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

Chapter 92 Awe-inspiring Prestige in the Northwest
The news of Jiang Han's great victory over the generals of the two towns and his killing of Li Bei spread like wildfire throughout Shanxi and Shaanxi.

This news was like a shot in the arm for the various rebels and traitors who were struggling to hold on under the siege of the government troops!

In a short time, the resistance activities in Shanxi and Shaanxi became increasingly rampant, and war broke out everywhere!
Wang Jiayin even declared himself king and established a regime in Hequ County, and appointed Zijin Liangwang Ziyong as Left Chancellor and Military Advisor.

He established a base in Hequ and recruited local gentry, scholars, and students to serve as officials.

(This practice was later adopted by other bandits, as seen in "Bandit Rebellion and Regional Society in the Late Ming Dynasty")
Upon receiving this news, Wang Jiayin, who was stationed in Hequ County, immediately summoned his various rebel kings to his palace.

This includes Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong, Li Zicheng, Luo Rucai, Ma Shouying, Zhang Tianlin, Liu Guoneng, and others.

Wang Jiayin, clutching the secret report, looked excitedly at the group of "generals" in the main hall:
"Excellent! Excellent! I never expected that another capable person would emerge from our border army in northern Shaanxi!"

The generals, puzzled, looked at Wang Jiayin at the head of the table:

"Whom is Your Majesty referring to?"

Wang Jiayin smiled and handed the secret report in his hand to Wang Ziyong beside him:
"Prime Minister, please read it aloud."

Wang Ziyong took the letter, cleared his throat, and read aloud:

"Secret report: Jiang Han was originally a junior officer in the border army of Yansui Town. In the second year of Chongzhen's reign, he followed General Wu Zimian to the capital to defend the emperor."

"Later, dissatisfied with Wu Zimian's withholding of rations and pay, he launched a mutiny and killed Wu Zimian."

"After returning to Yan'an, he lay low in Majia Village, Ansai, to recuperate. Six months later, he captured Yan'an Prefecture, killed the prefect Zhang Nian, and the commander Wu Ze."

"Governor-General Yang He was furious upon hearing the news and ordered General Wang Chengen, He Huchen, Lieutenant General Ai Mu, and Li Bei to lead 10,000 government troops to Yan'an Prefecture to besiege Jiang Han."

"Jiang Han led his elite troops to defeat Ai Mu in Ganquan County, and then ambushed and defeated Wang Chengen."

"Then they surrounded Yan'an Prefecture and attacked its reinforcements."

"When Li Bei, the adjutant general, led his troops to reinforce, Jiang Han personally led two thousand elite soldiers to meet them on the east bank of the Qinghua River. After half a day of fierce fighting, he defeated them head-on and killed Li Bei in the chaos of battle!"

"After defeating Li Bei, Jiang Han led his troops on a swift march for a day and a night, tricked his way through Yanshui Pass, and killed the guard general Pang Hui. He has now safely led his troops into Shanxi!"

As Wang Ziyong's voice rose and fell in cadence, one astonishing feat after another was read out, and the entire main hall of the palace fell into complete silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
The rebel leaders below the hall were all stunned and speechless.

Under the siege of the government troops, this group of people wandered between Hequ and Fugu, being chased east and west.

It wasn't until recently that I caught my breath and managed to regain my footing.

Jiang Han, without making a sound, single-handedly repelled so many government troops? And even killed Li Bei?!

Li Zicheng, standing in the crowd, was utterly shaken!

He recalled his brief encounter with Jiang Han in Yan'an Prefecture.

At the time, I only felt that the other party had an extraordinary demeanor and that his troops were quite elite.

But he never expected that this person would be so fierce!

It should be noted that Bu Zhan Ni and Shen Yi Kui did not even last two days under the siege of the government troops.

One was forced to kill its ally and surrender, while the other was driven to flee for its life in the borderlands!

He himself, by sheer luck, led the remaining troops to break through the encirclement and escaped all the way to Shanxi, where he sought refuge with Wang Jiayin.

No wonder General Jiang called them a rabble and was unwilling to form an alliance with them; it turns out he had enough men under his own command to fight.

Inside the main hall, the most vehement reaction came from Lao Hui, Ma Shouying.

Back then, he was chased by Li Bei for two whole days and nights, and finally fled to the border in a sorry state, only managing to save his life by sheer luck.

He both hated and feared Li Bei. He hated Li Bei for chasing him for four hundred miles, and he feared Li Bei for killing more than a thousand of his men.

He sometimes has nightmares at night, dreaming that Li Bei is chasing him on horseback.

Upon suddenly hearing the news of Li Bei's execution, Ma Shouying trembled with excitement and roared:
"Good! Well done! Excellent!"

"Hahaha! This Jiang Han is a real man! I'm impressed!"

Everyone nodded in agreement:
"I heard that Jiang Han is only twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, yet he has accomplished so much. We can only look up to him in awe!"

Luo Rucai even suggested to Wang Jiayin:
"Your Majesty, Jiang Han's troops are formidable, and now that they have arrived in Shanxi, why not take this opportunity to recruit them?"

"If we can obtain such strong support, wouldn't we be like a tiger with wings when we fight against the government troops in the future?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Jiayin clapped his hands and laughed loudly:
"You, Cao Cao, have so many ideas! Well said! I had the same thought!"

He stood up and said with great enthusiasm:
"I plan to send someone to contact this General Jiang. If he is willing to surrender, I will appoint him as a General of the Heavenly Strategy!"

"Let him join us in this great undertaking and contribute to our uprising!"

But then he sighed:
"What a pity, what a pity. Although I have served in the border army, I have never met this General Jiang."

"If we rashly send someone to recruit him, it might displease General Jiang, who might think that I am arrogant and disrespectful, which would be undesirable."

Upon hearing this, Li Zicheng, who was in the hall, had an idea and immediately stood up:

"Your Majesty need not worry!"

"This humble general has met General Jiang once before, and is willing to go on Your Majesty's behalf to contact General Jiang!"

Wang Jiayin's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this:
"Oh? You recognize him, General?" Li Zicheng nodded, and then briefly recounted to everyone the scene of his alliance with Jiang Han, Shen Yikui and others in Yan'an Prefecture.

"Since the rebel general has a past with him, this matter will be much easier to handle!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted, and they all felt that there was great hope in recruiting Jiang Han, as if they could already see a great general leading them to hunt down government troops everywhere.

But Wang Jiayin frowned after hearing this, pondering to himself:

"Jiang Han sounds rather arrogant. Such a person is probably not so easy to bring under my command."

But Wang Jiayin was also quite magnanimous; he thought about it again...
Only capable people have the right to be arrogant; he looks down on those who are timid, indecisive, and good-for-nothings.

Thinking of this, Wang Jiayin looked at Li Zicheng and made a decision:
"Alright! General, since you have a past with him, this matter is entrusted to you!"

"According to reports from scouts, Jiang Han's troops are currently resting and stationed near Shilou County."

Wang Jiayin paused for a moment, then gave the instructions.
"Take some gifts and make a trip to Shilou for me, and deliver a message to him."

"Ask him if he is willing to join forces with us to undertake this great undertaking. If he is, I will have a seat reserved for him!"

"If you are unwilling, that's fine too. We are all brothers who are resisting the Ming court. In the future, we can share resources, help each other, and fight against the government troops together!"

Li Zicheng nodded and then took the order and left.

But Wang Jiayin wasn't the only one to receive the news; in Yulin Town, news about Jiang Han also began to spread like wildfire.

It was the twelfth lunar month, and the cold wind, carrying sand and gravel from the Mu Us Desert, lashed against Yulin Town, stinging people's faces.

Outside the commander's mansion, several bored guards were hunched over, exhaling white breath as they chatted idly.

"Hey guys, got the news?"

"Those rebel troops in Yan'an Prefecture came from our Yansui Town before!"

One of the guards lowered his voice and cautiously looked left and right.
"This is terrible!"

"They first routed General Ai, then ambushed General Wang; even General He was pinned down in Yan'an Prefecture, not daring to show his face!"

The person next to him gasped:

"Hiss, so fierce?"

"Those rebels are so good at fighting? General Wang and his Lintao troops are ruthless characters who have fought bloody battles against the Eastern Barbarians. Even he was defeated?"

The guard who had spoken earlier slapped his thigh, his tone tinged with a strange excitement:
"More than that!"

"I heard that Li Bei, General Li, was killed in battle!"

"He was beheaded?!" Several guards exclaimed in unison, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The guard nodded repeatedly:

“Absolutely true”

Another guard with a scar on his face snorted, his tone tinged with resentment:

"What rebels? They're all being forced into this by their superiors!"

"Back when General Wu was in charge, he withheld rations and wages, exploited the soldiers, and drove his brothers to their deaths!"

"If you ask me, well done! Those greedy old men who only know how to make money should be shown that if they piss us soldiers off, we can do it too..."

Before he could finish speaking, he received a solid kick to the buttocks, making him wince in pain and turn to curse.

But when he saw who was standing behind him, he froze instantly, then put on a fawning smile, and his back bent unconsciously.
Governor Yang

The one who kicked him was none other than Yang He.

At this moment, Yang He's face was so gloomy it could drip water:

"Whistling behind their backs, saying such outrageous things! Are they trying to rebel?!"

"Go! Bring Wang Chengen, He Huchen, and Ai Mu to the main hall!"

The guard nodded with an awkward smile, accepted the order, and ran off, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead as he went, his heart pounding.

Fortunately, Governor Yang did not hear his rebellious words.

Before long, Wang Chengen, He Huchen, and Ai Mu were brought into the Marshal's Mansion.

Yang He sat upright at the head of the table, looking at the three defeated generals in the hall with a gloomy expression.

The three people had different expressions.

Wang Chengen's hair and beard were disheveled, and his face was filled with grief, indignation, and resentment.
He Huchen, on the other hand, looked indignant, his neck stiff.

Aimu, however, was ashen-faced, his eyes vacant, his head bowed, and he dared not meet Yang He's gaze.

Yang He got angry just looking at the three of them, and he slammed his hand on the table:
"Idiot! Waste!"

(End of this chapter)