Li Xiao thought about setting up a plan to stay in Jinjiazhuang Fort, but he felt that he had not thought about it thoroughly, and the time for the Tartars to retreat was not yet ripe, so he had not told anyone yet.

Time flies, and soon, it will be the second day of the leap August lunar month.

During this period, Li Xiao's entire army rectified the troops, trained new soldiers, repaired the city walls, buried the bodies, treated the wounded, and settled the people. In the Jinjiazhuang Fort, it gradually became calm and stable.

That afternoon, Li Xiao was inspecting the resettlement status of the people in the fort. Suddenly, the guards on the front of the city came to report that there were hundreds of cavalry and horses in the south, and were quickly running towards Jinjiazhuang Fort.

Li Xiao hurriedly climbed to the fort gate viewing hall. Sure enough, there were about 300 Ming cavalrymen, with disorganized troops and scattered flags running towards him.

"Ah, it's General Yao!"

Li Xiao was shocked to see from the Qianli Miles mirror that his helmet was lost, his hair was scattered, and his face was covered in blood and dirt, leading a group of defeated soldiers, including the captain of the servant Hong Meng, toward Jinjiazhuang Fort. Everyone's faces were full of panic and horror, as if they had just escaped from the battlefield.

What's going on?

I remember when I set out together from Wudingzhou, Shandong, Yao Wenchang brought a total of 5,000 troops!

Soon, Yao Wenchang's remaining troops arrived in front of the Jinjiazhuang Fort Gate. Yao Wenchang saw Li Xiao who was on the fort gate at a glance, and quickly turned over and dismounted, shouting in a desolate voice: "There is Li Qianhu above, it's Yao Wenchang, please open the city gate quickly!"

Li Xiao hurriedly asked to open the door and let Yao Wenchang and others enter.

As soon as Yao Wenchang entered the fort, he held Li Xiao's hand tightly and cried bitterly.

"General Yao, did you hear that your troops have gone to Wanquan Right Guard? How did you become like this?" Seeing Yao Wenchang's disobedience, Li Xiao was shocked and inexplicably, and could not react for a moment.

"Don't mention it! It's over, it's over. My Yao Wenchang's army is completely over. It's over!" Yao Wenchang let go and hold Li Xiaozhi's hand, covering his face with both hands, and his crying became more and more heartbroken.

"Li Qianhu, let me tell you." Hong Meng, the captain of the servant next to him, choked and replied.

Li Xiao listened to Hong Meng's narration, and his brows became tighter and tighter.

It turned out that after receiving the order sent by the Ministry of War to the Wanquan Right Guard on the same day, Yao Wenchang's troops deliberately delayed the time on the road, and only walked less than twenty miles a day, hoping that the later they arrived, the better.

Moreover, in order to delay the time, Yao Wenchang's troops originally walked through the border of Bao'anzhou to the west of Zhili in the north, so that they could take a lot of distance. As a result, Yao Wenchang and Hong Meng decided to deliberately change to the border of Yanqingzhou to the east on the grounds of unfamiliar road, enter Xuanfu East Road, go west from the East Road, and then turn to the north, and finally arrive at Wanquan Right Guard.

The two of them made this choice, of course, to try to extend the time they were on the road.

But it was unlucky that when Yao Wenchang's troops were marching to the Longmen Guard's main fort burned by the Tartars, they suddenly encountered thousands of Tartars coming from the north of Nanhe River. These Tartars were scattered in the ranks and carried a large number of food and supplies. They were like a hungry tiger meeting a fat sheep, and immediately showed off their attacks.

Yao Wenchang's troops, whose morale was low and had no fighting spirit, were quickly collapsed by a thunderous attack by the Tartars.

The Tartars chased and died in the north, and massacred them wantonly. Yao Wenchang's troops fled everywhere, blood flowing all over the field.

Half an hour later, all the infantry of Yao Wenchang's army were destroyed, and all the food, grass and supplies fell into the enemy's hands. Only hundreds of cavalry were left to protect Yao Wenchang himself, crossing the South River to the north bank, and finally escaping his life.

Yao Wenchang and others, who were desperate and unfamiliar with the place, were looking around at a daze and suddenly thought that Li Xiao's troops were sent to the Jinjiazhuang Fort that day. Only then did the group hurry to Jinjiazhuang Fort as if they had caught a life-saving straw.

"Have you ever seen the flag of the Tartars?"

"I see clearly, it's the Zhenglan Banner Tartars!"

Hong Meng returned hurriedly, and Li Xiao sighed unconsciously.

There is no doubt that the one who annihilated Yao Wenchang's troops was the Zhenglan Banner Jia Laezhen Aiba Listoral Ministry, who suffered a defeat in his Jinjiazhuang Fort and had to retreat.

I guess this Tartars vented all their anger and depression on the unlucky Yao Wenchang's unlucky body.

This person is also considered unlucky.

Tian Wei, the leader of the armored forces next to him, suddenly couldn't help laughing. He told Yao Wenchang and others how Li Xiaojun defended Jinjiazhuang Fort that day and won many Tartar heads.

After hearing Tian Wei's boast, Yao Wenchang and Hong Meng and others were full of unbelievable surprise. Hong Meng's mouth was so open that he could just hold an egg.

"This dog Tartar can bully you. If you encounter our army, I must knock off its dog teeth and cut off its dog head!"

Tian Wei's ending words made Yao Wenchang blush on his face, and he could no longer look up.

"Tian Wei, don't be bragging and gossiping here! Why don't you retreat quickly!" Seeing Yao Wenchang so embarrassed, Li Xiao shouted angrily at Tian Wei.

Tian Wei laughed awkwardly and retreated according to his order.

"It's not easy for you to get out of the battle to the death. Please go down and rest first and then discuss." Li Xiao comforted Yao Wenchang a few words, and then asked Wei Zhenfu An Qian and everyone to find a few empty houses to let them settle down and rest.

Looking at the depressed backs of Yao Wenchang and others, Li Xiao sighed again in his heart.

Speaking of which, it was his butterfly from later generations that flapped his wings and changed the original historical process. The army of Yao Wenchang, who could have been wandering around, encountered this unpredictable disaster.

How can this cause and effect be so irritating?

So, what should we do with the remnants of Yao Wenchang now?

Li Xiao, who returned to the official hall, was still strolling in the courtyard and thinking.

If he just took him in this way, then when the Tartars retreated, Yao Wenchang would be held accountable by the imperial court. Shandong General Liu Zeqing would also be ruthless because of his loss of troops. If so, Yao Wenchang would not be able to escape the word "death".

Li Xiao didn't want Yao Wenchang to die like this.

Last time in Wudingzhou, Shandong, Li Xiao's army and the army soldiers under Yao Wenchang's army had a friction and conflict. Yao Wenchang punished his army, apologized to Li Xiao and treated him warmly, which left a deep impression on him.

Such people can be called mediocre in fighting, but they are very good at changing the way of dealing with human feelings.

He saw that Li Xiao's army was very powerful and difficult to attack. As a general in the camp, he could put down his figure and win over a small number of officials. In a sense, people who know the times and understand the stability of the times are worth making friends.

Moreover, Yao Wenchang, as a confidant subordinate of Liu Zeqing, was one of the four major Jingang under his command. He was quite powerful in the eastern and western Shandong areas and was a powerful figure.

If Li Xiao could now give him favors and help him escape from the fate of death, judging by his abilities, Li Xiao could have predicted that Yao Wenchang would be grateful to himself for such a timely help, and he would probably be rewarded in the future.

In other words, if he had given his kindness to save Yao Wenchang, he would undoubtedly dig out the cornerstone of the opponent in the camp of Liu Zeqing, which was always hostile to him, and arrange a pawn that was quite beneficial to him.

Only by setting a long line can you catch big fish.

Li Xiao finally stopped pace, and his face showed a decisive expression.

That night, Li Xiao went to the side room of the official hall to pay homage to Zu Dale.

Zu Dale was already very happy at this time. He was born in a family of military generals and was actually quite strong. Because he did not hurt his bones, he also had the century-old ginseng that Li Xiao gave to replenish qi and blood, and he recovered quite quickly.

Seeing Li Xiao come in, Zu Dale was about to call him to sit down. Li Xiao signaled him and asked him to hold him back.

After his subordinates left the room, Li Xiao said to Zu Dale in a deep voice: "Master Zu, I'm here tonight, but I have something to discuss with you."

"Li Xiao, what do you want to talk about, but it's okay."

"Mr. Zu, what I want to talk about is the matter of the current distribution of the head and the prisoners." Li Xiao said in a deep voice.

"oh."

"Mr. Zu, the Self-English Army stationed this fort, and obtained a total of 697 Jurchen Tatars' heads, 255 Mongolian Tatars' heads, 249 Han army's heads, and 233 prisoners of Jurchen Tatars, 48 ​​Mongolian Tatars, 10 Han army, and 335 Ming army captured. Now, I am worried about how to allocate these heads." Li Xiao went straight to the point and said bluntly to Zu Dale.

"Li Xiao, such a great victory is a great military merit that our army has not achieved since the Ningjin victory. If it weren't for the limited promotion every time, Li Xiao, you will be promoted to the general with such great achievements." Zu Dale looked at Li Xiao with an admiration look, and then lowered his voice and asked Li Xiao, "Are you afraid that the superiors will lose your military merit?"

"That's right." Li Xiao sighed softly, "I am here without any support. If I report it, I am afraid that such military achievements will not be sent to the court's Ministry of War, and have been divided and swallowed up by the Xuanfu Shangguan."

"Could it be that Li Xiao, you came to see me, but you want me to help report military merits?" Zu Dale said with a smile.

Li Xiao bowed and bowed and bowed: "It is precisely this. If Lord Zu does not help report it, then all the military achievements we have obtained from the bloody battle will be able to make wedding clothes for others."

"I will thank you for your life-saving grace that day, and you have such a good relationship with your little girl. But I have to help you." Zu Dale smiled and asked again, "But I don't know what solution you have in your heart?"

"Mr. Zu, based on his understanding of the military merit system of the Ming Dynasty, the leading officers, whoever have more than 50 officials in the head, and who have more than 10 troops, will be awarded ten slave thieves, and will be promoted to the first level, and each ten will be awarded one level. Total three levels, the second level will be awarded one level, and the first level will be awarded one level. In addition to the 50 taels of silver rewards, each Tartar head also has additional rewards for silver and silk. I wonder if what I said below is correct?"

“Yes.”

"Oh, if that's the case, this time, you can pass the commander and commander with 30 Jurchen Tartar heads, and finally be promoted to commander." Li Xiao chuckled.

"Yes, if there are people in the court, they will be promoted to the commander-in-chief, which is also ordinary." Zu Dale nodded and said, "However, although you can only get commander-in-chief in your official rank, the possibility of further resignation of the position of the military rank is greater. According to the general's view, Li Xiao, your current military position is the chief, and you have such great achievements. You can surpass the commander-in-chief and be promoted to the position of the chief of the capital."

Li Xiao was silent for a moment, and he smiled again and said to Zu Dale: "Sir, to thank you for your help this time, I want to give the 200 Jurchen Tartars heads to you."

Zu Dale was stung by a wasp, and his whole body shook violently.

Good guy, 200 Jurchen Tartar heads, this is a gift of great value!

These days, the Jurchen Tartar heads are the most valuable, referred to as the Donglu heads, and are most valued by the court. If an ordinary soldier kills a Donglu head, he can be awarded the first level immediately.

The second level is the head of the Mongolian Tartars, referred to as the Beilu. The two heads can be actually given half a level, but compared to the Jurchen Tartars, these Mongolian Tartars are not valued by the court. For example, in the late Wanli period, generals such as Li Chengliang and Magui cut off a large number of Mongolians' heads, all of which were cut in hundreds, but the promotion amount was limited each time.

Again, there were the Han army who surrendered to the Later Jin Dynasty, and the bandit heads such as Li Chuang King Zhang Xianzhong. The gold content of their heads was greatly reduced. Sixteen or even twenty were required to beheaded to be given a first-level title. The attractiveness of these heads to the official army has been greatly reduced.

The worst is the heads of bandits in various places in the Ming Empire. Because defending Jing'an was the responsibility of the Ming army in various places, such bandits were the least valuable. They usually took forty or fifty to be given a first-level award. Moreover, the Ministry of War of the Court ignored such military achievements the most, and the issuance of rewards and promotions was always delayed.

Zu Dale looked excited and could hardly control himself.

According to the military laws of the Ming Dynasty, every 30 Tartar heads can be upgraded to one level for the military positions from commanders. Of course, the more heads you need to go up. Now Li Xiao is willing to give himself a total of 200 Jurchen Tartar heads, which is enough to ensure that he is promoted to general. The military rank can also be promoted to the commander-in-chief, and the military can also be added to the superior guards from the guards. If it is in the early stage of the dynasty, it will not be difficult.

With such merits, the court will naturally not pursue the loss of the 1,000 reinforcements on the bank of the South River.

This Li Xiao has such a broad mind that I really admire him sincerely.

"Li Xiao, I feel ashamed of you as you as you did back then." Zu Dale was excited, but his shame appeared on his face.

"Mr. Zu, there is no need to mention the past. In this battle of the fortress, the Liaodong army of the Lord has made great contributions and helped our army a lot. In the future, there will be more things to rely on the Lord." Li Xiao replied with a smile.

Zu Dale smiled awkwardly and quickly crossed the topic: "Li Xiao, how do you plan to allocate the remaining head?"

"I want to distribute 249 Han army's heads to the fortress soldiers and Du Shaoru's army. 255 Mongolian Tartars' heads to the general Yao Wenchang who was defeated today," Li Xiao said calmly.

"This, Li Xiao, you can still understand it when you give it to the fortress soldiers and Du Shaoru's army. After all, they have also participated in the fortress battle. But why do you give such precious military achievements to such a defeated general who has no friendship with you?" Zu Dale couldn't help but be puzzled when he heard that Li Xiao was going to give his military achievements to Yao Wenchang.

Suddenly, he raised his head suddenly and whispered to Li Xiao: "Do you want to win over this person?"

Li Xiao smiled and nodded.

"Mr. Zu, although this general Yao Wenchang has not had much friendship with him, he is a capable and flexible person, without the arrogance of self-esteem. As long as I, Li Xiao, cannot be defeated, a person like Yao Wenchang, can become a good helper for me, so I am willing to divide his head to protect his military position."

Although Li Xiao said it concealedly, a person like Zu Dale who had been in the officialdom for a long time could not see Li Xiao's thoughts. He smiled faintly and said, "Li Xiao, I didn't see that you were so scheming, it's really rare, so it's up to you."

Zu Dale paused and continued to ask Li Xiao: "Then there are these 467 Jurchen Tartar heads, how should we deal with them?"

Li Xiao pondered for a moment and said to Zu Dale: "It is not helpful to hand over these heads to me. I think that at that time, I can exchange interests with the Shangguans in Xuanfu."

"Oh? How do you say this?"

"Well, I still haven't figured out some details. I'll know it at that time. In short, there is no reason to hand over these heads in vain." Li Xiao kept it a secret and said with a smile.

Zu Dale also laughed: "Li Xiao, you are a little bit scary, and I am not sure what to do. By the way, there are those Jurchen, Mongolian, and Han prisoners, what do you plan to deal with? You must know that since the late Wanli period, the State Administration of China fought against the Jurchens, and has never caught so many prisoners. These prisoners are very precious."

"These prisoners were reported in the name of their own officials."

"Oh, that's it. If so, your promotion has reached the limit, but this is a bit wasteful." Zu Dale thought for a while and said in confusion.

"No waste, I did this just to make my name Li Xiao. It's hard to erase it in the heart of the emperor!" Li Xiao's answer was concise and clear, but very firm.
Chapter completed!