Ming Dynasty: Summoning game players at the beginning

Chapter 303: Social Skills, Arranged Rice

Zheng Jiadong also wanted to know what to do. Half of the six northern regions were lost, and the carefully built mountain city was quickly breached by the enemy. The nobles didn't even have the option of delaying time.

What else can he do in the face of the overwhelming force of the heavenly soldiers!
There are still tens of thousands of manpower left in the aristocratic army. Normally, 80,000 aristocratic soldiers are more than enough to defeat more than 30,000 government troops, but the enemy is too powerful.

Even if only 10,000 heavenly soldiers marched south, their 80,000-strong army would not be enough.

Moreover, the tyrant and the heavenly soldiers had most of Korea at their disposal. Even if they lost once or twice, they could still organize troops to fight with the money and food they obtained from the confiscation of property.

The noble army would collapse if it lost just once.

Zheng Jiadong knew that many nobles left the table without saying goodbye because they wanted to hold on to their own troops and wealth and were unwilling to take another big gamble.

Zheng Jiadong didn't understand what a sophisticated egoist was, but he also understood that this group of people with ulterior motives could not unite at all. Everyone wanted others to compete for their own capital while they stayed behind to reap the greatest benefits.

It is said that a scholar's rebellion will fail in three years. He finally realized the true meaning of this principle - these fools have fundamentally blocked the option of "fighting to the death".

Since we can't fight, why don't we quickly lead our troops south and escape?

But the bad thing is that Zheng Jiadong's connections and wealth are all near Gwangju, so he has no money to deploy ships.

If you really foolishly rush to a coastal port, you can only seize ships by sword.

Zheng Jiadong asked his old friends around him, and they also didn't have time to prepare the big ship - the main force of the heavenly soldiers was moving south too quickly.

Each household had only five small boats in total, which could carry at most a hundred people and some fine food.

With such a small amount of shipping supplies, the most they can do is to "survive on a deserted island" on the surrounding islands. How can they talk about counterattacking the peninsula?
It is impossible to hold on and it is difficult to go out to sea. Is there no choice but to stay here and wait for death?
Zheng Jiadong regretted it.

He felt that he should not go against the new monarch. If he thought about it carefully, the annual tax of 10% would not be much even if he reported the hidden land.

Is it really worth it to fight against the new king to such an extent for the so-called privileges of the yangban class and for the so-called decency and dignity?
and many more!

A thought flashed through his mind, and Zheng Jiadong remembered the letter from the new king brought by the messenger, who was knocked to the ground.

If it records the new king's conditions for surrender, then they still have a way to survive!
Under the puzzled gazes of the nobles, Zheng Jiadong squatted down and pushed aside the nobles one by one, causing everyone to ask what Mr. Zheng was looking for.

Old Zheng remained silent, just groping for things on the ground, when he suddenly saw a dusty letter lying under the coffee table.

He hurriedly picked up the letter, carefully patted and blew away the dust on it, then sat back on his cushion, opened the letter and read it carefully.

His Highness's request for surrender was not complicated. Wherever the coalition forces arrived, anyone who did not open the city and surrender within 36 hours would be shot on May 1st after the city was captured, and the survivors would be forced to do hard labor for three years.

Those who surrendered obediently could be spared the death penalty if they handed over all their weapons and armor.

However, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living crime cannot be forgiven. All nobles, officers and soldiers who participated in the rebellion will be subject to additional severe punishment according to the consequences of the rebellion.

Rebels of noble origin will be punished with...

When Zheng Jiadong saw this, he was overwhelmed by the "stain".

what's the situation? !

How could the handwriting on a good letter be contaminated by moisture!

Zheng Jiadong suddenly slapped his head, thinking that he had stepped on the letter several times when it fell to the ground, and the handwriting must have been damaged at that time.

Lao Zheng cursed himself inwardly. Why did he have to block the most critical punishment condition when there were so many other things he could cover?

He immediately handed the letter out so that everyone could circulate it.

When everyone read the stains, they cursed the person who stained the handwriting and said he deserved death, which made Lao Zheng feel even more regretful.

Although surrender could save the nobles from death, the conditions under which they would be punished were not at all clear.

What if all your property is confiscated and you are sold to heavenly soldiers as a slave for life?
Everyone immediately pointed at the letter and started talking. As they were hesitating whether to surrender, a noble came running over.

"It's the Heavenly Soldiers! The Heavenly Soldiers' 'Big Kite' is coming!"

"what?!"

Everyone was shocked when they heard this and rushed to the wall.

Sure enough, I saw dozens of "ellipsoidal kites" of different sizes slowly floating towards me, and the cold north wind felt like a knife cutting my face.

Lao Zheng looked up through the "telescope" and saw that several strong men were crowded in the bamboo basket under the kite, and even several strong men were standing in the "ball tent" on top of the kite.

It’s a heavenly soldier!
After a while, the bamboo basket where the kite was hanging opened up one by one, and the heavenly soldiers jumped out of the gaps one by one with their arms folded. The heavenly soldiers on the "ball tent" also jumped down, leaving only two people in the bamboo basket to continue controlling the kite body.

Hundreds of heavenly soldiers descended at a high speed. Just when Zheng Lao and others thought that the heavenly soldiers were going to fall to the ground and die, mushroom-like wide umbrellas suddenly opened above the heads of the heavenly soldiers. The heavenly soldiers who were originally falling at a high speed slowed down in an instant, like pieces of silk slowly falling.

Heavenly soldiers flew down from the sky! ?

Zheng Jiadong, who was well-read, was stunned.

Although he had occasionally read some of the experiences and knowledge of the Western Barbarians and knew that their ships were strong and their guns were powerful, there was no mention of them "falling from the sky".

Others say that heavenly soldiers refer to the officers and soldiers of the Celestial Empire, but now this group of heavenly soldiers actually came from the sky!

What is a real heavenly soldier?!
If hundreds of heavenly soldiers could land safely on the ground, wouldn't even the strongest mountain cities and fortresses be defenseless empty cities in front of them?

No wonder the several mountain fortresses meticulously built by the noble army were easily conquered by the heavenly soldiers. In this world, who can defend against the army and the navy, but who can resist the air force?!
Zheng Jiadong could no longer stand, and he stepped on the stairs and quickly ran down the wall as if there were reptiles under his feet.

Hold on? Escape south?
No! The only way out is surrender!

Lao Zheng immediately issued an urgent instruction, asking these old friends to select their confidants and set out to surrender to the heavenly soldiers.

No matter what the specific punishment conditions are, it’s good enough to be alive!

"Hurry up! Hurry up!"

Lao Zheng roared anxiously, his whole body was itchy, hot and itchy, as if his clothes were warming him.

When his followers brought the warhorse, Lao Zheng couldn't wait to jump on the horse. Perhaps he was too hasty and he stepped on the stirrup three times but failed to get on the horse successfully.

Only after his followers knelt on the ground as "stepping stones" could he finally mount his mount as he wished.

He was about to rush out of the city with his old friends and private soldiers when a noble stopped his horse and admonished him, "Mr. Zheng, what are you going to do outside the city for?"

"What else can we do? The Heavenly Soldiers are at our doorstep, so of course we have to surrender!"

"But you're just the leader elected by everyone. Shouldn't you discuss this with everyone?"

"Shut up, idiot! Don't you see the situation clearly? If you hesitate any longer, both you and I will be dead!" Zheng Jiadong grabbed the reins and roared, "The celestial soldiers can fly with ease. How can we possibly stand a chance? Get out of my way!"

He kicked his horse hard and rushed out quickly with a group of people.

At this time, many heavenly soldiers had made mistakes and landed several miles outside the city.

Just when Zheng Jiadong was a few hundred steps away from the heavenly soldiers, he was suddenly startled by a flash of inspiration and broke out in a cold sweat.

"Stop!" He quickly pulled the reins to force the horse to stop, and a confused shout of "Stop" immediately sounded beside him.

"We still don't know what the surrender signal of the heavenly soldiers is?" Beads of sweat the size of beans covered Lao Zheng's face. He turned around in horror and glanced at his old friends and private soldiers, "Who of you knows? Do you know? What about you? Fifty taels of silver! I'll reward him with fifty taels!" The private soldiers looked at each other in silence. Although they really wanted to get the reward of fifty taels of silver, they did not have enough knowledge in their daily lives, especially since the heavenly soldiers in front of them were very unique. Who knew what signal they would use to express surrender?

It was a former soldier who returned from the defeat in the north who broke the siege.

He said that the Beiwei Army liked to use a "blue, white and red" tricolor flag to express the messenger's signal, and adding a few conventional white flags should be no problem.

"Okay!" Zheng Jiadong seemed to have grasped a life-saving straw, "I'll reward you with fifty taels of silver when I get back!"

At Zheng Jiadong's command, everyone immediately carried out the new order.

White cloth is easy to deal with, and blue cloth can also tear off the noble's robe.

But where can I find the red cloth in such a hurry?
Suddenly someone came to his senses and thought, why not just cut a bloody wound on the horse and dye a few pieces of white cloth red?

So everyone got to work, and even the yangban, who always prided themselves on their noble status, generously contributed their robe fabrics.

They tied up several "blue, white and red" tricolor flags in a row, and then raised the white flag high with the square word "surrender" written on it.

Zheng Jiadong and the others galloped on horseback, imitating the Chinese accent and shouting out in an awkward Chinese accent.

"Sir, don't fire your guns!"

"Surrender! We surrender!"

"Confucians don't fight Confucians!"

It seemed that the tricolor flag and the pure white flag had an effect, or their funny accents aroused the great interest of the heavenly soldiers. They kept running into the shooting range of the heavenly soldiers' bird guns, but no bullets were fired at them.

However, Lao Zheng did not dare to relax easily. He dismounted obediently within a hundred steps. He took the tricolor flag in one hand and the white flag with the word "surrender" in the other hand. He moved forward slowly with his body half bent like a submissive house dog.

When they were dozens of steps away, Lao Zheng didn't dare to move forward anymore. He immediately inserted the two flags into the ground, then knelt down with a plop, prostrating himself on the ground as if paying a great tribute.

The other nobles and private soldiers behind him all knelt down, almost digging their foreheads into the ground.

Even though there were less than forty heavenly soldiers landing in front of them, their group of hundreds of people did not dare to harbor any resistance.

Everyone was silent, only Zheng Jiadong shouted loudly, "I am Zheng from Guangzhou, and I am surrendering to the heavenly soldiers with my beloved men!"

After a long time, Zheng Jiadong still didn't receive a response.

Could it be that the heavenly soldiers refused?

Zheng Jiadong was breathing rapidly and sweating profusely.

"Raise your head." A voice in fluent Korean sounded above my head.

"Eh?" Zheng Jiadong was slightly stunned, and a dark shadow enveloped him.

He raised his head sideways and saw a sturdy heavenly soldier staring at him as grimly as a cliff.

The dark equipment he wore was like a mountain under the scorching backlight, and he was obviously a fierce general of the heavenly army.

"Why do you think we are heavenly soldiers?"

"..." Tian Bing's words stunned Zheng Jiadong. Aside from the Korean accent, he could communicate with him normally.

"Everyone knows that this secret method of descending from the sky is only available to the Beiwei Army's Heavenly Soldiers... Moreover, I can't think of anyone else who would have the courage to invade deep behind enemy lines with a force of several hundred men except the Beiwei Army's Heavenly Soldiers."

"You know how to flatter me."

"Ha, every word I said is from the bottom of my heart. The might of the Heavenly Soldiers is obvious to all of us. How could it be just perfunctory flattery?" After Zheng Jiadong said this, he gave the Heavenly Soldiers a sincere smile.

"Are you the only ones left in Gwangju City?"

"No, there are still more than 70,000 soldiers stationed inside and outside the city..."

"Oh? You still have so many soldiers, enough to fight against our 30,000+ infantry and cavalry. Why did you choose to surrender?"

"There have been rumors circulating in the market that each of the Heavenly Soldiers is capable of defeating ten of their own. Even if we assembled an army of 100,000, we would still be no match for them."

"Then why are you still plotting rebellion?"

"This..." Zheng Jiadong was shocked, but he quickly suppressed his surprise and said that he and his old friend were coerced by other nobles.

If they did not go along with the rebels, their entire family would be killed by the rebels, but this time he finally had a choice, so he decided to surrender to the heavenly soldiers.

"Let's go back."

The dark shadow cast by the muscular man on the ground gradually went away. Lao Zheng dared to raise his head, but only saw the armored back of the muscular man.

Old Zheng's heart sank, and he felt a deep chill throughout his body, as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. The Heavenly Soldiers refused? Were all of his private soldiers going to be killed by the Heavenly Soldiers before him?
He straightened up his body hastily, still shouting for mercy from the Heavenly Soldiers, hoping that they would spare his life. He had lived for most of his life and had never been as fluent in speech as he was today. He wished that he could use all the speech skills he had learned in his life to persuade the Heavenly Soldiers to forgive him.

The muscular man returned to the front of the line and adjusted the hilt of the sword at his waist. Seeing that Lao Zheng and the others were still kneeling on the ground, he asked doubtfully, "Huh? Aren't you going to be the vanguard of my Beiwei Army? Why don't you hurry up and clear the way?"

The four words "clear the way ahead" entered Zheng Jiadong's ears, making him feel happy and joyful as if basking in the spring breeze.

This meant that the powerful heavenly soldiers had pardoned him and his old friends, and they did not have to die.

He turned a dead chess game into a living one in an instant!
Hahahaha, he's alive!

"I am deeply grateful for the great kindness of the Heavenly Soldiers. Even if I spent three lifetimes serving them, it would still not be enough to repay you!"

"If you help us quickly capture the last of the southern regions, I will grant you permission to retain one percent of your private property. Do you understand?"

Zheng Jiadong was slightly stunned when he heard this. It turned out that the conditions for the pardon of the nobles did include "confiscation of all private property."

However, he had no time to worry about the loss of his family's property. After all, becoming a small landlord after making a contribution was a hundred times better than having his entire family die.

"I understand, I understand!"

Zheng Jiadong, who is over 50 years old, seems to have a second spring, his cheeks are rosy, and he looks a hundred times more energetic than when he first arrived.

He immediately ordered his private soldiers to mount their horses, and with a low shout, he kicked the horses' bellies and galloped forward.

Even though the soldiers hadn't given him a clear mission, he acted as if he had received an extremely urgent and important mission. He quickly ran back to the garrison camp outside of Gwangju City and sent someone to inform the soldiers under his and his old friend's command.

"We've finally found a way to survive without dying or wandering the sea!"

"Oh oh oh oh oh!" The private soldiers echoed the nobles and shouted with joy that they had picked up a great bargain.

Then, Zheng Jiadong led a group of private soldiers to the camps of other friends as if to show off.

The moment he stepped into the friendly camp, he felt that he had undergone a drastic change.

He was no longer the aristocratic rebel who lived in fear day and night, but a vassal soldier fighting alongside the heavenly soldiers.

He held his head high with pride, as if he was walking with a breeze.

(End of this chapter)