Di Ming

Chapter 18 Slave
Zhu Yin accepted Li Rubai's address of "Young Master" with an air of nonchalance, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

His noble and princely demeanor made Li Rubai and other officers even overlook his young age.

They never dreamed that Zhu Yin's undeniable aristocratic air had nothing to do with his status as a prince.

"Second General," Zhu Yin said solemnly, like a little adult, "Second General, you are diligent in your duties and faithful to your responsibilities. Did you hear about the rebellion of plundering your people and that's why you sent troops to search?"

"Huh?" Li Rubai was taken aback. He was only following his father's orders to patrol the Liaodong border regularly, with the purpose of warning the Jurchen tribes.

It did not come about because of the rebellion of plundering the people.

I didn't know before. Or rather... I didn't care.

Wang Gao, the chieftain of the Jianzhou Suksuhu tribe and Nurhaci's maternal grandfather, was imprisoned and sent to the capital after his rebellion was suppressed by Li Chengliang. He was then executed by slow slicing.

Wang Gao's subordinates were all slaughtered by the Ming army. His son was also executed by slow slicing, and his entire family was wiped out by the Ming army.

Li Chengliang ordered the massacre of Gulie City. Nurhaci's father and grandfather, who had surrendered to the Ming army, were also mistakenly killed during the massacre.

More than a century after the "Chenghua plowing of the court," the unruly and fearful Jianzhou Jurchens, who were more afraid of power than of virtue, were once again slaughtered by the Ming army, leaving them trembling with fear.

In Li Rubai's view, the Jianzhou Jurchens of today are much more docile than the Hulun Four Tribes (Haixi Jurchens).

Not only were the Jianzhou Jurchens more "honest," but their strength was also far inferior to that of the Haixi Jurchens.

Therefore, the Ming army's current move to Haixi is a genuine military action. Their trip to Jianzhou is most likely just a patrol.

The father commander needed the obedient Jianzhou Jurchens to restrain the powerful Haixi Jurchens. In the father commander's words, it was called "using the barbarians to control the barbarians, using the barbarians to defeat the barbarians."

But today, he encountered the matter of the tribe's people being plundered.

He didn't want to get involved, but he was also a little hesitant.

"Young Master Zhu, this is just a routine patrol..."

Zhu Yin reacted quickly and immediately took over the conversation, saying, "Your father, Commander Li, was truly a renowned general of ancient times and a pillar of the nation."

"This practice of sending troops to patrol has become a routine, continuing year after year, and can be considered a good strategy to nip problems in the bud."

With your father stationed outside the pass, what worries do we have about the unrest in Liaodong?

"Today, our people were plundered, but the general arrived in an instant, and his troops moved swiftly, like wind, fire, thunder, and lightning."

"The Second General is well aware of the predicament of Jianzhou. Today, he has led his troops into battle, and those who are restless are about to suffer."

His voice was clear and childlike, yet his speech was forceful and logical, showing the early signs of a child prodigy.

Li Rubai originally intended to ignore it, but his intentions were completely blocked by this mysterious and dignified young master Zhu.

Moreover, he was unaware that the other party was doing it on purpose.

Should we intervene or not?
The plundering of the people was commonplace among the various Jurchen tribes and was not unusual.

The various tribes were constantly at odds over the control of people and livestock.

But to call it a trivial matter wouldn't be accurate.

Li Rubai was far inferior to his brother. He was essentially a spoiled brat from a military family, not a responsible person, and always did things perfunctorily.

But he had a common flaw among spoiled sons of military families: he was obsessed with saving face and easily provoked!
If Zhu Yin were to ignore this matter after he has said these words, he would be undermining his own position.

Very well, let's take this opportunity to manage things and let these Jurchen barbarians know that Liaodong not only has his father as commander, but also him, Li Rubai!
"Scout Captain!" Li Rubai suddenly shouted.

"Present!" Amidst the clanging of armor, a group of men stepped forward to receive the order. "Under my command!"

Li Rubai said, "Check where those barbarians' footprints went!"

"Understood!" The group mounted their horses and rode off.

Zhu Yin praised with an appreciative expression: "The Second General's troops are disciplined and obey orders. They truly deserve to be called the elite troops of our Great Ming Dynasty."

In his heart, he thought: This Li Rubai is such a blockhead. He's been led by the nose by my few words. He's really a good-for-nothing.

Before long, the scouts returned.

"Reporting to my lord! The hoofprints are heading west, towards the Suksu River!"

Westward? In the direction of the Suksu River? Li Rubai's gaze narrowed slightly.

He didn't know he was mediocre, but he knew he wasn't stupid.

This matter was most likely the work of Nurhaci.

To seize population and increase strength!
Tong Nu, what are you trying to do, you live-in son-in-law?
Just a few days ago, Tong Nu and his younger brother, Little Wild Boar Skin, went to the Li family to deliver gifts.

He even personally played the pipa and danced for his father, addressing him as "Old Master" repeatedly.

He sent gifts to many people in the mansion.

I also received a generous gift.

The two brothers are very sensible.

But it's only been a short time, and they've already become restless?
As the saying goes, "He who takes a bribe is bound to be grateful," and "He who eats another's food is obligated to feed him." Since Tong Nu was so sensible, he didn't want to get involved anymore.

In fact, he and Nurhaci were related.

His concubine was Nurhaci's niece and the daughter of Shurhaci.

Zhu Yin, observing the situation, whispered, "Who could it be, the tribe to the west?"

"If the Second General goes, he should be severely punished. The soldiers' patrols shouldn't be in vain."

The word "punishment" was pronounced with particular emphasis.

Li Rubai's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but smile.

Penalty!
Yes, if you go to Nurhaci's tribe under this pretext, wouldn't he have to pay a hefty price and obediently offer a generous gift?
There is a door!

Zhu Yin was relieved to see Li Rubai's smile.

Historically, Li Rubai was a greedy man who loved money and women. He also had a quick temper.

If he were to meet Nurhaci, things would get interesting.

Using the might of his cavalry, they went to Nurhaci in a grand manner to rescue Ning Caiwei!

In case Caiwei gets into trouble, try to instigate Li Rubai to massacre Nurhaci's tribes to avenge Caiwei!
Zhu Yin lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions within them.

He subtly encouraged Li Rubai to cause trouble for Nurhaci, without mentioning a single word about Nurhaci.

They didn't offend the wild boar skin at all.

The word "punishment" was like a spell, unlocking Li Rubai's fighting spirit.

"Send the order! Head west! Cross the river! To Ala City!"

"I want to ask that lackey myself what he's up to!"

At this moment, whether it was Nurhaci who did it is no longer important.

It's just an excuse anyway.

Even if someone came forward to prove that it had nothing to do with wild boar skin, it couldn't stop General Li Er's determination to go to Ala City!

"Understood the order! Form ranks! Head west!"

The messenger, holding a triangular command flag, rode his horse to deliver the order.

"Woo woo woo—" The bugle sounded in the Ming army, and more than two thousand warhorses turned their heads.

The clanging of the armor was as loud as the tide.

The shouts of the knights, the snorting of the warhorses, the clatter of their hooves... made the whole world restless and uneasy.

Seeing that the Ming army was about to leave, Zhu Yin said seemingly casually:

"I'd like to go to the west and see what it's like, so I'll have something to talk about when I get back."

The meaning of "talking point" couldn't be clearer: I might promote it for you.

Upon hearing this, Li Rubai was overjoyed.

A true man should not be greedy for fame.

"Very well! Then you shall accompany me, young master!" Li Rubai waved his hand, "Consider him my military supervisor, hahaha!"

Zhu Yin found it quite amusing. You, a mere adjutant, have a military supervisor?
You're such a fool, you can't even speak properly. The military supervisors are all eunuchs; aren't you insulting me?
When Ning Qingchen saw that Zhu Yin had managed to win over Li Rubai with just words and used him as a tool, she couldn't help but chuckle.

Mech and Niman admired Zhu Yin even more.

Wow, that's amazing! Not only did he make the Ming general treat them with great respect, but he also took them with him.

More than a thousand cavalrymen thundered westward. Zhu Yin and his men, having received Li Rubai's favor, were even able to change horses.

The speed increased significantly.

The Jurchen tribes along the way were all terrified when they saw the large Ming cavalry force.

The nearby Mukunda, the chieftain, and the city lord all sent people to inquire after his well wishes.

During the day, Zhu Yin took advantage of the opportunity to travel together and used his social skills to not only build a good relationship with Li Rubai, but also make the other party value him more.

Even those leather shoes were given to Li Rubai.

Li Rubai came from an extremely wealthy family; the Li family alone supported more than two thousand dancers and singers. Yet, Li Rubai had never seen such exquisite and high-end leather shoes before.

When I put them on... they actually fit perfectly.

Comfortable!

It's great anyway!
These shoes further convinced him that Zhu Yin was no ordinary person.

Having received such fine boots, Li Rubai decided that when Nurhaci made his tribute, he would definitely share some with this young master Zhu.

If Li Chengliang and Li Rusong knew, they would definitely call him an idiot.

You dare to associate with members of the royal family? Don't you know it's taboo? Of course, it's right not to offend or clash with them, but you can't just take the initiative to get close to them.

idiot!

……

The next evening, when they were still more than ten miles from Ala City, several people came on horseback to greet them.

The leader was nearly thirty years old, with a burly build, large ears, and a hooked nose, and looked very heroic.

He was clearly a fierce Jurchen nobleman, yet he wore a long robe of python-patterned silk and a Han-style six-corner hat (the six-corner hat was originally a Han crown), his clothes were luxurious and exquisite, and he dressed like a Han gentry.

Their clothing was completely different from that of the poor Jurchen people.

I don't know if it was intentional or if I just liked it.

He dismounted from a distance, threw away his whip, and led a group of men, trotting and walking slowly towards the Ming army's front lines.

Upon seeing Li Rubai, the Jurchen giant immediately knelt down and respectfully said in somewhat broken Chinese:

"Your humble servant, Tong Nurhaci, respectfully welcomes Your Highness! Your Highness must be tired from your journey!"

Is this Nurhaci? Zhu Yin stared intently.

This is the first important historical figure I met after arriving in the Ming Dynasty.

Haha, the man known as the founding emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

Li Rubai, intent on establishing his authority, didn't hesitate and lashed the hat bearing the inscription "Qing Taizu" with a whip:
"You filthy lackey! What do you think you're doing!"

P.S.: Please don't let the book sit unread. Spend ten minutes each day reading it to support the author, especially on Mondays and Tuesdays, which is extremely important.

(End of this chapter)