The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

"Brother-in-law, among the prisoners we rescued before, there's one who wants to see you."

As soon as Zhou Lun returned to his camp, Gao Yigong came up to him and whispered something in his ear.

"See me?" Zhou Lun frowned slightly and asked, "Who among the prisoners?"

"He's either a leader or a squad leader."

"Bring it over," Zhou Lun said without refusing.

Gao Yigong responded and turned to lead the people away.

Back in his tent, Zhou Lun had barely sat down and hadn't even had a sip of water when Gao Yigong arrived with a man.

Zhou Lun looked up and saw that the other person was wearing a cotton armor covered in blood, with disheveled hair, haphazardly bandaged arms and other parts of his body, and a limp in one leg, probably from an injury sustained in battle.

Before Zhou Lun could even ask the man his name, the man knelt down without a word and then kowtowed three times, each kowtow more solid than the last.

"Dong Wei, the commander of Zhenqiang Fort, pays respects to my benefactor! My benefactor is above, please accept my bow!"

Zhou Lun was completely taken aback by Dong Wei's action. By the time he realized what was happening, the guy had already finished kowtowing three times. Dong Wei raised his head, revealing a large bruise on his forehead, showing that he had kowtowed sincerely and without any hesitation.

"Your name is Dong Wei?" Zhou Lun raised his hand, gesturing for him to stand up.

But Dong Wei refused to get up and remained kneeling. Zhou Lun did not force him and asked.

"General, I am Dong Wei, the commander of Zhenqiang Fort." Dong Wei looked at Zhou Lun with gratitude in his eyes, his voice trembling slightly, "If it weren't for your intervention today, my brothers and I would surely be dead. Thank you for saving our lives, General. I am willing to serve you, even unto death!"

"Are you a border soldier?" Zhou Lun asked.

Dong Wei nodded and said, "I am a subordinate of Garrison Commander Mai Danian, and I am a border soldier."

"Are you truly willing to serve me?" Although Zhou Lun had long planned to incorporate the prisoners, he hadn't expected Dong Wei to offer his services before him. While Zhou Lun was pleased with Dong Wei's actions, he still asked this question out of caution.

Dong Wei said, "When Mai Danian was defeated, I led the remaining troops to surrender. Who would have thought that afterwards..." He paused, a hint of lingering fear flashing in his eyes, and continued, "Originally, I thought I was doomed. Who would have thought that the general would step in and save my brothers and me? After saving us, the general even sent people to treat and apply medicine to us. How could I not respect such benevolence?"

"Though I am but a lowly soldier, I understand the principle of gratitude. If it weren't for your rescue, General, we would have lost our heads long ago. Now that you have taken us in, my brothers and I have decided to serve under your command, to be loyal to you, and to risk our lives for you, even unto death!"

"Dong Wei," Zhou Lun said calmly.

"Yes, sir!"

"You are an official, I am a bandit. Officials and bandits have never been able to coexist. If you surrender to me today, aren't you afraid of being punished by the imperial court in the future?"

Dong Wei remained composed, his words sincere: "Today's battle has already repaid the court's kindness. I have already died once. If it weren't for the general's help, how could I possibly have the right to speak here? Not only me, but all the other brothers' lives were given to us by the general. No matter how great the court's kindness is, it cannot surpass the kindness of saving our lives. The general is our savior. The general is benevolent and righteous, and we are willing to serve him."

He paused, then added, "Besides, General, you may not know, but we border troops are not military households. I am from Jiangxi. In this battle, Mai Danian was young and reckless, leading to the annihilation of our entire army. Even if you let me go back, I won't be able to return. If the court holds me accountable, I will be in deep trouble."

With that, he gave a bitter smile and said sincerely, "We, your servants, are truly devoted to you. My life already belongs to you, General. If you refuse to take me in, I truly have no choice but to die..."

These words were sincere and clear. Zhou Lun, seeing that the other person's expression didn't seem feigned, gradually felt relieved.

He raised his hand again, gesturing for Dong Wei to get up. But Dong Wei was very stubborn, his words clearly implying that he wouldn't get up unless Zhou Lun accepted him.

Helpless, Zhou Lun gave Gao Yigong a wink. Gao Yigong understood, stepped forward, patted Dong Wei on the shoulder, and said that since Zhou Lun had told him to get up, it meant he had agreed to the matter.

Dong Wei then revealed a look of joy, kowtowed to Zhou Lun again to express his gratitude, and then slowly stood up.

After he got up, Zhou Lun asked him about his condition. Dong Wei answered Zhou Lun's questions truthfully, without daring to hide anything.

Before long, through his conversation with Dong Wei, Zhou Lun figured out the whole story of the other party.

As he said, the border troops and the garrison troops were different. Compared to the garrison troops, the border troops were mostly composed of soldiers from other places, with the exception of some locals.

For example, Dong Wei is from Jiangxi. He joined the army more than ten years ago, and his unit was under the command of the famous Liu Ting, also known as Liu the Big Knife.

Liu Ting was a highly decorated military commander and the most famous general of his time.

In the 46th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign, turmoil suddenly broke out in Liaodong. To resolve the Liaodong issue, the Wanli Emperor mobilized troops and appointed Liu Ting as the Left Assistant Secretary, thus beginning preparations for war.

In February of the following year, the military commissioner Yang Hao ordered Liu Ting, along with Du Song, Li Rubai, and Ma Lin, to launch a four-pronged attack. Liu Ting led 40,000 troops into Liaodong, thus beginning the Battle of Sarhu.

However, due to Yang Hao's poor command, underestimating the enemy and dividing his troops, coupled with the leakage of intelligence, Nurhaci seized the Ming army's weakness and thus set a strategy of defeating them one by one, which ultimately led to the Ming army's disastrous defeat at Sarhu.

Liu Ting advanced alone, only to find himself surrounded. Although capable in battle, he was no match for the overwhelming Jurchen forces, who outnumbered him several times over. Ultimately, Liu Ting fought to the death, perishing on the battlefield. After Liu Ting's army was annihilated by Nurhaci, Yang Hao's tactics completely failed, and the subsequent battles spiraled out of control.

Dong Wei participated in the Battle of Sarhu, but he was among the lucky ones who managed to break through the encirclement, not part of the main besieged force. After the disastrous defeat at Sarhu, the Ming army rallied its remaining troops and retreated towards Shanhaiguan. Dong Wei also followed the troops to Shanhaiguan to rest and regroup.

Because of the death of their commander Liu Ting, Dong Wei's troops were subsequently reorganized and resettled by the imperial court. Dong Wei first spent some time in Jizhou, and then went to Datong to be stationed. More than four years ago, Dong Wei accumulated merit and was awarded the rank of battalion commander, after which he was transferred to Zhenqiang Fort, where he came under the command of Mai Danian.

Having served in the army for over ten years, rising step by step from a private to the rank of colonel, Dong Wei can be considered a veteran of countless battles.

This time, Mai Danian was ambushed and killed. In fact, Dong Wei had noticed something was wrong during the march. He had advised Mai Danian to proceed with caution and send out more scouts as a precaution.

However, Dong Wei was just a lowly battalion commander, with a low rank and little influence, so his words carried no weight. In addition, Mai Danian was preoccupied with the idea of ​​making a name for himself and hadn't considered anything else. In his view, how could the rebel army, which had already marched south, possibly come to the north? So he didn't listen to Dong Wei's advice at all.

This is why Mai Danian's troops were ultimately ambushed and surrounded by the rebels. No matter how strong Mai Danian was personally, or how powerful the border troops were, the outcome was already predetermined in the face of such a situation.

After his defeat, seeing that breaking out was impossible, Mai Danian committed suicide.

After Mai Danian committed suicide, Dong Wei, as a battalion commander, led his remaining troops to surrender. But he never expected that after his side surrendered, Wang Er would take his anger out on them.

Before Dong Wei could even react, he and his men were bound tightly by Wang Er's men and dragged to an open space. Wang Er, wielding a knife, began playing a game of beheading.

At that time, Dong Wei was utterly despondent and filled with regret.

Had he known this would happen, he would have preferred to die on the battlefield. At least that way, he could have fulfilled his loyalty to the court. Now, he was a prisoner, not only about to lose his head, but even his brothers who surrendered with him would not escape death. This outcome filled Dong Wei with utter despair.

Just when he was preparing to accept the outcome and die in frustration, things took an unexpected turn.

Zhou Lun suddenly appeared and saved Dong Wei and the others, pulling them back from the brink of death. After bringing them back to camp, Zhou Lun even sent people to treat them, apply medicine, and bandage their wounds. This act moved Dong Wei, who had just escaped death, to the point that he was speechless.

Faced with this situation, Dong Wei knew in his heart that as Mai Danian's subordinate, after their commander's defeat and death, even if the rebel army let them go, they would probably not have a good outcome when they returned. Perhaps ordinary soldiers would have a way out, but as a battalion commander, Dong Wei could not escape the charges of "watching his commander die in battle" and leading his troops to surrender to the rebels.

Dong Wei, having served in the army for so many years, knew all too well what kind of people those civil officials in the court were. Even a hero like his former superior, Liu Ting, wouldn't have died in Liaodong if it weren't for Yang Hao's reckless command. Dong Wei was just a minor officer with no background, making him a prime candidate to become a scapegoat.

Moreover, Zhou Lun had saved their lives and was Dong Wei's savior. Since they had already surrendered to the rebel army and were now rescued by Zhou Lun, then actively serving Zhou Lun would be the best way out.

After discussing it with his brothers, Dong Wei decided to voluntarily pledge allegiance. This led to Gao Yigong reporting the matter to Zhou Lun, ultimately witnessing Zhou Lun's genuine loyalty. (Just a heads-up, the book title has changed to "The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty." Thank you for your support!)