Chapter 559: The Jianzhou Barbarians Annihilated, the Great Ming Stands Mighty

The shout rang out, and the city gate instantly erupted in clamor—countless people turned to stare in shock.

The name Hong Taiji was known to every single person at Shanhai Pass—he was Nurhaci's son, the current ruler of the Jin state.

Word of this battle between the Great Ming and Hong Taiji had long since spread; the people here had already gotten the full picture. After all, the Emperor was right here at this very moment—this was not news you could choose not to know. No one could remain ignorant.

Under such circumstances, everyone had speculated about how this battle would turn out.

Not many thought the Great Ming would lose—after all, the Great Ming hadn't lost a battle in years. And ever since His Majesty ascended the throne, he had been waging war in Liaodong, with one major battle already fought before. This time, with the Emperor personally present, defeat was hard to imagine.

But as for exactly how it would end, there was no shortage of speculation throughout Shanhai Pass.

Most believed this battle would force Hong Taiji to surrender, given how badly his strength had been depleted. Though Hong Taiji wasn't much of a man—bullied severely by the Great Ming in recent years—he still had real power. Wiping him out entirely would not be so easy.

After all, the Jianzhou barbarians had fought with such valor and ferocity over the years that they'd left a deep impression on the people at Shanhai Pass. Taking them down so easily was certainly no simple matter.

So when that shout rang out, everyone was stunned.

It was over that fast? One battle and Hong Taiji was done? That speed was unbelievable!

Shock gave way to wild joy, and cheers erupted at the city gate in an instant.

"The Great Ming is mighty! General Lu is mighty!"

The first to cheer were the soldiers standing guard atop the city gate.

These soldiers never got the chance to set foot on the battlefield, but hearing this news, they couldn't hold back their joy. After all, most people living in this place bore grudges against Hong Taiji and his kind—their own kin may well have died that way.

Now, at last, there would be no more fighting!

Sun Chengzong and Wei Chao naturally heard the news as well.

Wei Chao glanced at Sun Chengzong, his face brimming with ecstasy as he said, "Lord Sun, Lord Sun, did you hear that? We won!"

A smile also spread across Sun Chengzong's face, though he maintained a composed demeanor.

He kept admonishing himself inwardly: stay reserved, stay reserved.

Yet in his heart, he was overjoyed as well. Over all these years, how much effort had the Great Ming poured into Liaodong? How much money had been spent? How many lives had been lost?

Sun Chengzong knew all of this. Now, at last, the lives lost had been avenged, and the money and effort spent over the years had not been in vain.

With Hong Taiji destroyed, Liaodong would once again fall under the Great Ming's rule. From this moment on, no one could challenge the Great Ming's authority over this land.

What a wonderful thing this was!

King Yi Jong of Joseon, standing nearby, also heard the shouts—his face was filled with shock as well.

He too knew of Hong Taiji, having suffered no small losses at his hands over the years.

For the past eight years, the Great Ming had been stable, and Hong Taiji rarely troubled them—after all, with Xiong Tingbi standing guard there, Hong Taiji couldn't easily win, and the two sides could be said to have traded victories and defeats.

But against Joseon, Hong Taiji would beat them black and blue at the slightest excuse. When he lacked grain, he'd come plunder; when he needed slaves, he'd come plunder again. Though the Great Ming helped from the sidelines, there were still losses, great and small, over the years.

Now that Hong Taiji had been wiped out—this was truly an exhilarating piece of good news.

Originally, Yi Jong had been thinking of suggesting to the Great Ming Emperor that his side also lend a hand. After all, if the Great Ming won this fight, the benefits to himself would be enormous.

Yi Jong didn't want anything to go wrong and was willing to offer assistance—even dispatching his own troops if needed. But before he could even secure an audience with the Great Ming Emperor, this news arrived.

Not only had the Great Ming won, they had annihilated Hong Taiji outright—this was utterly astonishing!

The speed of the campaign and the brilliance of the victory truly exceeded all expectations!

Turning to look at Sun Chengzong and Wei Chao, Yi Jong said, "Let us go see His Majesty at once—perfect timing to offer our congratulations!"

Yi Jong had originally planned to cozy up to these two, but now the moment had passed. The battle report had arrived, and celebration would surely follow next.

He needed to get to the Great Ming Emperor's side—only there could he accomplish more and express his congratulations along the way.

Hearing Yi Jong's words, Sun Chuanting and Wei Chao exchanged a glance and said with smiles in unison, "That's certainly no problem. This way, Your Majesty."

Neither of them had any mind to keep making small talk with Yi Jong—Shanhai Pass was hardly a place worth strolling around, with no cultural landmarks or historic sites to speak of. It was simply a military city.

Besides, with the news already arrived, who had the heart to linger here?

Getting back to the Emperor's side was the real priority. There would be plenty to do next—but that was a good thing.

Meanwhile, at Zhu Youxiao's field headquarters, he too heard the cheers outside.

As dispatch riders raced through the entire city, everyone outside heard the good news—all knew the Great Ming had won.

"The Great Ming is mighty! His Majesty is mighty!"

Cheers resounded throughout the entire city, and everyone was stirred with excitement.

For the common folk, this was an exhilarating war. The Great Ming had won, peace would be restored here, and there would be no more war, no more death.

Everyone could live in peace and stability—that was a good thing. Government taxes wouldn't be so heavy either, and they wouldn't be conscripted to haul supplies and such—life would naturally be easier.

For the merchants, this was a golden opportunity to rake in profits. Especially those who had followed the Imperial Household Department from the capital and the south—they had come this time precisely to get rich.

Now that the war was won, and so quickly at that, it was an unparalleled business opportunity for them. It was impossible for them not to be delighted—this time, they were sure to make a killing.

On the streets, merchants directly hauled out brass gongs and clanged them loudly. Some began offering discounts to celebrate the victory—this sort of maneuver was long familiar to them, and they executed it without the slightest awkwardness.

Wine houses and teahouses buzzed with discussion everywhere, cheers ringing out without cease.

Zhu Youxiao was woken by the noise as well.

Sitting up from his bed, he glanced at Chen Hong attending beside him and asked directly, "What's all that racket outside? Why so rowdy? Go take a look—see if something's happened."

Though Zhu Youxiao said this, he wasn't particularly worried inside.

Nothing could really go wrong at Shanhai Pass. This was a military city—besides his guards, he had many troops around him. It was impossible for anything to happen.

A military mutiny was out of the question either—come on now, no one in the Great Ming's army wanted to rebel. Over the past two years, besides working on his personal guard, he had also raised the pay and treatment of the border troops. Especially those in Liaodong—their lives had become much better.

Though it wasn't as if the border troops were living in luxury, things were far better than before—even hereditary military households could now enjoy food and clothing without worry, let alone the junior and senior officers.

Merchants doing business here meant plenty of perks for them. Many generals would also have their families get a piece of the business action—it was practically a surefire way to wealth, making money hand over fist. Why would they possibly rebel against him at a time like this?

His prestige was extremely high. Even if someone did rebel, he wouldn't worry—no one could overthrow him.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Chen Hong promptly acknowledged and turned to head outside.

He too wanted to know what was happening out there.

Reaching the doorway, Chen Hong saw a crowd of people bustling noisily toward him.

Leading the way were Sun Chengzong and Wei Chao — clearly, the two of them had moved with remarkable speed.

The routine memorial announcing victory had already reached Sun Chengzong's hands, and he was striding forward rapidly.

Wei Chao, too, wore an expression of intense excitement.

Someone nearby had already begun shouting: "Great victory at Jianning! General Lu Xiangsheng has slain Hong Taiji in battle!"

How Hong Taiji died no longer mattered — dead was dead. At this moment, what mattered was elevating Lu Xiangsheng.

Whoever had come up with the idea, they had turned it straight into "Lu Xiangsheng slew Hong Taiji in battle," making it sound as if, in the midst of the two armies clashing, Hong Taiji had been cut down by a single stroke of Lu Xiangsheng's blade.

Upon hearing this news, Chen Hong shuddered outright — his heart nearly leaped out of his chest.

Indeed, this was a magnificent piece of news!

Without a moment's hesitation, he turned and ran inside.

If Sun Chengzong and the others were the ones to deliver the good news, what would that make him?

He had to go in first and offer congratulations to His Majesty!

Running into the chamber, Chen Hong saw Zhu Youxiao, who had already risen to his feet.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Hong dropped to his knees with a thud and proclaimed loudly: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Rejoice, Your Majesty! Great victory at Jianning! General Lu Xiangsheng has slain Hong Taiji in battle! Your Majesty, we have won!"

Hearing this, Zhu Youxiao felt a momentary daze. It wasn't that he thought the Great Ming had struggled to achieve this victory or anything of the sort — he had known the Great Ming would win, but he had expected the victory to come easily.

After all these years, with all this effort spent and so many weapons developed — if he hadn't been confident of that, wouldn't it all have been for nothing?

This weaponry and equipment could absolutely crush anything of the current era. Looking across the entire world, there was no opponent to be found — no possibility of defeat existed.

It was just that Zhu Youxiao hadn't expected the battle to be so satisfying, hadn't expected it to be so clean and decisive — and that in a single engagement, Hong Taiji had been killed.

At this moment, Sun Chengzong and the others also arrived. Upon seeing Zhu Youxiao, they too dropped to their knees with a thud and said: "Your Majesty, the Jianzhou barbarians have been annihilated — the Great Ming has won! Your servant congratulates Your Majesty, and rejoices for Your Majesty!"

As Sun Chengzong shouted, everyone followed him in shouting.

The palace maids, eunuchs, and soldiers standing all around also knelt and shouted: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Rejoice, Your Majesty!"