Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 15 Living and dying together
At first, Zhu Cilang was confused when facing the chaotic soldiers, and he completely regarded them as irreconcilable enemies. But after listening to Chang Denggui's words, he immediately came to his senses.

If Li Jiantai, the commander-in-chief, was reliable and truly capable of leading an army, would these soldiers of the Beijing Camp have fallen to such a state? If they were not still loyal to the Ming Dynasty, or at least unwilling to join the rebels, they would have gone to Beijing or Tianjin to surrender to the Dashun.

You have to know that ordinary people in a chaotic situation cannot actually see the general trend of the world clearly, and most of them just go with the flow.

The idea of ​​loyalty to the emperor, which was instilled in people since birth, still played a huge role in the hearts of the general public in this era. Some soldiers in the Beijing camp were absolutely unwilling to surrender to the enemy unless they had no other choice.

As for robbing and killing merchant caravans on the way south, it was a very normal thing for the Ming army at that time and did not mean anything at all.

This is the reality of the late Ming Dynasty!

Therefore, after figuring out these key points, Zhu Cilang immediately changed his strategy.

He was the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty and would soon be the emperor. He had twenty-four elite soldiers under his command. He wanted to recruit dozens of defeated soldiers, especially these defeated soldiers, as well as the horses he urgently needed. He was worth a try no matter what.

If he chose to abandon his guards who had been with him through thick and thin and followed him all the way, and escaped alone, and was then caught, then he would be truly powerless to fight back.

As the current first-in-line heir to the Ming Dynasty, he now has the ability to fight back with force and can also promise the wealth of Jiangnan. So why should he destroy the Great Wall?

If he could recruit these dozens of elite Jingying soldiers from Arima, he could at least ensure that he would have the strength to escape unscathed when faced with the siege of Shunjun's local troops.

In other words, if everything goes well, it will only take a few minutes to turn danger into safety, rather than fighting for life and death, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

However, before testing the loyalty of these defeated soldiers to the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Cilang could not directly reveal his identity as the crown prince, otherwise he would most likely fall into the trap.

Li Banghua was once the Minister of War of the Ming Dynasty. He also presided over the reform of the Beijing Camp in the early years of Chongzhen, which greatly improved the treatment of grassroots soldiers in the Beijing Camp, especially those elite veterans. His reputation was sufficient.

Zhu Cilang took this into consideration and decided to send Li Banghua. Now, apart from him, the only one who could possibly calm down these rebellious soldiers was the former Minister of War.

As for Chang Denggui, he is indeed brave and formidable, but his experience is too shallow. He is just a small captain of the Beijing Camp, and now he has fewer soldiers than the enemy. How can he suppress this group of chaotic soldiers?

However, Zhou Shixian, the title of Captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and Commandant of the Imperial Concubine's Wife, had no deterrent effect among the fleeing soldiers.

The matter was urgent, so Zhu Cilang briefly explained his considerations. After hearing this, Li Banghua showed no fear at all. He immediately clasped his hands together and responded with a determined look.

"Your Highness, rest assured. When I was in charge of the Beijing Camp, I eliminated bad policies and implemented food and wages without any injustice. I have some sympathy among the soldiers. Even if I have to sacrifice my old bones today, I will never let them do anything wrong."

"As long as we are strong enough, they won't dare to act rashly. When we find an opportunity to negotiate, I will personally accompany you. They will absolutely not be able to touch a hair on your head."

Zhu Cilang frowned slightly, then turned to look at the Lin Changfeng brothers and said:

"If they still have loyalty to the Ming Dynasty, they will certainly not embarrass Mr. Meng, and the matter can be discussed. But if they have no loyalty at all, then you two must act immediately and behead the leading officer."

"Yes!" The Lin Changfeng brothers accepted the task without blinking.

"Your Highness, absolutely not, absolutely not!" Li Banghua was shocked after hearing this. While he was shocked by Zhu Cilang's courage, he immediately objected:

"Now that I'm gone, the outcome will soon be clear. Your Highness must not put yourself in danger again. Those rogue soldiers are unpredictable. If they injure Your Highness, how can I face His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty?"

But Zhu Cilang simply shook his head and said:
"With the situation so devastated, what's left to be done? I'm the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. Even if I die on the battlefield, I'll never live a life of compromise. I, along with the soldiers who have followed me through thick and thin, should live and die together."

You know, although Li Banghua is highly respected, but in this chaotic world, if he meets a tough opponent, his weight is still not enough. But if he, the crown prince, personally takes action, the other party may not dare to act rashly.

After all, the moral principles and laws of this era have long been rooted in people's hearts. Although the identity of the crown prince is not 100% effective, it is definitely more useful than Li Banghua, the former Minister of War.

Li Banghua's role was to test the loyalty of the soldiers without provoking them. This would allow Zhu Cilang to decide whether to reveal his identity.

Moreover, the most crucial thing is that as the actual commander of this escort team, he must show courage, otherwise how can he make these soldiers die for him and fight for a bloody way out?
Zhu Cilang is not an impulsive person, nor is he someone who lacks courage and determination. His previous military career has already honed his courage, determination and patience.

"Your Highness."

Li Banghua wanted to persuade him again, but when the words came to his lips, he sighed helplessly. Zhu Cilang was right. The situation had collapsed to this point. How could there be anything that must not be done?
Zhou Shixian, Chang Denggui, Lin Changfeng, and Lin Changping had already been convinced by Zhu Cilang. Or rather, Zhu Cilang's performance over the past few days had already established his unshakable prestige in their hearts, and they believed in the young prince before them.

While the two were talking, the soldiers under Chang Denggui and Zhou Shixian had already put on two layers of armor and formed a battle formation around Zhu Cilang. The defeated soldiers of the Beijing camp who were surrounding them from all sides had already come to a place more than 200 steps away from them.

However, these chaotic soldiers did not launch an immediate attack, but instead slowly stopped to organize their ranks. Several fully armed officers who looked like leaders were gathered together, whispering something.

Although they had the advantage in terms of manpower, except for Ma Duo, their weapons and equipment were actually inferior to those of the guards under Zhu Cilang. In particular, they could not wear double armor, so they naturally did not dare to risk their lives easily.

This was completely within Zhu Cilang's expectations. The rest depended on the opponent's courage and their response.

"Alright, Mr. Meng, time is running out. There's no point in talking any more. Follow my orders." Zhu Cilang said sternly, his gaze solemn, his authority evident without any anger.
"I'll be disguised as a captain from the Fifth Army Battalion, and I'll go with you, Lin Changfeng, and Lin Changping. I want to see how brave they are!"

"I obey your command!" Upon hearing this, Li Banghua immediately bowed his hands, put his sleeves together, and bowed his waist.

In this situation, at this moment, such courage and boldness, such a young hero, is actually the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty!
Having lived for seventy years and experienced the ups and downs of officialdom for decades, Li Banghua, who can be said to have experienced countless ups and downs, and who can be called a "loyal and brave" among all the civil and military officials in the court, did not know for the first time whether he should be happy or sad.

On the one hand, with such a wise and powerful ruler, the Ming Dynasty is finally saved!
But on the other hand, thinking about the current situation and his own age, he couldn't help but feel a little sad.

If this gentleman had been born twenty years earlier, how could the scoundrels of this world have become so rampant? How could the Eastern Tartars have ravaged Liaodong for decades? How could millions of people have suffered hardships and been displaced?

If I had been born twenty years later, how could I not have assisted a wise ruler, fought on the battlefield, conquered the Wolf's Lair, restored the glory of my ancestors, and prevented the Hu horse from crossing Mount Yan?

such a pity!
Soon, Zhu Cilang put on two layers of armor and changed his hand to a well-made thick-backed Qi knife. Seeing that the other side had not taken any action, he immediately signaled Chang Denggui to send someone to negotiate.

As he expected, upon hearing that this was the group of soldiers from the Minister of War and the Left Censor-in-Chief, who were inspecting the south on behalf of the emperor, a disagreement immediately arose among the leading officers. After revealing that they were from the 3,000-man battalion, they took the initiative to request a meeting with Li Banghua.

(End of this chapter)