Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 255: State
In the official road of Guizhou Prefecture, more than a hundred cavalrymen rode past on horseback. After galloping for a while, they suddenly reined in their horses and turned off the official road.
There were large fields on both sides of the official road. There were more than a dozen people working in the fields on the right. At this time, the people saw the cavalrymen turning off the official road from afar. The people in the fields did not say a word, but directly carried their hoes and fled in all directions.
The cavalrymen ignored the fleeing civilians. They left the official road and rested in a forest not far from the road.

In the middle of the team was a middle-aged man wearing a cross-collared Confucian shirt and with a gaunt face. The man pulled the reins of his horse, and the guards beside him immediately came forward and helped the man off his horse.
But the middle-aged man waved his hand and slowly got off the horse. This man was the current Hubei Provincial Governor Du Yinxi.
Last year, Du Yinxi and Zhongzheng Camp besieged Jingzhou. Leke Dehun rushed to Huguang from Jiangnan. He Tengjiao and other Hunan troops who were supposed to defend Yuezhou in the east and intercept the Qing Dynasty's reinforcements were defeated without a fight.
Lekedehun was not hindered at all, and rushed along the river at night, directly attacking the rear of the loyal Jingzhou Ming army.
The Ming army under Jingzhou was caught off guard and was immediately defeated. Du Yinxi fell off his horse and broke his arm and fled back to Changde. He has not recovered to this day. The Zhongzheng Camp suffered tens of thousands of casualties and retreated to the Sichuan-Hubei border.

After this battle, both the Zhongzheng Camp and Du Yinxi were seriously injured. Since then, the relationship between the two sides has begun to cool down, and the contact between the two sides has been intermittent.
After receiving the imperial edict, Du Yinxi ordered people to investigate the whereabouts of the Zhongzheng Camp. After confirming that the Zhongzheng Camp was now stationed in Badong, Du Yinxi set off directly to Badong.
In the woods beside the road, a group of cavalrymen were sitting in the woods to rest, while some soldiers were feeding their horses with grass, rice and beans.
Du Yinxi and the supervisory judge Zheng Guai walked to a rock, took out the water bag and ate the dry biscuits.

It was the spring ploughing season, but looking around, the fields were empty, without a single person.

The fields were covered with green weeds, with one or two rice seedlings in between. When the wind blew, the weeds swayed in the fields.
Zheng Guai looked at the empty field, holding a dry biscuit in his hand, and suddenly stood up with a look of regret on his face.

"In the past, the common people had no place to live, and even an acre of land was hard to come by. Now, there are so many good fields but no one is cultivating them. It's really a pity."

Du Yinxi looked at the barren fields, was silent for a moment, and suddenly spoke

"Jingzhou has been plagued by wars in recent years. The people have just finished sowing, and there is no telling when the army will cross the border. Even if they are lucky enough to wait for the rice and wheat to grow, the rebels will come to plunder. After a year of hard work, they may not get a single grain. In such a situation, who would be willing to sow?"

"Working hard in the fields brings nothing, but being a thief or a bandit can fill your warehouse with grain. The unrest in the world over the past decade is all due to this."

Zheng Guai fell silent after hearing this. The two of them looked at the empty field quietly for a long time.
After a while, Zheng Guai suddenly said

"My Lord Governor, what is the intention of the court suddenly asking us to summon the Loyalty Camp to the court to attend the meeting?"

Sitting next to Du Yinxi and the other man was a boy of about ten years old. The boy had two pigtails on his head and was wearing a light red jacket.

The boy was sitting by the stone with his eyes open, looking at the two people beside him with a vague understanding.

A guard at the side came over with a porcelain bowl filled with freshly boiled water.

Du Yinxi took the porcelain bowl from the guard, tore the biscuits into small pieces and soaked them in hot water, then handed the bowl to the boy beside him.

Du Yinxi took a sip of the water bag beside him, swallowed the last piece of dry biscuit in his hand, and then spoke softly

"The Loyalty Camp has fought in the Central Plains for decades, and all the soldiers in the camp are experienced fighters. After the Liao soldiers in the nine borders of the Central Plains were all killed, the imperial court had almost no soldiers left. The Loyalty Camp is one of the few elite troops left in the Central Plains. If we want to compete with the Qing invaders, we must use this elite force!"

"Our Ming Dynasty has nurtured scholars for hundreds of years, and the country is prosperous and graceful. Although military affairs are not popular now, there are many talented officials in the court who are good at governing a place."

"If the imperial court can take the Loyalty Camp into the court, use the strong soldiers of the Loyalty Camp to guard the border, and use our Ming Dynasty's capable officials to govern the country, and both farm and fight, then our Ming Dynasty will have hope of reviving the country."

"Your Majesty the Regent mentioned the Loyalty Camp in the letter, without mentioning the bandits. All he said was that they were the elite troops of our Han Dynasty."

"Your Highness cares about the country and the people, and has a magnanimous mind. It is obvious that he has put aside all past grudges. It is a blessing for our Ming Dynasty to have such a holy ruler."

Zheng Guai looked at Du Yinxi who was slightly excited, and his face was also moved.
But at this moment, the cold wind blew in the wilderness, and Zheng Guai woke up again. With a hesitant look on his face, he spoke

"Although the imperial court is sincere, I am afraid that the people in the Loyalty Camp may not be willing to come."

Du Yinxi rode into the camp alone and persuaded Li Guo and other members of the Loyalty Camp to surrender. Although Li Guo and others received the name of the Loyalty Camp and official positions from the court, they were just honoring the title.
Now, the people in the Loyalty Camp are all marquises, dukes and governors of the Ming Dynasty on the surface, but in fact, after receiving the official positions from the Ming court, the people in the Loyalty Camp deposited all the official seals and letters granted by the Ming court with Li Guo, and the people in the camp still call themselves officials granted by the Dashun

The Loyalty Camp now formed an alliance with the Ming court rather than surrendering to it.
Although the Ming court granted Du Yinxi the power to control the Zhongzheng Camp, in reality Du Yinxi had no influence on the affairs of the Zhongzheng Camp.

If Du Yinxi wanted the Zhongzheng Camp to send troops, he could only discuss it with Li Guo and others. If Li Guo and others did not want to cooperate, Du Yinxi would have no way to deal with the Zhongzheng Camp.

Previously, the people in the Loyalty Camp had great respect for Du Yinxi, but since the defeat in the Jingzhou battle last year, the Loyalty Camp has become increasingly indifferent to Du Yinxi.
The two sides had agreed that the Zhongzheng Camp would attack Jingzhou, and He Tengjiao stopped the Qing reinforcements in Yuezhou, Hunan Province. However, the final result was that the Qing army did not stop them and raided the rear of the Zhongzheng Camp, causing the Zhongzheng Camp to lose tens of thousands of people.

After the Battle of Jingzhou, the Ming court explained that the Hunan army was defeated, which was why the Qing army sent reinforcements to the city.

However, the people in the Loyalty Camp suspected that this was a conspiracy of the Ming court. The Ming court deliberately let the Qing reinforcements pass through the border, and the purpose was naturally to wipe out these traitors.
If Du Yinxi's Fu Biao Battalion had not suffered heavy losses in this battle, and Du Yinxi himself had not been seriously injured, the people in the Zhongzheng Battalion would have probably fallen out with Du Yinxi long ago.
The relationship between the two sides is now extremely cold. The Zhongzheng Camp is already wary of the Ming court. It is not easy for Du Yinxi to persuade Li Guo and others to go to Wugang to meet.

Du Yinxi's face darkened as he thought of this. He looked up at the barren fields in the distance, and a look of determination suddenly flashed across his face.

Du Yinxi touched the boy's head and said softly

"The return of the Loyalty Camp to the court is related to the restoration of the country. This matter cannot be allowed to go wrong. No matter what, I must order the two people from the Loyalty Camp to the court to pay homage."

The boy beside him was eating a soft dry biscuit, looking at Du Yinxi who was standing beside him with a determined look, but his eyes were still full of confusion.

On the official road, Du Yinxi and his party rested and soon mounted their horses again, galloping towards Badong.
In the afternoon, Du Yinxi and his party finally arrived outside Badong City. Here, the population finally began to increase, and people could be seen working in the fields.

When Du Yinxi and his companions arrived outside the city, they were soon discovered by the Zhongzheng Camp cavalry scouts. After they revealed their identities, the Zhongzheng Camp cavalry led the group towards the city gate.
Du Yinxi looked at the skinny face of the cavalry leader, his eyes thoughtful, and he felt more confident about the imperial edict this time.

In the lobby of the county government, people on both sides took their seats. On the left were Du Yinxi, Zheng Guai, Mao Shoudeng and other imperial envoys.

On the right is Li Guogao Yigong, and below them are the Left Guoyi General Zhang Neng, the Right Guoyi General Ma Chongxi and other members of the Loyalty Camp.
"The last letter has stated the imperial decree. His Majesty the Regent wants to invite the two generals to the court for an audience. What do you think?"

Li Guogao Yigong looked at Du Yinxi who was exhausted, but remained silent.

A few days ago, they suddenly received a letter from Du Yinxi, and learned from the letter that the Emperor Longwu, who originally granted them official positions, had died, and the Ming court now supported a new regent.

And this new regent actually wanted them to lead the army to Wugang to attend
After receiving the letter, Li Guo summoned Gao Yigong and others to discuss the matter. However, after several days of discussion, they still could not determine the intention of the Ming court.

Li Guo and others had not figured out how to reply to Du Yinxi, but they did not expect that Du Yinxi would come to their door this afternoon. Seeing that the Ming court and Du Yinxi were so anxious, Li Guo and others became more alert.

Li Guo and Gao Yigong looked at each other and suddenly said

"Mr. Du suddenly sent a letter a few days ago, saying that His Royal Highness Gui Jianguo wanted to summon the two of us to lead the army to see him. This caught us off guard and we didn't know how to respond."

"Mr. Du is the only person we can trust in the court. I don't want to lie to you, but there are doubts in the camp about this matter."

"Please tell me the truth, what is the purpose of the court summoning us to see you?"

Upon hearing this, Du Yinxi's face straightened and he said

"You all must have known that your Highness led the army to a great victory over the Qing invaders in Fujian Province. The Qing invaders suffered a great defeat in Fujian Province, but now they are still determined to invade our imperial court in Hunan Province."

"Your Majesty, the Regent, has personally entered Huguang this time to unite the various armies, fight against the Qing invaders, and drive the Tartars out of Hunan Province."

When Li Guo and the others heard this, their faces became solemn. Then, a flash of realization flashed in Li Guo's eyes. He understood why Gui Jianguo summoned them.

The Qing invaders were about to launch a massive attack on Hunan Province. The Guangdong government was clearly in disarray at this time, so they wanted to transfer the Loyalty Battalion to Hunan Province to stop the Tartars.
As for why so many generals from Hunan Province had to come all the way to summon the Loyalty Camp, that was simple.

The group of generals from Hunan Province, except for a few from Shunying who were barely presentable, the rest were all good-for-nothings. It was obviously wishful thinking to use these people to stop the Tartars.
The Gui Regent probably understood this, so he specially summoned the Loyalty Battalion. Now, the only ones in Huguang who have the courage and strength to fight against the Qing invaders are the Loyalty Battalion.

Li Guo and the others felt a little relieved when they thought of this. Compared with the reason mentioned in the previous letter that Gui Jianguo wanted to summon the loyal minister De Wang to comfort him, the court wanted to use them to fight the Tartars, which made everyone more convinced. This was more in line with their impression of the Ming court.

Du Yinxi continued to say

"The imperial court won a great victory in Fujian Province. Now it has occupied Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi and several southwestern provinces, and still controls half of the country."

"The number of family members of the soldiers in the Loyalty Camp is as many as 70,000 to 80,000. Badong alone cannot support them. Only the imperial court with several provinces as its base can be able to support such a large army."

"This time, the Qing invaders are advancing, and Your Highness is leading the army into Huguang. If the Loyalty Battalion can achieve military merit in front of Your Highness, not only will they be appreciated by Your Highness, but they can also gain a place in the court and receive food and salary supplies from the court."

"Your Highness's personal expedition is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This time, he will go straight to Huguang. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The two generals must not miss this opportunity."

When Li Guo and the other man heard this, they were both tempted, but soon they shook their heads in their hearts. Although Du Yinxi's words sounded nice, they were actually just empty words.
They believed that the Ming court wanted to use them to fight the Tartars, but they did not believe that the Ming court would provide them with food and wages in the future.

Even if the Ming court was really willing to supply food to the Loyal Camp, it would probably have to wait until the Tartars were driven out of Hunan Province. But the Tartars were not so easy to defeat.

Moreover, their battalion was the remnant of the Shun army. If they really followed Du Yinxi's words and went to defend the king, who knew what the Ming court and Gui Regent would think of them?
Du Yinxi looked at the expressions on Li Guo and the other man's faces and guessed what they were thinking.

Du Yinxi's eyes turned, and he said

"Are you two worried that the court will treat you differently?"

Li Guo and the other man did not speak after hearing this, but looked at Du Yinxi opposite them calmly.
Their attitude was very clear, that is, they did not trust the Ming court. In fact, the people in the Loyal Camp could not think of any reason to believe in the Ming court.

The Dashun Army once seized the Ming Dynasty. How could such a great hatred be easily resolved?

Du Yinxi saw the expressions of the two people, but he didn't care and continued to speak

"The two generals don't need to worry about this. His Royal Highness Gui Jianguo treats all the armies in the court equally. Since the Loyalty Battalion has already submitted to the court, it is our Ming army. The court will never be biased."

"There are three imperial guards in the court now. All three are led by His Royal Highness the Regent. Ma Bao, the commander of the Tengxiang Army, one of the three imperial guards, is... "

Du Yinxi hesitated for a moment and continued

"General Ma Bao, the commander of the Tengxiang Army, is a man from Shunying. General Ma Bao has now been conferred the title of Earl of Anding and is the commander of the Tengxiang Army, commanding tens of thousands of imperial guards."

"General Ma Bao is from Shunying and can command the imperial guards. He can also serve in the court if he is from Zhongzhengying. Your Highness only looks at loyalty and ability when hiring people, and never judges people by their background."

Li Guo was shocked when he heard this. He had never thought that there was a general from Shunying in the Ming court who had the power of paper.

However, Li Guo frowned and thought for a while, but he could not find any information about Ma Bao. He looked at Gao Yigong below and said

"Brother Gao is a veteran in the camp, do you know this General Ma Bao?"

Gao Yigong also frowned at this time. After thinking for a while, he still couldn't find any information about Ma Bao. Among the twenty-two generals of the five battalions of Dashun, there was no one named Ma Bao.

Gao Yigong was the younger brother of Li Zicheng's queen Gao Guiying. He had a long career in Shunying and had been with Li Zicheng since he started the uprising.

There was almost no one in Shunying that he didn't know, but he looked through all the famous generals over the years and still couldn't find the origin of Ma Bao.

Gao Yigong had a serious look on his face. There was actually a general from Shunying in the Ming court. This was extremely important news to Zhongzhengying at that time.
If this news is true, then the so-called Ma Bao is actually from Shunying, which means that Zhongzhengying may take this opportunity to truly integrate into the Ming court.

(End of this chapter)