Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 143 The Second Southern Expedition

"I have absolutely no such intention!" Wang Yingxiong knelt on the ground again after hearing this, and bowed to Zhu Cilang, saying in an extremely sincere tone:
“However, most of the soldiers are from Sichuan and Guizhou. Because of the rampage of the Western bandits and their wanton killing of innocent people, their homes have been destroyed and their families have been separated. They have an irreconcilable hatred for the bandits.

Ever since I was appointed Governor-General of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, I have longed day and night for the opportunity to attack Chengdu in the north, capture and kill the western bandit Zhang Xianzhong, and quell the rebellion for the Ming Dynasty. I simply do not want to give up halfway!

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded slightly. He knew the grudge between Wang Yingxiong and Zhang Xianzhong, and was very clear that the other party was sticking to Zhang Xianzhong, and it was not as simple as a riot among his own soldiers.

In the seventh year of Chongzhen, Wang Yingxiong was promoted to the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion and was in the limelight for a while. However, a year later, Zhang Xianzhong broke into Fengyang and destroyed the imperial mausoleum. He protected his master, Fengyang Governor Yang Yipeng, and Fengyang Inspector Wu Zhenying, a relative of Wen Tiren, and leaked the imperial edict in advance. He was impeached by Fan Shutai and eventually dismissed from office and returned to Ba County.

You know, after this dismissal, it was not until the 15th year of Chongzhen that Zhou Yanru recommended him to replace him. He wanted to rely on this powerful ally for support, and only then did he see a glimmer of hope to return to the court and resume his official position.

In November, Chongzhen summoned Wang Yingxiong to the court. However, after Zhou Yanru died, Wang Yingxiong arrived in Beijing and requested to serve in the court, but was not granted permission by Chongzhen. However, his request to return to the countryside was immediately granted. He had no choice but to go from Nanjing to Jiangxi and finally returned to Ba County.

Later, it was not until Zhu Cilang went south to Yingtian to revitalize the government that Wang Yingxiong was once again valued. However, he was only in Zunyi, commanding an army without any army to command.

"I understand your loyalty, but you don't understand my painstaking efforts!" Zhu Cilang sighed deeply. He knew that it was not easy to persuade Wang Yingxiong to go to Yunnan and run the business well.

"Your Majesty, I..." Wang Yingxiong was stunned for a moment.

He had a very hard time as the commander of the army in Zunyi. Even the troops under his command were recruited by spending all his family wealth. What kind of hard work could Your Majesty have?
"Since I ascended the throne, I have only appointed three governors: He Tengjiao, Du Yinxi, and you, Wang Yingxiong. Regardless of their titles, the others are actually governors of one province. Only you are the governor of three provinces.

Needless to say, He Tengjiao was originally the governor of Huguang, and there was nothing wrong with him being transferred to Jiangxi to take charge of the overall situation. Du Yinxi had also made great contributions in recruiting and pacifying the people recently, and was promoted from governor.

Huguang and Jiangxi are certainly important, but are Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou unimportant? The Jiannu's southern expedition must have involved crossing Sichuan into Yunnan, but who in the world could single-handedly clean up the chaos in the southwest?

Zhu Cilang raised his voice, clearly prepared for the situation. Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, in the eyes of today's imperial officials, were indeed barren and untamed. Convincing Wang Yingxiong to work there would be no easy task.

"Fei Xiong, I sent you to be the governor of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan because I knew you had the ability to stabilize the situation. In Jiangxi and Huguang provinces, the Ming Dynasty at least still had troops stationed there, and a complete set of government systems in place. But Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan are in chaos. Besides you, who else can be qualified for such an important task?

Now, I have organized a large number of troops in Jiangbei, Ganbei, and Huguang, which are enough to stop the Tartars. But the court has more important matters to deal with, and this matter must be handled by you. I cannot trust you if I leave it to anyone else.

When Wang Yingxiong heard that Zhu Cilang valued him so much, he was pleasantly surprised. Recalling that he had been given an important position without knowing it, and that he was indeed the governor of three provinces, with a jurisdiction that far exceeded that of He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi, he suddenly felt relieved.

In addition to the so-called Imperial Sword, the court also initially allocated tens of thousands of taels of silver from the treasuries of Yunnan, Guizhou, and southern Sichuan. It was indeed not much, but the court had its difficulties, and His Majesty had his helplessness. Wang Yingxiong felt that as a subject, he should indeed be considerate of His Majesty.

Thinking of this, he seemed to be convinced by himself, and immediately asked with a clasp of his hands, "Your Majesty, the more important thing you are talking about is the money needed to strengthen the army?"

"That's right. Elite soldiers and strong generals, but most importantly, money and food. This time, I want to send you to lead the troops to Yunnan. First, to quell the rebellion and make Yunnan a logistics base for Sichuan's future resistance against the Qing Dynasty and the bandits. Second, I want you to organize manpower to mine Yunnan copper for national use."

As Zhu Cilang spoke, he turned and walked to the long table on the side. He tapped lightly on the location of "Yunnan" on the map, frowned, and slowly said:

"Fei Xiong, the root cause of this Yunnan unrest lies with the Tusi. Yunnan copper is difficult to mine, with only a few hundred thousand kilograms produced annually. This is also due to the Tusi. I have made up my mind to send you to Yunnan to restore the power of the Ming Dynasty and prepare for the full implementation of the Tusi reform and completely resolve the Yunnan crisis!"

Wang Yingxiong was shocked when he heard this. The policy of converting native tribes into Han Chinese would involve a wide range of issues, and any slight mistake would lead to even greater unrest. Your Majesty must be thinking too highly of him.

After a long while, he pondered in his heart for a long time before he spoke cautiously:

"Your Highness, governing Yunnan and Guizhou by transforming the native chieftains into commoners is indeed a fundamental solution. However, in the southwest, especially in Yunnan, the native chieftains are deeply entrenched and often collude with local court officials. I fear that it will be difficult for me to successfully subdue the locals in a short period of time."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang nodded, agreeing with Wang Yingxiong's statement, but then he said with a firm look:
“Fei Xiong is right. The Mu family has been in charge of Yunnan for hundreds of years, and despite their glorious military achievements, they have not been able to completely subdue the local people. There are indeed many difficulties, but if nothing changes, Yunnan will probably never have peace!

Chieftains were separatist, government orders were not implemented, rebellions continued, and the people suffered greatly from the threat of war. Only by changing the chieftain system to a commoner system could the land and population of Yunnan be truly controlled by the court, and the tens of millions of Yunnan coppers could be fully developed, truly contributing to the revival of the Ming Dynasty.

After hearing this, how could Wang Yingxiong not know how resolute Zhu Cilang's attitude was? He had anticipated this possibility and had already thought of a countermeasure. After pondering for a moment, he immediately said:
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. However, the situation in Yunnan is complex. The local chieftains are entrenched in the area and are secretly disobeying the imperial court. This situation has been frostbitten for a long time. If we want to resolve it, I'm afraid we need to take it step by step and proceed steadily."

"Tell me how to proceed step by step!" Zhu Cilang nodded slightly after hearing this, and his attitude immediately became gentle.

"I believe that if we want to implement the policy of converting natives into officials in Yunnan, we need to take three steps. The first step is to divide and disintegrate them." Wang Yingxiong saw this and immediately clasped his hands and said:

"The chieftains of Yunnan's various prefectures were by no means united. The imperial court could exploit their conflicts and grant those who complied with reforms and submitted to the imperial court official positions and salaries, or even transfer them to important positions at the imperial court, allowing their families to be used by the imperial court. Furthermore, the imperial court could gradually weaken the power of those stubborn chieftains militarily and economically."

Zhu Cilang nodded and agreed, "Divide and disintegrate, offer benefits, win over some, attack others, and defeat them one by one. This strategy is feasible, but we must have a strong army at our disposal, otherwise the benefits we offer will be like throwing meat buns at a dog."

"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I have already assembled tens of thousands of troops in southern Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou. Thousands of elite soldiers and a multitude of powerful generals are no match for the Western bandits. Once they enter Yunnan, they will surely intimidate the local chieftains."

Wang Yingxiong smiled and flattered Zhu Cilang for a few words. He knew that Zhu Cilang was telling him why the troops in southern Sichuan and Chongqing had to be transferred away. Then he said:
"Reforming the chieftain system cannot be accomplished overnight. The second step is to treat those wavering and hesitant chieftains with both kindness and force after they have been disintegrated. Chieftains willing to reform will be given preferential treatment so they can serve the court with peace of mind. Those who resist will be resolutely suppressed by force to serve as a warning to others."

"Only by combining kindness and severity can the imperial court establish its prestige," Zhu Cilang added with a smile, "but all of this must be combined with mining Yunnan copper and restoring Yunnan's production. The profits from mining Yunnan copper are enormous. If production can be multiplied several times, taking a portion of the profits would be enough to stabilize all parties."

"But..." Wang Yingxiong hesitated for a long time, but couldn't help asking, "Is there really so much Yunnan copper that Your Majesty mentioned that can be mined?"

After all, if the copper production in Yunnan could double to 300,000 or 400,000 jin, then the pressure on him to bribe the chieftains and use the barbarians to control the barbarians would be greatly reduced. If the copper production in Yunnan reached one million jin, entering Yunnan would be a rare and lucrative job. With this money, what would these chieftains in Yunnan be?
"That depends on how much manpower you can organize for mining, Fei Xiong. That's why I want you to bring tens of thousands of troops and their families to Yunnan."

Zhu Cilang said this, moving his gaze away from the map and turning to Wang Yingxiong:

"The key to the transformation of the chieftain system, in addition to dividing and disintegrating them and using both kindness and force, is another important step - liberating the slaves under the rule of the chieftains in Yunnan, distributing land to them, and developing production.

The reason those chieftains were called barbarians was because their system was backward and they openly owned slaves. With the exception of a few chieftain kings, all the people were slaves. Although these people were members of the chieftain kings' clans, their status was extremely low. If they were summoned in the name of the imperial court, given food and silver, and fed, they would probably no longer support those so-called kings, and might even turn against them.

Yunnan is rich in salt and copper resources. Considering its population of three to four million, it also boasts a considerable amount of farmland, ensuring self-sufficiency in food and fodder. I intend to vigorously develop Yunnan's copper reserves, using them as a foundation to enrich the national treasury. This will also allow me to develop agriculture and commerce in the southwest, improve people's livelihoods, and ensure that the people truly experience the benefits of the chieftain reform. This will lay the foundation for the transformation of the chieftain system into a commoner system.

Fei Xiong, you can also use this opportunity to recruit Tusi soldiers in Yunnan and build an army as powerful as the Shizhu White-Pole Soldiers. This will provide solid support for the transformation of Tusi into Han Chinese, and also prepare the western route army for the future Northern Expedition to recapture Sichuan."

After hearing this, Wang Yingxiong looked as if he had suddenly realized something. Although he still had some concerns, he had already sorted out his thoughts. He immediately clasped his hands and said:

"Your Majesty is wise and wise. Only by combining these various measures can the reform of the aboriginal system be ultimately successful."

But Wang Yingxiong did not agree to it directly. He still needed to get more support from Zhu Cilang to ensure the success of the operation in Yunnan. A trace of worry flashed across his brows and he said:
"Your Majesty, although Yunnan's copper reserves are abundant, they are extremely difficult to mine. Furthermore, the mountains are high and the roads are long, making transportation inconvenient. If we could recruit the barbarians, there would be no shortage of miners. However, I am concerned that in such a remote place with backward mining technology, it would be difficult to meet Your Majesty's requirements."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang smiled slightly and said confidently:
"Fei Xiong's concerns are certainly true, but success depends on human effort. Jiangxi, Huguang, and other places already have experienced miners and smelting craftsmen. Du Yinxi has already recruited most of them. If Yunnan is short of miners, I will have Du Yinxi transfer some skilled craftsmen to Yunnan to teach them advanced mining and smelting techniques.

However, if Yunnan's copper production doubles, a mining department must be established to manage it, and corresponding regulations must be formulated to ensure that these copper mines can be properly developed."

After Wang Yingxiong received Zhu Cilang's promise, he nodded repeatedly and praised:

"Your Majesty, you have been so thoughtful, and I admire you deeply! This way, the difficulties of Yunnan copper mining can be easily solved. I will do my best to live up to your Majesty's trust!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang smiled and walked to the window, gazing into the distance. The sunlight from outside shone on him, illuminating his resolute face. He knew very well that Yunnan's land reform was not that simple, and that conflicts between Wang Yingxiong and the local bureaucrats were bound to arise.

But as long as Yunnan has good weather and good harvests in the next few years and the mining of Yunnan copper also makes progress, these twists and turns will be insignificant in the face of huge profits.

However, the prerequisite is that Wang Yingxiong can work together with Mu Tianbo, Yang Zhiwei and others to defeat the rebellious chieftains in southern Yunnan.
.
Meanwhile, a tense atmosphere permeated Prince Rui's residence in Beijing. Dorgon, the Manchu regent, cast a sharp glance at the Manchu nobles before him.

In order to ensure the smooth progress of the second round of southern expedition, the Qing court has carried out comprehensive and careful pre-war preparations over the past six months.

Land grabbing was rapidly carried out in northern Zhili, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi and other places. Countless people became serfs of the Qing Dynasty. Hundreds of thousands of Ming Dynasty surrendered troops, and more than 60,000 elite Green Camp soldiers raised their flags, which nearly doubled the population of the Eight Banners of Han.

Of course, in order to divide the Ming army in the north and control these new Han Eight Banners, Dorgon also raised the banners of more than 10,000 Baoyi soldiers and vigorously promoted Han generals from Liaodong. Since the Qing army entered the pass, it has gained huge benefits. Compared with the slave plantation rule model of the Qing Dynasty in Liaodong, these benefits are inexhaustible. This allowed Dorgon to bribe the surrendered Ming soldiers and generals with land and slaves without affecting the Manchu nobles.

Zhu Cilang's several great victories in the south have brought them great value, making them gain the attention and preferential treatment of the Qing court. Otherwise, these soldiers would have rebelled repeatedly because of the unfair treatment of the Qing court, just like in history!

Not only that, the Qing court also increased taxation on the remaining self-cultivating farmers and gentry in the six northern provinces. At the same time, after symbolically holding the imperial examination system, it adopted the form of donations to sell official titles to Han gentry and merchants in order to enrich the national treasury and provide sufficient financial support for the southern expedition.

Because hundreds of thousands of Ming troops had surrendered before, the Qing court did not carry out large-scale conscription to expand the size of the army. Instead, like Zhu Cilang, it eliminated the old and weak and reorganized them into garrison troops. It also recruited war horses and cavalry from Mongolia and musketeers from Korea to make up for the shortage of troops in the Eight Banners Army and reduce the influence of those Green Camp soldiers in any war.

As a result, the rebellion of Tengjisi, Tengjite and others of the Mongolian Sunite tribe to Khalkha, which was originally supposed to break out next year, broke out ahead of schedule due to the Qing court's defeat on the southern battlefield and the increased exploitation of Mongolian tribes.

However, in order to give Dodo a chance to restore his prestige, Dorgon asked Shunzhi to appoint him as the General of Yangwei. Together with Chengze County Prince Shuo Sai, they gathered the outer Mongolian troops at the Kerulen River to hunt down Tenggis. They soon won a great victory and returned to the court, successfully obtaining tens of thousands of war horses and countless cattle and sheep.

With the assistance of Hong Chengchou and other Han officials who were familiar with history, Dorgon had actually realized that the Ming Emperor had already established a firm foothold in Jiangnan, and that destroying the Ming Dynasty would not be accomplished overnight.

Therefore, in order to achieve the final victory of the second round of southern expedition, the Qing government established a large number of granaries along the Grand Canal and in important cities along the Han River such as Xiangyang to store food and fodder, and organized a large number of bondservants and civilian laborers to transport food and military supplies.

In order to ensure the safety of food and grass transportation, the Qing government also stationed a large number of Green Camp troops along the route and recruited a large number of civilian laborers to strengthen the maintenance of the canal and official roads to prevent attacks from the rebel army and even the Ming army.

In order to improve the weapons and equipment level of the Han Eight Banners, the Qing court relied on missionaries such as Johann Adam Schall von Bell to step up the production of muskets and artillery, and strengthen the firearms training of the Han Eight Banners to improve their combat capabilities and fight against the powerful firearms units of the Ming army.

In addition, the Qing court also sent a large number of spies to the south, who played various roles and deeply spied on the deployment and military intelligence of the Ming army. They also bribed Ming officials and surveyed the terrain of the Yangtze River basin in order to formulate a reasonable combat plan.

Some experienced spies even disguised themselves as traveling merchants, mingled in the marketplace, and spread all kinds of rumors and news in an attempt to win the hearts and minds of the people in the south.

At the same time, the Qing court also strengthened its control over the gentry and scholars in the northern provinces to prevent them from secretly supporting the Ming Dynasty, and attempted to form a navy, but it was ultimately not implemented.

After months of preparation, the Qing army had assembled a large number of troops, food, and military equipment, and was almost ready for the southern expedition.

"Less than two years after entering the Pass, the Qing Dynasty has already quelled the bandits that have plagued the northern provinces for over a decade. However, the rebellious Ming thieves are still stubbornly resisting in the south, even colluding with the remnants of the rebels. This time, I will personally lead the troops south and will definitely pacify the south and unify the world in one fell swoop!"

Dorgon spoke loudly to the Manchu nobles in front of him. He looked very confident, his voice was loud and there was an unquestionable majesty.

A number of Manchu princes, beile and beizi echoed this sentiment. At this time, they were still full of confidence in the combat effectiveness of the Eight Banners Army.

"The Regent is wise! Our great Qing army is strong and powerful, and we will surely sweep across Jiangnan like a broken bamboo!"

"Except for a few retainers, the Southern Ming army is nothing but a mob and absolutely vulnerable!"

"This time, we should take advantage of their unstable foothold in Huguang and use our elite cavalry to attack them and our red-coated cannons to fortify their cities. We will surely be able to break the southerners' so-called strong city defense method, just like we did in Liaoxi."

"That's right. The south is rich. Every time we capture a place, we can obtain food and recruit soldiers locally. It is definitely much easier to attack than those fortresses in western Liaoning. Even if the siege lasts longer, it won't be a problem."

"."

Dorgon nodded with satisfaction, then turned his gaze to Jirgalang and ordered:

"Prince Zheng, you will stay in the capital and be responsible for handling government affairs in the rear and ensuring stability in all regions."

Upon hearing this, Jirgalang, though somewhat dissatisfied, could only bow his head and obey the order. Dorgon had successfully bribed most of the Eight Banners Beile and Beizi through land grabbing and a series of rewards, and he now had no power to fight back.

He knew very well that staying in the capital would not only be difficult to achieve any merit, but also not be easy. Not only would he have to deal with various complicated government affairs, but he would also have to guard against anti-Qing activities by the remnants of the Ming court.

But Jirgalang was now completely at a disadvantage in the political struggle, and he had no power to resist, just like Hauge. Today, the two of them went to Prince Rui's palace to discuss matters. Although they knew it was inappropriate, they had to come anyway.

When Dorgon saw that Jirgalang had surrendered, he turned to Hauge and said:
"Prince Su, this time you will lead your army westward and station it in Hanzhong, Shaanxi, to prevent the western bandits from Sichuan from advancing northward."

Upon hearing this, Hauge, like Jirgalang, clasped his fists and accepted the order. A complex look flashed in his eyes, and his dissatisfaction with Dorgon was vaguely evident.

He believed that due to his great military achievements, he should replace the incompetent Duoduo and go to Huguang instead of being sent to the remote Hanzhong. But like Jirgalang, Hauge was also marginalized by the three Dorgon brothers.

However, he was also very clear that if Duoduo had not been defeated in the "Battle of Fengyang" and Ajige had not been blocked in Jiujiang, he probably would not even have this opportunity.

"Wu Sangui, you will go to Hanzhong with Prince Su to help guard against the western bandits." Dorgon's gaze immediately fell on Wu Sangui.

Wu Sangui's heart trembled, he knew this was a test from Dorgon. Since he surrendered to the Qing court, although he had made many military achievements, he still had not won the other side's full trust.

But he was also very clear that this was a carefully calculated plan. If he had any intention of rebelling, the army led by Hauge would bear the brunt of the attack, and at the same time, it would ensure his annihilation, which was a two-pronged approach for Dorgon.

"I obey your order!" Wu Sangui accepted the order respectfully.

In fact, after Wu Sangui learned that the Nanjing court had won a series of victories, the complex emotions hidden deep in his heart towards his homeland and old country continued to emerge.

In other words, he hoped to achieve military merit and gain the trust of the Qing court, but at the same time he also had an inseparable affection for the Ming court.

In the original history, Wu Sangui made up his mind to be loyal to the Qing court only after seeing that the Qing army was unstoppable and the Ming court was hopeless. Now, because of the appearance of Zhu Cilang, his state of mind has also changed.

Then, Dorgon looked around at the princes and beile in front of him, and finally his eyes fell on Duoduo:

"Prince Yu, you have the most experience fighting against the Ming army. When the time comes, follow me south to capture Yuezhou and Jiujiang, and then head straight for Nanjing!"

Duoduo bowed and clasped his hands in response, but then took a step forward, frowned slightly, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

He had actually fought with Zhu Cilang and knew that the other party was not easy to deal with, but now everyone looked down on Zhu Cilang and the Southern Ming army, thinking that the defeat in the Battle of Fengyang was only due to his wrong command and the delay in military intelligence, and that it was entirely his fault.

"Dodo, if you have any doubts, just tell me!" Dorgon asked with a stern face when he saw this.

Duoduo hesitated for a moment, and finally risked being laughed at by the princes and nobles around him, and said:

"Prince Regent, Huguang has a denser network of waterways than Jianghuai, and the Ming navy is formidable, so a quick victory is unlikely. It would be better to proceed steadily and advance gradually. When the time is right, we can capture Jingzhou and Yuezhou, and then seize Huguang in one fell swoop."

Dorgon's expression turned serious after hearing this. Duoduo's words were not without reason. Huguang might be difficult to capture. Tong Yanghe had recently sent back a large number of urgent military reports, all of which reported that the Ming army in Huguang was strengthening its vigilance, the navy was growing stronger, and the defense was tight.

In fact, Dorgon has always been unable to figure out the strength of the Ming army in the south. Ajige was extremely contemptuous, Duoduo seemed to be extremely afraid, and Hong Chengchou's analysis was full of loopholes.

This also caused Dorgon's confidence to fluctuate greatly. He lacked Huang Taiji's keen judgment to see through the truth from the beginning, and his mind was very unstable.

However, compared with other Manchu nobles who despised the Ming army, he remained rational and was able to constantly adjust his judgment based on intelligence instead of being stubborn.

This was exactly what made Dorgon most difficult to deal with, and it was also the reason why, in the original history, he was able to command the Qing army to swallow up the best areas of the north, Jiangnan, Huguang, etc. in just one year after the "Battle of Shanhaiguan".

After a long while, Dorgon said in a deep voice:
"The strength of the Ming army must not be underestimated, but we must not encourage others to be more ambitious and undermine our own prestige. Let Tong Yanghe strengthen intelligence gathering. This king will carefully study the deployment of the Ming army.

As for this round of southern expedition, it must proceed as planned. Once all the troops are assembled, we will immediately begin the movement!"

(End of this chapter)