This time, North Korea was determined to capture Shang Kexi alive, so it invested a lot of troops, regardless of casualties. There were only more than thirty followers brought by Shang Kexi at the inn. No matter how brave and skilled they were, in less than half an hour, Shang Kexi, Ban Zhifu and the remaining five people were blocked in a room.
Groups of North Korean soldiers were watching eagerly outside. Ban Zhifu peeked through the gap and saw the situation outside. He suddenly became a little desperate. He turned to Shang Kexi and said: "Your Majesty, there is still no chance to break out!"
Shang Kexi also expected it. His eyes were very red, and he didn't know if it was from drinking before. At this moment, he was holding the bloody knife and suddenly laughed a little desperately: "Hahaha..."
When his men saw it, they couldn't help but be startled and turned to look at him. In such a desperate situation, he was still in the mood to laugh.
Outside the room, Lin Qingye also heard Shang Kexi's laughter, and shouted loudly outside: "Shang Kexi, I advise you to surrender obediently, maybe the Governor will take your life. If you persist in your stubbornness, you can't change any outcome. Finally, I’ll give you a stick of incense and time to think about it!”
When he said this, he quietly ordered his personal guards to come in to adjust the hooks and sickles. After a while, they were ready to knock down the doors and windows with force, and then attack when their sight was unobstructed. Otherwise, if Shang Kexi was accidentally killed, he would be sorry for the Ming Governor's request to capture him alive.
Inside the room, Shang Kexi didn't care about what was going on outside at all, but after he finished laughing, his face suddenly turned pale, and he murmured to himself: "I think I, Shang, will spend my whole life in Liaodong, regardless of the rain of guns, rain of arrows, mountains of corpses, and seas of blood. They all fought back. Even if they encountered a desperate situation, they were able to save themselves from danger in the end, and even had to be granted the title of King with a different surname by the Qing Emperor. But... I never thought that I, Shang, would end up like this!"
Ban Zhifu saw something was wrong and wanted to persuade him, but he opened his mouth and couldn't speak because he didn't know where to persuade him!
Just as he was thinking about it, he saw Shang Kexi turned to look at him and asked with a sad smile: "Old Ban, you and I have known each other for many years, please don't lie to me. The so-called death of a person and the light being extinguished is just a wave of loess. There is no underworld, right?"
"..." When Ban Zhifu heard this, he opened his mouth again, but he still couldn't open his mouth. But seeing Shang Kexi staring at him all the time, he had no choice but to reply: "They say there are gods three feet above the head, but, Your Majesty, how many good people have we seen die unexpectedly in this life? There are also those children who don't understand the world, and they are just babbling. Children, they must have done no evil, but they all suffered violent deaths. From this, it can be seen that when gods are mentioned, they must be false. If there are no gods, the underworld does not exist. "
After saying these words, he himself fell silent and looked gloomy.
Since they decided to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, they began to believe that there was no such thing as the underworld and that people died when they died.
However, now that they are facing a desperate situation, both Shang Kexi and Ban Zhifu himself are actually starting to worry about this matter again.
"Hahaha, that's right, that's right, how can there be an underworld in this world!" Shang Kexi regarded his words as a life-saving straw, laughing wildly and praising, "I don't believe it, I'm not afraid, haha Ha ha……"
When he started speaking, he spoke very loudly, but later on, his voice slowly became lower, and eventually became quieter and quieter, and finally disappeared.
Suddenly, Shang Kexi shook his head suddenly, then blinked his eyes hard, with a hint of panic on his face, and said in a voiceless voice: "Father, mother, you... aren't you dead?"
Ban Zhifu and the others were stunned by these words and felt a little creepy. Because they all know that Shang Kexi's parents were killed by the Qing army very early.
"Little sister, put on your clothes and don't come over here. Dad, mother, don't come over here. Didn't the kid set up an incense hall to worship you?" Shang Kexi said while stepping back, "Brother, what are you doing with the knife? I...I surrendered to the Qing Dynasty because I was forced to do so. You died in battle, so why are you here to see me?"
Seeing Shang Kexi's words and deeds, his bodyguards had shocked expressions on their faces. They clearly saw that there was nothing in front of Shang Kexi, but from what Shang Kexi meant, it seemed that all his dead relatives had appeared. This... this...
Subconsciously, these personal guards stayed a little further away. It took Ban Zhifu a while before he came back to his senses and shouted loudly to Shang Kexi: "My lord, you drank too much and are hallucinating. It's a lie!"
Shang Kexi happened to be drinking before, and drank a lot. Therefore, Ban Zhifu Ningyuan believed that Shang Kexi was drunk because of the surge of alcohol, so his eyes were dazzled, rather than that it was actually Shang Kexi's deceased relatives who came out.
When he finished shouting, he looked out the window. Through the gap, he could clearly see that there was sunshine outside.
However, Shang Kexi suddenly fell to his knees and cried into the air: "Father, mother, brother, little sister, I... I also have my own reasons. If I don't surrender to the Qing Dynasty, I will die. It’s decided, I...ah...no...Dad, mother, don’t hold your head in your hands, the child is afraid, little sister, put on your clothes quickly, brother..."
Seeing Shang Kexi's appearance, Ban Zhifu was a little unsure. You know, the prince has always been very shrewd, he should be able to distinguish between illusion and reality, right?
However, Shang Kexi looks like it is real, not fake.
The expressions of some of the guards had changed. They looked at each other and then stepped back a little further. They were also scared!
"Commander, why are you here? No, it's not me who wants to surrender, it's them who want to kill me..."
Upon hearing this, Ban Zhifu knew that the commander-in-chief mentioned by the prince was Huang Long, who had promoted and saved the prince, and was also a very important benefactor in the prince's life.
Did they know we were going to die, so these people came out?
Thinking like this, Ban Zhifu was also scared, but after all, he was born from fighting on the battlefield. His ears were sensitive, and he suddenly heard footsteps coming from outside. Many people were approaching the room.
Suddenly, he became anxious and quickly wanted to shout "Alert", but at this moment, something happened.
"No, no, no... don't force me..." Shang Kexi, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly jumped up, wielded the knife in his hand, and began to chop randomly. At the same time, his face became ferocious, and he shouted sternly, "Who wants me to die? , I want anyone’s life, no matter who comes, kill...kill..."
Shang Ke was as happy as a mad tiger. His bodyguards didn't expect that they were not on guard for a moment, and two of them were immediately chopped down by him.
"The ghost is on you!" A guard suddenly shouted in fear, then he didn't care about anything, threw the knife, turned around and ran out the door.
But at this moment, the sound of "Puff, puff, puff" was heard, and the spearheads of the hooks and sickles pierced the door with a cold light, just in time to hit the guards who ran to the door, and then the hooks and sickles were The guns were pulled back hard, and the guards, doors and windows were all pulled down. In the house, the light suddenly brightened.
The occurrence of this unexpected situation made the crazy Shang Kexi pause for a moment. Suddenly, he went crazy again, put the knife on his neck with his backhand, and pulled hard, and a stream of blood spurted out.
"Your Majesty..." Ban Zhifu couldn't help but exclaimed when he saw it, but was too late to stop him.
This scene was also seen by Lin Qingye, who was conducting outside, and he couldn't help but be stunned. He didn't expect that Shang Kexi actually committed suicide!
He actually didn't care about Shang Kexi's life or death, but the key was that the Governor of Baoding in the Ming Dynasty asked North Korea to capture him alive and escort him to Pidao. It’s okay now, but I can’t finish this matter.
In this case, Lin Qingye came to his senses and rushed over with his sword in hand. However, if he had not rescued Shang Kexi, his head would have almost fallen off, and even the gods could not save him.
Lin Qingye's goal is to catch Shang Kexi's confidant Baan Zhifu alive, and he can always give some explanation.
At this time, Ban Zhifu just stared at Shang Kexi's body lying limply on the ground with his eyes wide open. He was still shaking occasionally, and he was completely stunned.
Therefore, he didn't have much defense, so Lin Qingye and his men threw him to the ground and successfully captured him alive.
After a lot of manpower and energy, North Korea finally captured Ban Zhifu and a personal guard of Shang Kexi. The others, including Shang Kexi, were either killed or committed suicide.
However, then, rumors slowly spread in Seoul. It is said that Shang Kexi committed many evil deeds and surrendered to his enemies despite his family's destruction. Before his death, King Yama sent his dead relatives to ask for their lives. Ungrateful and forgetful of his ancestors, he is probably suffering in the eighteenth level of hell and was punished by the Lord of Hell.
This rumor is all true, and some related news is becoming more and more popular. Not only did it spread here in North Korea, but later, after North Korea sent Ban Zhifu, Xu Erxian and others as well as Shang Kexi's heads to Phi Island, it also spread here in Phi Island. Finally, even Lu Xiangsheng heard it.
In this regard, Lu Xiangsheng was a serious scholar and a warrior on the battlefield. He was a disciple of Confucianism and did not believe in Buddhist doctrine. Therefore, he did not believe it. However, the emergence of this rumor is of great benefit to Ming Dynasty.
After carefully inquiring about the origin of the rumors, he made a decision.
Shang Kexi's head and Xu Erxian were sent to the capital, while Ban Zhifu and the surviving bodyguard that day were dropped by the Ming Navy on the ground in Jinzhou and returned to Jianlu.
Emperor Chongzhen basically knew all these things in advance through the eavesdropping seeds on Lu Xiangsheng, and did not need to wait for the messenger to arrive in the capital.
Lu Xiangsheng captured Zhenying Erdai in Gushan'e, Zhengbai Banner. This was a real surprise to Emperor Chongzhen. With Turg's example, at least the utilization value of Ying Erdai will not be low. This will definitely be of great help in regaining Liaodong in the future.
In addition, anyway, in North Korea, the establishment of captives means that there is one less place to suck blood. Even if he is not willing to do it, he will definitely have to spend a lot of effort to do it. If Huang Taiji sends troops to reconquer North Korea again, Lu Xiangsheng will be there to contain it. If there are too few troops, it will be useless. If there are too many troops, it might be another opportunity for the imperial commander to go on a personal expedition!
Emperor Chongzhen was even looking forward to this. I wonder how Huang Taiji would respond?
As for the death of a traitor like Shang Kexi, it was considered a worthy death. He admired Lu Xiangsheng's approach. The rumors before Shang Kexi's death should be spread in Liaodong and let other traitors listen. No matter how strong their traitor hearts are, this rumor is still very powerful for the people of the country.
When Emperor Chongzhen thought of this, he felt it was a pity that there was no support available in North Korea. Otherwise, if you let Tuo fan the flames again, the effect will be better. Not only can it incite those Han people who still have some conscience to resist Jianlu's rule, but they can also publicize how North Korea does not take Jianlu into its eyes. This incident in North Korea is such a shame to the Jianlu, etc. In this way, Huang Taiji can be forced to make decisions about North Korea.
But it would be best if these things can develop as expected. Even if it doesn't work, now that he has formed a strategic advantage over the Liaodong rebels, Emperor Chongzhen is confident that he can put down the Liaodong rebellion in the next few years.
Emperor Chongzhen was very happy when a chamberlain came to report that the visiting doctor Wu Ke, who had been looking for him before, had arrived in the capital again. He checked into the inn and said he wanted to meet the emperor.
In fact, after Wu Youke appeared in Jiangnan, Emperor Chongzhen knew the situation through Jin Yiwei and had a grasp of his whereabouts.
After the waterlogging in the south of the Yangtze River receded and the follow-up epidemic prevention and disaster relief efforts were completed, Wu Youke went north. Only starting from the border of Shandong, small epidemics occurred one after another. Wu Youke's nature was hard to change, so he started to stay again, so he didn't arrive in the capital until the end of the year.
In fact, if it were in the original history, the Ming Dynasty would still have been a year of hardship for the people.
There was a severe famine in Puzhou Prefecture, and all the vegetation was eaten up. The officials dug pits outside the city gate to bury the starving dead. The burials were full, and the hungry people rushed into the pits to cut and eat their flesh. There was even a father-son couple who ate each other. .
There is a locust plague in Yizhou, Shandong. The locusts are everywhere, hundreds of trees are leafless, the ground is bare for thousands of miles, and there are two thousand buckets of wheat. People dug up grass roots and peeled off tree barks, fathers and sons ate each other, bones lay everywhere, babies were abandoned all over the road, many people put up grass signs for sale, and those who wandered through the gullies were in vain. In 1641, the spring epidemic broke out and more than half of the people died.
…………
Such disasters have been alleviated a lot in this plane.
For example, during the famine, the north benefited greatly from the opening of sea and water transportation, especially Shandong. Food from Nanyang was continuously transported north through the Zheng family's fleet, and it also had to land in Shandong or Tianjin. Therefore, although famine still occurred, it was not the kind of large-scale famine. Correspondingly, the epidemic caused by large-scale deaths of people has slowed down a lot, and the big epidemic has turned into a small epidemic.
As for the locust plague in Shandong? The rich man who had just woken up and rushed over after hearing the news bought it at a huge price! The emperor said this was delicious, and it could still be fake!
What Wu Youke saw and heard on his way north to the capital made him longing to finally meet Emperor Chongzhen himself.
