Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 240: Troops Arrive in Jiangxi
The records of many battles in Jiangxi are full of descriptions such as "killing half of them" and "killing countless bandits".

It goes without saying how brutal the war was.

More importantly, during the entire battle in Jiangxi, not only did many court officials sacrifice their lives, but also princes of the royal family and aristocratic families stepped forward.

King Yongning died in Yuzhang, King Luochuan died in Fuzhou, Yang Tinglin and Wan Yuanji died in Ganzhou, Deng Siming died in Nancheng, Jie Chongxi, Wang Yangzheng, Xia Wanheng and Liu Guanghao were captured and killed.

The royal family, officials, noble families, and common people represented by them used their efforts to win a precious breathing space for the Ming Dynasty, and used their passion to prove Jiangxi's loyalty to the country.

However, the problem of the Ming Dynasty was not whether the soldiers dared to fight or whether the officials were loyal.

If internal conflicts cannot be suppressed or resolved, any victory achieved will ultimately be thwarted by serious internal strife.

Zhu Cilang was well aware of this and had also thought of medium- and long-term solutions to these problems.

But these methods will take a long time to be effective. For now, he can only think of some temporary relief methods, or simply suppress it by force with righteousness and powerful military force.

For example, Jiangsu and Zhejiang and Guangdong, Guangxi and Guangdong, Guangdong and Guangxi and the Pearl River Delta.

The contradiction between Jiangsu and Zhejiang and Guangdong has been mentioned before. Jiangsu and Zhejiang, which are more inclined towards the landlord class, look down on Guangdong, which is more inclined towards merchants, and the two families have conflicts over maritime trade.

As a result, officials representing the interests of the two places will naturally become at odds with each other.

Zhu Cilang's solution to this situation was simple. It was nothing more than to lure them with benefits and pressure them with power. After stabilizing most of them, the rest would not be able to cause any trouble.

The conflict between Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong is essentially a dispute over interests. Although the conflict is quite serious because the two places bear more taxes, if we put other factors aside, it is not too difficult to find a solution to the problem.

But the problems in Guangdong, Guangxi and the Pearl River Delta are somewhat difficult to deal with.

Interests, ethnic groups, concepts, and family feuds were all eventually manifested in the form of mountain people and Han people, which in turn led to the emergence of many unstable factors in the rear area of ​​Guangdong and Guangxi.

According to Zhu Cilang's original plan, after getting rid of the Jingjiang Rebel King, he would convene the various Shanyue tribes to hold something like a consultation meeting, and then try his best to solve the problems raised by the mountain people in order to express his sincerity and win the hearts of the people.

But things did not go as planned, and the sudden urgent news disrupted his rhythm.

Wan Yuanji's military report was sent out more than ten days ago. According to his report, the Ming army in Jiangxi was suddenly attacked by the Qing army because Prince Baoning surrendered to the enemy. Afterwards, Prince Yongning's troops retreated to Ji'an, while Prince Luochuan's troops disappeared.

Although Wan Yuanji now has more than 4,000 newly recruited soldiers, the situation at the front is unclear, so he dare not attack rashly, otherwise, if something unexpected happens, not to mention Ganzhou will be lost, even Guangdong and Fujian will be exposed to the Qing army.

Under such circumstances, Zhu Cilang had no time to hold any talks with the Shanyue tribes. After making arrangements with Gu Yuanjing and Qu Shisi, he led Hu Maozhen and the guards on the journey north.

Originally, he wanted to bring the navy along. After all, in his impression, Guangdong and Jiangxi seemed to be connected by water. If he could bring this powerful weapon to the battlefield in Jiangxi, let alone one or two surrendered troops, even if the Qing army came to attack in large numbers, he would be confident that he could keep half of Jiangxi.

But who would have thought that after some investigation, he discovered that there was indeed a waterway from Guangdong to Jiangxi, and there was indeed a waterway from Jiangxi to Guangdong, but there was no waterway from Guangzhou to Ganzhou.

In this way, no matter how unwilling Xu Renjue was, he had no choice but to stay in Guangdong and watch His Royal Highness the Crown Prince lead the troops to meet the enemy.

Finally, under the resolute opposition of a group of ministers, Zhu Cilang took a boat north out of Shaoguan. When the river became narrow and unfavorable for navigation, he changed to a land route near Nanxiong. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, like a firefighter, was about to enter Jiangxi.

"Your Highness, according to the guide, Dayu is only another 10 to 20 miles away. I think it would be better for our army to stay here for a day and wait for the soldiers to recover before heading to Ganzhou."

"Didn't I tell you before I left? Marching and fighting are not my forte. All matters of military strategy are up to you. I will only help you coordinate the relationships between all parties and will not interfere in other matters."

Hu Maozhen was a fierce general and was good at fighting, but the most commendable thing about him was not his military ability, but his ability to know when to advance and retreat.

In the original history, whether it was Jin Shenghuan, Li Chengdong, Wang Deren who joined the Qing army, or Sun Kewang who joined the Ming army, they all had expectations for their treatment that were extremely inconsistent with the actual situation.

When there was a big gap between reality and expectations, they all decisively chose to betray, but Hu Maozhen was different from them.

He had a very clear understanding of his environment. After making great contributions to the Tartars, he not only did not expect any reward, but also repeatedly requested retirement on the grounds of old age and illness.

Of course, this is also due to the fact that Hu Maozhen’s achievements were far less than those of Li Chengdong and others. But if he did not have a clear understanding of the situation at the time, how could he, a surrendered general with a large army, not have extravagant hopes?

Therefore, although Zhu Cilang had said it many times, he would report every decision to His Highness, acting like a good boy.

"Your Highness, you are joking. If you are not good at military strategy, who in the land of China would dare to claim to know military strategy? I would like to learn more skills from you so that I can make new contributions to the Ming Dynasty. I hope Your Highness will not be too proud of yourself."

It has to be said that Hu Maozhen's flattery was really comforting. Even though Zhu Cilang knew very well that he was able to drive Duoduo back to Jiangbei only because of his foresight and the advantage of the navy, he couldn't help but recall the glorious achievements of the past few months after listening to it.

People often ask why superiors prefer flatterers.

But if you put yourself in their shoes and think carefully, you will see something different.

To put it simply, the most direct benefit that flattery can bring to superiors is emotional value. But which superior would employ flatterers simply for this emotional value?

Putting aside the emotional value, flattery is, to a certain extent, a sign of submission. If this expression is translated into easy-to-understand words, it would probably be just one sentence: If you have something to say, just tell me.

Whenever you do something, you will encounter resistance. When you encounter resistance, you need people to break through it. If a superior does not even have someone who can clear the way and build bridges when encountering mountains and rivers, then what can he accomplish?

Of course, this doesn’t mean that all flatterers can do this, nor does it mean that people who don’t like flatterers can’t help their superiors solve problems.

However, identifying people by flattery is the lowest cost and most efficient method.

This is why superiors generally like to employ one or two flatterers.

But this involves another issue.

If one is in such an environment for a long time, no matter how wise and brave a person is, he will definitely lose himself in the praise, whether true or false. This is why people who have been in high positions for a long time will become stubborn and make stupid decisions in the later period of their rule.

At this point, some people may say that if we see anyone flattering us, we can just kill him directly. Why would there be so much trouble?
But submitting to the strong is the instinct of social animals. If you kill one, there will be a second and a third. Others will only think that the person has offended the master in some way, but no one will think that the master hates flattery.

To be more specific, let's focus on Hu Maozhen.

Could Zhu Cilang kill him directly?
Certainly not.

Not only that, even if he frowned and told Hu Maozhen to flatter him less in the future, Hu Maozhen's first reaction would definitely be to reflect on whether his way of flattery was inappropriate, and then recall whether his behavior during this period had angered His Highness.

Under such circumstances, it would be fine if Hu Maozhen could think of the inappropriateness of his actions, but if he couldn't.
Zhu Cilang probably has to be careful about his head.

Of course, Zhu Cilang would probably still feel uncomfortable with such flattery. Although he maintained a polite smile on his face, he repeatedly reminded himself in his heart that he was not a military genius.

After laughing a few more times, Hu Maozhen went to arrange various matters related to camping. When he returned, nearly half an hour had passed.

"Why did it take so long? Was there some trouble ahead?"

As soon as he saw Hu Maozhen, Zhu Cilang asked with concern.

Although this place is nearly 200 miles away from Ganzhou, Wan Yuanji's letter for help had been sent out for quite some time. Moreover, the impact of the war in the south of the Yangtze River has already spread. He did not dare to be sure that Ganzhou was still in the hands of the Ming army.

"Returning to your highness, it's nothing serious, except that the Luca was slightly damaged, so it took some time to clean it up."

After hearing Hu Maozhen's report, Zhu Cilang just whispered the word "Luka" a few times but didn't say anything else and continued to urge his horse forward.

After about three or two cups of tea, a rather hastily built wooden fort appeared in his sight. When Zhu Cilang approached the fort, more than a dozen people dressed as servants who had been waiting there knelt on the ground and shouted loudly, "I greet the generals."

According to Hu Maozhen's thinking, the waving of the whip by this minor official was considered a return gesture, and he would then continue on his journey with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

But who would have thought that just as he raised his hand, he saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince change direction and go straight to the clerk.

"Where are you from?"

When they saw the young general approaching them, the clerks were frightened.

It should be noted that bandits' passing are like combing, soldiers' passing are like rakes, and officials' passing are like shaving. Although the soldiers are in the middle, in such chaotic times, once the army passes by, they may be uprooted. How can such petty officials not be afraid of becoming the good ones who kill innocent people and take credit for their achievements?
"General, I am from Dayu," the older officer knelt down in front of Zhu Cilang's horse, trembling as he held up a fist-sized bag and handed it to him, "General, you have worked hard and made great contributions. I have no specialties, but I have some special products to present to you."

Probably silver.

From the shape of the small package, Zhu Cilang easily determined what this specialty was, and then a series of thoughts appeared in his mind one after another.

The clerks were afraid of the soldiers, but the people were also afraid of the clerks. Otherwise, with the little silver issued by the court, how could a few runners come up with such "special products"?
Of course, this fear must contain a strong sense of contempt. Zhu Cilang even dared to conclude that after the army passed by, these officers would definitely curse them with words like "soldiers".

But when clerks appeared in front of the people and soldiers appeared in front of the clerks, everyone had to act like this.

What a twisted society.

It probably took less than half a breath for his mind to turn, but in just that short while, Hu Maozhen had already rushed forward with murderous intent, and with a raised hand he had already whipped the officer.

"Be bold!"

Snapped!
"Your Highness, please forgive me! I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"

Glancing at the thumb-sized red mark on the back of his hand, and then looking at Hu Maozhen who was already kowtowing on the ground, Zhu Cilang felt a sharp pain, but still pretended to be nothing and said calmly: "I am not made of clay, get up."

"Your Highness, I have injured the dragon's body, and I deserve to die!"

"If you are told to get up, then get up. If you don't tell me and I don't tell you, who else can know about this?"

"temple"

"Stop talking nonsense."

Seeing Hu Maozhen's eyes slightly red, Zhu Cilang just waved his hand to signal him not to say anything more.

To be honest, he knew some rules, but his mind was now completely focused on the conversation he was about to have with the officers. How could he connect those things that were not yet ingrained in his bones with Hu Maozhen's current reaction?
just
"Your Highness!? You...you are the Crown Prince?!"

While Zhu Cilang was still struggling with Hu Maozhen, a slightly choked voice came from in front of him again. When he turned around, he saw that the older officer who was still holding the small bag was shaking with both hands, as if he was unable to control himself.

"It is me, all of you please stand up and answer me."

After the words were spoken, no one dared to speak, and there was another round of refusal. Finally, the group of officers stood a few feet in front of Zhu Cilang in a slightly stiff manner.

"Which government office are you from? Why are you setting up a checkpoint here?"

"Your Highness, we are the officials of Dayu County. We set up a checkpoint here to collect taxes from the province."

"How are these donations collected? Where will they be used?"

This checkpoint was set up at the junction of two provinces. Zhu Cilang could naturally guess what its function was, but he had never paid too much attention to it before. He only knew that it was a heavy tax like the city gate tax, but he didn't know much about the details. So after seeing these officers, he wanted to learn more about it.

After a while, Zhu Cilang learned a lot of inside information from the older officer. Although these inside information were known to everyone, Zhu Cilang was still so shocked that he had not fully recovered when he left.

This is how the local government operates!
(End of this chapter)