The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 256: Entering the Pass, Great Scholars Kneel in Worship
The city gate was blocked by huge rocks, so they hid under shield carts and used axes and pickaxes to chisel the city wall.

Countless axes and pickaxes were swung, brick chips from the city wall flew everywhere, and the holes in the city wall sank inward at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was as if tens of millions of ants were gnawing at a giant cake, and the sound of thousands of people hammering at the city walls was so clanging that it made people's scalps tingle.

The soldiers defending the city walls were as anxious as ants on a hot pan, scurrying about in all directions. Their muskets, bows, and crossbows were ineffective against the shield carts, and their red-haired cannons had insufficient range. They could only throw stone torches at random below the city walls.

There was no reaction when small bricks hit the top of the shield cart, but the big rocks rolled directly off the top of the shield cart. As for the torches thrown down, since the shield cart was wrapped with wet cowhide, the firewood could not burn it at all.

As night fell, the fierce battle continued.

More and more foreign Liao people poured into this dead corner and joined the army of wall-drilling. Thousands of people quickly knocked out three or four large holes more than two meters wide on the west gate wall.

There were cheers of victory coming from the city.

·······
Five miles northwest of Ningyuan is the Kaiyuan central army tent.

Kaiyuan messengers with small black flags on their backs kept going in and out of the big tent, delivering the latest battle reports from various front lines to Ping Liaohou.

The light in the tent became dim, and the candlelight flickered, reflecting the tall figure of Liu Zhaosun.

He put down the book "In Search of the Supernatural" in his hand and looked up at the door of the tent. It was the cavalry battalion's scouts coming over.

The guards searched the sentry horse carefully before letting the man in.

"Has the cavalry battalion set out for Juehua Island?"

The scout horse said quickly:
"Reporting to Marquis Ping Liao, the cavalry has just set out. Officer Wang Ying asked me to ask Marquis Ping Liao when the attack will begin."

Liu Zhaosun glanced at the sentry horse and said with a smile:

"Why? Officer Wang, you don't ask how to cross the sea?"

"Replying to Marquis Ping Liao, the commander of the Wang camp said, if there are boats, we'll take them. If there are no boats, we'll let the horses swim across. Wherever Marquis Ping Liao tells the cavalry camp to go, we'll go there! Even if there are no boats!"

Liu Zhaosun put the fantasy novel on the desk, patted Shao Ma's shoulder, came up to him, and whispered:

"Go back and tell Officer Wang that he is the commander of the front line and he has the final say on when the cavalry will attack. If I am not mistaken, in the next few days there will be..."

When the scout heard this, his face was filled with surprise and his eyes were full of admiration. He saluted Ping Liaohou and hurried out of the central military tent.

After the scouts left, peace returned to the tent. Outside, the roar of the Red Barbarian cannons and the shouts of the foreigners pushing shield carts gradually faded away.

Liu Zhaosun picked up "Soushen Ji" and continued reading Li Ji beheading the snake.

The candlelight was dim.

The densely packed traditional Chinese characters brought him into the world of gods and ghosts of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

"In the east of Fujian, there is the Yongling Mountains, several dozen miles high. In the northwest marsh there lives a giant snake, seven or eight feet long and more than ten feet around. The locals are always afraid..."

The guard came in and said that Inspector Kang had arrived.

Once again being pulled out of the world of gods and monsters and back to reality.

Kang Yingqian, with a dusty face, walked into the big tent.

"General Kang, please take a seat."

Kang Yingqian was a little surprised to see that Liu Zhaosun was the only one in the tent:

"The battle at the west gate was fierce, and the east gate was nearly taken by us several times, yet Ping Liaohou was still reading a book in his tent. He was so unmoved, like a mountain. He truly was a great general."

Liu Zhaosun personally poured a cup of tea for Kang Yingqian and explained:

"I've already read 'Treatise on Military Training' and 'New Book on Military Effectiveness' to pieces, and I'm tired of all the other military books. I just read some light reading every now and then to change my mind."

Liu Zhaosun had long considered Kang Yingqian his confidant, so he did not deliberately show modesty in front of him:
"In Ningyuan, Deng Changxiong and Wang Erhu are enough! It's better for me to stay still."

Kang Yingqian chuckled. He'd spent so much time trying to persuade Liu Zhaosun not to charge into battle, but he'd finally come around. He probably had Madam Gaoming whispering something in his ear.

Kang Yingqian put down his teacup and looked up at Liu Zhaosun:
"Marquis Ping Liao is so busy every day, he deserves to rest regularly. You're currently managing millions of people, which is truly not easy. After this battle, Kaiyuan will likely be larger than Korea and Japan combined. However, I dare not interfere in matters of war anymore."

Liu Zhaosun heard that Kang Yingqian had something to say, but he didn't point it out:

"Is our territory so big? Liaodong and Liaoxi are just a small corner."

Kang Yingqian said seriously:

"From the tone of voice, does Ping Liaohou think it's too small?"

"It's too small. Compared to the Ming Dynasty, it's really too small."

"Does the Marquis of Ping Liao really want to annex the Ming Dynasty?"

Seeing that he had almost finished his tea, Liu Zhaosun stopped beating around the bush and went straight to the point:

"General Kang, if we successfully capture Ningyuan this time, where will we go next? I wonder if you have any good plans?"

Kang Yingqian frowned, lost in thought. Riding a dragon into the Great Wall had always been his dream. Over the past two years, Kang had sacrificed too much for this, nearly losing his life several times.

However, now is not the best time to enter the country.

"Marquis Ping Liao, I have three strategies here: good, medium, and bad..."

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand to interrupt.

"Tell me the worst plan." Kang Yingqian's throat moved, his mouth opened wide, and he was silent for a long while before he said:

"Okay, let's talk about the worst plan. The worst plan is to continue to capture Shanhaiguan, pursue the enemy north, take advantage of the victory to enter the pass, then capture the capital, establish a country, proclaim yourself emperor, and rule the world."

"Hahaha."

Liu Zhaosun laughed loudly, while Kang Yingqian looked confused.

"Command the whole world? If you occupy the capital, you can command the whole world? If that's the case, then the whole world will be too easy to seize! I'm afraid that by then, I won't be commanding the whole world, but will be attacked by the whole world!"

Kang Yingqian smiled but said nothing.

"What's the best option?"

Kang Yingqian stroked his beard and smiled. Just as he was about to speak, Liu Zhaosun interrupted him and said:
"Let me guess first and see if it's what Supervisor Kang thinks."

"Ping Liao Hou, please speak."

Kang Yingqian pretended to listen attentively.

Liu Zhaosun walked to the door of the big tent and looked towards the hellish Ningyuan battlefield in the southeast.

"Attack the mountains and seas but don't occupy them. Use the Battle of Ningyuan to severely damage the elite troops of the Nine Frontiers, and then make peace with the court."

Kang Yingqian stroked his beard and nodded. Before Liu Zhaosun could continue, he took over the conversation again:

"From the decisive battle of Ningyuan, we know that the border troops' combat power cannot be underestimated. Before we enter the pass, we still need to support a vassal king, preferably a close relative. When the time is right, we can purge the emperor's side and pacify the world."

Liu Zhaosun smiled and said:
"Great minds think alike. Zhu Youxiao has a younger brother, Prince Xin Zhu Youjian, who is a perfect fit."

Kang Yingqian added:

"Marquis Ping Liao, do you know what storytellers in Tianjin, Linqing, Jining, and Yangzhou are saying right now?"

"General Xuanwu fought against Jin Bayala after the war?"

Kang Yingqian shook his head and smiled:
"Hahaha! Whoever dares to say that General Xuanwu is telling a story now, I'm afraid he thinks he has too many brains!"

"Marquis Ping Liao, you're no longer General Xuanwu. You've become the court's top traitor. The new storytelling still tells the story of you, but the story has changed. You're no longer a hero, but a beast... It's called 'Zu Fuyu Conquers Liaodong with Three Arrows, the Big-Eyed Thief Dies at Feiyunpu'."

Liu Zhaosun didn't take it seriously and asked with a smile:

"Who is Zu Fuyu? I've never heard of him. Is he Zu Dashou's son?"

Kang Yingqian looked disdainful:
"It's Zu Dashou himself. Fu Yu is his courtesy name. Zu Dashou, courtesy name Fu Yu. Big-eyed thief, I'm talking about you."

"Oh? He shot me to death with three arrows? By the way, are my eyes big?"

Liu Zhaosun shook his head:
"I didn't expect that Zu Dashou, with his thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually has a name? General Kang, you are a Jinshi after all, so why don't you help me choose a name?"

Kang Yingqian looked innocent:
"Did the Marquis of Ping Liao ever mention this? If you want, I'll give you eight or ten names when I get back, all better than his. I'll also have Qiao Yiqi carve ten seals for you to carry with you. You can use them as armor on the battlefield."

Liu Zhaosun laughed loudly, and after laughing for a while, he said seriously:

"Okay, let's get down to business. Go on,"

Kang Yingqian also restrained his smile and said solemnly:

"In short, there are still many misunderstandings about Kaiyuan in various places within the Great Wall. Ordinary people only hear stories from storytellers. But those wealthy families and scholars, when they heard that Kaiyuan only collected 30% of the rent from tenants and even paid for the barbarians to attend private schools, said that it was an insult to civility and unfilial to the emperor and fathers. They hated us to the core..."

Liu Zhaosun said coldly:

"Don't worry about the powerful and the evil gentry, and don't be afraid of the scholars. When we enter the Pass, there will be great scholars kneeling to us. All we need is the support of the people."

"We must seize Shandong as soon as possible, at least a few key cities along the canal. Bullets won't enter, but silver can. Commerce comes first, and the army will follow."

Liu Zhaosun picked up the teapot and refilled Kang Yingqian's cup. He looked up at his old friend:

"Entering the Pass and claiming the throne of emperor, commanding the whole world, is the name; holding the Grand Canal and controlling the north and the south, is the reality. I, an official, must not seek fame and place myself in danger."

"General Kang's strategy of supporting a vassal king is generally correct, but it still needs to be refined."

"In short, without sufficient prestige, we cannot command the world. Entering the pass will disadvantage us and benefit the enemy. This time, let's go to Shanhaiguan. The newly occupied over seventy cities in western and southern Liaoning will also take time to digest. We can't rush. Otherwise, who knows how many Song Yingshengs will emerge!"

Kang Yingqian nodded repeatedly.

But Liu Zhaosun's eyes tightened:
"In the past, I only knew how to fight and didn't understand strategy, so I always suffered losses. This time is different. Let's send someone to contact the court and try to negotiate. Although Shen Lian and Pei Dahu are dead, the connections we built in the capital should still be there. As long as we are willing to spend money, coupled with the Kaiyuan offensive, it shouldn't be difficult to negotiate."

Kang Yingqian asked curiously:

"How does the Marquis of Ping Liao want to discuss this with the imperial court?"

Liu Zhaosun said confidently:

"Everything east of Ningyuan belongs to me. Dengzhou is ceded to me. In return, Kaiyuan will ensure peace in the Ming Dynasty. The Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Mongolian tribes will no longer cause trouble."

"This is what we need to discuss with the court."

Kang Yingqian thought for a moment, his face showing embarrassment:
"Let's not talk about the Imperial Household Department. Xu Xianchun and we are at war to the death. No one in the cabinet or the six ministries dares to speak out, no matter how much money is offered. After all, this is treason. Therefore, the court will never agree to what you said."

Liu Zhaosun's expression was stern:
"Of course the court won't agree, so this time we have to give them a hard beating in Ningyuan. If we do, the court will agree."

(End of this chapter)