Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 167 This is a gift for you on behalf of the people of Dengzhou and Laizhou!
Thick smoke billowed, blocking out the sky and the sun.

The fire dragon surged and raged, illuminating the night sky in crimson.

Looking at the distant Dongchang Prefecture City shrouded in flames and smoke, Lin Dao turned his head and asked, "Who is the Tartar guarding Dongchang Prefecture City?"

The guards responded, "It is Ebilun of the Bordered Yellow Banner."

"Did you manage to catch them?" Lin Dao asked again. "Or have they already thrown themselves into the fire?"

"Never."

"When our surprise attack corps approached Dongchang Prefecture, the traitor captured the city and led the garrison out of the city on horseback to the north."

In Dongchangfu City, there were large quantities of grain and supplies looted by the Tartars, as well as men and women they had abducted.

Upon learning of the defeat on the main battlefield, Ebilun, seeing the rebel army approaching, did not defend the city at all, but simply set the city on fire and fled.

"Whoo~~~"

Lin Dao took a breath and said, "In that case, I'll offer a bounty."

"Whoever captures Ebilun alive will be rewarded with 30,000 taels of silver, 1,000 mu of top-quality paddy fields, and two large mansions in Nanjing."

His eyes gleamed red. "Remember, I want you alive!"

It didn't matter what kind of grain and supplies the Tartars looted along the way; Lin Dao didn't lack those things either.

But the tens of thousands of men, women, and children in the city were in a truly miserable state.

Even though the rebels abandoned the pursuit and quickly put out the fire, they only managed to save a portion of the enemy.

The flames were so intense that many people were trapped inside and unable to escape.

Massacres and burning of cities were not considered major events on ancient battlefields.

Ebilun's clever tactic of burning the city to delay the pursuers in order to escape was a clever move.

But he encountered a forest path that didn't follow the usual rules.

On the battlefield, at most one sword strike is all it takes to kill someone.

But you did something that is so outrageous that it is impossible for Lin Dao to forgive you!

Such a high reward caused an uproar throughout the army.

Many people didn't even have time to eat or sleep; they lit torches and went to chase after them!
The soldiers received an annual salary of over a hundred taels of silver, and with a reward of thirty thousand taels of silver, they had to serve as soldiers for three hundred years!

Three hundred years! The Ming Dynasty didn't even last three hundred years.

Moreover, the thousand acres of paddy fields directly broke the soldiers' upper limit on the amount of land they could cultivate.

The property prices in Jinling City are unbeatable; two mansions like that are truly... amazing!
If one truly achieves such merit, then without a doubt, one will be able to establish a separate family genealogy and enjoy incense offerings from then on.

In the darkness, countless torches, like stars, raced northward.

Countless soldiers were shouting.

"Ebilun~ come back soon~~~"

Tangyi County, at the foot of Tuoshan Mountain, is a dilapidated and abandoned village.

"Wow, that's a lot of sweat!"

When Ao Bai and the others saw that Huang Taiji had finally regained consciousness, they were overjoyed and wept.

"This is~"

Lying down, Huang Taiji looked around with difficulty. "Where am I?"

"Great Khan, we are still within the territory of Dongchang Prefecture. We do not know where we are, but we know there is a large mountain not far away."

"Oh~~~" Huang Taiji took a breath, sat up straight with help, took the water bottle handed to him by Ao Bai and drank two mouthfuls.

Looking around, he saw only a few dozen guards from the two yellow banners.

Where are the princes, dukes, and ministers?

"Great Khan." Ao Bai lowered his head. "Your servants escorted you back north, but the rebel army pursued us relentlessly. All the princes and ministers were lost along the way. Suksaha went to block the pursuers and never returned."

"Heh~" Huang Taiji smiled bitterly, "What a miserable defeat."

After the complete collapse of the Tartar army on the previous battlefield, the two sides began a chase-and-flight game.

Those on horseback could run fast, but the rebel soldiers, stripped of their armor, chased after them relentlessly on their bound legs for the lump of silver and land rewards.

With bloodshot eyes, they pursued and killed, tying the severed heads to their waists with ropes and continuing the chase.

Such a good opportunity will not come around often in the future, so we must cherish it.

The Tartars' horses needed to rest, drink water, and be fed salt after running for a long time.

Lacking supplies, the Tartars gradually lost their advantage in horsemanship.

The princes, ministers, and accompanying troops gradually fell behind and scattered.

For some reason, Huang Taiji suddenly felt his health improve.

Not only did he regain his strength, but his nose stopped bleeding, and he became incredibly clear-headed.

He asked again, "Do you know where everyone is?"

"I don't know." Ao Bai shook his head. "I did encounter other defeated soldiers on the way, but they were all terrified and only knew how to run away with their heads in their hands. They really disgraced the Eight Banners soldiers."

"Don't be too harsh," Huang Taiji waved his hand.

Just as I was about to say something, a commotion broke out outside.

The sentry ran in to report, "A large band of bandits has entered the village!"

All the guards held their weapons and stood guard around Huang Taiji.

Ao Bai even stepped forward, wanting to carry his master and break through the encirclement.

"I can't leave." Huang Taiji shook his head repeatedly, speaking rapidly, "Listen to me."

Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside: "The Bingwu Camp says they've found Ebilun's trail, in the direction of Jiazhenbao!"

The soldiers all shouted, "Quickly, quickly, go and capture Ebilun!"

"Capture Ebilun alive!"

The sound of hurried footsteps, accompanied by a cacophony of noise, gradually faded into the distance.

Huang Taiji, who was about to make his final arrangements, looked at Ao Bai in bewilderment.

What heinous crime did Ebilun commit?

They couldn't afford to pay attention to Ebilun anymore.

As Huang Taiji's vision blurred and his head began to throb and he felt dizzy, he grabbed Ao Bai's hand.

"Ao Bai, listen to me."

"After I die, cremate me immediately and take my ashes back with you."

"If that doesn't work, just throw it into the river."

"If Hauge also returns alive when we return to Shenyang, tell him that I have ordained him to inherit the throne."

"If Hauge does not return, then say that I have ordained Prince Li to succeed to the throne!"

Huang Taiji had many sons, but among the adult sons, only Hauge held the Plain Blue Banner and had the resources to do so.

If Hauge were alive, the two Yellow Banners would have been enough to help him ascend to the throne.

As for the other sons, in this time of national crisis and chaos, they had no chance to rise to prominence. If Hauge also died, only Prince Li, Daishan, who remained to guard the country, could keep the others in check.

Ao Bai kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Great Khan, you only need to rest and recuperate. Once you recover, you will naturally be able to lead your servants."

"Stop talking~" Huang Taiji knew that his awakening this time was just a final burst of energy before death.

I don't have time to listen to this pointless nonsense.

He took a breath and said, "Tell Hauge or Daishan that Shenyang, Liaoyang, and other places should be vacated."

"Part of it was given to the various Mongol tribes, and part of it was given to the Guan Ning Army."

Huang Taiji's speech became increasingly strained: "Wealth, bondservantes, and women can all be given; let them fight for them."

"I want to go back to Hetu Ala!"

"Bring as many people back as possible."

Huang Taiji's voice trailed off, "If Lin Dao refuses to give up, then... we'll just go back into the forest and return to the Northeast."

"Hide away, waiting for chaos to break out in the Central Plains."

Ao Bai, who was kneeling to the side with his head down and listening, waited for a while but heard nothing more.

He looked up suddenly.

Huang Taiji sat there, his head drooping, motionless.

Ao Bai, his hands trembling, checked his breath, and after a moment, kowtowed heavily, "The Great Khan has passed away!"

The guards of the two yellow banners knelt down, kowtowed, and wailed, their cries shaking the heavens.

As night fell, this desolate abandoned village resembled a ghost town.

Outside Dongchangfu City, at the main camp.

The sky was dark, and the leaden clouds were as black as ink.

The torrential rain poured down on the land of Qilu.

During the Chongzhen era, the northern regions suffered three years of severe drought followed by three years of severe flooding, a cycle that seemed to leave no way for people to survive.

Lin Dao, who had returned from Yonghe Time and Space, walked out of the back tent.

"Handsome~"

The guards stepped forward to report, "Last night, various units pursued and captured a number of high-ranking Tartar officials and generals."

There's not much to say about ordinary Tartars; once they catch up, one slash and they're set with two hundred taels of silver plus land.

Those whose identities are clearly unusual should be captured alive if possible.

These Tartars are certainly worth more than two hundred taels of silver.

For example, the commander-in-chief asked for an exorbitant price for Ebilun!

Lin Dao, who had just finished breakfast, sat down and opened his water bottle. "Who's here?"

"According to their confessions and the identification of prisoners, Fan Wencheng, Ning Wanwo, Bao Chengxian, Yang Fangxing, and others defected to the Manchu-Han army. And..."

"Wait." Lin Dao raised his hand to stop his guards. "Where are all these people?"

They were all waiting outside the tent.

Lin Dao stood up, picked up an umbrella, and walked out of the tent.

Halfway there, he seemed to remember something and turned back to retrieve something from the back tent.

Fan Wencheng and the others had been standing in the rain for half the night.

Those who served the Tartars as slaves could not possibly be willing to die for them.

When they fled with Huang Taiji, they were able to ride horses.

However, after they gradually scattered, they encountered fleeing Tartar soldiers who directly knocked them off their horses and stole them.

Even though they kept shouting that they were the Khan's confidants, Gao Shijun and others were still killed by the fleeing soldiers.

Without horses, they couldn't run far on foot and were eventually captured by the rebel army's pursuers and escorted back.

It started raining in the middle of the night, and they knelt in front of the tent until this point.

They were all pale and trembling.

When Lin Dao came out, everyone looked up.

Lin Daoxian gently instructed the guards watching over the prisoners, "You've been caught in the rain, go and rest, change your clothes and have some hot food. You're given a day off today."

The guards saluted and left, and another group of guards took their place to guard the prison.

"Commander!"

Ning Wanwo, bound hand and foot, kowtowed into the mud and water.

"We surrender willingly and are ready to serve our lord with utmost loyalty!"

Fan Wencheng and the others realized what was happening and quickly followed suit, kowtowing and surrendering in the mud.

The Qing Dynasty is over.

Now is the time to jump ship and find a new way out.

As for being loyal to the Qing Dynasty...
Don't be ridiculous, how could people like them have such thoughts?

Lin Dao, holding an umbrella in one hand and a Beretta in the other, slowly swept his gaze over the crowd.

He glanced at those who hadn't kowtowed and begged for their lives, his expression playful. "You're not going to beg me?"

"General, you jest."

Kong Youde, who was as tall as an iron tower, laughed loudly, "If the commander-in-chief intended to recruit us and accept our defectors, he would not treat us like this."

"Since death is inevitable either way, why humiliate yourself like this?"

"you are?"

"Kong Youde".

"Oh." Lin Dao nodded. "You didn't die in the formation?"

Logically speaking, Kong Youde, who commanded the artillery battalion, was in the center of the battlefield and should have been the one most unable to escape when the entire army was in defeat.

Kong Youde, head bowed, sighed, "Bad luck."

He did not flee the battlefield, but instead chose to hide under the destroyed artillery vehicle and feign death.

He planned to escape after dark, but unexpectedly he was captured by the auxiliary soldiers who were cleaning up the battlefield.

If he hadn't revealed his identity, he would have been beheaded on the spot by the auxiliary soldiers in exchange for a reward.

Lin Dao stepped forward and came to Kong Youde, who was tied up like a rice dumpling.

The Beretta in his hand pressed against one of his temples.

There was no nonsense, and certainly no sentimentality.

There's only one sentence to say.

"This is a gift for you on behalf of the people of Dengzhou and Laizhou!"

'boom! '

(End of this chapter)