Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 614 Returning to Tianjin to Settle Accounts

Faced with the deserted camp, the entire Qionghai Army looked to Liu Ye for his decision.

Liu Ye looked north with resentment. He had pursued them for so many days, hoping to kill a key general of the Later Jin, but in the end, he had failed. He desperately wanted to continue the pursuit at all costs and eliminate Abatai along with Ajige, but reason told him that the Qionghai Army was exhausted, while Ajige was well-rested and ready. He might not come out on top. The right choice was to temporarily abandon the pursuit. Moreover, his three regiments were his only remaining strength. To rashly engage in battle with the combined forces of Ajige and Abatai without adequate preparation, especially with unknown forces pulling the strings behind the scenes, was not something a mature leader should do. After all, the opponent was not Huang Taiji himself, and it was not worth such a risk.

He sighed and gave the order: "Halt and return to Tianjin."

Upon receiving the order, the entire Qionghai Navy turned around and marched back in neat columns, with long guns like a forest, quickly leaving the area.

In the distance, from the bushes, several Bayara men clad in silver armor mounted their horses. "The enemy has abandoned their pursuit! Quickly inform the Prince of this!"

During the journey, Yan Guang asked, "General, are we sailing directly from Tianjin back to Qiongzhou?"

"No!" Liu Ye gazed towards Tianjin, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Someone is trying to frame me, indirectly causing the failure of this attempt to assassinate Abatai. I must make those people pay the price they deserve!"

After Liu Ye rode his horse for a while, Liu Guozhu, whose face was covered in blood, caught up with him and said regretfully, "General Liu, are you going back to Tianjin? What a pity, the Tartars are just a stone's throw away. It would be such a waste to let them go."

Liu Ye then remembered that he hadn't made arrangements for Liu Guozhu. He said guiltily, "Brother, I'm sorry. Most of your five thousand cavalrymen were lost, and in the end, you still couldn't capture Abatai. I didn't want to let the Tartars go either, but firstly, without your men to assist me, I couldn't catch up. Secondly, something went wrong in Tianjin, and we ran out of supplies. If we continue chasing, we'll run out of food tomorrow. How can we fight the Tartars on an empty stomach?"

Liu Guozhu wiped the blood from his face and replied heartily, "Brother, what are you saying? Although I didn't personally take the head of the Tartar prince, I benefited from your help and killed quite a few Tartars. It was very satisfying. In my half-life of military service, today is the day I am most proud of. As for whether to continue the pursuit, although my men can't be of much help, food is not a big problem—the Tartars have lost two or three thousand warhorses. We can eat horse meat to last for a while. Although it tastes a bit sour, it's better than going hungry."

Liu Ye's eyes lit up. "That's right, how come I didn't think of that? Old soldier is the most experienced. With this horse meat as a base, even if all the grain in Tianjin is burned, I won't have to plunder the people to fill my stomach. I'll immediately send someone to cut some horse meat and share some with you, brother. We can share the good times and the bad."

Liu Guozhu didn't refuse, "Alright, I only have about two thousand people right now. Just give me some of this amount, not too much, just enough so I don't go back to Bazhou hungry..."

Liu Ye was somewhat moved. Where could one find such an honest person? He helped without any conditions, and despite the heavy losses, he didn't complain at all. He even refused to take more than the cheap horse meat. He thought for a moment and said to Liu Guozhu, "I greatly admire your character, brother. I will report your merit in killing the Tartars. As for whether the court will reward you, I don't know. Anyway, I will pay the pension for your subordinates. How about one hundred taels each?"

Liu Guozhu shook his head repeatedly and waved his hand, saying, "The men of Baoding aren't that precious. Fifty taels is enough to settle their wives, children, and elderly parents... Besides, we are all soldiers of the imperial court. Fighting the Tartars is our duty. If there is to be any compensation, it should be allocated by the imperial court. How can I let you spend money, brother? Moreover, your soldiers also need compensation!"

"Brother, there's no need to refuse. You and I both know the nature of the imperial court. They even deduct from normal rations and salaries. Even if there is a pension, how much will be left after it's paid out? We in Guangdong are by the sea, and we live off the land and water. We've made quite a bit of money at sea these past few years. A mere pension won't hurt me. So don't be polite with me."

Liu Guozhu tried to refuse, but Liu Ye insisted, "It's settled then. One hundred taels per person, not a penny less. I'll arrange for someone to go to the boat to get it and deliver it to you, brother."

Liu Guozhu was deeply moved. Fighting the Tartars was his own choice, and without the Qionghai garrison to hold them off, his five thousand cavalry would have been wiped out long ago. Now, they were even giving him compensation. He had only managed to gather about two thousand men out of his five thousand, and after accounting for the wounded and those who had fallen behind, about a thousand had died in battle. If they were paid one hundred taels of silver per person, that would amount to nearly one hundred thousand taels of silver, more than his entire year's salary. Liu Ye's wealth shocked him, and his generosity greatly impressed him.

More than 10,000 Qionghai soldiers returned to Tianjin. Compared to their initial high spirits, the soldiers were now exhausted, many wounded, and looked somewhat disheveled. However, no one dared to mock them. These were the very men who, while the local Tianjin troops dared only to remain huddled within the city walls, dared to venture out and engage the Tartars in open battle. They had routed the supposedly invincible Tartars, leaving the city and the surrounding areas of Jinghai City littered with corpses—a massacre more than the current emperor had ever committed since his ascension to the throne. The Qionghai army had transformed from an arrogant and domineering force into a god-like presence in the eyes of the Tianjin people. When the soldiers passed by, the people were filled with fear, hiding along the streets, afraid of obstructing their path.

As Liu Ye passed by the burned-down granaries near the dock, he paused for a moment. He was surprised by the ruthlessness and cruelty of some people, but it was a pity that these methods were used against their own people, not against the Tartars. The Chinese people's nature of infighting has indeed remained unchanged from ancient times to the present.

The backyard of the Tianjin Military Commissioner's Office.

After several days of hiding, Panda finally returned to his comfortable home. Just like the day Liu Ye had bumped into him, he lay on a recliner, with his two concubines massaging his legs and back, enjoying the bliss of having multiple wives. He closed his eyes to rest, imagining the wonderful moment when he would be transferred to an important position in the Ministry of War's Military Affairs Department or Military Selection Department, and unconsciously chuckled.

Just as he was enjoying himself immensely, a commotion erupted from the front yard, accompanied by the sound of a door being smashed open and a flurry of footsteps. He opened his eyes in surprise and found a familiar figure standing before him—it was Liu Ye, just like the day he had barged in without permission.