Mei Guozhen Shi intermittently disturbed Ningxia, and the celebration banquet was like the Song Tu Mansion

After the Ming army captured the south gate of Ningxia City, it was difficult to make progress for a while, so it had to be stationed at the south gate, and on September 11, Mei Guozhen offered a plan to Ye Mengxiong: "Ningxia has been watered many times, the city wall has collapsed for a long time, and the rebels are in danger, and it is the time to divide again." Ye Mengxiong still had some concerns about the plan of separation: "The previous time Wei Du used discord, the success was defeated, and the rebels also made several false attempts to negotiate peace, which shows that the father and son of Bibai are insidious and cunning, and stubborn. Although we are in a difficult situation now, I wonder if we will repeat the mistakes of the past? ”

Mei Guozhen explained: "Ye Du is extremely worried, but now it is different from the past, before the rebel army was strong, with a strong city, there were elite soldiers inside and strong reinforcements outside, and they were better than our army several times, and the army was cohesive. Naturally, the negotiation of peace is regarded only as a tactic to paralyze our army. Now the foreign aid captives have also been expelled from the fortress, and Bibai has broken through many times and has been defeated by our army, and there is nothing to do but to trap and wait for death. The river outside the city spreads, and the food in the city is becoming increasingly scarce, which is the time when people's hearts are separated, and it is also the opportunity to show discord. ”

Ye Mengxiong felt reasonable, so he asked how to use the strategy? Mei Guozhen thought for a while and said: "According to secret reports, there is an oil seller named Li Deng in Ningxia City, who has been sending oil to Bifu every month for many years, and is very familiar with Bibai's father and son. Now it is very convenient for our army to occupy the south gate, but we can first let people secretly enter the city to find this person to find his mind first, and if it can be used by me, I can teach him to separate from Liu Dongyang and others, so that they can kill each other. ”

Ye Mengxiong said: "The city is full of rebels' eyes and ears, if the news leaks, won't it be a failure?" Mei Guozhen replied: "300,000 people are trapped in Ningxia, moving frequently between each other, and it is difficult to control each other. Moreover, since the defeat of the rebels, the impatience has risen greatly, and the scattered morale of the army will definitely take advantage of it, and Li Deng has been delivering oil to the father and son for many years, and there will never be any suspicion when he goes in and out. Even if the rebels see through the discord, our army will only gradually attack. It's just a pity that the oil seller's life is alive, and no matter his life or death in the future, he should be commended by the local government. ”

Ye Mengxiong agreed to the separation and instructed Mei Guozhen: "In this way, this matter will be fully handed over to Mei Yushi to arrange, if you need assistance, you can put it forward, Ye will do his best to help." It's just that I'm worried that Bibai and others will take the opportunity to ask for it and make unreasonable demands. It is difficult for Mei Yushi to work hard. Mei Guozhen said with a smile: "If this is the case, the soldiers will not be tired of deceit, and they can promise to deceive the rebels into believing that it is true, and once our army enters the city, it will no longer be up to him to call the shots." The two looked at each other and smiled.

On the night of 11 September, Mei Guozhen sent an envoy disguised himself to find the oil seller Li Deng to bargain, and after some explanation, he ordered Li Deng to obey his orders, taught him how to behave, and then paid ten taels of silver and left. The next day, Li Deng went to Bifu with oil, Bibai and his son Chengen were drinking, and when they heard Li Deng's arrival, they were invited, and Bibai said to Li Deng: "The war is in chaos, there is a shortage of grain and oil, and it is difficult for you to send oil to the house as always. Li Deng replied: "The villain is deeply taken care of by Prince Bi, and now although he has gone through the war in Ningxia, how can he see that the prince is in trouble, and he has done his best." ”

Bi Chengen laughed: "What is this saying, even if the war is difficult, there is no need to help, but finally you also have the heart to repay the kindness, have you heard any news in Ningxia City recently?" Li Deng immediately knelt on his knees when he heard this, and even kowtowed his head, and the father and son did not know why Li Deng was like this, and after a while, he saw Li Deng crying bitterly and said: "The villain is deeply gracious, and there is no day when he does not repay the kindness, yesterday someone in the Ming army sneaked into the city at night to hold the villain, the villain was afraid of his life, and did not dare to resist, the man ordered the villain to send a letter to the prince today, and the villain was afraid that the prince would be angry, and he was frightened, so he asked the prince to spare his life." ”

Bi Chengen immediately got up and asked Bibai whether to take the opportunity to arrest the envoy, Bibai hesitated and opened the letter to read it first, and saw that the letter was written: The general's father and son were originally grassland heroes, and they made great achievements since returning to the imperial court. The governor of the frontier and the important ministers of the court all know it. Hearing that the Ningxia mutiny and the general raised troops to rebel, the whole country was shocked, and the Son of Heaven was stunned, which was really unbelievable. During the period when the imperial court transferred troops to quell the rebellion, the generals used troops properly, exquisitely, and unstoppablely, and the imperial court regretted them. What caused the Ningxia Rebellion? Since the governor Dang Xinke withheld military salaries and was narrow-minded and mean, the soldiers were indignant and provoked a mutiny, and the court also regretted it. To this day, the generals have been defeated one after another, how can they defeat the elite division of the Son of Heaven in a corner of Ningxia? There had been persuasion before, but the general was in high spirits and did not accept kind words. Today, I once again advise the general to kill the enemy as soon as possible to atone for his crimes, the official can be protected, and the court will be punished lightly. If you refuse, Ningxia will be broken within a month, and the day the army enters the city, the old and young of the Bi family will definitely die.

After reading Mei Guozhen's letter, he fell into deep thought when he thought of the current situation. Bi Chengen said: "I am afraid that this matter is also a plan by the Ming army to lure me to surrender, to persuade me to surrender and lure me into the trap, but in fact, I will be annihilated when our army is paralyzed." There is a difference between Hu and Han, the Central Plains has existed since ancient times, and the court is willing to give exemption to this crime of rebellion, I can hardly believe it. Please be cautious and don't trust the Ming army. ”

He wailed and said: "Now that the victory or defeat has been decided, it will be a dead end to hold on to Ningxia, we have to comply with the surrender, but it is true that it is true as you said that the Ming army is treacherous, before surrendering, you need to ask Ye Mengxiong to deliver the voucher to testify, if Ye Mengxiong does not give it, it should be as you said, you and my father and son will make a total." Bi Chengen still has doubts about this, but there is no other safe plan. had to agree to ask Ye Mengxiong for a certificate to avoid death. So Bibai said to Li Deng: "After you go back, you can convey my intentions, if you need me to wait for the atonement and surrender, please ask Ye Mengxiong to give my father and son a certificate of exemption from death, sign it by hand, and affix the official seal. Li Deng took the order.

After Li Deng left the Bibai Mansion, he went around Ningxia City to rest in many places, and then went to Liu Dongyang's residence, where Li Deng lied that he was ordered to personally hand over a letter to Liu Dongyang. Liu Dongyang knew that Li Deng often sent oil to the Bibai Mansion, and when he heard that there was a book, he was confident and doubtful, so he asked Li Deng to enter the mansion to inquire in detail. Li Deng took out the letter and said: "The town forgives the crime, this is not a letter from Prince Bi, but a letter written by Mei Guozhen Mei Yushi, the overseer outside the city, and I am specially ordered to hand it over to the town at a glance." ”

Liu Dongyang opened the letter and wrote in the letter: "Dongyang was originally a Han general, although his grade was low, he still fulfilled his duties, inspired the soldiers to become the crime of Dang Xin, the court was furious and issued an edict to innovate, the death of Dang Xin, the crime of rebellion, the court knew that it was really a blessing and instigation, so why should I follow the bandits anymore, kill the traitorous party, make meritorious contributions, return to the army, and add officials to knights." Therefore, I have also sent people to persuade each other to benefit and harm, but I was obsessed, whimsical, and willing to share power with the enemy, if I still do not want to repent this time, I can report to the father and son to show loyalty. On the day of the city's destruction, please exterminate the nine clans and divide the corpses with knives. Liu Dongyang saw that Bi had palpitations in his heart, and he was full of worries and difficult to choose, so he asked Li Deng to leave first.

Afterwards, Liu Dongyang came to Xu Chao to discuss, and took the content of the letter to Xu Chao for inspection, and Xu Chao persuaded Liu Dongyang: "The Hetao tribes dare not help again, the father and son of the Bi family are trapped in Ningxia and have nothing to do, the ammunition and food in the city are just around the corner, and the Yellow River is destined to be unstoppable when it enters the city. Since there is a way to live, you should follow it, kill the thief, make meritorious service for the crime, and return to the court. ”

Liu Dongyang asked rhetorically: "I just don't know if this is a plan set up by the imperial court, the imperial court has always been strict in law, why is it strange to open up to us." Previously, he not only persuaded us to surrender, but also persuaded us to surrender to Bibai, which was intended to induce us to kill each other, and it didn't matter to the court whether it was Bibai or you and I sacrificing the city in the end. Therefore, I had a hard time making a choice. ”

Xu Chao persuaded: "The situation is at this point, the imperial court is undoubtedly victorious, Ningxia will sooner or later fall into the hands of the imperial court, if we miss this opportunity, we will either be on the street or escorted into Beijing, and finally beheaded to show the public, even if the imperial court sends a letter to you and me and Bibai, we should be the first to get rid of Bibai, Bichengen father and son, and open the city to surrender." Otherwise, if you receive a letter from Bibai, then you and I are already in a very dangerous situation. ”

Liu Dongyang deeply agreed, and then asked how to plan? Xu Chao thought for a moment and said to Liu Dongyang: "Prepare for some time first, contact your subordinates, first secretly remove the general Tu Wenxiu, and then ask the father and son to lead him out of search for the disappearance of Tu Wenxiu, lead him into an ambush, and behead him to surrender." Liu Dongyang agreed.

Later, Mei Guozhen received a request from Lingzhou and asked Ye Mengxiong to discuss it. Ye Mengxiong was unhappy with the request for a certificate to avoid death, and said to Mei Guozhen: "Please leave a basis for coercion in order to save your life, if you want to make it believe that it is true, you must stamp the official seal and sign it autographically, which will be kept on file for the record, and it will inevitably be another defense when asked by the imperial court." ”

Mei Guozhen was relieved: "If the father and son of the Bi family sincerely atone for their sins, this certificate of exemption from death will also ask the emperor for permission." If the father and son of the Bi family violate the yang and yin, they can be killed, and if he asks about the evidence in the future, he will definitely defend Ye Dushang. Ye Mengxiong left to prepare a certificate of exemption from death, signed it by hand, stamped it with the official seal, and filed it for the record. Then he sent someone to Ningxia and handed it over to Li Deng, an oil seller.

On 15 September, Li Deng, an oil seller, handed over the certificate of exemption from death to Bibai, who did not dare to be credulous at the beginning, and repeatedly checked and verified the authenticity of the authenticity. Consult with Bi Chengen. Bi Chengen was also surprised by Ye Mengxiong's true willingness to issue a certificate of exemption from death, so Bi Chengen secretly said: "Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao are the backbone of the Han soldiers, and the secret killing can be dedicated to the Ming army, but it is not appropriate to make a big move, Xu Chao and Liu Dongyang are divided into the north and south of the town, and when to start it needs to be discussed, I have installed a spy Zhou Guozhu among Liu Dongyang's subordinates, and Liu Dongyang's every move is under control." ”

Bi Bai boasted: "It's so good, let Zhou Guozhu report on the movements of Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao, and the time for formulating it cannot be delayed." If Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao escaped, the leakage of the plan would inevitably trigger a civil war in Ningxia, which would not be conducive to the surrender. Bi Chengen comprehended, but he still had a concern: "Please rest assured, father, I will definitely arrange this matter foolproof, and it will not leak." It's just that I don't know what kind of name will be publicized in the army after Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao are killed? It must not be in the name of secretly communicating with the Ming army, this matter is precisely to ask the Ming army to surrender, so the division is nameless, but I don't know what name can be used except for the time? ”

"Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao are quite prestigious among the Han soldiers and have won the hearts of the military. If you know that the two people died tragically, you must ask the truth, and you must not disturb the morale of the army because of this incident, and quickly kill all the people involved, and forge letters to write that they are preparing to smuggle outside the customs and other things as a name. Although Zhu Litu and others have been expelled from the Saiwai, the Hetao grassland is not empty, Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao hold military power, and it is not difficult to secretly send people out of the city to deliver letters. Even if there is a heavy encirclement of the Ming army outside and the Yellow River is watered, as long as we insist on it and show the basis, we can also fake it as true. "Bi Chengen took the order.

That night, Biden went up to the city tower and looked around, the river under the city was long, the city wall was gradually broken, and the Ming army camp was lined up in the distance, and the military flag was fluttering. I want to be high-spirited, in power, with excellent wisdom and invincibility. In the name of Dang Xin, he was able to gather a large army to occupy Ningxia, and almost captured Shaanxi and Gansu to connect to the northwest, and cut the land and became the king. Who knew that in the end, he ended up trapped in Ningxia, and surrendered the city, and he had mixed feelings in his heart. Bibai is old, and today he has no idea of planning for himself, and only wants to leave his children and grandchildren rich and rich. I hope that Ye Mengxiong can keep his word.

On the night of September 15, Liu Dongyang invited Tu Wenxiu to drink and eat meat, during the banquet, the two praised each other, each recounted the past, and drank until late at night, Liu Dongyang went out to the toilet and ordered more than a dozen ambush soldiers to wipe out several personal soldiers brought by Tu Wenxiu and the drunken Tu Wenxiu. After the bodies of Tu Wenxiu and others were buried, Liu Dongyang returned to the mansion and waited for tomorrow to act with Xu Chao according to the plan and kill Bibai's father and son.

Zhou Guozhu, who was installed in Liu Dongyang's army, happened to participate in the assassination of Tu Wenxiu, although he didn't know why Liu Dongyang wanted to assassinate Tu Wenxiu, but he knew that something was wrong, so he hurriedly reported to Bi Chengen at night. Bi Chengen was also happy after being surprised, so he had an excuse to kill Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao, and the forged letters were even more ready. So Bi Chengen and Zhou Guozhu led the elite soldiers to march secretly, and raided Xu Chao before the early morning, Xu Chao was caught off guard and was killed by Bi Chengen, and none of the soldiers around him were killed.

Bi Chengen saw that the killing of Xu Chao was very smooth, Ningxia City was still relatively quiet, and no one noticed the abnormal movement, so he took this opportunity to lead Zhou Guozhu to lead the troops to the north to take Liu Dongyang, Bi Chengen wanted to take advantage of Liu Dongyang's drunken and unconscious to complete the surprise attack, but never thought that Liu Dongyang had something to do in the center in the middle of the night, so he got up early to count the soldiers and horses and prepare to act. The two encountered, the situation was clear at a glance and they couldn't help but say that they fell into a melee, Liu Dongyang was drunk, the combat power was weak, and he was killed on the ground after a few rounds, Liu Dongyang's department was defeated in a fierce battle, and they broke up and ran to tell each other, and the battle between Liu Dongyang and Bi Chengen immediately spread in Ningxia City. No matter how Bi Chengen read out the charges of Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao, most of the Han soldiers could not believe it, and they all wanted to avenge Liu Dongyang and Xu Chao, Ningxia fell into a civil war, and the Mongolian soldiers and Han soldiers fought fiercely in Ningxia for a day. During the battle, the heads of Tu Wenxiu, Liu Dongyang, and Xu Chao were hung in the city tower, and a letter was sent to the Ming army to surrender and try to prevent the civil war in the city, and the whole army was strictly ordered to wait for the imperial court to be absorbed.

Mei Guozhen heard that the heads of Tu Wenxiu, Liu Dongyang, and Xu Chao were hanging in the Ningxia City Tower and received a letter from Bibai, and he was overjoyed that the separation was successful, so he immediately rushed to Ningxia and ordered Li Rusong, Xiao Ruxun, Ma Gui and other generals to lead the army into the city. On September 17, Bi Chengen personally led the crowd to greet Mei Guozhen and Ningxia Governor Zhu Zhengse, Mei Guozhen said to Bi Chengen: "You are very tenacious and good at fighting, and you have made the Great Ming soldiers so troublesome, but you must sincerely atone for your sins." Why don't you see your father come to him? Bi Chengen replied: "My father was wounded after stopping the fighting in the city yesterday, and it is inconvenient for him to come to greet him, and he is now in the house, and he will come out in the evening to thank him." The last general has been entrusted to entertain all the officials. ”

Zhu Zhengse deliberately probed: "Could it be that there is an ambush to assassinate at night?" Bi Chengen explained: "The capital hall misunderstood, the imperial court soldiers entered the city, and we have all disarmed, how dare we dare to think about it again if we only want to make meritorious atonements, even if we assassinate all the officials and us, we will not escape death, why do we need to do it many times?" Mei Guozhen continued: "The governor is worried, the rebellion in Ningxia has been settled, and we have a lot of follow-up affairs, so we should enter the city first and surrender." Seeing Mei Guozhen say this, Zhu Zhengse didn't say much.

After the surrender of the Ming army, the Ming army ordered the remaining horses, cattle and sheep in Ningxia City to be slaughtered, and the wine in the city was sacrificed to the army, and most of the rebels in Ningxia were originally official soldiers. The generals also knew each other a lot, visited each other, drank and reminisced.

On September 18, Ye Mengxiong led the crowd into the city to express his condolences to the Qing royal family and the people in the city, but he saw that the streets were noisy, and there were drinking soldiers everywhere, and the people were also enthusiastically involved, and the rebels, officials and soldiers and the people in the city were happy. Seeing that Ye Mengxiong came to invite him to drink together, Ye Mengxiong refused to leave, suddenly felt uneasy, and after thinking twice, he called Li Rusong to whisper, Li Rusong immediately mobilized the officials and soldiers who had not yet drunk to disperse the drunken soldiers everywhere to concentrate on guarding, and then led the crowd straight to Bibai Mansion.

In this matter, Bi Chengen was drinking at Mei Guozhen's place, and Mei Guozhen swore an oath to the basis for avoiding death, and Bi Chengen was overjoyed and drank frequently to thank him. After leaving the house after drinking, he was immediately arrested by Zhejiang soldiers led by Zhejiang general Yang Wen. And Niu Bingzhong was visiting in the Bibai Mansion, and the two of them were drinking until they were drunk, and suddenly heard the sound of killing outside the house, Niu Bingzhong was shocked and hurriedly said goodbye.

Seeing this, Bibai guessed in his heart that it must be the Ming army who rebelled, so he closed the door of the mansion and gathered his family together to say goodbye: "The court has reversed, and there is no faith in what he says, and the Bi family is destined to have no way to live today. But I will not allow you to be escorted into Beijing by the officers and soldiers and humiliated. The family members were in tears, and they killed more than a dozen members of the family, and then committed suicide by kissing their necks. Li Rusong led the crowd to the front of the Bibai Mansion to see that the door of the house was closed, and ordered to break open the door of the house, climb into the Bi Mansion, and slaughter more than 2,000 people from the Bibai family.

The residences of the rebel generals were all ordered by Ye Mengxiong to break through, Tu Wenxiu, Liu Dongyang, and Xu Chao were killed in the infighting, and they committed suicide and died. Mei Guozhen asked Ye Mengxiong why he launched a surprise attack and broke his promise, Ye Mengxiong replied: "I heard that there are rebels in the city who want to take the opportunity to start up again, the situation is urgent, so I have to do this, I have been sparse, wait for the will, the crime of the rebel generals will be determined by the emperor, Mei Yushi is not to blame." Mei Guozhen was silent.