The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 100: The In-Laws of the Eight Great Imperial Merchants?
Hearing that He Lei had already found a target, Zhao Sheng didn't dare to delay and quickly led his men back to the camp.

After Jiang Han conquered Shilou Mountain, he did not choose to set up camp on Shilou Mountain.

The main problem was that the dilapidated village on the mountain was simply too small to accommodate his three or four thousand troops.

So he simply set up camp in a village at the foot of Shilou Mountain.

Anyway, there was no one left in the village; it had all been wiped out by Shangshanhu and his band of Shanxi bandits.

Zhao Sheng rode at full speed and returned to the central command tent in less than half a day to report back.

It's called a large tent, but it's actually just a slightly larger house, with the main hall able to accommodate about ten people.

But when Zhao Sheng walked into the lobby, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Inside the lobby, besides Jiang Han sitting in the main seat, there was a familiar figure standing next to him!

The person was looking at him, their face full of surprise!
"Second brother?!"

That man was none other than Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng had just arrived at Shilou when a minor incident occurred on the way. He was chased by officials while passing through Yongning Prefecture and had to circle around before finally arriving at Shilou Mountain from Fenzhou.

Li Zicheng?! What's he doing here?!
Zhao Sheng was surprised, but he didn't speak to Li Zicheng. Instead, he bowed to Jiang Han and reported back.
"General! I have not failed you!"

"Deng Yang, the garrison commander of Kulong Pass, and He Lei, the garrison commander of Guangwu Village, have both agreed! In Shilou County, Magistrate Fang Huai'an has also written a letter to prove that a major battle has taken place."

Jiang Han nodded in satisfaction after hearing this:
"Great! I knew I hadn't misjudged you!"

"As for Zhao Jinzhong, those who needed to be dealt with in the pacification team have already been dealt with."

"You immediately deliver Fang Huai'an's letter and Shangshanhu's head to him, and tell him to go back and report back!"

He frowned,
"It's already been delayed for several days, and that old eunuch must be getting impatient; if it's any later, the court might become suspicious!"

Zhao Sheng nodded, accepted the order, and left.

Before leaving, he hurriedly nodded to Li Zicheng, who looked astonished, as if to say goodbye.

Seeing Zhao Sheng leave, Li Zicheng finally came to his senses and looked at Jiang Han with surprise:
"General! Just now, my second brother was talking to you about... appeasement? The imperial court has sent people to appease you?!"

His voice involuntarily rose a few decibels, filled with utter confusion:

"General! Are you planning to accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty?!"

"Didn't you tell us back in Yan'an that no matter what, we must not surrender to the imperial court? How come you're going back on your word today?"

"Could it be that after winning a few battles, they're thinking of selling themselves to the court for a better future?!"

Li Zicheng was really anxious. His purpose in this trip was to contact Jiang Han on behalf of Wang Jiayin and persuade him to join his camp to fight against the imperial court!

Even if we can't unite our forces, we must at least form an alliance, share resources, and fight together against the government troops!

But judging from the current situation, it seems that Jiang Han is actually going to accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty?!

This is bad.

Li Zicheng and his forces are already struggling in the Hequ and Baode areas against the two armies led by You Shilu and Cao Wenzhao.

Wang Jiayin was even considering abandoning the Hequ base and breaking out south towards Fenzhou!
If Jiang Han's extremely powerful rebel army were to be recruited by the imperial court at this time, blocking their retreat from the south, they would be trapped like turtles in a jar.

When Jiang Han saw Li Zicheng's anxious expression, he immediately understood what he was thinking.

He quickly waved his hand, trying to reassure her:
"Don't worry, I will not accept the offer of amnesty."

"Am I, Jiang Han, the kind of person who breaks his word and covets wealth? This is just a delaying tactic."

"A delaying tactic?" Li Zicheng frowned, his face still full of disbelief.

Jiang Han had no choice but to admit that if he didn't explain things clearly, it would be difficult to dispel Li Zicheng's doubts, and it might even affect the relationship between the two sides in the future.

He had no choice but to roughly explain his plan to Li Zicheng, omitting some details.

"I plan to change my identity!" "From now on, I will operate in Shanxi under the name of the bandit Shangshanhu, and my troops will be renamed Anse Battalion. When the time is right, I will raise my flag again."

After hearing this, Li Zicheng's doubts gradually dissipated, but he was still somewhat skeptical.

After all, the plan sounded rather absurd.

Seeing that he still didn't believe him, Jiang Han smiled and said:

"What you say is unfounded."

"How about this, we'll be going out to collect grain in a few days. If you're worried, why don't you stay in my camp for a couple of days?"

"Come along with me then and see how I've transformed myself."

Having said that, Li Zicheng had no choice but to agree.

He thought he would have to wait at least three to five days, but to his surprise, Jiang Han sent someone to find him in less than a day, saying that everything was ready and he could set off immediately.

Li Zicheng rushed to the main hall, where he saw that besides Jiang Han, there was another man waiting there.

The man was of medium height, dressed in a fairly neat cotton coat, covering himself up completely, with a hint of shrewdness and flattery in his eyes.

Jiang Han pointed to the man and introduced him to Li Zicheng:
"Let me introduce you. This is General He Lei, the garrison commander of Guangwu Village."

Upon hearing this, He Lei quickly interrupted Jiang Han:
"Hey, General, when we're out and about, it's best to call me by my nickname, 'One Piece Stone,' to avoid people overhearing it."

Jiang Han laughed heartily and quickly cupped his hands in greeting:
"I have overlooked this. Brother Yipianshi, this is Li Zicheng, also known as the 'Chuangjiang' (meaning 'rebel general')."

He Lei quickly greeted Li Zicheng, appearing quite enthusiastic:

"You must be the General of the Vanguard, I've heard so much about you."

Li Zicheng had no choice but to return the greeting with a bow, but he was inwardly astonished by the absurd scene of collusion between officials and bandits.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Li Zicheng, He Lei immediately turned to Jiang Han with great eagerness:
"General Jiang, oh no, Brother Shangshanhu, I've already picked a target for you! I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"

He lowered his voice,
"That family is surnamed Zheng! They live in Wenquan Town, not far from here! The Zheng family is a very wealthy and famous family for miles around!"

"If we go from our Shilou Mountain, we can arrive in less than a day by galloping!"

Jiang Han was somewhat curious:
"Why did you choose this one?"

When the Zheng family was mentioned, He Lei's eyes lit up even more:

"Brother, you may not know this, but the Zheng family is ostensibly in the grain and cloth business."

"But in reality, his family made their fortune by following in the footsteps of the Fan family in Jiexiu County, Fenzhou Prefecture!"

"The Zheng family and the Fan family are related by marriage!"

"The Fan family?" Jiang Han's heart skipped a beat when he heard this surname. Why did it sound so familiar?

He quickly pressed for an answer:

"What kind of business does the Fan family of Jiexiu mainly do?"

He Lei lowered his voice and explained:

"I've heard that the Fan family has a lot of influence. They can transport our Ming Dynasty's refined salt, ironware, and even grain and cloth to the Zhangjiakou area on the border."

"We're dealing with the Mongols and the Eastern Barbarians!"

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Han's eyes!
Isn't this the Fan family, one of the so-called "Eight Great Imperial Merchants" in later generations? They made their fortune by sucking the blood of the Ming Dynasty and funding the enemy!

Since the Zheng family is just getting by with the Fan family, they're definitely not good people!

Jiang Han had already made up his mind to kill, and immediately made the decision:
"Okay! He's the one!"

"Brother He, lead the way! Let's set off immediately! Tonight, we'll take down the Zheng family!"

(End of this chapter)