Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 292 Loyalty
Under the dragon flag, Sun Kewang looked at the expressionless Gui Jianguo, and his expression changed slightly. Sun Kewang's eyes turned and he spoke

"Your Highness, please allow me to report. After I entered Yongning, Luzhou, I had ordered my soldiers to rest. However, the Xuzhou garrison commander and others did not believe that I had surrendered to the Ming court and still sent troops to attack. I had no choice but to fight back in order to protect myself."

Although Sun Kewang looked sincere, Zhu Lang did not believe a word he said. The Xuzhou garrison commander and others might have been the first to send troops, but it was not certain that Sun Kewang was secretly fanning the flames.
As long as he showed signs of a large-scale advance on the Lu-Xu border, Xuzhou would have no choice but to send troops to defend it, and Sun Kewang and others could use this as an excuse to attack Xuzhou.

Zhu Lang had no expression on his face. He just looked calmly at Sun Kewang who was bowing and looking up. When Sun Kewang's expression also fell silent, he spoke softly.

"Let's do as General Sun said. The Loyalty Camp has just returned. The officials in the court need time to get familiar with General Sun, and General Sun also needs time to get familiar with the court rules."

"But this is the last time, General Sun, do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. From now on, I will obey your orders and will never violate the court rules again."

Although Sun Kewang had already concluded that the Ming court would not dare to do anything to him at this time, he felt relieved when he heard Gui Jianguo reveal the matter. He immediately responded.

"I still need to welcome the generals from Sichuan Province. If General Sun wants to wait, he can wait under the colorful tent. If he is tired from the journey, he can go into the city to rest first."

"Your Highness is still outside the city. How dare I enter the city first? I will wait outside the city so that I can see the heroic style of Sichuan Province."

Zhu Lang nodded, and no longer cared about Sun Kewang. He turned around and walked back to the posthouse. Sun Kewang was also taken to the colorful tent by Li Chengzhi.

Although Zhu Lang was very angry about Sun Kewang's unauthorized occupation of Xuzhou, he could do nothing about it.

Sun Kewang led only half of the remaining Western Army troops, but he was able to drive out the Ming troops from three prefectures in a row, which was enough to show the strength of the Western Army.

At this time, Zhu Lang wanted to disrupt the rear of Sichuan Province, and Sun Kewang and others were also a very important force.

Moreover, Li Dingguo and others are still leading the army in Yunnan Province to suppress the rebellion. If he punishes Sun Kewang and others at this time, once the news spreads to Yunnan Province, no one knows how Li Dingguo and others will react.

Sun Kewang dared to seize Xuzhou, and he may have considered this reason. At this time, both the Ming court and Sun Kewang had concerns about each other, but it was obvious that the Ming court had more concerns than Sun Kewang, so Zhu Lang had to temporarily cover up the matter.

Although Zhu Lang could only accept the matter at this time, he did not feel much anger in his heart.
This is the situation that the Ming court is facing at this time. After the central court lost its authority, various parties rose up. If you have troops, you are a king. You are the emperor and I am the king. Who is better than whom?

As long as the bottom line is not crossed, the court can only give a warning at this time.

Of course, if Sun Kewang thought that he could threaten the imperial court in this way and continued to intensify his actions, then after driving away the Qing army, Zhu Lang would not have to hold back any longer.
Zhu Lang returned to the posthouse, and Sun Kewang was also led to the colorful tent. However, after Sun Kewang arrived, the atmosphere under the colorful tent suddenly became tense.
Yang Zhan, Cao Xun and others turned a blind eye to Sun Kewang, while Li Zhanchun and Yu Dahai were even more angry.
Li Zhanchun and the other two were generals under Zeng Ying. They also participated in the battle when Sun Kewang defeated Zeng Ying. When the two enemies met, they were naturally jealous of each other.

If there weren't Jinyiwei guards watching nearby, Li Zhanchun and the other two would have rushed forward with knives in hand to take revenge.
All the generals of the Ming army were hostile to him, but Sun Kewang looked calm, as if he was completely unaware of it.

Sun Kewang was only busy talking to Zhang, the general of the Iron Cavalry Battalion, who was accompanying him. He would occasionally praise the might of the imperial guards, as if he was completely unaware of the gazes of the crowd.

Sun Kewang's arrival under the colorful tent was not without benefits. After Sun Kewang arrived, the Ming army under the colorful tent gathered around Yang Zhan, while Sun Kewang and Zhang Sheng also formed their own group, and the two sides did not interfere with each other.
Everyone in the field waited for a while, and then an eunuch suddenly walked towards the colorful tent and said to the people under the colorful tent:

"Generals, His Highness has ordered that the Marquis of Loyalty is coming. Please follow His Highness to welcome him."

When everyone heard this, whether it was Yang Zhan and other Ming army generals or Sun Kewang, their faces all became serious.

Qin Liangyu, the Marquis of Loyalty, is a legendary figure in the Sichuan army. No, not only in the Sichuan army, but also in the entire Ming court.
The same was true for Sun Kewang and other Western troops. After Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan, he had hundreds of thousands of troops and killed and plundered people in Sichuan at will, but he did not dare to attack the Tusi Mansion in Shizhu. This was because Qin Liangyu had defeated the Western Army before, which made Zhang Xianzhong still feel scared after many years.

As a confidant of Zhang Xianzhong who had been following him for a long time, Sun Kewang naturally knew how powerful Qin Liangyu was.

Zhu Lang led Yang Zhan, Sun Kewang and others under the dragon flag. The ferry quickly crossed the river and arrived at the shore. Three figures rode on the horses prepared by the imperial guards and quickly arrived under the dragon flag.
When the three of them came closer, Ma Wannian got off the horse first and then tried to help Qin Liangyu get off the horse, but Qin Liangyu waved her hand to stop Ma Wannian and slowly got off the horse herself.

Qin Liangyu got off her horse and saw the figure waiting under the dragon flag. Qin Liangyu shook off Ma Wannian who was trying to support her and walked straight towards the dragon flag in front of her. When Qin Liangyu got close, she bowed down and

"Your Highness, the loyal marquis Qin Liangyu, pays respect to His Highness the Regent."

Before Qin Liangyu bowed, the figure in front of her came forward, held her up with both arms.
"Why should a loyal lord be so polite?"

Qin Liangyu was wearing a bright red Qilin military uniform and a golden crown on her head, but she did not see any hairpins.

Qin Liangyu is tall and even though she is a little thin now, one can still imagine how heroic she was in her prime.

Zhu Lang looked at the white-haired Qin Liangyu in front of him, his eyes full of emotion, and suddenly he spoke softly, "I cut the Shu brocade battle robe myself, and asked for the long tassel on the peach blossom horse. There are so many extraordinary men in the world, who are willing to travel thousands of miles on the battlefield?"

Qin Liangyu wanted to speak, but when she heard these few lines of poetry, her eyes turned red and she burst into tears.
This poem was personally bestowed upon Qin Liangyu by Emperor Chongzhen when he summoned her to the capital to serve the emperor in the third year of Chongzhen's reign.
Now, more than a decade has passed in a flash. The scene of that day is still before his eyes, but now the former emperor has passed away, the country is in ruins, and the storm is coming. He has also changed from a military official who once fought on the battlefield to an old man who has difficulty even getting off his horse.

Qin Liangyu suddenly burst into tears and bowed her head.
"The late emperor died for his country in the capital. As a military official, I was unable to protect the late emperor. I have failed to live up to the emperor's grace. I am guilty."

Zhu Lang helped the old man up and said

"When the late emperor was in trouble, the loyal marquis was ordered to guard the border in the southwest for the country. This is great loyalty. The loyal marquis has made great contributions, so how can he be said to be guilty?"

Zhu Lang looked at Qin Liangyu, who looked sad, and continued

"I heard that the loyal marquis has been ill since the beginning of spring. I didn't think carefully about this matter and made the loyal marquis travel thousands of miles to come here. This is my fault."

"The remaining life of this old woman is a gift from the late emperor's court. Your Highness has issued an order, how dare I not lead the way with a crossbow to repay you in case of any disaster?"

"I don't have much time left, but if I can do my best for the court and Your Highness, I will die without regrets."

Zhu Lang looked at Qin Liangyu, who looked sad, and his face straightened up. He said

"Lord Zhongzheng is the pillar of the southwest of our Ming Dynasty. He is an old horse waiting to be stable. The court still relies on Lord Zhongzheng to maintain stability in the southwest. How can Lord Zhongzheng die so easily?"

Zhu Lang comforted her softly, and Qin Liangyu's expression gradually recovered. Yang Zhan and others in the back saw Qin Liangyu being supported by His Royal Highness the Regent, and a trace of envy flashed in their eyes. Isn't this what a minister wants?
If I could be like Qin Liangyu, still respected by the emperor in my old age, I would have no regrets.
Sun Kewang, who was standing aside, looked at Qin Liangyu, who looked moved, and then looked at the young man in the dragon robe in front of him, with a complicated expression on his face.
After Lao Wansui entered Shu and proclaimed himself emperor, he cast a gold seal weighing several kilograms, and generously conferred titles and positions on Qin Liangyu.

But when Qin Liangyu saw the Western Army envoy, she smashed the Western Army's golden seal and issued a letter to gather the soldiers, saying that she would rather perish than surrender.

Their Western Army sent people to confer titles and titles and grant golden seals, but Qin Liangyu ignored them. But now the Ming court only sent an envoy to Sichuan and delivered a piece of paper, which made Qin Liangyu come thousands of miles to surrender. The difference between the two is really hard to accept.

In Sun Kewang's opinion, Gui's method of winning people's hearts was still a bit deliberate, but his identity as the regent emperor of the Ming court brought this effect to a great extent.
At this time, just a few empty words aroused these Ming generals' fascination. This Gui Regent was indeed difficult to deal with.

Zhu Lang talked with Qin Liangyu for a while before looking at the two people who followed Qin Liangyu.

Zhu Lang nodded to Qin Yiming who was waiting on the side and said

"General Qin is a great minister in the court, and I have heard of his name for a long time. You have traveled thousands of miles this time, and you must have worked hard, General."

"Your Highness has issued an edict, and I shall obey your orders. I dare not complain about the hardship."

Qin Yiming heard this and immediately responded respectfully.

Qin Yiming was already a general during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen. He was ordered to go out of Sichuan many times to encircle and defeat Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others. Qin Yiming had outstanding military exploits during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen and was also a veteran general in the court.
Almost all the members of the Qin and Ma families were generals, and many of them sacrificed their lives for the Ming Dynasty. They can truly be called a family of loyal heroes.

Zhu Lang saw Qin Yiming, then looked at Ma Wannian standing by his side and spoke softly.

"I heard that the people in the stone pillar are living and working in peace and contentment, and Envoy Ma is also governing well."

"It is all thanks to the guidance of my grandmother and uncle. I just followed their teachings and dare not claim credit for anything."

Zhu Lang nodded and continued speaking.

"Loyal Marquis is a minister of the imperial court, with outstanding virtues. Envoy Ma Xuanfu is taught by him every day, and he will surely become a wise minister in the imperial court in the future."

"The kindness of a gentleman can protect you. If you have a loyal marquis in your clan to teach you, why worry about not having continuous blessings and fortune?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Wannian's face flashed with joy, and he immediately bowed and responded.
After receiving Qin Liangyu and others, all the generals from Sichuan Province had arrived, so the imperial guards began to withdraw, escorting Zhu Lang and a group of generals back to Wujiang City.
In the evening, Zhu Lang held a banquet in the city to welcome the Sichuan generals. The next morning, Zhu Lang did not immediately summon the Sichuan generals. Instead, he sent them to Bozhou City in the name of observing the strength of the Qing army.
When Yang Zhan and other Sichuan generals arrived at Bozhou City, they were taken to see a Jingguan built with Tartar heads not far from the city gate. They were then taken to see the various Qing army flags captured by the Ming army, and finally they watched the training of the imperial guards in the city.
After seeing the armored cannons of the imperial guards in the city, the Sichuan army finally stopped doubting the Bozhou victory that the imperial court had previously publicized.

Zhu Lang's purpose in this arrangement was to use courtesy before force. Zhu Lang personally went out to greet the generals with courtesy, and took the generals of Sichuan Province to Bozhou to review the imperial army.
The purpose of the ceremony is to show the benevolence of the court, while the purpose of the military is to let Yang Zhan, Sun Kewang and other Sichuan generals recognize their own strength and position. Only in this way can some things be discussed later.
Yang Zhan and his men spent two days in Bozhou, and were then taken back to Wujiang Pass. It was only then that Zhu Lang summoned all the generals and began to plan the attack on Sichuan Province.

(End of this chapter)