Qing Yao

Chapter 396 The Zhao Banner Flutters in the Wind

Chen Si and the others started working the next day.

To achieve the best results, Zhao An directly appointed Chen Si as a sentry officer in the auxiliary battalion, a position somewhat similar to a company commander in later times. However, due to the mismatch between the Green Standard Army's official rank and power and the actual number of troops under his command, Chen Si, as sentry officer, could only manage the dozen or so salt merchants he brought with him.

The job after taking up the post was very simple. There was no need to loudly persuade anyone to surrender. The job was simply to wander around where the salt bandits could see.

When Chen Si, dressed in the uniform of a Qing Dynasty scout, appeared in the sight of the bandits of Black Rock Village, it was as if a crack had appeared in a dam, and the flow of water could not be stopped instantly.

Seeing that Chen Si was not purged by the government troops after surrendering but was instead appointed as an officer, the salt bandits in the village, who had long been wavering, no longer hesitated.

They descended the mountain in twos and threes or in groups, taking advantage of the darkness and their familiarity with the terrain.

In just two days, as many as two hundred salt bandits surrendered.

Zhao An ordered the establishment of a special receiving point, with a very standardized process: registering names, confiscating weapons, questioning the situation, providing food and drink, and verifying the destination.

Although some Green Standard Army officers were furious with these surrendered salt bandits, after all, the Huizhou garrison had been almost completely wiped out by them, with many dead and wounded, no one dared to mistreat or execute the surrendered bandits privately because of Zhao An's strict orders.

Without exception, the surrendered salt bandits were incorporated into the auxiliary troops of the Fubiao Army. Among the auxiliary troops were Nian rebels who had been captured by the Qing army in the earlier victory at Suzhou.

The total number was more than 2,000, who were dispersed and resettled by Zhao An. More than 600 of them were resettled in the Fubiao Auxiliary Army Battalion, and the rest were resettled in various units of the Huaibei Town Green Standard Army.

Whether it's the Nian Rebellion or the salt bandits, they are forces that Zhao An can use at any time. With proper equipment, they would be a formidable force that is in no way inferior to the Eight Banners.

The large-scale exodus of salt bandits left Black Rock Stronghold increasingly deserted, and the morale of the remaining bandits was extremely low. Xie Hongwu felt powerless about this. He did try to prevent the escape, and even arrested two of his men who attempted to flee and whipped them in public. However, this did not stop the defection wave, but instead aroused more secret dissatisfaction and centrifugal tendencies among the bandits.

When the bandit leader Xie Hongyi learned that his younger brother had allowed the Qing army to collect the corpses and treat the wounded after his great victory over the Qing army, he was furious and sent someone to scold his brother for contacting the government, saying that it was a death wish. He told his brother to give up the idea and to keep an eye on his men and wait for reinforcements.

But where can we find the "aid"?

The White Lotus sect's influence in Anhui had been completely wiped out by the government, and its leader, Liu Zhixie, had fled to the mountains of Henan to hide. He was powerless to help the salt smugglers who were heavily besieged by the Qing army.

Furthermore, strictly speaking, the salt bandit group led by Xie and Yang was merely an outer force of the White Lotus Sect.

Its core force is the Tianyun Army, which is secretly trained in the mountainous area of ​​Hubei.

Therefore, looking across Anhui, there was no way any reinforcements would come to their rescue!
Unable to express his suffering, Xie Hongwu drank alone in the council hall, which was now empty; the former hustle and bustle was now a thing of the past.

Half of the leaders who were in charge of the meeting that day had already fled, leaving behind only the core members who had followed the Xie brothers for many years. However, the thoughts of these core members had also changed.

The reason they didn't run away was probably twofold: first, they wanted to see how things went, and second, they were driven by loyalty.

Xie Hongwu was drinking when his trusted confidant Ding Er quietly entered and whispered, "Brother, dozens more have run away today. If this continues, there will be almost no one left in the village."

"Okay, let them run if they want."

Feeling extremely annoyed, Xie Hongwu waved his hand.

Seeing this, Ding Wei sighed, "Brother, this can't go on. The brothers who are still alive have lost their spirit. I think... I think the government troops are treating those who came down the mountain quite well. Shouldn't we..."

Xie Hongwu shook his head, somewhat sorrowfully saying, "If you want to leave, go ahead, I won't stop you. But I can't leave. He's my own brother after all. I can't do anything to betray him. If I do, how will I face my deceased parents and ancestors in the afterlife?" "Brother, you treat him like your own brother, but he treats you like his own brother? I think he treats that guy surnamed Yang better than you, his own brother. Ever since he became a follower of that Liu cult leader, does he still care about us brothers? He's always with those charlatans, spouting nonsense. I think he's been bewitched long ago. Otherwise, would he have ended up like this?"
He's crazy, are we supposed to go crazy with him too?

Brother, even if you don't think of yourself, you should at least think of us brothers who have been with you for so many years, and think of our wives, children, and elderly parents!

Ding Er's heartfelt words made Xie Hongwu's right hand, which was holding a wine bowl, bulge with veins. He gulped down the wine in one go, the spicy liquid burning his throat and his heart, which had been broken by his elder brother.

His elder brother disregarded brotherly affection and sent people to insult him, but he wasn't angry.

What angered him was that even when they were in dire straits, his elder brother and the White Lotus sect were still stubbornly clinging to their delusions, hoping that the Qing army would be the first to give up and retreat.

It's really ridiculous.

Didn't you see the Qing army surrounding Jiushan Mountain so tightly?
They could starve to death without being attacked, so how could they possibly give up and have to retreat?

With a wry smile, I couldn't help but recall what the messenger who came to persuade me said that day: "Only by accepting the pacification as a victor can one earn a proper status."

It's a pity that the remaining prestige of the "victor" is now almost completely exhausted.

If they continue to hold out until their food supplies run out, they probably won't even be able to "force them to surrender." It's likely that Xie Hongwu will only be bound by his subordinates who are desperate to survive and handed over to the government for credit.

Am I really going to be buried with my elder brother for his foolishness, and watch helplessly as my old brothers who have followed me for many years go to the underworld one by one?
Back then, Lord Zhao kindly sent someone to persuade them to accept the amnesty, offering them not only salt profits but also official positions. However, the eldest brother was bewitched by those White Lotus heretics, not only refusing Lord Zhao's offer of amnesty but also detaining the envoy, completely disregarding the consequences of offending a second-rank official.

Now things are really bad. Lord Zhao has mobilized all the troops in the province to surround them completely. They are helpless and have no one to turn to for help!

Is it his fault, as the younger brother, that he turned a perfectly good life into this?

No, it's all the older brother's fault!

My brother's gone mad, but I'm not!

Thinking of this, Xie Hongwu overturned the table and said to Ding Wei in a hoarse voice and with red eyes, word by word, "Open the gates of the stronghold, we surrender to Lord Zhao!"

He paused, then gritted his teeth and said, "Those who don't want to go, let them pack their things and go to my older brother's place. Don't make things difficult for them, but if anyone tries to stop them, you know what to do."

"it is good!"

Ding Er nodded emphatically and quietly left the council chamber.

As dawn broke, the heavy gate of Black Rock Village slowly opened with a grating creak.

Xie Hongwu, who led his men out, was not wearing the silk clothes that symbolized a nouveau riche, but rather an ordinary old cloth shirt.

The Qing army, which was already on high alert, immediately sent men to guide Xie Hongwu and others to the designated open space. Then, Fu Biao Qianzong Ye Zhigui led his troops into Heishan Village and raised the green flag representing the Green Standard Army and a large flag embroidered with the character Zhao at the top of the village.

The whole process was very peaceful.

(End of this chapter)