Before the banquet was over, the news of Wu Sangui's coronation spread throughout the Jiannu.
Some are happy, some are sad.
Some people were envious at first, and then became jealous and hateful.
Those who were jealous and hateful included the surrendered Ming generals such as Hong Chengchou and Shi Lang.
There were also Eight Banners generals headed by Luo Koduo, Oboi, Bolo and others.
However, the fact that Wu Sangui was crowned king was a fait accompli. They could only speculate in their minds but could not change the facts.
When Wu Sangui returned to Sarhu from Jiefanzhai, it was already night.
He lay on the horse's back, vomiting and laughing: "Hahaha, I...I can call myself the king from now on!"
Not long after walking, they met Hu Xinshui who came to pick them up.
Hu Xinshui took out a hot water bag from his arms, handed it to Wu Sangui and said, "My Lord...Prince, drink some hot water."
Wu Sangui shook his head directly: "You and I are family, so we can just call each other brothers in private."
"That's against the rules."
"You and I are brothers, what rules are we talking about?"
"This is against the rules." Hu Xinshui repeated.
Seeing that Hu Xinshui still disagreed, Wu Sangui changed his words and said, "Don't call me Prince in private. Just call me Sir."
"Yes, sir." Hu Xinshui took the reins of Wu Sangui's warhorse and set out on the journey home with Wu Sangui.
After walking for a while, Wu Sangui suddenly asked, "What's the situation in the camp?"
"Everything is normal in the camp! The soldiers fought all day yesterday and were busy all night. They were exhausted. After having a full meal this morning, they returned to the camp to rest."
"That's good," Wu Sangui nodded and asked, "How many soldiers do we have left?"
Hu Xinshui did some calculations and said, "I did a rough count this morning and found that there are about 10,000 soldiers left in our army. 70% of them are cavalry and 30% are infantry. During the day today, some soldiers who were lost on the battlefield have returned one after another."
"There are about a thousand of these people, and the total number of the two is about 11,000."
"That's right," Wu Sangui said contentedly, "At least there are still more than 10,000 people left. With these people, we won't be bullied."
When Hu Xinshui was about to say something, they had already arrived at the gate of the camp in Sarhu.
After identifying the identity, the general on duty immediately knelt on one knee and said, "This humble general pays respect to His Excellency the King of Pingxi!"
The soldiers around him knelt down and shouted in a noisy voice: "Greetings to the King of Pingxi! Greetings to the King of Pingxi!"
Wu Sangui had drunk a lot of wine before and was already about 70% drunk.
However, he became alert after hearing the three words "King of Pingxi".
He waved his hands happily at everyone and said, "Everyone... stand up, no need to be polite!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" The general on duty stood up with his soldiers.
Wu Sangui boasted a few more times and continued walking towards the camp, reeking of alcohol.
After he left, the soldiers at the scene were a little dazed.
A soldier asked the general: "Sir, is the prince leaving just like that?"
"What else? Help you keep watch?" the general asked.
Another soldier stuck out his neck and said, "As the saying goes, if one person succeeds, all his family members will benefit. The prince has been promoted to a higher rank and has received rewards. Can we also benefit from it?"
"What benefit do you want?" the general continued to ask.
"Of course it's silver! The Guanning Army hasn't been paid for two months. When they served the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty didn't pay them. Now that they serve the Qing Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty should pay them, right?"
"This..." The general didn't know what to say.
The lower-level soldiers only care about money.
As long as the money is in place, they can do anything.
The money is not in place.
They will have other ideas.
The general was afraid that the soldiers would get upset, so he comforted them in a deep voice: "It will take time to pay our salaries! When the prince sobers up, he will definitely pay us our salaries as soon as possible."
"Oh yeah, I'm the asshole."
"I'm an asshole too."
"Everyone is an asshole, hahahaha!"
The soldiers first cursed themselves, then burst into laughter.
At this time, Wu Sangui had already arrived at his tent.
Just as he sat down and was about to take a rest, Hu Xinshui came back.
"Is there something wrong?" Wu Sangui asked.
"Indeed, there is something," Hu Xinshui said with a serious expression, "Did you mention that matter when you attended the banquet today, sir?"
Wu Sangui had no recollection of it and asked, "What is it?"
"Of course it's the salary! The Guanning Army hasn't been paid for two months. If they don't pay any more, it might cause a mutiny."
"Oh no," Wu Sangui slapped his thigh, "I was only thinking about the title today and forgot to ask Prince Rui for money."
"Then my lord, please don't forget this matter tomorrow." Hu Xinshui instructed.
Wu Sangui nodded and didn't take the matter too seriously.
You should know that the Guanning Army was owed wages for seven or eight months at most.
Even then, there was no mutiny.
The military pay has only been delayed for two months. Could there be a mutiny?
After Hu Xinshui left, Wu Sangui lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
While he was sleeping, many soldiers of the Guanning Army woke up.
They slept all day and were completely sleepless at night.
Inside the military tent.
The soldiers began to chat in the dark.
An old soldier sighed and said, "Alas! It's a pity for my family. If I surrender, they will definitely be implicated."
"So what if we are implicated? The general has surrendered, so how can we not surrender?" said another soldier.
"What about the general? That was an official position in the Ming Dynasty. Now our general is a prince of the Qing Dynasty!"
"Did the prince say when the salary would be paid?"
"It will come out sooner or later, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Of course I have to be anxious! Haven't you heard that saying?"
"What?"
“Life is like a fleeting moment. If you don’t enjoy it while you can, you will regret it when you are old.”
"I don't understand, speak human language."
"Spend your money quickly, or you will die without it."
"Haha," someone laughed, "Are you looking forward to dying soon?"
"Don't hope, this is the truth."
"What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly." Everyone immediately sat up in the dark.
The soldier who had spoken earlier smiled bitterly and said, "We did surrender, but the Eight Banners soldiers don't treat us as human beings. Whenever there is a battle, they make us charge in the front and retreat in the back."
"Li Xianzhong, Liu Zhaoji, and Li Dingguo of the Ming army are not easy to deal with! Once we encounter them on the battlefield, we will be dead soon."
"So, spend your money while you are alive, otherwise you will leave it to others when you die."
After hearing this, everyone fell silent.
They lay down again and tried to fall asleep.
But I couldn't fall asleep and could only toss and turn.
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