Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 145 Comments
Zhou Anmin told them about the brutality of the last moments of the White Rod Army and the Qi Family Army. His description of the battle made Zhu Shenzhu feel extremely upset.

Such a powerful army was destroyed just like that. If Yuan Yingtai had had some brains, this result would not have happened.

With only 7,000 troops, they fought against the elite Eight Banners Cavalry of the Jin army, which was more than three times their number. They killed more enemies than they lost, and were ultimately defeated by the artillery bombardment of the Ming army, which had betrayed the Ming Dynasty. If it were not for this, it would be unknown who would win. But even so, the losses suffered by the Later Jin in the Battle of Hunhe were unprecedented.

What a pity, what a pity! If the White Rod Army and the Qi Family Army had more people, and the Ming artillery had not fallen into the hands of the Later Jin, the Ming army would have won this battle.

But the war cannot be imagined by assumptions. In fact, the outcome is already doomed. With the destruction of these two powerful armies, serious consequences also occurred. In Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty no longer had elite troops that could directly compete with the Later Jin Dynasty, and there was no longer any Qi Family Army in the world.

"After the battle of Hunhe, are there no people left from Qi's army?" Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but ask.

The White Spear Army was better, as there was still one army in Sichuan under the command of Qin Liangyu. But the Qi Family Army was different. This army was victorious in every battle and had outstanding achievements. It was a pity that it disappeared in the long river of history.

Zhou Anmin shook his head: "Maybe someone survived, but even if they did, I'm afraid..."

This sentence made Zhu Shenzhui and Wang Rong speechless. Zhou Anmin was right. This battle was so fierce that the world was dark. The White Rod Army and the Qi Family Army made the Later Jin Dynasty experience for the first time what a truly powerful army of the Ming Dynasty was. In such a situation, how could anyone survive? What Zhou Anmin said just now was just psychological comfort.

The Qi Family Army was different from other Ming armies. In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Ming Army had become different from the previous military structure. Because of the drawbacks of the military household system, the combat effectiveness of ordinary Ming troops plummeted, and the practice of military generals leading troops privately supporting servants had become a common phenomenon.

Compared with other Ming armies, the Qi Family Army was a conscription army, and Qi Jiguang hated the family servant system when he established the Qi Family Army. The family servant system did not exist within the Qi Family Army, and it was for this reason that the Qi Family Army could be said to be the only special force in the Ming army.

Because the Qi Family Army was not a military household and did not have a system of household servants, but implemented a system of conscription, Qi Jiguang always treated the Qi Family Army very well. Not only were they well-equipped, they also received double pay. They were well-trained in peacetime and fought bravely in war, which made the Qi Family Army famous for being victorious in every battle.

However, for the same reason, Qi's army was not only out of tune with the Ming army, but was also excluded by other Ming armies. Even the civil officials were dissatisfied with Qi's army, believing that the Qi's army was too powerful to be controlled by the generals.

For this reason, the civil and military officials of the Ming Dynasty were repulsive to Qi's army, and during the Wanli period they did something extremely shocking, which is also known as the Qi's army's rioting over pay.

At that time, Wang Bao, the general of Jizhen, arbitrarily stopped paying the military pay of Qi's army, which made the Qi's army extremely dissatisfied and started to make a fuss to demand the military pay. It was obviously Wang Bao's fault, but Wang Bao ignored the legitimate request of Qi's army for military pay and instead turned the tables, saying that Qi's army was "holding for an increase in monthly pay."

At that time, because of the reputation of Qi's army, the civil service group looked down upon Qi's army. With the tacit approval of the civil servants, Wang Bao was so cruel as to do something like luring and killing Qi's army.

He pretended to announce the reimbursement of military pay, using this as an excuse to lure Qi's army to gather, and then raised the butcher knife to the unarmed Qi's army and slaughtered them all. Afterwards, he falsely accused Qi's army of mutiny, but under the manipulation of the civil service group, he was not only innocent but also meritorious, and was rewarded by the court.

This incident was like destroying the Great Wall. The most elite Qi Family Army was massacred. Although the court later required the reconstruction of this army, which was the army that was annihilated in the Battle of Hunhe River, the later army was far inferior to the Qi Family Army that was massacred before. However, even so, this army still dealt a heavy blow to the Later Jin in Hunhe River and did not insult the reputation of the Qi Family Army. If the real Qi Family Army was still there, what would the outcome be?
Thinking of this, Zhu Shenzui sighed even more.

"It is not up to us to decide the important affairs of the court, but I heard that Your Majesty has reinstated Xiong Tingbi. I think with Xiong Tingbi's ability, the devastation in Liaodong may still be reversed." Zhou Anmin saw that Zhu Shenzhui and the others were in low spirits, so he spoke to comfort them.

"Haha, reinstate Xiong Tingbi? An Min, do you think this war is a joke?" Wang Rong sneered without commenting: "No matter how capable Xiong Tingbi is, he is just a mortal. He can neither summon the wind and rain nor make soldiers out of beans. In the battle of Liaoyang, the important town was lost, the territory was lost, and the elite troops of the Ming Dynasty suffered huge losses. He, Xiong Tingbi, is not a god!"

"If Xiong Tingbi had not been removed at that time, there would not be the outcome today. But if Xiong Tingbi is allowed to go now, what can he do?"

"Without soldiers and defenses, what can Xiong Tingbi do in Liaodong? Even if he can barely maintain the situation, you and I know something about the current situation in the court. There are many political parties in the court, and Donglin is the only one that is dominant. Will they really support Xiong Tingbi? In my opinion, Xiong Tingbi's trip is likely to be dangerous, so it is better not to go."

Wang Rong's words made Zhu Shenzhu look at him with new eyes. He didn't expect that his uncle would have such vision. But after careful consideration, it was not surprising. Although Wang Rong was only a centurion before, the Wang family was a military family, and Wang Rong was not an ordinary centurion.

Wang Rong was no stranger to military affairs. When he was in Wangjia Village, he had been studying the military books passed down by his ancestors. He even discussed a few border wars with Zhu Shenzhui, including the gains and losses of the Battle of Sarhu that year.

Although his words didn't sound very impressive, Zhu Shenzhu knew in his heart that Wang Rong was right. After the Battle of Sarhu, Xiong Tingbi was ordered to manage Liaodong. At that time, although the Ming army suffered heavy losses, it still had a solid foundation. But now it was different. The losses in the Battle of Liaoyang were far greater than those in the Battle of Sarhu. What was even more fatal was that the destruction of the White Rod Army and the Qi Family Army meant that Xiong Tingbi had no elite troops to stand on his own.

In addition, a large area of ​​land was lost, Liaoyang, Shenyang and other important places fell into the hands of the Later Jin Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty was struggling in Liaodong. No matter how capable Xiong Tingbi was, there was only a limit to what he could do. In addition, the current court situation was different from that during the reign of Emperor Wanli. Although Emperor Wanli hid in the harem and did not attend court for many years, there were many vacancies in the various departments of the court. Even the entire cabinet was in name only, leaving only Fang Congzhe as the "sole prime minister".

But when Wanli was in power, he had a strong control over the court, and his methods were sophisticated. Although the Donglin Party was famous at that time, it had little influence in the court, and all state affairs were still decided by Wanli.

But all this changed after Wanli's death. Now Zhu Shenzui and his men in Shanxi, so far away from the capital, have also heard about the changes in the court. The Donglin Party is the only dominant party, while the other parties are fighting each other endlessly. The emperor has almost become a decoration in the court.

Xiong Tingbi was impeached by the Donglin Party, and Yuan Yingtai was recommended by the Donglin Party to replace Xiong Tingbi. But now that Liaodong was defeated, the Donglin Party was unscathed, and Yuan Yingtai, as the main person responsible, even got a posthumous title of Minister of War.

From the information Zhou Anmin found out, it was actually the Donglin Party's suggestion that prompted Xiong Tingbi's comeback this time, which is even more intriguing.

It was the Donglin Party that said Xiong Tingbi was incompetent, and it was also the Donglin Party that now wants to use Xiong Tingbi to put out a fire. If the Donglin Party turns against Xiong Tingbi again in the future, it would not be surprising that as long as there is a problem in Liaodong again, they will directly put the blame on Xiong Tingbi.

Thinking of this, Zhu Shenzhui couldn't help but worry about Xiong Tingbi. But he could only worry so much. What could an ordinary member of the royal family do? Not to mention him, even Zhou Anmin and Wang Rong couldn't do anything.

The court affairs are naturally decided by the ministers and the emperor, and it is not their turn at all. Even if they are angry here now, what can they do if they shut the door and curse everyone from the emperor to the ministers? It is nothing more than cursing a few words like the angry young people in later generations to satisfy their urge to vent their anger.

Everyone was in a bad mood that day because of the impact of the war in Liaodong. Even Wang Rong, who usually had a good alcohol tolerance, got a little drunk after just a few drinks.

Lying in bed, Zhu Shenzhui clearly wanted to sleep, but the countless thoughts turning over and over in his mind made it impossible for him to fall asleep.

At midnight, Zhu Shenzhui simply got up, put on his smock, went out of the house and came to the garden outside.

It is still a little chilly late at night in spring, especially in northern places like Shanxi. Although green has been seen, the temperature at night is not high.

When he got outside, the wind blew, and Zhu Shenzhui subconsciously tightened his clothes. He walked to the yard and sat down on a stone bench. He looked up at the sky. The bright stars were hanging in the sky, and he was mesmerized for a moment.

I don’t know how long it took, but I heard a sound by my ear, and then I heard Zhou Anmin’s voice.

"Little brother? Why are you here?"

"Brother-in-law!" Turning his head, he saw that the person standing in the corridor was Zhou Anmin. He was also wearing a smock and looking at him.

"I couldn't sleep, so I went out for a walk. Where's your brother-in-law?"

"Me too." Zhou Anmin smiled bitterly. He walked to Zhu Shenzhui and sat down on another stone bench. He said to Zhu Shenzhui, "You are not still thinking about Liaodong, are you?"

Seeing Zhu Shenzhui nod, Zhou Anmin sighed: "With the current state of affairs, it is useless to think too much. The emperor and his ministers will have their own ways to deal with it. Perhaps the situation will gradually get better."

Zhou Anmin knew that this was just consolation, and he himself didn't believe it. Like Zhu Shenzhui, he couldn't fall asleep in the room, and he was always worried about this matter. He went out to get some fresh air, but he didn't expect to run into Zhu Shenzhui.

"I hope so..." Zhu Shenzhui nodded, and then his expression became a little strange, as if he was thinking about something, or hesitating about something.

Just as Zhou Anmin was about to ask Zhu Shenzhui what he was thinking, Zhu Shenzhui spoke.

"Brother-in-law, can you help me find out if there are any survivors from the Qi Family Army, or if we can find any veterans from the Qi Family Army?"

(End of this chapter)