Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 392 Dark Room
Zhejiang Province, Ninghai General's Mansion, Qing Dynasty Ninghai General Chen Tianchong sitting in the hall

There was a sound of footsteps outside the hall, and Deputy General Zhong Mo hurried into the room with a frown on his face.
Both of them had pigtails on their heads, but they didn't care. When Zhong Mo entered the room, he immediately said in a deep voice:
"General, there's news from the governor's office that Tian Xiong is interfering. Only 30 levels of beheadings were reported in June. Tian Xiong believed that the remaining 60 levels were from the villagers and refused to approve them."

Chen Tianchong heard this, his face looked unfriendly, and he said in a cold voice
"It's Tian Xiong again. The governor's office has already recognized him. What does my merit have to do with Tian Xiong?"

"He uses my money to smash my pot. What does he want to do?"

Zhong Mo was silent for a moment, then spoke again

"I'm afraid Tian Xiong's reluctance to report his achievements is due to Tian Bao."

Although the Ming and Qing dynasties had negotiated a ceasefire in February, they had only reached a preliminary agreement. It took several more months for the two sides to exchange documents and completely determine the ceasefire border.
It was not until July that the Ming and Qing dynasties officially signed a ceasefire document.
But talk and fight, before the official signing of the document, in June, both sides unexpectedly went to the other side's territory again.
In June, the Ming court once again trampled and destroyed hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in Xinchang and Tiantai counties, and farmland in Xianju and Linhai counties in Ming territory was also destroyed.

This kind of small-scale elite cavalry was dispatched, burning food and leaving. It was difficult for either side of the Ming and Qing dynasties to defend against it, and they could only fight back and forth and attrition each other.

Tian Xiong is the general of Zhejiang, while the general of Tiantai is named Tian Bao. Just by listening to their names, you can tell their relationship. Tian Bao is the younger brother of Tian Xiong, the general of Zhejiang.
During the grain-trampling in June last year, Tian Bao's Tiantai suffered heavy losses. After Tian Bao led his troops out of the city, he not only failed to defend the fields, but was also ambushed by the Ming army, losing hundreds of soldiers and horses.
Ninghai, where Chen Tianchong was stationed, not only defeated the Ming army, beheaded nearly a hundred people, but also destroyed less than 30,000 acres of farmland.

The Qing Dynasty's Zhejiang Provincial Governor may not really believe that Ninghai could kill nearly a hundred elite Ming troops in one battle, but it is a fact that no farmland in Ninghai County was trampled.

For the Qing Dynasty Zhejiang Provincial Governor, the land in Ninghai was more important than the so-called military achievements.
If the farmland in Ninghai can be preserved, the amount of grain and salaries transported from Zhejiang Province to the front line can be greatly reduced. I wonder how much money and grain can be saved in this round trip.

Chen Tianchong has done a good job, so of course there is nothing wrong with it. However, when the situation in Tiantai and Ninghai is compared, problems arise.

There must be punishment for every reward. Tiantai lost many soldiers and their fields were destroyed. However, Ninghai not only saved the fields but also reported a great victory. Tiantai's situation became extremely embarrassing.
Tian Bao couldn't even explain himself at this time. You said that the Ming army's border troops were elite and came and went like the wind, so they suffered a defeat. Then Ninghai was also attacked by the Ming court's border troops who trampled on food supplies. How could others hold on?
In order to protect Tian Bao, Tian Xiong could only try to reduce Ning Hai's military achievements as much as possible, or even erase Ning Hai's so-called great victory.

The imperial court would naturally hold accountable if one won and one lost, but if everyone lost, it would be a crime not committed in battle, and no one would be punished.
Zhong Mo looked at Chen Tianchong, who was becoming increasingly dissatisfied, and spoke again

"Military merit is a minor matter. There is another matter that the general needs to deal with immediately."

"I just received news that our silk goods in Ningbo were seized, and it was also Tian Xiong who did it."

"According to the news from Ningbo, Tian Xiong believed that this batch of silk goods was of a huge amount and might be smuggled into the Ming court after being transported to Ninghai, so he sent people to seize this batch of silk goods."

Upon hearing this, Chen Tianchong suddenly slammed the table and stood up, his face furious, and he shouted:

"Fuck him, what does Tian Xiong want to do? I think he is courting death. Does he really think I dare not touch him?"

If Chen Tianchong was just dissatisfied before, he was really furious now.

As the Ninghai general, garrisoning Ninghai was secondary. The most important thing was to purchase and transport silk and cloth to Jiangnan.
This year, the total amount of silk goods they purchased in Jiangnan was no less than 50,000 taels. Although they also divided the transportation routes into several routes in order to spread the risks, Ningbo was still the most important channel.
The silk transportation has just started this year. The batch of silk goods seized by Tian Xiong is only the second batch this year. A large number of silk goods and satins will be continuously transported to Ningbo in the future.
What is the concept of 50,000 taels? The annual income of the Ming court from the maritime trade license is only 70,000 to 80,000 taels. If such a large sum of money is lost in his hands, the consequences will be disastrous.

Chen Tianchong was furious and was about to discuss with Zhong Mo how to take back the silk goods, but at this moment a guard hurried into the room and said in a deep voice
"General, there is a visitor from my hometown, Mr. Zhang from Nanzhili. Mr. Zhang has arrived at the mansion. Please go over and meet him."

Chen Tianchong and the others' faces suddenly changed when they heard this.

Tian Xiong's guess was indeed correct. This batch of silk goods was indeed destined for the territory of the Ming Dynasty, and now the owner of the goods has come.

In the side courtyard of the Chen Mansion, Chen Tianchong ordered Zhongmo to lead his personal guards to guard the gate, and then he walked into the courtyard.
Chen Tianchong had a pigtail on his head, but when he entered the room, he immediately bowed to a man in a Taoist robe.

"I am Chen Tianchong, the Ninghai General, and I am here to see His Excellency the Governor."

"General Chen, no need to be polite. Please take a seat."

Behind the desk, a middle-aged man suddenly raised his head. He was wearing a scarf and had a handsome face. This man was Zhang Jiayu, the governor of Nanzhili in the Ming Dynasty.

Chen Tianchong was originally a general under Shi Kefa. After the fall of Yangzhou, although Chen Tianchong also surrendered to the Qing court with a group of defeated soldiers, he secretly hid the letter of appointment given by Shi Kefa.
When the Ming army from Fujian Province invaded Zhejiang Province, Chen Tianchong was originally serving as a garrison officer at Jiantiao, Zhejiang Province. Upon seeing the Ming army invade Zhejiang Province, Chen Tianchong immediately rose up in rebellion and surrendered to the Ming army.

However, after Jinyifu learned about this, they did not keep Chen Tianchong, but took advantage of the unrest in Zhejiang Province to send him back to the Qing court.

At that time, Zhejiang Province was in chaos. With the secret assistance of the Ming army, Chen Tianchong, who was originally just a garrison, occupied several counties including Tiantai, Ninghai, and Changguo.
When the Qing Dynasty reinforcements from Jiangnan arrived in Zhejiang Province, Chen Tianchong, relying on the secret support of the Ming Dynasty, had already gathered three to four thousand soldiers and became a powerful military leader in Zhejiang Province.

The Qing court later rewarded Chen Tianchong for his contribution in recovering the five counties. He was first appointed as the Ninghai Lieutenant General, and soon after was promoted to Ninghai General, becoming one of the Qing court's powerful generals on the front line of Zhejiang Province.
The Ming army has frequently raided grain in recent years, and the frontline counties of Zhejiang Province, such as Tiantai, have suffered heavy losses. Although Ninghai has also suffered some losses, the losses suffered by Ninghai every year are the smallest.
Ning Hai even killed several Ming troops from time to time and reported the victory to the court, which made the Qing Dynasty Zhejiang Provincial Governor's Office believe that Chen Tianchong was brave and useful.

The reason why Tian Xiong frequently targeted Chen Tianchong was that he realized that his position was unstable and wanted to suppress this arrogant general.

The Qing court believed that Chen Tianchong was brave and courageous, but in fact, Chen Tianchong's mind was not on defending the city at all. After Chen Tianchong became the general of Ninghai, he focused almost all his energy on transporting Jiangnan silk goods.
Almost all the silk products Zheng Tai bought in Jiangnan in recent years were shipped from Ningbo to Ninghai under the name of Ninghai General's Office, and then shipped to Ming Dynasty through Ninghai.
Tian Xiong thought he had discovered something about Chen Tianchong, but in fact, it was not a big deal at all.

Chen Tianchong's resale of silk goods was almost semi-public. At least Sun Zhixiu, the Qinghai Dao of the Qing court in Ninghai City, knew about it. Moreover, Sun Zhixiu took a considerable part of the profits from this resale trade every year.

Transporting silk from Jiangnan to Ming Dynasty was treason, so it was officially forbidden. But so what? The Ming court was willing to pay a high price for silk. If there was a buyer, there would be a seller. If there was profit involved, there would be plenty of people who would sell it to you.
Smuggling is rampant in Zhejiang Province now. Among the prefectures and counties along the Qing Dynasty border, every household sells goods to the south. Chen Tianchong is just one of the larger households.
Sun Zhixiu naturally knew where Chen Tianchong's silk goods would be sold in the end, but Sun Zhixiu didn't think there was any problem at all. He just felt that Chen Tianchong was really smart and had a good way of making money.
Chen Tianchong was selling silk cloth, not swords, guns, or artillery. Even if he was discovered by the imperial court, at most he would be punished by drinking three cups of wine, and it would not happen again. What kind of a big deal was this?

Zhang Jiayu saw Chen Tianchong sitting down and said

"I am the new governor of Southern Zhili. I will need your help in everything from now on."

"I came here today to meet the general in person, and also to ask for his assistance."

"But before that, I have another matter to inquire on behalf of the court."

"It is now October, and merchants from Fujian Province have gathered here, all waiting to purchase silk fabrics from Jiangnan to be shipped to Southeast Asia for sale. The Fujian Maritime Trade Department recently sent a letter to Zhejiang Province, asking why the goods from Jiangnan have not arrived yet."

Chen Tianchong's heart sank when he heard this. He knew that this matter would definitely cause trouble.

Chen Tianchong looked unhappy. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke in a deep voice.

"Governor, please allow me to report. I have just received news that the Qing general Tian Xiong of Zhejiang Province has detained the silk purchased by the Maritime Trade Bureau in Ningbo on the grounds of being unauthorized. I am trying to find a way to resolve this matter." Zhang Jiayu frowned when he heard this. He came to find Chen Tianchong this time to borrow his help to transport the goods they purchased in Jiangnan back to Daming.
The Maritime Trade Department purchased goods in Jiangnan through the Zheng family's channels, while Zhang Jiayu and others followed the path of the Jiangnan scholars.

The total amount of silk goods that the Maritime Trade Department can purchase in Jiangnan in a year is only 50,000 taels. After Zhang Jiayu and others established the channel, they can purchase more than 100,000 taels of silk goods every year.

Silk goods are easy to buy, but not easy to transport. Among the channels controlled by the Ming court, the only one who can transport such a huge amount of goods is Chen Tianchong, the Ninghai general of the Qing court.

Zhang Jiayu frowned and said in a deep voice
"What's going on with Tian Xiong? Have you tried to bribe him? How much silver does he want?"

Zhang Jiayu subconsciously thought that Tian Xiong wanted to get a piece of the pie, but Chen Tianchong shook his head slightly when he heard it and said

"Tian Xiong is a man who committed treason and is extremely loyal to the Qing court. I'm afraid he can't be bought off with money."

Tian Xiong was originally a general under Huang Degong, one of the four towns. After the Qing Dynasty conquered Nanjing, Emperor Hongguang abandoned the city and fled to Huang Degong's army.

Huang Degong fought a great battle with the Qing government in Wuhu and was shot and killed. After Huang Degong's death, the Ming army was in chaos.

Emperor Hongguang originally wanted to continue to flee, but Tian Xiong took the opportunity to capture Emperor Hongguang and his concubines and wanted to surrender to the Qing army.
On the way to the Qing camp, Emperor Hongguang begged Tian Xiong to let him escape.

But Tian Xiong said, "My fame is here, I can't let you go." In the end, he still took Emperor Hongguang to the Qing army.

After Tian Xiong presented Emperor Hongguang, he got what he wanted. After Tian Xiong followed the Qing army into Zhejiang Province, he was appointed as the general of Hangzhou.
As the Ming and Qing dynasties confronted each other, Tian Xiong was promoted to the general of Zhejiang Province again, stationed in Ningbo, and took charge of the frontline war.
Tian Xiong captured Emperor Hongguang and presented him to the Qing court. He had no way out on the Ming court's side. All the generals in Jiangnan could surrender to the Ming court, but Tian Xiong was the only one who could not. This is why the Qing court appointed Tian Xiong as the general of Zhejiang Province.

"Tian Xiong is a thief with deep crimes. Even if we bribe him with money now, he will not be safe in the future."

"I have some connections in the Qing governor's office. I have just discussed with the army and want to use the power of the Qing governor to transfer Tian Xiong away."

"However, Tian Xiong is the general of a province after all, so I am not too sure about this matter."

Zhang Jiayu's face turned cold after hearing Tian Xiong's background. He frowned and thought for a moment, but a stern look flashed across his face. He said in a cold voice
"No need to transfer. Since Tian Xiong is stubborn and unyielding, we will get rid of him. You will be the commander-in-chief of Zhejiang Province in the future."

Chen Tianchong, who was below, was shocked when he heard this.

Although Chen Tianchong was extremely angry just now, the only solution he could think of was to transfer Tian Xiong away. As for the idea of ​​killing Tian Xiong, he had never thought of it. Tian Xiong was the general of a province, how could he be killed just like that?

Zhang Jiayu looked calm at this time. Chen Tianchong was only transporting 50,000 taels of silk goods, but he was already being targeted. After the establishment of Jiangnan Trading Company, the amount of silk goods Chen Tianchong would be responsible for transporting would probably increase several times.

With such a large body, a Ninghai general can hardly contain it.
Since Tian Xiong is ignorant of current affairs, then we should just get rid of him and let Chen Tianchong take over as the general of Zhejiang Province.
If Chen Tianchong can control Ning Baicheng, then no matter how many goods the Ming court purchases in the future, they should be able to be transported back to Fujian Province smoothly.

In the government office in Linhai City, Taizhou Prefecture, Zhang Jiayu and Shi Lang were sitting in the hall, while Deputy Envoy Lin Xingzhu was standing below, reporting on the situation in Jiangnan.

"News just came back from Jiangnan that Governor Xu has contacted the gentry in Nanzhili to set up the Rixing and Risheng businesses."

"The two businesses have already opened stores in Suzhou. As long as there is an order from the court, they can start purchasing goods from Jiangnan at any time."

Zhang Jiayu nodded slightly when he heard this. Xu Fuyuan was indeed worthy of Zhang Kentang's attention. After only one month in Nanzhili, he had already straightened out the relationship network of the gentry in Jiangnan.

Zhang Jiayu waved his hand to let Lin Xingzhu sit down, then looked at Shi Lang beside him and said

"General Shi, what is the situation of the rebel army in Zhejiang Province?"

"The situation in Zhejiang Province is good. There are still a large number of volunteers in the province. All of them can help our Ming Dynasty."

Although both Nanzhili and Zhejiang provinces had Qing Dynasty troops stationed there, the situation of the rebels in Zhejiang province was much better than that of the rebels in Nanzhili.
In Zhejiang Province, on the one hand, the Ming army was on the front line to contain the Qing army, and on the other hand, there were many mountains in Zhejiang Province, which was more suitable for the rebel army to hide.
The Nanzhili rebels suffered heavy losses under the Qing government's suppression, but there were still a large number of rebels in Zhejiang Province.
Shi Lang briefly introduced the situation of the Zhejiang Volunteer Army and then spoke again.

"Although there are many rebels in Zhejiang Province, according to the Secret Guard, these rebels all obey the banner of King Lu. I'm afraid these people will not obey orders."

Zhang Jiayu heard this, but he didn't care. He said

"It's not up to them. The King of Lu is a prince of the imperial court. Even the King of Lu must obey the orders of the imperial court, let alone these rebels."

"Since these Zhejiang Province rebels have used the banner of the Prince of Lu, they should obey the orders of the imperial court."

Zhang Jiayu had learned about the situation in both places, and didn't pay much attention to these rebels. After thinking for a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"The imperial court wanted to obtain silk products from Jiangnan, and Ningbo was the most important transit point."

"Tian Xiong, the general of Zhejiang Province, has repeatedly obstructed the imperial court's plans. His crimes are extremely serious. The imperial court has decided to get rid of Tian Xiong."

Shi Lang was slightly stunned when he heard this, but he was not afraid at all. With Chen Tianchong around, the court had already roughly grasped the situation of the Qing army on the Zhejiang border.

Although Tian Xiong was the general of Zhejiang Province, he only had 3,000 to 4,000 soldiers under his command. To ordinary people, Tian Xiong was undoubtedly a powerful general, but to the Ming court, he was just an ordinary military leader.

But Shi Lang frowned slightly and said

"It's not difficult to get rid of this person, but he is behind the front line, so I'm afraid we'll have to mobilize a large army to get rid of him."

"But the court has just reached an end to the war with the Qing invaders. Is the court preparing to march north immediately?"

Zhang Jiayu heard this, but shook his head and laughed softly.
"Of course not. Our Ming Dynasty is not like the barbarians of the Qing Dynasty. Since we have decided to fight against the Qing Dynasty, we will not go to war without reason."

"Although the Ming Dynasty has reached an armistice with the Qing, the Prince of Lu has not."

After listening to Zhang Jiayu's plan, Shi Lang's face flashed with excitement. Since the imperial court returned two years ago, there has been no war in the court for a long time. Compared with sitting in Linhai City, Shi Lang would rather go to the Qing court to kill a lot of people.

Zhang Jiayu and his companions spent half a day planning in the room. Two days later, three ships set sail outside Linhai City. Shi Lang led his men aboard the ships and then quietly headed towards northern Zhejiang.
(End of this chapter)