Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 303 Righteousness
On the second day after the celebration banquet, Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu were summoned by Zhu Lang to the government office.
In the study, Li Dingguo and the other man bowed and saluted. After Zhu Lang called them up, he spoke directly.

"Have you read the intelligence that Jinyiwei handed to you earlier?"

After Li Dingguo and others rushed back, Zhu Lang ordered Li Chengzhi to inform Li Dingguo and others of Sun Kewang's recent movements.
Sun Kewang sent troops to attack Xuzhou without authorization, assisted in the attack on Chengdu, and after the two prefectures of Tongchuan and Shunqing, he secretly occupied Hezhou, Tongliang, Dianjiang and other places north of the Yangtze River. All of these were recorded in the intelligence.

Now the Loyalty Camp led by Sun Kewang not only occupied the two prefectures of Tongchuan and Shunqing as originally agreed, but also occupied half of Chongqing prefecture north of the Yangtze River.
Sun Kewang secretly occupied the northern counties of Chongqing Prefecture, and actually did not expect the Ming court to hand over half of Chongqing Prefecture to him.
Sun Kewang's move was a complete test. At that time, Tongchuan Shunqing was adjacent to Baoning Prefecture, which was the front line against the Qing court. Sun Kewang was qualified to negotiate with the Ming court.

Sun Kewang privately occupied the prefectures and counties. If the Ming court was not firm, he would take these counties.

If the Ming court was resolute, he could also use the situation as an excuse to hand over the counties to the Ming court and take the looted materials back to the two prefectures. In any case, he would be able to make a profit.

Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu looked at each other, their hearts sank. After reading the intelligence from Sun Kewang and others last night, they knew that Gui Jianguo would definitely summon them.

The court had clearly agreed with the Loyalty Camp on the conditions for sending troops, and Sun Kewang himself had personally agreed to it, but at this time Sun Kewang still took advantage of the chaos to occupy other prefectures and counties.
No matter how you look at it, the Loyalty Camp lost its moral integrity, while Sun Kewang and his men got the upper hand. However, Sun Kewang's actions clearly put Li Dingguo and others on the spot.
If the Ming court was really furious and thought that the Loyalty Camp was threatening the court, then who would be the first to suffer would definitely be Li Dingguo and others in the rear.
Sun Kewang's move actually prompted the Ming court to take the initiative to suppress Li Dingguo and others.

Li Dingguo was silent for a while, but he had to speak

"The Loyalty Camp has recently submitted to the imperial court. The generals in the camp have always acted rashly. This incident may have been done secretly by some generals in the camp without telling General Sun. After we return to the camp, we will definitely investigate this matter and report it to the imperial court..."

Before Li Dingguo finished speaking, he was interrupted by Zhu Lang. Zhu Lang looked at the two people below with ugly expressions and said

"I didn't ask you to come here to hold someone accountable. If the court wants to hold someone accountable, they can go find Sun Kewang directly."

"You fought very well in Yunnan Province and made great contributions to the court this time. The affairs of the Loyalty Camp in Sichuan Province cannot be blamed on you."

Li Dingguo and the others felt relieved when they heard this, and Zhu Lang continued to speak.

"Sun Kewang is Zhang Xianzhong's eldest son. He surrendered to the imperial court because he was forced to do so. He may not have been convinced in his heart. He made a deal with me, and I was just making a deal with him."

"Everyone has his own aspirations, and I don't want to force him. If he still considers himself a Han Chinese and is willing to raise an army to kill the enemy, then I can tolerate him. But if one day he really crosses the line, then I will never forgive him!"

"But you two are different from Sun Kewang"

"Since the reign of Emperor Chongzhen, we Han people in the Central Plains have been fighting each other for years, killing each other. In the end, the Qing invaders outside the Great Wall took advantage of the situation and invaded the Central Plains."

"At this time, we Han people only have three strong armies left. One is the imperial army of the Ming court, one is the rebel army left by Li Zicheng, and the last one is the Western Army you are waiting for."

"These three armies are the only elite troops left in the Central Plains. If we continue to fight, the world will be taken over by the Qing invaders."

"Throughout the dynasties, there have been those who lost their country and those who lost the world. How can we distinguish between losing a country and losing the world? Changing one's surname and title is called losing a country, letting one's hair down and wearing the lapel on the left, or even leading beasts to eat people is called losing the world."

"Whether it's Ming, Shun, or Xi, we are all Han Chinese first, and then Ming, Shun, or Xi."

"Since the Tartars entered the country, they have forced the Han people to shave their heads and change their clothes, and have made them slaves, killing them at will like slaughtering cattle and sheep."

"The Tartars' move is not to destroy the Ming Dynasty, but to destroy the Han Dynasty. How can we, the Han Dynasty, give up our beautiful land to these barbarians and beasts?"

"I recruited you and other generals of the Western Army not to help the Ming Dynasty survive, but to unite the heroes of the Han Dynasty and restore the land of the Han Dynasty."

"I want to send a missionary to your army to command the Han army, drive out the Tartars, and restore the Central Plains. Are you two willing to help me restore the Han world again?"

When Li Dingguo heard what Gui Jianguo said, his heart was suddenly shaken. All the doubts that had been lingering in his mind before finally found the answers. Li Dingguo felt that everything was suddenly clear.

At this time, he finally understood why the Gui Regent Court was so different from the Ming Dynasty in his impression, and why the soldiers of the Tengxiang Army were so fearless and disciplined. This could not be explained by sufficient military pay.

His Highness Gui, the Regent, does not want to restore the Ming Dynasty. In his eyes, there is no Ming Dynasty at all. The Ming Dynasty is just a symbol. What he sees are the millions of Han people in the world.

All the people of the Han family are the subjects in the eyes of this prince, so there are military officials like Ma Bao who were born as thieves but hold high positions and command large armies in the court of this prince.
Li Dingguo was stunned for a moment, then his face straightened and he said in a deep voice:
"I don't dare to call myself a hero, but I also know what justice is."

"Now that I have submitted to Your Highness, I have no second thoughts. I am willing to hold the horse and stirrup for Your Highness and help You accomplish this great cause and restore the Han Dynasty."

Liu Wenxiu, who was standing by, had a slightly changed expression when he heard this. He did not disagree with submitting to the imperial court, but sending a missionary to join the army was no joke.
Liu Wenxiu and others followed the Tengxiang Army into Yunnan. During these days, they also figured out what the official position of the missionary was.

This missionary is actually a military supervisor, and is even worse than a military supervisor.
The missionaries were in charge of money and food, and usually taught the soldiers to read and write, and mingled with the soldiers every day. Once the missionaries entered the army, it would probably not last long, and they would no longer be able to mobilize the Loyalty Camp at will as they did now.
Even if he agreed to this matter, he should have carefully considered it before replying. How could Li Dingguo agree to it so easily?

But Li Dingguo was not aware of it at this time. He just bowed down with a serious look. Liu Wenxiu saw that the Regent was looking at him, so he had no choice but to follow suit.

Zhu Lang was relieved when he saw Li Dingguo and the others agreed. He had heard about Li Dingguo and the others from Zhu Xuexi, the envoy of the Tengxiang Army.

When the Western Army had not yet surrendered, Li Dingguo strongly advocated surrendering to the Ming court. When in Yunnan Province, Li Dingguo even agreed to let the missionary enter the Loyalty Camp to spread the message of preventing malaria.
Li Dingguo could not have been unaware of the true purpose of these missionaries, but he still allowed the Tengxiang Army's missionaries to enter the camp. With the two parties working together, Zhu Lang decided to bring up the matter directly.
Zhu Lang intended to bring Li Dingguo's Western Army into the court, but if Li Dingguo and others disagreed to send missionaries to the army, Zhu Lang would never bring them back to the court.

Zhu Lang stood up and walked to the hall, personally helped Li Dingguo and the other man up, and then said
"I knew I had not made a mistake. The two generals are indeed wise and capable officials."

"You followed Duke Huai to Yunnan to quell the rebellion, so you should know Duke Huai's background. In my eyes, there is no such thing as the Ming army, Shun army, or Western army. As long as you serve the court wholeheartedly, you are all good ministers of the court."

"General Li won victory after victory in Yunnan this time, and even personally captured and killed the rebel leader, making great contributions. From today on, General Li will be promoted to the Marquis of Xining. The Loyalty Battalion under General Li will follow me back to the court. The Loyalty Battalion will be the center of the imperial guards, and will be treated the same as the three armies of Longxiang."

When Liu Wenxiu heard this, his expression changed. When the Western Army surrendered to the Ming court, only Sun Kewang was granted the title of Marquis of Dongning among the four generals of the Western Army, while Li Dingguo and the other two were all granted the title of Earl.

At this time, Li Dingguo was conferred the title of Marquis, which meant that he was on an equal footing with Sun Kewang in the West Camp. His Highness the Regent's intention was not only to reward him for his merits, but also to split the West Camp. Liu Wenxiu was still worried about the split of the West Camp, but at this time Zhu Lang had already looked at Liu Wenxiu below.
"General Liu has made great contributions in pacifying Yunnan this time. Although the main culprit in Yunnan Province has been eliminated, there are inevitably some remnants of rebellion lurking around. Yunnan Province still needs a general to guard it at this time. General Liu is also a veteran in the army. Would you be willing to serve as the governor of Yunnan Province for me?"

Liu Wenxiu was stunned when he heard this. He had also seen Ma Bao's power in Yunnan Province. The governor of the court at that time was a powerful military official. He could really control the army of a province, and even the governor could not interfere.

No matter who it is, the important position of controlling the army must be handed over to a confidant before it can be assured. However, His Highness the Regent has handed over such a key position to a newcomer. This kind of courage is really admirable.

Liu Wenxiu hesitated for a moment, then spoke

"I thank Your Highness for your kindness, but I am a new member after all. If I were to suddenly become the governor of a province, I am afraid it would cause trouble in the court..."

Before Liu Wenxiu finished speaking, Zhu Lang waved his hand to stop her and chuckled.
"If General Liu can say this, I will have nothing to worry about."

"I trust people when I employ them. I have said that I do not care about their background or where they come from. General Liu has been loyal and diligent along the way in the Yunnan campaign. If that is the case, then I have nothing to worry about."

"Why, General Liu has no confidence in helping the court to pacify Yunnan Province?"

"I will not let your Highness down and will help you pacify Yunnan Province."

When Liu Wenxiu heard this, he could no longer refuse and could only bow and thank him.

Zhu Lang appointed Liu Wenxiu as the governor of Yunnan Province. On the one hand, it was because Liu Wenxiu was not as ambitious as Sun Kewang, and on the other hand, the court was really short of manpower at that time.

Ma Bao, Zheng Wenxiong and others can naturally stay in Yunnan Province, and they are indeed trustworthy confidants, but at this time the Ming and Qing dynasties are fighting everywhere, and these people have other more important places to use, so how can they be left behind in Yunnan Province?
Moreover, there were 3,000 soldiers of the Loyalty Camp led by Wang Shangli and others in Yunnan Province. These people had just surrendered and were Sun Kewang's confidants. At this time, only Liu Wenxiu, the former General of the Western Camp, could suppress these people and make these brave soldiers serve the court.

Appointing Liu Wenxiu as the governor of Yunnan Province may seem bold, but in fact it is not very dangerous.

Liu Wenxiu had agreed to send a missionary to join the army. The military's money and food were controlled by the missionary. The Sichuan Ming army also isolated Liu Wenxiu and Sun Kewang's troops, so there was basically no chance for the two sides to collude and start a rebellion.

Zhu Lang decided where the two of them were going, and then he discussed the matter of Sun Kewang and others with Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu, and then the two of them bowed and left the hall.

Outside the government office, Liu Wenxiu looked at the Qilin military uniforms on himself and Li Dingguo, with a silent expression on his face.
Liu Wenxiu turned around and looked at the heavily guarded government office behind him, and suddenly spoke softly

"Brother, if we really act according to His Highness's words, the Western Army will probably be torn apart, and my eldest brother and his men will probably turn against us completely."

Li Dingguo paused, glanced at Liu Wenxiu who looked hesitant, and spoke directly

"Third brother, don't you understand yet? After my adoptive father passed away, there is no Western Army in this world anymore."

"As for whether Big Brother will turn against us, you should ask Big Brother instead of us."

"When he submitted to the court, he also nodded in agreement. We did not force him during the meeting that day. If he really did not want to serve the court, he could have led his troops and left."

"Since he chose to come to the court with us to meet His Highness, he should know the consequences."

"We have taken your food and received your salary, so we should obey your orders. I, Li Dingguo, will not do anything double-faced."

"If Big Brother really wants to get angry over this, then let him do it."

"In fact, if the Ming court remains the same as before, then it's fine for us to continue following Big Brother."

"But you have personally experienced the situation in Yunnan Province. The court is now truly doing practical things, distributing land and grain equally and providing relief to refugees. If the Ming court could be like His Highness the Regent today, we would never have rebelled."

"Your Majesty the Regent is wise and intelligent, and he cares about the world. Since he dares to use me, why not sell my life to him?"

"We followed our adoptive father and fought in the Central Plains for decades, but to no avail. The world was still filled with refugees and starving people. In the end, the Tartars invaded and occupied the Central Plains."

"Killing Han people is nothing heroic. If I, Li Dingguo, want to kill someone, I will kill the Tartars."

Liu Xiu looked at Li Dingguo, who had a determined look, but his expression was complicated.

Among the four generals of the West Camp, Sun Kewang is shrewd and experienced, Li Dingguo is the most courageous and arrogant, Liu Wenxiu is very smart but has the least ambition, and Ai Nengqi is a pure warrior.
Li Dingguo saw that Liu Wenxiu was about to speak again, but he waved his hand to stop her and spoke directly

"Third brother is the smartest one among the four of us. Even I can see what eldest brother is thinking. Could it be that third brother really doesn't know?"

"Third brother, ask yourself, is what Big Brother wants to do really possible? Big Brother is blinded by the title of the eldest son and can no longer distinguish between the real and the bad."

"Not only can we see what Big Brother is thinking, Your Highness also knows it very well. But why didn't Your Highness care about Big Brother? Because it's just wishful thinking."

"Now the court and the Eastern Tartars are at a stalemate. Your Highness has inherited the Ming throne and has an army of 100,000, but he is still struggling to support it. How can you have the confidence to have such unreasonable thoughts?"

"If you really want to be a loyal follower of your elder brother, then I won't persuade you anymore. But I will never risk the lives of my men to accompany my elder brother in his madness."

"Your Highness is right. Throughout the dynasties, there have been those who destroyed their country and the world. The Tartars invaded the south and occupied the Central Plains. They forced the Han people to shave their heads and change their clothes. Now is the time for the world to be destroyed. This is the righteousness of the world."

"I, Li Dingguo, would rather die on the battlefield for my Han Empire and leave my name in history than be someone's follower and enjoy so-called wealth and glory!"

After Li Dingguo finished speaking, he walked forward and left without paying any attention to Liu Wenxiu's response.
Liu Wenxiu stood there for a moment, looking at the bright red military uniform on his body, but suddenly sighed, and then took a step forward to chase after Li Dingguo.
(End of this chapter)