You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Chapter 302 The Eighteen Warlords' Rebellion Against the Qing and Restoration of the Ming Dynasty
The bodies of Wu Yingxiong and his wife, along with their "suicide note," were finally delivered to Kunming, Yunnan.

The contents of the suicide note:

In the year of Jia Shen, the late emperor died for his country, and the land of China was plunged into ruin. My father, for his own selfish gain, first surrendered to the Shun, then to the Qing, shaved his head and changed his clothes, willingly becoming a lackey of foreign races and a slave to three masters.

The Wu family of Liaodong had received the great favor of the Ming Dynasty for generations, yet they could not repay the country with their lives, which was truly disloyal.

I failed to persuade my father, which is truly unfilial of me.

As the ancients said: A filial son does not flatter his parents, and a loyal minister does not fawn over his ruler.

Having lived in the capital for a long time, I often think of this, and my heart is filled with guilt and melancholy. I will take my own life to preserve my integrity and righteousness. I hope my father will take good care of himself and not leave behind a bad name for all time.

……

After reading the contents of the suicide note, Wu Sangui lost control and went berserk, becoming completely hysterical.

"That traitor Jiang, that dog of a traitor, shameless, despicable, and insidious! I swear to the heavens that I will tear him to pieces to appease my son."

A young general in white helmet and armor walked in from outside the door.

Upon entering, it's as if a mountain of gold and a pillar of jade have been overturned.

"Father, I beg to lead the army to avenge my brother!"

This person is Wu Yinglin!

With Wu Yingxiong dead, he became the only choice for heir apparent.

All the civil and military officials present knelt down.

"Your Highness, please order troops to quell the Qing! Avenge the Crown Prince!"

He shouted three times.

Wu Sangui's eyes were bloodshot as he drew his sword.

"I hereby proclaim to the entire army that the tyrannical Qing dynasty has killed my son and disgraced the Qing name. From this day forward, I have decided to raise an army to rebel against the Qing and restore the Han dynasty."

"Long live! Long live!"

Enough is enough; there is no need to endure any longer. There is no way to retreat; there is no need to retreat any further. The indecisive Wu Sangui was ultimately cornered by Wu Yingxiong's death.

An uprising is certain.

But what were the reasons for the uprising? There were still some internal disagreements.

……

After the meeting, Wu Sangui convened a small meeting with his trusted confidants in the western camp for a discussion.

The two sides clashed.

Son-in-law Xia Guoxiang: "Your Highness, in any case, we must now raise the banner of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, and try our best to win the support of the gentry throughout the land."

Liu Xuanchu: "Your Highness, the Ming Dynasty's fate is sealed. We should simply raise the banner of restoring the Han Dynasty's rule."

Xia Guoxiang: "Your Highness should now emulate the Ming Taizu and find a Little Ming King to put on your head, so that the world will not think that Your Highness wants to be the emperor."

Liu Xuanchu: "What's wrong with Your Highness declaring yourself emperor?"

Xia Guoxiang stared at Liu Xuanchu.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to assist Your Highness in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty! The Qing army is brutal and feared by all. As long as we can eliminate the Qing army, Your Highness will be a great hero to all Han people!"

……

Seeing that the conflict between the two was getting out of control, Wu Sangui quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Alright, alright, why make such a fuss? It's just a small disagreement."

"I have decided to send multiple envoys to contact the Prince of Pingnan in Guangzhou, Li Dingguo in Guangxi, Zheng Sen in Jinsha, and the thirteen families in Kuidong, in order to win over eighteen warlords to jointly punish the traitor Jiang."

Wu Yinglin suddenly spoke up.

“Father, I support my brother-in-law.”

"Ok?"

“If we raise the banner of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, and send some grain and fodder to Li Dingguo, he will be less likely to become our enemy. Because he is carrying the banner of the Ming court, and so are we.”

Wu Sangui nodded slowly.

Liu Xuanchu opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent.

Xia Guoxiang: "Your Highness, Wang Jinbao, the commander of the Green Standard Army in Sichuan, has not yet expressed his opinion. Sichuan is crucial. I suggest that Xuan Chu be sent as an envoy to Sichuan to persuade Wang Jinbao."

"Alright, Xuan Chu, I'll leave this matter to you."

"As ordered."

Liu Xuanchu sighed inwardly. He felt that the future of the Western Camp was bright, but his own future was bleak.

……

The next day, the sky was overcast.

Kunming, a rally to swear an oath to launch an army.

Wu Sangui and his civil and military officials were all dressed in white helmets and armor, wearing mourning clothes for Emperor Chongzhen. The scene was filled with deafening cries, and paper money flew everywhere.

Anti-Qing and restore Ming!

Restore the Han dynasty!

Wu Sangui's slogans sound absurd, yet they managed to deceive both the foolish and the malicious. Since ancient times, true sincerity is fleeting; only cunning wins hearts.

The key factor was still military victory!

The one with the strongest army and the most powerful horses is the emperor!

After entering the Pass, there will be great scholars to debate for me!
Wu Jun's fierce general Ma Bao served as the vanguard general of the entire army, conquering cities and territories along the way, capturing Jingzhou, Baoqing Prefecture, Yuanzhou Prefecture and Hengzhou Prefecture in Hunan Province, with his army's advance pointing towards Changsha!
……

Changsha.

Large numbers of soldiers moved back and forth, creating a tense atmosphere.

More and more Wu troops arrived on the west bank of the Xiang River. They set up camp for several miles, their military might overwhelming, and the siege of Changsha was a foregone conclusion.

Governor's Yamen.

"Report, urgent message from the Governor-General of Liangjiang."

"The Governor-General of Liangjiang?"

Zhuobutai was stunned when he opened the package. It turned out to be a handwritten letter from Grand Secretary Jiang Qingyun, sent by Governor-General Zhou Shao of Liangjiang.

My brother, seeing this letter is like seeing me in person:

South of the Yangtze River, Wu Sangui's military force occupied six-tenths of the land.

Moreover, the soldiers were well-trained and the generals were brave, having been through many battles.

Hunan is the first to be hit and cannot be defended. Although you are the governor and have the duty to defend the territory, for the sake of the overall situation, you should immediately burn the grain and fodder, destroy the cannons, avoid their sharp edge, and lead the troops to Jiangxi to defend instead of attack, so as to preserve your usefulness.

Although we have personal disagreements, they are insignificant in the face of national crisis, and besides, my relationship with your brother Ao Bai is very close.
Retreat immediately!

I urge you, brother, to think carefully before you act.

After reading the letter, Zhuobutai looked up to the sky and sighed, feeling helpless and truly helpless.

Chief Minister Chiang was right!

That night, the Qing army in Changsha was frequently mobilized.

The next day.

The Qing army burned their grain and supplies, fled the city in panic, broke through the blockade of a small group of Wu troops, and fled eastward to Pingxiang County, Yuanzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province.

Ma Baobing captured Changsha Prefecture without bloodshed.

However, Wu Jun did not pursue the remnants of Hunan Governor Zhuo Butai to the east. Instead, he marched north according to the established plan, attacking Changde Prefecture and Yuezhou Prefecture, until he reached Dongting Lake.

……

The shadow of war once again loomed over many southern provinces.

Choosing sides has become a matter that all parties must consider.

Guangzhou.

Pingnan Palace.

"Father, should we help Wu or Qing?"

Shang Kexi remained silent.

"Father, we have to choose one?"

“My son, I really don’t want to get involved in this mess. No matter how weakened the Eight Banners of the capital are, they are still an invincible and powerful force.”

“Father, it’s not the year of Jia Shen anymore. According to the intelligence I bought from Zhili at a high price, the number of Eight Banner soldiers may be less than 50,000.”

The elderly Shang Kexi shook his head.

"Even if only 50,000 Eight Banner cavalry remain, they are still the most powerful force in the world! Do you think our 50,000 Heavenly Aid Army can defeat them?"

"We may not be able to defeat the Eight Banners, but we have our comrades."

"Companion?"

Shang Kexi couldn't help but laugh.

"Son, who are those companions you're talking about? Wu Sangui?"

"Yes. Wu Shibo commands over 100,000 troops and controls three provinces. In addition, Li Dingguo, Zheng Sen, and the Thirteen Families of Kuidong are all enemies of the Qing Dynasty, and they can all deplete the Eight Banners' military strength. More importantly, the Qing court has very few troops south of the Yangtze River."

Looking at her confident son, Shang Kexi sighed softly.

"Sit down, let me explain this to you."

"Yes, son is all ears."

"You know about the internal strife within the Ming court starting from the Hongguang reign, right?"

"know."

How would you rate it?

"The extent of the internal strife was astonishing and a magnificent sight."

Shang Kexi suppressed her smile, stared into her son's eyes, and said, word by word.

"Internal strife has been ingrained in the blood of all of us. We fight, we fight like mad! We fight without stopping for a moment! We'd rather the enemy benefit than let them get away with it!"

"How can you be sure that the Wu, Li, Zheng, Liu, Hao, and Li forces will not repeat the mistakes of the Ming dynasty? Besides, these people have a blood feud with each other and hate each other to the bone. The Qing army is their enemy, but aren't their allies also their enemies?"

"Shang Zhixin, let me ask you, in battle, would you dare entrust your flank to these people?"

(End of this chapter)