“Bring back the heads of all the enemies!”
Chen Ran finished speaking to Fang Cheng, then turned around to search for Zhao Jingzhong’s remains.
Zhao Jingzhong hid the Jingji Defense Map and the Red Cannon Casting Diagram in his bosom, in a small pouch. Chen Ran found it without much effort.
He also found a thick stack of silver notes in the pouch, adding up to tens of thousands of taels.
This guy had long planned to abandon the capital and betray his country, so he had already converted most of his assets into silver notes, ready to defect at any time.
However, Chen Ran had ultimately taken everything with a smile!
Chen Ran first put the silver notes in his bosom, then opened the Jingji Defense Map and the Red Cannon Casting Diagram to take a look.
The Red Cannon Casting Diagram was not much to look at.
Current cannons were nothing more than a flared bore, with gunpowder and projectiles loaded and tamped, then ignited by the touchhole.
The advantage of the Red Cannon over the ordinary cannons of the Ming army was that it could be adjusted for angle of fire, had higher accuracy, and was more airtight, resulting in a longer range and less susceptibility to bursting.
But in the eyes of Chen Ran, who had traveled back from the 21st century, they were all too simple and crude.
Moreover, the casting method used for cannons in this era was also very time-consuming and labor-intensive, often taking over a year to cast a single cannon.
Chen Ran glanced at the Jingji Defense Map, then put both items away.
While Chen Ran thought little of these two items, they were things the Jurchen people had been dreaming of, so they couldn’t be allowed to fall into the wrong hands!
By this time, Fang Cheng had already led the Qi Family Army swordsmen to cut off the heads of all the Jurchen soldiers on the ground.
In the Ming Dynasty, military merit was calculated based on the number of enemy heads taken, but heads were also ranked in terms of their value.
Heads obtained from suppressing bandits, for example, were not very valuable, often requiring a large number of heads to be taken before promotions and raises could be achieved.
But the Jurchen heads were different.
Since the Ming army’s consecutive defeats at the Hun River and Sarhu, the Ming troops had feared the Jurchen like tigers, even coming up with the saying that “the Jurchen are not to be feared unless they number ten thousand; if they number ten thousand, they cannot be defeated”.
The Ming dynasty had mostly suffered defeats against the Jurchen, so if anyone obtained Jurchen heads, it was a real merit!
The Ministry of War even had a clear price list: if one could capture an enemy flag, they would be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver!
If one obtained a Jurchen head, an ordinary soldier could be promoted to a petty officer!
Now, Chen Ran had obtained over a hundred Jurchen heads, a promotion was inevitable, but he wondered how Chongzhen would promote him!
The Qi Family Army swordsmen tied the braids of all the Jurchen heads together into a string and hung them behind their horses. Then, everyone took off their armor, wrapped it in coverings, and changed into civilian clothes.
They were not yet officially recognized soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, and armor was not something that could be worn at will!
In any era in ancient China, commoners might be able to use swords for self-defense, or practice archery, but they were never allowed to collect armor!
If a commoner were to wear or collect armor, they could be directly accused of treason, and even face extermination of their entire family!
Therefore, Chen Ran’s cover story was that they were a rebel force outside the capital city who, inspired by his charisma, had participated in the pursuit of Zhao Jingzhong and, in the course of a fierce battle, had beheaded over a hundred Jurchen cavalrymen!
…
The capital city, at the Desheng Gate.
To strictly check for spies within the city, the nine gates of the capital were now closed.
On the gate tower, a group of soldiers armed with spears stood watching, and suddenly they saw a group of riders coming from the north.
Soon, these riders reached the gate.
They were less than a hundred riders, with only the two at the front wearing the Flying Fish Robes of the Jinyiwei, while the rest were in civilian clothes.
However, the riders in civilian clothes were all strong and sturdy, well-equipped.
Behind their horses, they had even strung up many Jurchen heads!
The guards at the gate were dumbfounded.
Since the battles at Sarhu and the Hun River, the Ming Dynasty had suffered consecutive defeats, eventually having to retreat to the Shanhai Pass. There had always been Ming soldiers going to their deaths in battle, but never had they seen so many Jurchen heads!
It seemed there were at least a hundred heads, and these riders were not even a hundred strong!
These people were so brave, whose troops were they!
How did they manage to do this?
Just then, the rider at the front, who was wearing a Flying Fish Robe of the Jinyiwei, had a tall and handsome figure, suddenly took a deep breath and shouted to the gate tower with a loud voice:
“Chen Ran, Acting-Thousand-Household of the Northern Town Guard of the Jinyiwei, has beheaded the traitorous Zhao Jingzhong and over a hundred Jurchen, and has returned victorious. Quickly report this!”
The guards at the gate immediately dared not delay, and hurriedly went down to report.
This news quickly spread throughout the capital.
As the gate slowly opened, Chen Ran, accompanied by Shen Lian, Ding Xiu, Fang Cheng, and nearly half of the Qi Family Army’s elite swordsmen, carrying over a hundred Jurchen heads, slowly rode through the gate.
By now, the streets on both sides were already filled with people.
Many citizens of the Ming Dynasty knew that in recent years, the court had suffered consecutive defeats against the Jurchen, not only losing Liaodong, but also losing tens of thousands of soldiers in the battles at the Hun River and Sarhu.
Many citizens privately said that the Jurchen were like demons with green faces and fangs, nearly ten feet tall and incredibly strong, able to kill many Ming soldiers with a single blow!
Therefore, people were also afraid of the Jurchen like tigers!
Now, they heard that an Acting-Thousand-Household of the Northern Town Guard, with less than a hundred rebels, had killed the traitorous Zhao Jingzhong and obtained over a hundred Jurchen heads, so they all rushed to the street to watch.
They wanted to see what the Jurchen heads really looked like, and also to see what kind of person this hero was, who had killed over a hundred Jurchen with only a few dozen men!
Seeing those Jurchen heads, many people were inevitably disappointed.
It turned out that the Jurchen were not green-faced and fang-toothed, looking like ferocious ghosts.
Instead, they looked just like ordinary people, with even flatter features than the Ming people. Most of them had small eyes, and many still had the grimaces of death on their faces, baring their teeth to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth.
This…
They looked too ugly!
Were these the Jurchen who had made the Ming Dynasty suffer consecutive defeats, costing tens of thousands of lives at the Hun River and Sarhu?
Many people, seeing these heads, couldn’t help but question the many terrifying stories they had heard before.
But Chen Ran, walking at the front of the procession, did not disappoint the audience.
He was dressed in a brocade Flying Fish Robe, with a Spring and Autumn Sword hanging at his waist, and sat straight on his horse’s back, his spine as straight as a steel spear!
The breeze blew, his brocade robe billowed!
Making him even more imposing!
His face, in the early spring breeze, was calm as water, with a slight smile at the corners of his mouth.
His handsome features, starry eyes, made the hearts of many young women flutter like startled deer.
Even the old ladies, their hearts raced like a startled deer!
Was this the Acting-Thousand-Household of the Northern Town Guard of the Jinyiwei, who had led a rebel force to kill the traitorous Zhao Jingzhong and obtained over a hundred Jurchen heads?
So handsome!
Truly…
Don’t envy the young master, with his jade-like appearance, in his Flying Fish Robe, amidst the spring breeze!