Chapter 92

Accompanied by the screams of these high officials and noble lords, along with the tens of thousands of imperial clan corpses before him.

Xingshan truly resembled a hell on earth.

Clearly, Zhu Youjian still had not the slightest intention of stopping!

Until this moment.

Standing among the assembled officials, Hong Chengchou suddenly had a terrifying thought.

Could this matter of the imperial clan joining the campaign have been a trap from the very start?!

Thinking of this, cold sweat immediately broke out unceasingly across Hong Chengchou's back.

And looking at the expressions of the surrounding officials.

Clearly, more than one person had already seen through this point.

But what could they do even if they saw through it?

The officials knew what Zhu Youjian was thinking, Zhu Youjian knew the officials knew what he was thinking, and the officials also knew Zhu Youjian knew they knew what Zhu Youjian was thinking.

What could be done about it?!

Some matters, if not weighed, weigh less than two taels.

Once weighed, even a thousand catties cannot hold them down!

These two hundred and fifty thousand imperial clan members.

Were the great scale Zhu Youjian had prepared for the entire court of civil and military officials!

How many people this case would implicate going forward.

Depended entirely on when Zhu Youjian chose to stop the killing!

Thinking of this, Hong Chengchou could not help but shudder on the spot.

If he had not supervised the campaign in this battle, he feared that among the tiger benches before him, one would surely have been his.

Soon, under these officials biting at one another.

Grand Secretary Wen Tiren, Duke of England Zhang Zhiji, Marquis of Wuqing Li Guorui, and over twenty other noble lords and scholar-officials.

Were immediately stripped of their titles and offices on the spot by Zhu Youjian.

And this was merely the beginning.

At this moment, Zhu Youjian, seated on the dragon throne, felt ever more keenly the truth of Su Qiao's words.

Great Ming's greatest peril had never lain outside.

But right here within the court itself!

Now, the pretext for resolving this greatest peril had already been seized.

He absolutely could not let these officials muddle through so easily!

The efficiency of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot was also pushed to the extreme.

The agents interrogated in front, the Ministry of Punishments passed judgment behind, Zhu Youjian approved beside them, and the executioners chopped on the hilltop.

Just as Zhu Youjian was cleansing the court.

The elite Bannermen led by Hong Taiji had also retreated to the banks of the Dalinghe, near an unnamed village.

After several bloody battles, even Hong Taiji's dragon robe had already been stained red with blood.

In this battle, though the Ming army Suffered heavy losses, the Bannermen on the other side likewise had not gained much advantage.

Fan Wencheng made a rough estimate.

In this battle, Bannermen casualties numbered around fifty thousand, not including the Deng-Lai New Army, the Han Bannermen, and the naval troops who defected mid-battle.

These were Jurchens—every one lost was one fewer!

One must remember.

Since the days of Nurhaci, the Later Jin had already begun going into the mountains of Tungus to capture wild Jurchens and enroll them into the banners!

For the Great Qing, this kind of battle.

Truly could not be counted as a victory.

The Han people of the realm numbered in the hundreds of millions.

The Han could afford to lose men.

Could the Manchus afford to lose men?!

Just as the Qing soldiers hung their heads in dejection.

A casual glance from Hong Taiji revealed that the distant village entrance had already raised tall mourning banners.

Every household in the village had already hung up white cloth!

Seeing this scene, Dorgon's expression instantly twisted.

"These Han commoners, do they truly not fear death?!"

"This is still the territory of our Great Qing!"

"Are they so eager to mourn for the Zhu Emperor's family?!"

Hong Taiji said nothing.

He merely, with a dark face, led a group of Plain Yellow Banner Bannermen slowly into the village.

Hearing the commotion at the village entrance.

The villagers had also slowly begun to stir.

Before long, surrounded by several young and strong men.

An old man with a shaved head, holding the crutch bestowed by the Ming Shandong Provincial Administration Commission, slowly walked out of the village.

Then a crowd of bald-headed commoners knelt expressionlessly on the ground.

And shouted "Your Majesty" without a trace of emotion.

Dorgon snapped harshly.

"Don't you Han people set such store by propriety?! The Son of Heaven is right here, and this is how you greet him?!"

The old man didn't even bother to glance over, rapped his turtledove staff against the black earth beneath his feet, and said with a cold laugh,

"I'm but a common brute. I know nothing of etiquette."

Hong Taiji shot Dorgon a glare.

Then he forced a smile onto his face, looked at the old man, and asked,

"Old man, then how do you explain every household in this village wearing mourning? Surely it isn't for the Great Ming imperial clan…"

"Your Majesty speaks out of turn."

"This commoner is mourning the Eight Banners warriors who fell in battle."

Dorgon gritted his teeth and roared,

"Then what about your queues?! You've all shaved them off, and you dare claim you're mourning for the Eight Banners?!"

On hearing this, the old man couldn't be bothered to explain himself to Dorgon any longer. He stood off to one side and said offhandedly,

"Cooler that way."

No sooner had the words fallen than Dorgon whipped out the Ma Dao at his waist.

But the instant Dorgon drew his blade,

a clamor of footsteps came from the courtyards all around.

Every now and then the cold glint of a woodcutting blade flashed into view.

If Dorgon pressed them with one more question,

every villager would rise up on the spot.

"You mean to rebel?!"

Dorgon's furious shout echoed through the village.

But at this moment Hong Taiji had calmed himself and forcibly suppressed the fury in his heart.

"Enough! Dorgon, we came uninvited and have already broken propriety! Take your men and get out of this village at once!"

Dorgon, who had been scolded by Hong Taiji out of nowhere for no reason, stood rooted to the spot in a daze.

Before Dorgon could even react,

Hong Taiji cupped his fist in a salute toward the clan elder and said,

"If that is so, I shall not trouble you further!"

With that, Hong Taiji turned and left the village.

Times have changed.

If this had been before the battle.