Huangming

Chapter 306 Using slaves to control slaves, a bloody massacre of the palace.

Tabai's head was hung above the East Gate, and the bloodstains on the bluestone slab meandered down the ravines, turning an eerie red in the morning light.

The news spread like wildfire throughout the inner city. The Jurchen nobles who had originally intended to put up a last stand suddenly became like stray dogs after seeing Tabai's head. Some cowered in the depths of their courtyards, trembling with fear, while others fled in panic toward the city gates, only to be cut down in pools of blood by the Ming army that had already guarded the four gates.

Apart from those who were deliberately released, almost everyone else became corpses on the ground.

In Hetu Ala.

Sporadic resistance continues.

Armored guards rushed out of the mansion, brandishing long swords and roaring as they charged; bondservants who had been coerced wielded wooden sticks and beat people indiscriminately; even women of the imperial clan held their children, trying to gain pity by crying out.

But these resistances were as fragile as paper in the face of the well-armored and well-trained Ming army.

The flash of blades and screams rose and fell, but were quickly drowned out by the even more intense sounds of fighting.

Zu Dashou stood on the gate tower of the Tabai Palace, watching the chaos in the streets gradually subside, and suddenly turned to look at Li Yangeng beside him.

His long sword was tucked diagonally into his waistband, the blood on the blade still wet. His eyes were as cold as ice: "Li Yangeng, what is the fastest way to wipe out all the people of Hetu Ala?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yangeng suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He opened his mouth, but something seemed to block his throat, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out a few words: "Kill...kill everyone?"

He originally thought that after the Ming army broke through the city, they would only kill the Jurchen nobles and the garrison, and at most settle accounts with a few traitors who aided and abetted the evildoers. He did not expect that Zu Dashou's murderous intent would be so strong.

In Hetu Ala, there were thousands of Jurchen royal family members and their families alone, plus bondservants, artisans, and merchants, totaling tens of thousands.

Such a massacre would result in rivers of blood!

Zu Dashou didn't speak, he just stared at him coldly.

Zu Dashou's gaze was like a knife, making Li Yangeng dare not look him in the eye.

The general's gaze swept over the corpses lying in the streets and alleys, then looked at the terrified people huddled in the corners in the distance, his heart filled with intense struggle.

Silence spread amidst the aftershocks of the clash of swords, and Li Yangeng suddenly seemed to be awakened by something, a flash of enlightenment appearing in his eyes.

Yes!

If they don't kill them, why did the Ming army go to such lengths to cross the Ghost Valley and travel thousands of miles just to watch a show?
The Jurchens ravaged Liaodong for many years, massacring cities and seizing land, treating Han people like dirt. If we don't put a knife to their throats, if we don't let them taste enough blood, how can we expect them to restrain themselves?
Only when these barbarians are truly terrified, and feel pain to the very core, will they understand:
The Han people are not cattle or sheep that can be driven around at will.

You kill my Han Chinese people, I will slaughter your Jianzhou barbarians!
With this in mind, Li Yangeng took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and said to Zu Dashou:

"General, most of those Jurchen nobles are currently hiding, either in secret places in their mansions or mixed among the bondservants. If we search house to house, it will take more than ten days to find them all. But there is a way that can allow you to eradicate these lowly slaves in a short time."

"Oh?"

Zu Dashou's eyes immediately lit up. He tapped the long knife in his palm and eagerly pressed for an answer.

"What method? Tell me quickly!"

He hated this kind of hiding and maneuvering the most. If they were not eradicated, these remaining bandits would become a future problem once reinforcements arrived.

Li Yangeng pointed to several trembling bondservants not far away: "It's very simple. General, you just need to find the mansions of those Jurchen nobles according to the list I gave you, and then let their bondservants point out where their masters are hiding. These servants serve their masters every day, and they know better than anyone else where there are hidden compartments or cellars. It's ten times faster than us searching blindly like headless flies."

"Should we get help from the bondservant?"

Zu Dashou frowned immediately, his eyes filled with suspicion.

"These people have served the Jurchens for years, how could they possibly obey? Besides, how are we supposed to capture these bondservants?"

"Don't worry, General, it's very easy to get them to obey."

Li Yangeng sneered, his tone filled with undisguised contempt.

“The Jurchen nobles can hide in cellars, but bondservants have nowhere to hide. They either guard the mansion or cower in the corners of the streets and alleys, making them easy targets. As long as you capture one or two of your own servants, brandish your weapons, and threaten them with the lives of their wives, children, and elderly parents, you can guarantee they will tell you exactly where their master is hiding, even how many bricks are under the bed.”

To convince Zu Dashou, Li Yangeng paused, his gaze sweeping over the bowed and downcast bondservants, his voice growing even colder:
“I know these people better than anyone. They fawn over their masters and seem loyal, but when it comes to losing their own heads, they are more selfish than anyone else. General, think about it from the other side. If these people had even a shred of morality or integrity, how could they willingly serve the Jurchens like slaves and stand idly by while their compatriots are slaughtered?”

After listening, Zu Dashou's doubts gradually disappeared, replaced by a ruthless look.

"You're right."

He turned to his guards and said, "Go, according to the list Li Yangeng gave us, first go to the residences of those imperial clansmen in the Bordered Yellow Banner and seize a few bondservants!"

A moment later, several bondservantes dressed in tattered clothes were dragged over. Their knees buckled and they knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly: "General, spare our lives! General, spare our lives!"

Zu Dashou stepped on one of the men's backs, the tip of his longsword pressed against his neck: "Tell me, where is your master hiding? Tell me, and I'll spare your life; don't, and this moat of Hetu Ala will be your burial ground!"

The servant was terrified, trembling as he pointed to the backyard of the mansion: "In...in the cellar of the west wing, there's a bluestone slab that can be lifted..."

Zu Dashou gave Li Yangeng a look, and the latter nodded slightly.

The guards immediately rushed into the backyard and found a hidden compartment in the basement of the west wing, where three trembling Jurchen noblewomen were hiding. They were the family members of the bondservant master.

"It really works."

Zu Dashou looked at the noblewoman being escorted out, nodded in satisfaction, and said to Li Yangeng, "Do as you say. Let these servants lead the way and wipe them out one by one!"

Li Yangeng bowed and accepted the order.

Looking at the people who had been drinking and chatting with him, now turning into corpses one by one, Li Yangeng felt a heavy weight in his heart.

but……

There is nothing we can do about this.

Who told you to have Han blood on your hands?
To deal with the Jurchens, these barbarians who have long lost their conscience, reasoning is useless. Only by fighting back with blood and teeth can we make them understand what fear is.

The Jurchen nobles in the inner city were wiped out one by one, but Zu Dashou's eyes had already been set on the tallest building in the city center.

Hetu Ala Palace City.

That was the place where the core of the Later Jin dynasty was hidden. Nurhaci's family, relatives, and even the Khan's documents and archives were all within those palace walls.

Only by capturing the palace can we truly eradicate the Jurchens from their roots.

"Pass on my order: attack the palace!" Zu Dashou pointed his long sword forward, his voice echoing through the streets.

Although the palace city of Hetu Ala was not as grand as the imperial city of the Ming Dynasty, it was still built of brick and stone, with walls as high as three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and a majestic gate tower.

At this moment, the palace gates were tightly closed, and dozens of Jurchen guards on the city tower were still putting up a stubborn resistance. Arrows rained down, temporarily slowing down the Ming army's advance.

"General Huang, it's your turn to show your skills!" Zu Dashou shouted to those behind him.

Huang Degong had already led the gunners to push the breech-loading cannons to the open space in front of the palace gate, with the muzzles aimed at the heavy vermilion palace gate.

"Look!"

At his command, the gunners quickly loaded gunpowder and ammunition, the hissing sound of the fuses igniting particularly jarring in the silence.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three deafening explosions shook the earth, and the flashes from the cannonballs illuminated half the sky.

The palace gate shattered with a crash, sending splinters of wood and bricks flying. Guards on the city tower were thrown into the air by the blast wave, their screams echoing throughout the city.

"kill!"

Ming soldiers surged into the palace gates like a tidal wave, and the glint of swords instantly swallowed the silence of the palace.

They killed anyone they encountered, whether they were armored guards or palace maids fleeing in terror; none could escape their blades.

Zu Dashou had already given the order that no prisoners within the palace city who were not of value should be left alive.

The sounds of fighting spread all the way to the Khan's main office.

Outside this Jurchen "Golden Palace," the dragon carvings on the pillars were splattered with blood, and the stone lions in front of the steps were stained dark red.

Meanwhile, in the Khan's bedroom on the east side of the Golden Palace, the Grand Consort Abahai was huddled in front of her dressing table, trembling with fear.

Her moon-white satin robe embroidered with butterflies was already soaked with cold sweat. Her usually well-maintained plump cheeks were now completely drained of color, and her hairpins were scattered in her hair. She no longer possessed any of the majesty of a Grand Consort.

"Zhe Zhe, what should we do? The Ming army has already broken in, what should we do?" She grabbed the sleeve of the woman next to her, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

Standing before her was Zhe Zhe, the wife of the Fourth Prince Huang Taiji.

This Mongolian beauty from Khorchin showed no sign of panic.

Her face was as full as a full moon, with the healthy tan of a grassland woman, her fair skin tinged with a natural blush; her almond-shaped eyes were large and clear, with slightly upturned corners, yet they were filled with frost; beneath her delicate nose, her full lips were tightly pressed together, revealing a fierceness that was completely different from her gentle and beautiful appearance.

"Your Highness, don't wait any longer."

Zhe Zhe's voice was unusually calm, so calm that it sent chills down one's spine.

“The Ming army has captured Hetu Ala. We are women of the Great Jin, women of the Aisin Gioro clan. Falling into their hands would be worse than death. Rather than being captured and humiliated, we should end our own lives and preserve our innocence.”

Having said that, she took a gold-inlaid dagger from her waist; the gems on the scabbard gleamed coldly in the dim light.

She drew her knife with a "whoosh," the sharp blade reflecting her resolute face.

Abahai was terrified by her appearance and retreated repeatedly: "No! Zhe Zhe, are you crazy? The wise Khan will come to save us! Even if we are captured, he will definitely use gold and silver to ransom us! He loves me the most..."

She cried out incoherently, as if repeating "The wise Khan will come" could dispel the shadow of death before her.

Zhe Zhe shook his head, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes, but more so contempt.

She raised her hand, pressing the dagger against her neck, instantly drawing blood on her tanned skin. "Grand Consort, have you forgotten what happened to those Han women who were abducted when Kaiyuan, Tieling, and Fushun fell? The Ming army hates us to the bone; how could they spare any survivors?" Her gaze swept over the luxurious furnishings of the palace, finally settling on Abahai's terrified face. "Rather than relying on others, it's better to end it all myself. I, Zhe Zhe, am a daughter of the grasslands and a daughter-in-law of the Aisin Gioro clan; I cannot endure that humiliation."

Before he finished speaking, hurried footsteps and shouts of battle came from outside the palace, clearly indicating that the Ming army had already reached the palace gates.

A cold glint flashed in Zhe Zhe's eyes, and she suddenly tightened her wrist.

"No!" Abahai screamed shrilly.

"Bang!"

Just at this time.

The vermilion gate of the palace was kicked open, and amidst flying wood chips, Zu Dashou strode in with several guards.

His gaze swept across the hall, and when he saw Abahai huddled on the ground and Zhe Zhe raising a knife to commit suicide, he immediately snorted coldly:
"Hmph, you think you can die in front of my Zu Dashou?"

Seeing Zhe Zhe clench her teeth and was about to exert force with her wrist, Zu Dashou snorted coldly, took the horn bow off her back with her back hand, nocked an arrow with three fingers, and instantly drew the bowstring to a full moon.

With a sharp "whoosh," the arrow pierced the air like a meteor, accurately striking the short knife in Zhe Zhe's hand.

With a clang, the dagger was knocked away and embedded itself deeply into the gilded pillar behind him.

Zhe Zhe's arm went numb from the shock. Before she could react, Zu Dashou strode forward and grabbed her wrist.

His palms were rough like sandpaper, and his strength was so great that he almost crushed her bones: "The women of the Jurchens do have some fierceness, but it's a pity they were born into the wrong family."

Who are these people?

Zu Dashou turned to look at Li Yangeng, who followed him in, and his gaze lingered on Abahai for a moment.

Although the woman's face showed fear, she could not hide her voluptuous figure, and her brocade robe accentuated her exaggerated curves.

Li Yangeng stepped forward quickly, pointed at Abahai, and said, "General, this is Abahai, the Grand Consort of the Heavenly Mandate Khan; this one..."

He looked at Zhe Zhe, who was being held captive by Zu Dashou, and said softly, "It is Zhe Zhe, the wife of Fourth Prince Huang Taiji."

Zu Dashou glanced sideways at Abahai, his lips curling into a smirk.

Rumors circulated about how alluring this woman was, but upon seeing her today, she appears to be nothing more than a woman with large breasts and a voluptuous figure, exuding a barbaric savagery. Compared to the gentle and refined elegance of women from the Central Plains, she is far inferior.

Zhe Zhe, whom he had captured, had a furious expression, but her wheat-colored skin shone with a healthy glow. When her almond-shaped eyes were wide open, she had a wildness that resembled a spirited horse of the grasslands, making her more appealing to the Han people than Abahai.

"Kill me if you dare!"

Zhe Zhe suddenly raised his head, his neck straight, his dark pupils burning with anger, showing no intention of begging for mercy.

Her hairpin fell off during the struggle, and her dark hair fell loosely over her shoulders, adding a touch of breathtaking beauty.

"Heh heh, want to die? Not so easy."

Zu Dashou released her hand, patted her cheek, and spoke with undisguised malice in his tone.

"When you Jurchens slaughtered my Han people, did you ever give them a way out? Now that they've fallen into my hands, they'll taste the bitterness of wishing for death but being unable to live!"

He turned to his guards and sternly ordered, "Tie those two women up tightly, gag them, and keep a close watch on them! As for the rest of the people in the hall..."

His gaze swept over the trembling palace maids and eunuchs, and he said with a sneer, "Those without titles, leave no one alive, kill them all!"

"As ordered!"

The guards immediately stepped forward and tied Abahai and Zhe Zhe tightly with thick hemp rope.

Abahai was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, whimpering as she was dragged along; Zhe Zhe, however, stared intently at Zu Dashou, her eyes filled with not fear, but with deep-seated hatred.

The shouts and screams outside the palace rose and fell, quickly spreading to every corner of the bedchamber.

Those palace maids, eunuchs, even wet nurses and servants who couldn't escape were all cut down by the Ming soldiers' long swords.

Blood flowed down the pillars, staining the gold-brick-paved ground red, and even the air was filled with a sweet, pungent smell of blood.

Zu Dashou stood in the hall, listening to the sounds of killing all around him, his face showing no emotion.

He walked up to Zhe Zhe, who was bound, and used the back of his knife to lift her chin: "Remember, my name is Zu Dashou. When you get to the execution ground, you'll know who sent you on your way."

Zhe Zhe suddenly turned her head, trying to headbutt Zu Dashou, but Zu Dashou easily dodged it.

"You have a fiery temper. I hope you'll still act that way when you're about to die."

Zu Dashou sneered and turned to leave the palace.

The fighting in the palace continued, but he knew that the end of Hetu Ala had come.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Hetu Ala, deep in the cellar of the Heshuo Ezhen Mansion, the young boy Dodo was huddled on a cold stone platform.

The cellar was extremely small, only big enough for two people. The walls were made of rammed earth, and the roof was covered by an inconspicuous bluestone slab. If it weren't for the few closest servants in the mansion, no one would know that such a hidden place existed.

He had deliberately messed up the cellar, throwing in a few old clothes to mislead the Ming army, while he hid in this last hiding place.

In the darkness, Dodo's eyes shone like a wolf cub's, and his face was filled with a resentment that was beyond his years.

He clenched his fists tightly, his heart filled with humiliation.
How dare those Ming dogs launch a sneak attack on Hetu Ala!

The birthplace of my Great Jin Dynasty has actually been breached by these southern barbarians!

"Useless! Seventh Brother is a complete waste!"

He cursed under his breath, the image of Tabai drinking and making merry flashing through his mind, but now it seemed particularly jarring.

If it were him, he certainly wouldn't have allowed the Ming army to enter the city so easily!
When he comes of age and commands the Eight Banners' soldiers, he will make the Ming dogs repay today's humiliation and hatred a hundredfold!
He wanted to slaughter all the Han people, burn down their cities, and let them know the power of the Aisin Gioro clan!

Just as he was gritting his teeth and fantasizing about revenge, he suddenly felt a slight vibration above his head. Then, a series of chaotic footsteps approached from afar, making a dull "thump-thump" sound on the ground.

Dodo's heart leaped into his throat. He held his breath, barely daring to breathe, until he heard footsteps stop beside the bluestone slab above him.

"General, I can guarantee that Dorgon is definitely down there!"

A familiar voice rang out, its obsequious tone tinged with urgency.

It's Tong Guoyao!

Dodo's face turned deathly pale instantly, as if his blood had frozen at that moment.

Tong Guoyao was his most trusted servant, who always served him faithfully and was completely obedient to him. She even took the blame for him a few times...

How dare he? !

"you sure?"

Another voice rang out, carrying the ruggedness characteristic of Ming generals.

"Absolutely true!"

Tong Guoyao's voice became even more urgent.

"This little cellar was specially dug by Master, and only I and two other servants know about it. A few days ago, Master told me that if there is any danger, I should hide here..."

"Lift it up and take a look!"

With a command, a creaking sound came from above, and the bluestone slab was slowly moved aside, letting in a blinding light that illuminated Dorgon's terrified face.

He looked up and met Tong Guoyao's obsequious face.

When the other person saw him, a hint of panic flashed in their eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an eagerness to take credit, and they even gave him a strange smile.

Dodo felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his blood boiled and froze at that moment.

He was betrayed.

He was betrayed to Ming Gou by his most trusted lackey, like a rag being thrown to him.

"catch him!"

The roar of the Ming soldiers rang out overhead, and a rough, large hand reached down and gripped his arm tightly.

Dodo struggled violently, but was easily pulled up and slammed onto the cold ground.

He raised his head and stared intently at Tong Guoyao, the resentment in his eyes almost tangible.

"traitor……"

He squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, like an evil spirit from hell.

Tong Guoyao hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze, and bowed repeatedly to the Ming general: "General, you see, I wasn't lying, was I? This is Heshuo Ezhen, Nurhaci's own son, he will surely be able to secure a good future for you..."

Dorgon was pinned to the ground, and as he listened to Tong Guoyao's words, his last shred of hope vanished.

He knew that he was finished.

But he didn't cry out. Instead, he used his wolf-like eyes to etch Tong Guoyao's face and the faces of these Ming dogs into his heart.

If he manages to escape today.

The humiliation of today will be avenged in the future.

Even if it costs him his life, Dodo would make these people...

eye for eye!
(End of this chapter)