Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 363: Forcing Chen Tai to Death
The Qing army retreated into Ningdu, and the defeat was inevitable. General Chen Tai had lost his former charm and sat in the city, drinking to drown his sorrows.

He was born into the Niuhulu clan, a prominent Manchu family. He was the grandson of the first-class Hongyi Duke Eyidu and the son of Cherge. During the Nurhaci period, Chen Tai was recruited into the Eight Banners and was initially appointed Bayala Jiala Zhangjing (the commander of the guards). He followed Nurhaci to attack Jinzhou and rushed into the Ming army's battle formation, beheaded the flag bearer, and took the flag home.

The flag is the large flag of the central army. When Chen Tai first entered the battlefield, he was the first to capture the flag, and thus became famous. After that, he fought in dozens of battles, large and small, and became famous in Manchuria for his bravery and fighting skills.

This time when he came to rescue Ganzhou, he was defeated by the Red Army before he even saw the city of Ganzhou, and retreated to Ningdu. It was really unbearable to think that his reputation was ruined in an instant.

"It is not a long-term solution for the general to stay in Ningdu. It would be better if..." Oboi asked for a meeting, but seeing Chen Tai's negative attitude, he hesitated to speak.

"What's your plan?" Chen Tai asked.

Aobai was highly trusted by Shunzhi and had become the pillar of the Zhaerjia clan. He said casually: "It is better to retreat to Nanchang and secure the provincial capital. When Beile Tunqi defeats the western bandits in Huguang, we can invite him back to Jiangxi. The two armies will join forces to attack the red bandits and defeat them."

In terms of the situation in various places in Jiangxi, Jiujiang is the most important in the north, Ganzhou is the most important in the south, and Nanchang is the most important in the center. Nanchang is the capital of Jiangxi Province, and it is related to the appearance of the whole province. If the capital is not protected, the whole province of Jiangxi will be ruined. Jiangxi is the shield of the southeastern provinces. If Jiangxi changes color, the southeastern provinces will be in danger.

Chen Tai knew the pros and cons of this, but if he retreated to Nanchang, he would not be able to explain to the court. There was also General Tunqi of Dingyuan. Although he was a member of the Aisin-Gioro clan, he was a junior of Chen Tai and his military exploits were far inferior to Chen Tai. If the two armies were to merge, the two generals would not be subordinate to each other, and Chen Tai might have to be controlled by Tunqi. This face could not be lost no matter what.

"I have never been so embarrassed in my military career. If we retreat to Nanchang, the imperial court will blame us if they don't know the truth. It is better to hold the city firmly and wait for an opportunity to contact Zhumala. Then wait for the garrison troops to come to our aid, and maybe we can defeat the fire-fighting red bandits."

When Aobai heard this, he knew that Chen Tai was already in a state of panic, and advised: "The soldiers have just been defeated, and the general must bear the humiliation and bear the heavy burden, and must not be misled by false reputation. If we stop in Ningdu, the army will be out of food and grass, and the red bandits will instigate the bandits to besiege the city, and our army will be in danger."

The laws in the early Qing Dynasty were very strict. If a military general failed on the front line, he would be executed and his family would be confiscated and enslaved. If he failed, he would be demoted, stripped of his title, or have his salary reduced. Chen Tai was a military general who served three dynasties and had made great military achievements. Although he would not be executed, he would inevitably have to be demoted. Rather than retreating to Nanchang, it would be better to hold on to Yudu and strive to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence, so that his merits would offset his demerits and avoid humiliation.

Chen Tai had made up his mind and said, "Otherwise, the Manchurian soldiers are brave and good at fighting. As long as everyone works together, they can turn defeat into victory."

Oboi was favored by the emperor and wanted to take this opportunity to make some military achievements to further enhance his prestige, but he was hindered by Chen Tai and was very unhappy. He said, "The general ignored the overall situation and only cared about his own honor and disgrace. This is inappropriate."

"You!" Chen Tai was indignant, but he forced himself not to lose his temper.

Oboi was a favorite of Shunzhi, and he founded the Firearms Battalion and held military power. If he didn't cooperate, Chen Tai would have no temper at all.

Just at this time, the personal guards came to report that a group of prisoners had returned and brought back two Red Army tokens: a suitcase and an open letter.

Although there was nothing unusual with the suitcase, Chen Tai was still worried and asked his personal soldiers to open it outside the door.

"Your Excellency the General..." A personal guard captain returned to the room to answer. He knelt down and stammered, carefully observing Chen Tai's expression.

"Speak!" Chen Tai appeared to be timid but was actually weak. He tried his best to maintain his authority in front of his subordinates.

"There are women's clothes in the trunk."

"What?" Chen Jin was anxious and angry, and went out with Aobai to check.

In the suitcase was a set of women's clothes, including a skirt, undergarments, and even a pair of embroidered shoes.

In the open letter, the Red Army's tone was even more arrogant, saying bluntly: "If Chen Tai still has the courage, you can leave the city the next day and fight with our Red Army; if you have lost your courage, you can put on this woman's clothes and leave Jiangxi quickly. The King of Nanyue is so kind that he will definitely let you live..." Chen Tai was both civil and military, could read Chinese characters, could write articles, and once served as the chief examiner of the ritual examination. After reading the letter, he was so angry that he trembled all over, tore the letter into pieces, and cursed: "Cen Danchu, you bully me too much!"

He turned to Aobai and said, "The Red Bandits won by chance and are already arrogant. It would be better to lead the troops to attack quickly. We will surely win in one blow."

If it weren't for the death of Prince Jingjin Nikan, Beile Tunqi would not have been able to take over as the General of Dingyuan. Aobai had coveted the position of the general for a long time. Seeing that Chen Tai had lost his mind, he secretly wanted to add insult to injury and said, "The army's morale has been dispersed. We can't force them to fight. Please investigate clearly, General."

"You! How dare you disobey my military order!" Chen Tai's prestige was greatly reduced. He was anxious and angry, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The guards on both sides were shocked and stepped forward to support Chen Tai.

Oboi was unmoved and said coldly: "The situation is difficult. I dare not obey chaotic orders and put the firearms camp in danger."

Oboi was straightforward and always daring. Back then, he supported Haoge as emperor. Even when Dorgon seized power, he did not change his original intention and was sentenced to death twice by Dorgon. Now Shunzhi was in power and trusted Oboi. Oboi was in control of the military power and had gradually become domineering.

The two parted unhappily. Chen Tai became angrier and angrier. It was fine that he was bullied by the Red Army, but he was bullied by a junior like Aobai. His Niuhulu clan was on par with the Guarjia clan, and Aobai, as a subordinate, dared to contradict him in public. How could he command the entire army from now on?

That night, Chen Tai stayed up all night with a candle and wrote several secret letters. Some were handed to Shunzhi, describing the course of the battle and implying that Oboi was lazy in the fight; some were sent to his comrades, asking them to intercede for him and keep his title and salary; some were sent to relatives and friends, asking them to take care of the elderly and children; some were sent to Oboi's political enemies, describing Oboi's domineering and disloyal behavior and asking them to file a petition to criticize him...

At four o'clock in the morning, after several cockcrows, Chen Tai finally finished writing the secret letter. He called his trusted confidants and told them to mail the secret letter. He also asked people to prepare wine, meat, silk and other things, intending to hang himself after eating and drinking his fill.

The confidant was shocked and hurriedly sent someone to invite Oboi.

Oboi was surprised and happy, but pretended to be anxious and concerned, and rode to the general's headquarters.

Chen Tai had already changed into the uniform of the second-class Jingqinihafan, and was drinking by himself with a calm expression. When he saw Aobai coming over, he smiled and said, "Sir, you are here. Let's drink together and say goodbye to you till death."

As he was about to die, Aobai also felt a little emotional and sighed: "General, victory or defeat is a matter of military strategy, why must you be so decisive?"

"I am the general. This time I led the elite Manchu, Mongolian and Han troops to the south. I did not achieve any military success. Instead, I was defeated in many battles. I lost my army and humiliated my king. I cannot apologize for my crime unless I die. After my death, you will take over the seal of the general. Please reorganize the army, defeat the red bandits, and avenge me."

Aobai was secretly delighted, but pretended to be sad, saying: "The general has abandoned the whole army and left. I have no choice but to retreat to Nanchang. Please ask the emperor to select a general and send more powerful troops to fight the red bandits together."

The two men poured and drank until the sky was slightly bright. Chen Tai stood up and said, "I am leaving, and I will still kill the enemy in the underworld to serve the emperor. You are brave and resourceful. If you continue to lead the army, you should think about avenging me."

Aobai also stood up, bowed and said, "General, please go now. I will die on the battlefield and will go to the underworld to assist you."

Chen Tai laughed loudly, his expression full of sadness and resentment. Finally, he put the silk around his neck, gritted his teeth and kicked over the chair.

Aobai waited until he died before he felt relieved. Afterwards, he suppressed his excitement, sat on the commander's chair, played with the general's seal, and personally issued an order: "Gather all the generals, General Aobai, come to the tent!"

(End of this chapter)