The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 463: April is over, and the Liaodong peach blossoms are in full bloom
In Shenyang's Liuge Village, the backyard of the three-story Zhao family mansion was shaded by elm and willow trees and ablaze with peach blossoms. Beside an ancient peach tree, the thickness of a man's embrace, stood a massive armchair and a table, laden with meats like deer antlers, pork breast, and roast duck, along with two large jugs of liquor.

Emperor Wuding, dressed in casual clothes, sat on the armchair, holding "Three Hundred Tang Poems" in his hand, and read leisurely:

"The beauty of April fades away, and the peach blossoms of Liaodong begin to bloom."

Standing around were the commander of the Imperial Guard Zhang Dong, the high priest Francisco, and the blonde nun Daphne, holding cups of hot tea and looking at the Emperor of Da Qi with smiles.

A group of prisoners were kneeling at the gate of the courtyard.

Daphne remembered the original text of this Tang Dynasty poem: "The flowers of April on earth have faded, and the peach blossoms in the mountain temple have begun to bloom." For some reason, the Emperor read it as "The peach blossoms in Liaodong have begun to bloom."

It's as if Liaodong is not a human world.

Seeing that the beauty hesitated to speak, Liu Zhaosun explained to Daphne:

"Liaodong is not the human world. At least right now, it's hell."

The emperor beckoned Lu Xiangsheng to come forward.

In March, Lu Xiangsheng led 3,000 cavalrymen out of the pass and successively broke through the strong cities of Shanhaiguan, Jinzhou, Guangning, etc., and was invincible all the way.

Yesterday, the cavalry arrived in Shenyang (one day earlier than the emperor) and ran into Dorgon who was on guard against bandits in western Liaoning. Since all the secret spies planted by the Plain White Banner in western Liaoning had been eliminated by the Qi army, the Bordered White Banner had no defense at all. In just half an hour, more than a thousand people were wiped out. Dorgon fled eastward in panic and was arrested by Lu Xiangsheng himself.

"Zhixian Lu is naturally strong. I heard that you were chasing the Zhengbai Banner yesterday and lifted Dorgon up with just your left hand, galloping ten miles back to Liuge Village. You are truly brave!"

Hearing the emperor praising him, Lu Xiangsheng quickly became humble. In front of the demigod-like emperor, Lu Xiangsheng did not dare to be arrogant. His face was weathered, and compared with a month ago, he was thinner and had a few more white hairs on his temples.

"It is all thanks to your Majesty's strategic planning. I was only able to rely on the prestige of the Qi army, which is why this went so smoothly."

Lu Xiangsheng no longer had the same passionate and high-spirited spirit as before. During this trip to western Liaoning, he grew from a corrupt scholar into a decisive and ruthless general.

The emperor handed the teacup back to Daphne, picked up a chicken leg and started chewing it.

"Are there many starving people in western Liaoning? Did you see anyone eating human flesh during your trip?"

Lu Xiangsheng quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the people have been completely ravaged by the bandits. Not even one in ten survives in any region. From Shanhaiguan to Guangning, the villages along the way are filled with bones, with few living people to be seen."

Emperor Wuding was not angry when he heard this, but praised him sincerely:

"Oh, the bandits are better at killing people than I am."

What the emperor is most interested in now is how Lu Xiangsheng and his men solve the problem of food supply.

"Thanks to Your Majesty's great blessing, I led the army beyond the border wall and, within five days, breached Shanhaiguan. We then passed through Jinzhou and Guangning. Liaoxi was devastated, and the bandits, seeing the royal army march east, surrendered one after another. Liu Zongmin also surrendered. With the food and fodder gathered from all over Liaoxi, there was enough for 3,000 cavalrymen."

The emperor nodded slightly.

Those bandits whose food was robbed after they surrendered would eventually starve to death. This was the truth that Magistrate Lu did not tell them.

"You did the right thing,"

After the emperor finished eating the chicken leg, he threw the chicken skeleton under the peach tree, grabbed a piece of meat and gobbled it up voraciously. There was no trace of imperial self-control in his eating manner.

The eating process was as quick as the wind blowing away the waning moon, but fortunately everyone around was already used to it.

"The bandits are arsonists and murderers, and are difficult to repent. They are also erratic. There is no need to try to persuade them to surrender. Just kill them all."

The time travelers who are bloodthirsty and enjoy feasting are essentially the same as the bandits who have tasted the sweetness of looting. Once humans have tasted the sweetness of desire, it is difficult to turn back.

When Liu Zhaosun heard that Liu Zongmin had surrendered, he became interested.

In the first year of Wuding, bandits besieged the capital. Although Liu Zongmin did not directly participate in the siege, he sent elite troops from the old camp to block the road and prevent the Qi army from reinforcing Beijing.

Of course the emperor remembered this account.

After the Wanggongchang explosion, Liu Zongmin could no longer stay in Henan, so he traveled thousands of miles and fled to Liaoxi. Ten thousand bandits survived until the Qi army's eastern expedition.

Lu Xiangsheng asked cautiously:
"Your Majesty, how should we deal with Liu Zongmin?"

The only punishment for this big boss under the rebel army was either lingchi or torn into pieces by five horses.

Asking this question is just to confirm how Liu Zongmin died in the end.

Zhang Mazi's eyes were sharp. As the most capable executioner beside the emperor, he had formed a conditioned reflex. With just a glance from the emperor, he knew whether to torture the enemy to death or behead him.

"Lingchi it, and distribute it to the starving people nearby."

The emperor looked at the side rooms, where messengers kept coming in and out.

Fourteen Imperial Guards corps, numbering approximately one hundred battalions, were engaged in a fierce battle with the Eight Banners (to be precise, only six banners remained) outside the city of Shenyang. They continuously relayed the battle situation from the front lines back to Liugezhuang, an unknown village less than five miles from the main city of Shenyang. This village became the headquarters for Emperor Wuding to sweep away all evil spirits. After the fourteen Imperial Guards staff compiled the battle reports, the Imperial Guards presented them to Emperor Wuding. The guards handed a copy of the compiled report to the emperor. Liu Zhaosun did not open it, but said to the captives kneeling at the door:

"Sometimes, I wonder if I could have killed fewer people, but the situation is so pressing that I cannot be soft-hearted."

After he said that, he looked at Zhang Dong again. Zhang Mazi immediately understood what he meant and escorted the two bondservants into the courtyard.

Two bondservants with shaved heads and pigtails knelt in front of Taohua, trembling all over. They were local tyrants and evil gentry left by the Qing army to maintain order, similar to the president of a maintenance association in later generations.

When the Kaiyuan Army occupied Shenyang, the local tyrants and evil gentry in the surrounding areas were quiet for a while. Liu Zhaosun was kind-hearted and did not kill them all. As long as they did not openly oppose the Kaiyuan Army, they had a way to survive regardless of their wealth. Some wealthy families were even allowed to retain some of their land.

The local tyrants and evil gentry in Liaodong did not seem to appreciate the favors of the time traveler. After Du Du rebelled last year, the gentry in various places who had not had time to be reformed all came to support the Jian Nu. Those who had money contributed money, and those who had strength contributed their strength. Those who had read books took the lead in inciting the villagers and mobilized all the forces they could to resist the violent Qi.

Not only did they provide food and supplies to the Jiannu, they also assassinated local garrison officers and civil officials, and reportedly even buried alive a group of soldiers from a remote area. The Jiannu rebellion went so smoothly, largely thanks to the support of local tyrants and evil gentry.

"Your Majesty, these two are the largest local tycoons within a hundred miles. Your Majesty didn't kill them back then. When the army arrived, they were still transporting food to the Jiannu."

Zhang Mazi gritted his teeth and looked at the two people kneeling on the ground.

Liu Zhaosun didn't even raise his eyelids, and waved his hand and said:

"Like Liu Zongmin, drag him down and, after being slicing him to death, share his blood with the people. Human blood can cure tuberculosis, so don't waste it."

Amid the two gentry's howling pleas for mercy, Dorgon, leader of the Plain White Banner, was brought before the gorgeous peach blossoms.

The emperor, who was resting with his eyes closed, opened them slightly and saw this old acquaintance. He smiled and said:
"Master of the White Banner, long time no see, you have changed a lot."

Dorgon was tied up and struggling violently. A piece of dry horse manure was stuffed in his mouth, and he was mumbling something inaudible.

The emperor waved his hand and the horse manure was dug out. Liu Zhaosun looked at the fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy in front of him who was covered in manure, and glanced at the whiskers on Dorgon's chin and the rat tail braid on the back of his head. He couldn't help but sigh that boys change a lot when they grow up, and become uglier and uglier.

Dorgon swallowed the remaining horse manure. The emperor's actions just now, including slow slicing and human blood steamed buns, frightened the leader of the Plain White Banner and he had lost his temper long ago.

After all, he is Nurhaci's son and will not surrender easily.

Staring at the Emperor of Great Qi's strong bones, exaggerated muscles, and fists that could kill a black bear, Dorgon said stubbornly:

"Hahahaha! Liu Zhaosun, you've changed quite a bit. The Qing Emperor hired a shaman to perform rituals every day. With the blessing of the Eternal Heaven, it seems the gods have punished you. You've finally become a demon. You're no longer a human being."

Liu Zhaosun had no time to discuss the technical details of shamanism with Dorgon.

"That's not a reason." Emperor Wuding looked at the leader of the Plain White Banner with compassion.

"I gave you a chance, but you didn't make it. Guess how I'm going to execute you?"

When Dorgon heard Liu Zhaosun say "you", his mood obviously changed. The deeper meaning of this word was that Liu Zhaosun wanted to massacre the Eight Banners. Dorgon closed his eyes in pain.

In the past, the emperor’s standard for slaughter was the wheel of a carriage.

All male enemies who are taller than the wheels must be executed.

"You have all grown taller, from Dudu to Duoduo, and now to you. Back then, I spared the lives of Nurhaci's sons so that you could grow strong and go to the north to resist the Rakshasa demons, so that you could turn over a new leaf. But you didn't understand my painstaking efforts. You have changed as you grew up."

"I miss the past and want to go back, but time cannot be reversed."

The emperor nodded to Zhang Dong, and the ferocious Zhang Dong immediately walked in front of Dorgon. The seventeen-year-old Dorgon finally realized what fear was and knelt on the ground begging:
"Don't kill me, I will be a slave to Da Qi..."

The time traveler said thoughtfully, "Da Qi doesn't need slaves, Da Qi needs specimens. You are growing too fast. I want to freeze you and return to the past."

"High Priest, please translate for the leader of the Plain White Banner, what the hell is a human specimen?"

The knowledgeable Francisco immediately walked up to Dorgon and patiently and carefully explained the human specimen to the Tatar.

"To put it simply, we're mummifying you. To ensure the final effect, we need to completely mummy you before you die of starvation or thirst..."

Francisco patiently introduced to the Tatar those details that could not be described in detail, but before he finished, Dorgon had fainted.

Zhang Dong ordered his men to splash water on Dorgon to wake him up.

The emperor said with a pleasant expression, "This is a human specimen."

After dealing with the White Banner prisoners, Emperor Wuding stood up from his armchair, placed the volume of Three Hundred Tang Poems on the table, raised his head and looked towards Shenyang, muttering to himself:
"The flowers of April have faded, and the peach blossoms of Liaodong are in full bloom. I haven't been here for many years since the Battle of Hunhe. I don't know how many people I will kill when I return this time. I can't bear it."

Dongfang Zhu and a bricklayer from Shaanxi stood at the gate of the courtyard. The two did not dare to speak for fear of interrupting the emperor's interest. The bricklayer found by Eunuch Dongfang would be responsible for making the Qing Emperor Du Du into a terracotta warrior.

(End of this chapter)