang Feng can actually accept it. Although he had some other thoughts before, it was a natural reaction when he was constrained and threatened, but now everything is in the dust.After it was decided, he also lost the ability to cause trouble again, so naturally he had no choice but to admit it. Moreover, this time the imperial court's reward was in place, and he could see that the imperial court would not really deal with him yet, so he didn't say anything more.
What he wants to do most now is to return to his home and get together with his wife and children. He has been away from them for several months, and now that he is over thirty, he is a little more attached to home. So after accepting the congratulations from the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, Tang Feng returned home.
Liu Hui and others had already known about her husband's return, so they prepared to serve him his favorite food and drinks. Looking at the smiling faces of his family, Tang Feng was glad that he did not take that path in the end, otherwise he could not guarantee what would happen to them.
Soon afterwards, the officers and soldiers from Henan also returned, and the surrendered rebels were dispersed and placed in various places to prevent them from causing trouble again. After this chaos, the world finally regained peace. The natural disasters dissipated, and the people could live and work in peace and contentment. Naturally, there would be no more internal rebellions. The Jin Kingdom in the northeast also did not invade Liaodong again because of its heavy losses in strength.
In this way, Tang Feng lived a happy life again. At least for the time being, the court would not find fault with him again. Everything seemed to be the same as two years ago. However, the officials of the DPRK and the Central Government were still staring at him, and they just wanted to find out his mistakes and omissions so that they could get rid of this person. Although Tang Feng no longer paid attention to the affairs of the DPRK and Central Government, everyone still stared at him out of inertia. Looking at him