Di Ming

Chapter 19: Unjust?

"Well done, young master."

Even when kneeling on the ground, the burly Nurhaci was as majestic as a tiger, his whole body brimming with tension.

"But this servant truly does not know what went wrong that angered the young master. This servant... is deeply troubled."

His voice was loud and deep, which should have been very imposing. But his tone was gentle and low, which not only eliminated his imposing manner but also made him seem kind and gentle.

He was indeed a devoted fan of the Ming Dynasty who was well-versed in the Three Kingdoms period. Not only was he fluent in Chinese, but he also spoke it very appropriately.

This man, who has already proclaimed himself Lady Shule, the most powerful woman in the Jianzhou Jurchen...

Despite receiving this severe lash, he showed no anger whatsoever; on the contrary, he became extremely cautious!
Upon seeing this, Zhu Yin felt a chill run down his spine.

He was so well hidden. He was practically a predecessor to Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Zhu Yin felt a surge of murderous intent, wishing he could immediately interrogate this ninja turtle and force him to hand over Ning Caiwei.

Then, kill him!

But all he could do at that moment was take a deep breath and temporarily conceal his emotions.

He didn't even tell Li Rubai that he was there to see Ning Caiwei.

"You don't know?" Li Rubai's expression was icy as he lashed out with his whip again, shouting:
"Many Jurchens have complained to me along the way, saying that you have sent troops out to plunder people from other tribes!"

"You lackey! Who gave you the audacity!"

"You've done something truly extraordinary! Are you trying to rebel?!"

Along the way, more than one Jurchen chieftain came to complain to Li Rubai.

He had previously come to Nurhaci at Zhu Yin's instigation, but now he truly intended to hold him accountable.

If Nurhaci no longer wants to be a dog, no longer wants to be a "bandit" raised by the Li family, then he cannot be allowed to live.

This is the commander's intention!
Nurhaci was startled. "Young Master, is this true? How come this servant knew nothing about it?"

"My lord, please understand! This servant is innocent! I did not send troops out to plunder!"

He suddenly turned his head, looked at the burly man with a large face kneeling behind him, and said sternly:
"Shurhaci, did you send someone to do this?"

Shurhaci, also dressed in a python-patterned silk robe, looked aggrieved and said with his neck stiff:
"Young master! Brother Wild Boar Skin! If I, Shurhaci, were to do this, I would be a sinner of the Jianzhou Left Guard! My soul would be devoured by Yeliru!"

"I have indeed heard that people are looting around, but it's definitely not us!"

Nurhaci then looked at the two Jurchen men behind him and said in Jurchen:
"Eidu! Anfiyanggu! Did you do this behind my back? I want to hear the truth!"

"Master!" The two men exclaimed in grief and indignation, "How could we, your servants, dare to undertake such a momentous task as sending troops without authorization? That would be a grave crime!"

Nurhaci took off his hat, revealing his bald head and two small, rat-tail-like braids, one above the other, and bowed his head, saying:

"My lord! Even if you gave me another chance, I wouldn't dare!"

"It is true that I pacified the Jianzhou tribes on behalf of my master. But as for sending people to abduct, I have never done that! At least not in the last two years!"

Although Zhu Yin knew that Ye Zhupi had once been a slave under Li Chengliang, he was still surprised by Li Rubai's attitude towards him.

They treated him like a servant, whipping him at will and behaving arrogantly.

It's clear that Yezhupi had been whipped quite a bit during his years in the Li family. In the eyes of the second young master Li, Yezhupi was truly undignified.

But the more this was the case, the more terrifying Zhu Yin found the wild boar hide.

He's clearly a ferocious tiger that eats people, but all these years he's been pretending to be a pig.

He's clearly a ruthless person, but he acts like an honest one.

Ye Zhupi's first pot of gold was given to him by Li Chengliang, and it is no exaggeration to say that Li Chengliang was his benefactor.

When he was in the Li family, Li Chengliang treated him like an adopted son, and taught him a lot through his words and deeds.

He benefited greatly from Li Chengliang in military formations, tactics, Chinese language, and systems.

There is no teacher-student relationship, but there is the reality of teacher-student relationship.

To support Yezhu Pi and to make up for the mistake of killing his father and grandfather, Li Chengliang allowed him to inherit the hereditary title of Commander of Jianzhou Left Guard.

This is a very important position.

Moreover, Li Chengliang, representing the Ming Dynasty, bestowed upon him thirty crucial trade edicts, along with an annual grant of eight hundred taels of silver and fifteen bolts of brocade.

He even allocated the fertile land of Kuandian Liubao to Nurhaci, allowing him to develop his strength.

The purpose was to make him a tool for the Li family. This tool must be sharp, but it must not betray its master.

Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. Li Chengliang ultimately nurtured a tiger that would become a menace, allowing Nurhaci to rise to power.

However, Zhu Yin was well aware that the unification of the Jurchen tribes at the end of the Ming Dynasty was an inevitable trend. With the development of Jurchen society and the decline of the Ming Dynasty, Korea, and Mongolia, the unification of the Jurchen into a state was a historical inevitability.

Even without wild boar skin, there were badger skin, tiger skin, and other such things. The Jurchen heroes took on the mission of unifying the Jurchen nation.

This is similar to how, even without Li Zicheng, a major uprising that overthrew the Ming Dynasty would have still broken out at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

There is only one feasible way to interrupt the unification process of the Jurchen tribes: for the Ming Dynasty to become strong again!

If the Central Plains dynasties were in decline, then the establishment of the Jurchen state would be inevitable.

If the Central Plains were to become strong again, the establishment of a Jurchen state would be nothing but a fantasy.

At this moment, Nurhaci was extremely angry and wished he could kill Li Rubai directly, for he had rebelled.

But he couldn't; he had to endure it!
Liaodong is now Li Chengliang's domain. If he were to rebel, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock, courting certain death.

His strength was too weak, while Li Chengliang was too powerful, and the Ming Dynasty was so powerful that it was despair-inducing.

Not only do we have to endure it, but we have to endure it for a very, very long time!
You might have to endure it all, perhaps until his hair falls out and his teeth loosen, until the cuckoo cries blood, until the day he dies!
However, he could not show the slightest dissatisfaction on the surface.

Even when facing the mediocre and incompetent Li Rubai, he had to be careful and cautious, as if walking on thin ice.

At this moment, besides being angry, he also felt wronged.

If he wanted to seize territory and people, he could have used the pretext of suppressing rebellions and pacifying various tribes to directly annex and gradually encroach upon them, taking both people and territory.

He stopped sending troops to plunder people without taking any territory a long time ago.

Zhu Yin had been silently observing Nurhaci and the others, and his brows furrowed in worry.

Because he realized that Nurhaci didn't seem to be lying.

If it wasn't him, then who was?
Who kidnapped Caiwei?!

Suddenly Nurhaci's expression changed. Was it his uncles who did it?
He quickly said, "Young master, you are aware of my family affairs. This matter... could be... could be the work of my uncles."

Li Rubai's expression also softened slightly.

Probably!

In truth, although Nurhaci grew stronger and stronger, he still failed to unify his own family!

Nurhaci was not originally qualified to inherit the hereditary title of Commander.

He was supported by Li Chengliang in seizing the family's hereditary official position.

The family members were not convinced and did not recognize him as the chief of the tribe.

His uncles, great-uncles, cousins, and other relatives not only harbored deep grudges against him, but also each had their own followers and power.

Although Nurhaci inherited the position of commander, the position of Mukunda (clan chief) was held by his sixth great-uncle, Bao Shi.

Mukunda wielded immense authority as the clan lord, a position that rivaled even the hereditary commanders.

The Wild Boarskin Brothers were the strongest in the clan. However, most of the clan members followed Mukunda's lead and opposed the Wild Boarskin Brothers.

He even helped Nikan Wailan, Wild Boar Skin's enemy, plot to assassinate Wild Boar Skin.

Of course, the internal division within Nurhaci's family was also orchestrated by Li Chengliang.

This was also one of the reasons why he trusted Nurhaci.

Now, when Nurhaci mentions his great-uncle, even Li Rubai feels that this kind of thing does seem like the style of Baoshi and his group.

Nurhaci kowtowed and said:
"Young master, you must stand up for your servant! This matter is most likely a case of them using your servant's name to kidnap people and increase their troops!"

"The lackey took the blame and was criticized, but all the benefits went to them!"

"If it weren't for your arrival today, young master, I would still be completely in the dark!"

"We urge you, young master, to represent the old master and apprehend them and bring them to justice!"

Li Rubai's face turned dark.

Should we apprehend them and bring them to justice?

Did I help you eliminate your family's rivals?

You wish!

I don't care!

Li Rubai was unaware of his mediocrity, but he knew he was not stupid.

How could he possibly act as Nurhaci's pawn, helping him consolidate internal power?
(End of this chapter)