When Ming'an and others led their troops back to the camp, they found that the place was in a mess, with burned yurts and the bodies of herdsmen everywhere.
Not only the herdsmen, but also most of the cattle and sheep on the pasture were killed by the Ming army.
The blood of a large number of livestock and herdsmen flowed into the nearby river, making the river water look faintly red.
Bellemingan, the left winger of Horqin, was already an old man in his seventies, but now that he suffered this blow, his body was even more unable to hold on.
Ming An was so angry that he fainted on the spot.
Fortunately, due to the rush of time, the Ming army only massacred this camp and did not kill other camps not far away from the Ming'an Department.
But the Ming'an tribe lost six to seven thousand tribesmen and a large number of livestock this time, which can be regarded as a serious injury.
At this time, everyone present was also very angry, because the main purpose of the Mongolian attacks on each other was to rob people and property, and such massacres rarely occurred.
Mangusi shouted loudly: "Li Xianzhong used this tactic to wipe out every household. He wanted to drive out all our grassland tribesmen."
Zaisai didn't take it seriously, as if this result had been expected by him.
He said: "The main opponent of Ming Dynasty is Jianzhou. Originally, we could sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and we could benefit from both sides."
"Chahar and my flower speculation department benefited from Ming Dynasty, and Horqin benefited from Jianzhou. This is a good situation."
"As long as Ming Dynasty continues to fight Jianzhou, we Mongolians will continue to benefit from it."
"I can only blame you, Horqin, for being so self-interested that you took the initiative to intervene in the dispute between Jianzhou and Ming Dynasty just for some cloth-faced armor."
"Ming Anbeile, you just married a daughter to Nurhachi, but how many women does Nurhachi have?
"Are the benefits that Jianzhou has given you over the years combined as much as the betrothal gift from Li Xianzhong?"
"If Horqin is in danger, can Jianzhou come to your aid like Li Xianzhong aided Ye He?"
"Tell me the truth. Is Jianzhou behind the cloth armor and silver that your Horqin Ministry donated to the Great Khan this time?"
Zaisai's series of soul torture questions left Ming'an and other Baylor on Horqin's left wing speechless.
It was obvious that Horqin was being used as a weapon.
These words were naturally what Master Liu said to Zai Sai on the way to the Ming'an Department.
At this time, Chaohua said: "Great Khan, the plan for now is to catch up with Li Xianzhong quickly. We have already offended him. If he runs back, he will continue to retaliate against us."
Zai Sai said: "What the leader said is wrong. On the contrary, we have not really offended Li Xianzhong and fell out with Ming Dynasty at this time."
"Besides, where should we chase in this vast grassland?"
"If we go south to intercept Li Xianzhong, is there any guarantee that he won't turn around and raid other Horqin tribes?"
The Zai Sai was like a "stirrer" that caused several people to have their own thoughts.
Now that his goal was achieved, Lin Danhan was shaken again.
He soon realized that Jianzhou was dragging him down through Horqin.
Now that two of Horqin's three left-wing troops have been disabled, it is a good opportunity for him to annex them.
Only Chao Hua was left staring at Zai Sai fiercely. He now regretted letting Zai Sai participate in this ambush.
This is simply a mouse dropping that spoils the whole pot of porridge.
Now that Zaisai's wings are full, he can no longer boss him around.
The grassland was nothing but scattered sand. Although Lin Dan Khan had some great ambitions and few talents, he still firmly supported Lin Dan Khan because he had the ambition to unify Mongolia.
Nowadays, these people have their own thoughts, and it seems that they are still in disarray.
Soon the sentry riders brought news that Li Xianzhong's wedding party of more than a thousand riders, which had been slowing down before, suddenly speeded up and passed through the valley where they had prepared to block the Ming army.
The Ming army was very powerful. The two thousand cavalry left behind could not stop the Ming army. It didn't take long for the Ming army to break through the defense line.
At this time, Ming'an was dying, and several other people also looked at each other. It was obvious that Zai Sai's words just now had an effect.
Unwilling to give up, Chaohua said: "Now that you have discovered the Ming army, hurry up and chase them. We can't let them run back to Kaiyuan."
Zaisai said: "You have also seen the combat power of the Ming army. Twice the force cannot stop them at all. I am not bragging. Now that the whereabouts of Li Xianzhong's main force are unknown, I advise you not to act rashly. Anyway, my My subordinates will not die in vain."
After what he said, several Baylors from Horqin's tribe did not dare to pursue them. If Li Xianzhong came back and killed them, would they still want their men?
Just when the Mongols were hesitant, Li Xianzhong had already gone all the way south to Zhenbeiguan.
The old Ming'an thief has always been Jianzhou's spokesperson in Mongolia. If he hadn't been worried about being blocked by the main force of the Mongolian cavalry, he would have really wanted to completely wipe out the Ming'an tribe.
Although this time due to time constraints, there was no time to harvest carefully, but gold and silver vessels and jewelry equivalent to approximately 20,000 taels of silver were still seized.
It should be regarded as a congratulatory gift from the old thief.
This time it was really dangerous. If Mao Yuanyi hadn't laid out the intelligence point in advance and Master Liu had sent the intelligence in time, I might have been in trouble this time.
Even if they are lucky enough to break out of the siege, I am afraid that there will be very few Liaodong cavalry left, and it is very likely that my wife will be snatched away by Lin Danhan.
Nurhachi dares to cheat on himself, so let him write down this account first, and he will definitely pay the price in the future.
As for Lin Danhan, Li Xianzhong is not too worried.
Historically, after the Saarhu War, the Ming court only spent 4,000 taels of silver to make Houjin hostile.
And this time Nurhaci only used 10,000 taels of silver and 1,000 pieces of cloth armor to let him do it to him.
The Mongol Khan's net worth does not seem to be too high. For the wealthy Li Xianzhong, it is too easy to deal with him.
And the weak Horqin left wing at this time will definitely give the greedy Khan some other ideas.
Soon Mr. Li Xian put on his formal clothes, and the eight-carriage sedan that had been waiting outside the pass for a long time also carried Hazia into Zhenbeiguan.
The accompanying men and horses did some tidying up and dressing up, and in the blink of an eye they transformed from a cavalry into a team welcoming the bride!
The welcoming team drove into Kaiyuan City in a mighty manner.
At this time, Kaiyuan City was much more lively than Yehe City. After all, it was the most important town in northern Liaoning, and the streets were already decorated with lights.
The road was crowded with people watching the wedding procession.
Li Xianzhong rode on dark clouds and walked on the snow, accepting blessings from everyone.
There were also people in the team who kept throwing copper coins wrapped in red paper around, causing children nearby to scramble for them.
At this time, there were no beggars among the crowd watching in the city. Mr. Li had already set up a porridge shack outside the city during his wedding, attracting all these beggars so as not to disturb the wedding team.
This huge scene seemed to announce to everyone: The Li family of Liaodong has risen again!
Although Kaiyuan was almost defeated by the Tatars before, they were full of confidence in Kaiyuan's future at this time.
Of course, no wedding guests appeared here at this time, because Kaiyuan City was not the place where Li Xianzhong got married.
Li Xianzhong's wedding will take place in Tielingwei, more than 70 miles away from Kaiyuan City. His wedding team will also complete the last 70 miles, boasting and dancing all the way.
Of course, the bearers in the middle are rotated, otherwise they will be exhausted.
Not to mention the people carrying the sedan chair, even those sitting in the sedan chair couldn't bear the bumps along the way.
Where did Hazia suffer from this crime? But when I thought that this was a marriage granted by the emperor after all, the ostentation would definitely not be small, so I tolerated it.
At this time, the flower-watching building next to the Li family's old residence in the east of Tieling City has been decorated.
This castle, which integrates collection, defense and entertainment functions, once witnessed the rise of the Li family in Liaodong.
Now it has become the main venue for Li Xianzhong's wedding banquet.
Since there were so many guests attending the wedding banquet, a large number of living rooms inside and outside the Li family's old house were used to entertain guests.
A total of 99 banquet tables were set up to pray for a long time.
Although there were many seats for the banquet, many businessmen still fought hard for a place at this wedding banquet.
Butler Li was already very busy. The Li family had booked all the inns in Tielingwei to receive guests, but the endless flow of guests still paralyzed Tielingwei.
This once famous Acropolis, also known as "North of the Great Wall and South of the Yangtze River", has once again glowed with glory.
Just for this wedding banquet, the Li family spent a total of 40,000 taels of silver. If the betrothal gift and other expenses were included, the total cost of Li Xianzhong's wedding exceeded 100,000 taels of silver.
Although there is still a certain gap compared to the 300,000 taels spent on the wedding of King Fu Zhu Changxun, in Liaodong, it can be regarded as a unique wedding in history.
Although the expenses are huge, the rewards are even more abundant.
The Li family actually doesn't have much respect, but Li Xianzhong's status is not low now.
Emperor Wanli personally gave a wedding reward. Many of the utensils for his wedding this time were given by the emperor.
Even Concubine Zheng, who had received many benefits from Li Xianzhong, asked her nephew Zheng Yangxing to send a congratulatory gift, which could be regarded as confirming Li Xianzhong's title of "the demon concubine's henchman".
Wanli and Concubine Zheng's congratulatory gift did not depend on the amount, but on their attitude.
Needless to say, officials from all over Liaodong and members of the Li family in Liaodong. Li Xianzhong's best friend in the capital, Duke Cheng Zhu Chunchen, and Zheng Yangxing even rushed to Tieling in person to attend Li Xianzhong's wedding banquet. Some other dignitaries also sent congratulatory gifts.
Even the chief assistant of the cabinet, Fang Congzhe, and the Minister of War, Xiong Tingbi, sent congratulatory gifts.
If Li Xianzhong had not imposed a rule that the value of gifts for Liaodong military and political officials should not exceed 100 taels of silver, the amount of this gift would have been an astronomical figure.
If officials in Liaodong give too many gifts, they will definitely make up for it elsewhere.
Li Xianzhong's wedding will then turn into an exploitation of the people in the entire Liaodong region.
Although he likes money, he doesn't want his wonderful wedding to Haziya to be reviled and cursed by the people of Liaodong.
Therefore, Li Xianzhong directly issued a notice: He would not accept gifts from civil and military officials below the fifth rank (except relatives and friends of the Li family). For officials in Liaodong, the value of gifts should not exceed 100 taels of silver.
They also sent people to Kaiyuan and Tieling to investigate whether anyone used his wedding to make a fuss and exploit the common people.
It is precisely these people-friendly actions that made his wedding, although luxurious, not become a burden to ordinary people.
That's why so many people spontaneously come to join in the fun.
Although he was never married, he still knew about the example of "Qianlong's voyage to the south of the Yangtze River" in later generations. These arrogances were eventually passed on to the common people.
Even so, the money and gifts for his wedding were also an astronomical figure.
Butler Li was told that the gifts were already piled up in the three warehouses of the Li family, and according to preliminary statistics, the gift money had exceeded 300,000 taels.
It was almost dusk when Li Xianzhong's in-laws set off from Kaiyuan City in the morning and arrived at Tieling.
Even though Li Xianzhong was a young and strong general who fought on the battlefield, he was extremely tired after this journey.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to go to the toilet, he secretly nibbled a roast chicken handed over by Li Sanshun.
Then he thoughtfully sent someone to give Haziya some food.
Getting married is really a physical job. If you don't seize the opportunity to replenish some energy, won't it affect the quality of the wedding night?
Although it was not the first time that he and Haziya had met, there was still a sense of ritual in the bridal chamber.
After resting for a while, the team welcoming the bride finally arrived at Tielingwei.
"There are tens of thousands of strong soldiers, and the majestic vision is unparalleled. The castle is more than ten miles away, and there are rows of households. The trees cover the sky, and the city walls are not visible. The terraces and pavilions are so prosperous that they are the best in a moment!"
This is the record of Tieling Guards in "Liaozuo Seeing and Wedding Records".
There are many relatives of the Li family in Tieling Guards, so the people here are more enthusiastic than those in Kaiyuan City. Li Xianzhong couldn't bear it anymore, and he had to walk for half an hour on the short journey of several miles.
Finally we came to the old house of the Li family.
Just as Li Xianzhong wanted to take a breath, he was told by Butler Li that his adoptive father Li Rubai was waiting for him in the ancestral hall of his old house.
The Li family's ancestral hall was as solemn as he remembered, with many memorial tablets placed. Among them, he only recognized the names of Li Chengliang and Li Rusong.
His adoptive father Li Rubai and all the elders of the Li family were already waiting for him at the ancestral hall.
Including his third uncle Li Ruzhen, fourth uncle Li Ruzhang, fifth uncle Li Rumei, great uncle Li Chenggong and several other elders whose names he could not name, they should also be elders of other branches of the Li family.
Even Li Shizhong, the current Bo Ning Yuan who had been recuperating in the capital, also came.
After seeing Li Shizhong's face, Li Xianzhong took a breath because he saw a "dead face".
His face was swollen and a little pale. Although his cheeks were a little rosy, this was probably caused by a low-grade fever and was not a sign of good complexion.
And the whole person was coughing constantly.
This is clearly consumption, and he is already terminally ill. He probably doesn't have a few months to live.
Li Zhong felt a little guilty at this time. With his physical condition, he actually drove 600 miles from the capital to attend his wedding. This was obviously a gift for himself.
Li Shizhong's current state will definitely not be able to survive this winter, and he will not even be able to wait for winter to arrive.
At this time, Li Rubai, the leader of the clan, spoke. He said slowly: "Xianzhong, thanks to your majesty's marriage, you will finally get married and start a business."
"It's time for you to recognize your ancestors!"
After acknowledging his ancestor and returning to his clan, could he really be Li Rubai's illegitimate son?
But this is not surprising. Li Rubai definitely treats him as his own son. Ever since he entered the Li family, he has always enjoyed the treatment of the young master of the Li family.
Everyone's "Young General" is the best proof.
Li Rubai said slowly: "You are indeed a descendant of my Li family, but I am only your second uncle. Your father is the late Li Rusong, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Town in the Ming Dynasty."
"But your biological mother's status is low, and you are just an illegitimate son of your eldest brother."
"When Butler Li found you, your mother had passed away. In the end, your identity was determined through the jade pendant on your body and your appearance."
Only then did he realize that the brothers of the Li family actually looked alike. No wonder everyone thought they were Li Rubai's illegitimate son. It turned out to be this reason.
If he was found by Butler Li, then Li Sanshun should know his life experience. No wonder he has been following him since he was a child.
It's just that this kid's mouth is too strict, and he has never revealed any information to himself.
Li Rubai added: "My eldest brother had passed away at that time, and your status as Xianzhong was quite embarrassing. There was no one in my eldest brother's room suitable to raise you, so under your grandfather's arrangement, I became your adoptive father."
"Now that you have made your mark, you have taken charge of the Liaodong Cavalry, you have become the commander-in-chief of Kaiyuan, and you have gained His Majesty's favor. My eldest brother can rest in peace."
"Father, handsome!" Li Xianzhong said.
Li Rubai waved his hand and said, "Remember, your father is the late Li Rusong, the late Ming Dynasty's commander-in-chief of Liaodong, and I am just your second uncle. So when you stay in the church, you must kneel down and worship your father's tablet."
At this time, Li Xianzhong knelt on the ground and said: "My father has the grace to give birth to me, so I should naturally kneel down and worship him; but my father-in-law has the kindness to raise Xianzhong, so he deserves to be worshiped by Xianzhong."
At this time, my great-uncle Li Chenggong said: "It is not against etiquette to offer my loyalty to you, so just accept it."
This uncle is the younger brother of Li Chengliang. He is now almost ninety years old and is the eldest elder of the Li family. Now that he had spoken, Li Rubai naturally did not dare to refuse.
Afterwards, Li Xianzhong offered incense and buttoned the heads of the ancestors of the Li family, and then his name was added to the Li family's genealogy, officially recognizing his ancestors.
At this time, Li Xianzhong bowed respectfully to Li Shizhong and said: "Brother, you are ill and yet you are still running around like this. I really feel guilty. I also learned some medical skills when I was wandering outside. Can you let me Check your veins for you?"
Li Shizhong coughed and whispered: "Loyalty is now the pride of my Li family. Brother, how can I, the eldest brother, not be present at your wedding?"
"Brother, I know my own physical condition best. I can't delay it for much longer. I'm content to watch you return to the clan and get married."
"It's a pity that it would be more appropriate for me, Uncle Ning Yuan, to be the commander of the Jinyi Guards, if I had a brother like you to inherit my position!"
After saying this, Li Xianzhong coughed even harder.
Inheriting the title of Ning Yuanbo, are you kidding me? This is the Ming Dynasty with strict etiquette and strict laws.
Even if he recognizes his ancestor and returns to the clan, he is still just a concubine. Even Li Rubai, who is the legitimate son, is not qualified to inherit the position of Uncle Ning Yuan even if he is not the eldest son.
Even Wanli couldn't make Zhu Changxun the prince?
Not to mention yourself.
Although Li Shizhong did waste some of the Li family's political resources, there was nothing he could do about it.
Although Li Shizhong did not agree, Li Xianzhong took the initiative to take his pulse.
His pulse was already very weak. It was originally thought that he had lung damage caused by yin deficiency and yin deficiency, but it turned out that he had pulmonary tuberculosis of yin and yang deficiency type.
This kind of tuberculosis is even more difficult. With Li Xianzhong's medical skills, let alone a cure, there is not much certainty about his survival.
Li Xianzhong said: "Brother is in such a bad state that he can no longer travel long distances. You can stay in the Li family's old house to recuperate, and then return to the capital after a while when you feel better."
In the end, Li Xianzhong prescribed him a prescription consisting of Radix Pseudostellariae, Atractylodes Macrocephala, Chinese yam, Poria cocos, Astragalus membranaceus, Zihe Che, Angelica sinensis, antlers, tortoise shell, white peony root, Atractylodes atractylodes, and Gonglaoye.
If he takes proper care and continues to take this medicine, Li Shizhong should be able to delay his condition for about half a year.
Li Rubai said at this time: "Others, please step aside for now. I have something else to say to Xianzhong."
In fact, after learning from Yu Shouzhi that there was something wrong with Li Rusong's murder, Li Xianzhong asked Li Rubai about the inside story, but he did not tell him at the time.
This time Li Xianzhong encountered an interception by 40,000 Mongolian cavalry, which was almost a replica of Li Rusong.
Li Rubai couldn't sit still anymore, so he said: "It was indeed not that simple when your father pursued the Tubarbarians and was surrounded by tens of thousands of Mongolian troops."
"Someone betrayed your father's whereabouts to the Mongolian tribes."
Li Xianzhong also felt that there must be a problem. Although Li Rusong liked to charge by himself, after all, he was a veteran who had been on the battlefield and couldn't be so impulsive?
Li Rubai said: "In fact, the eldest brother arranged for Li Ping, Hu and Zhang Yu to take over."
"As a result, Li Pinghu's men Ma Ping did not show up, which led to the eldest brother's failure to break out of the encirclement."
Li Xianzhong said: "Is this Li Pinghu too suspicious?"
Li Rubai sighed: "My Li family treats Li Ping very badly, but I didn't expect that he would betray his eldest brother at a critical moment."
"Not only that, within the next six months, eldest brother's confidant Li Ning was unable to get support on the Korean battlefield and eventually died fighting the Japanese pirates.
Another general, Yang Yuan, was besieged by ten times the number of Japanese pirates and was eventually outnumbered and retreated. In fact, it was a crime other than war, and he was actually beheaded by Ma Gui. "
"Even your fifth uncle Li Rumei was dismissed from his post just one year after taking over from your father as the commander-in-chief of Liaodong. Zu Chengxun, Zha Dashou and other close generals of my Li family were all dismissed for some pretext."
"In just one year after the death of my eldest brother, my Li family's Liaodong cavalry and the main forces in Liaodong were uprooted."
Li Xianzhong was shocked and said: "Who has such energy? Is it your Majesty?"
Li Rubai shook his head and said: "Your Majesty prefers eldest brother the most, so that shouldn't be the case. However, Zhao Zhigao, the then chief minister of the cabinet, once thought that there was something suspicious about eldest brother's death and wanted to investigate and file a case, but in the end he failed."
"At least Li Pinghu, North Korea's Ming army commander Ma Gui, and the then Minister of War Tian Le were all involved. There were too many people involved behind the scenes, so your grandfather didn't allow me to investigate further."
Li Xianzhong was also shocked by this incident. Could Wanli be the person behind the scenes?
Everyone else is dead. Only Li Pinghu is still alive, but he should only play a small role.
Li Rubai said: "I am telling you this to keep a low profile and not to follow in your father's footsteps. It's time to hold your wedding next!"
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(End of chapter)
