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

Chapter 777: Taking shelter from the limelight

The garrison commander of Jinzhou Guard, Wuerte, a Niulu Zhangjing of Zhenglan Banner, ran all the way from Jinzhou Guard to Chengzitan. The garrison here was Guan Bao, another Niulu Zhangjing of Zhenglan Banner.

Guan Bao was several years younger than Jing Wuer, and they were not only very close, but also real relatives. To be honest, Jing Wuer was Guan Bao's ninth uncle.

The Zhenglan Banner originally belonged to Manggurtai. Jingwuer and Guanbao were both his close confidants. They naturally lived a very good life during the years when Manggurtai was in power. But with the death of the old Khan Nurhaci and the ascension of Huang Taiji to the throne, the Zhenglan Banner was like Wang Xiaoer, and its New Year was getting worse and worse every year.

At first, Huang Taiji did not do anything to Manggurtai and the Zhenglan Banner. After all, he had just ascended to the Khanate and his position was unstable, so Huang Taiji needed to win over the people. But not long after, Huang Taiji, who had firmly established his Khanate, began to take action against Manggurtai. First, he reduced the Niulu of the Zhenglan Banner, and then he continued to suppress Manggurtai. Over the years, not only was Manggurtai marginalized, but even the Zhenglan Banner, which was once the most powerful of the Eight Banners, was split up and messed up by Huang Taiji.

After Huang Taiji killed Manggurtai and directly seized his position as the banner leader, the Zhenglan Banner became the one that was neither loved nor cared for among the Eight Banners. Not only was the banner leader replaced, but the treatment also plummeted. After Manggurtai's death, the Niulu Zhangjing of Manggurtai's faction became thorns in their eyes and were directly sent to garrison in several remote places in the rear of Liaodong. They had no money and no food, and their lives were miserable.

It was for these reasons that Jing Wuer made such a choice. In his opinion, it was impossible to work for Huang Taiji. Although the Zhenglan Banner had lost its old master, the old men were still there. How did Huang Taiji treat the Zhenglan Banner? They knew it in their hearts, so don't blame them for being passive and avoiding the war.

After arriving at Chengzitan, Guan Bao was very surprised when he first saw Jing Wuer. Jing Wuer's garrison was in Jinzhou, so why did he suddenly come to his territory? You know, Chengzitan and Jinzhou are hundreds of miles apart, and the military law of the Eight Banners is strict, and no one can leave their garrison without permission. Jing Wuer, as a Niulu Zhangjing, abandoned his garrison and ran away. If people knew about this, it would be a big deal.

"Uncle Jiu, what are you doing...?"

"I came to your place to hide from the limelight."

"Get out of the spotlight?" Guan Bao frowned and quickly pulled Jing Wuer aside: "Uncle Jiu, are you crazy? Your base is in Jinzhou! Why did you bring troops to my nephew? You don't care about Jinzhou? If people find out and report it directly, you will be punished by military law!"

"Haha, military punishment?" Jing Wuer sneered, "If I don't run away, and if your uncle Jiu is not punished by military law, I'm afraid I will even lose my life."

"What happened?" Guan Bao asked in surprise.

"To tell you the truth, I came from Jinzhou to cause trouble. The Ming army has landed in Dalan and led troops to attack Jinzhou directly. If I don't run, not only will Jinzhou be lost, but even my life will be in danger. If I don't run now, when will I leave?"

"What! You mean the Ming army landed from Dalan? When did it happen? How many people came?" When Jing Wuer said this, Guan Bao was shocked and asked anxiously.

Jing Wuer did not hide it from him and directly told him what he knew. After listening to Jing Wuer's story, Guan Bao was stunned. He could never have imagined that the usually weak Ming army would have such courage to cross the sea to the north to attack Liaodong and even choose Dalan.

"But Uncle Jiu, you're leaving without defending the city, isn't that a bit...?" Guan Bao looked at Jing Wuer with a complicated expression. Jing Wuer sighed and shook his head, saying, "I know what you want to say. You're just saying that I, your Uncle Jiu, am too timid and have brought down the prestige of our Eight Banners. The Ming army was frightened when they landed and fled without a fight. But you know that although the number of the Ming army that came is small, they are different from ordinary Ming troops. If a fight really breaks out, the people I have are no match at all. Defending means death. Your Uncle Jiu is not a coward, but it's really not worth losing his life like this!"

After hearing this, Guan Bao was even more confused. He didn't understand why Jing Wuer did this, and he was a little too much. Although Jing Wuer didn't have many troops, and only had one Niulu, they were all elite soldiers of the Zhenglan Banner! In addition to the Han army and the local Liao people who could be mobilized, relying on the garrison in Jinzhou, it stands to reason that even a few thousand Ming troops might not be able to defeat them. Why did Jing Wuer insist that he couldn't defeat them?
This is completely different from Guan Bao's impression of Jing Wuer. Jing Wuer is a famous warrior of the Zhenglan Banner. He followed the old Khan and Manggurtai and experienced many battles. He was not afraid of so many battles and was even injured many times. Life and death are nothing in the eyes of people like them. How could they be afraid of the Ming army? Jing Wuer told Guan Bao that the Ming army coming this time is not an ordinary Ming army, but the elite of the elite of the Ming army. He asked Guan Bao if he still remembered the battle under the city of the capital of the Ming Dynasty with his old master. The Zhenglan Banner directly ran into a small but extremely capable Ming army. Later, the Dorgon brothers fought against Tumed in the south of the desert. A similar Ming army also appeared on the battlefield, which beat the Dorgon brothers and fled in embarrassment. After the Battle of the Great Wall, Huang Taiji led the army but could not break through the Ming army's defense line and finally had to withdraw. These past events are vivid, and the Ming army that came across the sea this time is that army.

If the Ming Dynasty had no confidence, how could it risk crossing the sea? And how could it dare to take risks in the rear of Liaodong with only a few thousand troops? Jing Wuer was a veteran of many battles, and had an extremely keen nose for the battlefield. After learning that the Ming army had landed, he sent people to investigate and immediately found something wrong. When he knew which unit the other side was, Jing Wuer immediately judged that it was absolutely impossible to hold on. Rather than losing his life in Jinzhou in vain, it would be better to just leave.

Besides, Jing Wuer didn't want to work for Huang Taiji because of the Zhenglan Banner. In his eyes, Huang Taiji was not his master at all, let alone an emperor, but an enemy of the Zhenglan Banner. Fighting to the death with the Ming army for the enemy? Jing Wuer must be crazy to do this, so he made such a decision.

After hearing what Jing Wuer said, Guan Bao didn't know what to say for a moment. If what Jing Wuer said was right, then it would be a wise choice for him to escape from Jinzhou. However, the problem was that it was easy to escape, but what if Huang Taiji knew about it and took advantage of it? Although Jing Wuer was a Manchu noble, he was just a Niulu Zhangjing. You have to know that Huang Taiji could kill people of Manggurtai's status, let alone these small people?

"What are you afraid of? I've abandoned Jinzhou, and the door to the north is wide open. The Ming army that has landed will definitely attack everywhere in the north. When the Ming army spreads the flames of war, Huang Taiji will be busy with his own affairs, so how can he have the energy to cause trouble for me?"

"Besides, who can prove that I fled without a fight? Haha, as long as you don't say it and I don't say it, what evidence does Huang Taiji have? In addition, didn't you notice the soldiers I brought with me?"

Guan Bao was stunned, and then he remembered that the soldiers who followed Jing Wuer to Chengzitan were all from the Eight Banners of the Zhenglan Banner, but he did not see a single soldier from the Han Army Banner. He could not help but ask what was going on.

"What else can we do? Of course we will kill them all!" Jing Wuer sneered, but his tone was very relaxed: "These Han army flags have never been on the same page with you and me. Since I have made this decision, I will never let them live. If we keep these people, no one can guarantee whether they will tell the truth. What if Huang Taiji finds out? Will he be able to get away with it?"

"It's better to kill them. Only the dead won't speak. And cut off their heads. Then we can take their heads and say they are the heads of the Ming army that landed. If Huang Taiji sends people to investigate, we can report it. You can't blame me for giving up Jinzhou because I was defeated, right? These heads are the proof! Who can blame me?"

"Uncle Jiu, Uncle Jiu, you...you are too..." Guan Bao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Isn't this just covering one's ears and stealing a bell? It would be great if it was that simple, but was Huang Taiji the kind of person who would let sand in his eyes? Moreover, this was done too crudely. Although the people of the Han Army Banner were killed, for these Eight Banner nobles, the lives of the Han Army Banner were no different from cattle and sheep. But the problem was that this matter could not be covered up by just killing a few people.
Jing Wuer didn't care. In his opinion, it didn't matter whether there were loopholes or not. The key was just to have a reasonable reason. Moreover, he concluded that after he left Jinzhou, the Ming army would definitely make a big move. By then, as long as he had a suitable reason, Huang Taiji would not do anything to him for the sake of the overall situation.

A dead pig is not afraid of boiling water. Jingwuer has already given up, so why should he be afraid of you, Huang Taiji? If you, Huang Taiji, force me too much, I will just break up and take my people to join the Ming Dynasty. Anyway, the old master has been killed by Huang Taiji, and everyone in the Zhenglan Banner is holding back their anger. Isn't Huang Taiji worried that the Zhenglan Banner will rebel against him?

Although he was worried about Jing Wuer's decision, since Jing Wuer had done it, Guan Bao had no choice. He couldn't sell out his uncle, could he? Guan Bao had no choice but to take Jing Wuer in, let him stay in Chengzitan, and send people to the west to inquire about the news and find out what was going on in the west.

Not long after, news came from the west. When they learned that the Ming army had landed, they attacked everywhere. First, they captured Xinjin, and then Fu County. They burned the entire Fu County to ashes. They suddenly appeared in Fuzhou and captured Beixinkou, forcing the Fuzhou defenders to urgently ask for help. Then they made a feint to the east and attacked in the west. In the blink of an eye, they went to Gaizhou Wei. Then they set an ambush at Xiongyueyi south of Gaizhou Wei and annihilated part of the Eight Banners, shocking the whole Liaodong.

After hearing the news, Guan Bao was shocked and looked at Jing Wuer with a complicated expression. At this time, he had to admit that Jing Wuer's choice was right.

If Jingwuer had not left at the beginning, he would have been killed by this Ming army. He never expected that this Ming army was so good at fighting and transporting troops. Its combat effectiveness and tactics were completely different from the Ming army he was familiar with. Now it is not only a problem of Jinzhou, but a problem of the entire Liaodong. As the subsequent development continued to deteriorate, Jingwuer's loss of Jinzhou became a trivial matter.

(End of this chapter)