Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 243 Personal Expedition
In the hall, Zhu Lang ordered Li Chengzhi to give seats to the military officials in the hall. After the officials thanked him and sat down, Zhu Lang spoke directly.

"I'm sure you all know what we're going to discuss today."

"Today's discussion begins with the discussion of Huguang"

Regarding the affairs of the three provinces, the rebellion in Yunnan Province was indeed outrageous to the court, but Yunnan Province was too remote to pose any real threat to the court in Guangdong Province.

The surrender of the Western bandits in Sichuan Province was certainly a cause for great joy, but the same reason still applies: Sichuan Province is too far away from the current Guangdong Provincial Court. Even if the court wants to do something, it will be out of reach in a short period of time.
Only the affairs of Huguang were within reach of the court. Huguang was adjacent to Guangxi Province and was right next to the court of Guangdong Province.

Governor He Tengjiao has been a well-known figure in the south since the Longwu Dynasty. There are many ministers in the court who have had old friendships with He Tengjiao. At this time, such a high official refused to obey the imperial edict, which naturally caused a lot of discussion in the court.

Lu Daqi and several other ministers looked at each other. He Wuzuo thought for a moment and then bowed and said
"I and other officials in the cabinet have seen the intelligence sent by the Jinyifu. We only know that He Tengjiao refused to enter the court, claiming that the Qing invaders were making unusual moves. However, we have not seen He Tengjiao's memorial."

"Huguang is close to the front line after all. Now the three Qing kings have mobilized a large number of troops in Huguang. If there is really any movement on the front line, He Tengjiao, as the governor, should not act rashly. I wonder if there is a misunderstanding here."

As soon as He Wuzuo finished speaking, Li Chengzhi stood up and said
"It took the three Qing kings a month to go south. The imperial envoys arrived in Huguang in mid-December. At that time, the Qing army may not have left the capital yet."

"This time the delegation entered Huguang, and the towns in Huguang occupied different areas. But we know that they plundered money from various places in Hunan Province."

"Let alone at that time, I estimate that He Tengjiao and others may not know that there are Qing invaders heading to Huguang."

He Wuzuo's face froze when he heard this. Zhu Lang glanced at He Wuzuo and waved his hand, ordering Li Chengzhi to send He Tengjiao's memorial to the ministers below.

The officials of the Military Affairs Bureau took the transcribed memorial and read it. However, as they read, their faces gradually became solemn.

Zhu Lang looked at the officials below who were frowning, but he snorted coldly and said

"I asked him to transport the taxes from Huguang to the court to help it solve its urgent needs, but he asked me for money instead."

"He also said that hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Huguang were lying in the snow to defend the border, enduring hunger and cold, and almost without clothes to wear. He asked the court to quickly pay the military pay to support the court's loyal and righteous generals and not to let the loyal and righteous men feel disheartened."

"Look at what he wrote in the memorial. Liu Chengyin's 30,000 soldiers are sworn to defend the pass, while Huang Chaoxuan's 50,000 troops are stationed on the east road."

"According to He Tengjiao, the 13 towns in Huguang have a total of 200,000 to 300,000 people. The imperial court only has 100,000 people. He, the governor of Huguang, is quite powerful. The total number of soldiers under his command is more than that of the imperial court."

"He actually asked the court to pay him. In my opinion, he doesn't need to ask the court for money. Three hundred thousand troops marched south and occupied Guangzhou City. How much money would it cost? Wouldn't it be faster for He Tengjiao to move it himself?"

"I heard that during the Longwu Dynasty, some people called He Tengjiao the pillar of the South Sky. He commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, so he is just a pillar. However, my temple is too small to support such a big Buddha."

After reading He Tengjiao's memorial and hearing His Highness's sarcastic remarks, Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo and others felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.

After reading the letter, Lu Daqi and others also understood that the so-called Qingluan's unusual movements must be He Tengjiao's excuse.
This He Tengjiao is probably really unwilling to return to the court

Lu Daqi and others actually understood He Tengjiao's thoughts very well. Although He Tengjiao asked for military pay in his memorial, he actually did not expect the court to really give him military pay.
Three hundred thousand troops would cost at least several million taels of silver. Even if the Guangdong government searched all three provinces, it would probably not be able to support such a large army.

He Tengjiao just hoped that by asking for money, the imperial court would give up and stop trying to collect taxes from Huguang.

He Tengjiao repeatedly mentioned the number of soldiers and horses in each town of Huguang in his memorials, which was also a secret display of Huguang's military strength, so that the court would think twice before acting recklessly.
Lu Daqi and others were all senior officials with many years of experience, and they could clearly see He Tengjiao's intention of retreating to advance.

It's just that He Tengjiao's approach might have worked during the Longwu Dynasty, but it is counterproductive at this time.
During the Longwu Dynasty, the previous emperor had no troops, and the court was helpless when He Tengjiao showed off his military strength. At most, they could only issue an imperial decree to reprimand him, but they did not dare to turn against He Tengjiao.

However, His Royal Highness the Regent of Guangxi has now unified the troops of Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, and has just returned from a great victory in Fujian Province. He is in high spirits. At this time, He Tengjiao threatened the court with the army of Huguang, which naturally angered His Royal Highness the Regent.

He Wuzuo looked at the cold expression on the Regent's face and knew that He Tengjiao's demonstration had already aroused the Regent's anger, and the Regent would probably not let it go easily.

He Wuzuo put down the memorial in his hand, thought for a moment, and then said

"He Tengjiao used the Huguang army to threaten the imperial court, which is a heinous crime."

"But a large army going out on an expedition is unusual after all. I think Huguang is still Ming territory after all, so it is inappropriate to start a war rashly."

"Since He Tengjiao is rebellious, why not invite him to the court and wait for the court to understand the situation in Huguang before dealing with him."

"The court sent an envoy to Huguang last year. If He Tengjiao was willing to come to the court, why would I have to discuss this with you today?" Zhu Lang snorted coldly.

He Wuzuo heard this, but his expression remained unchanged. A hint of cruelty flashed across his face, and he said

"If one attempt doesn't work, try twice. If two attempts don't work, try three times. All nine attempts will work together. As long as He Tengjiao doesn't want to be cut off from the world, he will have no choice but to come back!"

Everyone in the hall was shocked when they heard this, but then Lu Daqi and others immediately understood what He Wuzuo meant. He Wuzuo was clearly imitating the story of the Southern Song Dynasty.
He Tengjiao is different from those military leaders who are self-reliant. After all, He Tengjiao is a legitimate imperial examination candidate and considers himself a noble scholar. He would not be concerned about the criticism from the government and the public.
Now that the imperial court is in control of the throne, it is only natural for the imperial court to recruit He Tengjiao. As long as He Tengjiao does not want to be disgraced, he can only come back obediently.

Zhu Lang looked at He Wuzuo, who looked calm below him, and his eyes narrowed slightly. He had never thought that this old man, who had been quite low-key since entering the court, could come up with such a vicious plan.

It can only be said that those who can become cabinet ministers are really not ordinary people.

Zhu Lang thought for a moment, but shook his head slightly. He Wuzuo's method should be able to recall He Tengjiao to the court, but this method is not good for him.

If He Tengjiao is recalled to the court in this way, then Zhu Lang will become a villain. How can this be feasible!

In fact, this is not the main reason. If recalling He Tengjiao can really solve the Huguang problem, then it would be fine if He Tengjiao suffered and took the blame.

But the problem is that the Huguang issue cannot be resolved by recalling He Tengjiao, and Huguang was just one of the reasons why he decided to go on the expedition.

His real purpose in entering Huguang this time was not to attack He Tengjiao and his group.

Zhu Lang was about to refute, but at this moment, Jiao Lian, who had been silent all the time, suddenly spoke up, and everyone's eyes were focused on Jiao Lian.
"I think that Lord He's method is only a temporary solution and not a fundamental solution. The key to Huguang is not He Tengjiao, but the thirteen garrisons."

"If we cannot make the thirteen towns submit to the imperial court, even if we change the governor of Huguang, the imperial court will still not be able to truly control Huguang."

Li Chengzhi, who was standing by, also spoke up when he heard this.

"Duke Xuan is right. According to the investigation of the Jinyifu, the sources of the troops of the Thirteen Garrisons in Huguang are extremely complicated."

"Some of these thirteen towns were the remnants of Zuo Liangyu who fled back from Jiangxi Province and refused to surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Some were the direct descendants of the Shun bandits who surrendered to the court after their deaths in Jiugong Mountain. Another part was the old army of Huguang, such as Huang Chaoxuan and Liu Chengyin. After He Tengjiao took control of Hunan Province, he used the financial resources of Huguang to form another Dubiao Battalion."

"Although He Tengjiao is now the Governor-General of Huguang, the Thirteen Garrisons only respect him remotely. The Thirteen Garrisons are also divided among the various prefectures and act independently. I am afraid that He Tengjiao cannot mobilize the troops of the other Garrisons except for the Governor's Battalion he personally recruited."

Zhu Lang also spoke up and said, "Duke Jiao is right. The towns in Huguang have now become vassal states. For these military leaders, He Tengjiao's words are useless, and the court's words are also useless."

"These military leaders are afraid of power and have no moral integrity. If the imperial court wants to take back Huguang, it can only use military force. That is why I decided to lead the army in person."

He Wuzuo saw that His Highness was still going to lead the troops to the battle, and frowned, and said

"Your Highness, there are hundreds of thousands of troops in the Thirteen Garrisons of Huguang. The court can only mobilize 20,000 to 30,000 at most. If we suddenly go on an expedition..."

Before He Wuzhuo could finish his words, Zhu Lang interrupted him with a wave of his hand.

"Huguang cannot possibly have 300,000 troops"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this, but they immediately realized that the Guangdong court now had three provinces. Zhu Lang had confiscated the property of Ding Kuichu and others, and also robbed the property looted by the Qing army in Fujian and Guangdong provinces. This was how he could barely support an army of 100,000.

All the towns in Huguang are huddled in the small province of Hunan. Even if they squeeze all the oil out of Hunan, they can't support 300,000 people.

If the towns in Huguang really gathered tens of thousands of troops as He Tengjiao said, they would have already conquered Hubei Province. Why would they have been hiding in Hunan Province and dared not move?

Although Zhu Lang can only mobilize 20,000 to 30,000 people now, he is not worried about the Huguang army mentioned by He Tengjiao.
Except for the battle of Jingzhou, when Leke Dehun led the Eight Banners Army from Jiangnan into Huguang to fight once, the rest of the time it was all the surrendered Green Camp soldiers fighting against He Tengjiao and others.
But even so, He Tengjiao and his men were badly defeated and retreated all the way back to Hunan Province. This also shows the quality of these Huguang troops.
Chen Zizhuang saw the resolute look on Zhu Lang's face, and his heart sank. He knew that His Highness the Regent had probably made up his mind.

Chen Zizhuang thought for a moment and then said in a deep voice
"Your Highness is a person of great wealth. Even if you want to conquer Huguang, why do you need to go to the battlefield in person?"

"I think it would be better to have the ministers in the court lead the army, assisted by military officials such as Duke Xuan. Your Highness is the foundation of the country, how can you easily go into danger?"

The reason why Lü Daqi, Chen Zizhuang and others opposed Zhu Lang's personal expedition was, on the one hand, of course, to suppress the military officials and reduce their influence on His Highness the Regent, but on the other hand, they were really worried about His Highness's safety.

Since Zhu Lang ascended the throne, he has either been at war or on his way to war.
Seeing that the south was at peace, they were really afraid that Zhu Lang would make mistakes. They would rather spend a few more years to slowly recover the southwestern provinces than to let Zhu Lang take the risk of leading his troops to war.
Zhu Lang glanced at Chen Zizhuang below and shook his head.
"You can't suppress He Tengjiao"

Chen Zizhuang and the others were stunned when they heard this. He Tengjiao was already a senior scholar of the Dongge during the Longwu Dynasty, and was also the Minister of War. He also served as the Governor of Huguang for several years. His qualifications and status were no different from those of the other ministers in the court.

Even if Lü Daqi and Chen Zizhuang led the troops to fight, He Tengjiao and the officials from Huguang would not take them seriously.

Now the only person who can really suppress He Tengjiao in the court is Zhu Lang, the regent.

Zhu Lang looked at Chen Zizhuang and others below and said

"You don't have to worry so much. I am not planning to lead the army to fight Huguang on a large scale."

"The purpose of my trip is to intimidate Huguang, so that the troops in Huguang can deal with Kong Youde and other Qing invaders with all their heart."

The ministers below were shocked when they heard this, and understood what Zhu Lang meant.

The Qing invaders have now sent Kong Youde and three other kings to march into Huguang. It is obvious that His Highness is preparing to use force to invade Huguang and force the armies of Huguang to fight the Qing invaders.

When everyone thought of this, a hint of sternness flashed across their faces. The Huguang army was obviously too powerful to be defeated. In this case, why not force them to fight a decisive battle with the Qing army? No matter who wins or loses, the court can calmly enter the battlefield and clean up the situation.

Zhu Lang ignored the expressions of the people below and spoke again

"And my personal expedition this time is not entirely for the Huguang issue."

"I will not stay in Huguang for long this time. After shocking the armies in Huguang, I will lead the army into Guizhou to surrender the remaining bandits in the west."

Zhu Lang's eyes flashed with a gleam of brilliance. This was the real reason why he decided to personally lead the expedition to the southwest.

Compared to the old, weak and disabled soldiers in Huguang who collapsed at the first blow in the previous life, the elite troops of the West Camp in the hands of Sun Kewang and other four generals were Zhu Lang's real target.
Zhu Lang had deliberately spread the news of the unrest in Yunnan Province in order to allow Qu Shisi to lead the Gui army to enter Guizhou Province first.

After Zhang Xianzhong's death, Sun Kewang and his men fled southwards into Guizhou under the pursuit of the Qing army. Eventually, they heard about the rebellion in Yunnan Province in Guizhou, and then they led their troops into Yunnan and occupied Yunnan Province.

Zhu Lang sent Qu Shisi to enter Guiyang first in order to block the Dashi Army's escape route to the south and block the Dashi Army between the Ming Army and the Qing Army.
This was the time when the Dashi Army was at its weakest. The Qing army had just killed Zhang Xianzhong, and Sun Kewang and others did not even have the option of surrendering to the Qing at this moment.

As long as Zhu Lang personally came forward to persuade them to surrender, he would have at least an 80% chance of bringing Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo and other remaining Western Army troops under his command.
Lu Daqi also reacted at this time and said

"Your Highness, do you want to follow the example of the Loyalty Camp and persuade the remaining Western bandits to surrender?"

"Yes, they are the barbarians from the East. Now they are disturbing the Central Plains. All the heroes of the Han Dynasty should unite their forces to head north and drive out the Tartars."

"Since the Shun bandits can surrender, then the Western bandits can surrender as well."

Chen Zizhuang was hesitant when he heard this.

"The Western bandits are brutal and cruel. I have heard that they have killed many people in Sichuan and Shu, even more than the Shun bandits. They are vicious and cunning by nature, and I am afraid they will not surrender easily."

Although Lu Daqi and others had just learned that Zhang Xianzhong was killed by the Qing invaders, it did not mean that they did not know about Zhang Xianzhong's situation in Sichuan. During the Longwu Dynasty, the court had already known that Zhang Xianzhong had entered Sichuan and proclaimed himself emperor.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Lang's face flashed with murderous intent, and he said in a cold voice
"If they don't surrender, they will be strangled on the spot."

The Dashi Army is now at the border of Sichuan and Shu. If they don't surrender, these people can only flee to Huguang and Lingnan to seek food.
These places were all controlled by the Ming court at this time, and Zhu Lang would never allow these people to destroy the stability of the south.
This is one of the reasons why Zhu Lang sent Qu Shisi to block Guiyang in advance. If Sun Kewang and others were really ignorant, he would join the Qing army to strangle the remnants of the Dashi Army on the Sichuan-Guizhou border.

Zhu Lang glanced at the ministers below, and seeing that He Wuzuo and others seemed to want to persuade him again, he also spoke directly

"The matter of personally leading the expedition is of great importance, and I cannot act arbitrarily. So, the matter will be voted on by the ministers of the Military Affairs Office to decide whether to go to the southwest."

"Huguang, Yunchuan, and other southwestern provinces have been out of order for a long time. If we want to conquer the north to restore order, the southwestern provinces must be brought back to the hands of the imperial court as soon as possible. At this time, only I can lead the army to deter all parties and stabilize the people's hearts. I believe that the expedition to the southwest is imperative."

Zhu Lang raised his hand after he finished speaking. Jiao Lian, Ma Bao, and Zheng Hongkui below raised their hands without any hesitation. Su Guansheng on the left glanced at Lu Daqi and the other two, and followed Wu Chen and raised his right hand.

The Minister of the Military Affairs Council, four cabinet ministers, three military honors, plus Zhu Lang, the Regent, a total of eight people, at this time, five of them raised their hands to show their agreement

Lu Daqi and the other two looked at each other, a trace of helplessness flashed across their faces, and they could only raise their hands to express their agreement. Thus, the expedition to the southwest was passed unanimously.

At this time, Lu Daqi and the other two had no choice at all. Knowing that this matter could not be reversed, if they still wanted to forcefully oppose it, it would not be persuasion, but opposing His Royal Highness the Regent.

Unless Lu Daqi and the other two were prepared to take off their official hats and oppose this matter, they could only raise their hands to agree.

(End of this chapter)