Chapter 128: The Remnant People's Tears Are Spent Amid the Barbarian Dust

Chen Liangce was greatly alarmed and cupped his hands in salute, saying, "When we surrendered, the Great Khan personally promised we would not have to shave our heads. How can you go back on your word now?"

Tong Yangzhen dismounted, tossed the reins to his men, took a towel to wipe his face, then removed his hat and wiped his bald scalp, smiling sinisterly as he said, "All the ahas have shaved. Why shouldn't you surrendered soldiers shave as well? Blame your foolish southern barbarian Emperor for sending men to raid the Liaodong coast and provoking the Great Khan's displeasure."

Having said this, Tong Yangzhen looked left and right and barked sternly, "What are you waiting for? Seize them! Shave their heads! Everyone gets shaved!"

The surrounding Jianzhou barbarian soldiers obeyed the order, seized Chen Liangce's arms, pressed him to the ground, and drew out small knives to begin.

Chen Liangce roared and struggled desperately, but the Jianzhou cavalrymen applied force, and his arms were soon twisted to their limit. He let out screams of agony as both hands swelled purple-red.

The soldiers behind Chen Liangce were also all seized, and even those not yet captured dared not move so much as an inch.

Chen Liangce's face was caked with tears and mud as he stared blankly at the myriad strands of hair falling away.

The Jianzhou barbarians' head-shaving was extremely rough — they simply cut with small knives, slicing off Chen Liangce's topknot in one stroke and tossing it aside.

Then they scraped his scalp directly with the knives, leaving his head covered in wounds, blood streaming down.

Seeing this, Tong Yangzhen said, "Wait! Don't shave heads at the city gate. Take the men into the city — they're going to be shaved anyway, so let the other southern barbarians see what happens when you resist."

The surrounding Jianzhou cavalrymen obeyed, dragging Chen Liangce and his surrendered soldiers away like dead dogs.

The head-shaving ordeal continued until nightfall, when the Jianzhou cavalrymen wanted to sleep and finally stopped.

By then, in the surrendered soldiers' camp, Chen Liangce had already been shaved. Shreds of hair still hung from his head, and countless streams of blood had flowed down his face and neck, congealing into scabs. He looked utterly wretched.

The Ming surrendered soldiers around him who had already been shaved looked much the same.

Those who had not yet had their turn wore equally bitter expressions, for everyone had to be shaved — tomorrow it would be their turn.

Several hundred men stared at one another in silence, the atmosphere in the camp suppressed to the extreme.

Finally, someone could not help but whisper, "Garrison Commander, let's rebel!"

The moment these words were spoken, it was like oil poured on boiling water — people immediately responded.

"Having suffered the humiliation of having our heads shaved, we have no face to live anyway. Better to kill a few Tartars before we die to have company in the grave!"

"Several of those killed today were my fellow townsmen. I want to avenge them!"

"We outnumber the Tartars! Let's charge all at once into the Ejen's residence, drag that Tong bastard out, and hack him to death!"

"Right, we can't let that Tong bastard off! Chop that dog of a Tartar into pieces and feed him to the dogs!"

"All of you, shut up!" Chen Liangce roared in fury. "Since we have already surrendered to the Great Jin, we should be loyal to the Great Khan. Shaving our heads is only reasonable. How can we recklessly speak of rebellion over such a trivial matter? Today, out of regard for our fellowship as comrades in arms, I will let this pass. Say such things again, and don't blame me for turning ruthless!"

Hearing these words, the surrounding soldiers' expressions were extremely complex — shock and bewilderment, anger and resentment, and even relief and regret.

Whatever they felt inwardly, after hearing such disheartening words, no one mentioned rebellion again. The surrendered soldiers returned to their numb, bitter state and each went back to their own barracks.

Before Chen Liangce's barracks, it was suddenly cold and deserted.

One of his trusted men asked, "Garrison Commander, your subordinate feels the soldiers' morale can be used. Why won't you give it a try, General?"

Chen Liangce smiled bitterly: "There are three hundred Tartars in the city, and we have four hundred. On the surface we outnumber them, but of these four hundred, most have no will to fight at all. How many would truly follow us in rising up? Acting hastily would only leak word and get us killed for nothing. To succeed in rebellion, we must coordinate from within and without."

Having said this, Chen Liangce looked up to the sky and sighed deeply. Coordinating from within and without was easy to say, but he knew not how difficult it was to accomplish.

Zhenjiang was the easternmost tip of Liaodong. By the time the Great Ming's imperial army recovered Liaodong and fought its way to Zhenjiang, who knew how many years would have passed. Whether he, Chen Liangce, would live to see that day — he did not know.

"All of you, disperse," Chen Liangce said to his men.

After everyone had left, Chen Liangce raised his head to gaze at the moon, his eyes filled with desolation. His lips parted and closed as he silently recited: "The remnant people's tears are spent amid the barbarian dust."

With a long sigh, Chen Liangce returned to his barracks to sleep.

What he did not know was that, just at that moment, a small force was approaching Zhenjiang city.

This group numbered about twenty-odd men. They carried no torches, spoke not a word, and moved with extraordinary silence. Each carried a Portuguese musket on his back and a waist saber at his belt.

Guided by a local scout, the group crept to a spot three li outside Zhenjiang city, beside the post road. They chose a bend in the road and each set to work with clear division of duties — some stood watch, some set up trip ropes, some buried gunpowder by the roadside.

In the latter half of the night, one large gunboat, accompanied by three smaller gunboats, sailed into the Yalu River.

Tonight the southeast wind blew fiercely, and the Yalu River was full and wide — perfect for sailing upstream.

The four gunboats slowly made their way to just outside Zhenjiang city. The large gunboat's gun ports were thrown open, black muzzles protruding. Beneath the moon, the bronze cannon barrels gleamed with cold arcs of light.

Chen Liangce, half-asleep, suddenly heard a muffled thunderclap. He started bolt upright in bed, and touching his forehead, found it drenched in cold sweat — only then realizing he had been having a nightmare.

He inadvertently touched his shaved head and could not help but feel sorrow welling up again. Just as he was about to lie back down to sleep, he suddenly heard a tremendous boom from within the city, as if the earth dragon had turned over.

Chen Liangce's spirits lifted. He grabbed the waist saber by his bed, rolled off the bed, and strode out of the tent in a few steps.

In the distance, several houses had collapsed. He could see smoke and dust rising, and Jianzhou barbarian soldiers cursing loudly.

"Garrison Commander, what has happened?" His trusted subordinate emerged from his tent, walked to Chen Liangce's side, and peered into the distance in every direction.

Chen Liangce shook his head. He already had a faint guess in his heart, but he dared not believe it was true.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Soon another dense volley of thunder came, from the river outside the city.

Immediately after, the city tower of Zhenjiang was struck as if by a heavy hammer. Bricks and stones flew everywhere, and nearly half the tower collapsed, dust and smoke filling the air.

Some Tartar soldiers were struck by flying stones, fell wounded to the ground, and screamed continuously.

This time Chen Liangce heard clearly — that was unmistakably cannon fire. The Jianzhou barbarians had no cannons of such power, nor did they have seagoing vessels.

The ones coming... were the Great Ming's naval forces!

After a moment, the rest of the soldiers came out of their tents and stood beside Chen Liangce, staring at the city, dumbfounded.

Chen Liangce's heart pounded wildly, but he quickly forced himself to calm down and commanded his men: "Third Brother, take fifty men to the east side of the city and open the city gate to let the heavenly troops in! Old Geda, pick twenty good fighters and come with me into the city to settle accounts with that Tong bastard!"

Just as Chen Liangce was about to set out, his subordinate blocked him: "Garrison Commander, they are shelling right now! Going into the city is dangerous!"

As if to confirm his words, another volley of cannon fire sounded in the distance, and then the city wall was struck as if by an invisible iron rod hitting it square in the middle. Crenellations and wall bricks shattered and fell away, exposing the rammed earth within.

Chen Liangce angrily shoved his subordinate aside: "Even if I'm blown to death by a cannonball today, I will take that Tartar dog's life first!"

Then, after thinking a moment, he said to his men again, "Goudan, take the rest of the brothers and spread out through the city. Shout that the Ming army has come, that the heavenly troops have come!"

Having said this, Chen Liangce strode toward Tong Yangzhen's residence.

His men were few, but they knew the city's terrain well and were all skilled fighters. With the city in complete chaos, they moved through the alleyways without being discovered by the Tartar soldiers.

Along the way, the bombardment from outside the city continued without pause. Solid iron cannonballs crashed into the city, smashing countless houses. Rubble and broken tiles littered the streets, several fires had broken out, and frightened horses ran wildly through the streets — truly a scene of utter chaos.

Chen Liangce vaguely felt that the power of these cannons was even greater than the Ming army's heavy Folangji cannons, and the cannon fire was continuous and sustained—there should be no fewer than ten of them.

Had the Ming army actually deployed warships like these to Liaodong?

Chen Liangce couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it and led his men straight toward Tong Yangzhen's residence.

At that moment, shouts came from afar.

"The Ming army has entered the city!"

"Heavenly troops have entered the city!"

"Everyone, kill the Tartars!"

The Tartar soldiers had never expected a night attack; caught off guard and leaderless, they scattered in all directions, and even the front of Tong Yangzhen's residence was left unguarded.

Behind the gatehouse of the residence, Tong Yangzhen's family and servants were hurriedly packing their belongings, preparing to flee.

They were caught right in front of Chen Liangce.

The womenfolk and servants, seeing Chen Liangce's ferocious face and the long blade in his hand, were all terrified.

Chen Liangce wasted no words—he raised his blade and began killing, regardless of man or woman, old or young; anyone he laid eyes on died beneath his sword.

The group fought their way in, with Chen Liangce in the lead, charging straight to the rear courtyard and kicking open the door to Tong Yangzhen's bedchamber.

The bedchamber was completely empty.

Since his family had not yet fled, Chen Liangce reasoned that Tong Yangzhen should still be on the premises.

Chen Liangce ordered: "Search out that man surnamed Tong!"

His men rushed into the room, ransacking it roughly, and moments later dragged Tong Yangzhen out from under the bed.

This Zhenjiang Mobile Corps Commander, this Jurchen ejen, was now wearing only his underclothes, his armor only half put on, his squinting eyes filled with terror—not a trace of the ferocity of a murderous demon.

Tong Yangzhen recognized the faces of the Ming defector soldiers and snarled: "Fine, you lot…"

Before he could finish, a sword hilt smashed into his face.

The defector soldier struck with brutal force, breaking Tong Yangzhen's nasal bone. Blood gushed from his nose, and tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.

"Ba…buna, babuna…" Tong Yangzhen begged for mercy repeatedly in his native tongue, then, coming to his senses, switched to Chinese: "Spare me…"

The defector soldier beside him raised his blade, about to stab him in the belly, when Chen Liangce stopped him: "Hold on! This dog's life is to be kept for the general who's coming. Take him away!"

After leaving the room, Chen Liangce said: "Take this dog out of the city and hand him over to the naval forces on the river. Search the rest of his residence thoroughly—don't let a single Tartar escape!"

"Yes!" The soldiers around him all clasped their fists in acknowledgment.

At the same time, on the post road outside Zhenjiang city, a squadron of Jianzhou barbarian cavalry was galloping at full speed.

As they rode, they kept looking back toward Zhenjiang, seeing flames leaping into the sky within the city and hearing the continuous thunder of cannon fire from the river to the east.

The cavalry stationed to guard Zhenjiang had been composed of the Jianzhou barbarians' old and weak to begin with. After months of garrison duty, they had grown arrogant and lax in their vigilance. Caught in a night attack, leaderless, and fearing encirclement by a large Ming force, they had withdrawn from the city and scattered in flight.

The leading Jianzhou cavalryman felt lingering terror in his heart. When Liaoyang and Shenyang were attacked, he had been present and had seen the Ming army's great general cannons and Folangji cannons—they were nothing special. When had they ever possessed such power?

Moreover, the cannon fire from the warships was unceasing, as if determined to blast Zhenjiang into scorched earth. That absolute resolve was truly enough to make one's heart tremble with fear.

At least he had escaped. Once he reported the matter of Zhenjiang to the Great Khan, the main force of the Great Jin would come to reinforce.

No matter how powerful your cannons were, they would still fall beneath the iron hooves and arrows of Jurchen warriors. When that time came, these Ming defector soldiers and commoners would all be killed—not one left alive.

As he was pondering this, his horse suddenly stumbled and threw him off, and immediately a volley of gunfire rang out from the surroundings.

The leading cavalryman's heart was filled with alarm. He struggled to his feet with difficulty, only to hear a tremendous blast from the roadside that sent him sprawling to the ground again from the shockwave.

His ears rang incessantly. He could faintly hear the clamor of battle cries all around, followed by the continuous sounds of blades cutting into flesh and screams of agony.

Before he could even react, a blade slashed across his neck. Blood gushed like a spring, and within a few breaths, he collapsed.

Though the remaining Jianzhou barbarian cavalry had been struck by successive ambushes, once they recovered their wits, they still fought fiercely in close combat. The crewmen had to gang up on them several against one to barely subdue them, and many of their own were wounded.

Half a stick of incense later, the fighting on the post road had ceased. The crewmen tended to the wounded and cleaned up the battlefield.

Lei Sanxiang wiped the blood from his face and ordered the crewmen: "Stab every corpse a few times and give them a stir, see if there are any high-ranking officers among them. Move quickly—we're pulling out soon!"

One of the crewmen asked: "Boatswain, why not wait a while longer and kill a few more Tartars?"

Lei Sanxiang snapped angrily: "You think Tartars are that easy to kill? We used trip ropes, muskets, and gunpowder, and still five or six of our own got hurt. If the next wave of Tartars comes, wouldn't we just be courting death?"

Chastised, the crewman dared not speak further and silently went off to stab the corpses.

Lei Sanxiang surveyed the bodies and saw none dressed in fine clothing. He regretted in his heart that they hadn't killed any high-ranking officers, but trading five light wounds for twenty Tartar lives was already a rare achievement.

After cleaning up the battlefield, the group withdrew toward the Yalu River.

At dawn, a white flag was raised atop the city walls of Zhenjiang.

The cannon fire gradually ceased.

Chen Liangce and his men escorted Tong Yangzhen and his family and servants to the riverbank, where they stopped.

"Kneel!" Chen Liangce said coldly.

Tong Yangzhen had been beaten all night until only half his life remained, his head swollen like a pig's. All his arrogance was gone. Upon hearing the order, he led his family and servants in kneeling obediently.

Chen Liangce squinted out at the river, seeing four warships anchored midstream. Three were Great Ming Haicang ships, while the fourth had tall sides—he couldn't tell what type of warship it was.

Chen Liangce took a deep breath and called out loudly: "I am Chen Liangce, Garrison Commander of Zhenjiang Fort in Liaodong of the Great Ming! I have captured the rebel chieftain Tong Yangzhen and hand him over to the general for disposition!"

No one responded—only the sound of the river rushing past could be heard.

Chen Liangce called out several more times, and had his men call out together with him.

After a long while, the banners on the great cannon warship shifted, and a Haicang ship sailed toward the shore.

As the Haicang ship drew closer, Chen Liangce saw its deck covered in dense crimson points of light. Only when it came nearer did he realize those were countless burning matchlock fuses.

On that Haicang ship, nearly every soldier carried a matchlock musket! Along both sides of its gunwales were also three Folangji cannons each—truly finely equipped.

At that moment, all the guns and cannons on the deck were aimed at the shore, and every soldier wore a wary expression.

Chen Liangce was shocked to his core. With such an allocation of firearms, these were elite border troops, damn it!

The court… had not forgotten Liaodong after all!

Chen Liangce felt both astonishment and emotion, and inexplicably, his eyes grew hot…

The Haicang boat sailed up close and stopped, asking who Chen Liangce and the others were, and also about the situation inside Zhenjiang city.

Chen Liangce reported in full detail: "Many houses in the city have collapsed, the cannon fire startled the horses, the Tartars are dead or fled, and my men have now occupied the city. Please, General, enter the city."

The people on the boat then asked about the identity of the prisoners, and Chen Liangce told them truthfully.

The Haicang boat finished its questions and departed, returning to the great cannon ship to report.

After much more time, the great cannon ship issued another order, and several men came over in a small boat, escorted by three Haicang boats.

Chen Liangce was shocked to discover that all three Haicang boats were the same — full of the red glow of burning matchcords.

Seen from afar, it was truly enough to make one's scalp crawl.

Before the Haicang boats reached shore, they turned their hulls sideways, and the broadside firepower of all three ships was aimed at the shore.

Then someone on the boats shouted loudly: "Put down your weapons!"

The shout was in Mandarin, without a Liaodong accent.

One of Chen Liangce's subordinates said: "If we put down our weapons, the Tartars will run!"

"Hahahaha..." A burst of laughter came from the boats.

After a moment, someone said: "Don't worry, at this distance they can't run. Put down your weapons!"

Chen Liangce ordered his men: "Everyone step back three paces, throw down your gear!"

His subordinates obeyed.

Then the people on the boats jumped down, holding matchlock muskets, and surrounded everyone in a tight circle.

"Squat down!"

Chen Liangce squatted on the ground together with his subordinates.

Then the small boat that had come from the galleon slowly approached. Chen Liangce raised his head, and before he could even make out who was coming, an intensely pungent smell of sulfur hit him in the face.

Lin Qian said to Bailangzai: "Send someone to check their waist tokens!"

"Yes!" Bailangzai accepted the order and examined all the waist tokens of the Ming defectors.

Fortunately, these men had surrendered not long ago and still harbored thoughts of their homeland — they had not yet discarded their tokens. After a round of inspection, there was no problem.

After some negotiation, Bailangzai brought Chen Liangce before Lin Qian: "Helm... Battalion Commander, this is the Garrison Commander of Zhenjiang."

"Chen Liangce, Garrison Commander of Zhenjiang, greets the Battalion Commander. May I ask under which lord the Battalion Commander serves?"

By rank, a Garrison Commander outranks a Battalion Commander — if formalities were observed, it should be the Battalion Commander greeting the Garrison Commander.

But Chen Liangce, seeing a man from his homeland, was too stirred with emotion to bother with conventional courtesy.

Lin Qian returned the salute with cupped hands: "He Ping, Battalion Commander under Military Commissioner Xiong of Liaodong."

Chen Liangce's face lit up with joy. Pointing at Tong Yangzhen, he said: "Battalion Commander He, this man is the Zhenjiang Mobile Corps Commander of the Tartars, quite favored by the bandit chief. I have captured him and now present him to the Battalion Commander!"

Lin Qian gave Tong Yangzhen a once-over.

This man was not famous in history, but his family was quite important in the Later Jin. His grandniece married the later Shunzhi Emperor and gave birth to Kangxi, making his family the maternal clan of the Emperor, with immense power and influence — they were called "Tong Half-Dynasty."

Lin Qian walked up to Tong Yangzhen and asked: "How many Tartar troops are there in the Zhenjiang area?"

Chen Liangce translated this into the Jurchen language and demanded an answer in a stern voice.

Because they were stationed at the front lines and had long-term contact with the Jianzhou barbarians, plus the policy of Regional Commander Li Chengliang to use barbarians against barbarians, the border troops frequently dealt with the Jianzhou barbarians — especially the mid and low-ranking officers, most of whom could speak a few phrases of Jurchen.

Tong Yangzhen had already been beaten into submission and answered honestly: "From here north to Changdian Fort, and south to Huanggu Island Fort, there are only three hundred men."

"Where have the Han commoners been moved to?"

"Tokso. Going north along the Yalu River from here, there are over a hundred Tokso of various sizes."

Lin Qian had no more questions. He waved his hand, and the crewmen stepped forward, swiftly cutting the prisoners' throats and letting them bleed out.

Tong Yangzhen watched his family and servants die one by one like chicks, his heart and guts splitting with terror. He kowtowed continuously, speaking in broken Chinese: "General, spare me! I am a Mobile Corps Commander of the Great Jin... no, of the Jianzhou barbarians. I have secret letters of the Jianzhou barbarians — let me see the Great Ming Emperor!"

Lin Qian's face was expressionless as he calmly watched the Tartars struggle and scream, until one by one they bled to death.

The execution line drew closer and closer to Tong Yangzhen. His whole body shook like a sieve, tears and snot streaming down his bruised and swollen face, and yellow fluid trickled down his crotch.

"I am Tong Yangzhen, deeply favored by the Great Khan! You cannot kill me! If you kill me, the Khan will surely avenge me and dye the entire Yalu River red with blood!"

"Spare me! I know I was wrong! I am an animal — I should not have killed those Han people! Doesn't your Great Ming prize benevolence and civilizing virtue above all? I am willing to submit, truly willing to submit!"

Tong Yangzhen was so terrified he was babbling nonsense, begging for mercy in Jurchen one moment, in Chinese the next.

Chen Liangce said quietly to Lin Qian: "Battalion Commander He, this man is indeed quite favored by the bandit chief. His clan sister is the bandit chief's first wife. Spare his life and present him to the court — it should be a great merit."

The so-called bandit chief's first wife was Nurhaci's principal wife, called the "primary consort" among the Jianzhou barbarians. It was precisely because of this marriage connection that Tong Yangzhen held such a prominent position among the Jianzhou barbarians.

But Lin Qian said flatly: "No need. Kill them all — not one left!"

Chen Liangce was stunned at these words. He paused, then gritted his teeth and said: "Then... Battalion Commander He, could you leave Tong Yangzhen for me to kill?"

Lin Qian agreed.

Chen Liangce walked up to Tong Yangzhen and looked at him with a half-smile: "Dog Tartar, you never thought you'd see this day, did you?"

Tong Yangzhen kowtowed without stopping, saying: "Garrison Commander, spare my life, and I will go before the Great Ming Emperor to sing your praises! You are a Baturu among the Han! Just spare my life, and I will do anything you say..."

Chen Liangce drew his blade.

Tong Yangzhen seemed pierced by the cold gleam of the steel, scrambling to dodge, the stench from his crotch growing stronger.

Chen Liangce weighed the blade in his hand, then sheathed it again.

Seeing this, Tong Yangzhen's face lit up with joy, thinking he would live. He kowtowed repeatedly: "Thank you, Garrison Commander! Thank you, Garrison Commander! Thank you for your mercy in sparing my life..."

But Chen Liangce's next words froze the smile on Tong Yangzhen's face.

"Bring me a great axe!"

Chen Liangce's men were all covered by matchlock muskets — none dared to move.

Lin Qian gave Bailangzai a look, and Bailangzai picked out a short hand-axe from the weapons on the ground and handed it to Chen Liangce.

Chen Liangce took the axe, weighed it in his hand, and tested the edge.

By now Tong Yangzhen had collapsed to the ground in terror, his lips trembling incessantly but unable to utter a single word, his eyes filled with sheer horror — worse off than a lamb awaiting slaughter.

Chen Liangce gripped the axe in one hand, raised it high above his head, his face twisted with savagery as he roared: "You Tartar dogs!"

Tong Yangzhen was startled, involuntarily turning his gaze toward Chen Liangce.

The sharp axe fell, cleaving into the center of Tong Yangzhen's skull. His cranium split open, the blade cutting through the head almost into two halves, stopping only at the nose.

As the hand-axe was pulled free, Tong Yangzhen's body toppled over, a gurgling sound escaping his throat. He convulsed on the ground for a long while before finally lying still.

White brain matter and bright red blood splattered far and wide, covering Chen Liangce in streaks of red and white, making him look like a ferocious asura.

The scene was utterly bloody.

By now, not a single one of the Tong family captives remained alive.

Lin Qian calmly flicked away the spots of white brain matter that had splashed onto him, then said to Bailangzai: "Cut off all the Tartars' heads."

(End of chapter)

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