Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 259 Northwest
In the hall, Zhu Lang sat at the top, and on the left below were officials from Hubei Province such as Du Yinxi, and on the right were generals of the Tengxiang Army such as Ma Bao and Hao Shangjiu.

Although Gao Yigong and others also called themselves Ming officials, the meeting just now was more like a negotiation than a summons. This was the time when the court officials were discussing matters behind closed doors.

Zhu Lang looked down at Du Yinxi, who was wearing a bright red official robe and had slightly white hair, and said

"Although the Loyalty Camp has received the title of the imperial court, it has always acted on its own. Du Qing did a good job in allowing the Loyalty Camp to enter the court this time."

"This time I was able to summon the Loyalty Camp because the imperial court anticipated the enemy's advance and discovered the Qing invaders' whereabouts in advance, making the people in the Loyalty Camp feel insecure."

"The second reason is that the Fujian Province of the imperial court won a great victory over the Qing invaders, which shocked the world and made the loyal camp fearful, which made them dare not act recklessly."

"This time, I was able to persuade the Loyalty Camp to enter the court, all thanks to the power of Your Highness. I dare not take credit for it."

Upon hearing this, Du Yinxi immediately stood up and saluted. Zhu Lang pressed his palm and asked Du Yinxi to sit down, and then he spoke

"Your Excellency Du is too modest. Since the Jiashen Incident, the imperial court has been defeated again and again in Hubei Province, and its authority in Huguang is no longer effective."

"What's more, this Loyalty Camp was originally a Chuang Camp. If Du Qing had not made friends with the Loyalty Camp over the years and established a friendship with them, how could Gao Yigong and others trust the court?"

"This time the imperial court was able to get Gao Yigong and others to lead their troops back to the imperial court without spending a single soldier. This is all thanks to Du Qing. No one else could have done this."

Seeing that Du Yinxi was about to stand up and reply, Zhu Lang waved his hand to interrupt him and said

"This is not a grand court. All those present in the hall are my close friends and confidants. You don't have to be polite. Just sit down and answer my question."

Du Yinxi hesitated for a moment, and thanked him respectfully, but he still sat upright on the chair.

Du Yinxi looked at the smiling Regent and felt a little flattered. This was his first time to attend court, but for some reason, Regent Gui seemed to be very close to him.

Although he also served in Hunan Province during the Chongzhen period, he was very sure that he had never come into contact with the Guiwangfu family before.

Although Du Yinxi was puzzled, it was a good thing that His Royal Highness the Regent was close to him at this time.

Zhu Lang didn't care what Du Yinxi was thinking, and said

"I will soon lead my army into Guizhou. I am afraid that the imperial court will be unable to reach Hubei Province in the short term."

"Mr. Du has been stationed in Hubei Province for a long time and has a good relationship with the Loyalty Battalion. Now the only army the court can use in Hubei Province is the Loyalty Battalion. The affairs of Hubei Province can only be entrusted to Mr. Du."

Du Yinxi's face turned serious when he heard this. After Zhu Lang finished speaking, Du Yinxi could no longer bear it and stood up and said
"Your Highness, are you really going to lead the army into Gui at this time?"

"I dare not discuss state affairs, but the Qing invaders are advancing in force. If Your Highness leads the army away, what will happen to Huguang?"

The real purpose of Zhu Lang's expedition was known only to a few people in the court, including the Military Affairs Office. The imperial court's order to Du Yinxi was only to inform him of the great victory in Fujian Province and the news that the Qing army would enter Huguang.
Du Yinxi believed that the court summoned the Loyalty Camp to resist the Qing invaders based on intelligence.
In fact, it is easy to draw this conclusion based on the intelligence reported by North Korea alone.
"Don't worry, Mr. Du. The court has already made arrangements for Huguang."

Zhu Lang thought for a moment, and then informed Du Yinxi of the court's arrangements for Huguang.

In fact, it is impossible to hide this matter from Du Yinxi. Du Yinxi is in Huguang. If he does not know the court's arrangement for Hunan Province, then Du Yinxi may be implicated by Hunan Province and affect the situation in Hubei Province.

Du Yinxi was also shocked when he heard about the imperial court's plan to execute Liu Chengyin and to use the Qing court to eliminate the Huguang military leaders.

Du Yinxi looked at the calm Regent above him and was shocked. He felt that the Guangdong Provincial Court was really murderous and decisive.

Liu Chengyin was also a very powerful military commander in Huguang, but the Guangdong Provincial Court did not say a word and directly suppressed Liu Chengyin.
As for Hunan Province, just because the generals of Hunan Province did not obey the imperial orders, the imperial court actually abandoned Hunan Province and even took the initiative to use the knife of the Qing court to kill people.

Whether this approach is right or wrong is not the point, but this is an entire province. In previous dynasties, who would dare to make such a decision?

Zhu Lang ignored Du Yinxi who looked shocked and continued speaking.

"The court has already made arrangements for Hunan Province, but it is unable to take care of Hubei Province. It can only rely on Du Qing and the Zhongzheng Camp."

"Mr. Du, from today on you will be removed from your post as Governor of Huguang and promoted to Governor-General of Hubei Province, in charge of the overall situation of Hubei Province."

"The Qing invaders are entering Huguang, and they will most likely head for Hunan Province. You don't have to worry about the situation in Hunan Province. If He Tengjiao wants you to mobilize troops, you don't have to pay attention. Even if Hunan Province is lost, it has nothing to do with you, so don't interfere."

"What you need to do is to find a way to gain a foothold in Hubei Province. You must not let the entire province of Hubei be occupied by the Qing invaders. Do you understand?"

The Ming court had already occupied the passage into Hunan in advance. Even if Hunan was completely occupied by the Qing army, after pacifying the three southwestern provinces, the court could launch an attack on Hunan at any time.

However, Hubei Province was too far away, and the imperial court was unable to deploy troops in Hubei Province at this time. Once the Qing army completely occupied Hubei Province, the Qing court would have no worries in Huguang and could concentrate all its forces on the front line of Hunan Province, which would be very disadvantageous for the Ming court to recover Hunan Province in the future.
Therefore, the Ming court must have a fulcrum in Hubei Province. As long as Du Yinxi and others gain a foothold in Hubei Province, it will be like a nail in the back of the Qing court, making it unable to concentrate all its efforts on defending Hunan Province.
Compared with letting Du Yinxi and others enter Hunan Province and defending one or two more cities in Hunan Province, it is obviously more useful to the Ming court to place Du Yinxi and others in Hubei Province.

"I and the Loyalty Camp will defend a corner of Hubei Province for the imperial court, waiting for the imperial court to use its military force."

Du Yinxi also understood the court's strategy at this time, and immediately stood up to respond.
Although he was still somewhat surprised that the court had given up Hunan Province, since His Royal Highness the Regent and the court officials had reached a consensus, this was the public opinion of the court, and he could only follow orders.

Zhu Lang saw that Du Yinxi had obeyed his orders, and a trace of satisfaction flashed across his face. Zhu Lang thought for a moment and then spoke again.

"The imperial court is going to send troops to the southwest, and the affairs of Hubei Province will probably fall on the shoulders of the Loyalty Camp. What is the situation inside the Loyalty Camp now? In addition to Li Guogao Yigong, are there other people involved?"

Du Yinxi heard this, but did not speak immediately. He sorted out the information of the Loyalty Camp and then answered

"After the battle of Jingzhou last year, there are now only two groups left in the Loyal Camp. One is the former Chuangying Rear Camp led by Li Guogao Yigong, and the other is the Right Camp led by Yuan Zongdi and Liu Tichun."

"Li Guo and his men are now stationed in Badong and other areas of Jingxi. As for Yuan Zong's first division, I don't know much about it. I am not very close to this group of people."

"I heard that after this group of troops fought in Jingzhou, Liu Tichun and others seemed to have chosen to lead their troops northward, fleeing to Qin via Henan Province. Now they seem to be in Hanzhong. I don't know the specific situation."

Zhu Lang's expression suddenly became serious when he heard this. He looked at Du Yinxi below.
"Hanzhong? Maybe we can confirm that they are really in Hanzhong."

Du Yinxi was also stunned when he saw the solemn expression on His Highness the Regent's face. Although he didn't know why His Highness the Regent reacted so strongly, after thinking carefully, Du Yinxi replied in a deep voice:

"This is what Li Guo told me. These two groups all came out of the camp. Li Guo's information should not be wrong."

Zhu Lang had a serious look on his face. Now the Ming court couldn't even reach Hubei Province, let alone Hanzhong in Qin Province. But this didn't mean that the news was not important. Zhu Lang's expedition to the southwest was to surrender the Dashi Army and resolve the chaos in Sichuan. Sichuan Province could not only go to Hunan and Hubei, but also to the northwest. If one wanted to go to the northwest from Sichuan Province, one had to go through Hanzhong.

The northwest will also be turbulent in the next few years. If Zhu Lang wants to project the power of the Ming court into the northwest, there are only two ways. One is to capture Henan Province and enter Qin through Tongguan into the northwest. The other is to enter Qin through Hanzhong in Shu and finally reach the northwest.

The first path is obviously not feasible. Not to mention whether the Ming army can capture Tongguan, the imperial court is now unable to reach Hubei Province, and it is even more impossible to attack Henan Province.

Therefore, taking Sichuan, Shu, Hanzhong and then entering Qin is the only way for the Ming court to intervene in the situation in the northwest.
I can only say that this Chuangying is indeed a bandit. When the Ming Dynasty occupied the Central Plains, this Chuangying was a bandit everywhere. Now that the Qing Dynasty occupies the Central Plains, this Chuangying can still be a bandit everywhere. It is really a good runner.

The sudden appearance of Liu Tichun and others in Hanzhong surprised Zhu Lang, but also made him feel a little embarrassed.

"Hanzhong, Hanzhong..."

Zhu Lang paced in the hall, while Du Yinxi, Ma Bao and others below looked at His Highness the Regent, who was sometimes frowning and sometimes excited. Although they didn't know what His Highness was thinking about, they didn't dare to disturb him at this time, and just sat in silence in the hall.

Zhu Lang thought for a while, and suddenly shook his head slightly. Hanzhong is indeed the only chance for the Ming court to intervene in the northwest, but it is also too far away.
If he wanted to use Hanzhong, he had to first conquer Sichuan and Shu. Although he had a plan for Sichuan and Shu, he was not sure whether it would work.
Even so, Zhu Lang was not prepared to ignore Hanzhong. Although Sichuan and Shu were still undecided, it was always good to make some preparations in advance.
Zhu Lang looked at Du Yinxi below and said

"What is the relationship between Li Guo and Liu Tichun?"

"I don't know much about Liu Tichun and others, so I dare not speak rashly. But last year, the various troops of the Loyal Camp retreated to Jingxi. The land in Jingxi is barren and unable to support the two armies of hundreds of thousands."

"I heard that Liu Tichun and his men did not want to break up relations with Li Guo and his men, so they decided to move north and seek food elsewhere."

Zhu Lang nodded when he heard this. If he was afraid of hurting the relationship, then he had already hurt the relationship.

Li Guo and his men occupied Jingxi, and Liu Tichun and his men had nowhere to go. They had no choice but to venture northward into the Qing-controlled area, and eventually fled to Qin. This made sense.
Zhu Lang pondered for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice

"Find a way to get in touch with Liu Tichun's troops in Hanzhong. Remember, don't let Li Guo and others get in touch with them. Find out their current situation and report it to the court immediately."

"Subordinate to the order"

Du Yinxi responded directly. Seeing that Du Yinxi had obeyed his orders, Zhu Lang temporarily put aside the matter of Hanzhong.

After all, this matter is still a bit far away. The current priority is still the affairs of Hubei Province and the southwestern provinces.

"You are now stationed in Changde. After the Qing invaders enter Huguang, I'm afraid they will not sit idly by and watch you occupy this place. If you want to gain a foothold in Hubei Province, I'm afraid you will have to fight with the Qing invaders."

"It still depends on the Loyalty Camp. Du Qing may be able to mobilize the troops of the Loyalty Camp."

Du Yinxi hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"If it was before, I would not have been so confident, but now I have the food and money supported by the court, and the deterrence of the court's army, so I should be able to order the loyal camp to help defend the city."

Zhu Lang glanced at Du Yinxi who looked hesitant, and then spoke again

"How many soldiers does the Hubei Provincial Governor's Office have now?"

"Since I took over as the governor of Huguang, I have also recruited a Fu Biao Battalion, but the battle in Jingzhou last year resulted in heavy casualties. Now there are only about 2,000 people left. Although these 2,000 people have been in the army for several years, they are still far from the veterans of the Zhongzheng Battalion."

Du Yinxi looked embarrassed, but Zhu Lang was not surprised. Du Yinxi was born as a civil official, and although he had served as a military governor, the South had been peaceful for a long time, and even professional military generals could not train strong soldiers, let alone Du Yinxi, a civil official who changed his career halfway.

Zhu Lang thought for a moment and then said

"Ma Bao, you will transfer an experienced general from the Tengxiang Army later, and select two thousand soldiers to follow Governor Du to Hubei Province to serve as the central army of the Governor's Office."

Although Du Yinxi had food and money, if he didn't have a usable army, he probably wouldn't be able to suppress the people in the Loyalty Camp. Having food but no soldiers meant he was like a fat sheep in the eyes of the people in the Loyalty Camp.

At this time, forming a Hubei Provincial Governor's Camp with 2,000 imperial guards to create a deterrent, and then using food and money to entangle the Loyal Camp, should be able to barely drive the Loyal Camp to cooperate in the operation.

Zhu Lang stopped Du Yinxi who was about to stand up to thank him and said

"Minister Du, there are two things you need to do after returning to Hubei Province. First, find a way to find out the situation of the Shunying in Hanzhong as soon as possible, clarify the number and location of this group of troops, and then report to the court."

"Second, defend Changde and keep the passage for the imperial court to march into Huguang"

"Find a way to get the Loyalty Camp out of Badong. Why are so many people from the Loyalty Camp hiding in that remote place in Badong?"

"If the Qing army can attack Hunan Province, you can also attack Hubei Province. You two can cooperate to see if you can take Jingzhou. Tell the Loyalty Camp that if they can take Jingzhou, the court can give Jingzhou Prefecture to the Loyalty Camp as a salary base."

Du Yinxi looked at His Royal Highness the Regent above him, but his face was hesitant.
"Jingzhou is the key point of Hubei Province. Last year, I failed in my attack on Jingzhou, and the Qing invaders have also strengthened their defenses in Jingzhou. However, at this time, the Qing invaders are marching into Huguang in large numbers. If the Qing invaders in Hubei Province relax their guard, I can get the imperial guards to link up with the Loyalty Camp and there is a possibility of seizing Jingzhou."

"Is it wrong to use Jingzhou Prefecture as a lure to order the Loyalty Camp to send troops?"

"The Zhongzheng Camp can now obey the orders of the court because they are short of food. If the Zhongzheng Camp and others are allowed to take Jingzhou Prefecture, I am afraid that the Zhongzheng Camp and others will have their own ideas, and it will be difficult for the court to check and balance the Zhongzheng Camp with food and wages."

Zhu Lang heard this and shook his head and laughed.

"Du Qing is thinking long-term, but it doesn't matter. Just tell the Zhongzheng Camp that if they can capture Jingzhou, then Jingzhou will be theirs. If they have the ability to capture Xiangyang, then Xiangyang can also be given to them."

"It is better for the Loyalty Camp to capture these enemy territories than to fall into the hands of the Qing invaders."

After hearing this, Du Yinxi also understood what His Royal Highness the Regent meant. Anyway, these enemies were no longer in the hands of the court, so it was better to give them to the Loyalty Camp than to the Tartars.
The Loyalty Camp is at least a Ming official in name. If the Loyalty Camp can really occupy these places, the imperial court can at least use these places to attack.
In fact, Zhu Lang was not worried that the Loyalty Camp would become too powerful. The Loyalty Camp had been under the banner of the Ming court, and had already fallen into a disadvantage in terms of justice. As long as the imperial guards in the court could maintain their strength, the Loyalty Camp would eventually have no choice but to bow down.
On the other hand, Zhu Lang was not without a backup plan. Why was Zhu Lang so generous? As soon as he saw Gao Yigong, he wanted to pay and feed the 3,000 soldiers of the Loyalty Camp. He was aiming at the tens of thousands of Loyalty Camp main force in Li Guo's hands.
When these three thousand people are used to receiving the imperial salary, eating the imperial food, and living a good life with armor, artillery, meat and vegetables, will they really be willing to go back and follow Li Guo to become robbers and bandits?
With these three thousand traitors in hand, it would be easy for the Ming court to split up the Loyal Camp.

Zhu Lang arranged all the affairs in Hubei Province, and then he learned about the current situation of the various prefectures in Huguang with Du Yinxi, and then asked Du Yinxi to go down and rest.

That evening, Zhu Lang summoned Zhang Huangyan and other accompanying civil officials, as well as officers from the Longxiang and Tengxiang armies, to hold a banquet in the city to welcome the people of the Loyalty Camp.
Gao Yigong and the others were flattered to see His Majesty the Regent personally prepare a banquet for them, and they gradually felt relieved.

Zhu Lang's original plan was to let the Loyalty Camp rest for two days, then inspect the camp and watch the training of the people in the Loyalty Camp, so that Ma Bao and others could judge the level of these people.

However, an urgent report from your province made Zhu Lang give up this plan.

On the third day after the Zhongzheng Camp arrived, the army outside Yuanzhou City suddenly set out, heading straight into Zhenyuanwei along the Yuanshui River and heading towards your province.
(End of this chapter)