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

Chapter 322 The Vision of a United Empire~
Wu Sangui didn't react for a moment: "Righteousness? What righteousness?"

Liu Xuanchu was also taken aback, and quickly explained, "The Prince raised an army under the banner of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming, which is righteous. However, Emperor Yongli has yet to announce to the world that the Prince has been granted official recognition. Jiang Qingyun is now trying to sow discord between the Prince and Emperor Yongli. If Emperor Yongli denies the Prince's recognition..."

"Dare he?"

“Your Highness, please be careful with your words. If Emperor Yongli refuses to acknowledge your title, we will find ourselves in an extremely passive political situation.”

Crown Prince Wu Yinglin stepped forward.

"I disagree with Lord Liu's statement. The emperor is the one with the strongest army and the most powerful troops. One force can subdue all others. What is righteousness or politics? They are all meaningless in the face of absolute battlefield superiority. In my opinion, the key is to expand the army and occupy more territory."

The crowd under the tent erupted into chaos again.

An Eastern Expedition?

Advance north?

Leaving Sichuan and entering Shaanxi?

Children want everything; adults only choose one out of three. This is because Wu Sangui's group currently only has the manpower, resources, and finances to support one option.

……

The Governor's Office in Changsha.

After that terrifying experience, Chen Yuanyuan often silently shed tears.

Wu Sangui felt slightly embarrassed, so he often comforted him with gentle words and rewarded him with valuable jewelry. Gradually, the awkward matter passed by unspokenly.

A ruthless tyrant has no emotions.

Even famous courtesans have no feelings.

It's nothing more than a union where each party gets what they need.

On this day, Wu Sangui was admiring Chen Yuanyuan's exquisite dance when a servant came to report.

"Your Highness, Wang Pingfan has returned."

"Bring it in."

Flower Hall.

Wu Sangui's face was full of anger.

"You still have the nerve to come back?"

"Father, please forgive me, I have done my best. With 6000 soldiers, I defended Yuezhou against 5 Qing Green Standard Army troops. It was truly beyond my capabilities."

"With Yuezhou lost, Changsha has become the front line, putting me in a dilemma. Do you understand?"

"My child understands."

Changsha is currently a key battleground.

If we use military chess to deduce the result, it is not difficult to draw the following conclusion.

If Jiang Zhongcheng's Green Standard Army garrison were to occupy Changsha, they could immediately cut off the Liling-Pingxiang transport route right under their noses. This was the only supply line for transporting grain and military supplies from Hunan to Jiangxi.

Wu Sangui's group could not possibly afford the consequences of losing Changsha.

So~
If Wu Sangui were to voluntarily withdraw from Changsha, it would seem as if he were afraid of the Qing army, which would severely demoralize his troops.

If Wu Sangui continued to hold Changsha, he would be putting himself in danger, because with the loss of Yuezhou, Changsha would become the front line.

……

Wang Pingfan knelt down and couldn't get up.
After a long pause, Wu Sangui sighed.

"That's it, get up."

"I also bear responsibility for the loss of Yuezhou. You don't need to blame yourself; make amends for your mistakes."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"The current situation is awkward. The Qing army has occupied Jiujiang and Yuezhou, and both armies are locked in a stalemate. How can we break this deadlock? What are your thoughts?"

"I suggest we fight to the death for Jiujiang and open up the eastern front. Once we take Jiujiang, we can then take over the wealthy areas of Jiangnan. With this shift in power, our army's strength will increase dramatically while the Qing Dynasty's strength will decline, and the game will be won."

"Yes, Ma Bao thinks so too."

After a moment of silence, Wu Sangui asked again: "Before raising the army, I remember you wanted to lead a surprise force out of Sichuan and into Shaanxi to contain the Qing army's forces in the north."

"Yes."

"And now?" "The loyalty of Wang Jinbao, the commander of the Sichuan Green Standard Army, is questionable. He has not yet sent troops to respond to the prince, so the western front may be blocked."

"Hmph, let alone him, even Shang Kexi is a coward. I often lament that the problems in the world are caused by everyone having their own thoughts and ulterior motives, not working together, and not being of one mind. If all parties were united, the South would have been ours long ago."

Wu Sangui spoke very seriously, and Wang Pingfan felt ashamed listening to him.

Unity?

It sounds like someone is swearing.

He quickly changed the subject: "Your Highness, we need to put pressure on Prince Pingnan to force him to send troops out of Guangdong to help us share the burden."

"Okay, this task is yours."

"My child obeys."

……

On a sweltering summer day, the two armies faced off.

Military confrontation has temporarily ceased, but the political struggle between the two sides has intensified.

Shang Kexi from Guangdong, the Thirteen Families of Kuidong, Li Dingguo from Guangxi, Zheng Sen from Jinsha, and even Zhang Huangyan from Zhoushan all received envoys or letters from both sides.

If Jiang Qingyun had directly sent envoys to meet Zheng Sen, Zhang Huangyan, Li Dingguo, Li Laiheng, and Hao Yaoqi, the envoys would have been beheaded and their heads displayed to the public without question.

These people all had deep-seated, irreconcilable blood feuds with the Qing government.

Therefore, he took a different approach and started engaging in diplomacy with friends.

Zheng Sen wouldn't pay any attention to him, but he would definitely read his teacher's wife Liu Rushi's handwritten letter carefully, after all, his beautiful teacher's wife was a wonderful dream of his youth during his school days.

Zhang Huangyan wouldn't pay any attention to him, but he would definitely read his old friend Huang Zongxi's handwritten letter carefully, since the two had been comrades-in-arms in the fight against the Qing Dynasty and had a certain foundation of mutual trust.

Shang Kexi will most likely be "limitedly neutral".

In short, Jiang Qingyun's goal was to keep the majority of forces in the south neutral and isolate Wu Sangui's group as much as possible.

……

Kinmen Island, heavily guarded.

After removing his armor, Zheng Sen once again took out Liu Rushi's letters.

The letter paper, printed with a subtle plum blossom pattern and exuding fragrance, with its delicate handwriting and long-forgotten memories, flowed into Zheng Sen's body like a warm current.

Excitement, emotion, and nostalgia.

He had no doubt about the authenticity of the letter, which had been passed around by many people, because many of the details were known only to the person involved.

For example, the clothes I wore when I went on an outing to Yanziji.

For example, the poems he and his teacher and his wife composed while drinking and singing together.

But he still couldn't accept the overly dramatic reality.

"I only regret being born a woman, with a heart to serve my country but no body to do so. In this life, I will only marry for the sake of righteousness, not for a husband. Chen Zilong was a man of noble character, and I am willing to follow him. Qian Qianyi vowed to resist the Qing, and I am willing to follow him. I will live an upright life, unafraid of the gossip of the world, praising the death of Chen Zilong and despising the death of Qian Qianyi. Now, I am willing to serve Prime Minister Chiang Kai-shek, also because I am inspired by his righteousness."

Even though it was the third time he had read the letter, Zheng Sen was still trembling with shock at Liu Rushi's overly progressive ideas about choosing a spouse.

My master's wife only marries great heroes!
Does that make me a great hero?
If Zheng Sen knew that this letter was dictated by Jiang Qingyun and written by Liu Rushi, I wonder what he would think? He probably wouldn't be too happy.

……

Read on.

The content is even more exciting now.

It's even more unorthodox than "marrying not a man, but a noble cause."

"The current Grand Secretary is a follower of Huang Zongxi's teachings. He has the world in his heart, respects the orthodox tradition, and after entering the court, he used an iron fist to place the Manchu chieftain under house arrest, purged the bannermen, eliminated traitors, cleansed China, and rebuilt the Han people."

"The Grand Secretary aspires to break new ground in history by establishing a united empire, inviting all parties to the court to share power, working together through thick and thin, and ultimately achieving universal harmony."

"The dawn of a new era is just around the corner; I eagerly await your reply."

Zheng Sen put down the letter and, facing the sea breeze, asked himself: if he were in control of the central government right now, could he resist the temptation of becoming emperor? Would he share power with someone else?

The answer is beyond doubt.

(End of this chapter)