Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 184 Advance and retreat
West City, Shifu Mansion

Shi Fu and Huang Ting sat on the left, Yang Geng sat on the right, and below them were Shi Lang, Huang Erhui, and Yang Jing. These three were all nephews and nephews of Shi Fu and others in the army.

Shi Fu glanced at the people in the field and spoke softly.

"Since August, the situation in central Fujian has changed several times a day. The Qing invaders entered Fujian, the late emperor suffered, and we were defeated all the way back to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou."

"And now the Duke wants to lead us to surrender to the Qing. This matter concerns the safety of tens of thousands of men in our army. We must be careful. At this point in time, I'm afraid it will be difficult for us to get out of this matter."

"Given the current situation in Fujian Province, the Duke is determined to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Zheng Cai has surrendered to Lu as the Regent, and today another Regent, Gui, who was supported by the old ministers of Longwu, has arrived. What do you think we, the Fujian generals, should do now?"

Shi Fu looked at Huang Ting and Yang Geng, but they were both frowning and silent. Although they were discussing it, it was not something that could be easily discussed.

Needless to say, Zheng Zhilong had accumulated power in Fujian Province for decades, and it was not an exaggeration to say that he was the King of Fujian.
Lu Jianguo has a sense of justice, and Zheng Cai has tens of thousands of naval forces under his command, making him a local hero.

The Gui Regent claimed that he was the legitimate descendant of the emperor, and he was supported by Lu Daqi and other old officials of Longwu. If what the envoy said was true, the Gui Regent also dominated Guangdong Province, which was just behind Fujian Province, and could send troops to Fujian at any time.

None of these parties are easy to deal with. No matter which side they choose, they are likely to be attacked by the other two parties.
Moreover, once they decide to join one side, as newly surrendered people, they will almost certainly be driven to the front line to fight immediately. When the armies fight, it will be a matter of life and death. Now everyone is in a dangerous situation. Who can make a decision easily?

Shi Fu saw that Huang Ting and the other man were silent, so he looked at the three young officers below, but saw that they were also silent.
Shi Fu no longer hesitated and looked directly at Shi Lang below.

"Shi Lang, you always like to talk about military affairs, why are you silent now?"

"What do you think about this matter? Tell me first."

When Shi Lang saw Shi Fu calling his name, he did not panic. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then spoke loudly.

"This matter is of great importance. How to proceed should be decided by the uncles."

"We youngsters have limited knowledge and should not comment on this matter, but since your uncle has asked, then you should also tell me what you think and give your uncles a reference." Shi Lang's name is Zunhou.
Shi Lang bowed to the people above him, and then continued speaking.

"Let's talk about the Duke first. The Qing court is now powerful and has occupied most of Fujian Province. Except for Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, the rest of Fujian Province is occupied by the Qing court. This shows how powerful the Qing court's infantry is. This is also the reason why the Duke wants to surrender to the Qing."

"But surrendering to the Qing Dynasty also has its disadvantages. The Qing court attaches great importance to shaving the head. All soldiers who surrender to the Qing Dynasty must shave their heads. Soldiers like us have always valued our hometown. If we surrender to the Qing Dynasty and force soldiers to shave their heads, I am afraid that people will be unstable."

"But this is not the most worrying thing. I have studied the Qing court's style of doing things privately. The Qing court has a tradition of driving surrendered soldiers to attack cities. All newly surrendered troops are either dispersed or driven to the front to attack cities and seize territories, while the Qing court headquarters sits in the rear to supervise the army."

"If we surrender now, we will probably be driven into the Qing army and sent to attack the strong city of Guangdong Province. If the siege fails and we lose soldiers and generals, we will probably be swallowed up by the Qing government."

"So you think we should surrender to the Ming Dynasty?"

Shi Fu frowned slightly when he heard what Shi Lang said, and spoke softly

When Shi Lang heard this, he shook his head and said

"There are pros and cons to joining the Ming"

"Let's talk about the Gui Regent first. Although he claims to have the support of Lü Daqi and others as well as the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces, we have never heard of him before, and no one knows whether what they say is true or not."

"The key point is that we don't know how many soldiers Gui Jianguo has. If Gui Jianguo is just a royal family member secretly supported by Lu Daqi's group of civil officials, then he is useless even if he is orthodox."

"If there is no army in this world, no matter how orthodox he is, he may not be able to control the place and resist the Qing invaders."

"Speaking of Regent Lu, there are also problems. Regent Lu has been the regent of Zhejiang Province for several years, so he can certainly be regarded as the orthodox one. However, after Regent Lu was defeated in Zhejiang Province, he has been out of touch for half a year. Now that the Duke has just left for Fuzhou, Regent Lu suddenly appeared and said that he would move to Fujian Province."

"Although Zheng Cai wants to welcome Lu Jianguo to Fujian, if I am right, Lu Jianguo may have been controlled by Zheng Cai at this time."

"If we surrender now, we are nominally surrendering to Lu Jianguo, but in reality we are surrendering to Zheng Cai. I am afraid that we will have to bow down to Zheng Cai in the future."

When Shi Fu heard this, his heart sank and he said

"If what you said is true, then we can't vote for either side now."

Shi Lang shook his head again and said

"How can I not surrender? Nowadays, even those bandits who have risen up in the south of the Yangtze River know that they need to ask for an official position in the imperial court. They are in a position of justice. Although my uncles command a large number of troops, they are still only generals of one side. I am afraid they do not have the ability to form their own side."

"The three uncles have 30,000 to 40,000 troops in their hands. No matter which side is at this moment, it is impossible for them to be ignored."

"If we try to build a camp and wait and see what happens, I'm afraid we will become a thorn in the eyes of all parties, and our situation will be even worse."

At this point, Shi Lang's voice sank and he said

"The most important thing for us to decide right now is whether we are prepared to continue to support the Ming or surrender to the Qing. This is the most important thing."

"Only after this is settled can we come up with a strategy for subsequent actions."

After Shi Lang finished speaking, he looked at Shi Fu and the other two above him. The younger generation could offer various suggestions, but the decision on whether to surrender to the Ming or the Qing could only be made by Shi Fu and other generals in the army.

However, despite this, Shi Fu and the other two were still undecided, because this was also a big problem that was difficult to decide.

Huang Erhui, who was below, saw that his father and Shi Fu were both silent, but he suddenly spoke loudly.

"I am not as clear as Brother Shi Shi in calculating, but if it comes down to whether to surrender to the Ming or the Qing, I would rather continue to support the Ming."

"We have all received great favors from the imperial court. Now we are all dukes, barons, and governors. If we rebel now, how will the world view us?"

"Brother Shi Shi said that the Qing Dynasty's land division is very powerful, but I don't agree. No matter how powerful the Qing Dynasty's land division is, can it still catch up to the sea?"

"We all started out on the sea, and there are islands and reefs all along the coast of Fujian Province. If the Qing Dynasty attacks, we can just hide on the islands."

"When the Qing army withdraws, we can take the boats back to occupy the coastal prefectures and counties again. What can the Qing government do to us?"

When Huang Erhui said this, a trace of dissatisfaction suddenly flashed across his face, and he said angrily
"I just don't understand why the referendum had to vote for the Tartar when there are so many other options."

"The Duke has hundreds of thousands of troops under his command. If he does not surrender to the Qing, either Regent Wu Gui or Regent Lu will definitely try to win over the Duke."

"Now that Gui Jianguo has even offered the title of prince, can the title of prince of the Ming Dynasty be inferior to that of the governor of the Tartars? Then we can become marquises of the Ming Dynasty with dignity. Why do we have to shave our heads and become Tartars?"

"Now that the Duke has surrendered to the Qing, we are in a dilemma. If we follow the Duke, we will have to rebel against the Ming. If we support the Ming, we will have to rebel against the Duke. How should we choose?"

Huang Ting saw that Huang Erhui was getting bolder and bolder, and his face darkened. He gently scolded

"Just talk about the matter, why bring up the Duke? What right do you have to comment on the Duke?"

"He has surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, but he is still a duke. What he has done, can't others criticize him?"

Huang Erhui said something angrily, and Huang Ting's face immediately became stern when he heard it, staring directly at Huang Erhui below.
Huang Erhui was also shocked to see his father angry. He glanced at the generals with different expressions on the field and immediately reacted. His face changed slightly and he kept silent.
"I have a reckless temper and I spoke without thinking. I hope you can forgive me."

Huang Ting bowed to Shi Fu and others and said, and Shi Fu obviously knew what Huang Ting was worried about, so he waved his hand and said
"Brother Hua Ming, you are worrying too much. These are all our brothers and nephews. Don't worry."

However, after Huang Erhui's somewhat rebellious remarks just now, everyone in the room was cautious and unwilling to speak easily.
Shi Fu saw that everyone in the hall was silent, and he knew that they would not be able to reach any conclusion for a while, so he was ready to let everyone go. But before he could open his mouth, a personal soldier hurried into the hall.
The guard walked up to Shi Fu and whispered something in his ear. After hearing the report, Shi Fu's face flashed with a strange look. He glanced at the crowd and said:

"Then please ask him to come over."

The guards hurriedly withdrew. Before anyone could ask Shi Fu, a burly man in a brocade robe had already rushed into the hall. Shi Fu looked at Zhou Hezhi in the hall and said:

"Brother Jiuyuan, you came here in a hurry today and asked me to summon all the generals. What's the matter?"

Zhou Hezhi was also a famous pirate in the coastal area of ​​Fujian Province in his early years. After Zheng Zhilong became powerful in Fujian Province, Zhou Hezhi also led his troops to surrender.

After Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, Zhou Hezhi also changed his status and became a general of the Ming Dynasty. During the Longwu period, he was even granted the title of General Dinghai.
Zhou Hezhi now leads a navy of two to three thousand men and is a well-known middle-level general under Zheng Zhilong.

Although Zhou Hezhi was also a general of the Zheng family, the navy under his command were not soldiers of the Zheng family, but the soldiers of Zhou Hezhi when he was a pirate at sea in his early years.
There were many generals like Zhou Hezhi in Zheng's army. These generals owned all their warships and soldiers. They were very independent and basically only obeyed the command of Zheng Zhilong. Therefore, Zhou Hezhi and others were not very close to Shi Fu and other direct generals of the Zheng family.
Zhou Hezhi was slightly surprised when he saw the people gathered in the hall, but he quickly calmed down, straightened his face, and said

"Today, Jiuyuan has come to your house to ask for an audience with Wu Yibo and the generals. I have learned of an urgent matter and would like to ask for your help."

"The Gui Regent delegation is now surrounded by the troops sent by Zheng Sanye and Zheng Cai. After all, the Gui Regent delegation is the angels of the court. As the ministers of the Zheng family, how can we act like this?"

"Jiuyuan came here today to ask the generals to rescue Gui Jianguo and his entourage."

"What did you say"

When Shi Fu and the others heard this, their expressions changed instantly. Today, the Gui Regent and his party had just appeared in the Zheng Mansion, and now they had just left the Zheng Mansion for a short time, and they were surrounded by people sent by the Zheng family.

As for people like Shi Lang and Yang Geng who were very sharp-minded, they thought of many things in an instant, and couldn't help but secretly say in their hearts, "What a good decision!"
Shi Fu did not notice his nephew's expression, and his face became serious. He said

"Where did you get the news? Is there any misunderstanding?"

"There is no mistake. This news came from a member of the Gui Jianguo delegation who took advantage of the chaos to escape from the mansion and came to my house to report it in person."

"Mr. Zheng Sanye and Zheng Cai's men are outside the envoy's residence now. If Lord Wu Yi doesn't believe it, he can send someone to take a look. There is no doubt that they are right."

Zhou Hezhi spoke in a deep voice, and was about to continue asking Shi Fu and others for help, but at this moment, Yang Geng, who had been silent on the right, suddenly spoke

"Why would the people from Gui's envoys go to Brother Jiuyuan for help? Has Brother Jiuyuan decided to betray Zheng and join the Ming?"

Everyone in the room was stunned when they heard this, and then their expressions were slightly different. They all looked at Zhou Hezhi in the hall.

The Gui Regent delegation had just appeared today, and now they were able to drive middle-level generals like Zhou Hezhi to come for help. They couldn't help but think about it.
Zhou Hezhi's expression changed slightly when he heard this, but he soon spoke directly

"I am a good friend of Lin Cha from the Gui Regent delegation, so Lin Cha sent his entourage to ask for help from me."

"As for what Commander Yang said about surrendering to the Ming, I don't know what he meant. Jiuyuan has been a Ming general from beginning to end, so how can he surrender to the Ming?"

Zhou Hezhi had a firm look on his face, and everyone in the room was shocked when they heard what Zhou Hezhi said. Thinking of his previous statements in the army, they immediately understood his position.

Zhou Hezhi was probably just like Zheng Cai, planning to rebel against Zheng Zhilong and no longer follow him to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. However, this made everyone even more shocked.
First it was Zheng Cai, then Zhou Hezhi. From top to bottom, people in Zheng's army kept jumping out and directly resisted Zheng Zhilong.

Shi Fu and other direct generals had long been accustomed to Zheng Zhilong's pressure on Fujian Province, but when they saw that middle-level generals like Zhou Hezhi dared to raise the flag to resist Zheng Zhilong, Shi Fu and others were also greatly shocked.
Since Zhou Hezhi can do it, why can't these generals who have more troops under their command do it?
At this time, Zhou Hezhi saw that everyone was silent, thinking that Shi Fu and others did not want to intervene in this matter, and he did not care about much, and spoke in a deep voice again
"You are all dukes and governors of the Ming Dynasty, and have received great favors from the late emperor. Are you really going to follow Zheng Zhilong and surrender to the Qing Dynasty to become Tartars?"

Zhou Hezhi stared at everyone, but Shi Fu and the others remained silent. Seeing this, Zhou Hezhi became more and more angry and said angrily
"I can tell you clearly that although I, Zhou Jiuhua, was born a bandit, I also know what loyalty, righteousness, benevolence and filial piety are. I am a Ming man in this life and a Ming ghost in death. If you have decided to follow Zheng Zhilong and surrender to the Qing, why not capture me, a Ming thief, now and offer me to the Tartars as a merit."

Everyone in the room was shocked to hear Zhou Hezhi's resoluteness. Shi Fu's expression froze, and he quickly spoke.

"Brother Jiuhua and I have known each other for many years. Why did you say such angry words?"

"But Brother Jiuhua also knows that the situation in the city is extremely complicated at this moment. After all, Mr. Zheng San is the person in charge of the Duke's Mansion, and we are all generals under the Duke's command. Even if Brother Jiuhua wants us to come forward, he must give us time to discuss it."

Although Shi Fu tried to refuse verbally, Zhou Hezhi's eyes lit up when he heard that Shi Fu did not refuse explicitly.

Zhou Hezhi thought for a moment and continued speaking.

"I and the other generals are all generals under the Duke, but we are also military officials of the Ming Dynasty. Although the Duke is noble, is it more honorable than the imperial court?"

"Minister Zhang and his men are angels, representing the imperial court. The Duke's Mansion is using their subjects to besiege the imperial angels. How can this be in accordance with etiquette?"

Shi Fu and others above still refused to speak. They knew that Zheng Hongkui's siege of the envoys' residence was against etiquette, but the Zheng family had done many things that were against etiquette. This was not what they cared about.
This was no small matter. Once the three of them came forward to protect the delegation, it would mean that these direct lineage generals had begun to break away from the Zheng family and had their own independent will.
Zheng Zhilong still has his power. Once he surrenders to the Qing Dynasty and returns to regain control of the situation, they will definitely be liquidated by Zheng Zhilong. Therefore, they will never give in easily.
Seeing that no one was willing to respond, Zhou Hezhi changed his mind and spoke again.

"I think that the generals are just thinking about their own interests, so they should come forward to rescue the Gui Regent Mission."

Shi Fu and the others raised their eyebrows when they heard this and looked at Zhou Hezhi in the hall.
"As Wu Yibo said, the situation in the city is extremely complicated right now."

"Although Zheng Zhilong forced us to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, it can be seen from General Zheng Cai's resolute surrender to Lu Jianguo that Zheng Zhilong's move must be unpopular in the army, so General Zheng Cai was supported by the soldiers."

Seeing that Shi Fu and the others were silent and had no objection, Zhou Hezhi was determined in his heart and spoke loudly again.

"If you generals have made up your mind to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, then I don't need to say anything more. But if you generals have not made up your mind, then you should rescue the Gui Regent Mission and never let the Mission be controlled by the Duke's Mansion and Zheng Cai."

"If we allow the Gui Regent's envoys to be trapped by the two Zhengs at this time, if the generals find that the Qing invaders are not trustworthy and intend to support the Ming and rise up in rebellion, won't they have no choice but to join the Lu Regent's side?"

"Even if you decide to join the Lu Jianguo side, if Gui Jianguo and his group are here, you can still take the initiative. Rescuing Gui Jianguo and his group now will leave you with an extra way out."

"Even if you all want to follow Zheng Zhilong and surrender to the Qing, envoys are not killed when two countries are at war, and the Duke's Mansion should not imprison and humiliate the imperial envoys at this time."

Shi Fu listened to what Zhou Hezhi said, but he ignored the last part. He thought about what Zhou Hezhi said about the way out, and nodded slightly in his heart.

If these people finally decided to surrender to the Ming Dynasty, then as Zhou Hezhi said, the Gui Regent Mission would be a way out for them.

If the Gui Regent faction really controls the two provinces of Guangxi and Guangdong as Zhang Tongchang said, and is supported by the southwestern provinces, then it is indeed a faction worth joining.

Moreover, even if they eventually wanted to surrender to Lu Jianguo, the presence of Gui Jianguo's envoys would allow them to obtain a higher price from Lu Jianguo and Zheng Cai.
When Shi Fu thought of this, he no longer hesitated and said

"Brother Jiuhua is right. No matter what the future holds, we are still the subjects of the Ming Dynasty."

"It is indeed inappropriate for the Duke's Mansion to send soldiers to surround the Angel's Mansion at this time. I think we should pick up the Gui Regent delegation at this time. What do you think?"

Huang Tingyang thought about it and realized the seriousness of this matter. Since they had not yet figured out whether to surrender to the Qing or Ming, it would be better to keep a way out for themselves.

Moreover, this was a decision made by the three of them together. With Zheng Cai as an example, even if Zheng Zhilong was dissatisfied with them afterwards, he would not dare to do anything to them.
Zheng Cai was able to rebel, so Zheng Zhilong was not afraid that he would force them too much. Would they also rebel?

Huang Ting and Yang Geng looked at each other, and they sat down and decided to speak.

"What Wu Yibo said makes sense. It is wrong for the Duke's Mansion to surround the angels. Zheng Cai is an envoy of the Lu Regent State, and it is even more unreasonable for him to surround the Gui Regent State's envoys."

"At this time, the Gui Regent's envoys are undermanned. I think we can bring the Gui Regent's envoys to Xicheng, and let our military generals guarantee the safety and freedom of movement of the Gui Regent's envoys," Huang Ting said softly.

Shi Fu saw that Huang Ting and Yang Geng also nodded in agreement, so he stopped hesitating and looked at Shi Lang below and said

"Shi Lang, you and nephews Huang and Yang will lead people to the south of the city to receive the Gui Regent delegation to the west city."

"Remember, you are here to pick someone up, don't get into conflict with the Duke's Mansion or Zheng Cai's people."

"Nephew understands"

Upon hearing this, Shi Lang immediately understood Shi Fu's meaning, stood up, bowed, and walked out of the hall.
Shi Lang, Huang Erhui and Yang Jing left the hall and immediately called the men in the mansion, and then led them to rush towards the west city.
(End of this chapter)