Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 34 Without delay
"Huai'an needs people to go, and Nanjing also needs people to go. First send scouts to inform the news of my trip to the south, and then..."

Zhu Cilang glanced around, his mind reminiscing about the time in history when Lu Jiude colluded with Huang Degong, Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, and others to swear an oath of blessing at the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum. Finally, his gaze fixed on Li Banghua:

"Mr. Meng, go find Lu Zhenfei yourself. Once you've contacted him, have him take his battalion to Fengyang and occupy a ferry-accessible wharf on the south bank of the Huai River outside the city. He must not leave the barracks until he sees me in person. I will meet him there. Also, have him send someone to escort you to Nanjing to find Shi Kefa.

If my guess is correct, by the time I arrive in Xuzhou seven days from now, Gao Jie, Huang Degong, and the others will have already arrived in Fengyang with their troops. By then, most of Jiangbei’s troops will be there.”

Zhu Cilang could no longer remember the exact time when several military leaders took the oath at the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum in history, but according to the current speed of the Palace Army, it would take at least ten days for him to reach Fengyang. Even if he abandoned the main army and went there on light cavalry, sparing no effort in terms of horsepower, it would still take more than three days.

His appearance has changed the course of history. The news of the fall of Beijing reached Nanzhili at least ten days in advance, which means that Lu Jiude and Zhu Yousong are likely to take action in advance.

"Your Highness, are you worried that the troops in Jiangbei will be used by villains to cause chaos?" Li Banghua couldn't help but frown when he heard this, especially when he suddenly thought of Lu Jiude, the eunuch who was in charge of Fengyang and came from Prince Fu's Mansion.

"Li Zicheng deliberately spread those news in order to trip me up and cause internal strife in the Ming Dynasty so that he could take advantage of it." Zhu Cilang nodded and then said:
"Nanzhili's troops are few to begin with, and they can't withstand internal strife. Otherwise, if the rebels or the Tartars march south, I won't have any troops to stop them."

When Li Banghua heard this, he suddenly remembered the questions Zhu Cilang asked him two days ago, and now he finally understood why.

Furthermore, although Huang Degong and Liu Liangzuo were both nominally reinstated two years ago and served under Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying, the Fengyang Military Supervisor was the highly skilled Lu Jiude. While Huang Degong had served in the Beijing Camp for four years, he had also been transferred south to Lu Jiude's command four years earlier, having also fought several victories with him.

Li Banghua had old subordinates in the Beijing Camp and had just been in charge of the Nanjing Camp two years ago. After his reinstatement, he figured out all these subtle relationships while serving in Nanjing and Beijing.

Originally, in history, Ma Shiying was unable to control the troops under his command, but Lu Jiude could get everyone to respond to his call. The key reason was this. Without the inside information provided by Li Banghua, Zhu Cilang would not be able to make an accurate judgment and make a decision.

In other words, now that Li Zicheng has interfered with him, Zhu Cilang cannot leave his army no matter what, otherwise he will be like a sheep walking into the tiger's mouth.

Even if Lu Jiude was not a eunuch from Prince Fu's Mansion, apart from a few like Wang Chengen, there were countless eunuchs who betrayed Chongzhen and joined the rebels in the past six months. Not everyone could be trusted.

If he has no troops, even if he is the real prince, he will become a fake one.

Therefore, no matter what happens, he must be wherever the Palace Army is. This is the safest choice when the situation is unclear!

"The rebel is so insidious. If he falls into my hands in the future, I will tear him into pieces!" Zhou Shixian said hatefully.

Although he did not understand the situation in Nanzhili, he always had to say something at this time, otherwise he would be the same as the others.

"Li Zicheng's plan is in vain. It may be useful against other people, but it is wishful thinking to use it against me." Zhu Cilang sneered.

Zhou Shixian listened, nodded in agreement, and then proposed:
"Your Highness, I think that given the current situation, we can just ignore those Fengyang troops and let them run wild. It would be safest for Your Highness to be escorted south by the Palace Guards and ascend the throne to inherit the throne. With Lu Zhenfei here, those people shouldn't dare to act recklessly!"

"Shixian, you're oversimplifying the problem. While it's true that if Mr. Meng relays the news of my trip south to Nanjing, there won't be any major unrest in Southern Zhili, if I were to ascend the throne directly in Nanjing now, I'm afraid there would be no one left to control the troops north of the Yangtze River. Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing have defied even my father's decree by secretly leading troops to Southern Zhili. Liu Liangzuo has also shown no fear of the imperial court. If we let these three go, they'll sooner or later become as domineering as Zuo Liangyu, disobeying orders. Do you understand what this means?"

"Your Majesty" Zhou Shixian dared not say anything more.

Zhu Cilang not only wanted to ascend the throne in Nanjing as soon as possible, but he also had to prepare for the military and political development necessary to defend his half of the country after his ascension. As the future helmsman of the shabby ship of the Ming Dynasty, he had to be able to think ten, even a hundred, steps ahead.

As long as Lu Jiude didn't have time to persuade those military leaders to swear an oath in front of the imperial mausoleum, it would be easy for him to subdue them. But if he went to Nanjing first, by the time the confirmed news reached Fengyang, it would probably be too late.

By then, these military leaders had already sworn to support Prince Fu Zhu Yousong. Even if it ended up being a farce, suspicion between the monarch and his ministers was inevitable.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang sighed again and said:

"The situation is critical now. The Ming Dynasty has no time to continue to struggle!"

Li Banghua knew what Zhu Cilang meant. In fact, he had always been worried about this problem, but he had always thought that he would wait until the crown prince ascended the throne and gained power before taking slow measures.

Chang Denggui, Chen Fu, Lin Yongan and others knew nothing about this. At most, they had heard some rumors about the appearance of rebel soldiers somewhere.

Seeing Zhu Cilang's determined gaze, Li Banghua thought of the close relationship between Lu Zhenfei and Lu Jiude, and immediately suggested:
"Lu Jiude is quite knowledgeable about military affairs and a man who gets things done. Lu Zhenfei and he share similar aspirations. When Your Highness arrives in Fengyang, perhaps you can make use of Lu Zhenfei and perhaps even save a capable official for the court."

Zhu Cilang was naturally aware of Li Banghua's previous thoughts, and he also understood what the other party had just said. He no longer had time to take his time. As long as he was still alive, whether it was Li Zicheng or Dorgon, after they recovered, they would definitely pursue him relentlessly and fight to the death.

Therefore, if he cannot directly confront the Shun army or the Qing army in Jiangbei and march south next year, he will be beheaded during the pursuit, just like in the original history, when Ajige did not stop and was determined to kill Li Zicheng.

"Most of the Ming Dynasty's available troops are currently in Fengyang. I must go there. Otherwise, how will the soldiers know that their crown prince, the emperor they will soon pledge allegiance to, is me? And how long will it take to suppress those military leaders?"

As Zhu Cilang spoke, his eyes became sharp again, just like on the way south, every time he had to make a decision.

"I must take control of those troops. I must tell them that I am the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, their ruler. They are my generals and my soldiers, and they must obey me!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Shixian, Chang Denggui, Chen Fu, and Lin Yongan were all stunned. They all felt the domineering aura in Zhu Cilang's tone. Even Li Banghua, the only one who could have a say in such a big matter, was speechless.

Under such internal and external troubles, how can the emperor be the emperor if he does not control the army?
Li Banghua was not one of those pedantic and childish officials. He knew that many people respected the rules, but he also knew that many people did not, so he consistently supported Zhu Cilang in recruiting soldiers on the road.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. I, this old minister, will live up to your mission regarding Lu Zhenfei and Nanjing!" Li Banghua was infected by Zhu Cilang's aura. He immediately clasped his hands together and signed a military order.

(End of this chapter)