I was living at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and I dealt a brutal blow to the Eight Banners!

Because Zhang Jingchuan only brought cavalry and a few carts with him on this trip back to Songshan, he had no infantry to speed up the journey.

So we set off at dusk the day before, and by dawn today we had already arrived outside Songshan City.

To Zhang Jingchuan's surprise, there was a long procession of supplies at the gate of Songshan City, with nearly a hundred vehicles at a glance.

After showing their seals to the guards, Zhang Jingchuan's group was led to another line by the guards, which could be considered as cutting in line.

Zhang Jingchuan took a deep breath. Although the sun had come out, the entire Songshan City still gave people a sense of oppression as if it were in the dark.

Looking back at the truckloads of severed heads behind him, Zhang Jingchuan suddenly felt as if he were driving a truck full of flowers and fruit.

It felt strange, like farming and, after a good harvest, taking your crops to Songshan City to sell.

The people in the fort wanted to live in peace, the brothers under his command wanted to achieve military merits and for their families to live a good life, and what Zhang Jingchuan could gain was probably an official position and more resources.

Whether or not the Qing army could be kept out of the country, whether or not one should take the path of superiority, and what would happen after taking that path—Zhang Jingchuan hadn't really thought about these things carefully.

At least for now, he really enjoys the feeling of reaping the rewards of his hard work; the process itself is incredibly satisfying.

Perhaps he understood why people in later generations liked to have a yard at home to grow vegetables, because the feeling of reaping the rewards after hard work is really addictive.

When Zhang Jingchuan entered the city and was questioned, he discovered that there were not only Songshan City guards at the city gate, but also a group of Imperial Guards dressed in flying fish robes.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard (Jinyiwei) has always been the most representative product of the Ming Dynasty and the most famous intelligence agency in history.

However, the Jinyiwei (Imperial Bodyguard) of the late Ming Dynasty now faces various problems. First, its large numbers raise questions about its combat effectiveness. Second, there are issues of internal corruption and loyalty. Third, its status has declined.

Nevertheless, the people and officials of the Ming Dynasty were still quite wary of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

quickly,

The Imperial Guards then walked towards Zhang Jingchuan. The leader, a man in his early forties, raised an eyebrow when he looked at Zhang Jingchuan.

The convoy was being inspected by the Imperial Guards. Zhang Jingchuan dismounted and walked over to the head of the Imperial Guards, handing over his official seal.

"Commander Bai?" The middle-aged man looked the young man up and down and asked, "Where are you from?"

"Donghai Fortress".

"Donghai Fortress?" the man asked in surprise. "You're Zhang Jingchuan?"

Zhang Jingchuan frowned slightly, then nodded and said, "It is indeed me. Do you recognize me?"

The man didn't speak, but pointed to the tall stack of wooden crates on the cart and asked, "What are you carrying?"

Zhang Jingchuan smiled, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "This is a generous gift prepared for my General."

Upon hearing that these cartloads of gifts were sent by Zhang Jingchuan to Wu Sangui, the man's face instantly darkened.

Li Ruolian was always upright and incorruptible in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. However, he offended the emperor by upholding justice in the case of Yuan Chonghuan ten years ago, and was demoted two ranks.

Unwilling to endure the exclusion by his colleagues, he resolutely applied to go to Liaodong as the garrison commander, where he stayed for ten years.

Over the past decade, he has witnessed too much corruption and lawlessness among officials and generals in Liaodong. At first, he was willing to crack down on it, but every time he arrested someone, a note would be sent from the capital asking him to release them.

Over time, he became disheartened.

Now, assisting the military supervisor in Songshan City, I have reported to him the cases of some generals embezzling military pay and robbing civilians, but the military supervisor always tells me to prioritize the overall situation.

Li Ruolian was well aware that it was wartime and the resistance against the enemy still required the efforts of these generals.

Nevertheless, Li Ruolian still harbored some resentment.

Today, the grain and supplies from within the pass arrived at Songshan. Before dawn, he led a group of Imperial Guards to the city gate to inspect and register the grain and supplies to prevent anyone from embezzling them before they were put into storage.

What he didn't expect was that, even at such a tense time of war, there would still be people who dared to offer bribes.

Looking at the truckloads of wooden crates, Li Ruolian could no longer suppress her anger.

A mere supervisor, after a trip to Donghai Fort, managed to plunder so much of the people's wealth. Today, he can use this opportunity to punish him severely and deter those corrupt generals.

"Is this a generous gift for General Wu?" Li Ruolian asked, barely suppressing her anger.

Zhang Jingchuan nodded, then seemed to remember something and whispered, "The gift is a bit special. There are too many people here, so you don't need to open it and check it, sir."

Li Ruolian's eyes narrowed, and she sneered inwardly.

You didn't want me to open the box, did you? Well then, I'll open it anyway and let everyone see how a lowly supervisor like you engages in bribery.

Your dirty deeds should be exposed to the light of day!

You parasites of the imperial court deserve to be punished by law!

"Guards!" Li Ruolian shouted, "Open the box and let everyone see what kind of gift a commander from Donghai Fort gave to General Wu!"

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Guards immediately drew their Embroidered Spring Blades and surrounded Zhang Jingchuan and his men.

The thirty riders behind Zhang Jingchuan, seeing the Imperial Guards draw their swords at them, also drew their own swords to confront them.

They were all veterans who had fought their way up from the battlefield, and even when facing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they would not sit idly by and wait to die.

Seeing the other party's posture, Zhang Jingchuan thought for a moment and realized that the other party had misunderstood him. However, he did not intend to explain. Anyway, there were so many people outside the city. The bigger the commotion, the more people would know, which would be more advantageous for Zhang Jingchuan.

By then,

Faced with the clamor of public opinion, Wu Sangui had no choice but to reward Zhang Jingchuan. Moreover, the matter would also reach Ma Shaoyu, saving him the trouble of finding a way to contact him.

The commotion at the city gate naturally attracted the attention of those around.

When they saw the two sides draw their swords against each other, some of the laborers cried out in alarm, causing a commotion in the grain transport team. Even the captain in charge of the city's defenses was alerted and led a group of guards out.

They maintained order while watching the spectacle.

As more and more people gathered around, Zhang Jingchuan and Li Ruolian both wore smiles.

The difference is that the former did it to create momentum for himself, while the latter wanted everyone to witness this sordid crime.

At this time,

"vomit!"

The two Imperial Guards responsible for opening and inspecting the goods vomited after opening the boxes.

It's not that these Imperial Guards were particularly incompetent, but the scene inside the box was simply beyond the limits of what a normal person could bear.

Without being mentally prepared, when you suddenly open the box, instead of the expected gold and silver jewelry, you see a box full of neatly stacked human heads "smiling" at you. Who could bear such a contrast?

Moreover, these heads were from several days ago. Although it is cold outside the pass, after being covered for so many days, the stench of blood and decay mixed together, and you can imagine how terrible it must have been.

The sudden turn of events prompted the nearby Imperial Guards and city garrison to surround the area.

Some were curious, some were nervous.

then,

"vomit!"

Even more people are vomiting.

……