Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 494 Look, I didn't lie to you.
April 16
Huaian
The so-called defeat is like a mountain collapsing.

The victory in the earlier battle was extremely sudden. Xu Wenjue was still struggling to hold on the moment before, and the vast number of Qing troops had already dispersed like the receding tide the next moment, which made him, the commander of the battlefield, stunned for a while before he reacted.

In fact, at that time, his greatest hope was to take the opportunity to cause more casualties, and he did not expect to win a complete victory in one battle. However, the development of the situation ultimately exceeded everyone's expectations. When they chased the defeated soldiers into Huai'an, civil unrest suddenly broke out in the city.

Afterwards, the gates of Huai'an were opened, and the Tartar chiefs were captured. The war, which was supposed to last for a long time, came to an end.

It is not difficult to imagine what happened next. With the assistance of Li Benshen and Bai Yongfu, the Ming army easily controlled the scattered Qing army. Under the attack of the two guards, the Eight Banners troops in the city could not hold out for long.

The development of the war to this point was naturally a great victory of defeating the larger force with the smaller force. But who would have thought that when the entire army was waiting for His Majesty's reward, the three generals actually apologized to the court at the first opportunity.

At first, no one thought it was a big deal. After all, Hongguang was almost dead when they entered the city, and it shouldn't have anything to do with their family.

However, most of the troops in the front and rear armies came from Yingtian, and there were always people who could see the danger. After only three or two days, the matter had fermented.

"Brother Xu, let's be frank. I came here for no other reason than to find out what the court has decided."

Looking at Chen Si who was full of concern, Xu Wenjue, who was still lying on the bed, sighed first.

He had also sustained some serious injuries in the battle that day, and at this moment his left hip was still unable to move properly, so he could only rest in the room.

Normally speaking, in a situation like his, no one would come to disturb him except those close to him. However, because the three generals had apologized to the court, people who were related and those who were not had come to bother him these past few days, and he, the Queen's uncle, had no choice but to send them off one by one.

"To be honest with you, Fourth Brother Chen, I sent a letter home two days ago, but there has been no response yet. But you don't have to worry. With His Majesty watching over you, he won't punish you too severely."

Chen Si did not hide his purpose, and Xu Wenjue answered very straightforwardly. But when Xu Wenjue thought that the other party would be sent away by this sentence, Chen Si actually moved a chair and sat directly next to the bed.

"Brother Xu, although I am just a coolie, I have been in Yingtian for so many years, so I know everything." At this point, Chen Si turned his head and looked outside. When he saw that the door was closed and no one was peeping, he whispered, "People outside say that His Majesty is watching over those civil servants and they can't cause any big trouble. But Lord Qian and Lord Ma were both used by Hongguang. If they are determined to punish the three commanders, I'm afraid His Majesty can't stand it."

"this."

On the surface, there seemed to be nothing wrong with what Chen Si said, but he was too far away from the center of the imperial court and had no correct understanding of the power comparison between the various parties, so he could only come to the wrong conclusion.

On the other hand, Xu Wenjue is the younger brother of a super-rank duke, and his niece is the current queen, so he has a deeper understanding of the situation in the court.

According to common sense, he should have been accustomed to this kind of situation during his year in the army, and should not have been surprised by Chen Si's discussion. However, when the other party finished speaking, he frowned and thought about it, obviously inspired by something.

He would never think that those people would cause trouble for His Majesty's confidants because of Hongguang's death, but in a flash of inspiration, Xu Wenjue suddenly realized that some people might very likely confuse right and wrong for the sake of His Majesty's reputation.

In the final analysis, Hongguang's death was too sudden, and no one would believe it if the truth was told. And he was an emperor after all, so someone had to take responsibility for his death.

With these two things combined, even if your life is safe, it seems inevitable that you will suffer some punishment.

As his thoughts turned, Xu Wenjue's expression gradually became gloomy. But when Chen Si, who was standing beside him, was about to ask a few questions, a burst of hurried footsteps was heard from outside.

"Captain! News just came in that an angel has arrived, and the three commanders are preparing to go out of the city to welcome him!"

Hearing this, not only Chen Si stood up from his chair, but Xu Wenjue also sat up straight. Then one of them walked straight out of the room, while the other put his legs down on the ground with great difficulty.

"Brother Chen! Wait for me!"

"Hey! What are you doing out there like this? I'll send someone to report if there's any news!"

"I'm worried."

As Xu Wenjue spoke, he had already placed one hand on the side of the bed.

Seeing this, Chen Si didn't want to leave him alone, so he turned around and helped him up.

With such a burden, Chen Si's speed naturally slowed down a lot. When the two of them arrived outside Huai'an City, a large group of soldiers had already gathered under the city gate, and the three generals were waiting quietly at a farther place.

It was because of Xu Wenjue's special identity that his arrival immediately attracted everyone's attention. But when he was about to go to the pile of soldiers, he saw a group of killers constantly making looks at them.

"Let me help you over there, or I can get some information."

Chen Si only said this and ignored Xu Wenjue's opinion and supported him to go straight to the third commander. The eyes of the generals present also kept moving over as the two of them moved.

Perhaps only ten breaths later, the two men had arrived in front of the third general. After some greetings, both Xu Wenjue and Chen Si felt the oppressive atmosphere, and the words on their lips were simply changed.

"I had planned to recuperate in the camp, but I didn't expect to be dragged here by Brother Chen."

"Don't say it, I'm not stupid."

He was interrupted halfway through his words. Chen Si looked stunned, Xu Wenjue looked embarrassed, but Chang Guanlin changed the subject and directly brought the topic to something that everyone was concerned about.

"Go back and tell them that capturing a vassal king is a serious crime, not to mention that he was once an emperor. No matter what crime the court imposes on you, you must not cause trouble, otherwise you will be punished by military law!"

After saying this, Chang Guanlin turned to Mei Chun, and then he made some arrangements. After Xu Wenjue and Mei Chun nodded in agreement, he drove them back.

As the two left, the welcoming venue, which had been very lively, became dead silent. Not only did the generals rarely speak, but even the three commanders did not speak. Seeing this, Huang Fei could not help but sigh, and when Chang and Mei looked at him, he said with regret: "I am sorry to have caused trouble for you two this time."

When he learned of Hongguang's death, he had already realized the truth in his heart, but to his surprise, when he was about to take the blame in the name of the commander-in-chief, Chang Guanlin and Mei Chun proposed to add their names to the apology book.

Faced with such a change, Huang Fei felt warm in his heart but he also rejected the proposal of the two. However, the two of them claimed that if Huang Fei did not obey, they would write a letter of apology in their own name.

In the end, three people's names were included in the letter. Huang Fei felt quite guilty. By this time, the angels from the court were about to arrive. He looked at these two juniors who should have had a bright future, and his heart was filled with mixed feelings.

"Why are you saying this, Marshal? Even if the civil officials insist, Your Majesty will do his best to protect them. As long as their lives are saved, it will only take a few more battles."

"Yes, after all, it was us who made the mistake. How can we let the Marshal take the blame alone?"

As the two people's voices of comfort came one after another, Huang Fei suddenly had the feeling he had when he was in Dongjiang Town. He wanted to say something else afterwards, but the emotions in his heart made him only give a fist to the two of them.

He could see clearly that although Chang and Mei appeared to be quite optimistic, they also knew the seriousness of the matter.

In the final analysis, in the eyes of the Huai'an military generals, Hongguang was killed by the rebel army, and the three of them could only be charged with the crime of failing to provide protection. However, this matter was not that simple in the eyes of the officials of Yingtian.

An important person like Hongguang must be under heavy protection, so even if an assassination team is sent, it may not be easy to succeed.

But now, the simple sentence "died at the hands of the rebel army" is bound to cause everyone to have endless imagination. If the Gordian knot is not cut quickly, all kinds of rumors are inevitable.

Even if it fails to have a real impact on the court, it will damage Your Majesty's wisdom.

Under such circumstances, it is reasonable that the three of them were severely punished.

But now.
Alas~~~~~~~
Huang Fei sighed in his heart and had no intention of saying anything else. After that, the group of people waited quietly in this depressing atmosphere until a group of people led by a bright yellow flag arrived in Huai'an. The atmosphere was dispersed by drums and music.

There are certain rules for welcoming angels, but there is no need to go into detail about the details.

After waiting for a long time, the generals of Huai'an bowed before an eunuch, and a loud voice was heard by everyone.

"The Emperor

The edict said:

I heard about the great victory in Huaidong, and I am very relieved. Since I raised the army in Yingtian, the soldiers have bravely taken the lead, fearless of hardships, and defended the country with their iron-blooded bodies. In the end, we have won many great victories and received frequent good news. The country is fortunate and the people are fortunate.

I commend their achievements and hereby decree that all soldiers who participated in the battle shall be rewarded according to their merits to show their bravery; all families of soldiers who died in battle shall be given generous compensation to comfort their heroic spirits. I decree this!"

As the high-pitched voice completely fell, the three Huai'an generals just stared at the eunuch stupidly, and forgot to go forward to receive the order. At this time, bursts of whispers suddenly came from the group of generals a little further away.

"That's it? No charges?"

"Tsk! I've already said that with His Majesty here, the civil officials can't bully us, but you guys are still talking nonsense, making it sound like the generals are going to have their heads chopped off."

"Nonsense, we have been following His Majesty since Yingtian, how could we not know that His Majesty is on our side? It's just that... it's just that things are not settled yet, so it's inevitable to worry."

"cut!"

As time passed, the noise in the army gradually grew louder.

If they were around, the eunuchs would have given them a good scolding, but this time the eunuch who announced the decree had obviously expected this, and waited for everyone to digest it for a while before speaking with a smile.

"This time, His Majesty not only reprimanded Governor Xu in the court, but also demoted the new champion to a local post. The three generals are truly trusted by His Majesty. We servants are very envious of them."

Huang Fei finally woke up after hearing the words.

He thought that His Majesty would lift them up high and then let them go gently, and he also thought that His Majesty would severely punish the three of them for various reasons, but he never thought that such a big matter was not mentioned at all in the imperial edict.

At this point, he understood why His Majesty could make those troops who were on the verge of collapse the moment before become loyal to him in a moment, and he also understood that these seemingly incredible victories were not accidental.

If Your Majesty had been in power at that time, I'm afraid the Marshal would not have been unjustly killed.

As soon as the thought came to his mind, Huang Fei kowtowed heavily to the ground three times, then wiped his eyes twice without leaving a trace when he stood up. After receiving the imperial edict from the eunuch, he turned around and shouted loudly to the generals in the army.

"My Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"My Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"My Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The sound of cheers echoed continuously, and even in Huai'an City, it could be heard clearly. When the three armies of the Northern Expedition were agitated by the situation, Li Benshen, who was standing on the city wall, said calmly to his side: "See, I didn't lie to you, did I?"

(End of this chapter)