Huangming

Chapter 248 Slander Stirs Up Trouble, Fragmentation Arrives Between Flag Leaders (Bonus Chapter for 200 Monthly Tickets!)
As dusk settled over Fushun, banners fluttered and the sound of horses' hooves echoed through the city.

Huang Taiji's Plain White Banner army was breaking camp and marching south, their iron armor gleaming in the afterglow of the setting sun, stirring up clouds of dust.

However, the march of this elite army was not peaceful.

Along the way, the Plain White Banner, under the pretext of "the Great Khan's conscription," forcibly abducted artisans from various banners, and even the Han Army Banner was not spared.

Liu Xingzuo stood atop the city wall, coldly watching the direction in which the Plain White Banner had disappeared.

Several Han Chinese artisans under his command who were skilled in firearms forging were also forcibly conscripted today, and the person who conscripted them was Aha, a bondservant under Abatai.

The personal guard beside him angrily pounded the wall, his face grim: "General, they don't even give you face! The Plain White Banner is too domineering."

Liu Xingzuo slammed his fist on the table in feigned anger and shouted, "Insolence! How dare you speak ill of the Fourth Prince's men?"

But as soon as he finished speaking, a hint of wild joy flashed in his eyes.

The opportunity is coming!

These craftsmen were merely pawns on his chessboard; his real trump card lay in the already tense relationship between Daishan and Huang Taiji.

He had long heard that Daishan was resentful about being deposed as crown prince, while Huang Taiji had recently been highly regarded by Nurhaci and was even rumored to be reinstated as crown prince.

Isn't the current arrogant act of the Plain White Banner forcibly conscripting craftsmen a perfect opportunity to add fuel to the fire?
"I wish to see the Great Prince!"

Liu Xingzuo quickly got up, left the main tent, and passed through the Zheng Hongqi camp. Soldiers patrolled back and forth in the camp, their iron armor clanging, but no one dared to stop this general of the Han Army Banner.

He went straight to Daishan's main tent. Before he even got close, he could hear the sounds of a woman's soft moans and a man's heavy breathing coming from inside, mixed with the creaking of the bed.

Liu Xingzuo paused, his face remaining expressionless, but inwardly he sneered.

He is indeed a barbarian, indulging in debauchery in broad daylight, utterly shameless!
He stood with his head bowed, waiting patiently, seemingly oblivious to the absurdity inside the tent.

A moment later, the tent flap was suddenly flung open, and two women staggered out, their hair disheveled, their clothes half-undone, and their cheeks still flushed.

Liu Xingzuo glanced around and was suddenly startled.

Aren't these Fan Wencheng and Fan Wencai's wives and concubines?

He frowned slightly, then relaxed.

Ha, that scoundrel Daishan, he even dares to lay his hands on his subordinates' women, he's truly unscrupulous!
However, after a little thought, Liu Xingzuo also understood.

Dai Shan has always despised the Han people's etiquette and laws; deep down, he is still an uncivilized barbarian!

It wouldn't be surprising if he did something like that.

At this moment, he recalled the secrets circulating among the Jurchen nobles: Daishan was deposed from his position as crown prince this year because of his affair with the Grand Consort Abahai.

Now, witnessing firsthand the hasty departure of Fan Wencheng's brothers' wives and concubines from Daishan's tent, those rumors suddenly found concrete evidence.

This is no baseless rumor.

The evidence is irrefutable!
As for the consequences of Daishan forcibly taking his minister's wife?
A mocking smile curled at the corner of Liu Xingzuo's lips.

Although the Fan brothers held the titles of civil officials, they were in reality nothing more than bondservants under the Bordered Red Banner.

When Fushun fell in the 46th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, they, along with 300,000 captured soldiers and civilians, became spoils of war for the Eight Banners nobility.

Nurhaci distributed these literate Han Chinese to various banners as slaves, treating them more like talking livestock than as important servants.

In this barbaric land where the strong prey on the weak, the wives and daughters of servants are nothing more than playthings of their masters.

It's laughable how obsequious Fan Wencheng always has that face.

This surrendered official, who boasted of being an expert in Chinese studies, was probably already used to being cuckolded.

After all, in this den of wolves and tigers, if you want to survive, you have to learn to treat humiliation as a daily occurrence.

If you want to make a living, you have to wear a green hat.

Liu Xingzuo knew the rules of the Later Jin all too well: even a prince consort like Li Yongfang could protect his wife and daughters, and Liu Xingzuo himself was untouchable because he held military power, but what about people like Fan Wencheng?

He was nothing more than a tool for nobles like Daishan to satisfy their lust.

Just as Liu Xingzuo was secretly making plans, Daishan's hoarse yet deep voice pierced through the tent:
"Liu Bei Yu, get in here!"

The shout was like a thunderclap, and Liu Xingzuo was jolted, immediately regaining his composure.

He took a deep breath, suppressing all his humiliation and scheming, and put on a mask of humility and subservience.

When the tent flap was lifted, his waist was bent at a ninety-degree angle, but his steps were not faltering at all.

The tent was dimly lit. Daishan leaned against a wolf-skin rug, his chest and belly exposed, his brocade undergarment wide open, revealing his sweat-covered chest.

The bed was in disarray, clearly indicating that the 'battle' that had just taken place was quite intense.

Liu Xingzuo lowered his gaze, but in an instant, he took in everything.

"Your humble servant Liu Aita pays his respects to the Great Prince!"

He slammed his knees heavily to the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold earth. He had performed this kneeling posture a thousand times before, but each time he referred to himself as a 'slave,' it filled him with a sense of humiliation.

Her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched unconsciously, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Only this excruciating pain could keep him outwardly compliant.

Does this barbarian deserve to kneel before him?

He roared in his heart: One day, I will make you kneel before my Ming soldiers and taste what it's like to be a slave!

But then he remembered his own plans and forcibly suppressed the surging hatred in his heart.

The kneeling we do now is simply so that we can stand up straighter in the future.

On the other side, Dai Shan looked at Liu Xingzuo with a scrutinizing expression and asked, "Liu Beiyu, you have disturbed my good time. Tell me, how can I forgive you?"

bang bang bang~
Liu Xingzu kowtowed three times, feigning a wronged expression, and said, "This servant has come here today with a great injustice. The Plain White Banner robbed three craftsmen under my command. Those craftsmen are all skilled weapon makers, and they were originally intended to be given to you, Master. I never expected that they would steal them. Master, you must do justice for this servant!"

Upon hearing this, Daishan was indeed furious!
"That damned Huang Taiji, he's even trying to poach people from our Two Red Flags area!"

Liu Xingzuo lay prostrate on the ground, his shoulders trembling slightly, his voice choked with just the right amount of emotion: "My lord, please understand! When those lackeys of the Plain White Banner came to seize the people, I knelt and begged them, saying that these craftsmen were the private property of the Great Prince, but the leader kicked me over and said...say it."

Daishan suddenly sprang up from the couch and shattered a wine cup with his bare feet.

He grabbed Liu Xingzuo by the collar, the gold-plated nail guards scratching several bloody marks: "You dog slave, tell this prince the whole story!"

"they said"

Liu Xingzuo suddenly raised his voice, perfectly mimicking the other person's contemptuous tone.

"What is Daishan? He's nothing but a deposed stray dog! When the Fourth Prince inherits the Khanate, he'll have to kneel and lick the soles of his new master's boots! Taking a few of his craftsmen now is just a way of collecting tribute in advance!"

With a snap, the gilded wine pot in Dai Shan's hand was deformed by his grip.

Veins bulged on his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot: "Waaaaah!!"

With a beast-like roar, the jewel-encrusted sword was drawn with a clang, and a flash of cold light caused the heavy sandalwood table to split in two.

The words "deposed crown prince" were like a red-hot branding iron, branding his most painful scar.

Daishan's mind was filled with images of Nurhaci's disappointed gaze, Abahai's resentful eyes, and Huang Taiji's hypocritical face.

Now even the bondservant servants of the Plain White Banner dare to swagger and bully him!
How could he sit still?

Dai Shan pressed the tip of his knife against Liu Xingzuo's throat, the cold light reflecting off his distorted face: "Speak! Which lackey dares to gossip about this prince?!"

The blade trembled slightly with his heavy breathing, leaving a small bloodstain on Liu Xingzuo's neck.

Liu Xingzuo feigned fear and shrank back, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in his eyes.

He deliberately hesitated, then finally knelt down with a thud: "Your Highness, please calm down! This servant dares not speak!"

He stole glances at Daishan's reaction and continued to fan the flames: "Now the Fourth Prince is deeply favored by the Great Khan. I heard that they were secretly discussing until the third watch of the night. All the banners are saying that they are going to re-establish the crown prince. A few craftsmen are not worth offending the Fourth Prince."

"Crack!"

Dai Shan's sword slammed into the bed, scattering sandalwood fragments everywhere.

His forehead veins bulged, like an enraged brown bear: "That hypocrite Huang Taiji! What kind of water attack plan did he offer? When I was fighting alongside my father, he was still drinking milk!"

It was a water attack!
Liu Xingzuo was overjoyed!
However, Liu Xingzuo quickly composed himself.

This grand drama must continue; we can't afford to give ourselves away.

The movie star Liu Xingzuo prostrated himself on the ground and said in a trembling voice, "If the Great Prince really wants to pursue the matter of the one who spoke wildly that day, it was Abatai's bondservant Aha, but please calm down about such a trivial matter."

"Abatai?!"

Daishan's roar shook the dust off the tent ceiling.

He laughed in anger, his gold-plated armor creaking as he gripped it: "Good! The winds have shifted, and this beast is now currying favor with Huang Taiji behind my back! I knew it! Why would someone from the Bordered Yellow Banner lower himself to the Plain White Banner? So that's why!"

To prevent any mistake, Dai Shan grabbed Liu Xingzuo and asked, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

Cold sweat beaded on Liu Xingzuo's forehead, but he nodded firmly: "That servant was wearing the Bordered Yellow Banner cotton armor and was carrying the Plain White Banner banner. If he wasn't under Abatai's command, then who was he?"

"Fine! You son of a bitch Abatai, I'll teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

Seeing Dai Shan's furious expression, Liu Xingzuo felt a surge of pleasure.

Let's fight!

It would be best to either kill Abatai or be killed by Abatai.

I want to see rivers of blood!
PS:

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(End of this chapter)