Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 413 Beheading
In the lobby, Huang Binqing saw that the man in green armor above was silent for a long time, and his expression became more and more nervous.

Chen Tianchong was silent for a moment, then he leaned back in his chair and spoke softly.

"This information is useful, but it alone is not enough to buy your life."

"If you want to live, you have to be useful. Tell me what you are useful for. You only have this one chance, think carefully."

Huang Binqing felt relieved at first, but soon he became nervous again.

Huang Binqing looked at the dark red saber on the table in front of him. Although he was reluctant to leave, a smile appeared on his face. He said

"I have plundered a large amount of wealth in this battle. All of this wealth is stored in Jiangshanji and Ningbo City. The total value is no less than 300,000 taels. I am willing to give all of this wealth..."

Huang Binqing was interrupted before he could finish his words. Chen Tianchong said coldly
"That belongs to me, what does it have to do with you?"

"Think again, think about what use you can bring to the court."

Huang Binqing was also stunned when he heard this, knowing that the thief in front of him might have been ready to take away the property he had robbed in Ningbo.

It's a pity that he worked so hard to collect so much wealth, but in the end he didn't even get to use it and it became someone else's property.

However, Huang Binqing did not dare to say much at this time, and did not even dare to show a trace of anger.
Now that even his life is in the hands of others, how can Huang Binqing care about those wealth?
Huang Binqing was also very sharp-minded. After receiving the hint, he quickly understood what Chen Tianchong meant. This Tartar thief wanted not only money, but also merit.
Huang Binqing saw the threat on Chen Tianchong's face and quickly spoke

"Although I am trapped in Ningbo now, I still have 5,000 soldiers on Zhoushan Island. I am willing to recruit these Zhoushan soldiers to surrender on behalf of the court."

"Not only that, I have been in Zhoushan for a long time and am familiar with the waterways on the island. I am willing to lead the royal army and assist the court in attacking Zhoushan and capturing and killing the false and rebellious King Lu!"

Chen Tianchong seemed quite satisfied when he heard this. A smile appeared on his face and he said softly
"That's right. Tell me about the situation of the soldiers on Zhoushan Island and how to attack Zhoushan."

"Zhong Mo, bring paper and pen, write down what he said, and then ask him to sign it."

Zhong Mo, who was below, heard what Chen Tianchong said, but his expression changed slightly.

Although Zhoushan respected the King of Lu, he was still a vassal king of the imperial court after all. How could they let the Qing court know the secrets of Zhoushan Island? If the Qing court really broke through Zhoushan, how would they deal with it?
Zhong Mo was hesitant, but seeing the cold look on Chen Tianchong's face, he had no choice but to take out a pen and paper and start recording.

Huang Binqing saw Chen Tianchong's reaction and knew that his guess was correct. This Tartar general was indeed greedy for merit and must have already thought of attacking Zhoushan.

Huang Binqing also felt relieved. As long as the Qing court wanted to capture Zhoushan, he would be useful, and very useful!
Huang Binqing thought for a moment and then said

"The criminal general has 3,000 soldiers on Zhoushan Island. The commander who stayed behind is named Huang Dazhen, who has been my trusted confidant for many years. He has 2,000 soldiers in Dinghai, and the commander is my brother Huang Xiaoqing."

"These people are all my family members and friends. I am very confident that I can get these 5,000 soldiers to join the light."

"My army is stationed at Cengang on Zhoushan Island. Outside Zhoushan are the three islands of Jintang, Daxie and Xiaoxie."

"These three islands are the outer barriers of Zhoushan. Jintang Island outside Cengang is now controlled by my camp. As long as I can persuade the troops in the camp to surrender, the imperial army can enter Cengang directly through Jintang Mountain!"

"Zhoushan's army is good at naval warfare but not at land warfare. As long as the imperial army lands on the island, the strength of the bandits such as Zheng Cai and Zhang Mingzhen will be greatly reduced. Then the imperial court will be able to capture Zhoushan in one fell swoop."

Huang Binqing spoke eloquently, becoming more and more fluent as he spoke

Huang Binqing was frightened before only because he was afraid of death, but now he realized that he was obviously of great use. With his life no longer in danger, Huang Binqing began to relax.

Chen Tianchong seemed very satisfied. After listening to Huang Binqing's plan, he said

"Yes, this is more like it. I will personally report this matter to the court. If the court can successfully defeat the Zhoushan pseudo-dynasty, I will definitely ask for credit for you."

Chen Tianchong suddenly stood up, walked to Huang Binqing, and continued
"The attack on Zhoushan needs to be decided by the court, so let's not talk about it for now."

"The Guangdong Province's fake dynasty used Zhoushan as an excuse to attack the Qing Dynasty. It is really hateful. Are you willing to come forward and testify on behalf of the court that the Guangdong Province's fake dynasty secretly instigated the attack on Ningbo?"

Huang Binqing was ready to offer his own generals to the court of Guangdong Province. Huang Binqing did not hesitate at all and spoke directly.

"I am willing to testify on behalf of the court that the Guangdong Province pseudo-court has clearly signed a ceasefire agreement with the court, but is secretly encouraging Zhoushan to attack the court."

"The Guangdong Province Pseudo-Dynasty has broken its promise and violated the covenant. This is truly despicable. I am willing to testify against this Pseudo-Dynasty of Guangdong Province so that the people of the world can recognize the true face of this Pseudo-Dynasty of Guangdong Province!"

Chen Tianchong's expression became more and more satisfied. He nodded slightly and said

"That being the case..."

Chen Tianchong only said half of his words when he suddenly stopped. A dagger suddenly appeared from his sleeve, and the sharp blade flashed in the dim room.

Huang Binqing felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked towards his chest subconsciously and saw a dagger had penetrated his chest.

Huang Binqing suddenly looked up at Chen Tianchong in front of him, with a look of astonishment on his face. Huang Binqing's lips moved as if he wanted to speak, but a large mouthful of blood gushed out of his mouth.
Huang Binqing groaned twice, stretched out his hands as if trying to grab something, but in the end he failed to grab anything, and suddenly fell to the ground.

Huang Binqing fell to the ground with his eyes wide open. He still didn't understand why Chen Tianchong still wanted to kill people when he had already sold everything he could.

Zhong Mo was also shocked when he saw Chen Tianchong suddenly kill him. He glanced at Huang Binqing who was lying on the ground with a worried look on his face and said

"General, Huang Binqing deserves to die, but he is still a general in Zhoushan. If we kill him like this, it will be difficult to explain to the court." Chen Tianchong shook off the blood on his hands, sat on the chair, and his face was cold.

"Governor Zhang has already sent someone to pass on the order, asking us to do what we want. We are just following the order."

"Huang Binqing knows too much. Many people in the army saw him being captured. Since we can't let him go, we can only kill him."

Chen Tianchong had a grim look on his face. Huang Binqing was afraid of death, so was Chen Tianchong not afraid of death?
Although from the interrogation just now, Huang Binqing seemed to be unaware of his intelligence
But this person is a high-ranking military officer from Zhoushan, and is deeply involved in the affairs of Ningbo. Who knows if this person has accidentally heard any news? If this person notices something unusual afterwards, Chen Tianchong and others will immediately be in danger.

Chen Tianchong glanced at Huang Binqing on the ground and spoke again in a cold voice

"And this person also knows that the imperial court is planning to attack Ning. If this is the case, we must not let this person fall into the hands of the Qing court."

Although the Ming court had planned this carefully, Zhang Jiayu appeared on Zhoushan Island many times. If the Qing court had planted a spy in the Lu Regent Court, they would soon guess that the Guangdong court was behind this.

It's just speculation. As long as the Qing court has no evidence, it can't do anything even if it guesses. But if Huang Binqing falls into the hands of the Qing court, it will be different.
Huang Binqing is a high-ranking general in Zhoushan. If he comes forward to testify against the Guangdong Provincial Court, the Ming court will immediately be in a passive position.

Chen Tianchong frowned and thought for a while, then said in a deep voice
"Immediately send someone to Zhoushan to report Huang Binqing's case, and also hand over the testimony Huang Binqing just gave to Governor Zhang."

Zhong Mo was stunned when he heard this, and then his eyes lit up. Zhong Mo looked up at Chen Tianchong with admiration on his face and said

"General, you have thought it through. I admire you."

Chen Tianchong was a general of the Qing Dynasty at that time, while Huang Binqing was a high-ranking general of Zhoushan. Chen Tianchong killed Huang Binqing without informing the emperor. No one knew what the attitude of the imperial court was.
Chen Tianchong had just induced Huang Binqing to confess in preparation for this matter. As long as he could prove to the court that Huang Binqing had rebelled first, he would be able to dispel the court's suspicion of him.

Chen Tianchong heard Zhong Mo's praise, but there was no joy on his face, and his voice was low.

"We are in a foreign land. If we make a mistake, we will be doomed. How can I be careless?"

Zhong Mo also fell silent after hearing this. Their families have now been taken to Guangdong Province. Since they were left in Zhejiang Province, there is no turning back.
The hall was dark, Huang Binqing fell to the ground, his blood dyed the ground dark red. Today it was Huang Binqing who fell to the ground, who knew if they would fall to the ground tomorrow?
There was silence in the hall for a long time before Chen Tianchong spoke again.

“When will the infantry battalion arrive?”

"I'm afraid I won't be able to arrive until tonight."

Chen Tianchong came here on a charge, and the infantry battalion was still on the road behind. Chen Tianchong glanced at the dim twilight outside the window and said in a cold voice

"Order the infantry camp to speed up and reach Jiangshanji tonight."

"Send cavalry scouts to investigate the situation of the Ming army in and outside Ningbo, and make some noise to let them know that the Qing reinforcements are coming."

"Early tomorrow morning, we will send troops to capture Ningbo!"

Jiang Shan gathered messengers and scouts from all directions. As the defeated soldiers gathered by Jiang Shan fled back to the city, the Ming troops near Ningbo learned that the Qing army's vanguard had arrived and they were instantly in chaos.

Ningbo, on the 18th day of the first lunar month, the dust was flying on the post road west of the city. Five hundred soldiers in green armor galloped past, and the rumbling sound of horse hooves broke the tranquility of the early morning.
Tian Xiong looked exhausted. He quietly evacuated from Shangyu on the night of the 16th. He traveled more than 180 miles in one day and one night, and finally arrived outside Ningbo early this morning.

It is true that the 800-li express was possible, but this required constant changing of horses along the way in order to maintain this speed.
Even if it was just a cavalry, it was impossible for a large army to march at such a speed. In fact, Tian Xiong's ability to travel 200 miles a day was already extremely impressive.

The cavalry rushed forward, and a black city wall appeared at the end of the road. When Tian Xiong saw the black wall, his face lit up and he immediately shouted loudly.
"Slow down, beware of the thieves' attacks, follow me back to the city and kill the enemies!"

Tian Xiong withdrew 3,000 troops from Shangyu, but he only had 500 cavalrymen with him at this time, and the infantrymen in Tian Xiong's camp were also left behind.

The 500 cavalrymen approached the city wall cautiously, but the bandit cavalry that Tian Xiong was worried about did not appear. The group arrived at the foot of Ningbo City without encountering any interception.

The cavalry rushed to the city, but Tian Xiong in front suddenly stopped, his face suddenly turned pale.

A figure in a black peacock official robe was hanging under the city wall. Clouds gathered in the sky, and a cold wind blew through the city. The figure under the city wall was also swaying gently in the wind.

Tian Xiong looked at the figure hanging on the city wall, and was first filled with anger, and then became panic-stricken.

Chen Mo is actually dead, how could he die like this!
Tian Xiong doesn't care whether Chen Mo lives or dies, but someone must take responsibility for the fall of Ningbo.

If Chen Mo was alive, he would have to bear the responsibility for the crime. But now that Chen Mo is dead, this great crime is likely to fall on Tian Xiong's head. How can he not be angry?

Tian Xiong's face was pale, and he sat on his horse in a daze. But at this moment, the city gate in front of him suddenly opened, and a group of Ming soldiers in scarlet uniforms suddenly rushed out of the gate.

When Tian Xiong saw the Ming soldiers at the city gate, his eyes suddenly turned red and he shouted angrily
"Kill! Kill all these traitors for me and take back Ningbo!"

Tian Xiong had a ferocious look on his face, but he didn't notice that the Ming troops running out of the city were in disarray, with terrified expressions on their faces.
Before Tian Xiong's soldiers could make any move, nearly a hundred cavalrymen suddenly rushed out from the gate.

These cavalrymen, like Tian Xiong and his men, all wore green cotton armor and had thin braids on their heads.
Suddenly, a clear bell rang out from the top of the city wall. The cavalrymen near the gate heard the sound, but without any hesitation, they abandoned the fleeing Ming army in front of them and retreated back into the city.

As the cavalry in front of the gate withdrew, the city gate that had just been lowered was closed again.

On the top of the city wall, Chen Tianchong, wearing black iron armor, looked down at the city, while Tian Xiong, who was below, also looked up at the city. The two of them stood on the wall and suddenly their eyes met.
Tian Xiong looked at the cold-looking armored generals beside the city wall and the Qing army flags flying on the top of the city wall. Finally, despair appeared on his face. He knew that he was completely finished.

(End of this chapter)