Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 257: Take the stairs if you see them

Please give me a favor!
As soon as Wan Yuanji finished reading the words on the note, Li Guo immediately cursed in his heart.

Although there were many rebel generals in Hunan at that time, the rest were either in the south or in the west. He was the only one who actually entered Beijing and knew the situation at that time.

He knew very well that Prince Chuang had no intention of killing Zhu Cilang and his two brothers. The so-called "Queen Gao and the generals wrote letters to plead for mercy" was just an excuse made up by this kid.

So the question is, since the steps are ready, will you go down or not?
"Although the Queen also pleaded with all the generals, Prince Chuang originally intended to treat him with courtesy."

As Li Guo spoke, his eyes were tilted upwards at a forty-five degree angle and did not fall on anyone in the tent.

The situation is better than people.

King Chuang had no descendants, and he had always regarded himself as the natural heir to this legacy. However, after King Chuang proclaimed himself emperor, not only did he not give him any official title that could demonstrate his special status, he also swept him out of Beijing and sent him to northern Shaanxi.

If someone else got this position, they would definitely feel a strong sense of trust and respect. However, this arrangement fell on him, which was tantamount to telling the world clearly: He, Li Guo, was just an ordinary military general and there was no possibility of him inheriting the throne.

Things had come to this point, and although Li Guo was angry, he had not completely lost hope. After all, King Chuang had no descendants, so if he waited a hundred years, wouldn't this huge family business still be his?
But there are unexpected changes in the weather and people are subject to misfortunes and blessings at any time.

The King of Rebellion died just like that?!
The King of Chuang, who had experienced many battles and was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of troops, had his head smashed in by a few Taoists!
Afterwards, the army scattered like tofu pudding because it had no leader. If it had not been for the collusion with He Tengjiao, no one would have known where to go.

Under such circumstances, how could he not come down the steps that Zhu Cilang had painstakingly built?

"Marquis Li is right. Prince Chuang originally intended to take care of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. How dare we take credit for it?"

"That's right! The King of Rebellion is not a murderous person. Even if we didn't write to him, we wouldn't do anything to His Highness."

"Exactly, exactly."

Seeing that the only person present who knew the truth had admitted the matter, all the generals, who were originally a little worried, responded in succession.

But then again, it would be fine if important generals like Tian Jianxiu and Yuan Zongde claimed that they had been to Xin, but Hao Yaoqi was just a lieutenant general of the right camp, but he also mingled with the crowd and kept saying yes.

Faced with such a situation, Wan Yuanji, who was not good at adapting to changing circumstances, had no other reaction except to be amazed at the beauty of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Du Yinxi, on the other hand, calmed down his surprise after looking at Zhang Kuang before continuing the conversation.

"Alas! After several months of friendship, I never thought that you could contribute to rebuilding China. I am so disrespectful!"

As he spoke, Du Yinxi took a few steps forward and was about to bow, but the generals in the tent hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, and the atmosphere in the field became more harmonious.

He and Zhang Kuang both advocated gathering the remaining troops of the Chuang army, but there were subtle differences between their opinions.

In his opinion, although the Chuang army was quite powerful, since the negotiations between it and the Qing army had broken down, both sides should put aside their prejudices and work together since they had the same enemy.

As for the rest, we can wait until the crisis brought by the Tartars is resolved before we discuss it.

Zhang Kuang’s idea was basically the same as his, the only difference was whether or not to restore this powerful force.

Therefore, when the atmosphere on the spot was harmonious, there was a hint of worry in his eyes.

This does not mean that Zhang Kuang has dark thoughts.

After all, Chuang’s army was too powerful.

Although these hundreds of thousands of troops have become rootless and are still acting independently at this time, if they are not divided and disintegrated, and their attributes as a rebel army are not diluted as much as possible, then when they recover, they will certainly be an extremely powerful destabilizing factor again.

By then, let alone Hunan, where there were only more than 10,000 government troops, even if all the forces of the Ming Dynasty were concentrated, who could guarantee that they could be suppressed?

In the original history, the two factions of Hao Yaoqi and Tian Jianxiu, who were stationed in the Pingjiang area, had a rift because the balance of power in their hands was completely reversed.

Zhang Kuang and other Ming officials who were quite wary of the rebel army took advantage of the fact that the Qing army was digesting the newly surrendered troops and had not yet launched a war against Hunan to divide and disintegrate the rebel army.

There is no need to elaborate on the specific process. In short, under the influence of a series of means such as grain and official positions, Tian Jianxiu and other marquises of the rebel army broke off completely with people of lower status such as Hao Yaoqi, and left Hunan after a battle.

However, due to their own weak power, the Hunan officials were unable to exert much control over Hao Yaoqi and other troops when the Qing troops entered the country in large numbers. Even though they had made every effort, they could not escape defeat and death.

Both strategies have their own concerns, but neither can be said to be superior or inferior.

No matter what, without the support of a strong force, even if Zhuge Liang were reborn, he would not be able to escape Wuzhangyuan.

No matter what opinions Du Yinxi and Zhang Kuang held, they were only using their abilities to make a final resistance when the building was about to collapse. There is really no need to be too demanding and too harsh on them.

However, at this time, the Ming Dynasty finally had some strength thanks to the efforts of Zhu Cilang and his subordinates. Even though it was still unable to effectively invest in Hunan at this stage, the urgency in the hearts of Zhang Kuang and others was not as strong as before.

Therefore, when he saw that the atmosphere was harmonious, he just wanted to wait until he saw His Royal Highness the Crown Prince before giving a reminder, but he did not cause any trouble.

Finally, the meeting ended in an extremely friendly and harmonious atmosphere.

The participants unanimously expressed that they would work together to provide a good reception for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, strive to make His Royal Highness the Crown Prince feel the unity among Hunan officials, and make full preparations to implement further instructions from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

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

At this point, the minds of the remaining troops of the rebel army were temporarily calmed down as they felt the life-saving grace had fallen on their heads. As long as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince completed all the procedures, the situation in Hunan would not experience any more twists and turns, at least in the short term.

But who would have thought that just one day after Wan Yuanji left and all the officials in Hunan were hesitating whether they should return to their own places first, the news that the Prince Regent of the Ming Dynasty had arrived near Changsha suddenly reached He Tengjiao's ears.

Upon hearing this news, there was no need to think too much about He Tengjiao's reaction.

She was just making preparations in a hurry, and by the time she had finished getting everything ready, a large group of armored knights led by Wan Yuanji had appeared in her sight.

"Ji Ren, weren't you going to leave? Why are you here so quickly?"

He Tengjiao asked directly when he saw Wan Yuanji's figure just now. But before the other party could answer, he kept looking into the distance and asked again: "Is His Highness really here?"

Do you think He Tengjiao is wondering why Wan Yuanji's travel was so fast?
Although he was not like Qian Qianyi who always tried to maintain his demeanor, if that was all, it would not have caused this old official who had served as a provincial governor for many years to lose his composure like this.

Changsha is nearly a thousand miles away from Ganzhou. Although it takes at least ten days to complete a round trip, it is not impossible to return to Changsha in time.

Either he calculated the time and set off early, met Wan Yuanji who was on his way to Ganzhou, and then returned together. Or the Crown Prince came with Wan Yuanji in the first place, but he was just waiting somewhere.

It would be easy to say that they were waiting somewhere, after all, they were just putting on a show with Wan Yuanji. But such a long time had passed since Wan Yuanji first arrived in Changsha. If there really was such a group of cavalry roaming within a hundred miles of Changsha, how could He Tengjiao and Pingjiang's rebel army not get any news?
All that’s left is to calculate the time and set off early.

Just is this possible?

You have to know that this is not a simple plan. Not only do you have to consider the reactions of all parties, but you also have to be 100% sure of your own plan.

How could he have achieved this if he did not have a very thorough understanding of the generals of the rebel army and the officials of Hunan?
Therefore, even though He Tengjiao now believed that Wan Yuanji was lying to him, he was unwilling to believe that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had really arrived.

"I was impatient to wait in Ganzhou so I came here early."

As a voice came, He Tengjiao couldn't help but look towards the pile of soldiers. When he found the source of the voice, he saw a young man wearing Ming Dynasty standard armor and with a long scar on his face looking at him with a smile.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"

At this time, He Tengjiao already knew that the young man was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but after he bowed to the ground according to the rules, he only uttered two sounds, and then let out a burst of suppressed sobs.

"Your Highness is a noble and illustrious person, yet you have damaged your dragon body! I am incompetent! I am incompetent~~!"

Is it acting?

Probably some.

But he is not an actor after all. How could he cry so sadly if he didn't have real feelings?

Hey~~, it's a step given by others anyway, so just go down it.

After making a judgment in his mind, Zhu Cilang jumped off his horse, and when he reached He Tengjiao, he bent down and held his arms tightly.

"It's okay. When the country was in crisis, countless soldiers died on the battlefield. Even you, my dear minister, were struggling to hold on. This minor injury of mine is not a problem."

He Tengjiao's delay in sending out his congratulatory message indeed put Zhu Cilang's small court in a passive position.

But if we put ourselves in his shoes, considering the current situation in Hunan, with vicious enemies outside and powerful guests inside, if he really took the risk of sending a congratulatory message, who could tell how the remaining hundreds of thousands of rebel troops would react?
Difficult.

Living in such a world, it is difficult for everyone.

Looking at the tearful face in front of him, Zhu Cilang couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

However, He Tengjiao knew his limits. After being helped up by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, he realized that he had lost his composure.

Later, at his insistence, Zhu Cilang accepted the kneeling of the officials of Changsha, and it took nearly an hour to complete the lengthy process.

According to He Tengjiao's original arrangement, there was to be a welcoming banquet after the audience ceremony outside the city. However, who would have thought that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said that time was tight and he had to go to Xiangyin to meet the generals of the Chuang Army first before discussing other things.

Seeing that His Highness was determined, He Tengjiao did not try to persuade him any further. After all, he was now wearing official uniform, so he did not worry about being impolite. After giving a few instructions to the people in the city, he followed Zhu Cilang to Xiangyin.

This was a rare opportunity for them to get along with each other. During the one day and one night on the road, Zhu Cilang not only explained his judgment of the current situation to the two governors of Hunan and southern Jiangxi, but the two neighbors also informed each other of the situation in their respective jurisdictions, which laid a certain foundation for future cooperation.

Of course, due to the different perspectives of each person, there are naturally many differences among these views.

For example, regarding the views on the Chuang Army, He Tengjiao believed that while using the Chuang Army to resist the Tartars' attack, they should also be divided and disintegrated, and should never be allowed to reunite. However, Wan Yuanji believed that under the current circumstances, the primary task should be to resist the Tartars, and the rest could be put aside.

This is really a case of the butt deciding the head.

At this time, the focus of the Qing army in the middle was all on attacking Jiangxi. Under the pressure from the front, Wan Yuanji naturally believed that he should win over all forces willing to fight against the Qing army.

On the other hand, the biggest problem He Tengjiao faced was the existence of a powerful force in the country that only obeyed orders and not announcements.

If this force had turned against him, it would be unclear whether he, as the governor, could even keep Changsha, let alone help Jiangxi. How could he not be on high alert against the rebel army?

Zhu Cilang was not in a hurry to express his opinion on these two views.

He knew very well that there was actually no difference between the two opinions. After all, without the corresponding strength to support them, all the plans were nothing but illusions.

This is not to say that he had no thoughts in his mind, but he was burdened with the expectations of everyone. How could he easily express his thoughts before he had actually met the generals of the rebel army in person?
At nightfall on the second day, Zhu Cilang and his party finally arrived in Xiangyin.

Although Zhu Cilang came very suddenly, both the officials of Hunan and the generals of the Chuang army were very concerned about the welcome, so all the necessary ceremonial instruments were prepared.

It was another rather tedious process. Zhu Cilang accepted greetings from everyone in the camp outside the city. When everything was over and the banquet in the camp began, the sun was about to set.

Needless to say, Wan Yuanji had already finished his speech in the first half, and the rest were just the generals expressing their loyalty to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince again. At this moment, Zhu Cilang also took advantage of the alcohol to chat with the generals.

"Back then in Li Zicheng's old camp, I was also frightened."

As soon as he finished speaking, the originally bustling tent suddenly became quiet. No one could figure out why His Royal Highness the Crown Prince said such a thing when everything had already been decided.

"But no matter whether Li Chuang never intended to kill me or the letters from Empress Gao and the generals played a role, we have survived anyway."

Huh~~~~.

As soon as the words fell, the atmosphere in the tent suddenly relaxed.

It was not known whether it was because the warriors' breathing was naturally heavy or because the previous sentence had brought too much pressure to everyone, but at once several sounds of relief were heard from various places in the tent.

Seeing this, Zhang Kuang quietly glanced up at the seat above him. After seeing Zhu Cilang's face slightly flushed, he realized that His Highness might have drunk too much after taking turns drinking with the generals, which made him think of the past.

Don’t mention the late emperor here!

Thinking of this, Zhang Kuang could not help but panic. Fortunately, his ability to respond was far better than Wan Yuanji's. As he turned his thoughts, he smiled and said to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, "It is true that good people are blessed by heaven. I wonder how Your Highness got to Yingtian?"

(End of this chapter)