Hami City.
Ma Wensheng stood in the city and looked ahead.
Every morning, he would stand alone on the city wall with a cloak draped over his shoulders.
Rumble!
Early in the morning, the sound of hooves came from afar, waking up the soldiers guarding Hami and the people who were still sleeping soundly.
Everyone seemed to realize something at the same time.
In less than half an incense's time, the city walls of Hami were filled with soldiers, and below the city walls, the people were crowded.
Everyone's eyes lit up.
The yellow sand was swept up by the horse hooves.
It was close.
It was getting closer.
Ma Wensheng could already see the Yellow Horned Dragon Flag, and the word 'Ming' on it was especially eye-catching.
"Report, report, report!"
The scouts arrived at Hami City first.
"Reporting to Lord Ma, Great Ming has won a great victory!"
"Great victory!"
Ma Wensheng let out a long sigh of relief, narrowed his eyes, clenched his fists, and shouted excitedly,""Open the city gates and follow me out of the city to welcome the heroes!”
At this moment, Ma Wensheng's tense heart finally relaxed.
Your Majesty, I did not fail my mission…I did it.
Ma Wensheng looked forward solemnly.
A moment later.
A group of soldiers slowly descended.
The five thousand Ming soldiers at the front were each controlling two horses as they meandered towards Hami City.
A horse was carrying a living person.
The other batch of horses carried dead people.
The so-called corpse wrapped in horse leather was probably nothing more than this.
Ma Wensheng dismounted, hands behind his back, and respectfully took off his black gauze hat.
Behind him, the Hami defenders raised their muskets.
The people were solemn and silent.
Bang bang bang!
The muskets were fired into the sky, saluting the heroes of the Ming Dynasty, saluting the five thousand men of the Ming Dynasty!
Some of the commoners 'eyes were red and swollen. They lowered their heads silently and sobbed.
After a while.
The Ming army came with great might.
Behind the high-spirited Middle Corps, behind every horse, there were Turpan soldiers, old and young, and people tied with ropes.
At this moment, this group of Turpan people were all prisoners of war of Great Ming.
The tribe that was known as the most mobile tribe in the grasslands lowered their proud heads in less than a day under the might of the Great Ming Cavalry.
"Enter the city."
Ma Wensheng said indifferently and turned to leave.
He could not bear to continue watching.
Five thousand brothers, some of whom were only fifteen or sixteen years old.
Before leaving Bei Zhili, Ma Wensheng promised to bring them back.
He had misspoken.
But wasn't the battlefield like this?
This was the fate of the Great Ming Army.
Even though Ma Wensheng could comfort himself like this, seeing the tragic state of the Great Ming Army, his heart still twitched.
Some of them even had the flesh and blood of the enemy in their mouths…
……
Ma Wensheng returned to Hami to command the division.
"Reporting to Lord Ma, during the Battle of Turpan, our army captured a total of forty thousand Turpan soldiers, and thirty thousand Turpan women, children, and children.”
Ma Wensheng expressionlessly listened to the eunuch's report.
"Our Great Ming soldiers have more than 110 injured and more than 5000 dead.”
Ma Wensheng's pained expression disappeared in a flash, and his face revealed a bit of ruthlessness as he coldly shouted,""Send these 70,000 people to Jiayu Pass and hand them over to Vice Imperial Censor Yang to repair the Great Wall.”
The eunuch was stunned and asked Ma Wensheng with uncertainty,""Lord Ma, is it forty thousand or seventy thousand?”
These two numbers had completely different meanings.
The forty thousand people were the defeated Turpan soldiers. They were young and strong, so it was understandable that they were repairing the Great Wall.
After all, the Saint Son of Heaven had already set a precedent for capturing and enslaving captives.
However, the remaining 30,000 people were the unarmed elderly and children of Turpan.
If this matter were to spread out, not to mention the four seas and other countries would condemn Ming's atrocities, even the civil officials within Ming would probably lift Ma Wensheng to the cusp of the storm.
This move was even more resolute and ruthless than Yang Yiqing's!
"Before entering the city, did you see the hatred in the eyes of those children?”
"Did you see the disgust on the faces of those women and children?”
"Did you see that Ming man lying on the warhorse, never waking up?”
Ma Wensheng changed his tone and said sternly,""Quickly send the prisoners of war to Jiayu Pass. I will now send a letter to the imperial court requesting that Chaoxi continue to repair the Great Wall!”
Ma Wensheng's thoughts were too vicious. Even the eunuch in charge of the army felt cold sweat on his forehead.
This matter was too venomous. This was going to be punished by the heavens! Lord Ma, aren't you afraid at all?
This was too vicious!
……
"Send a memorial to the emperor to inform him of the situation in Hami. We request that His Majesty dispatch a group of craftsmen from the Ministry of Works to the north of Jiayu Pass and repair the Great Wall of the Ming Dynasty to the west.”
"Return the corpses of these 5,000 men to the families of the various prefectures and give them proper compensation.”
All command to make the division, Ma Wensheng oral, civilian pen quickly write.
After a while, the memorial was finished, dripped with wax and dipped in feathers, and sent to North Zhili in an urgent manner.
……
North Zhili.
Spring is cold, how warm but still cold.
The Forbidden City was shrouded in dark clouds.
The morning court session in April of the second year of Hongzhi began in gloomy weather.
The Hall of Heaven's Tribute was filled with candles.
Before they could begin discussing the court affairs, they heard hurried footsteps.
"Report, report!"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, a great victory in Xicui! Lord Ma attacked the enemy in Turpan, and all the Turpan people were captured!”
Whoosh!
The ministers were in an uproar and their faces were full of joy.
Zhu Youtang glanced at the eunuch standing at the side.
The eunuch walked towards His Highness, took the good news, and tore open the wax. Zhu Youtang read the memorial slowly.
Ma Wensheng's memorial didn't have many words, but Zhu Youtang seemed to see the tragic scene in the west through the paper.
"Niannian, listen."
"Yes!"
A sharp voice sounded in the Hall of Heaven Tribute.
Ma Wensheng's memorial stated three things in an orderly manner.
First, the battle was won, and the head of Turpan Aheima was displayed outside the Hall of Heaven.
Secondly, 70,000 prisoners of war, including the elderly, women, and children, were transferred to the nine sides to build the Great Wall of Chengming.
Thirdly…
He hadn't finished reading.
Huang Hua from the Military Department stepped forward and rebuked angrily,"I impeach Ma Wensheng for abusing Zhou. How vicious is Ma Wensheng to do such a despicable thing to more than 40,000 unarmed people?!”
Huang Hua said firmly!
The eunuch who was reading the memorial was stunned. He didn't know if he should continue reading the memorial.
Zhu Youtang looked indifferently at the military division in charge of the matter, which he had originally decided to transfer to the southeast to appoint the border officials to prepare for the Japanese army.
"Alright, don't continue reading.”Zhu Youtang said indifferently to the eunuch and then quietly stared at Huang Hua.
The joy between his brows was slowly fading away.
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