Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 169 Fighter
Zhu Lang looked at the expressions on the faces of the ministers below and was silent for a while.
He was sure that Zheng Chenggong and his men would not surrender. In his previous life, Zheng Chenggong had rebelled even though he had lost contact with the imperial court. Now that Zhang Tongchang had come to Fujian to make connections, how could he not rebel?

Moreover, Zhu Lang was not only certain that Zheng Chenggong would gather troops to revolt, he also knew that if Zheng Zhilong really surrendered to the Qing, he would definitely not be in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou now.
After Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in his previous life, he was directly detained by Bolo and then transferred to the capital. He never returned to the south for the rest of his life.

If Tong Yangjia and others were not lying, then Zheng Zhilong was very likely to have gone to Fuzhou to surrender and was sent to the capital by the Qing court. It is unclear whether Zheng Zhilong is still in Fujian Province.
In other words, Zheng Zhilong's troops in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, Fujian Province, are now very likely to be in a state of disarray.

The main force of the Qing army on the border of Fujian and Guangdong had been destroyed under the city of Guangzhou. Bolo's army was far away in Fuzhou. There were no troops belonging to the Qing court in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou.
If the news of the destruction of Tong Yangjia, Li Chengdong and others spread to Fujian Province at this time, Zheng's army in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou would certainly be in chaos. At that time, the imperial army would approach Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. Under the call of Zheng Chenggong, the two prefectures of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou would most likely directly surrender to the Ming army.
But Zhu Lang couldn't say these things. How could he say that although Zheng Zhilong surrendered, his son Zheng Chenggong would definitely not surrender because he had the imperial court in his heart?
Or was it that the Qing court was confused and would directly detain Zheng Zhilong and send him back to the capital after he surrendered, causing chaos in Zheng Zhilong's troops in Fujian Province?

If he said this, Chen Zizhuang and others would be horrified and would go to call the imperial physician.
Zhu Lang was also somewhat helpless at this time. After a moment of silence, he had no choice but to continue speaking.
"I have learned about the situation of Zheng Zhilong's army in detail from the Lincha Office of Fujian Province. The situation in Zheng Zhilong's army is extremely complicated, and many people are determined not to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Zhang Tongchang's entry into Fujian this time will definitely win over a group of military generals who are loyal to the court."

"As long as the troops enter Fujian Province, the two places will cooperate and the imperial court will have a chance to capture Zhangzhou and Quanzhou."

Upon hearing this, all the officials looked at each other, and then continued to remain silent.
What Your Highness said is completely the same as what he said just now. He is still assuming that there are people in Zheng Zhilong's army who are determined to rebel against the Qing Dynasty and can cooperate with the court from inside and outside.
But even if there are people in Zheng Zhilong's army who are unwilling to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, so what? Zheng Zhilong is the commander-in-chief of the Zheng army. Zheng Zhilong commands a large army. Even if there are people under him who are unwilling to surrender, can't he send troops to suppress them?

Lu Daqi and others were also officials of the Longwu court. How could they not know Zheng Zhilong's status in the Zheng family? Even the Longwu Emperor was helpless against Zheng Zhilong. Could it be that there was someone in the Zheng family who could resist Zheng Zhilong?

Zheng Zhilong had long occupied Fujian Province. With Zheng Zhilong in charge of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, the imperial court had no chance at all.
Zhu Lang looked at the silent ministers below and understood what they were thinking, so he simply stopped explaining and gave the order

"The strategy that Lord Chen has proposed to recover Guangdong is very sound. We can proceed accordingly. Deng Yao of the Wuxiang Army will be promoted to the general of Nanxiong. Let him lead 3,000 infantrymen of the Wuxiang Army to guard the Meiguan line in Nanxiong as before. If the Qing invaders come from the direction of Jiangxi Province, let Deng Yao hold the city gate firmly and not fight for merit."

"In Chaozhou and Huizhou, the Longxiang Army Cavalry will be responsible for the recovery of Huizhou. After the Longxiang Army Cavalry recovers the counties of Huizhou, they will first station troops at the border of Huizhou and do not return."

"The Wuxiang Army was led by Li Hou himself. The entire army broke camp without stopping on the way and attacked Li Shilian's troops directly. After defeating Li Shilian's troops, they quickly recovered the counties of Chaozhou and then immediately sent people to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou to gather information, contact Zhang Tongchang and others, and find out the situation of Zheng Zhilong's troops in Fujian Province."

"Commander Ma, reorganize the Tengxiang Army as soon as possible. Once a war opportunity arises in Fujian Province, not only will the Longxiang Army enter Fujian, but the Wuxiang Army will also go together."

"Master Lu, you should lead all the officials in the court to immediately transfer food, money, and military equipment from Guangxi and Guangdong provinces to Guangzhou."

"Mr. Chen, you are responsible for transporting military equipment and food to Chaozhou to supply the Wuxiang Army. If there is a chance of war in Fujian Province, the Wuxiang Army must march into Fujian Province immediately. No logistical problems must be allowed to occur to the Wuxiang Army."

"I obey your order." Lu Daqi and others thought for a moment, then stood up and responded respectfully.
Although it seems that His Highness has not given up the idea of ​​taking advantage of the chaos to raid Fujian Province, there is no problem with His Highness's arrangement at this time.
Regardless of whether Fujian Province has an opportunity to take advantage of it, Zheng Zhilong has more than 100,000 troops stationed in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. Chaozhou is the front line at this time, and the court must send a large army to garrison it.
Jiao Lian's Longxiang Army was a royal guard, so they naturally had to stay in Guangzhou to guard the city. The Tengxiang Army was newly established, and the court would never let it go even if it could. The most suitable army to guard Chaozhou at this time was Li Mingzhong's Wuxiang Army.
Jiao Lian and the others were quite satisfied with this decision. Chaozhou and Huizhou were now short of troops, so the so-called leading the army to recapture the two prefectures was simply a free military achievement.
Your Highness's move is actually to divide the military merits of the two governments equally between the two armies, which is also very fair.

As for Li Shilian on the Chaozhou-Huizhou border, Li Mingzhong did not take him seriously. According to the court's intelligence, Li Shilian's army had been formed for only a year. Currently, the Wuxiang Army had 2,000 cavalry and more than 5,000 armored soldiers.
This time, the Wuxiang Army has 17,000 soldiers. If they are defeated by Li Shilian's 3,000 local soldiers, then Li Mingzhong will not need to be punished by the court. He can just die in battle to apologize.

"I still hold the same opinion. There will definitely be opportunities for war in Fujian Province. There are many factions within the Zheng family, and it is not something that Zheng Zhilong alone can overwhelm. If the Zheng family in Zhangzhou and Quanzhou splits, and the news of the court's victory spreads, Zhangzhou and Quanzhou will surely be in chaos."

"If we can recover Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, the situation in the court will be different immediately. At least the whole of Guangdong will be safe. Recovering the lost territory will boost morale."

"The imperial court will first send food, salaries and military equipment to Chaozhou for 30,000 men per month. Don't be lazy. If you miss the opportunity to fight because of insufficient food, salaries and military equipment, I will punish you without mercy."

Zhu Lang had a serious look on his face, and the ministers were also shocked when they saw the cold look on His Royal Highness the Regent's face. They stood up again and responded.
Zhu Lang saw that all the ministers responded to his order, thought about it, and felt that everything that needed to be discussed had been discussed. He looked at the sky and waved to Li Chengzhi.

"You all worked hard last night, and I'm afraid you didn't get enough rest. I called you here early this morning. Thank you for your hard work."

"It's noon now. I have ordered the kitchen to prepare some food. Let's eat some and then go downstairs to rest."

"The court was able to achieve this victory thanks to the dedication of all of you. I would like to thank you for your hard work on behalf of the court."

Zhu Lang looked solemn and bowed to the ministers.

"Your Highness personally braved the enemy's attacks and brought this victory to the court. We dare not claim credit for it."

The ministers heaved a sigh of relief when they heard His Royal Highness the Regent's words, knowing that today's meeting should end here.
Seeing His Royal Highness the Regent stand up, they were also startled, and all stood up and saluted, saying that they dared not

Soon after Li Chengzhi left, the attendants brought food to the table. Roast chicken, pigeon soup, steamed spareribs with black bean sauce, stuffed tofu, and steamed meat with bamboo shoots were all home-cooked dishes. Zhu Lang and the ministers finished their meal in the hall and then went to rest.

(End of this chapter)