Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 290 The First Rat
Li Pingshan paced back and forth in the room anxiously. He walked to the door several times, wanting to go out for some fresh air, but when he saw several soldiers guarding there, he went back into the house and continued to wait helplessly.

I have been in Pi Island for more than half a month and have talked with Shen Shikui several times, but this old sly fellow has not revealed anything. He just keeps laughing and trying to be perfunctory.

It had been five days since their last meeting, and Shen Shikui had not come to discuss surrender, which gave Li Pingshan a bad feeling.

Could it be that this old guy has changed his mind and no longer wants to invest in me?

If that's the case, then my life is in danger!
Alas, what about time?

Is it fate?

More than two months ago, Shen Shikui led his troops to launch a surprise attack on Hetuala from the rear. Although the damage caused to the Jin Dynasty was extremely limited, it was extremely insulting.

Hetuala was the first capital built by the old Khan (Nurhaci) after he rebelled against the Ming Dynasty. It was the birthplace of the Great Jin Dynasty.

However, they did not expect that a group of rats would sneak in and break into the Suguli Village near Hetuala. More than 200 women, children, the elderly and the young were slaughtered, and many women, cattle and horses were also looted.

Although the commander-in-chief stationed in Hetuala quickly gathered his troops and gave chase, the enemy managed to escape from the pursuit of hundreds of armored cavalry by taking advantage of the rugged mountain trails, crossed the Yalu River and fled to the sea.

Moreover, during the pursuit, General Hesher was accidentally ambushed. The officers and soldiers of Dongjiang Town fired muskets in the forest, and more than ten Eight Banners armored soldiers were shot and fell to the ground. Among them, an Eight Banners lieutenant was shot and killed, causing the pursuers to flee.

Upon hearing the news, the Khan was extremely furious and vowed to raise an army to defeat Pi Island to avenge this humiliation.

However, Fan Wencheng, the secretary of the Wenguan, offered advice to the Khan, claiming that the tens of thousands of Ming troops on Pi Island could be subdued without resorting to force.

He said that since the rift between Huang Long, the general of Dongjiang Town, and Shen Shikui, the deputy general, a few years ago, the conflict has become increasingly profound and cannot be reconciled.

It is said that General Huang Long had written to the Ming Dynasty's Ministry of War several times, slandering Shen Shikui for favoritism and corruption, and suspected him of having secret dealings with our Jin Dynasty. He demanded a thorough investigation of Pi Island and the arrest of Shen and his return to Beijing for punishment.

Shen Shikui also frequently reported to the Ministry of War, saying that Huang Long embezzled military funds, treated his subordinates harshly, and was suspected of raising private soldiers. He even deliberately let the Denglai rebels go, and had "rebellious intentions."

In general, the two generals of Dongjiang Town are like water and fire, fighting each other fiercely, and both want to kill each other.

However, in order to allow the two to check and balance each other and prevent the Dongjiang River from becoming too powerful to be controlled, the Ming court and the Liaodong region chose to maintain the status quo and the principle of non-partisanship. They rejected all the attacks from both sides and reprimanded them.

However, the Ming court trusted General Huang Long more to a certain extent and supported him more.

Shen Shikui's troops, who were located on the isolated island, had a harder time. If it were not for the support of North Korea and "sea merchants", tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians on the island might have collapsed and scattered long ago.

Under such circumstances, Shen Shikui would certainly harbor resentment towards the Ming court and be indignant about the many unfair treatments he suffered.

If the Great Jin can put aside its prejudices, give up the use of force, and adopt a gentle approach to persuade them to surrender, it will surely reap huge rewards.

Although the Ming army under Shen Shikui has low combat effectiveness, they have nearly a hundred navy and a large number of powerful cannons and muskets. In addition, there are many craftsmen and artists on the island. If we can recruit them for our own use, it will definitely be a great help to our Great Jin and enhance our strength.

Upon hearing this, Huang Taiji was overjoyed and ordered Fan Wencheng to take charge of the matter. He was determined to recruit Shen Shikui of Pidao and make him serve the Jin Dynasty.

More than half a month ago, Li Pingshan was selected by Fan Wencheng, and then he took several Han soldiers and traveled through many ways. Under the guidance of the Koreans in Tieshan, he came to Pi Island to meet Shen Shikui.

After some brief probing, Li Pingshan told Shen Shikui the conditions offered by the Jin Dynasty.

After the Ming army in Pi Island surrendered to the Jin Dynasty, they still stationed in Pi Island, Shenmi Island and other islands. Zhenjiang and Kuandian could also be controlled by Shen's army.

All generals continued to hold their original posts, and their salaries and rewards were generous as before. After inspection, the troops under their command were paid food and wages according to the standards of the Han army.

However, after surrendering, all the family members of Shen's generals had to be sent to Liaoyang to live.

Moreover, all the soldiers and civilians on the island shaved their heads to follow the order.

It can be said that the conditions offered by the Jin Dynasty to Shen Shikui were quite good. Not only did they not ask him to relocate his garrison, they also did not separate his subordinates, nor did they send anyone to supervise the army. He had a great deal of autonomy.

Even the Jin Dynasty adopted a tacit and reserved attitude towards the smuggling trade in Pi Island, and also had to pay them wages and provide them with food.

Compared with the current predicament faced by Pi Island, the many favorable conditions offered by Dajin can be said to be very generous.

However, Shen Shikui hadn't made a clear statement about his allegiance to the Jin Dynasty. Instead, he kept arguing over trivial matters, seemingly stalling for time to secure more favorable terms. Li Pingshan was speechless.

He is just a lobbyist with extremely limited authority, so how can he make too many promises to the other party?

If you want to surrender, then do it quickly. It's really annoying to be hesitating here.

If you don't want to surrender, you should have said so earlier!

I can go back and report, and then we can each deploy our troops and continue fighting to the death.

However, considering the current situation in your Pi Island, you probably won’t be able to hold out for much longer.

General Huang Long has been constantly ostracizing you, and the Koreans hate you. If our Great Jin sends troops to attack again, I'm afraid that tens of thousands of your soldiers and civilians in Pi Island will be in an irretrievable situation.

I still remember that some captured Dongjiang Town officers and soldiers confessed that "the wealth of Pi Island is concentrated, but it is dangerous because of the water, and there is no mountain city. We only have 100 three-plank boats and 1,000 to 2,000 serviceable soldiers, so it is very easy to capture it."

Therefore, if our Great Jin can obtain more than a hundred naval forces, we can easily destroy them.

Therefore, surrendering to the Great Jin is the best choice and the only way out for you in Pi Island.

Thinking of this, Li Pingshan couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

This old fellow Shen Shikui is doing this to ask for more benefits from my Dajin.

Humph, if my Great Jin had not failed to recruit Ming rebels such as Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming as we wished, why would we have put so much effort into you?
"Is the Jiannu envoy still behaving well?"

While he was thinking and speculating, he heard someone coming outside the house and talking in a low voice to the guard, as if asking if their messenger had made any moves.

Li Pingshan and his two companions glanced at each other, then held their breath, sat upright in the house, waiting for the other party to come in to inquire and negotiate.

"How are you these days, envoy?" A Ming army general entered the room, glanced at the envoys from the Later Jin Dynasty present, forced a smile, and greeted them warmly.

"Can your general make a decision?" Li Pingshan asked directly.

"Hehe..." The captain shook his head and said, "This matter is of great importance. How can we make a decision right away? My master told me to tell you that the time is not yet ripe. We need to wait a little longer."

"Hmm?" Li Pingshan frowned. "What does your general mean..."

"That's right. My master said that we should give it more time and wait for the most appropriate opportunity to accomplish it in one fell swoop." The captain said, his voice lowered. "Also, my master asked you to provide some money, food, and weapons to supplement our army's needs. Well, this way, it can also show your sincerity to some extent. ...Isn't that right?"

"I need to report this matter to the Khan."

"Okay, I'll send you back to the shore today, report some of my master's requests to your Khan, and then give you a reply as soon as possible." The captain waved his hand to signal the soldiers at the door to come in, preparing to secretly take these Jiannu envoys out of Pi Island.

"Also, we need to urge your Khan to deliver the things we need before winter."

"Won't your general come and do it with us...in person?"

"My master is busy with his work and can't get away for the time being."

"Can you leave a letter for me..."

"My master has said everything he needs to say. There's no need for a letter."

What a joke! How could such a thing be recorded in written form and used as a weapon against others?
Having said that, he took the Jiannu envoys out of the room without further ado and headed towards the dock.

A small patrol boat was docked at the shore. When it saw them arrive, it immediately took them on board and without a moment's delay, rowed towards the mainland on the opposite bank.

He was so anxious, as if he was deliberately avoiding something.

Li Pingshan leaned against the edge of the cabin, looking back towards the direction of the island. He vaguely saw a huge Fujian ship docked at the pier. A group of officers from Dongjiang Town were welcoming the guests who came ashore with smiles on their faces.

Could it be that officials from the Ming Dynasty court came to Pi Island?
(End of this chapter)