Daming Yinghua

Chapter 461 You Can Also Create a New World

These days, Degelei is as busy as a shuttle moving back and forth on a spinning machine.

Manggurtai's health had deteriorated, and his younger brother, as a minor flag leader of the Zhenglan Banner, who had made military achievements in Emao City, naturally became the undisputed commander of the Zhenglan Banner when his father was preparing for another large-scale mobilization against the Ming Dynasty.

However, when he learned that the Zhenglan Banner was just like some soldiers of the Xianghong Banner and was guarding the city of Hetuala, the Dergelei immediately felt frustrated and unfair.

Such an arrangement meant that the Zhenglan and Xianghong flags could not plunder the two wealthy Ming cities of Kaiyuan and Tieling as quickly as the other flags did. Instead, they could only wait for the triumphant return of the Jin army and eat some of the spoils. Not to mention gold, silver, treasures, food and horses, even the Han men and women who were captured as labor and reproductive tools were probably old, weak and sick.

But the Fourth Prince Huang Taiji, in front of Nurhaci, said to his half brother Dergelei with a smile, "Don't worry, Tenth brother. Mao Wenlong in Dongjiang Town has been taken to the capital by the imperial envoy of the Ming Dynasty. Mao's army is leaderless. I haven't heard that the nerdy governor of Liaodong has sent a new general. Therefore, the burden on Tenth brother and Amin is very light."

When these words, which seemed comforting but were actually contemptuous, were heard in the meeting hall, Nurhaci, as a father, did not say anything.

Degelei looked at his cousin Amin, the leader of the Red Banner, who was also left behind to guard the city. The latter had a blank expression on his face, as if he had long been accustomed to the Khan's favoritism.

A few days later, the Derge people found an outlet for their anger.

After the news that Mu Zaohua was almost fed to the dogs spread, Degelei came to the duty room of the Minister of Revenue and questioned Yuetuo: "Yuetuo, were you the one who went to gossip with the Khan, saying that Mu Zaohua might be a spy of the Ming Dynasty?"

Yue Tuo ordered several servants who were discussing the route for transporting military rations to the north to leave, and then stared at Degelei coldly: "Do you think I can do that? This month, the Third Prince went crazy while on duty, and it was Zaohua Ezhen who I saved from him. Not only do I want to save her, I also want to marry her."

"Come on, Yuetuo, you are just like Huang Taiji, with honey on your lips but a knife in your heart. Zaohua was originally brought back to Hetuala by San Beile and me. You have been trying to frame her just to make the Khan less and less trusting of our Zhenglan Banner."

Yue Tuo looked at his uncle Degelei, who was only one or two years older than him, like a Saker Falcon looking at a little rooster shaking its crown in protest.

There was no need for Mu Zaohua to confide in him. As a man, Yue Tuo could also see that Degelei had special feelings for the Han woman who was to be his sister-in-law one moment and his nephew's wife the next.

But Jurchen men have never been those gloomy and cowardly men of the Ming Dynasty. Yuetuo doesn't mind his blood brothers competing with him for women.

Facts have proven that they cannot win.

Yue Tuo quickly lowered his head and began to write official documents again. He only said to the little rooster indifferently: "If you are not afraid that some idle villains will smear your Zhenglan Banner again, then continue to vent your anger in our Ministry of Revenue, and you can even speak louder. If you really care about Zaohua Ezhen, you might as well go and see her now. She must have fallen ill because she was wrongly accused and was sad. She didn't come to work yesterday."

Degelei choked and looked back outside. On the eve of the war, civil and military officials were bustling about inside and outside the Eight Banners Yamen. Even a clerk who was passing by could not help turning his head to see the lively quarrel between the uncle and nephew. When Degelei suddenly turned his head and discovered them, several servants were so scared that they knelt down and kowtowed.

Degelei gave Yuetuo a strong "humph", stepped out of the door, randomly kicked a bitch who was lying on the ground, and walked away.

Half an hour later, the maid Ji Lantai helped her master to the tree in the yard.

Mu Zaohua said to Degelei in a weak voice, "What are you doing here? If the people of the White Banner see us and tell the Fourth Prince, the Khan will be angry again."

Degelei was not going to hide his thoughts any longer.

Since Manggurtai is no longer the man Zaohua wants to follow, why doesn't he compete with that kid Yuetuo?

Degelei then said confidently: "Father, why are you angry? Are you angry that your son and grandson both like Nikan women? Wasn't my cousin the one he sent to a Ming man as a concubine? Zaohua, you can be my concubine. Yuetuo has been with the Fourth Prince for too long. He is actually a fox-like person. He will only deceive you, and then one day, in order to please Huang Taiji and Tong Yangxing, he will harm you without hesitation."

Mu Zaohua felt as disgusted by Degelei's words as she did by Yuetuo's previous confession.

But she was also happy at the same time, like a hunter closing in his net. The experience of being in danger in the Khan's Palace could actually be an opportunity to add icing on the cake to Madam Zheng's overall plan.

The Han female spy, who was already familiar with how to control Tartar men, was stunned at first, then frowned, and finally sighed softly in disappointment, looking at Degelei and said, "I don't believe that Yuetuo Beile will harm me, but this time I have come out from the Khan, and I no longer believe that he can protect me. Manggurtai can't do it, he can't do it, and Degelei, you can't do it either."

"Why can't I do it?"

"Because none of you are the Fourth Beile."

Degelei's eagerness to speak suddenly froze.

He understood the implication of Mu Zaohua's words.

Mu Zaohua's next sentence confirmed Dege Lei's understanding.

"Dergelei, in fact, I have been thinking about it these two days. The man from Jianzhou that I should follow the most is probably Daishan. The great prince has a place in Huining that is not controlled by the future new Khan."

Degelei chewed on the woman's self-deprecating and sad tone, sat down on the chair brought by Jilantai, and said through gritted teeth: "We in the Zhenglan Banner can also fight. The Third Prince is no longer capable. I can lead the armored soldiers to go out and expand the territory. In the future, I don't have to live under the whim of Huang Taiji."

Mu Zaohua's eyes flashed, as if she was inspired by his words.

"Dergelei, how many armored soldiers and other flag men do we have in our Zhenglan Banner now?" Mu Zaohua asked.

"Just over 5,000, and there are 3,000 to 4,000 male servants."

"Then why don't we take advantage of the Khan's departure to open up Yuan and Tieling and head south with the Zhenglan Banner to occupy Aiyang and Fenghuang City as well."

Degelei stared at his fist and raised it.

"Zaohua, what you mean is that once the two armies in Kaiyuan and Tieling go to war, the soldiers from Fushun and Liaoyang will go north to reinforce, and Mao Wenlong in Zhenjiang is far away in the capital of the Ming people, so..."

Mu Zaohua nodded confidently: "So there are no reinforcements in the Aiyang area. After we capture Aiyang and Fenghuang City, they will form a horn with Emao City. Our Zhenglan Banner will be stationed there, just like Daishan was stationed in Huining, cultivating the land and raising soldiers."

Degelei was really moved.

Kaiyuan and Tieling are much farther away than Fushun, which they wanted to attack back then.

Based on the experience of the conquest of the Yehe tribe, even if the Ming army's combat power was only equal to that of the Yehe tribe, it would take the Great Jin army two months to return triumphantly.

Although his Zhenglan Banner had the duty to guard Hetuala, by then, Zou Chuxian, the Fushun defender who posed the greatest threat to Sarhu Pass and Hetuala, would certainly go to support Kaiyuan Tieling. In that case, it would be enough to keep Amin's Xianghong Banner to guard the home.

"Zaohua, will you stay in Hetuala?"

"The Khan ordered me to follow Yuetuo's Wuzhen Chaoha team. After all, I was the one who led those Han blacksmiths and gunners in the past three years."

Degelei smiled complacently: "Then you just wait and see, when the time comes, who has greater military merit, Yuetuo or me, the leader of the Zhenglan Banner."