Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 332 Freshmen
In the lobby of the Gan Province Governor's Mansion, Zhang Yutian looked at Jin Shenghuan opposite him and said in a deep voice

"Wuchang is located upstream of Jiangxi Province. The two places are in a situation of mutual dependence. If Wuchang is safe, Jiangxi Province will also be safe. At this time, we are not only saving Huguang, but also saving Jiangxi Province."

"Guangdong Province is the center of the Pseudo-Ming Dynasty. As long as the general can lead his troops to attack the border of Guangdong Province, the Pseudo-Ming Dynasty will be in chaos. The Ming army in Huguang will be frightened and will definitely withdraw its troops to support."

Jin Shenghuan sneered in his heart when he heard this, and was completely indifferent.
Jin Shenghuan's face flashed with embarrassment, and he said

"Sir, it's not that I don't want to send troops, but Sir, you also know about the attack on Guangdong Province a few months ago."

"The Ming court has deployed nearly a hundred heavy artillery pieces along the Dayu Meiguan line. The Gan army suffered heavy casualties during the last siege. Now, only a few months have passed, how can they have the ability to launch another large-scale attack?"

"The border between Jiangxi and Guangdong is blocked by mountains. If we want to advance, we must break through Dayu Meiguan and open the passage. The Jiangxi army does not even have a heavy artillery now, so how can we break through Dayu's defense line?"

"The imperial court has issued an order, and I dare not disobey it. However, if the imperial court wishes to attack Guangdong Province, please ask the governor to dispatch heavy artillery to the army, otherwise we are really unable to attack the city."

After the imperial decree came, Zhang Yutian had repeatedly asked Jin Shenghuan to lead the main force to attack, but Jin Shenghuan and Wang Deren kept refusing to send troops for various reasons.

Zhang Yutian was furious when he heard Jin Shenghuan trying to shirk responsibility again.

The Qing court had very strict control over heavy artillery. Although Kong Youde and others brought heavy artillery with them when they attacked Hunan Province, in fact, ordinary Green Camp Han soldiers in the Qing court were not allowed to be equipped with heavy artillery.

Although Kong Youde and his companions were Han Chinese, they were not Green Camp soldiers. The soldiers under Kong Youde and his companions were all registered as Eight Banner soldiers.

At this time, not to mention Zhang Yutian, even Hong Chengchou, the Grand Secretary of the Ministry of Recruitment, was not qualified to directly mobilize heavy artillery to Gan Province.
The transportation of heavy artillery was difficult. Even if the imperial court agreed to send artillery to Jiangxi Province, who knew whether the artillery would still be there when it arrived in Hubei Province?

Moreover, even if the artillery was transported to Gan Province, who knew what other excuses Jin Shenghuan would come up with later?
Zhang Yutian stared at Jin Shenghuan opposite him and suddenly spoke in a cold voice

"General Jin, the attack on Guangdong Province concerns the overall situation of Hunan and Guangda. The military order from the court has been received for nearly half a month, and Commander Hong has repeatedly urged Jiangxi Province to send troops, but General Jin has been making excuses for various reasons and has been reluctant to leave for the past half month."

"If General Jin still refuses to send troops, I will have no choice but to report the situation in Gan Province to the court. If Huguang is lost as a result, General Jin has thought about his own fate."

Jin Shenghuan sneered in his heart when he heard this. The order from Nanzhili was to defend Hunan Province and attack Guangdong Province to contain the Ming army.
Now Jin Shenghuan has placed his main forces in Yuanzhou and Ji'an, guarding the passage from Hunan Province to Jiangxi. Jin Shenghuan has also sent soldiers to Dayu.

Jin Shenghuan sent less than 2,000 soldiers to the border of Jiangxi and Guangdong. The Ming court deployed nearly 100 artillery pieces along the Dayu line. It was almost impossible to capture Dayu with such a small number of people.

But whether to attack or not and whether to send or not are two different things. Two thousand soldiers are also soldiers. Who can say that Jin Shenghuan did not try to attack Guangdong Province?
Jin Shenghuan looked at Zhang Yutian who was furious and was about to refuse again, but at this moment a guard rushed into the hall.

The guard entered the hall, but ignored the governor of Gan Province, Zhang Yutian, and walked directly to Jin Shenghuan.

The guard whispered a few words to Jin Shenghuan. After hearing what the guard said, Jin Shenghuan also had a hint of surprise on his face.

Jin Shenghuan glanced at the information in his hand, and then a hint of joy suddenly appeared on his face, and he said

"Your Excellency, great joy!"

"News came from Guangdong Province that the Ming court was blocked by our Qing army in Huguang and could not advance an inch."

"The Ming army in Huguang has now withdrawn and will withdraw to Guangdong Province soon. The three prefectures in eastern Hubei are now out of danger!"

"I think that now that East Hubei is safe and the main force of the Ming army has returned to Guangdong Province, we should not start a war in Jiangxi Province lightly. What do you think, Governor?"

After reading the information handed over by Jin Shenghuan, Zhang Yutian's face was slightly relieved, but when he looked at Jin Shenghuan who was smiling across from him, Zhang Yutian's face darkened again.

Zhang Yutian stared at Jin Shenghuan, snorted coldly, and said

"General Jin, I will report the situation in Gan Province to the court truthfully. You can take care of yourself."

Zhang Yutian turned around and left immediately after he finished speaking. Dong Xuecheng and other government officials saw Zhang Yutian stand up and followed him.

Jin Shenghuan sat on a chair and watched Zhang Yutian and the others leave quietly, with a smile on his face, but he never stood up to see them off.

When Zhang Yutian and the others disappeared outside the hall, Wang Deren below snorted coldly and said

"Invade Guangdong Province?"

"Zhang Yutian also has soldiers, why don't they attack on their own? Liu Wuyuan also has soldiers in Ganzhou, why don't they transfer Liu Wuyuan's men to attack Guangdong Province? Do they really think we don't know what they are thinking?"

Zhang Yutian and Jin Shenghuan had a long-standing grudge against each other, but because Jin Shenghuan and Jin Shenghuan controlled most of the troops in Gan Province, Zhang Yutian had no way to deal with them.
Zhang Yutian forced Jin Shenghuan and the others to send out troops this time, on the one hand because of the order of the court, but on the other hand in order to take the opportunity to weaken Jin Shenghuan and the others, and the latter was Zhang Yutian's real purpose this time.

Whether it was Zhang Yutian or Jin Shenghuan, they actually didn't care whether Hubei Province fell or not. They were officials from Jiangxi Province. Could the court still blame them for the fall of Huguang?
Wang Deren thought of Zhang Yutian's threats before he left, and his heart sank. He said

"After all, we did not send out troops this time. If Zhang Yutianzhen goes to the court to stir up trouble, what should we do?"

"Brother Wang, don't worry. The court asked us to defend Jiangxi Province, and we did it. They also sent troops to attack Guangdong Province, and we did it. How can you say that we didn't send troops?"

"If he can submit a petition to the emperor, we can do the same. Besides, we brothers have tens of thousands of troops under our command. There is no place in the world that we cannot go."

"If the Tartar court is really ignorant and wants to accuse me of a crime, I don't care about the governor's court."

A hint of sternness flashed in Jin Shenghuan's eyes, and then he stopped caring about Zhang Yutian's affairs. Jin Shenghuan looked at Wang Deren below and said in a deep voice
"How is the matter in Nankang Prefecture going?"

"It has been dealt with. That Yu guy was so bold. He brought a dozen servants with him, instigated a few scholars and hundreds of tenants to rebel. If I hadn't gone there, these people would have been beheaded long ago."

"I have already reported to the government office that the rebellion has been quelled, and the man named Yu has now been secretly recruited into the army."

Upon hearing this, Jin Shenghuan nodded and said

"Speaking of which, I also served under Mr. Yu in the past, and Mr. Jiang personally came to him to ask for protection. These people have unusual identities, and they may be of great use to us in the future."

"Can you send Mr. Yu to meet Mr. Jiang?"

"It has been sent and seen"

After Wang Deren finished speaking, a hint of hesitation flashed across his face, and he continued
"After being brought back, the man surnamed Yu made a request, saying that he wanted to go to the border between Jiangxi and Guangdong."

Jin Shenghuan heard this, but there was no sign of surprise on his face. He asked directly

"Did Mr. Yu tell me what he was going to do at the border?"

"No, but is there any need to ask? What else can we do at the Jiangxi-Guangdong border at this time?"

Wang Deren saw Jin Shenghuan lost in thought and asked again

"How about sending the guy named Yu over?"

Jin Shenghuan thought for a moment, and then spoke

"Now that everyone has been rescued, let's be good people to the end"

"Dayu is too close to Ganzhou, and Liu Wuyuan's men are watching him. It's not appropriate to send him to Changning, which is not far from Guangdong."

Jin Shenghuan whispered a few more words of advice, and after Wang Deren heard them, his face was thoughtful, and then he stood up and walked out of the hall.
When the news of the victory in Huguang spread back to Guangzhou, the city of Guangzhou was filled with jubilation since the afternoon. However, in the backyard of the imperial palace, the atmosphere was tense.

In the backyard, palace maids were constantly carrying hot water in and out of the room. In the courtyard, Concubine Wang Shuyu and Ma Yuying were standing in the courtyard, looking worried.

Ma Yuying was counting the beads in her hand, but after a few counts, she couldn't help but look up towards the room, obviously she was already restless.

There were constant cries of pain coming from the room in front. Ma Yuying heard the sound and her face became more and more anxious. Ma Yuying directly called the eunuch Ma Mingtu and said

"All these people are useless. Go to the city to find a famous doctor, preferably a female one, and also find ten midwives."

"Also tell the people in the room that if anything happens to the princess, all of them will be punished."

Ma Yuying looked irritated, and the palace servants beside her were all trembling when they heard this.

Ma Mingtu responded and was about to leave, but before he could leave, he was stopped by Concubine Wang Shuyu.

Wang Shuyu looked at Ma Yuying who was anxious beside her and spoke softly.

"The best doctors and midwives in Guangzhou have all been summoned to the palace. Changing them at this time will only make the room more chaotic."

"Don't worry, sister. With the protection of our ancestors, the princess will be safe."

Ma Yuying looked at the palace maids who kept coming in and out of the room, but her face did not relax at all. She could not help but speak

"The emperor, too. He had already been informed of the princess' pregnancy several months ago. It has been several months now. Has he come back?"

"The princess has scolded him so many times before. There are so many ministers in the court, and Lord Qu is also in the army, but he insisted on leading the army himself. He didn't even have time to come back."

"The emperor leading the army in person is a major event in the court. How can he just come back? Besides, even if the emperor comes back, he can't do anything at this time. Princess, you are lucky, and nothing will happen to you."

The two concubines stayed in the courtyard, and the ministers such as Lu Daqi in the court had received the news and rushed out of the courtyard. As time went by, the atmosphere in the courtyard became more and more solemn.

After an unknown amount of time, a baby's cry suddenly came from the room. Soon, the midwife in the room came out with a baby in her arms, looking very happy.
"Your Highnesses, the princess has successfully given birth to a prince, and both mother and child are safe."

Ma Yuying was stunned for a moment, then her face was filled with joy and she immediately said

"Well, you have done a great job. You have all done a great job. Everyone in the palace will be rewarded."

Wang Shuyu looked at the crying baby in the cradle with a look of joy on her face. The palace servants finally relaxed when they saw the two concubines smiling happily.
When the news spread that the princess had successfully given birth to a prince, cheers instantly rang out in the courtyard. As the news spread to the front yard, cheers and congratulations were also heard in the front yard.

Since the Jiashen Year, the Ming imperial family had been dying and dispersing, and had almost died out. Until this time, new life was finally born again in the Ming imperial family.

(End of this chapter)