The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 412 General Zuo has his reasons

"This is a cup I collected from Debaozhai in Yangzhou two years ago. It's called the Fisherman Playing with Lotus Amber Cup. The original owner said it was a Tang Dynasty treasure. Since Linqing is under siege and travel is difficult, I'm offering this as a gift to General Zuo."

Dongfang Zhu took out a three-inch long amber transparent cup from his arms and handed it to the guard.

Zuo Liangyu stared at the cup and played with it carefully in his hand.

The cup body is lotus leaf-shaped, and the handle is carved into the shape of a fisherman. The fisherman has his hair tied up high, a fish basket on his back, and a fish in his left hand. The fish's mouth is raised, as if struggling to breathe, and the fish scales are clearly visible, giving it a lively look.

"It is indeed a treasure. It is rare that the great official Dongfang has such a keen eye for it." Zuo Liangyu put away the amber cup, stroked his beard, and said proudly:

"Heaven punishes the traitor. Liu Zhaosun was killed, along with the traitors Yang Hao, Shen Nian and other traitors, who were blown to pieces. Hahahaha, the Shaanxi thieves were also killed and wounded. It's a retribution! It's a pity that most of the civil and military officials in the north died. My emperor succeeded to the throne in Nanjing and vowed to avenge Emperor Tianqi. That's why we have this Northern Expedition. Now that the court is in need of people, I am just a guerrilla general, but I was promoted to deputy general and followed Liu Zongzhou to the expedition. I stood out, brother Dongfang."

Zuo Liangyu looked down at Dongfang Zhu with a gentle gaze.
"Brother Dongfang, a righteous businessman who works for the country and the people, without greed or lust, I believe you will find a place in the new dynasty. To be honest, Emperor Hongguang sent me north this time to, firstly, wipe out the remnants of the Liu family's evil forces, and secondly, to provide grain for the imperial court (see note 1) and select some talented people who are loyal to the country."

Dongfang Zhu looked at Zuo Liangyu with a smile, and he had already cursed this warrior thousands of times in his heart. This guy seemed carefree on the surface, but he was actually so greedy. He just gave the amber cup and asked for silver. His words were vulgar and he was greedy. He was so unscrupulous in making money.

"When I was in Liaodong in my early years, I heard that Linqing was the first city on the canal. Now, plagues, locust plagues, and droughts have cut off the canal transportation. Countless people have died of starvation and disease. Only Linqing still has some foundation. Brother Dongfang, when you go back now, in addition to helping us set fires, you must also convey the emperor's intention to recruit talents to those wealthy businessmen and ask them to donate more silver, tens of millions of taels. Right now, the chief officials of prefectures and counties in northern Zhili have died or fled, and there are vacancies everywhere. As long as the silver arrives, the official will come..."

Dongfang Zhu clasped his hands together and said, "Of course, of course. When the time comes, I will take the lead in donating and become a turtle official in the Jiaofangsi. Hahahaha, after the matter is accomplished..."

Zuo Liangyu waved his hand, showing his heroic spirit:

"After this is done, we'll split the profits 90-100. You won't get any less!"

That night, Zuo Liangyu and Dongfang Zhu secretly discussed the internal attack on the city, agreeing on all the details. The two men became increasingly sympathetic, feeling a sense of regret for not meeting each other earlier. At midnight, Dongfang Zhu left, saying it would be difficult to sneak into the city after daybreak. Zuo Liangyu made no effort to persuade him to stay, instead sending his servants to escort Dongfang back to the city.

Dongfang Zhu declined and pointed at the burly and fierce-looking servant and said:

"The soldiers of Linqing are fighting fiercely. I think this brother is also a good fighter. It is better for him to stay with Minister Zuo so that he can protect him..."

Zuo Liangyu waved his hand with a heroic look on his face:
"No need for that. I have 107 other heroes like him under my command! Right, Tong Niu?"

The servant listened and nodded.

Dongfang Zhu had no choice but to bow again, take his servants with him, leave the camp and return to Linqingzhou City.

Zuo Liangyu escorted the Dongfang brothers out of the camp, leaving the drug dealers far behind, and instructed Tong Niu:
"Tong Niu, keep a close eye on this Dongtian official. You have to watch him even when he's sleeping with his wife. If he dares to do anything shabby, he'll be sent to hell."

~~~~~~
After seeing Dongfang Zhu off, Zuo Liangyu sat upright in the military tent.

Who is sitting in the military tent? Ningnan Chehou and Kunshan Gong.

Zuo Liangyu lost his father at a young age and was raised by his uncle. The biography of Zuo Liangyu in the Ming History describes him as "tall, ruddy-faced, brave, and skilled in archery. He was illiterate, but full of wisdom and resourcefulness. He comforted his soldiers and won their favor, thus achieving success in battle."

According to historical records, Zuo Liangyu initially served as a minor captain in Shenyang. After the Battle of Sarhu, he leveraged family connections to befriend Hou Xun, then serving as the Minister of Supply in Changping, and thus began his rise to prominence. In the first year of the Chongzhen reign, the Ningyuan Guards mutinied, with Liao soldiers clamoring for pay and capturing Governor Bi Zisu. Shame on Bi Zisu, Zuo Liangyu, serving as Commander of the Liaodong Chariot Right Camp, was implicated in this incident and dismissed from office. In the third year of the Chongzhen reign, he was reinstated and accompanied guerrilla general Cao Wenzhao in supporting Yutian and Fengrun, engaging in battles against Qing forces in Hongqiao, Daqianshan, and Zunhua. After the battles, he was rewarded with a promotion.

In the fourth year of Chongzhen, he was recommended by Hou Xun as deputy general and participated in the battles of Songshan and Xingshan. After that, he participated in many battles with the Qing army and bandits and was promoted to general. After Zhang Xianzhong retreated to Sichuan, Zuo Liangyu occupied Wuchang and was appointed as the Prince's Guardian. His strength reached its peak and he was said to have 800,000 troops, but he watched Li Chuang advance eastward. Beijing was broken and Chongzhen died for his country.

After Emperor Hongguang ascended the throne, Zuo Liangyu disregarded the overall situation and marched eastward in the name of clearing the court of corrupt officials, disrupting the defense layout of Jiangbei. He also died of illness on the way eastward, which eventually led to the Qing army's unimpeded march southward...
However, due to the arrival of Liu Zhaosun, Zuo Liangyu's life trajectory has undergone major changes. Although he did not meet the noble Hou Xun, he also avoided being dismissed from office due to the Ningyuan Rebellion. Relying on his own efforts, he still became an important force in influencing the situation of the Southern Ming Dynasty.

~~~~~
Zuo Liangyu sat for a while and then went to bed with the help of a servant.

Lying in bed, I thought about the delay in Liu Zongzhou and Wu Sangui's return, and wondered what misfortunes had befallen them in the capital. The local tycoon, Ma Hongqi, had left without even a word of farewell. It looked like Linqing City would be difficult to capture anytime soon.

The more Marshal Zuo thought about it, the more annoyed he became. He simply called in a camp prostitute, a woman from Yangzhou named Liu Yuanyuan. The two of them immediately made a mess in the tent until dawn.

Zuo Liangyu felt dizzy and his eyelids twitched violently. He always felt that something big was happening.

Before he could send Liu Yuanyuan away, he heard a loud commotion outside. Zuo Liangyu shouted at the camp gate:

"Are you crying for help? What's going on?"

He touched her casually, and Liu Yuanyuan cried out in a delicate voice, "The general always comes and goes in a hurry, and calls me over in the middle of the night, but it's never satisfying. How about buying some King Kong powder..."

"Go away, get out of here,"

Zuo Liangyu pushed the woman away and hurriedly put on his clothes.

He put on a leather robe at random and walked to the door, lifting the curtain. Ma Chun and dozens of servants were lying at the door in a mess, like filial sons attending a funeral, all of them howling like ghosts.

"What's going on? You've lost your souls. Are the Linqing soldiers coming out to attack? I told you to go to the north to search for Commander Liu, so why are you here?"

Ma Chun, the head servant who was as arrogant as a bear, covered his head with his hands, looking as aggrieved as a puppy who had just been beaten.

"Master Zuo, I have met the emperor,"

Zuo Liangyu hurriedly put on his leather jacket and said with a puzzled look on his face:
"The Emperor? Isn't he in Nanjing? Where are your 108 generals?"

Ma Chun wailed and almost fainted.

Zuo Liangyu grabbed him by the collar and said angrily:

"Tell me quickly, which emperor? Where are the others?!"

The head servant took a long time to catch his breath and said in a sobbing voice:
"We just arrived in Fucheng the day before yesterday and hadn't even rested when we ran into Liu Zhaosun. Seven or eight of us were captured, and dozens died. The lucky ones are all here."

Zuo Liangyu's tall and burly body suddenly shrank back as if he had been hit by an arrow in the shoulder.

"Liu Zhaosun?"

"Isn't he dead? You're fucking blind!"

Before Ma Chun could reply, a servant who had escaped back said with horror in his eyes:
"Yes, it was him. I saw him at the Tianjin Wharf two years ago. He killed Wang Saner's horse with one punch. His fist was as big as a sandbag..."

Liu Zhaosun traveled back and forth across the canal many times and personally recruited several waves of trackers, so more than one servant knew the Emperor Wuding.

The remaining servants described what they had seen, telling how brave Emperor Wu Ding was, how he threw a servant into the air with one hand, and kicked a stray horse away with one foot...
These servants who usually kill people and do all kinds of evil things acted as if they had seen a ghost. They became delirious and some of them even spoke incoherently, saying that the people who attacked them in Fucheng were not humans, but ghosts.

Zuo Liangyu had drunk quite a bit of wine with Dongfang Zhu last night, and had just been intimate with Liu Yuanyuan. He now had a splitting headache, and he yelled:
"Go, chase him quickly. Once you catch up with that drug dealer, set fire to the city tonight and attack it with all your might. Make sure you capture Linqing."

Ma Chun didn't know who the drug dealer was. Seeing Zuo Liangyu furious, he didn't dare to hesitate and hurriedly rode his horse towards the Linqing city wall.

Zuo Liangyu looked at the head servant's retreating figure and cursed:

"I just came to the north to rob some silver, but how could I be so unlucky as to run into the killer Liu Zhaosun?"

~~~~~
Northwest of Fucheng.

The servant Wang Saner cried:

"General Zuo has his own difficulties. He has been poor since childhood and his father died early... He has always treated his soldiers well, with sufficient food and wages, and never owed us any money. When the soldiers ran out of money to visit brothels, it was Marshal Zuo who paid for them. Now the canal is full of plague and famine, and even the wealthy landlords can't survive. General Zuo brought his brothers to the north this time just to ask for food. He didn't mean to offend the emperor. I beg the emperor to show mercy and spare us..."

Liu Zhaosun stood on his horse with an indifferent look:

"That's not a reason."

Zhang Dong raised his knife and swung it down.

Note:
1. "Paying grain to mount a horse" refers to the practice of paying grain as a donation to enter the Imperial Academy during the Ming and Qing dynasties. This practice began during the early years of the Ming Jing Emperor's reign. Initially limited to students, it was later expanded to include civilians, becoming known as the "Lijian" (regular academy). Huang Yu's "Shuanghuai Suichao: "According to the Regulations for Enrolling in the Academy" states: "After the reign of Emperor Jingtai, the imperial decree stated that due to the increasing difficulties faced by border guards, all students who paid grain to mount a horse were permitted to enter the academy, with a limit of one thousand persons.

(End of this chapter)