Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Zhu Tianyou was somewhat shocked to see General Wu Sangui. His presence was overwhelming, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
Wu Sangui laughed heartily and said, "This brave man, do you need to take a break? I am General from Liaodong, and I would like to see if you are truly as formidable as they say, capable of 'defeating' Dongming."
When Wu Sangui was young, he was also a martial artist. Now that he is not too old, he believes that in literature there is no first, and in martial arts there is no second. He is quite interested in the young man who has come to seek his support.
After Zhu Tianyou took a moment to rest, when he spoke up to say he was ready, Wu Sangui asked, "Aren't you planning to ride your Warhorse?"
Previously, Zhu Tianyou had been seen fighting on the ground, and now he was not even asking for a Warhorse. Wu Sangui began to suspect that perhaps Zhu Tianyou was not very skilled in horsemanship, making it inconvenient for him to fight mounted.
To assess the full capabilities of this newcomer, Wu Sangui stated that he could dismount and compete with him.
Zhu Tianyou is not being pretentious, and the battle between the two has begun.
Before this, living in modern society, he naturally had very little contact with horses. If he were forced to fight on horseback, it would definitely affect his performance.
And the previous battle with Wang Dongming also made him realize one thing, that a qualified war general must have excellent equestrian skills, and with the help of warhorses, their strength will be greatly enhanced.
All of this is undoubtedly unfavorable for Zhu Tianyou.
The battle was about to begin, and Wu Sangui was the first to charge forward on horseback, wielding a six-foot-long spear. His moves were bold and expansive, and compared to Wang Dongming, he seemed more inclined to overwhelm his opponent with sheer force.
At this moment, Zhu Tianyou also switched to a more advantageous weapon, a standard halberd, and directly confronted him in combat.
The advantage of strength was fully evident. After a few exchanges, Wu Sangui realized that he was far inferior to Zhu Tianyou in terms of power. Pressing forward with sheer force would likely be unsustainable for him, so he changed his offensive style, opting for fierce attacks to continuously break through Zhu Tianyou's defenses.
Gradually, Zhu Tianyou began to fall into a disadvantage. Originally, Zhu Tianyou's exceptional martial prowess should not have led to this situation, but due to his lack of experience and absence of professional training, his fighting style was chaotic. Furthermore, Zhu Tianyou was secretly concealing his true abilities, not wanting Wu Sangui to become overly cautious about him.
Using only thirty percent of his strength throughout the battle, after forty exchanges, Wu Sangui knocked the halberd away.
The fight came to an end, and Wu Sangui laughed heartily, feeling that he had gained a fierce general. He said loudly, "You have passed the assessment. Come with me into the city, and I will appoint you as a Deputy General."
"Here, in gratitude for General Wu's kindness, I also have the family of Prince Gong with me. They have come to seek refuge under you, General. I humbly request that their troops be placed under my command."
"The Wang family? Relatives of Wang Dongming?" Wu Sangui thought to himself.
Zhu Tianyou and the Third Prince, along with four others, entered Shanhaiguan together. While registering for military service, Zhu Tianyou recalled something.
"Wu Sangui has always been ambitious and cunning. If we write down the surname Zhu, he will surely become suspicious. It would be better for us to use aliases for now and restore our names when the situation calms down."
"The elder brother's words are reasonable."
Zhu Tianyou Sui Rang The Third Prince took the surname Jiang together with himself, becoming "Jiang Tianyou ", "Jiang Cixi".
The Vice General is a third-class military rank in the Ming Dynasty, commanding a thousand troops, equivalent to the rank of a Captain in the Han Dynasty and a modern-day regiment commander, also leading a thousand soldiers.
After Zhu Tianyou arranged various tasks upon taking office, he immediately inquired of Wu Sangui: "General Wu, my troops are insufficient; may I request some reinforcements?"
Wu Sangui laughed heartily and said, "Brother Jiang, you may not know that the current situation is turbulent. Our Guanning Army is stationed at Shanhaiguan under the orders of Emperor Ming to guard against the Qing forces. We are now isolated and unsupported, lacking in funds and provisions. The outside is also unstable, and we have not trained any new troops. It seems difficult for the Guanning Army to reward our brothers with leadership positions. If you are looking for some excitement, why not go to General Wang Dongming's army and select a battalion of soldiers?"
"Thank you for your kind offer, General. I will certainly look up to you."
Shanhaiguan Military Camp
Wang Dongming Department
"General Wang, General ordered me to come here to receive a battalion of soldiers and horses from you."
"Wang Dongming flashed a hint of gloom in his eyes and said in a deep voice, 'Alright... brothers, let's go out and reform the formation with him.' In the military tent, many who appeared to be mid-level officers sighed and reluctantly followed the order."
Zhu Tianyou felt a subtle sense of unease, but he understood that at this moment, he should not ask too many questions. He needed to comply with Wu Sangui as much as possible to lower his guard against him.
Wang Dongming's former troops, numbering a thousand, along with the three hundred private soldiers recruited by the Wang family, formed Zhu Tianyou's foundation.
In the entire Shanhaiguan area, there are a total of 60,000 troops, including the Guanning Iron Cavalry with two battalions totaling 12,000 men, as well as various other mixed troops, including Ming Army, surrendered soldiers, and newly recruited civilians, forming a complex and uneven military force.
However, they are the last elite forces of the Ming Dynasty, each of them having extensive experience in battle and strength not inferior to the Qing army.
The military provisions are abundant, and with the strategic location of the mountains and seas, we can resist the Qing army of 120 million from outside the pass for more than a year.
However, in the end, it is just a solitary city without logistical support. The military funds are almost depleted. If we do not surrender to the Qing army or seek refuge with the Shun army, we will inevitably be caught in a dilemma between the two sides and head towards destruction sooner or later.
A military coup is also a possibility.
Wu Sangui, in order to ensure that the entire Guanning Army could advance and retreat together with him, made extensive adjustments to officers at all levels to support his trusted confidants.
Wang Dongming was once a deputy general of Yuan Chonghuan, and later transferred to Wu Sangui's army, where he was also a prominent figure.
However, due to his loyalty to Mingting and not being part of Wu Sangui's inner circle, he faced continuous suppression. Now, he has become a general with a title but no real power, commanding troops that must wait for civilian reinforcements.
Zhu Tianyou spent several days getting acquainted with officers at various levels, handling basic interpersonal relationships while secretly investigating the internal structure of the forces led by Wu Sangui among the passengers.
The fall of the Ming Dynasty and the refusal of the Guanning Army to enter the palace to support the throne were no coincidence. The two deputy generals in the army, along with more than a dozen participating generals, including Zhu Tianyou himself, were all closely connected with Wu Sangui.
The entire army cannot be described as loose, but it can definitely be called confused. Shanhaiguan is like a small boat on the vast ocean, with an uncertain and unclear future.
Zhu Tianyou also learned that Wang Dongming is the grandnephew of Mr. Wang. The wealth and military power of the Wang family can now be said to belong entirely to Wu Sangui.
Zhu Tianyou has developed a rift in his heart due to his previous battle with Wang Dongming and taking away his and the Wang family's military power. It is difficult to contact the only loyal and righteous person, so Zhu Tianyou himself needs to do something to win over Wang Dongming. Being unfamiliar with the military life, he must have a military righteous person to help stabilize the military's morale.
Zhu Tianyou After much thought, there is only one plan...
To reconcile, in ancient times there were the beautiful stories of Lian Po and Lin Xiangru. I am just a humble official of the Ming Dynasty, why can't I apologize?
Zhu Tianyou made up his mind to be the Lian Po, while he had doubts about whether Wang Dongming could be the Lin Xiangru. However, for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, every attempt was worth it.
On March 1st, Zhu Tianyou had been appointed as a Deputy General for over a week. Zhu Tianyou expressed to Wu Sangui, "Senior Wang Dongming, there has been some misunderstanding between us before. I would like to come and apologize, and I hope you can mediate our conflict."
Wu Sangui's eyes flashed, and he seemed to be lost in thought as he said, "It is indeed a good thing for our generals to coexist harmoniously."
Zhu Tianyou then found some branches and tied them around himself. After walking for half an hour from his deputy general's residence, he headed to Wang Dongming's house to apologize.
"Jing" was used on Zhu Tianyou not with wooden sticks, but with thorny vines, specifically for flogging.
After half an hour, Zhu Tianyou's skin was also scratched and pierced in many places, with blood flowing continuously, causing the people of Shanhaiguan to sigh and feel emotional.
Wang Dongming originally planned to retire and not interfere in military affairs any longer, nor did he intend to meet with someone like Jiang Tianyou. However, the butler conveyed a message: "The one who caused the master to lose his military power is now outside the residence, waiting to meet the master and seeking forgiveness."
Wang Dongming's eyes were filled with confusion. He dismissed it lightly, saying, "He's just a henchman of Wu Sangui. Let him wait for a while; I will take a nap first. Do not let him in."
"Sure, sir."
Wang Dongming lay on the bed, silently thinking. Their family, a branch of the Wang clan in Langya, was once a prominent family. According to legend, their ancestor had served as the Qingyuan Marquis and had followed Zhu Di south. However, their family's fortunes had declined, and they had ended up on the border in Liaodong.
Wang's family in Liaodong was obscure. As the clan leader, he was merely a deputy general, and now he had fallen to the rank of a mere assistant general. The family's power was insignificant, and as a family of military lineage, he had lost everything. He could only think of his hometown—by the banks of the Liao River beyond the Great Wall. His hometown was now under the iron hooves of the Jurchens. He felt that he had wasted his life up to this point.
Seeing Wang Dongming in despair, his wife comforted him, saying, "A man stands between heaven and earth; much of what he does depends on fortune. Your current situation is all due to Wu Sangui's treachery and oppression against the generals."
Wang Dongming could only smile bitterly and say, "Time waits for no one. The world is full of uncertainty and darkness. If that time really comes, I can only sacrifice myself for the country and my ideals..."
Silence and tranquility filled the environment as Wang Dongming went to sleep.
I'm sorry, but it seems like your input is empty. Can you please provide the text you'd like to be translated?
Comment 0 Comment Count