Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 408 Wealth

Chapter 408 Wealth
In Ninghai, Zhejiang Province, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, according to the old custom, officials and civilians in the city should celebrate the Lantern Festival at home.

At this time of year in previous years, the streets and alleys in the city would have already set up lantern towers and hung up colorful lanterns, but this year there was no festive atmosphere in Ninghai City.

The four gates of the city were tightly closed, and the people were guarding their own doors. The streets were full of patrolling soldiers, and the atmosphere was solemn.
In the back hall of the Patrol Sea Office, there were only two people. Sun Zhixiu, the Patrol Sea Director of Zhejiang Province appointed by the Qing court, sat at the top, while Chen Tianchong, the Ninghai General of the Qing court, sat at the bottom.

Sun Zhixiu was sitting at the top wearing a black official robe, while Chen Tianchong, the Ninghai general, was sitting at the bottom wearing a green cotton armor. There was a six-petal iron helmet beside the table, and he looked like he was ready to go to war at any time.
Chen Tianchong looked at Sun Zhixiu who had remained silent above him and said

"Sir, the opportunity is fleeting, and we can't wait any longer."

"I have gathered troops in the city. As long as you give the order, I will go out to suppress the rebellion immediately!"

"General Chen, it's not that I don't want to send troops to rescue you, but military affairs are no joke. This matter is of great importance. I need to consider it carefully. Please wait a little longer."

Sun Zhixiu looked at Chen Tianchong, who was fully armored, with an irritated look on his face.
Sun Zhixiu knew Chen Tianchong's intention. Chen Tianchong's behavior today was nothing more than trying to force him to agree to send troops, but this matter was not something that could be decided so easily.

Ningbo and Ninghai are only about 150 miles apart. Ningbo fell on the 12th, and only one day later, Ninghai received the news that the Ming army had broken through Ningbo.
After hearing the news in Ninghai City, Sun Zhixiu immediately summoned Chen Tianchong and other civil and military officials in the city to discuss countermeasures. However, after discussing for a long time, everyone had different opinions and finally no conclusion was reached.

Although the Ningbo government urgently ordered the troops to come to the rescue, Ninghai has a special status and actually has a lot of room for maneuver. It is possible to send troops, but there are also reasons not to send troops. In the end, it all depends on Sun Zhixiu's own judgment.

After making a choice, Sun Zhixiu finally decided to wait and see. Sun Zhixiu informed Chen Tianchong of his decision, but Chen Tianchong did not express his opinion immediately. Sun Zhixiu just thought that Chen Tianchong had tacitly agreed to the matter.
Sun Zhixiu sent out scouts to investigate the situation in Ningbo, and secretly sent people to Tiantai, Xinchang and other places to inquire about the reactions of these frontline military towns.
If these military towns send out troops, Sun Zhixiu will follow suit. If these military towns do not move, Sun Zhixiu will never be the first to do so.
Sun Zhixiu had originally decided not to move his troops, but after only one day, Chen Tianchong's attitude suddenly changed, and he urged to send troops to quell the rebellion, which caught Sun Zhixiu off guard.

This matter is not so easy to refuse. The Ningbo messenger has entered the city, and the government's rescue order has also been delivered. If the officials of Ninghai are of the same opinion, this matter can still be dealt with.
But at this time, Chen Tianchong, the Ninghai general, suddenly ordered a rescue, which immediately put Sun Zhixiu in a passive position.

If Sun Zhixiu still wanted to veto it at this time, it would be Sun Zhixiu's own arbitrary decision. If someone with ulterior motives reported this to the court later, Sun Zhixiu would most likely be arrested and charged.
Sun Zhixiu frowned, picking up and putting down the teacup in his hand, and was obviously very anxious.
Sun Zhixiu looked at Chen Tianchong below with an extremely dissatisfied expression on his face. Sun Zhixiu had been in Ninghai for several years and had always had a very harmonious relationship with Chen Tianchong.

In Sun Zhixiu's opinion, Chen Tianchong was different from other domineering generals. He acted very knowledgeably and sensibly, but somehow he suddenly became so unreasonable this time.

Chen Tianchong could naturally feel Sun Zhixiu's dissatisfaction, but Chen Tianchong was unmoved in his heart. Chen Tianchong looked at the hesitant Sun Zhixiu and spoke again.

"My decision to send troops to rescue is not out of greed for merit or recklessness."

"The scouts I sent have already found out the news about Ningbo. The army that attacked Ningbo this time is the Zhoushan bandits. These bandits attacked from the sea and took Ningbo by surprise."

"The pirates who attacked this time are all naval forces. According to the scouts, most of the Zhoushan pirate ships have disappeared from the river east of Ningbo City."

"I believe that the main force of the enemy army has most likely withdrawn after looting Ningbo. If we send troops now, we will be able to recapture Ningbo in one fell swoop and achieve great success."

Sun Zhixiu was unmoved by what he said. What Chen Tianchong said was just speculation.
The disappearance of the warships on the river could be the main force's evacuation, but it could also be that the rebels were using the warships to transport valuables while the main force remained in the city.

In Sun Zhixiu's opinion, Chen Tianchong was just being greedy and reckless, wanting to take a risk and win the great achievement of recovering Ningbo.
Seeing that Sun Zhixiu still refused to respond, Chen Tianchong's eyes turned and he said softly
"And this is not just an opportunity for me, it's also an opportunity for you, my Lord."

"The court had previously intended to change the governorship of Zhejiang Province to a governor-general. Lord Sun is loyal to the country and a great talent, but now he is only a fourth-rank official. It is a pity."

"Does Lord Sun intend to continue wasting time like this?"

After hearing what Chen Tianchong said, Sun Zhixiu finally showed a hint of greed on his face.

Sun Zhixiu himself didn't know whether he was loyal to the country or not, but he knew that he wanted the position of governor.
The battle lines between the Ming and Qing dynasties now spanned almost the entire Zhejiang Province. Taizhou and other coastal areas were occupied by the Ming army, as were Quzhou and other places in western Zhejiang.

After the Qing Dynasty was defeated and returned to northern Zhejiang, in order to guard against the Ming troops in Zhejiang Province, they set up two routes in Zhejiang Province.
Ningshaotai Road was set up in the east to defend the coastal areas, and Jinyanfenshou Road was set up in the west to guard against inland enemies from the direction of Quzhou.

The two divisions guarded their own roads and were not subordinate to each other. Both were under the jurisdiction of Xiao Qiyuan, the governor of Zhejiang Province.
This system has been in operation in Zhejiang Province for several years without any problems.

But last year, a rumor suddenly spread in the court that the front line of Zhejiang Province was originally a whole, and the court had divided it into two separate defense lines. Although this was temporarily working fine, if a major war broke out, the two places might not be able to coordinate effectively.
Some people in the court suggested that Zhejiang Province be given a governor-general, as it was located on the front line. At the same time, a governor-general should be appointed on the front line in southern Zhejiang to supervise the two divisions of eastern and western Zhejiang so as to deal with the military affairs on the front line in a timely manner.

After hearing the news, the people of Zhejiang Province welcomed the plan to add a governor-general, and no one opposed it.
The officials of Zhejiang Province naturally opposed the military, because everyone could benefit from this matter.

Xiao Qiyuan is now the governor of Zhejiang Province. He has worked diligently for many years without any fault. If the court appoints a governor, then the candidate for the governor must be Xiao Qiyuan.
Xiao Qiyuan didn't have to do anything to be promoted to a higher level, so he naturally wouldn't object.

Xiao Qiyuan did not object, and the other three officials of Zhejiang Province would not object either.

The purpose of this high-level restructuring in Zhejiang Province is to coordinate the war on the front line, not because something went wrong in Zhejiang Province that made the court dissatisfied with Zhejiang Province.
Since the imperial court had no intention of purging Zhejiang Province, in order to ensure the stability of the Zhejiang front, the governor must be selected from the original officials of Zhejiang Province.

This is equivalent to the creation of a governor position in the official system of Zhejiang Province. No matter who takes over the position of governor in Zhejiang Province, a series of people will have the opportunity to move up one step.

As far as Sun Zhixiu knew, although the establishment of a governor's office in Zhejiang Province was still under discussion, it was basically a foregone conclusion. Even the candidate for the governor had been roughly decided at this time.

After this reform, the person who took over as the governor of Zhejiang Province was none other than Chen Mo, the former Zhejiang Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and Ningshao Prefecture Governor.

Originally, the position of governor had nothing to do with Sun Zhixiu, but now the situation is different. Chen Tianchong just gave a little hint, and Sun Zhixiu immediately understood Chen Tianchong's intention.

The Ming army suddenly broke through Ningbo. It was hard to say whether Chen Mo was alive or dead. But even if he survived by chance, he would definitely be imprisoned by the court.
Chen Mo was the governor of Ningshao Prefecture. The first place in Ningshao Prefecture was Ningbo. If Ningbo lost Chen Mo, how could the governor escape?

After this incident, Chen Mo was lucky to be alive, and he could not even think about taking over as the governor of Zhejiang Province.
Ningbo fell. If Chen Tianchong could lead the Ninghai soldiers and recapture Ningbo from the Ming army, Sun Zhixiu would also have made great contributions. At that time, the position of governor would not be out of reach.

It is extremely difficult to be promoted directly from a patrol officer to a governor, but this is wartime. As long as you have military merits, you can be promoted above others without any complaints.

Sun Zhixiu's face flushed, and he paced back and forth in the hall. But after a while, Sun Zhixiu let out a long breath, his face gloomy, and said

"No, this is still too risky."

"Ninghai is different from other places. Ninghai is in front of Tiantai. If the city sends troops at this time, if the Ming army from Tiantai attacks, how can Ninghai defend itself? This is not appropriate." Chen Tianchong heard this and immediately spoke up.

"Your Excellency Daotai is worrying too much. I sent people to Tiantai and other places to investigate the day before yesterday. There was no unusual movement of the Ming army in Tiantai and other places."

"I think the Ming army in Zhejiang Province is very likely unaware of Ningbo's fall, otherwise these people would have attacked us long ago, and why is there no movement until now?"

Sun Zhixiu heard what Chen Tianchong meant. At this time, as Chen Tianchong said, the Ming army in Zhejiang Province might not know the news that Ningbo had been broken.
If this was really planned by the Ming court of Guangdong Province, the Ming army of Zhejiang Province should have marched northward on the 12th when Ningbo City fell.
Now it is the 15th, but the Ming army in Tiantai and other places is still calm, which is enough to prove that the Ming army in Zhejiang Province is not aware of the news from Ningbo.
Sun Zhixiu also realized at this time that the attack on Ningbo was most likely a solo action by the Lu Jianguo court.
According to the Ningbo messenger, the Ming army besieging the city was indeed composed of Zhoushan generals such as Zheng Cai and Huang Binqing.
As for the actions planned by Lu Jianguo, why the Guangdong Provincial Court was unaware of it was a matter of course in Sun Zhixiu's view.

Why should I tell you about the actions of the Lu Jianguo court?

Gui and Lu each claimed the Ming Dynasty's legitimacy. Now they both wished the other side would die so that they could take over the other's legitimacy.

Zhoushan's attack on Ningbo this time must have reaped a lot of rewards and greatly increased its strength

If Sun Zhixiu was the court of Guangdong Province, he would have sabotaged the actions of Lu Jianguo and would never allow Zhoushan to become powerful again.

If Lu Jianguo wanted to succeed, he would not only not inform the Guangdong Provincial Court at this time, but he would even have to guard against people in the court leaking the information to the Guangdong Provincial Court!
When Sun Zhixiu thought of this, his worries were gone and his expression became more and more shaken. However, this made Sun Zhixiu even more entangled.
Sun Zhixiu has always been cautious in his official duties. He usually does not seek merit but only avoids mistakes. Suddenly, he has to take a risk to gain merit. Instinctively, Sun Zhixiu feels something is wrong.
Although Chen Tianchong made a solemn promise, all of this was just speculation. What if the Ming army from Zhejiang Province suddenly attacked after Chen Tianchong led his troops out of the city? Even if the Ming army from Zhejiang Province did not come, what would he do if Chen Tianchong was defeated in Ningbo?

According to the messenger, there are nearly 10,000 soldiers under Ningbo City. Who can guarantee that Chen Tianchong will win?

There is actually a safe method at this time. This safe method is, as I just said, to keep the troops in place and advance and retreat together with other military towns.
Delaying rescue was a crime, but Sun Zhixiu could get away with it by simply reporting to the court that he had discovered unusual movements of the Ming army on the Tiantai side. At most, he would be reprimanded by the court.
There might not even be any reprimands. As long as the Ninghai and other fronts were not lost, Ningbo would return to the hands of the Qing court anyway. Everyone could see clearly which of the two places was more important.

Chen Tianchong saw that Sun Zhixiu still refused to agree, and suddenly an angry look appeared on his face. He said

"I have worked with you for several years. I thought you were a rare and capable official. I never thought you would be such a coward. It is really disappointing."

Sun Zhixiu heard Chen Tianchong's angry rebuke, but there was no anger on his face. Instead, he smiled bitterly and said

"Brother Chen, why do you have to provoke me? This matter is too risky. I dare not make a decision lightly. War is dangerous and I am doing this for Brother Chen's own good."

"It is said that the bandit army in Ningbo has more than 10,000 people. What should we do if something happens to Brother Chen during this trip?"

"We are now living in the city, earning millions every year, why should we risk our lives?"

Although Sun Zhixiu gave earnest advice, it was more like Sun Zhixiu was advising himself than Chen Tianchong.

Sun Zhixiu's life is now very comfortable. Whether it is Chen Tianchong or other small merchants, he has a share of all the smuggled goods that pass through Ninghai. Sun Zhixiu does nothing but sit in the city and can earn tens of thousands of taels every year.
Even though Sun Zhixiu was only a fourth-rank prefect, he would never go even if someone offered him the post of governor or provincial governor of the inland provinces.

It is because the position of the governor of Zhejiang Province is involved that he is so hesitant.

Chen Tianchong looked at Sun Zhixiu who was chattering non-stop above him, but his eyes flickered slightly. He knew that Sun Zhixiu was finally moved.

Sun Zhixiu thought Chen Tianchong was asking for his consent to send troops, but in fact, whether he agreed or not, Chen Tianchong would lead his troops out of the city today.

This was already decided, Sun Zhixiu couldn't change it, and neither could Chen Tianchong himself.

Chen Tianchong's face darkened, but he suddenly stood up, his armor plates clattering against each other, and he said in a cold voice:

"Lord Sun is a noble civil official, how could he understand the difficulties faced by warriors like us?"

"Even if Lord Sun does nothing, as long as he waits patiently for the exam, he can be promoted all the way. But if warriors like us don't fight for our lives, we will never be able to succeed."

"A few years ago, I was just a small officer in Zhejiang Province. A few years ago, Zhejiang Province was in chaos and tens of thousands of Ming troops rushed into Zhejiang Province. At that time, I and my brothers fought day and night against tens of thousands of Ming troops and defended several cities in Ninghai for the court."

"If I hadn't risked my life, I would have had to kneel down and salute the Ninghai County Magistrate now. How could I have been a general?"

"Before, Tian Xiong seized the goods from my business. I saw clearly at that time that a higher-ranking official can crush a person. Tian Xiong is just an old thief who is seeking fame and fortune. We are both risking our lives, so why should I be inferior to him?"

"He has soldiers, and I have soldiers too. If he dares to kill people, I dare to kill people too!"

"The Ming army's attack on Ningbo this time is God's will to destroy that old villain Tian Xiong"

"Tian Xiong led his troops out of the city to quell the rebellion. He must have received the news to retake Ningbo to atone for his crime, but I won't give him this opportunity."

"I will not hide it from you, Lord Sun. This time I am sending troops to capture Ningbo in order to destroy Tian Xiong's chance of survival. Not only will I destroy his chance of survival, but I will also seize his position as the general of Zhejiang Province!"

Chen Tianchong stood up, his armor flashing with cold light, and his cold words echoed in the hall.

Sun Zhixiu looked at Chen Tianchong, who was full of murderous intent, with a look of astonishment on his face.
Sun Zhixiu has been working with Chen Tianchong for several years. In Sun Zhixiu's opinion, Chen Tianchong is just a military leader who is quick-witted and only cares about making money. However, Chen Tianchong's appearance today makes Sun Zhixiu look at him with new eyes.
It can only be said that these military leaders who crawled out of the pile of dead bodies really have their merits. Apart from other things, just this fierce and desperate spirit is enough to shock people.
Sun Zhixiu looked at Chen Tianchong, who had a fierce look on his face, and knew that this person had made up his mind and would probably not listen to his orders.

Sun Zhixiu was silent for a moment, then he gritted his teeth and said

"Since Brother Chen dares to stake his life, how can I fall behind? This time, I will fight for this huge wealth with General Chen!"

Although Sun Zhixiu said that he wanted to keep up with others, he was very sincere after returning to reality.
Ninghai City had 5,000 soldiers, Chen Tianchong led 3,000 soldiers to attack Ningbo, while Sun Zhixiu led the remaining 2,000 soldiers to stay in the city. It was obviously safer to attack in the field or to guard the city.

After the two men agreed to send troops, Chen Tianchong did not delay at all and led the army out of the city to quell the rebellion that afternoon.
What Chen Tianchong didn't know was that the main force of the Ming army, which he had just vowed to have left long ago, was still looting outside Ningbo City, and no one had left.

(End of this chapter)

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