The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 368 Avengers

After the first siege failed, the general Zhang Chun sent an envoy overnight to ask for peace from the Duke of Huguo. The envoy arrived at Yongding Gate and explained his purpose to the defenders.

At this time, the Protector of the Country was inspecting the city defense at other city gates. Yang Hao ordered his men to lift the envoy in a hanging basket, and at the same time sent someone to invite the Protector of the Country to come back to discuss matters.

When Liu Zhaosun met the envoy Zhang Chun, it was already the beginning of the evening hour. It was winter, and the weather was freezing cold. The envoy stood on the city wall with his head hunched, and he had to salute when he saw the Duke of Huguo.

"Lord Protector of the Country, I am Wu Qunfang, an aide to General Zhang. My master has asked me to bring you a message. As the saying goes, when two tigers fight, one is bound to be injured. General Zhang has always admired the heroic figure of the Lord Protector of the Country and has no desire to become an enemy of the Kaiyuan Army. It is only at the instigation of the King of Gui and encouraged by other military leaders in Northern Zhili that this has happened."

Liu Zhaosun came back from patrolling the city through Guangqumen. He was now fully armored and holding a goose-feather knife. Lin Yu, Zhang Dong and others who were accompanying him looked coldly at this uninvited guest.

Zhang Mazi came closer and whispered a few words to the Protector of the Country. Liu Zhaosun looked Wu Qunfang up and down, nodded, and smiled at Zhang Dong:
"So you're Wu Xiang's relative. I was too merciful not to kill all of the Wu family last time."

Wu Qunfang didn't hear Liu Zhaosun speak, and thought that Liu Zhaosun was discussing the terms of peace with his confidants, so he continued:

"Although General Zhang is the commander of all the troops, he can't actually make decisions or control others. So my master's intention is very simple. Tomorrow, our army will vacate Deshengmen, and the Protector of the Country can lead the Kaiyuan Army to evacuate the capital and return to Liaodong. The main army will not follow. My master also said that no matter who becomes the emperor of the Forbidden City in the future, he will be the enemy of the Kaiyuan Army. We want both families to live in peace. As a reward, General Zhang is willing to give half of the captured property around the capital to the Protector of the Country."

After Wu Qunfang finished speaking, she looked up at the Duke of Protectorate and the people around him expectantly, waiting for a reply.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet. Yang Hao, Qiao Yiqi, and Xu Guangqi all had gloomy faces. Zhang Dong coughed twice, his expression a little embarrassed. Lin Yu clenched his long knife, waiting for the order to go up and chop people.

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand and called Jin Yuji to help him take off the chain mail he was wearing.

After Jin Yuji finished her work and put a cloak on her husband, the Duke of Huguo took the hot tea handed to him by the guard, took a sip, sat upright in the seat of honor, stroked his beard and thought for a long time, then suddenly waved his hand and said:
"Push it down and chop it off."

"Please spare my life, Lord Protector of the Country. When two armies are at war, envoys will not be killed!"

Wu Qunfang quickly knelt down and begged for mercy. Yang Hao and Qiao Yiqi also stepped forward to persuade him. Liu Zhaosun waited until they finished speaking before waving his hand in a pretentious manner.

"You can spare the death penalty. Take him out and give him twenty military sticks. Go back and tell Zhang Chun that if he truly regrets it, he should surrender immediately. Once the Kaiyuan army closes in on him, that will be his death."

Lin Yu waved his hand, and two guards immediately stepped forward, dragging Wu Qunfang out, but the Duke of Protectorate asked them to stop temporarily.

"I heard you are Wu Xiang's cousin?"

Wu Qunfang nodded and immediately shook it like a rattle.

"The last time the Wu family was exterminated, only Wu Xiang's two brothers were killed. The rest of them were spared. You should be grateful. Go back and persuade Wu Xiang to stay in the south and not get involved with those Donglin rebels. I heard they even established some kind of 'Hongguang Emperor'. Once I have eliminated Zhang Chun, I will lead my troops to pacify Jiangnan. If he had surrendered earlier, I could have spared your Wu family's life."

Wu Qunfang nodded repeatedly, and was dragged away by the guards to be beaten with a stick while trembling all over.

Wu Qunfang's screams were soon heard outside the tent.

Liu Zhaosun looked around, sighed, and said to his confidants:

"Prince of Gui, Zhu Changling, has proclaimed himself emperor in Hengyang, Prince of Qin, Zhu Cunji, has proclaimed himself emperor in Xi'an, and the Lu and Fu vassal states will also proclaim themselves emperors."

Joey consoled him, "Don't worry, Lord Protector of the Country. They're just clowns. This is the perfect opportunity to catch these traitors in one fell swoop. Only then will your throne be more secure!"

Yang Hao stroked his beard and sighed, "What Supervisor Qiao said is absolutely true. Emperor Gao used the Song Dynasty as a punishment. He weakened the inner territories and weakened the frontiers, so he bestowed titles on his sons and extended his influence to the borders. (See note 1) Since the Yongle reign, the court has gradually weakened the military power of the princes, preventing them from interfering with the gentry, agriculture, and industry. The princes have lived solely on the annual stipends allocated by the court. These princes and their relatives, instead of focusing on cultivating immortality and refining elixirs, insist on wading into this mess. How foolish!"

Liu Zhaosun's eyes were sinister. He had never had a favorable impression of the Ming dynasty's princes. As far as he knew, the activities of the princes during the Ming dynasty could be divided into two periods, roughly divided by Zhu Di's Jingnan Campaign. In the early period, during the Hongwu and Yongle reigns, the princes enjoyed social status and importance comparable to those of the military nobility. In the later period, beginning in the late Yongle reign, the princes gradually lost their military power, degenerating into a parasitic existence. Liu Zhaosun believed that the Ming dynasty's decision to marginalize the princes, even refusing to use the princes in times of crisis, was a fundamental mistake. (See note 2)

It is not a big problem to suppress a few princes and relatives. After they are caught, they will all be thrown into the Fengyang Royal Prison, so that the descendants of the Zhu family can reflect on themselves.

However, those who support the princes to become emperors, either openly or secretly, are the main enemies that the Kaiyuan army needs to deal with next.

"My enemies have come to seek revenge. Everyone, go back and get some rest. There will be another fierce battle tomorrow. After we kill Zhang Chun, I will deal with these monsters and demons."

~~~~
It's not just the Wu family in western Liaoning who want revenge.

A violent explosion broke the tranquility of the night on Sakhalin Island. Fire engulfed the oak forest, and the camp was filled with the stench of burnt leather.

"The barbarians are attacking!"

Vasily Boyarkov woke up from his sleep with a start. There was flames outside the cabin and the bodies of several Cossacks were lying on the ground. The remaining Cossacks pointed in the direction where the horses had rushed and cursed loudly. Their curses were soon drowned out by the sound of musket fire.

The Cossack musketeers who came from behind raised their heavy matchlock rifles and fired randomly at the dark night sky around them without aiming.

"Dymov! Dymov!" Boyarkov kicked the Sauron woman under the bed. Without even having time to put on his deerskin boots or a wolfskin blanket, he went to the door and looked outside through the crack.

"Dymov! Dymov!"

The expedition leader shouted at the messy camp for a while, but there was no response. He suspected that the Cossack leader, Dymov, had been killed in the battle.

Boyarkov and his team had encountered such surprise attacks countless times, but this time their opponents were obviously not the Siberian natives who could only throw stones and shoot arrows.

"Your Excellency, Vasily, our goods have been burned! Captain Dymov was killed by a mine."

A Cossack stumbled to the front of the cabin, his eyes wide open. There was a long wound on his forehead, and it was not known whether it was caused by a sneak attack from the enemy or by his own fall.

"What? How much is left?"

Compared with Captain Dymov's life or death, Vasily obviously cared more about the goods stored in his camp. This batch of furs was worth 30,000 rubles, half of which would be given to the Tsar and part to the team members. The remaining part was also a huge sum of money, enough for him to go to the Seine River in Paris for the rest of his life, drink vodka every day and look for French women.

"They broke into the powder magazine and moved all our gunpowder to the fur warehouse, along with three thousand mink skins and pearls, and set it on fire..."

Boyarkov grabbed the wine bottle on the table and smashed it to the ground, scaring the Sauron woman on the bed to scream.

"I heard the sound of their muskets wasn't frequent, so there aren't many enemies. Go, gather everyone and capture these despicable attackers. Holy Mother, please forgive me. I want them to be caught and cooked."

~~~~~
City God Temple is located in the east of Sanyuan County, Xi'an Prefecture.

Wu Xiao led four guards and walked quickly past the screen wall behind the City God Temple, which was decorated with dragon and phoenix patterns and brick reliefs. Then he walked along the stone paved road for a dozen steps. Looking up, he saw a stele with Yue Fei's handwritten "The Memorial to the Emperor on Leaving the Capital" embedded in the inner wall. Thinking of Yue Wumu, who was loyal to his country, this wanderer who had been away from home for five years could not help but recite it:
"The late emperor passed away before his great undertaking was even completed. Today, the empire is divided into three parts, and Yizhou is exhausted. This is truly a critical moment for survival. However, the ministers who guard the country are tireless at home, and the loyal and dedicated men are selfless outside. They are grateful for the late emperor's special favor and wish to repay Your Majesty."

The storm is brewing, and bandits are plundering Shanxi and Shaanxi. Sanyuan, which is only a hundred miles away from the capital of Xi'an, has also become uneasy recently.

After leaving the capital, Wu Xiao and the Western Expedition Army split into two groups. Unlike the Western Expedition Army that entered Shaanxi from Shanxi, Wu Xiao and his men intercepted the route through Henan. Since they were small in number and were traveling in batches, they did not encounter any obstacles along the way and successfully passed Tongguan and arrived at Xi'an Prefecture.

After entering Shaanxi, Wu Xiao originally planned to follow Deng Changxiong, Sun Chuanting and others to pacify the bandits in northern Shaanxi before returning home in glory. At that time, he was surrounded by a group of local Shaanxi officials. With these people accompanying him, his father would not punish him too much when he returned home. After all, it was difficult to be both loyal and filial, and the country came first. The Protector of the Country was the Protector of the Ming Dynasty after all, and his father could not blame him for doing things for him...

The Kaiyuan army was trapped in Hequ and attacked by 100,000 bandits. Not to mention crossing the river to Shaanxi to make achievements, I am afraid that they can't even guarantee their own safety.

Wu Xiao divided his men into three groups and set out one after another, and finally agreed to meet in Xi'an. The central army guards stayed in Xi'an for three days. As a native of the province, Wu Xiao knew that the area near the Drum Tower was well-informed, so he took people there to gather information every day. The news from the capital had long been cut off, and the situation in various parts of Shaanxi was not optimistic. Some said that Li Xianzhong had broken through Tongguan and attacked Henan, some said that Zhang Zicheng entered Huguang from Wugu Pass, and some said that the court reinforcements had fled on the road. A general of Northern Zhili named Zhang raised the banner of Jingnan and was about to rebel.

All kinds of news mixed together, disturbing people and making them uneasy. Although the main force of the bandits was not in Xi'an Prefecture, small groups of bandits still appeared in Guanzhong from time to time, and the government troops could not wipe them out.

Thinking that his elderly parents at home might be in danger at any time, Wu Xiao couldn't help but worry.

You must know that whenever the bandits arrive at a place, they like to slaughter the rich the most. Although the Wu family usually does good deeds, builds bridges and roads, and benefits the people in the area, and is quite famous in Guanzhong, the bandits are roaming around as bandits, burning, killing, and looting. They don't care whether you are black or white, they will be killed with a single knife.

Wu Xiao saw that the defense of Xi'an City was lax and several chief officers were still arguing with each other. Wu Xiao was filial by nature and occasionally impatient. He was not as calm as Lin Yu, nor as ruthless as Shen Lian, so he did not have the energy to assassinate these corrupt officials. He stayed in Xi'an for five days and then led dozens of his men to Sanyuan.

There was also a small incident. Wu Xiao encountered a young man who had been brutally beaten on Gulou Street. The young man had a sister, and to prevent her from being sold to a brothel, he had argued with some local merchants and was beaten half to death by several strong men. Wu Xiao could not bear it and led his men to fight back, only to beat the other men black and blue. Then he threw down a few taels of silver and rescued the brother and sister.

Wu Xiao and his companions left Xi'an City and walked along the official road for less than 20 miles when they encountered a group of bandits who were robbing people on the road. Wu Xiao recognized at a glance that these bandits were defeated soldiers from Xi'an Prefecture. After a thrilling battle, the five bandits were easily killed by the Central Guard.

The more Wu Xiao thought about it, the more frightened he became. He rushed to Sanyuan City that day without stopping.

After hearing from the soldiers guarding the city that the bandits had not yet attacked this place, Sanyuan Ranger breathed a sigh of relief.

After determining his parents were safe, he didn't rush home. Instead, he went to the City God Temple in the east of the city, passed through the second archway, reached the Lingxing Gate, and walked through the theater into the temple courtyard. The main hall was located on a high platform, a single-room double-bay floor plan with a single-eaved hip roof. The eaves were covered with falling clouds, and the gilded roof reflected the colors. It was magnificent and awe-inspiring.

Wu Xiao held the incense above his head and knelt before the City God, praying devoutly for the people of Sanqin. More than a dozen guards stood guard with knives.

"God, may the bandits be pacified soon and the people of Sanqin enjoy good weather. I offer you various magical instruments as a tribute..."

The boy and his sister took the paper money, incense, candles, ghost sticks, seals, tokens, magic water and other magical tools from the City God, and helped Wu Xiao light them in the incense burner.

Li Zicheng looked at the blue smoke rising from the City God, and seemed to see the good weather and good harvests in his hometown of Mizhi County in previous years, and saw his starving parents taking the steamed buns he handed to them and wolfing them down.

Note:
1. He Qiaoyuan: Famous Mountains Collection, Volume 36
2. It wasn't until the 1590th year of the Wanli reign (1595) that the Ming court approved a series of reforms aimed at enabling clan members to become self-sufficient, including relaxing the ban on non-titled clan members engaging in various professions. It wasn't until the rd year of the Wanli reign () that the court finally allowed members of the sixth-rank general office to take the imperial examinations. Unfortunately, this relaxation of occupational restrictions came too late.

(End of this chapter)