Chapter 172: Pingnan Bo, It All Depends on You

Pale blue sky drifted with thin, colorful clouds.

Sunlight filtered through the clouds onto the mortal world, casting countless mottled lights and shadows.

Under such fine weather, within the Jing Shi Forbidden City, dark clouds gathered instead.

As for the source of these dark clouds, only the furious Great Ming Emperor.

"Rebels, detestable!"

"Where are my King Qin troops!?"

The Chongzhen Emperor, face full of anger, slammed the urgent memorial in his hand fiercely onto the ground.

The Imperial Study was extremely quiet, quiet enough to hear only the tick-tock of the standing clock.

"Boom~~~"

The standing clock suddenly sounded the hourly chime, making everyone's heart tighten.

Once the Emperor flared up, the ministers outside might be fine, but these eunuchs and gongnu would surely suffer.

"Hoo~ hoo~"

The Chongzhen Emperor, eyebrows twitching, clenched his fists with heavier breathing, about to flare up.

"Imperial Uncle~~~"

The Bing Bi Tai Eunuch Wang Chengen, who had been ill, held a memorial in hand, trotting in all the way, his old face full of joy: "Great joy~~~"

"Hmph."

The Chongzhen Emperor coldly laughed without stopping: "The bandit troops are stationed at Ba Li Qiao, what is there to be happy about?"

Lin Dao's army swept horizontally across the Beizhili Jingji Region, now the spearhead points directly at Jing Shi.

The whole Jing Shi was startled three times a day, rumors flying everywhere.

Last night even rumors of bandits entering the city broke out, causing a huge commotion.

"Imperial Uncle, the Guan Ning Army has come!"

Wang Chengen, who had been hiding before, one sentence made the dark clouds on the Chongzhen Emperor's face dissipate.

The last combat-ready legion of the Great Ming, really came to aid the king?

When Huang Taiji broke through the pass and marched south, the Guan Ning Army did not come, citing guarding Shan Hai Guan.

When Shi Kefa supervised the King Qin troops and issued over ten orders, the Guan Ning Army still did not come.

When the Tartar-Mongol allied forces were routed, and the court ordered to intercept the defeated soldiers, the Guan Ning Army still did not come.

Now Lin Dao's great army is about to besiege Jing Shi, and the Guan Ning Army actually came?

The Chongzhen Emperor was also doubtful; the Guan Ning Army, always heeding deployment but not orders, why so obedient this time?

As long as they came, it's good.

"Good, good." The Chongzhen Emperor sighed in relief: "Issue the edict, enfeoff Wu Sangui as Pingnan Bo, grant ten thousand taels of silver!"

He was also short of funds.

Tens of thousands of mouths in the Imperial Palace, so many capital garrison troops inside and outside the city, plus numerous meritorious nobles, imperial relatives, and court officials all needing support.

For the Chongzhen Emperor, who almost had no fiscal income, a reward of ten thousand taels was already spending heavily.

Wang Chengen, who had lost imperial favor due to previously falsely reporting the defeat of the bandit army, also quietly sighed in relief.

It was not in vain that he mobilized all his strength, paying attention to news from all sides at all times.

Finally, relying on the good news of the Guan Ning Army's arrival to aid, he returned to the Emperor's side.

"Only hope Pingnan Bo can repel Lin Dao and resolve the crisis of Jing Shi."

No matter how windy and rainy it is outside, for these eunuchs, the Emperor is always their heaven.

Since ancient times, only heard of civil officials surrendering and being heavily reused, military generals surrendering and being heavily reused.

Never heard of eunuchs surrendering and still being heavily reused.

At such a critical moment, only eunuchs would sincerely hope the crisis eases.

"Pingnan Bo, it all depends on you."

Ji Xian, Guan Ning Army Main Camp.

Casually tossing the enfeoffment edict sent by the court aside, Wu Sangui urgently asked: "Has there been a reply from Marshal Lin?"

Li Yousong, a local gentry from Shan Hai Guan recruited to accompany, stepped forward to reply: "The people sent have not returned yet."

Wu Sangui, with an anxious expression, stood up and paced back and forth.

"We are just seeking survival, what is the Marshal hesitating about?"

Lin Dao was hesitating; how to completely annihilate these tens of thousands of Guan Ning Army troops without bringing too great losses to his own side.

"Distribute pay at the drill ground, no weapons and armor?"

"The Guan Ning Army are not fools!"

"Directly lead the army into battle?"

"Battle losses at this time are not worth it."

"Troublesome."

How to deal with the Guan Ning Army was also a small problem for him.

For Wu Sangui and other Guan Ning Army officers who had long fought the Tartars on the front lines, no one in this world understood better how capable the Tartar troops were.

Did they really think the Guan Ning Army naturally liked to turn and flee like the wind before battle?

Weren't they forced by the Tartars!

In the Tartar army, any random armored soldier had combat power comparable to the Guan Ning Army's household servants.

That is to say, the Tartars had tens of thousands of household servants.

Back then, Li Cheng Liang had only eight thousand household servants at most.

But even such powerful Tartars, under Huang Taiji's personal command, went to fight Lin Dao.

The result? Nearly total annihilation!

Huang Taiji, who had won every battle, was dead!

For the Tartars, this was a calamity-level disaster.

And for the Guan Ning Army, it was equally a bolt from the blue.

They were soldiers and horses of the Great Ming, while Lin Dao was a rebel army.

That is to say, the Guan Ning Army would sooner or later have to face Lin Dao's forces, who had destroyed the Tartar army.

Facing Lin Dao's troops, whose combat ability was even more terrifying than the Tartars', everyone in the Guan Ning Army, high and low, had one thought.

"We can't fight!"

Since we can't fight, we can only surrender.

Lin Dao, in Tong Zhou, finally made up his mind: "Go back and tell Wu Sangui to come see me in person."

He didn't have a famous person's collecting habit.

Summoning Wu Sangui was also to see this famous fence-sitter with his own eyes.

Set a few traps for him, see if he steps on them.

If he steps on them, kill him directly.

If he doesn't, let the Guan Ning Army struggle on for a while, treating it as making use of waste.

Lin Dao had never thought of letting the Guan Ning Army off, let alone absorbing this batch of pampered arrogant soldiers and generals.

The Guan Ning Army, raised by several million taels of Liaoning military pay every year, had long since become a system of its own.

Such an army of arrogant soldiers and generals follows whoever gives silver, and even that is only nominal allegiance, similar to mercenaries.

Lin Dao had silver, but he wouldn't give it to them.

He even planned to completely eliminate this freakish tumor from a physical aspect.

Wu Sangui, upon receiving the news, did not hesitate, and came very quickly.

He only brought a batch of household servants, riding fast horses with whips to reach Tong Zhou.

After a careful search, Wu Sangui finally met Lin Dao.

"Wu Sangui pays his respects to the Great Commander!"

The newly appointed Pingnan Bo acted with great determination and perseverance; since he had decided to surrender, he surrendered firmly without hesitation.

"You are Wu Sangui?"

Lin Dao carefully surveyed the man before him.

Tall and burly, he looked like a strong and powerful man at first glance.

A face like a national character, dignified appearance, seeming like a man of loyalty and righteousness upon sight.

"Commander is indeed Wu Sangui!"

Wu Sangui performed a great kowtow heavily, his voice loud and clear.

In history, when he met Dorgon, he also knelt down like this.

Lin Dao asked with a smile, "The Guan Ning Army is truly willing to surrender to me?"

"Yes." Wu Sangui, with his scalp pressed to the ground, immediately replied, "The Guan Ning Army, high and low, ten thousand cavalry and over forty thousand foot soldiers, are all willing to die for the Great Commander!"

This was their last capital, deliberately pointed out before the Great Commander.

Lin Dao surveyed him, then spoke again, "I don't have Liaoning military pay to give you here."

"Great Commander, please see clearly!"

Wu Sangui did not raise his head, "It is said to be Liaoning military pay, but before even leaving Jing City, thirty percent had already vanished."

"From the Supervising Army Eunuch and the Regional Military Commission down to local grain routes, each level takes another thirty percent."

"And with frequent delays in payment, and funds for building fortresses, the amount our Guan Ning Army actually receives is not as many as outside rumors claim."

This is also a tradition of the Great Ming.

As long as it is the Imperial Court's money and grain, there will always be countless hands reaching up and down to grope and seize.

What can actually be used for real business, thirty percent would be not bad.

"No need to explain these to me." Lin Dao simply shook his head, "I don't have Liaoning military pay here, and I won't issue military rations and grass to you either."

Wu Sangui finally raised his head, his gaze toward Lin Dao full of doubt.

Was this to starve the Guan Ning Army to death?

Wasn't this looking down on people too much?

We are fifty thousand soldiers and horses!

Even if they were fifty thousand pigs, crashing into you could kill many of you!

The atmosphere inside the tent was obviously somewhat oppressive.

"Since you are willing to surrender to me."

Lin Dao stared at his face, "You should present a letter of surrender."

"How about taking Jing Shi?"

No benefits mentioned, all demands.

This was not nonsense, but based on overwhelming strength.

Eliminating the Guan Ning Army was just a bit more trouble for Lin Dao.

Wu Sangui's expression changed unpredictably, "The Guan Ning Army, high and low, is willing to die for the Great Commander."

"It's just, it's just~~~"

It's just that you don't issue money and grain, yet still want us to work for you?

Isn't this looking down on people a bit too much?

Lin Dao kept a straight face, his expression like cold iron. "You are unwilling?"

"If you are unwilling, you can leave."

The Great Ming is already finished.

The bandit Lin has already fought his way to the gates of the Capital.

Places like Henan and Shaanxi have also fallen into Li Chuang's hands.

The Guan Ning Army, curled up around Shanhai Pass, fundamentally cannot even support itself.

If they don't surrender to Lin Dao, they can only go surrender to the Tartars.

Before Huang Taiji's defeat, they were even more willing to surrender to the Tartars.

But to go surrender after Huang Taiji has been defeated, that is purely a case of having a screw loose in the head.

Just like running off to become a eunuch after the Xinhai Revolution — equally sick in the head.

They have no choice.

Wu Sangui bowed low once more. "Willing to die for the Grand Marshal!"

"Take the Capital." Lin Dao stood up, looking down at Wu Sangui kneeling on the ground performing the grand salute. "Carry out the Kang Xiang matter; at that time, allocate half the income to the Guan Ning Army."

After the Capital, there are still the Tartars beyond the Pass, the grassland tribes, Korea, the Tokugawa Shogunate, overseas barbarians, and so on and so forth.

The Guan Ning Army will ultimately be thoroughly consumed in endless wars.

It counts as making use of waste.

Hearing these words, Wu Sangui's fighting spirit surged up at once.

He knew all too well just how affluent the Capital's li were.

Those meritorious nobles and court ministers, the imperial relatives — which one isn't worth a fortune?

Only the Emperor is a poor ghost.

Just half is too little~~~

He opened his mouth, wanting to fight for a bit more.

At the very least give one-tenth as well.

Lin Dao, however, simply waved his hand. "Within three days, I want to see results."

"If it can't be done, there is no need for the Guan Ning Army to remain."

"Three days?" Wu Sangui's heart tightened.

The Guan Ning Army is in Ji Xian; three days to run to the Capital is tough enough, let alone having to seize the Capital.

He had many words he wanted to say, but Lin Dao had already turned and left directly.

To him, the entire Guan Ning Army was nothing more than a tool.

Use it if it works, casually destroy it if it doesn't.

He isn't the Great Ming, needing to rely on these arrogant soldiers and fierce generals to protect the last fig leaf.

"If the matter isn't accomplished, I'll exterminate you all!"

(End of Chapter)