Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

Qingzhou, one of the "Ancient Nine Provinces", has always been an important military town in Shandong.

The Manchu Qing Dynasty also attached great importance to the status of Qingzhou. In July, Wang Aoyong, the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works appointed by the Qing court to pacify Shandong and Henan, came to Qingzhou.

A gifted eloquence and a silver tongue, Wang Aoyong's persuasion ultimately swayed the Qingzhou defenders, who, after weighing the pros and cons, ultimately surrendered to the Qing court. Furthermore, even the distinguished Prince of Heng, Zhu Youfu, was forced to submit his surrender to the Qing court under Wang Aoyong's persuasion, threats, and inducements. From then on, this strategic military town firmly fell into the hands of the Qing army, significantly expanding its sphere of influence in Shandong. Wang Aoyong's remarkable achievements in pacifying the Qing court also garnered increasing recognition within the Qing court.

The situation was originally very good. Jiaozhou General Ke Yongsheng lived up to the Qing court's expectations. He quelled the Jiaozhou rebellion with great vigor and successfully captured Jiaolai, making the Qing army's layout in Shandong more stable.

However, as if by some miracle, the Ming army suddenly descended from the sky and marched northwards into Shandong. Their valiant fighting and tactical prowess enabled them to defeat their larger force with fewer men, completely crushing Ke Yongsheng's forces. Ke Yongsheng himself was defeated and captured, becoming a prisoner. This tragic news was like a bombshell, instantly shattering the Qing army's stable position in Shandong.

Wang Aoyong was very panicked when he learned about this. You know, he only had a few thousand soldiers at the moment. Once the enemy attacked Qingzhou, he didn't know if he could resist. Once Qingzhou was broken, the governor Fang Dayou in Jinan would be even more pitiful. He only had more than 600 soldiers and would certainly not be able to defend Jinan Prefecture.

During this time, Wang Aoyong was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, yet he was at his wit's end. On the one hand, he used all his tricks, running around desperately trying to recruit more troops and bolster his own strength. He didn't even spare anyone with a bit of skill, promising them generous rewards and high positions. On the other hand, urgent letters flew like snowflakes to Governor Fang Dayou, each with earnest words, urging him to quickly submit a memorial to the court, requesting military support.

Early that morning, an army under the banner of the Dashun Army arrived outside Qingzhou City, demanding an audience with Wang Aoyong. Seeing this, the guards on the city walls hurriedly reported it without delay.

When Wang Aoyong heard that they were from the Dashun Army, his brows subconsciously furrowed into the shape of a "chuan" character, and he became puzzled. He whispered, "Do you know who they are?"

"The person who came said that he is your fellow townsman, named Zhao Yingyuan, who used to serve as a flag-drum commander in the Dashun Army. He said that Your Excellency had sent someone to contact them before, but he had other considerations at the time and never replied to us. But this time he has thought it through, so he came to visit Your Excellency." The person who replied was Zhao Chang, Wang Aoyong's trusted aide. This person has followed Wang Aoyong for many years and is meticulous and prudent in his work.

"Zhao Yingyuan? This guy finally figured it out," Wang Aoyong's eyes lit up when he heard this. However, he had no contact with Zhao Yingyuan since he left him that year, and he didn't trust him. He stood up and paced back and forth for a long time, saying, "But this guy has a capricious personality. I sent two groups of people before and failed to persuade him. Why did he come to me now?"

"Now that the Southern Ming army is heading north, their situation must be difficult," Zhao Chang analyzed softly. "After all, the Dashun and the Southern Ming are mortal enemies. Are they desperate and seeking survival by turning to us?"

"Come and surrender at this time? It can't be a trap..." Wang Aoyong was still wondering in his heart and couldn't help but express his doubts.

"That shouldn't happen," Zhao Chang said with a smile. "Zhao Yingyuan is just a warrior, only knows how to wield swords and spears. And his confidant Yang Yulin betrayed the Ming Dynasty. The Southern Ming will definitely not accept them. He won't go to the Southern Ming again at this time..."

"That makes sense." Wang Aoyong pondered for a long time, weighing the pros and cons repeatedly in his heart. Finally, he gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said, "No matter why he finally figured it out this time, considering the thousands of people under his command, now is the time to use them. Let him come here to see me."

"Yes!" Zhao Chang took the order and left.

Since Wang Aoyong was appointed as the envoy to Shandong, he had been very successful. Wherever he went, most people surrendered. This pacification was going very smoothly. Even the city of Qingzhou was won by his eloquence. Therefore, Wang Aoyong's vigilance against Zhao Yingyuan had been greatly lowered. Without a second thought, he waved his hand and ordered him to enter the city.

After receiving Wang Aoyong's order, the city gate officer dared not delay in the slightest. He quickly gathered people and slowly opened the tightly closed gate to welcome Zhao Yingyuan in.

Yang Yulin's plan was to trick Zhao Yingyuan into opening the city gates under the guise of surrender. Initially, everyone was unsure, including Zhao Yingyuan and Yang Yulin, who felt the idea was too risky and unlikely to succeed. However, Zhang Huangyan, with his foresight, defied the crowd and decided that this was a good idea, perhaps offering a surprising victory.

What no one expected was that after they proposed to pay a visit to Wang Aoyong, only a short time after a stick of incense had passed, the heavy city gate suddenly opened in front of everyone. The speed was beyond imagination.

"This...it's open already?" Zhao Yingyuan widened his eyes, his face full of astonishment. He looked hesitantly at Zhang Huangyan beside him and said in disbelief.

"Wang Aoyong is quite confident," Zhang Huangyan said with a smile, his lips curled up. "Plus, he's currently short of troops and needs more personnel. Naturally, he wants to seize anyone who wants to defect to the Qing court. He's eager to expand his forces, so he's anxious to see you."

"Haha, this achievement is really within my reach." Zhao Yingyuan suddenly realized it and laughed heartily, dispelling some of the tension in his heart. After saying this, he whipped his horse and hurried to the outside of the city gate.

"Lord Wang has ordered that if you want to see him, no more than three people can enter the city. The rest of you please wait patiently here." The city gate officer saw that there were more than a hundred people behind Zhao Yingyuan, and his heart skipped a beat. He hurried forward to stop them and said loudly.

"Okay, okay, I'll have them wait outside the city." Zhao Yingyuan said politely to the gate officer with a smile on his face. Then he turned around and shouted at the top of his voice: "Listen up, all of you! Wait here for me to come back, okay?"

"No!" everyone responded in unison.

Hearing Zhao Yingyuan's words, the city gate officer, who had been quite wary, temporarily relaxed his guard. Although many people had come to Qingzhou City for refuge recently, the situation had become quite unstable. Rumors circulated on the streets that Jiaozhou had been occupied by the Ming army, forcing them to be doubly vigilant against a surprise attack from the Ming army.

Seeing the city gates fully opened, Zhao Yingyuan beamed, urging his horse forward slowly, Zhang Huangyan following closely behind. Zhao Yingyuan frowned slightly at this, feeling rather frustrated that Zhang Huangyan, a civil servant, insisted on following him on the front lines. He believed that on a battlefield, weapons were blind, and civil servants should remain in the background, offering advice and suggestions. But he couldn't persuade Zhang Huangyan, and there was no way to dissuade him.

"Alas, you can't come with so many people." Seeing Zhao Yingyuan saying this, the guards behind him did not stop, but followed closely behind him, filing towards the city gate. The city gate officer suddenly felt something was wrong, his face suddenly changed, and he shouted loudly: "Everyone, retreat quickly, otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless..."

But before he could finish his words, Zhao Yingyuan, who was walking beside him, suddenly had a fierce look in his eyes. He suddenly drew his sword, and with a flash of cold light, he chopped it down on the head of the city gate officer!

The incident happened suddenly, and the soldiers at the city gate were stunned for a moment, dumbfounded, unable to react. However, Zhao Yingyuan and his men would not miss this fleeting opportunity, and rushed towards the city gate like a tiger descending from a mountain.

Zhang Huangyan followed closely behind Zhao Yingyuan, his long sword whirling like a dragon emerging from the sea. A flash of cold light sent the soldiers blocking his path screaming and falling to the ground, blood splattering everywhere. His agility and brutality astounded Zhao Yingyuan, who began to regard this civil servant with a new eye. Following closely behind them were carefully selected elite soldiers, each as fierce and fearless as a wolf or a tiger. The defenders were slaughtered in the blink of an eye, leaving them powerless to fight back.

The moment Zhao Yingyuan and his men attacked at the city gate, a prearranged signal swiftly sounded, and a burst of fireworks shot skyward. The elite Ming cavalry, long ambushed nearby, surged out of Qingzhou City like a tide, their horses' hooves thundering and their momentum overwhelming.

After entering Qingzhou City, Zhang Huangyan remained calm and methodically deployed his men to secure the city gates to prevent a Qing counterattack. When the cavalry surged in, he mounted his horse and personally led the cavalry, charging like an arrow from a bow towards Wang Aoyong's headquarters, determined to capture him alive.

"Sir, let's go!" Wang Aoyong was quietly reviewing documents in the house at this time. Suddenly, he heard a lot of noise outside and deafening shouts of killing. When he was full of doubts, Zhao Chang rushed in, his face pale and his voice trembling.

"What happened? You're so flustered, how disgraceful!" Seeing Zhao Chang in such a miserable state, Wang Aoyong, who was always strict, calm and steady, suddenly became dissatisfied and scolded him with a frown.

"Then... that Zhao Yingyuan was feigning surrender." Zhao Chang gasped for breath, then calmed himself down and said with difficulty, "He suddenly attacked and killed the gate officer, seizing the gate. His army has already entered the city, and those bandits are heading towards you, sir!"

"What? How could this happen?" Wang Aoyong stood up suddenly, his hands trembling, his face instantly turned pale as paper, beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead, his eyes full of fear and despair.

"Sir, we must hide quickly." Zhao Chang was so anxious that his eyes rolled around. Suddenly, an idea came to him and he said anxiously, "Right, let's climb over the wall and hide next door!"