Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 275: Opening the City

The Ming army defeated Du Qifei's rebels in a battle in the mountains of Xinxingzhou, leaving only a few troops to clean up the battlefield, while the main force did not stop for a moment and marched directly north.
The Ming army marched northwards, and many prefectures and counties along the way surrendered. When the Ming army arrived in Kunyang, the prefect of Kunyang, Leng Yangchun, opened the city and surrendered. When the Ming army arrived in Jinning, the scholar Duan Bomei opened the city and surrendered.

The counties of Guihua and Chenggong also did not resist and were directly under the command of the Ming army. After Chenggong, they had already reached the city of Kunming.

Du Qifei led his troops and marched through Guihua, Chenggong and other places a few days ago.
Just a few days later, the Ming army suddenly came all the way north to the city, holding Du Qifei's head. It was obvious what the fate of the Yi army from Kunming would be.

The core of the Ming Dynasty in Yunnan Province is Kunming. The area around Kunming is also the place where the Han people are the strongest in Yunnan Province. Not to mention that the Ming army has won a great victory at this time, even if the Ming army only has a few thousand people to the city, the Han people in the city will probably turn against their enemies and surrender.
Although the Ming army tried to persuade people to surrender along the way, their speed was not slow at all. It took only three days to reach the city of Kunming.

Nearly 10,000 Ming soldiers lined up outside Kunming City, and all four gates of Kunming City were closed.

Several cavalrymen from the Ming army rushed out and soon reached the city, shouting

"Listen, defenders in the city. The imperial army has entered Yunnan to quell the rebellion. The 20,000 rebels who left the city last time have now been annihilated by the imperial court. The rebel leader Du Qifei has been captured and killed by the imperial court."

"The imperial court will only punish the main culprit this time. Soldiers in the city should quickly open the gates and surrender. If they still resist, we will execute them after the army breaks into the city."

The Ming cavalry shouted several times, then placed a wooden box under the city and rode back.
The Ming cavalry were already circling the city, killing all the nearby Yi cavalry scouts.
After the Ming cavalry left, several soldiers fell from the city wall, and the wooden box was quickly delivered to Zhang Ceduo, the Yi army commander on the top of the city wall.
Zhang Ceduo looked at the familiar gray head in the wooden box, and the last bit of luck in his heart finally disappeared completely.
Du Qifei had just led 20,000 troops in the city back to Lin'an for reinforcements. Now, only seven or eight days later, Du Qifei's head had been sent to the city by the Ming army.
Zhang Ceduo looked at the tens of thousands of troops outside the city with a pale face. At this time, smoke and dust were billowing outside the south gate of Kunming. Countless figures emerged from the official road and then rushed towards the city.
These figures continued to emerge, and there was no idea how many people were left behind in the Ming army.

In fact, at this time, the Ming army had less than 10,000 people, and all of them had already rushed to the city to form a battle line. The tens of thousands of troops that Zhang Ceduo saw were actually mostly civilians recruited by Ma Bao and others in Chenggong and other places.

On the one hand, these civilians were used to transport food and grass, and on the other hand, they were disguised as a large army to put pressure on the city and force the defenders to land as soon as possible.
Du Qifei returned to Lin'an to support his old nest this time, and he had taken away the elite troops in the city. The so-called 5,000 troops in the city now only had a few hundred veterans who were actually from Mengzi, and the rest were all miscellaneous soldiers from various Yi villages, and were completely unusable.

The Ming army outside the city was able to quickly annihilate the 20,000 troops led by Du Qifei. Now, how could these weak soldiers in the city stop the Ming army's siege?

Zhang Ceduo was terrified, but before he could arrange for the defense of the city, a personal soldier had already hurriedly climbed up the city wall and came to Zhang Ceduo.
The guard had a serious look on his face, but he didn't say anything when he came to Zhang Ceduo. Zhang Ceduo saw his guard's expression and waved his hand. The soldiers around him also dispersed. It was not until this time that the guard spoke up.

"General, the governor Wu Zhaoyuan in the city asked you to come to the government office. He said... he said he wanted to discuss important matters with you for the safety of the people in the city."

Zhang Ceduo heard what his personal soldiers said, and he immediately understood what Wu Zhaoyuan meant. Although Wu Zhaoyuan said it cryptically, he actually wanted him to go and discuss the matter of opening the city and surrendering.
Wu Zhaoyuan was the governor of Yunnan Province. Although Wu Zhaoyuan had cooperated with Sha Dingzhou in the past two years and came forward to pacify the people of Yunnan Province, he was only forced to do so by Sha Dingzhou's military force. Now that the Ming army had entered Yunnan to quell the rebellion, Wu Zhaoyuan naturally wanted to return to the Ming court.
Although Zhang Ceduo understood Wu Zhaoyuan's thoughts, he was hesitant at this moment.

He was able to stay in Kunming after Du Qifei led his troops away, so he must be a trusted general under Sha Dingzhou. If he opened the city and surrendered without firing a single arrow, how would he explain to Sha Dingzhou?
But Wu Zhaoyuan's proposal also made Zhang Ceduo excited. The Ming court sent tens of thousands of people to Yunnan to quell the rebellion, which was obviously serious.

Whether Sha Dingzhou can protect himself in the future is a matter of debate. Wu Zhaoyuan is the governor of Yunnan Province. Even in the Ming court, such a high official is considered a big shot.
If he could offer Kunming City through Wu Zhaoyuan at this time, he might be able to land safely.
Zhang Ceduo looked at the Ming army standing in front of the city, hesitated for a long time, and finally gritted his teeth and turned to walk towards the city.
Zhang Ceduo led a dozen of his personal guards down the city wall and quickly rushed to the Yunnan Provincial Government Office.

In the back hall of the government office, Zhang Ceduo and Wu Zhaoyuan sat opposite each other. Zhang Ceduo looked at Wu Zhaoyuan, who was wearing a bright red official robe, with a gleam in his eyes, and said:

"At this time, the rebel army is besieging the city. I am about to arrange troops to defend the city. Governor Wu summoned me here. What is the important matter?"

Wu Zhaoyuan was shocked when he heard Zhang Ceduo call the Ming army outside the city a rebel army.

He subconsciously looked towards the back of the hall, and seeing that it was silent, Wu Zhaoyuan's face relaxed slightly, and then he didn't care about much else and spoke directly

"The army has arrived outside the city. General Zhang, why should you continue to deceive yourself? The army outside the city right now is the imperial court's army that entered Yunnan to suppress the rebellion. The soldiers that Du Qifei led a few days ago must have been defeated by the imperial court."

"Sha Dingzhou's misdeeds this time have caused chaos in Yunnan Province, which has already angered the court. The imperial army will enter Yunnan this time to wipe out the family. What about the Yang family in Bozhou and the An family in Shuixi? Does General Zhang think that Sha Dingzhou can really compete with the court with just the prefecture of Lin'an?"

"Besides, the Duke of Qian is still here. As long as the court can contact him, the chieftains in various parts of Yunnan will surely rush to submit to the court. Sha Dingzhou's defeat is a foregone conclusion."

"Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province. If General Zhang can resolutely rebel at this time, he will be able to make up for his crime. This is the only way for the general to survive. Please open the city quickly to welcome the imperial army. Don't hesitate."

Zhang Ceduo's face was uncertain when he heard this. He had previously thought that Sha Dingzhou might lose this time, but after listening to Wu Zhaoyuan's words, he suddenly realized that Sha Dingzhou had no chance of survival.

He was Sha Dingzhou's confidant, but he knew the situation of Sha Dingzhou's army better than anyone else. Although Sha Dingzhou now had 100,000 soldiers, in fact, there were only 10,000 or 20,000 loyal and useful soldiers under Sha Dingzhou. The rest of the troops were all soldiers forcibly conscripted from other chieftains by force after occupying Yunnan Province in the past two years.

Once all the chieftains of Yunnan Province surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, it would immediately become a 100,000-strong Ming army to attack the people of Shadingzhou and Lin'an Prefecture.

Zhang Ceduo looked hesitant and thought for a long time before he spoke.

"General Sha has treated me well. If I open the city now, it would be unjust. Moreover, I am a general from Mengzi. If I surrender to the court now, how could the court let me go?"

After Zhang Ceduo finished speaking, he stared at Wu Zhaoyuan opposite him.
When Wu Zhaoyuan heard this, a hint of joy flashed across his face. Zhang Ceduo seemed unwilling to surrender at this moment, but in fact, he had already made up his mind to surrender. As long as his safety could be guaranteed, he would probably surrender directly.

Wu Zhaoyuan thought for a moment and was about to make another promise in his own name. Although Wu Zhaoyuan didn't know whether his promise was still useful, the most important thing at this time was to trick the Yi general into opening the city. He didn't care about the rest.
Wu Zhaoyuan was about to speak, but before he could open his mouth, a loud shout suddenly rang out from behind the hall.
"The imperial army has arrived, kill the rebels immediately"

"Kill the thief, kill the thief!"

Suddenly there was a roar from the back of the hall, and then dozens of figures in leather armor rushed out of the back hall and rushed directly towards Zhang Ceduo in the hall.
"The old thief is looking for death"

At this moment, a sudden change occurred. Zhang Ceduo also reacted, with a look of shock and anger on his face, and was about to leave the hall.

But the soldiers in the hall had been prepared for a long time, so how could they let Zhang Ceduo leave? Seven or eight soldiers rushed forward and knocked Zhang Ceduo to the ground in an instant.

After the soldiers rushed to Zhang Ceduo, they held him down, still struggling and roaring.
Suddenly, seven or eight short knives appeared in the hands of the soldiers, and they stabbed directly at Zhang Ceduo on the ground. Zhang Ceduo screamed, blood flew all over his body, and his whole body was instantly dyed red with blood.
The soldiers were not moved at all and still held Zhang Ceduo firmly on the ground. After just a moment, the screams in the hall stopped abruptly. Zhang Ceduo was covered in blood and lay on the ground without a sound.

The soldiers inside the hall killed Zhang Ceduo, and the soldiers outside the hall were also killing Zhang Ceduo's guards. Not long after, the shouting and killing outside the hall also stopped. At this time, the more than ten guards that Zhang Ceduo brought into the mansion were all strangled to death by the ambushed soldiers.
At this time, the back hall was extremely bloody. Zhang Ceduo was lying on the ground, already a bloody man, with blood constantly flowing out from under his body, dyeing the ground dark red. Seven or eight armored soldiers were holding sharp blades, standing in the hall with murderous intent, their bodies and faces also covered in blood.
Although Wu Zhaoyuan was still sitting on the chair, his face was pale. Wu Zhaoyuan tightly grasped the armrest of the chair with his right hand, and his knuckles were white, but he was unaware of it. He just looked at Zhang Ceduo on the ground with a look of fear.
When the hall was settled, a man in a Confucian robe came out from the back and walked into the hall.

Wu Zhaoyuan looked at the middle-aged man in Confucian robes with a pale face and said

"Brother Yiru, this Zhang Ceduo has already expressed his intention to surrender. As long as you make more promises and appease him, he will definitely surrender. Why... why do you have to make it so bloody?"

Yan Sizu glanced at Wu Zhaoyuan who was trying to remain calm on the chair, but his face was unmoved. He said in a cold voice, "These traitors are helping the tyrants to commit atrocities. Over the past year or so, how many civilians and gentry in the city have been harmed by these evil thieves?"

"Now that the imperial army is approaching, these traitors still do not repent and want to negotiate terms with the imperial court. If we don't kill these traitors now, what's the point of keeping them alive?"

When Wu Zhaoyuan heard the words "aiding and abetting the tyrant", his expression changed slightly. At this time, Zhang Ceduo was dead and the matter was a foregone conclusion. Wu Zhaoyuan could no longer care about Zhang Ceduo and said

"This Zhang Ceduo is the leader of the foreign soldiers in the city. If Brother Yiru kills this thief now, it will be difficult for us to mobilize the foreign soldiers in the city. How can we open the city? Brother Yiru's actions this time are really too reckless."

Yan Sizu looked at Zhang Ceduo on the ground with a cold expression and said

"If this thief comes to his senses and is willing to surrender to the court immediately, then we can still let him go, but this thief wants to bargain with the court at this time, so we must not let him get away. If we don't take action now, this thief will definitely hinder the court's plan."

Sha Dingzhou's main force is in Chuxiong and may return to Kunming at any time. Once Sha Dingzhou's reinforcements come back, the Ming army outside the city will immediately fall into danger.
Zhang Ceduo wanted to negotiate with the court, but the court didn't have time to waste with him.
Wu Zhaoyuan had already revealed his intention to surrender. Zhang Ceduo would be more vigilant before he got the conditions that satisfied him. If they did not take action now, it would be difficult for them to find another opportunity to kill him in the future.
Yan Sizu thought for a moment and then continued

"If this thief is killed and the barbarian soldiers in the city find out, there will be chaos. We cannot hesitate now. I have already gathered more than 500 servants and righteous men from various mansions and the old soldiers in the city in my mansion."

"Please ask the governor to take the token of this thief general, go to the south gate, and in the name of this thief general, order the soldiers guarding the city to open the gate and welcome the imperial army in."

Wu Zhaoyuan's face changed immediately when he heard this, and he said

"Oh my god, this is inappropriate."

"Besides, the soldiers at the city gates are all foreign soldiers. I am the governor in name only, and they may not obey my orders."

Yan Sizu looked at Wu Zhaoyuan, who was frightened, with a calm expression on his face, and said

"What Governor Wu has done in the city over the past two years is known to all the gentry in the city. Although we also know that Governor Wu has other reasons for doing so, the court will never accept such an explanation."

"At this time, the only way to reduce the governor's guilt is to assist the court in retaking Kunming. It is not Yan who wants to take the city, but Governor Wu. Do you agree with this, Governor Wu?"

Wu Zhaoyuan had an ugly look on his face. He was the governor of Yunnan Province, a high-ranking official in charge of a place, but now he was submitting to the traitor. Apart from anything else, his memorial requesting a title for Sha Dingzhou was already a serious crime.

At this time, the imperial army entered Yunnan. His only way to survive was to capture Kunming for the imperial court. Only in this way could he atone for his sins and gain forgiveness from the imperial court.
Wu Zhaoyuan's expression changed several times. After a while, he finally spoke.

"What if those barbarian soldiers are stubborn and refuse to obey orders?"

Yan Sizu said without hesitation

"Then kill!"

"I have gathered five hundred warriors in my mansion, and there are tens of thousands of imperial troops outside the city. As long as we can seize the city gate for a while and wait for the imperial army to enter the city, the overall situation will be settled."

At this time, Wu Zhaoyuan also had no way out. As Yan Sizu said, he needed the great achievement of capturing the city more than anyone else at this time. He had no choice but to take the risk.

The two men discussed and soon Wu Zhaoyuan led the soldiers gathered from all sides of the city and headed towards the south gate.
Wu Zhaoyuan and others led the group to the South Gate, where shouts of killing soon rang out.

The movements at the South Gate naturally could not be hidden from the Ming army outside the city. The envoy sent by Yan Sizu was soon brought to the army. Ma Bao and others confirmed Yan Sizu's identity, and then they did not hesitate and immediately marched towards the South Gate.
At this time, the city wall of the South Gate was in chaos. Soldiers from both sides had already started fighting.

As soon as Li Laiheng and his men arrived at the city gate, it opened immediately. As Li Laiheng led the elite Tengxiang Army into the city gate, the Yi soldiers on the city wall collapsed instantly and fled into the city.
The Ming army occupied the South Gate, but did not rush into the city. Instead, they continued to send soldiers to firmly occupy the South Gate. As long as they controlled one of the gates, the rebels in the city would be killed.
The Yi army in the city naturally discovered the shouts and cries of killing at the South Gate, but at this time Zhang Ce was killed, and the Yi army in the city was leaderless and could not find anyone to command and dispatch. They could only watch the Ming army completely occupy the South Gate. During the whole process, no Yi soldiers went to the South Gate to reinforce.
Li Laiheng and his men occupied the city gate, and soon Gong Yi rushed into the Loyalty Camp. Looking at Li Dingguo in front of him, Gong Yi bowed and said

"The gentry in the city have risen in rebellion, and the South Gate has been seized by the court. The governor has issued an order to order the Loyalty Battalion to lead 2,000 soldiers into the city to clear the northern parade ground, and the Loyalty Battalion to clear the eastern parade ground. The West City is an important place for government offices and treasuries, and the governor will lead the Tengxiang Army to take charge of it personally."

Gong Yi glanced at Li Dingguo and the others in front of him, hesitated for a moment, and continued

"Kunming is the capital of Yunnan Province and a place of great concern to the whole province. General Li, please restrain your soldiers and do not rob or cause chaos in the city."

"If Kunming is safe, the people of Yunnan will be at peace. This matter concerns the overall situation of the court in Yunnan. General Li, please be cautious."

"The army has set up supervisory soldiers to patrol the city. Once a rioting soldier is found, he will be arrested and punished. Please understand, General."

Li Dingguo heard this, but waved his hand and said

"Don't worry, Mr. Gong. If the soldiers of the Loyalty Camp rob the city, I will punish them according to military law and will not protect them."

Hearing this, Gong Yi nodded to Li Dingguo and rode away directly towards the Loyalty Camp.

Wang Shangli looked at Gong Yi who was walking away, with a look of dissatisfaction on his face, and said

"All the money that the bandits have in the city is in the treasury. We are not allowed to plunder the city at this time, and the Tengxiang Army has occupied the treasury. The court is clearly treating us as outsiders and is preparing to take all the benefits of Kunming for itself."

Li Dingguo glanced at Wang Shangli, who looked angry, but ignored him and said directly

"Bai Wenxuan and Feng Shuangli, the two of you muster two thousand soldiers and follow me into the city to clear out the northern part of the city. Wang Shangli, you must lead the remaining soldiers to guard outside the city and follow the orders of the army."

Li Dingguo led his men into the city and, under the guidance of the city guide, headed straight to the parade ground in the north of the city.
There were only a few thousand foreign soldiers in the parade ground in the north of the city. When the Ming army entered the city in large numbers, the foreign soldiers and rebels in the city were already in chaos.

As Li Dingguo and his men arrived, the rebels in the parade ground in the north of the city were also defeated. Bai Wenxuan and his men pushed forward step by step to eliminate them. After hundreds of casualties, the Yi soldiers in the parade ground finally collapsed and directly tied up the main general Ruan Yunjia who still wanted to resist and surrendered to the Ming army.

The Loyalty Battalion led by Gao Yigong was also unstoppable in the east of the city and soon captured Yuan Shihong, the defender of the east city, who was trying to escape during the chaos.
As the two camps in the east and west of the city were destroyed by the Ming army, Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, was controlled by the Ming army.
(End of this chapter)