The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 123: Sleepless Night

Guangjimen barbican and Kaiyuan central army tent.

Green smoke curled up and sandalwood floated in the air. Liu Jing's spirit tablet was neatly placed on the incense table, with Nurhaci's head placed on the side.

Liu Zhaosun knelt on the ground and cried loudly.

"Foster father, I have defeated the Jiannu, but my soldiers are almost dead, and Yu Ji is unconscious. What should I do next?"

Pei Dahu and Zhang Chao were guarding the door of the big tent, looking up at the exhausted Liu Zhaosun, their eyes red.

That night, Liu Zhaosun cried for a long time.

All the pressure I have endured in this world for more than half a year, all the life and death experiences I have experienced, turned into tears that flowed freely on this night of victory!
~~~~
Nurhaci was executed by slow slicing on the city wall of Shenyang. Only his head was left intact.

The old slave's head was saltpetered with lime and sent to the capital overnight for Emperor Wanli to review.

The last time Nurhaci went to Beijing to pay tribute was in the 39th year of the Wanli reign. I wonder how Zhu Yijun would feel when he saw the Dragon and Tiger General again after many years.

Half of the remaining bones of the Later Jin Khan were given to Burhanggu to comfort the souls of Xicheng Beile's father and brother in heaven.

As for the other half, Liu Zhaosun threw it off the city wall and let it be trampled into pulp by thousands of soldiers.

The bloody battle is over, the surviving soldiers need to vent, and the Liao people who died need an explanation.

In this era, whipping is the most effective way to vent, no doubt about it.

To deal with a demon like Nurhaci, even a thousand cuts would not be enough to atone for the sins he committed.

Burhanggu finally avenged his father and brother. The Haixi leader, who had suffered so much and had such a deep hatred, rarely smiled.

He looked pious as he thanked Changshengtian and General Liu, and finally burst into tears.

"General Liu, you are the messenger of Eternal Heaven! Kill the devil Nurhaci for us. From now on, the Haixi Jurchens are at your disposal!"

Liu Zhaosun helped Burhanggu up, removed the densely packed arrows from his armor, and shouted:
"Beile Haixi! The annihilation of the Jiannu was not achieved solely by me, but by the bloody battles fought by the White Spear Soldiers, the Zhejiang Soldiers, the Kaiyuan Soldiers, and the Haixi Jurchens. This battle is just the beginning; there will be more fierce battles waiting for us in the future!"

~~~~
After this great victory, everyone, from ordinary soldiers to generals, regarded General Liu as a god-like existence.

He couldn't tell what Kaiyuan would become under his rule...

Everything is unknown.

However, what is certain is that the population of the territory controlled by Kaiyuan will be more than ten times larger than it is now, and the power of the Li family and Ding Bi will be taken over by General Liu.

As long as everything goes smoothly, it won’t be long before General Liu will transform into Li Chengliang + Nurhaci.

If wearing the yellow robe is a destined drama, when that day comes, Liu Zhaosun will not refuse to go to his own Chenqiaoyi.

~~~~~
No sleep tonight.

The shouts of victory of the surviving soldiers spread across both sides of the Hunhe River, penetrated the clouds, and merged into the strongest sound like a tide.

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

The soldiers shouted excitedly, venting their emotions until they were exhausted.

The soldiers from Liaodong lay on the ground and cried loudly. Since the old slaves started the war, they felt like they had fallen into hell. All their food was snatched away by the Jiannu, and their families were slaughtered by the Jiannu. Many of them were the only ones left in their families.

Although they once escaped from the clutches of the old slaves and joined the Kaiyuan Army, for a long time, Nurhaci and the Later Jin soldiers were nightmares weighing on their hearts.

It was not until they witnessed the Eight Banners Army being defeated under their fierce attack and the old slave being beheaded by General Liu that their nightmare truly disappeared.

At this moment, they were truly relieved of all the suffering they had ever endured.

Whether it was the Zhejiang soldiers, the White Spear soldiers, or the Xuanda soldiers, all the soldiers began to believe that under the leadership of Liu Zhaosun, they would be invincible and become the strongest army.

After nightfall, tens of millions of torches were lit on both sides of the Hunhe River, and the sea of fire illuminated the devastated city of Shenyang.

The soldiers stared blankly at the sky, some of them had already fallen asleep forever on this black land.

The Liao people, who had not yet vented their energy, held torches, picked up the armor and weapons discarded by the Jiannu, and went all over the city to kill the Tatars who had not yet escaped.

A baoyi who had shaved his head a few days ago and was ready to welcome the "wise Khan" into the city knelt on the North-South Street and begged for mercy, repeatedly emphasizing that he was a native Han Chinese of Shenyang.

"You idiot! I just saw you firing cannons for the Tartars and attacking the Sichuan soldiers!"

"Don't kill me, I was forced to do it, don't..."

The Liao people raised their swords and slashed, and the head with the pig's tail whip rolled down the street and was immediately trampled into a pulp by the fanatical crowd.

"Kill the Tartar! Kill the second Tartar! Avenge Xiong Jinglüe!"

The Liao people, who were so angry that they were mad with anger, continued to make trouble until the fifth watch before they stopped.

Shenyang was a river of blood.

Liu Zhaosun had no intention of stopping it.

~~~~~~
Huang Taiji had just evacuated Hunhe River with his remaining troops. Military Supervisor Kang, who had been watching the battle on Qixing Mountain, immediately led his personal soldiers and rushed into Shenyang City as soon as possible.

Lao Kang first entered Li Ruzhen's mansion and ordered the servants to drive away several Liao people who were looting. He collected the gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, calligraphy and paintings of the Li family and pulled them out in carts.

When they arrived at Ding Bi's residence, the house of Lieutenant General Ding was in a mess. A group of Liao people were moving the two stone lions at the door, and even the door panels had been removed.

This cannot be blamed on the greed of the Liao people. Given what Ding Bi has done in Liaodong over the years, there are many people in Shenyang who wish to tear him into pieces.

Kang Yingqian sat down on the doorstep, looking at the Ding Mansion, which was left with only four walls. The rioters around were still walking around, clearing away every blade of grass and tree like ants moving house.

Military Supervisor Kang watched the common people dressed in silk and satin, carrying gold, silver and jewels, walk past him, and pulled his beard hard, muttering:

"What a mistake! Even the wisest man can make mistakes! Why didn't I think of that?"

The more Old Kang thought about it, the more he regretted not coming to the Ding family first. Lieutenant General Ding had been doing business in Liaodong for many years, and his wealth must have far surpassed Li Ruzhen's. Now, all of it was going to these people.

"Master, Master..."

A short and strong Liao man wearing a woman's horse-face skirt, holding a hoe, stood in front of Kang Yingqian. Two guards looked at him warily.

"What's the matter? Master, I'm in a bad mood right now..."

"Master, please lift your butt. The door of my pigpen has been broken by a wild boar. This threshold is just the right size to fill it up."

Kang Yingqian saw that there was still blood on the hoe in the strong man's hand, and he wondered which Jiannu soldier who had not escaped left it.

"Dig, dig, don't worry, there will be no wild boar skins to bother you in the future."

Kang Yingqian waved his hand generously and walked into the courtyard with his personal guards. After taking a few steps, he cursed in a low voice: "A bunch of unruly people!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a guard in front ran over and shouted:

"Master, master!"

Kang Yingqian waved his hand and said angrily: "Don't call me old man, I'm in a bad mood today..."

The personal soldier ignored everything and ran straight to Kang Yingqian and whispered a few words to Master Kang.

Kang Yingqian's anger turned into joy after hearing this, and he quickly said to his personal guards, "Is there such a thing? Hurry up, lead the way!"

Several people escorted Supervisor Kang through a narrow passage and headed towards the backyard of the Ding residence. The guard pointed to a rock and said, "Master, the entrance to the cellar is right here."

Kang Yingqian looked around and saw that the backyard was filled with rockery and ponds, a typical Suzhou garden style. No Liao people came to rob.

"You guys stay outside first, don't leave, and don't let anyone in. I'll reward you handsomely!"

Kang Yingqian walked in from the secret passage in the rockery, walked down a few steps, turned a corner and came to the cellar door.

The faint cries of several women could be heard from inside.

Kang Yingqian took out a colorful small medicine bottle and swallowed two blue pills...
In the second half of the night, General Kang brought a beautiful concubine to the central military tent.

"Where's General Liu?"

Zhang Chao whispered, "Inside."

Kang Yingqian stood at the door and shouted, "General Liu, the two Tartars are no good. Kill them if you want. They pushed the artillery out of the city gate and bombarded the white-pole soldiers. They deserve this fate! This is the most beautiful concubine in Ding Bi's family. I will keep her for you..."

After saying that, Kang Yingqian winked and took Zhang Chao away.

There were only two people left in the tent.

Concubine Ding Bi lifted her hair. Liu Zhaosun was still feeding Jin Yuji medicine.

The concubine swiftly took off her horse-faced skirt, leaving only her graceful figure. Smiling, she came up to untie Liu Zhaosun's armor and touched him all over...

"roll!"

he yelled.

He turned around and gently covered Jin Yu Ji with the quilt.

……

The next morning, General Liu, despite his pain, took Deng Changxiong and Wang Erhu to the wounded camp to visit the wounded.

Everywhere I go, it's shocking.

The three thousand headquarters suffered heavy casualties. After this battle, five to six out of ten soldiers were killed, and more than half of the survivors were injured.

When the wounded soldiers saw General Liu coming to visit them, they all stood up and saluted.

Liu Zhaosun supported the wounded soldier who was struggling to get up in front of him and found that it was the spearman Zheng Yishi.

Zheng Yishi was stabbed in the ribs by Bayala, but fortunately the wound was not deep and he managed to survive.

"Heal your wounds well!!"

Liu Zhaosun looked around at the soldiers he had brought with him, his voice choked with sobs:

"Recover from your injuries. Whether you are lame or disabled, I will take care of you! No matter whether you can fight in the future or not, you are my soldiers!"

Zheng Yishi's eyes were slightly red, his cracked lips moved twice, and he felt a fire burning in his chest.

At this time, the instructor Sen Ti raised his arms and shouted with a group of wounded soldiers:
"In life, I am a soldier of Kaiyuan; in death, I am the soul of Kaiyuan! I swear to follow General Liu until death!"

~~~~~~
Jin Yuji lay quietly on the bed, he held her hand, warm, cool and sad.

From the battles at Hunjiang to the present day, he has fought hundreds of battles and reached the top, becoming the king of Liaodong.

Perhaps as Jin Yu Ji said, he was too tired and needed a rest.

He lay beside her and cried for a long time, and finally fell asleep exhausted.

He slept soundly, then had a long dream. He was back at iFlytek, a world filled with neon lights and airships. A cyborg, fully prosthetic, looked up at a projected advertisement. He worked overtime until two in the morning, and when he reached the company gate, roses fell from the sky.

wake up.

Old Song limped in, holding a secret medicine soup.

"General Liu, Supervisor Kang has been waiting outside for a long time!"

"What time is it?"

Liu Zhaosun rubbed his eyes.

Old Song glanced at Jin Yuji who was still sleeping and replied:
"It's Hai hour."

He stood up, washed his face, and returned to this world.

Kang Yinggan, with a smile on his face, immediately put on a compassionate expression when he saw Liu Zhaosun coming out of the big tent.

"General Liu, I'm deeply saddened by your loss. The dead cannot be brought back to life."

"As the saying goes, beauty is often short-lived. Miss Jin is truly a heroine today! I am a man of stone, and listening to the drumbeats, it's really...ah."

When Kang Yinggan saw that Liu Zhaosun's eyes were red and swollen, he knew that Jin Yuji had passed away. Fearing that he would be too sad, he hurried to comfort him.

Liu Zhaosun roared, "He's still alive! What nonsense are you talking about!"

Kang Yingqian smiled awkwardly.

"Oh, I'm glad you didn't die. Miss Jin is blessed with good fortune."

"Let's get down to business."

"Alright. We've finished beheading them. There are over 30,000 heads of Later Jin soldiers and Mongols. We haven't had time to count the heads of the bondservants. Huang Taiji was afraid we'd change our minds and abandon the food and fodder and run away. I sent someone to do a rough count, and they found over 10,000 dan of food and fodder."

"There are over 5,000 war horses, most of them Khorchin. Armor and weapons are piled high, but most of them have been looted by the civilians. Should we send troops to recover them?"

Liu Zhaosun shook his hand and said:

"The Liao people have awakened. They are the masters and we are the guests. We cannot turn the tables."

Kang Yingqian nodded and continued:

"Ye Bu Shou reported that the Liaoxi lords have sent troops to help us kill the Tartars. They will arrive the day after tomorrow at the earliest, and the imperial court will also respond. You must make a decision on what to do next."

He had long expected that Zu Dashou would come to the rescue in time, taking advantage of the fact that Hou Jin and Kaiyuan were both defeated, to pick peaches and plunder the city of Shenyang.

Unfortunately, they miscalculated.

Shenyang is no longer the Shenyang of the past, and the people of Liao are no longer the people of Liao of the past.

"Who are they?"

Kang Yingqian counted on his fingers, "Lieutenant General Wang from Guangning, General Xia from Jinzhou, and those from Fuzhou... Damn, even the men from Shanhaiguan are here. They're really not doing anything without profit. Should we send troops to intercept them?"

"Let's not resort to violence yet. Perhaps among these gentlemen, there are one or two brave men like Lieutenant General Mao who will come to help us."

Kang Yingqian looked surprised:
"General Liu, the Kaiyuan soldiers have been completely wiped out, and only one in ten of the White Spear soldiers and Zhejiang soldiers remains. The soldiers piled up a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood in front of the Hunhe River before they could capture Shenyang, Tieling, Qinghe, and Fushun. Even if I die, I will never let Liaozhen lay hands on an inch of our land!"

Liu Zhaosun patted him on the shoulder. It was rare for Lao Kang to be so passionate. It seemed that this man was determined to stay in Liaodong.

"Every one of these military leaders is greedy and disregards human life. They were also accomplices when Gao Huai rebelled against Liao! They are all the same kind of people as Ding Bi. If I don't fight them, how dare they move forward with their original idea!"

"I will capture Guangning as soon as possible, sweep across western Liaoning, and completely occupy eastern Liaoning."

Kang Yingqian was stunned. He didn't expect these words to come from Liu Zhaosun's mouth.

Liu Zhaosun continued, "However, that will be a matter for the future. For now, let Qiao Yiqi, Sun Chuanting, Yuan Chonghuan and the others enter Qinghe and Fushun as quickly as possible and occupy the territory to avoid any further complications. As for Shenyang, we should leave it to the imperial court."

Kang Yingqian nodded slightly: "Give up small benefits to gain great things."

"Abandon Shenyang and occupy Futie. We will take our time and make plans accordingly. This will also make it easier to explain to the imperial court. As long as the Later Jin is not destroyed, we must get at least half of the Liaodong military pay. We must ask the imperial court to expand the authority of the Kaiyuan general, or directly promote you to the Liaodong general. We must also give all the recruitment of soldiers in Tieling and other places to our hands."

Liu Zhaosun looked into the dark night and sighed deeply.

"I don't want to be Li Chengliang, but the situation forces me to be the King of Liaodong."

That night, the two men conspired together, and Military Supervisor Kang sent a report back to the capital overnight. With such a great victory reported, General Liu would at least be promoted to Marquis of Ping Liao.

From the Battle of Sarhu in March to the bloody Battle of Hunhe in October, Liu Zhaosun actually achieved Yuan Chonghuan's goal of pacifying Liao in half a year.

But the price paid by the Kaiyuan Army was too heavy, so heavy that people dare not look back.

Only 300 of the 6,000 White-Pole Soldiers who came to aid Liao were left, and less than 1,000 of the 7,000 Zhejiang Soldiers were left.

The cavalry battalion was completely wiped out, with only 1,300 of the 3,600 elite soldiers left alive.

The battle to hunt down the Later Jin soldiers in the city was still going on. Liu Zhaosun struggled to lead his troops to hunt down the Later Jin soldiers who were fleeing in panic.

Like Cao Zhongqing, these defeated soldiers were abandoned in Shenyang by their masters.

Kang Yingqian suggested that the captured Tatars be sent to various mines to mine.

General Liu was resolute in his attitude and all the Later Jin soldiers who participated in the massacre, whether they were from Mongolia or Haixi, were executed.

Compared to the small captain on the banks of Hunjiang River half a year ago, the time traveler now is decisive and more ruthless.

~~~~
On the third day after Huang Taiji's retreat, as the sun rose, reinforcements finally arrived from Hunhe River.

Two Liaoxi night warriors rode their horses to the north gate of the city wall. On the river bank, there were corpses of the Zhenyi armored soldiers of the Zhenglan Banner and the Two Yellow Banners, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Four guards from the Central Army surrounded Kang Yingqian and stepped forward to block the two Yebushou's way.

Kang Yingqian stroked his beard and said with a domineering look:

"Go back and tell Zu Dashou that you don't need to enter the city until the Tartars are eliminated. Also, if you want to kill innocent people and claim credit, no way. The Liao people just killed the Jiannu, and their killing intent is strong. If you are not afraid of death, come and give it a try!"

(End of this chapter)