Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 189 Lonely Army
Tongan County, Aotou
In the barracks, Zhang Kentang was sitting at the table with a book in his hand. He had already had breakfast and it should be the time for training in the camp, but inside and outside the barracks, it was quiet.

Zhang Kentang was holding a book in his hand, seemingly reading, but his eyes were fixed on the empty space in front of him, and no one knew what he was thinking about.

The door suddenly opened. It was already November, and the weather was getting colder day by day after the beginning of winter. A cool breeze blew into the room. Zhang Kentang suddenly woke up and subconsciously looked at the figure who walked into the room.
Zhu Shunshui carefully closed the door, then walked down to the hall and bowed to the old man above.

"teacher"

When Zhang Kentang saw Zhu Shunshui, a hint of understanding flashed across his face. Without waiting for Zhu Shunshui to speak, he said directly:

"Shunshui, but there is something going on in the army again." Zhu Shunshui's real name is Zhu Zhiyu, and he took the name Shunshui.

Zhu Shunshui looked at the tired old man above him, and after a moment of silence, he spoke

"Yes, the army has less than ten days' worth of food and wages. There was a drought this autumn and the harvest in Tongan was poor. The price of rice in the city has soared since winter, and the army has very little silver left."

Zhang Kentang was silent for a while after hearing this, and then he spoke

"I have a few paintings and calligraphy from the Song Dynasty in my room, as well as some gold, silver and jade ornaments. You can take them to Tongan to sell, and then buy military rations and bring them back."

Zhu Shunshui looked at the old man above him, but did not respond. After a long while, he spoke in a deep voice.

"The army is stationed here, and it costs thousands of gold coins every day. How many calligraphy and paintings do you have left to sell? If you sell the calligraphy and paintings today, you can get a few days of military rations. What will we do after a few days? This is not a long-term plan."

Zhang Kentang looked at the student who kept asking questions, but his face was silent for a long time.

At this moment, a sharp light flashed in Zhu Shunshui's eyes, and he said

"I have been in and out of Tongan a lot recently, but I have learned that the city defenses in Tongan County are in disrepair and there are almost no soldiers available."

"We have thousands of troops under our command. It would be better to move them to Tongan and take the county's treasury and food to support the troops."

Zhang Kentang's face suddenly turned serious when he heard this. He said

"No, we are only recruiting soldiers under the order of the court. How can we attack and occupy prefectures and counties at will without the imperial order? If so, what is the difference between us and those rebels who divide the land and plunder the money?"

"Besides, the Zheng family has always regarded Zhangzhou and Quanzhou as their own private territory. This place is only a hundred miles away from Anping. Zheng Zhilong has always been domineering. If we raise troops to capture Tongan now, I am afraid Zheng Zhilong will immediately raise troops to drive us away."

"We only have a few thousand soldiers, but Zheng Zhilong has tens of thousands of troops. How can we stop him? Even if we can defend the city, the people of Tongan will probably suffer from war and chaos."

"This is absolutely not feasible!"

Zhu Shunshui sighed in his heart when he heard what Zhang Kentang said.

He has always known his teacher's temperament. In fact, he knew Zhang Kentang would never agree before he proposed it, but this is the only way to persist now.
Zhu Shunshui looked at Zhang Kentang with a determined look, and he was completely desperate.

Zhu Shunshui looked at the gray-haired Zhang Kentang above him, and was silent for a long time. Suddenly, he spoke softly.
"In that case, teacher, why don't you just dismiss this soldier?"

"you……"

Zhang Kentang looked shocked, but Zhu Shunshui did not wait for Zhang Kentang to speak and said in a deep voice:

"Teacher, you recruited this army to respond to the order of the late emperor and cross the sea to the north. But now that the late emperor is gone, what is the point of spending all your family wealth to support this army?"

Zhang Kentang fell silent after hearing this. He stared at the student in front of him for a long time without saying a word.
Ever since he decided to recruit soldiers, his student has been by his side, helping him manage food and wages, handling logistical matters in the camp, getting up early and going to bed late every day, and never complaining.
In fact, some people in the army had long advised him to disband the troops, but he insisted on doing so, which is why he has managed to keep the troops together until now.

But now even his closest student is urging him to disband the soldiers, which makes him feel a little confused.

As a former governor of a region, Zhang Kentang has his own ideas and will not be easily influenced by others.

But the problem now is that even he himself doesn't know what's the point of continuing to maintain this army.

At the beginning of the year, Emperor Longwu issued an edict to the court and the public, deciding to launch a northern expedition. Zhang Kentang was ordered to prepare the troops in Fujian Province. When the army was ready to cross the sea, Zheng Zhilong forcibly confiscated the boats and food before the expedition was launched, and the northern expedition was aborted.
In anger, he asked for permission to go out and recruit soldiers to fight the Northern Expedition again.

He spent all the money of the Zhang family and finally recruited 6,000 soldiers. He was about to return to the court to report and ask for a date for the Northern Expedition. But at this time, news came that the Qing army had entered Fujian and the previous emperor was in trouble.
Previously, his military power was taken away, and he had no way to march north. Now he has a large army, but he still has no way to march north. The previous emperor suffered, the court was scattered, and they don’t even know who to march north for now.
Zhu Shunshui looked at Zhang Kentang, who was sitting on the chair with a dejected look, and felt heavy in his heart. His teacher had always been arrogant and strong. Since he became his disciple, he had never seen such a panicked look on his teacher.

But Zhu Shunshui thought about the current situation in the army, and his heart became ruthless. He said in a deep voice
"Yesterday, Xu Fuyuan, the military supervisor, reported that the weather is getting colder and the soldiers in the camp keep asking for winter clothes and quilts. We haven't received our military pay for two months, so we can put it off for a while, but the cold-weather supplies cannot be delayed, otherwise there will be chaos in the army."

"Last night, General Ru Yingyuanru also came to report that the army has not received pay for a long time, and food is getting scarcer. The soldiers in the army have long been complaining, and soldiers have been deserting the camp. More than 50 people have deserted in the past three days alone."

"Teacher, we originally recruited 6,000 soldiers, but now there are only 3,000 left in the camp, and nearly half of them have fled." "Teacher, this army can't hold on any longer."

With every word Zhu Shunshui spoke, Zhang Kentang's face turned paler.

Zhu Shunshui looked at Zhang Kentang who still refused to speak, but he hardened his heart and continued to speak.

"A few days ago, a student friend wrote to me, saying that there is a rumor in Anping City that Zheng Zhilong intends to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Zheng Zhilong saw the Qing troops entering Fujian, but he recalled more than 100,000 troops to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou. It is obvious that he has already revealed his rebellious intentions. I am afraid that he will rebel sooner or later."

"Once Zheng Zhilong surrenders to the Qing Dynasty, your army will surely become a thorn in his side."

"Teacher, have you spent all your wealth to maintain this army just to take us with you to fight Zheng Zhilong to the bitter end?"

Zhang Kentang looked at Zhu Shunshui who was speaking angrily, his mouth slightly opened, but he could not speak for a long time.

Zhu Shunshui said that Zheng Zhilong would rebel sooner or later, but he knew that Zheng Zhilong had already rebelled.
Tong'an and Anping are only a hundred miles apart. Zhu Shunshui could get the news, so how could Zhang Kentang not get the news?

Zhang Kentang had been exchanging letters with Zeng Ying and other former officials and gentry in Anping City, and was very familiar with the developments in Anping.
But the more he thought about it, the more desperate he became. As Zhu Shunshui said, it was meaningless for them to continue to maintain this army. Instead, it might invite Zheng Zhilong's attack, putting everyone in danger.
In this case, it would be better to disband this army as soon as possible.
Seeing the old man leaning back in his chair with a tired look, Zhu Shunshui knew that Zhang Kentang was already wavering, so he spoke again.

"Once Zheng Zhilong rebelled, the entire Fujian Province would be lost. Teacher has always been at odds with Zheng Zhilong. It is meaningless for us to stay in Fujian Province now. In this case, we might as well leave Fujian as soon as possible and try to recover later."

Zhu Shunshui's eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance. Seeing Zhang Kentang coming, he spoke directly without waiting for Zhang Kentang to ask.

"I received a letter from home a few days ago, and I learned about the situation in Zhejiang Province. His Highness Lu Jianguo did not disappear after the defeat, but crossed the sea to Zhoushan Island!"

"It is now rumored in Zhejiang Province that His Royal Highness the Regent of Lu has gained the support of Huang Binqing, the general of Zhoushan, and has established a temporary residence on Zhoushan Island."

"According to the letter, His Royal Highness the Regent of Lu has now gathered tens of thousands of naval forces and is preparing to cross the sea to restore the situation. Chen Zilong and others from Jishe have also secretly contacted the gentry in Jiangnan in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, ready to meet the king's army at any time."

"Teacher, instead of waiting to die in Fujian Province, why not go to Zhoushan to assist His Highness Lu Jianguo? Teacher, you are a famous minister in the country and will definitely be useful to the court. Then your talents will be able to be fully utilized and you can also assist His Highness to restore our Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Kentang heard this, but a sharp light flashed in his eyes. He sat up straight, stared at Zhu Shunshui in front of him and said:

"Are you sure that His Royal Highness Lu Jianguo is really in Zhoushan?"

"This matter is clearly stated in the letter, there is no mistake. The student will bring the letter to you later, and you can come and see it in person."

Zhu Shunshui was relieved to see Zhang Kentang regain his former vigorous and decisive appearance, and he quickly said

"Teacher, it is really useless to stay in Fujian Province now. We are all from Jiangnan. Zhoushan is separated from Jiangnan by a river. As long as we arrive in Zhoushan, we can immediately return to our hometown..."

Zhu Shunshui tried to persuade him again, but before he could finish, Zhang Kentang waved his hand to stop him.

Zhang Kentang sat on the chair, thinking for a long time, and finally sighed and said

"I followed the order of the late emperor to march north, but he died on the way. I have survived until now, and my division has never left Fujian. Now you want to disband your division. I will not be able to face the late emperor in the future."

"However, the Qing invaders are cruel and ruthless, and our Ming Dynasty is in danger. I am not keeping this body alive, but to make efforts with this broken body to recover."

"The heavens can bear witness to my heart, and I will die serving the king in this life."

Zhang Kentang stood up and bowed deeply towards Fuzhou, then without any hesitation, he said
"Shunshui, go and inform your general to distribute the remaining rice and food in the camp to the soldiers, and then let him disband the army."

Zhang Kentang sighed softly. Zhu Shunshui's face relaxed when he heard this. He was about to answer.

At this moment, a loud shout suddenly came from outside the door.

"Can't disperse!"

The two people in the room were stunned when they heard the shout, but before they could react, a man in a blue Xiezhi official robe strode into the room.
I will update once every few days to prepare the outline for the next part.

The next part is to completely recover the Fujian Province, and this part will be very fast. In fact, after recruiting the generals of the Zheng family, the Fujian Province is already in the hands of the protagonist.
In the next part, Lu Jianguo, Bolo and others will appear, so you need to spend time to look up information

I know many of my classmates are complaining about the lack of updates, but this is not because I am lazy. If I could update more, I would definitely want to do so. If I write more, my income will be higher.

But I am not satisfied with what I wrote even if I speed up, so how can I publish it? I can only ask for your understanding. I will try to post more after preparing the outline. Thank you all
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(End of this chapter)