Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 213 Alliance
In the lobby of the Central Left City, a middle-aged man in a bright yellow dragon robe sits on the main seat.

The man had a three-inch beard under his chin, was slightly fat, and his clothes and temples were meticulously groomed. From a distance, he looked majestic. This man was Zhu Yihai, the governor of Lu.

Below Zhu Yihai stood a group of ministers in red robes on the left. The first one was Xiong Rulin, the chief minister of the Lu Regent Court at the time, followed by Qian Sulue, a cabinet minister. After Qian Sulue were Shen Tingyang, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, and Zhang Huangyan.
On the right are a group of military officials wearing Qilin military uniforms. The first one is Zheng Cai, who has been granted the title of Duke of Jianguo. Below Zheng Cai are Yang Geng and Zheng Lian. Below them are Zhang Mingzhen, Marquis of Dingxi, Zheng Zunqian, Marquis of Yixing, and others.

The ministers in the hall, civil officials such as Xiong Rulin and others are naturally old ministers who followed the King of Lu. Among the military officials, there are also two old generals of the Lu Regent, Zhang Mingzhen and Zheng Zunqian.
Judging from the number of people, it seems that most of the civil and military officials in the hall are ministers of Lu's regent, but the actual situation is not the case at all.

Zhongzuo is Xiamen in the future. At present, the combined forces of Zheng Cai, Yang Geng and others on the island total 40,000 to 50,000 people. Zheng Cai controls 500 to 600 warships and controls the right to enter and exit the island.

On the other hand, the Lu Jianguo side only had Zhang Mingzhen, Zheng Zunqian and others who still controlled thousands of remnant soldiers. Even Zhang Mingzhen and his two peers were promoted by the Lu Jianguo urgently to check and balance Zheng Cai and others.
In the hall, all the officials stood on both sides, and in the middle was a middle-aged man in a blue official robe.

Zhang Jiayu glanced at the ministers in the hall, but his face was calm. He looked at the middle-aged man in dragon robes above him, bowed slightly, and said:

"Zhang Jiayu, a doctor in the Ministry of War, greets His Royal Highness the Prince of Lu."

No one in the hall was surprised when they heard Zhang Jiayu's name. When Zhang Jiayu came to the island, everyone in Lu's regent state already knew Zhang Jiayu's current identity. As a minister of Gui's regent state, Zhang Jiayu naturally could not acknowledge Zhu Yihai's identity as the regent state.
Zhu Yihai looked down at Zhang Jiayu, who looked calm. The situation in Fujian Province was extremely tense at the moment, so Zhu Yihai did not want to dwell on the question of address, so he asked directly.

"Why did the King of Gui send Zhang Qing to see me this time?"

The imperial court of Gui Regent did not recognize Zhu Yihai, and Zhu Yihai himself would not recognize Zhu Lang as the regent of Gui.
The only thing Lu Jianguo and others still have now is the title of Jianguo. They naturally cannot give up this legitimate title.
Zhang Jiayu glanced at the ministers present, but did not answer the question asked by Lu Jianguo. Instead, he talked about another matter.

"The Qing invaders in Fujian Province have returned and are besieging our Ming soldiers in Tong'an and Changtai. Your Highness Prince Lu is aware of this."

“Have heard a little bit”

Lu Jianguo's face remained calm. He just replied softly and said no more.
Lu Jianguo and Xiong Ruolin, Qian Sule and others below looked at each other. They also had some guesses about the purpose of Zhang Jiayu's visit. When they heard Zhang Jiayu talking about the siege by the Qing invaders, a flash of understanding flashed in their eyes.

Zheng Hongkui, Shi Fu and others chose to surrender to Gui Jianguo. After Zheng Cai and others came back, they kept monitoring the movements of Zheng Hongkui and others in Fujian Province. How could the Qing army besiege Zheng Hongkui and others without knowing it?

In fact, Lu Jianguo and the court had already discussed several times how to deal with this matter, but Lu Jianguo and Zheng Cai and others had their own ideas, and no one could convince the other. The court had discussed several times, but all of them ended in unhappiness.
The final result was that Lu Jianguo and Zheng Cai and others, with tens of thousands of troops under their command, always sat on the island, as if they were unaware of the war in Fujian Province just a stone's throw away.

Zhang Jiayu's expression suddenly became serious when he heard what Lu Jianguo said. He said in a loud voice:
"The Qing invaders are invading the south, and Fujian Province is in danger. King Lu knew that our Ming soldiers were trapped by the Qing invaders, so why did he sit on the island with his army and not send troops to rescue our Ming soldiers?"

Zhu Yihai looked at Zhang Jiayu, who was indignant and took it for granted, and was slightly surprised. He had never thought that Zhang Jiayu would be so direct.
Why didn't he send troops to rescue? Is there any need to ask? The two Ming armies in Changtai and Tong'an surrendered to Gui Jinguo, not him, Lu Jinguo. Why should he rescue them?
Just as Lu Jianguo was about to speak, he immediately realized something was wrong. Zhang Jiayu kept talking about the Ming soldiers and never mentioned Gui Jianguo at all. It was clear that he wanted to use the righteousness of the court to pressure others.

If he used the dispute between Gui and Lu as an excuse to not help, it would immediately be seen as him, the regent of Lu, watching the Ming army being destroyed without helping.

Lu Jianguo's expression changed slightly, and his face froze for a moment, and he subconsciously looked at Xiong Rulin below.

Xiong Rulin, who was below, saw this, but his face was calm. He glanced at Zhang Jiayu in the hall and said directly:

"Who said we won't help? His Highness the Regent Lu knew that Tong'an and Changtai were surrounded, so he ordered us to mobilize troops to rescue them."

"But the Qing army has a large number of people and is powerful. It is no joke to send a large army to fight. The court is now collecting food, fodder, and weapons. As soon as the necessary supplies are ready, we will immediately send a large army to rescue them."

Zhang Jiayu looked at the calm old man on the left, but suddenly chuckled and said

"The Qing invaders have been besieging Changtai for seven or eight days. Zhongzuo is separated from Fujian Province by a river, and is only a hundred miles away from Changtai."

"His Royal Highness Gui Jianguo has come from Guangdong Province, which is a thousand miles away from Fujian Province. He has already led his troops to Fujian Province, but the King of Lu is still making preparations. Lord Yu Yin, I'm afraid you won't be able to prepare the baggage until the day when the war in Fujian Province ends."

Xiong Rulin was given the courtesy name Yuyin. At that time, Xiong Rulin was the chief minister of the Lu Regent Court. It was impossible for Zhang Jiayu to address him by his official title.

Xiong Ruolin was calm when he heard the first half of Zhang Jiayu's words, but when he heard that Gui Jianguo had arrived in Fujian Province, his face changed immediately. He didn't care about Zhang Jiayu's sarcasm and immediately said in a deep voice:

"Has the King of Gui arrived in Fujian Province?"

Zheng Cai and others in the hall were shocked when they heard that Gui Jianguo had arrived in Fujian Province, and Lu Jianguo became even more nervous, staring closely at Zhang Jiayu below.
Zhang Jiayu glanced at the people in the field, his face became serious, and he said in a cold voice
"Yes, Gui Jianguo personally led 50,000 troops and entered Fujian the day before yesterday. Now the imperial army has entered Fujian Province and is confronting the Qing captive Beile Bolo under the city of Zhao'an."

In the lobby, Lu Jianguo, Zheng Cai and others were all shocked and didn't know how to react for a moment.
Their previous focus was on monitoring the battle situation in Changtai, but they never thought that the Gui Supervisory Congress would come to Fujian to rescue

Gui Jianguo did fight a great battle with the Qing court in Guangdong Province, but that was because the Qing army entered Guangdong Province, so Gui Jianguo and others had to fight. Now that the Qing army has not entered Guangdong Province, how could Gui Jianguo and others take the initiative to provoke the Qing army?
The Qing invaders had assembled tens of thousands of troops this time, and they were coming with great momentum. After discussing with the Regent Lu, they all thought that the Regent Gui and his men would at most send people to defend Chaozhou, or at most send a small army to Fujian to strengthen their momentum. The situation in Fujian Province would ultimately depend on whether Zheng Hongkui and his men could hold on.
But now, Gui Jianguo not only came, but also led an army of 50,000 to fight in person. It was obvious that Gui Jianguo came to Fujian Province to fight a decisive battle with the Qing invaders in Fujian Province. Zheng Hongkui and others had only joined Gui Jianguo's side for more than ten days, and at this time, Gui Jianguo had already arrived in Fujian Province.

In other words, after receiving the news, Gui Jianguo led his troops to Fujian Province without any hesitation. It is likely that Gui Jianguo had been eyeing Fujian Province from the beginning.
This Gui Jianguo really has great ambitions and appetites.
Everyone in the hall was still shocked by the fact that Gui Jianguo led his army into Fujian, while Xiong Rulin, Zheng Cai and others frowned, thinking about the impact of this incident on Fujian Province and the Lu Jianguo court.

No one spoke in the hall for a while, and it was quiet. However, Zhang Jiayu ignored everyone and continued to speak.

"The Qing invaders entered the country, rotting the Central Plains, invading the territory of our Ming Dynasty, and harming our Han people. Whether it's Regent Gui or Prince Lu, they are both members of the Zhu Ming royal family. At this time, we should join forces to resist the Qing invaders."

"In one battle in Guangdong Province, the Qing invaders destroyed tens of thousands of troops. Now, Gui Jianguo is confronting Bolo in Zhao'an, and Changtai County has involved tens of thousands of Qing invaders."

"Now the Qing army in Fujian Province is all gathered in these two places, and the rest of the places are empty. Please ask His Royal Highness Lu Jianguo to quickly send troops to attack Zhangzhou. If we can defeat Zhangzhou, the Qing invaders will definitely be defeated in Fujian Province!"

Zhang Jiayu looked up at Lu Jianguo. When Lu Jianguo saw Zhang Jiayu looking at him, a trace of panic flashed across his face. He subconsciously looked at Xiong Rulin below.

Zhu Yihai was originally just a rich prince in the Prince of Lu's Palace. After Jiashen, he was pushed to his current position step by step due to the situation. He was obsessed with the power of the regent and wanted to restore the Ming Dynasty, but he had no idea how to do it.

In fact, it is really difficult to ask a prince who has been raised in the royal city to master political affairs and military affairs.

Previously, whether in Zhejiang Province or in Zhoushan and Fujian Province, the affairs of the court were actually planned by Xiong Ruolin and others. He was just following the strategies prepared by everyone in advance and acting like a benevolent monarch like a wooden sculpture.
Xiong Ruolin immediately understood the intention of Gui Jianguo after hearing what Zhang Jiayu said. The Qing army was now gathering in Zhao'an and Changtai. If they could capture Zhangzhou, they could instantly cut the Qing army in Fujian Province in half.

If they could really capture Zhangzhou, as Zhang Jiayu said, the Qing army in Fujian would collapse immediately.

But Xiong Ruolin looked at Zhang Jiayu in the hall and shook his head slightly. Not to mention that they couldn't mobilize Zheng Cai, Yang Geng and others at all, even if they could, Xiong Ruolin would not easily send troops at this time.

Everyone can talk big and talk righteously, but after experiencing the struggle between Tang and Lu, Xiong Ruolin and others understood that sometimes the so-called own people were far more dangerous than the Qing invaders!
Xiong Rulin thought of this and said softly

"Although Doctor Zhang's plan is good, Zhangzhou is located in the midst of the Qing invaders. If we are not careful, we may be surrounded by the Qing invaders. A large army fighting is no joke. Whether we should send troops or not, we still need to think carefully."

Xiong Ruolin's voice was indifferent, and it was clear that he wanted to shirk responsibility, but Zhang Jiayu's face remained unchanged when he heard it. When he proposed this idea, he had already expected that Lu Jianguo and others would definitely not send troops.

Or maybe the behavior of Lu Jianguo and others is the norm for the remaining parties in the Ming Dynasty. Each party takes care of its own business. Not to mention sending troops to rescue, as long as they don't kill each other, they are already considering the overall situation.

Zhang Jiayu's face remained unmoved. As soon as Xiong Rulin finished speaking, Zhang Jiayu immediately spoke

"Since the King of Lu thinks that an attack is too dangerous, then I will ask the King of Lu to lend me the ship to help transport troops, and let the army of the court attack Zhangzhou!"

After Zhang Jiayu finished speaking, regardless of the astonishment of the people in the hall, he directly told them Shi Lang's plan to attack Zhangzhou via Tongan, and then said in a deep voice:
"The imperial court and the Qing invaders are in a stalemate in Fujian Province. The Qing invaders are in a dilemma at this time, and Zhangzhou is their key weakness."

"We must not hesitate at this moment. Since the King of Lu feels that attacking Zhangzhou is too dangerous, then we should ask the King of Lu to borrow the ship to transport troops and watch our army defeat the enemy."

Zhang Jiayu did not forget the purpose of his visit. The so-called request for Lu Jianguo to send troops was just a cover. His purpose from the beginning to the end was to borrow a ship from Zheng Cai to transport troops.
Xiong Rulin was in a dilemma when he heard this. Zhang Jiayu's retreat made it difficult for him to refuse.

Joining forces to fight against the invaders is the righteous cause at this time, and no one dares to disobey it openly. You said that attacking Zhangzhou is too dangerous and we need to make long-term plans. Well, you don't need to send troops now, just borrow the ship to transport troops, and we will attack by ourselves. That should be fine, right?

After hearing that Gui Jianguo had entered Fujian, Xiong Ruolin immediately understood the current situation in Fujian Province. The best outcome for Lu Jianguo would be for both Gui Jianguo and the Qing invaders to suffer losses. It would be best if both sides could perish together, so that they could reap the benefits and take the opportunity to occupy Fujian Province.
Xiong Ruolin didn't want to get involved in the fight between the two parties at this time, but it was difficult to refuse Zhang Jiayu's request. Xiong Ruolin's eyes turned and he said

"Since Doctor Zhang came from Tongan, he must be aware of our current situation. We came to Fujian in a hurry and are unfamiliar with Fujian affairs. As for military affairs, they are all entrusted to Duke Jianguo at this time. The matter of borrowing a boat also needs to be discussed with Duke Jianguo."

"Duke Jianguo, the King of Gui wants to borrow warships to transport troops. What do you think of this proposal?"

Xiong Rulin looked at Zheng Cai who was standing opposite him, and everyone in the hall was focused on Zheng Cai.
When Zheng Cai saw Zhang Jiayu and the others coming, her expression suddenly changed. She couldn't help but curse Xiong Ruolin in her heart. It was obvious that Xiong Ruolin didn't want to borrow the boat, and didn't want to offend Gui Jianguo openly, so he used himself as a shield.
If he refused at this time, then in the eyes of Gui Jianguo, it was Zheng Cai who was holding a grudge against Gui Jianguo and refused to lend the boat, and Lu Jianguo and others could take the opportunity to get him out. This old thief really had a cruel heart.

Zheng Cai's mind was full of thoughts, but after a moment, his face returned to calm.
Zheng Cai stepped forward, bowed to the governor of Lu, and said respectfully:
"I am a military official, but I know how to march and fight. The matter of borrowing a boat involves both Your Highness the Regent and the Prince of Gui. This is not something I can talk about rashly, but I ask Your Highness to make the final decision."

A cold light flashed in Zheng Cai's eyes. Zhang Jiayu's sudden proposal to borrow the boat was indeed beyond his expectation. He had not thought clearly whether to borrow it or not. But whether to lend it or not, this matter was definitely not up to him to decide!
Zheng Cai welcomed Lu Jianguo to Fujian Province in order to use Lu Jianguo's name to act so that he could hide behind. If he was asked to take the lead at this time, what would be the use of Lu Jianguo?
Thanks to my classmates I am a speedboat and Zhang Huangyan's apprentice for their 500-point reward. Thanks to the classmates who were so serious, Qingcheng Buliuxian, you know too much, and the user name is a number for their reward.

Thanks to Xingyue Youxia, Yulin Shaolang, Doudoududou, Ten Years of Bookworms, Strong General Liu Sandao, Congcong Chongchong, Sitting Alone in the Pond, I Am in Jincheng, Huhuhushengwei, coo999, Stranger from Earth and other classmates for their monthly tickets
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(End of this chapter)