Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

"Master Nanwang? Is that true? Why should I believe you?" Zhang Shikang said with eyes wide open.

Zu Dashou has controlled the Guanningjin Defense Line for ten years. There is no reason why there should be someone here who is not his.

Could it be that this person was left behind deliberately by Zu Dashou?

This wasn't in the plan?

Liu Zhaoji said nothing, but asked his subordinates to take out a letter from his residence and hand it to Zhang Shikang.

Zhang Shikang opened the letter and knew what was going on.

"You are Yang Sichang's man." Zhang Shikang said calmly.

That letter was written by Yang Sichang to Liu Zhaoji, asking him to pay close attention to the situation in Guanningjin.

One of them was that if he found out that Zu Dashou had the intention of surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, he would kill him at all costs. If not, he would keep a low profile and wait for the opportunity to fight.

But Liu Zhaoji shook his head firmly when he heard this.

"I am a humble official who receives salary from the court."

"You are a really interesting person." Zhang Shikang said with a smile.

“Now that Zu Dashou refuses to obey orders and has fled to Jinzhou City with his troops, I’m afraid he’s planning a rebellion!

What do you think?" Zhang Shikang asked Liu Zhaoji.

"Marshal, the most urgent thing is to rush to Jinzhou City overnight. No matter what method you use, you must first calm Zu Dashou down and prevent him from surrendering to the Jianlu due to the situation.

If this plan is not implemented, I am afraid Jinzhou will be lost."

The implication is that the most important thing is to preserve Jinzhou City. As long as Zu Dashou can be stabilized, they can kill him however they want in the future.

But once Jinzhou is lost, the Ming Dynasty's Guanningjin defense line will show signs of collapse, and the guilt will be serious.

Zhang Shikang nodded with satisfaction.

"That makes sense. Let's get some sleep first, and then go to Jinzhou to capture Zu Dashou tomorrow morning!"

Liu Zhaoji thought he had heard it wrong.

"Marshal, you can't do that! The longer the night, the more trouble you will have. By tomorrow, Zu Dashou will have already pacified the soldiers and civilians in Jinzhou. I'm afraid he has also sent a letter to the Jianlu. All this is over!"

Liu Zhaoji advised earnestly.

"Hmm? How dare you question my military orders?

You are so good, Liu Zhaoji, do you know that I have been traveling for two days in a row?

Now our men are exhausted and our horses are tired. If we continue on our journey and arrive in Jinzhou, wouldn't that be a tribute to Zu Dashou?

What are you thinking?" Zhang Shikang pretended to be angry.

Liu Zhaoji was confused and wondered if this was the great marshal who defeated the Jianlu in the interior of China.

He once suspected that the ruffian-looking guy in front of him was a fake, or that the battle inside the pass was commanded by someone else.

But when he thought about the possibility of something terrible happening in Jinzhou, he didn't care about his own life or death for a moment, and knelt down again to plead:

"Please put the overall situation first. I can go to Jinzhou with you. We must protect Jinzhou, Marshal. We can't delay any longer!"

"Damn it, how dare you teach me how to do things!

Come, punish him with ten military sticks! "

After that, the guards came out and tortured Liu Zhaoji, beating him with ten sticks in front of the Liao soldiers from Songshan Fort.

But Liu Zhaoji continued to be beaten while calling on Zhang Shikang to rush to Jinzhou to stabilize the situation.

But Zhang Shikang remained unmoved. That night, two more spies left Songshan Fort.

On the morning of the first day of February, the entire Songshan Fort was shrouded in thick fog. Zhang Shikang stretched and just walked out of his residence, he saw Sun Weifan and Liu Zhaoji waiting outside the door.

"Marshal, there is no time to delay. We have already gathered the troops. Please give the order to march out immediately!" Liu Zhaoji said.

"Doesn't your butt hurt?" Zhang Shikang frowned. The beating from the Ten Military Sticks last night was real.

"Reporting to the Marshal, my safety is at the risk of my life rather than the cost of Jinzhou City. Please give the order!" Liu Zhaoji requested again.

"Okay, let's go!" Zhang Shikang didn't even wash his face. He took a piece of bread from Sun Weifan, put it in his mouth, and walked towards the military camp.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Shikang and Liu Zhaoji's troops of more than 15,000 began to move towards Jinzhou City.

Among these more than 6,000 troops, in addition to Zhang Shikang's 5,000 guards cavalry, there were also Liu Zhaoji's 6,000 infantry and more than 4,000 serf soldiers from the garrisons.

Songshan Fort was only thirty miles away from Jinzhou City. In less than two hours, Jinzhou City appeared in Zhang Shikang's sight.

The Guanningjin Defense Line was a fortified city built by Sun Chengzong at great expense. The defense of Jinzhou City was second only to Shanhaiguan. Next to Jinzhou City was Yizhou City, which was controlled by the Jianlu. Jinzhou was the absolute front line to resist the Jianlu.

When Zhang Shikang led his army to the city of Jinzhou, the city walls were already filled with soldiers ready for battle.

Zu Dashou was standing on the city wall with an indignant look on his face, with Wu Sangui and Zu Zeyuan standing on both sides of him.

"Marshal, you must not provoke Zu Dashou at this moment. You should persuade him kindly and wait until Jinzhou City is saved first," Liu Zhaoji reminded.

"I know!" Zhang Shikang said to the soldiers in Jinzhou City:

"Zu Dashou, are you really going to rebel?"

Zu Dashou sneered and replied:

"Zhang Shikang, you dandy! You actually insulted me. If I don't rebel, I will die at the hands of a traitor like you!"

"Have you forgotten the kindness His Majesty has shown you?"

"Humph, when has your majesty ever been kind to me?"

"The imperial court gives you so much money and food every year, but I never thought it would raise an ungrateful person like you!

And you, Wu Sangui! I will never let you go!" Zhang Shikang pointed at Wu Sangui, who looked a little handsome.

Wu Sangui frowned when he heard this. He couldn't remember how he had offended the current commander-in-chief.

The day before yesterday, his uncle Zu Dashou suddenly arrived here with 6,000 soldiers, saying that the commander-in-chief wanted to kill him and asked him to flee to Jinzhou with him.

Wu Sangui was stunned at the time, but since he had no time to explain in detail, based on his trust in his uncle, Wu Sangui urgently summoned the 8,000 defenders of Ningyuan City and followed his uncle to Jinzhou City overnight.

He still felt very confused until this moment.

"Marshal! Marshal! You can't be so aggressive, it will cause trouble!" Seeing that Zhang Shikang was still so arrogant, Liu Zhaoji hurriedly tried to dissuade him in a low voice.

"General Liu, please save your breath. The Marshal always does things his own way." Sun Weifan pulled Liu Zhaoji.

"I have defended Guanningjin for the imperial court for ten years. Even if I have no merit, I have worked hard. You, Zhang Shikang, are just a young boy. Who do you think you are?

How dare you mock me in front of me, and mention in both explicit and implicit ways that I once surrendered to Huang Taiji.

He also applied military law to me on trumped-up charges in front of all the soldiers and humiliated me.

I will never accept this humiliation!"

"Bah! You have done nothing!

Apart from decades of losing battles, what else do you have to show for it?

You have worked so hard, but what else can you do except withholding military pay and bullying the soldiers in my garrison?

Brothers, is that right?" Zhang Shikang turned around and asked the guards behind him.

"Yes! Zu Dashou has been bullying us and withholding our military pay for ten years!

Marshal, we are suffering!" Although the soldiers of the garrison were not very strong in combat, they were good at playing the victim and crying poor.

Although military reforms had been implemented in the interior, the Nine Frontiers were too sensitive, so not only had the military system reform not been implemented there, but even the land reform had not been carried out.

The military discipline of the several thousand garrison soldiers was not very good, so the subsequent output was directly taken over by the garrison soldiers.

They insulted Zu Dashou loudly, talking about the grievances they had suffered over the years. At first they restrained themselves, but later they simply cursed Zu Dashou's ancestors.

"You bastard! Open the city gate quickly, and I may show some mercy to you.

If you persist in your wrongdoing, I will tear you into pieces and hang you on the city wall!" Zhang Shikang pointed at Zu Dashou.

Zu Dashou had never been humiliated like this before, especially by that group of crappy garrison soldiers. Their fighting ability was not very good, but they were good at scolding people. He was so angry that his eyes turned red.

He immediately said to the soldiers around him:

"See? There are such a bunch of insects in the Ming Dynasty. If we don't perish, it will be unjust!

I have already written a letter to Huang Taiji. The Qing Emperor's courtesy to wise men and humble people is what everyone expects. My family there has now established a firm foothold.

Just follow me, I guarantee you will have a better future than in the Ming Dynasty!"

After that, he pointed at Zhang Shikang and said:

"Zhang Shikang, if you keep making noise here, I will immediately order the artillery to open fire!"

As he said this, he ordered the gunners on the Jinzhou city wall to prepare to light the fuse.

Zhang Shikang's eyes widened.

Damn, A'shou, are you serious?

……