Chapter Sixteen: Rout

  "I dare not! I dare not!"

  Wang Xiao was shocked and lost his color, he suddenly stood up and retreated, then immediately knelt down and kept kowtowing. He was indeed sincere, when he kowtowed, he used a lot of force, making the bluestone floor crackle with a loud noise.

  "A real man doesn't kneel down at just anyone's words."

  Zhu Ciwen stepped forward, stretched out his hand to pull up Wang Xiao, and smiled: "In the future, when there's nothing wrong, just salute, don't make such a bowing gesture... This one bow from me, you should be worthy of it... As long as you work hard in the future, whenever you feel tired or dissatisfied, thinking about receiving this one bow from me today will do."

  Next, Zhu Ciwen painstakingly distributed all the silver coins by hand, and after distributing the silver, he bowed deeply!

  When making a bow, Zhu Ciwen was calm and peaceful, with a serious expression.

  The officers and soldiers who received the gifts were all in tears.

  It's not just these Beijing garrison soldiers, but also the eunuchs of the Eastern Palace who are watching from the side, it's rare to see them show a moved expression.

  The prince may be buying people's hearts, but he is doing it openly and honestly!

  The crown prince of a country, the world will be his in the future, what else does he need to buy?

  All for the country, the people and the citizens!

  Attack those who refuse to obey with the might of the imperial army!

  "Yesterday you said I was the first to come out and that Meng was being reckless, what about today?"

  After receiving the silver, Wang Yuan's face still had a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes, but this rough and hearty man was full of vigor and spirit, his head held high, his chin almost touching his nose... Looking at his several sworn brothers, he said: "From now on, we'll follow Young Master, what do you say?"

  Li Gong rubbed his hands together, thought for a moment, and said resolutely: "What else can be said? Having received this bow from me, you can only repay it with your life."

  The rest of them, naturally, had nothing to say either.

  Wang Yuan was very satisfied, this rough and straightforward man, his thoughts were simply so simple. Loyalty to the monarch and the country, originally it was just learning martial arts, selling them to the imperial family. Before, he thought it wasn't worth it, but now he thinks it is, only at the end, he suddenly smacked his mouth and regretfully said: "Unfortunately, Wei Da isn't here..."

  "Wei Daqin's situation is different from ours, he has his own difficulties..."

  "Also, never mind him."

  Wang Yuan let out a small sigh, but also fell silent.

  With Zhu Ciwen's movements, the three large boxes of silver quickly shone brightly.

  With such a small family background, even the seams of the East Palace were swept over once. Thinking about how this Crown Prince was doing, it's really too shabby.

  It looks like this now, and the effect is quite good. The military officers are emotional, and the ordinary camp soldiers are also very moved.

  Only Zhu Ciyan knew that such actions could only have a temporary effect. As time went on, people had to support their families, make a living, and live better lives - this was human nature. Relying on such means could only motivate temporarily; if one wanted to obtain willing and loyal subordinates who would die for them, they had to keep pace with them in material terms as well.

  In the end, one still has to go out and make money...

  "Report to the young master!" Several eunuchs from the Eastern Palace ran in, panting, followed by a group of warehouse eunuchs. Each person bowed to Zhu Ciyan before speaking: "The iron-plated bow requires 400, and the arrows require 10,000. These are all ready and will be transported over soon... There are also some tail feathers, glue, cow tendons, and whatnot. As for fabric, there is high-quality Songjiang brocade, dyes, and other materials, which are more than enough. Now, please instruct us, should we find someone to make the uniforms for the military officers and soldiers?"

  Zhu Ciyan saw that the clothes of many people were old and tattered, with patches on their military uniforms, looking like a group of beggars.

  His subordinates, even if they didn't have armor, had to dress neatly and beautifully, which could boost their morale.

  At present, there are no strong troops or sharp weapons, no iron armor to protect the body, and no firearms or cannons. There are only some bows and arrows, and the most critical thing is that there are not enough horses.

  Ordinary horses, the Imperial Stables can barely scrape together a few dozen. A hundred or so warhorses, considering the Crown Prince's face, they'll have to be given out no matter what. But if more are wanted, it will be difficult.

  A high-quality warhorse costs at least fifty or sixty taels, and even if it's cheaper, it would still be twenty taels. Moreover, Zhu Ciyan had planned for one person to have two horses, and also needed servants to attend to them, not to mention the cost of fine feed... Zhu Ciyan was in tears when he calculated this account, what a huge hole this is...

  Don't mention that this poor and white-haired crown prince, even if we persuade Chongzhen... Hmm, this task is already quite adventurous. Alright, let's assume we've persuaded Chongzhen. Four hundred knights with two horses each would be eight hundred fine horses, plus another two hundred servants... And then there are also over a hundred large carts to transport food and fodder? Hmm, that means adding another budget item...

  At this moment, Zhu Ciwen was in tears...

  But at least the framework has been set up... The military officers have also returned to their senses, and the soldiers are listening to orders. Moreover, Zhu Ci'an obtained 30 blank certificates for the Crown Prince's flag from the Ministry of War, which will be awarded to the outstanding ones among these soldiers, along with some silver... Hmm, although it's not much, it can also lead to promotion, I'm afraid it can stabilize the current situation a bit?

  ……

  ……

  Before you know it, it's October 1st.

  This day has a special meaning for Zhu Ciwen, and for people at that time, it was just the beginning of an ordinary Wang Ri.

  Or in other words, it is a dynasty's distance from its true demise day.

  On September 12, Sun Chuanting attacked BaoFeng, and on the 14th, the main force advanced to the vicinity of Jixian County. Li Zicheng personally led more than 10,000 elite cavalrymen to fight against him. Sun Chuanting's general officer Bai Guangen and Gao Jie led their troops to attack, and their vanguard Yang Changzu and Wang Long were former subordinates of Luo RuiCai. Seeing Li Zicheng, they became enraged and fought bravely, ultimately defeating Li Zicheng's forces. They captured the brave General Xie Junyou, knocked down Li Zicheng's great banner, and took Jixian County.

  At the same time, Gao Dingxu of Yunyang Road joined forces with Hui Deng in Huguang, and in August they occupied Guanghua, in September they occupied Gucheng, and also launched a surprise attack on Li Zicheng's old camp in Tang County, killing and capturing many.

  But it was at this moment that the tide of battle turned!

  Six consecutive days of heavy rain made the already long grain road even more difficult to transport, seizing this opportunity, Li Zicheng led his light cavalry, turned from Ruzhou White Sand, and cut off Sun Chuanting's grain road!

  At this time, however, the Ming army was still embroiled in internal strife.

  The Shaanxi soldiers and the Henan soldiers had been deeply at odds with each other from the start, not only could they not tolerate each other for the sake of the country, but they also did not have even the slightest trust in each other. As soon as the alarm was sounded, the Shaanxi soldiers immediately retreated under the protection of Sun Chuanting, abandoning the Henan soldiers without a care.

  The Henan army was not stupid either, and they suddenly launched a massive attack, cutting off the grain supply route. As soon as the news spread, the troops fled in disarray, counter-attacking and disrupting the Shaanxi army's formation. The entire army was defeated, with the rebel forces pursuing and killing them. Over 40,000 soldiers were killed on the spot, and by the time Sun Tongting, Bai Guang'en, Gao Jie and other generals escaped to Tongguan, they had fewer than 20,000 troops left.

  As for the remnants of the Henan army, they surrendered together with General Chen Yongfu.

  The end of the dynasty has officially begun!

  The news came, Chongzhen was awake all night, discussing with the Ministry of War to recruit soldiers and horses from the nine borders... The capital camp was no longer mentioned, the crown prince recruited for several days, and selected less than 400 people from the capital camp. This matter has already proved that the capital camp is completely useless, so it's not necessary to think about it anymore.

  Chongzhen immediately issued a series of edicts, stripping Sun Chuanting of his title as Commander-in-Chief and allowing him to wear the hat of shame and make amends by using his position as Governor-General of Shaanxi. He was ordered to mobilize soldiers from the nine border provinces and fill the quota of about 30,000 men, and rush to Tongguan.

  Then comes consultation with the cabinet and mobilization of grain, fodder and silver for military expenses.

  However, the Cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue pushed it off, saying there was no grain that could be allocated, and asked for an imperial treasury disbursement.

  Although Daxi had already been ransacked, Chongzhen still allocated 50,000 taels of silver and hastily sent them out as expenses for deploying troops.

  In this way, the atmosphere in the capital is already extremely tense, and everyone from top to bottom is restless. Everyone knows that if Tongguan is not preserved, Guanzhong will be lost, then Shanxi will follow, and finally the capital will be next!

  Those who know the situation are even more aware that Shanxi is empty and vulnerable. Once Shanxi is lost, the capital will only have a few passes such as Wuning and Juyongguan, and under the circumstances where the overall situation has already been lost, it is uncertain whether there will be any generals who will fight to the death to defend them.

  By this time, many officials and gentry had begun to make preparations and start fleeing south!

  A dynasty, after the 16th year of Chongzhen in October, has actually reached its end! Its monarch is still struggling and striving, although it looks particularly ridiculous. Its high-ranking officials are helpless, even secretly plotting to surrender, wanting to turn the monarch into a puppet, to serve the new ruler. Its generals have lost their will to fight, either surrendering at the sight of the enemy or preserving their strength for self-protection in troubled times, let alone loyalty and martyrdom, which is not even worth mentioning.

  Its people, either suffering in the north or singing and dancing in the south, while the war is raging on all sides, the scholars of Nanjing are still singing with famous prostitutes by the Qinhuai River, as if the greatest hardships and difficulties in the world have nothing to do with them. The maritime trade in Quanzhou is even more prosperous, with one family dominating the maritime trade, accumulating wealth of millions!

  This old empire has already become rotten and putrid, emitting a foul odor. Even if it appears healthy on the surface in the south, it is actually rotten to the bone.

  At this time, except for a few people, it is likely that everyone has lost confidence in it.

  It's nothing but a change of dynasty!

  In the palace, however, there was only one person who seemed to be at leisure, but in reality, his heart was burning. It was already October, and there were still a few days until the third month of Jia Shen.

  Zhu Ciwen deeply knew that it had already come to a point where nothing else mattered!