Total War: I'm building up an army to rebel against the Qing Dynasty in a heavily modified vers

Chapter 93 The Po Lu Army Enters Kaiyuan City

"General, I don't know the specifics either. When we rushed in, we saw a group of Eight Banner soldiers who had turned into this state, looking like incompletely mutated Chaos Forsaken!"

"They seem to have eaten something or used some other method to mutate themselves, but it certainly wasn't a good method."

"I strongly suspect that these Qing soldiers may have been corrupted by some kind of chaos, or at least something with a similar effect."

After saying all that, Luo Ping began to describe in detail the thrilling battle to Luo Ke, focusing on the abilities of these mutated Eight Banner soldiers.

Rock nodded. He knew that some things in this world were strange, such as the Eight Banners soldiers who had undergone amazing mutations. He had never seen them before.

Judging from the appearance of these Eight Banner soldiers, their physical fitness must have been greatly enhanced in all aspects. However, after Rock tapped them, he found that although several of his greatsword warriors were injured and even had their breastplates dented, none of them had died.

This is good news, otherwise he would have been quite heartbroken to lose a greatswordsman, since this unit is really expensive.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness, thanks to you all, and also thanks to me for not sending the cavalry into this city."

"If the cavalry had been the first to charge in, my cavalry would have suffered heavy losses."

17

Rock patted his chest and said with lingering fear.

According to Luo Ping's description, these Eight Banner soldiers exhibited physical qualities that even surpassed those of the Greatsword Warriors, and their reaction speed was extremely fast, making them practically assassin-type soldiers.

Once their cavalry charge in, they simply won't be able to maneuver effectively in this terrain, and these cavalrymen also lack the heavy armor and formidable melee combat abilities of the greatsword warriors.

If he were to engage in a bloody battle with these mutated Eight Banner soldiers in narrow terrain, Rock suspected that his entire cavalry unit might be wiped out by the enemy.

"First, collect these corpses on the ground, then find a suitable place to burn them all later. But don't leave these corpses in the city to burn; I'm afraid they'll cause pollution."

"Next, immediately take control of Kaiyuan City, eliminate all resistance forces, and also bring all the officials in this city under your control!"

"By the way, when entering the city, do not harass the people. We must ensure that we do not commit any offenses against them. Unless the people attack us first, we must not indiscriminately kill!"

As soon as Rock's orders were given, the soldiers who had just entered the city immediately sprang into action.

When a new recruit who had joined the Polu Army heard Luo Ke's demand that he not commit any offenses against the enemy, a slight displeasure appeared on his face. But seeing the expression on his face, a soldier from the system next to him immediately slapped him.

"Stop thinking about all that nonsense, you brat! Our commander has never made his fortune by robbing the people. Otherwise, we would have robbed you all when we first came to your village!"

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"We'd rather starve than rob the people. That's our commander's principle. Anyone who dares to break military discipline here shouldn't blame the commander for dragging you out and shooting you!"

Upon hearing this, the few recruits who had previously harbored evil thoughts immediately lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound.

Come to think of it, if the Luo family army had really been like bandits, indiscriminate in their greed and wanting to rob any wealth they saw, then these villages would have been destroyed by the Luo family army long ago, and how could they have had the opportunity to join this team?

And then I thought about it again, most people in this city are just poor and miserable, there's no point in robbing these poor people, and why should the poor make things difficult for each other?

If they were to really rob, they would rob the local tyrants and those rich and heartless landlords!

Seeing the soldiers' performance, Rock nodded in satisfaction.

If an army wants to fight well, it must have the necessary military discipline. In particular, Rock never formed this army to be a bandit, and he would never allow his soldiers to rob.

If an army is undisciplined, it will soon encounter various problems, eventually losing all focus on fighting and becoming a disorganized mess.

Moreover, there's a saying that goes something like this:

When you can stop an army from looting and make them sacrifice their own interests for the sake of discipline, what orders can't these soldiers obey?

Therefore, when the people of Kaiyuan trembled in fear at the sight of Luo's army entering the city, they were soon surprised to discover:

After entering the city, the army did not loot as they had imagined. Instead, they lined up in orderly rows, began patrolling the city, and restored order to the city.

"This...this Luo family army has not committed any offenses whatsoever! It's truly a rare occurrence in this world!"

"What Luo Family Army? They've changed their name to the Destroyer Army, and they've sworn to drive out the Tartars and restore China!"

The people of Kaiyuan City were abuzz with discussion as they watched the soldiers patrolling the city in rows of formations. They found the sight to be truly novel.

Whether it was the uniforms of the soldiers under Rock's command, or the soldiers who were posting notices everywhere and preaching to the people of the city, or the content of their preaching, the people of the city felt that they had never seen or even heard of anything like it before.

Now, the attitudes of the people in the city toward the Po Lu Army are quite varied.

Some people who had originally come from Northeast China were delighted to see the enemy army raising the anti-Qing banner, feeling that they had finally gotten their revenge.

For them, the reason they had to flee to this harsh and cold land beyond the Great Wall was because the world was in chaos, the Qing Dynasty was too inhumane, and the landlords and gentry were just as inhumane.

If you asked them to openly raise a banner against the Qing Dynasty, they probably wouldn't dare, but they have always harbored resentment towards the Manchu Qing court.

It's rare to see someone willing to stand up for them. Regardless of what happens in the future, these people are genuinely happy at this moment.

Some residents of Kaiyuan City also held a negative attitude towards the Polu Army. Although the army did not commit any offenses after entering the city, they were worried that the army would attract the Qing troops!

No matter what, he's a traitor!

Although most people were dissatisfied with the Qing government, they didn't really think it was so easy to overthrow it.

During the many years of Manchu rule, when was there never a time when rebels emerged?

But when will these rebels truly pose a fatal threat to the Qing Dynasty?

Therefore, many of them felt that the rebel army was raising the banner of rebellion in their city and would inevitably bring disaster to them. If the Qing army broke through the city and carried out a massacre, wouldn't they suffer an undeserved calamity?

Moreover, although the Polu Army has consistently claimed in its proclamations that it will remain in Kaiyuan City and will not leave at will, who can say for sure about such things?

The Polu Army can just pack up and leave, completely ignoring Kaiyuan City, but how can those of us who have worked so hard to settle down and build our lives in Kaiyuan City just leave like that?

If the Qing army attacks, disaster will strike in an instant!

Besides these, there are also some people whose overall attitude is apathy, meaning they are indifferent to everything that happens outside.

In their view, the Polu Army and the Qing government were no different, since they would be taxed anyway.

If that's the case, then who isn't an official outside? And what does all this have to do with them?

Rock knew that the people had differing opinions, but he didn't have much time to worry about them right now, because trust and support couldn't be built overnight. He had to do the most important thing right now.

For example, he now has the Polu Army posting notices all over the city. On the one hand, he wants to tell the people about his ideas and thoughts. On the other hand, he also wants to take this opportunity to interact with the people and get closer to them.

For example, Rock is currently dealing with the ruffians and looters in the city. Anyone who tries to take advantage of the chaos while his army is in the city is ordered to be shot without mercy!

Before he transmigrated here, Rock had heard that when ancient armies breached a city, all sorts of chaos would inevitably break out. However, at that time, he had only heard rumors and had no real experience of it.

But now, he has personally witnessed the scene of an army breaching a city.

Seeing no hope of victory, some Qing soldiers, taking advantage of the fact that the enemy army had not yet taken control of the entire city, simply transformed into bandits, intending to plunder and leave.

For them, if they don't leave now, they might not be able to leave later.

Whether the Polu Army captures them or the Qing government turns around and settles scores with these deserters, they will most likely not end up well.

Although the Manchu Eight Banners were severely corrupt at this time, their military discipline was still in place. This included the rule that deserters would be punished along with their entire families, who would have their annual salary and land confiscated, and their family members might even be imprisoned.

These Eight Banner soldiers didn't really care about having their annual salary and land taken back, because they had squandered almost all of their land, and their annual salary was barely paid out due to the corruption of the court.

Otherwise, if the imperial court had truly provided for the Eight Banners soldiers as it had in the early Qing Dynasty, these bannermen wouldn't be living in such a destitute state.

But they were terrified of being beheaded, so many of these Qing soldiers gritted their teeth and decided to take advantage of the chaos to loot a bunch of valuables in the city and leave to become outlaws.

Once the storm has passed, they'll see if they want to go back to the city and start a new life.

Besides them, some local ruffians also took this opportunity to rob and plunder.

Anyway, the government has already collapsed, so even if they take the opportunity to cause trouble, no one can control them. In order to cover up their actions, these guys even claimed to be soldiers of the Luo Family Army or the Po Lu Army!

For someone who dared to tarnish his reputation, Luo Ke would never forgive him, and he also arrested and executed all the Eight Banner soldiers who went to rob and plunder.

Some even managed to escape outside the city, but were eventually caught up by his cavalry and executed.

The Polu Army executed nearly a hundred people in one go, and the bloody scene instantly shocked the entire city.

After the executions were completed, the Polu Army explained to the people of the city what had happened, stating that they were only targeting those who took advantage of the chaos and would not harm civilians.

Upon hearing this news, the people in the city instantly developed a great deal of goodwill towards the Po Lu Army. After all, these people not only did not commit any crimes after entering the city, but also helped them suppress other criminals. This can truly be called benevolence.

After resolving the city's security issues and suppressing the lawless elements with iron-fisted methods, Luo Ke immediately went to interrogate the Kaiyuan City officials he had just captured.

Perhaps because it is located outside the Great Wall, Kaiyuan City has a relatively small population, so its bureaucratic system is relatively simple.

Within the civil administration system, the upright and just magistrate of Kaiyuan City was Quan Lu, a genuine Manchu of the Plain Red Banner, and also a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations through proper means.

Apart from him, there were no county magistrates or registrars in the city. His deputies were the patrol inspector and the clerk, one in charge of managing arrests and patrols, and the other in charge of managing the prison. They also helped the local magistrate with other matters.

Perhaps because he was a successful candidate in the imperial examinations, or perhaps for some other reason, Quan Lu, who was serving as the magistrate of Kaiyuan City, showed no fear when facing Luo Ke.

When Rock walked into the cell and stood in front of him, the man still looked completely relaxed, even in front of Rock and the soldiers beside him.

"What? This general sees you, a prisoner, still acting so arrogantly. I wonder where your arrogance comes from?"

""

Faced with the county magistrate who was looking at him with his neck still stiff, like a proud rooster, Luo Ke almost couldn't help but laugh.

To be honest, from his perspective, he probably felt that his performance at that moment was very assertive.

But from Rock's perspective, Rock just felt that this idiot was out of his mind and didn't know what he was so arrogant about.

"Hmph! You audacious madman!"

Quanlu let out a disdainful snort, breaking the silence first. He even tried to straighten his wrinkled cuffs, as if trying to maintain his so-called composure in this way.

"You are nothing but commoners, yet you dare to gather refugees and commit this rebellious and treasonous act!"

"I am a scholar of the Plain Red Banner of the Great Qing Dynasty, an official appointed by the court! You ungrateful and disloyal scoundrels, how dare you arrest me? If you know what's good for you, surrender immediately. Considering this is your first offense, the court may grant you leniency!"

"Otherwise, when the imperial army arrives, these mere traitors will all die without a burial place!"

Good heavens, he's already a prisoner, and he's still putting on airs.

Rock was amused by the man's attitude, so he waved his hand without hesitation and said, "Very well, I admire your courage! Men, drag him out of the cell and give him a good beating first. If he still doesn't behave, then tattoo his face! I want to see how a prisoner with a tattoo on his face will ever be able to stand firm in the officialdom again!"

As soon as Luo Ke finished speaking, Quan Lu's expression changed instantly.

"You audacious madman! You dare!"

His voice trembled slightly as he questioned, and although he tried to remain calm, the guilty look on his face betrayed his unease to everyone present.

Quanlu was not afraid of being beaten, because the worse he was beaten now, the more likely he would be to receive a reward when these rebels were wiped out.

If these rebels are wiped out, and he turns out to be clean and pampered, the court will most likely charge him with treason, or at the very least with dereliction of duty.

But if he is beaten up by the rebels and still maintains his integrity, then he is a model of a loyal minister who would rather die than surrender.

If he dies, his descendants will still receive the imperial favor; if he lives, his official career will surely rise to a higher level, and he will not have to waste so many years in this poor and remote place.

But all of this is on the premise that the rebels only attack him and do not take any other measures against him. Once that treacherous villain, Rock, tattoos words on his face, his future political career will be completely ruined.

No matter what, the imperial court would never allow someone with a tattoo on their face to become an official, especially since the tattoo was done by a traitor; it would only become a disgrace to him.

By then, regardless of whether the court will punish him, he will certainly have to leave officialdom.

Unfortunately, Rock didn't seem to have any intention of wasting words with him.

The two greatswordsmen opened the cell door without any courtesy, lifted him out as if he were a chick, and then handcuffed him to the wall.

Immediately afterwards, one of the greatswordsmen drew a dagger he carried with him, heated it red-hot with a nearby torch, and then brought the dagger close to Quan Lu's face, saying, "Hehehe, old man, don't get excited, let me give you a good stab!"

"Don't move! You'll look even worse if you miss!"

As the red-hot dagger drew ever closer to his face, like a branding iron about to be imprinted on it, Quanlu's composure completely crumbled.

No way, are you kidding me? He's a scholar who passed the imperial examination!

He was a high-ranking scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. Even without his official title, he would still be respected and admired in any place!

"No, you can't do this! I'm a scholar! A learned man—"

Seeing that the guy was still babbling on, Rock snorted and said, "What's so great about being a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations)? Wanfu was a member of the imperial clan, and we still chopped off his head."

"We are an anti-Qing resistance army! How dare you, a mere Manchu scholar, speak to us like that? Do you think your head is so big you can just chop it off at will?"

What? Wanfu was actually chopped up by these traitors?

Upon hearing this, Quanlu's vision went black for a moment, and then his pants became soaked.

Damn it, these traitors are truly fearless!

Even if Wanfu was just a marginal figure, he was still a member of the imperial clan. With such a member of the imperial clan and a third-rank garrison commander dying here, he would definitely be implicated.

"So, I advise you to answer my questions honestly. If your answers satisfy me, I might spare your life. Otherwise, believe me, I'll make you ride a wooden donkey through the streets as a public spectacle!"