Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 230 Threat
In the hall, Qian Sule and other officials of the Lu clan all lowered their heads and dared not speak.
In fact, Zhu Lang's words were somewhat far-fetched. When the Prince of Lu in Hangzhou surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, all the royal family members who fled to Zhejiang Province surrendered one after another, but the Regent of Lu was the only one who refused to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. This allowed Zhang Guowei, Xiong Rulin and other Zhejiang scholars to use the Regent of Lu as a banner to rally the people of Zhejiang Province.

If Lu Jianguo had not come forward to accept the throne, Zhang Guowei and others would not have known what to call for. If Lu Jianguo and others had not blocked Zhejiang Province, the Qing army would have reached Fujian Province as soon as Emperor Longwu ascended the throne.

Although Zhu Lang's words were far-fetched, the officials of Lu Fan thought about the defeats in recent years and the officials of Zhejiang Province who had just died for their loyalty. They were so ashamed that they could not speak at all.
Xiong Rulin's face became serious when he heard that Gui Jianguo wanted Lu Jianguo to give up his position.
Xiong Rulin could no longer care about anything else and said directly

"What Gui Jianguo said is so harsh. If it weren't for the emperor and ministers of Zhejiang Province defending eastern Zhejiang, how could Fujian Province have been peaceful for so long? On the contrary, it was right after our defeat that Fujian Province was declared to have fallen. This shows the merits of the civil and military officials of Zhejiang Province."

"As for what Your Highness said, it is absolutely impossible."

"I, the Regent of Lu, now have 50,000 soldiers and thousands of warships. Your Highness wants us to surrender without a word, which is absolutely impossible. If Your Highness wants to force us, we will not sit still and wait for death."

Xiong Ruolin's voice was cold, and Zheng Cai, who had been calm, finally changed his expression after hearing what Xiong Ruolin said.

Gui Jianguo and Xiong Rulin and others had previously argued about the so-called great unification. Zheng Cai just sat below and listened quietly without any reaction. Whether it was orthodoxy or righteousness, Zheng Cai did not care about these things.

But when Zheng Cai heard Xiong Ruolin suddenly threaten Gui Jianguo with a large army, he immediately frowned. Xiong Ruolin's words were impressive, but if a war really broke out, it would be his soldiers who would be killed.
Zheng Cai had a gloomy look on his face, but after thinking for a moment, he still didn't speak. Instead, he continued to sit down and observe the reactions of the other party.
He had previously presented Gui Jianguo with the conditions, but Gui Jianguo's side did not respond at all. It was obvious that the conditions he proposed were simply unacceptable to Gui Jianguo's side, so they were unwilling to even talk to him.
But Zheng Cai was also unwilling to lower his terms. In fact, the terms Zheng Cai proposed at that time were the result of his repeated considerations. He had tens of thousands of troops under his command, and in order to ensure the army's strength, he had to obtain a piece of land to pay for the army.

Since Gui Jianguo and his party rejected his conditions, Zheng Cai could only follow Lu Jianguo and others. These tens of thousands of people were his capital for survival. He would never give up his military power. In this chaotic world, military power was the only thing he could rely on.
Zhu Lang's face turned cold when he heard this, but he ignored Xiong Rulin and stared directly at Lu Jianguo above him.

"Five thousand armored soldiers, thousands of warships, King Lu, are you threatening me?"

Zhu Lang suddenly stood up and looked coldly at the Lu Regent across from him. Upon hearing what Zhu Lang said, Lu Daqi, Jiao Lian, Ma Bao and others below him also suddenly stood up and looked coldly at the Lu vassal officials across from them.

When Lu Jianguo saw Gui Jianguo standing up suddenly, he also stood up subconsciously. When Qian Sule, Zheng Cai, Zhang Huangyan and others noticed that Lu Jianguo had stood up, they had no choice but to stand up as well.
In the lobby, the two parties stood facing each other, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Xiong Rulin saw the Gui vassal officials standing up suddenly, and he immediately thought to himself that it was not good. Although the two sides were confronting each other, the Lu Regent side was obviously weaker.

On the other side, the seven or eight military officials led by Jiao Lian were all wearing iron armor. When they moved, the armor plates collided with each other, making clanging sounds. On their side, they were all wearing wide robes with big sleeves. The two sides were not in the same league at all.

Jiao Lian, Ma Bao and others were all military officers who had fought in the army. Although these seven or eight armored generals were just standing in the hall and doing nothing, the officials of Lu Fan still felt a heavy pressure coming over them, which made everyone tremble in their hearts.

A trace of cold sweat appeared on Lu Jianguo's forehead. Looking at the cold-looking young man opposite him, a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

He opened his mouth slightly to speak to ease the atmosphere between the two sides, but before he could open his mouth, Gui Jianguo on the opposite side spoke again.

"You have tens of thousands of soldiers, right? Then fight. I can lead the army to wipe out the Qing invaders, and I can also wipe out the traitors like you!"

Xiong Rulin, who was standing opposite, suddenly changed his expression when he heard Gui Jianguo directly declare war. Just now, when he reminded Gui Jianguo that Lu Fan still had a large army, he spoke tactfully in order to avoid provoking Gui Jianguo's side and causing the current situation.
But who knew that Gui Jianguo was so overbearing that he would immediately call for fighting and killing if he disagreed with someone?
Lu Jianguo and Qian Sule and other court officials were even more worried. Fifty thousand soldiers might sound scary, but armies are different.
The armies of the Gui clan even destroyed the main force of the Qing army in one battle. What could they use to fight the Gui clan? If they really had such strength, why did they immediately evacuate and retreat to the island of Zhongzuosuo as soon as they heard that the Qing army had returned to Fujian?
All the officials of Lu Fan were terrified, but Gui Jianguo, who was standing opposite him, sneered and spoke again.

"You are a bunch of rabble, and you actually want to threaten the imperial court. To deal with a riotous army like you, I don't even need to send troops. I just need to block the coastal cities and prevent the export of food and money, and all of you will die."

"If you have the guts, send troops to the shore to rob food. I want to see how many of you there are, and whether my army can kill you."

When Zheng Cai heard this, his face finally darkened. Now, tens of thousands of people from Lu Jianguo's side were hiding on several offshore islands such as Zhongzuo and Jinmen.
These islands alone are definitely not enough to support these tens of thousands of troops. The reason why they can still stay safely on the islands is all because of the food and wages they brought with them when they evacuated Fujian Province.
Now both Minyue and Yue are in the hands of Gui Jianguo. If Gui Jianguo and others really ban the rice grains in the two provinces, then within a month, the army on Zhongzuosuo Island will be out of food. Tens of thousands of troops gathered on an isolated island, once the food is cut off, no one dares to think about the consequences at that time.
Zheng Cai's army had a large number of sea vessels, so they could catch fish to replenish their food supply, but this could only delay the time when food supplies ran out. Tens of thousands of soldiers couldn't rely on eating fish to solve their food and salary problems, right? How could this be possible?
Once the island runs out of food, then they will have to go ashore and grab food, just as Gui Jianguo said.
The most elite troops of Gui Jianguo happened to be the land division. If they were caught by Gui Jianguo's army once on the shore, the sailors under Zheng Cai would probably suffer heavy casualties in an instant.

This Gui Jianguo is really a cruel person.

Zheng Cai's face was gloomy. He thought for a long time but could not think of a solution. In the end, he was afraid that his only choice was to take a group of navy ashore as the other party said and fight with Gui Jianguo's side.

Qian Sule and other officials of the Lu vassal state also thought of the terrible consequences of Gui's lack of food, and their faces became panicked.
Zhu Yihai looked at Gui Jianguo who was full of murderous intent and felt terrified. He could not help but speak.

"I and the King of Gui are both members of the Ming royal family. Now that the Qing invaders are invading from the south, how can we, the royal family, kill each other? We should still seek peace, seek peace..."

Lu Jianguo was slightly fat. He bent slightly and wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeves. He kept talking, but he couldn't think of how to make Gui Jianguo withdraw his troops and stop the war. He could only keep saying that peace was the most important thing.

On the other side, Gui Jianguo had a cold expression on his face and said nothing, which made Lu Jianguo look even more flustered.
Seeing that the other party still refused to answer, Xiong Rulin finally lost his temper and said

"We have just borrowed a ship to transport troops to help His Royal Highness the Prince of Gui defeat the Qing invaders. Why is His Royal Highness calling for killing now? What is His Royal Highness the Prince of Gui preparing for now?"

"Very good, very good. We two clans have just joined hands to fight the enemy. We are friends, not enemies. We can discuss anything. There is no need to hurt the harmony." Upon hearing this, Lu Jianguo's eyes lit up and he immediately agreed. When Gui Jianguo on the opposite side heard the words of borrowing a ship to transport troops, his expression seemed to ease a little.
After Lu Jianguo finished speaking, Gui Jianguo was silent for a moment before speaking in a cold voice.

"You must know that the reason I am willing to meet you today is not because of the tens of thousands of soldiers under your command."

"Perhaps you think that with these soldiers you can negotiate terms with the court, but in my eyes, you are nothing but a bunch of defeated soldiers. Even if there are twice as many of these rabble, they are still vulnerable in my eyes!"

Zhu Lang spoke in a cold voice. Seeing that Xiong Rulin, Zheng Cai and others on the opposite side had gloomy faces but remained silent, he was slightly moved. He knew that the other side must have become timid, so he continued to speak.

"I am willing to come to see you today because of Zhu Dadian, Zhang Guowei and other officials from Zhejiang Province who died for their country, and because you sent ships to transport troops to help the court defeat the Qing invaders."

"You were willing to lend me the ship to transport troops that day, which shows that you still have a sense of justice and know how to consider the overall situation. That's why I am willing to come here to talk with you. If not, it would not be me who came today, but the cavalry of my army!"

"The reason why I still let you stay here is not because I cannot wipe you out, but because I do not want to see the Han people killing each other again."

"What the King of Lu said just now is right. After all, our two vassals are from the same royal family. Before the Qing invaders, as long as you don't lose your righteousness, we will be friends and not enemies. I am willing to talk to you. Not only you, but also any Han people who want to drive out the Qing invaders in this world, I am willing to talk to them."

Qian Sule, Zhang Huangyan and other officials of the Lu clan looked at the cold Gui Regent and felt a little strange in their hearts.

Although they also knew that Gui Jianguo's series of actions today were definitely the result of the planning of the officials in the Gui vassal court,

But just the words and actions of His Highness Gui Regent in this hall today also made everyone in Lu Fan feel that His Highness the Regent was different. In contrast, their own His Highness Lu Regent was obviously weaker than this Regent Gui.

Zhu Lang didn't care what the officials of Lu Fan were thinking. He hesitated for a moment and then spoke again.

"I think you are reluctant to give up the false title of Regent. If that is the case, then you can go wherever you want, whether it is Zhoushan or Nanzhili, as long as it is a place occupied by the Qing invaders."

"The Qing invaders now occupy most of the Central Plains. You can conquer these places as you wish. How many places you can conquer depends entirely on your ability. The imperial court will never interfere."

"Don't you want to be the regent? Then just go for it. If you can capture the Southern Capital, or if you can go straight to the capital and capture the Tartar emperor, then you won't have to fight for it, and the people of the world will recognize you as the legitimate rulers."

When Qian Sule, Shen Tingyang and other people from the Lu vassal state heard this, they could hear the sarcasm in the words of His Royal Highness Gui, the Regent. Recovering the Southern Capital and killing everyone in the capital?
At first, they claimed to have hundreds of thousands of soldiers in Zhejiang Province, but in the end they couldn't even capture Hangzhou. Now they only have tens of thousands of navy troops who obey orders but not propaganda. They still want to enter Nanjing. Isn't this a dream?
Xiong Ruolin's face was uncertain when he heard what Gui Jianguo said. Although Gui Jianguo did not allow them to withdraw from the vassal state, he wanted to drive them away. Xiong Ruolin was still thinking about how to deal with this matter, but Zheng Cai below suddenly changed color and could no longer hold back his temper. He spoke directly

"Impossible. Zhongzuo and the surrounding islands have always been the base of our navy. We have been stationed here for a long time. It is not the lost territory of Fujian Province recovered by Gui Jingguo. Your Highness wants to seize the islands of Lu Jingguo's court out of thin air. It is absolutely unreasonable. Lu Jingguo's court will never..."

Xiong Rulin heard Zheng Cai directly refused in the name of the Lu Jianguo court, and his expression suddenly changed, but Zheng Cai didn't care. The islands in Zhongzuo were his base for many years. How could he abandon his old nest and go to Zhoushan Nanzhili?
As for rejecting Gui Regent in the name of Lu Regent's court, that was also a matter of course. Why did he welcome Lu Regent to Fujian in the first place? Wasn't it so that he could use the name of Lu Regent when needed? Otherwise, what was the use of Lu Regent!
But before Zheng Cai finished speaking, she was interrupted by Gui Jianguo on the other side. Zhu Lang looked at Zheng Cai on the other side and said coldly
"You'd better understand that I'm asking you to leave Zhongzuo, not discussing with you!"

"Where is your station?"

"If I hadn't defeated the Qing invaders, they would have already arrived on the island by now. How could you sit on the island and argue with the imperial court?"

"Since the imperial court has defeated the Qing invaders in Fujian Province, the entire Fujian Province now belongs to the imperial court!"

"Now the imperial court has deployed tens of thousands of troops on the border of Fujian and Zhejiang. The imperial court's soldiers are at the front to defend the border and protect the people of Fujian and Zhejiang. You have gathered tens of thousands of troops, but you want to sit back and watch the court and the Qing invaders suffer losses."

"Although this plan is good, you are thinking too well!"

Xiong Rulin and Zheng Cai, who were standing opposite, both changed their expressions when they heard this, but Zhu Lang ignored their expressions and said in a cold voice:
"I'm going to make it clear to you today. You must leave Zhongzuo within one month!"

"Not only in Zhongzuo, but also in the coastal areas of Fujian and Guangdong, you are not allowed to stay. I will provide you with a batch of food and money. Whether it is Zhejiang Province or Nanzhili, as long as it is the place occupied by the Qing invaders, you can go with you, but after one month, you must leave Fujian Province."

"I have allowed you to establish your own faction, which is already a way of tolerating you for the sake of the country. If you still have selfish motives and are prepared to hide behind the court and live in peace, then the court and Lu Fan will go to war immediately!"

"Even if I have to abandon Zhejiang Province, I will first dispatch troops to kill you and then fight against the Qing invaders."

Zhu Lang's cold shout echoed in the hall, and Xiong Rulin and other Lu Fan officials heard these murderous words, and their expressions suddenly changed.

(End of this chapter)