Chapter 80: Eating the Rich!
Chapter 80: Eating the Rich!
Shenyang Town’s Border Gate.
“Say hello to Wild Boar Skin!”
Looking at the surging army of thousands flooding the cleared wilderness outside, especially the yellow canopy in the center, Yang Xin arrogantly roared.
Then, laughter erupted from both sides.
At the same time, the severed heads of Jiannu soldiers were thrown out from the battlements. However, their rat-tail queues were tied to bricks, so they hung directly outside. E Yi Dou and Abatai’s heads had been sent to the Capital City. These heads naturally didn’t receive the same treatment and were perfect for showing Wild Boar Skin the defending garrison’s resolve in the city…
Mainly to cut off any thoughts of surrender.
Yang Xin still couldn’t guarantee anything, as he knew very well how this city had fallen. In fact, not only did he know, but even ministers familiar with Liaodong like Xiong Tingbi and Yang Gao knew. Previously, both Xiong Tingbi and Yang Gao had submitted memorials to Wanli, informing him that many relatives and friends of families like Tong Yangxing’s and Li Kaifang’s in the two cities of Liao and Shen were in collusion with Wild Boar Skin. Once Wild Boar Skin attacked the city, internal rebellion was highly possible. Yang Gao indeed had no talent, but he truly understood Liaodong. Both he and Xiong Tingbi had predicted the most likely ways Shenyang and Liaoyang would fall. Unfortunately, their successor, Yuan Yingtai, not only failed to be vigilant but also exacerbated the situation by taking in a large number of southern Mongolian refugees.
So now, Yang Xin, utilizing Li Rubai’s similar familiarity with these people, simply arrested them all…
Well, actually, invited them.
It’s just that the Capital Garrison cavalry went to invite them with swords and spears.
Inviting them to help stabilize the people’s morale.
At that moment, these powerful individuals whose loyalty couldn’t be guaranteed were all locked up in the bell tower. Moreover, a circle of oil-soaked firewood was piled around the bell tower. If anything went wrong, the first thing would be to send them on their way.
But it still wasn’t enough.
They also had to make all the common people of Shenyang City enemies with the Jiannu, so they wouldn’t dare think of anything else.
Nothing was better at stirring hatred than this circle of decorations. The Jiannu vanguard, which had just arrived outside the Border Gate, saw clearly what they were and immediately rushed toward the city walls in fury. From over a hundred meters away, they began shooting arrows upward at a high angle. The sharp arrows, carrying their rage, scattered down.
Of course, it was useless.
Yang Xin didn’t even bother to retaliate. Although there were still some cannons on the Shenyang city walls, these things had limited barrel life. There was no need to waste them for this.
“Wild Boar Skin, Abatai went to the Capital City. E Yi Dou went too. I heard the court plans to grind their bones to ashes. Don’t worry, your turn will come eventually. Also, how is your eighth son? That Long Spear of mine should have made him a eunuch, right? I have quite a few acquaintances in the palace. Send him to me, and I can introduce him. Maybe he can even become a minor palace servant attending to some eunuch!”
Yang Xin shouted through his homemade Megaphone.
The people on both sides were even more amused, and many even joined in the shouting!
Then they saw the Jiannu Cavalry outside quickly part. One person galloped forward on his horse, soon reaching the Moat. He raced along the bank, turned, and then galloped back…
“Listen up on the wall!”
He roared while riding.
“The Great Khan decrees: Our Great Jin warriors are here only for Yang Xin alone! The vile, shameless bandit Yang, beaten and fleeing by our Great Jin warriors on the battlefield, sneaked in at night to assassinate our Great Jin generals. Such a dog-bandit, our Great Khan will surely execute him. Therefore, the Great Khan decrees: As long as the soldiers and civilians of Shenyang hand over this bandit, dead or alive, our Great Jin will immediately withdraw our army. With Buddha as our witness, our Great Khan guarantees here: As long as the bandit Yang is handed over, the hundred thousand warriors of Great Jin will return east at once. If you remain stubbornly deluded, then when Great Jin breaks the city, everyone in this entire city will be executed! Our hundred thousand Great Jin warriors have already surrounded Shenyang on all sides. Even Yang Gao’s four hundred thousand troops were completely annihilated by our Great Jin in one battle. Do you think Shenyang can withstand the Great Khan’s heavenly might?”
He just kept roaring like that.
“Huh?”
Yang Xin couldn’t laugh anymore.
“Listen up on the wall! Tonight is the deadline. If the dog-head of bandit Yang is not presented by tomorrow morning, when our great army breaks the city, don’t say you weren’t warned!”
The guy outside continued to roar.
Under the strange gazes of those around him, Yang Xin instantly dashed to the side of a Frankish Cannon. He grabbed the firing rod and lit the fuse. With the sudden roar of the cannon, the Grapeshot blasted the man, who was less than fifty meters away, flying backward off his horse…
“The soldiers and civilians of the Great Ming would never commit such an unrighteous act!”
Yang Xin declared proudly.
A chaotic chorus of agreement rose from both sides. Those officials and officers all expressed to him that they absolutely would not be misled.
Of course, Wild Boar Skin couldn’t attack immediately either. In fact, today was just a meeting. The continuously arriving Jiannu Cavalry quickly split up and moved around Shenyang, cutting off contact between inside and outside the city, completing the encirclement of the city. Wild Boar Skin’s central army then moved to camp east of the city. They first had to build siege equipment, cut trees upstream, and float them down the Hun River. To the east from here lay Fushun City and Fushun Pass. Since their capture last year, they had essentially been abandoned, with most people in the city, led by Li Kaifang, having surrendered to the Jiannu.
Also, this place was closest to Hetu Ala. Wild Boar Skin’s retreat would inevitably follow this route.
Of course, this was what Yang Xin could see.
What he couldn’t see was that, just as Wild Boar Skin was surrounding Shenyang, one group of Jiannu Cavalry had already crossed the river upstream and was charging toward Fengji Fort. Another group was heading southwest, attempting to attack forts like Changyong and Changsheng. Their goal was invariably to seize grain. Yang Xin’s forced evacuation of people into the city and the scorched-earth policy around Shenyang forced Wild Boar Skin to face a harsh reality: His fifty-thousand-strong army was indeed powerful, but it couldn’t attack a city on empty stomachs. Although he had brought back the camp’s grain when retreating from Yehe City, it was only enough to maintain normal supplies for his army for no more than ten days.
Subtracting what had already been consumed on the road and reserving what was needed for the return to Hetu Ala, calculated carefully, he could only sustain a five-day assault at the foot of Shenyang’s walls…
And he still needed two days to build siege equipment!
In short, as a mature commander, Wild Boar Skin would not let his army go hungry.
Of course, none of this concerned Yang Xin.
In fact, he was facing a mountain of troubles himself at that moment.
“This is the Shenyang city wall?”
Yang Xin stood on a half-collapsed section of the city wall, looking at the ground less than two zhang below, with an expression of utter disbelief.
“Shenyang City has fallen into disrepair over the years!”
An accompanying officer said awkwardly.
“It’s been years of fighting! Haven’t you done any repairs?”
Chen Yujie also said frantically.
Poor them. Only then did they learn that this city wasn’t just unreliable in terms of people, but even the walls meant to protect them were unreliable. It was inevitable that Shenyang City had deteriorated over the years. But to have fought the Jiannu for many years and still not have repaired them was completely unbelievable. What they didn’t know was that in the original history, that was precisely why He Shixian was forced to go out for open battle. At least in his time, thanks to Xiong Tingbi’s repairs, countless wooden stakes and cheval de frise were erected on the periphery, and several trenches were dug. In their haste, Yang Xin had done nothing. All they had now was this ring of dilapidated walls. The only advantage was that there were no internal traitors…
That was also hard to say.
At the very least, the garrison officers from the outer forts whom he had just driven into Shenyang were not looking at him very kindly.
“Hurry up and work! Tonight we eat meat!”
Yang Xin waved his hand, speechless.
The soldiers busy slapping mud paused in surprise, then burst into cheers.
“Hero Yang, where do we get the meat?”
An officer asked, puzzled.
“The wealthy families in the city didn’t take their pigs and sheep, did they?”
Yang Xin said.
“No, they didn’t!”
The officer said.
“Take the Capital Garrison brothers and round up all the livestock from the wealthy families in the city. Even the pets raised by their young ladies—slaughter them. Slaughter all the pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks. Whoever dares to stop us, slaughter them too. From today on, the brothers will have meat every meal, solid food every meal. When the livestock is gone, slaughter the horses, slaughter the cattle. In short, we must eat meat. Also, confiscate the silver, silks, and such from these families. Starting now, follow the court’s rules: Kill one Jiannu, get a reward immediately. Daily settlement, issued every day, straight into the brothers’ hands.”
Yang Xin said.
The soldiers were stunned, then erupted into wild cheers.
“Nonsense! The court has its own laws! How can a mere Commoner cause such chaos!”
An official flew into a rage.
Yang Xin looked at him.
Then he turned back to look at the soldiers…
“What if this official forbids it?”
He asked.
The soldiers looked at them cautiously.
“Reporting to the Army Supervisor, this lowly one accuses Liu Qianshi. He is related by marriage to the family of Fan Wencheng, the Government Student from Fushun who surrendered to the Jiannu.”
A soldier suddenly said.
“Immediately invite Liu Qianshi to the bell tower. This official, by order of Military Commissioner Xiong, supervises the army in Shenyang. I must be responsible to the Emperor and to all the soldiers and civilians of this city. Liu Qianshi finds himself in a suspicious position. It is better for him to avoid any appearance of impropriety!”
Chen Yujie said with a straight face.
Immediately, four Capital Garrison soldiers stepped forward.
“You traitors! Do you think Shenyang has no one?”
Liu Qianshi flew into a rage, simultaneously gesturing to the Household Troops behind him…
Well, the Household Troops didn’t react.
He looked back at the four Household Troops in confusion, then gestured to them again. The Household Troops lowered their heads, looking at their own toes.
“Go on!”
Liu Qianshi shouted as if going mad.
The four Household Troops immediately took a step back without hesitation.
Go on? Go on what? They had all pooled resources to participate in the northern expedition. They knew exactly who Yang Xin was!
Amidst Liu Qianshi’s indignant howls, the four Capital Garrison soldiers quickly tied him up and escorted him directly to the bell tower.
“Gentlemen, do you think this is appropriate?”
Yang Xin said, smiling at the other officers.
The latter were as silent as cicadas in winter.
“I know you are actually members of those wealthy families yourselves. Shenyang is a garrison city. The people in the city are the Military Households under your command. Naturally, the wealthiest are you. But now, with a great enemy at our gates, even Commander-in-Chief Li doesn’t spare his family wealth. What do you have to be stingy about? This is all borrowed by the court. You will definitely be compensated after the war. I am on quite good terms with the Imperial Eldest Grandson. I can also see the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort. Would you prefer that I return and tell them you were deeply righteous, sacrificing your families to defend against the enemy for the Emperor? Or would you prefer that I return and say you watched from the sidelines, harboring thoughts of surrendering to the enemy? If we hold Shenyang, the Emperor will directly see your merits. Everything you lost will be returned, and you will even be promoted and ennobled. Of course, if you surrender to the Jiannu, then you will have nothing.”
Yang Xin continued.