Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 81: Western Tour
When the ministers heard that Ganzhou had fallen, there was a faint uproar in the palace.
In front of the court, Qu Shisi suddenly stepped out, glanced at the ministers below, and spoke in a cold voice.

"How can you make such a fuss while discussing matters in front of the emperor? Where is the censor?"

The ministers heard the shout and looked at Qu Shisi, who had a stern expression in front of them. Their voices suddenly stopped.

The inspector also stepped out to restore order, and the palace soon returned to silence.
But at this moment, all the ministers in the palace showed a trace of panic on their faces, no longer relaxed and casual as before.

The ministers finally understood why His Highness was in such a state today. Ganzhou had been captured, and the Qing army was about to attack again. How could His Highness, who had only been on the throne for a few days, not be frightened and confused?

The hall was silent at this moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became solemn, but Qu Shisi seemed unaware of it. When the hall returned to silence, he immediately spoke.

“Ganzhou is important, but it is just a border city. Without Ganzhou, there is still Meiguan and Nanxiong.”

"Now the court has gathered a large army with countless elite soldiers. Even if the Qing army breaks through Ganzhou, what can it do?"

"The most urgent task is to send a large army to defend the two important border towns of Meiguan and Nanxiong. As long as these two places are firmly defended, Guangdong Province will be as stable as Mount Tai."

Qu Shisi spoke in a clear voice. When everyone heard this, they thought of the large army that had been gathering inside and outside the court recently, and they were slightly relieved.

Ding Kuichu's expression changed slightly, and he was about to step out, but Qu Shisi didn't give him a chance at all, and continued to speak

"I request that the court quickly dispatch an official to lead the troops to Guangdong. Wujing Marquis Li Mingzhong will send 3,000 Guangxi troops, and Qingjiang Marquis Yan Yuncong will send 7,000 Guangdong troops, a total of 10,000 troops. We will set off immediately and divide our troops to garrison Nanxiong and Meiguan to form a pincer attack."

"Meiguan is in disrepair. Please ask the court to order the conscription of civilians near Meiguan to repair the wall in preparation for the Qing invaders. If no one asks for it, I will ask to be the commander-in-chief," Qu Shisi said in a deep voice.

"Yes, Lord Qu's words make sense. The court should quickly send troops to defend the city."

The pale-faced Regent above him seemed to have suddenly found a way to deal with it. His expression suddenly brightened up and he kept agreeing.
Zhu Lang's face was full of panic, but a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes. In his plan, he actually overlooked the fact that he could use this as an excuse to transfer the Guangdong Army out first.
If he could first transfer the more than 10,000 Guangdong troops out of the city, his plan would be even more foolproof.
Zhu Lang's mind changed, and he suppressed his excitement.

Ding Kuichu valued military power more than his own life, so how could he be willing to send the Guangdong Army to fight the Qing Army? Fortunately, he did not count on this, as he had made other preparations.
Ding Kuichu glanced at Qu Shisi, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes. He hadn't even touched Jiao Lian yet, but Qu Shisi was already thinking of moving his Guangdong Army.
The Qing army was fierce, how could the imperial army stop them? Going there was simply to die. Li Mingzhong was not close to Qu Shisi. Qu Shisi clearly wanted to use Li Mingzhong's 3,000 men to transfer his 7,000 Guangdong troops.
By then, his military strength would be reduced, but Jiao Lian's imperial guards would still be able to stay in the court safely. This Qu Shisi was really vicious.
Ding Kuichu had a gloomy expression. As soon as His Royal Highness the Regent finished speaking, he immediately stepped out and spoke loudly.

"What Lord Qu said is absolutely unacceptable. I have been in Guangdong Province for a long time and I know the situation there. Meiguan has been in disrepair for a long time and it will be unusable in the near future."

"If Meiguan cannot be used, Nanxiong will be the only isolated city left in Guangdong. Once the Qing army besieges the city, Nanxiong will be a dead end. How can we waste our troops here?"

"The army in the court is not large to begin with, how can we divide it up? If the Qing army besieges the city, how can the court rescue it?"

"Besides, Zhaoqing is too close to the front line. If the Qing army spares no effort, they can drive straight to Zhaoqing city in four or five days."

"Now is the time to gather our forces, and we must first protect the center. If we divide our forces now, and the Qing army suddenly arrives in Zhaoqing, there will be only these remnants left in the city, and the center will also become a dead end," Ding Kuichu said in a deep voice.

"Yes, what Elder Ding said makes sense. We must not divide our forces at this time."

His Royal Highness the Regent seemed to have heard that the Qing army could march directly to Zhaoqing City in four or five days, and his expression changed drastically. He immediately said
The ministers also noticed the state of His Highness the Regent and could not help but shake their heads slightly. Now His Highness the Regent was obviously a frightened bird.
As soon as Ding Kuichu finished speaking and before Qu Shisi could say anything, Chen Zizhuang, already looking angry, suddenly stepped out.
"This is nonsense. It is precisely because the Qing army is likely to advance straight into our territory that we should divide our forces to guard key locations and keep the enemy out of our country."

"If we don't send troops to guard the key points now, do we have to wait until the Qing army is at the gates of the city before we go out to fight?" Chen Zizhuang shouted angrily.
"The court must not hesitate at this moment. We must quickly dispatch the army, prepare the walls, and garrison the key points of the city. This is the only foolproof plan." Chen Zizhuang spoke loudly to His Majesty the Regent above.

"Mr. Chen's words also make sense."

Upon hearing this, the young Regent showed a hint of hesitation on his face and said softly:

Ding Kuichu's face darkened when he saw Chen Zizhuang shouting angrily, but he no longer cared about Chen Zizhuang and bowed to His Majesty the Regent above.

"Meiguan is in disrepair, and Nanxiong is an isolated city that is difficult to defend. Once Nanxiong is captured, the Qing army can encircle Zhaoqing in a few days. Zhaoqing has become a dangerous place. Your Highness is a precious person, how can you leave it in danger so easily?"

"I ask Your Highness to go on a tour to Wuzhou in the west to observe the war, and then return to Zhaoqing after the situation in Guangdong Province stabilizes."

Ding Kuichu spoke in a deep voice, his face solemn.
"Yes, yes, Lord Ding, what you said is very kind. What do you think, my dear ministers?"

A hint of surprise flashed across the face of His Royal Highness the Regent above, and he quickly spoke, looking expectantly at the ministers below.
Ding Kuichu saw the surprise on His Royal Highness the Regent's face and a smile flashed across his face, but the officials in the court were all shocked when they heard the words.

The Longwu Dynasty managed to hold out in Fujian Province for nearly a year before it was lost.
The new dynasty has only been established in Guangdong Province for a few days, and it is about to abandon the province and flee?

But after some officials from Fujian Province were shocked, their eyes flickered. As Ding Kuichu said, Zhaoqing was too close to the Qing army.

Although it's not nice to suddenly move the capital and flee, they all fled from Fujian Province to Guangdong Province, so there's nothing wrong with going further west.
However, some ministers from Guangdong Province in the palace changed their expressions when they heard this. If His Majesty were to visit Guangxi Province in the west, he would definitely take most of the troops with him.
Wouldn't this mean that they would just hand over Guangdong Province to the Qing army? Their families and friends are all in Guangdong Province. How could this be feasible?

When He Wuzuo heard that Ding Kuichu had actually proposed to abandon the province and flee in the court, his face suddenly darkened and he was about to step out to argue.
But before he could step out, Lu Daqi, who had been observing the field, had already discovered He Wuzuo's actions.
He pointed at Qu Shisi and Ding Kuichu in the field, and then shook his head slightly. Seeing Lu Daqi's hint, He Wuzuo glanced at the two people who were already confronting each other in the field, and then stopped his action.
"You must not do that. Your Highness has just been enthroned, and the edict of enthronement has just been transmitted to the provinces. If Your Highness abandons Guangdong and leaves, it will shock the world and lose the support of the people. Please think twice."

Chen Zizhuang looked serious and spoke in a resolute voice. After he finished speaking, he bowed to His Majesty above and did not get up for a long time.
Qu Shisi followed closely behind and said
"Today, we should be brave enough to call on people far and near. If we abandon Guangdong and flee before the Eastern Tartar arrives, how can we survive as a country?"

"Your Highness' words of conquering the Central Plains and restoring China are still fresh in my mind. How can Your Highness bear to abandon the people of Guangdong Province?"

Qu Shisi also bowed to His Royal Highness the Regent above him, with a look of grief and indignation on his face.
"What Mr. Qu said is very true"

Upon hearing this, the expression on the face of His Royal Highness the Regent suddenly changed. His cheeks turned red, and he seemed to be at a loss. After a long while, he spoke

Zhu Lang sat on the throne, his face flushed.

Although he had deliberately directed the scene in front of him, and it was also the result he wanted to see the most, he still felt a little ashamed and angry when someone used his words to block him in public.

He also understood more and more why so many emperors in ancient times hated those so-called loyal ministers so much, and were even directly broken by these people. These people's mouths were really poisonous.

In the court, the first and second assistants each held their own opinions and bowed down.
The Regent's face flushed red as he sat silently on the throne. The situation in the palace was in a stalemate for a while.

(End of this chapter)