Chapter 140: Death of Nian Gengyao (Part 2)
Tianlao refers to the place in the capital city where prisoners from Zhaoyu were detained.
It is said that among all the dynasties, the Tianlao of the Ming Dynasty was the most disciplined. Of course, this rule does not mean that you can live comfortably if you have money, and live miserably if you don't have money. The rule in the Tianlao of the Ming Dynasty is to follow the rules and never oppress or humiliate the imperial prisoners. Even if the imperial prisoners are to be dragged out and beheaded tomorrow, the guards in the Tianlao will not use violence against them.
This was not because the Ming jailers were particularly moral, but because a wide network was formed among the Ming officials. Who knows if the relatives or friends of the executed prisoners will rise to high positions one day, and they will be merciless in revenge.
After experiencing various painful lessons, a good order was finally formed in the Ming Dynasty Tianlao.
Nian Gengyao was a scholar, but he obviously didn't like reading history books, so he didn't understand this at all. Moreover, the Ming Dynasty had already fallen, and the Qing Dynasty's Tianlao was not so regulated. He was a Jinshi in the 39th year of Emperor Kangxi (1700), and served as the Governor-General of Sichuan, the Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, and the General of Fuyuan, and was conferred the title of Taibao and the First-Class Duke.
He once planned strategies, fought on the battlefield, cooperated with various armies to quell the rebellion in Tibet, and led the Qing army to quell Lobsang Danjin in Qinghai, making great military achievements.
After entering the Heavenly Prison, he was still severely reprimanded by the emperor. In the eyes of the Heavenly Prison guards, Nian Gengyao was just a dog waiting to die.
This is quite consistent with Nian Gengyao's most important identity, a bannerman from the Bordered Yellow Banner. Since he is a bannerman, he is naturally the emperor's dog slave. The emperor's dog is still a dog in trouble, so the jailer did not have any psychological burden when he was rude to Nian Gengyao.
If Nian Gengyao still brought up his previous identity at this time, haha, it would only be adding to his guilt.
With the consciousness of being a dog slave, Nian Gengyao did not dare to say anything. Moreover, he recently received news that his sister, the Imperial Noble Consort Dunsu, had passed away. In addition, Concubine Nian had been weak since childhood, and the children she gave birth to Yongzheng all died in infancy. Nian Gengyao knew that the last card that could impress Yongzheng had been lost, and he had nothing to rely on anymore.
In November, the bedding in the prison was worn out, and the straw mat was wet and cold. The toilet was locked against the fence wall, emitting the smell of feces and urine. There was no fire in the prison. Nian Gengyao wrapped himself in a tattered cotton jacket, leaned against the wall and closed his eyes in deep thought. In the prison, he had plenty of time to use his brain.
After many years of fighting, Nian Gengyao could barely stand the harsh environment. But Nian Gengyao still had a fire in his heart. He felt that he was only 47 years old and still young. There was still a chance for him to serve Yongzheng.
After sweeping Qinghai, Nian Gengyao judged that the Dzungars would never give up. In two years at the shortest, four years at the longest, the Dzungars would definitely come back and fight the imperial court again.
At that time, Nian Gengyao would have the opportunity to wipe out the Dzungar Khanate in one fell swoop and fulfill his long-cherished wish that had not been fulfilled since the Qing Dynasty.
But things are unpredictable, and Nian Gengyao suddenly went from being a general to a prisoner. Nian Gengyao now only hoped that the Junggar would send troops immediately, so that he would have a chance.
I was just daydreaming when I heard footsteps. I turned around and saw someone following the jailer. He had some impression of him. He should be from the family of Li Shude, the former governor of Shandong.
Nian Gengyao had thought about his future and tried to marry into the Yanshenggong Mansion, but was politely and decisively rejected. The person who helped to make the connection was Li Shude, the then governor of Shandong.
Seeing this man appear again, Nian Gengyao thought that he was not here to see him. However, the jailer brought the man to stop in front of Nian Gengyao's cell door. Li Shude's family quickly stuffed a silver ingot into the jailer's pocket, and the jailer let the man stop outside the cell door and went somewhere else, leaving room for the two to talk.
"Mr. Liang, I have something to ask you." Someone from Li Shude's family said in a low voice.
Nian Gengyao didn't bother to put on a show. He just sat down at the door and listened to Li Shude's family tell him what had happened.
It turns out that the current Shandong Governor Chen Shiguan has sent troops to attack the rebel Huo Chong, and has mobilized almost all the troops in Shandong...
Hearing this, Nian Gengyao frowned unconsciously. Dividing the enemy into several groups, this seemed to be an effective method. However, just because it seemed to be so powerful and could make it difficult for the enemy to take care of both ends, it concealed a great danger.
But the one to be eliminated was only Huo Chong... Huo Chong was the craftsman who made the Liuli Fire. How could a craftsman like him rebel?
Perhaps because they noticed that Nian Gengyao looked amiss, the people in Li Shude's family stopped talking and asked in a low voice, "I wonder what Mr. Liang thinks is wrong."
Nian Gengyao vaguely felt that the matter was probably not simple. Although the craftsmen's rebellion was really puzzling, the former Shandong Governor Li Shude sent someone to tell Nian Gengyao in the Tianlao that the court sent troops to wipe out a Shandong craftsman. This matter itself was even more puzzling.
"When there are several armies encircling and suppressing the enemy, it is inevitable that there will be communication errors. The troops from various directions want to prove their achievements and will not cooperate at all. This is an opportunity to take advantage of." Nian Gengyao commented calmly. However, his tone could not help but reveal that unconscious arrogance.
The people in Li Shude's family nodded repeatedly, "Mr. Liang is right. The rebel Huo Chong sent people to block the mountain pass, so that the government troops from Laiwu could not cross Boshan. He led his troops and first led the government troops from Jinan Prefecture into Mengyin County. The government troops conquered Mengyin County and thought they had raided Huo Chong's lair. But they never thought that Huo Chong secretly went south and defeated the government troops from southern Shandong. He then went east and razed all the government offices and green camps in Zibo County, Linzi County and other places..."
Although he was not so familiar with Shandong, Nian Gengyao could probably draw a rough map of Shandong in his mind. Listening to Huo Chong's battle trajectory, Nian Gengyao nodded slightly, but with some surprise.
It was strange that a craftsman was surrounded and suppressed by the imperial court, but it was not strange that such a craftsman could use such a tactic. If Nian Gengyao himself had a group of elite soldiers, he would have to fight like this.
Thinking about Huo Chong's real and fake battles all the way, Nian Gengyao's expression was grim and his eyes lit up. Interrupting the description of Li Shude's family, Nian Gengyao asked: "Where did Huo Chong finally fight the government troops from Jinan? Was it at Zibo River? Or at Xiaoqing River?"
"Ah? Someone told Mr. Liang?" The people in Li Shude's family were stunned.
Nian Gengyao really didn't want to waste time talking to this idiot. He stared at the person outside the fence and asked again, "Is it Zibo River or Xiaoqing River?"
Li Shude's family was so frightened that they swallowed their saliva unintentionally, and then they answered carefully with sharp eyes that seemed to be able to kill people: "It was in Xiaoqing River."
"How many government troops escaped? Thirty percent? Fifty percent?" Nian Gengyao's eyes became sharper.
Li Shude's family was really frightened. He shuddered at first, swallowed several times, and still couldn't speak.
Nian Gengyao sighed, turned back and sat down against the fence. In fact, Nian Gengyao felt that it was not as malicious as others described. It was just a look, and the law was very strict.
When Nian Gengyao was in the northwest, he was about to leave the palace. It was snowing heavily. The officials who were carrying the sedan chair had their hands covered with snowflakes, and their fingers looked like they were about to be frozen off.
Nian Gengyao felt sorry for him and ordered, "Remove your hand!" He did not want the official who was holding the carriage to freeze. However, the official did not understand what Nian Gengyao meant, and he took out his sword and cut off his hand, leaving blood all over the snow.
Whenever the general thought of this incident, he felt extremely regretful. But no matter how much he regretted it, there was no way to remedy it.
No longer looking at Li Shude's family, Nian Gengyao asked: "I'm not looking at you. Just tell me, the government troops set out from Jinan and fought a decisive battle with the bandits at Xiaoqing River. What happened in the end?"
