The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 128 The Tears of the Remnant People Dried Up in the Dust of the Barbarians

Chen Liangce was greatly alarmed and bowed, saying, "When we surrendered, the Great Khan personally promised that we would not have to shave our heads. How can you go back on your word now?"

Tong Yangzhen dismounted, tossed the reins to his men, took a towel to wipe his face, then took off his hat to wipe his bald head, and said with a sinister smile, "All the Aha have shaved their heads, why don't you surrendered soldiers shave yours? Blame your Southern Barbarian Emperor for being stupid, sending people to raid the Liaodong coast, which displeased the Great Khan."

Having said that, Tong Yangzhen looked around and shouted sternly, "What are you waiting for? Seize them and shave their heads! Everyone shave their heads!"

The Jurchen soldiers around him obeyed the order, grabbed Chen Liangce's arms, pinned him to the ground, and drew their knives to attack.

Chen Liangce roared and struggled incessantly. The Jurchen cavalry tightened their grip, and his arms quickly twisted to their limit. He screamed in agony, and his hands swelled up and turned purplish-red.

The soldiers behind Chen Liangce were all captured, and those who were not captured for the time being dared not make the slightest move.

Chen Liangce's face was covered in tears and dirt as he stared blankly at the thousands of strands of hair falling away.

The Jurchens shaved Chen Liangce's head in an extremely rough manner, using a small knife to cut off his hair in one stroke and throwing it aside.

He then used a knife to scrape off the scalp, leaving the head covered in wounds and dripping with blood.

Seeing this, Tong Yangzhen said, "Wait! Don't shave their heads at the city gate. Take them into the city. They're going to be shaved anyway. Let the other southern barbarians see what happens when they resist."

"Yes!"

The surrounding Jurchen cavalry obeyed the order and dragged Chen Liangce and his surrendered soldiers away like dead dogs.

The shaving continued until nightfall, when the Jurchen cavalry finally went to sleep and stopped.

At this moment, in the surrendered soldiers' camp, Chen Liangce had his head shaved, with strands of hair hanging down his head. Countless streams of blood flowed down his face and neck, congealing into scabs, making him look extremely miserable.

The Ming soldiers who had surrendered and whose heads had been shaved were also mostly like that.

Those who hadn't yet had their heads shaved looked just as miserable, since everyone had to get theirs shaved and it would be their turn tomorrow.

Hundreds of people looked at each other in silence, the atmosphere in the military camp was extremely oppressive.

Finally, someone couldn't help but whisper, "Commander, let's rebel!"

These words were like hot oil poured on water, and people immediately responded.

"Having been humiliated by having my head shaved, I have no face to live on. I might as well kill a few Tartars to take with me before I die!"

"Several of my fellow villagers were killed today. I will avenge them!"

"We outnumber the Tartars, so let's storm into the Ejen's mansion, drag out that guy surnamed Tong, and hack him to death!"

"Yes, we can't let that Tong guy get away with it! Chop that bastard into pieces and feed him to the dogs!"

……

"Shut up!" Chen Liangce shouted angrily. "Since we have surrendered to the Great Jin, we should be loyal to the Great Khan. Shaving our heads is only right and proper. How can we talk about rebellion over such a trivial matter? Today, I will forgive and forget about our past grievances because of our comradeship. If you say such things again, be careful, or I will turn my back on you!"

The soldiers around him reacted with a variety of emotions upon hearing this, ranging from astonishment and confusion to anger and resentment, and even relief and regret.

Regardless of their inner thoughts, after hearing such discouraging words, no one mentioned the rebellion anymore, and the surrendered soldiers returned to their numb and miserable state, each returning to their barracks.

The area in front of Chen Liangce's barracks was deserted for a while.

One of his trusted confidants asked, "Commander, I believe the morale of the troops is high. Why don't you give it a try, General?"

Chen Liangce smiled bitterly: "There are three hundred Tartars in the city and four hundred of us. It seems like we have more people, but most of these four hundred people have no fighting spirit. How many of them are truly willing to follow us in this uprising? If we start a rebellion hastily, we will only leak the news and be killed for no reason. If we want the rebellion to succeed, we must cooperate from within and without."

At this point, Chen Liangce looked up to the sky and sighed. It sounds simple to talk about working together from the inside and outside, but it is incredibly difficult to do.

Zhenjiang is the easternmost point of Liaodong. By the time the Ming army recovers Liaodong and reaches Zhenjiang, who knows how many years it will take? Chen Liangce may never live to see that day.

"Disperse, everyone," Chen Liangce said to his subordinates.

After everyone had left, Chen Liangce looked up at the moon, his eyes filled with sorrow, and silently murmured, "The tears of the remnant people are exhausted in the dust of the barbarians."

With a long sigh, Chen Liangce went back to his barracks to sleep.

What he didn't know was that just now, a small force was approaching Zhenjiang City.

The group consisted of about twenty people. They carried no torches, did not speak, and moved with unusual quietness. Each person carried a Portuguese musket and had a knife at their waist.

Led by the guide, the group found their way to a bend in the post road three miles outside Zhenjiang City. They then divided their tasks and set up lookouts, some to set up tripwires, and others to bury gunpowder by the roadside.

In the middle of the night, a large gunboat, accompanied by three smaller gunboats, sailed into the Yalu River.

The southeast wind is blowing hard tonight, and the Yalu River is full of water and wide, making it perfect for going upstream.

Four gunboats slowly sailed to the outskirts of Zhenjiang City. The gunboats' cannons were wide open, and the dark muzzles of the cannons protruded, their bronze barrels gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Half-asleep, Chen Liangce was startled awake by a sudden rumble of thunder. He jumped out of bed, touched his forehead, and found it covered in cold sweat. He realized he had been having a nightmare.

He accidentally touched his shaved head and was overcome with grief. Just as he was about to lie down and go back to sleep, he suddenly heard a loud rumbling sound from the city, as if the earth was turning over.

Chen Liangce perked up, grabbed the knife from the side of the bed, got out of bed, and walked out of the tent in a few steps.

In the distance, several houses had collapsed, and smoke and dust rose into the air. Jurchen soldiers were shouting and cursing.

"Commander, what has happened?" His trusted subordinate came out of the tent, walked to Chen Liangce's side, and looked around in the distance.

Chen Liangce shook his head. He already had a vague suspicion in his mind, but he couldn't believe it was true.

"Boom boom boom..."

Soon after, another burst of thunder came from the river outside the city.

Immediately afterwards, the Zhenjiang city gate was struck as if by a heavy hammer, bricks and stones flew everywhere, and half of the city gate collapsed, filling the air with smoke and dust.

Some Tartar soldiers were hit by flying stones, fell to the ground injured, and screamed in agony.

Chen Liangce heard it clearly now; it was clearly the sound of cannons. The Jurchens did not have cannons with such power, nor did they have sea ships.

The visitors... are the Ming Dynasty navy!

After a while, the rest of the soldiers came out of the tent and stood beside Chen Liangce, staring at the city in disbelief.

Chen Liangce's heart pounded wildly, but he forced himself to calm down and ordered his subordinates: "Third brother, you take fifty men to the east of the city, open the city gates, and let the heavenly soldiers in! Eldest brother, you pick twenty good men to come with me into the city and settle accounts with that Tong fellow!"

Just as Chen Liangce was about to set off, his subordinates stopped him: "Commander, we are currently shelling the city; it's dangerous to go into the city!"

As if to confirm his words, another series of cannon shots rang out in the distance, followed by a heavy blow to the city wall, as if it had been struck in the waist by an invisible iron rod. The battlements and bricks shattered and fell, revealing the rammed earth inside.

Chen Liangce angrily pushed his subordinates away: "Even if I am blasted to death by a cannon today, I will take the lives of these Tartar dogs first!"

Then he thought for a moment and said to his subordinates, "Dog Egg, you take the rest of the brothers and spread out in the city, shouting that the Ming army is coming, the heavenly army is coming!"

"Yes!"

After saying that, Chen Liangce strode towards Tong Yangzhen's residence.

He had few men under his command, but they were familiar with the city's layout and were all highly skilled. In addition, the city was in chaos, so he walked through the alleys without being discovered by the Tartar soldiers.

Along the way, the city was bombarded by artillery fire from outside, and solid iron bullets rained down on the city, overturning countless houses. The streets were littered with rubble and debris, and several fires broke out. Horses were frightened and ran wildly in the streets, creating utter chaos.

Chen Liangce vaguely felt that the power of this cannon was greater than that of the Ming army's heavy breech-loading cannons, and the sound of the cannons was continuous and long-lasting, so there should be no less than ten cannons.

The Ming army actually transferred such warships to Liaodong?
Chen Liangce couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it and led his men straight towards Tong Yangzhen's residence.

At that moment, shouts came from afar.

"The Ming army has entered the city!"

"The heavenly army has entered the city!"

"Everyone, kill the Tartars!"

The Tartar soldiers were completely unprepared for the night attack. In their haste, they were leaderless and fled in all directions, leaving no one to guard Tong Yangzhen's residence.

Behind the gatehouse of the mansion, Tong Yangzhen's family and servants were packing their belongings, preparing to escape.

Chen Liangce happened to see it.

The women and servants were terrified when they saw Chen Liangce's ferocious face and the long knife in his hand.

Chen Liangce didn't waste any words. He raised his sword and started killing. He didn't care about men, women, or children. As long as he saw them, they all died under his blade.

The group charged in, with Chen Liangce leading the way, heading straight for the backyard and kicking open Tong Yangzhen's bedroom door.

The bedroom was empty.

Since his family members had not left, it is assumed that Tong Yangzhen should still be at home.

Chen Liangce ordered, "Find the man surnamed Tong!"

The men rushed into the room and ransacked it. A moment later, they dragged Tong Yangzhen out from under the bed.

The guerrilla leader from Zhenjiang, a Tartar, was only wearing his undergarments, with his armor only half-on. His squinting eyes were filled with terror, showing no trace of the ferocity of a murderous demon.

Tong Yangzhen recognized the faces of the surrendered Ming soldiers and angrily said, "Fine, you..."

He was only halfway through his sentence when a knife handle struck him in the face.

The surrendered soldiers were extremely brutal; Tong Yangzhen's nose was broken, blood gushed from his nose, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.

“Ba…buna, Babuna…” Tong Yangzhen kept begging for mercy in his mother tongue, then, realizing what was happening, he switched to Mandarin, “Spare me…”

The surrendered soldier beside him raised his sword, about to stab him in the stomach, but Chen Liangce stopped him: "Wait! His dog's life is for the general to deal with when he arrives. Take him away!"

After leaving the room, Chen Liangce said, "Take this bastard out of the city and hand him over to the Jiangshang Navy. Search his residence thoroughly for the rest; don't let a single Tartar escape!"

"Yes!" The surrounding soldiers all clasped their hands in obedience.

……

Meanwhile, on the post road outside Zhenjiang City, a group of Jurchen cavalrymen were galloping on horseback.

As they sped along, they kept looking back at Zhenjiang, where they saw flames soaring into the sky and the constant booming of cannons on the river to the east.

The cavalry guarding Zhenjiang were mostly old and weak Jurchens. After fighting for several months, they had become extremely arrogant and negligent in their defenses. Coupled with the night attack, they were leaderless and worried about being besieged by the Ming army. That's why they withdrew from the city and scattered in all directions.

The leader of the Jurchen cavalry was filled with lingering fear. He had been present when they attacked Liaoyang and Shenyang. He had seen the Ming army's general cannons and breech-loading cannons, but they were nothing special. He had never seen such power before.
Moreover, the constant roar of the gunboats seemed intent on turning Zhenjiang into a wasteland; their resolute spirit was truly terrifying.

Fortunately, they escaped. After reporting the situation in Zhenjiang to the Great Khan, the main force of the Jin Dynasty returned to reinforce the city.

No matter how powerful your cannons are, they will fall under the iron hooves and arrows of the Jurchen warriors. At that time, all these Ming soldiers and civilians who surrendered will be killed without exception.

As he was pondering this, his horse suddenly stumbled and he fell off, followed by a burst of gunfire from all around.

The lead cavalryman was greatly alarmed. He struggled to his feet with great difficulty, but suddenly heard a loud bang by the roadside and was knocked to the ground by the blast wave. His ears were ringing, and he could only vaguely hear shouts of battle all around him, followed by the sounds of swords piercing flesh and screams of agony.

Before he could react, a knife slashed his neck, blood gushed out like a fountain, and he collapsed within a few breaths.

Although the remaining Jurchen cavalry were attacked one after another, they still fought bravely in hand-to-hand combat after they reacted. It took several crew members to gang up on one of them and barely manage to defeat him, and many others were injured.

Half an incense stick later, the fighting on the post road had ceased, and the crew treated the wounded and cleaned up the battlefield.

Lei Sanxiang wiped the blood from his face and instructed the crew, "Stab each corpse a few times, then stir it up to see if there are any high-ranking officials. Hurry up, we'll be leaving soon!"

One of the crew members said, "Shoulder, why don't we wait a little longer and kill more Tartars?"

Lei Sanxiang angrily retorted, "Do you think the Tartars are so easy to kill? We used tripwires and muskets, and we even lost five or six of our own men. When the next wave of Tartars comes, aren't we just asking for death?"

After being reprimanded, the subordinate dared not speak again and silently went to stab the corpse.

Lei Sanxiang looked around at the corpses and didn't see any richly dressed people. He felt sorry that he hadn't killed any high-ranking officials, but he was already quite remarkable to have exchanged five lightly wounded soldiers for the lives of twenty Tartars.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the group retreated towards the Yalu River.

……

At dawn, a white flag was raised atop Zhenjiang city.

The artillery fire gradually ceased.

Chen Liangce and his men escorted Tong Yangzhen and his family and servants to the riverbank and stopped.

"Kneel down!" Chen Liangce said coldly.

Tong Yangzhen was beaten half to death overnight, his head swollen like a pig's head. He had lost all his arrogance and, upon hearing this, he led his family and servants to kneel obediently.

Chen Liangce squinted at the river and saw four warships anchored there. Three of them were Ming Dynasty Haicang ships, and the other ship had a tall hull, the type of which was unknown.

Chen Liangce took a deep breath and shouted, "I am Chen Liangce, the garrison commander of Zhenjiang Fort in Liaodong of the Great Ming Dynasty. Today I have captured the bandit chieftain Tong Yangzhen and handed him over to the general for punishment!"

There was no response; only the sound of the rushing river could be heard.

Chen Liangce shouted several more times, and then had his men shout along with him.

After a long while, flags fluttered on the gunboat, and a ship from the Haicang region sailed closer.

After the Haicang ship had sailed for a while, Chen Liangce saw that its deck was full of scarlet lights. When he got closer, he realized that they were actually flint ropes.

On that Haicang ship, almost every soldier was armed with a matchlock musket! On each side of the ship's hull, there were also three breech-loading cannons, making it a truly well-equipped vessel.

At this moment, all the guns and cannons on the deck were aimed at the shore, and the soldiers on it all looked on high alert.

Chen Liangce was shocked. Such a large supply of firearms—this must be the elite of the border army!
The imperial court...in the end, did not forget Liaodong!

Chen Liangce was both surprised and moved, and his eyes inexplicably felt hot...

The Haicang boat stopped when it got close enough to ask about the identities of Chen Liangce and the others, and also inquired about the situation in Zhenjiang City.

Chen Liangce explained in detail: "Many houses in the city have collapsed, the cannon fire has startled the horses, and the Tartars have either died or fled. My troops have now occupied the city. Please enter the city, General."

The people on the ship asked about the prisoners' identities, and Chen Liangce told them the truth.

After asking the questions, the Haicang ship left and returned to the gunboat to report back.

After a long while, the gunboat gave another order, and several people boarded a small boat and sailed over under the escort of three Haicang ships.

Chen Liangce was shocked to discover that all three ships on the Haicang ship were identical, filled with the red glow of burning fuses.

From a distance, it truly sends chills down one's spine.

Before the Haicang ship docked, it turned sideways, and all three ships aimed their side guns at the shore.

Immediately someone on the boat shouted, "Put down your weapons!"

They spoke in Mandarin, without any Liaodong accent.

Chen Liangce's subordinate said, "We laid down our weapons, and the Tartars ran away!"

"Hahahaha..." A burst of laughter erupted on the ship.

A moment later, someone said, "Don't worry, we can't escape this close. Put down your weapons!"

Chen Liangce ordered his men, "Everyone, take three steps back and throw away your weapons!"

Subordinates obey orders.

Then the people on the ship jumped off, carrying matchlock guns, and surrounded everyone.

"Squat down!"

Chen Liangce squatted on the ground with his subordinates.

Then the small boat that came from the large sailboat slowly approached. Chen Liangce looked up, but before he could see who it was, an extremely pungent smell of sulfur hit him first.

Lin Qian said to Bai Langzai, "Send someone to check their waist tags!"

"Yes!" Bai Langzai accepted the order and looked at all the waist tags of the surrendered Ming soldiers.

Fortunately, these people had only recently surrendered and still cherished their homeland; they had not yet discarded their waist tags, and after a thorough inspection, there was no problem.

After some negotiation, Bai Langzai brought Chen Liangce to Lin Qian: "Commander... Captain, this is the garrison commander of Zhenjiang."

"Chen Liangce, the garrison commander of Zhenjiang, greets Commander Qianzong. May I ask which lord you serve under?"

In terms of rank, a garrison commander is higher than a captain, so the captain should be the one who greets the garrison commander.

Chen Liangce was so excited to see people from his homeland that he forgot all about formalities.

Lin Qian returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "He Ping, a captain under Commander Xiong of Liaodong."

Chen Liangce was overjoyed and pointed at Tong Yangzhen, saying, "Commander He, this man is the Tartar's Zhenjiang guerrilla commander, highly regarded by the bandit chief. I have captured him and will present him to you, Commander!"

Lin Qian glanced at Tong Yangzhen.

This person is not well-known in history, but his family was quite important in the Later Jin Dynasty. His grandniece married the later Shunzhi Emperor and gave birth to the Kangxi Emperor. His family became the maternal family of the emperor and was very powerful, known as "Tong Half the Court".

Lin Qian walked up to Tong Yangzhen and asked, "How many Tartar troops are there in the Zhenjiang area?"

Chen Liangce translated it into Jurchen and questioned him sternly.

Because they were on the front lines and had long-term contact with the Jurchens, and because of General Li Chengliang's policy of using barbarians to control barbarians, the border troops often dealt with the Jurchens. In particular, most of the middle and lower-ranking officers could speak a few words of Jurchen.

Tong Yangzhen had been thoroughly defeated and honestly replied, "From here north to Changdian Fort and south to Huanggudao Fort, there are only three hundred men."

Where have all the Han Chinese people moved to?

“There are more than a hundred Tuokesuo, large and small, along the Yalu River to the north.”

Lin Qian had no further questions. She waved her hand, and the crew stepped forward and swiftly slit the throats of the prisoners to draw blood.

Tong Yangzhen watched as his family members and servants perished one by one like chicks, his heart shattered with terror. He kowtowed repeatedly, pleading in broken Mandarin, "General, spare me! I am a Jin... no, a Jurchen guerrilla! I have a secret letter from the Jurchens! Let me see the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!"

Lin Qian remained expressionless, calmly watching the Tartars struggle and scream, until they bled to death one by one.

As the execution procession drew closer to Tong Yangzhen, he trembled violently, his swollen, bluish-purple face streaked with tears and snot, and yellow fluid trickled from his crotch.

"I am Tong Yangzhen, and I am highly valued by the Great Khan! You cannot kill me. If you do, the Great Khan will surely avenge me, and the entire Yalu River will be stained with blood!"

"Spare me! I know I was wrong, I was a beast, I shouldn't have killed those Han people! Isn't your Ming Dynasty supposed to be the most benevolent and benevolent? I'm willing to submit, I really am willing to submit!"

Tong Yangzhen was so frightened that he was talking nonsense, sometimes begging for mercy in Jurchen and sometimes in Chinese.

Chen Liangce whispered to Lin Qian, "Commander He, this man is indeed highly regarded by the bandit chief. His cousin is the bandit chief's first wife. Saving his life and presenting him to the court would be a great achievement."

The so-called "chieftain's first wife" was Nurhaci's principal wife, whom the Jurchens called "direct consort." It was because of this marriage alliance that Tong Yangzhen held such a prominent position among the Jurchens.

However, Lin Qian said calmly, "No need, kill them all, leave no one alive!"

Chen Liangce was taken aback upon hearing this. After a pause, he gritted his teeth and said, "Then... Commander He, could you leave Tong Yangzhen for me to kill?"

Lin Qian agreed.

Chen Liangce walked up to Tong Yangzhen, looking at him with a half-smile: "You dog of Tartars, never thought you'd have this day, huh?"

Tong Yangzhen kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Commander, spare my life, and I will go to the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to report my merits to you. You are a hero among the Han people. As long as you spare my life, I will do whatever you say..."

Chen Liangce drew his sword.

Tong Yangzhen felt as if he had been stung by a cold light, and he desperately tried to dodge, but the stench from his crotch became even stronger.

Chen Liangce weighed the knife in his hand, then sheathed it.

Upon seeing this, Tong Yangzhen was overjoyed, thinking he could live. He kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Commander! Thank you, Commander! Thank you for sparing my life..."

However, Chen Liangce's next words froze Tong Yangzhen's smile on his face.

"Bring me the big axe!"

Chen Liangce's men were all pointed at with matchlock guns, and dared not move.

Lin Qian gave Bai Langzai a look, and Bai Langzai picked out a short-handed axe from the weapons on the ground and handed it to Chen Liangce.

Chen Liangce took the axe, weighed it in his hand, and tested the blade.

At this moment, Tong Yangzhen was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, his lips trembling but unable to utter a single word. His eyes were filled with terror, making him even more vulnerable than a lamb to the slaughter.

Chen Liangce gripped the axe in one hand, raised it high above his head, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace, and roared, "You dog Tartars!"

Tong Yangzhen was startled and involuntarily looked at Chen Liangce.

The axe fell, striking the center of Tong Yangzhen's skull. His skull was split open, and the axe blade nearly cleaved his head in two, stopping only at his nose.

As the hand axe was pulled out, Tong Yangzhen collapsed, making a hoarse sound in his throat. He twitched on the ground for a long time before finally coming to a complete stop.

White brain matter and bright red blood splattered far and wide, and Chen Liangce was covered in red and white substances, looking like a ferocious demon.

The scene was extremely bloody.

At this point, not a single one of the Tong family's prisoners was still alive.

Lin Qian calmly brushed away the few specks of white brain matter that had splattered on her body and said to Bai Langzai, "Cut off all the Tartars' heads."

(End of this chapter)