I have a cornucopia

Chapter 206: The Emperor Calls the Door
the next day.

On the wall of Dadongmen.

"Everyone, watch carefully. This is what happens when you betray the Regent."

Gao Jie, who was wearing heavy armor, shouted.

In front of him, Yangzhou was already bloody in the morning sunshine. More than 20,000 Qing troops had poured into the city, but the battle was not over. After all, even if Yangzhou was just a new city, its population had already exceeded 500,000...

You can just ignore the registered population of the Ming Dynasty. They had long ceased to be counted, and they just made up the original numbers every year to fool the emperor.

There are countless refugees who are not registered in various places.

Especially in a commercial center like Yangzhou, it is estimated that more than half of them do not have household registration, such as the coolies and boatmen who make a living on the canal. The latter can even organize hundreds of private salt boats to break through. Especially the continuous war, people living in the periphery also flocked to this city, and refugees from the north and south also came to Yangzhou, a city where it is easy to find jobs and food. The entire population of Yangzhou has long exceeded one million, and the new city is also the most populous. After all, the government offices in the old city occupy a large area. However, because there are no government offices in the new city, it is full of civilians, so those refugees are crowded here. Even 20,000 Qing troops would find it difficult to control such a large population in a few hours. Their killings also triggered resistance from some militias and even the people. The coolies on the docks and the boatmen transporting salt not only have rich experience in fighting, but most of them have also participated in defending the city last time.

Now of course I am not willing to sit there and wait for death.

A melee was unfolding throughout the new city. In addition, the fire, which had not been put out in the first place, was also spreading. Some people had even opened the city gates in other directions to escape. After all, there were no Qing troops in the east and north for the time being.

The cannons on the old city walls continued to bombard the Qing army from time to time.

The whole city was bloody.

On the parapet beside Gao Jie, there were dozens of heads pressed down. These were the Wang family, including the families of the two salt merchant leaders who followed Wang the salt merchant. They were pressed down there with their heads sticking out...

"I mean what I say. If Yangzhou falls, you all have to go together. The Wang family colluded with the Jianlu and sold Yangzhou, so his family will have to be beheaded. If you fight the Jianlu to the death, I can still keep your relatives for you. If you surrender to the Jianlu, I will collect the bodies of your relatives first!"

he shouted outside.

Then he raised his knife and chopped off the head of the person next to him.

His servants also raised their swords and struck.

Human heads fell on the city wall.

Blood spurted outward from the parapet.

"Gao Jie, you thief!"

Outside, a salt merchant who had just led his militia to welcome the royal army let out a mournful howl.

"thief?"

Gao Jie sneered.

"Drag his house here too, and I'll show you what I looked like when I was a thief."

He said.

The Qing army, who had just finished looting, were laughing. The salt merchant was crying and cursing. Gao Jie was also laughing on the wall. Soon, there was a burst of crying behind him, and several people were dragged over. The salt merchant was howling like crazy, and even lay on the ground begging Gao Jie to release his relatives, but it was useless. He was still pressed on the parapet.

"kill!"

Gao Jie said calmly.

Then the servants raised their swords and attacked.

Looking at the heads falling from the city wall, the salt merchant cried and fainted.

In an alley behind him, a salt merchant who had cut the hair of his men but had not had time to shave his heads or braid his tails was also dumbfounded by the scene. However, he reacted quickly, as a group of Qing soldiers came out in front of him carrying gold, silver and jewelry.

"Kill the Jianlu, brothers. Kill one and we'll be done for. It's time for us to serve the regent."

he shouted.

Then he raised the crossbow in his hand and shot an arrow into the chest of a Qing soldier.

Those militias were at a loss.

But then the Qing army rushed towards them furiously, holding all kinds of weapons, and the militiamen, who had no time to explain, immediately opened fire with their bird guns...

"Damn it, it's not like you're ignorant!"

Gao Jie said with a smile.

He wasn't just venting his anger.

This is how he told the hesitant salt merchants in the new city that if they surrendered to the Jianlu, their relatives would be dragged to the city wall and bled one by one. If they resisted, they would probably die at the hands of the Qing army. Of course, if they did not resist, they would also die, but the probability was different. But if they did not resist, all their relatives imprisoned in Wenchang Pavilion would die. If they resisted, even if they died, their children and grandchildren could continue the incense. In short, you make your choice!

Should you choose to save your life and then have your descendants die and the family line end? Or should you choose to resist until death but have your descendants survive and continue the family line?

Choose for yourself.

Anyway, as long as the old city doesn't fall, he can continue to play.

After all, for people of this era, especially the rich, the inheritance of the incense is sometimes more important than their own lives. Gao Jie originally used this to tie them up and prevent them from surrendering. Now he simply doesn't act at all. It's up to them to decide whether to die or have the inheritance of the incense cut off!

"Uncle, the Jianlu reinforcements have arrived outside."

Li Benshen hurried over to him and said.

"We've arrived, haven't we started the siege yet?"

Gao Jie said.

The Qing army, which was originally attacking the city, should have temporarily given up the attack. After all, now that the new city was in their hands, there was no need to fight to the death on the most heavily defended west side. The most they could do was to contain and delay the defenders on the west wall to prevent them from strengthening the east wall.

Li Benshen looked at Zhang Guowei and others not far away.

He's obviously hiding something.

"Uncle, you better go and take a look!"

He said.

Gao Jie didn't say any more and followed Li Benshen away.

Zhang Guowei looked at their backs, winked at Shen Tingyang and others, and took Xu Du, Zheng Zunqian and the guards down the city wall. They passed through the chaotic old city one after another and climbed up the Tongsi Gate. As soon as Zhang Guowei climbed up the city wall, his face changed, because the Qing army lined up outside the city could be said to be a huge army, and in front of this army, a team of Qing soldiers were escorting a carriage pulled by eight horses and moving forward.

"Minister, what are these eight horses pulling? I am a lowly general and do not know the rules of the court."

Because the two of them did not come up from the same horse trail, Gao Jie, who was on the other side of the Tongsi Gate city wall, held the parapet, turned to look at Zhang Guowei, and said with a deep smile.

"The emperor's chariot."

Zhang Guowei said expressionlessly.

This is a large chariot used exclusively by the emperor. As for who is inside it, there is no need to say.

"Ah, could this be another Emperor called Men?"

Gao Jie said.

"Governor, His Majesty is in Xi'an. Whoever is in here, he is not His Majesty."

Zhang Guowei said.

But you can see that he is in a very heavy mood.

Gao Jie sneered and then stopped talking.

The large chariot, under the guard of the Qing army, or escorted, soon stopped outside the Tongsi Gate in front of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians on the Yangzhou city wall, and then a young man wearing a leather cap and the emperor's leather cap walked out. Song Quan, who was riding a horse beside him, wearing the official hat of the Qing Dynasty, helped Zhu Cilang, or the emperor of the Ming Dynasty proclaimed by Dorgon, get off the chariot. The latter had obviously obeyed... This was not surprising.

He has been under the control of Dorgon for almost a year.

Surrounded by the exhausted bombardment of old civil officials, it would be strange for a young man like him to hold on.

In fact, Dorgon's design, at least it seems, is not bad for him. He used to be the crown prince, and Chongzhen probably never let him feel the father's love. It is also a fact that Chongzhen was placed under house arrest by Li Zicheng. It is also a fact that the Ming Dynasty is in turmoil. As the crown prince, he certainly cannot sit idly by. So the design proposed by Dorgon can at least allow the Zhu family to keep half of the country. What's more, he was originally a prisoner, and a prisoner who had been abandoned. Accepting Dorgon's design can make him the king of a country. As for the issue of his father, this is not without precedent. Besides, he probably doesn't have much affection for his father. In such matters, the feelings are originally the most insignificant.

"Now that you have come to see me, why do you close the door and refuse to let me in?"

At Song Quan's signal, Zhu Cilang raised his head and looked at the people at Tongsi Gate and said.

No one answered him.

"Isn't Mr. Zhang an old friend?"

He spoke to Zhang Guowei again.

The latter finally let out a long sigh.

"I have met His Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhang Guowei bowed to him and said.

Since he had saluted, Gao Jie and others followed suit. Of course, they saluted the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty instead of the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

"Your Highness, please order the Jianlu beside you to retreat two hundred steps, and we will open the door to welcome Your Highness."

Zhang Guowei said.

"Brother Yuxi, the Regent of the Qing Dynasty personally led an army of 200,000 to escort the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty back to Nanjing. Why do you call him a captive? The Regent and His Majesty have agreed that the Ming and Qing dynasties will be brothers for generations. This trip south is to establish an eternal alliance to jointly suppress the rebellion. This is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty and the people of Jiangnan. Why do you care about the past? Don't you want to suppress the rebellion and bring peace to the world?"

Song Quan said.

He was one year later than Zhang Guowei. The latter became a Jinshi in the second year of the Tianqi reign, while he was in the fifth year.

Of course, there must be quite a bit of interaction.

After all, they were all originally at the level of governor, and the Guide Song family had close ties with these aristocratic families in Jiangnan.

"Who are you?"

Zhang Guowei said.

"Brother Yuxi, this brother is Song Yugong."

Song Quan quickly said with a smile.

"How can there be a Song Yugong who is as good as a gold and silver rat? You should not pretend to be Song Yugong and ruin his reputation."

Zhang Guowei said.

Song Quan blushed, lowered his head and remained speechless.

"Your Highness, please drive the Jianlu away. If they retreat two hundred steps, I will open the gates and welcome Your Highness into the city."

Zhang Guowei said to Zhu Cilang.

Zhu Cilang...

He was also speechless.

What qualifications does he have to repel the Qing troops around him!

"Since Your Highness cannot repel the Jianlu, then he is being held hostage by them. What Your Highness said before was not what he meant. Your Highness's usurpation of the title of emperor was also coercion by them, not what he meant. Behind me are millions of people in Yangzhou. The Jianlu have captured Xincheng and are slaughtering people in Xincheng. I dare not risk the lives of millions of people behind me. If Your Highness cannot repel the Jianlu, I dare not open the gate to welcome them.

As for the rest, I have been ordered by Your Majesty to assist the Princess Regent in the Southern Capital, and I only follow the Imperial Edict and the Regent's decree. I don't know anything else."

Zhang Guowei said.

"Brother Yuxi, why are you so stubborn? Everything the Qing Dynasty has was not taken from the Ming Dynasty. The rebels destroyed the capital, and the Qing Dynasty's royal army entered the pass to save the people from the dire situation. All the land was taken from the rebels. They never occupied an inch of the Ming Dynasty, but they were willing to join hands with the Ming Dynasty to wipe out the rebels so that the Ming Dynasty would not lose the Southern Song Dynasty. Why are you so stubborn? Don't you want to restore peace to the world?
If there is no help from the Qing Dynasty, isn't Brother Yu Si afraid that the rebels will march south?
This country would rather perish from the barbarians than from the bandits.

Brother Yusi, please don't make the same mistake over and over again."

Song Quan said this in a earnest manner.

It can be seen that they are very sincere, but for these surrendered ministers, most of them really do not think they are in the wrong. Song Quan was also the one who originally shouted in history that whoever avenges Chongzhen will be his new master. The Ming Dynasty would rather perish with the Jianlu than with the bandits. This is almost the unanimous mentality of these northern families.

Of course, the same is true in the South.

Originally, the resistance in the South in history was not due to the change of dynasties, but was simply due to anger caused by the shaving of hair and changing of clothes.

Zhang Guowei sneered.

"Three miles behind me, those who you said saved the people from disaster are slaughtering the city. The corpses of the elderly, the weak, women and children are piled up in the streets, and blood is flowing like a river.

Is this your royal teacher?
If it is still like this in Yangzhou, if they are allowed to cross the river, Jiangnan will be in a bloodbath. Zhang is not stupid enough to invite a wolf into the house. Let's not talk about Li Zicheng. Jiangnan cannot be stained with blood again. Your Highness, please go back. I will report to Your Majesty that Your Highness is held hostage by the Jianlu and what you said is not your intention. Please also tell Dorgon that Yang Feng has counterattacked the capital. Since he is leading an army of 200,000 to the south, the capital must be empty.

At this time, Yang Feng might have captured his woman again.

I just don’t know who Dorgon is going to use to exchange for her this time.”

Zhang Guowei said.

"Brother Yuxi..."

Song Quan shouted anxiously.

"boom!"

Suddenly gunshots rang out.

With a look of shock frozen on his face, he fell backwards as the bullets hit him.

Zhang Guowei turned his head and glanced at Zheng Zunqian who was holding a short gun, but he didn't say anything. He and Song Quan had already severed their friendship. At the same time, more gunshots rang out, and Xu Du and others opened fire at the Qing army outside with short guns in their hands. Zhu Cilang screamed in fear and squatted beside the carriage. However, he was escorted by a Niulu, and they were elite Bayala banner soldiers. They fought back with bows and arrows in their hands while retreating quickly amid the whistling bullets.

Two Qing soldiers got out of the carriage, pulled Zhu Cilang back, then turned their horses around and retreated.

Of course, no one attacked Zhu Cilang.

Neither did Gao Jie.

Although from his point of view, he actually wanted to kill Zhu Cilang, the princess would never accept such an outcome.

He is a smart man. Although he likes to play the role of a rough guy, he still knows when to act.

He just stood there, watching the Qing army hastily retreat with Zhu Cilang in tow, while the Qing army arrayed in the distance was already preparing for a new round of attack. As for Song Quan, who was shot, he fell there with no one to care about him. Although the bullet did not kill him directly, he was trampled several times by the fleeing Qing army horses, so now he could only twitch...

"I finally understand. As long as the scholar wants to surrender, he will always find a good reason. I really can't listen to you scholars in the future. Who knows if those who claim to be loyal and righteous have secretly drafted a letter of surrender."

he sighed.

Zhang Guowei just looked outside silently.

At this time, on the Qing army's position in the distance, cannons were already spewing flames...

(Two-thirds of my hard times are finally over, and I will be free in one year!)

(End of this chapter)