nucmednet Chapter 725: Using softness to overcome strength
Chapter 725: Using softness to overcome strength
"Shout out?" Li Zicheng was puzzled. "We've fought to this point, it's either you die or I live, what's there to say?"
Liu Heizi said calmly, "My general said before he left that when facing a tough opponent, the King of Chuang could try a conciliatory approach. Right now, the garrison in Luoyang is short of food and supplies, and morale is low. In addition, our army's morale has plummeted after the bombardment, and they are only holding on by sheer willpower. As long as the King of Chuang sends someone to make a promise not to massacre the city, not to disturb the people, not to hold officials accountable, and not to collect taxes from the people, the attack on the city can be twice as effective. Of course, this is just a suggestion, and it is up to the King of Chuang whether to listen to it or not."
Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng lowered his head and remained silent, pondering the hidden meaning behind these words.
Liu Zongmin asked with dissatisfaction, "It's fine if we don't massacre the city, but if we don't disturb the people, are we supposed to starve? The brothers are counting on looting after we break through the city and having some fun with the young ladies of wealthy families! And what kind of terrible idea is it to stop the people from paying taxes? If the people don't pay taxes, where will the army's food and provisions come from?"
Liu Heizi chuckled: "General Liu, with the Prince of Fu in Luoyang, even without robbing the common people, you can still make a fortune. Why bother with the pittances they shed? As for not paying taxes, it won't cause your army any loss. You are a righteous army, not the government. Collecting taxes is illegitimate for you. Besides, robbing government officials and wealthy households is enough to support the army. The so-called 'not paying taxes' is just a gimmick to incite the people..."
According to Liu Ye's recollection, Li Zicheng officially proposed the slogan "equal land distribution and tax exemption" in 1640 (the thirteenth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign), which obviously couldn't have happened during the Battle of Luoyang. Furthermore, given the influence of this "butterfly effect," it's hard to say whether Li Zicheng in this timeline would even have proposed the same slogan and marched all the way to Beijing. In addition, it's said that the slogan was proposed by Li Yan, but there's no record of Li Yan in official history, and his very existence is questionable. Even if this legendary figure did exist, Li Zicheng's advance into Henan has been accelerated, history has been altered, and in this chaotic situation, it's uncertain whether Li Yan would still join the rebel army. Therefore, Liu Ye decided that it would be better to go all the way and reveal these tricks and tactics in advance to help him succeed.
After much deliberation, Li Zicheng concluded that using the pretense of not disturbing the people and not paying taxes to wear down the will of the defending troops was a good idea. Losses outside the dike could be compensated for inside, and capturing Prince Fu would yield far greater benefits than those squeezed from the common people and ordinary officials. He immediately decided, "Brother Liu is absolutely right, let's do it this way."
Under the cover of night, on the northern city wall, the defenders lit bonfires for warmth, keeping their swords and armor close at hand, guarding against night raids by bandits. The bodies of the soldiers who died in battle during the day had already been removed, but the bloodstains on the ground could not be cleaned up in a short time, and a strong stench of blood was everywhere, which, combined with the heat from the bonfires, made people want to vomit.
The soldiers, fighting off discomfort and drowsiness, sat listlessly by the campfire. The fierce battle of the day had left no room for idle chatter; none of them knew when they would die under cannon fire or at the hands of bandits.
With the situation at the North Gate critical, Liu Jianyi, the deputy general originally stationed at the East Gate, was transferred to replace Commander-in-Chief Wang Shaoyu, who was sent to rest. At this moment, he sat in the city tower, his face ashen, wiping his waist sword with a cloth, without uttering a word.
Seeing this, one of his trusted guards, who was following him, tentatively asked, "Is the lord worried about the war?"
"Worry my ass!" Liu Jianyi spat angrily. "I'm just feeling really wronged. That guy Wang Shaoyu eats the meat but doesn't even leave us a drop of soup. Minister Lü got three thousand taels of silver from Prince Fu, which was supposed to supplement everyone's resettlement allowance, but that bastard pocketed two thousand taels and only gave out one thousand. Even with what Governor Li and Prefect Kang gave us, it's still not enough to go around..." What he really wanted to say was that it was one thing for the soldiers to embezzle their resettlement allowance, but what was most hateful was that they didn't share the spoils. He was a deputy general, yet he didn't even get a sip of leftover soup.
The garrison commander said, "General, your behavior is really too greedy. Could it be that you see this city can't be defended and want to make some money to prepare for your retreat?"
Liu Jianyi snorted coldly: "Who knows? If that's really the case, I'm not stupid enough to hang myself on one tree. If you piss me off, I'll open the door and let Li Zicheng in. I'll take off this skin and go eat with him."
The garrison commander's eyes lit up: "That makes sense. I've heard that Li Zicheng treats surrendered soldiers very well. Following him means living a life of luxury, which is a hundred times better than these poor soldiers!"
Just then, shouts suddenly rang out from outside the city, coming from all directions.
"Brothers, the King of Chuang said that as long as you give up resistance and let us into the city, regardless of whether you have the blood of the Chuang army on your hands, you will be forgiven for what you did. You can drink wine from large bowls, eat meat in large chunks, and divide gold with us on a large scale..."
"Fellow villagers, stop working for the government! They won't even give us resettlement allowances or pensions. What's the point of helping such a heartless government? Follow us! The King of Chuang has ordered that after the army enters the city, it will not disturb the people, will not harm a single thing, and the people will no longer have to pay grain or taxes..."
These same words were repeated over and over, making the defending soldiers restless. Each had their own thoughts, but none dared to shout to stop the psychological offensive. For the militia, as long as the bandits didn't disturb the people when they entered the city, and their families' safety was guaranteed, they lost their most important motivation to take up arms and resist. The fact that they wouldn't have to pay grain or taxes made their hearts pound; if those promises were fulfilled, their good days would begin.
With a clang, Liu Jianyi's knife struck the ground, sending sparks flying.
"Damn it, if Li Zicheng keeps his word, I'll rebel right now!" In the dim candlelight, Liu Jianyi's face was somewhat ferocious. "Wang Shaoyu embezzled two thousand taels, and I'll follow the rich and powerful; getting twenty thousand taels from him is nothing..."
The garrison commander was startled and warned, "Sir, you'd better think this through. The general will be here to relieve us at 3:45 AM, in less than an hour. Don't let him find any fault with us..."
Liu Jianyi raised his sword and sneered, "If he's ruthless, don't blame me for being ruthless too. Li Zicheng has somehow acquired so many powerful cannons; the city will fall sooner or later. We might as well surrender and sell it for a good price..."
After a short while, Liu Jianyi's personal guards suddenly raised torches and climbed onto the city wall, shouting, "Someone has rebelled! Folks, run! Your lives are the most important thing!"
The militia, already in a state of panic from the shouts, jumped up and rushed down the city walls, leaving the walls completely empty in an instant.
After the guards used a trick to scare away the militia, they went to the city gate, jumped onto the sandbags blocking the gate from opening and closing, poured vegetable oil on them, and threw a dozen torches at them. The city gate immediately burst into flames with crackling sounds. Time was of the essence; Wang Shaoyu's troops would soon arrive to take over the city gate, and there was no time to remove the sandbags. Burning the city gate was the fastest solution.