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

Chapter 281 If you're not dignified, don't blame us for making you dignified!
Zu Dashou never imagined he would be reinstated. During his two years in the capital, he kept a low profile, acquired extensive landholdings, took several new concubines, and never expressed his opinions on politics or military affairs.

He left the gate of his newly purchased courtyard in Beijing wide open from morning till night, and he even smashed the original screen wall that came with the house, so that people on the street could see directly into the main hall of his house from outside the gate.

His actions were indeed in line with the usual practices of ministers who were suspected by the monarch, but unfortunately, the monarch he encountered was Zhu Youjian, a guy with a rather peculiar way of thinking.

Zhu Youjian disliked him: What kind of person dares to play the game of "avoiding suspicion by opening the door"?! Comparing himself to Zhang Liang and Guo Ziyi, does your Zu Dashou even deserve it?! Moreover, you're so rich, now you don't even try to hide your illegal income anymore, you're not even pretending anymore, what are the common people supposed to think?!

Considering the current situation, the possibility of Zu Dashou defecting to the Jurchens has been reduced to a safe level. Zhu Youjian simply sent him to work and took his Zu family's direct descendants in Jinzhou City with him, making room for Cao Wenzhao to purify the ranks.

The original team from Jinzhou was still the same; they were simply physically separated from the two groups that were intertwined to reduce internal strife.

Zhu Youjian arranged for Zu Dashou to take over Guangning City, while Xiong Zhaobi was assigned to cultivate land outside the city. Before his departure, Zu Dashou deliberately sought out Xiong Zhaobi, saying he wanted to travel with him. Zu Dashou was flexible and adaptable; although his official rank was much higher, he was there to humble himself and build a relationship with Xiong Zhaobi.

Zu Dashou sighed with emotion, recalling how he had worked under Xiong Tingbi and earned Xiong's praise for his "bravery and skill in defense," which led to Xiong's rise through the ranks. He immediately said that if Xiong Zhaobi encountered any difficulties, he could come to him for help, and if he had any questions, he could ask him.

Xiong Zhaobi was puzzled. What was the purpose of these words from his father's so-called former subordinate? If Zu Dashou really cared about his father's promotion, wouldn't he have ignored their family for so many years? Xiong Zhaobi was a man of few words, but he wasn't stupid!
"Sigh, I'm actually quite envious of you! Don't underestimate you just because you're only a commander of a thousand households now. Everyone knows that once you attend His Majesty's Qingyun Banquet, it's proof that you're favored by the Emperor. Even if your initial official rank isn't very high, you're bound to rise rapidly in the future!" Zu Dashou said with a hint of sourness.

"What is the Azure Cloud Banquet?!" Xiong Zhaobi asked in confusion.

"You don't even know this?!" Zu Dashou shouted sharply.

Xiong Zhaobi said somewhat embarrassedly, "During my years in Beijing, I have had very little contact with my colleagues and am not very familiar with these secrets of the capital."

Zu Dashou was speechless. He waved his hand and said, "This is no secret. Even the common people in the market know that the meal His Majesty invited you to was the Qingyun Banquet."

"His Majesty has not served any food," Xiong Zhaobi said truthfully.

"Huh?!" Zu Dashou was stunned. He hurriedly asked, "Didn't His Majesty summon you privately?"

"Yes."

"This..." Zu Dashou was somewhat bewildered and subconsciously asked, "What did His Majesty say to you?!"

Xiong Zhaobi remained silent.

"Uh, I was just being nosy. I was just being overly concerned. If it doesn't involve any secrets, you can tell me. After all, I've been in the workforce for a few more years than you. You're new to your career and it's easy for you to make mistakes. Given my relationship with your father, we can easily address each other as uncle and nephew."

Zu Dashou forced a smile to smooth things over, his facial muscles almost twitching, but he still didn't get a response from Xiong Zhaobi. This was a taciturn man who even the emperor found troublesome, so what could Zu Dashou do?!

Seeing that Xiong Zhaobi remained silent, Zu Dashou's expression disappeared. He excused himself and left, telling Xiong Zhaobi to remember his words: even if they didn't care about personal relationships, they were still friendly forces stationed in the same area, so they should cooperate more.

Turning around, Zu Dashou's expression turned gloomy: What secrets could a mere commander like him have to hide? This kid must have been sent by the emperor to monitor him; it seems he will never gain the emperor's trust after all!
Zu Dashou felt extremely aggrieved. He was a brave and skilled warrior. The generals outside the pass had all been granted the title of Earl. However, Zhao Shuaijiao's title of Earl of Pingliao was a supreme honor, while his title of Earl seemed like a handout, making him look down on!
Zhao Shuaijiao was about to be granted the title of Duke, but he wasted two years of his life, and only his thigh muscles grew back. How unfair is the emperor!

"Lord Commander, Zu Dashou's reputation isn't very good. You are trusted by His Majesty and have a bright future. It would be best to avoid associating with such people," Xiong Youyi couldn't help but remind him.

A rare smile appeared on Xiong Zhaobi's face. He nodded and said, "What my cousin says is absolutely right. I know what I'm doing. But I wonder what immoral thing the Earl of Jingnu has done?!"

Xiong Youyi couldn't help but shake his head. To ask him, a newcomer to the capital, about such matters, it seemed that his cousin really needed his help. He was far too insensitive to matters of officialdom and the court!

He thought of his uncle again, and sighed even more deeply. The father and son were practically cut from the same cloth! Although Xiong Zhaobi wasn't as foul-mouthed as his father, he could still shut people up without saying a word. In the end, only those who were adept at navigating social situations could succeed in officialdom!

"Rumor has it that Zu Dashou has an ambiguous relationship with the Jurchens, and he once wanted to defect to the enemy!" Xiong Youyi said in a low voice.

"That can't be right. Since the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the situation in Liaoxi has been very stable, and Jinzhou has never been in danger of falling. Why would General Zu surrender to the Jurchens?!" When talking about military affairs, Xiong Zhaobi became more talkative and his whole person became much more lively.

"Um, I don't know, but that's what everyone says. As the saying goes, there's no smoke without fire, so it's better to believe it than not to believe it at all," Xiong Youyi said with a hint of trepidation.

It was his wife's idea to align himself with Xiong Zhaobi's family; Xiong Youyi himself didn't actually want to leave Jiangxia County.

One reason was that he was afraid of death and felt that officials could rise and fall in an instant, especially since he was going to the border region, where his future was obviously uncertain. This was his personal concern.

On the other hand, being kind-hearted, he always liked to think of others. He felt that his knowledge was shallow and his abilities were limited, and he could not effectively help his cousin. He was afraid that he was not up to the task.

But there was no other way; his wife was unwilling to settle for mediocrity, which forced him to make a choice.

Wang's thinking was simple. She didn't take the twenty taels of silver, and she tossed and turned in bed with regret. Her cousin was moving her whole family to the capital. If she didn't follow, she would have nothing left. She regarded the twenty taels of silver as a sunk cost.

Xiong Zhaobi was thoughtful but not good at expressing himself. He was very perceptive of his cousin's unease, a skill he developed from years of living as a dependent.

He patted Xiong Youyi on the shoulder and said, "If Li Guangli can defect to the Xiongnu, nothing is impossible. My cousin's reminder is very timely. I will keep a close eye on the Earl of Jingnu to prevent him from making any mistakes."

Xiong Youyi was utterly speechless. His words were pointless; it would have been better if he hadn't said anything at all! He meant for Xiong Zhaobi to keep his distance from Zu Dashou, but this kid had gone straight for the kill. Seeing his cousin hesitate, Xiong Zhaobi assured him he wouldn't act rashly. Although he was currently only a chiliarch (commander of ten thousand men), the emperor had allowed him to expand his forces. Once he had recruited ten chiliarchies, his chiliarchies could be upgraded to garrisons, and his official rank could be elevated to a third-rank commander. At that time, with ten thousand men under his command, he wouldn't be afraid even if he faced Zu Dashou.

Xiong Zhaobi had his own understanding of the military system of the Ming Dynasty. At present, most of the guard posts within the Ming Dynasty have lost their combat effectiveness, but this does not mean that the guard post system itself should be eliminated.

The reason why the military garrisons could not continue to operate was that officers and local tyrants seized military farmland, causing the military households in the garrisons to lose their means of survival, while the farming and warfare system itself was not the problem.

While an individual soldier in a farming-war system might not be as combat-effective as an elite garrison, if the scale of war were increased tenfold to a battle between tens or even hundreds of thousands of troops, soldiers in this system would possess unique advantages. The court's decision to reinstate the garrisons alongside the garrisons undoubtedly stemmed from consideration of their unique value.

It would be extremely difficult to revive the old garrisons, but the new garrisons didn't need to worry too much. Anyway, the emperor had declared that all the original land deeds in Liaodong would not be recognized. You've already become a subject of the Jurchens, so it's already a good thing that the court didn't punish you for treason. You still want your family property?!

All the recovered land was to be public property, and anyone could rent and cultivate it, as long as they paid taxes and rent on time. Therefore, the military garrisons could freely seize land without having to consider the complicated issue of land ownership.

……

The journey from Beijing to Guangning was 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers). Half a month later, Zu Dashou and Xiong Zhaobi's troops arrived outside Guangning City. At this time, 3,000 Guan Ning cavalry surrounded Guangning City, but did not enter the city.

Zu Dashou transferred his six thousand veteran soldiers from Jinzhou. Originally, Jinzhou had about ten thousand soldiers, but after Zu Dashou withdrew six thousand, only four thousand remained. However, Cao Wenzhao brought three thousand men from the capital garrison, and while he was stationed in Jinzhou, he recruited two thousand more, so Jinzhou would not become empty.

The Ming army lined up outside the city, announcing the start of the surrender ceremony inside. The heavy city gates of Guangning slowly opened, and Li Yongfang, a third-rank general of the Jurchens, walked out with shackles on his head. At this time, his hair was gray and his face was sickly; even if he did not surrender, he would not live much longer.

If given a choice, Li Yongfang would not have wanted to be tried by the Ming court. To say that he surrendered because of a change of heart is pure nonsense.

As the first high-ranking general of the Ming Dynasty to surrender to the Jurchens, Li Yongfang worked very hard as a traitor. He not only surrendered himself, but also recruited traitors everywhere. He also used his familiarity with Liaodong to carry out espionage activities. Mao Wenlong's infiltration of Liaodong was far less than Li Yongfang's infiltration of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Yongfang clearly possessed a fanatical devotion to conversion, regarding the construction of the Later Jin dynasty as his own cause. He was ambitious and aspired to one day storm into the Central Plains and assist Nurhaci in ascending the throne. Only by achieving a change of dynasty could he erase the stain of his betrayal. At that time, others would not dare to ridicule him as a traitor, but would instead praise his unique vision and adherence to the general trend.

However, his beloved cause has recently suffered repeated setbacks. First, his lord, the great ruler Nurhaci, died. Then, his father-in-law Abatai died, and then his last hope, Huang Taiji, also died.

Nurhaci's death proved that he was not destined for greatness; Abatai's death caused Li Yongfang's situation to deteriorate rapidly. In the past, the Jurchens targeted the Han people, but because he was Abatai's son-in-law, others would still give Abatai some face and would not cause him trouble. With Abatai dead, his biggest backer was gone.

Adding to this, the Jurchens suffered a crushing defeat in the interior of China at that time, and their hatred for the Han people was beyond measure. Even some of the Jurchen's minor Niru Ejen began to take advantage of Li Yongfang, openly saying that no matter how high Li Yongfang's official position was, he was still a slave. Although their official positions were not as high as Li Yongfang's, they were the masters. How could a slave command his master?!
The reason Huang Taiji died was to take over Guangning City, without informing Li Yongfang beforehand, which completely disheartened Li Yongfang. However, people like them don't act on emotions. Despite his disheartening state, Li Yongfang still couldn't bring himself to surrender, because he believed it was better to live a miserable life than to die.

The things he did were punishable by death. Even though he was sick now, he still wanted to live. But while he wanted to live, his Han Eight Banner soldiers also wanted to live, and they all agreed that only if Li Yongfang died could they live.

However, having spent so much time together, they still had some affection for each other. They were willing to give Li Yongfang a dignified end and promised to take care of his children after his death. If Li Yongfang did not agree, then they would take Li Yongfang's head to the Ming army to surrender the city.

In reality, the situation of the Jurchens had not deteriorated to the point of losing core cities on a large scale, but the general trend is just that unreasonable. As long as the people below clearly perceive the difference in the war situation between the two sides, they can make a decision by issuing a proclamation. They were traitors to the Han people and had no reason to resist stubbornly. They could betray once, and they could betray a second time.

There was debate in the court regarding Li Yongfang's defection. Some straightforward people believed that Li Yongfang's surrender should not be accepted. They argued that the court rebelled when it was weak and surrendered when it was strong. They believed that the Ming Dynasty should reclaim the lost cities and that none of these traitors should be let go.

However, after careful consideration, Zhu Youjian accepted Li Yongfang's conditions, because Guangning City was high and well-fortified, and it would not be a problem for 10,000 people to defend against tens of thousands of troops.

Although modern warfare technology has advanced to the point where cannons can directly bombard city walls, casualties are still inevitable. We are all born of parents, and to resist foreign invasion, we must shed blood and sacrifice ourselves. But if we sacrifice our lives in vain for the sake of imperial ambitions, it is utterly worthless.

The bottom line must be upheld. Besides, many things can be handled flexibly. Moreover, Li Yongfang is quite sensible and willing to die, which can be considered an explanation to all parties.

Li Yongfang walked step by step into the prison cart prepared for him by the Ming army. Zu Dashou grinned foolishly, showing his big teeth. He really had to thank his old friend Li Yongfang for his reinstatement.

Zu Dashou wrapped the thumb-thick iron chain around the wooden door a few times, making a clanging sound. With a crisp click as the lock was put on, the notorious traitor Li Yongfang was declared captured.

Li Yongfang huddled along the edge of the prison cart and slowly sat down, his head bowed, letting his disheveled hair cover his face. He remained silent throughout. Zu Dashou looked at him with a mixture of pity and lingering fear. Luckily, he hadn't defected to the Jurchens; otherwise, he would probably be squeezing in with Li Yongfang right now.

The garrison inside the city also marched out in an orderly fashion. The Ming army drew their bows and crossbows, and even arranged cannons of various sizes in an arc to surround the west gate of Guangning City. The garrison inside the city first brought out several hundred Jurchen prisoners, as well as dozens of Jurchen heads. They had been entertaining the Jurchens and took advantage of their drunkenness before taking action, so it did not take much effort and there was little bloodshed.

After handing the prisoners over to the Ming army, the Han Eight Banner soldiers threw their weapons on the ground, surrendered completely, and handed their fate over to the Ming army.

This was actually thanks to Zhu Youjian. Zhu Youjian and his court were very trustworthy. The Ming Dynasty's almost bankrupt reputation rebounded slightly. It was only after obtaining Zhu Youjian's imperial edict that the Han Eight Banners soldiers in Guangning City dared to truly surrender.

All sorts of old and worn-out weapons were piled up like mountains near the city gate. It was clear from this that the treatment of Han soldiers under the Jurchens was really bad. And this was only because Li Yongfang was a player at the start of the game. Their treatment was already the best among the Han servants. The worse ones had already been sent to fill the trenches.

Before the fall of Guangning City, the total population of Guangning Guard and the surrounding auxiliary Left, Middle and Right Guards exceeded 300,000. However, after Zu Dashou took over Guangning City, he found that the population of the city was only over 10,000, with a garrison of 3,400.

Originally, the Jurchens outnumbered the Han Chinese in the garrison of Guangning City. However, as the fighting progressed, the Jurchens ran out of manpower and had to redeploy their troops. As a result, only a few hundred Jurchens remained in this important city.

The situation outside the city was even more bleak. Xiong Zhaobi led his men to search the area within a hundred miles of Guangning City, and finally only managed to find a few thousand people. Among them, there were very few adult men. Xiong Zhaobi's heart sank. He had originally been ambitious and wanted to establish a military garrison, but now he couldn't even gather enough people for a thousand-household garrison!

(End of this chapter)