Although many people already felt that Zhang Xianzhong was unreliable, they had no way out now that things had come to this.
They left dejectedly, intending to ambush the hilltops.
However, at this moment, Zhang Xianzhong suddenly slapped his forehead.
"Oh right! How could I have forgotten about this?"
"Sir once said that the Ming Dynasty's officials and soldiers must be given enough benefits. If they are given enough benefits, they can be completely transformed."
He quickly said loudly, "Brothers, don't worry. As long as we defeat the Jurchens this time, I will personally go to the Emperor to ask for your credit."
"By then, everyone will be promoted three ranks, and maybe even become a general."
Upon hearing this, the morale of the Ming soldiers indeed soared.
"This kid never tells the truth. Is being a general so easy?" A commander muttered under his breath, but his emotions had already been stirred up.
"But what he said isn't wrong. After all, this kid is Master Gao's apprentice. He's probably here in Korea to gain prestige."
"As long as he wins the battle, the imperial court will definitely reward him handsomely, and we will be able to benefit from it as well."
"Becoming a general is probably impossible, but becoming a third-rank commander shouldn't be a problem!"
Their eyes lit up again.
"Then everything depends on Lord Zhang's help!"
After giving a shout, they set off in high spirits.
Seeing this, Zhang Xianzhong finally nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems that what you said was indeed correct."
"Ah, it's just a pity I forgot that trick!"
“Otherwise, before Yuan Chonghuan ran away, I, Old Zhang, forced him to leave some silver behind, and now it would be a good time to distribute it as a reward.”
"This works even better!"
But it was too late for regrets. Zhang Xianzhong shook his head, walked back to the city wall, and looked north.
"I just wonder when the Jurchens will actually arrive?"
Open the city gates, and establish the vanguard of the Jurchens.
Jirhalang sat on a tiger skin, his eyes filled with hesitation.
"Have those Koreans really run away?"
The two scouts kneeling before him nodded quickly.
"This is absolutely true. We saw Yuan Chonghuan enter the city with our own eyes. In just a few hours, he took the King of Goryeo south with him."
“That’s a group of over 20,000 people, we couldn’t possibly be mistaken.”
Upon hearing this, Jirhalang's expression finally improved somewhat.
"Hmph, I knew Yuan Chonghuan was no good man."
"The reason why the Great Khan failed to conquer Ningjin was simply because he was hiding in a tortoise shell and had the help of cannons."
"Now that he's left Ningyuan, he's turned back into a coward!"
Jirhalang was Huang Taiji's nephew, but he enjoyed Huang's special trust.
Therefore, after Hauge succeeded to the throne, he also gave important positions to this cousin.
Hauge appointed Jirhalang as the vanguard because Jirhalang had previously served as the commander-in-chief in the campaign against Goryeo.
He was given 10,000 troops and stationed in Kaesong.
As for Hauge himself, he plundered the entire North Korea to gather military provisions.
Thinking of what was happening in the north, Jirhalang sighed inwardly.
Unlike Hauge, his sense of smell is much more acute.
"Although our Later Jin is facing some difficulties now, it is not so bad that we cannot even supply food for tens of thousands of troops and have to levy it locally."
"What exactly are Yue Tuo and his father thinking back there?"
Jirhalang frowned and lowered his head to think.
However, other Jurchen generals were already becoming restless.
"General, let's head south immediately!"
"That's right! If we head south now, we can capture Hanjing in one fell swoop, which would be a great achievement!"
They were all eager to try, wishing they could rush straight to Kaijing.
"We were reluctant to go south before, mainly because we were afraid of interference from the Ming Dynasty."
"Now that the Ming army has been dispatched, what are we still worried about?"
After suffering two setbacks, even Huang Taiji died on the battlefield.
Although the Jurchens wouldn't admit it, they were already afraid of the Ming Dynasty.
Jirhalang led his troops to garrison in Kaesong, and was reluctant to move south, not entirely because of insufficient food supplies.
But Jirhalang was still hesitant.
"This...no, this is a matter of great importance. I must inform the Great Khan first before I can make a decision!"
Upon hearing this, the other generals were so angry that they stomped their feet.
"At this moment, the Great Khan is probably somewhere looting grain and bondservantes. By the time his orders arrive, the King of Goryeo and Yuan Chonghuan will certainly have vanished to who knows where!"
"That Hao-ge is just a kid, General, why do you respect him so much?"
Jirhalang's face immediately darkened.
If he was only somewhat hesitant before, he would absolutely refuse to send troops now.
Otherwise, what would Hauge think if the news got out?
They must have thought that his southward march was a sign of disrespect towards the Great Khan!
"The situation of our Later Jin is not good right now, so it is better to avoid trouble."
Jirhalang made up his mind, snorted coldly, and said, "I have already decided on this matter, and I will not go south."
"Return to your respective camps and reassure your troops."
"If I find out anyone dares to secretly march south, I will absolutely not let them off the hook!"
After saying that, he drew his sword and stuck it directly into the tiger's head.
"Anyone who dares to disobey will face my wrath!"
He left with a cold expression.
After he left, the Jurchen generals present immediately gathered together.
"What's wrong with our general?"
"Exactly, his courage hasn't been what it used to be!"
Someone suddenly said, "So we're really not going south? If we really wait for that kid's orders to come, the credit definitely won't go to us!"
"That's right, that kid Hauge looks down on us."
"If he finds out that the Goryeo people have fled, he will definitely send his trusted men south to capture Hanjing. In that case, we can only watch others achieve their goal!"
"Then what should we do?" someone asked helplessly. "We can't just secretly head south, can we?"
"If Jirhalang finds out about this, it's no joke. He's really capable of killing people to establish his authority!"
After he said that, everyone else fell silent.
After a long while, someone finally spoke up quietly: "This Jirhalang dares to kill one or two people, and he dares to kill us all?"
The others were stunned.
What do you mean by that?
The man steeled himself and said in a low voice, "I will lead my own troops south, but I cannot lead only my own troops!"
“Your family can gather dozens or even hundreds of people for me, and I’ll take them with me.”
"The credit will belong to all of us then, and we will share the good fortune together."
“After this incident, even if Jirhalang wants to investigate, we are all responsible, and no one can escape responsibility. This is what it means to share the burden!”
That makes some sense. No matter how much Jirgalang wanted to punish them according to the law, he couldn't possibly kill all his generals.
At this time, the Jurchens still had strong feudal characteristics.
It's one thing for the banner chiefs of the Eight Banners to have absolute authority within their own borders.
These deputy generals also had their own fiefdoms and bondservants, and the troops under their command were all recruited by themselves.
If Jirgalang really goes on a killing spree, he can forget about leading troops in the future.
After a moment, they all nodded: "Let's do it this way!"
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