Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

This memorial archway was built by the imperial court to commemorate Zu Dashou. It is carved with twin dragons, pictures of horses going out to war, pictures of attendants, various sea beasts, lotus patterns and other exquisite patterns. (Historically, it was in Ningyuan, but the history has changed in this book)

After the Liaodong War, Wu Sangui was granted the title of Pingxi Earl, but Zu Dashou was not given a title. In order to appease the Zu family and inspire their loyalty and bravery, Emperor Chongzhen erected a memorial archway for them and gave them the four characters "loyalty, courage and wisdom", praising Zu Dashou for his loyalty, wisdom and courage.

I didn't expect that Zu Dashou, this bastard, would keep a loyalty archway even though he became a traitor. It's really abstract.

Mao Yuanyi was a general of the Ming Dynasty after all. He felt nauseous when he saw these traitors. He pointed at the memorial archway and said, "Blow it up later!"

On the other side, the humanoids were still asking Jiang Han what he thought about how to deal with this rare group of people.

Jiang Han asked in the communication channel: "Are all the people from Zu's family here? Where is Wu Sangui's traitor?"

"Commander, Zu Dashou was shot dead while escaping, Wu Sangui and Zu Zerun escaped, Zu Dale and Zu Kefa failed to break out, and were also captured..."

Jiang Han replied, "I see." He thought to himself, "This Wu Sangui is quite a fast runner. Almost all of his family members were captured, but he was the only one who ran so fast. How come all the generals of the Ming Dynasty were so fast runners? Was there some team restraint?"

Forget it, let's deal with this group of idiots. Although it's not me who betrayed them, any evil will be brought to justice! (Horse stance)

"Come here, drag Zu Dale and the other two Tartars up here!"

With a loud shout, a team of cavalry came running over, dragging a group of Qing generals with their hands tied, cheering.

The power of the Zu family was deeply rooted in Liaodong, especially during the Chongzhen period, when the Zu family grew stronger.

Yuan Chonghuan, who had resigned from office and was at home, had just been re-employed by Chongzhen when the Ningyuan Rebellion broke out in Liaodong. The Thirteen Battalions of Ningyuan, which had not received their pay for four months, were in chaos. They kidnapped the governor and blackmailed the court. Only Zu Dale's battalion remained motionless. In the end, Yuan Chonghuan quelled the rebellion and Zu's family was commended.

During the Ji Si Rebellion and the suppression of bandits in the Central Plains, several generals of the Zu family made great contributions and were continuously promoted. Even Lu Xiangsheng praised Zu Dale. Among the troops assisting in the suppression, the Liao Ding troops led by Zu Dale and Zu Kuan were the most powerful, and they killed the most bandits.

However, Zu Dale and others had a close personal relationship with Sun Degong, who had already betrayed the country, and had long intended to surrender to the Later Jin. Zu's family was half in the Qing and half in the Ming, and they took advantage of both. They ignored national justice for the sake of family interests, and now they have ended up like this, and they deserve to die...

191 pointed at one of the Qing generals and said, "Commander, the one with the pointed chin and monkey cheeks is Xia Chengde. I found him as you said before. What should we do with him now?"

"You really caught him? Good job, Mu Tao, you are worthy of being my trusted and beloved general!" Jiang Han was a little surprised, but he was troubled about how to deal with him.

Jiang Han thought about it and decided to leave him to Mao Yuanyi. Since this guy wanted revenge, let him get it.

Mao Yuanyi heard the message from 191 from Jiang Han, and was grateful to him. He looked at Xia Chengde fiercely and said, "Then cut him into pieces, confiscate his property and exterminate his clan! Such a traitor will never be tolerated by heaven!"

Jiang Han was watching the footage transmitted from 191 with great interest. Wow, this Mao Yuanyi really had a grudge and he started with the torture of slow slicing. He was really cruel.

Upon hearing this, Xia Chengde, who was disheveled, immediately fell to the ground and shouted, "General, this is your wish, your servant..."

In a hurry, he found that the address was wrong, and he immediately changed his words: "General, I am innocent. General, you don't know that I deliberately pretended to surrender for the sake of the Ming Dynasty..."

"Bang!" With a muffled sound, a volunteer soldier hit Xia Chengde's head heavily with the butt of a gun, stopping his noise. It was for the Ming Dynasty! The Ming Dynasty was gone long ago! The bastard didn't recognize people, he deserved to be killed.

Jiang Han thought that severe punishments were necessary in troubled times, and it was not a bad idea to drag these rare people out and torture them to death. He might as well just deal with them all in this way. As for these traitors, they should be compiled into a book called "Biographies of Double-Ministers" or "Records of Traitors" and included in school textbooks to educate and warn future generations.

Patriotic education is a tough subject! Grasp it hard!

In addition to these traitorous Tartars, there were more traitorous officials and captives. Jiang Han exiled all the traitorous officials to the Jiayuguan area and let them watch the big camel grin.

The tens of thousands of captured Qing troops were all forced to do forced labor, such as paving roads, repairing cities, and managing waterways, all of which required a large amount of corvee labor. In addition, these people could also do tasks such as carrying things, operating sewing machines, breaking stones, and digging coal.

Now we don’t even have the Geneva Convention, we just want to torture people ruthlessly!

As for those seriously injured prisoners of war who had difficulty even with labor reform, they were executed on the spot.

Now that the Central Plains has been ravaged by wars, the landlords have no surplus food, and they are still supporting these useless people. What do you want to eat? Hurry up and grab a position for the fetus. It will be too late if you are late!

Volume 421: Chapter : Hong Chengchou's Ambition

Ever since the founding of the Great Yan Kingdom and the rapid Northern Expedition began, the sound of pigeons flapping their wings and cooing could be heard everywhere in Nanjing City, and military carrier pigeons flew in and out of the government center almost every moment.

The various agencies in Beijing were extremely busy, with all kinds of documents constantly coming and going, and grain, ships, and laborers being mobilized from all over Jiangnan. Even merchant ships on the Qinhuai River had to pull over to provide the river channel to ships transporting supplies to support the Northern Expedition.

Ever since the battle of Shandong and the news that the Great Yan Army had recaptured the capital, the whole of Jiangnan has been in an uproar. After all, this is the place where our Great Yan emperor started his career, and it’s an honor to tell others about it!

Several newspapers, such as the Great Yan Times, founded by Jiang Han, published a large number of special issues, vigorously announcing to the whole country the news that the Great Yan Emperor had returned like lightning and successfully recovered the capital from the Northern Expedition, and publicizing that the brutal rule of the pseudo-Shun in the Central Plains had ended completely with the military defeat! Great Yan is coming, and the world will be peaceful. Great Yan is coming! The blue sky will be there!

The newspaper published a report every three days, which also reported that after recovering the capital, the Dayan army marched directly northward without stopping, defeated the Qing army in three days, and recovered the lost territory outside the Great Wall.

Amid everyone's incredulous gazes, the excitement of retaking the capital had not yet died down, when the news of Guanjin's great victory exploded like thunder, shocking everyone once again!

"Our Great Yan Army defeated 150,000 Qing troops in Shanhaiguan and Jinzhou, killed 40,000 enemies, and captured more than 50,000 people..."

"General Mu Tao personally led the Great Flame Dragon Cavalry in pursuit and shot and killed the slave chieftain Huang Taiji..." (The Great Flame Dragon Cavalry is 191's direct cavalry unit. This name was given by Jiang Han. Don't underestimate a man's middle school attributes in this regard!) 191 also very much agreed with this middle school name. After all, it sounds very martial arts-like and very much in line with her aesthetic. The soldiers below also had their eyes shining when they heard it. They were more excited than 191 herself, which made her a little confused.

"The army continued to advance northward and recovered Yizhou, Xipingbao, Liaoyang, Haizhou, Shenyang, Fushun..."

The entire Central Plains was in an uproar, and everyone was so shocked by the continuous news that their jaws dropped.

You have to know that the Ming Dynasty was so powerful before. It had firearms and armies, but what was the result? In the end, the capital was breached by bandits and the Tartars came to the city several times. Under the guidance of the literati, everyone never thought that they were the ones who caused the shock wave, but thought that the enemy was too powerful.

But such a powerful enemy was completely defeated by the new emperor in less than half a year. The arrangement was clear and concise. How amazing is this?

It is not a problem if you don't know the goods, but it is a problem if you compare the goods. Let's compare them. The emperor of the Ming Dynasty was in power for more than ten years, but he was not good at anything. It's a complete waste! It has to be our new emperor!

What did the new emperor say before? I am the storm that is closing in on me! It is just like a storm passing through, and the villains are wiped out!

From today, since the 1616th year of Wanli (), the Nu chieftain Nurhaci proclaimed himself Khan in Hetuala and established the Later Jin Dynasty. The vast land of Liaodong finally returned to the Central Plains after being lost for years!

Yalu River, Jiuliancheng.

Jiuliancheng is located in the north of Zhendong Mountain and faces the Yalu River in the east. It has a dangerous terrain and is named after nine cities of different sizes connected together.

In the early years, the Ming Dynasty built Zhenjiang City in Jiuliancheng and stationed troops there. It became a military stronghold on the southeastern border of Liaodong, the only way for dynasties to fight in Korea, and a tribute road for envoys from both sides to travel back and forth.

During the Wanli period, Japanese pirates repeatedly invaded Korea. The Ming army set out from Jiuliancheng several times, crossed the Yalu River and repelled the invasion of the Japanese pirates.

During the Guangxu period of the late Qing Dynasty, Japan invaded Korea again. The Qing army entered Korea to provide support, and also passed through Jiuliancheng.

After half a month of fleeing, the Qing army escorting Dorgon back to Korea finally arrived at Jiuliancheng.

Wherever they went, the people were busy with their own things and the whole place was peaceful. There was no atmosphere of war at all because no one knew about the war situation in Liaodong.

After nearly a year of fighting, the Qing army should have won the battle! They couldn't just be crushed by others, right? No way, no way?

The Qing Dynasty never made the truth public. Everyone knows how the Qing Dynasty recruited soldiers before. They knew that their recruitment operation was not proper, so they did not trust their "people", let alone their "soldiers". Once the news of the defeat was leaked in advance, there was no guarantee that these unruly people would make trouble...

The nine cities were filled with tents crowded together, flags rustling in the night wind, lights flickering in the camps, and the moonlight was bright.

In the middle stood a heavily guarded imperial camp. In the moonlight, one could faintly see a huge flag fluttering in the wind in front of the camp gate.

Dorgon was lying on the couch, feeling short of breath in his chest, weak all over, and looking extremely painful. The imperial physician beside him was helping him feed medicine. It must be said that Dorgon was quite cruel. The feather arrow had pierced quite deep, and it took a lot of effort to take it out.

Now that Huang Taiji has just passed away, it is not the time to mourn, as the pursuers are still there. Without a leader, Dorgon, who has the most military power, quickly became the de facto commander by relying on his connections and means, and said hypocritically that now that my brother is killed, although I am the commander, I have no power to take charge, and everything will be discussed after I return.

In fact, he couldn't discuss matters in his current state. He just summoned the ministers every two days to let them know that he was still alive and asked everyone to stop making trouble and return to Shengjing honestly.

Hong Chengchou reluctantly walked out of the imperial tent and paced back and forth in front of the camp gate, analyzing the internal situation of the Qing Dynasty.

At this time, a Qing general with a sword hanging from his waist came to the camp gate. He strode over and said to the camp guards, "I want to see the prince!"

The person who spoke was Aljin, Huang Taiji's trusted general, in charge of the Manchu Bordered Blue Banner.

Just as the soldiers guarding the camp were about to let them go, Hong Chengchou suddenly said, "Your Highness is not feeling well, please take a rest."

Arjin didn't even look at Hong Chengchou, and sneered, "Do I need your permission to see the prince?"

Hong Chengchou stood guard outside the tent and said calmly, "I am the Grand Secretary of the Inner Court and the Minister of War. The Emperor has personally ordered me to assist in the administration of the government affairs. No one is allowed to interfere. Do you want to disobey the Emperor's order?"

Arjin placed his right hand on his sword and said coldly: "I'm determined to go in!"

"Then you try?"

Hong Chengchou smiled lightly and waved his hand, and two teams of Han army flag soldiers carrying muskets immediately appeared beside the imperial camp. The leading general was his old subordinate, Zuo Guangxian.

When Dorgon's donkey cart drifted to catch Xiahu, Huang Taiji's Bayala camp was wiped out, and even Bayala's commander Bahana who was guarding the imperial camp died. Hong Chengchou, who rescued the emperor in time, naturally became a person Dorgon trusted. Even now that he was gradually in power, Dorgon still valued Hong Chengchou very much.

Facing a row of black muzzles, Arjin snorted, stared at Hong Cheng and said, "Hong, you wait for me. When I see the prince, it will all depend on your luck!"

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Hong Chengchou stared at his back with a cold light in his eyes.

When Hong Chengchou went to Xipingbao to collect food and grass, he arranged Concubine Zhuang to stay in the rear. Along the way, he often flirted with Concubine Zhuang and did some unspeakable things. Aljin, who was accompanying him, accidentally discovered this situation.

He originally wanted to report to Huang Taiji, but when he came back, his master was gone. The only prince who could take charge was seriously injured in a mishap, so he never had a chance to report alone.

After all, if this kind of thing is reported in public, where will the master's face be? Not only is the person dead, but he is also accused of being cuckolded. That's too uncomfortable!

After Aljin left, Zuo Guangxian pulled Hong Chengchou aside and asked anxiously, "Mr. Hong, what should we do next?"

Hong Chengchou said calmly: "Don't panic, stay calm."

Zuo Guangxian lowered his voice and said, "How can I keep calm when such a big thing happens? Lord Hong, you are confused, how dare you touch Concubine Zhuang?"

Hong Chengchou waved his hand and said: "You don't understand"

"What do you know?" Zuo Guangxian was a little puzzled.

Hong Chengchou closed his eyes slightly: "Do you know how hard it is to like someone else's wife? She is now a widow, which is actually my best opportunity!"

"..."

On the second day, the sun had just risen and the sunlight spread over the horizon. Outside Jiulian City, shouts were deafening and the Qing army inside the city was in a panic.

There was a deafening sound of hooves, and a large group of fire dragon riders were galloping back and forth outside the city, raising a cloud of dust.

Hearing the shouts of the Dayan Army outside the city, there was chaos in the Qing Army's imperial camp in the city. Over the past few days, the Qing Army had been intimidated by the Dayan Army, and those elite troops had been defeated early on. Now, those who can survive are either some child soldiers or new soldiers who have just been recruited and have not received much training. Among the troops that can fight, not only is there only one in ten, but there is not even one in twenty!

Dorgon was anxious and angry, and he kept coughing up blood due to his serious injuries. He immediately said to Hong Chengchou, "Grand Secretary, there is no time to lose. Go and prepare the imperial carriage and cross the river back to Shengjing immediately!" For him, the most important thing now was to go back alive and take charge of the overall situation!

Hong Chengchou said: "I have already made all the arrangements, but..."

Dorgon frowned and said, "Just what? No need to hide it, just say it if you have something to say!"

Hong Chengchou said: "If everyone retreats, the Great Yan Army will definitely chase and kill us. What I mean is to leave some troops behind to cover the retreat..."

Dorgon nodded and said, "That makes sense. Jin Zidian, take your two flags of Korean soldiers and cover their retreat!"

Jin Zidian shuddered with fear, looked up at Dorgon, and looked reluctant. He had been running all the way and was about to reach his home, but this happened? It was already dawn, and the kang was wet.

At this time, Jin Zidian was afraid of the anger inside. If he had not killed the King of Korea with the help of the insiders and the outsiders, would you have been able to take over Korea so easily? Now you are destroying the bridge after crossing the river and killing the donkey after it has done its work?

Hong Chengchou glanced at Jin Zidian and said to Dorgon, "Your Majesty, I think most of the Korean flagmen in those two flags are afraid of fighting and are not very useful. Facing the cavalry of Dayan, I am afraid they will be defeated without a fight, or even attack the floating bridge in a hurry, causing chaos."

Kim Ji-jeom was able to become the powerful prime minister of Joseon, so his political awareness was naturally strong. Hong Chengchou seemed to look down on the Joseon soldiers, but in fact he wanted to help him and gain allies for himself. After all, he was a man who wanted to marry the wife of the late emperor.

The wife of the previous emperor, you can't just take over directly, right? Then as long as I have made great achievements, held a high position and had power, with a little hint, wouldn't it be possible for Dorgon to grant me marriage?

Jin Zixin breathed a sigh of relief and nodded gratefully to Hong Chengchou to show his friendship.

Dorgon coughed heavily a few times and felt that it made sense. These Korean soldiers were too weak. What if they didn't know what was good for them and attacked the imperial carriage, and then threw him into the river as a turtle? He had managed to operate well with great difficulty, and now he had to be steady!

"Where is Wu Sangui? Where are they?"

Hong Chengchou was so talented that he could not be sold out, and his Hong soldiers naturally could not be left behind to cover their retreat. Dorgon was also reluctant to leave behind the only remaining old Eight Banners, so he had to turn his attention to Wu Sangui's Guanning Army.

Hong Chengchou said: "I heard that Wu Sangui fled to Hetuala..."

"How can this bastard run so fast?!" Dorgon said hatefully.

Hong Chengchou's regard for Wu Sangui increased again. Although he seemed stupid, he was actually smarter than anyone else. Taking the Guanning Army to Hetuala could not only preserve his strength, but also give him a reason to defend himself in the future.

Just when Dorgon was struggling, Hong Chengchou suggested softly: "Your Majesty, Gushan Ezhen Aljin still has a strong old Eight Banners in his hands. Why not let them stay behind to protect us..."

"Blue Banner..."

Dorgon hesitated, feeling somewhat reluctant. The Manchu Bordered Blue Banner in Aljin's hands was a very powerful Manchu army. Although Aljin was loyal to Huang Taiji, he might be able to win it over as long as he handled it properly. If he lost it again, the Qing Dynasty would suffer a great loss.

Hong Chengchou knew that if he wanted to gain high official power in the Qing Dynasty, he had to rely on the power of others, and he had to get rid of those Manchus who held real power. Otherwise, no matter how outstanding he was, he would still be a dog of the Manchus...

When it comes to infighting in the court, Hong Chengchou is probably far better than the Manchu uncles present here. As early as after the Battle of Shanhaiguan, he had a new understanding of the IQ of the Qing royal family. They were all a bunch of little Tang people. It was from then on that he began to make his plans.

Before the Battle of Jinzhou, Hong Chengchou proposed to let the Manchu soldiers fight in close combat, in order to consume the strength of the Eight Banners of Manchuria on a large scale, and also consume the elite of the Great Yan Army. However, there are always unexpected things in life. The Eight Banners of Manchuria were consumed, but the Great Yan Army did not seem to be consumed very much...

The shouts of the Ming army outside the city became more and more urgent. Dorgon was so frightened that he kept coughing and said hurriedly: "Let Aljin lead the red flag shield and the imperial camp to cross the river quickly..."

The old Eight Banners are important, but if I don’t run away now, will I have a future?

Hong Chengchou supported him and said, "Your Majesty, are you healthy enough to leave now?"

Dorgon waved his hand and said, "I am fine. It is settled. Hong Daxueshi, go and make the arrangements immediately."

Under the cover of a group of Tatars, Dorgon left Jiuliancheng in a simple carriage and rushed to the Yalu River.

Jiuliancheng suddenly became much emptier. There were no more people doing business in the streets and alleys. Only a few Qing soldiers were left. Many people had already realized that war was about to break out here.

Aljin was drinking heavily in the most luxurious restaurant in the city. He was very disappointed with Huang Taiji. It was ridiculous that he was cuckolded and let it go! He was also arranged to be the last one to leave. Just think about it and you know it was that dog Huangmao's idea! Damn it! Minotaur! You deserve to die!

Out of loyalty as a slave, Aljin had no choice but to follow orders, hoping to eat his fill and die in battle.

Several Jialazhangjing of the Bordered Blue Banner were also looking for places to drink heavily until they were drunk. Everyone knew that a small Jiulian City could not withstand the attack of Dayan. No one was in the mood to prepare for war. Who knew if they would be blown to the sky by something from nowhere in the next moment? They just wanted to enjoy themselves before they died.

The unrestrained Manchu soldiers of the Bordered Blue Banner in Jiuliancheng began to break into shops of all sizes in the city and loot and smash things at will.