Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 220 Recovery
Chaozhou City, government hall, Zhu Lang sitting at the top, ministers gathered below
Needless to say, Lu Daqi, Jiao Lian and other attendants also hurried back to Chaozhou after yesterday's victory, Li Mingzhong, Ma Bao and others arranged the troops.

Zhu Lang looked at the head on the tray below and said

"Is this the Bolo?"

"Your Highness, this man is the fake Qing prince Bolo. After the city was captured yesterday, this Tartar Bolo was still stubborn and tried to resist. In the end, he was hit by the artillery in our camp and died on the spot."

"When the soldiers found Bolo, half of his body had been turned into dust, with only his head intact," Li Mingzhong said respectfully.

The eyes of the head on the tray were tightly closed. After being treated with nitrate, the head was completely white. It was impossible to tell what Boro looked like before his death. It only gave off a faint smell of decay.

After the Battle of Guangzhou, Zhu Lang had developed resistance to these things, and he did not show any fear when he saw the head on the tray.

Zhu Lang looked at the head on the tray again, but he couldn't see what was so special about this Beile of the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, there is no possibility of anything magical. Whether it is the Han people or the Jurchens, they are just mortals. How can there be any magic?

Zhu Lang looked calm, but the ministers below were excited.

Lu Daqi looked at the head of Bolo in the hall, suddenly stood up and said

"This time the imperial court won a great victory over the Qing invaders, and even killed the Qing invaders' leading beile, and captured and killed dozens of Qing dukes, marquises, generals and other various invaders."

"This battle is truly a great victory that has never been seen since the Jiashen Incident. Your Highness led the army to defeat the Qing invaders, and their frenzy subsided. From this point on, the offensive and defensive positions of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing invaders have changed, and there is hope for the revival of the Ming Dynasty."

After Lu Daqi finished speaking, all the officials below stood up. The military officers were relatively calm, but the civil officials such as Su Guansheng and Zhang Jiayu were flushed and looked excited.

Only officials like Lu Daqi and Zhang Jiayu, who had repeatedly supported the Ming Dynasty and felt desperate, knew what this great victory in Fujian Province meant. The so-called Ming Dynasty's revival was no longer an empty talk, but a fact within reach.
After Zhu Lang called up the ministers, his expression was quite calm. After experiencing the great victory in Guangzhou, he had become immune to the flattery and praise of the ministers. Flattery is good, but hearing it every day will eventually make you tired.

The results of the Battle of Guangzhou naturally cannot be compared with the great victory in Fujian Province this time, but for Zhu Lang, the Battle of Guangzhou was far more thrilling and unforgettable than the great battle in Fujian Province this time.
Although Zhu Lang was also happy at this time, his heart was quite calm.
Zhu Lang looked at the ministers below who were all delighted, waved his hand, and said:

"Fujian Province is a great victory, but you should not be arrogant. Although Bolo is a Beile, there are princes above Beile in the Qing court, and princes above Prince. A Beile is nothing to the Qing court."

"When we can capture and kill Dorgon or Dodo, we will be able to truly control the defense and seize the initiative."

The ministers below were speechless when they looked at His Royal Highness the Regent above. They thought they had dared to think big enough, but they never thought that His Royal Highness the Regent was even wilder than they thought.
Capture and kill Dorgon Duoduo?
If they could capture and kill these two, then the Ming Dynasty would probably be able to recover the capital soon.
His Highness the Regent had advised them not to be arrogant, but now it seems that it is His Highness the Regent who should face reality.

When they say that there is hope for rejuvenation, they really only mean to preserve half of the country and allow the Ming Dynasty to continue, but His Highness is already thinking about how to capture the capital.

Lu Daqi and other ministers looked at each other in silence for a moment, and Zhu Lang saw that the ministers below had become alert after his reminder, and a trace of satisfaction flashed across his face, so he said no more and spoke directly
"Let's start discussing what to do next in Fujian Province. Let's discuss it."

When everyone heard what Zhu Lang said, their faces straightened. Lu Daqi thought for a moment, then stood up and said:
"The imperial court has won two battles in Zhao'an and Changtai. The main forces of the Qing invaders in Fujian Province have been completely defeated by the imperial court. I think the imperial court should quickly send a large army to quickly recover the prefectures of Fujian Province and send troops to occupy important places in Fujian Province while the Qing invaders have not yet reacted!"

The Ming army and the Qing army had been at war in Fujian for nearly a month. Now that the Qing army had been completely destroyed, it was naturally time for the Ming army to reap the spoils of war.
Zhu Lang nodded slightly after hearing what Lu Daqi said. In fact, although Zhu Lang did not inform them in advance, everyone in the hall knew that what they were going to discuss today must be this matter. Otherwise, why would they need to recall Li Mingzhong and others from the front line?

Zhu Lang had already planned this in his mind, so he spoke directly.

"What Elder Lu said is correct. The Qing invaders were suddenly destroyed. The Qing army in Jiangnan will definitely not have time to react at this time. We must immediately advance and recover, and seize various important places first. We cannot delay any longer."

"The most important places in Fujian Province are Xianxia Pass and Shan Pass. One of these two passes leads to Zhejiang and the other to Jiangxi. They must be controlled by the court first."

"I want to lead the Longxiang and Wuxiang cavalry first, go through Chaozhou to Tingzhou Prefecture in Fujian Province, then from Tingzhou to Shaowu and Jianning Prefectures, and capture the two passes."

"These two cavalry units must move quickly. After entering Tingzhou, they must march all the way to solicit surrender, but they must not stop to attack the city. The key is to capture the two passes first. Li Mingzhong will lead the Wuxiang Army to follow the cavalry and then recover the three prefectures and counties along the way."

At this time, most of the Ming army was still in Zhao'an, which was only a hundred miles away from Chaozhou Prefecture. Instead of going from Zhao'an to Zhangzhou to enter Fujian, it would be faster to withdraw the Zhao'an army back to Chaozhou and then go from Chaozhou to Tingzhou to enter Fujian.

The ministers below all nodded slightly when they heard this. The importance of Shanguan and Xianxiaguan to Fujian Province is self-evident. As long as the Ming army controls these two passes, it will be difficult for the Qing court to enter Fujian Province by land. These two passes must be controlled by the court.
"Then there is Zheng's army in Zhangzhou."

"This Fujian Army has 30,000 to 40,000 people. We cannot use them, but we must be cautious."

When Zhu Lang said this, his expression froze and he fell into deep thought.
Below, Lu Daqi, Jiao Lian and other civil and military ministers looked at each other and their faces became serious.
They also understood what His Royal Highness the Regent meant. Although these Fujian troops had assisted the imperial court in winning a great victory in Fujian Province, they had only recently surrendered, and no one knew what the situation of these Fujian troops was.
The imperial court's army entering Fujian this time was only about 30,000, and the number of these Fujian troops was actually larger than that of the imperial court. How could the imperial court not be afraid of this?
This has nothing to do with killing the donkey after it has done its work. No matter who comes now, they cannot be indifferent to such a large Fujian army. If they enter Fujian Province without any defense, if Shi Fu and others come to purge the court, or even ask the court to give them land and make them kings, how should the court respond then?

Lu Daqi thought about the battle report sent by the court earlier, his eyes flickered slightly, and at this moment he suddenly spoke softly

"I remember that Doctor Zhang reported to me earlier that when Shi Lang led his troops to capture Zhangzhou, Zheng Zhilong was killed by the Qing invaders on the city wall."

When the officials in the court heard Lu Daqi suddenly mention Zheng Zhilong, they were also stunned, but soon Su Guansheng, Zhang Jiayu and others below all had their eyes brightened.

Zheng Zhilong was killed when Shi Lang attacked the city. No matter who was responsible, Shi Lang could not escape responsibility.
The two largest factions in the Fujian Army are the Shi Family and the Zheng Family. Shi Lang watched Zheng Zhilong being killed in order to attack the city. Shi Lang and the Zheng Family have already had a grudge, which is exactly what the court can take advantage of.

Seeing that everyone in the room suddenly understood, Lu Daqi chuckled and said:

"I think the Shi family can be of great use at this time."

The Zheng family has too much influence in Fujian Province. Almost all the generals in Fujian Province are former members of the Zheng family. Even if they surrender to the imperial court at this time, these former generals in Fujian Province are easily influenced by the Zheng family. If they are not curbed, in a few years, the Zheng family may become more powerful in Fujian Province.
But at this time, Zheng Jiagui had made great contributions, but he could only be rewarded and not punished, otherwise he would be criticized by the world.
In this case, why not set up another party in Fujian Province, let the two parties check and balance each other, and divide the influence of the Zheng family on Fujian Province?

At this time, the Shi family is the best target. Shi Lang is not only a general under Shi Fu, but also Shi Fu's nephew. Shi Fu must not give up Shi Lang to repair the relationship with the Zheng family.

Since there is already a rift between the Shi family and the Zheng family, why not make the rift bigger, improve the Shi family's status in Fujian Province, and use Fujian people to control Fujian people, so that the court can stand above them and mediate between the two sides.

When the imperial court has completely taken control of the personnel in Fujian Province, both the Zheng and Shi families will have no choice but to obey orders.

Zhu Lang was suddenly enlightened when he heard what Lu Daqi said. Zhu Lang looked at Lu Daqi below and was a little surprised.
This Lu Daqi doesn't seem to be very capable on weekdays, but when it comes to personnel matters, this Lu Daqi is as sharp as a different person. It can only be said that these civil officials who can become the prime minister are really good at it.
Zhu Lang thought for a moment and then said

"What Elder Lu said makes sense. The Shi and Zheng families have made great contributions and should be given important positions."

"Order Zheng Chenggong's troops to go north from Changtai to recapture Yanping Prefecture." "Order Shi Fu and Huang Ting's troops to set out from Zhangzhou, led by Zhang Kentang, to advance by land and sea to recapture the three prefectures of Quanzhou, Xinghua and Fuzhou."

"Ma Bao, you lead the Tengxiang Army from Zhao'an, pass through Zhangzhou and join forces with Shi Fu and others to capture the three prefectures together."

After Zhu Lang finished speaking, he turned to Su Guansheng and said

"Lord Su, take 2,000 horses captured in the city and give them to the Tengxiang Army. Also take 2,000 sets of armor and send them to the Tengxiang Army. When we go to capture Fuzhou, the Tengxiang Army must show its might and let the Fujian Army see the power of our imperial guards."

"Jiao Lian will lead the Longxiang Army to protect the central government, and escort me and the other ministers into Fujian, and eventually meet with the other armies at the foot of Fuzhou. What do you think?"

Zhu Lang told the plan in his mind, and then looked at everyone in the hall, and everyone nodded slightly after thinking for a while.
The main forces of the Fujian Army were the Zheng family and the Shi family. At this time, Zheng Chenggong and Shi Fu were ordered to attack one route each. This was to seize the time to capture Fujian Province and to separate the Fujian Army so that they could not unite.

To the west of Yanping Prefecture is Tingzhou Prefecture, and to the north is Jianning Prefecture. After Zheng Chenggong's troops recapture Yanping, they will be under the surveillance of the Wuxiang Army.
As for Shi Fu and Huang Ting, they were suppressed by Ma Bao's Tengxiang Army and the Longxiang Army that arrived later, which was enough to ensure that these two Fujian armies could not cause chaos.
Zhu Lang's arrangement was not only to guard against the unfamiliar Fujian Army, but also to divide the results of the battle.
After the main force of the Qing army in Fujian Province was defeated, only a few scattered soldiers were left in the various prefectures of Fujian Province. At this time, no matter where the Ming army marched from, it would basically not encounter any resistance.

The Longxiang and Wuxiang armies took the three prefectures of Dingzhou, Shaowu, and Jianning for their military exploits. The Zheng family took Yanping Prefecture, while the Tengxiang army of the Shi family and Huang Ting took Quanzhou, Xinghua, and Fuzhou. In this way, when the imperial court evaluated their merits later, everyone in the three armies would receive a reward.

Seeing that the ministers had no objection, Zhu Lang decided to march forward. Zhu Lang looked at the military officials on the right and said:

"This great victory in Fujian Province is entirely due to the dedication of all the generals and soldiers in the army. I hope you will continue to work hard. After the conquest of Fujian Province, I and the court will celebrate for you generals again."

"Serving the court is a very tiring job for me."

Upon hearing this, all the military officials below immediately stood up and saluted in response.

After everyone in the hall had discussed and decided, the Ming troops in various parts of Fujian Province immediately took action and marched towards various prefectures in Fujian Province.
As the armies were systematically recovering the prefectures, Zhu Lang finally entered Fujian Province under the escort of the Longxiang Army.
Zhongzuo, Lu Jianguo, Xiong Rulin, Zheng Cai and others were also discussing the matter.

It was the twelfth lunar month, and the wind was biting cold on the island. Lu Jianguo, wearing a fox fur coat, looked at the battle report in his hand with an expression of disbelief on his face. He could not help but ask:

"Did the King of Gui really kill Beile Bolo?"

Zheng Cai heard this and said

"Yesterday afternoon, the Gui army used dozens of red-haired heavy artillery to knock down the walls of Zhao'an, and then tens of thousands of Gui army attacked Zhao'an together."

"The Tartar Beile Bolo tried to resist stubbornly, but was eventually killed by the artillery fire of the Guiwang army. Others, such as the general Baiyintu and the deputy general Duerden, were also captured and killed. The Guiwang army killed thousands of Qing captives in this battle, and all the Qing troops in Zhao'an City were destroyed."

"A few days before this, Shi Lang successfully attacked Zhangzhou, and then led his troops to attack Changtai. The Qing troops under the city of Changtai were unprepared, so Shi Lang and Zheng Hongkui and others in Changtai joined forces to defeat the Qing troops under the city of Changtai, capturing and killing countless people."

"After the two Qing armies were destroyed, the Qing troops in Fujian Province were completely wiped out, and there were no more troops available."

Although they had read the battle report before, Xiong Rulin, Qian Sule and others were still shocked when they heard what Zheng Cai said. They didn't know how to react for a long time, and the hall fell into silence for a while.
They were defeated by Bolo's army in Zhejiang Province, so they lost their cities and territory and fled to the sea in a hurry.
However, these Qing troops, who were once so arrogant in Zhejiang Province, were defeated by the King of Gui at this time. Even the main general Bolo was killed by the King of Gui's army. How could they not be shocked?

They were easily defeated by Bolo, and now Bolo was defeated and killed by King Gui. Doesn't that mean they have no power to fight back in front of King Gui?

Although no one in the Lu Jianguo court had seen the King of Gui, the image of a heroic and majestic young man had already emerged in everyone's mind.
When everyone looked at the slightly fat figure above, looking at the battle report in his hand with a dull expression, Lu Jinguo couldn't help but sigh in their hearts and shook their heads secretly.
Everyone in the field was silent. In the end, Xiong Rulin was the first to react. He looked at the battle report in his hand, a hint of fierceness flashed in his eyes, and he said

"The two main forces of the Qing invaders have been destroyed. Now the Qing invaders have no more troops available in Fujian Province. Now our army has all the ships and boats. I think we should quickly send a large army and march by sea to seize Fuzhou!"

When Lu Jianguo heard this, his eyes lit up. Fuzhou was not an ordinary place. It was the capital of the Longwu Dynasty.

Now that the main force of the Qing army in Fujian Province has been wiped out, the remaining Qing army must be in a panic. If the army suddenly arrives in Fuzhou at this time, it is possible that the Qing army in Fuzhou will surrender directly.

If he could take back Fuzhou from the Qing army, then his reputation as the Regent Lu would surely spread throughout the country, his prestige would be greatly enhanced, and he would drive out the Qing invaders and recover the old capital. Who else could do this after Jiashen? At that time, he, the Regent Lu, would be the true leader of the revival in the eyes of the people of the world!
When Lu Jianguo thought of this, he couldn't help but tremble in his heart. However, before he could open his mouth to agree, Zheng Cai below spoke up.
"No, this is absolutely not feasible!"

When Lu Jianguo heard Zheng Cai's objection, his face immediately flashed with dissatisfaction, but Zheng Cai ignored it and continued to speak.

"Both the Qing armies in Fujian Province were defeated by the King of Gui. The main force of the King of Gui's army is still there. If we seize Fuzhou first, wouldn't we be stealing credit?"

Xiong Rulin heard this and said directly
"Duke Jianguo is wrong. The Qing invaders in Fujian were defeated by our Lu Regent Court and the King of Gui. If our dynasty had not lent us warships, how could Shi Lang and his men under the King of Gui have captured Zhangzhou by surprise? The credit for defeating the Qing army in Fujian should also be shared by our dynasty!"

"Besides, we are sending troops to encircle and suppress the Qing invaders and take back Fuzhou from them. How can it be said that we are stealing the credit?"

Xiong Rulin was planning to use the large number of warships on the island to transport troops by sea, so that he could get to Fuzhou before Gui Jianguo and capture the city.
Upon hearing this, Lu Jianguo could not help but nod his head repeatedly. They were sending troops to recapture Fuzhou from the Qing invaders in an upright manner, not to seize the city of Gui Jianguo. How could they be said to be stealing credit?
But Zheng Cai sneered when he heard this and spoke directly

"Lord Xiong is just deceiving himself. Lord Xiong can say whatever he wants to us, but will King Gui and others listen to what Lord Xiong has to say?"

"Prince Gui and his men have been fighting the Qing invaders in Fujian for a month, spending an unknown amount of money, food and manpower before they defeated the Qing invaders' main force. Now Lord Xiong is planning to seize the capital of Fujian Province while Prince Gui and his men are unable to transport their troops in time. Does Lord Xiong think Prince Gui and his men will really give up?"

"If the King of Gui and the Qing invaders are both defeated, then what Elder Xiong said is still plausible. But Elder Xiong, don't forget that with Shi Lang and others, the King of Gui now has nearly 100,000 soldiers in Fujian Province. Has Elder Xiong thought about the consequences of angering the King of Gui and others?"

When Qian Sule, the regent of Lu, and others heard this, their expressions changed slightly. The words "100,000 soldiers" were like cold water, instantly sobering everyone in the hall.
The Gui Wang and his men finally defeated the main force of the Qing army and were about to reap the fruits of the victory, but at this time they planned to intervene and take Fuzhou in advance. How could the Gui Wang and his men let it go?

Xiong Ruolin's excuse is good, but at this moment, the world is not about who is right, but about the strength in your hands. If you are not as strong as others, no matter how right you are, it will be useless.
Xiong Rulin heard this, but his expression remained unchanged, and he spoke directly

"Lu Jianguo and the King of Gui are both descendants of the royal family. Both sides are concerned about restoring the Ming Dynasty. We are sending troops to encircle Fuzhou at this time to recover the lost territory for the Ming Dynasty. Why should the King of Gui be angry?"

"However, the King of Gui did contribute a lot in this attack on Fujian. If the King of Gui really has complaints, then we will hand Fuzhou over to him. We are all out for the public good when we send troops to recapture Fuzhou. How could we covet this city or this place?"

Qian Sule and the others were all shocked when they heard this, but Xiong Rulin really didn't care about their expressions. He looked at Zheng Cai opposite with a gleam in his eyes and spoke softly again.

"The imperial court is now stationed on Zhongzuosuo Island, and the money and grain in the treasury are becoming scarce. How about this? After we capture Fuzhou City, all the money and grain seized will be handled by Duke Jianguo and used as military pay for the army. What do you think, Duke Jianguo?"

After Xiong Ruolin finished speaking, he stared at Zheng Cai opposite him, but the expressions of Lu Jianguo Qian Sule and others suddenly changed when they heard what Xiong Ruolin said.

(End of this chapter)