Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 620 Capturing the General Without Shedding Blood

Liu Ye chuckled and said, "General Wang, please don't say that. I just asked Lord Pan and the two Imperial Guards to go to the capital to clarify things. Right now, I still have the charge of burning down the granary on my head. If I don't settle this case, do you expect me to do something like Instructor Lin's snowstorm at the mountain temple?"

Wang Hong sneered, "You are not from the Court of Judicial Review, nor the Ministry of Justice, nor the Embroidered Uniform Guard. What gives you the right to put an official of the imperial court into a prison cart and take him away like a criminal?"

"Hehe, General Wang, you're mistaken. I sincerely invited you and your companions, but you're a bit too impatient, and they weren't very cooperative, so I had to resort to this." Liu Ye smiled and pointed to an empty prison van behind him. "If General Wang were willing to cooperate, this prison van wouldn't be needed; otherwise, you and Lord Pan will have to make do..."

Wang Hong was both shocked and furious. He shouted, "You still want to take me down? Do you think I, the General of Tianjin, am someone to be trifled with? I'm not some unarmed scholar like Panda. If you want to arrest me, ask my men if they'll allow it first!"

With a wave of his hand, Liu Ye pushed up several 10-pound field guns, their dark muzzles looking eerie.

"General Wang is joking. If you don't want to come with me, ask my cannons if they will allow it."

Wang Hong took two steps back and shouted, "You think you're so great just because you have a few cannons? Do you think Jinghai's city walls are made of tofu and can be blown down by a few cannons?" He turned to his men and ordered, "Bring the breech-loading cannons from the north gate over here and strike first! Smash the cannons below the city walls!"

After he finished speaking, no one moved for a while. Wang Hong looked around in surprise and found that the officers and soldiers around him were silent, and the other soldiers were also staring at him silently, just like when he witnessed the Tartars passing by the city yesterday.

He felt a pang of panic and raised his voice: "This is a military order, don't you hear me? Does my word no longer carry weight?"

A captain asked, "Commander, if we really want to fight, we can't beat them. Why do we risk a futile struggle?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hong was furious: "Didn't you hear me? If we don't fight, they'll come and arrest me. Do you think I, who command thousands of troops and guard the county town, am going to become their prisoner?"

In the distance, a soldier muttered, "Your life is your life, but are we soldiers just meant to die?" The soldiers around him nodded involuntarily, but these words did not reach Wang Hong's ears.

Liu Ye witnessed the entire scene unfolding on the wall. He realized that Wang Hong's orders were not being followed. A quick thought struck him, and he cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone, shouting, "Brothers up there, listen up! Wang Hong and Pan Da, the Tianjin military commissioner, have been secretly colluding with the barbarians, allowing them to pass through Jinghai unharmed. They even conspired to burn down the Tianjin granary and frame me. If you bind Wang Hong and hand him over, it will be a great achievement; if you insist on joining him, don't blame me for being ruthless. After the city falls, all armored soldiers will be treated as accomplices and executed without mercy!"

"Anyone wearing armor will be killed without mercy!"

These words deeply stung the defending troops. They meant that if they resisted, all soldiers would be slaughtered after the city fell. The strength of the Qionghai Army was undeniable; they didn't believe they could withstand a devastating attack, nor did they think the city walls could withstand cannon fire. To save themselves and ensure everyone's safety, handing over Wang Hong was the only option. Moreover, Xia Tiannan had given them ample reason—to treason.

Upon hearing the mention of collusion with the barbarians, the officers and soldiers suddenly realized what was going on. No wonder Wang Hong refused to send troops to intercept them, allowing the Tartars to drive away right under his noses—he was secretly colluding with the Tartars!

Seeing his subordinates' expressions, Wang Hong panicked even more. He protested, "Don't listen to that Liu's nonsense. I haven't colluded with the Tartars, and there's a reason why I'm not going to fight..."

Liu Ye added fuel to the fire from below the city walls: "General Wang, you should take responsibility for your actions. Just admit it and don't implicate the brothers. Lord Pan was much more straightforward than you; he admitted it readily, and his family and female relatives were all unharmed..."

Wang Hong's trusted lieutenant approached slowly. "Commander, since you have your reasons, speak them out to avoid suspicion among the brothers. Otherwise, if you fight these Guangdong soldiers for no reason and end up being labeled as accomplices to the enemy, who will be willing to risk their lives for you?" He was Wang Hong's confidant and knew best whether his superior was a traitor. However, the current situation was dire. The Qionghai army was pressing in, and they had even set up cannons. This was a powerful army that even the Tartars couldn't defeat. Why should they risk their lives for Wang Hong alone? It was better to sacrifice their own friends than themselves.

"Wang Dahai, how dare you slander me too!" Wang Hong stared at him with bloodshot eyes. This trusted lieutenant was a relative from the same clan, originally a good-for-nothing who idled his days away. After Wang Hong became a general, he vigorously promoted and cultivated him, which led to Wang Dahai's current position. He never expected that when disaster struck, Wang Dahai would be the first to kick him while he was down.

Wang Dahai lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. "Governor, please have mercy and go with them, lest our brothers be buried with you..." With a wave of his hand, several captains and garrison commanders led their soldiers forward and tied Wang Hong up tightly.

Wang Hong cried out in despair, "You bunch of bastards, handing me over to that Liu guy is sending me to my death! I've always treated you well, but you're all heartless wolves..." Before he could finish speaking, someone stuffed a cloth into his mouth.

Beneath the city wall, Liu Ye smiled as he looked at Wang Hong, who was bound hand and foot, and asked, "General Wang, when you rejected my proposal the day before yesterday, did you ever imagine that you would end up like this?"

Wang Hong wanted to say something back, but his mouth was gagged and he couldn't speak. He could only bulge his eyes and make "woo-woo" sounds.

Liu Ye sighed, feigning compassion, "If you had readily agreed yesterday to send troops to help me fight the Tartars, cut off Abatai's head, and shared half the credit with me, what a wonderful thing that would have been! But you had to listen to Yang Sichang's instigation, and now you're ruined, disgraced, and beheaded..."

"Waaah!" Upon hearing that his head had been separated from his body, Wang Hong shook his head frantically.

"Don't worry, you won't die for now. I need to keep you and Panda alive to go to Beijing to confront Yang Sichang!" Liu Ye reassured him.

Wang Dahai stepped forward and said obsequiously to Liu Ye, "General Liu, we greatly admire the bravery and skill of your troops, and we wish we could leave the city and fight alongside you. However, it is this scoundrel Wang Hong who has been so willful in forbidding us from going into battle. Fortunately, you discovered his treacherous act of colluding with Panda, otherwise we would still be kept in the dark..."