After the Hanyang general army was killed in battle, the yamen of Zhongxiang Mansion was soon broken by the Ming army, and the prefect and the county were killed. The Wuchang soldiers who fled to the east of the city were cornered, and most of them also surrendered to the Ming army.

Only a handful of people were able to escape outside the city walls during the battle, and because Yuan Zongdi had deployed a tight defensive line in the south of the city, very few Qing soldiers managed to escape from the Ming encirclement. It is said that only two Qing soldiers ran extremely fast, and it happened that they broke through in the area where the Ming army did not arrange horses, and the Ming infantry desperately chased after them, but they could not catch the two scuds.

After Liu Tichun broke through the mansion, he joined everyone victoriously. Because of his misjudgment of Zhong Xiangqing's army, he caused an hour-long gap crisis. After learning about the danger experienced at the gap, Liu Tichun was so angry that he wanted to kick the Hanyang general soldiers, and he scolded loudly: "This guy has almost 6,000 armor soldiers in his hands, what kind of city gate is blocked by so many people?" Why don't you go out of the city and set up camp. ”

Deng Ming comforted him and said: "That's fine, if the Tartars are stationed outside the city, we won't dare to blow up the city wall if we don't beat them back." I'm afraid it will take ten days and a half to defeat them, right? They don't block the city gates, and they won't be served by us in more than two hours. ”

From the beginning of the attack on Yunyang, the military strength of Liu Tichun and others swelled sharply, and several battles along the way captured a lot, and when they arrived in front of Zhongxiang City, the armor soldiers in the hands of the four generals of Kuidong had increased from 6,000 to more than 8,000 at the time of the battle. After Zhong Xiang's first battle, the Ming army's armor had reached nearly 14,000.

Of course, Hao Shaoqi obtained the most total amount of materials, after all, he sent the most troops this time; However, if you talk about the proportion of strength growth, no one can compare with Yuan Zongdi, originally before the war, everyone said that they would give a little more to Yuan Zongdi, and now he has been given two thousand pairs of armor and weapons. Almost all the auxiliaries brought out from Dachang have become armored soldiers, and now the main force of the auxiliaries carrying supplies has been the captured prisoners and temporarily recruited civilians.

A large number of Wuchang army equipment was seized in Zhongxiang, and the quality of this batch of armor and weapons was even better than the previous one. As before, Deng Ming was not involved in the distribution of equipment and prisoners.

Because Deng Ming promised not to kill the prisoners, Liu Tichun and the others did not intend to embarrass Deng Ming, they divided the remaining hundreds of soldiers in the pro-military camp into four parts, each took one share, and brought them back to their respective armies to monitor.

After being captured in large quantities, Yuan Zongdi's strength was almost restored to before the Battle of Chóngqìng, and he was now in a good mood, so he explained to Deng Ming the prisoner policy of this era.

"If the Admiral wants to fight Wuchang, these pro-soldiers and Wuchang soldiers are very useful," as Deng Ming proclaimed himself the Admiral of Jiangnan for a long time, and the title of the pro-guard and Kuidong generals towards him gradually changed, Yuan Zongdi said: "If the Admiral does not plan to take Wuchang, then these pro-soldiers are a burden to the army." ”

The Qing army armor soldiers captured in Yunyang and other places have been carefully screened, and all bachelors who have no family do have some strength or other outstanding points, and the generals of Kuidong may be used as combat soldiers; And those armored soldiers with families and wives and children, the Kuidong generals will take away their armor and organize these captives into the strong Ding team and use them as auxiliaries.

Even the auxiliaries who carry supplies are divided into two types: reliable and unreliable. Qing prisoners who had families and had never left the vicinity of their birthplace were the most unreliable, and they would neither willingly advance together when the Ming army attacked, nor would they follow the Ming army back to the Kuidong base when the Ming army retreated, they only wanted to stay near their hometown. Only when the Ming army was determined to occupy Yunyang, Xiangyang and other places for a long time did not worry too much about these people deserting.

As for the large number of Wuchang soldiers captured this time, some of them were the old troops who followed the Hanyang general army to fight in the south and the north, these people were the most dangerous in the eyes of the generals of Kuidong, and they were definitely not trustworthy, but most of them died in battle; There are also some jīng soldiers selected from all over Hubei, as long as these people have not settled in Wuchang, they can be used, Kuidong generals know that this kind of people are generally to earn military merits, eat military rations and do not care about leaving the country, this part of the captives was quickly divided up by Liu Tichun and them, and many of them were incorporated into the ranks of soldiers; The rest of the soldiers who had families in Wuchang were more troublesome, and if they continued to attack Wuchang, these soldiers might fight bravely to recapture their families, but if the Ming army retreated, they would definitely flee as well.

"Although the Admiral promised not to kill the captives, they didn't have many people, so if you surrounded them, there would be no trouble in killing them." Yuan Zongdi felt that Deng Ming promised the Hanyang general army too quickly, most of the surviving officers in these pro-military camps were old units who had followed the general army for many years, and the pro-soldiers were usually treated better, and they basically had families in Wuchang, according to the standards of the generals in Kuidong, these hundreds of people were the most dangerous group of people, and it was the best way to deal with them if they did not accept their surrender at the beginning.

"It's all the sons of the Han family, if the Tartars want to kill, we have to kill ourselves?" Deng Ming shook his head at Yuan Zongdi.

"The Admiral thinks that they are the sons of the Han family, but they don't think so, but they are all willing to shave their heads." Yuan Zongdi proposed a compromise solution: "Just continue to attack Wuchang, and we will let this rumor in the army, so that the Wuchang soldiers will follow us with all their hearts." ”

With the addition of the pro-military camp, there are more than 1,700 Wuchang soldiers who are burdened by families. When Yuan Zongdi launched an attack on Wuchang, he let these Wuchang soldiers take the lead along the way, so that the Wuchang soldiers could be used to consume the Qing army in Hubei, and they did not break their promise not to kill prisoners.

Deng Ming knew that Yuan Zongdi's establishment was exactly the concept of this era. The Qing court also did the same, for example, after Wu Sangui broke through Guizhou, he selected more than 30,000 Ming army prisoners from Yunnan to form a cannon fodder force to take the lead. After capturing Kunming, it was planned to let the surrendered army of Xiying be the vanguard to pursue Li Dingguo.

Deng Ming believes that accepting surrender is to make the enemy lay down his arms and stop resisting, rather than forcing the other party to be a traitor, and that prisoners and traitors should be two completely different concepts; However, in this era, it seems that surrender and rebellion are similar concepts, and captives who refuse to defect will be regarded as refusing to surrender, and there is no psychological burden for the victor to execute them.

Before the Battle of Zhongxiang, the generals of Kuidong may still have the heart to continue to march to Wuchang, because of the repeated victories, so that the generals of Kuidong are eager to get more loot; But after the Battle of Zhongxiang, the generals of Kuidong no longer had much desire to continue the attack, and they hoped to be able to return to the base and digest the fruits of victory.

For example, Yuan Zongdi, although he had a large number of auxiliaries wearing captured armor, these people still needed to be trained to become useful combat soldiers; Before the expedition, the generals of Kuidong planned to move some of the population back to their base areas, but now the Ming army has seized large tracts of land, and the population of these places is too large for them to move; The armies from all over Anlu Mansion were concentrated in the Fucheng Zhongxiang and were wiped out by the Ming army, and now there are no Qing troops in Anlu Mansion and Xiangyang Prefecture, and the Ming army can collect this year's grain tax from the people, which also requires a large number of people to transport back to Kuidong.

In addition to economic considerations, there are also military concerns.

Although the number of soldiers of the Ming army increased dramatically, because most of them had just been transformed from auxiliaries to soldiers, the actual increase in military strength was far less astonishing than it seemed; There are many areas that the Ming army needs to defend, and Yunyang, Gucheng, Xiangyang and other places need to be guarded against the recapture of the Qing army, otherwise the communication of Hanshui will be cut off, and the work of the Ming army to carry materials and population will become more difficult, and the army will have to take a rugged land route when returning to the Kuidong base area.

Although it has not been made public, there is a consensus among the generals of Kuidong that it is time to slow down and first control the territory they have occupied, collect autumn grain, and move the population. If there are more Kui Dongming troops coming out, then fighting Wuchang can also be discussed again, but the most important thing at the moment is to defend rather than continue to attack.

After listening to Yuan Zongdi's explanation, Deng Ming was noncommittal, and went to Liu Tichun to ask him what he thought of Wuchangbing.

As Deng Ming expected, Liu Tichun thought that Yuan Zongdi's plan was very good and had great viability.

Liu Tichun felt that the Ming army could first create momentum, threatening to take Wuchang, and then take Jiangxi and Nanjing, and then let the captured Wuchang soldiers go to storm the city on the road to the south. If the city is captured, the capture inside will be for nothing for the Ming army; When the Ming army begins to retreat, these Wuchang soldiers will definitely flee in large numbers, and they will still be Qing soldiers when they go back, so it is better to consume them as soon as possible.

"If they really have a smooth journey and reach Wuchang City, we will lead our troops to supervise the battle and let them continue to attack Wuchang City. Defeating them is naturally the best, and if they can't be defeated, they will be killed on the charge of fearing the enemy. Let the Qing soldiers kill each other, and no one can say that the admiral killed the prisoners. ”

Liu Tichun thought that with more than 1,700 Wuchang soldiers, he would definitely not be able to defeat Wuchang, but it would be good to be able to consume this batch of prisoners, and if some losses were caused to the Qing army, it would be an additional gain. In particular, those prisoners of the pro-military camp should be used to form death squads and let them go to the ant to attack the city. Keeping them not only takes care of food every day, but also scatters them in the army and sends people to carefully monitor them to prevent them from making trouble.

"What if we let them go?" Deng Ming tentatively put forward his own ideas: "Let them go back and promote the benevolence and righteousness of our army, and more people will surrender when the two armies face off in the future." ”

"Our army is already very benevolent and righteous, and besides, it is enough to have these people from Zhong Xiang to preach for us." Liu Tichun shook his head disappreciably and said, "Didn't we kill the captives of Xiangyang Mansion and Anlu Mansion?" Those who are willing to go with us to Kuidong, we also help them carry their families, and we do not force those who are not willing to go with us, and the benevolence and righteousness of our army will soon be famous all over the world. ”

Compared with the Qing army, the camp does treat prisoners more preferentially, but the objects of their preferential treatment are prisoners who have no threat such as government soldiers and county soldiers, and the prisoners of Wuchang soldiers, especially those in the pro-military camp, are not within the scope of preferential treatment.

Deng Ming no longer talked about this matter with Liu Tichun, as for what opinions Hao Shaoqi and He Zhen would have, they knew it without asking. As soon as the battle of Zhongxiang ended, He Zhen hurriedly collected all the weapons and equipment of the Wuchang soldiers. He Zhen was given a part of the prisoners in the pro-military camp and put him in charge of surveillance, and it is said that he was sent to do the heaviest and most dangerous work; And Hao Shaoqi was even more straightforward, understanding that Jian Yiyi Deng Ming didn't care about any promises, and quickly pitted these dangerous elements, trying to save his worries.

More than 500,000 taels of silver were seized in Anlu Province. Deng Ming had never asked for any loot before, but this time he came forward and said that he should have a share as well. There will be no reason for Kui Dongzhong to refuse. First of all, the method of blasting the city wall was taken out by Deng Ming; secondly, he was the commander-in-chief of an army, at least nominally; Again, the Hanyang General Army was blocked by Deng Ming's people; In the end, this operation showed that it was important for Deng Ming to master a force, and he needed more than a dozen personal guards.

Deng Ming announced that he wanted one-fifth of the silver, that is, 100,000 taels. Part of this silver was to be used to reward the officers and soldiers of the troops that were about to be formed, and most of it was entrusted to Yuan Zongdi to transport it back to Fengjie Wen'an.

"Give me all those Wuchang soldiers who have families." Deng Ming said to the four generals that he didn't need the other captives at the moment.

"What does the Admiral want these wolf cubs for?" When Hao Shaoqi heard this, he hurriedly dissuaded: "No matter how much the admiral puts his heart into his heart, these wolf cubs are not familiar with them." ”

"I don't plan to raise them well, but I want to exercise my ability to set up camp and arrange troops, they are all veterans, and it is more convenient to do." Deng Ming explained.

The generals are still not worried about Deng Ming's safety, and Liu Tichun even emphasized that this kind of action to attract people's hearts is extremely risky, but it has little effect.

"Of course I won't live in the army, and I know that they may make trouble when they gather together, so you will each lend me a hundred jīng soldiers first, so that I can keep an eye on them."

The generals couldn't resist Deng Ming, so they handed over all the Wuchang soldiers to him. Although just one day has passed, Hao Shaoqi and He Zhen have already killed several soldiers from the pro-military battalion. While handing over these dangerous captives to Deng Ming, each of them sent a hundred heavily armed soldiers to strengthen their security efforts.

Through the interrogation of the prisoners, the Ming army knew that Wuchang was extremely empty now, and even if the Qing troops in Huangzhou Mansion and other places were all assembled in Wuchang, Hu Quancai would not be able to assemble a field force that could pose a greater threat to the Ming army. Therefore, everyone hurriedly dispersed to the counties, controlled the entire territory of Anlu Prefecture, and seized the time to collect supplies and recruit warriors.

Only Deng Ming stayed in Zhongxiang City honestly, and he was training troops for two days in a row. It is very advantageous to bring a more experienced army, the military discipline of these soldiers is far better than that of ordinary miscellaneous armies, and Deng Ming soon added a lot of knowledge to the arrangement of troops under the guidance of Zhao Tianba and others.

Hao Shaoqi and He Zhen were not in Zhongxiang at this time. Deng Ming built a simple ladder in the south of the city, brought his army to the bottom of the ladder, and then walked up to give a lecture to the Wuchang soldiers.

Before he began to speak, Deng Ming ordered that each Wuchang soldier be given one tael of silver.

After receiving the silver, these Wuchang soldiers cheered loudly to Deng Ming in accordance with the practice in the army in the past, and swore to come in the water and go in the fire. However, Deng Ming didn't believe it at all, they had received too many benefits from the Hanyang General Army in the past.

"This is not a military salary," Deng Ming knew that these people had misunderstood, thinking that he planned to organize them into an army, and after climbing the ladder, Deng Ming said to the nearly two thousand Wuchang soldiers in front of him: "This is the severance pay for you." ”

There was an uproar in the audience, and the Ming soldiers who were responsible for controlling the prisoners were as surprised as the Wuchang soldiers.

"I have no territory, no taxes, and I did think about keeping you soldiers when I asked you to come two days ago, but after two days of careful consideration, I found that I could not afford to raise so many troops. It would be better to dismiss you now than to wait until you can't pay your military pay to watch you mutiny. ”

Deng Ming pointed to the guide: "One tael of silver per person, enough for you on the way home." Before you leave the barracks, I only need you to swear an oath: On the way home, whether you take a boat or eat, you will pay for it, and you will not burn, kill, loot, or bully the people along the way. ”

Wu Changbing was suspicious when he heard it, and he didn't know if Deng Ming was playing some game of cat and mouse. There are also people who conclude that this is a capture of yù, and whoever is the first to go out will definitely be dragged and beheaded. Although they were thinking about Wuchang's family, most of them stayed on the sidelines for the time being, hoping that someone else would come forward first to test the depth of the water. There are also some people who simply shouted that they didn't plan to return to Wuchang at all, even if they abandoned their wives and children, they would follow Deng Ming to fight the world.

Hearing this obviously insincere sentence, Deng Ming laughed: "Okay, even if you plan to break the family, at least go home first to report your safety." Now that Zhong Xiang's victory or defeat is estimated to have been transmitted back to Wuchang, your family still doesn't know how anxious they are. Go back and see your parents and your wife first, and let them know that you are still alive. If you want to come back to me if your ambitions remain the same, I would welcome you to do so. It's just that I said in advance, I don't have any military pay here, and you have to work for me for nothing. ”

It was only at this time that most of the Wuchang soldiers believed that they really wanted to let them go back to reunite with their families.

After the first thank you sounded, more and more Wuchang soldiers gave their praises to Deng Ming, and this time their voices sounded much more sincere than when they received the silver just now.

"This is what your commander asked for for you with his life, and since I agreed to him, of course I will not embarrass you." Deng Ming waved his hand and asked the Wuchang soldiers in the audience to leave quickly, and not to stop in Zhongxiang for more.

Some Ming army officers came to persuade them, but Deng Ming was unmoved.

Zhou Kaihuang also came to Deng Ming's side and whispered: "If the matter of the Admiral reaches the ears of the Jingguo Gong, I don't know what they will think?" ”

"I'm the Admiral of Jiangnan," Deng Ming replied with a smile, "I don't need to worry about what General Yuan will think." ”

"Your Highness is benevolent, blessed to the sky!"

When he was answering with Zhou Kaihuang, suddenly a shout came from the audience. The person who uttered this shout was a soldier from the former Hanyang General Army's personal barracks. For two days, he had always thought that even if he was not killed by the Ming army, he would not have a chance to meet his family in this life, or he would be taken away by the Ming army, or his family would be treated as a rebel by the Yamen, the governor of Huguang. Every night when he thought about it, the soldier felt that life was worse than death, and secretly wept in the camp.

The legend that Deng Ming was a child of the clan spread widely in Huguang, and it was not allowed to be openly talked about in the Qing army, nor was it allowed to be talked about in the Ming army. But the soldier didn't expect to be able to return home alive, and he no longer had any scruples in his excitement, so he knelt on the ground, kowtowed a few times at the tower where Deng Ming stood, and swore loudly: "Your Highness's order, how dare the villain disobey?" The villain will remember the great virtue of His Royal Highness in this life, and he will never indiscriminately hurt people's lives in the future, and he will definitely give money for meals! ”

Infected by this soldier, the Wuchang soldiers expressed their gratitude to Deng Ming on the ladder platform, and at the same time promised that they would never oppress the good on the way back to Wuchang, and if a companion deceived His Highness's money, they would not stand idly by.

Although it is often misunderstood for the clan, it is still rare for thousands of people to chant His Highness together, and the last time I encountered this scene was when I was in Wanxian. Deng Ming shook his head helplessly and left with the guards and guards.