You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 188 The General's First Order Upon Taking Office - Bobo Kills
In less than a quarter of an hour, Jiang Qingyun had written the military order in a flamboyant style. After everyone read it, they looked at each other in disbelief, as if to say, "You have to admit we're impressed."

Xiao Jiang is a madman.

Tunqi kept staring at Jiang Qingyun, trying to tell whether he was conscious or not.

Jiang Qingyun suddenly smiled.

"Your Highness, stop looking, I'm not crazy. With the decisive battle imminent, an army without a leader is unacceptable. I want to tell you bastards that the throne of General Dingyuan is not some coveted prize, but a heavy responsibility."

"At present, Zheng Sen in the southeast is restless, Chahar in the north is plotting against us, the old troops of Da Shun in eastern Sichuan are sharpening their knives, and the fierce generals of Da Xi, Li Dingguo and Sun Kewang, are closely cooperating against our Great Qing."

"Gentlemen, the military situation is critical. This is my final inquiry: I intend to assume the position of Acting General of Dingyuan! Those who object, please raise your right hands!"

……

Fifteen people at the scene raised their right hands.

"Very well, 15 people objected, 104 people agreed. I will temporarily act as the Grand General of Dingyuan and exercise all powers. All participants shall affix their bloody handprints to the minutes of this meeting and then present them to the Emperor."

After speaking, Jiang Qingyun glanced at Yabulan.

The archer Yablan, who was relatively simple-minded, immediately took the lead in kneeling down, and the others had no choice but to follow suit.

"Greetings, General Dingyuan."

Jiang Qingyun raised his right hand with satisfaction.

"Brothers, please rise."

"From this moment forward, I will be in charge of strictly enforcing your orders. As long as you obey my commands, I guarantee that I will lead you to victory after victory."

"I'm sure you've all heard about my deeds. I'm a man of clear likes and dislikes. Those I recommend get promoted, while those I impeach all meet a tragic end."

That was quite tragic.

……

Jiang Qingyun took out a roll of yellow silk and slowly unrolled it, spreading it on the table.

"Tunqi, come and take a look!"

"Whoo."

Beile Tunqi stepped forward, glanced at him, and his expression changed instantly.

Jiang Qingyun bowed to the north.

"These are all blank imperial edicts stamped with the imperial seal. In other words, I can fill in whatever I want, and the edict will take effect immediately. It grants the power of life and death, a privilege granted by the imperial authority."

As everyone stared at Jiang Qingyun, who exuded an aura of evil, their scalps tingled, their backs felt cold, and they knelt down on one knee once more, trembling with fear.

"I will obey the orders of General Dingyuan."

Jiang Qingyun turned back to the desk and sat down casually.

He shouted sharply:

"All troops return to camp. Proclaim to the three armies that I am the new General Dingyuan."

"Beat the drums, fire the cannons!"

The drums of Jingzhou resounded, and the cannons roared.

Dozens of fast horses shouted along the way:
"The newly appointed General Dingyuan issued an instruction order, consisting of nine articles. Violators will be beheaded and their entire family members will be exterminated."

“The guards of the garrison failed to protect their commander, resulting in his death. All of them shall be executed.”

On that day, 200 guards of the military camp were bound hand and foot and pushed to the gate of the camp for a mass beheading, a scene of utter carnage.

The banner camp fell silent, as if chilled to the bone.

Jiang Zhongcheng was sweating profusely. Damn it, he had accidentally become the father of General Dingyuan.

……

The first day of the fourth month in the ninth year of the Shunzhi reign.

The small town of Songzi, located south of Jingjiang, has bloodstains on the outer side of its adobe city walls.

Guerrilla General Hu Guozhu, through his telescope, saw a large banner appear in the distance—"Jin".

Wherever the banners went, the Ming army cheered like waves on the battlefield, while the Qing army was terrified. Their nightmare had returned; Li Dingguo was back again!
"Report! Commander Zhang has returned to camp from Jingzhou."

"Bring it here quickly."

Upon meeting, Hu Guozhu immediately asked, "Old Zhang, what did the Jingzhou side say?"

"Let us continue to be patient."

"Damn it, are they trying to use us as cannon fodder?"

"General, a major incident has occurred in Jingzhou. General Dingyuan has been poisoned and gone mad. Jiang Qingyun is now acting as General."

"he?"

Hu Guozhu's eyes darted around.

Before his departure, Wu Sangui had revealed Chiang Kai-shek's true character to him, telling him, "If you encounter difficulties, seek out Chiang Kai-shek; he's one of us and willing to help." "Hasn't the new General given us any instructions?"

"No~ The General is very busy."

"What is he busy with?"

"Busy killing people!"

"Kill who?"

"Kill the flag bearers."

"Why??"

"I do not know."

Hu Guozhu's expression at that moment was indescribable; after a long pause, he finally managed to utter, "It's over~"

"General, what should we do?"

"Tell the brothers to prepare for a breakout tonight."

……

The sun shone brightly over Jingzhou City, but a thick haze hung in the air.

At the entrance of the Banner Camp.

A group of people were kneeling, bound hand and foot.

"By imperial decree, General Dingyuan has ordered that, upon investigation, twenty-six officers, including Manchu Lieutenant Qingyun, were found to have shied away during the battle at Hengzhou, allowing their commander to be surrounded. Their crimes are unforgivable. They shall be beheaded and their heads displayed as a warning to others."

"cut!"

A group of guards dressed in yellow jackets immediately swung their swords and slashed down.

The onlookers, filled with fear and trembling, clenched their fists.

The new general is cruel and kills people every day, and he always has a reason for doing so.

The Jingzhou Military Governor's Office.

A roster lay before Jiang Qingyun, and as he turned the pages, he marked the names of the flag soldiers with red crosses.

Any bannermen who were within two miles of the location where Nikan died, regardless of rank or whether they were Manchu or Han, were considered guilty without trial and were immediately beheaded.

After drawing dozens of red crosses in one go, Jiang Qingyun sighed, the meaning of which was unclear, as if he felt reluctant to do so.

"General, you must take care of your health."

The speaker was Suleda, a second-class imperial bodyguard. He bowed and gave a humble yet concerned smile.

"The Ming court in the southwest has never given up its desire to destroy our Great Qing, while the internal corruption of our Eight Banners is getting worse and worse, which led to the great defeat at Hengzhou. The Banner soldiers are the foundation of the Great Qing. Now, the foundation is unstable and the situation is very serious."

"General, this servant will go to the kitchen to stew a bowl of white fungus soup for you."

Jiang Qingyun remained silent, only nodding slightly.

Having worked so hard for the country, it's time to replenish my energy.

Suleda had just left.

A guard came to report: "General, Beile Tunqi requests an audience."

……

Tunqi braced himself and walked into the house, followed by several deputy commanders. As soon as they entered, they all knelt down and spoke earnestly.

"General, we can't kill anymore!"

Jiang Qingyun suppressed his smile:
"I originally did not intend to kill anyone, but after reviewing the battle reports from Hengzhou, I was shocked, utterly shocked. The Eight Banners have fallen to such a state; whose fault is this?"

Everyone was as silent as a cicada.

Just then, Suleda walked to the door with a bowl of white fungus soup, and for a moment he didn't know what to do.

Jiang Qingyun waved his hand:

"Give half to Brother Ao."

"Whoo."

Tun Qi flattered:
"The general is benevolent."

Jiang Qingyun stood up and sighed:

"Oh well, never mind."

"Please rise, gentlemen. I will grant you this favor and spare the bannermen who are on the list but have not yet been executed. However, they cannot be released either. They will all be incorporated into the Trapped Camp. I am reluctant to kill them, but the military discipline has deteriorated to this extent, and I am deeply worried. The world is not yet settled, and the Eight Banners, the elite troops that fought to conquer the world, have become like this. If this continues, the country will face a major disaster."

Everyone was silent.

The reasoning is correct, but I can't figure out where the problem lies.

(End of this chapter)