With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

Shaowu.

The death of Chen Jin, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, caused a great uproar among the Qing army.

According to the plan, after Chen Tai finished dealing with the Jiangxi rebels, he was to join forces with Chen Jin in a few days to take Jianning Prefecture together.

But no one expected that Chen Jin would actually die.

Chen Jin's death first shocked the Qing army's high command, and Chen Tai immediately summoned all the high-ranking officials who had come south.

All the officials gathered, but upon entering and seeing Chen Tai's expression, none of them dared to say much.

"What's wrong with General Jixi Ha Jingnan? He doesn't look well."

The speaker had a raven-tail hairstyle and his name was Dong Alai. He was a genuine member of the Eight Banners and served as a Meile Zhangjing in the army, which was equivalent to the position of deputy commander.

"I heard something happened in Jianning Prefecture. I don't know the specifics, but I know that there was a battle in Jianning Prefecture a few days ago, and the result was not good," Ji Xiha replied.

"Ah? You lost the battle? No wonder the general doesn't look well. That good-for-nothing Chen Jin should be replaced. The position of Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian should not be held by a Han Chinese." Dong Alai understood the reason and was also angry. He directly cursed Chen Jin.

At this moment, Zu Zeyuan, Xu Dingjue, and other Han Chinese generals of the Green Standard Army also entered the hall.

Zu Zeyuan remained unmoved upon hearing this, as if he hadn't heard it at all, and found his seat and sat down.

Zu Zeyuan was Zu Dashou's nephew. He used to guard Jinzhou and later surrendered to the Qing Dynasty with his uncle Zu Dashou.

They were among the earlier Han Chinese to surrender to the Qing army.

Seeing that the other party did not move, Dong Alai deliberately looked at Zu Zeyuan with a provocative gaze.

But the other party remained unmoved, keeping his eyes down, while Xu Dingjue, standing to the side, wore a fawning smile, which made Dong Alai look disgusted.

With the last Bahana entering the hall, everyone was now present.

At this moment, Chen Tai, who was sitting in the superior position, spoke up, and suddenly uttered a sentence that was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a wave.

"News has come from Jianning Prefecture: Chen Jin is dead."

After Chen Tai finished speaking, the scene fell into a deathly silence for a moment, and then everyone burst into a gasp.

"How could that be? This must be fake news. Even if Chen Jin suffered a defeat, he still has hundreds of thousands of troops under his command. Would he be stupid enough to charge into battle himself?"

Upon hearing this, Dong Alai looked incredulous and stood up in front of everyone to question the authenticity of the news.

Jixiha quickly pulled Dong Alai aside, telling him to calm down.

Clearly, the others in the hall also did not believe that Chen Jin was dead.

To kill the commander-in-chief on a battlefield with hundreds of thousands of soldiers is simply a pipe dream.

Especially now that the Qing army is equipped with a large number of firearms, it is absolutely safe for the commander to be stationed in the central command.

Chen Tai wasn't in the mood to explain and simply took out Zhang Cunren's letter.

Everyone read the letter, which briefly described the Battle of Xiaosongxi, in which the Qing army was attacked at night and Chen Jin died in the chaos.

Zu Zeyuan frowned when he saw the letter.

Han Chinese in the Qing Dynasty must never band together for mutual support, otherwise it will cause unease among the higher-ups. On the contrary, they should frequently attack each other and become political enemies.

Only when the Han people fight amongst themselves will the Manchus feel at ease.

Zu Zeyuan had fought with Zhang Cunren in the imperial court, so he knew Zhang Cunren quite well.

"The news is true. Chen Jin is dead. The rebel army's firepower is fierce, even more advanced than the weapons of our Great Qing. Does the Zhu Ming imperial family still have such a trump card?" Zu Zeyuan thought to himself, a trace of worry even appearing in his heart.

He continued reading, and then the weight lifted from his heart; "It wasn't the Ming army after all, but a rebel army that appeared out of nowhere."

"General Xu, you are from Fujian, and you know Fujian better than I do. I'd like to ask you, do you know anyone in Fujian named Li Tian?"

Zu Zeyuan passed the letter down, then whispered to Xu Dingjue behind him, "What do you mean?"

Xu Dingjue racked his brains, but had never heard of anyone named Li Tian.

"Returning to the Council of Political Affairs, there is no such person as Li Tian in Fujian."

"However, just because I don't know him doesn't mean others don't. If you want to find this person, you can tell me more detailed information, and I can send someone else to look for him."

Xu Dingjue voluntarily surrendered to the Qing army, and he would definitely make a good impression whenever he had the chance.

Zu Zeyuan pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know where this Li Tian is from, but he is the one who killed Governor Chen Jin, and Jianning Prefecture is currently occupied by him."

Upon hearing this, Xu Dingjue's expression changed, and he immediately understood what was going on. "Don't worry, Councilor, as long as Li Tian is from Fujian, I will definitely have someone investigate his background thoroughly."

After the letter was discussed by everyone, Chen Tai spoke up from above.

"This matter will definitely not be suppressed. Within a few days, the rebels in other regions will surely learn of this news, which will greatly boost the morale of the rebels in various places, which will be detrimental to our army's suppression of the rebellion."

"You've all seen the letter. Zhang Cunren suggests we join forces to attack Jianning Prefecture. What do you all think?"

Everyone below the hall lowered their heads and remained silent, except for Dong Alai, who broke the silence and volunteered to fight.

"General, I think we should attack. Once our main force of the Eight Banners arrives, we will surely strike fear into the hearts of the enemy!"

"Once Jianning Prefecture falls, I will slaughter everyone in the city!"

Dong Alai's words ignited the passion of the many Manchus present, and they all supported Dong Alai's attack on Jianning Prefecture.

Chen Tai frowned, clearly not wanting that answer.

He was definitely going to fight, but he wanted a different answer; Chen Jin's death could not be left unresolved.

What are your thoughts on political participation?

Chen Tai looked at Zu Zeyuan, who had been silent all along.

"General, the death of Chen Jinzhi, the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, is of great importance. The loss of over 100,000 elite troops is no small matter."

"This matter still needs to be reported to the imperial court. As for whether to fight or not, the imperial court will have to make the decision."

Zu Zeyuan did not answer directly, but passed the matter on to his superiors.

With the loss of over 100,000 elite troops and the death of the Governor-General of Zhejiang and Fujian, the imperial court had to know immediately.

Whether or not a fight will take place next is no longer important.

The opponent was no ordinary person, capable of annihilating hundreds of thousands of fully armed Qing troops overnight.

"Zu Zeyuan, are you scared? Or do you think those bandits can defeat the main force of my Eight Banners?" Dong Alai stared intently at Zu Zeyuan.

"Yes, you're Han Chinese, and those bandits are Han Chinese too. Don't you just want them to win?"

"Shut up!" Chen Tai snapped, immediately interrupting Dong Alai.

"Dong Alai, please sit down. Councilor Zu is right. Whether to fight or not, this matter must be decided by the imperial court."

"Let's leave it at that for today and discuss it again tomorrow."

Chen Tai dismissed everyone, and they all went home.

"This matter must be clearly written down, otherwise, if blame is leveled, I should be replaced as the General of Jingnan."

After everyone left, Chen Tai immediately went to his study and began writing memorials.

"Governor Chen Jin disobeyed orders and recklessly attacked, causing our army to lose more than 100,000 elite troops... However, although he was guilty, he was determined to die on the battlefield, never disgracing our army's might..."

In short, the sins belong to the dead, and so does the final dignity.