"You...are you Sanbeile?"
The only ones who can stay in Hetuala are naturally the old people.
And since he is an old man, of course he still has fresh memories of the situation when the four major Baylors were in charge.
Although Mang Gurtai has changed a lot over the years, his voice and appearance remain. This opening was immediately recognized by Luo Sihan.
The Manchus in the city even screamed in surprise, as if they had seen a ghost.
"You little slave, since you recognized Ben Beile, why didn't you open the city to welcome him?"
Luo Sihan looked at the endless army behind Mang Gurtai and felt desperate.
"Sanbeile, you have really betrayed us Manchus and want to lead the Han people to kill us all?"
Mang Gurtai's face was ashen, and one can imagine how Huang Taiji arranged for him.
"The world is fighting, and whether you become a king or lose a bandit, what does that have to do with you?"
Luo Sihan couldn't help but pause when he heard this statement, and still refused to believe it.
"We killed so many Han people in the past, how can the Han people spare us now?"
Mang Gurtai was furious.
"Were there still few Jurchens killed by the Han back then? Are they all going to be liquidated?"
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the city was greatly shocked.
Strictly speaking, Nurhachi was certainly motivated by ambition when he launched an army to rebel against the Ming Dynasty. But honestly speaking, what Ming Dynasty did in Liaodong cannot be separated from it.
But these are yesterday's flowers, and it is useless to talk about them.
Mang Gurtai's meaning is also very clear.
It is to tell the Manchus in the city frankly that when the Empire and the Manchus compete for the world, there will be winners and losers. But no matter who wins, it has nothing to do with ordinary people like them.
"Luo Sihan, don't be stubborn. You also know that Hetuala cannot hold on at all. Don't resist to the end and destroy yourself. I will give you one day. If you continue to be stubborn, you will bear all the consequences."
The battlefield then calmed down.
As expected, the National Defense Forces did not attack the city immediately, but spread out in all directions, surrounding Hetuala.
Then artillery pieces were pushed up one after another and aimed at the simple village wall.
When the Manchus in the city saw this scene, they all felt despair.
The woman held her child and cried bitterly, and the limited Manchu soldiers had no fighting spirit.
Luo Sihan was even more lost and couldn't make up his mind at all.
Years of easy life have long since made him lose his courage and courage, and he is very afraid of death.
But if he surrenders like this, if the court comes back and drives the Han people away, he will be guilty of an unpardonable crime and his whole family will fall into hell.
"Everyone, tell me, what should we do?"
In desperation, Luo Sihan could only call a few people in charge to discuss it together.
But the people here are almost like him, and they are all very greedy for life and afraid of death.
"The imperial court has not seen any reinforcements so far. I'm afraid the situation is really in danger."
"Otherwise... let's surrender. With Sanbeile here, those Han people shouldn't go on a killing spree."
"As long as you can save your life, everything else is easy. Even the money can be handed over."
And hearing everyone's intention of surrender, Luo Sihan's heart became cold.
The morale of the military is so high, why bother?
Early the next morning, Luo Sihan led everyone in the city to open the city gate obediently. Then they lined up outside the city and formally surrendered to the Wehrmacht.
At this time, what these Manchus were most worried about was that the Han people would sacrifice their butcher's knives and kill them all.
"You didn't resist, and you didn't cause too many troubles. You can express your feelings and your feelings are commendable. Let's all disperse and go back to our homes. Officials will come to conduct household registration statistics later. If each customer is missing anything, we will You can report it and the government will help you solve it."
Zhu Dingyan accepted the sword from Luo Sihan and comforted those who surrendered.
Luo Sihan is still not used to this mode.
"General, we have prepared our finances. Please accept it, General."
Zhu Dingyan chuckled.
"Your finances all belong to you, so keep them properly. Please rest assured that since Commander Mang Gurtai has said to ensure the safety of your lives and property, our National Defense Force will definitely do it. From now on, You, like everyone else, are all subjects of the empire. The empire will treat everyone equally and will never oppress you arbitrarily."
Seeing that the National Defense Forces did not kill anyone or rob property, the Manchus in the city were all surprised, but they also felt completely at ease.
In the afternoon, Bai Xiaoqi arrived in Hetuala in person.
Looking at this simple little town among the mountains, Bai Xiaoqi's heart surged.
"Back then, your father raised his troops from here and swept across Liaodong without any rivals. He was considered a hero of his generation. You brothers also made great achievements in battle, and all of them are extraordinary. I can't believe that such a small city could almost take over the world."
Mang Gurtai accompanied Bai Xiaoqi into Hetuala. Looking at the still familiar city, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"So what if we are brave? In the face of advanced technology and weapons, primitive nations may have no hope of rising in the future."
Bai Xiaoqi patted him on the shoulder and comforted him: "You also know that the empire is different from those European colonists. It truly treats all people equally. After the rise of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, although they made great military achievements, in fact, the only people who benefited were The upper-class nobles and ordinary Manchus still have a hard time surviving. From now on, it is a blessing for them to become subjects of the empire."
Mang Gurtai was silent, but in his heart he agreed with Bai Xiaoqi's words.
Because he had seen these with his own eyes, he naturally believed them firmly.
Even the savages in the far north lived a happy life under the rule of the empire. There was no reason that the civilized Manchus would be worse off.
"Commander, look, that's where Old Khan took all the Baylors and ministers to discuss matters."
Mang Gurtai acted as a guide and took everyone to visit the small Hetuala and talked about many past events.
Although he is very old, he has a profound memory, and the past events he talks about seem to be right in front of him.
Bai Xiaoqi thought of something.
"If you have time in the future, you can record these memories in detail. If future generations study historical materials, they will have some evidence."
It was not until the establishment of the Manchu Qing Dynasty that attention was paid to recording. Moreover, due to improper methods, the content is confusing and full of errors and omissions.
As for the Hetuhara era, it was even more unstructured.
This also caused great trouble for future generations to study this period of history.
As a witness to the rise of the Manchus, Mang Gurtai naturally knew many detailed things.
His narration and recording can make up for the lack of historical data.
After hearing his suggestion, Mang Gurtai couldn't help but feel moved.
Mang Gurtai certainly understood the importance of a complete history.
At the very least, it can let future generations know what the real history is like, and also prevent people with ulterior motives from smearing the Manchu Qing Dynasty wantonly.
And this is also Zuo Mengeng's attitude.
The history is there, and it is what it is.
True records and fair evaluations are the most convincing.
