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

Chapter 308 Beating Up the Censor
The commotion in Deng Qi's camp grew louder and louder, and soon it reached Deng Yang's army camp, which was only a mile away.

At this time, Deng Yang was holed up in his military tent, sleeping soundly through the winter.

Suddenly, a guard rushed in and loudly reported:

"General! General! Something terrible has happened!"

Deng Yang sat up abruptly, his first instinct being to grab his weapon:

"What happened?"

"The imperial army has arrived?!"

The guards quickly stopped him:
"Not in our area!"

"It's General Deng's camp next door!"

"The sentry saw that a group of men had just entered General Deng's camp."

"When the sentry sneaked over to investigate, he found that it was in a mess inside. He heard that some imperial inspector had come."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yang threw off the blanket and jumped out of bed:

"What happened? Tell me in detail!"

The guards recounted the fragmented information gathered by the sentries as completely as possible:
A group of about a hundred people, carrying the banner of an imperial inspector, stormed into Deng Qi's camp, and it seemed that a considerable dispute had broken out between the two sides.

The Sichuan soldiers under Deng Qi's command gathered in the camp, as if they were about to cause trouble.

Upon hearing this news, Deng Yang frowned and cursed inwardly:
"How did Deng Qi lead his troops?"

"Why is there always talk of mutiny?!"

"And where did this imperial inspector come from?!"

He quickly put on his cotton armor, lifted the tent flap, and strode out.

In the biting cold wind, he could even faintly hear shouts and curses coming from the direction of Deng Qi's camp.

After a moment's thought, Deng Yang turned to his personal guards and gave the order:
"Go and relay my order: all departments, assemble immediately!"

"Get the brothers ready with their weapons and armor, and get moving!"

In less than a quarter of an hour, the five officers in the camp had assembled.

Deng Yang summoned his five battalion commanders and issued the following orders:
"First and Second Divisions, plus all the scouts and sentries, move out immediately and surround the area within a five-mile radius!"

"Set up roadblocks and seal off all roads. Without my order, not even a dog is allowed to leave!"

"The remaining three commanders, come with me to the neighboring camp and see what's going on!"

"Order!"

The officers clasped their hands in greeting, accepting the order with solemn expressions.

Soon, two teams totaling 1,200 men filed out of the camp and surrounded Deng Qi's camp.

More than 300 scouts were scattered around the outermost mountains and forests and around intersections, keeping a close watch on any outside activity.

Once the encirclement was initially formed, Deng Yang waved his hand and gave the order:
"set off!"

The remaining 1,800 men were divided into two armies, front and rear, and marched in orderly steps straight toward Deng Qi's camp.

These soldiers were tired of lying in wait behind enemy lines, and when they heard about the operation, they were all eager to get started, their faces beaming with excitement, wishing they could go and fight right away.

At this moment, the situation in Deng Qi's camp was almost out of control.

More and more soldiers gathered around, surrounding the central command tent in layers, making it impossible to pass through.

"Protect the pay!!"

"Hand over the corrupt official!!"

"Kill that bastard surnamed Hou!!"

The soldiers were agitated, shouting slogans and pressing forward, trying to rush into the tent and kill Hou Yuhuan and the others as a sacrifice to the flag.

Deng Qi stood in front of the tent, trying desperately to calm the rioting soldiers, but to no avail.

Looking at the surging crowd, his face turned pale, and he felt that he would be buried in it at any moment.

Just as he was in despair, a noise suddenly came from outside the camp.

If you listen carefully, it sounds like footsteps and the clanging of metal plates from armor!
Deng Qi stood on tiptoe and craned his neck to look towards the camp gate.

Not far away, a large flag bearing the character "Deng" was fluttering in the wind and heading towards them.

Upon seeing this, Deng Qi was overjoyed.

There are only two people with the surname Deng in this area; they must be his sworn brothers who have come to rescue him!
Deng Yang led his troops to the camp gate and immediately ordered the gate to be pushed open, forcefully barging into the camp.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look behind them.

The soldiers under Deng Yang's command were gleaming in their armor and had impeccable military bearing, a stark contrast to the ragged and agitated Sichuan soldiers in Deng Qi's camp.

Deng Yang's appearance instantly calmed the chaotic scene.

The noisy Sichuan soldiers stood frozen in place, looking at the suddenly arriving "government troops" with surprise and doubt, and dared not make a move.

Seeing this, Deng Yang grabbed a bewildered Sichuan soldier and sternly questioned him:

"Where is your commander-in-chief?!"

Seeing his grim expression, the Sichuan soldier could barely speak, and could only point towards the central command tent.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Deng Qi immediately pushed through the crowd and darted to Deng Yang like lightning:

"Good brother! You've finally arrived!"

"If it had been any later, I probably would have been done for today!"

Deng Yang frowned as he looked at his sworn brother, who was covered in sweat.
"Brother, what exactly is going on?"

"Didn't they just pay salaries a few days ago? How come there's been another mutiny?"

Upon hearing this, Deng Qi sighed:
"It's all because of that imperial inspector."

He hurriedly recounted the whole story of how his subordinate Wang Yuncheng had failed to collect his pay and instead sought the help of the imperial censor to falsely accuse him.

"That damned Wang Yuncheng has fabricated three major crimes against me!"

"What about smuggling salt for profit to support the army? What about persecuting loyal officials and silencing them?"

"What's most hateful is that, in order to put me to death, they actually accused me of being a bandit from Sichuan, aiding the enemy in treason!"

"It's simply unreasonable!"

After hearing the first two points, Deng Yang just sneered, but when he heard the words "colluding with Sichuan bandits," his hair stood on end.

"Colluding with Sichuan bandits?!"

Deng Yang's voice suddenly rose in pitch.
"Who said that? Could it have been the imperial censor himself?!"

Deng Qi nodded heavily, and said indignantly:
"Yes!"

"Isn't this a complete fabrication, a frame-up?"

"I just wanted to give the brothers some pay, but that Hou guy insisted that I was trying to win people's hearts and use the army to my advantage."

"Isn't this nonsense?"

Deng Yang gave Deng Qi a deep look, his mind racing.

I initially thought it was just a normal commotion, but I never expected this to happen.

Colluding with bandits completely changes the nature of the matter.

He had originally intended to proceed gradually, but now that the imperial inspector had arrived with such a deadly accusation, things were really difficult.

If that censor were allowed to leave alive, he could easily be arrested and brought to the capital with just a little embellishment.

In this way, all my previous investments and plans will be in vain!
This imperial inspector cannot be allowed to stay!
Deng Qi, however, remained completely unaware, muttering to himself:

"Brother, you've come at the right time. Could you please help me stabilize the situation?"

"Xiantai was just injured by the falling object; we need to get him to the hospital immediately, and then..."

Upon hearing this, Deng Yang frowned. "What kind of time is this? You can't even save yourself, yet you still want to save others?"
Deng Yang immediately spoke up, interrupting his brother:

"Brother, how can you still be so confused at a time like this?"

"You treated the censor's injuries, do you really think you can just let him go?!"

"Believe it or not, if you dare to speak, the first person to be hacked to death will be you, General Deng!"

Deng Qi was speechless for a moment:
"This……"

Deng Yang continued to apply pressure:

"Besides, even if you manage to get the censor out of here by some stroke of luck, will he be grateful to you?"

"Don't forget, this guy surnamed Hou was injured in your camp."

"Scholars value their reputation above all else. After suffering such a great humiliation, do you think he will let you off the hook when he gets back?"

“Sun Chuanting was just looking for an excuse to deal with you, and now a ready-made charge has been delivered to his door. Do you still think you can remain the deputy commander-in-chief?”

Upon hearing this, Deng Qi's forehead was covered in cold sweat:

"This...what should I do?"

"Brother, teach me, I really don't understand the ins and outs."

A fierce glint flashed in Deng Yang's eyes, and he lowered his voice, saying:
"In my opinion, we should just go all the way and not stop now!"

"Take this man surnamed Hou and his entire gang of followers and subordinates..."

As he spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.

"It just so happens that Wang Yuncheng and his rebel army are here too, let's pin the blame on him!"

"By killing that Hou fellow, we can spread the word that the Imperial Censor was attacked by the traitor Wang Yuncheng during his inspection tour and unfortunately died for his country!"

"We rushed to the rescue upon hearing the news, but we were too late and failed to save Xiantai."

Upon hearing this, Deng Qi was greatly alarmed and repeatedly waved his hands in refusal:

"No! No!"

"Brother, I asked you to help suppress the mutiny, and what have you done? You've got your eye on the censor!"

"To murder the imperial inspector is tantamount to rebellion. How can we possibly continue to serve in the court?"

But Deng Yang had already made up his mind that the man surnamed Hou must die today.

Just as he was about to give the order to act, Hou Yuhuan, who was hiding in the central command tent, suddenly rushed out.

It turned out that he had only mustered up the courage to leave the tent after the noise outside gradually subsided.

When he saw Deng Yang's banners and well-organized army, he was overjoyed, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

He pushed through the crowd in three quick steps, rushed to Deng Yang, and excitedly shouted: "May I ask, is this General Deng Yang in person?"

Deng Yang looked at his face covered in blood and simply nodded indifferently.

Hou Yuhuan ignored this and, instead of heeding the "reinforcements," began to shout loudly:
"Thank goodness! General Deng arrived just in time!"

"These rioting soldiers stirred up trouble and attacked the imperial envoy; it's tantamount to treason!"

"General Deng, please send troops immediately and capture all these traitors!"

"But anyone who dares to resist will be killed without exception!"

To his surprise, Deng Yang remained unmoved by his words and didn't even bother to look at him twice.

Hou Yuhuan grew anxious and unconsciously raised his voice:

"General Deng?! Didn't you hear me?"

"Their attack on the censors is tantamount to rebellion!"

"Issue an order to quell the rebellion immediately!"

As he spoke, he even ran up to the soldiers behind Deng Yang and shouted orders at the top of his lungs:
"What are you doing standing still?"

"I hereby order you to send troops to quell the rebellion! Suppress these rioters!"

Are you deaf?!

No matter how Hou Yuhuan roared and gave orders, the soldiers in front of him remained motionless, like clay sculptures.

She just stared at him coldly, as if he were a dead man.

Seeing this, Hou Yuhuan finally realized that something was wrong.

Both of these armies share the surname Deng, and their camps are adjacent to each other. Could it be that they really...

Hou Yuhuan's back was covered in cold sweat as he tried to make one last effort.

He turned to Deng Yang, his voice trembling slightly:
"General Deng...General Deng, please don't make a mistake."

"This concerns the dignity of the imperial court, you..."

Deng Yang was too lazy to listen to his nonsense, so he grabbed Hou Yuhuan by the collar and threw him into the crowd of Sichuan soldiers.

Then, Deng Yang waved his hand and took a few steps back with Deng Qi beside him.

This scene stunned everyone present, and for a moment, there was complete silence.

What's happening here?
Deng Yang simply turned to the side and waved lightly at the group of Sichuan soldiers who were still in a daze in the camp:

"Let's continue, just do what we're supposed to do."

"I was just passing by and happened to lend your general a hand so that he wouldn't be accidentally injured."

"You can handle it yourselves."

The Sichuan soldiers looked at each other in disbelief.

They even suspected that Deng Yang was entrapping them, trying to lure them into taking action so that he could catch them in the act.

The Sichuan soldiers in the camp looked at the censor struggling on the ground, hesitant to go forward.

Seeing that no one was making a move, Hou Yuhuan didn't have time to think and tried to rush out as fast as he could.

Before he could run more than a few steps, Deng Yang's personal guard kicked him back into the crowd!

After several such attempts, Hou Yuhuan was like a mouse trapped in a jar, struggling left and right, but unable to escape.

Finally, one of the bolder Sichuan soldiers in the crowd couldn't hold back any longer.

"Damn it, kill him!"

He grabbed the baton in his hand and delivered a vicious blow to Hou Yuhuan's back as he struggled to his feet!
"what--!"

Hou Yuhuan let out a shrill scream, was beaten and collapsed to the ground, writhing in pain.

Seeing that Deng Yang remained unmoved not far away, the surrounding soldiers finally couldn't hold back any longer.

The pent-up anger erupted instantly, and the crowd surrounded them again.

"You son of a bitch, you're trying to steal my money!"

"Kill him!"

The rioting soldiers could no longer control themselves and surged forward like a tide, throwing punches and kicks, with clubs and rifle butts raining down on them.

The soldiers in front were getting carried away with the fighting, and those behind wanted to squeeze in and kick them a few times, resulting in extreme chaos.

"Make way, I need to lend a hand too."

And so, the dignified Censor-in-Chief of Shaanxi was beaten to death in the military camp, his body covered in wounds, his death a gruesome sight.

The enraged soldiers then stormed into the central command tent, dragged out Wang Yuncheng and the others, who were pale and trembling, and killed them all.

Deng Qi was dumbfounded by the chaotic scene before him.

His mind went blank, his lips trembled, and he couldn't utter a single word.

It's over, it's over.

Deng Yang, who was standing nearby, stepped forward at the opportune moment and patted him on the shoulder:

"Brother, that was close! If I hadn't arrived in time to save you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Deng Qi suddenly snapped back to reality, shoved Deng Yang's hand away, and angrily rebuked him:
"Help me?!"

"What kind of saving me is this? You're clearly trying to harm me!"

"Now that the Imperial Censor has died in my camp, how can I explain this to the court? How can I explain this to the Emperor?"

"Are you trying to kill me?!"

Upon hearing this, Deng Yang snorted coldly:
"Brother, I think you've gone astray in your role as a loyal minister and general of the Ming Dynasty!"

"If I hadn't dragged you out today, you would have been a pile of rotten flesh like Hou Yuhuan and Wang Yuncheng by now!"

"Do you really think they wouldn't dare kill you just because they call you General?!"

"The reason we haven't taken action against you is simply because you've treated them well in the past, and also because of the goodwill we felt from the recent paycheck you received."

"If you really let that Hou fellow go today, believe me, you'll be the first one hacked to death by the mutinous soldiers."

Deng Yang stared intently into Deng Qi's eyes, pressing closer with each step:
"Besides, do you really think you'll get away with this by letting that guy surnamed Hou go back?"

"You have only two options: either be dismissed from your post, punished, and arrested in the capital; or be hacked to death by disillusioned soldiers!"

"Do I have to repeat myself so many times?"

After hearing these words, Deng Qi finally came to his senses and remained silent.

He knew Deng Yang was right; he just couldn't accept that he had gone from being a court official to a traitor who "murdered the imperial envoy."

This drastic change in identity left him unable to adapt for a while.

Deng Qi's face was ashen, and after a long silence, he finally spoke:
"So...brother, what do you think is the best way to handle this?"

"Could we disguise ourselves as bandits and ambush them..."

Deng Yang shook his head, shattering his last shred of illusion:
"Stop it!"

"Hou Yuhuan was beaten to death; his body was covered in blunt force injuries and footprints."

"Which bandit gang killed an imperial envoy by slowly beating him to death with their fists and feet?"

"If he had that kind of time, he would have finished him off with a single cut and disappeared without a trace."

"As long as Hou's body is still alive, you can't keep up this lie!"

Deng Qi completely panicked:
"Then...what should we do?"

"The world is so vast, where should I go?"

"Am I really supposed to turn myself in to the imperial court? And then be executed in the open?"

His eyes were filled with despair.

Deng Yang rolled his eyes at him and sneered:
"Brother, even at a time like this, you're still thinking about the Ming Dynasty?"

"I do have somewhere to go."

Deng Qi raised his head blankly:
"where?"

Deng Yang slowly began to speak:

"You definitely can't go back to the Ming Dynasty now."

"However, isn't there another 'small imperial court' south of Hanzhong?"

Deng Qi was taken aback upon hearing this, then immediately realized what he meant and exclaimed:

Sichuan?!

"That's bandit territory, brother, you want me to defect to the bandits?"

Deng Yang straightened his face:
"Don't say such harsh things!"

There's an old saying that goes, "Those who understand the times are the heroes."

"I've heard that the King of Han in Sichuan is quite tolerant of others."

"Brother, if you lead your troops to join us, you will surely be highly valued."

"With your abilities, you might be able to accumulate merits and be promoted in the future, and even regain the seal of the general."

"Isn't this better than suffering humiliation and living a precarious existence in the Ming Dynasty?"

Deng Qi struggled internally and hesitated before saying:
"But he's a thief, the thief's commander-in-chief!"

Deng Yang interrupted him impatiently:
"Brother! Forgive my bluntness, but this is the only way out for you right now!"

"If you head south into Sichuan, you and your brothers will still have a chance to survive."

"They haven't been home for seven years, you can't exactly take them back to their deaths, can you?"

"We're brothers, I won't stop you. You should pack your things and head to Sichuan."

"Delay will lead to change!"

Deng Qi clenched his fists tightly, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

It is an undeniable and irrefutable capital offense for one's own men to beat and kill an imperial censor.

In addition, his previous smuggling of salt had already alienated his superiors and colleagues, so no one would speak up for him.

Returning to the imperial court would mean certain death.

(End of this chapter)