pappabearbooks Chapter 71 Who is the barbarian after all?
Chapter 71 Who is the barbarian after all?
Chapter 72 Who is the barbarian after all?
Chapter 071. On the edge of Bingzi Camp, on Dalu Island, in a separate wooden house.
This was actually a special consideration given by Chen to talented individuals. On Dalu Island, those who could read and write received preferential treatment, demonstrating how knowledge can change one's destiny.
Unlike later generations, the Ming Dynasty is different. It doesn't have computers and technology that can replace people in many things. Even something as simple as accounting is different. Su Mei's accounting team has nearly a thousand people.
In later generations, these accounts could be handled by a dozen or so people.
Although Liao Tongsheng was stripped of his Xiucai degree, he was able to obtain an independent wooden house thanks to his good literacy skills, so he didn't have to share a room with ordinary craftsmen and twenty or thirty other people.
This wooden cabin is actually not big, only about ten square meters in area, with only a bed, a table and a wardrobe.
Four black-clad guards quietly approached the wooden house. Liao Tongsheng, carrying a chamber pot, was about to return to the house when he turned around and saw the black-clad guards. He dropped the chamber pot and ran away.
The Black-Clad Guards on Dalu Island were like the Embroidered Uniform Guards in the capital. Just by wearing their uniforms, they could make people tremble with fear. Liao Tongsheng had long witnessed the power of the Black-Clad Guards. They incited the craftsmen to cause trouble. If this had happened inside the Great Wall, they probably would have succeeded long ago.
It's a real shame that no matter how much they instigated them, the core members would mysteriously disappear one after the other. Even if he were stupid, he could guess what was going on.
Liao Tongsheng ran very fast, shouting as he ran, "What right do you have to take it—"
Before he could even utter the word "human," a black-clad guard punched him in the stomach, swallowing his words whole. Before he could speak, a sour, smelly sock was shoved into Liao Tongsheng's mouth.
Liao Tongsheng tried to struggle, but two guards in black pressed down on his shoulders and forced him to kneel on the ground. A rickshaw was pushed over, and Liao Tongsheng was put on the rickshaw. A sack was placed on top of him, followed by another. The three sacks weighed more than 300 pounds, and he could not move.
Half an hour later, Liao Tongsheng was taken to a secret prison, which was converted from a cave. It was not large, but it was gloomy and terrifying.
At this moment, Liao Tongsheng still didn't realize the seriousness of the situation. He had just had his sock pulled out of his mouth, and while vomiting, he stubbornly roared, "I have achieved official rank, how dare you—how dare you insult me—"
"Fame and fortune? What's that worth!"
"He doesn't seem very bright —"
A burly man, shirtless, holding a small hammer, said, "It's passable, but I hope your bones are as hard as your mouth!"
"Aww————"
Liao Tongsheng's toe was hit hard by the small hammer, and his toe was instantly comminuted and fractured.
Tears streamed down Liao Tongsheng's face as he sobbed, "Does Commander Chen know of this humiliation of scholars? He—he must have been deceived by treacherous people—"
"Should we recruit or not?"
"What do you want me to do?"
"Looks like they don't want to hire anyone, great!"
"Pfft—"
Half an hour later, Liao Tongsheng's voice was hoarse. He murmured, "You—give one of me—a quick death!"
"Still not confessing? It seems you're doomed. For a scholar, losing a toe isn't a big deal, but losing a finger would be a real shame."
"Go ahead and ask!"
Su Mei walked in and looked at the leading black-clad guard, saying, "Li Yourong, you're too slow today—"
"So it was you—"
When Liao Tongsheng saw Su Mei walk in, he instantly understood what was happening. He burst into a tirade: "Su, you vicious woman! You're nothing but a lowly concubine without any status, a lowly maid who warms someone's bed—"
Li Yourong raised the barbed hook and lashed it hard at Liao Tongsheng's mouth.
Despite being scolded, Su Mei remained calm and smiled faintly, saying, "Let Li Yourong scold me!"
"You—you wicked woman—by what right do you punish scholars with official titles? You bunch of eunuch lackeys, acting against the natural order, you deserve to die a horrible death! When Lord Chen returns, he will not let you off the hook—"
Li Yourong's expression changed drastically. He raised the red-hot branding iron and burned it hard on Liao Tongsheng's chest.
"Aww————"
Liao Tongsheng let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, and Su Mei turned and left.
Li Yourong caught up and said, "Steward Su, I will definitely—"
"Don't waste your energy!"
"Behind Liao Tongsheng—"
"Of course there are people."
Su Mei said calmly, "But there's no need to ask anymore. He's just a mouthpiece; he knows only limited things."
The person behind this is very well hidden; the trail goes cold with him. Further investigation would only alert the suspect, and would be pointless.
"The commander is currently fighting for his life at Shuangchengwei; we can't let his rear catch fire. These people want to use the refugee riots to distract him, but I'm determined to nip that flame in the bud. Starting tomorrow, Battalions A and C will be reorganized, and all those old troublemakers who didn't do any production work back in Ningyuan and only knew how to stir up trouble will be scattered and mixed into quarry teams. The strictest foremen will be assigned to supervise them, with daily piecework assessments. Those who fail to meet their quotas will have their rations halved, and those who fail twice in a row will be dismissed."
The Elimination Camp is the elimination camp on Dalu Island, where the most arduous work is done. It's practically a hellhole; once you enter, you can never come out. The establishment of the Elimination Camp was not Chen Ying's original intention.
However, in Su Mei's view, some people are just despicable. They are clearly people of the Ming Dynasty, but they choose to be spies for the Jurchens. You should know that since January of the first year of the Tianqi reign, the Ming Dynasty had more than four million people in Liaodong.
By now, the Liaodong population has dwindled to less than a million. More than three million Liaodong civilians have been killed. Chen Ying has reviewed the relevant data and found that the Jurchens of today are actually no different from the Japanese. In terms of cruelty, the two are equally ruthless.
Before the investigation, no one knew, but once the investigation was conducted, it was shocking to find that more than 3,000 of the more than 50,000 refugees in Ningyuan City were actually spies of the Jurchens. As soon as the Jurchens arrived at Ningyuan City, the city would probably fall without a fight.
Historically, Yuan Chonghuan was able to defend Ningyuan City because he anticipated that Nurhaci would use this tactic, and he personally supervised Cheng Weimo, the assistant prefect, to investigate spies.
Nurhaci attacked Ningyuan for only three days before realizing that the spies were ineffective and retreated directly. He obviously did not intend to confront them head-on. Chen Ying also knew that some people were not fit to be human, so he established the "Tai" Battalion to manage the Jurchen spies. In just half a month, hundreds of these spies died.
"yes!"
Early the next morning, Su Mei promulgated the "Provisional Regulations for Rewarding Military and Civilian Labor Performance on Dalu Island." The regulations stipulated that anyone who worked on the island for a full year without any misconduct could apply to move their family from the refugee camp to the artisan village. Those who worked for three years and had a special skill could become formal artisans and be granted a fixed amount of land. Those who worked for five years and had excellent performance in the assessment could have their children admitted to Shahewei School without taking the entrance exam.
Su Mei has begun building houses in the Craftsmen's New Village, which is actually similar to the staff and family housing of later generations. According to the Type A house type, there are two main rooms and two side rooms, which is also the most common house type.
Next is type B, which has three main rooms and one wing room on each side. This is for skilled craftsmen or ordinary stewards.
Type C housing consists of four main rooms and four side rooms, which are for soldiers or mid-level managers. Type D housing consists of five main rooms and three side rooms on each side, which are allocated to officers of the rank of general and above, and to the general managers of various workshops.
Dalu Island is not Ningyuan; it doesn't support idlers. Those who are willing to work hard will definitely see their lives improve day by day. Before, they relied solely on strict laws to survive; they wouldn't starve, but they also wouldn't have enough to eat.
Now that saltworks, smelting workshops, and canneries have sprung up, it's time to let those who work hard get some rewards.
Black Stone Valley in Shuangchengwei is a valley that is not very large. Chen Ying thought the terrain was good and decided to make it a fixed market.
While trading with the people of various tribes of the Haixi Jurchen, Chen Ying also told them that the Black Stone Trade Market would be held once a month for five days, and that they could come and trade during the first five days of each month.
Whether this area was within the territory of the Haixi Jurchens was actually unclear to Chen Ying. In the fourth year of the Yongle reign, Jilijina paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and Shuangchengwei was established under the name of the Jilijina tribe. Later, they used this term to refer to the Haixi Jurchens in general.
Of course, just as the Xiongnu were powerful in history, the entire grassland was inhabited by various Xiongnu tribes, and when the Xianbei were powerful, the grassland was inhabited by the Xiongnu. With the rise of the Jurchens, this area was called the Wild Jurchens, also known as the Haixi Jurchens.
real.
In fact, the Haixi Jurchens were completely different from the Jurchens in terms of bloodline, culture, and language. Calling them Haixi Jurchens is as simplistic and crude as calling the Burmese people Burmese.
Chen Ying established the Black Stone Trade Market, which made the people who came to trade very happy. Without the trade market, the people of Haixi Jurchen would not be able to survive, especially since they were short of food in the early spring. Now that autumn is approaching, they need to store up food for the winter. A cow can only be exchanged for one or two shi of rice and beans, and a sheep can only be exchanged for one or two dou of miscellaneous grains.
There's no other way. There's no fodder in winter, and the extra sheep can't survive. They can be eaten, but the problem is, they can't eat meat every day; they also need to supplement their carbohydrate intake.
More and more Haixi Jurchens arrived after hearing the news. In the temporary sheepfold of the Black Stone Trade Market, cattle bellowed, horses neighed, sheep ran around, and sheepdogs barked wildly, creating a lively scene.
Chen Ying sold off his goods truckload after truckload, and the furs and gems behind them piled up more and more, while the herd of livestock grew larger and larger.
A rough calculation shows that in just one day of trading, Chen Ying acquired 350 top-quality warhorses, over 190 cattle, and more than 1,500 goats.
Chen Ying was overjoyed. The money of the Haixi Jurchens was so easy to make. Three iron pots could be exchanged for a cow, and a coal stove cart could be exchanged for a horse. A sheep was only worth three bowls of mutton stew noodles. It was incredibly profitable. Even drug trafficking in later generations probably didn't make this much money.
On the fifth day of the trade fair, at dusk, the Blackstone Trade Fair finally welcomed the cavalry of the Engel tribe, a full five or six hundred riders, who marched in a mighty procession toward the trade fair.
Chen Ying summoned the five centurions of his First Division and immediately ordered, "Remember, in this battle, take no prisoners, leave no survivors. I will use mountains of corpses and seas of blood to show the entire Liaodong region the consequences of messing with my Shahe Guard!"
However, before the Enge tribe could even approach the Black Stone Market, the people from various tribes, who were burning bonfires and drinking merrily on the outskirts of the market—numbering one or two thousand and divided into thirty or forty tribes—rushed forward to shout insults at the Enge tribe when they discovered their arrival.
One of the elderly tribal chiefs, accompanied by a translator, approached Chen Ying: "Honorable sir, you go first, we'll hold them off—we'll come back next month—"
"No need, move aside!"
Chen Ying was very clear that these Haixi Jurchens only wanted the convenience of trade but did not want to take any risks. Who said the Haixi Jurchens were stupid? They just lacked experience, which did not mean they were brainless.
Chen Ying wanted to establish his authority, naturally wanting to show the Haixi Jurchens his strength.
"Boom boom boom—"
When Enge was still five or six hundred paces away from the market, the ten linked thunder cannons of Shahe Guard began to fire. One hundred and eleven cannonballs flew into Enge's cavalry formation, creating a bloody alleyway within the ranks.
The bandit leader Engetu was filled with shock and rage. He was no stranger to firearms; the last time he robbed Chen Ying's goods, he was attacked by muskets, resulting in the deaths of sixty or seventy men. He roared and ordered his men to continue the charge.
It's a real shame that they oversimplified things.
Chen Ying laughed and said, "General Zhang, don't lose sight of the bigger picture."
"What?"
"Have you forgotten Twin Cities? That's their Engel tribe's stronghold!"
Before they had covered half the distance under the artillery barrage, the ten cannons opened fire again. This round of bombardment, by sheer coincidence, killed Engtu, and his cavalry tried to escape.
At this moment, the cavalry from various units that had not previously participated in the battle marched in a mighty force toward Enge's cavalry. To make matters worse, their retreat had already been blocked by the Dengzhou navy.
The Dengzhou navy followed Chen Ying to Shuangchengwei, hoping to earn some money by fighting a battle. How could they let these cavalry escape? The horse-stopping ropes, traps, and barricades they made blocked the Enge tribe's cavalry.
In a short time, the five or six hundred cavalrymen of Engel's tribe were surrounded like sandwiches. They had nowhere to escape. Black Stone Valley was not a dangerous place, but the problem was that there were mountains on both sides, and their warhorses could not climb them.
Thus, after half an hour of fighting, all 573 knights under Engtu's command were killed. What terrified the people in the surrounding areas even more was that these Ming soldiers were like madmen. One of them was carrying a sack and the other was carrying a machete, and they cut off the heads of Engtu's cavalrymen.
The heads of the Jurchens were extremely valuable; each head could be worth fifty taels of silver. With over five hundred heads, that would amount to more than twenty-five thousand taels of silver. Of course, the Dengzhou navy didn't behead many people; they were poor.
They immediately began stripping the Enger cavalry of their clothes, leaving not even their shoes. The surrounding people watched this scene in stunned silence.
Who exactly is the barbarian?
Everyone says that we Haixi Jurchens are barbaric, while you Ming people are civilized. But look at this, is this what civilized people do? Not only do they cut up dead horses to eat the meat, but they don't even spare the horse intestines.
What chilled them even more was that the Dengzhou naval soldiers were laughing heartily as they held the severed heads, just like farmers celebrating a bountiful harvest. They even took the jewelry and bone artifacts from the corpses.
"this----"
The leader muttered to himself.
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