The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 131 From the Great Road to the Simple
The banquet ended in a bad mood, and General Liu's gift of a thousand taels of silver was wasted.

Coming out of the Qixing Tower, the captains of the standard battalion under Yuan Jinglue looked at the Kaiyuan army with murderous eyes.

Liu Zhaosun led everyone back to the north gate city wall, and he went into the big tent alone in anger.

Pei Dahu, Kang Yingqian, Qin Jianxun, Deng Changxiong, Wang Erhu and others were waiting outside.

Behind the curtain, Jin Yuji was still taking a nap. Liu Zhaosun came to the desk, picked up the collected works of Wang Yangming, and flipped through a few pages.

"Since the Jiangxi Incident was pacified in the fourteenth year of the Zhengde reign, I have been framed and surrounded by dangers and suspicions, with no guarantee of survival. Fortunately, the emperor has risen to power, the sky is bright, and he has witnessed the loyalty of an ant..." (Note 1)

He put the book down and remained silent for a long time.

Do I have to be as servile as Wang Yangming and write memorials to the emperor to avoid suspicion in the future?
Even if he kowtowed, how much better would his final outcome be than Qi Jiguang's? After experiencing this, he deeply felt that military generals in this era had no sense of security.

I remember the tragic and heroic bloody battle of Hunhe River, the soldiers who fought one after another on the pontoon bridge, and Xiong Tingbi who was dismembered by the slave chief.

He spread out the rice paper and wrote the word "anti" with all his might.

After calming down, he crossed out the reversed words. Finally, he threw his brush on the desk in anger, stood up and paced back and forth, carefully sorting out the whole thread of the matter.

As a member of the Chu Party, Xiong Tingbi was in charge of Liaodong for only half a year. He was attacked fiercely by Donglin and Liaozhen just because he obstructed the distribution of benefits of Liaoxiu among all parties.

Now that Xiong Tingbi is dead, he has become a thorn in the eyes and flesh of these people.

After the bloody battle of Hunhe River, the victory achieved in Kaiyuan made these beasts jealous, and tigers, leopards, jackals and wolves immediately swarmed forward.

The 100,000 taels of compensation silver was just a test. If I really gave in, they would continue to press me.

In the end, Qiao Yiqi had to give up all the land and shops he had occupied in Liaobei.

Kaiyuan will also be lost.

In the end, the remaining troops under his command are likely to repeat the tragedy of the Qi family army in Jizhou.

He has a bad relationship with both Liaozhen and Jizhen, so there must be many people who want to get rid of him. If there is a chance to destroy the Kaiyuan army, now should be the best time.

Liu Zhaosun suddenly realized that he was in a huge crisis.

At some point, Jin Yu Ji quietly got up, came behind Liu Zhaosun, and leaned against him.

"Is the arrow wound healed?"

Liu Zhaosun put away his murderous intent, turned around and looked at Jin Yuji with a warm smile.

Jin Yuji wore only a bright red silk skirt, her breasts open to reveal a pink gauze waist adorned with gold buttons. Having just recovered from a serious injury, her slight breathlessness as she walked made her even more endearing.

"Sir, this time I'm really fine. I can protect you tomorrow. If you don't believe me, just wait and see."

As she was about to lift up her red gauze underwear, Liu Zhaosun quickly blocked her way and lightly touched the scar on her shoulder with his fingers:

"Does it still hurt?"

Jin Yuji shook her head, her breathing became rapid, her bright eyes and white teeth pressed close to him, Liu Zhaosun felt her heartbeat quicken and her body slightly warm.

Liu Zhaosun was so aroused that he was about to reach for the thin red silk skirt when he suddenly caught sight of the arrow wound. Remembering that Kang Yingqian and the others were still waiting outside the tent, he pinched her cheek and said with a smile:
"You're so skinny you don't look like a human anymore. Rest for a few days, eat more meat, and we'll talk after you've recovered."

Jin Yuji frowned slightly, pushed Liu Zhaosun away, and left in a huff.

When her figure disappeared behind the curtain, Liu Zhaosun said to himself:

"From now on, let me protect you!"

Outside the tent came the muffled groans of wounded soldiers. More than a month had passed since the Battle of Hunhe ended, and wounded soldiers were still dying every day. Liu Zhaosun tried his best to treat them, but now he couldn't even save himself.

Yuan Yingtai should have a lot of evidence against him.

After traveling to this world, he did his utmost to give hope to everyone. He even spared no effort for the dead, exhausting himself countless times just to call back the souls of the dead.

But now, no one wants to leave him the place he fought so hard for.

When suppressing the rebellion in Kaiyuan, he was able to control the overall situation, use the so-called great way to win people's hearts, and use the great way to stick to his simple and sincere obsession.

But now, he was at the mercy of others. The blades of the Donglin Party and Liaozhen were on his neck, and now they wanted not only his money but also his life.

Where could he retreat? Could his path still protect everyone? After he died, who would protect her?

thought long time.

Suddenly, he tore off the piece of rice paper that was smeared with black, spread out a new piece on the desk, and wrote a word.

kill!

He summoned the guards and ordered, "Let them all come in."

A group of subordinates quickly walked into the tent.

Liu Zhaosun covered the word "kill" and looked up at everyone.

Kang Yingqian was furious and said, "This Yuan guy is too shameless. He embezzled 100,000 taels of silver from us just by talking! He even extorted 800,000 taels. I have been an official for 30 years, and this is the first time I have seen such a shameless person!"

Qiao Yiqi also said angrily:

"That Censor Zhang isn't a good guy either! Where's his integrity?"

General Kang was scolded that day, and he had been throwing money around, eating and smiling with the men these past few days. Today he was humiliated again, and he was already furious.

"Yuan Yingtai, that bastard! If it weren't for General Xiong's promotion, he'd still be digging canals in Wuchang. How ungrateful! Look how he's slandering General Xiong today!"

Originally, in history, Yuan Yingtai was promoted by Xiong Tingbi and came to Liaodong with Xiong. After Xiong Tingbi resigned, Yuan took over Xiong's position.

In this dimension, Yuan Yingtai did not come to Shenyang until Xiong Tingbi's death. It is unknown what grudges there were between the two. Judging from Yuan Yingtai's appearance today, he must hate his old boss to the core.

Of course, it now seems that this general not only wants money, but also wants Liu Zhaosun to die.

Kang Yingqian's beard trembled with anger after he finished speaking. Deng Changxiong added:
"From what this guy said, we have to pay him 800,000 taels in compensation? How dare the bastard threaten Lord Liu!"

Wang Erhu said angrily:

"It would be better to stab him eighty times. The wounded soldiers are waiting to buy medicine for treatment, and the refugees are waiting to be resettled. Where can we not spend money? They can't even provide enough pensions. What kind of a fucking court is this!"

The 3,000th headquarters suffered heavy casualties. Wang Erhu had originally wanted to ask for more compensation for his men, but he didn't expect this to be the outcome. If General Liu hadn't been there, he would have beaten that irresponsible Censor Zhang on the spot.

Qin Jianxun, the youngest among the crowd, finally spoke up. "My father and uncle both died fighting for our country. Over 5,000 Shizhu White-Pole Soldiers were killed. If you don't give me an explanation, I'll sacrifice my own life to kill these two bastards!"

At this point, he looked up at Liu Zhaosun, knelt down and said, "General Liu, I will take responsibility for my own actions and will not implicate anyone else!"

Liu Zhaosun stepped forward to help Qin Jianxun up, patted him on the shoulder, and said loudly:

"Don't worry, the White Spear Soldiers' deaths will not be in vain. Not a penny will be lost in compensation!"

After Liu Zhaosun finished speaking, he looked at Qi Jin again.

The 39-year-old general of the Qi family army had red eyes and did not speak.

Liu Zhaosun knew what Qi Jin was thinking.

The current Kaiyuan Army is very similar to the Qi Family Army in the Jizhou Rebellion 24 years ago.

They both achieved great military success, were both owed military pay by the imperial court, and were both oppressed by both civil officials and military commanders.

Twenty-four years ago.

Qi Jin witnessed with his own eyes that the soldiers of the Qi Family Army, who had been dominating the Korean battlefield not long ago, were suddenly thrown into prison, became prisoners, and their blood was spilled in the West Market.

Thousands of his brothers were slaughtered, and after their death they were charged with mutiny and deprived of all compensation by the court.

He was only fifteen years old at the time and could only watch silently.

Now, is tragedy about to happen again?
Finally, Qi Jin slowly raised his head, his expression firm:

"Whatever you say, we'll do it! Even if it means going through fire and water, or even being torn to pieces, I won't let the Qi family army be slaughtered again!"

Pei Dahu saw the crowd getting excited and said gloomily:
"The Jinyiwei went to Tieling to search for evidence and were captured by our people. They confessed that Yuan Yingtai was imposing thirteen death sentences on Lord Liu, and the first one was that we illegally recruited soldiers and intended to rebel..."

Kang Yingqian flew into a rage and slammed the table and stood up:

"Treason? The Kaiyuan soldiers have fought from Sarhu until now, and tens of thousands of them have died. General Liu was almost hacked to death by the Tartars. He has made such great contributions to the court, and now that we have just defeated the Later Jin, they are going to throw him away? They want to kill us?!"

Deng Changxiong also said angrily: "I will kill them first. I disliked Yuan Yingtai from the first sight!"

"Even if they rebel, we are not afraid. If the Kaiyuan army rebels, if the imperial court does not mobilize 50,000 to 60,000 troops and fight them for a year or two, they will never be able to capture Liaodong!"

Kang Yingqian spoke with great joy. The current situation was only one step away from the result he wanted.

"We have occupied Kaiyuan and Tieling, and we also have Fushun, Qinghe, and Kuandian. Even if the emperor doesn't have the money to mobilize troops to attack Liao, it will be months later. By then, you will have thousands of elite soldiers. Given the combat effectiveness of the Kaiyuan army, sending 30,000 foreign troops would be a death wish!"

"Besides, the Liao tribute was just collected not long ago. If they collect several million more taels, I'm afraid the whole country will be in turmoil and civil unrest will break out!"

After hearing this, everyone's eyes changed obviously.

What Kang Yingqian said made sense. At this time, chaos broke out in Liaodong, and the imperial court was probably powerless to deal with it.

The soldiers in Kaiyuan were all bachelors, free from ties and without having to worry about their families being implicated.

If the Zhejiang soldiers led by Qi Jin, numbering less than a thousand, really mutinied in Jizhou, they would have no choice but to fight to the death.

The only ones who might be implicated are the White Spear Soldiers, but more than 5,000 of them died. If the imperial court still wants to get rid of them, rebellion is the only option.

Everyone looked at General Liu, waiting for his orders.

Liu Zhaosun asked everyone to sit down first. He had already made up his mind.

If it were six months ago, he might have continued on his path. Back then, he was alone, fearless, and the worst that could happen was death.

Now, with Jin Yuji and a group of brothers who swore to follow him to the death, after his death, the Kaiyuan system would inevitably collapse. The nascent business would be devoured by the Liaozhen and Donglin bosses, leaving nothing behind.

Fighting to the death for the one you love is what matters.

"My officer."

Liu Zhaosun finally spoke. He faced the crowd and said slowly, "I want to take the main road."

Kang Yingqian was stunned and quickly pulled Liu Zhaosun's sleeve to remind him that this was not the time to joke.

“The great Dao is unstoppable; those who follow it prosper, and those who go against it perish!”

"Yuan Yingtai is extremely greedy and disregards human life. He colluded with the Liaozhen and framed me, intending to put Kaiyuan to death. And that Censor Zhang, these two have violated the great principles and cannot be kept alive. As for the rest."

The dead Ding Bi, Li Ruzhen, and Nurhaci flashed through his mind, and he suddenly remembered that the eyes of these people were the same as Yuan Yingtai's.

"General Kang, try again. I see that the two generals and Yuan Yingtai appear to be on good terms, but they are not in the same group. Send me some more silver and I will use it. Let's make this a great show together."

Kang Yingqian was a little discouraged. This was somewhat different from the rebellion he wanted.

"Why are you so fussy? Just kill them all! We've all elected you as king. With your popularity in Liaodong and the strength of the Kaiyuan army, you'll definitely conquer the world in three years!"

Liu Zhaosun glared at Kang Yinggan. This old man was afraid that the world would not be in chaos. In order to reach the pinnacle of power, he wanted everyone to be a stepping stone for him.

Liu Zhaosun stopped Kang Yinggan from talking and pointed outside. Everyone stopped talking when they heard the groans of the wounded soldiers.

"The Ming Dynasty's prestige remains. Breaking with the imperial court now would not just mean the deaths of tens of thousands of people, but millions of corpses and thousands of miles of bloodshed. Furthermore, I will not allow the soldiers to be involved in this matter, at least not now."

After Liu Zhaosun finished speaking, his eyes fell on Pei Dahu.

"However, regardless of the Emperor's attitude, Yuan Yingtai and Censor Zhang have committed acts that infuriate Heaven and resentment. It's not that I want to kill them, but rather that the principles of Heaven and Earth cannot tolerate them."

Pei Dahu pondered these words, repeated them several times in his mind, and suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Master Thirteen, are you saying let them die? And then put the blame on someone else."

Liu Zhaosun shook his head helplessly and explained word by word to the head servant in front of all his confidants:

"Yuan Yingtai lives in the inner city, guarded by a dozen standard-bearers. You must personally take action, bring that ranger with you, and strike him deadly. Before that, you must first..."

Note:
(1) Wang Yangming’s Collected Works, Volume , Part , “A Memorial to Resign from Important Responsibilities and Ask for Grace to Retire from Illness”

(End of this chapter)