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

Chapter 115 Stringent Requirements

The order Deng Yang received required him to arrive in Jingle County within five days, report to Xu Dingchen, the magistrate, and then head north to Ningwu Pass.

Time was of the essence, so Jiang Han naturally dared not delay.

He selected a thousand men from Hei Zi's infantry division and two outposts under Li Laowai, and set off first.

The group carried only five days' worth of rations, abandoning all baggage and only taking their swords and armor, traveling light.

The remaining artillery and supply battalions were led by Shao Yong and Zhu Zi, who followed from behind.

Jiang Han planned to have these people attack the city together with Wang Jiayin when the time came, as they were slow.

The two groups of people headed towards Kelan County, one after the other.

Because Kelan County was even further away, Deng Yang led them on a waterway for a while. The group hurried along and finally arrived outside Kelan County at dawn on the fourth day.

"Phew, I'm exhausted!"

Jiang Han wiped the sweat from his forehead, plopped down on a roadside rock, and gasped for breath.

Looking at the equally exhausted foot soldiers behind him, he couldn't help but sigh:

"After leaving the waterway, we traveled nearly a hundred miles in one day!"

"This marching speed is probably not much different from that of the troops led by those famous generals, is it?"

Hearing this, Deng Yang casually retorted:

"General, you can't say that."

"I heard that General Qi's infantry battalion can travel a hundred li in a day and night."

"We traveled light, without any supplies, and only managed to cover a hundred li. We're still far behind Commander Qi."

Jiang Han rolled his eyes at Deng Yang, annoyed.
"How could I not know?"

"I'm doing this to boost morale!"

Deng Yang was glared at by Jiang Han, gave an embarrassed smile, and quickly shut his mouth.

Jiang Han ignored him and then gave an order to the soldiers behind him:

"Brothers, hurry up and rest. We'll go knock on the door when it's light."

The soldiers, relieved to receive the order, went to find places to rest.

Some leaned against rocks, others against tree trunks, and many fell asleep almost immediately, snoring loudly.

Clearly, the forced march of the past few days had exhausted them all.

An hour later, the sky gradually brightened, and the tightly closed city gate of Kelan County in the distance slowly opened.

"Go! Go knock on the door!"

At the command, the soldiers in each squad got up and lined up in formation.

Led by Deng Yang, a large group of more than a thousand people marched in a grand procession to the west gate of Kelan County, outside Fengcheng Gate.

The guards on the city wall were very cautious. They had spotted Deng Yang's troops long ago, so they quickly raised the drawbridge, closed the city gates, and put on a show of being on high alert.

Seeing this, Deng Yang cursed inwardly, then stepped forward and shouted loudly towards the city wall:

"Hey! Brothers up there!"

"I am Deng Yang, the garrison commander of Kulong Pass, and I have been ordered to go to Ningwu Pass to suppress bandits and defend against the enemy!"

"Please open the city gates and allow us to pass through!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs for a long time, but no one responded from the city wall.

Just as Deng Yang was about to lose his patience and burst into a tirade, the head of a garrison officer finally peeked out from the city wall:

"You claim to be a government soldier, ordered to suppress bandits, but do you have any proof?!"

The garrison in Kelan County was very cautious. In those days, Shanxi was teeming with bandits and outlaws.

It's not unheard of for someone to wear official robes and impersonate a soldier to commit murder and robbery.

Moreover, just a few days ago they received news that Wang Jiayin, the notorious bandit leader of Hequ, had been defeated and might break out towards Kelan County.

They must be extremely careful and defend the city!

Who knows if the team below is Wang Jiayin's advance force in disguise?

Deng Yang didn't waste any words. He directly pulled out the transfer order from his pocket, held it high, and waved it above his head:

"Look carefully! This is a transfer order personally signed by Magistrate Xu!"

"It bears the official seal of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner! How could it be fake?"

At such a distance, how could the soldiers guarding the city wall possibly see the handwriting on the official document?
However, judging from Deng Yang's confident demeanor, it didn't seem like he was lying.

The officer hesitated for a moment, still not daring to open the door without permission, so he lowered a basket and called out:

"General Deng, please wait a moment. To be on the safe side, we would like to ask you to come up to the city wall in person. After verifying your identity and the official documents, we will make a decision!"

Left with no other choice, Deng Yang took his personal guard Zhou Liyong and rode in a gondola, where they were swayed and hoisted up the city wall.

As soon as Deng Yang stepped onto the city wall, he saw that it was filled with soldiers and militiamen in full armor, all looking tense and ready for battle.

Not far away, an elderly man in a blue official robe, with graying hair and beard, was looking at him with his hands behind his back and a serious expression.

Behind the old man stood a middle-aged man with a mustache.

Deng Yang looked closely and saw that the old man was the magistrate of Kelan County, and the one behind him should be the assistant magistrate.

Deng Yang quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"I am Deng Yang, the garrison commander of Kulong Pass, and I have been ordered to go to Ningwu Pass to defend against the enemy."

"I humbly request that Your Excellency grant me this favor."

After saying this, he handed the troop mobilization document and his own garrison seal to the county magistrate in front of him.

The magistrate of Kelan County is Xie Xiangwen, who was born in the sixth year of the Wanli reign and is now fifty-three years old.

Xie Xiangwen took the official document and the bronze seal, examined them carefully, and slowly said:

"General Deng, you must be tired from your journey."

"However, as far as I remember, the route from your Kulong Pass to Jingle County doesn't seem to require passing through my Kelan County, does it?"

"Why are you suddenly here?" Deng Yang remained calm and recited his prepared explanation:

"Lord Xie, you may not know this, but a few days ago, the official road over Fangshan was washed away by a flash flood, and the road is blocked."

"There was no other way; military orders are absolute, so I had no choice but to take a detour."

"We traveled light, taking shortcuts and waterways, and that's how we arrived in Kelan County."

"We hope that Magistrate Xie will be understanding and open the gate to let us pass through Kelan County."

After listening, Xie Xiangwen stroked his beard. Deng Yang's explanation sounded reasonable, but he still felt that something was off.

These are extraordinary times, so it's best to be cautious.

Xie Xiangwen shook his head:
"General Deng, please forgive me for not being able to open the gate and let them through."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yang was stunned on the spot:

"what?"

"I've traveled thousands of miles to suppress bandits and defend against enemies, and you're turning me away?"

"Aren't you deliberately making things difficult for me?"

Xie Xiangwen's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice:
"General Deng, you misunderstand. I did not mean to make things difficult for you."

"First of all, General Deng's transfer order was not for him to be stationed in my Kelan County;"

"Secondly, the general has a large number of troops under his command. If they are difficult to control after entering the city and cause any trouble, I cannot bear the responsibility."

He pointed towards the east of the city.

"It's not that the general has no way to go to Jingle."

"Fifty li east of the city wall, there is a Lotus Leaf Hill, where the terrain is gentler. From there, you can cross the Song Dynasty city wall and reach Jingle."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yang nearly fainted from anger.

A 50-mile detour?! And we have to cross mountains and valleys?!

Deng Yang quickly retorted:
"Thank you, Magistrate. I am new to this place and unfamiliar with the people and the land. How am I supposed to find my way?"

Xie Xiangwen's attitude was very firm:
"It's alright, I can recruit guides for the general, and they can lead the way."

This left Deng Yang completely dumbfounded.

That old bastard surnamed Xie seems determined to refuse to let him into the city no matter what.

How can he let Jiang Han and the others into the city now?

If Jiang Han can't enter the city, they definitely won't let him go to Ningwu Pass.

Deng Yang's eyes darted around, and he suddenly lowered his voice, moving closer to Xie Xiangwen:

"Lord Xie, please allow me a moment to speak with you."

Xie Xiangwen was confused, but he still followed Deng Yang to a corner.

Without wasting words, Deng Yang took out a silver ingot from his pocket and quickly stuffed it into Xie Xiangwen's wide sleeve.

Deng Yang rubbed his hands together, lowering his voice even further:
"Thank you, sir. We have come from afar and are exhausted."

"If we have to cross mountains and ridges and take a detour of fifty miles, the brothers down below really can't hold on!"

"Please do me this favor; it's just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you'll accept it."

Xie Xiangwen felt the heavy silver in his sleeve, glanced down at it, and his face darkened.

He suddenly flicked his sleeve, sending the silver ingot flying. It clattered to the ground.

"That's unreasonable!"

"What kind of person do you take me for?"

"Do you think you can bribe this county with just a little bit of gold and silver?"

With that, he snorted coldly and turned to leave.

Deng Yang was stunned. He looked at the silver ingots on the ground, then at Xie Xiangwen's upright and awe-inspiring back, and could hardly believe his eyes.

Does our Great Ming Dynasty still have such incorruptible people?
Deng Yang's worldview was severely impacted at this moment.

Left with no other choice, they turned their pleading gaze to Magistrate Zhang, who was still standing on the city wall.

Deng Yang used the same trick again, skillfully slipping silver to the county magistrate:
“County Magistrate Zhang, please go and persuade the county magistrate.”

"We simply do not have the strength or the time to go through mountains and valleys and detour through Kelan County."

He lowered his voice and said with a hint of threat,
"This military situation is urgent. If we miss the deadline and Wang Jiayin breaks through the pass, I'm afraid none of us will escape the consequences!"

"The crime of being late is punishable by death, as you and I are both well aware of."

Upon hearing this, the county magistrate's expression turned serious. Indeed, if military matters were delayed, no one could bear the responsibility.

So he put away the silver and hurriedly ran to persuade Xie Xiangwen.

After the county magistrate's earnest persuasion, Xie Xiangwen finally relented and reluctantly agreed to let Deng Yang pass through the area.

But he then made several demanding requests:

First: The troops brought by Deng Yang must not enter the town of Kelan; they can only pass through the city walls.

He knew all too well the character of these Ming soldiers; if he let over a thousand soldiers into the city, who knew what kind of trouble they would cause.

Walking along the city wall is the safest way.

Second: From the moment Deng Yang's troops climbed the city wall until they all left Yiyang Gate (East Gate), the entire process had to be supervised, and the number of people had to be carefully counted.

The number of people who come in must be the same number who leave; not a single one can be missing!
Xie Xiangwen relied on his caution and prudence throughout his tenure as an official.

These are extraordinary times, and he will not allow any mistakes to occur in Kelan County under his jurisdiction!

When these requests were relayed back, Deng Yang was dumbfounded once again.

No entry into the city? Only allowed to walk along the city walls? And people are assigned to monitor and count heads the entire time?!

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(End of this chapter)