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

Chapter 151 Hong Shaves His Head

Cao Wenzhao nodded heavily, expressionless.

He then took out a document from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Fuzhen:

"This is a military order; please review it, Prefect Zhang."

Zhang Fuzhen trembled as he accepted the military order. He unfolded it and saw that the handwriting was clear and distinctly Hong Chengchou's. At the end, it was stamped with the vermilion seal of the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions. There was no doubt that it was genuine.

After reading it, Zhang Fuzhen felt a chill run down his spine. Pointing to the prisoners not far away, he said in a trembling voice:
"But these people are all starving civilians who were forced to come here!"

"These people weren't truly loyal to the bandits, so how can we kill them all?"

Cao Wenzhao cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, but his tone was resolute and brooked no argument:
"Prefect Zhang, this is the military order."

"The military commander said that the current chaos in Shaanxi is all because the court is too lenient, which has made it impossible to completely eradicate the bandits, who are constantly changing their ways."

"Only by using swift and decisive measures can we deter the wicked."

"We urge Prefect Zhang to immediately carry out the military order, to execute all the coerced followers, and leave their bodies to rot in the wilderness to prevent future troubles."

Zhang Fuzhen swallowed hard and carefully examined the military order in his hand again.

Indeed, the document, with its black and white text and vermilion seal, was personally signed by Hong Chengchou.

But at this moment, Zhang Fuzhen's heart was filled with resistance.

He had served as an official in northern Shaanxi for many years and this was not his first time suppressing bandits, but he had never seen or done anything like this before.

Standing behind Zhang Fuzhen were Zhang Yingchang, Ai Wannian, Zuo Guangxian, and others, all of whom were veterans who had long been suppressing peasant uprisings in Shaanxi.

Upon hearing the order, they looked at each other in disbelief, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

Since the peasant uprising in northern Shaanxi, they have been suppressing bandits everywhere and have fought many battles, large and small.

But I've never heard of anyone killing all the civilians they've taken hostage after defeating the bandits.

Even the bandits, when they captured government soldiers, generally tried to persuade them to surrender. Those who were unwilling to surrender were usually released after their belongings were looted.

In Shaanxi, the land suffered from years of famine, and the people were destitute.

Whether they are soldiers or thieves, in the end, they are all just trying to make a living.

To survive, they could fight each other to the death on the battlefield.

But after the fighting, there was still some sympathy and pity for those starving people who had been forced to join the bandits, and they were unwilling to exterminate them all.

It is a well-known fact that the imperial court has failed to provide adequate disaster relief and has been in arrears with wages for many years.

Any Shaanxi official with a conscience would feel a sense of guilt and reluctance, more or less.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang Yingchang, being a senior officer, couldn't help but step in to smooth things over:
"General Cao, look at these people. They are all poorly clothed, starving, and as thin as skin and bones."

"All they had in their hands were wooden sticks and broadswords; they didn't even have a decent suit of armor or a strong bow. How could they be called thieves?"

"Why do we have to kill them all?"

He paused and added:
"Moreover, General Cao, many of our brothers in the army are also from Shaanxi."

Before he could finish speaking, Cao Wenzhao coldly interrupted him:

"General Zhang is mistaken!"

"We are government troops, they are bandits!"

"Officials and thieves cannot coexist; how can they be treated as fellow villagers?"

"Furthermore, wiping out the bandits to prevent future troubles is not only Governor Hong's intention, but also the Emperor's decree!"

Cao Wenzhao was originally from Shanxi, and had no hometown ties with these generals and starving people from Shaanxi.

Moreover, when he was suppressing bandits in Shanxi, he did a lot of things, killing prisoners and harming civilians. What kind of hometown friendship is there?
In his eyes, these generals from Shaanxi were either overly compassionate or secretly colluding with the enemy.

Otherwise, how could a few bandit groups have become increasingly rampant after so many years of suppression?
This is utterly disgraceful to the Emperor and a disgrace to the court!
Governor Hong's method was better; it cut off the root of the problem by completely eradicating the rebels and killing them all, so naturally no one would rebel.

But if these Shaanxi generals could hear Cao Wenzhao's true feelings, they would definitely give him a thorough dressing down.

Damn it, how many years have we been owed our pay and rations? Didn't we just give them all to your Guan Ning Army?

As a result, the Eastern barbarians only multiplied despite our efforts to suppress them. People who didn't know better might have thought that the Guan Ning Army was colluding with the barbarians and betraying the country!
Looking at the group of shivering starving people not far away, Zhang Yingchang wanted to argue a few more words:

"But."

But Cao Wenzhao showed no mercy and interrupted him directly:

"Military orders are as heavy as a mountain!"

"Does General Zhang intend to disobey orders?"

Having been forcefully interrupted several times, Zhang Yingchang was somewhat embarrassed. He was a seasoned general who had fought many battles, and Cao Wenzhao had no right to criticize him. Just as Zhang Yingchang was about to lash out, he caught a glimpse of the military order in Zhang Fuzhen's hand and ultimately swallowed his words.

He abruptly flicked his sleeve, turned his head away, and said in a muffled voice:

"Hmph, I won't kill you!"

"If General Cao wants to kill, then you can do it yourself!"

After listening, Cao Wenzhao gave Zhang Yingchang a deep look, then clasped his hands in response:
"Subordinates take orders!"

After saying this, he prepared to return to his camp and order his Guan Ning soldiers to kill the prisoners.

"stop!"

Zhang Fuzhen suddenly shouted and blocked Cao Wenzhao's path.
"This matter is of utmost importance. I must personally go to see Governor Hong and get to the bottom of this!"

"No one is allowed to kill prisoners before I return to this prefecture!"

After saying that, Zhang Fuzhen grabbed the military order and ran towards Hong Chengchou's central command tent.

Upon hearing this, the generals looked at each other in bewilderment, and then followed suit.

However, not long after, Zhang Fuzhen walked out of Hong Chengchou's central command tent with his head down, like a defeated rooster.

Hong Chengchou followed closely behind, a cold smile on his face.

"Governor Zhang is compassionate towards the people and unwilling to suppress the bandits. His benevolence is commendable, and I admire him!"

"Since Governor Zhang is unwilling to do it, there must be plenty of people who are willing!"

"I will soon submit a memorial to the court, requesting His Majesty's wise decision!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yingchang and the others felt a chill run down their spines, knowing that there was no turning back now.

"Generals, obey the order!"

Hong Chengchou suddenly raised his voice, his tone leaving no room for argument.
"From this moment forward, wherever my army goes, we will wipe out the bandits!"

"Whether they are ringleaders or accomplices, once captured, they will all be wiped out without exception!"

Bai Guang'en, who had been cowering to the side, barely daring to breathe, was so frightened by these words that his legs went weak and he immediately knelt down.

"It's over! We'll be killed even if we surrender!"

"If I had known this would happen, why would I have gone to all that trouble to become a traitor?"

Seeing this, Hong Chengchou personally stepped forward and helped Bai Guang'en up.
"General Bai, the surrendered soldiers I'm referring to naturally do not include righteous men like you who have abandoned darkness for light and made great contributions!"

He patted Bai Guang'en on the shoulder to comfort him.
"General Bai deserves immense credit for the successful capture of Ironhorn City."

"Rest assured, I will definitely commend you and recommend you for the rank of guerrilla general. I will never go back on my word!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Guang'en breathed a sigh of relief and immediately knelt down to kowtow in gratitude, promising to serve the court to the death in the future.

Hong Chengchou nodded, ignoring him, and instead gestured angrily at Cao Wenzhao.

Cao Wenzhao understood immediately and directed the Guan Ning soldiers to pull the bound prisoners out of the crowd, row by row.

"kill!"

Hong Chengchou remained expressionless, suddenly raised his hand, and then swung it down hard.

Upon hearing the name of the general, the Guan Ning soldiers, who had previously been somewhat lazy, instantly drew their swords and slashed fiercely at the unarmed, starving civilians before them.

In an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere on the open ground, and screams, wails, and pleas for mercy filled the air.

The blood quickly soaked the yellow earth, gathering into small streams.

Zhang Fuzhen's face turned deathly pale, and he subconsciously closed his eyes, unable to bear to look any longer.

As a civil official, he could lead troops into battle and fight bloody battles on the battlefield, but he could not accept such slaughter of starving people.

Hong Chengchou, also a civil official, remained unconcerned and spoke each word clearly:

“Governor Zhang, the example of Lord Yang He is right before our eyes.”

"If you release them today, you'll be clearly telling everyone that accomplices are innocent!"

"In this way, if the bandits incite them again, they will rise up in rebellion just the same way."

His voice suddenly rose a few decibels.
"We have received great favor from the Emperor, and we should know that we are loyal to him because we are eating his food."

"If you release these people now, what if they take up arms and rebel again tomorrow? How long will it take to completely quell this banditry?"

"When will His Majesty's important task be completed?"

(End of this chapter)