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

Dark clouds covered the sky, and heads hung like banners beneath the city walls.

The bloody human heads were stacked in an airtight box in Donghai Fort. After a few days, they were shaken around all night and then suddenly all the boxes were opened.

That smell, it just hits you as soon as you scratch it.

However, those present were all roughnecks in the army. Even the supervising officer, Zhang Ruoqi, had served as a principal officer in the Ministry of Justice in his early years and had seen many such bloody and brutal scenes. Therefore, he remained calm despite his shock at the sight.

It must be said that the Ming generals who came to Liaodong during this period, although they were a bit cunning and cowardly in battle, were still quite capable.

Hong Chengchou's gaze first fell on these people, and then on Zhang Jingchuan. His surprised look was now tinged with scrutiny.

at last,

Several more generals couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to inspect the heads.

In fact, they knew very well that if they were to fake the display of the heads in such a grand manner, it would be a sign that they, as generals, were not taken seriously at all.

But they were still curious and wanted to take a closer look.

It's all true!

Hong Chengchou and the eight generals present had all fought against the Qing army at the forefront; if a head were on armor, it would certainly not escape their notice.

Wu Sangui's eyes flickered, and his gaze toward Zhang Jingchuan softened as if he were looking at a child who had scored full marks on an exam and brought him pride, filled with admiration and satisfaction.

Wu Sangui coughed and deliberately raised his voice to ask Zhang Jingchuan:

"Have you done a count? How many are there?"

"Two hundred and eighteen, all elites of the Bordered Yellow Banner. It's just a pity that we didn't manage to keep the Baturu Aobai, who was personally bestowed by Huang Taiji, and let him escape wounded," Zhang Jingchuan replied with a regretful expression.

The generals present were all surprised when they heard that the elite troops of the Bordered Yellow Banner had been killed. When they heard Zhang Jingchuan say that the one who had been defeated was Ao Bai, the number one warrior of Manchuria, their eyelids twitched involuntarily.

Yang Guozhu and several other generals who were at odds with Wu Sangui pursed their lips and remained silent.

Wu Sangui, on the other hand, was all smiles.

"You little rascal, you're something else!"

Wu Sangui reached out and punched Zhang Jingchuan in the chest, encouraging him.

"Hmph," the supervising officer Zhang Ruoqi said sarcastically, "You say it was the Bordered Yellow Banner, so it is? You say it was Ao Bai who was defeated, so it is Ao Bai?"

Zhang Jingchuan smiled slightly, walked to the last cart, cut open a piece wrapped in hemp cloth with his knife, and then tore it open with his hand, revealing a bright yellow armor with a yellow banner inside, still stained with blood.

“I have three hundred sets of such armor. As for whether it is Ao Bai, the governor can send someone to Donghai Fort to ask those dozens of prisoners.”

Upon hearing this, no one had any doubts left. After all, the person had witnesses and physical evidence, and no one would really do such a thankless and arduous investigation.

However, Hong Chengchou had a question in his mind: how did Zhang Jingchuan manage to take Donghai Fort back from 300 elite Qing soldiers with only 400 men?

Back at the North Gate Tower,

Zhang Jingchuan recounted in detail how he arrived at Donghai Fort and how he lured Ao Bai out of the fort, but deliberately concealed the existence of Xu Fuzou.

Of course, during the storytelling, he couldn't help but boast about how resourceful and brave he was.

Ultimately, the success was due to the effective leadership of the Governor-General, the Lieutenant General, and the Commander-in-Chief.

After a barrage of flattery, Hong Chengchou, Ma Shaoyu, and Wu Sangui all wore smiles of satisfaction, as if to say, "You're so good at talking, so please keep going."

However, Zhang Jingchuan did not forget the purpose of his return, and changed the subject:

"The Qing army suffered a loss at Donghai Fort this time, and they will surely seek revenge. The defenses of Donghai Fort have been in disrepair for many years, and the troops are insufficient and the firearms are severely worn out. We hope that the Governor-General can send people to Donghai Fort to repair the city walls and replenish the firearms. If you can send some more soldiers, that would be even better."

Donghai Fort was an important part of Hong Chengchou's plan for maritime grain routes. Moreover, Zhang Jingchuan had made such a great contribution to Donghai Fort. It was only right and proper to help and support him.

However, the supply of provisions and supplies was already scarce, and if some of the provisions were to be allocated to Donghai Fort, the support of the supervising officer Zhang Ruoqi was indispensable. Otherwise, if Yang Guozhu and others objected, there would inevitably be another argument.

Just as Hong Chengchou turned his gaze to Zhang Ruoqi, Ma Shaoyu spoke up:

"Commander Zhang has rendered great service to our Great Ming Dynasty. If we don't reward him, who will be willing to risk their lives for the court in the future!"

Zhang Ruoqi raised an eyebrow and looked at Ma Shaoyu with slight surprise.

He and Ma Shaoyu were both men of Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, so Ma Shaoyu's sudden support for Wu Sangui's men surprised him.

But when Zhang Ruoqi saw the look Ma Shaoyu gave him, this seasoned official instantly understood what he meant: he was trying to win someone over.

After understanding,

Zhang Ruoqi nodded and smiled, "That's right, since you've done a good job, you deserve a reward!"

Although Hong Chengchou was somewhat surprised by the two men's attitude, he still smiled and said to Zhang Jingchuan, "The imperial court has just transported some grain and supplies. I will issue you a note later. You can go to the grain official to collect five hundred shi of grain. As for firearms, as long as your men can carry them, they can take them as they please."

Upon hearing the words "take whatever you want," Zhang Jingchuan almost burst out laughing. His lips trembled as he tried his best to suppress the upward turn of his mouth.

He said respectfully, "Thank you for your generous gift, Governor. I, Zhang Jingchuan, will definitely defend Donghai Fort and safeguard the sea supply route for my Ming army!"

“Replenishing supplies and provisions is only right, how can it be called a reward?” Seeing that Hong Chengchou had given a reward, Zhang Ruoqi was naturally unwilling to be outdone: “Since Donghai Fort is a transfer station of our army’s second grain route, a mere four hundred men are probably not enough to hold it. I think we should promote you to garrison commander.”

(The garrison commander was in charge of the army's general affairs, pay, and provisions, and was under the jurisdiction of the provincial governors, provincial governors, or generals. He was mainly responsible for the defense of a city or fortress and commanded over a thousand soldiers.)

Zhang Jingchuan feigned delight and said gratefully, "Thank you for your appreciation, Commander-in-Chief!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Sangui was stunned.

Zhang Ruoqi blatantly offered him an official position, practically snatching him away right in front of him. Although Zhang Jingchuan remained under his command after being promoted to garrison commander, he was undoubtedly now labeled as Zhang Ruoqi, the military supervisor.

If anything unexpected happens in the future, Zhang Ruoqi could easily use the excuse of gratitude for being recognized and supported by Zhang Ruoqi to lure people away.

Hong Chengchou's eyes narrowed, and he said slowly, "Having the duty of defense is useless if there are no soldiers to defend it."

These words were meant to remind Zhang Jingchuan that even if the supervising officer Zhang Ruoqi promoted him to the rank of garrison commander, he would not give him any troops, and the garrison commander position would be nothing more than a nominal one.

At the same time, Hong Chengchou glared at Wu Sangui, as if to say: Zhang Jingchuan is your man, why don't you quickly express your opinion!?

Although Wu Sangui was reluctant, he didn't want Zhang Jingchuan to be taken away by someone else, so he forced a smile and said:

“Huai’an (Zhang Jingchuan’s courtesy name) is a valiant general under my command, and I have long planned to promote him to the rank of garrison commander. These 1,000 soldiers should naturally be replenished by me.”

finished,

Wu Sangui smiled and patted Zhang Jingchuan on the shoulder.

Zhang Jingchuan moved closer to Wu Sangui.

whispered:

"General, rest assured, with me stationed at Donghai Fort, please feel free to give any special instructions you may have."

But Zhang Jingchuan was secretly laughing to himself: Just wait and see if I can screw you over!

……