This was an order from Zhu Ci; otherwise, even if they were given eight hundred times the courage, they wouldn't have dared to abandon those places.
When Zhu Ci arrived, Li Guo, Zheng Chenggong, Zhang Huangyan brought men to welcome him.
Li Guo seemed somewhat excited; this was his first time meeting the Emperor. After his uncle surrendered and went to see the Emperor, he had not been eligible to follow him. Later, his uncle continued to lead his troops in battle and never returned to Nanjing, so he naturally had no opportunity to meet the Emperor.
Not only did he finally meet him this time, but he was even able to present a memorial in court; Li Guo was naturally excited.
Even if his uncle had also been an emperor and he himself had once been imperial kin, the person before him was still different; this was the Ever-Victorious General who had never known defeat.
Everyone here at Yanmen Pass had been under immense pressure, but upon hearing that His Majesty would lead a Personal Expedition, the morale of the entire Yanmen Pass increased instantly.
Previously, the people below were still worrying about whether Yanmen Pass could be held, but now it has turned into them asking every day: When will His Majesty arrive? When can we follow His Majesty out of the pass to fight the Tartars?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Everyone, please calm down, you're putting a lot of pressure on me! *Cat uses its hind paws to scratch its chin. jpg*
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock
Chapter 236
Zhu Ci felt as if his entire body was falling apart by the time he arrived at Yanmen Pass.
This was his first time on a long-distance cavalry raid, so when he saw the trio, he directly cracked his whip and said, "No need for formalities, enter the city first."
After entering the city, he would still have to dismount from his horse as if nothing had happened, making a great effort to maintain his imperial bearing as he entered the main hall to listen to the trio's report.
There was no other way; as the Emperor, a personal expedition made it impossible to keep the news secret, in fact, it had to be widely publicized.
It would be best if they could be scared away; even if they couldn't be scared away, they should at least be made cautious, so they wouldn't dare to attack lightly.
Zhu Ci could not hide his movements either, since he had already arrived at Yanmen Pass, it was naturally a matter of urgent military intelligence.
Moreover, he was unable to receive timely news from the front lines during his journey, which meant that he had actually lost control over the front lines.
Right now, what he needs most is to know what has happened recently.
Li Guo knelt on one knee and said, "This subject defies the imperial decree and requests His Majesty's punishment."
Hmm?" Zhu Ci sat upright in the seat of honor and asked calmly, "What has happened?
Speak up if you have something to say, hurry up! I need to get this suit of armor off first!
Li Guo lowered his head and said, "I have left men at Jingping; we have not completely retreated."
In fact, Li Guo somewhat failed to understand why His Majesty would abandon the Jingping Post; it was still quite important, it had not been easy to hold it at the beginning.
So after thinking it over repeatedly, he still left people at Jingping Post and ordered them to hold it as best they could.
However, after this order was issued, he himself felt somewhat uneasy, fearing that he might have disrupted His Majesty's plans.
This worry had reached its peak, especially when he discovered that Dorgon had no intention of attacking Jingping Post at all.
It was just that he couldn't simply hand over such good territory, not to mention that even if he did, it would already be too late. He had not followed orders at the time, even if he tried to remedy it afterward, it would be of no use. He might as well persist to the end; if His Majesty arrived, he could simply admit his mistake, rather than leaving His Majesty with the impression of being indecisive.
Zhu Ci was puzzled after hearing this. How could this be considered defying an imperial decree? At that time, he had not issued a firm order for them to retreat either.
He smiled slightly and said, "A general leading troops in the field must naturally have his own judgment; how could this be a crime?"
Li Guo felt a sudden sense of relief and kowtowed heavily in deep gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy."
Zhu Ci waved his hand for him to rise, then looked toward Zhang Huangyan and Zheng Chenggong.
Both of these men had their heads bowed in shame at this moment, looking like completely different people from the high-spirited versions of themselves that had come from Taiwan before.
Zhu Ci couldn't help but curse inwardly: Dorgon is truly a man of ill repute.
His two great generals felt as if they were having a crisis of faith.
If he had known, he wouldn't have arranged for Zhang Huangyan and Zheng Chenggong to come.
Actually, it is not hard to understand. These two had just returned from a great victory, it was a victory with minimal casualties. Although it took a bit longer, they weren't idle during the days they were besieging Zeeland City.
Zhang Huangyan and Zheng Chenggong learned from Zhu Ci's previous tactics, occupying all the small towns and villages around Zeeland City and waiting until they were stabilized before attacking Utrecht Fort.
During those eight months, they basically fought wherever they were sent, winning every single battle.
As a result, just as they were reaching the pinnacle of their lives, they encountered Dorgon; they lost every battle they fought, making it impossible not to question the meaning of life.
Zhang Huangyan fared a bit better, while Zheng Chenggong was the favored son of heaven, living a life of smooth sailing and prosperity.
His greatest setback was likely his decision to break ties with his father, rather than choosing to surrender to the Qing Army.
After overcoming this hurdle, he would still hold great power even after surrendering to the Great Ming, he would even be sent out to fight wars—and he would win those wars as well.
Not only did he suffer a setback here, but he also forced the Emperor to lead a personal expedition.
Zheng Chenggong really wondered whether he actually knew how to fight.
However, even though they had been beaten so badly they had lost all spirit, the two of them still reported the current situation honestly.
Overall, things have been relatively stable. Aside from Dorgon's initial probing attack on Yanmen Pass, which yielded no benefits, he has shown no aggressive movements in recent days.
Zhu Ci looked thoughtful. "Just what is Dorgon plotting?"
Li Guo said directly, "It must be that those Tartar leaders heard the news of His Majesty's Personal Expedition and felt fear, so they dare not attack."
Compared to Zhang Huangyan and Zheng Chenggong, Li Guo's state was quite good.
He had experienced just about everything while staying by Li Zicheng's side; this was nothing compared to the past, when they were chased all the way from Beijing to Wuchang by the Tartars.
At that time, he had even suspected he was going to die, so although he was saddened by the current defeat, he was not discouraged.
After understanding the situation, Zhu Ci said, "I understand. You officials have worked hard. Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. My purpose in coming here this time was merely to meet the Regent of the Qing Kingdom, who is well-versed in both civil and military arts."
Zhang Huangyan calmed his emotions, stood up, bowed, said, "Your servant will keep Your Majesty's teachings in mind."
Zhu Ci..
It wasn't much of a lecture.
Seeing that the Emperor's eyes were slightly dark under them, Li Guo rose and said with tact, "Your Majesty, I have yet to inspect the camps today, so I shall take my leave. I ask for Your Majesty's forgiveness for my rudeness."
Zhang Huangyan and Zheng Chenggong also followed suit with their agreement. Zhu Ci breathed a sigh of relief and said with restraint, "No need for formalities, you may leave."
After these three had left, Zhu Ci slumped back into his chair and let out a long sigh, saying, "This broken armor is far too heavy."
It was all Fu's fault; he insisted that the set of armor he had sent him years ago no longer fit and insisted on sending him a new set.
Armor like that is always made a bit large. Aside from being slightly short, that set from back then was still perfectly fine in every other way, he had also had it meticulously maintained over the years, so it could still be used perfectly well.
However, after he decided on a personal expedition, Fu's mood had been off. It was the kind of thing that wasn't apparent on the surface, but Zhu Ci could clearly sense his anxiety.
Anyway, it wasn't a matter of principle, so if Fu wanted to give it, he could.
As it turned out, this set of armor was a full twenty catties heavier than the previous one!
Zhu Ci had also been careless; he hadn't tried it on before setting out on the expedition, as a result, when he put it on to depart, the weight nearly crushed the breath out of him.
In that moment, Zhu Ci couldn't help but reflect on whether he had become lax in his training after returning to Nanjing, which was why he could barely carry the weight of the battle armor.
It was just a pity that the atmosphere had been built up to this point; even if he used every ounce of strength he possessed, he would still have to stand his ground.
So he didn't say a single word when they set off, fearing that speaking would expose the truth.
Later, after they had set off, he had someone check and only then realized it wasn't his fault, but Grand Secretary Fu's fault.
In that moment, Zhu Ci felt a great deal of heartache for his horse.
It was one thing for him to travel under a heavy load, but his horse had to carry a heavy load as well, even had to carry his weight!
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhu Ci: Fu Huaizhang, did you do that on purpose? I'm holding this grudge! *Cat panting while climbing a horse. jpg*
Next update at twelve noon~
Chapter 237
Along the way, Zhu Ci had gradually grown accustomed to the weight of the armor.
However, due to the forced march over the last few days, there has been very little time to rest each day, it has become somewhat difficult to endure.
Nie Wu and Ding Qi immediately stepped forward to help the Emperor remove his armor.
Jiang Quan was not by Zhu Ci's side; Zhu Ci had sent him away to command an army of his own.
He was not some green novice; setting aside the fact that he had once fought to conquer the world alongside Zhu Ci, he had also previously led troops to suppress rebellions. Keeping him by his side for menial tasks was truly a waste.
Therefore, Zhu Ci released Jiang Quan and selected two of the most outstanding Top Scholars from the Military Service Examination of recent years to keep by his side.
Besides these two, the remaining two Top Scholars, along with the Second Place Scholars, Third Place Scholars, Jinshi from these years, were all assigned to various armies.
It could be said that Zhu Ci had brought almost the entire reserve force of the Great Ming on this expedition, solely to temper them through the fires of war.
Aside from geniuses born of heaven, capable and battle-hardened generals are forged bit by bit.
Zhu Ci did not know if he had anyone under his command who possessed the talent of Wei Qing or Huo Qubing, but for now, it seemed unlikely.
Forget about first, second, or third class; in any case, the average age of these jinshi isn't very young, some of them come from regions that were once occupied by the Qing Army. If they truly had that kind of ability, they would have likely risen up against the Qing long ago.
Since there is no such thing as absolute talent, then come and see the world.
Zhu Ci no longer cared about what would happen if he lost.
If he wins, all will be well; if he loses, all is lost.
After stretching his body, the first thing Zhu Ci did was have a meal, followed by catching up on some sleep, so that he could continue the small group meeting the next day.
He had originally intended to listen humbly to the strategic thinking of Zhang Huangyan, Zheng Chenggong, Li Guo.
Zhu Ci himself possessed very little combat training; his combat skills were all derived from solo duels, in the past, he had relied on crushing his opponents with advanced firearms.
Now that advanced firearms were not quite as effective against Dorgon's human wave tactics, he would naturally have to shift his thinking and see if he could engage in a game of strategy and tactics.
He had some ideas of his own, before leaving, he had already gone through several simulations on the sand table with Fu, Huang Degong, Zhang Mingzhen; now, he wanted to gather more opinions to further refine them.
However, as he listened, he felt that something wasn't quite right.
"Wait." Zhu Ci had to interrupt Li Guo's speech.