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

Chapter 101 No chickens or dogs left behind
Actually, compared to the Zheng family, Jiang Han now wants to immediately lead his troops to Jiexiu County, uproot the imperial merchant Fan family, confiscate their property, and exterminate the entire family!

Unfortunately, the journey was too far, and they couldn't make it in time.

Jiexiu County is more than 300 li away from Shilou Mountain. Jiang Han and his men were traveling with a supply battalion, so it would take them at least three or four days to get there.

For now, let's use the Zheng family as a sacrifice!

Jiang Han did not make a big show of this operation. He only brought two elite infantry squads under his command, as well as some cavalry, totaling more than 400 men.

However, in order to transport the spoils of war, he brought out all the wagons from the supply battalion.

When the team set off, Jiang Han specially raised a brand new flag with a tiger coming down the mountain painted on it, and the three characters "Tiger Going Up the Mountain" were crookedly embroidered in gold thread next to it.

As usual, Jiang Han planned to launch a night raid on the Zheng family manor, so the group deliberately waited until evening before leisurely setting off.

It wasn't until late at night, with the bright moon hanging high in the sky, that they finally arrived outside the Zheng family's courtyard.

By the moonlight, one could see that the Zheng family manor was very grand, covering an area of ​​about forty or fifty acres, equivalent to the size of four standard football fields.

The courtyard was surrounded by a high rammed earth wall, with corner towers and loopholes on top. There were two small fortresses on each side to guard the gate.

Within the walls, pavilions and towers are faintly visible, with lights twinkling around them. Various pavilions and towers, along with all kinds of living facilities, are readily available.

As soon as Jiang Han's men approached, before they could even deploy, the guards on the corner tower of the manor, who were on lookout duty, spotted something amiss!

In the distance, from the darkness, a large group of figures could be vaguely seen, and at least several hundred torches were lit at the same time, rapidly converging on the village!
"Oh no! Bandits!"

The guard was quite experienced; seeing this, he knew that a large group of bandits had come to attack the manor!
He quickly got up and slammed the alarm bell hanging on the gate tower!
when!when!when!
The sharp, piercing chimes shattered the stillness of the night, echoing across the empty manor.

The village was instantly thrown into chaos, and the lights suddenly became much brighter!
After the guard finished ringing the bell, he scrambled down the gate tower and headed straight for the inner courtyard to report to the head of the household, Zheng Yunsheng.

"Master! Master! Something terrible has happened!"

"Outside! A huge band of bandits has come! Brightly lit! They've surrounded our village!"

The guard rushed into Zheng Yunsheng's courtyard, shouting incessantly.

Zheng Yunsheng was sound asleep in his concubine's warm embrace when he was startled awake by the sudden alarm bell and the guards' shouts, and sat up with a start.

Upon hearing the news that bandits had surrounded the village, he was so frightened that he jumped off the bed barefoot without even having time to put on his clothes properly!
"Where did these bandits come from? How many are there?"

Zheng Yunsheng looked at the guard and asked urgently.

The guard, still shaken, stammered in response:
"There are so many people! There are at least several hundred! The torches are all connected!"

"From afar, I could see that the leading banner had what looked like a tiger on it! And next to it were the words 'Tiger Climbing the Mountain'!"

Zheng Yunsheng looked surprised when he heard this name:
"A tiger climbing the mountain?"

He had naturally heard of the name "Mountain Tiger"! Wasn't that just a group of bandits entrenched in the nearby Shilou Mountain? He'd heard they were extremely ruthless.

However, although this group of bandits was ruthless, they always knew how to behave properly.

They would only rob ordinary people in the countryside or kill some small merchants passing by, and never dare to provoke the wealthy families!
Why the sudden change of heart? They dare bring people to surround the Zheng family's estate?!

But there was no time to think about it now, Zheng Yunsheng quickly instructed the guards:
"Quick! Go and wake up Zheng Hong, Zheng Xiang, and the others!"

"Tell them to take the women and hide in the cellar immediately!"

"Tell them that they must not come out without my orders!"

The guard nodded, accepted the order, and left.

Zheng Yunsheng grabbed a cotton robe and draped it over his shoulders before hurrying toward the manor's fortress.

When he rushed to the fortress, he saw his most trusted adopted son, who was also the head of the Zheng family's guards, already waiting with a hundred or so strong servants.

A group of men, fully armed with knives, guns, and muskets, lined up behind the walls of the fortified village, ready for battle.

Ever since bandits started causing trouble in Shaanxi, the landlords and wealthy people in Shanxi have been living in fear, and they've all started building fortified villages on their estates.

Then they built high walls and forged weapons, fearing that one day, while they were sleeping, those hungry bandits would break in and chop off their heads.

In retrospect, these investments were definitely worthwhile!
Upon seeing the arrival of the family head, Zheng Yunsheng, the adopted son who was leading the group quickly stepped forward and bowed: "Father! What brings you here?"

"The bandits outside are powerful and numerous, and they seem to be carrying cannons!"

"The few people in our village are probably no match for them!"

His face showed anxiety as he advised,
"Father! Why don't you take the young masters and ride away through the back door at full speed? We'll hold them off here to the death!"

The Ming Dynasty had strict regulations on the number of servants one could keep.

After founding the People's Republic of China, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang issued a proclamation to the world to liberate slaves in order to consolidate his rule and increase the number of taxpayers.

The Ming Dynasty law explicitly stipulated that commoners were not allowed to keep slaves or servants; otherwise, they would be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane.

Meritorious officials, nobles, and those with official positions were exempt from this rule, but the number of servants they could keep was also limited.

Therefore, in order to avoid legal punishment, many wealthy families adopted servants by signing indenture contracts and taking in adopted sons and daughters.

Upon hearing his adopted son's words, Zheng Yunsheng's eyes widened:
"Run? Where to run?"

"The family business accumulated over generations is all here. How can I face my ancestors if I run away!"

He leaned against the courtyard wall, gazing at the flickering firelight outside, and said in a deep voice:

"What's the panic? They're just a bunch of bandits! What can they possibly do?"

"First, send a message to him and ask what Shangshanhu means. Does he want money or grain? As long as he's willing to withdraw his troops, everything is negotiable!"

A sinister glint flashed in his eyes:
"Hmph! After we get rid of these ignorant bastards, I'll personally go to Fenzhou Prefecture tomorrow to file a complaint and have the government mobilize a large army to wipe them out!"

"That damn mountain tiger, it's one thing to rob those poor peasants, but today he dares to rob me! He's courting death!"

Having received Zheng Yunsheng's instructions, the adopted son dared not delay. He quickly climbed the high gate tower's arrow crenellations, took a deep breath, and, with all his might, shouted at the top of his lungs towards the dense crowd outside:
"Is that the 'Tiger of the Mountain' right in front of us?"

After asking this question, he waited for a long time, but the bandits outside seemed to have no intention of replying and remained silent.

He dared not wait any longer and continued to shout loudly:

"I wonder why Your Majesty has come here so late at night and suddenly sent troops to surround my Zheng Family Village?"

"My master said that if His Majesty has any urgent needs or is short of anything, he only needs to send someone to the estate to inform him!"

"Whether it's food or money, we can discuss it! Why make such a fuss and start a war?"

He paused, a hint of threat creeping into his voice.

"Your Majesty, it is better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester!"

"If today's matter escalates too much, alarming the authorities and attracting the army to suppress it, it probably won't be good news for Your Majesty!"

"Besides"

He thought his words were reasonable and well-founded, combining both soft and hard tactics, offering a way out while also pointing out the advantages and disadvantages.

Presumably, anyone who isn't an idiot would know what choice to make.

However, before he could finish speaking, a cold arrow pierced through the air and struck him squarely in the forehead.

Zheng's adopted son, who was spitting as he spoke eloquently on the gate tower, suddenly stopped talking!

"Uh"

His eyes were filled with disbelief, terror, and bewilderment, as if he couldn't understand why the other party had attacked him without even a word!
But then, Jiang Han's icy voice came from the crowd below:

"Send the order!"

"Tonight, at the Zheng family manor, not a single chicken or dog will be spared!"

(End of this chapter)