So many Ming army prisoners of war appeared in Hangzhou in the form of parades, which shocked many people, including Wang Chengen.
These people thought that the buffer time of three years was enough for the Ming army to change its appearance and improve its combat power by one level. Even if they still couldn't defeat Haihan, they would at least be able to fight back and forth on the battlefield without losing too ugly.
Some people even believe that the battle reports published by the Haihan government through newspapers before this were somewhat self-praising, and that the progress on the battlefield may not be so smooth.
How could the 100,000 Ming army fortified inside and outside Yingtian Mansion be defeated by the Haihan army in just one month? Even tens of thousands of pigs would not be captured in a short time.
However, the practice of publicly displaying prisoners of war has proved that the recent battle reports published in newspapers are not false propaganda. The Haihan Army has indeed achieved consecutive victories on the battlefield. The Ming army was still unable to compete with the Haihan army on the frontal battlefield.
In fact, the Ming army's situation at this time may be more passive than these observers thought.
Yanziji in the north of Nanjing is named after its shape, which resembles a flying swallow crossing the river. This place has been an extremely important ferry on the Yangtze River since ancient times.
Next to Yanziji is Guanyin Gate, one of the eighteen gates in Waiguo City. It is also the outermost layer of Nanjing's four-layered city wall. Before the war, a battalion of soldiers was stationed in Guanyin Gate.
However, five days ago, the Haihan Army forced a landing at Yanziji, using the artillery cover of naval warships to break through the Guanyin Gate without much effort, and requisitioned the Yanziji Pier as a temporary base.
The distance from Yanziji via Guanyin Gate to Shence Gate in the northeast corner of Nanjing City is less than twenty miles. The area between Waiguo City and Nanjing City has become the main battlefield between the two armies at this stage.
Yanziji Pier, which usually had merchant ships as its main customers, was now fully occupied by various Haihan warships flying red and blue flags. A large amount of combat supplies were transported here via the Yangtze River, then unloaded ashore and transferred to front-line positions.
The workers on the dock who made a living by carrying goods were still engaged in their old profession after the war, but the boss they served had been replaced by Haihanjun, and their income was much higher than usual.
A group of men who had just finished their work gathered in front of the tea stall, drinking water and discussing the current situation in low voices.
A dark-skinned man said: "If you ask me, it's good that this place belongs to Haihan. At least the wages I get are much more than before. If I work these days, I can make as much as half a month!"
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A person next to him reminded: "The battle is not over yet. You must be careful what you say. If the Ming army comes back again, can you still drag your family and follow the Haihan people?"
The black-skinned man said nonchalantly: "When the Haihan Army attacked Guanyinmen a few days ago, I was working on the dock. I saw with my own eyes that Mr. Zhang and his gang of soldiers ran away after encountering the Haihan Army. These guys usually show off their power, but when they see the Haihan Army, they become homeless dogs. I don’t believe they can fight back to Yanziji!”
Speaking of the battle between the two armies that day, there were quite a few people present who had witnessed it. They talked about it one by one, but basically they were like the black men. They thought that the strength of the two armies was very different, and it would be difficult for the Ming army to fight again. There is a chance for a comeback.
When everyone was talking enthusiastically, someone suddenly interrupted: "It also means that the army will not come back. Look, it's coming!"
The black-skinned man had just finished bragging. Hearing this, he couldn't help but feel shocked. He quickly turned around to see what the man was talking about.
That man turned out to be true. At this moment, a large group of Ming troops were slowly walking out of Guanyin Gate. However, these Ming soldiers did not wear armor or carry any weapons. Everyone maintained a strange posture with their hands on their heads. They were all prisoners of war escorted from Waiguo City.
After the dark-skinned man saw it clearly, a big stone fell in his heart, and he said with a smile: "I forgot about this!"
As everyone was waiting to watch the prisoners of war, the foreman came over to greet them: "Brothers, it's time to work. Hurry up and unload the cargo from the two ships at Yier Pier. It must be done before dark!"
The dark-skinned man responded: "I say Master Qin, you have to take a breath even if you hang yourself. Can't you let us rest for a while?"
The foreman, who was called Mr. Qin, refused to give in: "Don't think that you can bargain if people are willing to pay you. Military orders are like mountains, understand? It's good that you don't have to work for nothing. Who do you think you are working for? ?”
The dark-skinned man was scolded by him and felt a little resentful, so he didn't say anything back.
In the past, when the government collected corvee labor, they did not get much money for their work. It was considered good if they could take care of the food. Sometimes they even had to prepare their own food. Haihanjun is willing to pay to hire them to work, and the treatment is indeed much better than before.
Mr. Qin's tone softened slightly and he explained to everyone: "You have also seen that the Haihan Army escorted these prisoners to the dock. Of course, they must be shipped out as soon as possible. They cannot be left here overnight. Let's You go and unload those two ships, which are used to transport prisoners.”
Someone asked out of curiosity: "Master Qin, where are these prisoners going to be transported?"
Mr. Qin shook his head and said: "Don't say I didn't remind you, these things are military secrets. You guys don't have time to ask around, be careful of losing your head!"
Someone else asked: "Master Qin, I heard that Master Liao has taken a big job, and the wages are twice as high as here!"
Mr. Qin sneered and said: "The wages paid by Liao Laosan are a little more, but do you know what kind of big job he took? He went to Wangjiazhuang to dig holes for the dead! The corpses of the Ming soldiers who died on the nearby battlefield these days They were all dragged to Wangjiazhuang. It is said that they were all piled up into a hill. The Haihan Army could not find so many coffins to contain them, so they had to dig a big pit and bury them all.”
"Can the wages be high for digging holes and carrying corpses every day? But then again, do you want to do this work?"
Everyone heard the words "bad luck" and immediately gave up the idea of comparing with other families. They can earn a good income doing ordinary work on the dock, so why do they have to do the taboo-like hard work of collecting corpses for burial.
Complaints are complaints, work still has to be done. Under the command of the foreman, this group of laborers quickly went to Yier Pier and began to unload the grain loaded on the two cargo ships.
The rice packed in sacks is said to have been transported from Yangzhou nearby. Each sack has the word "military" printed on it, indicating that it is military ration specially provided for the Haihan Army.
Originally, the two shipments of military rations were to be unloaded until the warehouses on the pier were freed up, but in order to transport the prisoners of war as soon as possible, the officers in charge of shipping arrangements could only temporarily adjust the plan and free up the cargo ships to load people first.