Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 258 Choice
In the lobby, Zhu Lang sat at the top, with Li Chengzhi beside him, and below him were Gao Yigong and other members of the Loyalty Camp.

Gao Yigong looked at the handsome young man in a bright yellow dragon robe and couldn't help but exclaim in his heart, "He is indeed a royal noble. Even if Gui Jianguo is just standing there, others will never treat him as an ordinary person."

Gao Yigong looked at the young man who looked so imposing without any anger, and his heart tightened. Thinking about how these people had actually tried to support him to become the emperor some time ago, he couldn't help but feel ashamed.
The true dragon emperor must be extraordinary. How can they, the mortals, arbitrarily support him? Forcing someone to be the emperor is just imitating others and will only make people laugh.

Gao Yigong and others thought Zhu Lang was intimidating without even getting angry, but in fact, Zhu Lang really did nothing but sit on the chair.
What really frightened Gao Yigong and others was not Zhu Lang, but the dragon robe on Zhu Lang and the tens of thousands of soldiers outside the city. Life and death were in his hands, so he was unpredictable to anyone he met.

Zhu Lang glanced at the people in the Loyalty Camp below, and his eyes fell on Gao Yigong who was at the front. Zhu Lang's mind turned, and he suddenly spoke softly.

"General Gao, should I call you Gao Yigong or Gao Bizheng?"

During the Longwu reign, Emperor Wu of Liang accepted the surrender of the people of Shunying and not only gave them the name Zhongzhenying, but also changed the names of the generals in the camp.
Li Guo was given the name Li Chixin, Gao Yigong was given the name Gao Bizheng, and even Hao Yaoqi was given the name Hao Yongzhong. The purpose of the name change is self-evident. Just by looking at these people's names, we can know the intention of the court.
Gao Yigong was about to stand up and answer when he heard this, but before he could do so, His Royal Highness the Regent said softly:

"This is not an ordinary matter. General Gao, please think it over carefully before answering."

Gao Yigong looked at His Highness the Regent with a meaningful look on his face, and his expression changed slightly. He understood what His Highness the Regent meant.

His Majesty the Regent seemed to be asking for his name, but in fact he was asking about the decision of the Loyalty Camp.
Gao Yigong thought of the thousands of armored cavalry outside the city. He hesitated for a moment, then stood up and saluted, saying:

"I have been blessed by the imperial court and have been given a name by the late emperor. Now that I have been given a new name, I have reformed myself and gained a new life. My name is naturally high and correct."

"Well, well done for reforming yourself and getting a new life. I hope General Gao can remember what I said today."

"You have met General Ma, and I can tell you that my subordinates are all from different backgrounds. As long as you are dedicated to driving out the invaders and killing the bandits, you will have a future in the court."

Gao Yigong heard this and immediately accepted the order. Zhu Lang confirmed the attitude of Gao Yigong and the Loyalty Camp, and was somewhat sure of the situation of the Loyalty Camp. At least now it seems that the Loyalty Camp is still quite submissive to the court.
Although the Zhongzheng Camp had surrendered to the Ming Dynasty during the Longwu Dynasty, there were differences among Ming officials. Zhang Tongchang was a Ming official when he came to Fujian alone, and Liu Chengyin was also a Ming official when he gathered troops to resist the imperial order. The Zhongzheng Camp was willing to lead troops to obey the imperial order, which was at least better than Liu Chengyin.

Zhu Lang glanced at Gao Yigong and others below, and then asked

"Where is General Li Guo? Why didn't he follow General Gao into the court?"

Gao Yigong felt nervous when he heard this, and subconsciously wanted to use the excuse of the Qing army's unusual movement to reply.

But Gao Yigong looked at Ma Bao, who had an expressionless face opposite him, and hesitated for a moment, but finally gave up this reason.
Gao Yigong does not trust Ma Bao, the so-called old man from Shunying, but he believes that Ma Bao will not deceive him in this matter. As Ma Bao said, Zhongzhengying and Ma Bao came from Shunying together. If Zhongzhengying can really be incorporated into the court, it will only benefit Ma Bao and not harm him.
Gao Yigong looked at His Royal Highness the Regent, who had a dull expression on his face, gritted his teeth, suddenly stood up, and spoke in a deep voice:

"Your Highness, I am ashamed to say that before we received the letter from Governor Du, our Loyalty Camp had no idea that Your Highness had actually ascended the throne."

"Mr. Du came to the camp in a hurry, and then said that His Highness wanted to summon us, and asked us to lead the troops to see him immediately, which really left us at a loss."

"To be honest with you, Your Highness, all the generals in the camp are frightened by this, so after discussing it in the camp, they decided that I would lead the troops to the court first to pay homage."

"We were not lucky enough to see His Majesty before, and we were born in humble families, so we were frightened. Now we have the honor to see His Majesty, and we know that His Majesty is kind and generous. We were wrong to judge a gentleman by our own standards. Please forgive us, Your Majesty."

"General Gao is honest."

Zhu Lang was surprised when he heard what Gao Yigong said. In fact, both sides knew the reason why Li Guo could not come.
However, neither side could state the reason directly. The Ming court would not take the initiative to question the loyalty of its soldiers, and the Loyal Camp would not give people a reason to question it.
However, Zhu Lang did not expect that Gao Yigong would actually tell the truth. He did not know whether Gao Yigong was really honest or was just being fearless.
Zhu Lang's eyes also flashed with satisfaction at this time. Compared with Gao Yigong and others who made up excuses at will, Zhu Lang was more willing to hear the truth from the Loyalty Camp.
The two sides originally belonged to two different countries. Two or three years ago, they were still fighting for the world. Although the Loyalty Camp received the banner of the Ming court, no one on either side would believe that after the Loyalty Camp was given the name, it suddenly became a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty.

The Loyalty Camp took the initiative to put their concerns on the table at this time, which actually seemed to be the Loyalty Camp's pragmatic attitude of truly intending to get closer to the Ming court.
At this point, everyone should make things clear, and then the two sides can talk and argue about what needs to be discussed, which will actually help the matter to be implemented.

What the Ming court feared most at this time was a situation like He Tengjiao. On the surface, he was respectful and said he would follow the court's orders, but in the blink of an eye, he would use the name of justice to make excuses and delay things. This kind of situation was the most troublesome.

The people of Huguang are all loyal to the country on the surface. We have to fight them, but we can't do that. If we don't fight them, we can't take them back. Now that the Ming and Qing are fighting, what the Ming court wants is real soldiers and real pay. It doesn't have time to waste time with these people of Huguang.
That's why Zhu Lang planned to use the Qing court to completely wipe out the Huguang military leaders who were inconvenient for the court to deal with.

After Gao Yigong finished speaking, he stared at His Highness the Regent above him with a nervous look. When he saw that His Highness the Regent did not look angry, he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Gao Yigong had already made the matter clear, and Zhu Lang was not going to waste any more time. After thinking for a moment, Zhu Lang spoke directly.

"General Gao is honest, so I won't beat around the bush with you. The court can now give the Loyalty Camp two choices."

"First, the court will send a military supervisor to the Loyalty Camp. From now on, the food, military uniforms, and weapons needed by the Loyalty Camp will be provided by the court. In return, the court will also reorganize the Loyalty Camp. You, the Loyalty Camp generals, will also be subject to the court's dispatches from now on."

Gao Yigong's expression changed slightly. This plan was actually to completely annex the Zhongzheng Camp.
Although they no longer have to worry about food and wages after the reorganization, they are afraid that the soldiers in the camp will not have much to do with them. Unless they have no other choice, they will definitely not choose this plan.

Zhu Lang ignored the solemn expressions of the people in the Loyalty Camp below and continued to speak.

"The second option is that you will still be under the command of Governor Du, and the court will not send a military supervisor. The affairs of the camp will still be decided by you."

"The court will give you two thousand dan of rice every month, but in return you will need to send six thousand veterans to the Hubei Provincial Governor's Office to serve. Of course, the food and wages of these six thousand soldiers will also be borne by the court, and you will not be responsible for it."

"So, which one are you going to choose?"

Gao Yigong's expression also changed slightly at this time. If they chose the first option, the Loyalty Camp would be annexed. They definitely would not choose

The second one looks good, but in fact, the court is using two thousand shi of grain per month to exchange for six thousand old soldiers from the Loyal Camp, and they are not even able to fill the numbers.

The food and money are in the hands of the imperial court. If they send a group of refugees here, the imperial court can stop the food and money. If they really want to choose this plan, the Loyalty Camp must send real veterans to the imperial court to serve.
Although the Loyalty Camp had a large number of soldiers, after the defeat in Jingzhou last year, there were only about 30,000 veterans left, and they were also extremely valuable. In Gao Yigong's opinion, exchanging 6,000 people for only 2,000 shi of grain per month was not a good deal.

In fact, the best outcome for the Loyal Camp and others now is that the court will not interfere with their military power as before, and provide them with a certain amount of food and salary every month, while they will appropriately cooperate with the actions of the Ming court in Huguang.

This plan is the best for the Loyal Camp in every way, but unfortunately there is only one problem, that is, the Ming court will never agree to such a plan at this time.

After seeing the five or six thousand armored cavalry of the Ming court, Gao Yigong had already given up such an idea. The Ming court's military was strong, and the previously doubtful victory in Fujian Province could now be basically confirmed to be true.
If the Ming court was interested at this time, with the current strength of the Ming army, it would be enough to completely strangle the Loyal Camp. In this case, how could the Ming court give them such preferential conditions?

Gao Yigong was silent for a while, but still couldn't figure out whether he should choose Ming Ting's second plan.

But he did not dare to refuse directly at this time. Now thousands of people in the Loyalty Camp were in the hands of the Ming army. If they angered the court, they might not be able to leave Yuanzhou City.
At this time, there was silence in the hall. Gao Yigong did not speak, and Zhu Lang just looked at the people of the Loyalty Camp below with a calm expression.
Gao Yigong had a layer of sweat on his forehead. Seeing that he had been delayed for a long time, he had to stand up and say

"The plan given by Your Highness involves the future of tens of thousands of soldiers in the camp. It is difficult for me to decide alone. Can I discuss it with the Marquis of Xingguo first and then give the court an answer?" After Li Guo surrendered, the Ming court gave Li Guo the title of Marquis of Xingguo.
Zhu Lang did not show any surprise when he heard this. The people in the Loyalty Camp were originally foreign generals of the enemy. It would not be easy to subdue them. Zhu Lang did not think of swallowing up the Loyalty Camp immediately.

If you want to take down the Loyalty Camp, you have to attack them piecemeal. This is the way to recruit these people.

As long as the imperial court maintains its military strength and prevents the people in the Loyalty Camp from turning against it, the Loyalty Camp will sooner or later fall into the hands of the Ming court.

Zhu Lang thought of this and said directly

"It's okay. After all, you have surrendered not long ago and have been away from the court for a long time. It is human nature to be on guard. I will give you a month to wait. After a month, you can return to the court."

Gao Yigong's expression relaxed when he heard this, and he immediately stood up and saluted.
Zhu Lang looked at Gao Yigong who was relaxing below him, but his face was calm. However, Gao Yigong was too happy too early.

Zhu Lang's mind turned, and he spoke again

"I heard that the Loyalty Camp is now stationed on the border of Sichuan and Hubei. General Gao, do you know the news about Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan?"

"Although we are temporarily stationed in Badong, the road to Shu is rugged and we don't know much about the news in Sichuan Province."

"But I heard in the past that the thief Zhang...seems to have usurped the throne in Sichuan Province."

Gao Yigong was also startled when he heard His Highness the Regent suddenly mention the Western Bandits, but he quickly responded with a cautious look on his face.
"Zhang Xianzhong is dead"

"what!"

Gao Yigong stood up immediately after hearing this, with a look of shock on his face.

Of all the rebel armies in the past, apart from the rebels who broke into the camp, the only one left was the Western Camp of Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King. Of all the rebel armies, only these two finally established their names and proclaimed themselves emperors. And now Zhang Xianzhong is dead.
Gao Yigong looked at His Highness the Regent, who was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe and had a calm expression, and his face was still filled with disbelief.

King Chuang died not long ago, and now the Eighth King is also dead. With Zhang Xianzhong's death, the West Camp under his command will probably be in chaos and will no longer be able to make a difference.

The two kings had dominated the Central Plains for decades, but now they have died one after another in just a few years. Is it really God's will that matters?
"Zhang Xianzhong was shot and killed by the Qing invaders in Sichuan in January. Now Sichuan is in chaos."

"I have come here in person to enter your province and deal with the chaos in Sichuan and Shu. Now that you are here, please come with me."

Gao Yigong heard this and could no longer care about the news of Zhang Xianzhong's death. His expression changed drastically and he immediately said

"Go, go to your province"

"Didn't the Tartars say they were going to invade Huguang? If Your Highness leads the army into Guizhou, what will happen to Huguang?"

They had always thought that this time they led the army into the court to assist the Ming court in fighting against the Qing invaders in Huguang. If they fought in Huguang, they could get support from Li Guo and others. But if they followed the court to your province at this time, they would be at the mercy of others.
"The court has already made arrangements for the affairs of Huguang, so General Gao does not need to worry." He was indeed worried, but was this what he was worried about?

Zhu Lang had a calm expression on his face. After he finished speaking, he did not wait for Gao Yigong to reply and continued speaking.

"The 3,000 Loyalty Battalion that will enter the court this time will still be led by General Gao and will accompany the court into the palace. The court will later send military supervisors to the camp to supply food and wages for the Loyalty Battalion. Does General Gao have any opinions?"

This is the real reason why Zhu Lang asked the Loyalty Battalion to lead the army. Why did Zhu Lang specify that the Loyalty Battalion should bring 6,000 people? It was because the military strength of the court at that time could surely suppress 6,000 people.

If too many people from the Loyalty Camp come, the army in the court may not be able to suppress them.

As long as these people follow the court into your province, they will be unfamiliar with the place and the Loyalty Camp will have no food or money, so they can only obey the orders of the court.

But the Loyalty Camp was cunning. They promised 6,000 people, but only 3,000 came. Although 3,000 was few, it was better than nothing.

The reason why he asked Ma Bao to lead all the cavalry in the court to welcome them was to let Gao Yigong and others recognize the situation and not act rashly. Now that these 3,000 people were in Zhu Lang's pocket, there was no reason to let them escape.

Gao Yigong had an unpleasant look on his face, and he understood that Gui Jianguo wanted to annex these 3,000 soldiers.
Gao Yigong looked at the expressionless Regent and wanted to refuse, but when he thought of the thousands of cavalrymen, he felt powerless again. From the moment they stepped into Yuanzhou City, they had no choice.

"Subordinate to the order"

Gao Yigong was silent for a moment, and finally had to stand up and accept the order. When Zhu Lang saw Gao Yigong lower his head, a smile flashed across his face.

After Gao Yigong accepted the order, he sat back in his seat in silence. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became solemn.

Zhu Lang glanced at the people in the Loyalty Camp below, but he seemed to be completely unaware of Gao Yigong and others' dissatisfaction, and spoke again

"Who is Lee Lai Hyung?"

At the end on the right, a young man in black military uniform looked stunned. He was silent for a moment before he stood up and saluted.

"General Li Laiheng pays respect to His Royal Highness the Regent."

Zhu Lang looked at this young king of the future with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. The young man in front of him had a burly figure, with ape arms and a wasp waist, and the muscles in his arms were clearly defined. At this moment, just standing quietly in the hall, he gave people a feeling of being strong and capable.

"He looks good, like a fierce general."

Zhu Lang sighed softly. In his previous life, after the fall of the Southern Ming Dynasty, when the Ming Dynasty was already extinct, Li Laiheng was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of Qing troops in Kuidong, but Li Laiheng still vowed not to surrender to the Qing Dynasty.
In the Battle of Maolushan, Li Laiheng ran out of food and soldiers, and finally resolutely burned himself and his family to death. After Li Laiheng's death, there was no more Ming land in the Central Plains.

Zhu Lang was thinking about Li Laiheng's information. Li Laiheng saw that the Regent was silent and just stared at him. His heart was tense.

When Li Laiheng was already feeling a little nervous, His Royal Highness the Regent spoke up.

"How old are you this year?"

Li Laiheng was relieved when he saw that His Royal Highness the Regent finally spoke.

"In two months, I will be twenty-one years old"

"You are a little young, but you are still at the right age to fight and charge. How about you join the Tengxiang Army as a general?"

Gao Yigong looked at His Royal Highness the Regent above him, frowning slightly. At this time, everyone in the Loyalty Camp knew that the Tengxiang Army was the imperial guards led by Ma Bao.
Li Laiheng is the adopted son of Li Guo, the commander of the Loyalty Camp. What is the purpose of Gui Jianguo letting Li Laiheng join the Tengxiang Army?
Li Laiheng was also a little stunned at this time, with a blank look on his face, and subconsciously looked at Gao Yigong on the upper right

Zhu Lang saw the expressions of Li Laiheng and others and knew what they were thinking, but he waved his hand and said

"Don't think too much. I'm just letting you go to the Tengxiang Army to gain some experience. If you want to return to the Loyalty Camp, you can go back anytime."

"The Loyalty Camp is too small. It would be a waste for you to stay in the Loyalty Camp."

"Now is not the time for you to roam the Central Plains. Your Loyalty Camp is good at mobile raids, but if the court wants to compete with the Qing invaders in the future, it must fight with a large army. Mobile raids alone will not be enough to compete with the Qing invaders for the world."

"You join the Tengxiang Army and learn how the imperial army fights. If you learn well, you may be able to take charge of your own affairs in the future."

"How about it? Are you willing to join the Tengxiang Army? If you don't want to, I won't force you."

Gao Yigong and the others heard what His Royal Highness the Regent said. Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. They all looked at Li Laiheng in the hall with strange expressions in their eyes. Although they didn't know why, everyone could tell that His Royal Highness the Regent seemed to be very optimistic about Li Laiheng.

But why? Why did Gui Jianguo think that Li Laiheng would be able to take on important tasks in the future after only meeting him once, and why did he prepare to train him in the imperial army so carefully?
Li Laiheng was also confused and at a loss. He looked to Gao Yigong on the right.

Li Laiheng also knew that his current identity was unusual. He was entering the court as a hostage of the Loyal Camp. Whether to join the Tengxiang Army was not something he could decide.

Gao Yigong thought for a moment and finally nodded. Li Laiheng felt relieved when he saw Gao Yigong's hint, so he also said in a deep voice:

"I thank Your Highness for your kindness. I am willing to serve as a general in the Tengxiang Army."

Zhu Lang glanced at Gao Yigong below, but didn't say much.

Zhu Lang looked at Ma Bao below and said

"Ma Bao, you take good care of him. If he is capable of being trained, teach him well. There is no need to hide anything about artillery, military formations, and cavalry. It depends on how much he can learn."

"Also, when you have time, go visit the Loyalty Camp more often and get familiar with the situation in their camp. Maybe your two camps will act together later."

"Subordinate to the order"

Upon hearing this, Ma Bao took a deep look at Li Laiheng, who was somewhat bewildered, and then immediately stood up and responded.
Everyone in the hall was more and more puzzled when they heard what His Highness the Regent said. His Highness the Regent actually asked Ma Bao to personally bring Li Laiheng. It was obvious that he was not just talking, but was really going to train Li Laiheng.

But as mentioned before, why did His Majesty the Regent attach so much importance to Li Laiheng, who had just entered the court for the first time?
At this time, not only the people in the Loyalty Camp were puzzled, but even Ma Bao and other Tengxiang Army members were puzzled. They all looked at Li Laiheng in the hall, and looked at His Royal Highness the Regent above, with inquiring eyes.
Zhu Lang knew that everyone was puzzled, but his face was calm and he was not prepared to explain anything.

Since returning from Fujian Province with a great victory, Zhu Lang has not yet reached the point where he can do whatever he wants in the court, but he has been able to do as he pleases in most matters.
Li Laiheng had proven his ability in his previous life. Although he was young at this time, he obviously had great potential.

Moreover, Li Laiheng was Li Guo's adopted son, so he could be used to disintegrate the Zhongzheng Camp in the future. Therefore, Zhu Lang prepared to train him.

He is now the regent of the Ming Dynasty. He wanted to use someone, so he promoted him. Why should he explain to others?

Zhu Lang thought for a moment, but stopped caring about Li Laiheng's affairs and spoke again.

"Zhu Xuexi, select some experienced men from the army to help manage the food and pay for the Loyalty Camp and serve as missionaries. Let them take the silver and pay the Loyalty Camp a month's pay first."

"Go find Doctor Zhang Huangyan and get 3,000 sets of military uniforms. Transfer them to the Loyalty Battalion. Since they are the imperial army, they will look messy and untidy."

"Also, go and take inventory to see how many discarded weapons and armors are left, and send a batch to the Loyalty Battalion. If there are not enough, we'll find a way when we get to your province."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xuexi immediately stood up and responded. Gao Yigong and the others in the Loyalty Camp were also stunned when they heard His Majesty the Regent issuing salaries and allocating uniforms and soldiers.
Although they knew that this was a sugar-coated bullet fired by the Ming court, everyone couldn't help but sigh in their hearts. It was really nice to lean against a big tree to enjoy the shade.
Previously they were worried about military rations, but now that they have surrendered to the Ming, they will have silver, rice, food, weapons and armor.

"We thank Your Highness for your grace and reward."

Gao Yigong saw the agitated expressions of Helan and the others below, and his heart sank, but he had no choice but to stand up and obey the order.

Zhu Lang just waved his hand to let Gao Yigong get up, and didn't say anything more.

Zhu Lang replaced the equipment and supplies for the Loyalty Camp. On the one hand, he was trying to win over these 3,000 soldiers, but on the other hand, Zhu Lang was really planning to use these people.

He brought the Loyalty Camp into Gui, not to let them go on a trip.
These three thousand men could no longer escape the clutches of the Ming court. They were all veterans from the Loyalty Camp, and with a little training they could become combat-ready. So they naturally could not be wasted.

Zhu Lang thought about it and realized that the layout of the Loyalty Camp should be flawless, so he said

"General Gao has led his army on a long journey and must be exhausted. If you have nothing else to do, go down and rest."

Gao Yigong was relieved when he heard His Royal Highness the Regent send the guests off. Today's visit to the court had given him three shocks in one night.

The strength of the Guangdong court was far beyond Gao Yigong's expectations, and the two options proposed by Gui Jianguo also made Gao Yigong hesitant and he needed time to think carefully.
Gao Yigong led everyone to bow and leave. The people from the Loyalty Camp soon dispersed, and soon only Ma Bao and the people from the Hubei Provincial Governor's Office were left in the hall.
(End of this chapter)