Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Although Emperor Chongzhen felt that Zhang Shikang's reminder was a bit too cautious, he was also concerned about whether Li Zicheng was captured or killed.

Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others have been causing trouble for a long time and are accustomed to and experienced in rebellion.

The most important thing is that a few years ago, the two men attacked the Zhongdu Fengyang and dug up the ancestral tombs. Whenever Emperor Chongzhen thought of his ancestral tombs being dug up, he felt very angry.

Now, for the sake of the stability of the country, as long as Zhang Xianzhong sincerely accepts the amnesty, Emperor Chongzhen does not intend to pursue the matter.

But Emperor Chongzhen could not get around Li Zicheng. Even if Zhang Shikang did not say it, Emperor Chongzhen cared about this matter very much.

Yang Sichang was stunned for a moment. He did not mention this matter in his memorial. Knowing that the emperor might care about this matter, he wanted to discuss it in detail after entering the city.

But looking at Gao Shiming's appearance, Yang Sichang sighed and said:

"The battlefield was in great chaos, with corpses everywhere. The fighting lasted until midnight, and the bandits fled everywhere. Our line of sight was blocked, so we didn't find Li Zicheng."

Yang Sichang told the truth after recalling the situation at that time.

In fact, not only the imperial court cared about this matter, but Yang Sichang was also always brooding over it. He also wanted to capture or even kill Li Zicheng.

As the saying goes, to capture a bandit, you must first capture the leader. This war was fought beautifully. Cao Bianjiao and other fierce generals from the border towns chased the bandits everywhere. Almost all the bandits they could see were killed or surrendered, but Li Zicheng was the only one missing.

"Eunuch Gao, I heard about this from Minister Yang, and I also asked General Zuo and General Cao in detail.

They all said that they did not see any living bandits. They were so bloodthirsty at the time that they would not leave any bandits alive.

I think that Li Zicheng is most likely dead in the chaos, but after a day and night of fighting, his body has not been found yet." Xiong Wencan also echoed.

Gao Shiming frowned when he heard this, but didn't say anything. He went back to the palace to report without even entering Baoding City.

Yang Sichang originally wanted to keep Gao Shiming in the city for dinner, but seeing Gao Shiming's behavior, he had to give up.

Because he had to escort the prisoners, Yang Sichang did not walk fast this time. The bandits on both sides had been wiped out, and he planned to rest in Baoding City for a few days.

Then go to the capital to accept everyone's congratulations and all the glory.

In ancient times, offering captives was an extremely grand event. It not only represented the supremacy of imperial power and its inviolability, but also meant victory in a large-scale war.

The imperial court hasn't held a prisoner presentation ceremony for many years, Yang Sichang thought, and if it weren't for him, there might never have been one.

"Commander-in-Chief Yang, I have already prepared a banquet at the best restaurant in the city to welcome Commander-in-Chief Yang and Governor-General Xiong!" Baoding prefect Chen Yinglong finally found an opportunity to speak and hurried up to compliment them.

Yang Sichang had a blank expression on his face. He was upset by Gao Shiming's questioning and just kept walking towards the city. After walking for a while, he turned around and said:

"Those hundreds of prisoners have not eaten for two days. You will be responsible for supplying them and the soldiers who came with me with you. Don't let any of them starve to death."

Because Cao Bianjiao and other border troops were so bloodthirsty at that time, they only captured about 300 people. Yang Sichang did not want to let these people die here, so he at least had to let these prisoners survive until they reached the capital.

The supply of an army of nearly 10,000 people is not a small amount. Chen Yinglong was about to cry poor, but he looked at Yang Sichang and changed his words:

"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief. Even if I don't eat, I won't let the soldiers go hungry. There will be no problem with the prisoners."

……

September 1st, Beijing.

According to the ritual system, in addition to the regular court sessions, the first and fifteenth day of the month are the new moon and full moon court sessions.

On this day, officials of all ranks in the capital all wore formal attire to attend court, and Emperor Chongzhen even wore a black crown and a crown cap.

Zhang Shikang also came, but he did not come voluntarily.

Three days ago, Emperor Chongzhen sent someone to the Xishan camp to inform him that he must return to attend court on the first day of September.

The New Moon and Full Moon Courts were actually ceremonial meetings that demonstrated the royal majesty more than government affairs. If it were any other time, Zhang Shikang would definitely find an excuse to decline, but this time was different.

On this day, Yang Sichang, who had wiped out all the bandits, would present hundreds of captives to the emperor. This was a major event for the imperial court.

This is especially true for Emperor Chongzhen.

Since he ascended the throne, the Jiannu outside the Great Wall often invaded the border, and the emperor suffered many defeats in the wars with the Jiannu. In addition, there were bandits and famines, so Emperor Chongzhen had never encountered any good things.

Now he felt that he had avenged his previous humiliation. By offering captives this time, he wanted to let people all over the world, and even the Qing army outside the Great Wall, know the power of the Ming Dynasty.

As early as twenty days ago, the imperial edict commending Yang Sichang had been sent by express horses to all parts of the country, and even the border towns were notified.

Xuanda Military Supervisor Gao Qiquan also wrote him a memorial, stating that he had already ordered people to spread the news to the Jiannu.

The annihilation of the bandits was good news for the Ming Dynasty, but it was a completely different story for the Qing Dynasty.

This meant that the Ming Dynasty could finally get rid of the dilemma of fighting on two fronts and could free up its hands to concentrate on dealing with foreign enemies.

Spreading this matter had a certain effect in deterring the Jian Nu. Of course, perhaps there was also a hint of Emperor Chongzhen's pride in it.

The morning court was conducted amidst bursts of ceremonial music. When Zhang Shikang was about to fall asleep, news came from outside that Yang Sichang's troops had entered the outer city. Emperor Chongzhen immediately went to Deshengmen with his ministers.

It was late autumn now, and the mornings in Beijing were already chilly. The rising sun shone on the faces of the emperor and his ministers, filling the air with a festive atmosphere.

Zhang Shikang yawned.

The Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple had arranged for people to decorate Deshengmen several days ago. At this time, lights and decorations were hung outside Deshengmen, and people in the capital also came out to watch the ceremony. The streets were almost empty.

Emperor Chongzhen stood on the city gate tower, surrounded by many civil and military officials. Emperor Chongzhen was in a good mood and spoke a few words to the officials from time to time, and his words were always gentle.

When Yang Sichang arrived at Deshengmen on his tall horse, the people in the city cheered and Yang Sichang humbly bowed to everyone around him.

When the official from the Honglu Temple saw that everyone was present, he sang loudly:

"Yang Sichang, the Left Pillar of the State, the Imperial Tutor, the Superintendent of the Army, and the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, presents captives to the Emperor. Kneel!"

Yang Sichang dismounted and saluted the emperor very solemnly.

Behind him, hundreds of captives were tied with white ribbons and, under the instructions of many soldiers and generals, also knelt down before Emperor Chongzhen.

Emperor Chongzhen looked at this scene with slightly red eyes. He had waited for this day for too long.

"Mr. Yang, you've worked hard on this journey. Please stand up!"

Yang Sichang stood up and raised his voice:

"Your Majesty, Yang Sichang, has fulfilled his mission. We have captured 387 people, including one commander, four battalion commanders, twelve supervisors, 37 team leaders, and 104 low-level bandit leaders. Please have a look, Your Majesty."

As he spoke, Yang Sichang waved to his subordinates, and the captives were immediately brought to Deshengmen and slowly walked around the huge viewing platform.

Many prisoners were injured to varying degrees, some were not even bandaged and were covered in blood, which shows how bloody this war was.

"Ha, Fatty Yang is really good at pretending. Did he beat these people up before handing them over as prisoners?" Zhang Shikang muttered in a low voice.

If the injuries of these people were not treated, they might not survive for more than three days. After rushing all the way from Huguang, some of them had survived for more than ten days. It's a miracle that they are still alive.

Yang Sichang seemed to be afraid that others would think that the battle was not brutal enough. Zhang Shikang despised this kind of superficiality.

After watching the ceremony in front of Deshengmen, all the civil and military officials in the court rushed to the Altar of Land and Grain. There was another complicated ritual at the Altar, which Zhang Shikang found extremely boring.

After finally holding on, he thought he could go home and catch up on some sleep after finishing the work at Sheji Altar, but instead the large army headed for Taimiao again, and Zhang Shikang felt like he had lost all desire to live.

On the contrary, as the protagonist of the entire prisoner presentation ceremony, Yang Sichang stole the limelight and was congratulated by the people and even officials wherever he went.

On this day, Yang Sichang suddenly felt that all the risks he had taken were worth it.

Taking advantage of the hard-earned free time, Yang Sichang glanced at Zhang Shikang coldly.

Zhang Shikang's feet hurt from standing, so he sat on the marble railing and shook his legs. He was biting a small firewood stick that he got from somewhere.

Seeing Yang Sichang looking at him, Zhang Shikang waved at him with a smile.

Yang Sichang ignored him and raised the corner of his mouth.

……