Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 375 Infiltration
In Sangtian Village, Jinning County, Chaozhou Prefecture, Liu Wang opened his eyes and looked at the unfamiliar bedroom. He was still a little stunned.

It was the first month of the lunar calendar. At dawn, a cold wind was howling outside the window. A woman in her early twenties beside Liu Wang got up from her bed and rustled her clothes.
"Boss, I'm going to prepare breakfast."

The woman put on her clothes by the window, whispered something to Liu Wang, and then covered Liu Wang with the quilt tightly, then got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom.

Liu Wang did not react at all. He just put his hands under his head and looked at the brick beams above his head.

Liu Wang was a soldier of the Tengxiang Army. Two years ago, the imperial court distributed land to the army. Liu Wang was a sentry officer and was allocated 80 mu of the best paddy fields in Sangtian Village.
The woman in the room is named Yang Cui, and she is the wife Liu Wang bought.
The gentry of Chaozhou and Huizhou colluded with the bandits to fight against the imperial court. The main culprits were naturally arrested and beheaded, but the servants and maids in the gentry's homes were not implicated.

Among these captured gentry slaves, the males were granted by the court to be tenants by the soldiers in the army, while the females were sent to the army to solve the problem of singleness among the soldiers.

After Liu Wang got his share of the land in Sangtian Village, he happened to see the county government selling off the maids of the gentry, so he bought himself a wife with thirty taels of silver.
Liu Wang bought a wife, and after having some affairs with her for a few times, he returned to the army to serve. It was not until this year when he was on leave that Liu Wang returned home again.

Although it is home, to Liu Wang, Sangtian Village is new, the mud-brick house in front of him is new, and even his so-called wife Yang Cui is just a stranger he has seen a few times.
Liu Wang lay in bed with his mind wandering. When he was a bandit, he killed people everywhere. After he became a member of the imperial army, he fought with the Tartars in Fujian Province. Later, he became a chieftain of Huguang and Yunnan Provinces.
He had killed so many people over the years and had long been prepared to die on the battlefield. Who would have thought that a killer like him could have a family in the end?

In the darkness, Liu Wang's mouth was stretched, as if he was laughing or mocking himself.

He was just a brave man. Nowadays, the world is full of fighting men like him. He knew very well who gave him everything he had now.

After an unknown amount of time, Yang Cui's voice came from outside the room. Liu Wang then got up, dressed and washed.

When Liu Wang sat down at the table, breakfast had already been served. There was a large bowl of meat porridge in a porcelain bowl, and several bowls and plates contained the leftover roast chicken from last night, two fried fish, and a plate of scrambled eggs with leeks.
Liu Wang sat down at the table and scooped up some meat porridge. The two of them sat at the table and ate in silence.
Yang Cui ate for a while, hesitated for a moment, suddenly put down the bowl and chopsticks, and said

"Boss, a distant uncle of mine sent a message to me a few days ago, saying that the taxes in Fujian Province are heavy and he wants to come here to seek refuge."

"I still have 20 mu of land that has not been rented out. Can I rent 10 mu to them?"

Liu Wang glanced at Yang Cui, who looked nervous, and said without any expression on his face.

"It's up to you, but no matter who your uncle is, you must collect at least some grain, and you must pay at least one dou of grain to the court. Do you remember that?"

"Yes, they are here just to make a living. We must not let them shortchange our tenants."

When Yang Cui saw Liu Wang agreed, a hint of joy flashed across her face. Liu Wang looked at the excited woman and a hint of smile flashed across his face, but it quickly disappeared.
After breakfast, Yang Cui started to work outside the room. Liu Wang lay in the room listening to the chickens and ducks in the yard, feeling a little bored.
If he were in the army, he would be training soldiers, or learning horsemanship and using a matchlock gun. Now that he was suddenly free, he had no idea what to do.

Liu Wang was bored in the room, but Yang Cui suddenly walked into the room and said

"Liu Lizhang and Wang Lishu heard that the head of the family has returned from duty, and they want to invite the head of the family to come over for a gathering. Does the head of the family want to go?"

"Of course I'm going!"

"Eat your lunch and dinner by yourself, you don't have to wait for me."

Liu Wang's eyes lit up, he took the cotton jacket from the room and walked out directly.
The two prefectures of Chaozhou and Huizhou still follow the Lijia system. Each Jia has its own Jiazhang, and each Li has its own Lizhang. The two people Yang Cui mentioned are the Lizhang Liu Bao, and the Li clerk Wang Xingzu. Both of them are old soldiers who were injured and retired from the army.
It was already the 17th day of the first lunar month, and the weather was still cold. Spring ploughing would not begin until February, but at this time, people were already plowing the fields near the village in the cold wind.
In Liu Bao's house, a brazier had been set up in the main room. The charcoal in the brazier was burning red, and sweet potatoes, peanuts, chestnuts and other foods were simmering in the gray-white ashes. From time to time, a slight popping sound could be heard from the brazier.

Liu Wang, Liu Bao and seven or eight other people were sitting around the fire, warming themselves by the fire. On the table beside them were wine jars, peanuts, dried fruits and other items.
Liu Wang picked up the wine bowl and drank the rice wine in it, then he sighed.

"Although there is wine and meat in the army, it is not as comfortable as drinking here. You guys can enjoy such a good life every day, which really makes me envious."

The village chief Liu Bao had his left sleeve empty. He raised his head and drank the rice wine in his right hand. He also spoke

"It's nothing but eating and waiting to die. Brother Liu will be able to return to the army after his rest and continue to serve His Highness. This is what we envy. People like us can't go back even if we want to."

Liu Bao and Wang Xingzu in the room were both veteran soldiers who had been injured in the army. Some of them had missing limbs or needed to walk with crutches. These veteran soldiers were now serving as village heads and village chiefs in various places in Chaozhou and Huizhou.

The people in the room, whether they were injured or on leave, all had the status of imperial guards. They chatted about all sorts of things, but in the end, they still talked about military affairs.
Liu Bao and others had been out of the army for a long time, and they could not get any news from the army on weekdays. They could only get some news from the army when the soldiers in the village returned from their rest.

In fact, Liu Bao and his people have basically no connection with the army. It is useless for them to know the news of the army, but they just want to know.
Seeing that Liu Bao and other old soldiers were asking questions, Liu Wang also picked out some recent developments in the army and started talking.

"Since His Highness returned from the war two years ago, there has been no war in the court for several years. The Tengxiang army has been doing nothing but training every day, which is really boring."

"The Wuxiang and Zhongzheng armies are better. These two imperial armies are stationed at the border of Fujian and Guangdong. I heard that every year during the spring plowing and autumn harvest, the army can rush into the border of Jiangxi and Zhejiang to steal food."

"My Tengxiang Army has been training in Guangjing every day, and even our knives are getting rusty."

Wang Xingzu looked at Liu Wang who looked dissatisfied and said

"It's a good thing that there is no war. The swords and guns on the battlefield are indiscriminate and it's no joke. Look at what happened to us."

"I think this is not right, we soldiers are born to fight. If we, the imperial guards, don't go to the battlefield, how long will it take for us to accumulate merits and get an official position?"

After hearing what Liu Wang said, several people in the field nodded slightly. Although the battlefield is dangerous, it is also the greatest opportunity for soldiers like them.
Some people are afraid of fighting in a war, but some people are willing to risk their lives for a chance of wealth.

Wang Xingzu, the secretary, seemed to have thought of something at this moment, and suddenly laughed.
"Brother Liu said last time he came back that he was going to be promoted to sentry officer. How is it going now?"

"It was a promotion, but it was just a temporary one."

"The missionary said that once the literacy test is passed, the substitute word will be removed. Isn't this embarrassing for me, Old Liu?"

Liu Bao and Wang Xingzu looked at Liu Wang, who looked depressed, and laughed. Wang Xinzu thought for a moment and then said

"When it comes to sword and spear skills, I'm afraid no one in this village can beat Brother Liu."

"But I can help you with the literacy issue. If Brother Liu is interested, I can help you catch up on your literacy lessons." "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Wang. I have to listen to the missionaries chanting in the army every day. I can't help but listen. I finally got a few days off. Please let me relax for a few days."

Everyone looked at Liu Bao who kept shaking his head and laughed again.
Wang Xingzu's face flashed with regret when he heard this. Among the many soldiers who settled in Sangtian Village, Liu Wang had the highest military rank. He was only in his early thirties, but he was already a sentry officer.

Others were not good enough in military merit, but Liu Wang was far superior in military merit. It was his literacy class that slowed down his promotion.

Wang Xingzu was about to persuade him, but at this moment, a panicked shout suddenly came from outside the door.
At the entrance of Sangtian Village, a middle-aged man in linen clothes with a panicked look on his face rushed into the village and shouted:
"The Tartars are coming, the Tartars are coming to kill us, everyone run away!"

When the people in the room heard the shouting, they were startled for a moment, then their expressions suddenly changed, and they all stood up and rushed out the door.
Liu Wang and his companions left the room and quickly caught the shouting villagers in the yard. Liu Bao looked at the frightened man and shouted:

"Chen Wu, spreading rumors and causing chaos is a serious crime. Who told you to talk nonsense here?"

Chen Wu saw that several strong men in the yard were staring at him, and he immediately shouted

"Village head, I dare not lie. There really were Tartars sneaking in. I saw it with my own eyes."

After Chen Wu's report, the others also understood the situation.

Chen Wu was selling bacon in the city today, but halfway through, a man with a strange accent suddenly appeared and bought all the bacon he brought, and he was very generous.
This should have been a good thing, but when the butcher left, his fur hat fell off, and Chen Wu was shocked to find that his head was completely bald, with a thin braid behind his head.

Chen Wu was suspicious and followed the man quietly. He found more than ten people at the edge of a forest. After taking off their hats, they all had thin braids.

Chen Wu saw something strange and thought of the atrocities of the Tartars in the village. He did not dare to look at it carefully and took a shortcut to rush back to warn the police.

After hearing what was said, the village chief Liu Bao said in a deep voice:

"Sangtian Village is close to the seaside and is already in the heart of the imperial court. How could there be a Tartar? Look carefully, is he bald or does he really have a thin braid?"

"It's just a rat braid. I won't make a mistake."

Liu Bao saw that Chen Wu's tone was firm, but his brows were still furrowed. At this time, Liu Wang said in a deep voice

"Nothing is impossible. I heard from the missionary in the army that before the Tartars entered the pass, they loved to invade and plunder with cavalry."

"It is almost spring plowing time, and it is also the time to harvest crops. According to what Chen Wu said, these ten or so people pretended to be merchants. They are most likely cavalry scouts of the Qing army who sneaked into the country for reconnaissance!"

After hearing what Liu Bao and his companions said, they thought that Liu Wang's words made sense.
According to what Chen Wu said, these people covered their heads with fur hats and pretended to be merchants. They all rode horses. Isn't this the common way for military scouts to sneak in?
Liu Wang's eyes flashed with excitement at this time, and he said
"I have been idle in the army for two years. I didn't expect that I would run into the Tartars during my vacation."

"Liu Lizhang immediately sounded the gong to gather the troops. This is a military achievement that has come to our doorstep. We must not let these Tartars escape!"

Liu Bao and several other old soldiers also looked excited. After being assigned to Chaozhou, they thought they would never have the chance to fight in the battlefield again. They never expected that these Tartars would come and bump into them.
In Sangtian Village, the gong was struck quickly, and the imperial guards who were returning home on their day off were quickly gathered.

When the soldiers heard that the Tartars had sneaked in, they were overjoyed and everyone was eager to give it a try.

There were nearly thirty imperial guards on duty in Sangtian Village at this time. In addition, there were no less than two hundred young and strong tenants near the village. The dozen or so Tatars who sneaked in alone were a great achievement for them.
When the young and strong heard that they were going to ambush and kill the Tartars, they were naturally terrified and unwilling, but their opposition was useless.
The people who can really make the decisions in Sangtian Village now are Liu Wang and dozens of other imperial guards. The other two hundred households are almost all tenants of the soldiers in the village.

Under the command of the returning imperial guards, the young and strong men in the village were quickly organized. The village secretary Wang Xingzu led a hundred young and strong men to stay in the village for defense.
Liu Wang and the village chief Liu Bao led the village's imperial guards and the remaining young men out of the village to attack and kill the infiltrating Tartars.

Soldiers were not allowed to bring their armor home on leave. Although they did not have armor, they did have cotton jackets.

The soldiers of the imperial army returned home, put on two layers of cotton-padded jackets, took their swords and hunting bows from the village, and led a hundred brave young men to rush towards the Tartars.
On the post road outside Sangtian Village, more than a hundred young men from Sangtian Village, armed with long sticks, knives and forks, blocked the group of people on the post road. The fight that Liu Wang and others had expected did not happen at this time.
On the post road, more than 30 Ming soldiers in red armor stood in front, separating the Sangtian village militia from the more than ten men who looked like merchants in the back.

Liu Wang looked at the leather-armored soldiers opposite him and was also confused. Liu Wang had been hiding on the roadside with his men, ready to launch a surprise attack on the Tartars.

But Liu Wang did not expect that the Tartars that Chen Wu mentioned had indeed come, but these Tartars were accompanied by a group of Ming army soldiers as guards.

Among the soldiers on the opposite side, a general in leather armor rode his horse to the front and shouted in a deep voice:
"Where are you from? Why are you blocking the road?"

"I am Liu Wang, a sentry officer of the Tengxiang Army. Where are you from? Why did you harbor the Tartars and sneak into the county?"

The general on the opposite side hadn't spoken yet. At this moment, Chen Wu, who was in the crowd of Sangtian Village, looked at the figure behind him and suddenly shouted loudly:

"General Liu, it's the one with the hooked nose who bought the bacon. He is the Tartar."

Hearing this, Guan Can turned around and glanced at the envoy's guard Luo Shi behind him.
Guan Can also reacted at this time. These soldiers must have discovered the identity of the Tatars of the Qing Dynasty envoys in the rear without knowing how, and thought that they were Tatars who had infiltrated, so they led their men to ambush and kill them on the roadside.
"I am Guan Can, the lieutenant general of the Wuxiang Army. I am now escorting the Tartar imperial envoys to Beijing under military orders."

"These people are envoys sent by the Tartars to negotiate peace, not enemy cavalry that have infiltrated the territory."

"Peace?"

Liu Wang, Liu Bao and others were all shocked when they heard this, but then Liu Wang became furious and shouted
"Negotiation of peace, my Tengxiang Army trains day and night, just waiting to kill the Tartars, who wants to negotiate peace with these dogs Tartars, who dares to deceive Your Highness?"

Guan Can looked at Liu Wang and others who looked angry, and his face was also helpless.

The Qing Dynasty envoys arrived in Zhejiang Province in early January. After the court decided to send the Qing Dynasty envoys to Beijing, Guan Can began to escort the envoys to Guangzhou.
However, the journey was not peaceful. Although the Qing army occupied Fujian Province for only half a year, a large number of Fujian people still died at the hands of the Qing army.

The people of Fujian Province already had a great hatred for the Qing Dynasty. Under the guidance of newspapers such as Xingming Times, the people of Fujian Province became even more hostile to the Qing Dynasty.

After Guan Can escorted the Qing Dynasty delegation into Fujian Province, the people along the way saw the Tartars in the delegation and either fled in panic or became angry and wanted to attack the team and kill these Tartars who dared to enter Fujian Province.

After causing several disturbances, Guan Can had to order the Qing Dynasty envoys to wear hats to conceal their identities in order to avoid unrest.
But Guan Can did not expect that just when he had a peaceful time, he would meet Liu Wang and others who mistook the Qing envoys who concealed their identities as infiltrating Tartar cavalry sentries.
(End of this chapter)