Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 254: Now That You're in a Halter, There's No Need to Struggle

After the battle of Ganzhou, whether it was due to the suppression of military power or the great prestige of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, the various tribes in the city finally calmed down.

Don't think that without Cao Zhijian, the stability of all departments in Ganzhou can be taken for granted.

The root cause of the conflict is the struggle for interests. When a piece of cake cannot satisfy everyone's appetite, disputes under various guise will emerge one after another.

Ganzhou was originally a small city, and had already provided a batch of money and food to Yang Tinglin's troops. After that, in just a short time, a large group of troops were gathered here.

In addition, since all the troops are foreign soldiers, the money and food they should be given should be higher than those given to the local troops in Jiangxi.

With such a burden, how could the troops be satisfied with the little money and food left in Ganzhou?
Fortunately, Zhu Cilang was well prepared for this.

Shortly after his arrival, money and grain shipped from Guangzhou began to arrive.

As a result, the conflicts among the various tribes in Ganzhou gradually eased and eventually disappeared into thin air.

Having said that, I have to thank General Ding Kuichu Ding.

His years as the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi were not in vain. Putting aside antiques, calligraphy and paintings, real estate deeds and other items that were difficult to estimate, he confiscated nearly one million taels of gold, silver and jewelry alone.

Of course, according to historical facts, Ding Kuichu's property must be higher than this number, but Zhu Cilang's control over Guangzhou was only superficial after all. Even though he knew that there must be some corruption, in the end he could only accept it due to the situation.

"I think you all already know that the Japanese palace will respond to the heaven in a few days."

After seeing off Wan Yuanji, Zhu Cilang returned to the camp with a group of generals. After he opened his speech with these words, it was not known whether the generals were reluctant to let him go or had other considerations. Anyway, there was immediately a chorus of pleading in the tent, as if the sky of Ganzhou would completely collapse if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince left.

Faced with this situation, Zhu Cilang just watched silently and did not act out the drama of the reluctance between the emperor and his subject. However, Prince Yongning, who was also crying in the crowd, truly had mixed feelings.

When the army was first raised, although all the troops obeyed King Yi as their leader, it was actually led by him and King Luochuan.

Afterwards, they fought several battles with the Tatars. Although they had some wins and some losses, they eventually recovered many cities.

During that period, he was full of ambition and high spirits, and it seemed that the Ming Dynasty, which was in a desperate situation, would be revived in his hands.

But reality is always cruel.

The army was almost annihilated after the defeat in Fuzhou, and when they retreated to Ganzhou, conflicts arose frequently due to lack of money and food. If His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had not arrived in time and suppressed the various armies with both soft and hard means, it would be hard to say whether the city could be defended.

Comparing the two, how could King Yongning not feel mixed emotions?

"When I first heard about the rebellion in Ganzhou, I thought you were all selfish people."

Just when the generals were still using various words to express their reluctance to part with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Zhu Cilang suddenly said this, leaving the generals who had already submitted to him at a loss as to how to respond for a moment.

"But after so many days, I have realized that all the generals are willing to fight to the death."

As the words fell, the slightly anxious hearts of everyone present were relieved again, but at the same time, they couldn't help but wonder: Why did His Highness mention this? Was it just to praise him?
"You may fight to the death, but if you cause trouble again, I can forgive you, but military law cannot."

After hearing this, everyone suddenly understood, and then the voices of promises kept coming out of everyone's mouths. Even Zhang An, who had previously disliked the Han army, said loudly: "Your Highness, don't worry. After the battle that day, we have all let go of our past hatreds. Even if there are misunderstandings, they can be easily resolved. There will never be another internal conflict!"

As the saying goes, no fight, no deal.

In the battle that day, the two troops remaining on the battlefield fully exerted their subjective initiative without any orders from their superiors.

As a result, the two armies began to recognize each other to a certain extent.

On this basis, the root cause of the civil strife was easily resolved by Zhu Cilang's money, and eventually the relationship between the various armies in Ganzhou became much more harmonious.

But there is more than just the Ganzhou army in Jiangxi, and there is more than just one Jiangxi in the world.

Once the war breaks out again, it will inevitably require the cooperation of various forces from different affiliations. By then, all relationships will be complicated and all interests will be entangled. If the Ming army has no bottom line in their hearts, it will still be inevitable to watch their friendly forces being annihilated.

"I know that you and Hu Yiqing are fighting fiercely. Even if you two really fight against each other, I am not sure that I can kill you. But what about the other people?"

Zhang An was stunned at first when he heard this. After glancing at the other people, he seemed to feel that it was unlikely that he would confront them as before, so he prepared to explain a few words to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"Don't rush to explain. Listen to me. If one day you defeat the Tartars and join forces with the troops of King Luochuan, will you still treat them the same way you treated Hu Yiqing?"

"Well, that depends on whether they are heroes like the Hu brothers."

"Well, although I am not powerless, I still need the protection of the generals when I am on the battlefield. If you agree with me, then I can no longer get along with you, right?"

"Your Highness! That's not what I meant! I just..."

Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had misunderstood his meaning, Zhang An panicked and wanted to explain. However, before he could finish half a sentence, the smile on His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's face suddenly disappeared, and a scolding reached his ears.

"Zhang An, the commander of the Yishan Guard!"

"The general is here!"

"From now on, no matter how much you have accomplished in battle, if you start an uprising with friendly forces, I will punish you for deserting the battlefield and surrendering to the enemy and treason. Do you understand?!"

"Commander of the Yishan Guards, Zhang An, obey your orders!"

Having said this, even a fool could see that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was drawing a red line for each army. When Zhang An's voice of receiving orders came out, the generals did not say anything, but they also laid down their hands on the ground.

But there was that conspicuous bag in every group. Just when Zhu Cilang was about to say something, he saw that ignorant bandit actually mustered up the courage to ask again.

"Your Highness, since you have issued the military order, we will definitely not dare to cause trouble, okay."

"But what?"

"But if someone takes the initiative to provoke us, do we have to endure it?"

"If you are right, Mr. Wan will definitely uphold justice. Even if Mr. Wan cannot handle it, I will not let you be wronged as long as you abide by your duty."

"Thank you, Your Highness. Thank you, Your Highness. That's it." Common sense would have it that since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had already made a promise, anyone with a bit of discernment would have no doubts. But who would have thought that Zhang An would behave like this in the end, and even Zhu Cilang became a little impatient.

"Just say what you want to say. Why are you always hesitating?"

"Your Highness, you are His Majesty this time. If we really have grievances, we can't report them directly to the Emperor."

Dong thief, Dong thief, Zhang Anke really did not humiliate this "thief".

At first, Zhu Cilang thought that this guy had some intention of causing trouble, but when he heard this, he understood Zhang An's real plan.

"I grant you the right to speak directly. Are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied! Satisfied! Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!"

Having got what he wanted, Zhang An happily stepped aside, while Zhu Cilang, who had "fallen into the trap", also put a kind smile on his face.

The so-called Dong people are actually ethnic minorities living in the south, and the Dong bandits led by Zhang An are a collection of various ethnic groups living in the mountains on the border between Fujian and Jiangxi.

During this period, the common people did not necessarily have conflicts with each other, but the officials' oppression of the people living in the mountains was systematically supported.

But what if Zhang An got the right to hear directly from the emperor?

Would the officials be more cautious in their actions? Would his authority in the mountain be increased as a result?
Think about it the other way around.

After becoming the mountain people's backer, will the Dong people have a different feeling towards the Crown Prince than before? Will they become the Crown Prince's staunch supporters because of this feeling?
Of course, how things will eventually develop depends on how individuals act, but it is undeniable that because of this power of direct reporting, a not-so-fragile connection has been established between the people in the mountains of Fujian and Jiangxi and the future Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

At this point, Zhu Cilang's goal was achieved. Even though there would still be many conflicts among the armies afterwards, similar internal strife in front of the Tartars could be prevented.

However, the various tribes in Ganzhou had few soldiers and generals after all, and because of his performance in the previous battle, he had gained some prestige in the hearts of the generals.

Coupled with the pressure of money, food, and military power, the possibility of internal strife in Jiangxi was largely eliminated through a combination of soft and hard tactics.

But Hunan.
With this in mind, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but look outside the tent, as if he wanted to cross the mountains and see whether Wan Yuanji would leave Ganzhou.

Zhu Cilang wanted to meet with the officials of Hunan and the generals of the Chuang army before returning to Yingtian.

But now, apart from a vague tacit understanding between him and He Tengjiao, he has no connection with the people from Hunan. Under such circumstances, if they meet rashly, no one can predict how the situation will develop.

Therefore, it is extremely necessary to let Wan Yuanji go there in advance.

The so-called kung fu is all outside the play.

In the eyes of others, when the big guys meet, not only can they finalize the big things in just a few words, but they also appear to be confident and calm during the meeting, showing that they have the world situation under their control.

But if there had been no messengers traveling back and forth in advance to finish all the quarrels that needed to be fought for and to win all the interests that needed to be fought for, who could be sure that the big guys wouldn't be like the little people bargaining in the vegetable market?
Wan Yuanji is well aware of his mission.

Long before setting off, he had even thought about the difficulties he might encounter and the possible help that might come his way.

The difficulties are obvious.

Conflicts will arise between the Chuang armies due to the sudden change in the balance of power, the Chuang army and Hunan will be wary of each other due to distrust, and even the officials in Hunan will have differences over how to treat the court and the Chuang army. How could Wan Yuanji not have anticipated the difficulty of this trip?

Just this help.
In his opinion, with a little tacit understanding and the order from Feng Bo, He Tengjiao could be considered as a helper. However, judging from the arrangements made by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, it seemed that there would also be helpers among the Chuang army.

Thinking of this, Wan Yuanji couldn't help but feel the brocade bag in his arms. When he felt it jumping as his mount galloped, he couldn't help but feel a little relieved.

Three days later, the Changsha city wall finally appeared in Wan Yuanji's eyes, who had been working day and night. After a series of notifications and procedures, he finally got a moment's rest after He Tengjiao prepared the incense table and received the order.

"Congratulations, Earl Dingxing. When His Highness heard that the late emperor's blood feud had been avenged, he was so overwhelmed that he almost came directly to Hunan. If it weren't for the fact that we still needed to prepare for the trip in advance, I'm afraid you would be able to see His Highness the Crown Prince now."

"I, this old minister, feel unworthy of this."

As they were about to sit down, Wan Yuanji began to praise the extraordinary feat of avenging the late emperor. He Tengjiao, who was promoted to the Earl of Dingxing for this feat, had a conflicted look on his face. He said only this sentence and stopped talking. It was unclear whether he was grateful for the Crown Prince's kindness or was thinking of the late emperor who died in Beijing.

Fortunately, Wan Yuanji had anticipated He Tengjiao's reaction. Otherwise, if someone who didn't know the inside story was present, the atmosphere would have become awkward.

"Why should the Earl of Dingxing be ashamed? Although the enemy chieftain was killed by the common people, as the Governor-General of Huguang, you have your own merits in planning and strategizing, so it is natural and reasonable for you to be rewarded by the court."

At first glance, there was nothing wrong with Wan Yuanji's words, but Li Zicheng's death was a complete accident. Moreover, the Yangtze River had just returned to the hands of the Ming Dynasty as Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan. He Tengjiao could not even fully control the area around Changsha, so how could he plan to kill Li Zicheng?
Of course, everyone present was well aware of this, and they all knew that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to use this opportunity to remove the only obstacle to gathering the remaining troops of the Chuang army.

but!

Why use yourself as a chess piece!
After hearing Wan Yuanji's words, He Tengjiao didn't show it on his face, but he didn't know how to describe the emotions in his heart.

angry?
Of course not. Although His Royal Highness the Crown Prince might be using him, he is already in the game. If His Royal Highness had not come up with this idea out of thin air, the situation in Hunan would have been a chaos sooner or later.

It is hard to say whether the Tartars will take advantage of the situation at that time, but as the local chief, how could he not take responsibility for the chaos in Hunan?

happiness?
Even more impossible, he was an old man who had been in officialdom for a long time. Even Qian Qianyi could understand the truth, so how could he be tempted by titles and salaries?
As the people sent to Ganzhou brought back news one by one, he could only watch helplessly as the bridle slowly trapped him under the manipulation of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

How could he be happy under such circumstances?
Alas~~~~, thunder, lightning, rain and dew must be the grace of the emperor, so let’s accept it since it has come.

With a long sigh in his heart, He Tengjiao, who was originally feeling complicated, had to adjust his emotions in a short period of time.

After all, others cannot see the bridle tied on his head, they can only see the shining title.

"I wonder if the lucky man has anything else to say to His Highness?"

Seeing that He Tengjiao suddenly became friendly, Wan Yuanji was a little puzzled, but he still told him the key points of the trip.

"Your Highness wants to meet with the generals of the Chuang army. The location will be chosen by them."

(End of this chapter)