Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 252: Towns
Outside Changsha City, on the official road, hundreds of cavalrymen were galloping past. When they reached the outskirts of the city, a large flag with the word "Hao" suddenly rose up in the ranks.

The cavalry raised their flags, but the troops did not stop for a moment and continued to gallop towards the Changsha city gate.
On the official road, the common people saw the soldiers galloping past and all of them moved aside in panic. All kinds of goods were scattered all over the road, but the cavalrymen in the team did not care at all and rode past directly.
A group of cavalrymen rushed to the city, with a few cavalrymen leading the way, driving away the people in front of the city gate and preparing to ride into the city.
But when the cavalry dispersed the people, they discovered that there was also a team of armored soldiers parked in front of the city gate.

The team in front of the city gate also had about a hundred people, with a group of armored cavalry surrounding and guarding a yellow wooden carriage. In the middle of the team was also a flag, with yellow words written on it fluttering in the wind.

The cavalrymen behind saw the yellow flag and stopped moving forward after a distance of about 100 meters.

Under the city gate, the troops with yellow flags quickly entered the gate. After the troops in front had all entered the city, the cavalrymen in the back began to slowly move towards the city gate.

The two teams drove into the city gate, and after entering the city, they were also separated by more than a hundred meters, and then they walked towards the Changsha government office one after the other, as if they were not interfering with each other.
The convoy in front soon arrived at the government office. A middle-aged man in a red robe got off the carriage, glanced at the banner with the word "Hao" behind him, with disdain in his eyes, and then walked directly into the government office.
After the man in the red robe in front entered the palace, the riders behind him came towards the government office. A short and strong man jumped off his horse, waved to the riders beside him, and then walked towards the government office with a blank expression on his face.
A few days ago, the generals of Hunan Province received a notice from the Huguang Governor's Office, saying that Emperor Longwu had been killed, and the Ming court had re-established a new regent emperor in Guangdong Province. Now the envoys of the new court have arrived at the Governor's Office, ordering all the generals to come to discuss the matter.
Although the generals were surprised that the Emperor Longwu, who had just ascended the throne, had died again, they soon stopped caring. After all, they had never seen the Emperor Longwu, so if he was gone, he was gone, and it had nothing to do with them.

As for the Huguang Governor's call for all the generals from Hunan Province to go to Changsha, everyone thought about it for a moment and then happily went.
After all, they are still relying on the Ming Dynasty. They still have to give some face to the new emperor.

In the hall of the government office, He Tengjiao sat in the main seat at the top. The first person on the left was Liu Xiangke, who was wearing a bright red official robe. Below him were Zhang Kuang and Fu Shang, two important officials of the governor's office. After Zhang Kuang and the other two were Man Dazhuang, the general of He Tengjiao's governor's battalion, and Dong Ying and other personal army generals.

The first on the right is Huang Chaoxuan, followed by Cao Zhijian and Zhang Xianbi, and behind them are Ma Jinzhong, Wang Yuncheng, Lu Ding and other old generals of the left army, and behind them are Hao Yongzhong and Wang Jincai, two remnants of the Shun army.
Except for a part of the Loyalty Battalion far away in Hubei Province, all the Thirteen Towns of Huguang are now gathered here.

The seats on the right were clearly divided. Huang Chaoxuan and the other two were former generals from Hunan Province of the Ming Dynasty. They were also the most powerful in Hunan Province, so they sat in the front.
Ma Jinzhong and the other two were former generals of the left wing of Hubei Province, and could barely be considered as members of the Ming court, so they were ranked second.
As for Hao Yongzhong and Wang Jincai, who were born as traitors, they could only be ranked last.
At this time, the hall was full of red robes. The most exaggerated one was the group of military officials on the right. Huang Chaoxuan, Ma Jinzhong and others on the right were all wearing red lion official robes. Without exception, these people were all first- and second-rank military officials of the court.
At this time, all the ministers in the hall sat down. Huang Chaoxuan and others looked at the strange civil servant sitting in the first seat on the left, with a thoughtful look in their eyes.

If what they thought was correct, this person was the imperial envoy sent by the Guangdong Provincial Court to confer titles on them.

When a new emperor ascends the throne, they should always be promoted. This was the case with Emperor Hongguang, Emperor Longwu, and the same should be true for the Regent of Guangdong and Guangxi.

This is also the reason why they came here happily this time. Now everyone of them is a general commander, and after this time they should also be ranked as marquis.
However, Huang Chaoxuan and the others looked at the expressionless imperial envoy on the left, and a strange look flashed in their eyes.

This envoy was wearing a Yunyan official robe, and he looked like a fourth-rank official. But now he was sitting above the Pianyuan Governor and Fu Shangrui. Who knew where this envoy came from?

He Tengjiao glanced at everyone in the room, and then began to introduce everyone in the hall on behalf of Liu Xiangke. After everyone greeted each other and announced their names, the hall fell silent again.

After Liu Xiangke matched the people on the field with the information in his memory, he spoke directly.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start discussing matters."

Everyone saw that Liu Xiangke was the first to speak, and there was a strange look on his face. Although Liu Xiangke was an angel of the court, in this Huguang area, it should be the governor He Tengjiao who should preside over the matter. Why did Liu Xiangke start discussing matters as soon as he opened his mouth?

Cao Zhijian, who was below, heard this, glanced at the field, and spoke directly

"Are all the people here?"

"Where is Liu Tiegun? Why hasn't he come?"

Everyone was stunned when they heard this. They looked around the field and found that there was an empty chair at the end of the right side.

Zhang Xianbi, who was below, heard this and a look of realization flashed across his face. He said that he felt something was wrong. It turned out that Liu Tiegun had not come.

He Tengjiao, who was above, also spoke up when he heard this.

"I have sent someone to Wugang to deliver a letter, but General Liu has not received a reply. Perhaps something has got in the way."

"Liu Yushi, why don't we discuss the matter first? I will send someone to find General Liu later."

He Tengjiao looked at Liu Xiangke on the left with a curious look in his eyes. Ever since the imperial court issued the decree to transfer the two cities, the Guangdong provincial court has been silent.
Seeing that Guangdong Province had not responded, He Tengjiao also began to wait and see.

But he did not expect that a few days ago, Liu Xiangke suddenly rushed into the city and said that the court had ordered to summon all the generals from Huguang to discuss matters.
He originally wanted to find out the intention of the court, but who knew that Liu Yushi would not give him the slightest face and refused to reveal anything, saying that he would have to wait until all the officials in Huguang gathered before announcing the decree.

Moreover, Liu Xiangke and his entourage were extremely domineering. They were escorted by hundreds of soldiers when they entered the city.

Liu Xiangke and his party entered the city and occupied a house for themselves. They drove away all the staff of the Governor's Office and acted very inhumane. For a moment, He Tengjiao was confused as to what Liu Xiangke and his party were up to.
Liu Xiangke had no expression on his face. He glanced at He Tengjiao above him and said

"No need to look for him, Liu Chengyin is already here"

Liu Xiangke glanced at the guard beside him, and the guard immediately stepped forward and opened the wooden box beside Liu Xiangke. Only then did everyone notice the box on the table beside Liu Xiangke.

The lid of the box was opened, and a human head made of lime and saltpeter appeared. Everyone looked at the head, which had already rotted a little, and they were all shocked.

The next moment, Cao Zhijian suddenly stood up, with a look of shock on his face.

"Liu Chengyin!"

Everyone was stunned when they heard what Zhang Xianbi said, and then everyone's eyes fell on the gray head.
Everyone felt that the head was more and more familiar. Who else could the head in the box be but Liu Chengyin? On the right side of the hall, Cao Zhijian, Zhang Xianbi and others all stood up in shock, looking at the head on the wooden box with shocked expressions.

Fu Shangrui, the governor of Pianyuan, opened his mouth slightly with a look of horror on his face. He tightly grasped the armrest of the wooden chair beside him. The hall suddenly became dead silent.

Liu Xiangke had a calm expression on his face. He looked at the Huguang generals standing up in shock and said softly:
"A month ago, the imperial court incorporated Wugang and Yongzhou into Guangxi Province in order to suppress the bandits on the border of Hubei and Guangxi."

"I never thought that Liu Chengyin would dare to gather troops to resist and expel the imperial envoys. This man rebelled against the imperial court and was suppressed by the imperial court."

Everyone looked at Liu Xiangke, who had a calm expression, and then at the gray-white head in the wooden box, and they were speechless for a long time. After a long time, Hao Yongzhong below licked his lips and suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice.

"May I ask the angel, what happened to the soldiers under Liu Chengyin's command?"

Liu Xiangke glanced at Hao Yongzhong below and said softly
"Since they were committing treason, they were naturally suppressed by the imperial army."

Cao Zhijian and other Huguang generals on the opposite side were immediately nervous when they heard this. Liu Chengyin was already the strongest among the towns in Hunan Province. Otherwise, how could Liu Chengyin occupy Baoqing Prefecture alone?

Among the four generals of Hunan Province, Huang Chaoxuan was able to plunder Hunan and Jiangxi provinces and suppress Liu Chengyin. The next one to be ranked was Liu Chengyin, the strongest.

Even in the entire Hunan Province, Liu Chengyin can be ranked in the top three. Huang Chaoxuan, Ma Jinzhong of the left wing, and then Liu Chengyin
But now the Guangdong Provincial Government has quietly suppressed Liu Chengyin. The Guangdong Provincial Government is capable of killing Liu Chengyin, and it is also capable of killing them.

Cao Zhijian and the others all felt depressed, while Zhang Xianbi, Wang Yuncheng and the others looked even more gloomy, and almost wanted to leave first.

Based on their actions in Huguang over the years, if the imperial court really investigates them, killing them ten times would not be enough to atone for their crimes.

Huang Chaoxuan and the others also became alert, all looking up at He Tengjiao, but they found that He Tengjiao also stood up in shock, looking at Liu Chengyin's head on the table with a look of shock.
Huang Chaoxuan and others also realized at this time that He Tengjiao, the governor of Huguang, didn't even know about the court's killing of Liu Chengyin.
Everyone felt more and more depressed at this moment. If the killing of Liu Chengyin was a joint effort between the imperial court and He Tengjiao, then they could at least reserve room for negotiation with the imperial court through He Tengjiao.
But now even He Tengjiao, the governor of Huguang, is unaware of the actions of the Guangdong Provincial Court, which means that the Guangdong Provincial Court no longer trusts He Tengjiao.

The imperial court was probably not targeting a certain family in Huguang this time, but all the people in Huguang. However, they knew nothing about the details of the imperial court in Guangdong Province at this time.

They didn't know which minister was in charge of the Guangdong court now, or how many soldiers there were in the court. Now that the court had killed Liu Chengyin, would they come after them next?

When everyone thought of this, they couldn't help but tremble with fear, especially Cao Zhijian and Zhang Xianbi, whose two families were right next to Baoqing Mansion.
In the hall, everyone sat back in their seats. Except for a gray head on the table, the hall was no different from before. However, the previous cheerful atmosphere in the hall had disappeared, leaving only a solemn atmosphere.
Liu Xiangke looked at the gloomy faces of the people in the hall, but he seemed unaware and spoke softly again. The eyes of the people in the hall instantly fell on Liu Xiangke.
"The court sent me here today to inform you of two things."

"First, three months ago, His Royal Highness Gui Jianguo led the army to attack Fujian Province, beheaded the Qing captive Beile Bolo of Fujian Province, and dozens of pseudo-official generals such as Tu Lai in the Qing captive army, beheaded 10,000 real Tartars, captured and killed 50,000 Qing captive Green Camp soldiers, and severely crushed the Qing captives' arrogance. Now Fujian Province and half of Zhejiang Province have been regained by the court."

"Second, the Qing Dynasty's three false kings, Kong Youde and others, have already set out from Jiangnan and will soon march into Huguang."

Cao Zhijian and others were shocked when they heard that the imperial court of Fujian Province had won a great victory. At the same time, they became more and more wary of the imperial court of Guangdong Province.

They didn't know the situation in Fujian Province, nor could they judge the truth of the information, but at this moment they dared not disbelieve it, as Liu Chengyin's head was still on the table.

If the first piece of news only made everyone feel heavy-hearted, the second piece of news made them really panic. The Tartars were actually coming towards Huguang!

Wang Yuncheng couldn't bear it anymore when he heard this. He stood up and said in panic.

"The Tartars are coming to Huguang? How come we didn't know?"

Ma Jinzhong and Wang Yuncheng's troops are now stationed in the area of ​​Yiyang, Yuanjiang River. To the north is Yuezhou, the gateway to Hunan and Hubei controlled by the Qing army. They are also the troops closest to the Qing army in Hubei Province. How can they not panic when they hear that the Qing invaders are coming?
Liu Xiangke glanced at Wang Yuncheng below and said in a cold voice
"You are the generals of Huguang. You should report the movements of the Qing invaders in Huguang to the court. How can I know why you don't know?"

Wang Yuncheng and others were also stunned when they heard this, and they didn't know how to respond.
After they occupied the prefectures and counties, they were busy collecting food and money. As long as the Qing troops from Yuezhou, Hubei Province did not come, they had no time to care about what the Tartars were doing. If they had the spare time, wouldn't it be better to extort money from a few more wealthy families?
All the generals in the hall were silent, digesting these three sudden news.
They hadn't figured out the news of Liu Chengyin's murder yet, and now they heard that the Qing invaders were going to attack Hunan Province. Everyone was already in a state of panic, and they couldn't think of any way to deal with it.
Everyone in the hall was silent for a while, and finally Ma Jinzhong, who lived next to Hubei Province, spoke first.

"May I ask Censor Liu, if the Qing invaders come to attack, how will the court respond?"

Liu Xiangke looked at Ma Jinzhong, who had a serious expression on his face, but his expression was still calm. He spoke softly

"The Qing invaders are still determined to take over our Huguang region. Now that the Qing invaders are attacking us, we must drive them out."

"I have come here this time to inform you generals of this matter in accordance with the imperial decree, so that you can gather your troops as soon as possible to defeat the invading Qing invaders."

"Once we defeat this group of Qing reinforcements, you generals can cross the river and march north to recover the old territory of Hubei Province of the Ming Dynasty."

Cao Zhijian and others were all shocked when they heard this.
They? Going to fight the Tartars? And also to recover Hubei Province. What a joke!

If they were asked to extort money from the local gentry and common people, they would be able to do it, but if they were asked to fight the Tartars, it would be impossible. Who would fight the Tartars for no reason?

The reason why they can occupy prefectures and counties and collect grain and military pay is because they have troops. If their soldiers are wiped out in a fight with the Qing court, how can they get promoted, make money, and establish their own territory?

(End of this chapter)