Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 466 Conferring a Title?

Liu Ye called Lin San over: "You turned the tide of the battle at Qiuyu Mountain, and you captured the rebel king in Laoshan. Your contributions are indispensable. Since you've done a good deed to the end, I'm now entrusting you with the task of escorting the rebel king to the capital. Let him be defeated by you, captured by you, and finally sent to his death by your hand. You can also collect Chongzhen's reward."

Lin San grinned: "Thank you for your kindness, General."

Gao Yingxiang shuddered, and for a moment he considered biting his tongue to commit suicide to avoid being humiliated by these people. But then he thought: with his influence in the rebel army, Chongzhen might not kill him. He might even be hoping that he could persuade the various rebel armies to surrender. Even if he was sent to the capital, he might not die. So he gave up the idea of ​​suicide.

Lin San remembered something, pulled Huang Long over, and introduced him: "This man's defection at the last minute was a great help in successfully capturing the rebel this time."

Liu Ye smiled. So he was a traitor. While he personally despised such opportunists, from a strategic perspective, such people were indispensable and should be treated well. They should be set an example to attract more traitors, saving a lot of effort in future battles against the bandits. He asked with a half-smile, "Helping our army capture the rebel leader is a meritorious act. What's your name, and why are you helping us?"

Huang Long knelt on the ground, flatteringly saying, "General, my name is Huang Long. I was originally a general under Gao Yingxiang. Gao Yingxiang is usually harsh to his subordinates, and I have long resented him. Today, he is ignorant of his own limitations and has resisted the heavenly army, resulting in a crushing defeat. He has now fled into a deadly cave. This is a golden opportunity for me to lure him out of his hole and help General Lin capture this villain alive."

Liu Ye nodded: "Very good. A wise man knows when to yield. You have made the right choice, and I will not treat you unfairly. Follow the army for now, and I will give you a suitable official position when we return."

Huang Long quickly kowtowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you, General!"

After dismissing Huang Long, Liu Ye turned to Xu Yifan and said, "Zhang Xianzhong has fled eastward and certainly won't dare to come here again. Let Hong Chengchou deal with him. Once the battle is over, clean up the battlefield and return to Nanjing to rest for the time being. Also, send these prisoners back to Lingao."

Xu Yifan replied, "Yes, General," and then went to make the arrangements.

In March of the eighth or ninth year of the Chongzhen reign (1636), the allied forces of Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong, who had been advancing rapidly in Anhui, conquering four prefectures and three counties and reaching the border between Anhui and Jiangsu, were decisively defeated in Jiangpu County along the Yangtze River. Moreover, Gao Yingxiang was captured alive. When the news reached the capital, the court and the public were in an uproar.

Since peasant uprisings began across the country in the first year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the imperial court had expended enormous manpower and resources to suppress them, and had won some battles, but had never killed a major bandit leader, let alone captured him alive. The early leader, Wang Ziyong of Zijinliang, died of illness after being wounded. Later, Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai, and Lao Huihui, who were highly active, suffered many defeats at the hands of government troops, but they did not die out; they could rise again in a different location, rendering the government troops' victories meaningless.

Among these people, Gao Yingxiang, the "Chuang King," surpassed all others in strength and reputation, making him arguably the most powerful figure since Wang Ziyong's rise to power. He was a thorn in the side of Emperor Chongzhen and several successive commanders who suppressed the rebels, and they wanted to eliminate him as soon as possible. However, this man was extremely cunning, roaming across various provinces and fighting thousands of miles, growing stronger with each battle. From Yang He to Chen Qiyu, no one could deal with him. Although Hong Chengchou won several battles, he could not wipe him out. Instead, Gao Yingxiang, along with Zhang Xianzhong, fought his way through the entire Anhui province and almost invaded Jiangnan.

The Qionghai Navy, which had made such a tremendous contribution, once again came into everyone's view. Before establishing the military town, the Qiongzhou Camp had successively defeated the Japanese pirates who roamed Jiangnan and the Red Hairs who besieged Zhongzuo, showing off its strength and demonstrating its power. However, a few hundred Japanese pirates and a few Red Hair warships were obviously no match for the roving bandits who could shake the Ming Dynasty. The Qionghai Navy, with a mere 5,000 men, decisively defeated the combined forces of Gao and Zhang, totaling 50,000 men, and even captured Gao Yingxiang alive. This was something that Yang He and Chen Qiyu, who had gathered troops from several provinces, could not achieve, nor could Hong Chengchou, who was known for his outstanding talent. The strength of the Qionghai Navy was evident.

Lin San was still escorting Gao Yingxiang on the way, but the news had already been delivered to the capital by express courier.

Upon learning that the number one bandit leader was about to be escorted to the capital, Emperor Chongzhen was extremely excited from the day he heard the news. He even temporarily stopped reviewing memorials, which he had never stopped doing. He summoned cabinet members, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Rites to the Qianqing Palace to discuss how to hold a grand ceremony to present the captured enemy in order to announce the victory to the world and inspire all officials.

Wang Yingxiong, Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, first reported to Emperor Chongzhen the procedure for presenting captives: "Your Majesty, according to ancestral rules, we should report to Heaven and Earth, the ancestral temples, the altars of the land and grain, the mountains and rivers, the palaces and temples, and the shrines within ten li of the capital, and offer wine and dried meat as a sacrifice. The captured enemy chieftains should be bound with white silk and taken to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the Imperial Altar of the Land and Grain for the announcement ceremony. Then, the ceremony of presenting captives should be held at the Meridian Gate. A minister should be appointed to read the victory report in public. Afterward, the Minister of Justice should report that the captives from a certain place have been brought in and handed over to the relevant authorities for disposal..."

Emperor Chongzhen impatiently interrupted him, saying decisively, "No need for the Ministry of Justice to handle it, execute him directly by slow slicing!"

Everyone who heard this shuddered involuntarily. This emperor was of a fierce and ruthless nature, showing no mercy in his punishments, and frequently resorting to the death by a thousand cuts. The scene of Yuan Chonghuan, the military governor of Jiliao, being executed by a thousand cuts in 1630, his family being exiled three thousand li and their property confiscated, was still vivid in everyone's mind. Now, another execution was about to take place. Fortunately, this time it wasn't a minister, but a rebel.

Wen Tiren coughed and said slowly, "Your Majesty, there are established rules for presenting prisoners of war. The Ministry of Rites should handle it according to the regulations. There is no need for further discussion. However, since Qionghai Town has made such a great contribution in its first battle after its reconstruction, should it be rewarded?"

Emperor Chongzhen then remembered that the rewards for the meritorious officials had not yet been decided, so he asked Zhang Fengyi, "What do you think, Minister of War?"

Zhang Fengyi hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, Qionghai Town was only recently awarded. Within a year, Liu Ye has risen from a mere military officer to a deputy general, then a commander-in-chief, and now he has been appointed Right Grand Commander. He has reached the top. I really can't think of any way to reward him." He muttered to himself, "If he is promoted any further, he can only become the Grand Commander of the Five Armies Commandery, or perhaps I should give him my position as Minister of War."

Chongzhen thought that made sense, but it would be unreasonable not to reward such a great achievement. If he didn't give anything, wouldn't he become a heartless and ungrateful emperor?

He thought for a moment and asked the crowd, "A reward of a thousand taels of gold, or a thousand acres of fertile land?"

Such a "generous" reward stunned everyone. Even Wu Zongda, the second-in-command, Minister of Revenue, and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall, who rarely expressed his opinion, couldn't stand it anymore. He didn't say that such a small reward was too meager, but rather said tactfully, "For such a great achievement, rewarding him with gold, silver, and land seems a bit hasty. Your Majesty might consider bestowing a title upon him..."