The most powerful patriarch in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 151
Chapter 149

The battle was one-sided from the very beginning, Zheng Du paid a heavy price for his arrogance and irritability,

For the rural protection team, the most tiring thing is to besiege and harvest those Zheng Jiajun who fled in all directions.

Especially in the dark night, the difficulty will undoubtedly increase a lot,
In the battle of Changtouao, the outcome will be determined in a quarter of an hour.

But it took a whole night to clean up the mess,

Busy until dawn, the anxious Lu Changle finally waited for good news,
Casualties and seizures are still being counted. Most of the main force of the Eastern Expeditionary Army led by Zheng Du was killed or injured. There were more than 800 prisoners alone. It is estimated that only a small number escaped.

Most importantly, Zheng Du was caught.

It wasn't the members of the Township Protection Team who made meritorious service, it was Zheng Du's confidantes who tied him up and sent him to his door in exchange for a bounty.

Without even thinking about it, Lu Changle went to see Zheng Du immediately.

The biggest target of this operation is him.

Soon, Lu Changle saw Zheng Du who was tied up like a brown man with a rag stuffed into his mouth.
Zheng Du stared at the subordinates next to him with resentment on his face,
In other words, former subordinates.

"Little Niu Jinbao, pay my respects to General Lu." When Niu Jinbao saw Lu Changle, he knelt down and saluted tactfully.

The five confidants following him also saluted.

Lu Changle nodded and said, "Niu Jinbao, I didn't expect you to get the bounty. Isn't Zheng Du your master? Why are you willing to sell him?"

Niu Jinbao gritted his teeth and said: "General Lu, this Zheng Du relies on himself as the son of the Zheng family. He is usually moody. He doesn't treat us as human beings at all. He insults us at every turn. In severe cases, he will be punished or even executed."

"Respecting himself, all the credit is his, and all the mistakes are passed on to others, just like this Eastern Expedition, he refused to listen to other people's advice, greedy for merit, and made a fool of himself to vent his selfish desires, and made his brothers miserable , we desperately protected him and escaped, the two brothers just complained a few words, he stabbed them to death from behind, and said that he would punish me severely when he went back.”

"Follow such a person, sooner or later he will die at his hands, why not trade him for wealth, General Lu, is the bounty real?"

A good hand of cards forced Zheng Du to play badly,

For Zheng Zhilong's sake, Niu Jinbao endured it,

Desperately escorting Zheng Du to escape, his flamboyant temper still persists,
The two old subordinates of Niu Jinbao just complained a few words, Zheng Du stabbed them to death in a rage, and threatened to go back and hold those present accountable.
With such a huge loss, Zheng Zhilong must be held accountable when he returns to Fujian. Niu Jinbao feels that he is more likely to be a scapegoat.
Why are you still protecting him? In exchange for 2000 taels of gold, it would be nice to find a place to hide and become a rich man.

Lu Changle said affirmatively: "Of course, this general always keeps his word. Not only can you leave safely, but you will also get the two thousand gold. As for how to divide it, that's up to you."

In front of the more than 800 captives, Lu Changle handed over 2000 taels of gold to Niu Jinbao, and also gave them a carriage to let them leave on their own.

These are done to show the captives, let them see their honest side, and give them a little hope.

A total of 815 people were captured, and they were treated the same as the prisoners of the Huntian Demon King.
Select a group of heinous people to be beheaded, and the rest will be sent to the labor camp to serve the rural protection team.
From time to time, assign a group of good performers and give them a hope so that they can work hard.

Screening personnel, cleaning the battlefield, etc. were left to Lu Changfu and Mu Sheng.
Lu Changle left a small part of his troops behind, and the assembled militia guarded the prisoners.
Er Shugong, Zheng Zhengbao, Zheng Zhengshu and others were in charge of firefighting in Changle County, cleaning up the scene, and arranging for the people in the county to go home, etc.
Gather Gan Hui, Lu Jinyuan, Yang Qijun, Yang Qiyi and others to continue attacking.

Five thousand sailors and eight thousand main cavalry have been taken, and there are [-] auxiliary soldiers and civilian husbands following behind.
By the way, there are also the supplies that Lu Changle wanted most, these cannot be let go, and before they react, try to maximize the results of the battle.

For five days in a row, Lu Changle led the rural protection team to gallop across Fuzhou Prefecture, regaining all the lost land west of the Minjiang River in one fell swoop, and even took over all the materials that Zheng Du had hoarded in Putian County and Xianyou County of Huaxing Prefecture.

Really accepted, those auxiliary soldiers and civilian husbands, as soon as they saw the rural protection team, left their things and left without fighting or resisting at all.

They were originally brought here by force. I heard that they lost the battle and even Zheng Du was arrested. How could they resist?

Run fast one by one.

Gan Hui also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to enter Quanzhou, taking advantage of the emptiness of Quanzhou's defense,

From the information provided by Chen Qi and Liu Rufeng, Lu Changle knew that Quanzhou was built into a fortified city by Zheng Zhilong, and there were still [-] troops defending the city and its vicinity. Most importantly, several local clans still supported the Zheng family.
It's not the time yet, Lu Changle just hesitated and gave up decisively.

Now there are few people in the land, and there are not enough management talents.

On April [-]th, Lu Changle finally rushed back to Xingping Village.

The entire Lu family in Fuzhou was waiting for them to go back to avenge their ancestors and the people who died under Zheng Du's knife.

When seeing Zheng Du again, Lu Changle was startled,
Zheng Du was tied to a pillar in the front hall of the Lu Clan's Ancestral Hall. He was dressed in rags and his whole body was covered with scars. He felt that he didn't have a piece of good flesh on his body. He almost didn't recognize him, especially his face, which was as pale as paper, matched with Those dark red scars looked shocking.

I felt like I was hanging on my breath, and I didn't know how much torture I had suffered.

"Patriarch, you are back, we are waiting for you." Mu Sheng came out from the side hall, saw Lu Changle, and said with surprise.

Lu Changle nodded and said, "I'm back, Mu Sheng, aren't you in charge of screening, why are you here?"

Mu Sheng has rich experience in interrogation and is the best torturer in the clan. Lu Changle entrusted him with the screening work.

Those captives are a rare labor force, they can be supplemented when necessary,
Most of them can be kept, but those who are vicious and have committed many crimes must be executed in time,

How did you run back?

"Second Uncle asked me to come back, firstly to hang his life, don't let him die too easily, secondly to torture him well."

"Well, it seems that you did a good job." Lu Changle asked curiously, "What torture did you use?"

"The most widely used is whipping, which is the kind of slender bamboo branch, which is very painful and not easy to injure. On the first night when he was arrested, each family sent a representative to whip him. It hurt him so much. The shit is coming out"

"Laughing punishment, piercing fingertips, pulling fingernails, sitting on a tiger stool, eating ants, burning with fire, splashing oil, hanging sky lanterns, etc., a total of 110 punishments were given to him. Patriarch, everyone is old." Mu Sheng Said triumphantly.

Executing a sentence is not a skill. It takes a lot of skills to keep people alive after so many punishments.

Some novice executioners will kill people if they are not careful. Mu Sheng has a lot of experience in this area.

Lu Changle said in surprise: "Good job, we can't let him die too easily."

"Uncle Dong gets half of the credit. He used acupuncture and ginseng soup to hang his life, otherwise he wouldn't be able to last so long." Mu Sheng didn't take the credit.

"What about the information? Did you forget?"

"Don't worry, the patriarch. During the execution, all the things in his mind were cleaned out, and he even asked him what color his father likes the most."

Mu Sheng was a little dissatisfied, he is the number one interrogator in the clan, do you have any orders for this matter?

"Yes, wake him up," Lu Changle ordered.

Mu Sheng responded, walked to the side and splashed water on Zheng Du.

Soon, Zheng Du, who was in a coma, shuddered, and quickly opened his eyes.
The moment he saw Lu Changle, Zheng Du's eyes shot out a sinister light, but the sinisterness disappeared in a flash, and he repeatedly begged for mercy: "Lu Changle, no, no, General Lu, spare me, spare me a poor life"

"As long as you spare me, you can say anything, and I will give you whatever you want."

"Money, by the way, my family has money, a lot of money, as long as you ask, my father will definitely give you money."

"You can't kill me, you can't, my father is the general soldier of Fujian, even the emperor wants to appease our Zheng family, I am the son of the general soldier of Fujian"

"The Zheng family's army has 20 soldiers, all of whom are brave and good at fighting. If you kill me, it will definitely bring about annihilation."

In order to survive, Zheng Du didn't care too much, he begged for mercy, and at the same time threatened and lured Lu Changle.

I can't control that much, let's save my life first.

Lu Changle nodded and said, "That makes sense."

"It must make sense, General Lu, let me go. We will make money together in partnership. I will take care of you in terms of sea trade. In fact, sea trade is the most profitable. If you are lucky, the money earned from a shipment of goods can last a lifetime. If we cooperate, we will benefit, and if we fight, we will suffer." Seeing that Lu Changle seemed to be loosening, Zheng Du immediately persuaded him.

In an instant, Zheng Du's spirit improved, and there was light in his eyes.

Standing beside Mu Sheng and Lu Changsheng looked at each other, feeling anxious,
Isn't the patriarch so easily persuaded by Zheng?
There is no need to avenge the ancestors?

Just when Zheng Du wanted to persuade Lu Changle again, Lu Changle said slowly: "Zheng Du, you are right, but I don't listen to you, because I will execute you soon. The ancestors still have clansmen who died under your sword."

"Lu Lu Changle, are you really an enemy of our Zheng family?" Zheng Du stared at Lu Changle in a panic, his body began to tremble.

The last glimmer of hope is about to be dashed.

Lu Changle approached Zheng Du, covered his nose with a scented handkerchief with disgust on his face, and said mockingly: "Zheng Du, I woke you up not because of your worth, nor because I wanted to discuss it with you, but just to tell you, In my eyes, you are just a useless piece of trash who has no knowledge and no skill. In the final analysis, you are the son of a pirate, or the most useless son. In Fujian, no one really likes or respects you. The common people despise you , including your whole family, that is, you think you are a character."

"Lu Changle, do you dare to kill me?"

"You Fuzhou Lu clan, just wait for the clan to be wiped out."

"You're all going to die, and die badly"

Zheng Du was struggling frantically, cursing Lu Changle loudly,

He not only wiped out his own hope of survival, but also threw his dignity on the ground and crushed it,

Zheng Du was furious, but Lu Changle left without looking back.

Early the next morning, it was still the family cemetery of the Lu family in Fuzhou, or the grave of the ancestors,

Zheng Du's hands and feet were tied to a wooden frame, and the wooden frame was placed flat in front of the grave.

From a distance, it looks like a sacrifice placed in front of the grave.

Perhaps knowing that he didn't have much time, Zheng Du kept cursing until his voice was hoarse and no one could hear him clearly, but he didn't give up.
No one paid any attention to him anymore. After several days of uninterrupted torment, everyone's interest in him was greatly reduced.
The person who presided over the sacrifice was the second uncle. After a ceremony, the second uncle shouted loudly: "The grievance has its head, and the debt has its owner. If you are alive in the sky, ancestor, open your eyes and see, the culprit who killed you is Here, kill him now, to comfort your old man's spirit in heaven."

"People from the Lu family in Fuzhou listened to my password and kowtowed."

"Two Kowtows"

"Three Kowtows"

"After the ceremony, everyone line up and prepare to burn incense!"

Lu Changle is the patriarch, and Lin Xuan was the first to burn incense.

In front of the grave of the ancestors, the incense sticks and paper money piled up like a hill were prepared early,
There is also a row of fire plates next to it.
Under the guidance of their second uncle, Lu Changle and Lin Xuan each took three pieces of paper money and burned them on a fire tray.

This is called respecting money. Respecting the money and silver spent by the ancestors in the underworld is also a signal to let the ancestors pay attention.
While roasting the paper money, Lu Changle and Lin Xuan each took three sticks of incense and lit the incense with the torch made from the paper money.

He bowed three times to the ancestor's grave with the lit incense, and then threw it on Zheng Du who was bound,
"what"

"pain"

"It hurts."

The burning incense sticks touched Zheng Du's skin and muscles, causing Zheng Du to cry out in pain.

One of the incense sticks was thrown on Zheng Du's forehead, and it burned right where his eyelids were, causing Zheng Du to yell like killing a pig in pain,
No one paid any attention to him. On the contrary, when they heard his screams, many Lu Clan patriarchs smiled in relief.

After Lu Changle and Yang Xuan finished burning incense, it was the clan elders and Fangtou,

Qing Erye, Fat Bo, Lu Jinyuan, Lu Jinqing and others, they also followed the example of Lu Changle and Lin Xuan,

Burn paper money, light incense, worship, and then throw the incense in Zheng Du's body,
This time the incense was even more, and Zheng Du screamed again in pain,
That sound was like killing a pig.

Behind the clan elders and Fangtou are the flag bearers, flag guards, clan doctors, etc.
In terms of seniority, everyone does the same thing,
Slowly, the incense on Zheng Du's body accumulated more and more, and the more it accumulated, Zheng Du's screams became more and more miserable.
After a while, there was no sound, and even those incense sticks would move, it should be convulsions,
With more and more incense sticks, soon those incense sticks began to burn,
There was a disgusting smell of burnt meat,

This is incense burning. It is said that burning the dead enemy with incense sticks of anger and resentment can give the dead the greatest comfort.

Lu Changle didn't believe it, but he did as the clan elder wanted.

For this worship ceremony, all the Lu family members from Fuzhou came, at least there were more than 8000 people.
Due to too many people, the people from the Lu clan lined up several miles away. Looking from the mountain, it looked like a giant dragon hovering among the mountains.

Very spectacular, once again showing the unity and strength of the clan.

Three incense sticks per person, that's more than 4000 sticks, plus the wooden frame,

Enough to burn Zheng Du to ashes.

The incense burning ceremony took a long time, and when the last clansman threw the incense into the burning incense pile, it was already evening,

As the current patriarch, Lu Changle has been watching the ceremony by the side,

When the last three sticks of incense were thrown into the incense pile, a gust of breeze blew by, shaking Lu Changle's spirits,
look up at the sky,

The setting sun is thick, and the sky is full of red clouds.

　I took the soldier's sister-in-law for a pregnancy test today, it's late, sorry

　　
　
(End of this chapter)