Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 147 Zu Dashou! You've utterly disgraced your ancestors, Zu Ti!

On the tilting warship, Yuan Keli raised his binoculars again, searching the land on the hillside inch by inch. Unfortunately, he did not find any fallen humanoid creatures, only a warhorse that had been smashed to pieces.

Heaven doesn't always favor the Ming Dynasty; this trip was all for nothing. Although he knew beforehand that the chances of success were slim, what if it had worked? A large bird ship cost no more than two thousand taels of silver; if it could save the life of a slave chieftain, it wouldn't be a loss.

Besides, even if the warship is slightly damaged, it can be towed back to the shipyard for repairs, which won't take much effort. Yuan Keli handed the binoculars to his attendant and shook his head helplessly.

"Bring me pen and ink!" Yuan Keli shouted.

Pens and ink?! The ship was tilted halfway, making it difficult to even stand, let alone place tables and chairs. By this time, the deck and the interior of the cabin were already a mess. Due to the violent shaking, many items had fallen off even though they had been secured.

"Can't I paint without a table and chairs?!" Yuan Keli snatched a piece of paper from his subordinate, spread it on the deck, and then licked the black nib of his brush with saliva. The bitter ink went down his throat, staining half of the old man's lips, which had been chapped from excessive stress these past few days, black. The old man, however, ignored all of this, even disregarding his dignity as a military governor, and lay down on the ground, sticking his buttocks up, to begin painting.

Before long, a meticulous portrait painting was about to be completed, depicting nine figures, though somewhat distorted, yet each with distinct features. The old man paused, thought for a moment, and then drew a circle below the portrait of a middle-aged man with a round face and somewhat gloomy features, standing in the center foreground. Below that, he wrote five large characters: "Huang Taiji, the Slave Chieftain!"

Soon after, a well-maintained warship came to pick them up, and Yuan Keli chose to transfer. As they walked across the other warship on planks, the old man nearly fell into the water due to the swaying, giving the others a fright.

The deck of the large bird-shaped ship was 23 feet above the sea. If a person were to fall onto the water from such a height, they would at least suffer broken bones, or be seriously injured or maimed. Moreover, with the two large ships colliding, if a person were unfortunately squeezed between them, they would be turned into a pile of minced meat.

The captain of the large bird ship was so frightened that he knelt down. This General Yuan was the emperor's favorite! If he hadn't died at the hands of the enemy, but instead perished for such a ridiculous reason, then his life would be over. He would have to sail the Cangshan ship, carrying explosives, to blow up the border fortress!
Yuan Keli didn't take his anger out on anyone. Instead, he comforted the captain for a few moments, then sighed, shook his head, and said, "I really am getting old!"

He gazed at the hillside, now clearer as the smoke cleared, but his eyes appeared somewhat cloudy.

"Lord General?!" Liu Zeqing looked at Yuan Keli with some concern.

"Ah, Quezhou, I am fine, but I am getting old and inevitably feel melancholy. Do you think I will live to see the day when the Ming Dynasty recovers Liaodong?!" Yuan Keli asked blankly.

"My lord is in good health. Within five years, our Great Ming will surely be able to recover Liaodong. At that time, you might even be able to teach your prince and grandson!" Liu Zeqing said with a smile.

"Hahaha, you scoundrel, you're always trying to curry favor with this old man!!!" Yuan Keli pointed at Liu Zeqing's nose and laughed and scolded.

Yuan Keli reached out and pressed down on Liu Zeqing's shoulder. His fingers, though withered and claw-like, were surprisingly strong. He solemnly said, "The recapture of Liaodong cannot be rushed; we must proceed step by step, for our Great Ming cannot afford to lose! I will eventually die, perhaps in three years, perhaps in ten. The Dengzhou and Laizhou naval forces will depend on you from now on. Do a good job; our emperor will not let you down."

Liu Zeqing looked directly at Yuan Keli and nodded solemnly.

"My lord, the imperial army of 30,000 is still three days' journey from Shanhaiguan. His Majesty has ordered us to go and meet them!" A sentry boat sped up from behind, and the messenger boarded the boat along the mooring rope to report.

Yuan Keli took the official document, unfolded it, and looked at it with a look of astonishment on his face. He had indeed requested reinforcements, but he was only thinking "whatever happens, happens," and he didn't believe that the court would actually support his plan. He never expected that the court would act so decisively.

Not long after, he received news that the Jurchens had retreated, not only from the mouth of the Daling River, but also abandoned the siege of Jinzhou and retreated entirely!
hiss!
Yuan Keli was puzzled by the situation. Had he really killed Huang Taiji? Was the body simply dragged away, or was there no trace of him at all? Otherwise, he couldn't understand why Huang Taiji would abandon Liaonan and retreat directly. After all, although they had conquered Liaonan, the number of enemy soldiers they had actually killed was very limited. Moreover, due to the sieges and captures, casualties had increased dramatically, with more casualties than the Jurchens.

But regardless of what happened on the Jurchen side, this was a very good opportunity for him, a real chance to hold onto the vast territory of southern Liaoning.

In addition to the easily passable coastline on the edge of southern Liaoning, there are also many passages formed by the ravines in the mountains. Although there are many passages, the terrain is conducive to encirclement and interception. As long as more forts are built, connected by border walls, and strictly guarded with artillery, the border can be locked down.

As for the people building the city walls, he had already made preparations. Vast amounts of disaster victims in the expansive Korean peninsula awaited his aid. The two regions were very close; using warships for transport, he could gather hundreds of thousands of laborers in six months. No money was needed; he only needed to provide food. And the government didn't need to constantly supply them with food; they could grow their own crops. The harvested grain could be used to hire other disaster victims for farming and labor. Hmm?!

"Notify the Earl of Dongjiang to intensify intelligence gathering on the Jurchens. The large bird-shaped ships of the navy will remain in place, while the Fujian ships, grain transport ships, and sand ships will head to Shanhaiguan to transport troops. Twenty Haicang ships will be dispatched to escort them!" Yuan Keli ordered.

After more than a month of attack and defense, the situation was constantly changing, but there was a group of people who knew nothing about the situation. They were the Jinzhou garrison who were trapped in the city.

These days, Zu Dashou has been suffering terribly. For dozens of days in a row, he has not seen a single soldier of reinforcements, as if he has been abandoned.

Huang Taiji's psychological warfare tactics were particularly effective. He ordered his army to dig trenches and build fortifications, creating the appearance of a prolonged siege even without actually attacking the city. On the other hand, he continuously sent envoys to persuade Zu Dashou to surrender.

They said that since they had such good business dealings and got along so well, if he were to join them, he would surely be highly valued by the Khan and accepted by the princes. Wouldn't that be more comfortable than being a minor general in the Ming Dynasty?
The envoy who came to persuade Zu Dashou to surrender told him that Huang Taiji had promised him: if he surrendered, he would be granted the title of Prince of the Great Jin, which is equivalent to a Heshuo Beile, a position even higher than that of a Banner Lord!
Zu Dashou initially scoffed at these words. Why give up being a proper general of the Ming Dynasty to become a barbarian prince? What good is that? But as time went on, his arrogance changed, and his stance gradually became wavering.

So he hosted a banquet for the generals in the city to test their attitudes. After a few rounds of drinks, Zu Dashou said with a worried look, "Now we are besieged by the Jurchens, and the court is not coming to our aid. The city has few soldiers and little food. What should we do?!"

Although he put it euphemistically, if you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. Everyone knows that Zu Dashou disobeyed the king's orders and secretly accepted the Jurchen envoys. Now that he is saying these words, his purpose is obvious!
Cao Wenzhao, the Right Garrison General, was the first to lose his composure. He said in a deep voice, "There are dozens of deep wells in the city, so the soldiers and civilians have no shortage of water. This year, the imperial court has also allocated a total of 200,000 shi of military rations to the city and paid them their full salaries. With such generous treatment, how can we be any different from beasts if we do not repay it with our lives?! Moreover, the Jurchens are afraid of our city's strong defenses and powerful cannons, and have not dared to attack the city. When has our Great Ming ever had a general who surrendered before even fighting?!"

Behind Cao Wenzhao was a young general who bore a resemblance to him, but whose features were more stern. He was not qualified to interrupt the general's discussion, but he drew his short sword from his waist, wiped it, and glanced at Zu Dashou, which made people feel a chill.

Jinzhou Deputy General He Kegang showed no mercy and said bluntly, "Zu Dashou, the court may turn a blind eye to your smuggling of military rations, but if you want to betray the Ming Dynasty, I'm afraid not only the generals present will not allow it, but even your soldiers will not follow you. You unworthy descendant, don't disgrace your ancestor, Zu Cheqi!"

“When did I ever say I wanted to defect to the enemy?! He Kegang, stop talking nonsense! This is blatant slander! I was just worried about the situation, so I summoned you all to discuss countermeasures!” Zu Dashou retorted excitedly.

whispering sound!
He Kegang looked at Zu Dashou's clumsy performance and turned his head away in disdain.

Zu Dale tugged at Zu Dashou's sleeve and tried to smooth things over, saying, "Gentlemen, you have misunderstood the General. Our Zu family has been favored by the Emperor for generations, and now we have been entrusted with important responsibilities. How could we possibly betray the Ming and surrender to the Jin? Such behavior is worse than that of a pig or a dog and is not the act of a man!"
"Rest assured, everyone. If such a scoundrel were to exist in my ancestral family, you wouldn't even need to lift a finger; my ancestor, Da Le, would be the first to punish him! He would cleanse the family and restore its honor! Brother, wouldn't you agree?"

Zu Dashou looked at his younger brother, forced a smile, and nodded, but his heart felt heavy and choked with anxiety.

In the midst of this awkward situation, a messenger rushed in excitedly, shouting, "Sir! The Jurchens have retreated!!!"

(End of this chapter)