Volume 2: The Capital, I’m Back Chapter 51: No One Left Behind
The Three Thousand Battalion continued to march quickly, heading straight for Huailai.
They rode non-stop along the way, and Zhu Qizhen's face was gloomy and murderous.
This time they went deep into the desert, crossed the Onon River to the north, and finally escaped the pursuit of the Oirat people at the icy and snowy Lake Baikal. Then they turned south and returned to the Ming Dynasty.
But I didn't expect to see such a scene as soon as I entered the Great Wall.
The heads on the five carts were all the victims of Huailai City!
When the Oirat invaded, the soldiers ran away and they were brutally tortured.
Now that the Wala people are gone, they should have started their lives anew, but unexpectedly...
The more Zhu Qizhen thought about it, the angrier he became, and he kept urging his horse to move forward.
After the baptism of this war, the childishness on his face was no longer there, but was replaced by a sense of vicissitudes and coldness. The life and death of countless people was just a matter of thought.
At the Huailai city gate, the guards guarding the city saw the black mass of cavalry from afar and were immediately scared to death and hurried to report.
"General, this is bad, General!"
"What happened again?" Kang Neng frowned and asked, "Why are you making such a fuss every day? What happened again?"
"Outside...Wa...Wa'ra people..."
"What?" Kang Neng stood up and asked, "Didn't the Wala retreat?"
"It's true...you should go and have a look!"
Kang Neng walked out of the barracks quickly, came to the city gate and took a look, and was immediately frightened.
There were as many as two to three thousand Wala cavalry, and their outposts were almost at the city.
He had served in Huailai for many years and was very familiar with the Oirat people. Just by looking at the way they rode on horses, he knew that they were an elite force.
"General, what should we do?"
At this time, Kang Neng was full of doubts. He really couldn't understand why the Oirat people came back again.
Isn't it going to start fighting again...
Then he thought, oh no, Fan Cheng is leading the team asking for merit to the east. According to the time, they must have been discovered. Maybe they are here today to seek revenge on me!
This is a huge misunderstanding and must be explained clearly. Otherwise, if the Oirat people become angry and massacre the city, our troops will not be enough to fill their teeth.
"Quick, open the city gate!"
"ah?"
"What? Open the city gate quickly!"
"But……"
Looking at the blind guy in front of him, Kang Neng slapped him and said angrily: "I asked you to open the city gate, are you deaf?"
The city gate slowly opened, and at the same time, a cavalryman returned to the team.
"Your Majesty, the city gate ahead is open!"
Zhu Qizhen looked up at Huailai City in front of him with extremely complicated feelings.
These days I have been fighting wits and courage with the Oirat people on the grassland, but I didn't expect that the first thing I would do after returning to Ming Dynasty would be to kill people.
Kill your own people!
"Pass on my order and enter the city!"
Li Zhen said cautiously, "I suggest that we send one team ahead first..."
Zhu Qizhen said nonchalantly: "We have been through all the dangers, what is there to be afraid of in our own territory? Let's go into the city!"
At this time, everyone was kneeling on the ground at the city gate.
Seeing the Wala army getting closer and closer, Kang Neng had a depressed look on his face and was extremely anxious.
What should I say in a moment...
The Wala people came so suddenly that there was no time to prepare.
Fortunately, he had studied for a few years and had some knowledge, so he quickly prepared a speech.
"The great general's reputation is well known, and I am sorry that I failed to come to greet him."
"The general is kindhearted, and I have heard of him for a long time. The emperor of the Ming court is cruel, and the people are living in misery. If the general does not come out, what will happen to the people of the world?"
"To show my gratitude, I have cleared out all the disloyal people in the city as a token of my surrender. From now on, I am willing to serve the general in his command, overthrow the Ming court, and rule the Central Plains!"
It is better to behave respectfully when facing the ferocious Oirat people.
As an official in the Ming Dynasty, your life would never be in danger unless you extremely angered the emperor.
But facing the murderous Wala people, it is obviously different. They really dare to chop off your head and use it to fill wine or kick it like a ball.
Hearing the sound of horse hooves getting closer, Kang Neng hurriedly lowered his head and knelt firmly, not daring to make even the slightest sound.
Da da da……
Da da da……
In front of the city gate, the sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, and Kang Neng was so frightened that he dared not breathe.
Whether you live or die today depends on this moment.
Finally, a horse slowly walked in front of Kang Neng, and the real owner had arrived.
Kang Neng crawled on the ground and saw only four horse hooves, but he did not dare to look up at the people on the horses.
Firstly, this seems disrespectful to others, and secondly, it is really difficult to look up.
Therefore, when he saw the horse's hooves, he kowtowed heavily, appearing extremely respectful, and then raised his voice and said, "I, the guilty minister Kang Neng, respectfully welcome the great general. The general has led his army here to comfort the people and punish the criminals, and to enforce justice on behalf of heaven. The whole city of Huailai is celebrating like timely rain, and the whole world is celebrating. I, the guilty minister, am even more excited and overjoyed!"
Zhu Qizhen was riding on a horse and was immediately confused when he heard these words.
Great general? And he's still acting on behalf of heaven?
Then he realized that Kang Neng thought he was a Wala!
This is no wonder. The 3,000-strong army went deep into the desert. Their armor had long been replaced with leather jackets, and they had no time to take care of their hair and beards. From a distance, they looked no different from the Oirat people.
It was precisely because of this attire that they were able to deceive the Wala people's blockades several times and finally escape from the grassland .
It’s just... to punish the criminals and enforce justice?
Should I hang my own people and punish my own sins?
All of a sudden, the city gate fell into a strange silence.
But this silence made Kang Neng and others on the ground feel more and more frightened.
Why are you ignoring me?
Did I say something wrong?
Kang Neng lay on the ground and recalled carefully. There was nothing wrong with what he just said. Even if those sour and pedantic people said it, it would be no more than that!
Is it because it's too elegant and people can't understand it?
Yes, the Wala people are no different from savages, how could they understand these flowery words!
The more Kang Neng thought about it, the more he felt that this was a wrong move. He became even more panicked and said, "I, your humble servant, offer this to you today to help the great general achieve his ambitions!"
After speaking, Kang Neng was suddenly stunned for a moment, and then he was very annoyed. What's wrong with his brain? The other party is a Wala, how can he understand Chinese...
This time it was really a mistake!
Just when he was feeling extremely upset, the person in front of him suddenly spoke.
" Are Kang Neng, the garrison commander of Huailai?"
Kang Neng was stunned at first, but suddenly he was secretly delighted. It turned out that the other person could speak Chinese. This would be easy!
"Replying to the General, the culprit is Kang Neng!"
Then, with a slight snap, a document fell to the ground and landed in front of Kang Neng.
He only took one look and immediately began to tremble all over.
Because this document was the petition for merit that he had written with all his heart.
"We killed five thousand enemies and beheaded two thousand. This is considered a great victory."
"General, calm down!" Kang Neng's back was covered with cold sweat, and he quickly explained, "Everything said here is false, just to defraud the court's reward!"
"Fake? What about those five carts full of heads?"
"Those are all... the people in the city..."
“Haha. Hahaha!”
Immediately, the man suddenly laughed, but there was a hint of sadness and hatred in his laughter.
Kang Neng lay on the ground, not daring to breathe. He didn't know why others were laughing, and he didn't dare to ask.
The other party laughed enough and suddenly asked: "How many people do you have?"
"Probably... probably more than 500, but 300 of them have left the city, the ones the general encountered. There are still more than 200 in the city, available for the general to command."
"Is it all here? "
"Yes, it's all here!"
"Killing innocent people and claiming credit for it, do you all have a share?"
"Everyone has a share!" Kang Neng said hurriedly, "Please rest assured, General. We have suffered for a long time in the Ming court. We are just waiting for you to take over the city and march south. We are willing to be the vanguard!"
"Ha Ming!"
"I will be here!"
Zhu Qizhen glanced around and said in a cold voice:
“Leave no one behind!”
