Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 207 Hero
In front of the Qing army, Bolo looked at Zheng Zhilong, who was covered in dust, with a gloomy expression on his face, and said:

"Didn't you say that you would be able to open the city gates and force the people in the city to surrender?"

Zheng Zhilong looked at Bolo who was scolding him, and a trace of anger rose in his heart. He was almost shot to death outside the city when he went to persuade them to surrender, but Bolo did not ask him a word about it. Instead, he questioned why he failed to persuade them to open the city gate. Did Bolo really think that he was a slave who could be summoned and dismissed at will?
Although Zheng Zhilong was angry, he had to suppress his anger when he saw the queue soldiers standing beside him. He spoke respectfully.

"I have previously informed the prince that my eldest son has always been unwilling to rebel against the Ming court. Now that the imperial court of Gui has sent people to Fujian Province to make connections, my eldest son must have been bewitched by the Ming court envoy."

After the Qing Dynasty captured Anping, Bolo and others also knew about the two dynasties of Gui and Lu.

It was precisely because they knew that the two Ming forces had gathered in Fujian Province that Bolo Zhang Cunren and others were more eager to make the remaining Zheng family in Fujian Province surrender.

If Zheng Zhilong could persuade Shi Fu and others to surrender, not only would the troops in the hands of Bolo and others be freed, but he could also drive Shi Fu and others to block the border between Fujian and Guangdong, allowing these Han people to kill each other.
After these Han people were slaughtered, the Jurchen army that was recuperating in the rear could attack and wipe out the army of the Guangdong Provincial Governor Gui in one fell swoop. It is possible to sweep across Guangdong Province and take it into their pockets.

This was not a fantasy of Bolo and others, but the Qing court had basically fought like this all the way south. Every time they arrived at a place, they would first make a big show of strength and defeat one or two stubborn elements. Then they would not necessarily bribe the surrendered soldiers, and then let these surrendered soldiers attack and kill those stubborn elements who refused to surrender.

When these Han soldiers were almost done killing each other, the Jurchen army would show up and secure victory. This would preserve their strength and consolidate their image of being invincible.
The Qing court's method of inviting guests to behead people had been almost always successful in the past two years. As long as they were promised that the surrendered Han soldiers could plunder freely, the surrendered soldiers would kill all the Ming soldiers who dared to resist without the Jurchen army taking action.

The Qing army usually just had to wait in the rear to take over the city.
As for whether the people in those cities were killed or looted, that was none of the Jurchens' business. For Bolo and his men, the more these people they killed, the better.

It would be best if all the Han people in the world were trembling with fear at the mention of the Qing army and dared not move. Otherwise, if there were so many Han people in the world and everyone dared to resist, how could the Jurchens sleep peacefully?
Zheng Zhilong looked at Bolo with a gloomy expression and couldn't help but speak

"I have already told Beile before that the situation in Fujian Province is complicated. If I leave Fujian Province suddenly, the armies in Fujian Province will certainly be in chaos. However, Beile insisted that I go to the capital to meet the emperor."

"Now the Ming court has taken advantage of my absence to win over my generals. What can I do now?"

Bolo was already extremely upset. Guangdong was defeated. Although Fujian surrendered Zheng Zhilong, the main forces under Zheng Zhilong all turned to the Gui Regent who appeared out of nowhere.
Coupled with the fact that Lu Jianguo, who had disappeared before, suddenly appeared again, the entire Fujian Province was now in a state of war and extremely dangerous.
At this time, Bolo heard Zheng Zhilong's secret accusations, and suddenly a burst of anger rose in his heart. He surrendered Zheng Zhilong in order to obtain Zheng's military fleet.
But now in Fujian Province, except for a few cities such as Quanzhou and Zhangzhou where the generals led their troops to surrender, the rest of the main forces have not rebelled. In this case, what use does he have for Zheng Zhilong?
Bolo's eyes turned red, and suddenly with a clang, he pulled out the long sword of the soldier beside him and shouted

"No way?"

"Then what use is there for me, Beile?"

Zheng Zhilong looked at Bolo with a ferocious expression, and a trace of cold sweat instantly appeared on his back. He had been in the Qing army for these days and had already seen the style of these Manchus.

These people did not regard the Han people as human beings at all. Even the Han generals in the army were beaten and scolded by these Manchus.
As for the Han slaves who served Bolo and others, they were hacked to death and slaughtered if they disobeyed him. He had seen dozens of Han maids and servants hacked to death by the Manchus.
At this time, Bolo was obviously extremely angry. He was used to seeing the cruelty and murderous nature of the Manchus. Zheng Zhilong didn't know how Bolo would act.
Zheng Zhilong looked at the knife that was approaching him, and a trace of fear finally flashed in his eyes.

Since surrendering to the Ming court, Zheng Zhilong has enjoyed a prosperous career and wealth for more than ten years. He is no longer the hero who traveled across the oceans and shed blood on the sea at the slightest disagreement.
The wealth and glory of these years had already eroded Zheng Zhilong's ambition and courage. Seeing that the Ming court could no longer provide him with shelter, Zheng Zhilong wanted to surrender to the Qing Dynasty immediately and protect the family business he had accumulated for half his life. He was reluctant to give up even his family property, let alone his own life.
Zheng Zhilong looked at Bolo who was getting closer and closer, and finally couldn't stand it anymore, and shouted loudly
"Baile calms down"

"I am useful, I am still useful"

"Since my eldest son is in the city, my second brother Zheng Hongkui should also be in the city. Although my eldest son is stubborn and unyielding, my second brother is mature and steady."

"My Zheng family's personal army has more than 10,000 people, and they must be in the city now. Now that the Qing army is at the gates of the city, as long as I persuade him more, my second brother will definitely repent and lead his men to surrender. Please give him another chance next time."

Bolo heard Zheng Zhilong shouting repeatedly, and the anger on his face seemed to gradually subside. Zheng Zhilong looked at Bolo who finally stopped and exhaled lightly, but before he could relax, Bolo had already shouted
"If that's the case, then why don't you go quickly? What are you still standing here for?"

After Bolo finished speaking, he suddenly threw the long sword in his hand to Zheng Zhilong's feet. The long sword fell to the ground with a clanging sound.

When Zheng Zhilong heard the sound of the sword, he was startled and said quickly:

"Yes, I will go and persuade the city to surrender."

After Zheng Zhilong finished speaking, several Jurchen soldiers immediately stepped forward, and then took Zheng Zhilong and headed towards Changtai City again.
Bolo looked at Zheng Zhilong being taken away, and the anger on his face suddenly disappeared, but a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes.

"Even this kind of people can actually command an army of hundreds of thousands. These Han people are really cowardly rats. This world should be taken by the Qing Dynasty."

The Manchus rose to power through military exploits, and the court always valued bravery. Regardless of whether one was actually afraid of death or not, at least in public, everyone had to appear brave and daring, not afraid of life and death.

He just threatened Zheng Zhilong with a knife, and he was already scared. If such a person were placed in the Manchu army, he might not be able to suppress even a Niulu, let alone command an army of hundreds of thousands.
Bolo snorted coldly, no longer caring about the taken away Zheng Zhilong, and began to think about the current situation in Fujian Province. However, before he could think clearly about this matter, Bai Yintu had already hurried to the front of the battle.
Baiyintu looked serious. He walked up to Bolo and said, "News from Chaozhou has come back."

"What is the current situation in Chaozhou?" Bolo immediately spoke up after hearing this.

"The commander of the guards, Durde, has led his troops to Zhao'an, but Li Shilian's troops in Chaozhou have been defeated by Gui Jianguo's forces. Chaozhou is occupied by the Ming court, and Fenshui Pass is also controlled by the Ming army."

"Chaozhou is such a big city, but Li Shilian couldn't even hold out for ten days. He is just a piece of trash, all of him."

Bolo's face darkened instantly when he heard this. After hearing that even Fenshui Pass was captured by the Ming army, he could no longer bear it and started to curse.
Bolo and others naturally knew the importance of Chaozhou and Fenshuiguan, and before returning to Nanjing, they also ordered Zhang Cunren to find a way to support Chaozhou.

However, Zhang Cunren only had 20,000 troops. On the one hand, he had to block Zheng's army from retreating westwards in Zhangzhou, and on the other hand, he had to monitor Zhang Tongchang and others in Tongan, and he also had to leave some troops to guard Fuzhou.

Zhang Cunren's troops were already stretched to the limit. Even though he knew the importance of Chaozhou, he had no spare strength to support Chaozhou.
There were nearly 50,000 Zheng army generals who surrendered to Gui Jianguo. Regardless of their combat effectiveness, the numbers on the surface were enough to scare people.
If it weren't for the fact that only Shi Fu's army was a land army among the 50,000 men of the Zheng family, and the rest were all naval forces that were not good at land warfare, and if it weren't for the fact that the Zheng family members had their own thoughts and were only thinking about preserving their strength, otherwise, if these 50,000 men had fought hard, Zhang Cunren might have been defeated.
Under such circumstances, Zhang Cunren was able to trap Zheng's army in Changtai and Tong'an and successfully defend until Bolo and others returned. It was already a stroke of luck. How could Bolo and others make more demands?
Baiyintu looked at the angry Bolo, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke again

"According to Durd's report, the Ming army has already left Fenshui Pass and is heading towards Zhao'an."

"Durde has fought with the Ming army cavalry scouts. According to him, there are no less than 10,000 Ming troops invading Zhao'an, and more Ming troops are coming from far away. Now the number is no less than 20,000."

"Durde doesn't dare to leave the city now. The Ming army has already set up camp outside Zhao'an City and is making siege equipment outside Zhao'an City. Durde asked us to send troops to help as soon as possible."

Bolo's face became more gloomy after hearing what Baiyintu said. The Ming army in Guangdong Province was obviously ambitious. They marched into Zhao'an at this time, obviously intending to support Zheng's army in Changtai.
If these two Ming armies were really allowed to connect, the situation in Fujian Province would instantly deteriorate. I'm afraid the Qing army would have to retreat all the way back to Fuzhou before they could stabilize the front line.

Bolo thought of this and spoke in a deep voice.

"We must stop the Guangdong army at the gates of Zhao'an and never let them advance one step further."

Boro looked at Baiyintu and Tulai beside him and said directly

"Baiyintu, gather 4,000 Jurchen soldiers and 6,000 Zhejiang soldiers. I will go to Zhao'an with you later."

"Send a message to Fuketala, tell him to harass Tongan and keep an eye on the Ming army in Tongan. Don't let the Ming army in Tongan support Changtai. If you can't stop them, let this place know as soon as possible."

After Boro finished speaking, he looked at the pale-faced Tulai beside him and said

"General Tulai, you continue to lead these 15,000 men to surround Changtai. Do not let the Ming army in the city escape. I will find a way to defeat the Ming army under Zhao'an as soon as possible."

"Also, find a way to force the Ming army in the city to surrender as soon as possible. As long as the city is willing to surrender, no matter what their demands are, we can agree to them first."

"I understand. Beile, don't worry about this. Just focus on defeating the Ming army in Guangdong Province. As long as the Zhao'an Ming army is defeated, the army in the city will surely surrender."

Tulai spoke softly, but just after he finished these few words, he started coughing again and again, his face turned pale.

Bolo glanced at the veteran in front of him, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, but before he could speak, Tulai seemed to know what Bolo was going to say, and said

"Beile, just focus on defeating the enemy. As long as I am here, there will be no trouble here."

"Then I'll leave this to General Tulai."

Boro looked at Tulai in front of him, and his heart sank. However, at this moment, he had no other choice.

At this time, there were only a few people in Fujian Province who could stand alone in the Qing court. Zhang Cunren was stationed in Fuzhou to provide logistics, and Bai Yintu wanted to go to Zhao'an with him to defeat the Ming army. E Sehei was born as a civil official and it was difficult for him to command a large army.

To lead tens of thousands of troops is not something that can be done by just pushing anyone up there. Boro has no other choice at this time.
In the Qing army camp, Bolo and others finished their discussion. That afternoon, Bolo and Baiyintu led 10,000 elite Qing troops and marched towards Zhao'an.
(End of this chapter)