Chapter 8: Betting One's Life

... ...

Half an hour later, the scar-faced man, who had been lying in wait at the key transportation routes surrounding the manor, returned, indeed bringing back dozens of severed heads. When the bearded man attacked the manor, these dozens of traitorous soldiers had seized the opportunity to escape over the walls. If it had not been for Wang Pu's prior preparations, having set up a comprehensive trap around the area, these fellows would have truly jeopardized the situation.

Scarface and Xiao Qi readily agreed, charging forward with murderous intent to seize Zhen Youcai and drag him away. Zhen Youcai, terrified to the core, let out a miserable scream and fainted. A pungent smell of urine spread through the air. Scarface kicked Zhen Youcai in the rear, laughing and scolding, "Hahaha, General, this fellow is truly useless; he was so scared that he wet his pants."

In the Linzhi Palace resided Namuzhong, also known as the Noble Consort, while in the Yanqing Palace lived Batema, also known as the Virtuous Consort. These two women were originally the wives of the last khan of the Northern Yuan, Lintan Khan. After Lintan Khan was defeated by Dorgon, these two women surrendered to the Manchu Qing dynasty along with the Imperial Seal and their subordinates. The slave chief, Emperor Taiji, sought to win over the Mongols and thus took them as his consorts.

"The kindness of a woman!" Wang Pu said in a deep voice, "If we take them away, will they be able to avoid death? If we really take them with us, everyone will die."

Wang Pu nodded and said: "There are no other options now; he is the only one who can speak Manchu."

Wang Pu said in a deep voice to the library: "Zhen Youcai, you have quite a lot of audacity!"

Wang Pu said expressionlessly: "Wake him up"

"As long as you haven't lied, that's good," Wang Pu said loudly. "Xiao Qi, take Mr. Zhen downstairs to rest."

Inside the camp, the torches burned brightly, and Wang Pu was discussing matters with Xiao Qi, Scarface, and the Bearded Man

The man with the big beard responded with a grunt and strode away.

Xiao Qi readily agreed, stepping forward to grab Zhen Youcai by the chest and began to walk away. Zhen Youcai hurriedly clutched Xiao Qi's strong arm, repeatedly pleading, "General... General, please... please be gentle, my neck is being choked..."

Although there are only children and old men in Shengjing City, if the Jianzhou bandits had made prior preparations, the red cannons mounted on the city walls could have bombarded down, and nearly all of Wang Pu's more than one thousand household servants would have turned into cannon fodder. This is not a case of groundless fears. After Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi, and Kong Youde surrendered to the Qing, they also brought the powerful red cannons to the Jianzhou bandits. Since Shengjing is the stronghold of the Jianzhou bandits, there should be at least ten to twenty cannons mounted on the city walls.

The Shenyang Imperial Palace was initially constructed during the reign of Nurhaci, featuring the Chongzheng Hall and the Ten Kings Pavilion. During the reign of Hong Taiji, the palace was expanded, resulting in the construction of the large inner palace complex covering an area of 300 acres. This inner court served as the living quarters for the imperial consorts, primarily consisting of five buildings arranged in order of rank: Qingning Palace, Guanju Palace, Linzhi Palace, Yanqing Palace, and Yongfu Palace

Scarface inquired: "Who is it?"

"There is no need to ask," Wang Pu shook his head and said, "These Han people are confined like livestock by the invading barbarians; how could they possibly learn to speak Manchu?"

Wang Puda: "A person who can understand and speak Manchu."

Yes

Zhen Youcai was startled by the laughter of the three, and nervously asked, "General, what are you laughing at? I... I am not lying."

Wang Pu asked the bearded man: "Bearded man, have both the open surveillance and the covert checks been arranged?"

Half an hour later, Xiao Qi arrived on horseback.

Xiao Qi received the order and soon brought Zhen Youcai in as if he were carrying a chick. Upon entering, he threw Zhen Youcai to the ground and shouted fiercely: "General, Zhen Youcai has been brought here."

Ah? Little Seven exclaimed, "None of the brothers understand Manchu, why not ask the Han people outside and see who can speak Manchu?"

is not

"I can, I can say a little." Zhen Youcai nodded repeatedly and said, "I can speak a few commonly used Manchu phrases."

General, it seems this young man truly does not know

There is a person who might be of use. Wang Pu said: "Xiao Qi, bring Zhen Youcai up."

Scarface brought a basin of cold water and splashed it on Zhen Youcai's face. Zhen Youcai let out a loud scream and suddenly woke up: "No, please don't kill me!"

Yes

Zhen Youcai shivered slightly and repeatedly said, "I dare not, I dare not, sir."

In the Qingning Palace resided the noble consort Zhe Zhe, the primary wife of Emperor Taiji, who is also known as the Empress

Yes, indeed. Zhen Youcai nodded and said, "The village only has over 300 elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people"

Finally, it is important to highlight Yongfu Palace. The woman residing in Yongfu Palace was named Bumubutai, also known in folklore as Dayuer. She was the niece of Empress Zhezhe and the sister of Consort Hailanzhu. She is the Zhuang Consort, who later became Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang. Readers who have watched the braid dramas will certainly be familiar with this woman. Although not as exaggerated as portrayed in television dramas, she was indeed an extraordinary woman

What should we do then

Scarface felt a chill in his heart and couldn't help but steal a glance at Wang Pu with a peculiar expression. He thought to himself that the general had truly changed. Ever since the last time he fell from the cliff and was rescued by his brothers, the general seemed like a different person. The current general not only has a strong sense of judgment in critical situations but is also ruthless and cunning, making even a bandit like him feel inferior.

However, speaking of which, Scarface greatly admires Wang Pu's current style of conduct. Scarface believes that the current general truly resembles someone capable of achieving great things, unlike before when he was merely a handsome but useless young master.

At this point, there is nothing left to do but take a gamble. Wang Pu slammed his fist heavily on the table and said in a deep voice, "This Zhen Youcai is truly a fearless individual, willing to sacrifice his own life for the sake of the Jian slaves. If that's the case, I will just accept my fate this time!"

Shengjing, Inner Court

The two upper rooms of Sudala have now become the headquarters of General Wang Pu.

Hahaha ... ...

"Do not take them away?" Xiao Qi said with some reluctance, "Once the Jurchen army returns, they will undoubtedly die."

Xiao Qi remained silent

Wang Pu turned to the bearded man and said: "Bearded man, go and select one hundred strong and robust brothers. Let them enjoy a hearty meal and then have a good sleep. After two hours, wake them up and have them change into the armor stripped from the Jianlu. While it is still dark, come with me to deceive the gates of Shengjing."

Wang Pu looked at Xiao Qi, then at Scarface, and the three of them burst into laughter simultaneously

Scarface said: "But we also cannot understand Manchu. If this kid doesn't call out the password and instead alerts the defending Jianzhou soldiers, then we will be doomed"

Everything has been arranged. The bearded man patted his chest and said, "General, you can rest assured that not a single mouse will escape."

Hmm. Wang Pu nodded, and after a moment of contemplation, he said to Xiao Qi, "Xiao Qi, later you will go among the common people and select a few dozen strong young men. Distribute the captured weapons of the Jian slaves to them. After we leave early tomorrow morning, let them guard the village themselves"

General, do you intend for the brothers to impersonate the Jianzhou cavalry in order to deceive the city gates?

"Nonsense," Wang Pu exclaimed, rising to his feet and speaking sternly. "There are clearly more than one hundred cavalry of the Jianlu iron riders in the village. This general was unaware of the details and nearly suffered a great loss. Tell me, why did you deceive this general?"

Indeed," Wang Puda said, "but now we are still missing one person.

Wang Pu shouted: "Did you not say that there are only over 300 Jian slaves in the village, and that they are all old, weak, sick, and disabled?"

In the Guanju Palace resides Hailanzhu, also known as Consort Chen. Hailanzhu is the most favored woman of the slave chief Emperor Taiji. It is said that she excels in the Daoist technique of "nine shallow and one deep" and possesses exceptional skills in bed, leaving Emperor Taiji utterly enchanted and longing to be by her side every day.

"Dare to argue?" Wang Pu shouted, "Someone, drag this scoundrel out and chop him into minced meat to feed the horses!"

"Not killing you is also an option," Wang Pu said, "but you must tell the truth: do you speak Manchu?"

Ah? This... Zhen Youcai's face instantly turned pale, and he trembled as he said, "I... I truly do not know."

When Xiao Qi carried Zhen Youcai out of sight, the scar-faced man asked Wang Pu with some concern, "General, are you planning to have this Zhen Youcai call for help?"