Late Ming Dynasty: Special Forces in 1645

With his silver tongue, Jiang Shao persuaded Li Tao to take the head of Magistrate Huang Qizhong and hand over Dexing County to the Restoration Army in exchange for wealth and glory.

Jiang Shao and Li Tao had no personal relationship. If Li Tao's head wasn't too insignificant and if Li Tao hadn't controlled half of the city's defenses, Jiang Shao would never have chosen to cooperate with Li Tao.

Li Tao did not trust Jiang Shao either. Jiang Shao was just a scholar who became Huang Qizhong's advisor by bribing his family with his substantial wealth. Now, for the sake of profit, he betrayed his former master without hesitation and even wanted to exchange his former master's head for wealth. How could such a person be trusted?

However, Li Tao and Jiang Shao shared common interests. Li Tao didn't want to be outdone by Huang Qizhong, while Jiang Shao wanted to retaliate against Huang Qizhong for his son's demotion and the loss of 70% of the copper mine's profits.

Jiang Shao is a landlord and mine owner. After the Restoration Army arrives, the income from his land will be reduced by more than half. Fortunately, he still has copper mines. Although the Restoration Army's mining tax is as high as 30%, it is still better than the current situation where Huang Qizhong takes away 70% of the income.

Jiang Shao thought about it more deeply. In his view, no matter how much wealth one had, it was not as good as having an official position.

During the Ming Dynasty, Jiang Shao was just a clerk. Later, he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty with the county magistrate and remained a clerk. As Huang Qizhong's trusted advisor, Jiang Shao tasted the power, but he also knew that this power came from Huang Qizhong and was not secure.

Therefore, Jiang Shao dreamed of passing the imperial examination and becoming a scholar, and he dreamed of becoming an official. Even if he couldn't become a county magistrate, he would be happy to become a county assistant or a county registrar. However, his literary talent was limited, and he only managed to pass the county examination and become a scholar.

Jiang Shao, a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, had no opportunity to become an official in either the Ming or Qing courts. Therefore, he set his sights on the Restoration Army, which was small in number but had a strong military.

The Restoration Army was able to defeat tens of thousands of Zheng troops and fifty thousand Jin troops, and would never be trapped in a single prefecture!

As for the new policies of the Restoration Army harming the interests of scholars?

If there is no murder charge against him, he should fully accept the new policies, return the land that he had seized by trickery and force, and even donate the copper mine to the Restoration Army. I don't believe the Restoration Army would not appreciate this favor!

Jiang Shao's plan was all about getting a position in the Xingfu Army, and he was willing to give up all his family property for it!

Within an hour of Jiang Shao entering the Li residence, Li Tao was persuaded, and the two joined forces.

Li Tao controlled half of the standing garrison, and he was also responsible for recruiting 500 temporary garrison soldiers. Jiang Shao was a local strongman and had a good relationship with the city patrol officers. If the two of them joined forces, it would not be difficult for them to control Dexing City.

In the dead of night, under a dark and windy sky, the weather was exceptionally cold. The streets were deserted, save for the occasional bark of a dog, which only added to the quiet of Dexing City.

As soon as dawn broke, a garrison of about fifty men quietly descended the city wall, crept to a place far from the wall, lit torches, and headed straight for the county government office!

The garrison of about fifty men was divided into four teams, which surrounded the county government office from the four intersections. Then a group of men in black emerged from the darkness. Leading this group of men in black, who were armed with steel knives and looked fierce, was none other than Jiang Shao!

Li Tao also arrived with several men. He glanced at the men in black following Jiang Shao and asked, "So, are you confident?"

Jiang Shao nodded and said, "Lord Li, please rest assured, I guarantee I will get Huang Qizhong's head, but if one or two people escape from the yamen..."

Li Tao snorted coldly and said, "I guarantee not even a fly will escape. The news won't leak out before dawn!"

Jiang Shao nodded, saying nothing more, and then went to knock on the gate of the county government office himself. After a long while, Huang Qizhong's servant opened the gate, still half asleep, rubbing his eyes and angrily saying, "Who is it in the middle of the night!"

As soon as the servant finished speaking, a man in black walked up behind Huang Qizhong and plunged a steel knife into the servant's chest. The servant's eyes widened, and he made a "ho ho" sound before falling straight backward.

Jiang Shao kicked open the gate, then waved his hand, and ten men in black filed in, heading straight for the residential area behind the county government office.

Upon arriving at the residential area, the men in black kicked open every room and killed anyone they saw. In an instant, screams of agony filled the air.

Jiang Shao led two men straight to Huang Qizhong's room. When they arrived at the door, the two men in black kicked it open forcefully.

Huang Qizhong was startled awake by the screams outside and hurriedly asked, "Who? Who is it?"

"Don't panic, my lord, it's me!" Jiang Shao said, "My lord, how was the concubine I sent you last night?"

Jiang Shao stepped into the room carrying a torch, went to the desk, and lit the oil lamp on the table.

Huang Qizhong questioned, "Master Jiang, what are you doing here? What happened outside?"

"Just a few thieves," Jiang Shao said calmly. "My lord, I've given you all my favorite concubines. Tell me, how will you thank me?"

Jiang Shao's words were calm, but his voice was icy cold: "Furthermore, I gave you seventy percent of the copper mine's profits. How are you going to thank me?"

A young woman in Huang Qizhong's arms let out a soft moan, her eyes glazed, and asked in a sweet voice, "My lord, what has happened?"

Huang Qizhong realized something was wrong, pushed the concubine away from his arms, and shouted, "Master Jiang, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Jiang Shao came to the bedside with a torch in hand. The flickering flame reflected Jiang Shao's unpredictable face.

This was the first time Huang Qizhong had seen Jiang Shao with such a frightening expression. He instinctively pulled the blanket tighter around himself and retreated to the corner of the bed.

Seeing this, Jiang Shao laughed, but there was no real smile on his face. He said with a forced smile, "Sir, you really enjoy yourself. Do you know that my second son's lower body was crippled by your beating? He can never stand up again. All of this is thanks to you!"

At this moment, two men in black, each wielding a steel knife, appeared behind Jiang Shao. The steel knives were stained with blood, and the smell of blood was strong.

Huang Qizhong finally understood what had happened. His emotions were a mixture of regret and panic, and he roared, "Master Jiang, what have you done? Are you trying to rebel?"

"Rebellion?" Jiang Shaodao removed his hat, revealing a bald head with barely growing hair at the roots. He sneered, "My lord, whose rebellion am I rebelling against? The Ming Dynasty? My lord, look at your ugly queue! How dare you accuse me of rebellion? The Restoration Army is a Han army. Today, I only wish to borrow your head to exchange for a better future with the Restoration Army. I hope you will grant my request!"

"You..." Huang Qizhong pointed at Jiang Shao's nose, trembling all over, and cursed loudly: "According to the law, your copper mine should have been confiscated by the imperial court. I pulled strings everywhere and said countless good things about you to the imperial envoy in order to barely keep your copper mine. Most of the 70% of the profits were sent out by me to bribe officials. You not only don't appreciate my hard work, but you also think that I wanted to seize the copper mine. How can such an ungrateful person have a clear conscience?"

And your two sons, who led men to injure the officials who came to inspect the copper mine's accounts, should have been beheaded according to the law. It was I who risked my life to save them. Not only do you not appreciate my kindness, but you even turn around and accuse me. Such an ungrateful person is unprecedented!

Jiang Shao listened quietly, then sighed deeply and said, "My lord, I have been following you for three years now. Why would you lie to me? The imperial envoy at the time only went to Nanchang and had no idea about my small copper mine. You took 70% of the profits from the mine, and you sent all that money back to your hometown. How could that be considered bribing officials?"

"You!" Huang Qizhong was speechless for a moment. He had always thought he had fooled Jiang Shao, but he overestimated his intelligence. The reason why Jiang Shao hadn't exposed him before was because even if he had, there was nothing he could do.

Seeing Jiang Shao pressing closer and closer, Huang Qizhong hurriedly tried to defend himself, but when he found it useless, he tried to appeal to his personal relationship with Jiang Shao, but that was also useless. In the end, he could only beg for mercy.

Jiang Shao finally stopped pressing forward, took two steps back, and made a throat-slitting gesture to the man in black beside him.

The man in black understood, took two steps forward, and raised his steel knife.

Upon seeing this, Huang Qizhong cried out in terror, "No, no! Ah..."

The steel knife cleaved down, severing Huang Qizhong's neck. Huang Qizhong's screams came to an abrupt halt, and the sprayed blood splattered all over the bed.

Another sharp sound rang out; it was the concubine who couldn't help but scream upon seeing such a bloody scene.

Jiang Shao cursed, "Shut up!" and then gestured to another man in black. The other man stepped forward and plunged a steel knife into the concubine's stomach without hesitation.

Two bodies were found on one bed. Huang Qizhong's head had been cut off, and Jiang Shao and the other two carried the head away from the county government office.

Seeing Jiang Shao bring out Huang Qizhong's head, Li Tao breathed a sigh of relief and said, "My men have already taken control of the important passes within the city. You are in charge of dealing with the yamen runners and the garrison of the other banner. You must completely control the county town before dawn and ensure that Dexing City is handed over to the Xingfu Army intact!"

(Note: A general flag consists of five smaller flags, totaling 50 people.)

Jiang Shao nodded and said, "The yamen runners are all locals from Dexing. I have some influence among them. As for the other garrison..."

Jiang Shao took out a transfer order stamped with the county government seal and said, "I can transfer another garrison from the city wall. When the time comes, Lord Li, your men should be ready, and then, together with Huang Qizhong's head, we can disarm them."

Li Tao agreed, "Then let's do it that way!"

There are two garrison troops stationed in the city. Originally, these two garrison troops should have been directly controlled by the county magistrate, but Huang Qizhong usually indulged in wine and women and did not want to manage affairs. So he simply handed over the city defense to his advisor Jiang Shao and county magistrate Li Tao, and therefore did not care much about Li Tao's efforts to win over the garrison troops.

Jiang Shao had no official rank and had to rely on Huang Qizhong's order to manage the garrison of one of the banners. Li Tao, on the other hand, was a legitimate official. As long as Huang Qizhong officially authorized him, he could rightfully command the garrison of another banner. This was the difference between the two.

Therefore, Jiang Shao, holding the county government's official seal and order, transferred another garrison from the city wall.

The garrison of this banner was fast asleep on the city wall, fully armored, when they were suddenly awakened. Seeing that Jiang Shao was holding the order from the county government, they could not do anything about it and had no choice but to comply, and they withdrew from the city wall one by one.

The county government's order stated that the weapons also needed to be replaced, so the weapons were left on the city wall and did not need to be taken down.

Although such a transfer order was puzzling, it had to be obeyed because it bore Huang Qizhong's handwriting and seal.

However, as soon as this unarmed garrison descended the city wall, they were surrounded by another fully armed garrison.

Before the besieged garrison could even figure out what was happening, Li Tao stepped forward, holding Huang Qizhong's head in his hand, and said to the garrison leader, "Commander Luo, you saw with your own eyes the imposing presence of the Restoration Army. With only one hundred regular garrison soldiers and five hundred temporarily conscripted garrison soldiers, how long do you think we can hold off the Restoration Army?"

Commander Luo stepped forward, staring in astonishment at Huang Qizhong's severed head. He fell into deep thought, and after a long while, finally declared, "I am willing to follow the arrangements of the County Magistrate!"

There's nothing we can do; circumstances are beyond our control. If Commander Luo can't see the situation clearly, I believe he'll soon be beheaded!

Seeing that Commander Luo was willing to surrender, Li Tao and Jiang Shao also breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, Dexing County was completely in the hands of Li Tao and Jiang Shao, as a "gift" to the Restoration Army in exchange for their future.

......

Liangzicheng and Chen Shaoping, who were outside the city, got up early and looked at Dexing City, which was just a stone's throw away.

Dexing County only has one hundred regular troops and another five hundred temporarily recruited garrison troops, which is not a major concern. However, it will still take some effort to minimize the impact.

The Restoration Army surrounded Dexing County, but did not attack immediately, wanting to give the people inside the city enough time to see the situation clearly and surrender on their own initiative.

As for integrity? You've already surrendered to the Qing, what integrity could you possibly have left? You just surrender to whoever is more powerful.

Therefore, Liang Zicheng believed that as long as the magistrate in the city still had a shred of rationality, the best option was to surrender directly, or at the very least, to send someone out to negotiate terms before surrendering.

So Liang Zicheng ordered, "Shoot the surrender letter into the city. If Dexing City does not surrender within three hours, that is, before noon, then attack the city!"

No sooner had Liang Zicheng given his order than a guard reported, "Commander Liang, three men have emerged from Dexing City and are requesting an audience outside the military camp!"

"Oh?" Liang Zicheng laughed and said, "Speak of the devil, and he appears. Quickly bring them in."

Chen Shaoping said, "It seems that this magistrate is pragmatic. He has grasped the situation after just one night, which is quite good."

A short while later, the guards brought in Jiang Shao and two servants.

"Greetings, General!" Jiang Shao knelt down immediately upon entering, saying, "I am Jiang Shao, a clerk in the county government, here to surrender with the head of Magistrate Huang Qizhong!"

"The head of Magistrate Huang Qizhong?" While Liang Zicheng and Chen Shaoping were still wondering, another guard walked in carrying a wooden box.

The guard reported, "Commander Liang, we've checked, and there is indeed a human head inside!"

Liang Zicheng stared at the wooden box and said, "Open it!"

The guard opened the wooden crate and, using a long, thin braid, pulled out the severed head inside.

Liang Zicheng frowned, looked at Jiang Shao kneeling on the ground, and questioned, "What's going on here?"

Jiang Shao raised his head slightly, but dared not meet Liang Zicheng's gaze, and recited the words he had prepared.

According to Jiang Shao, Huang Qizhong was a vicious, wicked, unpopular, stubborn, and fiercely loyal man to the Qing Dynasty, who intended to resist the Restoration Army's siege...

Jiang Shao, acting as the advisor, tried his best to persuade Huang Qizhong not to move. In the end, out of desperation and for the safety of the people of the city, he had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure: he joined forces with the county magistrate to kill Huang Qizhong and surrender Dexing County.

After listening quietly to Jiang Shao's story, Liang Zicheng and Chen Shao looked at each other, unsure whether the story was true or false.

But it's always a good thing if someone voluntarily surrenders the city.

Finally, it was decided to spare a battalion of soldiers to follow Jiang Shao into the city to test whether Dexing County had truly surrendered.