Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 204 The Second Front
After the autumn rain, the air was cold. In the imperial study of the Forbidden City in Nanjing, rows of candle flames flickered, casting two dark shadows on the wall. Zhou Shixian was standing behind the curtain at this time, respectfully reporting to Zhu Cilang the latest intelligence sent back by the Jinyiwei from various places.

“Your Majesty, most of the Green Camp generals in Northern Zhili and Shandong provinces have expressed a strong desire to establish contact with our secret envoys to open a retreat for themselves.

However, most of these Green Camp generals are still ambivalent. They are probably waiting for the Central Plains War to begin and for them to see our cavalry before making a decision. The Tartar vests are always intimidating to them.

Zhou Shixian clasped his hands towards Zhu Cilang, paused, and then said:
"In addition to these Green Camp generals, the gentry in Shandong, Northern Zhili, Shanxi, Henan and other places are now also seeking to establish contact with our dynasty. Although those gentry are all fence-sitters, if they can secretly do bad things and refuse to cooperate with the Qing army in collecting taxes and grain, they can still be of some use.

Furthermore, the envoys I sent to Shaanxi and Gansu in the northwest should have been in contact with Ding Guodong by now. Ding Guodong had previously been blocked during his attack on Longxi and was defeated by Wu Sangui, and was now actively contacting the court.

Now that he has declared his independence, he has completely shed his previous concerns, so it is not difficult to contact him."

While Zhu Cilang was pushing forward various military and political affairs and preparing for war, the Jinyiwei also launched rounds of secret operations behind enemy lines, continuously transmitting military intelligence from the northern provinces back to Nanjing and to Zhu Cilang.

"Well, these are all within my expectations."

Zhu Cilang sighed slightly and continued, "However, I didn't expect to mobilize them now. These guys are all old foxes who won't act until they see the rabbit. They won't easily take any real action before they see the main force of the Eight Banners defeated."

Zhou Shixian naturally understood what Zhu Cilang meant. This was something that could not be helped under the current situation. However, as long as the generals of the Green Camp Army had evil intentions and did not do their utmost for the Qing Dynasty, the Qing army would be further stretched on the battlefield in the future.

Of course, if the Jinyiwei could instigate the Green Camp soldiers in Shandong, Northern Zhili, especially Denglai and Tianjin to rebel and surrender to the Ming Dynasty, then the status of the Jinyiwei in Zhu Cilang's place, and even in the court, would be further elevated.

You know, the Jinyiwei Zhenfu Division has been actively involved in corruption and rectification during this period, and has arrested hundreds of officials, big and small. It has become notorious at this time and has become the so-called "henchmen". Zhou Shixian, a prince consort from an official family, naturally hopes to make some outstanding achievements in the anti-Qing war and wipe out the stigma.

"According to my spies stationed in Xi'an, Yue Le also sent a secret envoy to Ding Guodong, but he was immediately killed by the latter. Ding Guodong's attitude is very firm."

After listening to Zhu Cilang's words, Zhou Shixian continued:

"However, Ding Guodong has not taken any action in over two months since his last military expedition suffered a setback. I suspect he wants to wait for Your Majesty to launch a northern expedition and for the Qing army to march south again, so he can reap the benefits."

"I'm afraid Yue Le originally wanted to take advantage of the victory to persuade Ding Guodong to surrender, but he underestimated Ding Guodong's determination." Zhu Cilang nodded and laughed coldly:
"But he couldn't mobilize Ding Guodong, but I can actually mobilize the Green Camp Army in Shaanxi. Although He Zhen has been transferred to northern Shaanxi, he still has thousands of elite soldiers under his command. As long as the timing is right, he can be worth thousands of troops. Shixian, you must find a way to contact him."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Zhou Shixian vowed. He still sent someone to contact He Zhen, but because the other party was always being watched by Yue Le's men, the contact was not smooth.

"Now the situation is about to be decided. Apart from those scum who are bent on serving the Tartars like dogs, even Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui and others are already thinking of rebelling. Only if Your Majesty leads the army and annihilates the main forces of the Eight Banners in one fell swoop, the Eastern Tartars will surely be destroyed. Then, all those Tartars will be cut into pieces."

"National hatred and family feuds will eventually be avenged." Zhu Cilang said, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Zhou Shixian also changed. In a sense, this young confidant was his genuine brother-in-law, the Prince Consort of the Ming Dynasty.

"It is my great honor to follow Your Majesty. I will have no regrets even in death!" Upon hearing this, Zhou Shixian recalled his escape from Beijing. His eyes turned red and he couldn't help but feel moist.

"Although Zu Zepu's return to Beijing this time cannot be considered loyal, he will definitely find a way to assist the Jinyiwei in rescuing the princess." Zhu Cilang said, and then sighed softly, saying:

"Zu Dashou, that old fox, has been outside the Great Wall for so many years and has not surrendered to the Qing. It's simply because he despises the Tartars. Now that the Tartars have entered the Great Wall, he probably wanted to command his family members behind the scenes, but now the situation is like this, he will definitely show goodwill to me. As long as we win on the battlefield, you can do whatever you want.

However, I cannot trust everything these father and son say, and the princess cannot be escorted by their people. No one in my family can be trusted. If I make any mistake, I will be used as a weapon."

"Your Majesty, don't worry. I will rescue the princess as quickly as possible!" Zhou Shixian immediately clasped his fists and said.

Ever since he took charge of the Imperial Guard, he had never doubted that Zhu Cilang could restore the Ming Dynasty and drive out the Tartar invaders. The current situation proved that his judgment was correct; Zhu Cilang was indeed a Ming army that was rarely seen in the history of the world.

Now, the princess rescue operation that he has been thinking about is also being urgently prepared and there will be progress soon.

"By the way, how is the contact with Jiang Xiang going? Does he really intend to work for the Tartars?" Zhu Cilang looked at Zhou Shixian's expression and then asked.

After hearing this, Zhou Shixian immediately replied:
"Your Majesty, rest assured. If nothing unexpected happens, the secret envoy I sent should be on his way back now. There will definitely be news within half a month."

"Well, I now have the card of Wang Fuchen in my hand. If Jiang Xiang is not completely controlled by the Qing army, he will definitely be tempted." Zhu Cilang said with narrowed eyes.

"Jiang Xiang is now the focus of the Tartars' surveillance. Even if we try to persuade him to rebel, it will probably be difficult." Zhou Shixian hesitated, but then changed the subject and said:

"I think the possibility of Wu Sangui rebelling is even greater."

"Wu Sangui?" Zhu Cilang shook his head. "That's not necessarily true!"
.
In Gongchang Prefecture, Shaanxi, Hu Guozhu hurried into Wu Sangui's central army, holding a secret letter sent from Beijing by Zu Dashou through his father.

Hu Guozhu is the son of Wu Sangui's trusted general Hu Xinshui. In the original history, he and Wu Sangui's other trusted general, Xia Guoxiang, the son of Xia Longshan, were both Wu Sangui's sons-in-law, but he was still a teenager at that time.

Furthermore, in their original history, both were leading generals of the Wu army during the Three Feudatories Rebellion, calling themselves "Crouching Dragon and Phoenix." Of course, their true abilities are another matter.

Now, because of the great changes in the world situation, the rule of the Qing Dynasty was in jeopardy. Under the arrangement of Dorgon, Wu Sangui's eldest son Wu Yingxiong was appointed as the son-in-law of Shunzhi in advance and stayed in Beijing as a hostage.

To maintain a presence in Beijing, Wu Sangui sent his trusted general, Hu Xinshui, who had served him for many years, to the capital. Nominally an attendant to the emperor, but in reality a senior advisor to Wu Yingxiong, Hu Xinshui was tasked with gathering intelligence in Beijing and liaising with Zu Dashou and others. Hu Xinshui's cunning and foresight lived up to Wu Sangui's expectations, consistently delivering dozens of crucial military intelligence reports from Beijing over the course of two years. This allowed Wu Sangui to evade sanctions from the Qing court despite his continued expansion of power in secret.

Now, the Ming army in the south is winning victory after victory and is unstoppable. Even in Shaanxi and Gansu, there is an uprising of Hui people led by Ding Guodong in the west, and the Tatars are harassing the border in the north. Even the Mongolian tribes outside the vassal state are ready to make a move. The situation faced by the Qing court is getting worse day by day.

Wu Sangui naturally wanted to find a way out for himself more urgently, but because it was he who allowed the Tartars to enter the pass, he was also very worried that Zhu Cilang would settle accounts with him later, so he was quite hesitant about rebelling.

Moreover, he was also very afraid of the Eight Banners. As the main force fighting against the Eight Banners outside the Great Wall, he did not think that Zhu Cilang's Northern Expedition could win, so he did not have a strong desire to rebel.

After all, most of the brave and elite generals in Shaanxi and Gansu have been transferred to Henan and Shandong. The battalion led by Meng Qiaofang, the governor of the three borders of Shaanxi, who has just been appointed as the Minister of War and the Prince's Grand Tutor, is also very strong in combat and loyal to the Qing court. He dare not act rashly.

Of course, although Meng Qiaofang was ruthless, he could not compete with Wu Sangui with only a standard battalion. However, Shaanxi still had Yue Le and Li Guohan, two powerful Eight Banners troops, so Wu Sangui had to keep a low profile and behave himself.

"Young Master, there is more news from Marshal Zu." As soon as Hu Guozhu came in front of Wu Sangui, he immediately took out the letter hidden in his sleeve and handed it to Wu Sangui respectfully.

Wu Sangui's expression remained calm upon hearing this. He took the letter and opened it immediately. Inside were three sheets of densely written paper. It looked like just a simple letter from Hu Xinshui reporting on Wu Yingxiong's situation in Beijing.

But if we extract the content of the letter according to certain extraction rules, and then compare it with the military books and storybooks in Wu Sangui's room, then that is what Zu Dashou really wanted to say to Wu Sangui.

Hu Guozhu watched eagerly from the side, carefully observing the expression on Wu Sangui's face, feeling very uneasy.

After reading the letter, Wu Sangui's face immediately darkened. Although Hu Guozhu didn't know why, he naturally realized what was going on and his heart sank.

Wu Sangui paced around the room several times before finally stopping and looking at Hu Guozhu and asking:
"Have you contacted Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu in southern Sichuan?"

"Master, I've already sent a secret envoy, but he hasn't returned yet. I don't know what the attitude of those two bandit leaders is yet."

Hu Guozhu's heart tightened. Wu Sangui's question must have indicated that there was something wrong with the Qing court. He immediately asked:

"Master, could it be that Marshal Dorgon wants to send us to fight the Ming Emperor? The Shaanxi and Gansu armies have been mobilized, so why isn't it enough?"

Wu Sangui nodded, and then said:
"The Manchus are known for their cavalry. Although the Ming Emperor is now firmly in power in the south of the Yangtze River and it seems that he will launch a northern expedition next year, as long as he lacks cavalry, he will definitely be able to capture Shandong even if he launches another northern expedition the year after. These 40,000 to 50,000 Manchus are not so easy to defeat.

But Dorgon wants me to be his cannon fodder, that's wishful thinking. I'm doing well in Shaanxi and won't fall for his tricks."

"But if the Qing court's transfer order arrives, Yue Le and Meng Qiaofang are watching, we..."

Hu Guozhu hesitated for a moment, then said with a worried look on his face:
"Master, Yue Le, Meng Qiaofang, and Li Guohan are all loyal to Dorgon, especially those Eight Banners. They are not easy to deal with!"

"I asked you to send someone to contact Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu, isn't it for this? As long as Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu send troops to attack Hanzhong, Dorgon won't dare to transfer them away, and I won't have to be cannon fodder for the Manchus!"

After more than two years of suppressing the rebellion and resting, Wu Sangui had almost recovered the strength he had before. He had nearly 20,000 combat-capable soldiers and more than 5,000 war horses under his command, and his guns and artillery equipment were no less than those of the recently raised Han Eight Banners.

Otherwise, how could Dorgon be so confident in withdrawing elite troops from Shaanxi and Gansu to the south to help in the war?

However, as Wu Sangui's troops participated in more and more suppression operations and continued to recruit defeated and rebel soldiers, both Dorgon and Meng Qiaofang became suspicious of him, and Meng Qiaofang continued to report to the Qing court.

But the situation had reached a point where the Qing court could no longer sit idly by and allow Wu Sangui to grow stronger. With the war situation on the front lines unfavorable, the Qing court had no choice but to reuse Wu Sangui.

Now, facing the situation that the Ming army is preparing to launch a northern expedition, Wu Sangui is unwilling to be transferred to the Central Plains to be consumed. He must leave a way out for himself, and the Ming army's new offensive in southern Sichuan is such an opportunity.

He did not believe that the Ming court was sincere in its attempt to appease the Western Army, nor did he believe that Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo and others were really willing to accept the appeasement. Therefore, with the intention of instigating the remaining troops of the Western Army to cooperate internally and externally, he sent people to contact them in order to stage a big show with the other side.

After all, he needed to "nurture the enemy to protect himself", so didn't the remaining troops of the Western Army need it? For the Ming court, Wu Sangui was also a big bandit!
Wu Sangui's calculations were naturally very clear. His view of Zhu Cilang and the Dingwu court did not change at all. It was as if this was just a capable Chongzhen ruling the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, he had the idea of ​​contacting Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu and cooperating with them to put on a show. After all, in his opinion, the reason why Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu's troops were recruited was that Zhu Cilang intended to use them specifically to deal with the north, and they must be cannon fodder.

He could have easily been defeated in Baoning and given some military merits to the other side. As long as the Qing court eventually kept his troops in Shaanxi, he could have waited for the day when the situation changed drastically and changed his banner.

By then, he would have more than 20,000 soldiers and horses under his command, and there would be many Green Camp soldiers in Shaanxi and Gansu, plus Gao Di's troops in Henan. Most of these soldiers and horses were from the Guanning Army or the Shanhai Army. He could fully cooperate with Zu Dashou and fight for a general for himself in the new dynasty.

"Keep in touch with Marshal Zu. If there's any news, report it immediately." Wu Sangui paused, then added, "Also, Li Dingguo and Liu Wenxiu, if there's any news, don't delay."

"Yes, young master." Hu Guozhu immediately clasped his fists and said.

(End of this chapter)