The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 78 Hero
Liu Zhaosun looked coldly at the two charging fighters, a hint of disdain on his face. Even these scumbags were trying to bully him.

Ever since the last time he killed the head servant who rode his horse and trampled on the Miao people, the Miao knife in his hand has not tasted human blood for a long time.

The murderous intention suddenly arises.

Two ugly fighters, holding sharp Japanese swords, were pushed by their companions and rushed in front of Liu Zhaosun.

The two men looked up at the general opposite them, baring their teeth in an attempt to scare him away.

Liu Zhaosun's sharp eyes fell on them, as if he was looking at a dead object.

Both men were startled. They were used to wielding knives and hacking people to pieces on the streets of Tianjin, breaking their limbs was commonplace. They prided themselves on their ferocity and ruthlessness, fearing no one in Zhangjiagang. However, the aura emanating from this officer before them was something they had never encountered before.

Beneath the brutality and coldness, there are things that are even more terrifying than the young fighters who kill on the streets.

A thought flashed through their minds as they rushed forward. The area around them was full of people, many of whom were local boatmen and vendors.

But if you back down now, you won’t be able to survive in Tianjin in the future.

"Dare to stand in the way of my business? I'll kill you, you dog official soldier!"

A fighter yelled loudly to give himself courage, then rushed forward madly with a three-foot Japanese sword in hand.

Liu Zhaosun closed his eyes and held his breath.

When the opponent approaches ten steps, he suddenly opens his eyes like a vicious dragon from the abyss, draws his sword and slashes directly at the Japanese sword as fast as lightning.

The Japanese sword in Daxing's hand was crudely made and was usually only used for show. How could it withstand the heavy blow of a five-foot Miao sword?

With a clang, the Japanese sword broke into several pieces. Da Xing stared blankly at the hilt in his hand, unable to react for a moment.

Liu Zhaosun didn't even look back, he swung his Miao Dao back and chopped off Daxing's head with a single blow.

The head flew high, with an expression of astonishment on the face.

Liu Zhaosun glared at his surroundings and shouted:

"Who else?!"

The people who were shouting and killing just now let out strange cries and fled in all directions.

The other Daxing who was in the front quickly turned around and fled backwards. After he had taken a few steps, a heavy arrow flew past Liu Zhaosun with a whoosh. Daxing was shot to the ground and cried in pain while holding his calf.

Jin Yuji put away her short bow, her eyes as sharp as swords. This man had just been swearing at her, but Jin Yuji didn't care that he was not dead yet, and came over with a dagger to cut off his head.

"Leave him alive! We'll kill him later!"

Liu Zhaosun looked ahead, and Deng Changxiong and Wang Erhu ordered the soldiers to move forward. The soldiers, with neat military uniforms and excellent armor, immediately lined up and advanced, surrounding the black mass of boatmen and refugees in the center.

The trackers had never seen such a scene before and were so frightened that they quickly retreated. Some of the timid ones even knelt on the ground.

Jin Yuji didn't even look at these people, and rode forward a few steps:

"Sir, these people are also hateful. Kill them all."

Liu Zhaosun shook his head slightly, wiped the blood off the blade with his iron arm, sheathed the Miao Dao, raised his head and said to the boatmen:

"I am Liu Zhaosun, the General of Kaiyuan. I have come to the capital to present captives. I was ordered by the Emperor to go to Liaodong to kill the Tartars. The two bandits who died on the ground were obstructing the army's food supply. They were Jiannu spies and have been killed by me. You have been deceived, and I will not punish you!"

Kang Yinggan next to him frowned slightly and looked at Liu Zhaosun with a strange look in his eyes.

General Liu had become somewhat unfamiliar, unlike the one he usually saw. This ruthless and decisive look seemed to have transformed him back into the General Liu from the night raid on the Bordered Blue Banner. Something seemed amiss.

Liu Zhaosun didn't notice Kang Yingqian's eyes. He waved his hand to let the soldiers retreat and walked straight to the boatman.

Some brave trackers looked up at the murderous official, who killed the two ruffians as if they were killing chickens. They immediately felt their knees bend and were about to kneel down. Under Liu Zhaosun's stare, they barely stood up straight.

Liu Zhaosun said loudly:

"You guys are pulling the boat here, are you able to eat enough?"

This question is asked despite knowing the answer. Last year, Northern Zhili forcibly levied 20% of the Liao tax, which cost the lives of the people. This year, there was a drought and spring famine, and many people died in the rural areas around the capital.

In those villages far from the river, the fields are barren, locust plagues and droughts are constant, and the people have all fled.

The more handsome young men in the village would either castrate themselves and run to the capital to try their luck and get a job in the palace.

Or they could go to the canal dock and become a boatman, pulling the oars hard just to earn a bowl of porridge to survive.

Trackers kept coming in, but there was very little work on the grain boats. There had been many disasters in the north recently, and many grain boats did not come, so the trackers had even fewer opportunities.

Often hundreds of people compete for a tow rope. The competition among the trackers is cruel and bloody, and people often die in fights over work.

Those skinny trackers were either eliminated or became refugees.

The group of boatmen standing in front of Liu Zhaosun were all pale and thin. Many of them were not even wearing pants and were shivering in the wind.

If Liu Zhaosun had not appeared, many of them would have become refugees, fallen into the evil path, and eventually either killed people or were killed by others.

Just like the people Liu Zhaosun met yesterday on the Shuntian Prefecture official road. "Anyone willing to follow me to Liaodong to kill the Tartars, please step forward."

Liu Zhaosun glanced around, seeing a series of skinny bodies with drooping heads.

"Go to Liaodong to serve as a soldier! You can eat your fill! Two taels of silver and three dou of rice per month!"

Before he finished speaking, a burst of discussion arose among the boatmen.

For these poor people struggling on the brink of life and death, having a full meal every day is their biggest luxury. Many of them can’t remember the last time they had a full meal.

Because of long-term hunger, everyone was drowsy, which was why they were instigated by the fighting group to surround Kang Yingqian.

Kang Yingqian came closer and whispered:
"General Liu, our silver is now dead. Even though we have hundreds of thousands of taels, we have to spend it carefully. Giving out two taels of silver and three dou of rice is too much! The soldiers in Liaozhen are only given one tael and five cents a month, and they don't even care about food or clothing!"

Liu Zhaosun looked at the military supervisor who had followed him all the way, and in his heart he had already regarded him as one of his own. He smiled slightly and said:
"Kaiyuan is not Liaozhen, and I am not hiring beggars."

Kang Yingqian shook his head, sighed, and turned away.

Liu Zhaosun looked at the eager boatmen and continued loudly:
"I'll give you half an hour to think it over. Think it through. If you follow me, you'll be a soldier in the future. As a soldier, you must abide by military discipline. If you change your mind halfway, you'll be beheaded!"

From the perspective of these trackers, although being a soldier is not an honorable thing, everyone's life is as precious as weeds now, and there is no better choice.

The Master Liu in front of him had just killed two young men without blinking an eye. The soldiers under his command had majestic weapons and armor, and they were all very strong. It seemed that they all had enough food to eat.

At this moment, a buzz of discussion suddenly broke out among the boatmen, and then someone pointed at Liu Zhaosun and said:

"General Xuanwu, this is General Xuanwu, who just surrendered the prisoners at the Meridian Gate a few days ago!"

A boatman who had drifted from the capital shouted loudly, and his shout immediately caused a commotion around him.

When they heard that this man was Liu Zhaosun, the general of Kaiyuan who had killed thousands of Tartars and captured the Jiannu Niulu Ezhen alive, the boatmen put aside their last bit of worry.

Liu Zhaosun nodded to Ma Shiying. Ma Shiying, with extraordinary demeanor, walked to the grain carriage and climbed onto the roof by stepping on the wheels.

He took a deep breath and shouted loudly to the crowd of trackers:
"General Liu is a very good man. I went out for a bit the other day, and when I came back, I was promoted to the rank of Military Governor. It wasn't luck that made me successful, it was Master Liu!"

"Listen carefully, everyone!"

"Being able to serve in Liaodong with General Liu is a blessing you've earned in eight lifetimes!"

"Two taels of silver and three dou of rice a month is enough for the whole family!"

"The Turtledove musket has such a long barrel it can kill even a horse. If you take it, it's yours!"

"A three-barreled gun, with lead bullets this big, one shot can blow off half of a head. Even the Tartars won't recognize their own mothers when they die. They're yours!"

"Have you seen a halberd, a wolf's mill? Grandpa Qi, the former general of Jizhen, used this weapon! He killed five thousand Japanese pirates, and only lost twenty of his own men. Go and get it!"

"There are also red-haired cannons. They are too heavy to be pulled here. One shot will destroy the city for thirty miles. The city walls will be shattered if hit. The Jiannu will cry for their parents. Even if they go, they will be yours!"

"When you get there, you'll have enough food and clothing, including meat. You'll also have plenty of medicine, and we'll treat any injuries or illnesses you get in battle!"

"There are private schools and ancestral halls. Your children can go to private schools for free! If you die in battle, you will receive a pension of 40 taels! You can also enter the ancestral hall! People will worship you during festivals and enjoy the incense!"

"The most important thing is, if you go there, there will be Tartars to kill! If you go there, you can earn yourself a rich and prosperous future!"

·····
"Master, I want to eat meat. Master, do you think I can go to Liaodong?"

A sturdy-looking tracker walked out of the crowd. Liu Zhaosun looked at him carefully. This was the first tracker he had recruited, which was of great significance.

Liu Zhaosun looked him over, noticing calluses on his palms and marks from ropes on his shoulders and back, and asked:
"What's your name?"

The boatman rubbed his hands and replied with a smile:

"My name is Huang Zhongxian, I'm from Henan. I've been pulling the oars for three years. All my brothers have starved to death, and I'm the only one left."

Liu Zhaosun nodded and motioned him to stay.

The surroundings suddenly became chaotic.

"Master, I'm going to fight the Tartars and get paid!"

"Master, I want to go to Liaodong and kill the Tartars!"

"Sir, me too!"

Liu Zhaosun looked at the group of trackers who were as ferocious as wolves and tigers, and was overjoyed. He reached out to help Ma Shiying get off the carriage and patted him on the shoulder:

"Ma Zhizhou, well said! Full of vigor and domineering spirit, but I think I've heard that before somewhere."

Ma Shiying took a breath and smiled at Liu Zhaosun:

"I've been studying General Liu's teachings these past few days, and I've learned a bit. What I just said to the boatmen was all from my heart. I only wanted to do them good. It's natural that you think you've heard it before, because General Liu is such a good man."

(End of this chapter)