The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 172 Prince of Liaodong
That night, Ping Liaohou held a banquet in the third hall of Wendeng County Government Office to welcome Governor Yuan and several county magistrates of Dengzhou.

At the banquet, the civil officials from Kaiyuan were calm and composed, as if they were the masters of this land.

Twenty thousand Kaiyuan troops were stationed around Wendeng, and Ping Liaohou had actually taken control of this important town in Dengzhou.

This is probably what is meant by "the guest becomes the host".

Wendeng County had just suffered from war, and the people had suffered heavy casualties. The city was in ruins, and no one had the heart to feast and have fun.

There were several plates of light dishes placed on the eight-immortals table.

Yuan Keli was in a low mood. After entering the city, he saw the corpses on the roadside that had not yet been collected, and he felt sad and angry.

He had been in office in Dengzhou for two months when he encountered such a military disaster. This time, the Wenxiang Sect caused chaos and more than 10,000 casualties among the people of Dengzhou. Even if the court did not impeach or investigate, Yuan Keli felt sad in his heart.

Qiao Yiqi kept comforting this lifesaver.

Liu Zhaosun's eyes turned red and he said loudly:
"The incense plagued Shandong, Qi, and Lu, killing over a hundred thousand people! The sky and earth changed color, and the grass and trees were trembling. I rushed from Kaiyuan to rescue them at full speed, but the long distance and the slow march meant I was ultimately late. Seeing pregnant women slaughtered on the streets of the county town today, my heart aches!"

Looking back at Jin Yu Ji, thinking that he would also become a father, tears started to flow.

Yuan Keli quickly stood up and said comfortingly:
"I've long heard that the Marquis of Ping Liao loves his people like his own children. I've seen the Kaiyuan Army treating the people. The so-called royal army is nothing more than this! Let's not even mention those soldiers in Liaozhen. The Kaiyuan Army's assistance to Dengzhou is a blessing the people have earned through several lifetimes!"

Jin Yu Ji handed over a handkerchief, and Liu Zhaosun wiped his tears, still looking very annoyed.

Burhanggu explained in a low voice that General Liu was not good at drinking and would get drunk after three cups at every banquet.

After saying this, he helped the drunken Marquis Ping Liao away.

Only Qiao Yiqi, Sun Chuanting, a group of civil servants from Dengzhou, as well as Zhang Chao and Zhang Dong were left in the hall.

Qiao Yiqi gave Sun Chuanting a look, and he stood up and bowed to Yuan Keli according to official etiquette.

"Governor Yuan, I am Sun Chuanting, the Fushun Military Commissioner. I am here with General Liu to assist Dengzhou. Today, we will execute the Wenxiang Sect thugs. I will be in charge of supervising the army."

The sadness on Yuan Keli's face disappeared, he regained his composure and asked Sun Chuanting to sit down.

"I heard that Lord Sun has been cultivating land in Fushun and recruiting refugees, and his achievements are remarkable."

Sun Chuanting said a few humble words, and when he saw that all the civil officials in Dengzhou were looking at him, he stopped talking nonsense and went straight to the point:

"General Liu is compassionate to the people. Seeing the suffering of the people today, the pain is unbearable and my body is exhausted. I will speak to you about the affairs of Dengzhou."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere suddenly became tense. The county magistrates who had been praising General Liu fell silent and cast wary glances at Sun Chuanting.

Yuan Keli's expression remained unchanged: "Master Sun, please feel free to speak."

Sun Chuanting saluted again and said, "In today's battle, the Kaiyuan army defeated the Wenxiang rebels in one fell swoop, killing 20,000 of them. Unfortunately, we lack cavalry, and in the end, 2,000 of the Wenxiang remnants fled into the mountains, and another 5,000 fled to Qixia, Zhaoyuan and other counties. When that happens, there will be another massacre. The local garrison troops in Weihaiwei are unable to fight, and Lieutenant General Chen of the Wendeng Camp has been captured for half a month and his whereabouts are unknown. Currently, bandits are rampant and the people are suffering. I and the other generals suggest that you leave a Kaiyuan troop in Wendeng to hunt down the remnants of the Wenxiang and protect the territory and the people, preventing traitors from taking advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos."

"I, along with the 30,000 soldiers of Kaiyuan, implore Governor Yuan and Military Supervisor Luo of Dengzhou to jointly submit a petition to the court, requesting the Ministry of War to issue a document re-establishing the Wendeng Camp, garrisoned by Kaiyuan troops, with a tentative strength of 3,000 men."

Sun Chuanting finished speaking in one breath and looked up at the crowd. There was complete silence all around him, and you could hear a pin drop in the living room.

The officials of Dengzhou were stunned by this sudden turn of events. The Qixia County Magistrate angrily said, "Master Sun, are you trying to be an accomplice to the Kaiyuan army and help them occupy Wendeng County?"

Sun Chuanting clapped his hands, and the sound of vibrating iron armor plates was heard outside.

Upon seeing this, the magistrates of Huangxian and Zhaoyuan dared not say anything more. The county magistrates of Qixia and Pingdu, who had been cursing fiercely just now, also stopped talking.

Yuan Keli saw seven or eight people who looked like servants coming in, carrying four heavy boxes. Sun Chuanting waved at them, and the boxes were opened, revealing clear yellow gold filled inside.

"The Kaiyuan Army is the strongest in the world. When Shandong is in trouble, it is our duty to strangle the Wenxiang thugs. Ping Liao Hou is benevolent and loves the people, and is wholeheartedly helping the Emperor. I hope Governor Yuan will not neglect the good intentions of the 30,000 Kaiyuan soldiers."

The magistrate of Qixia stared at the wooden box, his eyes motionless.

Yuan Keli's expression remained unchanged. He pointed at the jewels in the box and said with a cold smile, "What do you mean?" Qiao Yiqi saw that his savior was being threatened and quickly said,
"These gold, silver, and jewelry were all seized by soldiers from the Wenxiang Sect rebels. They must have been looted by the thugs in Dengzhou. Inspector Kang specifically instructed us not to embezzle them and to hand them all over to Governor Yuan, who will pass them on to the victims. By the way,"

Qiao Yiqi pointed in the direction of the county government office and added, "There are still 500 dan of grain outside, all of which were confiscated. Please return them all..."

As soon as these words were spoken, several county magistrates sitting behind Yuan Keli stood up one after another, their eyes shining. If Yuan Keli was not there, they would immediately step forward to divide the spoils.

In the corner of the living room, a tall, dark-skinned civil servant with a gloomy face sat there, shaking his head and sighing, without even looking at the gold and silver.

Qiao Yiqi nodded slightly and looked at Pei Dahu. Pei Dahu said, "This man is Ge Yewen, the magistrate of Penglai. We have checked his background and he is an honest official."

"He's very useful. General Liu will like him. Don't touch him for now."

Qiao Yiqi was still talking to Pei Dahu when they suddenly heard Yuan Keli laughing loudly towards the sky, and they were both startled.

"What if I don't agree?"

Sun Chuanting said coldly, "Marquis Ping Liao is loyal to the Emperor and is concerned about violating court rules. However, he is not a good commander of the army. The Wenxiang Sect is causing chaos and civilians are being killed every day. General Liu is hesitant about this matter. I have no choice but to work with the loyal officials of Kaiyuan to make the decision for General Liu. Your Excellency must agree today."

"Governor Yuan once saved Military Supervisor Qiao's life. Marquis Ping Liao respects Governor Yuan as a person. He only wishes to free the people from suffering as soon as possible. He has no other requests. I hope Governor Yuan will grant this."

After Sun Chuanting finished speaking, he looked at everyone in the hall with a sharp gaze. All the county magistrates lowered their heads and remained silent, except for the Penglai county magistrate who glared at Sun Chuanting fiercely.

Sun Chuanting met Ge Yewen's sharp gaze without any fear, and the two glared at each other.

Lin Yu put his hand on the scabbard, and Qiao Yiqi quickly stopped the tall guard.

Suddenly, General Qiao fell to his knees in front of Yuan Keli with a thud, tugging at Yuan Keli's second-rank robe with a crane patch, tears streaming down his face.
"Sir Yuan! In the 23rd year of the Wanli reign, you were a prosecutor in Suzhou. Undeterred by power, you insisted on retrialing an unjust case, ultimately saving my life. For over 20 years, I, Qiao, have constantly encouraged myself to be like you, serving the country and the people with all my heart. That's why last year, I went to the battlefield of Sarhu, following General Liu Jing to achieve great success and conquer the land. However, when we reached the banks of the Hunjiang River, the Eastern Route Army was starving of food and grass, morale was low, people were deserting every day, and the Koreans were betraying military intelligence, leaving tens of thousands of troops in jeopardy..."

Qiao Yiqi recalled the scene when he first met Liu Zhaosun in Hunjiang River, and talked incessantly about his experiences over the past year and a half.

He was very emotional and his voice gradually became sobbing, from choking to finally crying loudly.

"Commander Liu has arrived. He led us out of the Hunjiang River and brought tens of thousands of people back to Shenyang. Do you know how much this young man, less than 20 years old, has sacrificed for Liaodong and the Ming Dynasty?"

"His adoptive father, his elder brother, and his retainers all died in battle."

"He was wounded three times, at Sarhu, Kaiyuan, and Hunhe. The last time, I was present when the army physician bandaged his wounds. I saw with my own eyes that he had five arrow wounds and two knife wounds, and the blood was flowing profusely. That day, he led the Kaiyuan troops in a decisive battle with the Jiannu. After a sea of blood and a thousand deaths, he finally defeated the Jiannu. To avenge Xiong Jinglüe and to fulfill his promise to Burhanggu, he personally beheaded the leader of the Jiannu army on the top of Shenyang City.

"How can such a person still have any desire for power?"

The hall was completely silent. Everyone was captivated by Qiao Yiqi's memories. Even the Penglai County Magistrate, who had a sullen face the entire time, raised his head and stared blankly at this talkative military supervisor.

Yuan Keli sighed deeply, helped Qiao Yiqi up, tears in his eyes:

"I'm an old acquaintance of Xiong Tingbi. Xiong Manzi once said that General Liu was a young hero, a natural born chivalrous man with the demeanor of an ancient gentleman. He saved tens of thousands of people in Liaodong, yet he never took credit for it. If the country is in trouble, he's a man of great talent who can truly be trusted."

Yuan Keli was nearly sixty years old, and his career had been bumpy. The very year he took office, he was falsely accused and impeached, and dismissed from office. That was in the 20th year of the Wanli reign...

After twenty years of ups and downs in his official career, he had seen enough people harming the country for personal gain. This was the first time he had met someone like Liu Zhaosun who was not interested in fame and fortune.

At present, the Wenxiang Sect is roaming around Zhaoyuan, Qixia and other places, and its strength is still there. Only the Kaiyuan Army can quell this riot.

Yuan Keli knew very well that Liu Zhaosun had the support of the Imperial Household Department and the Cabinet in the court, especially Wei Zhongxian, who was absolutely not to be offended.

Even if Dengzhou Prefecture and Ping Liaohou fell out in the end, Liu Zhaosun could continue to stay in Wendeng in the name of suppressing bandits. After all, he had received a transfer order from the Ministry of War before coming to Shandong.

Yuan Keli couldn't tell if Liu Zhaosun had ordered this. He gritted his teeth and said, "I will write the memorial tonight and submit it to the capital by express horse tomorrow."

"I will not accept any silver. You should assist the Marquis of Ping Liao well and work for the benefit of the people in the future."

"Wenden is yours."

(End of this chapter)