After questioning Wang Mingde and Hu Wenke successively, Deng Ming determined that Chóngqìng could not be attacked by relying on the strength in his own hands, but the naval divisions around Chóngqìng were not likely to threaten the Ming fleet. Since this is the case, the significance of concealing their whereabouts has not become very great, so Deng Ming asked Gao Mingzhan and Wang Mingde to pick a few henchmen to go back to the city to get coupons.

"Admiral Deng, the lower official wants to ask you to make it convenient." Gao Mingzhan saw that Deng Ming was so happy, and hurriedly put forward a new request.

"Governor Gao, but it doesn't hurt to say it."

"If we are captured again and again, it will be too ugly." Gao Mingzhan said to Deng Ming: "So the lower officials hope that Admiral Deng will not say that he has captured us, but will surround more than 100 of us in a valley, but you are in a hurry, and after a long time of attack, you will withdraw the siege yourself." ”

"It's easy to do." Deng Ming happily agreed: "But this may not be able to hide from the discerning person." ”

"That's our business, Admiral Deng don't worry." Gao Mingzhan is not too worried about this, this kind of thing is simply a concealment, chóngqìng is thousands of miles away from běijīng, even if something more outrageous happens, he is not afraid, and Shunzhi does not have clairvoyance and ears. Moreover, there are many grasshoppers on the same line as Gao Mingzhan now, and a large number of generals have been captured, even Daniel Zhang and they have also asked Deng Ming to return to a hundred pro-soldiers, and everyone works together to conceal the truth.

"When Chóngqìng has the Eight Banners of Garrison, you can't be so relieved, right?" Deng Ming asked with a smile.

"Admiral Deng is benevolent and righteous, what else do the subordinates have to worry about?" Before coming to ask Deng Ming, Gao Mingzhan and the others had already done the work of the Manchurian Niulu, who neither wanted to go back alive nor left the notoriety of being captured, so they hit it off with Gao Mingzhan. The plan is to say that they were not captured, but encountered the siege of Baideng, which was similar to that of Han Taizu, and finally Deng Xiongnu fell into the plan of the Qing army and took the initiative to evacuate. As for the person who accepted bribes to speak for the Qing army, it was naturally Mu Tan, and it just so happened that he also went out with the army this time.

"Okay." After the details were discussed, Deng Ming told Gao Mingzhan that he would lead the Ming army to continue to advance and would leave them behind: "Naturally, I can't let you go back in advance to inform our army of the truth and truth, although I think Governor Gao actually doesn't know anything." ”

"Does Admiral Deng still want to go to Wanxian?" Gao Mingzhan asked, he also expected this, Deng Ming definitely didn't come to hunt around chóngqìng, and the purpose of Deng Ming's return to such a light place was not chóngqìng.

"Well, that's good." Deng Ming nodded.

Soon Gao Mingzhan's messenger ran back and forth, bringing back the coupon from chóngqìng. After checking it clearly, Deng Ming ordered the release of the people, leaving Gao Mingzhan and the others on the shore.

When they broke up with Deng Ming, Gao Mingzhan and Wang Mingde came together again to thank Deng Ming, and the Manchurian Niu Lu also hid behind them with a complicated expression, looking at Deng Ming without saying a word.

"I estimate that in two days I will be able to pass the whole army through Guò Causeway Gorge, and then you will be able to chóngqìng." Deng Ming said casually: "The food left for you should be enough." ”

"Enough to eat. Admiral Deng is a great kindness, and the lower officials will never forget. Although they didn't understand Deng Ming's words too much, they probably understood that Gao Mingzhan had already understood that they were originally worried that Deng Ming would force them to persuade them to surrender to Chóngqìng, or bring people to disguise themselves to sneak attack the Qing army - although the possibility of success was not very large, Daniel Zhang and Zhao Liangdong were very well guarded, but then they would have no way back at all.

"Don't take it to heart, I have always believed that being captured and surrendering are two different things, and I have no intention of forcing the captives to surrender." Deng Ming waved his hand, boarded the boat and headed downstream.

"Capture, surrender." The ships of the Ming army were heading downstream, and the released Qing officers and soldiers were still pondering Deng Ming's words.

……

After the Ming army "withdrew", it was not until the fleet had all cleared Guò Causeway Gorge that the sailors of Chóngqìng sent two boats out of the Jialing River to pick up Gao Mingzhan and others, who were "surrounded" on the other bank, back to the city.

"This coupon is really interesting." The two Qing army officers discussed privately, and one of them said: "Deng Ming is indeed upright and trustworthy, and he will release him when he sees the certificate." ”

"Yes, it would be nice if I had one too, and when I met Deng Ming again, I could go home safely with the coupon as soon as I pulled out the coupon. This coupon is a talisman, much more spiritual than the Bodhisattva invited from the temple, foolproof. Another officer also praised him.

"It's a pity that you can only use it once," the first officer sighed lightly, "and besides, we don't have one." ”

"Something that can save lives, it's good once, people can't be too greedy, and besides, this thing, Governor Gao will definitely have more in the future, as long as he fights with Deng Ming a few more times." Another officer said disapprovingly: "My general also has a few, I have seen them once. ”

The second officer, who had also been captured by Deng Ming with his immediate superior, had been exchanged for a cow by his commander after the war, and had the good fortune to see Deng Ming's coupon with his own eyes, and he carefully described it to his companions.

"Can you be promoted to a very important person?" The first officer fled with Li Guoying, and he was dumbfounded when he heard it.

"Yes, why do you say that Deng Ming didn't want a cow and let Governor Gao, Wang Zongbing and the others, including my family, come back?" The captured officer asked.

The other Qing soldier thought for a long time and shook his head: "I don't know." ”

"I just think that sooner or later they will become very important people, this is a very important person to Deng Ming, but not a very important person to the imperial court."

"Why is it so important to Deng Ming?" The first officer's brain has not yet turned.

"Because the captives have to be exchanged for cattle, even the coupon is sent with enough cattle to have it. Do you think, if Governor Gao, General Wang, and my family have 500 officers and soldiers captured every year and have to go to Deng Mingyao, that is, they have to send Deng Ming 500 cows and harnesses every year, for Deng Ming, it is not important for a person to send him so many cattle every year, right? ”

"That's right, that's right." The first officer suddenly opened his mouth and slapped his thigh: "Your Excellency the Governor has worked hard for two years to transport more than 1,000 cattle from Shaanxi, if someone sends Deng Ming 500 cattle every year for three consecutive years, Deng Ming should not be called a very important person for life." ”

"That's the reason, that's why Deng Ming will return Governor Gao so happily, and if they don't let them come back, who will send cattle to Deng Ming in the future? If the Governor and General Zhang were caught by Deng Ming, do you think Deng Ming would let them go? The officer sneered: "In Deng Ming's eyes, I am at least worth a cow, and my family is the same as Governor Gao, so I will let it back for nothing if I don't want anything." I dare to say that Deng Ming is still looking forward to my family following Governor Gao to attack again, so that we will be captured by him again and again, and then exchange cattle from here again and again. ”

"Alas, it seems that I can't follow Governor Gao to fight Deng Ming in the future." The first officer shook his head and sighed: "You still have to be under General Zhang and Deputy General Zhao to rest assured." ”

"That's not right." The other person sneered: "If you look at General Zhang and Deputy General Wang, their subordinates are all gone, and less than one-fifth of them have returned, and the rest are missing, maybe they have been sold to the Tibetan barbarians in Chuanbian." Their subordinate Deng Ming refused to exchange a cow, and if they wanted to survive, they had to follow Governor Gao to rest assured. I've figured out the details of Deng Ming's background, and when I can't beat him, I just throw my weapon on the ground, squat on the ground with my head in my hands, or sit down......"

Shut down

Seeing the suspicious expression on his companion's face, the experienced officer snorted: "Don't believe it, Deng Ming just asked for this, there are no tricks, otherwise how dare I say that I have figured out all the details of him?" ”

At the request of his companion, the second Qing army officer immediately held his head and made a demonstration movement, while the other watched carefully and silently remembered it in his heart. After standing up, the second officer continued: "Catch up with the Ming must ask my family for a coupon, and when the crisis comes, I will first hold my head and squat, then take out the coupon, pat my ass and leave, hey, isn't there nothing to do?" If you don't have a discount coupon, you have to stay on Deng Ming's side with fear, for fear that if we don't have enough cattle here, we will be sold to Tibetan barbarians. ”

"Yes, yes, dude must help me get one too." After pondering for a while, a trace of puzzlement appeared on the face of the first Qing army officer: "I heard that several Manchurian soldiers who were 'surrounded' this time were also put back with a discount coupon." ”

"Yes, it's strange when I heard it just now, think about it carefully, the feelings are in Admiral Deng's heart, this Manchurian soldier is the same as us, that is, the price of a cow."

In the city of Chóngqìng, Manchurian Niulu, who had just returned safely, was also surrounded by his officers, and these subordinates came to ask for warmth.

Seeing that Niu Lu and the other four Manchurians were very popular, the other Manchurian soldiers were very surprised, and they originally suspected that these five people would not be able to come back alive in the end, and even if they did, they would have to be tortured to the point that they were not chéngrén, and most of them had become disabled.

However, when Niu Lu personally told his subordinates that they had not received any abuse in the past few days, the other Manchurian soldiers still felt incredulous, and it was a long time before one of them spoke: "I heard that Deng Ming did not embarrass us Manchurians in Jiangning, and at that time I thought that this rumor was too ridiculous, and I didn't think it could be true." ”

"yes."

"yes."

Many other Manchurian soldiers also felt the same way, and when they came to Sichuan to serve, they also received letters from Běijīng, and the fact that the Eight Banners of the Nanjing Garrison survived from the Ming military camp was repeatedly mentioned, and this unprecedented incident caused heated discussions in the circle of Běijīng bannermen. There are many people who think that this is Deng Ming's idea of surrendering to the imperial court, and there are also many people who think that Deng Ming cannot have such a good intention, their first thought is similar to the Eight Banners here in Chóngqìng, and they suspect that the capture of the banner people has been disabled by Deng Ming, and then put it back in a fake way. When they heard that the returned captives were all in hand, a large number of bannermen turned to support the former speculation, believing that Deng Ming's tendency to surrender to the imperial court was already obvious, and some relatives of the bannermen even sent envoys to immediately launch a recruitment operation, and even thought that Deng Ming should be rewarded. After Deng Ming broke the general view of the banner people with practical actions, they became even more puzzled, and even the high-level Manchuria could not say why.

When I came to ask Niu Lu for peace today, many Manchurians also brought ointment, but they couldn't use it.

"We haven't been hungry for the past few days," Manchurian Niulu said with a calm face: "That Deng Ming gave us food, it was fresh food, there was no rancidity, and no one peed in our rice bucket." ”

"Ahh There were more exclamations among the Manchurian soldiers, not only to feed the Manchurian prisoners, but also to defecate in the rice bucket, which was too good to imagine.

"When I broke up with that Deng Ming three days ago, I used to hear it...... Hearing him say......" With a lot of determination, Manchurian Niulu finally gritted his teeth and said to the people around him: "I heard him say, 'I guess it', and I don't know if I heard it wrong." ”

There was silence in the room, and after a while, there was an uproar, and several people jumped up regardless of etiquette: "Your Excellency, you must have heard it wrong!" ”

For Deng Ming, "estimating" was a very common colloquial language, but when it reached the ears of these Manchurian soldiers, it was like the sky was falling, and at this time it was still a Manchu word, and it did not dissolve into the běijīng dialect.

"I can't say for sure." Niu Lu retreated.

"No, you may have heard me right." Another captured Manchurian soldier suddenly shouted, he was also stunned just now, but at this time he jumped up, waved his arms vigorously and shouted, once when he was eating, Deng Ming came to inspect the treatment of prisoners, and said a word to him: "Deng Ming asked the villain to wipe the 'Harazi' clean and then reply to his words, and the villain thought he had heard it wrong." ”

The crowd was in an uproar, but apart from these two exceptions, there were no more discoveries.

"In general, Deng Ming hid it very well and couldn't see anything abnormal, both of which were his unintentional mistakes." After careful analysis, Niu Lu instructed everyone that these two discoveries should be kept secret, not to talk nonsense everywhere, and wait for the arrival of the senior officials stationed in the Eight Banners, and then report secretly, and finally Niu Lu also summed up: "If it weren't for this discovery, I wouldn't have compromised and would have come back alive to report." ”

……

After arriving in Wanxian, Deng Ming actually met Yuan Zongdi.

"Why didn't General Yuan return to Daning?" Deng Ming asked a little strangely.

"It's not that the admiral in Daning doesn't know that there is too little land." Yuan Zongdi told Deng Ming that he had just sought permission from Wen Anzhi to move his garrison from Daning to Wanxian, and Yunyang and other places would also be his defense area in the future. Although Wanxian and Yunyang are also mountainous areas, they have more arable land than Daning, I don't know how many times. After the First World War of Huguang, Yuan Zongdi's strength also expanded a lot, and if there was no military construction on this land, he would have had a headache about how to feed the increasing troops.

"Daning has salt." Deng Ming asked a little puzzled, when he first passed by Daning, he also asked Yuan Zongdi for some salt to make coils, and he didn't run out until Jianchang.

"Don't worry, Commander, I left some salt workers in Daning." Yuan Zongdi also thought that Deng Ming was worried about the military needs of the Ming army, so he told Deng Ming that Daning was still producing salt, and although Li Laiheng and their territory had expanded a lot, if they saved a little, it should be enough. In the past, Yuan Zongdi had to smuggle salt because he had no other production, but now that he had to get such a large defense area from Wen'an's hands, he couldn't wait to transfer all his manpower to produce grain.

"General Yuan is really holding a cornucopia and doesn't know how to use it." Deng Ming shook his head again and again when he heard this, and he told Yuan Zongdi that this time he was going to Huguang to force Zhang Changgeng to do salt trading with himself: "The Three Gorges are in our hands, and Huguang has lost its salt-producing land, so we can only rely on Hui merchants to transport Huai salt, which is not only expensive, poor quality, but also limited in quantity, if I were General Yuan, I would definitely not give up salt production." ”

However, Yuan Zongdi was not optimistic about Deng Ming's plan, and he believed that he should still focus on the production of grain: "If you have food in your hands, you don't panic in your heart, no matter how much salt you produce, you can't eat it as a meal at a critical time." The Admiral is not strange, with what the last general has seen, it is not appropriate to pin his hopes on Zhang Changgeng, he can buy our salt today, and he will not buy it tomorrow. And we farm our own land, and food grows from our land, and no one can take it away. ”

At first, Deng Ming thought that Yuan Zongdi was still old-fashioned thinking, that is, only self-sufficiency could make his heart steady, but Deng Ming thought about it and felt that Yuan Zongdi was not wrong, and Deng Ming also began to ponder the idea of selling salt to Huguang on the basis of ensuring Chengdu's grain output.

After listening to Deng Ming's explanation, Yuan Zongdi still disagreed: "Judging from the last general, there is always not too much food, since the land has not been reclaimed, it is better to reclaim more land than to waste manpower to make salt." If Zhang Changgeng didn't buy the Admiral's salt, wouldn't these strong men be in vain? ”

"Zhang Changgeng won't buy my salt?" Deng Ming laughed when he heard this, and gently patted the sword on his waist with his right hand: "He dares!" ”

"Since the Admiral has the confidence to win, why not attack Wuchang and occupy Huguang?" Yuan Zongdi felt that Deng Ming's strategy was completely different from what he knew, since ancient times, there was no business to do with the enemy, and it was even more bizarre to threaten the other party with force to agree to a deal, since force had the upper hand, it should be used to seize land. When the balance is reached, they will each farm, and when there is another imbalance, they will fight again, and the border will change again. Reaching equilibrium - losing equilibrium - reaching equilibrium, and so on and so on until the world is unified.

"I have a different opinion from General Yuan, if I seize a large area of land, I need to use my troops to defend, so as to lose the initiative, just like Wuchang, if I take it without defense, there is no point, if I defend, I will lose a large number of mobile troops, and I can't continue to oppress the Qing army of Baoning and Chóngqìng, giving them the opportunity to turn defense into attack. In order to ensure that I have an army capable of threatening all parts of the Yangtze River Valley, I would rather give up for the time being some of the land that I might be able to capture. Moreover, if I seize Wuchang by force from Zhang Changgeng's hands, my salt can certainly be sent to Wuchang, but it cannot be sent to Hunan, or even Jiangxi, Henan, and Fujian. And since I can threaten Wuchang's strength, I have to show Zhang Changgeng my strength and get what I want. ”

"Does the Admiral plan to salute first?" Yuan Zongdi realized.

"Yes, I once told a man that if my aim was to open a window, the best thing to do was not to beg the opponent to agree, but to threaten to tear the roof off, so that there would be no need to negotiate, and they would beg me to open the window lest I should lift the roof."

"If that's the case, General Liu will definitely be able to help the Admiral." Yuan Zongdi told Deng Ming, and Liu Tichun boasted that he had just made a breakthrough in blasting technology.