Chapter 207: Shanxi Crisis 1
After a year of reorganization, the Eight Banners of the Jianlu army began to move. Wu Sangui's Guanning Iron Cavalry and Duoduo and Ajige's troops joined forces, and a force of 200,000 soldiers marched into Shanxi.
Due to the victory at Baixiang Town and Zhao Xiaofei's victory in the south, the historical split of the army was not implemented. Dorgon also realized that his forces were insufficient, so he decided to send all but the troops defending the capital to Shanxi, first conquering all of Shanxi and then concentrating his forces on Xi'an. The Jianlu now controlled only the capital, Zhili, northern Shandong, and the road from the capital to Shanhaiguan.
Ever since Zhao Xiaofei presided over the martial arts conference and gave money to some sects, these sects have also been busy. They even contacted some anti-Qing figures to harass the food supply routes to the rear of the Jianlu. They even launched suicide attacks on the Jianlu government offices in the capital. The Jinyiwei provided the explosives, while local anti-Qing figures or martial artists provided the personnel. Most of these people had lost their entire families to the Jianlu and held a deep hatred for them. They strapped explosives to their bodies and came to the government offices to appeal for justice, or bribed officials to gain entry, then pulled the fuse when no one was paying attention, perishing along with everyone else. Some even shouted slogans like "Long live the Ming Dynasty! Return our land!" before dying!
Such incidents erupted repeatedly, leaving many government offices afraid to conduct business. Even when Han Chinese arrived, they were made to stand at a distance, strip naked, and be inspected for any issues before being allowed in. This led to a profound distrust between the Jianlu and Han Chinese. It also humiliated the local gentry who were sent there to conduct business. They simply stopped going, and the two sides stopped interacting with each other.
This resulted in the inability to collect silver and grain from the local areas, or the failure to achieve the desired goals. Some officials proposed to the Jianlu that officials should go directly to the homes of the landlords and gentry to work, in order to avoid the occurrence of suicide bombings. But could this be hidden from Zhao Xiaofei's eyes? So many times, the Jianlu officials went to the homes of the landlords and gentry, and ended up being assassinated or bombed. As a result, the landlords and gentry did not dare to contact the Jianlu officials at all.
As a result, a very strange phenomenon appeared in the entire northern Jianlu controlled area. Jianlu officials wanted to collect taxes, but they could only rob them. They did not dare to go to the countryside to collect taxes, nor did they dare to interact with local gentry. And the local gentry did not dare to interact with officials. Later, when they saw that the Jianlu army simply started robbing, they organized local armed forces and went to war with the Jianlu. Various places began to build strongholds to protect themselves!
The Jianlu couldn't possibly kill everyone in the north! So wherever they went, they would post notices demanding that the localities continue to collect taxes based on the previous standards.
This gave the local gentry room to maneuver, arbitrarily collecting excessive taxes. This in turn made it difficult for ordinary people to make ends meet, and they began to flee, resulting in no one growing crops in the area. Without crops, there was no silver, and without silver, the Jianlu could not collect taxes. This made the Jianlu even more inclined to plunder the local areas. This further alienated the Han people and made it impossible for them to properly govern their territory. This trapped the Jianlu in a vicious cycle, from which they could not escape.
Dorgon's anxiety grew even greater. He needed to eliminate Li Zicheng as quickly as possible, then return to negotiate with Nanjing. Right! He no longer cared about conquering the Central Plains, or even the entire country. He simply envisioned a similar situation to the Southern Song, dividing the country with the Han Chinese regime. So, he simply followed his father, Nurhaci, and declared, "No matter how many ways you attack, I'll just attack you." No need to divide our forces; let's destroy Li Zicheng first.
So, a 200,000-man army assembled and headed straight for Datong, Shanxi. Datong was currently under the jurisdiction of Zhang Tianlin, with him and Jiang Xiang stationed in the city and the citadel outside. The two armies formed a pincer attack, supporting each other. It was a good idea, but with Zhao Xiaofei, the troublemaker, around, Datong couldn't afford to escape unscathed.
Suicide bombings were also common in Li Zicheng's territory. Of course, they weren't as common as those in the Jianlu army, as Li Zicheng's army was above average in strength and discipline among peasant armies. Therefore, those willing to risk their lives to perish alongside the enemy were rare, but they did exist.
These people, like the peasants, had either lost their families or were targeted by refugees with families and brainwashed. The Jinyiwei promised them that if they succeeded, their entire family would have land and a house in Jiangnan, and their children would all live a good life. Elderly people at home would be cared for, how wonderful! They also used stories of martyrs' families sacrificing their lives, forcing these brainwashed individuals to secretly observe how these families fared. Once they were certain these stories were true, they launched a frenzied attack.
Li Zicheng's government offices and garrisons across the country were frequently attacked in this way, leaving him extremely frustrated. He even cursed Zhao Xiaofei for being extremely shameless.
The Imperial Guards arrived at Jiang Xiang's residence and said to him, "Master Jiang! The 200,000-strong Jianlu army is approaching! It's time for you to act!"
Jiang Xiang said to the Jinyiwei messenger, "Don't worry! I'm ready at any time!"
"How is your health recently, sir?" The Jinyiwei envoy suddenly asked this question.
Jiang Xiang smiled and said, "The medicine is indeed very effective! I feel much better after taking it, and I am much more energetic than before. Go back and tell the prince that I thank you very much for the gift of medicine! When the north is pacified, I will come to thank you!"
"That's good! I wish you all the best!" said the Jinyiwei envoy.
"Goodbye!" Jiang Xiang was very proud. His illness was cured, and he could marry a few more concubines to have fun in bed. He could eat and sleep well, and at night he would take out the night pearl to admire himself. He thought to himself, when I die, I will take this thing with me to my coffin. Later, this wish came true.
Jiang Xiang summoned the housekeeper and announced a banquet for General Zhang. The banquet was held at Tianxiang Tower in Datong City. Jiang Xiang had already made plans, having his trusted confidants disguise themselves and ambush Zhang Tianlin in Datong City. They also coordinated with the Jinyiwei to ambush Zhang Tianlin.
For the past few days, Jiang Xiang, in gratitude for General Jiang's rescue, had been treating Zhang Tianlin to drinks and fun every day. They'd drink and eat, then find a few girls for a health check. Zhao Xiaofei had given all this to the Imperial Guards, who then arranged it for Zhang Tianlin. Where had these peasants like Zhang Tianlin ever seen such tricks? Not even Jiang Xiang, let alone Zhang Tianlin. What about the "ice and fire" and "eighteen ways of controlling women"?
He wanted to completely shatter Zhang Tianlin's last bit of vigilance and become sworn brothers with Jiang Xiang.
This was Jiang Xiang's eighth banquet for Zhang Tianlin, and Zhang Tianlin had let his guard down and even brought along his deputy, Ke Tianxiang. The presence of two powerful figures from Datong, Shanxi, delighted Jiang Xiang and the Imperial Guards behind him.
A catastrophe is about to happen, but Zhang Tianlin and Ke Tianxiang are unaware of it!
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