Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 135 Another Wave

With the arrival of military intelligence letters, Ordu finally realized the seriousness of the problem.

So many counties in Suzhou and Songjiang were attacked almost overnight, which was obviously due to the full mobilization of the surrounding Ming troops.

In this situation, he didn't have many choices.

It is definitely not possible not to send troops.

Having lost so many men, if he really just stayed in the city and asked the prince for help, then his future would probably be ruined.

Of course, he was not afraid of any ambush or interception.

To put it bluntly, Ordu even hoped that the Ming army would have such intentions, so that he could make up for his mistake without much effort.

just
Did the Ming army make such a big fuss just to attack a few counties and kill a few soldiers?

Although the first two people who came to report the news did not say anything, the news that came later showed that the Ming army only stayed for one day before decisively withdrawing.

If the Ming army said they occupied the city but did not defend it, even if they were beaten to death, Or would never believe it.

But then again, the Ming army's plans were hidden in the dark. How could we know them without testing them?
So from various perspectives, the only option left for Ordu now is to send troops.

So the question is, where should these troops come from?
Now, apart from him, the only troops in Suzhou City that can be considered combat-ready are those of Li Chengdong and Wu Shengzhao.

If one excludes those stationed in the county town and those who stayed in Suzhou, he could only mobilize about five thousand people.

Five thousand men were definitely enough to test the Ming army's plan, but a few days ago, seeing that the overall situation had been decided, Ordu neglected to give some soup to the surrendered soldiers while eating meat.

so.
Of course, as long as the order is given, they certainly will not have the courage to refuse to send troops, but fighting is something that requires willingness.

If the surrendered troops become lazy because of the previous poor treatment, then this trip may also bring about considerable uncertainties.

Therefore, before setting off, Ordu increased the pay and made promises, making Li Chengdong and Wu Shengzhao both think that they were going to fight a tough battle this time.

But what was beyond everyone's expectation was that, along the way, let alone the Ming army, not even a thief was seen.

When the army arrived in Huating and a group of gentry and elders came out of the city to welcome them, Erdu naturally felt a little sorry for the more than a thousand taels of silver that he had given out.

"You colluded with the Ming army and harmed our soldiers. What crime should you be punished for?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the village elders who were already kneeling on the ground began to defend themselves and kowtowed repeatedly.

But Erdu, who had already made up his mind, ignored him and just had the soldiers tie him up. Then he took a team of soldiers, Wen Hongfeng and Qi Laoer and went directly into the county town.

"Hongfeng! Hongfeng!"

While no one was paying attention, Wen Hongfeng made a gesture to his fourth uncle to stay calm and quickly chased after him.

At this point, he had roughly understood why his fourth uncle asked him to go to Suzhou, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart that the old fox's self-preservation skills were truly superb.

Seeing that his family property had been seized by the Qing army, he called in the Ming army. Seeing that the Ming army could not be relied upon, he transformed himself into the guide of the Qing army.

After all the trouble, he was the accomplice on both sides. No wonder the Liu family lost all their wealth, while the Wen family was able to stand firm in Huating.

After entering the city, Erdu walked to the Qing army camp that had been burned to ruins and then went directly to the government office.

At this moment, he was extremely grateful that when he was assigned to the garrison, he only sent more than a dozen bannermen to the county town, and the rest were all Ahas and armored men. Otherwise, he would have been seriously injured in this trip.

Of course, he was also extremely saddened by the loss of Aha and the armored man, but this sadness was largely limited to the loss of property.

After all, these two types can be replenished from the Han army, Mongolians, and Koreans. Even if it requires a rather complicated procedure, it is not like the bannermen who cannot be replenished.

"You two come here."

After sitting down in the lobby of the government office, Erdu called Wen Hongfeng and Qi Laoer, who were standing timidly outside the hall, to come in.

The reason why he chose Huating as his target was, firstly, because it was the seat of Songjiang Prefecture, and secondly, because these two people were the first to report the news.

If these two people really came to report the news, then it means that there are people in the city who are loyal to the Qing Dynasty; but if these two people are dead spies, it means that there are Ming troops waiting for them on the road.

Of these two possibilities, Ordu actually hoped for the second one. After all, it was really annoying for the Ming army to come from time to time. If he could solve all these troubles in one battle, he would be able to live a peaceful life in Suzhou City.

It's just that God doesn't fulfill people's wishes.

They finally arrived at Huating without any problems, so he had to proceed according to the first scenario.

"Commander."

"Oh, really."

The two of them shouted and walked a few steps into the hall, and when they reached the first pillar, they knelt on the ground.

"I don't want to kill innocent people, but if I can't find the accomplices in the Ming army, then I can only let everyone in the city accompany my soldiers who died unjustly."

After he finished speaking, Qi Laoer, who had witnessed the tragedy in Yangzhou with his own eyes, did not feel much, but Wen Hongfeng was surprised and frightened.

Previously, he thought that Ordu arrested the gentry and elders in the city just as a means to extort more money and food. If he really couldn't find out what was going on, he would probably just do what the Ming army did in the past and find one or two families to take the blame and let the matter go.

But who would have thought that the Tartar's words would mean the lives of everyone in the city, which reminded him of the legendary Yangzhou.

Such a situation made Wen Hongfeng almost tell the truth on the spot, if he had not kept a clear mind and was worried about his wife and children at home.

"I'll leave this matter to you two. I'll want the results tomorrow morning. If you do it well, I'll say something. If you don't do it well, I'll say something."

Ordu did not say what would happen if they did not do it well. After seeing the two men kowtowed continuously, he left the hall and went straight out of the city.

Although Huating was back in the hands of the Qing army at this time, the traitor had not been found yet, so he did not dare to risk spending the night in the city.

As the footsteps faded away, Wen Hongfeng seemed to be exhausted. If Qi Laoer had not reached out to stop him in time, he would have fallen to the ground.

"Uncle, don't panic. You should go find your family now. They must have made all the arrangements."

"But Fourth Uncle has been imprisoned by the Tartars. How can we find him?"

"Well, where are my family members? Such a big thing has to be handled by our own people."

After all, Qi Laoer was a man who had seen big scenes, and he grasped the key after just a moment of hesitation.

Letting the Ming army into the city is not as simple as opening the city gate. Doesn't it require people to bribe the gatekeepers and contact the invading Ming army?
If this person can be found, then we will be able to learn about Master Wen's arrangements. That way, no matter who takes the blame in the end, the Wen family will be able to get out of this matter safely.

After doing such a life-saving thing, was he still worried that Master Wen would not take care of the settlement of him and his family? Reminded by Qi Lao Er, Wen Hongfeng thought of the possible person after a little thought, and then the two of them hurriedly left the government office and went straight to the Wen Mansion.

The person he thought of was the steward of the Wen Mansion. This man had been working in the mansion for at least ten years. If the Ming army was really brought in by his fourth uncle, then this steward must know all the inside story.

The two of them walked quickly all the way and arrived outside the Wen Mansion in about an incense stick of time.

At this time, the mansion was in chaos because Master Wen had been arrested, so it took them a long time to find the housekeeper that Wen Hongfeng mentioned.

"You guys came pretty quickly. At least the master didn't make a mistake."

After leading the two into a side room, the housekeeper, who was originally as flustered as the maids and servants outside the room, suddenly changed his expression, leaving Wen and Qi confused for a moment.

"Butler, what are you doing?"

"The master has been arrested, so the house should be like this. If it's too quiet, won't the Tartars be suspicious?"

After hearing this, the two became more certain that Master Wen had already made the arrangements. The three of them talked in the side room for a long time before the two of them left the Wen Mansion with a few servants.

"Uncle, Master Wen is really good at scheming."

After obtaining enough information, Qi Laoer finally figured out the real intention of Master Wen asking them to go to Suzhou.

Previously, he thought that Master Wen changed his allegiance because he saw that the Ming army was not trustworthy. However, after listening to the housekeeper's plan, he found that Master Wen did more than simply change his allegiance. He had even prepared a way to get rid of the suspicion of being an insider when he opened the door to the Ming army.

"That's right. If it weren't for Fourth Uncle's encouragement and maintenance, my Hua Ting lineage would have been crushed by Nanxun a long time ago."

The so-called Nanxun refers to another branch of the Wen family. Because they have produced many great ministers, their momentum is much greater than that of Huating.

The fact that the Huating branch of the Wen family can maintain its independence under such circumstances reflects, to some extent, the power of Master Wen.

Qi Laoer had naturally heard about these things, but what he really wanted to know was something else.

"Uncle, there must be someone in the city who is at odds with the Wen family. Why don't you take this opportunity to get rid of them all at once?"

"You don't understand. For something this important, the softer the persimmon, the better. Provoking a strong enemy will only add more variables."

After roughly understanding the meaning of the words, Qi Lao Er immediately thought of Zhu Cilang who was far away in Yingtian.

Isn't that what His Highness did?

If he was not only interested in burning the Tartars' food supplies and paid almost no attention to other things, how could he have the ability to move silver from the Tartars' treasury?
The two chatted idly along the way, and during the time they not only visited the mansions of various gentry and elders in the city, but also caught a half-dead "insider" in a secret corner.

At this point, they had already pretended to be someone they needed to be, and had already negotiated the price. After a brief recollection, the two men found that there were no loopholes, so they took the prisoner and headed straight for the military camp outside the city.

After some briefing, they finally saw Ordu, who was full of surprise, in the military tent.

"Found it?"

"Reporting to the general, it was Liu Guolin, a branch of the Liu family, who opened the gate for the Ming army."

"Liu family?"

"Exactly."

Seeing that Erdu seemed to be unaware of the Liu family, Wen Hongfeng then recounted in detail the story of the Liu family's death and the loss of their wealth.

After listening to this, Erdu was speechless.

He has repeatedly warned that land enclosure should not be done by one company at a time, but should be done evenly and gradually to avoid causing too much backlash.

Who would have thought that those little bastards would seize all of the family's property in less than a month.

You said they would just circle them, but they were unable to eradicate the root of the problem, and he ended up being unjustly killed.

At this point he already understood the whole story, and even had a rough idea of ​​the situation in other counties.

But there are still many questions here, and he needs to ask more clarifications before he can make a conclusion.

"How could he open the city gate so easily by himself? Are all the soldiers guarding the gate dead?"

When this question was asked, both of them lowered their heads and dared not speak, while Erdu was filled with doubts after seeing this situation.

He originally thought that the motive was clear and the person had been caught. He could ask some details and meet the spy before discussing business. But looking at the expressions of these two people, there was clearly some hidden story. How could he not be alert?
"explain."

"General, these days the soldiers have only been patrolling and returning to the camp. No one has been sent to guard the city gate all night."

After he shouted in a deep voice, the timid one immediately told him everything he knew, but after hearing it, Erdu was so angry that he almost vomited blood.

What a bunch of idiots!
If you don't want to guard the gate, just let the surrendered soldiers go! Do you really think that the world is peaceful? !

Having asked this question, Ordu felt a little embarrassed. He then ordered his men to bring the half-dead Liu Guolin into the tent and question him for a few more questions. This was the end of the matter.

It's not that he was unwilling to interrogate in detail, but the main reason is that Liu Guolin kept repeating the same thing over and over again, "The Tartars seized my family property," and it was unlikely that he would get anything out of him.

Under such circumstances, Erdu really had nothing else to do except focusing on his business.

"There are many suspicious points in this matter. I don't think he can do such a big thing alone. You two should investigate carefully to see if any of the wealthy families in the city are involved."

"General, we have investigated and found that this was all done by Liu Guolin alone. It has nothing to do with the wealthy families."

Seeing that Wen Hongfeng dared to refute his words, Erdu was furious. But just as he was about to give him a good beating, Wen Hongfeng's next words not only made him give up the idea, but also made him feel happy.

"But they all feel guilty for not discovering the Ming army's plot earlier, so they prepared some gifts and asked the general to pass them on to the families of the fallen soldiers."

"Oh? I appreciate your kindness to the fallen soldiers and their families, but the court has its own rules, and it is not easy to break them without permission."

Although Erdu was trying to refuse at this moment, his smile and the glances he kept towards the stack of banknotes in Wen Hongfeng's hand could not hide his satisfaction.

Wen Hongfeng had expected such a reaction from the other party. He knelt down and walked a few steps forward, then pleaded in a sobbing voice, "General, the generals and the people of Huating get along well with each other, almost like a family. Please accept our small gift."

"Since it is the people's good intention, I will reluctantly ask them to accept it."

Before he finished speaking, Wen Hongfeng handed the banknote to Erdu at an extremely fast speed. Seeing him casually put the banknote into his sleeve, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

But before he could finish his breath, he heard Erdu continue: "Let's talk about the land."

(End of this chapter)