Late Yuan Dynasty: I am the true emperor

Chapter 580 Eating Peacocks
Inside the Duan family's palace in Dali, which had now become the temporary headquarters of the Ming army's southern expedition, all the captured members of the Duan clan, including those who had become monks, were temporarily bound and gathered here to await the Ming army's judgment. Among these captured members of the Duan clan, Duan Gong, the current governor of Dali, was prominently positioned at the very front of the crowd.

Just as Zhu Liangzu was looking at the furnishings with great interest, which had a slightly exotic feel, a messenger suddenly rushed in from outside the door.

"Report, Commander, news has just come from the rear that on the very night we captured Dali, the enemy cavalry hidden behind us went all the way to Yao'an Prefecture. There were local strongmen in the prefecture who colluded with the enemy to kill our prefect in Yao'an, as well as several hundred civilians and soldiers. Now Yao'an Prefecture has changed hands and been occupied by that enemy cavalry."

Upon hearing the messenger's report, Zhu Liangzu, who had just won a battle and was quite pleased with himself, suddenly froze, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he turned to glare angrily at Duan Gong, who was kneeling below the hall, bound hand and foot.

He quickly stepped forward, snatched the riding whip from the messenger, and swung it at Duan Gong with a loud crack, instantly tearing Duan Gong's cheek and bringing the Dali steward, who was in a daze and seemingly lost in thought, back to his senses with a muffled groan.

"You fool who doesn't know what's good for him! You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit! You're not going to be a wealthy and noble marquis of the Ming Dynasty, nor are you going to be related to His Majesty by marriage. You just want to die. Aren't you despicable? Huh? You shameless bastard!"

"Tell me, who led that cavalry unit hiding behind our lines? How many soldiers did they have? They killed over two thousand of my laborers! I didn't even suffer such losses when I conquered Dali! If I catch them, I'll skin them alive! Are you going to talk or not?!"

With each curse Zhu Liangzu uttered, he would strike Duan Gong with a whip. Coupled with his personal martial prowess, which ranked among the top three of all the generals in the Ming army, Duan Gong was already covered in blood after just a few lashes. Yet, Duan Gong gritted his teeth and did not utter a single cry.

Duan Gong was already filled with regret. If he had known earlier that the Ming army had such formidable fighting power, he certainly wouldn't have chosen to fight this battle. Unfortunately, there's no going back now, and it's too late to say anything.

Now that the Duan family has become prisoners of the Ming army, they have naturally lost all bargaining chips. Even if they wanted to beg for mercy now, the Ming Dynasty would probably refuse. Thinking of this, Duan Gong became even more defiant.

"Since the general is so capable, why not just arrest that man directly? Why interrogate me here?"

"Hahahahaha." Zhu Liangzu was so angry that he laughed. He pointed at him in the air with his whip. "Very well, very well. It seems you are still not convinced. Fine, then wait until I capture that bastard and execute him in front of you. Let's see if you are still so tough."

"Mao Gui".

"The general is here!"

"Go and take your 128th Division, plus the 7th Imperial Guard Division and three thousand cavalry, and set off immediately to wipe out that band of cavalry entrenched in Yao'an Prefecture. Make sure to capture the leader alive!"

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys." Mao Gui accepted the task and immediately turned to leave, but just then, the voice of Chief Instructor Gao Yao suddenly came from behind him.

"Wait a minute."

Mao Gui, Zhu Liangzu, and all the generals in the hall immediately looked at Gao Yao, wanting to see what he meant.

Gao Yao then walked up to Zhu Liangzu and Duan Gong, and said with a confident air, "Now that Dali has been conquered and the Duan family has been destroyed, Yao'an Prefecture is just a few thousand remnants of bandits. Why bother with all that trouble and make a big fuss to capture them?"

Zhu Liangzu frowned and immediately asked, "So, Lao Gao, what do you mean?"

Gao Yao didn't answer directly, but turned to look at Duan Gong, who was slumped on the ground and covered in blood, and clicked his tongue.

"Tsk tsk tsk, Duan Gong, Duan Gong, why did you do this? You had such good conditions, how did you end up like this? Not only did you lose the marquisate that was within your grasp, but you also personally buried the lives of the entire Duan family. So, now that things have come to this, do you feel any regret?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Gong immediately perked up and looked at the newcomer. Since being captured yesterday, he had noticed that the command structure of the Ming army was somewhat strange. Zhu Liangzu was the commander-in-chief of this southern expeditionary Ming army, whose official title was Commander. All military orders came from Zhu Liangzu alone. However, the person next to him, who was called the Instructor, seemed to be on equal footing with Zhu Liangzu. Could this person be a supervisor sent by the Ming emperor?

He couldn't understand the relationship between the two, but he still calmly said, "Since the Duan family established the Dali Kingdom, my Duan family has been operating here for more than four hundred years. Yunnan and Dali are the foundation passed down from my ancestors. Now that Dali has been passed to me, I have to hand over Yunnan. I am really unwilling to do this without a fight."

"Since this decision has been made, we are naturally prepared to bear the consequences, so why should we regret it? Besides, even if we regret it, can the two armies start over?"

"Now that my entire Duan clan has fallen into the hands of your army, you may kill or dismember us as you see fit."

Upon hearing this, Gao Yao immediately nodded. "It seems you know very well what you're doing. That's good. Dealing with smart people is always easier. Do you know what will become of you and your people?"

Duan Gong nodded, but did not speak.

Gao Yao, however, said, "The entire Duan clan, regardless of age or gender, shall be escorted to the capital, presented as captives before the emperor, and publicly executed in accordance with the law! Are you satisfied now?"

Duan Gong had naturally considered the consequences, but when he heard Gao Yao's verdict on them, he still trembled and froze for a moment, then lowered his head in despair, with tears of regret glistening in his eyes.

Seeing this, Gao Yao still wouldn't let him off the hook. Instead, he continued to point at the Duan clan members behind him and said, "Look at the people behind you. This child is only a teenager. Is he your son? And that little girl is only nine years old. Duan Baozhen, is she your daughter? She looks like a beautiful and well-mannered young lady. Even if you don't think about yourself, don't you think about these descendants?"

"Now, because of your momentary impulse, so many people are going to be buried with you. Don't you feel any remorse at all?"

Duan Gong looked back at his children, who were also bound, and burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, "Sir, please stop, Duan Gong knows he was wrong."

Gao Yao nodded in satisfaction and said, "It's good that you know you were wrong. His Majesty had no grudge against your Duan family. Even your title of Marquis of Guide was personally decided by His Majesty. He even specifically inquired about where to settle your Duan family in Jiangnan. It's a pity that none of that is needed now."

"You yourself certainly deserve to die, but these children died unjustly. I'm giving you one last chance. If you're willing to cooperate, I'll submit a memorial to His Majesty, begging him to spare these children's lives and preserve the Duan family line. What do you say?"

Duan Gong, who had been completely despondent, widened his eyes upon hearing this and looked at Gao Yao with disbelief, quickly asking, "Sir, is what you say true?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Gong immediately stood up, knelt down, and kowtowed several times to Gao Yao. He then said, "Sir, your kindness is immense, and I will never forget it. I have no way to repay you. Please tell me what you need."

Gao Yao quickly avoided his deep bow and said, "You don't need to thank me. The only one who spared the lives of your Duan family children is His Majesty. You should thank His Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Duan Gong immediately understood. He turned around and kowtowed repeatedly towards Jiankang in the northeast, muttering, "It was Duan Gong who was blind and offended the majesty of the Great Ming Dynasty. Now the Duan family has committed a grave mistake. Duan Gong himself may die, but his children have been implicated. If Your Majesty can spare the lives of the Duan family's children, this sinner has no way to repay you. I am willing to be your ox or horse in the next life, and repay Your Majesty's kindness in saving my life."

After saying that, he straightened up and looked at Gao Yao.

Gao Yao immediately said, "Tell me now, who is that person who is entrenched in Yao'an Prefecture?"

“It is my cousin, Duan Zhen.” Duan Gong no longer hesitated. For the sake of the Duan family's descendants, he immediately betrayed Duan Zhen. “If you were asked to send someone to persuade him to surrender, could you do it?” Gao Yao asked again.

"It is possible, but..." Duan Gong thought for a moment and then asked again, "What will the Ming Dynasty do with the Duan family's children?"

"The death penalty will be commuted to exile. Since you've decided to fight against the Heavenly Soldiers, even if you can spare their lives, you certainly won't let them stay in Jiangnan to enjoy their lives. They'll probably be exiled overseas. But at least you can keep their lives and leave an heir for your Duan family, right?"

Duan Gong nodded to himself. If Gao Yao had directly told him that his children could continue to enjoy their lives, he would have suspected that Gao Yao was lying to him. But changing the death penalty to exile was not impossible.

He immediately asked again, "Exiled overseas, where is overseas?"

"Tanzhou in the East China Sea, Chengzhou in the Whale Sea, Zhongquan Prefecture in the South China Sea, and even Lizhou are all possibilities, but that is something only His Majesty can decide."

Duan Gong was taken aback upon hearing this, and then asked, "What places are you referring to, sir?"

Before Gao Yao could even answer, Liao Yongzhong, who was standing next to him, mocked, "Look at you, so ignorant and unsophisticated. I really don't know where you get the audacity to oppose the Ming Dynasty. You are indeed a typical example of arrogance."

Duan Gong was immediately ashamed and speechless. Gao Yao then said, "You don't need to worry about where they are exiled. His Majesty has already shown mercy by sparing their lives. You are a man who is destined to die anyway, so why bother about these things after your death? Besides, don't forget that whether you can save their lives depends on your performance in the future."

Duan Gong immediately nodded and said, "Then let my eldest son, Duan Bao, go. He will definitely be able to persuade Duan Zhen to surrender."

"Hmm, that's more like it." Gao Yao immediately said with satisfaction, "Mao Gui, take Duan Bao with you and let him go into the city first to persuade them to surrender, and then bring Duan Zhen and Duan Bao back together."

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys!" Mao Gui immediately replied, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Wait a minute." Just then, Zhu Liangzu spoke up again, "We can persuade them to surrender, but not only will Duan Zhen die, but his thousands of cavalrymen will also die, as will the treacherous scoundrels in Yao'an Prefecture who colluded with him from the inside. They will all be executed together."

Zhu Liangzu then turned to Duan Bao in the crowd and warned, "Boy, when you go to persuade them to surrender, first have your uncle arrest the spies in the city who are colluding with him. Then have him lead those cavalrymen to take off their armor, weapons, and horses, and walk to the city gates to surrender. If anything goes wrong, your younger brother and sister will be buried with you. Do you understand?"

Duan Bao immediately stood up and nodded, "I understand."

"Hmm." Zhu Liangzu then instructed Mao Gui, "Once those several thousand cavalrymen leave the city, immediately surround and kill them all, leaving no one alive. Cut off all their heads and build a Jingguan outside the city to deter the villains. The laborers I brought cannot die in vain; we must give them an explanation."

"And those spies in the city, their entire families will be wiped out. I want them to know that this is what will happen to anyone who dares to oppose the Ming Dynasty again!"

Upon hearing this, Mao Gui did not immediately respond. Instead, he looked at the instructor Gao Yao. The idea of ​​massacring thousands of surrendered enemy soldiers and building a mound of human heads was something that even if Zhu Liangzu had given the order, Gao Yao was still somewhat uneasy about.

Gao Yao nodded slightly. "Execute as the commander says. Also, find a coffin for the remains of the martyred prefect. He will be sent back for burial in the future."

"Yes, but about killing those who surrendered," Mao Gui asked, still somewhat uneasy.

Gao Yao immediately said, “You don’t need to feel any burden. They killed so many of our laborers. How could they surrender without paying a price? Who will be afraid of the Heavenly Army in the future? They may be dissatisfied in their hearts, but they cannot be unafraid of us, understand?”

"Furthermore, although Kunming and Dali have been captured, there will definitely be more battles to be fought. This time, we must thoroughly cleanse Yunnan. The Semu people, the foreign cultists, the chieftains who do not submit to the king's rule, the landlords who hide their land and do not comply with the nine-tier tax system, all of them must be slaughtered, just like we did in Fujian last year. What does killing a few surrendered soldiers matter now?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Okay, hurry up and get things done. There will definitely be other tasks coming up, so you can't waste too much time."

"Yes." Mao Gui cupped his hands in greeting and immediately accepted the order and left.

After Mao Gui and Duan Bao left, Gao Yao and Zhu Liangzu discussed the upcoming purge, but fortunately they had already gained experience in Fujian.

Zhu Liangzu immediately said, “I told you long ago that those former Yuan Dynasty officials are unreliable. You even said that we could just appease them, but look what happened. Someone actually betrayed us and killed our prefect. You know, this is a mess. If you ask me, we should just kill all those former Yuan Dynasty officials.”

Gao Yao said, "You may have had your fun killing, but there are still so many places in Yunnan that haven't been recovered. What could have been settled with a simple proclamation has now become public knowledge. Who will dare to surrender in the future? We'll have to fight city after city. You may not be tired, but can the court's military budget afford it? Wasting even more money and supplies and delaying His Majesty's important military reforms, can we afford to take responsibility for that?"

"We can't just let this go. We have to teach these guys a lesson," Zhu Liangzu said unwillingly.

“Then let’s follow the old rules. Once we’ve won over the entire Yunnan region, we can arrest all these former Yuan Dynasty officials and throw them overseas. Out of sight, out of mind, and no one will dare to cause us any more trouble,” Gao Yao said immediately.

Zhu Liangzu then nodded.

Feng Sheng and Liao Yongzhong exchanged a glance, and Liao Yongzhong immediately said, "Will the next purge be like what we did in Fujian, where one army group is assembled as a mobile force to suppress any possible large-scale rebellions, and another army group is deployed in regiments to various counties to clean up the local areas?"

Zhu Liangzu nodded. "That's indeed the arrangement. So, which of you two will do the cleaning?"

Before the two could reply, Gao Yao said, "There's no need to distinguish who goes. Yunnan is so big, you two both have to work. This time, let Feng Sheng watch the place first, and Yongzhong, you go and do the cleanup. When we fight further south, you two can switch over."

"This time, we're not just going to wipe out the local scoundrels, but to kill them so badly that the people of Yunnan will be terrified of the imperial army. Only then can Yunnan enjoy long-term peace and stability when you station your troops here. Do you understand?"

"Understood!" the two immediately nodded in agreement.

Just then, one of Zhu Liangzu's personal guards came in from outside and reported, "Commander, the roasted peacock meat you ordered is ready. Would you like it brought up?"

"Bring it up quickly, everyone come and have a taste. I want to see how this tastes different from chicken or duck," Zhu Liangzu said, waving his hand immediately.

Upon seeing this, Gao Yao covered his face, feeling somewhat ashamed to be associated with them. Zhu Liangzu, after entering the city, saw that the Duan family's Dali palace was raising quite a few peacocks, and immediately ordered his personal guards to find a local cook to kill a few peacocks to eat—a truly wasteful act!
Then he couldn't help but remind him, "Don't just focus on eating. There are only twenty-odd days left until the New Year. Don't forget to report the victory to His Majesty."

"Oh, don't worry, I understand."

(End of this chapter)