Chapter 2 2. Taking the opportunity to agitate, Wang Jincai raised his troops to mutiny

In October of the second year of Chongzhen, the Manchurian aristocratic army made a large-scale internal crime, breaking through the border walls from Zunhua and Jixian areas in Hebei, and captured Zunhua, Yutian, Sanhe, Xianghe, Shunyi and other counties, and their troops went straight to the city of Beijing.Wang Yuanya, the governor of Zunhua in the Ming Dynasty committed suicide, and Zhao Ledjiao, the general soldier of Shanhaiguan who joined the aid, was killed in battle.Chongzhen Emperor Zhu Youjian panicked and believed the eunuch's one-sided words. He fell into the countermeasures set up by Huang Taiji and arrested Liaodong Governor Yuan Chonghuan and put him in prison (soon to be executed).Zu Dashou, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, was frightened, pulled up his team and ran back to Shanhaiguan.In order to save the crisis, the imperial court ordered governors from all over the country to rush to King Huo Jiqin.

Zhang Honggong, the general soldier of Shanxi, followed the dispatch of the Ministry of War and led 5,000 Jin soldiers to help. When his army arrived in the capital area, the Ministry of War actually sent an order to defend the city in three areas within three days.According to the military regulations, on the first day when the army arrives in the defensive area, no food is allowed.The soldiers did not eat a grain of rice for three days, which eventually led to looting.The court investigated the matter and put Zhang Honggong and Geng Ruqi to death in prison.The soldiers scattered and fled back to Shanxi.

Mei Zhihuan, governor of Gansu, received the news from the capital, and immediately sent troops to the capital, because Gansu was too far away from the capital, and the march was very difficult.When the march arrived in Ding County, the soldiers suddenly stopped moving forward collectively, leaving behind armor, guns and other equipment and sitting on the ground unable to get up.Forced by the imperial court's strict decree, the military command officials kept driving the soldiers away, and beat the soldiers sitting on the ground with leather whips.The soldiers were wearing heavy armor and cannons, and suffered terribly.

Wang Jincai is one of Mei Zhihuan's lieutenant generals, and he is highly regarded by Mei Zhihuan on weekdays. Although he is a lieutenant general, the power in his hands cannot be generalized with the position of "deputy general".The ups and downs in the officialdom made him give up. The peasants were in dire straits, but the officials were enjoying themselves.Whenever he thinks about these questions, an idea always pops up in his mind, lead troops to rebel and join the ranks of the rebel army.But this is not something that can be achieved in one sentence.He thought that with his current ability, it was completely impossible to do this, and he was waiting for the time to come.

At this time, he was riding on the horse, his brows were tightly furrowed, and the anguish in his heart made him extremely uncomfortable.The soldiers ran thousands of miles in a row, and they were almost exhausted. Not to mention, they could hardly even have a full meal. In name, they were King Jingqin, but many soldiers died of exhaustion or starvation on the way.Of course Wang Jincai understood the reason. The imperial court also distributed food and salaries, but Mei Zhihuan held them back. He claimed to be sympathetic to the soldiers and civilians, but secretly doing things that ran counter to the facts.Wang Jin just pulled the reins of the horse and stopped, and another soldier in front stopped, and the team behind could not move forward.He bypassed the soldiers standing in front of him, urged his horse to gallop over from the side, and checked the reason.

Some soldiers were so tired that they collapsed on the ground. Seeing this, other soldiers also sat on the ground and couldn't get up. They shouted: "This is not King Qin's war, it's killing oneself!" Wang Jincai couldn't help but shook his head, seeing the soldiers suffer from these useless crimes, but he was helpless. Someone patted him on the shoulder, and Wang Jin turned his head to see that the person who came was Wu Tianyin, who was also a lieutenant general like him.Wu Tianyin said in a low voice: "The general's face is so ugly, there must be something unresolved in his heart?"

Wang Jincai nodded and said: "You and I cooperated as one in the battle. I didn't expect that the general would be able to guess when I have something on my mind." Wu Tianyin said: "Where is this? It is clearly written on the general's face. Anyone who sees it can guess it. It's just that I guessed a little deeper. What others see is just the surface." The two rode on horses and walked towards a relatively secluded place at the same time.On the way, Wang Jincai said, "General, can you tell me what's on my mind?" Wu Tianyin moved the horse closer to him, and said: "The capital is in crisis, and people from all walks of life are rushing to the king. At best, we can only be regarded as a small group of them. I thought and thought, but I still can't figure it out. The Ming court has become so corrupt. , why go to help?"

The meaning of these words has been made clear, and Wang Jincai can understand him of course. He said: "General Wu can say these words without any scruples, which shows his trust in me. In this way, I will not hide it from you. In fact, it is already in my heart. He had the idea of ​​raising troops to revolt, but unfortunately his ability is limited." Wu Tianyin said: "In the past, this idea must have been fantasy, but now it is different." He turned and pointed to the soldiers sitting on the ground in the distance and said: "See, the soldiers are too tired to walk. Tiredness and hunger are one thing, the most important thing is that they are tired of this kind of life, and they are working hard to help a court that has lost popular support. As long as someone can take the lead to stand up and shout out to give up aiding that corrupt court The court, the slogan of fighting for the people, the situation will be reversed immediately."

"General, can you explain something more?" Wang Jincai asked. Wu Tianyin said: "I am afraid that the general also knows that the imperial court actually allocated food and salaries, but it was detained by Mei Zhihuan. The soldiers are still kept in the dark. What they hate most now is the imperial court, not the officials who command them." These soldiers were dulled by the idea of ​​military discipline. Who would have thought that the one who killed them would be their own commander. So what I just mentioned can only be said to be careless. If you want the soldiers to change their minds Come here and expose the greed of these officials, maybe the effect will be better."

Wang Jincai couldn't help but nodded, and said, "I'm not as far-reaching as you think, but now that I think about it, King Qin is a bit suicidal." Wu Tianyin continued: "That's why I said that we should take this opportunity to call on the soldiers to abandon King Qin and break free from the shackles of Mei Zhihuan and the Ming court. Like the Peasant Army, our banner is also to 'fight for the people'." "I understand. General Wu's strategy is very ingenious, and it is perfect for this juncture." Wang Jin sighed. The two nodded in unison, turned their horses and walked back.

The soldiers kept complaining, and some even began to curse. Some soldiers had given up hope of survival, so they used their last strength to release their emotions. Only then did Wang Jin get off his horse and walk into the ranks of soldiers, shouting loudly, "Can everyone still walk?" A soldier immediately responded, "I can't walk half a step." Wang Jincai said: "The road is flat and the road is wide. Why can't we go on?" A soldier said: "The general rides a fast horse, and there is no burden on him, and he can eat a full meal. But what about us soldiers? We are tired and hungry, and everything can kill us. Look at the general. We soldiers have not eaten a full meal or closed our eyes for several days. If this continues, we will die on the way to the battlefield before we reach the battlefield. It is better to sit here and wait for death Good." The soldier's words were like a fuse, igniting the anger of all the other soldiers. Wang Jin waved his hand to signal the soldiers to be quiet, and said: "Actually, I think the same as everyone else. I think it is necessary to tell you one thing. The imperial court allocated funds a long time ago, but Mei Zhihuan got stuck in it, which caused you to eat money." Not full, the main reason for not being able to get out of this situation is him.” Wang Jincai's words were undoubtedly a thunderbolt to the soldiers. They didn't seem to believe Wang Jincai's words, but the reality was like this. Wang Jincai said again: "The Ming court is no longer the former Ming court that put people at ease in the world, and the officials are not clean officials in name. Then why do we support them? Peasants all over the country have raised the banner of rebellion, in order to win In a stable world, why don't we turn our heads around and raise the flag of righteousness in our hands!" Wang Jincai's words aroused the soldiers' emotions. For them, Wang Jincai's words were undoubtedly a guide to survival.The soldiers began to shout Wang Jincai's name, and a flag bearer threw the flag of the Ming court to the ground, and soon a rebel team transformed from the Ming army was formed. Mei Zhihuan had just drank a jug of wine and his face was flushed, when someone came to report: "Vice generals Wang Jincai and Wu Tianyin spread rumors in the army to incite soldiers to mutiny, and many soldiers have already defected to them." Mei Zhihuan's body trembled, his face became redder than before, he said angrily: "What an ungrateful guy, I was in vain to pull him up, and in the end he turned back on me, what a trouble!" He ordered the soldiers to say : "Immediately send someone to arrest the two of them and the mutinous soldiers. Anyone who resists will be shot!" Although the order was given loudly, Mei Zhihuan had no idea.It is not uncommon for soldiers to mutiny in various places. Now that mutiny of soldiers happened in his own army, he had no idea for a while. The only way is the order he gave just now, arrest and kill, and use force to frighten him. A soldier or general who wants to rebel. "It's not good! Wang Jincai, Wu Tianyin and others led mutinous soldiers to break into the granary and pay depot, and plundered wantonly. General Sun Huaizhong, General Zhou Daochang, and Lian Dengkui are trying their best to resist!" The soldier who had just left for a short time turned back . "What!" Mei Zhihuan's face changed drastically, and he immediately ordered: "Call all the soldiers immediately, and make sure to wipe out Wang Jincai and other rebels!" Wang Jincai and Wu Tianyin discussed that food and weapons are indispensable for soldiers. Once the rebellion is successful, the food and payment warehouse should be robbed first. In this way, no one wants to starve to death before going to war. on the way to battle. The two armies confronted each other, and the soldiers led by Wang Jincai had already snatched all their salaries. When they were about to retreat, they were stopped by Mei Zhihuan's army. Mei Zhihuan yelled: "The traitor Wang Jincai saw that I was arrested before I put up my hands. I think you have done a lot of meritorious service, so I leave you as a dead body!" Wang Jincai laughed and said: "My lord is just joking. I think you are the one who wants to be arrested without a fight. A person like you who doesn't care about the safety of soldiers is really not worthy of being an official in the court. It's okay to be a butcher. Now the court is in chaos. The king listened to the eunuch's slander and killed so many Zhongliang. Have you ever thought that it is because of these Zhongliang that the country's security can be preserved. Now it is their own fault for making this happen, so what is the point of King Qin!" "It's a bunch of nonsense, the safety of the capital is at stake now, you don't think about saving the country, but you say such brazen words, it proves that you already have the heart of rebellion." Mei Zhihuan said angrily. Seeing that there was no hope of making any sense, Mei Zhihuan shouted again: "If you are so obsessed with obsession, you are surrendering, and it is also a disaster for the country. Kill me!" As a result, some soldiers were eager to try, but they only moved a few steps and waved their spears a few times, but they dared not move forward. At this time, the mutiny soldiers led by Wang Jincai were full of morale and their sharpness was overwhelming.Wang Jincai shouted: "The Ming court is over. We are saving the people from the fire and water. If anyone is willing to join in, we will treat them equally. We will never withhold military pay and fill our own pockets like Governor Mei." After speaking, several teams of soldiers rose up Dare to join the ranks of Wang Jincai. After all, Mei Zhihuan is a seasoned veteran, so at this moment, he is willing to go all out, and he shouted to the soldiers: "Whoever can kill this group of traitors will be rewarded with a hundred taels and promoted two ranks!" !” This seductive sentence really tempted many soldiers, and the two armies fought together. The battle lasted for a day, with more than half of the casualties on both sides.Wang Jincai finally broke through Mei Zhihuan's line of defense and led his troops to Lanzhou. This internal rebellion in the army has shaken the morale of the army. There are still many people in the army who are eager to try, wanting to follow the path of Wang Jincai and others again. Although Mei Zhihuan tried his best to suppress it, the effect is not good. After Wang Jincai arrived in Lanzhou, he was immediately elected as the leader of the rebel army.After the news was released, many local farmers and soldiers joined the uprising team, and the uprising army led by Wang Jincai gradually grew in size. However, the nest of ants is a dike that breaks a thousand miles.Wang Jincai and others were eventually killed by traitors arranged by Mei Zhihuan in the army.Then Mei Zhihuan sent another general to take over the Lanzhou army. After reorganization, part of the army continued eastward to serve the king, and some who were determined not to go were sent back to the garrison.