Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

Chapter 81: Poaching from Abatai

The following morning, for safety reasons, Zu Dashou assembled three thousand troops in Jinzhou City as a precaution, and led a thousand soldiers in horse-drawn carriages to the location he designated.

After all, this was the first time they had openly done business with the Qing army, and neither side had any sincerity whatsoever.

Conversely, the Qing army, led by Abatai, did not request a change of location. Instead, they deployed a large number of sentries around the new location to prevent any unforeseen events. In Abatai's eyes, Zu Dashou was a garrison commander, capable of defending a city, but he really didn't think much of him in open field battles.

Furthermore, this deal was orchestrated by Huang Taiji. Even if the Ming army reneges, it will be a slap in the face for Huang Taiji, not for him. On the contrary, he would prefer to see Huang Taiji's authority weakened...

As the sun slowly rose and swept across the horizon, the sound of horses' hooves came from the direction of Yizhou. Zu Dashou squinted as he escorted the carriage, ready for battle.

Before long, dust filled the air and came into view, and the Qing army gradually began to slow down.

Seeing this, Zu Dashou felt a little relieved. If the Qing army intended to attack, they would definitely not slow down at this distance.

A moment later, Abatai arrived in front of the Ming army and shouted, "Who's in charge?"

Zu Dashou rode forward and waved, signaling for the carriage to be pulled up: "Let your men inspect it!"

Abatai nodded slightly, and the Qing soldiers beside him quickly stepped forward to inspect the traded goods. When Abatai saw Zu Dashou, he said, "His Majesty has been waiting for General Zu in Shenyang for a long time. His Majesty has taken good care of the General's family and has not punished them for their departure!"

After Zu Dashou surrendered last time, many of his relatives and family members fell into the hands of the Qing army. After he fled from the Qing to the Ming army, Huang Taiji did not hold a grudge against Zu Dashou's family. This was also the catalyst for his later desperate defense of Jinzhou for two years during the Battle of Songjin, when he finally surrendered to the Qing after running out of ammunition and food. Perhaps, in Zu Dashou's view, he had done everything he could for the Ming Dynasty; it wasn't that he didn't want to defend, but rather that he had been defeated...

Upon hearing this, Zu Dashou's heart sank, but he remained silent and did not reply.

Seeing that Zu Dashou had read his message but hadn't replied, Abatai continued, "The Ming emperor is cruel and ungrateful. If General Zu is defeated and surrenders to the Qing, and his family remains in the Ming, will Emperor Chongzhen spare them?"

Abatai was comparing Zhu Jian and Huang Taiji to highlight Huang Taiji's magnanimity.

After listening, Zu Dashou pondered for a moment and said, "There's no need for the general to trouble himself with that!"

Then he waved, and a carriage came up behind him: "These are the goods besides what we had this time—silk, tea, porcelain! These are things we can trade, except for salt!"

"Can grain and ironware be traded?" Abatai asked.

Zu Dashou shook his head: "These things are also scarce in the Ming Dynasty, so we won't trade for now!"

After ordering his men to collect several bolts of silk, some tea, and porcelain, Abatai added, "We also lack warhorses, and we need to add furs, ginseng, deer antlers, and other supplies!"

"Those things aren't expensive! The Ming Dynasty doesn't lack those things! You can exchange them if you want!" Zu Dashou replied, following the instructions in Sun Chengzong's letter.

"Very well! I will return and report to the Emperor!" With that, Abatai turned his horse around and headed towards Yizhou with his belongings, shouting as he went, "I hope General Zu will consider my words!"

Zu Dashou continued reading the message without replying, then turned and ordered, "Return to Jinzhou and deliver the warhorses to Ningyuan!"

This was the first peaceful transaction between the two sides in history. In the past, transactions were always conducted through Mongolia. This transit might have looked better to the Ming court officials, since it did not involve direct trade with the Jurchens.

As Zu Dabi walked alongside the warhorses, he asked, "Aren't the Qing soldiers afraid we can just seize these horses?"

"The Qing army has many scouts outside the location to check for ambushes! Besides, the Qing army has no shortage of warhorses!" Zu Dashou replied.

In the Guan-Ning Army, the number of Qing soldiers killed was far less than the number of warhorses captured. In most skirmishes, a dozen or so Qing soldiers were killed, but dozens of warhorses were captured...

...The Qing army's abundance of warhorses was the envy of the Guan-Ning army!

On the Ming side, they suffered the most deaths but lost the least, especially their warhorses; the dead horses were even dismembered and taken away by some soldiers...

"By the way, brother, why were these warhorses sent to Ningyuan instead of being directly equipped into the army?"

In Zu Dabi's eyes, these warhorses were military supplies that should be directly equipped to the front-line troops. Ningyuan was not a front-line troop, so why equip them? Wasn't that a waste of warhorses?

"It's Grand Secretary Sun's order!" Zu Dashou said, then paused for a moment, leaned slightly closer to Zu Dabi, and lowered his voice: "In my opinion, these warhorses aren't meant to equip the Ningyuan army; they should be sent back to the interior!"

"Does my brother mean that the army within the pass is short of warhorses?"

Zu Dashou nodded: "I heard that Hong Chengchou, along with Qin Liangyu, Zheng Chongjian, and others, has 100,000 troops surrounding Li Zicheng in Shaanxi, besieging him but not attacking him! I guess it's because they lack equipment such as warhorses and aren't confident they can completely annihilate Li Zicheng!"

Zu Dashou was unaware that the order not to suppress Li Zicheng was not due to Hong Chengchou's lack of confidence, but rather an order from Zhu Jian—to surround but not attack! This served two purposes: first, to reduce the food and supplies consumption of the Shaanxi army; and second, to leave most of the severely affected areas of Shaanxi to Li Zicheng. If they were to take them back now, the imperial court would still need to provide disaster relief…after all, the disaster situation in Shaanxi was the most severe and extensive!

As for the people of Shaanxi, Inspector Zhu had no choice but to let them suffer even more...

"Then we've worked for nothing?" Zu Dabi's voice rose slightly.

"Be careful what you say!" Zu Dashou quickly stopped him. Although the emperor had dismissed the eunuch supervisors, who knew if there were any spies from the Eastern Depot or the Embroidered Uniform Guard? If these words were to reach the capital, it might cause some trouble.

After being reminded by Zu Dashou, Zu Dabi realized that he had spoken out of turn. Now they were generals of the imperial court and needed to carry out the court's orders.

"Second brother, after Governor Yuan leaves, we'll be like water without roots. You must be careful what you say!" Zu Dashou continued to admonish.

In Zu Dashou's eyes, the Guan Ning Army was now completely ignored and disliked. The emperor didn't trust them, and they didn't trust the emperor either. The Guan Ning Army also had no connections in the court. Fortunately, the emperor was still paying them military salaries, otherwise they would have worn themselves out before the war even started.

Although Zhu Jian distrusted the Guan Ning Army, he would not order its disbandment, or even worse, its massacre, after all, it numbered in the tens of thousands... He was not foolish enough to slaughter his own country's garrison... Zhu Jian only needed the Guan Ning Army to stabilize the Guan Ning Jin defense line!

Zu Dabi nodded: "Understood, elder brother!"

"I'll be going to Ningyuan to deliver warhorses in a bit. You stay here in Jinzhou to guard against any unforeseen circumstances!"

"yes!"

Two days later, Abatai personally delivered the Ming court's goods to Shenyang. Upon seeing the goods, Huang Taiji asked, "What did the Ming court say about the grain and ironware?"

"Zu Dashou says the Ming court is also short of supplies, so we won't trade!" Abatai said, beckoning to a soldier nearby. The soldier immediately pulled over another carriage: "These are silk, tea, and porcelain provided by the Ming court! These things, except for salt, can also be traded!"

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