Under Linqu city, Zhu Erdan had just finished making arrangements for the siege and was about to send someone to persuade the city to surrender as per usual, when he unexpectedly saw a white flag raised on the battlements, and the city gate slowly creaked open.
Zhu Erdan was utterly bewildered. While he was pondering what trick the Tatar soldiers on the city wall were up to, a group of Tatar soldiers, unarmed, filed out.
These soldiers were only wearing their inner garments, their uniforms nowhere to be seen. Leading the soldiers was an official, bound tightly, being pushed towards him.
Had they surrendered?
Zhu Erdan never imagined that Linqu County would be taken so easily. All the extensive attack plans he had prepared were now useless. Not a single hand grenade, which Liu Huaiwen had so carefully treasured, was thrown.
Looking at his own slightly plump belly, Zhu Erdan was even more confused.
Was this still considered warfare?
While he was in a daze, the veteran soldiers of the Green Standard Army had already escorted the Linqu County Magistrate to Zhu Erdan. Without hesitation, the Linqu County Magistrate knelt down, kowtowed, and said, "The Linqu County Magistrate has heard of the arrival of you brave heroes. We have already apprehended the Tatar Prefect, Feng Zhemao, and have come to surrender!"
The veteran soldiers of the Green Standard Army, following behind the Linqu County Magistrate, also knelt without hesitation. The leader also kowtowed and said, "We understand the rules of the heroes. All the soldiers' uniforms and weapons have been stacked in the city."
Zhu Erdan looked closely at the soldier kneeling at the front and smiled, "Who would have thought, we meet again?"
The soldier looked up, a broad smile on his face, and said to Chen Erdan, "I never expected to encounter the heroes again today. If we had known earlier, we would have sent all our equipment to the heroes long ago. How could we have come to Linqu with this Feng fellow?"
Speaking of which, the soldier pointed at Feng Zhemao and said, "Heroes, this old man is Feng Zhemao, the Prefect of Qingzhou. He just said he was preparing to be loyal to the Tatar Emperor and return to the county office to commit suicide. We brothers thought that wouldn't do at all. If he died, wouldn't the heroes have come for nothing? So, we bound him and brought him here."
Zhu Erdan asked, "What do you plan to do next? Will you continue to serve the Tatars?"
The Green Standard soldier replied with a smile, "Heroes speak wisely. We brothers plan to continue serving the Tatars, eating their grain, taking their pay, and in the future, we will bring more equipment to the heroes."
Zhu Erdan was rendered speechless by these veteran Green Standard soldiers, unable to decide whether to laugh or cry. He couldn't help but wave his hand and say, "Then you may go."
The Green Standard soldiers thanked them profusely and rose from the ground. The yamen runners from Linqu County also mixed into the ranks of the Green Standard veterans and, along with them, fled in a rush. Before leaving, the leading veteran Green Standard soldier pointed to the Linqu County Magistrate and shouted, "He is the Linqu County Magistrate!"
The Linqu County Magistrate was instantly stunned. He cautiously raised his head, first glancing at Feng Zhemao, the Prefect, who was struggling wildly beside him, and then looking at Zhu Erdan with a fawning smile, "Your humble servant has long wished to join the heroes. However, this Prefect Feng of Qingzhou came to Linqu, so I thought I would capture him to present as a token of my allegiance, wouldn't that be a good gesture?"
Zhu Erdan never imagined that there would be such a foolish person in this world.
Ever since killing Hao Liangcai, the Grand Master of Ningyang County, and then occupying all of Yizhou, Zhu Xiaosong had always captured officials first and then assessed their reputation. Those with good reputations were naturally allowed to leave as they pleased, while those who were as corrupt and greedy as Grand Master Hao were killed on sight.
As Zhu Xiaosong, the elder brother, had such a habit, Zhu Erdan, the younger brother, naturally followed suit. As soon as they were near Linqu, he had already sent people to inquire about the Linqu County Magistrate's reputation. While carefully recalling the details of Zhu Xiaosong's public trials of county magistrates, he was also afraid that the Linqu County Magistrate would flee in advance.
As a result, not only did this fellow not flee, but he actually knelt before him to claim credit!
Zhu Erdan now desperately wanted to fly back to Liangmeng Mountain and boast to Zhu Xiaosong, "Who said there are no such good things as pie falling from the sky? I, Zhu Lao Er, have encountered one! Hahaha!"
Overjoyed, Zhu Erdan immediately waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to tie up the Linqu County Magistrate.
Watching these farcical events unfolding, Feng Zhemao, the Prefect, who had been struggling wildly just moments ago, suddenly stopped. He was about to laugh heartily when he was choked by the rag stuffed in his mouth, and he began to cough violently.
Zhu Erdan was startled and quickly ordered someone to pull the rag out of the Prefect's mouth.
To publicly try these corrupt officials, it was naturally necessary for them to be alive. If they were dead, and Zhu Erdan did not possess the abilities of Bao Zheng to hold midnight trials and daylight judgments, then the public trial meeting would not be held.
After coughing for a long time, Prefect Feng gradually calmed down. He looked up at Zhu Erdan and cursed, "Rebel! I have fallen into your hands today, and have nothing but death. Hurry and finish me!"
Zhu Erdan was instantly enraged. He kicked Feng Zhemao and scolded, "Damn it! If you served the Tatars and treated the people well, that would be one thing. But your reputation for greed and lust, Prefect Feng, is something I've heard of even in Liangmeng Mountain. You dog, you dare to lecture me with righteous indignation here? You are not worthy! Damn it!"
Feng Zhemao tried to dodge while shouting, "Rebel! Rebel! Even if this official is greedy and lustful, the laws of the Great Qing will punish me. You rebels have received the favor of the state for generations, yet you fail to repay it and instead raise an army in rebellion. Even if you kill me, history will still clear my name!"
Zhu Erdan became even more furious. While kicking Feng Zhemao, he angrily cursed, "Rebel? What, you think that by serving the Jurchen Tatars as a dog, you've gained some sense of superiority?"
"My elder brother once said when scolding our third brother that all scholars in the world today are unworthy of the teachings of the sages, because you have become dogs for the Jurchen Tatars and forgotten Confucius's concept of Hua-Yi distinction."
"What, Prefect Feng, you haven't read books? Or do you think you were born a slave to the Jurchen Tatars?"
"And a clear reputation?"
"You dog, today I will publicly try you in front of all the people of Linqu. I want to see if history will grant you a clear reputation, you greedy, lustful, corrupt official!"
Seeing that Feng Zhemao was beaten beyond recognition and his shouts were getting weaker, Geng Rui quickly pulled Zhu Erdan aside and advised, "Alright, alright, save your strength for the public trial. Besides, it's not up to him to decide whether his reputation is clear or not. When the time comes, we will print his crimes into a booklet and let the whole world know what kind of person Prefect Feng truly is. Isn't that much better than kicking him to death now?"
After Geng Rui said this, Feng Zhemao, who had been struggling, instantly collapsed on the ground like an old dog whose spine had been removed.
Prefect Feng was not afraid of death. When he brought his men to Linqu, he had already prepared himself to die heroically for his king.
However, the public trial and the printing of his crimes into a booklet, letting the whole world know, as mentioned by Geng Rui, were like sharp knives, each piercing Prefect Feng's heart.
Zhu Erdan glared at Feng Zhemao and shouted, "Let's go! Take these two dog officials into the city! We will publicly try these two dog officials today!"
...
After the public trial of Prefect Feng and the Linqu County Magistrate, and having settled matters in Linqu, Zhu Erdan couldn't help but grumble to Geng Rui, "If all the prefectures and counties in the world were like Linqu, we should be able to celebrate the New Year in the Forbidden City this year."
Geng Rui, however, shook his head and said, "You clearly didn't listen carefully to the Great Leader's lecture."
"The Great Leader said that places like Linqu, which are close to our Yizhou, are better. After all, they are nearby, and the farmers' associations here are the same as those in Yizhou."
"But places like Dengzhou, Laizhou, or even further afield, their farmers' associations might be run by various gentry and powerful families. Without the support of our Liangmeng Mountain behind them, how can ordinary people fight against those local tyrants and wealthy landlords?"
"Those local tyrants and wicked gentry run farmers' associations not to act as spokesmen for the common people, but to protect their own interests. It doesn't matter if they are loyal to the Tatar court or not, but they will certainly not be loyal to us."
"There will definitely be a lot of trouble ahead."
"Not to mention, the Shandong Governor in Jinan, can he stand by and watch us occupy Qingzhou?"
Agui and Ming Xing certainly couldn't stand by and watch the Liangmeng Mountain rebels occupy Qingzhou.
For Agui and Ming Xing, even if Dengzhou and Laizhou were occupied by Zhu Xiaosong, it wouldn't be a big deal. As long as their Tatar Qing dynasty did not fall, there would be plenty of opportunities to suppress him later. But Qingzhou was different.
This was because Qingzhou was where the Plain Yellow and Bordered Yellow Banners of Manzhou, as well as the Plain Yellow and Bordered Yellow Banners of Mongolia, were stationed. There were fifty infantry and four hundred and sixty-six cavalry, and their dependents lived within designated garrison areas. If Zhu Xiaosong occupied Qingzhou, what would happen to these people?
The Plain Yellow and Bordered Yellow Banners were among the "Upper Three Banners" with the Heavenly Connection Mark on their foreheads! They were superior!
Therefore, even though Feng Zhemao, the Prefect of Qingzhou, had repeatedly requested reinforcements without success, it was because Zhu Erdan's army had not yet reached the vicinity of Yidu. If they had reached the vicinity of Yidu, Agui and Ming Xing would likely not be as calm as they were now.
Even at this moment, Zhu Erdan and Geng Rui had just occupied Linqu, which was still quite a distance from the Eight Banners stationed in Yidu, yet Agui and Ming Xing were already restless.
Ming Xing wanted the Qingzhou Eight Banners to withdraw from Qingzhou overnight, while Agui insisted that the Qingzhou garrisoned Eight Banners could not withdraw. It was easy for the Eight Banner soldiers to withdraw, but what about their dependents and banner people? Would they also withdraw?
More importantly, once the Eight Banners garrisoned in Qingzhou withdrew, what would the Eight Banners garrisoned in Dezhou think? What would the Eight Banners in other places think? What would people all over the world think?
Besides, the Qingzhou Eight Banners had at least two to three thousand people. Even if they couldn't defeat the Liangmeng Mountain rebels, they should at least be able to ensure their own safety, right?
However, Ming Xing was not as optimistic as Agui.
In reality, Agui, the Imperial Commissioner, had only ever been a "transport captain" once. In terms of experience in this area, he was far inferior to Ming Xing, the Shandong Governor.
Ming Xing knew too well what the Qingzhou Eight Banners were like.
Last time, when they went to attack Mengyin, Ming Xing deliberately brought the Manchu infantry and Manchu cavalry from the Qingzhou Eight Banners to gain more military merits for his own people, and at the same time, to suppress the Mongol Eight Banners.
The result was that the Manchu infantry suffered heavy casualties under the city of Mengyin, and the Manchu cavalry were chased all over the mountains by Chen Tailai's rebels.
Therefore, in terms of their ability to falter and flee, these Eight Banner soldiers might be even better than the Forbidden Army of the Song Dynasty, but in terms of fighting, they might be even more useless than the Forbidden Army of the Song Dynasty. Ming Xing even suspected that any ordinary civilian dressed in the clothes of a Liangmeng Mountain rebel could chase these Eight Banner soldiers all over the mountains.
Ming Xing felt that instead of expecting these Eight Banner soldiers to defend the Qingzhou camp, it would be better to let them withdraw from Qingzhou as soon as possible.
Since they were going to be disgraced anyway, wasn't actively withdrawing better than being completely annihilated?