The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 14: The son-in-law of the chieftain is the garrison commander. Who will take over Liaodong?

March of the 47th year of the Wanli reign.

The surviving remnants of Dusong in Jiefan and Sarhu fled south in panic like a stray dog.

These elite soldiers, fresh from a near-death experience, had already been terrified by the terrifying power of the Jianzhou Jurchens. Now, the mere appearance of a few Later Jin scouts frightened them so much that they abandoned their armor and fled in panic.

The defeated soldiers plundered civilians along the way and fled all the way to Fushun Pass.

This group of troops were drawn from Yansui, Ningxia, Gansu and Guyuan. As guest soldiers, no one wanted to stay in the freezing cold Liaodong for a long time, so they lost the possibility of becoming bandits.

Of course, the more important thing is that the white-armored soldiers are still following them closely. Now in Liaodong, even if they become bandits, they have to ask the Jiannu whether they agree or not.

On March 5, sporadic defeated soldiers entered Fushun Pass, and the news of Du Song's defeat quickly spread in Guanzhong. Two days later, the news reached Shenyang, and the city was in chaos.

The Jiannu spies lurking in Shenyang took advantage of the chaos and took action. Thanks to the efforts of these traitors, the defeat at Sarhu was spread into various versions, each more exaggerated than the last.

Some say that the four armies of 470,000 men were completely wiped out, and the food and supplies captured by the Later Jin were piled up into mountains. The team transporting them with oxen, horses, and mules stretched for twenty miles. Three hundred beautiful girls in the army were captured, all of whom were stunning women. They were given to General Du by Yang Jinglüe. Daishan, the great beile of the Jin Dynasty, led an army of 200,000 south to capture Fushun Pass and will reach Shenyang tomorrow.

Others said that the Korean soldiers were buried alive by the Tartars, and that Marshal Jiang Hongli was castrated and became a eunuch in Hetuala. Korea surrendered to the Later Jin Dynasty and sent large ships to transport the Tartar soldiers, who would land in Shandong on the 15th of next month.

Of course, the most popular saying is that so many people were killed because of the "Seven Great Hates". The chieftain had grievances and wanted to pass through Shenyang to meet the emperor in Beijing. Just like the previous times he came to Beijing, he knelt in front of the old emperor to state his grievances and begged for forgiveness. As long as Shenyang opened the gate and let him go, the Jin soldiers would not kill anyone indiscriminately. Otherwise, everything would be destroyed, and no one would be spared.

In the city of Shenyang, those Han people who had been assimilated into the Jurchens were not panicking. They spread rumors everywhere, fearing that the world would not be in chaos.

Rumors of Liaozhen collaborating with the enemy were spreading like wildfire, and some people accused Yang Jinglie of colluding with the enemy and harming foreign soldiers.

When Li Chengliang was alive, in order to win over Nurhaci and balance the power of various factions, he let Li Rubai marry the daughter of the chieftain as a concubine.

All three armies were wiped out, but Li Rubai escaped unscathed and retreated safely to Shenyang, and rumors about him began to increase.

"With the chieftain's son-in-law serving as the garrison commander, I wonder who will take over Liaodong!"

Since last year, foreign soldiers from all over the country have flocked to Shenyang. As soldiers from the south and the north get along with each other, conflicts continue to intensify.

Although Shenyang is the Li family's territory, Li Rubai's influence is not as great as his father's. He is a playboy and this time he led the Liao soldiers to flee without a fight. His reputation plummeted and he naturally could not control the public opinion in Shenyang.

After fleeing back to Shenyang, Li Rubai closed his doors to visitors, even refusing to see several governors and provincial governors. According to the original historical perspective, it wouldn't be long before this dissolute young man from the Li family, under pressure from public opinion, would hang himself, just as the later Emperor Chongzhen did, to prove Liaozhen's innocence.

Of course, at this time in Shenyang, Li Rubai was not the only one who was sad and anxious and wanted to hang himself.

In the living room of the Liaodong Governor's residence, several civil servants with white hair and beards were sitting in the hall, all sighing.

The four Liaodong bosses, Yang Hao, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Governor of Liaodong, Wang Keshou, Governor-General of Ji and Liaodong, Zhou Yongchun, Governor of Liaodong, and Chen Yuting, the Imperial Censor, took a newspaper in their hands and looked at it over and over again, with expressions of pain and astonishment on their faces.

The white-bearded governor Yang Hao looked tired, no longer as elegant and easy-going as before.

This Jinshi who passed the imperial examination in the eighth year of Wanli's reign had a smooth career, serving as a county magistrate, imperial censor, and governor of Shandong Liaohai.

He fought against Mongolia and Japanese pirates. In the 38th year of Wanli's reign, he was promoted to Governor of Liaodong and became a local lord, reaching the peak of his official career.

I didn't expect that I would suffer such humiliation when I am approaching my sixties.

Thinking of the impeachment memorial from the censor, his old hands began to tremble.

Governor of Ji-Liao, Wang Keshou, remained silent, fiddling with the Biluochun tea in his teacup and staring blankly at the ground.

Sitting opposite him was Liaodong Governor Zhou Yongchun, who seemed to be lost in thought. He placed the newspaper on the coffee table and muttered to himself, but no one knew what he was saying.

Before the fall of Fushun, he was sent to Liaodong by the emperor to be in charge of military affairs and training soldiers. This year, the four armies were sent to suppress the bandits, and this person was responsible for the transfer of food, wages and soldiers in the rear of the army.

In the original historical dimension, although the four armies were short of food and fodder, the imperial court still believed that Zhou Yongchun did an excellent job in logistics, "allocating supplies in a timely manner to ensure no worries." After Yang Hao was imprisoned, not only was he not punished, he was also promoted to deputy marshal of the military, which shows how strong his background was and how powerful his connections were.

Shortly after the Battle of Sarhu, Zhou Yongchun returned home for mourning. He later experienced the White Lotus Rebellion led by Xu Hongru and lived until the 12th year of Chongzhen when he died of illness.

Liu Zhaosun's time travel caused the fate of these officials to deviate. This governor who "did an excellent job in logistics" probably would not have a good end like before.

The inspector Chen Yuting picked up the newspaper and, without paying any attention to the expressions of the others, read aloud:

"Fushun sentry officer Chen Xin reported that on March 4th, the defeated Ming army approached the front of the pass, claiming to be General Du's troops, numbering about a thousand men, all discarded their armor and weapons, and their battle formation was in disarray. Another group of cavalry, claiming to be General Ma's troops, numbering several thousand, were making a commotion and agitating in front of the pass, begging the defenders to open the gates and let them in. I dared not respond, fearing they were spies..."

"Enough, Runfeng, stop reading! The news from three days ago has only been transmitted back now! This Chen Xin deserves to die!" The powerful voice of the Generalissimo rang out in the hall. Chen Yuting's courtesy name was Runfeng. Only in such private occasions would Yang Hao call him by his courtesy name.

Chen Yuting put down the newspaper, not caring to complain about Chen Xin, the warrior, whose writing was vulgar and disrespectful to society. He looked at Yang Hao coldly:

"Marshal General Du is a veteran of countless battles, and General Li is a descendant of a military family. His father, Li Chengliang, was a truly valiant warrior. Why did they suffer such a crushing defeat this time against the bandits? Didn't your General's Office make any plans? And where is Liu Jing now? Why didn't the newspaper mention this? Were the Korean soldiers truly annihilated, as the rumors claim?"

The censor from the capital made it clear what the relationship was from the moment he opened his mouth. Yang Hao called him by his courtesy name, but he referred to Yang Hao by his official title, obviously trying to distance himself from this criminal.

After hearing what Chen Yuting said, the other people in the hall turned around and glared at him. It was not because they were dissatisfied with him for taking advantage of his misfortune, but because the censor who came from the capital always spoke out of touch with reality.

Everyone present knew Du Song's true character. A few years ago, he had slaughtered innocent people in a Mongolian border town, and was discovered by the Imperial Censor Xiong Tingbi, who impeached him. Du Song, enraged, burned his armor and declared his intention to become a monk. This earned him the nickname "Crazy Du," a move that brought disgrace upon the imperial court.

As for the Liaozhen's domineering behavior, it has been going on for a long time. To say that Li Rubai is the son of a tiger father is an exaggeration.

"Li Rubai is nothing but a dandy, unruly and unruly boy. Choosing him to lead the army was a shortcut. Who knows who took advantage of Liaozhen? He's delaying national affairs!"

Chen Yuting was quite angry when he saw that several people were targeting him. He relied on the emperor's endorsement. The emperor sent him to Liaodong this time and told him to act according to his own circumstances and control the forces in Liaodong. He usually did not take these governors and generals seriously. Besides, after this great defeat, it was hard to say whether these adults could save their lives. Who would dare to go against him?

"Chen Yuting, stop slandering me! You were also involved in the planning of the four armies' marching routes. Did you have any objections then? As for collecting money, when Gao Huai was supervising the mines in Liao, all those censors and censors embezzled millions!"

Governor Wang Keshou immediately brought up Gao Huai. He knew that Chen Yuting had received a lot of benefits from Gao Huai in the past, so he wanted to give this imperial censor a warning.

With the defeat of the four armies, Wang Keshou's term as governor has come to an end. He will most likely be imprisoned together with Yang Hao.

Lord Wang has been an official in Liaodong for many years and has a deep-rooted relationship with the Li family. He also received benefits from Liaozhen when he arranged for Li Rubai to lead the troops this time. In short, he and Yang Hao are now in the same boat and can only advance and retreat together.

"Hahaha, is the traitor going to jump out and take the blame now?"

In the lobby, several staff members stood far away, frightened by the scene before them and did not dare to step forward.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Governor Zhou Yongchun, who had been silent for a long time, began to persuade:
"My Lords, the Jiannu are approaching Fushun Pass, and Shenyang is not far away. Let's think of a strategy to suppress them."

Chen Yuting didn't wait for him to finish and said angrily:

"Attack! Attack! Attack you, my mother! I warned you repeatedly not to use Liao Zhen, but you refused to listen and insisted on giving him military merit! Now all four armies are defeated, the foreign troops are hard to control, and Li Rubai is staying at home. How can we hold Shenyang?"

Zhou Yongchun was also a Jinshi. When he heard Chen Yuting's rude remarks, he rolled up his sleeves and was about to take action. Wang Keshou, who was standing next to him, quickly stopped him.

The civil servant was so brave that the servants next to him looked at each other in surprise. They obviously didn't know that the tradition of fighting among civil servants in the Ming Dynasty was long-standing.

"enough!"

Yang Hao stood up suddenly and drew out the imperial sword. After all, he was in his sixties or seventies, and he felt a little dizzy and swayed. He almost fell down, and the servants hurried forward to support him.

Zhou Yongchun and Chen Yuting, who had just been fighting, stopped immediately upon seeing this. Chen Yuting glanced at everyone, then left with two servants.

"There's no way to make a fool of yourself!"

Everyone looked at Chen Yuting's back, speechless for a moment. After a while, Yang Hao sat dejectedly on the chair:

"This fellow urges us day and night, yet he delays the delivery of food and supplies. How can the army not be defeated? Well, once the report reaches the capital and is presented to His Majesty, I will go to the Imperial Prison of the Pacification Division!"

Zhou Yongchun had just had a few hairs pulled out by the inspector, and a patch of his beautiful beard was also missing. He was in so much pain that his face was grim and he said angrily:

"How despicable this Chen is! A mere Imperial Censor, who only knows a few literary allusions, dares to talk nonsense about military affairs. This time the army's defeat was caused by his urging, and now he's biting back. What a shameless villain!"

Yang Hao smiled coldly, pointed to the southwest, and said helplessly:

"Isn't it that same person who was deceived by Fang Congzhe, Huang Jiashan, and Zhao Xingbang? He only wanted to destroy Nurhaci within ten days, but he never provided him with food, fodder, and military pay..."

When the remaining two people saw Yang Hao mention the emperor, their faces changed slightly and they didn't dare to respond.

Yang Hao, however, remained calm and continued:

"Rest assured, my two lords, I, Yang Hao, will bear the full responsibility for this defeat. After returning to the capital, whether it's the imperial prison or the joint trial by the three judicial departments, I will not implicate you two!"

After a while, seeing that neither of them spoke, Yang Hao looked up at the sky and said slowly:
"But this time, Liu Jing was deceived and many southern soldiers were killed. Alas! The situation in Liaodong is about to change!"

(End of this chapter)