Gou was a member of the imperial family in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 584 Proton Bandits
Shortly after Zhu Shenzui returned to Guihua City, the redemption property of the captured leaders and generals, including the hostages they sent, was quickly delivered.

After receiving the things, Zhu Shencui kept his promise and released these people. The captives were naturally grateful for Zhu Shencui's magnanimity. Some even swore in front of Zhu Shencui that his tribe would never be an enemy of the Tengger tribe again, and would never lead troops to set foot in Tumed. He hoped that the two sides could coexist peacefully.

Zhu Shenzui seemed very pleased with this attitude, but no one knew how much he believed it in his heart.

Zhu Shenzhui believed that the promises made by these people were not true at all. Maybe they were speaking from their heart at the moment, but it would be hard to say when they returned to the tribe. It was not that they wanted to seek revenge, but the Chahar tribes, including the Khorchin tribes, were already helpless. Under the threat of the powerful military force of the Jiannu, once Huang Taiji sent troops to Tumed again and asked the tribes to go with him, they could not refuse.

However, after this incident, it is unknown whether these tribes would still be as dedicated as before even if they followed Huang Taiji to fight against Tumed. They had personally experienced the strength of the Tenger tribe, and with the Mongolian wisdom of survival, they would definitely keep a hand, and once the war situation turned unfavorable, they would definitely prioritize their own survival and would never really fight to the death.

This was enough for Zhu Shenzui, and it was also the main purpose of his releasing these people.

On the one hand, not taking over Chahar would allow the Chahar tribes to become a barrier between the Tumed and the Jiannu. On the other hand, it would also teach the other side a severe lesson, making them understand that the Eight Banners were not invincible.

In addition, the key lies in the protons sent by these prisoners.

Although these hostages were all sons of Taijis and leaders, and most of them had many children, it was easy to pick out one or two less favored ones to be sent as hostages. However, the status of a hostage was not ordinary after all. From the perspective of Mongolian inheritance, these hostages all had the right of inheritance, and their arrival could bring uncertainty to the future.

Apart from the hatred towards their parents for being a hostage, including the resentment towards the Jiannu, the culprit for this result, their mentality will definitely change. In addition to these, Zhu Shenzhui intends to treat these people well and influence them subtly, so that they will have a good impression of the Tenger tribe and deepen their hatred towards the Jiannu and the tribe.

After a few years or even longer, when the time comes, Zhu Shenzui will be able to take advantage of the situation and not only send them back to their tribes, but also give them the opportunity to compete for the rule of the tribe.

This practice is not common among the Mongols, but it is ubiquitous among the Han people throughout thousands of years of history.

For example, during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, when large and small vassal states fought against each other, it was very common for the defeated state to send hostages to the victorious state. However, once a major change occurred within the hostage's home country, such as when the old vassal was seriously ill or died and his heirs were fighting for his position, the hostages would often be released, and the victorious state would secretly push for full support in their fight for the position of vassal.

There are many benefits to doing this. If one can seize the throne, the other party will certainly be grateful to the vassal state that released him. Moreover, because he has lived in the vassal state as a hostage for many years, he will naturally have thoughts and attitudes close to the other party, which will be beneficial to the future relationship between the two sides and even the formation of an alliance.

Even if the attempt to seize the throne fails, it doesn't matter. You can use hostages to disrupt the opponent's domestic politics and plunge it into chaos. When the dust settles, the opponent's country will inevitably suffer losses due to internal friction, which will directly weaken the overall national strength and allow you to have the upper hand in national strength for a certain period of time.

Zhu Shenzhui is doing the same thing now. Since the disintegration of Mongolia, especially after the death of Lin Danhan, the grassland has lost its nominal leader. This situation is somewhat similar to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in history. A tribe is equivalent to a vassal state in history, with independence and certain military strength. Using this method to plan for the future is not a disadvantage in any way.

Even if only half of the ten protons are successful, it is enough. Using this method to sow discord between the Jiannu's rule on the grassland and to win over the Chahar and even Khorchin tribes is definitely a good deal worth investing in.

As time went by, two months later Zhu Shenzui was ready to return to Ming Dynasty.

Before leaving, he arranged everything and entrusted the affairs to Tana, Wang Hai and others. After making some arrangements, Zhu Shenzhui quietly set out on the journey back to Ming Dynasty with dozens of people. If everything went well, he would be able to see Xu Jingqiu and his children in less than a month.

Just as Zhu Shenzhu was on his way back to the Ming Dynasty, Gao Yingxiang, known as the King of Rebellion, was facing a difficult choice: what to do next.

Since Cao Wenzhao encircled and suppressed the rebel army in Shanxi, Wang Jiayin and other troops were defeated by Cao Wenzhao and had no choice but to retreat from the central and western parts of Shanxi all the way to Shaanxi. Gao Yingxiang, as one of the great leaders of the 36th Battalion, was unable to stop the highly combat-effective Cao Wenzhao's troops, and he and Gao Yingxiang retreated to the south and the north to avoid their attack.

Cao Wenzhao led his troops to continue the attack, and with the cooperation of Hong Chengchou and other troops, he continued to encircle and suppress the various rebel forces, especially Wang Jiayin. In the area near Shaanxi in Shanxi, Cao Wenzhao used spies to kill Wang Jiayin, and took advantage of Wang Jiayin's death to directly break the enemy camp, killing people and blood. Wang Jiayin was the nominal leader of the various rebel forces, and his status in the rebel forces was extremely high. He was also the spiritual pillar of all the rebel forces.

When Wang Jiayin died, Emperor Chongzhen danced with joy, but the various rebel armies were heartbroken. In particular, Gao Yingxiang, who had been cooperating with Wang Jiayin in the battles, could not believe this fact. But he had no time to think about it, because after killing Wang Jiayin, Cao Wenzhao's next target would be him, Gao Yingxiang. If he continued to stay there, he would probably end up like Wang Jiayin.

Faced with such a critical situation, Gao Yingxiang, who had originally planned to flee back to Shaanxi, immediately made a decision and led the rebel army to leave Shanxi and cross the river into Shaanxi.

But Shaanxi was not easy to deal with either. Although Shaanxi was their old territory where they started the uprising, the Ming court had already made preparations. In order to hunt down Gao Yingxiang and his troops, not only did they have Cao Wenzhao leading his troops to chase them from behind, but they also had Hong Chengchou blocking them from the front.

In addition, the court also sent former Liaodong generals such as Zuo Liangyu and He Renlong to the northwest to cooperate in the encirclement and suppression of the rebel army. In addition, Qin Liangyu in Sichuan also received an order from Emperor Chongzhen. Her White Rod Army went north from Sichuan to block the rebel army's southward passage and cooperate with the officers and soldiers in the battle.

The government troops set up a net to encircle and suppress the rebels everywhere, making the rebels miserable. Gao Yingxiang saw that the situation was not right and quickly led the rebels to move from Shaanxi to the southeast. He jumped out of the encirclement before the government troops had time to close in, and then rushed into Huguang.

After arriving in Huguang, Gao Yingxiang originally intended to continue to move south to shake off the pursuers behind him. However, the officers and soldiers in Huguang reacted quickly. Seeing that it was difficult to move south, Gao Yingxiang turned around and entered Sichuan from Huguang. At this time, Qin Liangyu was in the north, and Gao Yingxiang took advantage of this opportunity. Gao Yingxiang led his troops westward towards Chongqing, caught the government troops off guard in Kuizhou, and won a great victory in this battle.

After the war, Gao Yingxiang was planning to continue his advance and take Chongqing in one go. At this time, Qin Liangyu had led his troops back and directly blocked Gao Yingxiang's way.

Although Gao Yingxiang had a strong army and his number was more than ten times that of Qin Liangyu, the problem was that most of his troops were rioters, there were not many old camps that could really fight, and their equipment and combat effectiveness were not strong.

On the other hand, Qin Liangyu, this female general, led the famous White Spear Army, which was an absolutely elite strong army that could be compared with the Qi Family Army. In the Battle of Hunhe River, in addition to the Zhejiang Army (Qi Family Army), the other main force was the White Spear Army. Unfortunately, the two armies had always had conflicts and looked down on each other. After the war broke out, they did not cooperate in combat and were eventually defeated one by one by Nurhaci at a great cost, and their entire army was wiped out.

After the Zhejiang Army was annihilated, Emperor Tianqi attempted to rebuild the army but failed, and the army died. However, the White Spear Army was different. Although the White Spear Army was gone in the Battle of Hunhe, Qin Liangyu and her son and grandson were still alive in Sichuan. In order to avenge the White Spear Army that died in the battle, including her relatives, Qin Liangyu took over her husband's official position and rebuilt the White Spear Army. From then on, the White Spear Army not only appeared again, but also became larger, more numerous and stronger than before.

Gao Yingxiang couldn't even defeat Cao Wenzhao, so how could he possibly be a match for the White Rod Army? Just when he was about to continue his attack on Chongqing, he was attacked head-on by Qin Liangyu who arrived. This battle frightened Gao Yingxiang and he suffered heavy losses.

After the war, Gao Yingxiang was afraid that Qin Liangyu's White Rod Army would continue to attack, and was also worried that soldiers from other units would surround and cut off his retreat. Gao Yingxiang decisively gave up the idea of ​​continuing to Chongqing and turned around and ran away again.

This time he walked from the border of Sichuan to Huguang, and quietly returned to Shaanxi. After arriving in Shaanxi, he appeared to be intending to advance westward with great fanfare, but in fact Gao Yingxiang led his troops first north, then east, and directly entered Henan.

When they arrived in Henan, the government troops behind them had been attracted by Gao Yingxiang's previous feint and had not paid any attention to the location of his main force, thus making a wrong judgment. This made Gao Yingxiang completely relieved. Not long after he entered Henan, Wang Ziyong happened to die of illness in Henan. Gao Yingxiang took the opportunity to incorporate his troops, and his strength increased instantly. He led his troops towards the northeast.

Shaoyuan Town is located in the central and northern part of Henan Province. A hundred miles to the north is Shanxi, and three days to the south is Luoyang.

Gao Yingxiang's troops are here right now. After entering Henan, they went straight to the northeast. He did not attack big cities like Luoyang because he knew that such big cities were often heavily guarded by officers and soldiers, and there were many local garrisons, so it would be quite difficult to take them down. He also had no intention of establishing a base in Henan.

Although his troops were called the righteous army, they were actually a group of roving bandits. The key to the so-called roving bandits lies in the word "roving". Since the righteous army started its uprising, they have been moving from Shaanxi to Shanxi, then from Shanxi back to Shaanxi, then from Shaanxi to Huguang, then from Huguang to Sichuan and then to Henan, moving back and forth, without any territory of their own.

(End of this chapter)