Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 68: The Golden-Armored White Horse Crosses the Chasm, and the Ten-Li Swords Are All Backflowing
As the setting sun dyed the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City blood-red, a yellow horse rushed through Zhengyang Gate to the sound of evening drums.

The general on horseback suddenly pulled the reins, looked at the towering palace and took a deep breath. His dusty armor glowed dark red in the afterglow.

He dismounted, clasped his hands together and shouted.

"I, General Huang Degong of Luzhou, obey the imperial edict and come to the defense of the king!"

The pupils of the captain of the Jinyiwei guards on duty at the palace gate shrank slightly.

The tiger general in front of him was more than eight feet tall. There were three claw marks on his left cheek running from his brow to his jaw, and there were blood stains between his beard.

It is said that in the winter of the third year of the Tianqi reign, this man strangled a bear to death with his bare hands in Changping and was named Huang Chuangzi.

Being stared at by such a fierce general, the captain felt a little uneasy, but he still performed his duties, "General, please put down your weapons."

Huang Degong's eyes were as big as copper bells, and his curly beard trembled with his heavy breathing. The captain thought he was another leader who was in control of his own army.

Unexpectedly, the eight-foot tall man calmly took off the big knife from his waist and handed it to the captain together with twenty taels of silver ingots.

He forced an ugly smile on his face.

"My Lord, I wonder what the Emperor has called me to do in such a hurry to come to your aid?"

The captain breathed a sigh of relief. He took the sword but not the silver ingot. He saluted Huang Degong respectfully and said, "General, please don't be so polite. I don't know what the emperor is doing. Please come into the palace quickly."

Huang Degong was a little surprised. In the past, didn't one have to spend dozens of taels of silver to enter the palace?

Why don’t the Jinyiwei even accept silver now?

Just as I was wondering, I suddenly saw twelve pairs of dragon-patterned palace lanterns winding down from the steps, and the gilded palace gate slowly opened with a creaking sound.

"The Emperor has issued a verbal order. General Huang has been exhausted from the journey, so it is inappropriate to set too many rules. I have granted him the sword and shoes to enter the palace!"

The clear voice startled the crows on the eaves.

Huang Degong looked up and saw Wang Chengen standing by the palace gate with a smile on his face.

He hurriedly tried to salute, and his iron mesh skirt armor hit the stone steps, sending out sparks.

Wang Chengen stopped him and said, "General Huang, please don't bother me. The Emperor is waiting for you. Go quickly."

Huang Degong had to rush into the palace.

As soon as I arrived at the open space in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, I saw Zhu Youjian standing on the last step of the steps with his hands behind his back.

Huang Degong was flattered by this treatment. How could he have deserved the emperor to come out of the palace to greet him?

Regardless of whether he was wearing armor or not, Huang Degong immediately knelt on the ground with great respect.

"I am Huang Degong, the general of Luzhou." The man with a voice as loud as a bell actually stuttered at this moment.

"Hushan, please don't be so polite. We have to ride at full speed all the way. It's really hard for you, Hushan." Zhu Youjian blurted out his courtesy name and personally stepped forward to help Huang Degong up.

The latter was almost crying.

In a daze, Zhu Youjian supported him by the arm and walked him into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Huang Degong didn't come to his senses until Zhu Youjian asked him about it.

"Do you know why I asked you to come here alone?"

Huang Degong had cold sweat on his forehead and his Adam's apple rolled several times.

On the way here, he had imagined countless dialogues between the emperor and his ministers, but at this moment he felt as if his spine had been pulled out.

The emperor's voice was gentle and clear, but it made him feel breathless. It was as if a tiger was staring at the back of his neck, and a chill ran through his whole body.

The words came to his lips, but he still couldn't say anything to ask for mercy. In his words, "I am stupid."

Zhu Youjian walked over to the map beside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, his fingertips tracing the winding curves of the terrain outside the capital. "In the second year of the Tianqi reign, you were a guerrilla commander, leading 300 men to defend Xifengkou. The three Niulu of the Jiannu took turns attacking for seven days, and finally, you led 17 cavalrymen to attack the enemy camp at night."

At this point, Zhu Youjian suddenly turned around and said, "In the Battle of Ruzhou in the eighth year of Chongzhen, you were hit by six arrows but still wielded your sword and led the remaining troops to fight their way out of 80,000 bandits. Why do you think I called you here? Hushan, don't play dumb. This court has long been different."

Huang Degong suddenly looked up and met the emperor's scorching gaze.

Only then did he realize that the emperor was only in his thirties, but the vicissitudes of life between his brows were more obvious than those of the old soldiers from Liaodong.

The most terrifying thing is those eyes, which seem to be able to see through the armor and pierce the heart and lungs.

"Your Majesty." His voice trembled. For the first time in twenty years, he felt the armor was as heavy as a yoke.

I wanted to lower my head to avoid that gaze, but my neck felt like it was nailed down and I couldn't move.

Zhu Youjian suddenly laughed.

He took off the sword from his waist and threw it to Wang Chengen, "Please take a seat and serve tea."

When Huang Degong was holding the Yue Kiln Secret Color Tea Cup, at a loss, Zhu Youjian had already pointed at the map and talked about the business, "Hushan should also know about the rectification of the Ministry of War."

"From now on, military commanders no longer have to rely on the civil officials for their livelihood."

"But this requires an opportunity, and that opportunity is to repel the million-strong invading army outside the city! Does Hushan understand?"

Huang Degong knew about this on the way here. The reason why he was so cautious was that he didn't want to get involved in this dispute between civil and military officials.

He didn't have much political acumen; he only knew how to fight on the battlefield and serve his country and the emperor.

But now His Majesty wants him to take up the position of military commander. How can he, a mere hunter, be qualified and capable of this?

"Your Majesty, I..." Huang Degong looked up and wanted to make an explanation, but his eyes fell on Zhu Youjian's face which showed neither joy nor anger.

A feeling of powerlessness that made me dare not resist suddenly rose in my heart again.

"I only know how to fight in battle, nothing else. I will do whatever Your Majesty says!"

Zhu Youjian nodded and said calmly, "I am preparing for a decisive battle with Chuangni tomorrow."

"What!?" Huang Degong almost jumped up in shock. "Isn't Chuangni known as a millionaire?"

"Although the rebels claim to have a million men, their actual combat forces are only 50,000 soldiers from the old camp, 400,000 of whom are refugees, and the rest are surrendered soldiers from various counties and prefectures, totaling 160,000." Zhu Youjian replied.

Huang Degong felt a little relieved after hearing the specific details. The actual combat power was only 200,000, which was not too scary.

In his heart, he had already prepared himself to face the 400,000-strong rebel army.

My heart was burning with passion. "If that's the case, I only need 300,000 troops to defeat the rebels!"

"I can only give you 120,000." Zhu Youjian immediately poured a basin of cold water on him.

"what?"

"Don't worry, Hushan. These 120,000 are all elite soldiers. The 3,000-man battalion has 35,000 cavalrymen. They are all reorganized from the Guanning Army and the old 3,000-man battalion. They are all fully armored."

"The 50,000 troops in the Five Army Camps have undergone simple training and are guaranteed not to be easily defeated. They consist of the new troops under the clear banner, 10,000 border troops, and 5,000 elite troops."

"There are still 40,000 militiamen in the city available for deployment."

"Does Hushan think he can defeat the bandits?"

Huang Degong didn't expect that there were so many elite soldiers in the capital. He was a little surprised for a moment, and the teacup made a slight crisp sound in his palm.

"If it's really as Your Majesty said, I'm afraid it won't work. Among the refugees, surrendered soldiers, and old camps, the surrendered soldiers are the most difficult to deal with."

Zhu Youjian's eyes flashed, "Fifty thousand new troops, can't stop 160,000 surrendered troops?"

"The new army will deal with the refugees."

"Wouldn't the refugees collapse at the first touch?" Zhu Youjian asked with some confusion. He really didn't take the refugees seriously.

Huang Degong ignored etiquette and quickly walked over to the map, describing it with gestures, "The refugees may seem like a mob, but with 400,000 people crammed together, even if the front group tried to escape, they would be pushed forward by the back group."

He traced his fingers from the main camp of the rebel army to Desheng Gate. "If we don't use heavy troops to cut off the enemy or cavalry to break through the enemy lines, the mountains of corpses will pile up on the city walls."

The hall gradually fell into silence.

Huang Degong suddenly realized that he was giving orders in front of the emperor, and cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes.

Just as he was about to kneel down and apologize, he heard Zhu Youjian ask quietly, "What if the 3,000-man battalion charged the refugees?"

"Your Majesty, how could a rebel gather the refugees together?"

"If my guess is correct, the rebels will definitely organize the surrendered troops into a separate army, and the 400,000 refugees will definitely be divided into several or even dozens of large formations, with the old thief supervising the battle and serving as the main force in the siege."

"Although the 3,000-man battalion is composed of cavalry, they have charged dozens of enemy lines in a row, and the refugees haven't yet dispersed. I'm afraid the 3,000-man battalion will run out of horsepower first and fall into the enemy lines. By then, the old battalion will be left without any troops to respond."

After hearing Huang Degong's words, Zhu Youjian fell into deep thought again.

It is exactly as he said.

If the refugees were not taken care of, the 400,000-strong army would be enough to overwhelm any force. If the refugees were taken care of, the hundreds of thousands of surrendered troops would become the main force and could provide support in all directions.

He had to deal with both of the above, and Li Zicheng's most elite soldiers in the old camp were unable to handle it.

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Youjian asked again, "If I give you 3,500 armored cavalrymen who are even more elite than the Jiannu white-armored soldiers, how will this battle turn out?"

"Really?" Huang Degong's eyes widened, and the armor leaves rustled.

Zhu Youjian did not explain, but simply asked ten Black Armored Soldiers who had been hiding around the Hall of Supreme Harmony to come out.

When he saw the black-armored cavalry, fully armored and with astonishing power, slowly marching out with murderous intent, the man who never frowned even when faced with swords and axes actually staggered half a step.

"With these guys, maybe we have a chance of winning?"

Huang Degong's throat rolled, and the bloody battle of Hunhe in the first year of Tianqi appeared before his eyes.

If those southern soldiers who charged under the rain of arrows and those Sichuan soldiers who tore the Jiannu with their teeth were really so elite, why would they need to fight head-on?
He also thought that these extremely elite heavy cavalry were the key to determining victory or defeat.

"If all 3,500 cavalry are equipped like this, this battle will be won!"

He pointed his finger heavily at the location of the rebel army's central camp, "If we have this heavy cavalry, then the rebels' old bandits will not be a problem. Your Majesty, just watch. With the new army and the strong men from the people, we can stop the refugees together. The three thousand iron cavalry will take advantage of the situation and rush out to kill the generals and go straight to the surrendered army. The surrendered army will be devastated and unstoppable. The rebels will definitely send the old bandits out to fight. When the enemy formation is loosened, these elite heavy cavalry will rush out from the flank and directly attack the enemy's nest!"

"When the central army falls, the old bandits from all over will come to reinforce, and the refugees and surrendered troops will surely be scattered. Then our royal army will attack together and defeat the rebels!"

"Okay!" Zhu Youjian roared.

After Huang Degong's words, Zhu Youjian suddenly had a much clearer understanding of the war.

Looking at the map, he continued, "The key to this battle lies in whether the 3,000-man battalion can put enough pressure on the surrendered troops and draw out the old battalion soldiers, right?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Huang Degong complimented. For some reason, he suddenly felt his armor become much lighter, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. "I beg your command to lead the Black Armor Cavalry in the charge!"

"No." Zhu Youjian tapped the map lightly. "All matters concerning the decisive battle will be decided by Hushan. As the General of Conquering the Enemy, how can you personally lead this battle?"

"Huh???" Huang Degong was truly stunned this time. He was just a general from out of town, with no achievements and no soldiers. How could he possibly compete with all the generals and nobles in the city?
Before he could wake up, Zhu Youjian continued, "Tomorrow I will personally lead the 3,000-man battalion to charge the enemy. After we take Tiger Mountain, you can prepare for the rest of the battle on your own."

"Absolutely not!" Huang Degong almost threw himself in front of the imperial desk, "The son of a wealthy family cannot sit idle in the hall! War is dangerous, and the three thousand troops are even more dangerous. If..."

"In the past, Emperor Chengzu led five expeditions to the northern desert, and Emperor Wuzong personally captured Yingzhou. I only led a large army to attack the surrendered soldiers. What's the danger? There is no need to say more on Hushan. I have made up my mind." Zhu Youjian stood up with his sword in hand. The candlelight cast his figure on the Nine Frontiers Map, like a giant dragon entwined in the mountains and rivers.

"Issue an order that General Huang Degong, the conqueror, take command of the capital's defense. All generals are to obey orders tonight!"

When the drum of the night watch sounded at midnight, Huang Degong walked out of the Meridian Gate holding the seal of the General of Conquering the Enemy.

He looked back at the palace and suddenly found that the lights in the Forbidden City were bright, and elite soldiers patrolling everywhere could be vaguely seen.

The night fog covered the Jinshui Bridge. The old general touched the general's seal in his arms and felt that the heavy night was not so cold anymore.

……

Huang Degong did not sleep all night, or rather, he had not slept for five consecutive days.

Ever since he received the emergency transfer order, his expression has been tense.

By yesterday evening, the emperor had entrusted him with another important task, which made him even more afraid to rest.

Fortunately, all the generals in the city cooperated very well.

Even the prime minister, who used to have to kneel down to greet him, now calls him Huang Shuai.

This made him even more flattered and he dared not relax at all.

He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he always felt that something had changed in the capital.

As long as he gave an order, these once high-ranking ministers and nobles would spare no effort to carry it out.

When the morning sun just rose and the wilderness outside Desheng Gate was outlined in the morning mist, the 100,000-strong army had already formed into three square formations with their backs against the city wall.

The Five Army Battalions wore red mandarin duck battle jackets, held spears and shields, and formed a fish-scale formation. In the center of the formation were a hundred artillery pieces operated by the Four Thousand Divine Machine Battalion.

Behind the formation, 40,000 militiamen were holding various weapons. Although they did not wear the same clothes, they all wore red cloth scarves on their heads.

At the forefront were three thousand Tiger Guards and one thousand Brave Guards, responsible for stabilizing the position.

Three thousand battalions of cavalry had already made preparations at Anning Gate.

On the city wall, Huang Degong leaned against the battlements and looked into the distance. Seven miles away, the rebel army camp was rising with dust that covered the sky.

"Report!"

Dozens of scouts shuttled back and forth on the city wall, reporting the movements of the invading troops one by one.

"The rebels' vanguard of 100,000 troops is five miles from the city. The left and right wings, each with 100,000 troops, are marching towards Anding Gate and Guangqu Gate!"

Huang Degong's beard trembled, and the three claw marks on his left cheek looked as ferocious as a living creature in the morning light.

"Order the Shenji Battalion to prepare, and the Hu Ben and Yong Wei Battalions to prepare to withstand the impact."

At this moment, after breaking through the enemy lines, Li Zicheng looked at the thin Ming army defense line in the distance, tapping the gilded saddle with his gold-inlaid whip and asking, "Does the Zhu family kid really want to hit a stone with an egg?"

Niu Jinxing chuckled, "Prince Shun, please look, the Ming army's rear is mostly made up of armed civilians, and the central army's formation is loose. This is a godsend opportunity. We should close in on them and force the Guanning army out of the city to provide assistance."

Li Zicheng nodded in agreement and said, "Order Liu Zongmin's front troops will attack the city, the left and right armies will surround it, and the central army will be ready."

The command flags and drums sounded loudly on the spot.

Thirty-six large flags with the word "Chuang" were erected in the front army formation, and one hundred thousand refugees were driven forward by the swordsmen and axemen, like black turbid waves hitting the red formation.

Seeing the front army getting closer and closer, Huang Degong was not moved at all.

Until a roar came from the watchtower on the city wall, "Four hundred steps!"

Huang Degong then shouted, "Shenjiying release!"

Let the flag wave.

Hundreds of cannons suddenly spewed out flames, and solid lead bullets flew over the heads of the tiger guards in front of the formation.

Falling into the front row of the rebel army, the refugees fell like wheat being cut, but more refugees were forced by the spears behind them to step over the corpses of their companions and continue to approach the main formation.

The 200,000 rebel troops on the left and right wings gradually formed a siege, and the new army's front was slowly retreating under pressure.

"Raise the flag!"

Huang Degong roared again, and a large black banner embroidered with "General Huang, the Conqueror of the Enemy" was slowly raised.

Completely attract the attention of the 300,000 rebel troops.

"Three thousand camps are out!"

At a command, the An Ning Gate burst open!

Thirty-five thousand cavalry poured out like a torrent.

Zhu Youjian was dressed in golden armor and rode a white horse in the front, with twelve dragon flags rolling like clouds behind him.

The loud sound of horse hooves shook the earth to crack.

Li Zicheng had long anticipated that these 30,000 Guanning Iron Cavalry would launch a surprise attack. He raised his hand calmly and said, "The surrender troops will take the top of the camp, and the central cavalry will wait for the opportunity to move."

The 160,000 surrendered soldiers moved slowly to the sound of war drums, with large flags like a forest in the shape of a chain. Following the military order, they formed a large battle formation stretching ten miles in length.

Zhao Youtian stood in the third row of the square formation, listening to the sound of horse hooves getting closer and closer, cold sweat broke out on his hands.

"Third team! Set up your spears!"

The old battalion captain who was supervising the battle rode his horse past the front of the formation, and his scimitar hit the shield with a thud.

Zhao Youtian mechanically lowered the tip of his spear, and caught a glimpse of his young fellow villager's calves trembling. The boy was only sixteen years old and had been swept in when the city was broken.

Even though Zhao Youtian was even more frightened, he couldn't help but comfort her, "Don't be afraid...don't be afraid. I have a good brother who is a captain in the government army. He said the emperor won't kill us, no..."

As he was speaking, a golden light suddenly appeared before his eyes. Looking up, he saw a general in golden armor rushing at the front of the cavalry formation, with twelve dragon flags following behind him!
Zhao Youtian's nails dug deep into the spear shaft, and his breathing almost stopped.

His subconscious told him that this was the emperor he was thinking about in his dreams every day.

The emperor who stood up for the poor, distributed porridge to refugees, distributed fields and land, and brought good days to the people of the world!

He was not the only one who had this idea in his mind. Hundreds of people in the Yongwei Camp went to publicize it every day, and most of the hundreds of thousands of surrendered soldiers had reached a consensus.

The emperor is the best man in the world. If you follow him, you can live a good life, have enough food to eat, and reunite with your family!
As the emperor's figure approached a foot closer, the half-piece of pancake in his arms became hotter.

"It's the Holy Emperor!" The old soldier in the front row suddenly whimpered, and his white beard under his iron helmet shook violently.

Strange ripples appeared throughout the phalanx, and hundreds of thousands of surrendered soldiers all moved back half an inch at the same time.

Zhao Youtian's temples were throbbing. A few days ago, Wang Erhu had sent him a message saying that his wife and children were waiting for him at the village entrance to go home and divide the land.

Just as he was thinking about it, another fellow villager suddenly came up to him and whispered, "I heard that the emperor personally issued a decree that those who surrender will be forgiven, and anyone who kills a bandit will be rewarded with one acre of land..."

The strong wind raised by the dragon flag blew on Zhao Youtian's face, and his vision began to blur.

"Shoot!" The supervisory team in the rear suddenly shouted.

A sparse rain of arrows flew overhead, but most of them were inserted diagonally ten steps in front of the cavalry formation.

Zhao Youtian heard suppressed sobbing coming from behind him. Someone was crying out, "My mother said she'll find me a wife when I get home. Sob, sob, sob."

Before he could even cry, he was beheaded by the supervisory team.

The figure on the white horse with golden armor was only three hundred steps away from the spear formation, and Zhao Youtian felt that he could see the emperor's face clearly.

That young face showed neither the brutality of King Chongzhen nor the arrogance of a civil servant, but rather the fortitude that only farmers like them could understand.

After hearing the young man's dying cry, the spear shaft suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.

The dry biscuits in my arms burned my heart.

"Brothers from Hebei!" the old soldier in the front row suddenly shouted, his voice as clear as tears, "Do you want your children and grandchildren to bear the name of traitors for generations?"

The ten-mile square formation was in commotion. Zhao Youtian saw a young man from his hometown suddenly throw down his spear, take out a piece of red cloth from his arms and tie it around his arm. He also had that piece of cloth, which was given to him by Wang Erhu from the Yongwei Camp.

"My wife is about to give birth."

"Your Majesty, please exempt our village from taxes for three years!" The cries spread like wildfire, and Zhao Youtian's nails scratched bloody marks on the spear shaft.

A roar like a trapped beast burst out of his throat, and the tip of his spear plunged fiercely into the yellow earth at his feet, "Zhao ancestors! I have land, not a coward!"

Word spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Even Zhu Youjian didn't expect that his power could be so terrifying.

Or perhaps the power of propaganda can be so terrifying.

The dust raised by the increasing number of surrendered soldiers obscured the sun, but it could not hide the cries that rose one after another, "Go home! Protect the emperor!"

In the chaos, Zhao Youtian saw the cavalryman from the old camp who was supervising the battle being dragged off his horse by his comrades, and the young fellow from the village rushed to the front holding a red cloth.

Although Zhu Youjian didn't understand why the surrendered troops turned against him again, he knew that the opportunity for battle had come.

He raised the Emperor's Sword high in his hand and shouted, "Kill!"

The moment the warhorse took off into the air, Zhu Youjian's white horse's front hooves just stepped on the edge of the trench which was more than ten feet deep.

Twelve dragon flags fluttered behind him, and the sunlight reflected by the golden armor exploded into a dazzling halo in Chuang Jun's pupils.

"It's the Emperor! The Emperor has crossed the chasm!"

Zhao Youtian’s roar resounded throughout the formation.

He saw with his own eyes the golden figure descending from the sky like a divine soldier.

The 35,000 cavalry, led by their respective captains, shouted at the same time, "Those who defect in the battle are not traitors, but converts!"

"Reform! Reform!"

The wails of the veterans in the front row set the entire field ablaze. Zhao Youtian suddenly leaped up and stabbed the supervising cavalryman's horse in the belly with his spear.

When his warhorse fell with a whine, he saw a young man from his hometown biting the old soldier's throat with his teeth, and blood foam dripped down his tender chin onto the red cloth in his arms.

Zhu Youjian's white horse crushed the last barricade, and the three thousand cavalry turned into a steel torrent, following the scattered lines of the surrendered army, and rushed in, directly attacking the rebel central army!
The situation changed too quickly. Li Zicheng watched with anger as the surrendered troops completely turned against him. Thirty-five thousand cavalrymen rode out, and he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

Fortunately, Niu Jinxing was still there and quickly took over from Li Zicheng, giving orders to the messenger.

"Quickly inform Marquis Ling Ze to order the 30,000 cavalrymen in the central army to stop the imperial cavalry!"

"Order the rear troops to march out together with Mian Hou to stop the surrendered troops. Do not let them approach the main camp of the central army."

The messenger left immediately, and Li Zicheng had returned to normal, but his expression was particularly gloomy.

"We knew this bunch of government troops were unreliable!"

"Send a message to Liu Zongmin, Li Guo, and Liu Fangliang. The three armies on the front, left, and right, disregard all odds and swallow up those 100,000 government troops. No matter what happens in the rear, you must break into the city!"

(End of this chapter)