Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 33: Unclear Situation

On the official road, Zhao Zhengdong was marching south with the soldiers of his flag. He was tall and walked with great vigor, so he was given the opportunity to raise the flag by Zhu Cilang. He was also encouraged in front of the entire army, which made the other flag chiefs very envious.

Under the sticks of the armored soldiers under Chang Denggui's command, the first and second batches of recruited trackers had changed from their initial chaotic pace, where they could barely form a line to marching, to now they were marching in neat rows and obeying orders.

Almost every one of these 3,000 new recruits had been beaten with sticks. The first and second batches of track pullers were in much better condition at this time, but the third batch had just been recruited and had only been trained for two days in Jining City. When they were pulled out and walked on the wide and muddy official road, their true colors were immediately revealed, and soon some of them were beaten and screaming in pain.

Gu Defu looked at the back of the person in front of him from the corner of his eye, not daring to be distracted at all. When he heard the howling coming from behind him from time to time, he couldn't help but feel scared, and his neck shrank slightly as if by muscle memory.

When he first set out from Linqing, he was in a very bad temper. Before he had gone ten miles, he was beaten for not knowing left from right and his steps were disorderly. He even had an argument with the supervising soldiers, and was then beaten with twenty military sticks. The whole team was also fined one penny of monthly salary.

If he was just beaten with a military stick, Gu Defu would not accept it, but because he implicated his brothers and was scolded by Zhao Zhengdong, whom he always regarded as a father and brother, he did not dare to disobey.

Zhao Zhengdong knew that he was following His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, so how could he dare to indulge this little brother in the slightest? He was afraid that he would commit a serious taboo!
However, it is not easy to change one's inability to distinguish left from right. Like other people who were also unable to distinguish left from right, Gu Defu was beaten with sticks again and again. He was beaten six times in three days before he finally got the right way.

At that moment, he felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart, and even a sense of accomplishment. His resentment towards the soldier who beat him several times a day for three consecutive days was also much less.

Now, after realizing that he was not the one being beaten, Gu Defu's tense nerves finally relaxed a little. He looked up at the big flag held by Zhao Zhengdong fluttering in the wind, a smug smile appeared on his face, and he felt very proud.

He remembered that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had just said in person - this was the honor belonging to their entire flag team!

Originally, because they had witnessed the three teams of trackers who had not chosen to join the army at first and then regretted it, borrowing food everywhere and then rushing to Dongchang Prefecture overnight, these trackers were very afraid of Li Banghua and Zhou Shixian.

Now, they knew that all of this was decided by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, whose words were law, and they felt even more in awe.

It must be said that Zhou Shixian was also an experienced person. After being enlightened by Li Banghua, he understood that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to establish his authority, so he deliberately suggested to the three boat track leaders to borrow food and spread the matter thoroughly.

Therefore, when the trackers who stayed in the team saw that the three teams of trackers had fallen ill due to being caught in the rain and some of them had not been selected in Dongchang Prefecture, they were very glad for their choice and were even more grateful to Li Banghua and Zhou Shixian for recruiting them.

At the same time, they were all very worried that if they did something wrong or broke the rules, they would be driven away and die in the wilderness, so each of them worked even harder than before.

Due to the continuous heavy rain, the road conditions were extremely bad. The Palace Army marched from noon until sunset, and had only traveled less than twenty miles south.

As the sky gradually darkened, Zhu Cilang quickly gave the order to set up camp. Zhao Zhengdong then led his troops to set up camp according to the location arranged by his superiors.

They had just been busy for a while when Gu Defu suddenly widened his eyes and raised his hand to point to the southeast. Zhao Zhengdong turned his head and saw two large black spots emerging from the horizon in the distance. Against the backdrop of the gray sky, they were very conspicuous and were getting bigger and bigger.

"Brother, there are cavalry coming from the south!" Gu Defu asked curiously.

However, Zhao Zhengdong seemed to have no interest. His face darkened, and he immediately turned around and glared at his men who were also looking towards the southeast. He said:
"This has nothing to do with us. Continue camping, or you will be subject to military law!"

At these words, everyone, including Gu Defu, felt as if they had been electrocuted. They quickly averted their gazes and returned to their work. They were all frightened by the beatings with military clubs, and their monthly wages had been significantly deducted. Meanwhile, Zhu Cilang finally waited for the return of the first scout team he had sent to Xuzhou to gather information. The heavy rains of the past few days had not only prevented the main force from moving, but also restricted the cavalry, resulting in their return two days later than planned.

Zhu Cilang quickly learned from them the basic situation of Xuzhou, Huai'an, Fengyang and other prefectures, and knew that the original Hongguang Emperor, Prince Fu Zhu Yousong, and other local princes who fled from the north, such as Prince Lu, Prince Zhou, and Prince Chong, were now gathered in Huai'an Prefecture.

However, the Right Censor-in-Chief, Governor of the Grand Canal, and Governor of Huaiyang Road Zhenfei did not allow them to enter the city due to etiquette, which can be considered a proper handling of the matter.

Zhu Cilang had only heard of Lu Zhenfei before, but now because Li Banghua and he were old friends, after talking with him for a few days, he already knew that he was a rare military and political talent in the south, and that he was a very upright person who valued friendship and loyalty.

Since taking office last autumn, Lu Zhenfei has used his position as governor of the grain transport system to support local militia training in counties and prefectures in Huaiyang. In a short period of time, he trained nearly 10,000 militiamen in the Huaihe River and Yangtze River regions.

Of course, these local militiamen are enough to defend against bandits, but it is a bit unrealistic to expect them to resist Li Zicheng's Dashun Army, or the Qing Army.

When Li Zicheng attacked Shanxi in the first month of the year, he sent his generals to guard the rivers in Xuzhou, Sizhou, Suqian, Andong, Shuyang and other places to prepare for any eventuality. It can be said that he was extremely far-sighted.

Lu Zhenfei personally arranged for Liu Zeqing, who fled from Shandong, and Gao Jie, who was defeated in Shaanxi, to go south to Nanzhili. One of these two groups of people is now settled in Huai'an Prefecture, and the other has taken the initiative to seek the protection of Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying and was sent to garrison in Xuzhou.

However, the first group of scouts had not yet found out about Lu Jiude and Ma Shiying, the movements of the Fengyang Prefecture troops under their control, and the situation in Nanjing. They only knew that Gao Jie's army had set out south to Fengyang.

"Your Highness, I think we can first send cavalry to Huai'an Prefecture to contact Lu Zhenfei and ask him to prepare to welcome you. At the same time, we can send a general to Nanjing to report the news." Li Banghua couldn't help but get excited when he heard the news from Lu Zhenfei, and he immediately bowed and clasped his hands.

"Your Highness, I am willing to go to Nanjing. There is someone in Nanjing who can prove my identity." Zhou Shixian also bowed and asked for permission.

Although Zhu Cilang carried the prince's seal, he had to find a person of high moral character and credibility so that his seal would be credible and allow the officials in Nanjing to act quickly instead of wasting time arguing about the authenticity of the seal.

The other officers accompanying him, even Zhou Shixian and the county magistrate who defected halfway, were of too low a rank. Even if they arrived in Nanjing, they would probably not be able to gain people's trust.

But looking at the still muddy road ahead, Zhu Cilang was very hesitant.

Firstly, Li Zicheng's false news had already spread to Nanzhili, and the officials in Nanjing were probably preparing to support Prince Fu or Prince Lu. If Li Banghua and he did not show up in person, they would not be able to gain people's trust.

Secondly, at the current speed, it would probably take the Palace Army six or even seven days to reach Xuzhou, and even longer to reach Huai'an or Fengyang.

If he sent out scouts, it would likely alert the enemy and allow those with ulterior motives to prepare in advance. And if he went directly with a few dozen light cavalry, the risk would be too great.

Now, Gao Jie's army has marched south. He doesn't know when Nanjing received the false news, how prepared Lu Jiude is, and whether those military leaders have already sworn an oath of blessing at the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum.

It quickly darkened. As time passed, Li Banghua, Zhou Shixian, Chen Fu, Chang Denggui, Lin Changfeng, Lin Yongan and others were all looking at Zhu Cilang, waiting for him to make a decision.

(End of this chapter)