Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 216 Li Wencai

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When Sun Bin sent Huang Shouzhong to contact Li Wencai, although he failed to reverse the disadvantage of the remnants of the Taiping Army in the southwest, he changed Li Wencai's fate of being executed by the Qing government after his uprising failed.

In 1871, with the assistance of the National Defense Army, Li Wencai thwarted the Qing army's attempt to eliminate the rebels and successfully escaped from the Qing army's encirclement. Then, in the following years, he gradually moved to the Guangdong and Guangxi regions to deal with the Qing army.

In March 1877, the Dingwu famine that swept across half of China spread to the southwest region. Li Wencai's troops took advantage of the famine and vigorously recruited refugees to expand their strength.

In June 1877, Li Wencai's troops, with a force of more than , took the initiative to attack the areas where the Qing army was weak in order to obtain food and weaken the power of the Qing army.

On June 9, Li Wencai's army set out from Luodian County, captured Nandan County in two days, and occupied Donglan County on the fifth day. Half a month later, the three northwestern prefectures of Guangxi, including Hechi, Baise, and Yizhou, all fell into Li Wencai's hands.

When the three northwestern prefectures fell, Guangxi officials were horrified and urgently ordered the Qing troops to reinforce Liuzhou to prevent the important city of Liuzhou from falling into the hands of Li Wencai's troops.

On June 23, Li Wencai ignored Huang Shouzhong's advice and personally led the expanded troops to besiege Liuzhou City.

On July 5, the Qing army reinforcements arrived outside Liuzhou City. Li Wencai's troops were defeated by the Qing army reinforcements and fled from Liuzhou City. The troops suffered eight to nine out of ten losses. After the battle, there were less than three thousand troops left who still obeyed Li Wencai's orders.

Li Wencai engaged in anti-Qing uprising in the southwest region as a member of the Taiping Army. In fact, Li Wencai only joined the Taiping Army after Wing King Shi Dakai joined the army. He could not be considered a direct descendant of the Taiping Army. Moreover, the composition of Li Wencai's troops was very complex. There were poor people who resisted the rule of the Qing army, bandits who became bandits, and southwestern ethnic minorities such as the Miao, Zhuang, and Dong.

Because the armed forces directly under Li Wencai's orders were weak, the various armed factions united under the banner of the Taiping Army could only fight favorable battles following Li Wencai's troops. However, once they encountered a major defeat, the armed forces originally active in the southwest region would not hesitate to leave Li Wencai's troops, use their familiarity with the local environment to escape the Qing army's pursuit, and resume their old business of occupying the mountains and ruling the southwest.

They gathered quickly and dispersed quickly. After Li Wencai's troops captured the three prefectures in the northwest of Guangxi, the tens of thousands of armed forces that had gathered upon hearing the news quickly dispersed after the battle in Liuzhou.

In August 1877, the Qing army captured Luodian County, the rebels' stronghold, and Li Wencai ordered his troops to disperse and break out.

At the end of 1877, the rebel army, which had broken up into small groups, evaded the Qing army's investigation and arrived in Pingxiang, the border between Guangxi and Annan.

On the Annan side bordering Pingxiang is Lang Son Province controlled by the National Defense Army's Nanyang Forces. After confirming the identities of Li Wencai and others, the border guards quickly escorted Li Wencai and others to the seaside, and then transported them to Jinpu, the headquarters of the Nanyang Governor's Office, by the contacted ships.

The uprising in the southwest region failed, and only about a hundred rebel soldiers successfully escaped to the Annan region. After leaving some wounded soldiers in place for treatment, only two people were qualified to follow Li Wencai to meet Mei Dongxing, Liang Xing, and Wang Dashan.

In the Governor-General Jinpu's mansion, Mei Dongxing, who was sitting at the top, generously welcomed Li Wencai and the other two into the reception room.

Ask the servants to arrange seats and tea.

Mei Dongxing said, "I heard that General Li and General Yang have always had contacts. I wonder if General Li knows how General Yang is doing now?"

"The Fu Wang is a veteran of the Heavenly Kingdom. Wen Cai joined the Heavenly Kingdom relatively late, so he had no chance to meet His Royal Highness the Fu Wang. However, after the news of the Yang'an War broke out eight years ago, His Royal Highness the Fu Wang sent someone to contact me. Since then, Wen Cai has been in contact with His Royal Highness the Fu Wang through his messengers, but has not been able to get a chance to meet and talk in person."

"I see." Mei Dongxing whispered, and then said, "General Li has been dealing with the Qing army for half a year, so he may not be aware of General Yang's situation.

Three months ago, General Yang left his retreat in Fuzhou and gathered a group of Taiping remnants to form the Renaissance Society in the French Concession in Shanghai, claiming to invite heroes from all walks of life to jointly overthrow the Qing Dynasty and rebuild the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Moreover, according to reports from his subordinates, General Yang also invited General Li to join him in his great cause.

"After the defeat in Liuzhou, we rarely received letters from General Yang. After abandoning Luodian County, the rebels dispersed and never contacted General Yang again."

Li Wencai shook his head and asked with a puzzled look on his face, "The Prince of Fu and His Royal Highness the Prince of Han are both from the same lineage of the Heavenly Kingdom. If the Prince of Fu wants to revive the Heavenly Kingdom, why doesn't he join the National Defense Army?"

"The Heavenly Kingdom has been destroyed for more than ten years, and the old Taiping Army brothers today are no longer the same as before."

Wang Dashan, who had the most power to comment on the Taiping Army among those present, said with hint of meaning.

"Why do you say that, General Wang?"

When Japan sent troops to invade Taiwan in 1874, Sun Bin sent people to stop Yang Fuqing's untimely uprising plan, thus saving Yang Fuqing from the danger of being discovered by the Qing government. After this incident, Yang Fuqing also mentioned the support of the National Defense Army in his letter to Li Wencai. With the help of the National Defense Army, Yang Fuqing summoned more than of his former subordinates, and relying on the silver and weapons provided by the National Defense Army, Yang Fuqing incorporated several gangs of mountain bandits near Fuzhou. The armed forces under his control had a total of six or seven hundred people, a force that could not be underestimated in the counties of Fuzhou.

Yang Fuqing's downfall when he left seclusion was entirely due to the help of the National Defense Army. Li Wencai couldn't understand why Yang Fuqing left the National Defense Army and worked alone. Was there some conflict between the two sides?
"General Li has come a long way to join the National Defense Force. We are all not outsiders. I think General Li can learn about General Yang's situation in person."

Liang Xing took over Li Wencai's question and explained, "General Yang is a veteran of the Heavenly Kingdom. His Royal Highness the King of Han respected the old general's early military contributions to the Heavenly Kingdom and wanted General Yang to return to South America to spend his old age. However, General Yang was unwilling to see the Heavenly Kingdom perish and wanted to rebuild the Heavenly Kingdom on the mainland, so he did not accept His Royal Highness the King of Han's kindness." "Shanghai is a mixed place of Chinese and foreigners. If General Yang does not cooperate with the National Defense Army, it will be difficult for him to gain a foothold there."

Li Wencai understood what the other party meant and said with some regret.

"Haha, General Li, you don't have to worry about General Yang. Although General Yang is unwilling to join the National Defense Force, we in the National Defense Force still care about our old friendship and will try our best to help General Yang gain a foothold in Shanghai. After all, we were all brothers in the Heavenly Kingdom before. Although we are separated now, we can still cooperate. General Li, do you think I am right?"

"Li Wencai joined the National Defense Army, so he naturally followed His Royal Highness the Prince of Han. Since His Royal Highness the Prince of Fu has set up his own faction, I will no longer have any contact with him."

Li Wencai expressed his opinion.

"General Li, this is serious. Personal relationships do not affect the overall situation. The National Defense Forces still have some tolerance."

Wang Dashan laughed and looked at Li Wencai and said, "His Royal Highness the King of Han has two arrangements for General Li. The first is to return to South America and serve as the chief of staff in China, responsible for teaching officers jungle combat skills. The second is to serve as the deputy governor of Nanyang and assist Lord Mei in handling Nanyang affairs. Which one would General Li choose?"

"I have fought in wars for half my life, and I am not used to the army all of a sudden. I think it is more suitable for me to stay in Southeast Asia."

Li Wencai thought about it for a moment and quickly made a decision.

"It's a great thing that General Li is willing to stay in Nanyang. Songkhla City Lord Wu Jin requested a general from the National Defense Force to help Songkhla train its troops a few days ago. It just so happens that General Li is both civil and military. I would like to send General Li to Songkhla. What do you think?"

"It's up to you, my Lord, to decide. I have no objection."

Li Wencai's face was calm, but he felt depressed.

He had led troops in battle for more than ten years and was one of the most famous people in the southwest region. However, after joining the National Defense Force, Mei Dongxing's first order was to arrange a nominal position for him with no soldiers and no power. Under this arrangement, Li Wencai instinctively thought that Mei Dongxing was excluding him.

Perhaps guessing what Li Wencai was thinking, Mei Dongxing smiled and added, "The area controlled by the Wu regime is several times that of Lang Son and Quang Ninh. The area of ​​Kelantan controlled by the National Defense Army alone is as large as 1.49 square kilometers. After General Li arrived in Songkhla, he not only helped Wu train his army, but the 1500 soldiers stationed in Kelantan also obeyed your command.

Songkhla is a place that His Royal Highness the King of Han has taken a fancy to. It is as important as Lang Son and Quang Ninh. General Li has a heavy burden on his shoulders. After arriving in Songkhla, General Li should handle local affairs carefully. "

"Thank you for your guidance, Master Mei."

After the other party's explanation, Li Wencai's depression quickly disappeared and a hint of joy appeared on his face.

"General Li, I have a personal matter that I would like to ask for your help."

After Mei Dongxing introduced the position that Li Wencai needed to be responsible for in Songkhla, Wang Dashan immediately spoke up.

"General Wang, please speak."

"I heard that the Lord of Songkhla has a beautiful daughter. I would like to ask General Li to help me find out about her and see if she is married."

"Is General Wang interested in the daughter of the Wu family?"

Li Wencai asked curiously.

"I already have a wife and children at home, why would I want to catch the attention of other girls?"

Wang Dashan smiled awkwardly and explained, "I was entrusted by Lord Liu and other lords to look out for a suitable candidate for the queen for His Royal Highness the King of Han. General Li, please don't misunderstand me."

"I see. Wencai was reckless."

Li Wencai apologized and then promised, "Choosing a queen for your highness is the most important thing. After I arrive in Songkhla, I will definitely discuss with Lord Wu to choose a suitable queen for your highness."

(End of this chapter)