Chapter 91 Seven Star Formation
Si Renfa suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night, along with his wife and children. Meng Mao became loose and disorderly almost instantly.
The soldiers on duty noticed some unusual movements inside Luchuan and immediately went to report to the camp. Zhu Yuhuan was just taking a nap and was still wearing his armor. Upon hearing the news, he did not even summon Wang Ji and others, but immediately asked them to notify their subordinates and prepare to attack Mengmao.
The Ming army originally planned to attack the city in the next few days, and even the siege tools had been prepared. All they needed was the right opportunity.
Those who defend Luchuan must be Si Renfa's confidants. If there is internal unrest in Luchuan, these people will definitely give priority to protecting Si Renfa, and they can seize this opportunity to start attacking the city.
According to Zhu Yuhuan's speculation, the Ming army would solicit surrender at the gate whenever they had time, promising huge benefits to those who surrendered, and then attack Mengmao's city defenses with muskets every few days.
Due to such persistent harassment, Mengmao has long been divided into pieces and each has its own ulterior motives, just waiting for an opportunity to explode.
It seems that Si Renfa has escaped.
The Ming army rushed in at the perfect time. Luchuan was in civil strife and naturally had no power to fight back. However, some people immediately resisted, but were quickly defeated.
Zhu Yuhuan had already said that if there was any sign of resistance, they would be killed on the spot without having to consider surrender. Therefore, the Ming army attacked extremely aggressively.
We previously attacked the Luchuan camp from three sides and I don’t know how many brothers were sacrificed. Of course, we must kill more Luchuan bandits to avenge our brothers who joined the army with us!
What’s more, these are all the results of walking, so we must not let them go!
Some people in the Luchuan army wanted to put up a symbolic resistance before surrendering, but in an instant, their swords were raised and chopped off. Seeing this, the rest of the people dared not resist and knelt down in surrender before the Ming army arrived.
The Ming army fought their way into the city from the city gate. The chieftains had already led their troops to surrender. Only after the Ming army took control of them all did Zhu Yuhuan and Wang Ji enter the camp one after another.
Zhu Yuhuan said nothing, but only looked at the piles of corpses not far away, and then at the trembling Lu soldiers, and then he said loudly: "Today's heroes who killed the enemy and persuaded the surrender, I will personally ask for titles for you. Promotions and honors are a piece of cake!"
If the situation wasn't so serious at this moment, I'm afraid everyone would cheer.
Although most of the surrendered Luchuan people did not understand what their leader Zhu Yuhuan said, they knew there must be a reward just by hearing the increasingly excited and heavy breathing of the Ming soldiers next to them.
Wang Ji coughed lightly, and Zhu Yuhuan then asked, "Where is the thief Si?"
There was a Luchuan chieftain who had surrendered earlier nearby. Upon hearing what Zhu Yuhuan said, he immediately translated it and shouted it out. The captured chieftains now spoke excitedly.
Unfortunately, Zhu Yuhuan could hardly understand a word, but fortunately the translator explained it clearly quickly.
A chieftain originally wanted to kill Si Renfa in the middle of the night and take this opportunity to negotiate peace with the Ming army. However, when he took his men to Si Renfa's residence, he found that he was gone. Unexpectedly, as soon as he came out, he ran into a chieftain from another tribe. Naturally, both sides could not say that they came to kill Si Renfa to make a contribution, and both wanted to kill to silence him on the grounds that the other side was planning to murder the king. This caused chaos within Mengmao.
Zhu Yuhuan’s inner evaluation of this was “They are all talented people”.
Wang Ji's expression became more serious, and he said, "If the thief Si escapes to Burma, things will be troublesome."
Myanmar will certainly not sit idly by and watch Luchuan being taken over by the Ming army. As Zhu Yuhuan said, the lips and teeth are cold.
If Sirenfa is still alive, Myanmar will have to waver between the two countries. Of course, it is more likely to choose to support Luchuan.
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said reassuringly, "That may not be the case. I think this Si Renfa is very smart in his own affairs. He must have considered escaping a long time ago. Otherwise, why would he take his wife, children, and even servants with him?"
Wang Ji immediately understood and said, "Your Highness means..."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled and said, "He will definitely choose the safest route."
As if to prove Zhu Yuhuan's correctness, news came one day that the person who came was Mu Ang's close confidant.
With him came Sirenfa and his wife, children and servants, but in a special way.
Zhu Yuhuan looked at the seven heads on the table and said with deep emotion, "It can be arranged into a Big Dipper. The Si Ren Fa should be placed in the Tianshu position."
Seeing the terrified look on the bandit leader's face and the marks of being pierced by bullets, it was clear that Mu Ang had seen the situation getting bad and had stopped the enemy with his musket.
Wang Ji saw that she was interested in facing a few heads. He looked helpless, but felt a little emotional in his heart.
Despite her gentle demeanor, Princess Shunde possessed a psychological fortitude no less formidable than her entourage. Leading the Luchuan army in a night raid on the Ming camp, the Ming army was well prepared, and while not foolproof, it was certainly a well-managed response. Zhu Yuhuan's ability to kill with his own hands without batting an eyelid showed his extraordinary courage and was undoubtedly capable of great success.
Zhu Yuhuan straightened up, looked at Wang Ji and asked, "Are these the only bloodlines of Si Renfa? Are there no other relatives?"
"In reply to Your Highness, it was too dark at the time, and we could only make out these figures. Mu Tongzhi had the surrendered Luchuan Tusi identify them, and they are indeed Si Renfa and his wife and children."
Wang Ji, who was standing by, also said, "I have already sent people to investigate to see if there are any surviving members of the Sithi lineage left in Mengmao Village."
Zhu Yuhuan smiled slightly and said, "Have these heads preserved and hung on the city wall of Mengmao along with the bodies. When you return to the capital, just take the heads with you and leave the bodies in Luchuan."
Wang Ji naturally understood that Zhu Yuhuan wanted to intimidate the people of Lu, but it was a pity that Si Renfa had already been killed by the attack of the musket, otherwise it would have been more deterrent to execute him directly in front of everyone.
Zhu Yuhuan watched as the men around her carried away the heads of Si Renfa and the others. Then she stood up and walked outside the tent. She suddenly spoke, "Besides Si Renfa and the chieftains in Mengmao City, there must be other bandits roaming around. According to Your Majesty's instructions, to pacify Luchuan, we need to send more people to pursue them. By the time the army withdraws to Yunnan, it will probably be February of next year."
Wang Ji couldn't help but sigh, saying, "This battle went so smoothly, thanks to Your Highness's decisive decision."
Wang Ji was not saying this to please the princess; it was truly sincere.
As a commander with little experience, he was able to position himself correctly, make correct decisions, and even put forward effective suggestions, such as encircling Mengmao, storming Lianying, and guarding against Si Renfa. He can already be called "excellent".
If the princess was not the princess, the Luchuan campaign would have been enough to get her promoted, but the princess's identity was both a stepping stone and a shackle.
Zhu Yuhuan could hear a hint of pity for himself in his tone, which made him laugh. He just looked at the distant scenery and said, "Why bother with the name of Marquis? I will be recorded in history."
Wang Ji was startled and said, "I am narrow-minded."
"It's okay. I'm not that carefree." Zhu Yuhuan said with a smile, "Compared to all this, let's stabilize Luchuan first. There are still many things waiting for us when we return to Yunnan."
Wang Ji's expression showed a hint of doubt, and he asked, "What important matter is your Highness referring to?"
"Minister Wang will know then."
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