The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 43 At stake
"Captain Liu, He Shixian is leading his troops to attack us. They just came from Hupi Post! There are at least 5,000 men and horses, and 700 to 800 retainers!"

Ye Bushou's forehead was covered in sweat and there were some scars on his face. It seemed that he had just experienced a fierce battle.

"Got it, let's explore again!"

Liu Zhaosun frowned, sent the sentry away, turned to look at Qiao Yiqi, clasped his hands together, and said loudly:

"General Supervisor Qiao, General Supervisor Kang has abandoned me and is now missing. If General Supervisor Qiao feels that the Southern soldiers deserve to die, he can surrender to the Liaozhen and give them my head as a token of his loyalty! I, Liu, have no complaints and will not stop him."

After saying that, Liu Shoubei bowed his hands with a determined expression on his face.

The surroundings were suddenly filled with murderous intent, and several of his followers were on edge. Pei Dahu looked at General Qiao with ill intent, then approached Liu Zhaosun and made a beheading gesture:
"Master Thirteen, didn't you send Zhang Mazi to kill that old man...? Why did you keep this Qiao Dazui around?"

Liu Zhaosun coughed twice, glared at the head servant, and didn't answer. Qiao Yiqi pretended not to hear the conversation. His beard trembled, and he suddenly drew his imperial sword and said angrily:

"Liu Zhaosun, who do you think I am? I am a military scholar from the 37th year of the Wanli reign! My family has thousands of acres of fertile land, and I joined the army solely to serve my country. Kang Yingqian's death is not a pity. If you don't kill him, I will impeach him when I return to the capital. As for He Shixian, once a worthy general, he now drinks all day long. Instead of focusing on how to deal with the Jiannu, he's even fighting against the Southern soldiers. I will execute him immediately."

Liu Zhaosun looked at Qiao Yiqi, whose hair stood on end with anger, and saw him waving the imperial sword, and felt quite moved.

Moved? Don't dare to move.

This unusual civil servant in front of him could be his ally, helping him gain a foothold in Liaodong.

How could Young Master Qiao survive in the Ming Dynasty officialdom if he was so aloof? Thinking of this, Liu Zhaosun began to worry about General Qiao again.

"Actually, General Kang is still alive. The story is like this..."

Although Liu Zhaosun hated the traitor with a vengeance, he could not bear the charge of killing a civil servant without authorization.

Yuan Chonghuan was so powerful that if he killed Mao Wenlong, he would be doomed to fail. Now he was just a small garrison commander who was in danger of losing his position at any time, so he should not challenge the Ming Dynasty's civil service system.

He told Qiao Yiqi about his plan and told him that he was not going to "quit while he was ahead" as Liao Zhen said, but that he wanted to take root in Liaodong.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that after the Battle of Sarhu, the imperial court would only invest more in Liaodong. Next year, the imperial court's Liaodong tribute would only increase. In addition to silver and food, there would be a steady stream of foreign troops pouring into Liaodong, such as the Shizhu White Spear Soldiers and the Guangxi Wolf Soldiers...
As the saying goes, wealth and honor are sought in danger. If you have money, you will have opportunities. For many warriors, they may never encounter such an opportunity in their lifetime.

Now, the opportunity is right in front of us, we must seize it.

Continue to fight hard and become the backbone of resistance against the Later Jin. Only in this way can you gain more benefits.

Qiao Yiqi was puzzled and asked:

"It's not that I'm afraid of death, but with just this small number of troops, are we going to Kaiyuan to fight a decisive battle with the bandits? Guard Liu, you're kidding, right?"

Liu Zhaosun looked into the distance and remained silent for a long time.

"General Qiao is right. I am currently weak and powerless, and cannot be a chess player. Therefore, I can only fight like a chess piece. If I want to be noticed by the officials in the court, I have to fight hard. If I can be seen by the emperor, come to the capital and bow before him, and save the people of Liaodong, then it will be a great fortune for me."

Qiao Yiqi looked at the little guard in front of him as if he were a fool, with his mouth wide open, and remained silent for a long time.

Going to the capital to see the emperor and make a speech? This is too far-fetched.

Qiao Yiqi quickly asked, "How are you going to resist He Shixian's army?"

"I do not know."

Liu Zhaosun was silent. He had no good plan. The southern and northern soldiers were incompatible to begin with, and now they were at odds with Liaozhen. Ding Bi and the others were hoping that the southern soldiers would be destroyed.

If Ding Bi joined He Shixian at this time and attacked from both sides, the more than 10,000 soldiers under his command who lacked firearms would all be wiped out, and he himself would die in the chaos.

Liu Zhaosun gasped, sensing the unprecedented gravity of the situation. He'd witnessed countless deaths and injuries these days, his journey from Hunjiang back to Shenyang a daily spectacle of corpses and blood. And yet, this capable army was being wasted.

Of course, before his own demise, it is certain that Liaozhen will also pay a heavy price. But in that case, it will be easier for Nurhaci to reap the benefits.

If the Later Jin had been able to occupy Kaiyuan, Tieling, or even Shenyang and Liaoyang earlier than in history, there would have been no bloody battle of Hunhe River.

If the situation really develops like that, Liu Zhaosun will be unforgivable and will become an eternal sinner in this time and space.

He paced back and forth on the platform, shouting at the soldiers below at the top of his voice. He was not sure how many people could hear him, perhaps only the first few rows?
"Liaozhen is aggressive. From Ding Bi to He Shixian, many people want us dead. I, Liu Zhaosun, don't care whether I live or die. I am in Hunjiang and owe more than 10,000 lives. I want to live and pay them back!"

The soldiers held their breath and listened quietly to the commander's speech.

Throughout history, the most important thing for a general is not his qualifications or family background, but whether he can lead his soldiers from one victory to another, or whether he can survive in troubled times.

Liu Zhaosun achieved all of the above. As for whether he had enough qualifications or whether he had the same strength as his adoptive father Liu Jing, these low-level soldiers did not care about it.

Liu Zhaosun's throat felt a little dry and sore. He paused for a moment, then suddenly drew his sword and pointed it to the north.

"Since there's nowhere to escape, let's kill them!"

"I have requested 300,000 mu of good farmland from General Ma. Each soldier will be allocated 20 mu of land. They will pay 50% rent for the first two years, and only 40% starting from the third year."

Qiao Yiqi remembered that Ma Lin only gave Liu Zhaosun 10,000 acres of abandoned land, which was rented.

Liu Zhaosun asked for 300,000 acres of fertile land. He is so shameless. Could it be that he learned the true art of quenching thirst by looking at plums from Cao Mengde?

"I wonder what Liu Zhaosun has learned from studying 'Treatise on Military Training' and 'New Book of Effectiveness' all day long. He keeps talking about Taizu's old rules. Could it be that this warrior has read the wrong books? A slight mistake can lead to a huge error."

Qiao Yiqi felt that he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders and that he had to eradicate heresy and set things straight. In the future, he would teach Liu Zhaosun more about reading and not let Liu Shoubei go astray.

The rumbling sound of horse hooves interrupted the military supervisor's thoughts, and the ground around him shook slightly.

"General Ma is here!"

Liu Zhaosun raised his arms and shouted.

Liu Zhaosun was overjoyed. What was supposed to happen had finally happened. General Ma made the right choice at the critical moment and joined forces with him, so that they could protect each other.

With the land of Kaiyuan, his plan to pacify Liao was no longer a castle in the air.

A general's flag with the word "horse" written on it came from afar. It meant that the friendly troops from Liaozhen that the garrison commander had repeatedly mentioned had finally arrived, and the land that the garrison commander had just promised was not far away.

Thousands of southern soldiers burst into earth-shaking shouts:
Victory!

Victory!

The top of Shenyang City was in a panic. The city gate that had just been closed was reopened, and some Liaozhen servants came out of the city. They saw a dark array of southern soldiers in front of them, and spearmen holding spears, guarding the city. The servants knew what the result would be if they rushed up directly, so they hesitated and pushed the people around them, wanting others to rush up first.

"General He's flag is also there!"

"The general saw it!"

Liu Zhaosun was ecstatic. This Marin was really capable. He actually accepted Crazy He!
He looked back at Shenyang City. The city was in chaos. Several Liaozhen army generals were like ants on a hot pan, pacing back and forth, and no one knew what they were talking about.

"Ding Bi, you bastard, just wait for me to chop off your head in Shenyang!"

Liu Zhaosun arranged for his servants to set off first, secretly escorting Yang Hao's family and Mao Yuanyi to Kaiyuan. He personally led a group of generals and shouted:
"Follow me to Kaiyuan, and together with Generals Ma and He, we will kill the Jiannu! I will give you land!"

(End of this chapter)