Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 421 Titans
In the hall, Zhang Kentang sat on a chair with a natural look on his face. Leng Sengji saw Zhang Kentang's expression and couldn't help cursing the Ming court for being shameless.

Zhang Kentang didn't care at all and looked directly at Shen Chenquan beside him. Shen Chenquan caught Zhang Kentang's gaze and nodded slightly. Suddenly he said

"Who is Chen Tianchong?"

"I will be"

Shen Chenquan glanced at Chen Tianchong who was speaking on the right, and continued speaking.

"I heard that General Huang Binqing was accidentally captured by you. May I ask how General Huang is doing now?"

Seeing everyone looking at him, Chen Tianchong let out a sigh and recalled the answers he had prepared. Suddenly, he sneered and said:

"He was not captured, but was killed by me personally. Your General Huang is now only left with a head."

Chen Tianchong's face showed a ferocious look. Shen Chenquan was silent for a moment before continuing to speak.

"This time, our Zhoushan court also captured and killed Ningbo's defender Liu Dengying. Our Zhoushan court is willing to exchange Liu Dengying and the pseudo-Ningbo prefect and other officials for General Huang's body."

"Change? Sure, but I don't want Liu Dengying. What's the point of having a useless person who can't even defend a city?"

"You, the Zhoushan Pseudo-Dynasty, attacked Ningbo this time and looted millions of people's property. If that's the case, you can pay me one million taels of silver, and I will return Huang Binqing to you in Zhoushan."

Shen Chenquan's face darkened immediately after hearing this. One million taels of silver to exchange for Huang Binqing, what a joke! Not to mention Huang Binqing, even if the Qing government captured Lu Jianguo at this time, Zhoushan would never come up with one million taels of silver to exchange for him.

Shen Chenquan's expression turned cold and he said

"Chen Tianchong, victory or defeat on the battlefield is just a matter of seconds. Today, Zhoushan can conquer Ningbo, and tomorrow, Zhoushan can conquer your Ninghai. Have you ever thought about your future fate?"

Chen Tianchong was unmoved when he heard Shen Chenquan's threat. He sneered and said

"Then I will wait. Do you really think I will be like those useless people in Ningbo City?"

"I can kill three thousand of Huang Binqing today, and I can kill another ten thousand of you Zhoushan tomorrow. If you are not afraid of death, you can come and give it a try!"

The cold voice kept echoing in the hall. When Tian Xiong heard what Chen Tianchong said, his face immediately turned ugly. Chen Tianchong was obviously making indirect accusations.

Tian Xiong was angry, but Leng Sengji, who was standing beside him, looked at Chen Tianchong with a cold expression, and a hint of admiration flashed in his eyes.

This is what a general should be like. The Qing court rose to prominence through military achievements, and the most respected were brave warriors. Without this spirit of desperate fighting, how could they defeat the enemy, kill the generals, seize the flags, and destroy the enemy army in battle?
Although Chen Tianchong is a Han Chinese, his performance at this time is obviously in line with the image of a brave general in Leng Sengji's cognition.

Leng Sengji looked at Tian Xiong, who was standing aside with a gloomy expression, and his eyes became more and more disdainful. He heard that Tian Xiong had protected Emperor Hongguang and escaped, and that he was valued by the court because he betrayed Emperor Hongguang.
Now it seems that this villain is indeed useless. The court should not have handed over such an important place as Ningbo to a waste like Tian Xiong.
Although Tian Xiong was highly valued by the Qing court for offering Emperor Hongguang, his situation in Zhejiang Province was not good.

Although many officials in Zhejiang Province of the Qing Dynasty also rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, they surrendered and did not tie up their former masters to ask for rewards from the Qing Dynasty.
Although they were all second-level officials, there were also different levels among the second-level officials. Tian Xiong was obviously the most despicable one. Unless the officials in Zhejiang Province had no choice, they basically avoided Tian Xiong.

Not only the Han officials in Zhejiang Province, but also the Manchus in Zhejiang Province despised Tian Xiong. Although Tian Xiong offered Emperor Hongguang to the Manchus, they certainly gained a lot, but who would like a villain who sold out his master for fame?
Tian Xiong has been the general of Zhejiang for several years, but he is unable to integrate into the smuggling affairs of Zhejiang Province. On the one hand, it is because of the hostility of the Ming court towards Tian Xiong, but on the other hand, it is also because the officials in Zhejiang Province are unwilling to cooperate with Tian Xiong.
Tian Xiong even dared to sell out the emperor. Who knows if he will bite back after cooperating with him?

Leng Sengji looked at Zhang Kentang opposite him and finally spoke again.

"Zhang Kentang, you Ming Dynasty don't need to use Zhoushan as a cover-up anymore. You know best what is right and wrong."

"You, the Ming Dynasty, have betrayed the alliance. If you want to settle this matter, you will have to pay a price."

"First, the Ming court must pay one million taels of silver to compensate the Qing Dynasty for its losses in Ningbo. Second, hand over Zheng Cai, Zhang Mingzhen and other generals who attacked Ningbo to the Qing Dynasty for disposal."

"If you agree to these two conditions, we can still live in peace. Otherwise..."

Before Leng Sengji could finish his words, he was interrupted by a sneer. A general wearing black iron armor suddenly threw his iron helmet on the table beside him, making a clanging sound. Everyone's eyes instantly focused on the general.

The armored general leaned back in his chair, his face casual, and said

"There are so many strange things in this world. You are a bunch of defeated rubbish after Ningbo was captured and lost. Instead of begging for mercy from the Ming Dynasty, you come to negotiate terms with the Ming Dynasty."

"Strange, really strange"

Leng Sengji stared at the cynical general opposite him, his face turned cold, and he said

"Who are you?"

The general saw everyone looking at him, but he didn't care at all. He said directly

"General of the Left Camp of the Wuxiang Army, order An Bo Yizhi to know"

Leng Sengji frowned when he heard what Yi Zhi said. He knew that the Wuxiang Army was the biggest rival of the Qing court in Zhejiang Province.
However, Leng Sengji felt vaguely familiar with the words Zhao'an, but he couldn't remember where he had heard them before.

Yi Zhi looked at Leng Sengji opposite him, as if he knew what Leng Sengji was thinking, and suddenly spoke again

"Does Zhao'an sound familiar to you? During the siege of Bolo, I was the commander of the northern city of Zhao'an. After entering the city, I killed the Tartar commander on the city wall with one blow."

"I still remember the name of that Tartar, Gushan Ezhen Baiyintu of the Bordered Yellow Banner. With just this one Tartar, I was awarded the title of Earl."

"It's a pity that you Tartars didn't send a few more Gushans. Otherwise, if I had killed a few more, I would have been a marquis by now. It's really a pity."

Leng Sengji looked at the smile on the opposite general's face, and his expression suddenly turned gloomy. When Yi Zhi mentioned Bolo, Leng Sengji already remembered where Zhao'an was.

The Battle of Zhao'an was the first major defeat suffered by the Eight Banners Qing Army after the Qing Dynasty entered the Pass. In the battle of Guangdong Province, the Qing Dynasty could still say that the Han Green Camp was useless, but in the Battle of Zhao'an, the Qing Dynasty could not excuse itself no matter what. Not only were thousands of Eight Banners troops wiped out, but even the Beile who led the army was killed. How could this be denied?

This war has become a taboo in the court, and basically no one would mention it, so Leng Sengji didn't remember where Zhao'an was for a while.
Yi Zhi bringing up the matter again at this time was obviously a provocation. Leng Sengji was furious, but before he could speak, Zhang Kentang on the opposite side spoke first.
"General Yi, I am the chief envoy for this mission, and you are just an attendee. Who allowed you to speak without permission?"

Yi Zhi heard Zhang Kentang's cold shout, but he showed no fear at all. Yi Zhi turned to look at Zhang Kentang, and the smile on his face faded, his expression was cold.

"Governor Zhang, although I am here as an observer, I am also a minister of the Ming Dynasty. The court sent you here to tell you the truth, not to make you surrender. Who allowed you to make such a humiliating agreement?"

"You and other people keep talking about the overall situation in the court. What is the overall situation?"

"The overall situation is not something you and others have said, but something that we, the imperial guards, have fought for on the front lines. If it weren't for the hundreds of thousands of soldiers like us who had shed blood and fought, how could you have any overall situation?"

Zhang Kentang seemed to be provoked by Yi Zhi at this time, and an angry look appeared on his face. He shouted directly:

"When did I ever say I would agree to these Tartars' conditions? Don't think that just because you are a general of the Imperial Guards, I cannot touch you."

"If you dare to make trouble again, I will report this matter to the emperor when I return and accuse you of your reckless behavior."

Yi Zhi had a gloomy expression on his face, but he seemed to be concerned about Zhang Kentang's identity. He finally stopped talking and just folded his arms and looked coldly at the people in the field.
Leng Sengji was originally angry, but when he saw the Ming court officials and military officers suddenly on the opposite side, he narrowed his eyes slightly, with a thoughtful look on his face.

The Ming court was obviously like the Qing court, and there were also problems
The Yongli Emperor secured his throne by relying on his army's repeated victories, and the Ming court's military officers also naturally began to take power in the court.
The internal struggle between the civil and military officials of the Ming court was obviously extremely fierce, otherwise there would not have been such a thing as Yi Zhi, the deputy commander of the front-line imperial guards, openly contradicting the governor-general of the front line. This incident also happened to reveal the attitude of the civil and military officials of the Ming court towards starting a war.
Since some people in the Ming court are unwilling to fight, there is an opportunity to exploit.

Leng Sengji kept thinking in his heart, but before he could think about it any more, Zhang Kentang looked at Leng Sengji and said in a cold voice

"Leng Sengji, I don't have time to play any tricks with you to raise the price. If it weren't for the imperial court's order, why would I come here to waste my time with you?"

"If you want to break the alliance, then you can attack us. Anyway, you Qing invaders have always been unfaithful and disloyal, and the people of the world have long been accustomed to it. You don't need to find excuses like Ningbo and Ninghai here."

"The Fenshui Pass of Xianxia Mountain is still there. If you want to fight, you can send troops to attack."

"I will wait for you in Fujian and Zhejiang. I want to see how many of you and the other Tartars can return this time!"

Leng Sengji couldn't help but laugh when he heard what Zhang Kentang said. It was obviously the Guangdong court that broke the alliance first, but Zhang Kentang turned the tables and said that it was the Qing court that wanted to break the alliance. These Han people were really shameless.

Seeing the anger on Zhang Kentang's face, Leng Sengji also felt a little hesitant.

Leng Sengji had originally determined that this incident must have been done by the Guangdong Provincial Court, with the purpose of forcing the Qing court to break the treaty and go to war.

But seeing Zhang Kentang's reaction, he began to doubt the Guangdong Provincial Court, or the Guangdong Provincial Court Center, for how much involvement it had in Ningbo's affairs.

Although Leng Sengji was hesitant, his expression remained unchanged. He spoke directly in a cold voice.

"You Han people are really talking nonsense and confusing right and wrong. Well, since you, the Ming Dynasty, said that this matter has nothing to do with your Guangdong Provincial Court, you can blame Zhoushan for this matter."

"Then my Great Qing will send troops to attack Lu Jianguo, and your Guangdong Provincial Court will not intervene!"

As soon as Leng Sengji finished speaking, Zhang Kentang immediately spoke up and shouted in a cold voice:
"What a joke! The Prince of Lu is a member of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty. If you want to attack the prince of the Ming Dynasty, why can't the Ming Dynasty intervene?"

"My Great Ming navy has arrived at the sea. Don't you Qing invaders think you have too many ships in your navy? If you want to attack Zhoushan, you can go ahead. I want to see how long your so-called navy can hold off my Great Ming."

Not to mention that the Ningbo incident was planned by Guangdong Province, even if the Ningbo incident was not planned by the court, the Guangdong court would never ignore the Qing court's attack on Zhoushan. How could the court allow the Qing court to defeat the pro-Ming forces one by one?

Although Leng Sengji was not familiar with naval warfare, he obviously knew that the Qing court was no match for the Ming court in naval warfare.

Seeing that Zhang Kentang refused to give in, Leng Sengji's face darkened and he said in a cold voice:
"Whether it's Guangdong Province or Zhoushan, you, the Ming Dynasty, must give me an explanation for the attack on Ningbo this time, otherwise I, the Qing Dynasty, will never let it go!"

As Leng Sengji finished speaking, Zhang Kentang sneered and spoke directly

"Explain, what do you want to be explained?"

"There are tens of thousands of soldiers stationed on the front line, and thousands more in the city. Such a Dayi city with high walls and deep walls was actually breached by the navy of Zhoushan. You guys are like this, and you still want to give an explanation to my Guangdong Province!"

"Leng Sengji, you have to admit defeat. Don't you and the other Eastern Tartars love to talk about the winners and losers? Why, now that you have been defeated, you don't remember the winners and losers?"

"Since you, the Eastern Tartars, dare to enter the Central Plains, you must be prepared to die in the Central Plains."

Leng Sengji saw that Zhang Kentang suddenly became tough, and his face darkened. But before he could speak, Zhang Kentang continued.

"I don't have time to waste with you. I just want to tell you that if the Ningbo incident was handled by Guangdong Province, then when Ningbo City was captured, my imperial army would have already marched to Zhejiang Province."

"And we are not in this Zhejiang Jiantiao Institute right now, but should be negotiating outside the city of Nanjing!"

"I have said all that I need to say. If you want to fight, you have to decide for yourself. If you are not satisfied, you can try to send soldiers to Zhejiang Province for a surprise attack. I want to see if you Qinglu really have the courage to do so."

Leng Sengji cursed in his heart when he heard this. Zhoushan's sneak attack on Ningbo was unexpected.
The Guangdong Provincial Government is clearly on guard now. Sending troops now is not a surprise attack but a strong attack. If this is the case, then the whole country will have to fight.

Zhang Kentang didn't care about Leng Sengji's expression. He stood up and left after he finished speaking. Yi Zhi, Shen Chenquan and others also stood up and followed him out of the hall.
Leng Sengji was slightly surprised to see Zhang Kentang and the others suddenly leave, but in the end he did not say anything to stop them.

As Zhang Kentang said, everything that needed to be said had been said. The Ming court was clearly determined not to admit its mistakes and was unwilling to make any concessions. There was no point in the two sides continuing the talks.
After Zhang Kentang and others left, the Ming army outside Jiantiao slowly withdrew. The infantry retreated first, while the cavalry stayed in place to monitor the Qing army on the opposite side. After the infantry withdrew, the cavalry slowly ran to the rear.
In just a quarter of an hour, thousands of Ming troops outside the city had withdrawn. After the Ming troops withdrew, the Qing troops also slowly retreated back to Ninghai.

The negotiations between the Ming and Qing parties ended in displeasure after only half a day. As the two parties withdrew, the area outside Jiantiao City became quiet again. However, the armies in Tiantai and Ninghai began to mobilize frequently, and the front lines on both sides suddenly became tense.

(End of this chapter)