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

Chapter 135 Yang He's Clumsy Performance

Just as Hong Chengchou was meticulously planning and preparing to set up a trap to force Shen Yikui to rebel and thereby bring down Yang He.

An unexpected piece of news thwarted his plans.

But at the same time, it also showed him a more direct and logical opportunity.

The news came from the Governor-General's Office in Guyuan, and there were two separate reports, each more surprising than the last to Hong Chengchou.

The first piece of news: Governor-General Yang He of the Three Border Regions secretly ordered Shen Yikui to immediately dispatch his trusted general Ru Chengming to the Governor-General's Mansion in Guyuan for a meeting.

Shen Yikui dared not disobey the order and could only send Ru Chengming.

As soon as Ke Rucheng stepped into the gate of the Governor-General's Mansion in Guyuan, she was captured by the soldiers who had been lying in ambush before she even saw Yang He's face.

Yang He then appeared and, on the grounds of "unruly behavior and assaulting a superior," sentenced Ru Chengming to the most severe punishment—death by dismemberment (lingchi).
Ru Chengming died from being stabbed thirty-two times. Yang He's methods were cruel and outrageous.

When the news reached Ning Sai, it was like a bolt from the blue, immediately sending a chill down Shen Yi Kui's spine!
Who is Ru Chengming?

He was Shen Yikui's trusted confidant and one of the most capable and prestigious captains under his command.

Yang He killed them without hesitation, and in such a cruel way; this was clearly an attempt to make an example of them.

Will he be next?
Thinking of this, Shen Yikui was filled with anxiety for several days, unable to eat or sleep.

He didn't even dare to take off his armor at night, and could only keep his weapon at hand and secretly contact his old subordinates.

If things go wrong, Shen Yikui will immediately raise the flag of rebellion and fight his way out.

The atmosphere inside and outside Ningse City suddenly became extremely tense.

However, just as Shen Yikui was terrified and almost took a desperate gamble, Yang He's second order, or rather, a letter of reassurance, arrived.

In the letter, Yang He's tone was unusually gentle. He first explained the reason for executing Ru Chengming.

They were accused of things like being "stubborn, unruly, disobedient, and defiant of superiors."

He did this to rid Shen Yikui of a menace, preventing him from being coerced by his subordinates into rebelling again.

Then he changed the subject and began to appease Shen Yikui.

Yang He claimed that this matter only targeted Ru Chengming and would not implicate other surrendered soldiers. He hoped that General Shen would consider the overall situation and continue to serve the court.

This clumsy combination of hitting and pulling not only failed to achieve its purpose, but also left Shen Yikui even more bewildered, making him dare not relax his guard in the slightest.

However, since accepting the imperial pardon, Shen Yikui has lost his spirit and dared not rebel immediately.

He carefully observed the surrounding movements until more than half a month passed, and there was no further news from Guyuan.

There seemed to be no unusual movement of the troops of Hong Chengchou and Wu Hongqi stationed around Ningsai.

Shen Yikui's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down a little.

Perhaps Governor Yang really just wanted to give him a warning and kill Ru Cheng to establish his reputation and authority?

Clinging to a sliver of hope, Shen Yikui chose to continue to endure and passively accept his fate.

Little did he know that Yang He's actions had pushed him to the edge of a cliff.

Hong the Barber has also set his sights on him.

When Hong Chengchou learned about Yang He's entire process of killing Ru Chengming and then appeasing Shen Yikui in his camp in Ningsai, he almost burst out laughing!
"What a clumsy Yang He!"

"This Yang He is indeed worthy of being an imperial censor; he's just a complete idiot who only knows how to talk big."

Yang He's attempt to win over the enemy was ostensibly a gesture of appeasement, but in reality, it was utterly untrustworthy and his methods were crude and despicable!

With such fickleness, how could his prestige not be lost?
He thought that by killing Shen Yikui's subordinates and then appeasing Shen Yikui, he could deter others from taking action.

In Hong Chengchou's view, this was simply a joke.

Doesn't Yang He know that even if Shen Yikui chooses to swallow his anger, what about his subordinates?
Would Shen Yikui's subordinates, like Ru Chengming, willingly await their deaths?
Hong Chengchou keenly realized that Yang He's clumsy maneuver had helped him complete the most crucial step: destroying Shen Yikui and his subordinates' trust in the imperial court.

The fact that two idiots got together is practically a godsend for Hong Chengchou.

The Feast at Hongmen that Hong Chengchou had originally prepared now seems completely unnecessary.

Yang He lit the fuse himself, and all Hong Chengchou needed to do was stand by and gently fan the flames.

Shen Yikui, on the other hand, was caught in a dilemma, unable to express his suffering.

This once notorious bandit, who commanded tens of thousands of troops and roamed freely in northern Shaanxi, has been living a miserable life ever since he accepted the imperial pardon.

Before he was granted amnesty, he was the leader of a rebel army that dominated northern Shaanxi, and a local tyrant who struck fear into the hearts of officials everywhere. He commanded tens of thousands of troops, conquering cities and seizing territories with great power and prestige.

But what happened after he was granted amnesty? His "halo" disappeared, replaced by a series of shackles.

Since returning to the Ming Dynasty's system, Shen Yikui has instantly fallen from grace and back to the lowly soldier he once was, trampled upon by everyone.

After he accepted the imperial pardon in Qingyang Prefecture, the officials and gentry who had been terrified of him immediately changed their tune once they saw him lay down his weapons.

These bureaucrats and gentry made things difficult for him and his men at every turn, not only arbitrarily bullying surrendered soldiers but also embezzling their resettlement allowances.

Even worse, some began to organize and openly torture and kill those surrendered soldiers who had laid down their weapons and were unarmed.

All of this was merely for revenge—revenge for the losses and terror inflicted upon them when the rebel army attacked Qingyang. They had completely forgotten how they trembled and begged for mercy under the enemy's might back then.

Shen Yikui had just surrendered, and in order to maintain the overall situation and not want to cause any further trouble, he could only suppress his anger and report the situation to Yang He.

But the result?

Instead of restraining themselves, those officials and gentry became even more brazen.

He secretly instructed his constables and local ruffians to spread rumors that Shen Yikui was going to rebel again, attempting to force him into rebellion in this way.

Since Shen Yikui's main force had been disbanded, the officials and gentry could now legitimately and justifiably wipe out Shen Yikui and his men.

Moreover, officials and gentry deliberately fabricated various false cases and concocted charges to legitimize the massacre of surrendered soldiers.

This was to vent their deep-seated hatred for the rebels!

Faced with this situation, what did Governor Yang do?

Yang He did not severely punish the officials and gentry who had committed evil deeds. Instead, he felt that Shen Yikui had stayed in Qingyang Prefecture for too long, which caused the local officials and gentry to resent him.

Therefore, Yang He hurriedly transferred Shen Yikui and his men to the remote Ningsai, ordering them to continue serving the country and fighting against the Mongols in the north.

Furthermore, Yang He specially appointed Hong Chengchou to personally "escort" Shen Yikui to his new post.

What can Shen Yikui do?
With a large army by his side, he could only swallow his pride and endure the pain, pinching his nose to bear it.

Shen Yikui kept telling himself that this was how it was when they first surrendered, and it was only natural that the court did not trust them.

He also needs to demonstrate his "sincerity" in submitting to the imperial court through concrete actions.

Therefore, after being settled in Ningsai, Shen Yikui performed actively, leading his subordinates in three battles against the Mongol tribes, and made outstanding contributions.

He had hoped to earn merit and be rewarded, and regain trust, but the result was a great disappointment.

Those who received commendations were always the "friendly forces" who supervised the battle, such as Wu Hongqi, the military commander of Ningsai, and Fan Li, a central officer.

These people not only embezzled the rewards given to Shen Yikui's troops, but also used Shen Yikui's men as cannon fodder, making them charge into battle and suffer casualties at their own expense.

The spoils of war were not even a hair of Shen Yikui's.

It was this unfair treatment that ultimately provoked the anger of Ru Chengming and others.

After being reprimanded instead of rewarded after a battle, the hot-tempered Ru Chengming finally lost his temper and led his men to beat up Wu Hongqi and Fan Li.

This stirred up a hornet's nest, and the matter eventually reached Yang He's ears.

However, after Yang He understood the whole story, he not only turned a blind eye to Wu Hongqi and others' embezzlement of military merits, but also hated Ru Chengming, who dared to resist.

Yang He believed that Ru Chengming was an unruly troublemaker who refused to submit willingly.

Thus came the secret order and the tragic death of Ru Chengming in Guyuan.

Yang He thought that by killing Ru Chengming, this troublemaker, and appeasing Shen Yikui, everything would be fine.

Little did he know that his actions had completely chilled the hearts of Shen Yikui's subordinates.

Shen Yikui's subordinates Zhang Mengjin, Huang Youcai, and others were all terrified upon learning of Ru Chengming's death.

They not only hated Yang He for his fickleness and ruthless methods, but also felt great dissatisfaction with their leader, Shen Yikui.

Within the team, there was already a sense of unease and undercurrents of unrest.

Shen Yikui was caught in the middle, in a dilemma, with no one to turn to and no one to be trusted with.

Only now did he truly realize why his elder brother Shen Yiyuan, Gao Yingdeng, and others had been willing to die to raise the flag of rebellion.

It's not that they were born wanting to be rebels; it's just that the Ming Dynasty was rotten to the core.

Even if Shen Yikui wanted to rebel now, he wouldn't have the ability.

With Hong Chengchou and Wu Hongqi's two armies on either side, Shen Yikui's troops were completely contained and unable to move.

Moreover, Shen Yikui has lost the spirit he had when he rebelled, and now only wants to be a loyal garrison commander of Ningsai.

However, Shen Yikui's subordinates did not think so. They believed that Shen Yikui was Yang He's key target and would not be in danger of being killed.

What should we, the lower-level officers, do?
With Ru Chengming's example right before their eyes, they didn't want to become the chicken used to scare the monkeys.

For a time, undercurrents were surging in Ningsai City.

All of this was keenly observed by Hong Chengchou.

"The time has come."

Hong Chengchou muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

He didn't need to use any elaborate schemes like the Feast at Hongmen; he only needed to add the final straw to the already tense nerves of Shen Yikui's men.
For example, have He Renlong's troops conduct a large-scale "routine drill" outside Ningsai City.
Or, let Wu Hongqi and Fan Li bully Shen Yikui's generals again?

There are so many ways.

Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou summoned He Renlong again.
(End of this chapter)