The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 37 Your father and I have a life-long friendship

A burly Bayara was brought in front of the two men by Liu Zhaosun's servants.

General Ma Lin's scattered gaze focused again, and he leaned forward slightly towards the Bayala.

"Bai Lan Qi Niulu Ezhen Bayinbu, General Ma, do you recognize this man?"

"I'd recognize him even if he turned to ash. Tell me! Where did you take my son's body?"

During the Battle of Shangyajian, Ma Zhaoyuan, the youngest son of General Ma Lin, the commander of the Northern Army, was surrounded by the Bayala at the last moment while trying to cover his father's escape. The last time Ma Lin saw his son from a distance, he was being beheaded by a fierce Bayala.

After fleeing back to Kaiyuan, General Ma had spent his days drinking, trying to distance himself from Sarhu. Now, looking at the man who had murdered his son, he felt a wave of pain like a late spring chill in Liaodong, enveloping him. Liu Zhaosun saw that Ma Lin's body was shaking uncontrollably.

"As far as I know, Jurchen custom favors the youngest son, so Nurhaci gave the most Niulu to Duoduo and Duoer. General Ma has lived in Liaodong for a long time, so I believe he has also been influenced by Jurchen customs and loves Ma Zhaoyuan very much. I and my adoptive father defeated the Bordered Blue Banner on the banks of the Hunjiang River. Although we didn't kill the culprit Amin in battle, we did capture many Niulu Ezhen. I have sent people to interrogate him and found that this Bayinbu was the one who killed General Ma's relatives! So I brought him to Kaiyuan."

After Liu Zhaosun finished speaking, he waved his hand and asked the two servants to let Niulu Ezhen go. Bayinbu looked up and glanced at Liu Zhaosun, and his body shuddered involuntarily, and he quickly lowered his head again.

At this time, Ma Lin's mood recovered a little, and he gently shook the ink bamboo paper fan in his hand, and resumed his Confucian general posture. He slowly raised his head, looked at Liu Zhaosun, and said:

"I have a deep friendship with your father. We are brothers who have shared life and death. Tell me, what do you want from Kaiyuan?"

Liu Zhaosun stood up suddenly, scaring Bayinbu so much that he stepped back repeatedly.

"I, the general, want to cultivate land in Kaiyuan and turn my men into military households!"

Marlin was slightly startled, as if he had heard a very good joke, and his worry turned into joy:

"Military household? Did I hear that right? There are still people who want to be military households these days! Did you become stupid fighting in Hunjiang? There is no extra land for you in Kaiyuan. Even if there was, you can't get it. What do you think the few soldiers you brought with you can do? Show me out!"

After saying this, Ma Lin turned away, glaring at Bayinbu fiercely before leaving.

"General Ma, we in the Liu family can't get it. If Nurhaci comes to take it, will you give it to him? He can kill your beloved youngest son, and he can also kill your other sons, including you! I know that you are different from those Liaozhen officers in Shenyang. You have an irreconcilable hatred with the Tartars. That's why I came to you today."

Marin walked to the door and stopped suddenly when he heard this. He turned around and looked at the little guard with a complicated look. But then he heard Liu Zhaosun continue:

"The Bayinbu is just a small gift for General Ma. I have 30,000 men under my command and can help you defend Kaiyuan. I only want 60,000 acres of abandoned land north of the city."

Liu Zhaosun paused here and emphasized:
“It’s rented!”

Marin smiled coldly:
"Liu Jing only has 15,000 southern soldiers under his command. You are so arrogant!"

"They are the Liao people I recently recruited. Thirty thousand is an understatement, perhaps forty thousand."

Marin stopped talking. He had heard various rumors in Liaozhong in the past few days, most of which were about this small garrison. What about summoning spirits, exorcising ghosts, and defeating the Later Jin army through magic? Marin had always scoffed at these ghostly things. However, not everyone was as wise as General Ma.

The number of refugees following Liu Zhaosun was conservatively estimated to be over 50,000. Under the brutal persecution of the Later Jin, the Liao people, suffering greatly, had already regarded this little general who suddenly appeared out of nowhere as their savior.

As the number of refugees around Shenyang increased sharply, the Liaozhen generals became increasingly dissatisfied.

Some people compare Liu Zhaosun to Luo Tingxi, Zhao Quan and other leaders of the White Lotus Sect who colluded with Mongolia to cause chaos in Xuanda. Under his instigation, the good people of Liaodong might become members of the White Lotus Sect in Fengzhou during the Jiajing period, which would be more harmful than the Jiannu.

Of course, Liu Zhaosun, a small garrison commander, is not worthy of being impeached by the censors.

Li Rubai's subordinates suggested that Liu Zhaosun be executed on the spot, to prevent him from using shamanism to stir up a riot similar to the Gengshu Rebellion during the Jiajing period before the Tartars arrived.

These days, Ma Lin was increasingly worried about the safety of Kaiyuan City. He could not do as Fushun's son-in-law Li Yongfang did, who surrendered without firing a single arrow and acknowledged the enemy as his father.

He had to avenge the murder of his son, and he could not stand what Nurhaci did in Jianzhou.

General Ma judged that this so-called wise Khan would eventually reveal his true face of murderous behavior.

The remnants of Ma Lin's army, defeated at the Battle of Sarhu, primarily came from Xuanda and Jizhou. Their morale was low, and they saw enemies everywhere. A few days ago, a group of Zhenglan Banner scouts appeared near Kaiyuan City and frightened a Xuanda soldier to death. These soldiers were no match for Kaiyuan.

Can Liu Zhaosun really hold on?

Marin thought for a while. This newly promoted garrison commander was quite powerful, but he still didn't believe that he could raise his arms and attract a large number of people in Liaozhong. He decided to go to Shenyang in person to see what the 30,000 troops Liu Zhaosun mentioned were like, and then make a decision.

"Let me think this over. It's not easy for Liu Shoubei to come to Kaiyuan. You should rest in the mansion today."

Liu Zhaosun quickly bowed and declined politely:
"Military affairs are very busy. It's not too late to tell me when General Ma has thought it through. We will return to Shenyang first. This Bayinbu will be given to the General as a gift. We will meet again in the future."

He stood up, bowed, and walked out with his servants.

From behind, General Ma sighed:

"Young men are formidable. What good is it if we just hold Kaiyuan? The imperial court can't pay them, and the customs and habits in the interior of the country are increasingly different from those in Liaodong. People prefer to deal with the Jurchens. Besides, the Nu chieftain will surrender Han officials, and their salaries will remain unchanged. Only I would fight Nurhaci to the bitter end! For others, changing their employers is not a bad idea. At least they can still have something to eat."

Liu Zhaosun did not reply and left the general's mansion.

On the way back to Shenyang from Kaiyuan, he kept saying:
"The cancer of Liaodong!"

The Liaozhen people were increasingly dissatisfied with the court's way of playing games. After hundreds of years of marriage, trade, and integration, these Liaodong warriors found that they had more and more common topics with the Jurchens, but fewer and fewer common interests with the court.

This is the cancer of Liaodong.

In the 17th century, when the language was not yet unified, productivity was low, and transportation was backward, the dilemma of Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty was almost unsolvable.

"Then give him radiotherapy! Kill all these cancer cells in Liaozhen first. If we can't take care of Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty will also die of illness."

Liu Zhaosun secretly made up his mind that it was necessary to stockpile troops in Kaiyuan. Farming in this location was like inserting a scalpel into the lesion in Liaodong. The court would provide him with a continuous external force, which was Liaoxiu.

If Ma Lin agreed, that was all. If he didn't agree, he would stay in Kaiyuan. These soldiers in Liaozhen didn't even dare to touch the Jiannu, so how could they dare to fight him to the death?

For Liu Zhaosun, the only way out at the moment is to transform from an unknown cannon fodder into a chess piece in the eyes of the officials in the court.

Only in this way can he get external support and be qualified to grow from a chess piece to a chess player.

Outside the city of Shenyang, there was a lot of noise.

Now, wherever Liu Zhaosun appears, the refugees there burst into cheers.

As the number of teams gradually increases, everyone will have other thoughts...

Jin Yuji had been waiting at the Cheng'en Gate in Shenyang since early morning, tiptoeing like a waiting stone for her husband to return. During the few days Liu Zhaosun had been away, she had fought with Yang Qing'er again, leaving two scratches on her pretty face.

"The war between women can be terrifying sometimes!"

Liu Zhaosun gently caressed the Korean beauty's face:
"When we get back to the Governor's Mansion, I'll definitely teach that wild girl a lesson and let you vent your anger!"

Liu Zhaosun comforted Jin Yuji with a few words and asked her to go back to the tent to get the handwritten letter that Yang Hao had given him.

That afternoon, Liu Zhaosun met the spearman Shen Lian. He took out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to the handsome Zhejiang soldier:
"Yang Jinglie has a close relationship with Eunuch Lu, the Chief Secretary of the Imperial Household Department. He has already opened a channel for you to the Pacification Office. You can go to the capital and become a Jinyiwei first."

Liu Zhaosun recalled a mafia movie he had seen in his previous life. He grasped Shen Lian's arm tightly and said in a hoarse voice:
"Maybe one day, I will need your help. Maybe that day will never come, but I hope you will help me on that day."

Shen Lian looked at the garrison commander excitedly:
"Shen, on behalf of several brothers in the capital, would like to thank you, sir. The battle in Kaiyuan is fierce and dangerous. Take care, sir!"

(End of this chapter)