Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 420 Negotiation
Zhejiang Jiantiaoso, close to the seashore, was originally an important coastal defense base of Zhejiang Province. However, the walls of the Acropolis were already in ruins and no one was there.

Jiantiaoso is located between Ninghai Tiantai, right in the middle of the Ming and Qing defense lines. In fact, its location is extremely important.

If the Qing army occupied this place, they could station a water city navy in the city and directly cut off the connection between the Fujian and Zhejiang navy and the Zhoushan Ming army from the sea.

If the Ming army took this place, they could also set up infantry camps and naval forces at Jiantiao.
If the Ming army could station troops here, once the two sides went to war, the land forces in the city could reach Ninghai directly, and the navy could set out from here and reach Ningbo directly within a day.

But it is precisely because the health jump is so important that this place has been completely abandoned.

After the armies of the Ming and Qing dynasties set up their own defense lines in Tiantai and Ninghai, the two sides fought for Jiantiao, causing the small town to change hands several times.
At the end of the fight, both sides realized that neither side would give up this frontier land to the other, so they simply destroyed the city walls and withdrew their troops. The people in Jiantiao had already fled in the fight between the two sides.
Jiantiaoso has long been abandoned, but today a large number of people suddenly appeared outside Jiantiaoso. The sounds of people and horses were everywhere outside the city, bringing some life back to this place.

Outside Jiantiao, hundreds of riders suddenly appeared on the north and south post roads, galloping towards Jiantiao.
The figures on the post road were naturally the envoys sent by the Ming and Qing dynasties. Although there were only a hundred cavalrymen from both sides entering the city, there were far more people participating in the negotiations.

Five miles outside Jiantiao, thousands of soldiers from both the Ming and Qing armies had already lined up and were waiting. Flags were everywhere in the two armies, and cavalrymen were patrolling on each flank, waiting for the order to charge out.
Ten miles east of Jiantiao, the sea was also crowded with boats.

The Ming army led the way with five large bird ships, which were more than 40 meters long. They were Zheng-style sailing warships based on Fujian Fu ships and modified with reference to red-haired warships. Behind the bird ships were fifteen 30-meter Zhong-style Fu ships, and behind them were dozens of medium-sized ships such as flat-bottomed sand ships.
The Ming army had dozens of ships across the sea, but the Qing navy on the opposite side was even more amazing.

The Qing army had no less than a hundred naval warships, and the densely packed warships almost covered the entire sea surface, which was extremely spectacular.

The Qing navy is impressive, but if you look closely you will find that most of these Qing warships are small boats.

There were only eight large ships in the fleet, all of which were Zhong's Dafu ships, similar to the Ming army's. As for the Ming army's main battleships, the bird ships, the Qing army had none.
The Qing army had an astonishing number of naval forces, but if a fight really broke out, the Fujian Camp naval forces led by Zhou Hezhi only needed to concentrate their firepower and prioritize eliminating the eight Fujian ships on the opposite side, and they would almost certainly win.
As long as the Qing navy's big Fu ships were destroyed, the remaining large number of small boats would have no ability to fight back. As long as the Ming army's large ships bombarded them, these small boats would collapse immediately.
This is also the reason why the Qing court sent out so many warships. The Qing court knew very well that its navy could not compete with the Ming court, so it could only search and plunder ships as much as possible, hoping to suppress the Ming court navy in momentum.

In Jiantiao City, a house in the center had already been cleared out. The two groups of people rushed into the city and soon entered the house.

The robes on both sides were embroidered with birds and beasts, and even the patterns were exactly the same, all cranes, golden pheasants, bears, tigers and leopards, but one side was wearing dark black robes, while the other side was wearing scarlet red robes.

The two parties entered the hall, but neither spoke a word, just looking at the envoys on the opposite side.

It is only natural that the chief envoy of the Qing Dynasty's delegation is Leng Sengji.
The armistice agreement between the Ming and Qing dynasties last year was brokered by Leng Sengji. Now, only half a year later, Ningbo was captured. It was impossible for Leng Sengji, the envoy who made the agreement, to stay out of it.
There were two deputy envoys of the Qing Dynasty delegation, one was Li Wen, who was also on the mission last year, and the other was Li Ruolin.
These three were special envoys of the Qing court. The rest were Zhejiang Governor Xiao Qiyuan, Zhejiang General Tian Xiong, Ninghai General Chen Tianchong and other Zhejiang military generals.
The chief envoy of the Ming Dynasty delegation was Zhang Kentang, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, and the deputy envoy was Liu Zhongzao, the governor of Zhejiang Province. On the military side, Li Mingzhong did not come, but Yi Zhi, the deputy general of the Wuxiang Army, came.
Li Mingzhong was the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, in charge of the entire Fujian-Zhejiang defense line. It was impossible for him to take the risk to participate in any consultations and negotiations at this time.

Moreover, the identities of the two sides were not equal at all. If Li Mingzhong wanted to participate in the negotiations, the Qing court would have to send at least General Lekedehun, who was stationed in Nanjing.
Only this person is equal to Li Mingzhong in status. Tian Xiong, the so-called general of Zhejiang Province, is not qualified at all.

In addition to the ministers from the Guangdong court, the delegation also included personnel from Zhoushan.

The two parties sat down and looked at each other for a moment. Zhang Kentang looked at Leng Sengji, who was wearing a black crane official robe, and was the first to speak.

"You, the Qing government, sent an envoy and even made a big fuss about holding talks at the border. What is the purpose?"

Leng Sengji heard this, but snorted coldly and said

"You are just being mysterious. Don't you know why the Qing court came here? How dare you say you don't know about Ningbo?"

Zhang Kentang was calm when he heard this. He said

"Of course I know. Your Qing court is weak. Not long ago, Zhoushan attacked Ningbo and we were defeated under the city of Ningbo. So why are you looking for my Ming court now?"

Leng Sengji had a cold expression on his face. Zhang Kentang mentioned Zhoushan and Ming Dynasty at the same time. It was obvious that he was preparing to separate the two sides and remove himself from the Ningbo incident.

Leng Sengji had received the news when he arrived in Hangzhou. According to Xie Sanbin, Gao Yutai had sneaked into Ningbo before the fall of the city. It was found that Gao Yutai was the son of Gao Doushu, the governor of Hunan Province in the Ming Dynasty. It was obvious that the incident in Ningbo was planned by Guangdong Province.

Moreover, even if Xie Sanbin had not reported it, didn't the Qing government know that Guangdong Province was involved in the Ningbo incident?
The people of Lu Jianguo on Zhoushan Island were defeated repeatedly by the imperial court in the past few years. In the past two years, they dared not even set foot on land. These rotten soldiers still want to break through Ningbo. What a joke.

Leng Sengji's face darkened and he also spoke

"Do you really think that the Qing Dynasty is unaware of your Ming court's little tricks? The Qing Dynasty is the dominant force in the Central Plains, and it is the destiny of the world. I don't know how many people in your Ming court have already seen the general trend and secretly served the Qing Dynasty."

"All your actions have long been under the control of the Qing court. It's a pity that you, the pseudo-Ming court, still thought you were doing it in secret."

"The person sent to Ningbo by the Ming court should be called Gao Yutai. He is the son of Gao Doushu, the governor of Hunan Province of your Ming court. Do you still dare to say that you have nothing to do with the affairs of Ningbo?"

Leng Sengji stared at Zhang Tongchang opposite him, hoping to find a flaw in the old man's face.

But Zhang Kentang on the other side first showed a trace of confusion on his face, but soon regained his composure and said

"Gao Yutai? I have never heard of this person."

Zhang Kentang saw that Leng Sengji wanted to speak again, but before he could open his mouth, he continued
"This person must be the son of Governor Gao. Since you said he sneaked into Ningbo, where is he now?"

Leng Sengji was about to make a sarcastic remark, but when he heard what Zhang Kentang said, he stopped talking and his face looked grim.
Ningbo was captured, and the property in the city was almost looted. Gao Yutai had naturally withdrawn with the Ming army long ago. Where could Leng Sengji find Gao Yutai?

And it was not just Gao Yutai. All the gentry reported by Xie Sanbin suddenly disappeared overnight before the Qing Dynasty delegation arrived.
Leng Sengji had already realized that the Ming court must have known in advance that the envoys were coming, so they withdrew all the gentry who secretly participated in the seizure of the city in order to prevent the Qing court from finding any evidence against them. The reason why Zhang Kentang was so calm at this time was because he had already determined that he could not produce any witnesses.

Even though Leng Sengji had already concluded that the incident in Ningbo was caused by Guangdong Province, he had no evidence and could not refute it at this time.

This is not the territory of the Qing Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, as long as the imperial court believes that a Han Chinese is guilty, they will find a reason to arrest him, regardless of whether there is evidence or not. Do these Han Chinese dare to rebel?
But Zhang Kentang was not a Han Chinese in the Qing court. He could not take action and could not produce any evidence. Leng Sengji felt helpless for a while.

Leng Sengji was thinking about how to respond, but Tian Xiong, who was standing by, could no longer bear it when he saw Zhang Jiayu deny it, and he said angrily
"The Ming Dynasty still claims to be the orthodox Central Plains and a country of etiquette. Gao Yutai was born in Ningbo. Do you really think that no one in Ningbo knows this thief?

"Gao Yutai had sneaked into the city to incite rebellion before the city was captured. Who else could be in control of Ningbo's affairs if not Guangdong Province?"

"All the facts are there, yet you are still lying and denying everything. How shameless you are!"

"Not only was the Ningbo incident planned by you, Guangdong Province, but the Siming Mountain rebellion was also controlled by your Guangdong Province court behind the scenes."

"The small rebel army in Siming Mountain actually has hundreds of fully armored elite cavalry. Siming Mountain has been besieged by the imperial court for several years and has long been on the verge of extinction. How can it be capable of raising such a group of retainer cavalry?"

"This group of people must be your Guangdong soldiers in disguise, otherwise how could they defeat the army I left behind in Shangyu?"

"Zhang Kentang, you are also a well-read person, are you and other so-called saint disciples lying like this?"

Tian Xiong stared at Zhang Kentang opposite him, hoping that Zhang Kentang would nod and admit it. He had to make the Guangdong Provincial Ming Court admit this matter.
Chen Mo is dead. If the court really starts investigating Ningbo's crimes, he will be the first to be convicted.
If the Guangdong Provincial Government acknowledged Ningbo's case, he could still have a chance of survival.
The strength of Guangdong's soldiers and generals is well known to the whole court. Tian Xiong was plotted against by the Guangdong court. It is not shameful to lose to the Guangdong Ming army.
So many beile, dutong, and erzhen in the Eight Banners were defeated. It was only natural that Tian Xiong, a small Han general, was defeated.
But if the Guangdong Provincial Government did not recognize it, and the Qing government determined that Zhoushan was responsible for the incident, then Tian Xiong would be killed immediately without a burial place.

A general of Zhejiang Province actually lost to the weak navy soldiers in Zhoushan on land. What use was there for Tian Xiong in the Qing court?
Zhang Kentang heard this, without a trace of anger on his face, but suddenly chuckled and said

"I didn't know about this. Does that mean that your Qing army was defeated by the hundreds of cavalry gathered by the rebels in Siming Mountain? Interesting, really interesting."

"Those cavalrymen are proficient in cavalry battle formations. How could they be bandits in the mountains? They must be..."

The Ming court envoys all laughed when they heard what Zhang Kentang said. Tian Xiong was furious and was about to refute him, but before he could finish, a cold shout came from the side.

"Shut up, it's embarrassing."

Leng Sengji stared fiercely at Tian Xiong beside him. Leng Sengji also knew what Tian Xiong said, but Tian Xiong was just like Xie Sanbin. He did not catch a single Siming Mountain cavalryman. Even if this was true, so what? The Ming court would not admit it.
The defeat in Ningbo had already made the imperial court lose face, and now Tian Xiong took the initiative to reveal the defeat in Shangyu. Did this bastard think that the imperial court had not lost enough face?

Tian Xiong was suddenly scolded by Leng Sengji, and veins popped up on his forehead. Tian Xiong's face was uncertain, but when he saw the thin braid behind Leng Sengji's head, he was silent for a while, and finally lowered his head and dared not say anything.
Leng Sengji was a Manchu and the imperial envoy. Leng Sengji was in charge of the imperial court's thorough investigation of Ningbo.

When Leng Sengji was investigating, any random word could decide his life or death. How could Tian Xiong dare to provoke Leng Sengji at this time?

Leng Sengji saw Tian Xiong lower his head, but there was no smug look on his face. This was a matter of course. He was just a Han Chinese bondservant. He really thought he was a general when he was called a general.

That is to say, if it was in Ningbo, Leng Sengji would have whipped him long ago, and there would be no need to waste words.

Leng Sengji retracted his gaze and looked at Zhang Kentang opposite him, and said in a cold voice

"Zhang Kentang, you are now talking nonsense, just to distance yourself from the matter and push the blame on Zhoushan Lu Jianguo, but do you think the Qing Dynasty will believe you?"

"Whether you believe it or not is up to you and has nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Kentang looked relaxed. The reason why the Ming court used Zhoushan as a cover-up was that they did not want to be known as a violator of the alliance.
Zhang Kentang glanced at the other side, his eyes turned, and he spoke again

"You don't believe that this was done by Zhoushan, right? It just so happens that Zhoushan has sent people here this time."

"This is Shen Chenquan, the ceremonial officer under the command of Prince Lu. What do you want to ask him?"

Zhang Kentang pointed at a middle-aged man beside him and said

Shen Chenquan was wearing a red brocade pheasant official robe. The ceremonial official Zhang Kentang mentioned was actually the Minister of Rites. Shen Chenquan was also the Minister of Rites in the Lu Jianguo Dynasty.
Leng Sengji's eyes lit up immediately after hearing what Zhang Kentang said, but he ignored Shen Chenquan and spoke directly

"There are officials from Zhoushan in your Guangdong delegation, Zhang Kentang, and you still dare to say that your Guangdong court has no connection with Zhoushan!"

Zhang Kentang heard this, but his face was strange, and he said

"When did I say that the Ming Dynasty has no connection with the Prince of Lu? The Prince of Lu is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty court has no connection with the Prince of Lu. Does it mean that it has any connection with Qing barbarians like you?"

The excitement on Leng Sengji's face suddenly froze. He didn't expect that Zhang Kentang would admit it directly.

Leng Sengji quickly realized that it was one thing for the Guangdong Provincial Court to have contact with Zhoushan, but it was another thing for Guangdong Province to participate in the attack on Ningbo.
As long as the Qing court cannot produce other evidence, it still cannot prove that the Guangdong court unilaterally violated the armistice agreement.
(End of this chapter)