Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 293 Arrangement
After the Sichuan generals returned from Bozhou, Zhu Lang began to meet with them one by one to discuss the plan to attack Sichuan.
The first person Zhu Lang summoned was Yang Zhan, who was the most powerful commander in Sichuan Province. In Zhu Lang's plan, Yang Zhan would lead the army to capture Chengdu.
This time, the plan to disrupt Sichuan Province can be either a real attack or a feint, but Chengdu must be actually occupied.

The most important city in Sichuan is Chengdu, followed by Chongqing. If Chongqing is important because of its central hub location, then Chengdu is important because of its topography.
Chengdu is the only plain in Sichuan Province, and only Chengdu has the ability to produce and provide sufficient food and wages.

Although Sichuan Province had been in war for several years, it was still not as empty as it would be in later times. There were still a large number of people in Sichuan Province. As long as Chengdu was occupied, they could immediately recruit refugees to open up the land and resume production.
In the lobby, Zhu Lang asked someone to give Yang Zhan a seat, then he said

"Chengdu is the heart of Sichuan Province. Right now, the main force of the Eastern Tartars is confronting the Imperial Army in Bozhou. I want to order General Yang and the Loyalty Battalion to jointly send troops to take Chengdu."

"I heard what Governor Fan said. There is enough food and money in the treasury of Jiading. We should attack Sichuan Province as soon as possible. I want to send rice to Jiading as military supplies. What do you think, General Yang?"

Zhu Lang summoned Yang Zhan first, not only because Yang Zhan had a strong military force, but also because he held a large amount of food and money.
After the Sichuan provincial generals arrived at the court, the court also had a better understanding of the situation in Sichuan Province.
Sichuan Province has been plagued by wars and droughts in recent years. The price of grain in Sichuan Province has already skyrocketed. Except for Yang Zhan, all the Ming troops in Sichuan Province are short of grain.
Last year, Yang Zhan purchased grain from Huguang and other places to provide relief to the disaster victims. After recruiting refugees, he immediately began to restore the settlement in Jiading. Therefore, the Jiading treasury still had sufficient food and wages.

Before Zhu Lang entered Gui Province, he had people transporting grain to Gui Province day and night. Although Gui Province has grain now, the Ming and Qing armies are facing each other on the Bozhou front line.

It was unknown how much rice would be wasted in transporting grain from Gui Province to Jiading, so Zhu Lang set his sights on the grain and salaries in Jiading Prefecture.
Yang Zhan frowned slightly when he heard this. Zhu Lang saw that Yang Zhan was silent and felt a little depressed. Zhu Lang's eyes turned and he spoke again.

"At this time, the Bozhou front was in the midst of a war, and the imperial court was forced to transfer rice from Jiading."

"General Yang, don't worry. The rice used for this expedition is considered a loan from Jiading Prefecture. After the war is over, the court will return it to Jiading Prefecture in full."

Yang Zhan below was stunned when he heard this, then his face straightened up, he suddenly stood up and said

"Your Highness, why do you say that? The rice and grain in Jiading Prefecture's warehouse are all for the imperial court. It is the imperial court's duty to use them. Your Highness has given an order, and Jiading Prefecture should obey it. Why should it be returned?"

"I just have some doubts about the capture of Chengdu Prefecture."

"The Western bandits... Sun Kewang and his men from the Loyalty Camp were originally bandits. They are as greedy and fickle as wolves. How can we trust them? If we order them to attack Chengdu together, even if we take down Chengdu, I'm afraid we'll be inviting a wolf into the house."

Yang Zhan was a general under Zeng Ying. Half a year ago, he was fighting with the Western Army. Although Sun Kewang and others said that they admired justice and submitted to the court, Yang Zhan did not believe it at all.
The Western Army had no credibility in the Ming court. Didn't Zhang Xianzhong surrender to the court in the past? But in the end, he rebelled again.
After Yang Zhan entered the court, he became more convinced of this view after learning about the process of Sun Kewang and others' surrender.

The imperial army defeated the Western Army before your province did. Sun Kewang and others had no choice but to surrender temporarily.
The Western bandits have used this tactic countless times. After they have rested and recuperated, these people will surely rebel again.

Zhu Lang looked at Yang Zhan, who was looking serious, and was stunned for a moment. Then a hint of admiration appeared on his face, and he said:

"Good, good Yang Zhan, good Jiading General. I have Yang Qing, and I have a Great Wall in Sichuan Province."

Seeing Yang Zhan below about to stand up and salute again, Zhu Lang waved his hand to stop him and said

"General Yang, do not worry about the Loyalty Camp. This time, the Loyalty Camp will only accompany you to capture Chengdu. After capturing Chengdu, Sun Kewang and others will go somewhere else."

"Chengdu is the heart of Sichuan Province. I will not allow them to stay in Chengdu."

Yang Zhan was worried that Sun Kewang and his men would usurp the throne after they occupied Chengdu, but Zhu Lang was not too worried about this.
The food and wages of the Loyalty Camp are now all provided by the court. Zhu Lang is confident that he can control the Loyalty Camp and prevent them from making any rash moves. Not only the food and wages, but also the hostages of the Loyalty Camp are in Zhu Lang's hands.

Sun Kewang relied on Li Dingguo and others to suppress the rebellion in Yunnan Province, and concluded that the Ming court would not dare to move the Loyalty Camp at this time, so he dared to attack Xuzhou.

Sun Kewang used Li Dingguo and others to coerce the court, but Li Dingguo was also a hostage in Zhu Lang's hands. Now Sun Kewang not only had his own soldiers, but also Li Dingguo, Liu Wenxiu and others.

Li Dingguo and others are still in the hands of the Ming court. Even if Sun Kewang wants to rebel, Jin Tongwu under Li Dingguo and Lu Mingchen under Liu Wenxiu will never agree.
The two most powerful factions in Sichuan Province are the Ming and Qing dynasties. The Qing court had just shot and killed Zhang Xianzhong, which was a mortal enemy for the Western Army. Sun Kewang now had no choice but to surrender to the Qing.

Under such circumstances, Sun Kewang had no choice but to follow the Ming court.
Zhu Lang explained to Yang Zhan the plan to capture Chengdu, and Yang Zhan bowed and left. Soon after Yang Zhan left, Sun Kewang was invited to join the study.

After Sun Kewang paid his respects, Zhu Lang did not delay and directly informed him that he was going to attack Chengdu together with Yang Zhan.

Sun Kewang frowned slightly when he heard this, a trace of embarrassment appeared on his face, and he said

"The elite troops of the Loyalty Camp have been transferred to Yunnan Province by the imperial court to quell the rebellion. Now I only have a few remnants under my command."

"The soldiers of the Loyalty Camp have just arrived at the Luzhou garrison. They have not had time to rest and are all exhausted. If we are to go out again at this time, I am afraid there will be complaints in the army."

Although Sun Kewang looked troubled, his eyes were calm. The Ming and Qing courts were fighting each other, and it had nothing to do with him.
The last time he surrendered, he just said that he would release the captured soldiers, but Gui Jianguo tricked him and sent all the surrendered soldiers to Yunnan Province, making him suffer a loss.
At this time, the soldiers had not returned yet, and Gui Jianguo wanted him to send troops to fight for the Ming court. What good was he thinking?
Zhu Lang looked at Sun Kewang who was constantly complaining below, but he didn't believe it at all. Only a few remnants were left?
If Sun Kewang really had only a few remnants of his army, how did he drive out the Ming army and capture the three cities of Luzhou, Yongning and Xuzhou?
In fact, Sun Kewang still had nearly 20,000 soldiers under his command at this time, and they were all elite veterans of the Western Army.
Although Zhu Lang knew that Sun Kewang was deliberately shirking his responsibility, he did not show any anger on his face. Ever since the news of Xuzhou's incident reached the court, Zhu Lang had expected that Sun Kewang would not agree to send troops so easily.
Since Sun Kewang was willing to obey the imperial edict and come to the court this time, it meant that there was still room for negotiation between the two sides. Sun Kewang was just refusing at this time, just waiting for the Ming court to make an offer.

At this time, Zhu Lang was unable to force Sun Kewang and others. Although the Ming court now had many handles on the Loyalty Camp, leading the army to the battle was no joke.
If Sun Kewang did not sincerely agree, even if the Ming court forced Sun Kewang to bow his head at this time, Sun Kewang could just go through the motions after returning. This would be meaningless.

When Zhu Lang thought of this, he no longer hesitated and said directly, "The Loyalty Camp will send out its main force to follow us to capture Chengdu. After capturing Chengdu, you can go east to capture Tongchuan and Shunqing."

"How much of the land of these two prefectures can you occupy, I will give you as much as you can. If you occupy the entire two prefectures, I will even hand them over to your Loyalty Camp to garrison them. How do you think?"

Sun Kewang looked at Gui Jianguo who looked calm above him, and the embarrassment on his face suddenly disappeared.
Sun Kewang stood in the hall, and when he heard the conditions proposed by the Ming court, he frowned and thought about it.
Tongchuan and Shunqing are both large prefectures, and both prefectures have large rivers running through them. The territories are also quite prosperous, far from being comparable to the remote small prefectures of Luzhou and Yongning.

But these two prefectures also have problems. The core area of ​​the Qing court in Sichuan Province is Baoning, and Tongchuan and Shunqing prefectures are just in front of Baoning prefecture.
In other words, if the Loyalty Camp occupied these two prefectures, they would face the Qing army directly and could be attacked by the Qing army at any time. This would actually be a shield for the Ming court.
Sun Kewang frowned, and for a moment he could not figure out the pros and cons of this matter. At this moment, His Royal Highness the Regent above him suddenly had a cold look on his face and said:

"This is the greatest reward the court can give. If General Sun really cannot send troops, then the Loyalty Battalion does not need to be involved in this matter. The Loyalty Battalion will always stay in Luzhou and Yongning from now on. Rest well."

Sun Kewang's expression changed slightly when he heard this, and he said

"Then Xuzhou..."

Before Sun Kewang could finish his words, Zhu Lang interrupted him with a wave of his hand.
"General Sun, please don't get it wrong. When I said I would forgive the past, I meant I would not pursue the incident of the Loyalty Battalion attacking Xuzhou. I didn't say I would give Xuzhou to your Loyalty Battalion to guard."

Sun Kewang looked at Gui Jianguo who looked indifferent above him, and his face darkened.

This Gui Regent was threatening him at this time. The two areas of Luzhou and Yongning were too narrow to even support the current Western Army, let alone continue to recover and accumulate strength.

If the Loyalty Camp broke off relations with the Ming court at this time, it would mean that they would not agree to Gui's order to send troops to attack Chengdu.
Unless the Loyalty Camp rebelled, they would have to stay in Luzhou and Yongning forever and would never be able to leave. This was something Sun Kewang could never accept.
Sun Kewang thought about this and made a decision. He looked up at Gui Jianguo and said,

"Your Highness has given an order, and the generals of the Loyalty Camp dare not disobey. However, it is inappropriate for us to join forces with General Yang."

"Your Highness knows that our Loyalty Camp has just surrendered and has even fought with General Yang's troops. If we unite our forces this time, I'm afraid both sides will be uncomfortable and chaos will arise."

Zhu Lang was relieved to see Sun Kewang give in. After a brief thought, he spoke:

"General Sun, don't worry about this. Although you and your team are advancing together this time, you will still lead your own troops. You are just coordinating the operations."

"This time, I will appoint Fan Yiheng as the governor of western Sichuan to coordinate the military operations between your two armies."

Sun Kewang still frowned when he heard this. Fan Yiheng was also a minister of the Ming court. It was obvious who Fan Yiheng would favor when he became the leader. But before Sun Kewang could speak, Zhu Lang continued.
"General Sun, can you recommend another person to serve as the governor of central Sichuan?"

"The matter of advancing to Chengdu this time will be decided by Fan Yiheng and this person. After taking Chengdu, the Loyalty Camp can go east and capture Tongchuan and other places. General Sun, do you still have any doubts?"

Sun Kewang's expression relaxed when he heard this, and he said

"Your Highness has thought everything through, and I have no objection. Wang Yinglong, the household officer in the Loyalty Camp, is loyal, diligent, kind, and upright, so he should be able to take on this task."

Zhu Lang heard this and thought that the name seemed familiar, but after thinking about it, he could not remember the origin of this person. Zhu Lang did not ask any more questions.

There are many people whose names are recorded in the history books of the Western Army. It is not surprising that Zhu Lang vaguely remembers this person's name. But no matter what this person's background is, to be recommended by Sun Kewang, this person must be Sun Kewang's confidant.
Zhu Lang asked Sun Kewang to recommend a candidate for the governor of Sichuan, which was actually to appease the Loyalty Camp. At this time, even if Sun Kewang recommended a three-year-old child, Zhu Lang would directly appoint him. In this case, it didn't matter what Wang Yinglong's background was.
Zhu Lang thought of this and said directly

"In this case, General Sun should send this man's resume to the court and appoint him as the governor of central Sichuan and accompany the army to the battle."

Zhu Lang directly appointed Wang Yinglong as the governor of central Sichuan, and Sun Kewang's plan to send troops to help capture Chengdu was also decided.
Yang Zhansun hoped that after the two departments reached an agreement, the remaining Sichuan generals would be much simpler.

After Sun Kewang left, Zhu Lang continued to summon the remaining Sichuan generals to make arrangements. The remaining Sichuan generals also cooperated and directly obeyed the order.
Li Zhanchun, Tan Wen and other Sichuan generals were different from Yang Zhan and Sun Kewang. Although Li Zhanchun and others also occupied their own areas, they only had two to three thousand soldiers under their command. They could hardly protect themselves in Sichuan.

After Li Zhanchun and others saw the strength of the imperial guards in Bozhou, they also realized their own strength.

At this time, they had to rely on the Ming court to enter Sichuan to drive out the Qing army, rather than the court relying on them to pacify Sichuan Province. Therefore, these people naturally cooperated with the court's plan to plunder Sichuan Province.
Apart from Yang Zhan and Sun Kewang, the only one who had the power to negotiate with the court was the Shizhu Tusi Mansion.

However, after hearing the court's plan, Qin Liangyu did not raise any conditions at all, but directly cooperated with the order, and even took the initiative to bear the food and wages needed for the advance to eastern Sichuan.

The generals of Sichuan Province responded to the order and cooperated, and the arrangement for the attack on Sichuan Province was finalized.

In western Sichuan, Fan Yiheng was appointed as the governor-general of Sichuan Province and the governor of western Sichuan. Yang Zhan, the general of Jiading, and Sun Kewang, the commander of the Loyalty Camp, led the army to jointly capture Chengdu Prefecture.

After capturing Chengdu Prefecture, Yang Zhan will gather troops with Zhu Hualong, the general of Songpan Prefecture in northern Sichuan, Zhan Tianyan of Long'an Prefecture and others, and continue to march north to capture Jiange Guangyuan, trying to seize the important road out of Sichuan.
If the war goes smoothly, Yang Zhan and his men will continue to march eastward after capturing Guangyuan, and capture Baoning, the core town of the Qing army in Sichuan Province, to cut off the Qing army's return route.
After capturing Chengdu, Sun Kewang and his men from the Loyalty Camp moved eastwards to capture Tongchuan, Shunqing and other places.
In eastern Sichuan, Qin Liangyu was appointed General Zhendong, in charge of the war in eastern Sichuan, but this was just a nominal position. In reality, Qin Yiming was appointed as the general of eastern Sichuan, and he joined forces with Tan Wen, Tan Hong, and Tan Yi to attack Kuizhou.
After Qin Yiming and his men captured Kuizhou, they would continue to try to attack Baoning Prefecture to the west.
Li Zhanchun and Yu Dahai of Fuzhou were responsible for attacking the Qing army's grain route from Baoning, Shunqing to Chongqing.
The main task of this group of troops was to harass the grain route. They did not need to confront the Qing army head-on. If necessary, they could abandon Fuzhou and retreat to Zhongzhou in eastern Sichuan or even to Xuanfusi in Shizhu.
The Ming court decided to attack Sichuan Province in different directions. Yang Zhan and his men did not stay any longer. They left the city and crossed the river that afternoon. They returned to Sichuan Province and prepared to march forward.
(End of this chapter)