novelAbuy Chapter 5 Lu Xiang-sheng's Hope
Chapter 5 Lu Xiang-sheng's Hope
The ordinary soldiers in the new military camp received five taels of resettlement silver, three taels of pay, and three taels of wartime "departure silver" within the first two days.
The officers in the camp received even more silver, and the main generals, like the two commanders, received imperial estates and fertile land in Beizhili.
As the old saying goes, "A great reward will surely attract brave warriors."
Emperor Chongzhen's generous rewards during this turbulent time greatly boosted the morale of his 5,000-strong new army, and everyone in the camp was eager to go into battle and make meritorious contributions.
They were well aware that the Jurchens were well-armored and had a powerful army, and that their allies had suffered repeated defeats and routs in open battle.
This time, their southward expedition to rescue Lu Duchen meant facing the Jurchen army head-on. The outcome of this battle was uncertain, and their future was unpredictable.
But no matter how difficult the situation, it couldn't stop them from abandoning the glorious legacy of their ancestors in this stagnant capital and living a life of mere survival without any hope for the future.
Those cowardly and timid soldiers who were afraid of battle had all been screened out by Huang Degong and Zhou Yuji.
In other words, those who remain in the new military camp are mostly imperial guards who are willing to risk their lives for a chance at wealth and a better future.
The emperor they were loyal to had already offered generous rewards, and the fallen soldiers had no need to worry about their families' livelihoods.
With that in mind, what is there to hesitate or worry about?
Selling one's precious life to the emperor, success brings great fortune, failure means death on the battlefield. What is there for a true man to fear!
With the reward money distributed, the entire army immediately set out on the expedition.
Huang Degong and Zhou Yuji's direct subordinates were mostly cavalry, and there were also more than a thousand soldiers from the Beijing Garrison and the Great Han General who were skilled in cavalry warfare.
The three groups of men were combined into one battalion, which Chongzhen personally named the Imperial Guard Iron Cavalry. The entire battalion consisted of 3,000 men, equipped with full cotton armor, and provided with the best 5,000 warhorses that Chongzhen possessed.
They will serve as the vanguard of the southward march, setting off first to Julu.
The central army where Chongzhen was stationed was mainly composed of a thousand elite soldiers from the New Army, and was accompanied by a heavy infantry unit.
Tiger Guard was the name given by Emperor Chongzhen to this heavily armored battalion composed of more than four hundred strong Han generals and warriors.
It was only after Emperor Chongzhen extorted money from the nobles that he was able to gather the fine armor needed for the Tiger Guard Heavy Armor Battalion; otherwise, just arming this force would have been a headache for him to this day.
In Chongzhen's vision, this Tiger Guard Battalion should be like the Protector General Bayara in the Jurchen army, charging into battle on the battlefield with cold weapons and being invincible.
Wearing double armor is standard equipment for Tiger Guard soldiers. The inner layer is fine lamellar armor, the outer layer is fine cotton armor, and they wear helmets and face shields to protect their necks, making them extremely defensive.
The elite among them could wear triple armor, with a layer of chainmail under lamellar armor, wielding a large spear, carrying a long sword, and equipped with armor-piercing maces and spiked clubs. They were truly cold weapon tanks on the battlefield, deadly weapons of war.
Of course, during a forced march, these strongmen could not wear armor; they were lightly armed, riding horses or traveling by carriage with the army.
Their armor and weaponry were carried on supply wagons, and upon arrival at the designated battlefield, they were assisted in donning them by supply soldiers and their comrades.
The rear guard that led the expedition south was composed of soldiers from the Beijing garrison, who were skilled in using cannons and muskets and were specially selected by the Duke of Ying, Zhu Cilang.
In comparison, this unit was more like the modern firearms force that Zhu Cilang envisioned.
The 500-man battalion had over 300 usable muskets, more than 40 tiger-squat cannons and portable breech-loading cannons, countless gunpowder, dozens of carts, and nearly 100 pack horses, making it highly mobile.
However, this team's combat formation capabilities were not very good. Emperor Chongzhen arrived too late and did not have time to personally train the firearms team's combat strength.
Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen could only focus on arming the cavalry and heavy armored troops; other plans would have to be implemented gradually after the war.
The new army troops moved out quickly, raising dust and causing warhorses to neigh.
Yang Sichang, meanwhile, stood on the city wall of the capital, gazing towards the direction of the new army camp, and finally, with red eyes, silently bowed to Emperor Chongzhen, who was in the army, to bid him farewell.
Beijing is now riddled with problems. Not only do the gentry and nobles from the south have spies in the capital, but the Jurchens, who are skilled at using spies, have also established their own intelligence network in the capital at some unknown time.
Therefore, Yang Sichang could only keep the matter of Emperor Chongzhen's personal expedition a secret from his ministers and cooperate with Chongzhen in doing so.
Otherwise, if the news were to leak, it wouldn't be Chongzhen rushing south to rescue Lu Xiangshan, but rather the Jurchen army would go berserk and slaughter this new army, sparing no effort to capture Chongzhen!
For the sake of Chongzhen's safety, Yang Sichang had to remain calm and wait for military intelligence from the south. The Ming troops along the way also needed to cooperate and act as qualified "blind and deaf" soldiers.
Only in this way could the Ming army units, which remained undisturbed, allow the Jurchen spies and sentries to lower their guard.
This is risky.
However, just as Chongzhen said when he entrusted his son to Yang Sichang, the situation had become so critical that this was the only path Chongzhen could take in order to rescue Lu Xiangshan and his Tianxiong Army.
If Gao Qiqian had only received the imperial edict urging him to fight, as the emperor's servant, he might have tried to find a way to meet Lu Xiang-sheng, depending on the emperor's change of heart.
But those warlords who held considerable power would never risk their lives to save a lone army trapped in the Jurchen encirclement.
Only when the emperor personally leads the troops into battle and incentivizes them with substantial sums of money to fight the Jurchens will they truly fight with all their might under the pressure of imperial power and driven by self-interest.
The southward-bound New Army troops could only survive by being led by the emperor, creating battlefield miracles and completing their rescue missions.
Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen had no choice but to personally lead the expedition and take risks to pull Lu Xiangshan out of his predicament.
Meanwhile, Lu Xiangshan, who was on Chongzhen's mind, was being forced step by step to go north and walk into the deadly trap that Dorgon had set for him.
Lu Xiang-sheng had no choice either. Dorgon had already mobilized a large army to surround and intercept him, determined to devour his isolated army. The only way he could go was north.
Meanwhile, Gao Qiqian's tens of thousands of troops were tied down by Yue Tuo in the south.
Following the original historical timeline, Gao Qiqian, who knew Chongzhen's intentions well, remained an observer and ultimately watched helplessly as Lu Xiang-sheng died on the battlefield.
However, having already received several urgent imperial edicts from Emperor Chongzhen, he risked sending small cavalry units to provide food and supplies to Lu Xiang-sheng's troops on multiple occasions.
Gao Qiqian, who was being closely watched by Yue Tuo, didn't dare to divide his troops to directly support Lu Xiang Sheng, but providing Lu Xiang Sheng with some supplies was still no problem.
Lu Xiang-sheng, who had also received the urgent imperial edict from Emperor Chongzhen, was no longer filled with despair and sorrow.
He continued to lead his troops toward Jiazhuang, but this time, he would not fight alone.
The first light of dawn has gradually dispelled the darkness of the winter night.
As the cold wind blew, Emperor Chongzhen, clad in armor and carrying a bow, led his army south on horseback with a resolute gaze.