Li Laiheng claimed to have 50,000 soldiers, but in fact, this number contains a large number of old, weak, sick and disabled. When Li Laiheng set out from Kuidong this time, he brought 30,000 men, and after recruiting troops and horses in Yiling and other places, his strength doubled, and in addition to the soldiers who stayed in various places, there were more than 20,000 soldiers around him.

For Liu Tichun, Yuan Zongdi and others, after eliminating the Qing army that Hu Quancai brought to Zhong Xianglai, each of them was given nearly 3,000 sets of armor, and they all needed to temporarily store these materials in the warehouse, and there were not so many reliable soldiers who could use these equipment. He Zhen even needed to build a large number of new warehouses. But for Li Laiheng, the armor he received was far from satisfying his needs.

If it was placed a year ago, Li Laiheng would be very happy to be able to capture 300 sets of armor: it has been blocked in Xingshan for several years, almost all the manpower is used to produce food, there is no rich force to produce armor, and the Yongli Imperial Court rarely allocates materials to the generals of Kuidong, and there are more than 30,000 Ding Zhuang in the 50,000 army under Li Laiheng, but there are only more than 2,000 pairs of armor, and many soldiers only have cloth clothes.

As the saying goes, people are poor and short-sighted, at that time, Li Laiheng could be happy for a long time if he could get ten pairs of armor, and no matter how old the armor was, he was reluctant to throw it away, so he had to try to repair it. After this dispatch, Li Laiheng found more than 100 pairs of old armor that the Qing army did not take with them when they retreated from the warehouses in Yiling and other places -- or these cotton armors were so worn-out that the armor pieces had rusted to the ground, and the cotton was also moldy in large patches, and the Qing army no longer regarded them as valuable equipment. But Li Laiheng still carefully put it away and sent someone to send it back to the Xingshan base for repairs. Even if the rust is full of holes, it is stronger than cloth clothes.

The extremely poor equipment is also one of the reasons why it is difficult for Li Laiheng to block Zhang Changgeng's breakthrough. Although Li Laiheng rushed to the lower reaches of the Han River with more than 20,000 soldiers, the quality of the weapons in their hands did not have to be much stronger than the armor on their bodies. When intercepting Zhang Changgeng, the bows and arrows of the Ming army did not pose much threat to the Qing soldiers, but the bows and arrows of the Qing army caused a lot of casualties to Li Laiheng, and many officers who broke into the camp were injured by stray arrows.

After meeting with Liu Tichun and others, Li Laiheng received 2,500 pairs of armor, a large amount of grain, cloth and 4,000 taels of silver. With so much income, Li Laiheng was so excited that he didn't sleep well all night, and everyone under his command was equally happy, and many Xingshan officers and soldiers couldn't sleep all night like their generals. One by one, these Xingshan soldiers hid under the covers, crossed their fingers and counted their heads, repeatedly calculating who the candidates in the army were eligible for equipment. The officers figured out how much equipment they could get; The soldier not only has to calculate the approximate number of his immediate superiors, but also evaluates his position in the team and guesses whether it can fall on his head.

The next day, when Li Laiheng convened his subordinates to discuss the distribution plan, everyone went with red eyes, not only because they were ready to argue on the basis of reason, but also because few people had a good night's sleep last night.

This huge sense of satisfaction and happiness lasted for about two days, and soon Li Laiheng found that Liu Tichun and the other four people were already very rich, and I heard that they bet with Deng Ming for 10,000 taels or 10,000 taels, so they really don't take money as money; When chatting with Yuan Zongdi and Hao Shaoqi, Li Laiheng heard them talk about armor, silver and food in a casual tone, and they didn't care about a hundred pairs of armor or thousands of taels of silver, as if they were all rich people.

What stimulated Lee Rae-hyung the most was He Zhen. In the past, Daning's strength was only a fraction of Li Laiheng's, and it is estimated that He Zhen has a total of about 1,300 or 400 sets of armor, and the quality is not stronger than Li Laiheng's armor. But now He Zhen's military appearance is completely incomparable to the Xingshan army, the soldiers in front of the camp and on the camp wall are wearing new battle armor, holding bright steel knives and iron guns, and the quiver on their backs is filled with snow-white feather arrows.

When Xingshan soldiers and Daning soldiers chatted, these He Zhen's subordinates often made sad faces and said to Li Laiheng's soldiers: "I was given two pairs of armor from above, let me pick one to keep and return the other one, but I think both sets are good." Oh, it's hard to choose. ”

If the Xingshan soldiers don't believe it, in order to prove that they are not bragging, these Daning soldiers often really take out two sets and show them to the Xingshan soldiers. Some of the officers under Li Laiheng can get armor, and it is still unknown whether some officers can have a set. However, the equipment of these Daning soldiers is even above the average level of Li Laiheng's batch, and the iron helmets are shiny. Daning's soldiers fiddled with the eye-popping equipment in front of the friendly forces in Xingshan, and sighed and asked them to help come up with ideas to see which set to hand back.

Soon these Xingshan officers inquired clearly, and He Zhen had received a large number of supplies in Yunyang and Xiangyang, and had obtained 1,500 sets of armor in Zhongxiang, many of which were captured from Wuchang soldiers. fought with Deng Ming against Li Shixun, and the benefits were almost all for him to swallow alone; This time Hu Quancai was eliminated, and He Zhen did not take anything less.

"Handsome! The soldiers and auxiliaries of their Daning soldiers are all combined, and there are more than 4,000 and less than 5,000 people, and when he went out this time, He Zhen took seven or eight thousand sets of armor, seven or eight thousand sets! After the calculation was understood, the Xingshan generals rushed to Li Laiheng and shouted: "Our 50,000 troops in Xingshan have only been divided into 2,500 sets, which is too unfair!" ”

Although Yuan Zongdi and others did not get as much as He Zhen, they were all more than 5,000 sets. In the past, all the departments in Kuidong had more soldiers than armor, but now Yuan Zongdi, Liu Tichun, and Hao Shaoqi all have more armor than soldiers, and He Zhen has more armor than soldiers.

It is estimated that it will not be long before these four families will become the most powerful four-way soldiers and horses in Kui Dongming's army. They and Deng Ming have conquered several cities along the way, and they are already vaguely the generals and troops of the third prince's lineage, and they also have the most powerful military strength, so they will definitely have the greatest credit and the most abundant harvest in the future, and the other soldiers and horses will no longer have a chance to catch up.

Some generals persuaded Li Laiheng to buy some equipment from others while he had money in his hands. However, the armor is really rare, Li Laiheng estimates that the other four may sell some to themselves for face, dozens of sets or one or two hundred sets is hard to say, but the number will definitely not be much, and it will be more worn-out armor leftovers. Moreover, he owes such a big favor, and Li Laiheng doesn't know what price he will have to pay back in the future.

At this time, Li Laiheng did not realize that with the purchase of 2,500 sets of armor, his mentality had also changed unconsciously-if it had been in the past, he had the opportunity to buy a batch of armor, even if it was worn-out old equipment, Li Laiheng would definitely not let it go, let alone care how much favor he owed.

In addition, Li Laiheng also felt that the other party probably didn't look down on his money. Before he got a few thousand taels, Deng Ming gave him another 10,000 taels, which made Li Laiheng suddenly feel that he was a rich man. But later I learned that in the first battle of Zhong Xiang, Liu Tichun and they captured the treasury of various provinces in Hubei, and each of them took 100,000 taels; As for the fabrics and clothes that could be used as barters in the past, now it seems that they have also depreciated, and He Zhen's subordinates now have two or even three sets of military uniforms each, and they are changed to clean clothes every day, claiming to earn face for Admiral Deng in front of the people of Zhongxiang.

When Deng Ming gave Li Laiheng 10,000 taels of silver, he said that it was for Xingshan Jun to beg for his wife. Originally, this kind of talk could be laughed at, Li Laiheng was short of money, and he had to use money everywhere, how could he use such a large sum of money to marry his subordinates? But Liu Tichun and others made a fortune, told his subordinates a lot of family affairs, and saw that many people in the Dachang and Badong armies were jubilant and ready to go home to be the groom, and the Xingshan army was also generally psychologically unbalanced - look at the people, the little soldiers can get married, and they are obviously officers under Xiaohu Shuai's account, and the boss is still a single person, and he is really angry compared to others.

Li Laiheng also wanted to talk about some family affairs appropriately to appease his officers, but as soon as he inquired about the market price, he immediately dispelled this idea. The marriage market in Chengtian Mansion and Xiangyang Mansion is already a one-sided seller's market, and under the coaxing of Liu Tichun and Yuan Zongdi and others, it is now said that the bride price for a family affair is at least forty taels, plus the odd and eighty expenses, and the total expenditure is less than fifty taels, so don't even think about it, and the surrounding area is also rising.

Seeing that there were signs of a "shortage of daughters-in-law", local residents also panicked and engaged their sons one after another, which further exacerbated the sharp rise in marriage market prices. School-age girls have almost been swept away, and a lot of younger ones have been booked, and experienced matchmakers have said that it is estimated that it will take a few years for prices to fall.

Holding the little silver in his hand that was not enough to spend, looking at the disappointed expression on the faces of the officers in the battalion, just when Li Laiheng was in a dilemma, a matchmaker found Xingshan Junzhong and asked Li Laiheng what he thought of the widow? It's at least half cheaper than the girl, and it's all born and raised, and the quality is guaranteed. The matchmakers also hinted to Li Laiheng that with the scarcity of school-age girls, the second-hand marriage market is also becoming more and more popular, and there is room for prices to rise further.

At first, Li Laiheng was a little hesitant, for the Xingshan army in a difficult situation, it would be good to be able to marry, and in the past, if his subordinates could marry a widow, they were also very happy, but after learning about this, the officers of the Xingshan army broke out collectively: "In Dachang and Badong, the soldiers marry girls, but our Xingshan officers want to marry widows...... Isn't this the time you can't hold your head up for the rest of your life? Still don't let people live? No, even if you can give birth and raise, you can't! ”

And marrying a widow also costs twenty or thirty taels of silver, is there still a law of heaven and reason?

……

The officers and men of Xingshan were united in their determination to continue the march to Hanyang and Wuchang. Those who followed Deng Ming have made a fortune, so of course the Xingshan Army must follow. The officers in Xingshan estimated that the area around Wuchang had always been under the control of the Qing army, and that the daughter-in-law groups in Daning and Badong had not yet been there, and the prices there should be reasonable and fair.

Since learning that Zheng Chenggong had invaded the Yangtze River, Deng Ming had been rushing to Nanjing, but Mu Tan, who was sent by Zheng Chenggong, advised Deng Ming not to be in a hurry, that is, it was not too late to go after the king of Yanping County took Jiangnan - Mu Tan felt that it was necessary for Deng Ming to participate in the battle of Nanjing in order to win the prestige of serving as a prisoner, and Zheng Chenggong hoped that Deng Ming would be in his army for this purpose; But now that Huguang is victorious, coupled with the previous Kunming fire, Mu Tan feels that Deng Ming is enough to convince the public even if he does not participate in the capture of Nanjing.

And Li Laiheng also did not build yì Deng Ming to break away from the army, because he planned to go to Jiangxi or even Nanzhili. In the past, if Li Laiheng proposed a plan to leave Xingshan and go on an expedition to Nanjing, most of his subordinates would oppose it, even if the Xingshan soldiers without a wife would be unable to leave their homeland. But recently, because of the stimulation of He Zhen and others, the Xingshan army's desire for war was unprecedentedly high, and after learning that Deng Ming had no intention of storming Wuchang, Li Laiheng's army sighed, completely forgetting that they had no intention of attacking Wuchang alone.

When Liu Tichun and others left to return to the base area, Li Laiheng recruited the remaining troops from Yiling, Jiangling and other places, and brought out more than 30,000 soldiers with him, preparing to completely sweep the surrounding areas of Hanyang.

Today, Hanyang was already in sight, and Li Laiheng was discussing the military situation with Deng Ming in the tent -- after this period of military life, Deng Ming was already able to speak appropriately when discussing the actions of the army -- and suddenly someone reported that an envoy from Wuchang had arrived.

Wuchang's envoy, dressed in a scribe's robe and holding a folding fan, came in with a sway.

"Zhou Juren," Deng Ming saw that his old acquaintance appeared in front of him again, and asked, "What did Zhang Changgeng send you for?" ”

"Come and work for the Admiral." Zhou Peigong shook the fan lightly and said confidently.

Deng Mingleng paused, he seemed to be a little familiar with this posture, and he seemed to have seen it in many ancient romance novels and various third-rate TV series.

After quickly sorting out these memories, Deng Ming laughed: "What is the trouble of this Admiral? ”

Li Laiheng was a little puzzled, glanced at Deng Ming, and saw that the other party's hand hidden behind the table quickly swayed twice, signaling himself not to speak, and handed it over to him to deal with.

"The scourge of killing." Zhou Peigong said: "The students are here to ask for the lives of the people of Wuchang and Hanyang, hoping that the Admiral will open up the net and let these millions of living beings have a way to live." ”

Deng Ming let out a sneer: "How could I hurt the people." ”

"The Admiral won't. But as long as the admiral takes Hanyang, the people of Hanyang will inevitably die; If Wuchang is attacked, it will be difficult for Wuchang chickens and dogs to stay. Zhou Peigong suddenly stopped when he said this, thinking that his few words were enough to successfully arouse the other party's curiosity.

So far, Zhou Peigong feels that he is acting very well. Before leaving, he read several articles about lobbyists at home and memorized the plots described in them. Deng Ming on the other side is so young, it is estimated that he has not dealt with lobbyists yet, let alone read this kind of book.

Deng Ming waited for a while and didn't hear the following, so he recalled the TV series he had watched, and then pretended to be angry and memorized the lines from the TV series: "Alarmist!" It is a pity for Deng Ming that now he is wearing armor and does not have long sleeves to shake it so hard.

"Haha, haha," Zhou Peigong looked up to the sky and laughed, his face sank after stopping laughing, and he said sternly: "The Admiral only knows one thing, but he doesn't know the other." ”

According to Zhou Peigong, if Wuchang had always been in the hands of the Qing army, the people in the city would not have suffered. But if it is captured by the Ming army, even if it is only one rì, when Wuchang is recovered in the future, the Qing army will wantonly plunder the city. If the Huguang soldiers regain Wuchang, they may also remember some incense; If the troops from other provinces recaptured Wuchang, it would most likely be a tragedy of slaughtering the city.

There was no intention of attacking Wuchang in the first place, but Deng Ming knew that what Zhou Peigong said was also true. Thinking of the ferocity and cruelty of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the shamelessness of the green camp that fought for the tigers, and the many disasters and hardships of the common people, Deng Ming couldn't help but sigh.

Zhou Peigong had already analyzed Deng Ming's xìng character to Zhang Changgeng, and believed that Deng Ming was benevolent and virtuous, and could be moved by the suffering of the people. After hearing Deng Ming's sigh, Zhou Peigong observed his words and thought that the time had come, so he proposed a proposal while the iron was hot: "Although the Admiral has won many battles, the sailors of Dongting Lake are still there, and there are tens of thousands of troops in Wuchang and Hanyang City, and it is not yet known who will win and who will lose." If the admiral cannot capture Wuchang and Hanyang, he will lose his soldiers and reputation in vain; If Wuchang and Hanyang were captured, although Yu's prestige would not be damaged, it would harm many people in the city. ”

Seeing that Deng Ming did not say anything to refute, Zhou Peigong was overjoyed and felt that victory was in sight. If you can persuade the Ming army to withdraw with your incorruptible tongue, you can not only make great contributions in front of Governor Zhang Changgeng, but also deserve a big book in the future history; Even if the Ming Dynasty is prosperous, this kind of glorious deeds of soldiers who surrender without a fight, even the victor will praise him Zhou Peigong's wisdom and bravery.

"As long as the admiral is willing to stop the army, the governor of Hunan is willing to offer 500,000 taels of silver as the ransom fee for the two cities of Wuchang and Hanyang."

Zhang Changgeng and Zhou Peigong have agreed on their views, no matter how merciful Deng Ming is, he leads tens of thousands of troops to come, how can he still give an explanation to his subordinates, this money Wuchang will definitely pay. The two of them also considered it carefully and felt that 500,000 taels of silver was a more appropriate number. Zhong Xiangming's army fought a fierce battle and captured the inventory of several prefectures and cities in Hubei, with a total of only 400,000 taels; Now that Wuchang has the Yangtze River, a powerful sailor and a force far stronger than Zhong Xiang, the Ming army can get 500,000 taels without spending a bow and an arrow, and it should be satisfied.

"Five hundred thousand taels?" Without waiting for Deng Ming to answer, Li Laiheng asked loudly. He was indeed very satisfied, this was 500,000 taels of silver, he had never even seen 50,000 taels of silver piled up together, and his hands were always tight, and he couldn't save money.

What's more, Li Laiheng didn't want to attack Wuchang City at all this time, he just came to collect grain and grass, and by the way, to see if there were any cheaper relatives, and if so, he would say a few things for his subordinates. As for whether to go to Nanjing or not, it is even more unambiguous. Li Laiheng felt that Zhou Peigong in front of him was like the reincarnation of the God of Wealth, and the more he looked at it, the more pleasing it became.

Li Laiheng pondered in his heart: If Li Laiheng and Deng Ming share 500,000 taels equally, that is, 250,000 taels each, even if Deng Ming wants to take more, at least he has to leave 150,000 or 200,000 taels of silver for Li Laiheng, right? This is more than what He Zhen and the others got. What is it to say that a family affair costs fifty taels of silver? It's sixty taels, seventy taels, and he Li Laiheng can take it out. In an instant, countless thoughts came flooding back, making Li Laiheng suddenly immersed in happiness.

"Exactly!" Zhou Peigong replied immediately.

However, there was a table between Zhou Peigong and Li Laiheng, and Deng Ming's small movements could not be seen.

After Li Laiheng's question blurted out, Deng Ming's face was silent, and secretly stepped on Li Laiheng fiercely, the latter felt as if his toes had been stepped on, and the severe pain immediately drove away all the good thoughts in Li Laiheng's mind.

Although he was young and inexperienced, Li Laiheng's reaction was quite agile, and his face suddenly sank, turning all the joy that he hadn't had time to reveal into an angry face. The right arm jerked up and slammed it down on the table, letting out the pain in his toes.

Bang!

The palm of his hand slapped on the table, making a loud noise, and the paper and ink inkstones rose into the air, and Li Lai Hengtong's action showed Wuchang's secret envoy his firm determination not to break Wuchang's oath and not return it, as well as the strong military strength of the Ming army enough to sweep Jiangnan, and then shouted: "Are you called Huazi when you are the commander?" ”