The Qing army in Jiangxi did not have much fighting spirit, and after being counterattacked by the Ming army, it completely lost the hope of attacking, and turned a blind eye to the actions of the Ming army. Therefore, after the Ming army entered Huguang, it was like walking on its own territory, and there was no longer any enemy army coming to disturb - the Qing garrisons in Huangzhou Mansion and other places had long been transferred by Hu Quancai, and after Zhang Changgeng was defeated and returned to Wuchang, he also recruited the remaining officials. Now the capital cities of several provinces in Hubei are like unfortified, and even the auxiliary soldiers who clean up, dig yīn ditches, and transport garbage are quite scarce, don't say that they will fight the Ming army, and the Ming army will burn high incense if they don't attack them.

Even worse than the prefectures are the county seats of these prefectures in Hubei. In the face of such a dangerous situation, many county commanders fled from the yamen and camped in the field with the few remaining soldiers, ready to retreat at any time.

Deng Ming was also a little hesitant about how to deal with these prefectures and counties.

Although the Ming army in Huguang currently has a large advantage, no one dares to say how long this advantage can be maintained. If these cities were captured and they could not be held, then the people in these places would likely be plundered by the Qing troops who arrived later. This trip to the southeast deepened Deng Ming's concern, and all the cities that were liberated by Zheng Chenggong were tragically sacked by the Qing army who came to "recover the city" without exception.

When he was stationed in Nanjing, Deng Ming saw some parents who had come to Nanjing to look for their daughter. One of the mothers was particularly impressed by Deng Ming, the Zhenjiang woman who had never been able to find her daughter, and when she saw the banner of the Ming army, she suddenly shouted like a frenzy, rushing over desperately, and fighting with the guards at the gate of the camp.

The woman attacked the barracks of the Zhejiang army, and the Zhejiang soldiers guarding the gate of the camp strictly abided by Zhang Huangyan's rules, and after seeing that the other party was a common man, he repeatedly endured it, and finally persuaded this crazy woman to stop. At that time, Zhang Huangyan had already arrived in Deng Ming's army, and after hearing the movement, he thought that the Ming army was harming the people, so he hurriedly rushed out to inquire about the incident, and finally figured out that this woman had no grudge against the Ming army, and her daughter was taken away by the Qing army.

After the Ming army barely appeased the woman, they took her to the women's camp to look for her, but in the end they still did not find her. The desperate mother yelled at the Ming army again: "Pirates who kill a thousand knives, don't come if you don't have the ability." ”

When the Ming army first arrived in Zhenjiang, the people in the city welcomed them, remembering the lively scene at that time, the mother was even more angry: "You can't beat it and leave, but what should we do?" What to do? ”

Deng Ming, Zhang Huangyan and the soldiers were speechless, and there was no solution. In the end, she wanted to give the mother some coils so that she could return home safely, but the woman threw the silver given to her by the Ming army on the ground and left without looking back. Several soldiers saw her go straight to the river and plunge into the water, and in a blink of an eye she disappeared.

Although the other Zhenjiang people who came to look for people were not as excited as the mother, their eyes when they looked at Ming Jun were not friendly, full of sadness and helplessness. A few lucky people found the whereabouts of their daughters in the women's camp of the Ming army, and the rest planned to try their luck in the city of Nanjing, but because the Ming army was stationed outside the city, the Qing soldiers defending the city refused to let them into the city.

Some of the Zhenjiang people lived in the suburbs of Nanjing, planning to wait for the Ming army to leave before trying to enter the city to find people. Others turned east and went to places like Suzhou to find out where their relatives were—and since there weren't any, their children might have been snatched by loyal troops and might have been trafficked to Suzhou.

Deng Ming knew that the chances of these people finding their relatives were very slim, and for these small people, this kind of family search might make them bankrupt, and in the end, it was likely that the children would not be found, and the parents would have no way to live.

"The next time the king of Yanping County comes again, I'm afraid the people of Zhenjiang won't welcome him." At that time, Deng Ming commented in a low voice. Not only Zhenjiang, but also other cities that have been looted may be the same. Now after seeing the empty city defenses in Hubei, Deng Ming said to the guards: "If we take these cities and finally give up, the fathers of Huguang will never welcome us again." ”

"We have taken Zhongxiang, Xiangyang, and Gucheng, do you plan to hold on to these places?" Li Xinghan asked.

"I hope to be able to convince the people to retreat with us and withdraw to the Three Gorges. However, this large-scale migration may cause many people to die in the middle of the road, and they may not be willing to go with us. Deng Ming felt that the matter was very tricky, and there was no mature solution so far: "Here in Huangzhou Mansion, I think we won't be able to get in." With so many people, we couldn't convince them all to follow us, and even if anyone was willing to go with us, we wouldn't have enough food and boats. ”

Deng Ming planned to send a small number of soldiers to the vicinity of various cities, and demanded that the officials in the city pay a certain amount of military rations to the Ming army instead of occupying the city.

"If they're willing to give them rations, that's fine, but what if they don't?" Ren Tang could understand Deng Ming's feelings, but he felt that this plan had a great hidden danger: "Even if the admiral doesn't plan to sweep away the Tartars in Hubei immediately, he must let these local officials fear Weihuaide." If they refused to provide food and forage, the Admiral had to attack them and make the others afraid; If the result is the same, whether they meet the Admiral's demands or not, the stubborn Tartar lackeys will look down on the Admiral. ”

Deng Ming pondered for a while and nodded: "Since that's the case, then let's just not go to them." ”

"I'm afraid that's not right." Ren Tang continued to analyze: "Now that I am strong and weak, some county orders have even fled out of the city, and even they know very well that they will never be able to defend the city. What about these cities? Did the Admiral send people to ask them to provide food and grass for our army? If the gentry in the city don't know each other, for example, if there are bold people who want to desperately earn a reputation from the captive court, and kill the envoy sent by the admiral, will the admiral retaliate or not? Siege or not? ”

Nanjing is good to say, after all, the city is high and the pool is deep, Deng Ming does not attack, and others will not think that Deng Ming is worried about the fate of the people in the city. But if you don't even dare to ask the officials to provide food and grass when passing through these prefectures, Deng Ming's psychology of throwing rats and traps will be seen through by others, and the Qing army will definitely take advantage of this in the future.

"Ren is not in charge of the army." Deng Ming sighed. Although he didn't want to bring disaster to the local people, he didn't have enough strength to let him act completely according to his own heart. After some consideration, Deng Ming felt that if he did nothing, he would be irresponsible to the Ming soldiers who served him: "We sent envoys to all the counties and towns along the way, ordering them to take the initiative to provide our army with food, grass and boats. In exchange, we will not attack their cities. Let the messenger be as careful as possible, and do not enter the city when the message is delivered, lest he be ambushed. If anyone dares to refuse our demands, then we will attack the city. ”

"Yes." The guards should say yes in unison. Soon Deng Ming's order was conveyed. While advancing, the Ming army ordered nearby villages and local tycoons to provide military supplies to the Ming army.

Two days passed, and what Deng Ming was worried about had not happened, and none of the heroes and gentlemen dared to refuse the request of the Ming army, and while strengthening the defense of their own dock fort, they sent people to send pigs and sheep, wine, grain, and local guides to the Ming army. What Deng Ming needs is for these heroes to show a tame posture, and the materials they send don't need to be many, as long as they show enough symbolic meaning.

After the good words had appeased the powerful and gentry servants in these places, the Ming army passed by their dock forts and mansions in strict discipline, and never stopped on their land.

"This is the so-called officers and soldiers, Wang Shi's meteorology," Ren Tang had already found that Deng Ming was not good at this way of winning people's hearts, so he took the trouble to explain various precautions to him. The local Haoqiang and the gentry contributed materials to the Ming army in exchange for verbal praise from the Ming army and the fact that the autumn had not committed any crimes—through this kind of transaction, Haoqiang told the Ming army that they would maintain a neutral attitude in the struggle for hegemony in the Ming and Qing dynasties; The Ming army, on the other hand, expressed its recognition of their status as gentry and acquiesced in their neutrality.

Shut down

"The old thief Hong Chengchou built a 5,000-mile defense line and set up a river defense to block the entry of Wang Shi, just to cut off the contact between Wang Shi and the gentry. As long as we do it properly, the scholars of Huguang will know that we are dignified kings, not some rogues who do not know the rules. Ren Tang was very satisfied with the appearance of the Ming army, and the behavior of the Ming army would be spread through these people. As long as this kind of armed march is carried out a few times, even if it does not attack the city and seize the land, it can effectively eliminate the fear and hostility of Huguang Haoqiang towards the Ming army. This will not only reduce the difficulty of recovering Huguang in the future, but also facilitate the establishment of rule: "But if someone dares to disobey the orders of the admiral and does not even give face, then even if he fights to lose his army, his family must be uprooted." ”

Compared with the local Haoqiang, the county seat is more troublesome. As an official appointed by the Qing court, the resistance of the county order was much stronger, and he was also lucky, hoping to seek a better future for himself by holding the city.

"Now the Huguang area is very empty, maybe they will give in." Ren Tang was afraid that Deng Ming would be soft-hearted again, so he gave him vaccinations again and again: "But if someone is not convinced, and the admiral wants to attack the city less and kill fewer people, he must not be polite to the recalcitrant county seat." ”

"I see." Deng Ming accepted the opinion sincerely, and at the same time began to reflect on his own behavior, why did he leave such an impression on Ren Tang? When he was in Gucheng and other places before, Deng Ming had never been soft on the stubborn Qing army.

However, before issuing an ultimatum to Huguang's prefecture, an envoy from Wuchang arrived at Deng Ming's camp.

"Zhou Juren? Rare, rare. Deng Ming looked at the old acquaintance in front of him, and felt that the other party showed some majesty that he had never had, and there was more confidence in his eyes: "What is the important thing for Zhou Juren to come?" ”

"Congratulations to the Admiral." Although it was already the beginning of October, Zhou Peigong still held a folding fan in his hand, and after saluting Deng Ming, he sat firmly on the chair given to him.

Since learning that the Ming army had returned to the division, the emergency messengers of the Guangdong Department of Hudong rushed to Wuchang Mansion one after another; After the Ming army passed through Jiujiang and other places, Jiangxi also sent people to report to Wuchang. After hearing the news, the Yamen, the governor of Liangjiang, did not send reinforcements, but sent Zhou Peigong, a negotiator, to the army, accompanied by some of Zhang Changgeng's newly promoted henchmen. Zhou Peigong was ordered to rush to the lower reaches of Wuchang in the starry night and was fully responsible for the defense of the provinces.

At this time, Deng Ming only had a few guards around him, and Ren Tang was among them—before Zhou Peigong arrived at the Ming camp, he was discussing with Deng Ming how to phrase the text to the prefecture and county. The other guards had all seen Zhou Peigong, but Ren Tang was the first time, and he didn't know anything about the deal between Zhou Peigong and Deng Ming—no one expected to see Zhou Peigong so early. These days, Ren Tang is busy teaching, and he doesn't know anything about the transactions under Wuchang City.

Knowing that Zhou Peigong on the other side was a friend or foe, but he showed a calm and relaxed attitude, Ren Tang was secretly strange, and said in his heart: "Good courage." ”

"Serve tea to Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Peigong took two sips of tea unhurriedly before he said slowly: "I came here this time to ask the Admiral for debts. ”

"Debts? What is owed? Deng Ming was suddenly confused.

"Ransom fee," Zhou Peigong smiled slightly, and took out a piece of paper from his sleeve: "This is the bill, please take a look at the Admiral." ”

Deng Ming did not inform Zhou Peigong before leaving Wuchang, and if Zhang Changgeng learned that Deng Ming was leaving and refused to pay the bill when he felt that there was no danger, Deng Ming would not be surprised. But what he didn't expect was that Zhang Changgeng not only continued to pay the ransom fee, but also made the Ming army owe a huge debt.

After taking Zhou Peigong's bill in his hand and reading it, Deng Ming suddenly felt that his head had become bigger, and hurriedly shouted: "I have invited Hu Shuai to discuss the matter." ”

Li Laiheng quickly rushed to Deng Ming's tent, and after he entered the tent, Zhou Peigong stood up and saluted: "Tiger Shuai." ”

"It turned out to be Zhou Juren." Li Laiheng immediately recognized the person who came, and a smile appeared on his face: "Zhou Juren has been doing well recently. ”

"Thanks to Hushuai's blessing, everything at home is ......" Zhou Peigong took out a brocade box from his arms like a trick: "I heard that Hushuai's son's birthday is coming, so I have prepared a thin gift, and I hope to accept it with a smile." ”

"Mr. Zhou is polite." Li Laiheng declined: "It's not good to let Mr. Zhou break the bank." ”

"It's just a little careful, it's not worth a few dollars." Zhou Peigong did not allow Li Laiheng to refuse, and forced the brocade box to him. Although I couldn't see what was inside, just by the jīng brocade box outside, I also knew that it would definitely not be cheap: "When Hu Shuai returns to Wuchang, the governor will have a birthday gift." ”

Seeing Li Laiheng chatting with the envoy of the Qing army opposite about his family's shortcomings, Ren Tang felt confused for a while: Is this still an enemy who does not share the sky? Why does it look like a deep old friend?

Li Laiheng couldn't refuse, so he had to put away the brocade box. Walking to Deng Ming's side, he glanced at the bill, and suddenly his expression changed suddenly, and he almost jumped three feet high, and shouted to Zhou Peigong: "How can I owe you so much money?" ”

At this time, Zhou Peigong had already sat down and was slowly sipping tea, and after hearing Li Laiheng's question, Zhou Peigong smiled and said: "The Admiral and the Tiger Shuai look down, and they are clearly written on them. ”

Deng Ming and Li Laiheng received less than two million taels of silver from Zhang Changgeng, and soon, Zhang Changgeng switched to grain, cloth, and ships to pay for the ransom of the city, but his kickback still had to be collected in gold. Later, Zhou Peigong persuaded the Ming army to accept armor and weapons, and at the same time won a kickback of twenty percent for Zhang Changgeng, plus Zhou Peigong's one percent intermediary fee, the Ming army had to pay a total of thirty percent and five percent of the remuneration.

When Zhou Peigong came to discuss weapons, armor, and raising the rebate rate, Deng Ming had already gone to Nanjing, so he didn't know about it. Li Laiheng was still there at the time, but there were already several teams of Ming troops sneaking through Wuchang at night, Li Laiheng was anxious to join the troops, and weapons and armor were urgently needed, so he didn't bargain much and agreed to Zhou Peigong's request.

As Zhang Changgeng kept delivering, the Ming troops who remained in Wuchang had to return a large amount of gold. As the price of gold continued to rise, the amount of silver in the Ming army's inventory decreased dramatically -- Zhou Peigong reached a very cunning agreement with Li Laiheng that Zhang Changgeng would only accept gold rebates, and every tael of gold would be converted into eleven taels of silver.

After learning that Deng Ming appeared in Nanjing, Zhang Changgeng did consider suspending the transaction for a while. But before he could make up his mind, he learned that the Qing army in Nanjing had been defeated, and even Lang Tingzuo, the governor of Liangjiang, had been captured by Deng Ming. So under the encouragement of Zhou Peigong and several henchmen and gentlemen, Zhang Changgeng continued to trade with the Ming army.

Zhang Changgeng and Zhou Peigong were both hit by Deng Ming's sugar-coated cannonballs, and after the two were sure that Deng Ming and Li Laiheng were not near Wuchang, they immediately made their sugar-coated cannonballs to hit Li Laiheng's officers, including: beautiful singers, jīng beautiful food, famous opera troupes, etc.

Although the responsible officers left by Li Laiheng were loyal to him, most of them were illiterate, and their previous lives had always been very poor, and they had never had the opportunity to enjoy it. What's more, there are several scheming gentlemen and scholars behind Zhou Peigong to help make suggestions. Soon, a group of officers who broke into the camp were caught by Zhou Peigong's sugar-coated shells, and they could not argue for the price of goods. Zhou Peigong not only succeeded in raising the price several times, but also successfully sold some high-priced goods to Chuang Ying, such as special all-iron spears and feather arrows equipped with barbs. These weapons are indeed of high quality, but the added value in them is also higher, needless to say that Zhou Peigong still asks for a sky-high price.

Now, Li Laiheng's left-behind troops have not only returned Li Laiheng's share of silver to Zhang Changgeng, but also spent half of Deng Ming's money, and also owed Zhang Changgeng a huge debt of 18,000 taels of gold. At the current gold price in Wuchang, it is about 300,000 taels of silver.

Li Laiheng didn't have so much money in his hands at all, and most of the silver he originally brought was used by his subordinates to marry his relatives, and part of the 200,000 taels of silver that Deng Ming gave him in Nanjing was also used for this. In addition, he had purchased some ships, and now he had less than 100,000 taels of silver left. Not only could he not repay the debt owed to Zhang Changgeng, but the embezzlement of Deng Ming's silver taels was even more astronomical.

Li Laiheng immediately announced loudly: "I will do the math carefully." ”

"Tiger handsome, please." Zhou Peigong nodded in agreement: "Naturally." ”

Soon someone took the abacus, and Li Laiheng sat on the side, watching his subordinates check the accounts one by one.