Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 256 Shuntong
In the lobby, Gao Yigong frowned slightly, thinking about Ma Bao's origins.

Among the three imperial armies of the Ming court, there was actually a commander from Shunying. According to Du Yinxi, he commanded tens of thousands of people. This news was of great significance to the Zhongzheng Camp at that time.

It doesn't mean that because there is a general from Shunying in the Ming court, Zhongzhengying should surrender, but Zhongzhengying can use this person's relationship to find its own position in the Ming court and establish itself in the Ming court, instead of staying in a state of superficial harmony with the Ming court as it is now.

At present, the Loyalty Camp was under the banner of the Ming court. Although they were free and unrestrained, they could hardly get any support from the Ming court. Even the gentry and officials in the occupied areas regarded them as thieves. No one was willing to work for them.

When they followed Li Zicheng before, they didn't think it was a big deal, but now that they are the real masters, Li Guo and Gao Yigong feel more and more powerless. Every day when they wake up and do nothing, there are 70,000 to 80,000 people waiting to ask them for food.

When they retreated to Badong last year, they were still able to plunder, but now they have plundered all the nearby Guizhou and Yiling areas, and the money and food they get from the plunder is getting less and less.
They can still rely on looting nearby prefectures and counties to barely survive this year, but what will they do in the future? If they can loot for one year, can they loot for two or three years?
Gao Yigong thought of this and looked serious. He looked at Du Yinxi opposite him and said

"May I ask Lord Du, is it possible that this General Ma Baoma is really from Shunying?"

Du Yinxi heard this and realized something was wrong. It was obvious that Li Guo and Gao Yigong had never heard of the name of Ma Bao.

Du Yinxi thought for a moment and then spoke

"General Ma was born in Shunying, which was stated by His Highness himself in the letter. In the letter, His Highness also took General Ma Bao as an example, hoping that everyone in Zhongzhengying would emulate General Ma and serve the court with loyalty and dedication. This would never be wrong."

When His Royal Highness the Regent wrote to me about Ma Bao, he wanted to use Ma Bao as an example to reassure everyone in the Loyalty Camp. How could the court make a mistake in this matter?

Seeing Li Guo and the others frowning, Du Yinxi couldn't help but speak up.

"Haven't you all heard of the name of General Ma Bao? General Ma fought a great battle with the Qing invaders at Fengshan Ridge in Fujian Province. In one battle, he killed nearly a thousand Zhen Tartars and defeated nearly ten thousand Qing invaders' Green Camp, cutting off the Qing invaders' retreat route."

"Afterwards, he led the Tengxiang Imperial Army to capture Xinghua, Fuzhou and other major cities, making great contributions to the court. Haven't you heard of such a great general before?"

Li Guo, Gao Yigong and others looked at each other in bewilderment when they heard this. Killing nearly a thousand Zhen Tatars in one battle and defeating tens of thousands of Qing invaders was a feat that even the commanders of the five major camps of Dashun could not achieve.

If this person had been in Li Zicheng's time, he would have been promoted to General of the Fifth Battalion and commanded one battalion based on his military achievements.
Gao Yigong looked at Du Yinxi who was stunned, and knew that this matter was probably true. They also understood the intention of the Ming court to throw this person out at this time. It was nothing more than to show them sincerity and tell them that the court had no prejudice against Shunying.
Gao Yigong could also guess that Du Yinxi had probably prepared some rhetoric around Ma Bao to reassure them, but who could have expected that this role model promoted by the Ming court would be unknown to anyone in their camp?

Gao Yigong was a little embarrassed, and now he looked at the people in the Loyalty Camp below and said

"You are also veterans in the camp, do you know which camp this General Ma Bao is from?"

Zhang Neng and other officers in the camp discussed in low voices for a while, and then the Right Guoyi General Ma Chongxi suddenly hesitated and said

"I do know a Ma Bao. Under the command of Liu Zhong, the Marquis of Pingnan in the Central Camp, there is a general named Ma Bao. I heard that he has monkey arms and red eyes, and is good at fighting. The army calls him Ma Sanbao."

"But this man seems to be just a captain under Liu Zhong, but I don't know if he is the General Ma Bao that Du Gong mentioned."

Everyone was also stunned when they heard this. In the Dashun Camp, not to mention the Grand Marshal Li Zicheng, the next in line were the generals such as Quan, Zhi, Guoyi, and Wuwei. Below the generals were the captains.

This captain position can only be regarded as a middle-level general in Shunying. There must have been hundreds or even thousands of such middle-level generals in Shunying during its heyday. It is normal for Li Guo and others not to know

The reason why Ma Chongxi had heard of this person was only because he and he had the same surname.
However, the people in the Loyalty Camp were somewhat unbelievable and did not dare to confirm that the captain of the Central Camp, Ma Bao, was the general who defeated nearly 10,000 Qing invaders as mentioned by Du Yinxi.

Gao Yigong looked at Ma Chongxi who looked hesitant, then looked at the people below and asked again:

"Does anyone know Liu Zhong's current situation?"

At Liu Zhong's level, more people knew about it. Zhang Neng said

"Two years ago, General Tian Jianxiu and others from the Central Camp came to join the alliance. However, I heard from the generals of the Central Camp that Liu Zhong had surrendered to the Tartars in Henan Province."

Du Yinxi heard this and a look of understanding flashed in his eyes. He said

"That's right. General Ma Bao originally followed the Tartars to attack Guangdong Province. When he was in Guangdong Province, he saw the brutality of the Qing invaders and then he came to his senses and surrendered to the imperial court."

"The Loyalty Camp is really full of talented generals. First there were the Loyalty Camp members, and now there is General Ma Bao."

"The world is in turmoil, and the country needs good generals. You are all heroes of the Han Dynasty, and now is the time for you to make achievements."

Li Guo and others were sure that the great Ming general Ma Bao was indeed from Shunying, and after hearing Du Yinxi's praise, they understood Du Yinxi's intention to win him over.
But Li Guo and the others just sat on their seats and still did not respond.

Du Yinxi looked at the silent people in the Loyalty Camp and knew what they were worried about. Du Yinxi was silent for a while and suddenly said in a deep voice:

"The Qing army has entered Huguang. Although you are in western Hubei, I am afraid it is difficult for you to remain unscathed. Moreover, you have already accepted the banner of the Ming Dynasty. Now that His Majesty the Regent has issued an edict, you should all obey the edict and attend the meeting."

"As you have just joined the court, it is natural that you may have concerns about this trip. I have brought my young son to the camp, and you can keep him as a hostage. This may offset your concerns."

"The court is personally entering Huguang this time to gather the troops to resist the Qing invaders and protect the people of Huguang. The soldiers of the Loyalty Camp are the strongest army of Huguang. The two generals must not hesitate at this time."

"This time, I will go with the two generals to the court. If anything unexpected happens, the two generals can kill me first."

Li Guo and the others looked at Du Yinxi with a determined look, and were also stunned. For a moment, they didn't know how to respond.
Although Jingzhou suffered a great defeat years ago, Li Guo and others still respected Du Yinxi.
The reason why the Loyal Camp was willing to accept the Ming court's offer of amnesty was, on the one hand, because of the situation at the time, and on the other hand, because of Du Yinxi.
Du Yinxi fits the image of a good official in the minds of Li Guo and others. He cares about the people, is courageous, and acts with great integrity. It can be said that if Du Yinxi had not come to surrender, the Zhongzheng Camp might not have been so happy to agree to give up the Shunying flag.

The Zhongzhengying and others believed in Du Yinxi, but they did not trust the Guangdong Provincial Court, which they had never met. At this time, Du Yinxi used the lives of his family members as a guarantee, which forced Li Guo and others into a corner.

Li Guo also knew that this matter could not be delayed. Li Guo glanced at Du Yinxi who was about to speak again to persuade him, and said in a deep voice:
"We all know what Lord Du is thinking, but a large army march is unusual after all, so we need to discuss it further."

"Please give me a few more days, we will reply to you within three days."

"Come here, Mr. Du must be tired from the journey, please send him to the courtyard to rest first."

Du Yinxi looked at Li Guo, who looked determined, and knew that he might not be able to immediately persuade the people of the Loyalty Camp to lead the army to the court to pay homage, so he could only follow the soldiers out of the hall.

In the back hall of the government office, all the generals of the Loyalty Camp gathered. At the top was the leader of the Loyalty Camp, Li Guo, the former general of the Dashun Rear Camp.
On the left below are Gao Yigong, Zhang Neng and Ma Chongxi, the left and right lieutenants of Guoyi, and on the right are Li Laiheng, Helan and other trusted officers.
At this time, everyone in the hall knew Du Yinxi's intention. Li Guo looked at Gao Yigong below and said

"The Ming court wants us to lead 6,000 troops to Hunan Province to help. Brother Gao, do you think we should go?"

At this time, the Loyalty Camp respected Queen Gao Guiying as its leader. Gao Yigong was Gao Guiying's younger brother and had a long career in the Loyalty Camp. Most of the important matters in the camp were decided by Li Guo and Gao Yigong.
Gao Yigong heard this, but did not speak immediately.

Gao Yigong pondered for a moment, then his expression suddenly straightened. He looked up at Li Guo and said:

"Don't worry about what's happening in the Ming court for now. Since the death of our emperor, our Dashun tribe has been leaderless for a long time. The general is the emperor's nephew. Have you ever thought about inheriting the Dashun throne?"

Ma Chongxi, Li Laiheng and others below were all stunned when they heard this. Li Guo above also had a hint of desire on his face, but soon his expression darkened and he said in a muffled voice, "I am favored by the late emperor. I am lucky to be the commander of the rear camp. How dare I hope for the throne?"

“And the other camps will not obey either.”

Since Li Zicheng's death, the remaining troops of Shunying have been trying to nominate a successor to inherit Shuntong.
But after pushing and shoving, they couldn't find a candidate who could convince the public.

The year before last, Tian Jianxiu and other members of the Eastern Loyalty Camp came from Hunan Province to join the camp. All the tribes reluctantly agreed to nominate Li Zicheng's third brother to succeed the throne. However, Li Zicheng's third brother was unknown among the tribes of Shunying and could not convince the public at all.

Last year, the Zhongzheng Camp and the Shun army were defeated in Jingzhou. Tian Jianxiu and Li Zicheng's third brother and other generals in the Central Camp lost their courage and surrendered to the Qing outside the city of Jingzhou.

After Lekedehun and his men seized the military power of Tian Jianxiu and his men, they directly beheaded Tian Jianxiu and Li Zicheng's third brother and his men.
After Tian Jianxiu and others were killed, the various units in Shunying became increasingly chaotic, unable to maintain even a barely unified action, and each unit dispersed.
Even Li Zicheng's brother couldn't unite the troops in Shunying, let alone his nephew Li Guo.
In the five camps of Dashun, Tian Jianxiu and others in the middle camp were killed, and most of the soldiers in the right camp were taken away by Hao Yongzhong and Wang Jincai and stayed in Hunan Province.
The remaining Shun troops in Hubei Province are mainly Li Guo, the general of the rear camp, Yuan Zongdi, Liu Tichun, the general of the left camp, and Dang Shousu, the general of the middle camp and the general of the right camp.

As for the front camp of the Shun army, it had been dispersed long before the Shun camp and Hubei province joined forces.

If Li Guo wants to be emperor, Yuan Zongdi and others in the right camp will be the first to disobey.

They were all generals with equal status. As soon as Li Guo ascended the throne, Yuan Zongdi immediately became Li Guo's subordinate. How could Yuan Zongdi and others agree to this?
If everyone supports him, Li Guo would certainly want to take over the throne. Who wouldn't want to be the only one who has no right to rule? However, the tribes of Shunying would never accept his request.

If Li Guo really wanted to take over Li Zicheng's throne, the only way was to send troops to forcibly subdue all parties.

But it is clear that Li Guo did not have the determination to start an internal struggle within Shunying for the throne.
Gao Yigong heard what Li Guo said, a trace of disappointment flashed in his eyes, and he stopped trying to persuade him.
If Li Guo decides to inherit the throne, all the generals in the rear camp will strongly support him, and Queen Gao Guiying will also endorse Li Guo.
But Li Guo's performance at this time made Gao Yigong completely give up this idea.

To succeed the throne, it depends not only on the support of the generals in the rear camp, but also on Li Guo's own determination. If Li Guo himself does not have the determination to burn his boats and forge ahead, then why should they accompany Li Guo to take risks?
You want everyone to support you and then happily take over the throne. What good things are you thinking? Do you really think you are the emperor of the Zhu family?

At this time, Gao Yigong confirmed Li Guo's thoughts and did not hesitate any longer. He spoke directly.

"If the general does not want to establish himself, then we can only choose one side from the Ming and Qing dynasties. If we do it as soon as possible, the longer we delay, the more passive we will be."

"You all know the situation in the camp. We have been in Badong for only one year, and we have almost plundered Badong, Guizhou, Yiling and other places. If this continues, I am afraid we will have to seek food elsewhere as before. But now, where in the world can we find food?"

Ma Chongxi and the others were also heartbroken when they heard this. The world is no longer the same as it was in the past when they were roaming around in the Central Plains.
The people of the Loyalty Camp had already realized that the Tartars were the greatest threat to the world, so the tribes of the Shun Camp decided to accept the Ming court's offer of amnesty.

Most of the Central Plains was occupied by the Tartars, who had strong military power and dared not plunder the Qing court.

Of course, they could go to the Ming court to plunder, but the Ming court also has a large army. If they go to the Ming court area to plunder, they will inevitably go to war with the Ming court.

The Tartars were always watching them closely. When both they and the Ming court were defeated, they would also be doomed if the Tartars came.

It is not feasible to eat on the move, and it is also not feasible to eat on the spot.

After the Zhongzheng Camp accepted the Ming court's banner, it legitimately occupied the land west of Jingzhou Prefecture to collect salaries.

Li Guo and others had thought about managing Jingxi well, but after some attempts, they found that it was impossible to do so.

After Li Zicheng's death, some civil officials in the Loyalty Camp, such as Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance, surrendered or fled. At this time, there were no civil officials available in the Shun Camp.

If you want to find heroes who can wield a knife and kill people in the Loyalty Camp, you can always select three to five hundred. But if you want to find more than a hundred officials who know how to govern the local area, it is extremely difficult.
The Zhongzheng Camp was sandwiched between the Ming and Qing dynasties and could not leave. They could not afford to defend themselves. The only way out for them was to find a way to obtain food and money from the outside world.

Now, the only two countries that can afford to support the Loyalty Camp are the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Gao Yigong looked at the solemn faces of the crowd, was silent for a moment, and then said

"The Tartar troops have entered Huguang, and Huguang will become a battlefield. We cannot hesitate any longer."

"Now we have to either surrender to the Ming or the Qing. If we sit back and wait for the Ming and Qing sides to decide the winner, I'm afraid that either side will want to destroy us."

"If I had to choose, I would rather choose the Ming court. If I want to join the Ming court, now is the best time!"

"According to Du Yinxi, the situation in Huguang is critical at this time. Even the Ming court's Gui Regent has personally entered Huguang to supervise the war. Even if Du Yinxi speaks well of us in the court, it may not be as good as giving the Ming court's regent a real victory in front of him."

Li Laiheng and others nodded secretly upon hearing this. They had already accepted the banner of the Ming court's Loyalty Camp, so it was reasonable for them to surrender to the Ming court at this time.
Before the Zhongzheng Battalion surrendered, they had secretly contacted the Qing court, but the Qing court insisted on shaving their heads, requiring the Zhongzheng Battalion to shave their heads to show their loyalty. This angered the Zhongzheng Battalion, and they finally accepted the Ming court's surrender.

Although they are bandits, they are also Han bandits. If they shave their heads, how can they face their ancestors in the future?
Li Guo had made up his mind at this time, but he did not speak immediately. He looked at Gao Yigong below and spoke again.

"Then what does it mean that the Ming court specifically asked Lai Heng to accompany the army to the court?"

"They are just asking for hostages."

Li Guo nodded slightly upon hearing this. Du Yinxi was familiar with the Zhongzheng Camp, and the fact that Li Laiheng was his adopted son was no secret in the Zhongzheng Camp, so it was not surprising that Du Yinxi knew about it.

The Ming court now demanded that Li Laiheng come to court, but Li Guo and others felt more at ease. If they were really going to attack the Loyal Camp, why would the Ming court go to the trouble of asking for hostages?
Li Guo thought of this and stopped hesitating. He looked at the people below.
"General Gao is right. We are Han Chinese after all. If we want to surrender, we will surrender to the Ming court. I want to send troops to the Ming court to pay homage. Do you have any objections?"

Zhang Neng, Ma Chongxi and others saw that Li Guogao Yigong had reached a consensus and agreed with him.
For them, they really preferred to join the Ming court. At least if they joined the Ming court, they would not have to shave their heads and be criticized by others. Moreover, killing people and setting fires to others and being recruited was originally an orthodox way for people like them.

Seeing that everyone agreed, Li Guo looked at the young man on the right below and said

"The Ming court specifically wants you to come to the court, Laiheng, are you willing to go?"

Li Laiheng's face became serious when he heard this, and he immediately said

"This matter concerns the future of tens of thousands of brothers in the camp. Laiheng is willing to go to the Ming court."

Gao Yigong looked at Li Laiheng with a serious expression, thought for a moment, and then said

"We must be on guard against others. Although the Ming court allowed me to attend the court with the general, the situation on the Ming court side is still unclear."

"This time I will lead the army with Lai Heng, and you will stay in the camp. This way, if anything goes wrong, you can continue to lead the brothers in the camp."

"Six thousand soldiers are too many. We cannot take risks with our elite troops. We will send three thousand soldiers this time. If there are no problems with the Ming court, we will continue to send soldiers."

Li Guo and others nodded when they heard this. Li Guo and Gao Yigong were the backbone of the Loyalty Camp and they must not go to the Ming court together. Otherwise, if something went wrong, the Loyalty Camp would be in chaos.
Gao Yigong's arrangement was just right. One person stayed behind and the other went to court. Gao Yigong was also a person who could make decisions in the camp. If there were any requests from the Ming court, Gao Yigong could also consider and deal with them.

The Zhongzheng Camp had already made up their mind, but Li Guo and his men did not delay. The next day, Gao Yigong led his troops and Du Yinxi and his men to Wugang.
When Du Yinxi and his companions were halfway there, they received another letter from a messenger saying that the meeting place had been changed to Yuanzhou, so they had to change their route again and headed for Yuanzhou.
(End of this chapter)