The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 19 The Scattered Loyalist Army
"also?"

The two brothers, who had just been scolded by Jiang Han and didn't dare to breathe, paused for a moment after hearing this word, and then looked at Dong Erzhu in unison.

Hei Zi, who was standing next to Dong Erzhu, choked and coughed incessantly.

After realizing what was happening, he quickly covered Dong Erzhu's mouth to prevent him from revealing all of the Flag Chief's secrets.

Upon seeing this scene, the Liu brothers, Qidong and Qiming, instantly understood something and turned to look at Jiang Han in unison.

Jiang Han was just racking his brains, trying to come up with the rhetoric used by emperors and generals throughout history to recruit talented people.

He was planning to put on a show of having a keen eye for talent and bring both brothers under his wing.

As a result, Zhu Zi's interruption instantly ruined his composure, leaving him with no choice but to roll his eyes helplessly.

Seeing the two brothers' gazes, Jiang Han felt a little embarrassed.

One second he was a loyal subject who angrily rebuked deserters, and the next he became a traitor who also participated in the mutiny.

Jiang Han then coughed twice and stepped forward to explain:
"Ahem, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."

“The Ming people don’t mince words. We are all on the same side. We also fled after the army was disbanded.”

Jiang Han then told the two men about the mutiny in the Yansui garrison, omitting many details and only mentioning the death of the general.

After listening, the Liu brothers, Qidong and Qiming, nodded repeatedly and exclaimed:
"So that's how it is. You Shaanxi folks are really daring, even killing the general! We're much more pathetic."

Liu Qidong decided to stop hiding his story and slowly recounted their experiences on the road to the capital in Shanxi.

After the order to support the emperor was issued, the Shanxi Road army rushed to the capital region day and night; however, their military rations had long been exhausted, so they had to ask the Ministry of War for more food.

However, the officials in the Ministry of War, in order to avoid issuing rations and pay, used the excuse that "no rations are allowed on the first day of arrival" to transfer them to three different places within three days, without issuing a single grain of rice.

After all that commotion, the army's morale collapsed, and unsurprisingly, a mutiny broke out. The mutineers even took the opportunity to plunder Liangxiang.

Emperor Chongzhen was furious and ordered that the governor of Shanxi, Geng Ruqi, and the general of Shanxi, Zhang Honggong, be imprisoned for dereliction of duty, while the officials who had not been given food for three days were left unscathed.

As a result, the Shanxi army that came to the aid of the emperor completely lost control, scattered and fled, and went on a rampage of burning, killing and looting along the way.

The brothers Liu Qidong and Liu Qiming were among them. Their squad robbed all the officials in Liangxiang and each took a large share of the silver back home.

The reason these two brothers were targeted by the Tartars was because they had robbed too much and lost their wealth.

Jiang Han smiled knowingly, patted Liu Qidong on the shoulder, and pointed to the carriage outside the tent, asking:
"How much did you two brothers rob that you needed a horse-drawn cart to transport it all?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qidong's expression changed slightly, and he secretly gave his younger brother Liu Qiming a wink; the latter was taken aback, and then reluctantly walked towards the carriage.

Before long, Liu Qiming dragged a heavy box out of the car and threw it in front of Jiang Han without any politeness.

Liu Qidong glared at his younger brother, then cupped his hands in a slightly apologetic gesture:
"We brothers are deeply grateful to you for saving our lives, sir. We have no way to repay you, so we present you with a box of silver to express our gratitude."

Jiang Han smiled upon hearing this, and then kicked the box on the ground with his leg.

"You two brothers, are you only worth this box of silver?"

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and Liu Qidong, forcing himself to speak, said:

"Sir, do you think it's not enough? I'm willing to give you two more boxes."

After saying that, he gestured to his younger brother Liu Qiming, indicating that he should go and bring over two more boxes of silver.

Liu Qidong sighed. The officers of the Ming Dynasty were almost all ruthless and heartless. If he had some official military status, perhaps Jiang Han would have been more restrained.

But now that they are all in disarray, things are hard to say.

I'm definitely going to have to pay a hefty sum this time. If this guy surnamed Jiang had any sense of morality, he could just take the money and leave.

If they encountered any greedy individuals, these men in the room could easily chop the two brothers up and run off with the money. Jiang Han gestured to stop Liu Qiming from moving the silver and said:

“We are all brothers in the border army. Since you have robbed the rich man’s silver, it is yours.”

"As for the life-saving grace, it was just a small favor, so there's no need to thank me."

The two brothers looked at Jiang Han in disbelief; this was the first time they had ever met someone who wasn't greedy for money.

Jiang Han looked at the two of them with a mocking expression and smiled: "Alright, I took just as much as you two."

Seeing their nervous expressions, Jiang Han took the initiative to change the subject:

"Are your injuries serious? Do you need some medicine?"

The two brothers quickly shook their heads, indicating their refusal.

"Thank you, sir. We are so eager to go home that we just want to get back as soon as possible."

Seeing that the two still refused to believe him, Jiang Han shook his head helplessly and walked out of the tent.

Jiang Han stood on the snow and glanced indifferently at the two brothers:
"Since you're not comfortable here, let's say goodbye."

"Those fleeing Mongols must have gone far away. Be careful on your journey, and we'll meet again someday."

Having said all he needed to say, Jiang Han turned and left without further ado, leading Zhu Zi, Hei Zi, and Li Laowai away.

He didn't have time to chat with those two brothers; he needed to go check on his injured comrades.

Seeing Jiang Han leave, the younger brother Liu Qiming looked at his older brother Liu Qidong with a surprised expression and muttered:

"Brother, I didn't expect this guy surnamed Jiang to be such a righteous person."

Liu Qidong nodded, watching Jiang Han and his group's departing figures with deep emotion:

"Yes, it's rare to find someone who isn't greedy."

On the way to the wounded soldiers' camp, Hei Zi sidled up to Jiang Han, his face full of pain:

"Boss Qi, I think those two brothers robbed a whole cartload of valuables. Are we just going to leave like this?"

He lowered his voice and added:
"They both took the money from the rich man for us, so why don't we just take it?"

Jiang Han glanced at him, his tone calm but carrying a hint of warning:

"All you ever think about is money. So many brothers from the border army are watching. If you rob them, what will the others think?"

"Don't end up not making much money but causing chaos in people's hearts."

"Besides, didn't we take tens of thousands of taels from those Mongols? That's enough."

After speaking, Jiang Han turned to look at Dong Erzhu, his face full of helplessness:
"Hey Zhuzi, can you think before you speak? What do you mean you guys also staged a mutiny?"

Dong Erzhu scratched his head, looking embarrassed.

"Second Brother Han, I just ran into a fellow traveler... I got excited, I got excited."

Jiang Han sighed and muttered to himself:
"The loyalist armies in Shanxi and Shaanxi have mutinied, so I suppose the other loyalist armies are probably in the same boat?"

"With so many troops mutinying, I wonder how the emperor will feel when he hears this news. Will he be so angry that he dies?"

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(End of this chapter)