The pursuers completed their mission and began to clean the battlefield in preparation for departure. However, they saw noise coming from the dark distant sky.
Due to the unpredictable changes in light and shadow, the generals concluded that the Menggu cavalry stationed in Tucheng not far away noticed the strange movement here, so they came to check what happened.
"Stand ready! Use silence to stop!"
Not knowing how many soldiers and horses the other party had dispatched, Li Chengdong did not dare to underestimate the enemy. If he messed up his position at this time, he would have to be defeated all the way back to Qiangbao.
After chasing the prey for most of the night, and then being chased by the Menggu cavalry as prey, he was really frustrated. Li Chengdong didn't want to have such an experience the first time he came out of seclusion.
There are more than 2,000 people in the Ming army. Unless the number of Menggu cavalry stationed in Tucheng is much larger than that of our own side, they will not be able to besiege our own side.
They came in the direction of the fire, perhaps just for inspection. They would probably not launch a charge rashly until the enemy's situation was unknown.
Many of the Ming army's cavalry were carrying torches, so they were very eye-catching in the dark wilderness outside the pass. Menggu's cavalry came here after seeing these unusual lights.
After seeing many light spots, they believed that the opponent should have hundreds of cavalry, so they dispatched no less than 300 cavalry, thinking that it should be roughly equivalent to the number of enemy troops here.
As a result, after getting closer, I discovered that the opponent's troops were far more than that, and actually numbered as many as two to three thousand, so I could only wait and see from a distance of about a mile away, and did not dare to move forward easily.
The Menggu cavalry did not receive the order to go south, and they were the only ones around, so they instinctively thought that the people on the opposite side were all Ming troops coming out of seclusion.
Their guess was not wrong, but they just didn't know the other party's intention. Due to the language barrier and the lack of communication, it was very easy for misunderstandings to occur, and they couldn't rush forward to ask.
The soldiers on both sides looked at the opposite side attentively, not daring to whisper. They could only hear the snorting of the horses, and they faced each other motionless until daylight.
After seeing clearly the strength of the opponent's troops, both sides began to calculate psychologically. The Menggu cavalry did not intend to take the initiative to attack, but they would not allow the Ming army to easily advance northward, so they never retreated.
"What do you think, General Rong?"
The one with the highest official position here is Commander-in-Chief Liu Guangzuo, and he brought the most troops, so Li Chengdong was the first to seek his opinion.
"Our army has already killed the dog thief Wang Pu and his son. There is no need to go north. What does Xie Rong think?"
Even if his own forces had an absolute advantage, Liu Guangzuo had no intention of killing the Menggu cavalry in front of him. If the enemy retaliated, he would still be responsible for it.
"The lower official agrees with the commander-in-chief's opinion!"
Li Chengdong also thought of going together with Liu Guangzuo. Now as long as everyone can withdraw to the pass, they can go back to receive the reward. When the army left, the governor did not mention the Northern Expedition to Menggu.
Going out to hunt down Wang Pu still requires some explanation. If he encounters the Menggu people with swordsmanship again, this matter will be spread to the court, which will lead to criticism from hundreds of officials.
The He brothers also agreed to call it a day, leaving 500 men to continue confronting the enemy so as not to disrupt their position. The rest of the troops slowly retreated south.
In this battle, the pursuers shot and killed Wang Pu and his son and five generals above guerrilla level. The captain was unable to make statistics. There were still fish that slipped through the net, but they were no longer a cause for concern. They also captured dozens of soldiers.
After the class teacher returned to the city, Yang Wenyue had already entered Datong and was accompanying Dongchang and Jinyiwei in the Prince Dai's Mansion to count the gold and silver jewelry seized.
The Daiwang family will be sent to the capital, and so will the wealth they have accumulated. If it is distributed on the spot, uncontrollable corruption may occur.
The infantry who were ordered to rush to the rescue also returned to Datong. Yang Wenyue heard that the rebellious Wang Pu had been executed, and he couldn't help but be overjoyed. If he was allowed to escape to Monan, it would take a lot of trouble to get rid of him.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has ordered that, except for those who are seriously injured and unable to march, Liu Guangzuo, Gao Jie, Hu Dawei, He Cheng, and He Zan's troops must return to the capital within three days for repairs!"
As the governor of Xuanda, Yang Wenyue could leave behind three troops: General Li Fuming, deputy generals Zhang Dechang and Yang Dezheng, totaling more than 12,000 people.
Without launching an attack, these troops are enough to defend Datong. Huang Taiji will not get involved here in the short term, so there is no need to hoard heavy troops here.
"The achievements of all the generals have been stated clearly in the memorial. When they arrive in the capital, His Highness the Crown Prince will personally meet with the Holy Judge!"
Datong was conquered in one day, and our own troops did not suffer a lot of losses. There were only a thousand casualties. This was a huge victory, and naturally it deserves a special report.
In his memorial, Yang Wenyue also emphasized the powerful power of the mortar developed by the prince and the uniqueness of the siege method.
Without such tactics, the counter-rebellion army would not have been able to conquer Datong City in one day, or to be precise, in a few hours.
This decree was unexpected by the rebel king Pu Chi. When he escaped, he was so panicked that he didn't even take all the gold, silver and jewelry he had found. He died in the desert of Monan.
Recovering Datong so quickly was nothing less than a great victory. The three armies sacrificed their lives and the generals fought hard. It also made Yang Wenyue proud, so he would not hesitate to praise him in his memorial.
It's just that the credit for shooting Wang Pu and his son has to be divided between Liu Guangzuo, Li Chengdong, He Cheng, and He Zan. Because it was a field battle, it was impossible to identify which group of people shot and killed the rebels, so the result could only be shared equally. .
"Thank you very much, Lord Governor, for your support!"
The four people who participated in the battle had no objections to this, because their respective troops participated in the battle, and even they did not know whose soldiers shot Wang Pu and his son to death in the end.
Such a report is also based on facts and is not greedy for merit at all. As for how the prince will reward him, they don't know. If there is no more war in Datong, they can obey the order.
The four generals who participated in the pursuit also wanted to go back to repair, but the dog thief Wang Pu had tormented them so much that he almost escaped. Thinking about it now still makes them frightened.
"Okay! Okay! Come here! Pickle the corpse of the rebel thief with lime to prevent it from rotting, and send it to the capital quickly! Everyone, please treat your wounds first and take a rest. At noon, the governor will hold a banquet to celebrate your success!"
Yang Wenyue saw that Wang Qi's head had been crushed, which meant that Wang Pu could still recognize it, so he didn't just send the head. In this way, sending the whole body could be regarded as an explanation.
Even if they are not directly subordinate generals in the future, when we all have a service, we should entertain these generals before leaving. If this happens again in the future, it will be justified in terms of face.
After Wang Pu occupied the palace of Dai Wang, he had all kinds of wine and meat, which he could enjoy every day. He ordered the cook to bring the food and cook it before serving it, and he would not waste his money by shooting.
Then it was time to reward the soldiers. His Highness the Prince stipulated that those who died in battle could receive a pension of two hundred taels of silver, those who were seriously injured could receive one hundred taels of silver, and those who were slightly injured to varying degrees could receive twenty to five taels of silver. Those who had never participated in the war could also receive one tael of silver.
The generals' silver rewards need to be reported to the prince, and they will be rewarded according to their military exploits. Yang Wenyue did not allocate them in advance. The silver that everyone seized privately can be kept as their own as long as they go to the peak and are not traced. The amount is too large to cover up, then It's about to be turned in.
However, almost all the generals who participated in the war made enough money through their own soldiers, and the best ones could pocket as much as five or six thousand taels. Li Chengdong and the He brothers, who pursued Wang Pu and his son from the beginning, could not make less. A huge amount of ten thousand taels.
In this crusade against Wang Pu, the army was not only victorious, but also captured the city in less than a day. The generals also gained fame and fortune, making a lot of money. Apart from the wounded soldiers, almost no one was dissatisfied.
"I would like to report to the Governor that we will find a grain storage place outside the city. The grain is no less than 5,000 dan, and it is all owned by the King of Shanxi Shang Dynasty!"
Worried that the soldiers would loot the inner city after they invaded, Yang Wenyue ordered his lieutenants Zhang Dechang and Yang Dezheng to take charge of wiping out the remnants of the rebels in the city. General Li Fuming led his troops to sweep the areas outside the city.
Li Fuming found such a huge amount of grain in a village and was very puzzled. However, Wang Denku himself was not caught. Only a steward and nearly a hundred servants were watching over it.
Although they still wanted to fight, they were still no match for the heavily armed officers and soldiers. They were directly disarmed and became prisoners.
The fact that so much food was being hoarded here was very suspicious. The steward spent thousands of taels of silver without paying off Li Fuming, because the latter knew that if one person leaked out, the general soldier would not have to do it.
He was not afraid that his subordinates would tell them, but he was worried that if someone with Wang Dengku in the city was caught by Dongchang or Jinyiwei and couldn't bear the torture and vomited out everything he knew, it would be all over.
Rather than that, it would be better to take the initiative to report the good news directly to Yang Wenyue. As long as the superiors determine that Wang Dengku is an unscrupulous businessman, then this batch of grain will be seized, and he will naturally take the greatest credit.
"Wang Denku?"
"yes!"
Yang Wenyue took out the list of Shanxi merchants he received from the prince. When he opened it, he saw that this person was ranked first, so there was no need to think too much about it, and there was no need for him to worry about it.
Now that the four-way city gates are closed, Dongchang and Jinyiwei are searching for merchants throughout the city, especially those involved in selling salt, grain, tea, and iron. They must all be arrested and counted.
According to the instructions of His Royal Highness, Datong is the largest material transshipment point in northern Shanqian, and more than 70% of the materials transported outside the customs will pass through this place.
Therefore, no matter whether it is within the city or outside the city, including the suburbs, the search must be strict, and no one or any place can be let go.
On the streets in the city, whenever Dongchang and Jinyiwei saw a shop, no matter how big or small, they would go in and arrest people. If they couldn't open the door, they would jump over the wall.
The soldiers from Baoding were a little dumbfounded when they saw that the factory guards from the capital were doing more than them. They looked as fierce as if the other party owed them a lot of money.
The factory guards are based on the four main streets of Wuding Street, Heyang Street, Yongtai Street and Qingyuan Street, radiating to the surrounding areas. If the other party dares to resist, they can draw their swords without explanation.
The merchants were still normal under the rule of Wang Pu's "Pre-Jin Empire", but because the defenders later blocked the city gates, they had no way to escape until the two sides started fighting. In the end, they were all caught in the trap by the factory guards.
Lu Yi, who followed the army into the city, took his third brother Gao Xiaosong and led a group of royal guards to clean up the unscrupulous merchants in the city.
"Sir, please forgive me~! I am a legitimate businessman!"
A fat man wearing a gray robe and a melon cap with tears streaming down his face saw the man on the street who was well-dressed and escorted. He must be a high official, so he broke free from the shackles of the vassal behind him and ran straight to kowtow in front of Lu Yi. beg for mercy.
"Whether it is legal or not, we will find out on our own! Take it away!"
Lu Yi didn't have any sympathy for the fat man at his feet. He just responded sarcastically. He had seen too many such people in the capital. Some people cried worse than him. Without exception, they all asked for mercy, but in private Try every means to evade taxes.
It's just that the situation in Datong is different from that in the capital. Some businessmen not only deliberately evade taxes, but also resell materials outside the customs to nourish the Donglu bandits. They are the true enemies of the enemy. Once identified, they will confiscate their homes and exterminate their families. capital offense.
Not to mention tears, Lu Yi would not be moved even if his forehead was bruised. His Highness the Crown Prince said to him, think about the innocent people who were slaughtered by the Donglu, many of them were wiped out, you will still sympathize with them and help them A merchant?
"Sir, this man calls himself Wang Dengku and is the largest merchant in the city!"
Lu Yi turned around and saw a middle-aged man who did not show any fear when he saw him, but bowed to him calmly.
"King Cao Min has met you in the library!"
Wang Dengku was not as afraid of factory guards as other merchants. After Wang Pu established himself as king, he had to show courtesy to Wang Pu, remembering that he had the same surname, and calling him his cousin, mainly because of his huge ability to transport materials.
"Wang Denku?"
"Cao Minzheng!"
"My hometown is Jingsheng Village, Lingshi County?"
"Exactly! Exactly!"
"Yeah~! That's good!"
"Do you know Cao Min's hometown?"
"Nature knows!"
Wang Dengku didn't know how this Jin Yiwei, whom he had never met, learned about it. He only saw that the other person was holding a book, and he was very suspicious. Could it be that he had already been on the Jin Yiwei's book? This made him feel a little bit cool.
He naturally knows what kind of yamen Jinyiwei is. If he is targeted by the emperor's hawks and dogs, he is afraid of disaster. However, today's situation is like this. It is impossible to turn around. He can only take risks and hope to find a way. There is a way out.
Lu Yi took the identity certificate handed over by Wang Dengku, looked at it carefully, and gave it to his third brother for inspection. After confirming that it was correct, he motioned with his eyes to the left and right and captured the person on the spot.
"Sir, what is Cao Min's crime?"
Seeing that the situation was not good, Wang Dengku hurriedly questioned the other party. If he could not give a sufficient reason, he would not give up. He must ask his subordinates to contact the senior officials in the court to excuse him.
"What's the crime? That's a good question! May I ask, does Mr. Wang pay taxes according to regulations? Has he ever evaded taxes?"
The commercial tax in the Ming Dynasty is thirty tax per year, which varies slightly depending on the items sold. But Lu Yi no longer believes in large-scale merchants who still operate according to the rules. For any merchant who earns ten thousand taels per year, nine out of ten merchants will be able to do so all year round. Tax evasion.
This seemingly loyal person in front of me may not be able to withstand a reconciliation. As long as there is a slight flaw in the accounts and Jin Yiwei notices it, he will have to make up fifty years of taxes in one go before he can be released.
Of course, for Shanxi merchants, paying back taxes is secondary. First, they must explain how much materials are transported to the outside world every year. If this matter cannot be explained clearly, no merchant in the city will ever see the light of day again!
