Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 365 Dealing with the Situation Before the Tent

The military officer who had made Liu Ye kneel down clearly didn't believe him and asked, "You said you brought two thousand soldiers ashore, all of them arquebusiers? Are you kidding me? A mere adjutant general can barely support eight hundred soldiers without embezzling funds. Two thousand arquebusiers is absolutely a load of rubbish!"

Liu Ye glanced at him sideways and snorted, "May I ask if this general may state his name?"

The man answered proudly, "Liu Zeqing, General of the Shandong Volunteer Army."

Liu Ye shook his head: "Never heard of it."

Liu Zeqing was furious: "How dare you, a mere adjutant, be so disrespectful!"

Liu Ye said leisurely, "I heard that the rebels once said: 'Killing Shandong soldiers is like cutting vegetables, what can they do to me! The soldiers of each garrison are no match for us, we are only worried about the soldiers outside the pass.' General Liu, the Shandong soldiers that the rebels are talking about as easy as cutting vegetables, are they referring to you?" Actually, he had heard Li Jiucheng say this when he was an undercover agent, and now he was using it to humiliate General Liu, who had made him kneel, and to avenge what he had just done.

Liu Zeqing blushed. The local Shandong troops had suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the rebels, leading to the current chaotic situation. What the other party said was true, and he had no way to refute it. His own troops had suffered repeated defeats in this battle, losing more than half of their strength. Fearing being relegated to the sidelines, they had been looking for opportunities to curry favor with the governor and the supervising officer, which was why they had rebuked Liu Ye for kneeling.

The young military officer chuckled. The row of officers opposite him, clearly local Shandong soldiers, looked at him with displeasure at his laughter.

When Zhu Dadian saw that Liu Ye's words had created a subtle antagonism between the Shandong and Liaodong military generals, which was not the situation he wanted to see, he asked a question to divert everyone's attention.

"I remember the Ministry of War's order was to mobilize the navy, not the land forces. Why did you bring arquebusiers? Where is your navy?"

Liu Ye had already prepared his answer and calmly replied, "The navy's ships are anchored on an island not far from Dengzhou, ready to be deployed at any time. As for the land forces, I brought them here voluntarily to share His Majesty's burdens. I did not ask the court for funds for their deployment; I only require the governor to supply them with provisions. The governor's troops are mostly northern soldiers, especially the Guan Ning cavalry, whose bravery and skill in battle are beyond question. Although my arquebusiers are not as good as the northern soldiers in close combat, they can kill enemies from a hundred paces away. If they are combined with the cavalry, combining close and long-range attacks, it may not be a case of adding wings to a tiger, but it will certainly be icing on the cake, contributing my modest efforts to quell the rebellion as soon as possible."

Liu Zeqing and other Shandong military officers were quite dissatisfied when they heard him praise the Guan Ning Army but not mention the Shandong troops at all. Meanwhile, the young military officer opposite him and his men looked smug upon hearing this.

Zhu Dadian remained noncommittal, unsure whether to believe Liu Ye's explanation.

Liu Zeqing muttered under his breath, "Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious..." These days, what military general would willingly pay tribute to the court? Sucking up soldiers' pay, preserving strength, and killing innocent civilians to claim credit are the survival strategies of military officers. Judging by his own experience, this Guangdong barbarian would never be so blindly loyal; he must have ulterior motives. The Shandong generals around him nodded in agreement, clearly agreeing with this assessment.

At this moment, a middle-aged official in a blue robe sitting below Zhu Dadian said loudly, "Your Excellency is wise: Although General Liu's rank is not high, he is devoted to the court and willing to share the Emperor's burdens, which is commendable. Your Excellency, since these southern soldiers have come, why not keep them here to receive orders and use these two thousand arquebusiers as a surprise force?"

Zhu Dadian nodded in agreement. Regardless of whether Liu Ye was just being polite, it was an undeniable fact that the local troops, whose naval forces had been depleted, were willing to voluntarily deploy their land forces to the battlefield without demanding any mobilization funds or considering immediate gains or losses. This was far superior to those generals who were hesitant to fight and focused solely on preserving their strength.

“Xiang San’s words make sense. In that case, Liu’s troops will remain in the army to await orders. Xiang San, once this matter is settled, you will take these two thousand arquebusiers and make proper arrangements for their supplies.”

The official in the green robe replied, "Yes, sir." He then gave Liu Ye a meaningful look before returning to the ranks.

Liu Ye's heart skipped a beat. He had no other connections in Shandong, yet someone had spoken up for him. Moreover, this official was dressed in a blue robe, indicating that he was only a seventh-rank official, yet he dared to speak freely in front of Zhu Dadian. So this official was most likely Lin Tianming, the lowly but powerful Imperial Inspector of Shandong. Xiang San might be his courtesy name.

Zhu Dadian continued, "Whether it's a transfer from the Ministry of War or your own volunteering, once you arrive in Shandong, the troops will be under the command of the governor. Remember, in the army, orders must be obeyed without question, and those who violate them will be punished according to military law."

Liu Ye bowed and said, "Of course, this humble general is willing to obey the governor's orders."

Zhu Dadian nodded in satisfaction and stroked his beard. "Very good. As long as you obey military orders and make meritorious contributions, I will also recommend you for commendation and treat you the same as the northern soldiers. You may not know everyone here yet since you've just arrived. I am the newly appointed Governor of Shandong, Zhu Dadian, and this gentleman next to me..."

He pointed to the eunuch beside him: "This is the military supervisor, Eunuch Gao Qiqian."

Then, pointing to the military officers standing on both sides, he said, "The rest of you are generals and guerrillas from Shandong, Beijing-Tianjin, and Liaodong. You are all military officers, so you can get to know each other."

Actually, even without his introduction, Liu Ye had already guessed his identity. As for the eunuch, although it was their first meeting, he had long admired his reputation.

In Liu Ye's memory, Gao Qiqian was one of the most famous eunuchs under Emperor Chongzhen. Apart from Wang Chengen, who accompanied Chongzhen to commit suicide on Coal Hill, he was the most well-known. However, in historical records, his reputation was far inferior to that of Wang Chengen. What impressed people most was that in the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, when the Qing army entered the pass, the court dispatched Lu Xiangshan as the commander-in-chief to lead the army to meet the enemy. Gao Qiqian, as the supervisor, strongly advocated for peace talks and hindered Lu Xiangshan in every situation, causing Lu Xiangshan to fight alone and die in battle.

Liu Ye had no liking for this eunuch who claimed to know military affairs but was actually a coward who clung to life. He glanced at him and then looked away.

Because of what he had just said to Liu Zeqing, the two military officers on either side had completely different attitudes towards him, clearly divided. The officers on the left, who appeared to be mostly locals from Shandong, were all glaring at him with their beards puffed out, while the officers on the right looked smug, clearly from Liaodong.

The young military officer took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Liu Ye: "I am Wu Sangui, the guerrilla commander of Ningyuan. There is something I am curious about and would like to ask General Liu."

Although Liu Ye was somewhat prepared, he still didn't expect that this person was actually the famous Wu Sangui. He carefully sized up the man, who was in his early twenties, of medium build, with a rather heroic appearance, piercing eyes, and a resolute gaze. Apart from a shallow scar on his nose that made him look somewhat fierce, he didn't look like the despicable traitor portrayed on television at all.