After Yan Yingyuan had eaten and drunk his fill, he knelt down and saluted: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
"Stand up."
Although there were hundreds of thousands of bandits besieging the city outside, Chongzhen was unusually calm at this time.
There is no other reason, just because the backbone of the city defense has arrived.
"Yan Dianshi, the bandit army is besieging the city. I'm handing the capital over to you. Are you sure you can hold on to it?"
These words frightened Yan Yingyuan so much that he almost vomited the food he had just eaten.
Wang Chengen, who was serving on the side, also had an expression of disbelief on his face.
Is the emperor okay?
Let’s not talk about whether Yan Yingyuan has the ability to manage the Beijing Camp, but based on his status, the soldiers of the Beijing Camp will not obey him!
"Your Majesty, this is inappropriate. I have neither made any contributions nor worked hard, and I feel ashamed to accept this position. Moreover, the capital is the foundation of the Ming Dynasty. I am only a ninth-rank official and cannot bear this heavy responsibility."
"If Your Majesty wants to use me, please let me guard the city for a few days. I will definitely fulfill my mission."
Chongzhen looked at him with great interest and was very satisfied.
Yan Yingyuan is a man of courage and integrity!
He only wanted to be promoted based on his ability and merit, not on appointments.
"How about this," Chongzhen made arrangements in a moment, "The commander of the West Gate is Wang Guoxing, the commander of the Jinyiwei. You go to guard the city with him."
"Sun Tzu said: 'The art of war is all about deception! As a civilian, I don't want you to defend the city with your body. The capital has millions of people, and we don't need you! A general should be wise, trustworthy, benevolent, brave, and strict. I hope you can stand in the shoes of a general and defend the city with strategy and your brain."
"You should have heard of the bandits' methods of attacking the city. Think carefully about how to deal with it. Once you have thought it through, give it a try. If it works, write it down! I will have the guards of other city gates follow suit."
"In this way, the capital can be defended!"
Yan Yingyuan listened carefully to Chongzhen's teachings, nodded from time to time and took notes in his mind.
After Chongzhen finished speaking, he stood there and thought for a moment, then asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, there is one thing I don't understand. Please enlighten me."
"speak."
Yan Yingyuan bowed deeply and said, "The Art of War by Sun Tzu says: Attacking the heart is better than attacking the city; psychological warfare is better than military warfare. The bandit army is besieging the city. Do you have any strategy to attack the enemy's heart?"
Chongzhen was stunned for a moment, and the knot in his head was finally solved.
He has done so many things since he traveled through time, but he always feels that something is missing.
I've been thinking about it but still have no clue.
Today, Yan Yingyuan pointed it out.
Attack the heart!
In the past, he was only concerned with uniting the military and civilians and neglected the psychological warfare against the enemy.
Chongzhen couldn't help but ask, "Have you read the Art of War?"
"I know a thing or two."
"Well, you reminded me."
"Wang Chengen?"
"I am here!"
"Prepare some white cloth, two feet wide, the longer the better! Hang it on the city wall tomorrow!"
Wang Chengen's knees went weak and he almost fell to the ground.
What does the emperor want to do?
Hanging white cloth means surrender!
After killing so many people and doing so many things, you won’t really surrender, right?
The corners of Yan Yingyuan's mouth also twitched.
It would have been better if he hadn't come, but after he came, the emperor actually wanted to surrender...
Immediately, he understood what Chongzhen meant.
Seeing Chongzhen staring at him, Yan Yingyuan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to write on the white cloth?"
"Yes, what word do you think is more appropriate?"
Yan Yingyuan thought about it.
The purpose of attacking the enemy's heart is nothing more than shaking the enemy's morale.
Li Zicheng's army consisted of three parts.
The first part was the Northwest Frontier Army that surrendered to Li Zicheng. These people were highly valued by Li Zicheng and were his elite and direct subordinates. There were about 70,000 to 80,000 people in this Northern Expedition, of which 40% were infantry and 60% were cavalry.
The second part is the Ming army that surrendered along the way. The combat effectiveness of this group of people is uneven, but they are regular troops after all, and they can be considered elite after a little rest.
The third group was the disaster victims, the people who fled. The disaster victims often followed Li Zicheng with their families. Although the number was huge, a large part of them were women, children and the elderly, so their fighting power could be imagined.
It was difficult to shake the morale of the first part of the army. They were originally the northwest frontier army. Since the court gave most of the military pay to Liaodong, they were seriously short of pay and had long lost the desire to serve the country. After surrendering to Li Zicheng, Li Zicheng did not treat them badly, and they were loyal to Li Zicheng.
There is no need to consider the third part. Those disaster victims are a mob that follows the wind and will scatter on their own without the main force.
The key is the second part. The treatment of these people did not improve much after surrendering, and Li Zicheng did not trust them very much.
After thinking for a long time, Yan Yingyuan said slowly: "Your Majesty, I think it is more appropriate to write these words on white cloth."
"Those who surrender will be pardoned and reinstated! There will be enough food and wages, and no military pay will be owed!"
"What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Chongzhen nodded without any hesitation, "Just follow Yan Dianshi's method. Remember, before the sun rises tomorrow, these white cloths must be hung on the top of the city. I will punish anyone who is late!"
"By the way, Yan Dianshi is from Tongzhou, Zhili, and has no place to live in the capital. Find him a place to live."
Without waiting for Wang Chengen to speak, Yan Yingyuan said hurriedly: "Your Majesty asked me to guard the West Gate, and that West Gate is where I live, so don't bother."
Chongzhen nodded with satisfaction, staring at Yan Yingyuan's face as if he were looking at a treasure.
"Go away, I have other things to do."
"I obey the order."
As soon as Yan Yingyuan left, Chongzhen immediately ordered Wang Chengen: "Forge an imperial edict, disguise yourself and deliver it to Wu Weihua, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and ask him to leave the city through the West Gate and negotiate peace with Li Zicheng after leaving the city."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
