The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 41 Who to fight for!

Before coming to Shenyang, Liu Zhaosun knew that the southern soldiers would one day meet in battle with the Liaozhen soldiers, but he did not expect that this day would come so soon.

Even if the southern soldier lying on the ground really stole food and injured the Liao people, he should be dealt with by himself. It is not the turn of these mobs to kill him!

Moreover, many of the people causing trouble were ordinary people, and it was obvious that they were Liao soldiers in disguise.

Liaozhen is so aggressive, this is intolerable!

What really touched his bottom line and made him unbearable was the betrayal of his friends.

Liu Zhaosun treated Kang Yingqian well. After Liu Jing's death, he regarded this military supervisor as an elder and respected him very much. He once used him as a backup for the Eastern Army among the civil servants.

Unexpectedly, this man was two-faced and made bets everywhere. While getting close to himself, he did not forget to hook up with Ding Bi and his gang, and only regarded Liu Zhaosun as a bargaining chip for exchanging interests.

Although mutual exploitation is the norm in official circles, Kang Yingqian's current changes make him very uncomfortable.

Kang Yingqian didn't know that he had been seen through, and continued to persuade him.

"The Liao people are so aggressive that a few white-pole soldiers can't stop them. Your uncle and your adoptive father are old friends, so I can give you some pointers."

"Hurry up and apologize to Liaozhen. Didn't Yang Jinglie give you 30,000 taels of silver? Give 20,000 to Zu Dashou and Ding Bi. I will then petition the Ministry of War to transfer you back to Junzhou, your hometown of Wudang Mountain, and give you a thousand households. A thousand households in Junzhou is equivalent to a lieutenant general in Liaodong, and the incense money will flow like water. Right now, the southwest is in turmoil, and the court is about to use troops, so there may be a place for them to be used. After all, the southern troops should stay in the south."

Kang Yingqian said earnestly, "Listen to my uncle's advice. The waters of Liaodong are deep, and you can't control them."

Liu Zhaosun stared at the pimp who took advantage of the situation, his face ashen and without saying a word.

"My dear nephew, you are young and hot-tempered. If you can't save your face, I will go and talk to you so as not to hurt the relationship."

"stop!"

Liu Zhaosun angrily said, "If I leave, what will happen to these refugees? Will they starve to death?"

"refugee?"

Kang Yingqian was stunned for a moment, then suddenly burst into laughter as if he had heard a very good joke.

"Hahaha, do you really think you're the reincarnation of Maitreya Buddha? There are tens of thousands of refugees in Liaodong, how many can you save? The court wants you to go back because they don't want to pay you. If you continue to stay in Liaodong and make further achievements, how will you be rewarded? The Ministry of War can't even pay the head bounty they promised you (the reward for killing the Jiannu in the Battle of Sarhu), so what are you still doing here! Are you trying to emulate the Qi family army in Jizhou and incite the southern soldiers to demand payment?"

"Liu Zhaosun, don't you know what happened to the Qi family army in Jizhou back then?"

Liu Zhaosun knew that the officialdom of the late Ming Dynasty was corrupt, but he did not expect that the civil servants would be so shameless.

The soldiers fought bravely on the front lines, but were owed wages for several months, and now they haven't even received the promised bounty on their heads.

If this is true, there is nothing worth defending in the Ming Dynasty.

Kang Yingqian's servant came over and whispered something, and Master Kang's expression changed:

"My dear nephew, listen to my advice. Don't hesitate any longer and apologize and pay the money. There's a group of thousands of people coming from the north. They must be General He's troops, and they're here to deal with you! Think about it carefully. It's better for me to talk to you than for Crazy He to come with his troops to talk to you!"

Kang Yinggan patted Liu Zhaosun's shoulder as he spoke, as if he was considering his nephew Liu.

Liu Zhaosun pushed Kang Yingqian away.

First, the Liao people came to the Southern Army Camp to appeal for justice and cause trouble, causing chaos. Then the Liaozhen troops came out to uphold justice.

It's all fucking tricks!
Liu Zhaosun even suspected that, apart from this hateful Kang Yingqian, everyone else around him had been bribed by the Liaozhen military leaders.

Liu Zhaosun clenched his Miao Dao tightly, veins bulged on his cheeks, and he subconsciously pressed down the brim of his hat.

Pei Dahu, who was standing next to him, hurriedly grabbed him and said anxiously in a low voice:
"Thirteenth Master, he's the military supervisor. We can't kill him. If we kill him, we'll be treasonous! General Liu's reputation will be ruined!"

Kang Yingqian was completely unaware of the approaching danger. He was still feeling complacent and had lost the reserve of a civil servant. He looked as if he was sure of victory.

Thinking of his adoptive father's dying state, Liu Zhaosun gritted his teeth, suppressed his anger, and said word by word:

"Kang Yingqian, haven't you always wanted to leave Liaodong and seek a post in the capital? With me as your token of surrender and Yang Jinglue's tens of thousands of taels of silver, Liaozhen will definitely remember your great achievements. Someone in the court will speak for you, and your wish to get promoted and make a fortune in Jiangxi will be realized."

Kang Yingqian realized the threat, but he was not afraid at all. He snorted and said tit for tat:
"Liu Zhaosun! Don't think of yourself as a saint! I've warned you more than once, but you didn't listen. You deserve what you've gotten to today!"

"Back at Hunjiang, you threw away the cannons, squandering precious silver, just to free up the carriages to transport those dead soldiers back! They were just talking about winning people's hearts, but you, on the other hand, risked your own soul to scare those lowly soldiers! You had a lucky chance to defeat the Bordered Blue Banner and could have returned home in glory, seeking a prosperous future, but you insisted on staying in Liaodong and confronting the Jiannu head-on! Liu Zhaosun, what are you trying to do?"

Kang Yingqian became more and more angry as he spoke, his beard trembling violently:

"I originally thought you were a person of note, so I helped you along the way. I didn't expect you to be so stubborn and reckless. Zu Dashou and Ding Bi are busy making money, but you're so good! Yang Hao just gave you food and military pay, and you just gave it to the soldiers and the common people! You're giving away the silver to the poor. What a sin!"

"And you have to be the enemy of Liao Zhen everywhere! To show that you are superior to others!"

"You don't want money, you don't want beauty, you don't want your life, so I want to ask you, what do you want?!"

Liu Zhaosun pushed Pei Dahu away and suddenly pulled out his Miao Dao, placing the blade against Kang Yinggan's neck with a cold gleam.

The people around were so frightened that they could not speak. Pei Dahu cried loudly:
"Master Thirteen, have you forgotten what the General said before he died?! If we kill him, we will all become traitors!"

Liu Zhaosun stood still, staring at Kang Yingqian.

"All you have eyes for is money and women! The lives of tens of thousands of soldiers are as worthless as grass. You call them soldiers when you open your mouth and call them pariahs when you close your mouth. What the hell are you? If it weren't for a bunch of parasites like you, how could there be Nurhaci in Liaodong? How could so many refugees freeze to death or starve to death in the wilderness!"

Kang Yingqian was shocked by this powerful aura. His usual endless stream of profound truths suddenly froze, and he stammered and was unable to speak.

Pei Dahu fell to his knees with a thud. Liu Zhaosun looked around and saw that dozens of servants left by his adoptive father had all knelt down.

The Miao Dao was swung down fiercely, and as everyone watched in horror, a piece of Kang Yingqian's hair bun was cut off.

"I won't kill you today, not because I'm afraid of death! It's because of my brothers, both dead and alive, who shed their blood at Sarhu. Remember, it's the court that owes us! We don't owe the court anything!"

Kang Yingqian wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Who do you think is more important to me, you or money?"

Kang Yingqian was stunned for a moment, then stood up and said angrily:

"You? What's the matter? Liu Zhaosun, do you really want to rebel and become an enemy of the Ming Dynasty scholars? In the eyes of the court, you are nothing but grass. Don't overestimate your abilities!"

Liu Zhaosun regained his composure and put the Miao Dao back into its sheath.

"It's important to me without you."

"I want to show you how we, the wild grasses, light up the Liaodong plains!"

Kang Yingqian said with disdain:

"You're dreaming! General He is coming soon, along with the other Liaozhen generals. The people are on your side. You've broken the rules and incurred public wrath! If you want to die, don't get involved with me..."

"The mob is attacking the military camp. You must protect General Kang and prevent him from getting hurt."

After Liu Zhaosun finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the Liao people who were causing trouble.

Pei Dahu waved his hand, and several servants immediately stepped forward and pushed Kang Yingqian, who was tied up, down.

The remaining servants followed Liu Zhaosun, holding up their rattan shields to protect the garrison commander. After taking a few steps, stones were hurled from a distance, making the shields bang. Some fanatical refugees protected Liu Zhaosun and picked up stones to fire back at the mob.

Liu Zhaosun ignored the stones flying above his head, pushed away the rattan shield in front of him, and strode to the front of the formation formed by the white-pole soldiers.

A short, strong and muscular Liao man, surrounded by several of his companions, cursed as he pushed away the long spears in front of him and shook the white-pole soldiers hard.

"You bastards, a bunch of idiots, running wild in our Liaodong territory!"

The White Spear Soldiers had already received orders from Qin Jianxun that they were only allowed to defend and not to hurt anyone, so no matter how the other side provoked them, they just endured it.

Seeing no one answering, the Liao people thought the southern soldiers were scared and continued to walk forward with their noses in the air. When they saw a tall man who looked like a general, they stopped, looked up, pointed at Liu Zhaosun's eyes and cursed:

"What are you looking at? You southern barbarians, not only did you come to our territory to chop wood and catch roe deer, but now you're also trying to steal things and beat people up. You're really going too far! You have no law, right? Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're a military leader. When I was in Jizhou, I saw a lot of southern barbarians, many more ferocious than you, but I still killed them with a single blow!"

Liu Zhaosun looked at this man coldly.

It seems that this person was also involved in the Jizhou mutiny and killed many southern soldiers.

This person was not ashamed of it, but instead wanted to use this matter to scare himself.

But he didn't expect to touch Liu Zhaosun's most sensitive nerve.

Immediately, he had the intention to kill:
"You pay the villagers for cutting firewood and making fire. As for hunting, there are so many wild animals in the White Mountains and Black Waters, there's no shortage for you to hunt."

The Liao people would have preferred not to listen, but after hearing it, they said angrily:

"How dare you talk back! You southern barbarians, get lost in the interior. I'd rather let the Kuandian Tartars come to Shenyang to hunt than let you guys hunt!"

A Liaodong refugee gathered beside the garrison commander said angrily:

"You are so shameless! Are you Han or a Tartar? You bastard, how dare you speak to me like that? It's your good fortune that the Tartars didn't capture you and make you their bondservant! Even if I don't kill you, I will clear the Liao people's house today!"

The Liao people on the opposite side came over and grabbed the refugee by the collar, his neck flushed red:

"You're a traitor. You don't help us Liao people, but you're a lackey for the southern barbarians. You worship a barbarian who pretends to be a god. Bullshit! What's the point of me being a baoyi? You're not even as good as baoyi!"

The refugee stopped talking to him, pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed fiercely at the opposite side.

Liu Zhaosun quickly grabbed the dagger and ordered his servants to take the refugees away.

The Liao people on the opposite side thought that Liu Zhaosun was afraid of him, so he became more and more arrogant, punched Liu Zhaosun in the face, and cursed at the top of his lungs:
"I'm going to beat you today, what else can I do? If you dare to move, I'll..."

Before he could finish his words, someone grabbed his neck and lifted his body up high like a chicken. His legs kicked wildly and his face turned red.

The burly Liao man looked at the general standing in front of him with horror, and found that the other party had lifted him up with one hand. He was terrified and punched the other party's arm, but Liu Zhaosun stood there like a black tower, motionless.

"If you collide with or insult your superior, you will be executed according to Ming Dynasty law!"

"You! You! And you!"

Liu Zhaosun held the short and strong mob in his right hand and pointed at several Liaozhen soldiers who were eager to fight with his left hand.

The one who was captured was the most ferocious chieftain under the command of the general. Now he was at the mercy of Liu Zhaosun like a lamb. The other servants who were in the front began to tremble in their calves. The majestic aura they had just had was gone, and they all wanted to run away.

"You just threw stones and injured people, and plotted to assassinate Shangguan. You should all be executed!"

When several servants heard this, they stepped back involuntarily. Only Huang Shengyuan remained calm and said loudly:
"You massacred the Liao people, and you still want to rebel! To tell you the truth, General He is on the way, and there are others..."

Before the student could finish his words, he was hit hard and flew more than ten steps away, landing on a group of panicked mobs.

Pei Dahu put away his mace and looked coldly at the student master who was lying on the ground with his eyes open.

Liu Zhaosun exerted force with his fingers, crushed the servant's throat, threw him out, and shouted:
"I don't care if you're General He or General Wang. You insulted your superiors and incited the people on the battlefield. You're guilty of colluding with the Qing army! You should all be executed!"

"Eastern Army, form a formation and kill the enemy!"

"Tiger!"

The southern soldiers, whose anger was almost at its limit, shouted loudly and quickly formed a formation, with spears in front and swords and shields behind, advancing in an orderly manner and killing the mob in front.

The white-pole soldiers blocking the front quickly made way for them. Their blood boiled and they looked eagerly at the commander Qin Jianxun.

Qin Jianxun gritted his teeth, looked at the direction of the southern soldiers' attack, and roared:
"Form a formation and charge!"

The Hupiyi mob, who had been as aggressive as wolves just now, now collapsed completely. Several captains hiding in the crowd quickly called on their soldiers to evacuate.

He might have been used to running away from the Tartars in previous battles. These people were familiar with the route and fled extremely quickly, disappearing in the wilderness south of Shenyang in the blink of an eye.

Some Liao people who could not run were caught up by the Southern soldiers. The Southern soldiers, who were already blood-thirsty, did not even look at who was lying on the ground. They just stabbed with their spears and chased them all the way to the north...
Two hours later.

Liu Zhaosun summoned all the officers at the level of captain and flag commander under his command to the South Gate training ground to discuss matters.

More than thirty familiar yet unfamiliar faces appeared in front of the garrison commander. In the distance, five thousand new troops were still continuing their training.

"You are all elders who have followed me from Hunjiang to Shenyang. Back then, I was only a captain. I learned the art of war from General Qi. I won a few battles by chance and received some rewards. I know that some of you are dissatisfied."

"The imperial court's reward is about to come. The emperor wants to reward me with 80,000 taels of silver. Not only me, Liu Zhaosun, but all of you present here will get a share! Right now, the enemy is not far away, Liaozhen is difficult to control, and the military supervisor is disloyal. We are a foreign army, staying in Liaodong, and we must unite. You must help me train the new army. We still have to fight the Jiannu next. Don't think about returning to the south. After we win the battle, bring your families here. Every one of you will follow me, Liu Zhaosun, to get promoted and make a fortune! From now on, Liaodong is your home!"

When Liu Zhaosun said this, he looked around and his eyes fell on a captain below him.

Pei Dahu's face was gloomy and he immediately went down to call the servants.

"Bring Zhao Tianxing up here!"

Two servants escorted Zhao Tianxing onto the platform.

"Zhao Tianxing! You were guarding General Kang. He and He Shixian were conspiring to murder our Southern soldiers. You clearly knew about it, so why didn't you report it?!"

"The Southern Army is in a difficult situation. It's not easy to get from Sarhu to where we are today! You don't care about me or your brothers. What did Kang Yingqian give you to make you so crazy?"

Zhao Tianxing struggled desperately, knocking down two servants in succession. Finally, the servants rushed over and pinned him down. Liu Zhaosun stepped forward and stepped on his head. Zhao Tianxing continued to angrily say:

"Kill me if you want, why bother pretending to be kind and righteous! I've been under General Liu for more than ten years, through swords and fire, and now I'm just a captain! I don't even have money or women! You bastard, you're so lucky, you were promoted to lieutenant general in just a few days. You just want to get promoted, but you don't care about the lives of your brothers, and you insist on going against Liaozhen. You're using everyone's corpses to pave your way to an official position! You..."

Pei Dahu swung a punch, breaking Zhao Tianxing's nose, and bleeding from his mouth and nose, while he kept cursing.

Zhang Mazi picked up a piece of horse manure from the ground and was about to stuff it into his mouth, but Liu Zhaosun waved his hand to stop him.

"Let him finish."

"Liu Shisan, you've killed all the general's servants, as well as the Zhejiang soldiers and the Korean soldiers. You've killed so many people, and you still have the nerve to talk about brotherhood! You're such a hypocritical bastard, you're even more hateful than those civil servants! I only contacted Ding Bi to find a way out for my brothers, unlike you, who has no conscience! Kang Yingqian said that after the matter is done, he will let me take my brothers back safely..."

"Finished?"

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand and said angrily:

"Behead him! Take the head to each camp and display it to the public!"

(End of this chapter)