Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 251 Head
Wugang City, the mighty army arrived outside the city again, and a red military flag fluttered in the wind on top of Wugang City.
Two days ago, there was civil unrest in Wugang City. After Chen Youlong captured Liu Chengyin, he led his men to surrender to the Tengxiang Army. Wugang City thus fell into the hands of the Ming Army.
With the cooperation of Chen Youlong and other former Wugang Army officers, nearly 10,000 defenders in Wugang City surrendered one after another. After the Tengxiang Army confiscated the weapons of the Wugang Army soldiers, they took the Wugang Army soldiers out of the city in batches and put them under guard.
The Tengxiang Army entered Wugang City and occupied various places. After the army entered the city, Wugang City quickly stabilized.

Wugang City, the government hall lobby. At this time, the tables, chairs and screens in the hall have been replaced, but there are still deep and shallow knife marks and dark red bloodstains on the beams and pillars in the hall, and you can still vaguely see the tragic fight that night.
Zhu Lang is sitting at the top, with Zhang Tongchang, Liu Xiangke, Zhang Huangyan and other civil officials on his left, and Jiao Lian, Ma Bao and other military officials on his right.

Zhu Lang did not allow any ministers to accompany him on this expedition. The highest-ranking civil official was Zhang Tongchang.

The reason for not bringing cabinet ministers was that the expedition to the southwest would be a long journey of thousands of miles, and the old ministers in the cabinet were really overwhelmed.

On the other hand, everyone in the court knows that the destination of this expedition is your province, and your province also has the Prime Minister Qu Shisi, who can also assist in handling court affairs.
Zhu Lang gestured to Li Chengzhi below, and Li Chengzhi nodded slightly and left the hall. Soon, a man with chains on his hands was brought into the hall.

Liu Chengyin had disheveled hair and a pale face. When he arrived at the hall, he looked at the court officials in red robes with expressionless faces. Suddenly, a trace of fear rose in his heart.

Previously, he was also a member of the high-ranking seat in this hall, but now he has become a prisoner, and his life and death are all in the hands of others.

Liu Chengyin glanced at the ministers in the hall, and then his eyes instantly fell on the young man in the bright yellow dragon robe above.

Liu Chengyin looked at the calm young man above him, and his heart suddenly trembled. He suddenly knelt on the ground and said in a trembling voice:
"I failed to control my subordinates and failed to promptly order the army to withdraw from Wugang, which caused the emperor to be alarmed. I deserve death. Please punish me, Your Highness."

Zhu Lang looked at Liu Chengyin who was kneeling on the ground below, with a calm expression on his face, and said

"Since the crime is punishable by death, then let him be executed."

Liu Chengyin was shocked when he heard this. He looked up suddenly and found that everyone was sitting in the hall with expressionless faces.

The two Jinyiwei soldiers above heard the order and came over to drag Liu Chengyin away.
Liu Chengyin looked at the indifferent ministers and finally couldn't bear it any longer. He was terrified and shouted:
"Your Highness, please spare my life. Your Highness, please spare my life. I can atone for my sins. I still have 5,000 soldiers in Baoqing. I can persuade them to surrender on your behalf."

"The court will take whatever it wants. Why do you need to persuade them to surrender? Just drag them away and execute them."

Zhu Lang's voice was indifferent, but he was not moved at all. Almost all the soldiers in Wugang City rebelled, and Chen Youlong and other generals surrendered. These people could also easily persuade Baoqing to surrender, so why did they need Liu Chengyin?
Zhang Tongchang and other ministers looked at the calm regent above, and their hearts tightened slightly. After all, Liu Chengyin was a general who once commanded tens of thousands of troops, but the regent did not even bother to ask questions and directly ordered his execution.
I can only say that since the two great victories in the court, His Highness has really become more and more arrogant.
Although His Royal Highness the Regent had not discussed the execution of Liu Chengyin with the ministers before, no one in the hall objected at this moment. He was just a military leader who led troops to disobey the emperor's order. What was wrong with killing him?
Two soldiers in brocade uniforms came to the hall, lifted up Liu Chengyin's arms, and dragged him out of the hall.
Seeing that no one in the hall said anything, Liu Chengyin finally couldn't stand it anymore and his face began to look desperate.

Liu Chengyin continued to struggle and shouted
"Your Highness, I am still useful, I am still useful"

"I am familiar with all the generals in Hunan Province. These rebel generals are arrogant and do not obey orders. I can help the court to eliminate these rebel generals and pacify Huguang. I can also help the court to pacify Huguang."

"Your Highness, please spare your life, Your Highness, spare your life..."

Liu Chengyin kept shouting for mercy, but no one in the hall responded. Two soldiers in brocade clothes dragged Liu Chengyin out of the hall quickly. Liu Chengyin's voice became farther and farther away, and finally there was no sound.

Liu Chengyin was dragged away, but the hall remained silent. His Highness the Regent did not speak, and the ministers below were also silent.
Not long after, the Jinyiwei soldier walked into the hall again, and this time he had a tray in his hand.

On the tray, Liu Chengyin's eyes were wide open, and there was still a trace of fear on his face.
Zhu Lang took a look at the head on the tray and waved his hand. The soldiers in brocade clothes then left the hall with the tray.

Until this time, Zhu Lang spoke softly.

“What is the current situation in Wugang?”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xuexi, the missionary of the Tengxiang Army, stood up and spoke.

"Two days ago, Chen Youlong and other generals under Liu Chengyin rebelled and captured Liu Chengyin at night. We successfully took over Wugang. After the Tengxiang army entered the city to collect the surrendered soldiers, peace has returned to Wugang."

"We searched the residences of Liu Chengyin, Liu Chengyong and other traitors and found a total of 270,000 taels of silver, as well as thousands of earrings, rings, earrings and other jewelry. We also seized more than 30,000 dan of rice from the Wugang treasury. We have now counted and sealed them all."

Zhu Lang was surprised when he heard this. He did not expect that Liu Chengyin was so wealthy. Chen Bangfu owned half of the province but only had over 200,000 taels. Liu Chengyin was worth more than Chen Bangfu.
But what really made Zhu Lang happy was not the silver, but the more than 30,000 dan of rice.

Thirty thousand dan of rice is certainly not worth two hundred thousand taels, but this rice is exactly what the court urgently needs at this time. The soldiers may complain a few words at most if their salaries are delayed, but they will mutiny immediately if there is no rice.

With this batch of food and wages, the pressure on Guangxi and Guangdong to raise food was greatly reduced. If 30,000 shi of rice were to be transported from Guangxi to Hunan, the actual cost would probably be more than 50,000 or 60,000 shi.

Zhang Tongchang, Jiao Lian and other ministers below were relieved when they heard this, and the slight hesitation they had just had about Liu Chengyin being killed also completely disappeared.
The imperial court is now determined to restore the country. Liu Chengyin has so much rice and grain but does not think about repaying the imperial court. He deserves this disaster.

Zhu Lang's face also flashed with satisfaction. He looked at Zhu Xuexi below and said

"Twenty percent of the confiscated cash will be used as rewards for the Tengxiang Army. According to the previous rules, the rewards will be distributed immediately without delay."

Upon hearing this, Ma Bao and Zhu Xuexi immediately stood up and thanked him.

Liu Qijiao and other generals of the Longxiang Army, as well as Shi Lang and others, also had a hint of envy in their eyes.

Two percent is about 30,000 taels of silver. The Tengxiang Army has only 10,000 people, and almost every soldier can get 2 or 3 taels of silver. As for the generals in the army, they will get more.

But at this time, no one said much. The Tengxiang Army did fight well this time. At least Shi Lang himself did not have the confidence to win this battle so easily.
It took only half a month for the Tengxiang army to defeat Liu Chengyin's 30,000-man army with only 10,000 men, and capture the three cities of Wugang, Xinning, and Dong'an.
Except for the nearly 100 casualties in the ambush at Shimen Pass, the Tengxiang Army suffered no further losses and was almost completely intact.
After Zhu Lang dealt with the affairs of Wugang City, he also asked

“Is there any news from Guiyang?”

"It's still the previous news. Lord Qu has led the Gui army to Guiyang City and is sending people to Yunnan Province, Sichuan and Shu to investigate the local situation. No new news has been reported back."

Zhu Lang listened to Zhang Huangyan's report, but his eyes were full of thought. It was already the ninth day of the third month. If his memory was correct, Zhang Xianzhong should have been shot and killed by a Qing army soldier in Xichong between the end of 1946 and the first month of 1947.

After Zhang Xianzhong's death, Sun Kewang and the other four generals of the Dashi gathered the remaining Dashi troops and marched south. After defeating Zeng Ying at Fotu Pass, they marched south and finally passed through Bozhou, captured Guiyang and entered Yunnan.

In other words, the remaining troops of the Dashi Army may have fled to Bozhou.
After the Qing army defeated the Western Camp, they had no more rivals in Sichuan and Shu, and swept all the way. At this time, the remaining troops of the Western Army had no choice but to continue fleeing south.

In other words, Sun Kewang and others are very likely to be preparing at this time, and have even headed towards your province. When Zhu Lang thought of this, he couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency in his heart. Although he has tried his best to seize the time, it is obviously a little late now.

The best way to persuade the Dashi Army to surrender is to force them to stop in Bozhou and make them be attacked by the Qing and Ming armies. Only in this way can the Dashi Army be forced to surrender.
Although Qu Shisi had led his men to Guiyang, Zhu Lang was not sure whether Qu Shisi could stop Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo and others.

Once the Dashi Army passes through Guiyang and flees into Guangxi Province, it will become extremely difficult to recruit them. It is possible that the situation will turn into the situation of the Shun Army and the Western Army roaming the Central Plains.

Zhu Lang looked at the ministers below and said

"The situation in Sichuan and Guizhou is critical. The Western bandits may flee to your province at any time. I have decided to rest for two days before continuing my journey to your province."

"What about Huguang? The court has just punished Liu Chengyin. I think we can take this opportunity to rectify the situation in Huguang."

Zhang Tongchang stood up and said, Zhu Lang heard this, but shook his head slightly

"The reason why the court was able to deal with He Tengjiao so easily this time was because the court's army suddenly arrived and Liu Chengyin was unaware of the situation in the court, which led to his defeat."

"Liu Chengyin has been destroyed. The court's entry into Huguang can no longer be concealed. The armies in Huguang are on alert. It will be difficult to win quickly. The court does not have time to waste time fighting with them in Huguang."

"Let He Tengjiao and his men handle the Huguang issue themselves."

"Liu Xiangke, you will take Liu Chengyin's head to the Huguang Governor's Office later and tell He Tengjiao that the Qing invaders Kong Youde and his two companions are marching into Huguang. Let the towns in Huguang find ways to deal with the Qing invaders themselves."

After Liu Xiangke received the order, Zhu Lang looked at Zhang Tongchang below and began to arrange the defense of Guangxi Province.

Zhang Tongchang was from Yiling, which means he was from Hubei Province according to modern standards. However, at that time, Hunan and Hubei were all part of Huguang, so Zhang Tongchang was considered half a native of Hunan Province.

Zhu Lang then appointed Zhang Tongchang as the governor of southern Hunan, in charge of the war on the Hunan-Guangxi border, which was also a way to let him return to his hometown to defend his territory.
In addition to Zhang Tongchang, Shi Lang was appointed as the general of Yongzhou, leading 5,000 Fujian troops to station in Yongzhou with Zhang Tongchang.
Bai Gui was appointed as the general of Baoqing, commanding 2,000 Longxiang troops to garrison Wugang. At the same time, he reorganized 3,000 Wugang troops to be ready to support Yongzhou at any time.

After the two garrisons were stationed, there would be 10,000 soldiers in Hunan Province. Together with the soldiers from Guangxi Province stationed in Quanzhou by Yan Qiheng, it should be enough to ensure the safety of Guangxi Province.
Zhu Lang looked at Zhang Tongchang, Shi Lang and the others below and said

"Remember, your mission is to defend the two cities and ensure the safety of Guangxi Province."

"Whether it's the Qing army or the Huguang army, as long as there are defeated soldiers entering the two places and trying to enter Guangxi Province through the two places, you can defeat them."

"Huguang has so many military towns, and Changsha and Hengzhou are both big cities ahead, they shouldn't be defeated like this."

Zhang Tongchang was hesitant when he heard this.

His Highness the Regent's words clearly indicated that the Huguang army would not be able to stop the Qing invaders from entering Huguang, and that they would collapse into Yongzhou, so he gave them instructions in advance.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Lang spoke directly

"Liu Chengyin also claims to have 30,000 soldiers. You have seen his situation. Do you think the troops from Huguang can stop the Qing invaders?"

Zhang Tongchang and others looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this. Liu Chengyin's 30,000-man army was easily wiped out by Tengxiang's army, and Tengxiang's army was almost intact.

It is said that Liu Chengyin is one of the most powerful forces in Huguang. It is also conceivable what the other towns in Huguang are like.
The people in the hall had fought a great battle with the Qing government in Fujian Province, and they all knew that the Qing army was extremely powerful.

If the Ming army had not deployed a large number of artillery, even the three imperial guards would not necessarily be a match for the Qing army if they had only used soldiers to fight in formation.

Since the Tengxiang army could easily defeat Liu Chengyin, the Qing army could also defeat the rest of the Huguang army.

Liu Chengyin had 30,000 soldiers, of which about 6,000 were elite soldiers. If we calculate based on this ratio, the total number of soldiers capable of fighting in the various towns in Huguang should be about 40,000 to 50,000.

If we can gather these 40,000 to 50,000 people and defend the city walls, it should not be difficult to stop the Qing army.

But the problem was that these elite troops from Huguang were scattered among the various armies, which had already formed hatreds in order to fight for territory. It was simply a fantasy to expect these people to give up their personal grudges and interests and fight the enemy together.
These people gathered together and did not fight each other first, which was already considering the overall situation.

Zhang Tongchang and the other two thought of this and no longer had any hope for the Huguang army. They all stood up and responded.
Zhu Lang arranged the defense of Guangxi Province. Today's matters had been decided. Zhu Lang was about to disperse everyone, but he remembered something and said

"Is there any news from Du Yinxi?"

"According to the report from Hubei Province, Du Yinxi has set off for the Zhongzheng Camp, but the specific situation has not yet been reported."

The two divisions of Huguang, one is He Tengjiao and his various towns in Hunan Province, and the other is the Zhongzheng Battalion in Hubei Province.
Compared with He Tengjiao and the towns of Hunan Province, Zhu Lang paid more attention to the Loyalty Camp. On the one hand, it was because the Loyalty Camp was obviously better at fighting than those military leaders in Hunan Province. On the other hand, it was now located between Hubei Province and Jingxiang.

Now that the Ming court has occupied the passage into Hunan, if the Ming court is determined, it can send troops immediately, but Hubei Province is too far away. The Ming court can only rely on the Loyalty Camp to exert influence on this area.

Before entering Hunan, Zhu Lang had led Du Yinxi to the Badong Loyalty Camp and ordered Li Guo and Gao Yigong from the Loyalty Camp to come for a meeting. However, even Du Yinxi himself was not sure if he could persuade the two men to come, so he could only try his best.

Zhu Lang thought for a moment and then said

"The situation in Guangxi Province is urgent. The army cannot stay in Wugang for long. Inform Du Yinxi that no matter whether he can convince the two men from the Loyal Camp, he should go to Yuanzhou to meet with the emperor. I will wait for him in Yuanzhou."

From Wugang, we travel west to Yuanzhou, and then we can follow the Yuanshui River straight into Zhenyuanwei, Guizhou Province, and enter Guizhou Province.

After the discussion in the hall was over, the ministers dispersed and prepared their own
That afternoon, the two envoys rushed out of the city and headed for Changsha and Badong. Two days later, the army in the city also set out again and headed for Yuanzhou.
(End of this chapter)