Chapter 129: The Slaughter Begins

The cold northern wind swept across the White Mountains and Black Waters, finally arriving at Sarhu, eighty li from Fushun City.

The sky was high and the clouds were thin, the ice and snow were melting, and several small streams converged, merging into a thick, surging river.

It was a rare clear day, and the dazzling sunlight spilled onto the water, sparkling and reflecting a unique brilliance.

Zhang Yunxiu stood on a hillside in Sarhu, gazing into the distance at the entirety of Sarhu.

He saw a winding long dragon, with a swift and galloping momentum, surging from the northwest corner toward the Southeast. The vegetation on both banks swayed in the wind, all growing toward the south, as if guiding the way for this long dragon.

Originally, it was right here that Nurhaci crushed the four-route allied forces of the Ming Army and beheaded the Ming Liaodong Regional Commander Du Song.

After this battle, Nurhaci took advantage of the momentum to seize Shenyang City, completely gaining a firm foothold in Liaodong.

The gears of the Great Ming Dynasty's destruction also began to turn quietly.

"However, he has no chance now." Shaking his head, Zhang Yunxiu murmured.

Han San, standing to the side, thought he was speaking to him, but he hadn't heard clearly, and for a moment, he appeared somewhat restless.

After a few seconds of silence, Han San glanced at the empty wilderness around them and cautiously reminded him: "Young Master, this place is already close to the front line. Let's return to Fushun City; if we happen to run into the barbarians, I'm afraid the few of us won't be able to protect you."

"What is there to panic about? How far is this from Fushun City?" Zhang Yunxiu was unconcerned.

"But..."

Han San wore a troubled expression and was about to say more when Zhang Yunxiu interrupted him roughly, "There is no 'but.' Once Li Rusong's troops arrive, I will personally see him off, and then we will return."

"Very well."

Han San hung his head and retreated to the side, his eyes, flashing with sharp light, constantly scanning back and forth across the wilderness.

Suddenly, the clouds in the distance darkened, and then, like ink dripping into water, they spread rapidly toward this side.

Dark clouds rolled in, and the earth instantly turned pitch black.

"Young Master, it's going to rain," Han San reminded him.

"I know."

Zhang Yunxiu waved his hand, signaling him to be quiet.

The sound of galloping hooves came from the distance. On the horizon, first one tall knight appeared, then two, three... Immediately after, a dense mass of cavalry filled Zhang Yunxiu's line of sight.

Beneath the galloping of ten thousand horses, the river boiled, and the earth seemed to be trembling.

The man charging at the very front was in his early thirties, with a sturdy build, wearing an eight-petaled silver iron helmet, clad in silver armor, draped in a red silk cloak from Western Shu, and with a long saber hanging at his waist.

He was majestic and awe-inspiring, as if he were a god of war from the heavens.

It was none other than the Liaodong Assistant Regional Commander, Li Rusong.

After the cavalry had galloped for a distance, Li Rusong waved his hand, signaling the troops behind him to begin slowing down.

He then spurred his horse forward, arriving at the hillside where Zhang Yunxiu was. As the two met, Li Rusong rolled off his saddle, stepped forward with a smile, and urged: "Minister Zhang, wild men often haunt this area; you had better return to Fushun City quickly."

"I came to see the General off; once I have seen you off, I will return to the city," Zhang Yunxiu nodded with a smile.

"Many thanks."

Li Rusong cupped his hands and returned the salute.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zhang Yunxiu went straight to the point and asked: "General Li, what do you think of Nurhaci as a person?"

Li Rusong did not know why Zhang Yunxiu was so concerned about Nurhaci, but since the question was put to him, he had to answer. He immediately followed his past impressions and quickly gave his assessment: "This man was originally a small soldier under my father's command. He is fierce in battle, brave and unafraid of death, and has a firm temperament. If he ever gains power, he will surely rise with the wind and soar straight to the nine heavens."

"Since the General knows this, why do you still let him annex the Jurchen Tribe?" Zhang Yunxiu asked anxiously.

"No matter how much he jumps around, he is just a grasshopper. I will not give him the chance to gain power." Li Rusong raised an eyebrow, his tone filled with twelve parts confidence the moment he spoke.

Zhang Yunxiu, however, did not dare to be as arrogant as him and hurriedly urged: "When a lion hunts a rabbit, it still uses its full strength. General Li, you must expand the results of this battle and ensure the total annihilation of the enemy."

"Minister, rest assured. I have already dispatched three thousand cavalry from Liaoyang to circle behind and block the retreat of the Jianzhou Guard. I will personally lead five thousand elite cavalry to set out from Fushun City and strike directly at Hetu Ala."

Li Rusong said, smiling as he revealed his deployment.

Dividing his forces?

A bad premonition arose in Zhang Yunxiu's heart.

But thinking that the Jianzhou Guard was still extremely weak, and that it was Li Rusong commanding the troops, the tension in his heart dissipated quite a bit.

He stared into Li Rusong's eyes and said solemnly: "This battle concerns the pattern of Liaodong for decades to come for the Great Ming. I hope the General will not be careless. Yunxiu thanks the General for eliminating this scourge for the people."

"Minister Zhang, you are too serious. The Jianzhou Guard is nothing but a rootless duckweed. Once my great army arrives, they will only be able to surrender at the sight of us. Please return to Fushun City and wait; within five days, there will surely be news of victory!"

"Good, I will wait for the General's news of victory in Fushun City."

As Zhang Yunxiu said this, he cupped his hands toward Li Rusong once more.

"Please return." Li Rusong nodded and returned the salute, then flipped onto his horse and chased after the main force with his personal guards.

After galloping for about twenty li, the Regional Assistant Regional Commander beside Li Rusong couldn't help but ask: "Young Master, this Jianzhou Guard has always been respectful, and the tribute they send every year is not small. Do we really have to cut the weeds and dig up the roots?"

"It is not small, but someone is giving more," Li Rusong glanced at the Regional Assistant Regional Commander and replied expressionlessly.

The Jianzhou Guard only provided some Battle Soldiers and sent some local specialties and silver every year; it was a lot. But it was far less than what Zhang Yunxiu had given: one hundred thousand taels of military supplies, and a promise.

A promise that he, Li Rusong, could succeed as the Liaodong Regional Commander in the future.

The bitter, cold land of Liaodong was a chicken rib to the central dynasty. Therefore, if there were no wars in Liaodong, the military pay and expenses for this place would be greatly halved.

For the Li family, if they wanted to have a say in the imperial court, first, they had to let the court see that Liaodong was not peaceful. Second, they had to find someone in the court who had a say and whose wealth and status would last long.

After thinking it over, Zhang Yunxiu fit the bill perfectly in every way.

This time, Zhang Yunxiu took the initiative to come to them, promising heavy profits to let the Li family destroy the Jianzhou Guard.

Although the Li father and son did not know how the Jianzhou Guard had offended Zhang Yunxiu, in the face of the trend of interests, the Jianzhou Guard naturally became a bargaining chip in the power struggle of these big figures.

It became a stepping stone for him, Li Rusong.

Thinking of this, Li Rusong curled his lips, his suppressed joy overflowing in his expression.

He suddenly drew the sword at his waist, pointed it forward, and shouted: "The army will advance at full speed! By noon tomorrow at the latest, we will surround Hetu Ala. In this battle, leave no prisoners, leave no prisoners!"

"Oh, oh, oh!"

"Woo..."

A roar of joy erupted from the great army behind him.

If no prisoners were to be taken, then these savages could be dealt with however they pleased.

At sunset the following day, the cavalry of Li Rusong surrounded Hetu Ala. He did not choose to attack the city directly, but instead dispatched small units to encircle and annihilate the tribes surrounding Hetu Ala.

For a time, the sounds of killing rose from all directions, and the stench of blood filled the air.

In just two short days, Hetu Ala became an isolated city of the Jianzhou Guard.

Seeing that these thorns had been cleared away, Li Rusong quickly summoned his subordinates to the main tent for a military council. He scanned the generals in the tent and said, "Although that city is dilapidated, most of us are cavalry, and cavalry are skilled in field battles; if we force an assault, I fear the casualties will not be small."

"Indeed, according to the intelligence Li Kui brought back, there are still four or five thousand savages in the city, and five or six hundred Battle Soldiers. If they hold the city and defend it, it will be enough to give us a hard time," a general followed up, nodding.

"How about we let Li Kui sneak in and open the city gates?" another person tentatively suggested.

The general who had spoken earlier knitted his brows and shouted, "Why don't you go and kill all five hundred of those Battle Soldiers yourself? The savages must have been on guard for a long time now; they are only a few people, how could they open the city gates?"

"I was just saying it off the cuff, what are you bickering about!"

The generals were arguing incessantly. Li Rusong raised his palm and slammed it heavily onto the table, shouting, "What are you arguing about? If you keep arguing, I'll send you to the front lines and let you fight to the death with the savages in the siege!"

At this one roar, all the generals became like quails with their necks tucked in, silent and saying nothing.

"You've all been spoiled."

Li Rusong was filled with bitter resentment and was just about to continue his reprimand when he suddenly heard a messenger report: "General, Nurhaci's younger brother, Shuerhachi, is outside our camp gate asking to see you."

"Quick, invite him in." Li Rusong waved his hand, and the soldier stepped back quickly.

In a short while, the soldier brought in Shuerhachi, who was bare-chested and carrying thorns on his back, into the main tent.

Upon seeing Li Rusong, Shuerhachi knelt on the ground and cried out, "General, my tribe has always been law-abiding, regarding the Great Ming and you and your father as if you were our own fathers."

"Now that the General has suddenly raised a great army to conquer the clansmen of a guilty subject, this guilty subject does not know where he has offended the General; I ask the General to clarify."

"Hmph, you silver-tongued Shuerhachi." Li Rusong was not influenced by him in the slightest, only knitting his brows and cursing: "Your tribesmen killed my soldiers and violated the heavenly might of the Great Ming, and now you come here to play the victim."

"Do you want to test whether this sword of mine is sharp or not?!"

Shuerhachi felt his spine turn cold, and beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead. He tried his best to defend himself: "General, this is pure slander and rumor. How would my tribesmen dare to kill the heavenly soldiers? There must be some misunderstanding in this."

"You say we are slandering you?"

"Ah, no, that is not what I meant."

"Then you really did it? What great dog guts! Someone, drag this beast out and behead him. Use his head to sacrifice to the fallen soldiers. Tomorrow at the hour of the horse, we attack the city!"

Li Rusong was half-bluffing and half-serious, which completely rattled Shuerhachi.

He knew that with the troops he had in hand, it would be extremely difficult to hold this isolated city.

Once the city was breached, these angry Ming Army soldiers would turn into wild beasts and turn Hetu Ala into a living hell just like Gule City.

He dared not gamble, and he could not afford to lose.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Shuerhachi raised his head, looked humbly at Li Rusong, and begged, "As long as the General can forgive my tribesmen, my tribe is willing to provide three hundred Battle Soldiers for the General to command."

"No, four hundred. Four hundred Battle Soldiers."

Li Rusong did not speak, but merely scanned Shuerhachi on the ground with the gaze of a hunter sweeping over his prey.

"General..." Shuerhachi's brows knotted into a lump, his face full of pleading.

"Fine, since you are truly admitting your mistake, I will spare you this time," Li Rusong waved his hand and added, "Tomorrow, you will hand over the culprits who killed our brothers, and dispatch five hundred Battle Soldiers to follow us to conquer the Haixi Jurchen. This matter will then be settled."

"Five hundred men, isn't that a bit too many?" Shuerhachi was somewhat troubled.

"Heh, since you think it's too many, then go back, gather your troops, and have a go with us to see who's who!" Li Rusong said, revealing his stark white teeth, which made him look exceptionally ferocious.

"Fine, this one agrees." Shuerhachi gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Alright, get out of here. I was originally preparing to go to the capital to report for duty when I ran into this mess of yours. Do you think I wanted to bring a great army to this godforsaken place? It wasn't forced by you, was it?"

Li Rusong spoke sincerely, but Shuerhachi only took it as him trying to extort him.

Consequently, he quickly left Li Rusong's main tent and headed straight for his own city.

"The rest is left to you; I don't need to teach you how to do it, do I?" Watching Shuerhachi's departing back, Li Rusong waved his hand and ordered without a trace of emotion.

Several people looked at each other and chuckled, a flash of excitement flickering in their blood-red pupils.

(End of this chapter)