Chapter 404: Beheading the General

Chen Qiyu turned around the screen and entered the second hall, walked forward a few steps and sat down in the main seat, with Han Guan and Li Lu following closely behind him.

"Li Lu, come forward! This official has questions for you!"

After confirming that the voices of Chen Qizhi and He Qian in the main hall could no longer be heard, Chen Qiyu said in a low voice.

Li Lu, who was feeling puzzled, hurried forward and cupped his hands: "May I ask what the Grand Secretary commands?"

"This official asks you, are you, Li Lu, still an official and general of the court? Do the soldiers under your command still obey the court's orders?"

With his back straight, Chen Qiyu stared directly into Li Lu's eyes with a piercing gaze, and spoke in a stern tone.

Li Lu hurriedly bowed with clasped hands and replied: "To report to the Grand Secretary, your subordinate has always been an official and general of the Great Ming, and the soldiers under my command have always been the court's troops! Your subordinate has never harbored any disloyalty toward the court!"

Although he did not know why Chen Qiyu had asked these questions, Li Lu vaguely felt in his heart that something was about to happen.

"Good! This official was waiting for those very words! Though I have only recently arrived here, I have quietly observed your conduct, and you still hold reverence and awe for the court — this is rare beyond the passes! Now the eastern barbarians' great army presses upon our borders, and the situation hangs by a thread! I bear the imperial mandate to supervise the army, and I will absolutely not tolerate any disobedience of military orders!"

While speaking, Chen Qiyu observed Li Lu's expression and movements, and upon seeing that Li Lu still maintained a respectful demeanor, he immediately continued: "Li Lu, how long have you held the post of Mobile Corps Commander?"

"To report to the Grand Secretary, your subordinate was promoted from Battalion Commander to Mobile Corps Commander at the end of the fifth year of Chongzhen, and it has been over five years since!"

Li Lu replied respectfully.

"Hmm, this official intends to memorialize the court to promote you to the post of Regional Defense Assistant Regional Commander! But before that, you must do one thing to prove your loyalty to the court! Are you willing to obey this official's command?!"

Chen Qiyu leaned forward, lowered his voice, and fixed Li Lu with a sharp, piercing stare.

Upon hearing this, Li Lu was first overjoyed in his heart, then immediately realized something, and the expression on his face became extremely conflicted.

He had already roughly guessed what Chen Qiyu wanted him to do.

A pledge of loyalty.

A pledge of loyalty to be promoted to Assistant Regional Commander.

Seeing this, Chen Qiyu smiled slightly, slowly leaned back against the chair back, and did not continue to urge Li Lu.

Just now in the main hall, judging from He Qian's tone and conduct toward Li Lu, the two were not sworn-life friends. Although both came from the Liaoxi military clans, when it came to vital personal interests, he believed Li Lu would make the right choice.

He had given prior instructions for He Qian and Li Lu to each select fifty men from their subordinates, and then use this hundred-man squad to launch a night raid on the Qing army. From Li Lu's obedient conduct, one could see that this man was still loyal to the court.

As for He Qian, who turned a deaf ear to his orders and perfunctorily went through the motions, it was clear he had no reverence for the court whatsoever. Keeping such a man was nothing but a scourge that wasted the nation's treasury. With a great enemy at hand, this man had to be eliminated.

At this moment, Li Lu's heart was also extremely conflicted.

He had worked alongside He Qian for many years. Though their friendship was not particularly close, they were still fellow officials, both members of the Liaoxi military clans. He Qian was even one of the most trusted confidants of Zu Dashou, the foremost figure in Liaoxi. If he were to move against him in a bloody confrontation, it would mean completely severing ties with the Liaoxi military clans, leaving him with no choice but to rely solely on the court from then on.

But at the same time, Li Lu had always felt dissatisfied with his current official rank.

Because he was not from the direct line of the Zu and Wu families, despite having rendered considerable merit on the battlefield, he had only managed to obtain the paltry position of Mobile Corps Commander by his thirties, while a useless fool like He Qian, thanks to his close relations with the Zu family, had smoothly risen to the post of Assistant Regional Commander.

"To report to the Grand Secretary, your subordinate is willing to follow the court's commands as the standard — everything shall be as the Grand Secretary instructs!"

Li Lu, whose inner struggle had been fierce, finally made his choice. He knelt on one knee, clasped his hands above his head, and bowed his head to Chen Qiyu in salute.

"Good! This official has indeed not misjudged you — this act shows true understanding of righteousness and awareness of the times! Li Lu, this official orders you to immediately lead your men to slaughter all of He Qian's personal attendants outside the yamen! Afterward, lead your troops to surround his military camp, screen the soldiers within, and execute on the spot all those who were ordinarily close to him! As for the rest, confiscate their weapons and armor, then confine them within the camp! That will be all — go summon He Qian into the second hall. Han Guan, you will handle this matter. Go!"

Chen Qiyu decisively issued his orders to Li Lu, then immediately rose and left through the back door of the second hall, returning to the rear residence.

As for the trifling matter of executing an Assistant Regional Commander, Chen Qiyu gave it not a moment's thought.

In his view, the entire Liaoxi military clans, from top to bottom, all deserved death.

The Great Ming had nearly collapsed in recent years, and the several million taels of the Liaodong levy each year were one of the chief culprits.

Exhausting the nation's strength to deal with a tiny Jianzhou of two million people — how many people had taken advantage of this to embezzle and line their own pockets at public expense, while the court's additional levies had incurred the wrath and resentment of heaven and the people alike.

After the two men in the hall respectfully saw Chen Qiyu off, Li Lu gritted his teeth and turned to head to the front, while Han Guan drew out his flintlock pistol and began loading it.

"Assistant Regional Commander He, the Grand Secretary requests your presence inside!"

Having delivered the message in the main hall, Li Lu cast a complicated, unreadable glance at He Qian, then strode out of the main hall in large steps, crossing the courtyard before the hall and hurrying toward the gate of the Garrison Commander's yamen.

At this time, He Qian was still unaware that his death was at hand. Hearing Li Lu's words, he rose from his chair, snorted coldly at Li Lu, and walked toward the second hall.

The matter of promotion and reward that Chen Qiyu had just spoken of was still turning over in He Qian's mind.

He had already concluded in his heart that now that the Eight Banners' great army had arrived, the court still had to rely on military men like him to exert themselves, so they had no choice but to offer official ranks and gold and silver to buy people's loyalty — this was already the standard tactic of the Emperor and those civil officials.

Thinking of good things to come, he casually stepped into the second hall.

However, what he wanted was nowhere to be found — only Han Guan, fully armored and standing a few paces away, aiming a short firearm at him. Before he could make any reaction, a thunderous report echoed through the not-so-spacious second hall, and He Qian's body, as if struck by a heavy hammer, fell stiffly backward to the ground with his eyes wide open.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Chen Qizhi arrived at Chen Qiyu's study in the rear courtyard and reported to his elder brother that everything outside had been taken care of.

All of the dozen or so personal guards He Qian had brought were slaughtered to the last man by Li Lu and his men. Li Lu had already taken He Qian's head and was heading to He Qian's military camp. The fifty-man night raid squad would soon exit the city through the west gate, then proceed through the dense mountain forests to the west toward the Jianzhou barbarians' camp outside Ningyuan city. They would wait until the government troops at Ningyuan engaged the Jianzhou barbarians, then launch their surprise attack in the night.

After settling on the night raid plan, Chen Qiyu dispatched Night Scouts to deliver his personal letter to Ningyuan city, hoping that Sun Chuanting would send troops to coordinate with his actions at that time, pinning down and diverting the Qing army's attention so that the night raid squad could carry out the plan more smoothly.

Sun Chuanting's reply came back quickly.

In the letter, Sun Chuanting stated that he would fully support Chen Qiyu's plan, and indicated that he would take the opportunity to dispatch a great army out of the city. After breaking through the Qing army's blockade, he would march north to support Sun Yingyuan's forces, forcing the Qing troops at Ningyuan back toward the vicinity of the Ming army's supply camp, and watch for an opportunity to engage the Qing army in a major offensive-defensive battle.