Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 298 The slaves are attacking!

Watching the increasingly blurred figure on the execution platform, veteran Tong Zhongkui could no longer bear it. He frowned and turned his head to the side, only to see Ma Xianglin looking up at the execution platform with a fanatical look on his face.

"Are you okay?" Tong Zhongkui asked.

"I'm fine," Ma Xianglin laughed sadly. Tears began to well up in his wide-open eyes. "Your Majesty is wise! But not being able to witness the murderer of my father die under a thousand swords is my greatest regret in this life!"

Tong Zhongkui's expression froze, his pupils shrinking slightly. He realized that Ma Xianglin seemed to be hating Gao Huai as a substitute for Qiu Chengyun.

Upon learning that Shiqu County's envoy, Ma Qiancheng, had been framed and imprisoned by Qiu Chengyun, Tong Zhongkui was immediately terrified. His first reaction was to contact his colleagues and petition for his release. If Ma Qiancheng were indeed convicted by Qiu Chengyun, chaos in the southwest would erupt again. However, before Tong Zhongkui could receive a response from his colleagues, Ma Qiancheng died in prison. Consequently, he turned to the court to protest Ma Qiancheng's innocence and request that the Shiqu County magistrate's succession be preserved.

"Alas." Tong Zhongkui couldn't bear to look upon the bloody scene of lingchi, but he couldn't persuade this seventeen-year-old, fatherless child to "face reality." He could only lower his head, pat Ma Xianglin's shoulder through his silver armor, and offer a sigh of resignation as a token of comfort.

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Lingchi, also known as Cunzhe or Thousand Cuts, is a myth. However, the so-called "Thousand Cuts" is just a rumor. Even Liu Jin, who was sentenced to more than 3,000 cuts by the emperor during the Zhengde reign, died after only 400 cuts.

When the executioner secretly cut the thin rope that fixed the head, letting the head hang down with its eyes wide open, even people at the farthest distance could see that Gao Huai, the once arrogant Liaodong mining tax eunuch, had gone to hell.

"It's about time." When the prisoner's chest was hollowed out, revealing his horrifying white bones, Xiong Tingbi, who had been forcing himself to watch the execution while enduring discomfort, finally couldn't bear it anymore.

"Oh?" Cui Zhongqing didn't think there was anything wrong. He would definitely not have a nightmare when he went back to sleep tonight.

"I think this is enough," said Xiong Tingbi.

"Listen." Cui Zhongqing actually laughed.

"What are you listening to?" Xiong Tingbi asked.

"Didn't you hear? There are people cheering outside the venue. Don't you want to regain the hearts of the Liao people for my Ming Dynasty?" Cui Zhongqing said.

"Gao Huai's death in Liaoyang is enough to demonstrate the emperor's wisdom. And just because one person applauded doesn't mean everyone else did. Most people remained silent," Xiong Tingbi said. "There's no need to continue flaying. Just behead him."

"That's fine. Since the decree didn't specify how many times I should be cut, it's okay for you to give me some face." Cui Zhongqing looked at the executioner holding the knife and raised his arm.

boom!
Cui Zhongqing was about to give the order when he suddenly heard a very abrupt cannon shot from the northeast.

"Stop!" Cui Zhongqing didn't know much about this, so he wasn't bothered too much and still ordered the executioner to stop. But the next moment, he realized something was wrong.

Five consecutive muffled cannon shots abruptly cut off the clamor at the city entrance. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. After a brief silence, five columns of beacon smoke rose into the sky!

Wow! Someone broke the eerie silence. A cry of "The thieves are coming!" spread quickly, and panic spread.

"Zhang Shenwu!" Xiong Tingbi shouted. Zhang Shenwu immediately came over with several personal soldiers to wait for orders. "Jinglüe!"

"I order you to lead the central army immediately and disperse the people in an orderly manner. Be sure to prevent trampling!" Xiong Tingbi ordered in a hoarse voice.

"Yes!" Zhang Shenwu immediately took the order and left.

"My soldiers can also join the evacuation!" Ma Xianglin rode his horse closer to Xiong Tingbi. Although he had not experienced it himself, he knew very well what the five cannons and five beacons meant.

"No!" Xiong Tingbi immediately stopped them. "Southern soldiers, don't move! Stay where you are!" Sending southern soldiers who couldn't speak the language to evacuate northern residents was bound to cause trouble.

"Zuo Tang, what is this?" Cui Zhongqing was a little at a loss.

"I'll explain it to you later. For now, just stay with me." Xiong Tingbi glanced at Cui Zhongqing and ordered the surrounding Southern Army generals, "Tong Zhongkui, Ma Xianglin, Zhou Dunji, Ran Jianlong, Zhang Mingshi. Once the execution grounds are cleared, the five of you will lead your troops back to the camp, arm them as quickly as possible, and be on standby. But no one is allowed to move without orders!"

"Yes!" The five people had different expressions, but their eyes were all flashing with the desire to fight.

"You, follow me." Xiong Tingbi gave another order to Yuan Yingtai, Chen Ce and Qi Jin.

"Yes."

"Where are we going?" Cui Zhongqing followed Xiong Tingbi to the place where the horses were kept. Just as he was about to step into the stirrup to mount the horse, Xiong Tingbi picked him up and put him on his horse.

"Let's go to the headquarters. For your own safety, it's best if you ride with me on the same horse." Xiong Tingbi knew exactly how good Cui was at riding. It would be troublesome if he rode slowly, but if he got so anxious that he fell off, that would be a real problem.

"What happened?" Cui Zhongqing was instinctively frightened.

"Beacon fire order. If we see an enemy force of more than ten thousand, raise five beacons and five cannons." Xiong Tingbi mounted his horse, took the reins, and said, "The Jiannu are invading our borders in large numbers."

"At this time?" Cui Zhongqing was so nervous that he couldn't breathe. "How could it be?"

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, Wild Boar Skin can't hurt you." Xiong Tingbi was terrifyingly calm. He pointed at a cavalryman responsible for personal protection and said, "Go, chop off Gao Huai's head and put it in a box."

"Yes!"

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Xiong Tingbi and his entourage returned safely to the governor's headquarters. Meanwhile, the scouts, who had been watching the outer fort from the tower, had been waiting inside the yamen for quite some time. Upon seeing Xiong Tingbi approach, the scouts immediately approached him and reported, "Left Commander! That's the beacon fire from Fengji Fort."

"Okay." Xiong Tingbi nodded and waved his hand without hesitation. Having completed his mission, the scout immediately left the yamen, mounted his horse, and galloped off in the direction he had come from.

"Messenger!" Xiong Tingbi shouted to the messenger as he led his men to the main hall. This time, Xiong Tingbi did not lead the governor and the generals to sit opposite the imperial envoy, but instead sat directly in the main seat. However, Yuan Yingtai still gave the first seat to Xiong Tingbi's left to the imperial envoy Cui Zhongqing.

After everyone sat down, several messengers came to the hall and waited for orders.

"Order Li Huaixin and his troops to close all eight gates and impose martial law throughout the city! Only the Great South Gate will be open. Except for officers and soldiers, no one is allowed to enter the streets!"

"Yes!"

"Order Li Huaixin to immediately dispatch additional personnel to all government offices to prevent spies. Especially to the Shenji Warehouse and Zhongwei Warehouse. Have him send servants with the battalion! If either of these warehouses catches fire, I will report him!"

"Yes!"

"Order Liang Zhongshan to dispatch one thousand soldiers to immediately occupy the resettlement camp for the surrendered barbarians. Martial law must be imposed throughout the camp, and no one is allowed to leave. Any disobedience will be executed on the spot!"

"Yes!"

After issuing three orders in succession, Xiong Tingbi looked at Cui Zhongqing and said, "Imperial Envoy. The divine punishment has been carried out. Do you wish to remain in Liaoyang to observe military affairs, or will you depart as soon as possible and return south to the capital?"

Cui Zhongqing had completely given up wanting to stay in this dangerous place any longer, so he said, "The Lord has not granted me the authority to command the army. Now that the imperial envoy has completed his mission, I'd better return as soon as possible to report back."

"Alright." Xiong Tingbi didn't want these eunuchs, who had no understanding of border affairs and military preparations, to continue to stay in Liaodong while smoke rose from the border forts. If anyone was injured, damaged, or simply frightened, they would inevitably spread rumors to the emperor after returning, exaggerating the situation.

"I will now arrange for Mao Wenlong to lead his cavalry to escort you back from Liaoyang by the same route. What do you think?" Xiong Tingbi suggested.

"Leaving today?" Cui Zhongqing's eyes twitched slightly, and the word "nervous" was almost written on his face.

Xiong Tingbi cleverly replied, "Any other time is fine. You can stay as long as you want. It all depends on how urgent it is for you."

"Let's do it today." Cui Zhongqing was still a little hesitant. "Will there be any accidents? For example, the bandits will bypass the border town and attack Liaoyang directly, robbing and killing people along the way."

Xiong Tingbi was visibly stunned for a moment, and then he couldn't help laughing. "Haha! No, no. Absolutely not! Nurhaci doesn't have the guts to do that."

The distance between Fengji and Liaoyang was over ninety li, and the area was densely packed with forts and strongholds of varying sizes. If Nurhaci had bypassed Fengji and marched directly toward Liaoyang, his supply lines would have been easily cut off, leaving him unable to secure both ends. If the emperor himself were present, perhaps Nurhaci might have emulated Emperor Yingzong's northern expeditions and launched a risky surprise attack. But for a eunuch like Cui Zhongqing to have such concerns was a sign of self-conceit.

Xiong Tingbi only laughed a few times before quickly regaining his composure. "If Nurhaci is truly so bold, I will lead my troops to intercept him and ensure the envoy's safe departure from Liaodong."

"Thank you for your help. I will go back and pack my things to get ready for departure." Cui Zhongqing stood up and bowed to Xiong Tingbi.

"Send a team to escort the imperial envoy back to the palace." Xiong Tingbi ordered the last messenger in the hall, "Send a message to Mao Wenlong and order him to lead his troops to escort the imperial envoy to Guangning."

"Yes."

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Shortly after Cui Zhongqing left, Governor Yuan Yingtai asked, "Aren't you going to order the beacon fire to continue?"

Liaoyang was a relay station for beacon signals. Signals from border towns and forts would automatically stop after reaching Liaoyang, and would not continue to transmit beacons to other places until new orders were received.

"No need. Send a fleeting message to western and southern Liaoning, ordering all cities to heighten their defenses and defend their own cities." Signal fire and cannon fires transmit messages quickly, but the information density is too low. More accurate information still depends on messengers. Simply transmitting a signal that Fengji was under attack without any explanation would only cause unnecessary panic.

As soon as Xiong Tingbi finished speaking, Chen Ce and Qi Jin stood up and asked for battle at the same time: "Zuo Tang, please send our troops to support Fengji!"

Xiong Tingbi's eyes wandered between the two men for a moment, finally settling on Yuan Yingtai. He gestured to the two commanders to calm down and said to Yuan Yingtai, "Come on, Dalai. I need you to write an article."

"Military matters are urgent, and you want me to write an article?" Yuan Yingtai frowned and pointed in the direction where Imperial Envoy Cui had left. "Are you trying to get rid of me, like you did just now?"

"Why would I send you away? I'm not asking you to go home and write poetry." Xiong Tingbi was bewildered by Yuan Yingtai's question. He was indeed dissatisfied with Yuan Yingtai's "naiveté" and felt that he lacked military talent, but he wouldn't exclude him. He could just ignore his military advice.

"Then what kind of article should I write?" Yuan Yingtai's expression immediately relaxed.

A sly glint flickered in Xiong Tingbi's eyes as he whipped out an outline. "Write that one of the main reasons Gao Huai was so arrogant and lawless back then was his collusion with the Nu chieftain. The Liao people suffered so much because of this collusion between Huai and Nu, a fact that our late emperor wisely observed. Nurhaci invaded our border forts on the day Gao Huai was being executed, hoping to rescue this vile villain who was harming the nation and its people." Xiong Tingbi paused. He actually considered bringing Li Chengliang along, but then he thought: the Li family's backbone was already broken, and pursuing them too far would only unsettle the Liao generals. After all, when the Li family was rampant in Liaodong, who dared not curry favor with them?

He then skipped over the Li family and continued, "The slave bandits changed the name of slaves to Jin and usurped the title of Heaven's Mandate. However, this usurpation is actually made from the flesh and blood of the Liao people. The slave bandits treat the Liao people like pigs and dogs, either slaves or butchers. Since the fall of Fu, Qing, Kai, and Tie, the four cities have been subjected to daily abuse, a living hell. I urge the Liao people and the border barbarians not to feed their flesh and blood to wolves and dogs without realizing it."

Xiong Tingbi thought about it and felt that there was nothing missing, so he concluded: "This is the gist of it. You can decide how to write the article in detail. After the article is written, prepare a notice and send it throughout Liao along with Gao Huai's head."

"Is there any evidence that Gao Huai colluded with Nurhaci?" Yuan Yingtai asked subconsciously.

"This isn't the Ministry of Justice! Where can I find evidence for you? Nurhaci's 'Seven Great Grievances' even say that it's the Ming Dynasty's fault that he can't find a wife." Xiong Tingbi waved his hand and said, "That's it."

"Okay." Yuan Yingtai had also heard the story of the "Yehe Old Lady".

The Old Lady of Yehe was the daughter of Buzha, a Beile of Yehe. Buzha was killed in the Battle of Gule Mountain. The Yehe tribe, as per custom, requested his body, but Nurhaci ordered it chopped in half before returning it. This created an irreconcilable feud with the Yehe people. The daughter remained unmarried for many years and became known as the Old Lady. Nurhaci's mention of the story of the "Old Lady of Yehe" in his "Seven Great Grievances" was merely a pretext for his rebellion against the Ming Dynasty.

As Wang Yaliang, the current Shaanxi Provincial Governor who once inspected Liaodong, wrote in a memorial: "The slave chief is a beautiful woman. He has everything he wants, but why is he so obsessed with a 35-year-old woman? Besides, the barbarians do whatever they want, but how can an unmarried old woman be respectable? His only goal is to keep the situation unresolved, so that he can use the excuse of punishing her and then take advantage of the opportunity to secretly attack. His base will gradually expand and he can gradually encroach on it. This is the slave's original intention!"

Since Nurhaci was capable of making up stories, Xiong Tingbi didn't mind lowering his moral standards and cooperating with Gao Huai to wage such a war of public opinion.

(End of this chapter)