The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 360 Bottom Line
At the end of September in the second year of the Tianqi reign, the Western Expeditionary Army withdrew completely. Cavalry from Henan, Shaanxi, and other regions received orders to converge on Hequ. The Western Expeditionary Army completely abandoned its efforts to intercept the bandits from the Central Plains and concentrated its forces in Hequ, a small city in the northwest corner of Shanxi, preparing for a decisive battle with Li Xianzhong in this small city in northwestern Shanxi.

The various gangs of bandits had no leadership over each other, and other bandits were busy looting in Henan, so Li Xianzhong knew nothing about the movements of the Kaiyuan army.

It was not until his nephew was attacked by a bear at Shijia Mountain that Li Xianzhong realized that the Kaiyuan army had already been right under his nose and was preparing to control the Hequ.

No matter what the Kaiyuan army wanted to do, Li Xianzhong had to capture Hequ as soon as possible and destroy this isolated army.

September 30th, Hequ County Government Hall.

After the Kaiyuan army captured Hequ City half a month ago, the county government office became the central military camp of the Western Expedition Army.

The exhausted Deng Changxiong gathered generals here and introduced to everyone how to fight the upcoming bloody battle of Hequ.

Sitting on both sides of the lobby were generals such as Sun Chuanting, Wang Zengbin, Cheng Liang, Wei Zhao, and Wang Changzhi.

Half a month before the Battle of Shijiashan broke out, Deng Changxiong dispatched tens of thousands of men to reinforce the city walls, widen the moat, and divert the Yellow River, making the width of the moat more than doubled. He also ordered auxiliary troops to raise the Yellow River embankment in the bend section of the river to accumulate flood water above the county town. If they were defeated, the Kaiyuan army would dig up the Yellow River and die along with more than 100,000 bandits.

After the defeat of the Eight Vajras, a large number of bandits were captured by the Kaiyuan army, with the number reaching tens of thousands. Together with the surviving civilians in the city, the number of people exceeded 20,000. These people were more than enough to strengthen the fortifications and city defenses.

The instructor who came with the Western Expedition Army was Qi Meng, the chief instructor of the 12th Guards Army. The name sounds fierce, but he is actually a tall and thin scholar. It is said that he is a disciple of the Kaiyuan chief instructor Sen Ti. However, this person looks very restrained and can only recite the Kaiyuan Military Law and the Combat Soldier Manual. At first glance, he and Instructor Sen are people from completely different worlds.

The 12th Guards Army is like a big melting pot. All the old guards in the Kaiyuan Army gather here, so it is the last one.

In addition to reinforcing the moat and city walls, all the necessary trenches, chevaux de frise and caltrops were set up outside the city.

Deng Changxiong's military operations were greatly influenced by the Duke of Protectorate, so he always took risky moves. In addition to these preparations, he also ordered auxiliary troops to go out of the city to demolish all the houses within a ten-mile radius of Hequ County, and poison the wells and streams in the surrounding villages.

Furthermore, the forests surrounding Hequ County were burned by cavalry, and the post roads and paths leading to the outside world were cut off by auxiliary troops, leaving only a small path for the ambush troops at Shijiashan. After Wang Zengbin and his men withdrew, this path was also cut off.

~~~~~~~~~
Zuoanmen of the capital.

There were earth-shaking shouts coming from the city wall. The new recruits of the 14th Guards Army were practicing thrusting with spears. Qi Jin accompanied the Duke of Protectorate on the city wall to review these new recruits who were about to form an army.

"With soldiers in hand and provisions in the granary, there is no need to panic."

Liu Zhaosun nodded in satisfaction. Between August and September, five more censors in the capital were reported and exposed for various crimes. After being interrogated by Shen Lian and others, the Duke of Protectorate quickly confiscated their properties and exiled them to the border as criminals.

The three sources of income, namely, income from trade with the Chamber of Commerce, confiscation of property, and control of the canal, became the three pillars supporting the expansion of the Kaiyuan system.

By early November, Kaiyuan's regular army had reached 110,000 people and was still expanding rapidly.

Liu Zhaosun was about to ask Qi Jin when these new recruits could reinforce Shaanxi when he suddenly saw Qiao Yiqi running over, sweating profusely, and saying incoherently:

"Poisoned! Poisoned!"

Liu Zhaosun felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground. Pei Dahu hurriedly supported him.

"Who was poisoned?"

"Madam, I drank porridge this morning, and within two hours..."

"I want to kill Zhu Youjian!"

Ever since Liu Zhaosun was promoted to the rank of Pillar of the State, Emperor Tianqi would often reward the Duke of Protectorate under various pretexts.

The gifts given are fixed:

One piece of fresh pork, one piece of fresh lamb, sweet pickled cucumbers, eggplant, two stone of white rice, ten bottles of wine, eighty taels of silver, two boxes of sweets, two boxes of dry snacks, and a portion of roasted meat.

Liu Zhaosun yelled and drew out his goose-feather knife, not knowing who he was going to chop.

"Master Thirteen!"

Pei Dahu burst into tears and sobbed:

"If you hadn't left in such a hurry today and missed the palace's reward, I'm afraid..."

Although he had not spent much time with Lady Gaoming, he still had feelings for her.

When Liu Zhaosun suddenly heard that Zhang Yan had been murdered, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and vomited blood.

"Let's go back home! Kill people!"

Liu Zhaosun, eyes red, walked forward, his goose-feather knife in hand, while Qiao Yiqi drew his flintlock pistol and followed closely behind. The common people of the capital who heard the news along the way all avoided the Protector of the Country and his entourage as if they had seen the plague god.

The bluestone road under my feet seemed much longer than before. After walking for a long time, the place in front of the Duke of Protectorate was crowded with people. Jin'er, the maid of the Consort, ran up crying.

"Where's Madame?"

"Inside, I deserve to die..."

Liu Zhaosun walked past Jin'er with an expressionless face and pushed open the door. Several imperial doctors and maids knelt on the ground, sobbing.

The ground was in a mess. Zhang Yan had disheveled hair and was lying on her back, her eyes wide open.

Her once bright eyes had become cloudy, she was bleeding from her mouth and nose, her body was stiff, and she had been dead for a long time.

"Duke Protector of the Country, please take care..."

The imperial physician who was kneeling on the ground stood up without waiting for Liu Zhaosun to speak, and stretched out his hand to give the public prescription to Huguo.

"roll!"

Liu Zhaosun suddenly shouted loudly and punched the ground, creating a deep hole the size of a bowl on the bluestone floor!
The old doctor was about to scream when he felt his feet hanging in the air and his body being lifted up by someone.

“Have mercy!…”

"Duke Protector of the Country, detain this man and find out who is behind this!"

Qiao Yiqi's sharp cry seemed to reawaken Liu Zhaosun. After a moment, his breathing calmed down and his left hand, which was like an iron clamp, suddenly loosened.

The imperial physician fell to the ground like a ball, shaking all over. Liu Zhaosun looked back at his dead relative.

Zhang Yan lay quietly on the bed, bleeding from her mouth and nose, her body twisted into a strange shape, her eyes pressed against the ceiling, her eyes wide open.

"None of the imperial doctors present, nor the eunuchs who brought the gifts, can escape. Arrest them all!"

Liu Zhaosun kicked away the imperial physician who was still giving Zhang Yan medicine.

He turned around and gently picked up Zhang Yan, then looked back at everyone.

"Who sent the kiriyaki? Who was it!!!"

Everyone stepped back, only Qiao Yiqi remained calm and stepped forward, whispering:
"That eunuch committed suicide by taking poison a long time ago. He was from the Imperial Household Department and has no background. His body is outside!"

Qiao Yiqi took a step forward and whispered:
"The Duke of Protectorate is the Emperor's man!"

Liu Zhaosun leaned against the pillar of the hall, looking at people with a cold gaze.

"Go, call the 14th Guards Army! I want to kill Zhu Youjian!"

The guard immediately took the order and left.

After the arrangements were made, Liu Zhaosun raised the goose-feather knife and pressed it against the forehead of the imperial physician who had just given Zhang Yan medicine.

"Tell me, who sent you?!"

The imperial physician kowtowed quickly. Liu Zhaosun didn't waste any words and hit him in the lower abdomen several times with the scabbard of his sword. The imperial physician vomited blood.

"Ask again, who sent you?"

The imperial physician's face was covered in blood, and his neck was being strangled tightly. It felt like the warrior was about to break his neck in the next second.

"Yes···"

At this time, Pei Dahu came in hurriedly from outside, glanced at the ground quickly, leaned over and said:
"Thirteenth Master, Wang Chengen has arrived with his servants, saying he wants to help you catch the assassin. No one has stopped him along the way!"

Liu Zhaosun looked at the corpse on the ground, punched the imperial physician away, and said coldly:

"Good job, let them in."

(End of this chapter)