Chapter 47: Commander-in-Chief

  Chongzhen 17th year, March 14th.

  The vanguard of the Taiping Army has already reached the front of Juyongguan Pass and is less than thirty miles away!

  As expected by the Ming dynasty and the Shun army, Jinzhong was empty and the Shun army had been advancing smoothly since the beginning of the year, it was simply like a hot knife through butter!

  In February, Li Zicheng attacked Taiyuan. The Prince of Jin refused to contribute his family's wealth to support the army, and the soldiers within the city had no will to fight. On the sixth day of the first month, the city was breached, the Provincial Governor took his own life, and many people including the Governor Zhao Jianji were killed. The Prince of Jin was captured.

  On February 16, Li Zicheng set out again, this time with the goal of directly attacking Beijing. Along the way, he issued the "Eternal Prosperity Edict" carefully drafted by Niu Jinxing and others, which severely criticized the imperial court. It also called on Chongzhen to be prepared to surrender early and not lose his royal seal.

  On February 21, Li Zicheng encountered fierce resistance in Ningwu, and General Zhou Yuji refused to surrender until death. He led his troops in a bloody battle, and the Battle of Ningwu left the rebel army extremely disheartened. Li Zicheng even worried that they would encounter similar resistance in Datong and Juyongguan, and considered retreating... But just as Li Zicheng was hesitating, General Jiang Xiang of Datong sent an envoy to surrender, and the rebel army continued to advance, arriving in Datong on March 1. Jiang Xiang surrendered, and Li Zicheng executed the Prince of Dai and exterminated his entire clan. The provincial governor, Wei Jingxue, took his own life. On the sixth day of the first month, the rebel army's vanguard reached Xuanfu, where General Wang Chengyun, who had previously agreed to surrender, welcomed them thirty miles outside the city. Provincial Governor Zhu Zhifeng scolded the surrendered officials for their shamelessness before hanging himself.

  ……

  ……

  The overall situation is like this, and the strong army is pressing the border. Tang Tong, the general of the garrison at Yongquan Pass, and Du Xun, the supervising eunuch, are not worried in the slightest. After all, they have already made up their minds to surrender. When Li Zicheng's vanguard arrives, they will follow Wang Cheng'en's example and go out to welcome them thirty miles away. At that time, the two of them will suddenly transform from being high-ranking officials of the Ming dynasty to becoming nobles of the new dynasty.

  In this day and age, if you still stubbornly cling to the Ming dynasty and refuse to let go, then you are a hopeless moron!

  Since the early hours of dawn, Tang Tong had been waiting for news near the East Gate. He couldn't stay in the luxurious and majestic General's Mansion anymore. Scouts were sent out continuously throughout the night to gather information about the approaching rebel army. As soon as they spotted the vanguard's banners, everyone would pack up and leave the city together to surrender properly.

  Just at this moment of helplessness, a handsome young officer in front of the central army tent came running up and reported: "General Bo, Governor Du has arrived."

  Tang Tong, the general of Ji Town, was granted the title of Earl ten days ago. The Ming dynasty, due to the dominance of civil officials, suppressed imperial power and also restricted the movement of military officers. From Jiajing to Shenzong Wanli and Chongzhen, only one military officer, Li Chengliang, who made great contributions in Liaodong, was truly granted a title. Qi Jiguang and other famous anti-Japanese generals served their whole lives but were only granted hereditary titles during the reigns of Chengzu and Renxuan.

  It's been a long time since military officers have been at a disadvantage!

  The current situation is different, and the emperor no longer fears the power of military officials. In fact, during Chongzhen's reign, discipline had long since collapsed throughout the land, and military officials had also long since disobeyed orders.

  Ningnan Marquis Zuo Liangyu and Pingdong Marquis Liu Zeqing, who were both enfeoffed on the same day, are representative figures of not abiding by military discipline and acting lawlessly.

  Wu Sangui, who was conferred the title of Pingxi Duke, had his father in Beijing and after receiving an imperial edict to enter the capital to defend it, he also made some moves. However, Wu Sangui used the excuse that the Ningyuan military and civilians were having difficulty moving and up until now, he is still outside the pass slowly dragging out time!

  It's just a matter of watching the wind direction and waiting for the outcome of the changing situation in the capital!

  Tang Tong and the Guanning Army were no match, in the Songshan battle, he and Wu Sangui fled together for over a thousand miles, with only their trusted family members and guards by their side, losing all their military equipment and supplies. Later, they gathered the remaining troops and waited quietly for the imperial court's disposition, if the imperial edict was to arrest and interrogate them, then they would not mind fleeing again... of course, where they would flee is self-evident.

  It wasn't until today that the imperial court finally stopped humiliating him and gave him a title of Duke of Dingxi. Although Tang Tong had already decided to surrender, everyone in the army also changed their way of addressing him.

  "Oh, has Ambassador Du arrived?"

  Tang Tong wore a qilin-embroidered robe, with a black gauze hat on his head, and his hand rested on the jade belt at his waist. A faint, ambiguous smile played on his lips... After a moment's thought, he simply waved his hand and said, "Invite him to come up."

  If it were in the past, when Du Xun came, Tang Tong would definitely be so scared that he would rush down to welcome him with a smile and apologize for being late... But today, things have changed. The military officer first gave an order, then hurriedly went down to the city.

  Before long, Du Xun, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Kitchen and concurrently the Grand Defender of Juyongguan Pass, strode up with large steps. Being sent to guard the last barrier at Juyongguan at this time was a testament to the emperor's trust in him. His face was ashen, and he glanced at Tang Tong before saying, "Hasn't the vanguard of the Imperial Army arrived yet?"

  "Not yet." Tang Tong smiled slightly and said, "If there is any news, I will inform the ambassador at the first time."

  The matter of surrender was discussed and decided by both men and all the generals, so now it is openly mentioned on the city wall without any evasion.

  "Good!" Du Xun had already deeply felt the other's contempt. As a eunuch with a subtle mind, what he hated most was this kind of behavior right in front of him. However, the other side had troops, and under the majestic and powerful military might, with sharp blades and guns, and flags fluttering everywhere, it was a mighty and awe-inspiring sight... Such a high-ranking general, someone who used to be looked down upon by Du Xun as a mere eunuch in charge of guarding the pass, could now only swallow his anger and speak humbly.

  He answered in a sharp voice and said: "There's still something, I'm afraid the general hasn't dealt with it cleanly yet?"

  Du Xun still looked like he was standing shoulder to shoulder with himself, but Tang Tong's heart was already not very comfortable. When he saw the other person's face looking for trouble, he became even more angry.

  For a moment, his face showed a fierce killing intent, but after thinking about it, the eunuchs' power was intricate and complex. Although the new dynasty had not yet shown signs of reusing this kind of person, it's still better to be cautious in all things.

  Moreover, the other party did indeed remind me of myself!

  At this moment, Du Xun forced a smile at Du Yun, but after turning around, his face was ashen!

  "Come on!" Tang Tong shouted: "Hurry up and come!"

  "Please give your instructions, sir."

  "The Crown Prince's inner guard isn't a small cavalry team inside the pass?" Tang Tong's face was filled with killing intent, his right hand also made a heavy chopping motion in mid-air, shouting: "Immediately dispatch people to surround them, don't let one of them escape. If they resist, kill them all!"

  "Yes, I'll arrange it right away."

  Under the command of Tang Tong, a military officer from his hometown was already determined to take action. He immediately dispatched several hundred elite cavalrymen to surround the residence where the Eastern Palace's cavalry was stationed, intending to wipe them out without hesitation. Just as he was about to turn and leave, a sudden burst of shouting erupted from all directions.

  "What's going on?"

  Tang Tong had already begun shouting on the city wall, and the crowd at the gate looked down together. They saw a team of cavalry suddenly rushing out from under the city, and the Jizhou soldiers guarding the city gate tried to move forward to block them. The leader of this team of cavalry waved his knife repeatedly, killing several of the closest ones. The rest of the cavalry also had one knife per person. On the city wall, they only saw the flashing knives below, and the Jizhou soldiers guarding the city gate cried out in horror. In the blink of an eye, the city gate was in chaos, with cries for help and pleas for mercy rising and falling. Before long, a weak resistance was crushed by the cavalry who had rushed out. More than 100 horses galloped out in a line, their silver chain armor shining brightly. As they rode at full speed, they were like a giant snake winding its way forward.

  "Tang Tong, you bastard! I knew you'd made up your mind to betray our lord and surrender... Next time we meet, I'll behead you!"

  Not far from the city gate, a sturdy man rode on horseback, with a long knife in his hand dripping fresh blood. Although he was wearing chain armor, he didn't wear a helmet or a hat, but only a fur cap. A rough and fierce face was clearly visible amidst the sinister laughter.

  "Humph, I'll slaughter you all right now!"

  Tang Tong was furious, and he had already recognized that it was the Beijing camp officer Wang Yuan. That year, he and several generals fled first, while this group of officers arrived late at the pass and did not honestly wait for punishment. Instead, they wanted to frame them, and as a result, they almost lost their lives.

  As a result of this matter, a deep feud was formed, but he didn't need to put these low-ranking military officers in his heart... Who would have thought that this person was also among the inner riding soldiers sent by the Donggong faction? If they had discovered it earlier, they would have sent someone to get rid of this villain!

  It's too late for regrets now, this group of Donggong riders are skilled in riding, although the city head has already sounded the bell and drummed, the archers have taken aim and shot arrows, and the firecrackers have also been fired, but Wang Yuan and others had long since galloped their horses, separated by dozens of steps, and couldn't be hurt at all.

  "Hum, the general really set up a good ambush... This time, it's called a good defeat of morale!"

  Tang Tong's head was in a rage, but Du Xun was sneering and mocking him on the side. He suddenly became furious, couldn't bear to show mercy anymore, took two steps forward, grabbed Du Xun's collar, raised his fist and was about to hit him.

  "Just take action," Du Xun was not panicked at all, and smiled slightly, saying: "Our family has long had a clever plan to enter the city, just waiting to report to the new emperor. You hit our nose blue and face swollen, but look at how we will report back in front of the new emperor?"

  "Pah!" Tang Tong didn't know whether Du Xun was telling the truth or not, but he himself had his own plans and room for retreat, and wasn't particularly afraid of Du Xun. He spat on the ground and cursed: "You despicable coward, just you wait, I'll get rid of you when I have the chance!"

  He said and strode down the city, in his haste, the armor on his body was also clanking loudly... He was angry at being humiliated and hurried to find a way back, secondly, this team of Donggong cavalry happened to be heading in the direction of the rebel army's approach. If the rebel camp is not prepared, they will be killed by them, causing chaos and triggering a big mess... This commander-in-chief can't even explain it clearly!

  At this moment, Gu could not afford to fight with Du Xun, and hurriedly went down the city, mobilizing all the more than 500 cavalrymen in the city, and chased after the place where the cavalrymen of the East Palace disappeared.

  "Call me a petty person?" Du Xun's eyes were also filled with madness, staring at the place where Tang Tong disappeared. He gritted his teeth and said: "Just wait and see how I, Old Master Du, will sacrifice my body to create a magnificent fortune, and by then, you, surnamed Tang, will have no choice but to kneel down and beg for mercy!"

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