Zhang Lei realized that it was simply impossible to rely on Chongzhen and his group of ministers to restore order to the entire chaotic Ming Dynasty. Only by following his own ideas could he stabilize his situation.
Chongzhen was frightened when he heard what Zhang Lei said from Ma Shiying. At the same time, he was even more frightened when he heard that Zhang Lei had controlled Huguang, Henan, Fengyang, Luzhou and most of Sichuan. , but he didn't dare to do anything, and kept people paying attention to Zhang Lei's movements every day. He didn't dare to talk about sending supervisory troops anymore. If Zhang Leizheng rebelled, then the entire Ming Dynasty would really be hopeless. He didn't even dare to hear any more news about Zhang Lei.
The first thing Zhang Lei did after taking control of these places was to recruit troops. Without enough troops, it would be impossible to manage such a large area, especially in such a war-torn era, if he could only rely on his ten Tens of thousands of troops is not enough.
Therefore, on the third day after successfully controlling these places, Zhang Lei issued an order to recruit 500,000 soldiers in these places. Each soldier could receive one tael of silver per month. The only requirement was that it should not be less than ten Eight years old cannot be higher than fifty years old, and orders must be obeyed absolutely.
As soon as the conscription order came out, everyone was shocked. The reason was naturally the salary of one tael of silver a month, and Zhang Lei also promised to provide sophisticated equipment. This condition was so generous that even Chongzhen, the emperor, could not provide it.
Subsequently, even more shocking news was once again issued by Zhang Lei, who thoroughly investigated all the soldiers in the places under his control who were waiting to die and blacklisted them and removed them from the army. If there were any objections, Zhang Lei will personally shoot him, and conduct a military review every year. Unqualified soldiers will be expelled from the army. Qualified soldiers will have their military pay increased by one or two taels in the second year, which means they can receive it every month. Two taels of silver. By analogy, as long as a soldier meets Zhang Lei's requirements, as the years of service in the army increase, the money he gets every month will always be one tael more than the previous year. You will also get more food and salary. However, in order to prevent some people from shrinking in order to save their lives and make money during the war, such people will be reported and recorded by their companions. They will be fired before the annual inspection.
A series of heavy-handed measures caused a sensation in the military circles across the country, especially after Zhang Lei personally shot and killed more than a dozen domineering soldiers who relied on their family's prestige and status to gain white-collar pay in the army and refused to accept persuasion. After that, Zhang Lei's popularity reached a new peak. Almost all commanders wanted to imitate his system and carry out reforms. In the end, most of them gave up because they could not come up with the money. A few were ambitious and wanted to grow. The military has rolled out similar benefits. But it has shrunk significantly compared to Zhang Lei. If someone wants to join the army, they will naturally have their own choice. This all depends on Zhang Lei's fleet absorbing huge wealth overseas to be able to support it.
After killing a group of soldiers with profound backgrounds like a warning to others, everyone finally knew that Zhang Lei was a man of his word, so no one dared to disobey his orders. The recruitment process went smoothly. In just over two months, all the records of 500,000 soldiers were sent to Zhang Lei. Of course he couldn't manage so many soldiers by himself, so those soldiers who had followed Zhang Lei and established absolute loyalty when they were in Chaoxian County were suddenly surprised to find that they had obtained With Zhang Lei's authorization, he became a centurion and a thousand commanders, which can be regarded as a small boss. And Zhang Lei also gave them a lot of freedom, as long as they didn't touch Zhang Lei's bottom line. They basically have the power of life and death over people below their own level, and Zhang Lei also told them that no matter what, they only obey his orders, and even the court can ignore them. If anything happens, he will be left to Zhang Lei. Carrying.
This behavior not only made the veteran soldiers who followed Zhang Lei overjoyed, but also set an example for the new recruits. As long as you follow Zhang Lei, you can not only get the highest military salary in the world, but also become an official. What a great thing.
Although Zhang Lei assigned all the veterans. But no one dared to provoke him. There were large-scale military trainings in various places, and he could not be idle. Accompanied by his own soldiers, he spent half a year inspecting the military units in Huguang, Henan, Fengyang, Luzhou and other places. Regarding the land situation, based on the experience of later generations, a set of plans for reclamation of farmland and construction of water conservancy projects were planned. It was distributed and called on all the people to implement it. It was said that the land was provided to farmers for free, and all the crops grown were owned by themselves without paying taxes. This has greatly stimulated the enthusiasm of the people. The land that all farmers dream about is that piece of land. Unfortunately, most farmers do not have their own land. Now every household in Zhang Lei has been assigned a piece of land to them. Land, doesn¡¯t this make them grateful? More importantly, what is grown continues to grow?No more, this is the first time in thousands of years.
Zhang Lei is in full swing here, and other places will not be quiet, and other people will naturally not be idle, such as Chongzhen.
On April 12, Emperor Chongzhen told the Taoist officials: The imperial court established officials to serve as ears and eyes, and they were happy to provide gossip and help the government. If you remain silent and do not speak properly, both are undesirable. There are even those who use words in the name of selfishness to pursue their own assumptions, echo others' opinions, and compete for victory and control. Their dereliction of duty is even worse than not speaking up. The current situation has been very difficult, and we are in urgent need of loyalty and benefit, and I am very sincere in accepting my wishes. This means that the officials cannot be respected, or the recommendations are too excessive; or the corrections and relegations are too harsh; To use one's mouth to broadcast, to restrain the elbow of doing things, to open up the opportunity of luck, to resist the power of power and fortune, and to lose the meaning of sacrifice. This is completely inconsistent with my original intention of seeking advice and governance. Yesterday, the edict was delivered and the constitution was promulgated. Now I am hereby telling you that if you are obedient and violate your duties, you will be punished.
Due to the needs of internal and external situations, Emperor Taiji of the Qing Dynasty repeatedly sent envoys to negotiate peace with the Ming court. Chen Xinjia, Minister of War, reported to Emperor Chongzhen, who ordered Xinjia to secretly map the map. In April of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Ma Shaoyu was ordered to go. In June, Ma Shaoyu returned to Beijing and sent a letter to Emperor Chongzhen of the Qing Dynasty, promising to negotiate equal terms of exchange, currency and boundary matters, and sent a confidential document of the terms of the peace talks to Xinjia. Xinjia went to North Korea and did not collect the secret documents. The boy mistook it for the Tang newspaper and copied it. As a result, the roads and roads were attacked and the roads were in an uproar. In order to shirk his responsibility, Emperor Chongzhen sent Xinjia to prison. Xinjia did not admit guilt, but instead boasted of his merits. Emperor Chongzhen then beheaded Xinjia. The peace talks have since been abandoned.
On April 29, Qing troops captured Tashan. actually. Ma Shaoyu, a doctor in the Ministry of War, was stationed in Tashan, waiting for the imperial court's order to negotiate peace. He sent people to tell the Qing soldiers not to attack, but the Qing soldiers refused to listen, so they captured Tashan City. The soldiers and civilians in the city rebelled, and no one surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.
There was a massive earthquake on land at midnight on the third day of June. The earthquake damaged city walls and houses, and the cliffs collapsed. On the fourth day of the lunar month, there was an earthquake in Anyi, Shanxi. Starting from the northwest, the sound was like thunder, and the houses of officials and people fell down. People crush the dead. The people in Puzhou and Ronghe were crushed to death. Linjin, Yuanqu, Jiezhou, Qinyuan, Yangcheng, Huguan, Xiaxian, Yuanqu in Shanxi Province; Tongguanwei in Shaanxi Province; Hanoi, Wuzhi, Shengchi, Shaanzhou, Nuxiang and other prefectures and counties in Henan Province, were affected. This earthquake affected dozens of prefectures and counties in three provinces, with continuous earthquakes, and another earthquake on the ninth day of the lunar month. There was another earthquake on the 13th, which lasted for dozens of days. The magnitude of the earthquake was six.
Subsequently, Wu Lvzhong, the supervisory censor, commented on the faults of Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian for two reasons: one was that the crime of committing a traitor was not revealed but he was punished personally. The second is that the program of governance has not been clearly stated, but the ambition has been divided. Why say that? At the beginning of the emperor's reign, the world was not in great trouble, so he used warmth and benevolence to entrust strict righteousness and pursue selfish selfishness. It is forbidden to let anyone manage the affairs. Causing disaster. This is a crime of physical benevolence. Yang Sichang was appointed exclusively, and he relied on financial support and increased training, which caused the people to complain and the sky to be angry. Drought, locusts, and thieves led to great chaos. This is Yang Sichang's crime. The emperor trusted the two of them, and the two relied on his trust and betrayed him. I don't know how to love him so much that I can marry him to the emperor, and then I can do whatever I want without any dissatisfaction. If you sin against him, he will not accept it. Some people say that the emperor did it himself, but the emperor also said that he was not really good at it. Nai Yi is convinced. The emperor was mistaken by two traitors, so he had no shortcomings of his own. It¡¯s also a chance to win people¡¯s hearts. As for the plan of self-governance, the sage cultivates the world and rewards things, and adapts to the situation over time, such as curing the shortage today and then raising the army. When the people's livelihood improves, then the bandits and bandits start to attack. When the bandits attack outside, the politics becomes more and more difficult. When the bandits come from inside, the wealth becomes more and more urgent, thus causing chaos. Now it is urgent to do the opposite, save your strength and strengthen your wings, and use your strength to untie the net. The source of chaos has been stopped, and it is urgent to find someone who can manage the army. Those who can really control the bandits will be sent to the border areas, and those who can directly suppress the bandits will be in charge of the interior. These two major things have been done first, and the military achievements can be carried out one after another.
On the first day of July, Kaifeng was in emergency, and Chongzhen ordered Zuo Liangyu to come to help. Zuo Liangyu, Yang Wenyue, Hu Dawei, Yang Dezheng and Fang Guoan were stationed in Zhuxian Town. Zuo Liangyu saw that the enemy was strong, so he broke camp and fled. All the troops in Xiangyang were defeated. Zuo Liangyu's army fled halfway and encountered Li Zicheng's ambush army. Zuo Liangyu's army was in chaos and abandoned thousands of horses and mules. Ren Dong, the military supervisor, died in the battle, while Zuo Liangyu fled to Xiangyang. Due to the defeat of Zhuxian Town, Governor Yang Wenyue was dismissed from office, and Governor Ding Qirui was arrested and imprisoned.
On July 13th, Fu Yongchun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, reported eight things about Chen Tuntian, one of which was Military Tunnel. The army buys official villages and the people occupy the military land. It is passed down from generation to generation, so there is no need to ask. However, when registering for registration, the solution is to change the true color from the original color. The second is Mintun. Any land that is uncultivated and uncultivated can be used to recruit soldiers, civilians, and merchants who are willing to donate funds to cultivate it, and it will be given as a permanent property. The third is the military camp. If there is anything to do, use troops to fight, and if there is nothing to do, use troops to plow. Still use seven points to defend the city and three points to farm crops. The fourth is Shangtun, with titles awarded based on the amount of cultivated land. The fifth is Shuitun, where people from the south who are familiar with water conservancy are summoned to clear the original land so that there is no open land and no water left behind. The branch will be established three years later. The sixth is Lu Tun. Choose a barren land and plant mulberry and jujube trees as you like. Seventh, Kaitun was abolished for crimes. The eighth is to set up officials. Special ministers are appointed to take charge of the affairs of the villages, and the officials are set up to divide the affairs. They are lenient to the officials and delayed to the years, so that they can do things expediently. Emperor Chongzhen will follow his deliberation.
On July 17, Emperor Chongzhen told the Ministry of Officials: Recently, some officials have not maintained their defenses, and thieves are prone to fall. This is different from those who died in charge and had poor endurance. If you give me shade, you will be rewarded for your loyalty and hard work. The distinction should be made in detail in the future. Except for the unusual righteousness, the shirt code is taken from Shangcai. He was injured in an accident, and some of his sixty-seventh rank were given to the Supervisor, and his fifth rank was given to Lin.?Fourth grade, Fang Jianguan was given the title of Jingzhi. As an order.
The Anqing mutiny occurred on August 13th. At the beginning, the deputy commander-in-chief Liao Yingdeng led 3,000 men, and Wang Zhengguo and Li Zichun each led 1,000 men. They harassed them everywhere and made the people resentful. The governor Xu Shiyin had just arrived, and he was on duty in the criminal department to serve Zhongguang Shi. Heng Shulun and Liao Yingdengyi were in charge of the military law, and the report from his residence arrived first. So the troops launched an attack and killed Xu Liang, the commander of the capital. Shi Yin hurried from Nanjing to Anqing, and moved to Taihu to attack the enemy. The Zhengguo army attacked Tongcheng, and the chaos was settled.
On the sixth day of November, Qing troops entered Jizhou and defeated Jinan and Shandong counties. At that time, two governors were established inside and outside the pass, and two governors were established in Changping and Baoding. There are also six governors of Ningyuan, Yongping, Shuntian, Baoding, Miyun and Tianjin. Ningyuan, Shanhai, Zhongxie, Xixie, Changping, Tongzhou, Tianjin and Baoding eight generals. There are so many stars scattered all over the place, there is no place to guard against, but the powers are different. When the alarm came, all towns were rushed to come in for reinforcements. The Qing troops had already broken through Jizhou and divided their routes to the south. Most of the troops south of the river were lost. As far as Shandong, they defeated Yanzhou and other prefectures. A total of eighty-eight cities were captured. King Zhu Yipai of Lu committed suicide. Leling, Yangxin, Dongyuan and other kings all died. It was not until April of the following year that he returned to the north, capturing more than 369,000 people, gaining more than 12,200 taels of gold, more than 2,250,000 taels of silver, and more than 550,000 cattle and horses. , more than 80,000 pieces of precious satin.
On the 14th day of the eleventh month, Li Zicheng led his generals to attack Runing with a battalion of 500 miles. General Hu Dawei was shot to death and the city was captured. Yang Wenyue, the former viceroy's minister, Wang Shicong, the military officer, and Fu Ruwei, the prefect, all died. At that time, the counties and cities in Henan were in ruins, the imperial court no longer had officials, and the people often formed strongholds to protect themselves. Each village surrendered rebel troops, received orders from the court, or annexed each other.
On the fourth day of December, Li Zicheng captured Xiangyang. Zuo Liangyu retreated to Xiangyang after his defeat in Zhuxian Town. Li Zicheng took advantage of his victory to attack Zuo Liangyu and reached Baima Ferry. Zuo Liangyu moved his camp to the south bank and guarded Qianzhou. Li Zicheng's army of 100,000 people fought to cross, but Zuo Liangyu broke camp and fled to Wuchang. Li Zicheng's army crossed the Baima Ferry and marched to Xiangyang. The officials in Xiangyang had all fled, so Li Zicheng's army moved towards Yicheng.
On the eighth day of December, the Qing army attacked Yanzhou. Deng Fanxi, the prefect of Yanzhou, advised the King of Lu to send troops to save money to boost morale, so that the city could still survive. Otherwise, it would be too late to regret it once the big event was over. The Yi faction refused to listen, and when the Qing army arrived, each general divided his forces and defended them. They were unable to support themselves and the city was destroyed. King Lu committed suicide, and the princes of Leling, Yangxin and other counties also died. Deng Fanxi and others died in battle.
There was a severe drought in Gui'an, and locusts covered the sky. Wherever they gathered, the seedlings and reeds were all gone. People peeled bark, wood chips and chaff to eat, or dug up the white mud in the mountains to eat, which was called Guanyin powder. In Liangcun, a place on the left side of Hanshan Mountain, hundreds of gangsters gathered to cause chaos. Fortunately, they were extinguished in a few days. However, the plague continued, but the government not only exempted money and food, but also imposed severe punishments and punishments. However, the price of rice in Wu County, Suzhou Prefecture is as high as three liang or three qian per stone of silver, and the price of wheat is 2 liang or 2 qian per stone. The people are increasingly struggling to eat and are fleeing. The young and old are abandoned on the roads. Houses in urban and rural areas have fallen into the air, and dead bodies are scattered on pillows.
After more than half a year, at the end of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Zhang Lei's military training was finally completed. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read it.)