The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 633: A General Is Not Subject to His Sovereign's Orders
"The imperial court wants us to protect Taicang, but we can't let go of those wealthy families, and we also have to ensure the safety of Zhang Jinglue. This battle is not easy to fight."

Lin Zhenbei was worried about the upcoming battle. The task assigned to the First Battalion by his superiors was very difficult, requiring a lot of demands.

This is very consistent with the characteristics of Da Qi.

"Without further ado."

He Longzhou's eyes were firm, and it was obvious that he did not take these difficulties seriously.

"Who else is in this city?"

Lin Zhenbei suppressed his anger and thought for a while before saying:
"The instructors, as well as the instructors from various regiments, about seventy or eighty of them, arrived a few days ago."

The instructor mentioned by Lin Zhenbei was sent by the Nanjing court to encourage the people to support the new policy.

It is said that they come from twelve corps, except for the Eighth Corps.

It is difficult for a warrior like He Longzhou to understand that one can make the powerful and wealthy give up their interests just by talking nonsense.

"How can a rat spit out food without blood? What's the point of sending a few trainers? Those people in the cabinet are ridiculous!"

He Longzhou snorted and asked about the situation of the guards in the city.

On the way to Taicang, the Eighth Corps received intelligence from the Suoyi Guards one after another.

According to the military system of the Great Qi Dynasty, all battlefield intelligence must first be summarized and reviewed by the instructors before being passed on to the battlefield commander to prevent the recurrence of something like the Xuzhou Rebellion.

Lin Zhenbei was very dissatisfied with the chief officer's rebelliousness.

"The former Ming army is preparing for the Japanese invasion. Didn't I just tell you that the situation is very unfavorable to us?"

The meaning of Lin Zhenbei's words was very clear.

He Longzhou didn't care about the instructor's anger and asked anxiously:

"You mean, the defenders and the Daxinghu Society are colluding with each other? Working together to deal with us?"

"We may not have the courage to rebel openly, but we must be on guard against a stab in the back."

The instructor's expression was solemn. "Dozens of soldiers from Zhang Jinglue's standard-bearing battalion died. The defenders are definitely responsible. I suspect they were bribed by powerful officials long ago. And the two eunuchs sent by the court to supervise the army haven't been heard from in several days. I suspect they're in grave danger."

He Longzhou clenched his fists, reined in his horse, and looked towards Taicang City. In the darkness, he couldn't see the expression on the general's face:
"What a bunch of bastards, so bold! It's their good fortune that they fell into my hands today!"

Like most cities in Jiangnan, Taicang Prefecture surrendered to Da Qi immediately after the Hongguang court surrendered.

Because of the severe shortage of officials available for transfer from the north, the imperial court was unable to place more officials from outside in Jiangnan. Many of the surrendered prefectures and counties were simply exchanges of the original prefects and county magistrates. For example, the magistrate of Taicang was transferred to Suzhou to be the prefect, and the prefect of Suzhou was transferred to Songjiang. After so many exchanges, in the end they were all old officials from the former Ming Dynasty.

The prefects and county magistrates can be replaced, but the associate magistrates and clerks under them basically remain unchanged.

As for the garrisons in various places, they needed to rely on the power of the Ming army, as the area that the Qi army could truly control was very limited. The defense of Taicang was almost intact, and was still managed by the original garrison troops of the anti-Japanese army.

The surrendered Ming army changed into black uniforms and transformed themselves into Qi army, continuing to eat their imperial food.

Of course, the imperial court was no fool. Since the end of last year, it had been continuously placing middle-level officers in the garrisons across the country and sending eunuchs to supervise the army. However, due to the short time and lack of manpower, no one could tell how much of an impact it had in the end.

"Alas, replacing the Ming Dynasty is nothing new. When we first tried to recruit Ming troops to garrison various places, many people in the court opposed it... This move certainly saves time and effort, but it will cause endless trouble."

Lin Zhenbei looked up at the Taicang city under the night sky, with a look of compassion on his face.

He Longzhou glanced at the instructor lightly, raised his telescope, and a few sparks appeared in the distance. He could vaguely see thick smoke rolling up in the sky above Taicang City.

He Longzhou frowned slightly, put down his telescope, and muttered to himself, "It's not a future problem."

The instructor heard the tone of his voice and realized that something was wrong. He quickly took the telescope to look, and a look of despair suddenly appeared on his face.

"It's over. It's too late."

"It's not too late. It's just right to send them on their way."

A messenger suddenly rode forward and reported loudly to the two commanders:

"There's fighting in the city! There's looting and burning everywhere. We still have our people inside. The vanguard cavalry reported seeing signal arrows being fired!"

Lin Zhenbei said in a trembling voice:

"They must have been desperate and besieged Zhang Jinglue's standard battalion. Longtou, we..."

He Longzhou waved his hand to interrupt the slightly flustered instructor, took down the command flag, and handed it to the messenger:
"Pass on my orders. The cavalry must clear the path. The artillery guards must advance and approach the city walls within three hundred paces. Shout to the defenders, saying that by imperial decree, Taicang is now under the control of our Eighth Corps. There are those within the city plotting rebellion, and they must immediately open the gates and let the army in."

The messenger held the reins and asked carefully:

"Captain He, what if the defenders refuse to open the gate? Just now, the scouts saw artillery being set up on the city walls."

"You won't open the door?" He Longzhou's face showed a ferocious look:

"Then have the artillery fire rockets at the city walls until the defenders change their minds. Once inside, march in formation, with the grenadiers in front, the artillery in the middle, and the cavalry in the rear. Kill anyone who stands in your way. Do you understand?"

The messenger repeated He Longzhou's order, and after confirming that it was correct, he rode his horse and disappeared into the night ahead.

After the messenger left, Lin Zhenbei said in surprise:
"Longtou, why are you letting the artillery into the city? Are you using them as infantry?"

He Longzhou said nonchalantly: "Artillerymen are artillerymen. When did I ever say that they should be infantrymen?"

Lin Zhenbei said anxiously, "Loucheng is not like the towns in Liaodong. It's densely populated, with numerous streets and markets. The state capital alone has a population of over 100,000. Director Xie sent someone to tell us not to disrupt Taicang's commerce and to kill as few people as possible. In the darkness, with a field gun weighing over ten pounds, I don't know what will happen if it fires..."

"What does the Chamber of Commerce know about war? Cannonballs are worthless, and rebels are even less valuable. Only the lives of soldiers are valuable! If artillery is not used in street fighting, are we going to let my soldiers die?"

Lin Zhenbei raised his finger and said tremblingly;
"He Longzhou, you are taking human life lightly! I will impeach you."

He Longzhou waved his hand, nonchalantly:

"Go ahead, go and impeach him. Let's see who among those captains will speak up for you."

Lin Zhenbei was speechless.

"The higher-ups gave us ten days to quell the rebellion, but we've already been on the road for eight. If we don't enter the city tonight and delay the battle, General Zhao will chop off our heads. Our heads are worthless, and the Eighth Corps wants revenge. That's what matters most."

He Longzhou loosened the reins, and the warhorse under his crotch began to accelerate slowly in sync.

"It's taken three months just to measure the land, and with so many people dead, you can imagine what's going on in the city. The Japanese pirates are causing havoc in Shandong, and the Eighth Corps is fighting in Japan. I'm very pressed for time and don't have time to argue with them. They should be thankful that I don't massacre them today. What's the harm in firing a few cannons at them?"

He Longzhou concluded:
"A general is not bound by his sovereign's orders when on the battlefield!!"

After saying this, he raised his whip and hit the horse's back with a snap. The warhorse suddenly accelerated and ran towards the slowly advancing artillery in the distance.

Lin Zhenbei was left standing there alone. He looked at the city where the fire was spreading, and prayed silently for the safety of Zhang Jinglie and his fellow instructors.

A moment later, Lin Zhenbei cursed, whipped his horse, and chased after him.

(End of this chapter)