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

Chapter 789 Death
Tun Tashi knew Huang Taiji too well and knew that he would have no good ending if he went back. Moreover, if the fact that he was secretly contacting the Ming army were to leak out, not only would his life be in danger, but his family would also be ruined.

Although Tuntasi was Jiala Ezhen of the Zhenglan Banner and a member of the Jurchens, he was a member of the Tumbulu tribe. The Jurchens had never been a unified single ethnic group, and even the Jurchens were divided into various tribes.

After Nurhaci started his rebellion, he not only fought against the Ming Dynasty, but also attacked and annexed the surrounding Jurchen tribes (cooked Jurchen and wild Jurchen). The Tumbulu tribe was one of the tribes annexed by Nurhaci that year. Although it had long been merged with Nurhaci's Jianzhou Jurchen, in fact, the tribe still had considerable independence.

The Tumbulu clan was relatively loyal to Nurhaci, which was why Manggurtai was able to hold on to his position as the leader of the Zhenglan Banner when he later took charge of it. But when Manggurtai was killed by Huang Taiji, the Tumbulu clan was very dissatisfied. Moreover, Huang Taiji continued to attack the Zhenglan Banner in order to control it, which led to the entire tribe's indignation and disgust towards Huang Taiji.

Tuntaxi himself was one of the leaders of the Tumbulu tribe, so naturally he and Huang Taiji were not on the same page. After Jingwuer and Guanbao were defeated, Tuntaxi and his tribe's bannermen immediately became restless, which was why Tuntaxi and the Ming army were secretly flirting with each other. Originally, Tuntaxi was planning to talk more with the Ming side and try to gain some benefits for himself and his tribe, but now Huang Taiji suddenly did this, Tuntaxi instantly felt the danger, and he knew that if he didn't take action, it might be too late.

After temporarily appeasing the envoy sent by Huang Taiji, Tun Tashi was ready to surrender to the Ming Dynasty with his men. There was no need to bargain any more. If he didn't leave, he might not be able to leave. But Tun Tashi never expected that when he was planning to launch the attack the next day, directly detaining the envoy of Huang Taiji and then leading his men to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, something went wrong within him.

One of his five Niulu Zhangjing secretly betrayed Tunta Xi and secretly spread the news. When Huang Taiji's envoy learned about this, he sneered. He had anticipated this before he came. He had already grasped the news of Tunta Xi's secret connection with the Ming army. When he came, he had already made preparations. He notified Yuetuo in the southwest in advance, and mobilized two Niulu's Bordered Blue Banners and one Niulu's Plain White Banner, plus the Han Army Flag, to make secret arrangements.

If Tuntaxi obeyed Huang Taiji's order and returned to Shenyang, then at most he would lose his position as Jiala Ezhen, and his life would be safe. But if Tuntaxi made any unusual moves, or even surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, then he should not blame himself for being ruthless, because not only would Tuntaxi be killed, but the entire Tumbulu tribe would not be spared.

Unaware that everything he did was under surveillance by others and that there was a traitor inside, Tuntaxi thought that his arrangements were all in place. But unexpectedly, in the early morning of the next day, when Tuntaxi was half asleep, Huang Taiji's envoy suddenly launched an attack in advance, and with the help of internal and external forces, Tuntaxi was caught off guard.

The unprepared Tunta Xi had no time to react and was unable to even gather his troops in such a hurry. Although he controlled more troops than Huang Taiji's envoy, there was a traitor in his ranks and the enemy suddenly launched an attack. How could Tunta Xi be their opponent?
In just one hour, Tun Tashi's side was completely defeated. One of his five Niulu turned against him, and most of the other four were killed without any reaction. Tun Tashi woke up and hurried to gather troops to resist, but it was too late. He was surrounded without many guards around him. In the end, he failed to get out and died on the spot in the city.

By daybreak, the entire army of Tuntaxi was almost wiped out. Only a few of Tuntaxi's personal soldiers guarded Tuntaxi's youngest son and eldest daughter and fled out of the city, heading south to join the Ming Dynasty without looking back. When Huang Taiji's envoys found that Tuntaxi's children had escaped, they immediately sent people to hunt them down, but it was too late and they failed to catch them.

But even so, Tuntaxi was still defeated. Not only did he lose his life, but even his subordinates were almost all slaughtered. In addition, the Tumbulu people of Tuntaxi were directly exterminated. The entire Xiuyan City was flooded with blood. More than 5,000 people died under the butcher's knife. Since then, the Tumbulu people have been completely wiped out from this world.

Chen Xinjia only learned the news later. By the time he learned that Tun Tashi was defeated and killed, it was too late to change the facts. Not only was Tun Tashi dead, but almost all of his tribesmen were also killed. Tun Tashi, who commanded a large number of troops, ended up with such a miserable end because of his momentary negligence.

After hearing the news, Chen Xinjia stamped his feet and cursed Tun Tashi for his incompetence. If this guy hadn't been too greedy and wanted to get more benefits from the Ming Dynasty, how could he have ended up like this? If he had launched the attack earlier, how could he have gotten the current result before Huang Taiji could react?
Now, due to a moment of carelessness, not only did he end up in failure and death, but the entire Tumbulu tribe was wiped out.

Originally, Chen Xinjia planned to pacify Tunta Xi and then make further efforts to divide and disintegrate the various tribes of the Eight Banners. However, the death of Tunta Xi has completely thwarted his plan.

With the demise of the Tuntaxi and Tumbulu tribes, the restless actions of the other tribes of the Eight Banners were suppressed in an instant. No one wanted to become the second Tuntaxi. Huang Taiji was simply too cruel. He killed without hesitation. Not only did he kill the culprits, but he also killed all the tribes. What's more, Huang Taiji has now brought his troops back and suppressed the tribes with powerful force. Who would dare to make any small moves in this situation?
Seeing that the good situation was destroyed because of Tuntaxi, Chen Xinjia was helpless. He could only write a memorial to the capital to report the cause and effect of the incident and ask for his own crime. In addition, he sent people ashore to take Tuntaxi's children to Ludao. Although Tuntaxi was dead, his children could not be ignored. If the Ming Dynasty allowed Tuntaxi's children to fall into the hands of Huang Taiji, where would the Ming Dynasty's credibility be? Who would believe in the Ming Dynasty's sincerity in the future?
Even if they have to be taken in, settling them in the capital is what must be done. Only in this way can the Eight Banners see the sincerity of the Ming Dynasty, so that there will be a chance to recruit the Eight Banners and lure the Jurchens to surrender to the Ming Dynasty in the future.

Tuntaxi had three sons. His eldest and second sons died in Xiuyan City. The ones who escaped were his youngest son and eldest daughter. Tuntaxi's youngest son was only five years old, still a baby. As for his eldest daughter, she was not very old either, only fifteen years old. Chen Xinjia explained this in his report to Zhu Shenzhui.

After receiving Chen Xinjia's report, Zhu Shenzhui also sighed that it was a pity. If Tuntaxi had surrendered to the Ming Dynasty earlier, the situation would be completely different from now. Compared with Jing Wuer and Guan Bao's surrender to the Ming Dynasty, Tuntaxi's status and position were much higher than theirs. Once the incident was successful, the blow and impact on the Eight Banners would be even greater.

What a pity! It was just a little bit away but it ended up like this. In the end, this matter ended up like this.

Of course, the biggest problem lies with Tuntaxi himself. If he had made the decision earlier or not been so greedy, it wouldn't have come to this. However, the Ming Dynasty still needs to make arrangements for the aftermath, whether it is to show it to other Jurchens or to appease the Jingwuer and Guanbao who have already surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, including their subordinates. Tuntaxi's children must be properly arranged.

After consideration, Zhu Shencui decided to give Tuntaxi's youngest son a title, which would not be hereditary but a nominal one, and allocated a house in the capital as a residence for him to live in. The few personal soldiers who escaped with Tuntaxi's youngest son were also given military posts as general flags or centurions. Since Tuntaxi's youngest son was too young, they were the ones who protected him and lived in the capital.

As for Tun Tashi's eldest daughter, she is already fifteen years old. Normally, a girl of this age would have been married long ago. Moreover, the Jurchens usually get married early, and many of them become mothers at the age of twelve or thirteen. If Tun Tashi had not doted on his eldest daughter and kept her by his side, she would have been married long ago.

It is somewhat difficult to settle a girl of this age alone. Girls are different from boys. Zhu Shencui can neither confer a title on her nor give her an official position. Moreover, a girl has no elders or family to protect her. If she is only given silver or something, the property cannot be protected. In addition, even if she can live with her younger brother, she will eventually have to get married at her age.

After much thought, Zhu Shenzhui felt that it would be more appropriate to find a husband for this woman. With the protection of her husband's family, she could survive in the Ming Dynasty. Moreover, this woman was the eldest daughter of Tun Tashi. This arrangement was also for the world to see. No matter where you are from, even if you are a Jurchen, as long as you sincerely surrender to the Ming Dynasty, the court will not treat you unfairly. Even if you die, the court will properly arrange for your family.

Finally, Zhu Shenzhu decided to grant the woman a marriage, but who should he marry? After deep thought, his eyes fell on Deng Wenyuan who was on duty outside the palace. He immediately asked someone to call Deng Wenyuan in, told him the matter directly, and asked him if he was willing to marry the woman.

Deng Wenyuan was the half-brother of Dingyuan Marquis Deng Wenming and a second-class imperial guard. After entering the palace as a guard, he worked diligently and did a good job. He did not have the dandy air of a noble son and was a very down-to-earth person. Although Deng Wenyuan had been married for a long time and had a son, his wife died of dystocia two years ago. After his wife's death, Deng Wenyuan did not remarry, so he was a suitable candidate.

When Deng Wenyuan heard Zhu Shenzhui asking him if he was willing to marry Tuntaxi's daughter, he was stunned at first, and then he immediately agreed. As a son of a noble family, Deng Wenyuan was not stupid but very smart, otherwise he would not have stood out among the many imperial guards.

He was the bastard son of Marquis Dingyuan and had no chance of being awarded a title. Although his elder brother treated him well, his status as a bastard son limited his future development. The only thing he could change was his current job as the imperial guard.

Because of this, Deng Wenyuan has been doing well since he entered the palace. He believes that as long as he gets Zhu Shenzhu's trust, he will be able to change himself one day and become independent. Now that Zhu Shenzhu asked him about this, Deng Wenyuan saw the opportunity instantly. How could he object? You have to know that although this woman is a Jurchen woman, she was arranged by the regent. Marrying her has great benefits. At least the regent will never treat him unfairly or wrong him in the future.

Seeing that Deng Wenyuan readily agreed, Zhu Shenzui was very happy and immediately told him to make preparations in the next few days and get married as soon as he arrived in the capital. Although marrying a Jurchen woman was a bit unfair to him, he would make up for it in other ways. He also asked him to treat this woman well and not to treat her harshly or even ignore her just because she was a Jurchen.

(End of this chapter)