Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 28 Qin Liangyu: I think She Chongming's head is very suitable as this year's tribute.

Between Sichuan and Guizhou, a city built of purplish-red sandstone stands majestically. A small squad of Imperial Guards gazes longingly at the city.

This small team, escorting a thousand taels of gold, an imperial belt, and the emperor's decree, trekked for more than ten days, dodging robberies by Shaanxi rebels and resisting extortion by the Jianmen Pass garrison. They crossed eight hundred miles of Shu Road and were about to reach Shizhu when they were stopped by the Zunyi Military and Civilian Prefecture.

By this time, the city had become a living hell. The naked corpses of Ming soldiers were thrown down from the city walls and piled up in the corners.

The Imperial Guard's chief officer hid in the distance, staring intently at the scene, his heart filled with grief and indignation, yet utterly powerless. After all, they numbered only a dozen or so. Two more brothers had already perished along the way: one had died from injuries and illness inflicted by refugees; the other had accidentally tumbled down the plank road and died instantly.

"Boss, we can't get through, what do we do?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know what to do!" the Imperial Guard's chief officer said impatiently.

"Didn't the imperial court's report say that the rebellion in the southwest, known as the Anshi Rebellion, had already been suppressed?"

"It's the She-An Rebellion. She Chongming, the chieftain of Sichuan, and An Bangyan, the chieftain of Guizhou, started a rebellion. You're blind! It's obvious you didn't study properly when you were a child at the Imperial Academy."

"Yes, yes, you're so good at studying. If you're so good at studying, why don't you actually pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, instead of becoming a minor officer like me?"

"What's wrong with a minor officer? Isn't a minor officer an official? That's a seventh-rank official, on par with a county magistrate. I wouldn't trade it for ten scholars."

"If I offered you the county magistrate's position, would you exchange it?"

"Change!"

"Dream on. The county magistrate is a seventh-rank official, and he is a civil official. Military officials are half a rank lower when they meet him."

"Alright, stop arguing. If you have the time, give me some advice. What should we do?" the brigade commander scolded.

"Boss, I have an idea."

"Then say it."

"I only told you not to hit me after I said so."

"Alright, alright, I won't hit you," the flag officer said with a sneer.

The man moved a few steps back and said in a low voice, "Why don't we split the money and say it was stolen by the rebels?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire squad fell silent.

"Smack!" The flag officer slammed his sword down, hitting the Imperial Guard on the head, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"You idiot, you stupid pig! If you dare say that again, I'll chop you up!" the flag officer roared.

"You promised you wouldn't hit me."

"You dare talk back?!"

"Alright, boss, calm down." The junior officer nicknamed "Fake Scholar" quickly covered his subordinate's mouth and scolded, "And you, shut up!"

"Damn it, the rebels have spotted us! Run!!!"

shhhhhh! ! !
Several arrows whizzed past them, and the Imperial Guards, who had never experienced battle, broke out in a cold sweat.

"Boss, this box is too heavy, we can't outrun them."

"Fake scholar, you take your little flag and carry the box and go first."

"Boss, what are you going to do?!"

"Fight to the death!" the captain roared as he charged toward the enemy.

"Ouch, it hurts so much!" "Boss, why did you come back again?!"

"If we can't beat them, we're doomed if we don't run!"

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" Several sharp whooshing sounds rang out, followed by the dull thud of heavy objects falling to the ground. Everyone turned around and saw that several pursuers were dead, while the rest ran back.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh...

The sound of orderly footsteps rang out, and the first thing that caught everyone's eye was a long spear, followed by countless long spears. The endless array of spearmen marched in from afar, forming a wedge formation.

"We're doomed, boss. We're dead. Let's surrender."

"stop!"

Sounds rang out from the ranks of the army, spears were raised, and the attack formation was disbanded.

They never intended to attack the city this way; it was just a training exercise for their soldiers due to insufficient training, and also a way to intimidate the rebels inside Zunyi.

“Gibberish…” An officer stepped out from the army, gesturing wildly as he spoke. Unfortunately, the Imperial Guards couldn’t understand a word he said and could only stare at him in utter bewilderment.

"Boss, we forgot to bring an interpreter."

Seeing that the Imperial Guards didn't understand, the officer ran back to his ranks. A short while later, a general in heavy armor emerged from the army.

His gaze flickered to the flag officer's sword, and he asked uncertainly in a Southwestern accent, "You...are the Imperial Guards?!"

Looking at the forest of white-pole soldiers before him, the chief officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard said excitedly, "General, are you leading the White-Pole Soldiers? We were sent by His Majesty to deliver a reward to Lady Zhongzhen."

The general paused for a moment, then muttered under his breath, "My mother prefers to be called General."

Ever since Emperor Tianqi bestowed upon Qin Liangyu the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady and granted her a plaque inscribed with "Commendable Loyalty and Righteousness," the people and officials of Sichuan have preferred to call her the Lady of Loyalty and Chastity.

Thousands of White-Spear Soldiers set up camp under the walls of Zunyi Military and Civilian Government City.

After the rebellion of Yang Yinglong in Bozhou and the rebellion of She Chongming, the residents of this prefectural city are now almost entirely gone. Zunyi City fell twice, in the first and second years of the Tianqi reign, and this is the third time.

Zunyi was a crucial transportation hub connecting Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan, and a transit point for the Ming army's supply lines. Known as the "throat of Yunnan and the gateway to Sichuan," it was a key point of contention between the Ming army and the She'an rebels. Qin Liangyu recaptured the city multiple times, but it also fell to the Ming army several times after troop rotations.

Originally, under the siege of Zhu Xieyuan, the governor of five provinces, the She'an rebels were barely clinging to life and were just a step away from being completely wiped out.

However, Zhu Xieyuan was in mourning, and some saw an opportunity to reap the benefits, so they ousted him. The newly appointed governor, Zhang Heming, was a fool; he neither deployed troops to suppress the rebellion nor sent anyone to pacify An and She, allowing the rebels to recover their strength. Only three months into his term, Zunyi was captured, and the hard-won southwestern defense line was on the verge of collapse.

Inside the main tent, Qin Liangyu looked at the emperor's edict, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated.

The previous two emperors of the Ming Dynasty treated her fairly well, and Qin Liangyu had enjoyed imperial favor for generations. The new emperor seems like a good person too, but he demands three thousand White-Spear Soldiers from her without even asking!
If it were a peaceful time, it would be fine, but now that She Chongming has started causing trouble again, where would she get extra troops to call upon? She hasn't even recovered from the bloody battle at Hunhe where her brother led four thousand elite White Spear soldiers to be wiped out.

“Mother, how about I go back to Shizhu and recruit three thousand able-bodied men to go to the capital? The emperor ordered me to carry the coffin, so as long as we have some strength, there’s no need to call on elite troops.”

Qin Liangyu was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this. Her son wasn't exactly stupid; he'd earned the nickname "Little Ma Chao" in Liaodong, possessing considerable strength and military command skills. It was just that the boy would completely lose his ability to think things through the moment he was around her. The Emperor said to carry the coffin, and you actually believed it?!

In truth, Ma Xianglin wasn't truly foolish; it was just that the bloody battle of Hunhe had left him with a deep-seated trauma. His uncle had died in battle, and he had lost thousands of comrades, yet the imperial court's compensation was pitifully meager. He was fighting the rebels here to protect his homeland; why bother traveling thousands of miles to Beijing to serve the emperor?

"Is She Chongming in the city?" A glint of madness flashed in Qin Liangyu's eyes.

"Uh, Mother, what are you planning to do?!" Ma Xianglin shuddered.

Qin Liangyu said coldly, "I think She Chongming's head is very suitable as this year's tribute from Shizhu Pacification Commissioner."

(End of this chapter)