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

Chapter 333 The counselor enters the situation personally
Happiness comes too suddenly!
Wu Sangui was momentarily stunned; he even paused for several seconds before accepting the letter from Guo Zhuangtu.

"Your Highness, Wang Jinbao, the commander of the Sichuan Green Standard Army, has finally come to his senses. He has expressed his willingness to cooperate with Your Highness's troops to enter Sichuan, first kill Governor-General Li Guoying, and then launch a surprise attack on Hanzhong."

Wu Sangui looked down at the letter.
After reading it twice, he suddenly looked up.

"Prime Minister Xia, why don't you speak?"

"Your Highness, I believe this person is not trustworthy."

"Oh?"

"Your Highness has raised an army to resist the Qing, and your forces are as fierce as a rainbow, with countless people across the land responding. Only Wang Jinbao has hesitated to declare his allegiance, because his position as Commander of the Green Standard Army was given to him by Jiang Qingyun. Your Highness, why not summon him to Kunming to see you? If he comes, it will demonstrate his loyalty; if he dares not come…"

……

Xia Guoxiang spoke sincerely, and Wu Sangui nodded silently.

"Guo Zhuangtu, what do you think?"

"Old Xia's words make sense. Wang Jinbao is clearly hedging his bets and watching from the sidelines. However, as long as he is willing to send troops for the Prince, the Prince will still give him an important position. After all, we are now vying for the throne, and we should strive to win over all the forces we can."

Wu Sangui's indecisiveness resurfaced. Both of his sons-in-law made valid points, so who should he listen to?

Xia Guoxiang thought for a moment and then offered his advice again.

“Your Highness, this is what I’m thinking: either we summon him to Kunming for an audience, or we make him first offer a pledge of allegiance. In short, if Wang Jinbao doesn’t do something to reassure us, our army absolutely cannot enter Sichuan.”

Wu Sangui nodded again.

Guo Zhuangtu nodded in agreement.

Thus, the three—father-in-law, son-in-law, and father-in-law—made a collective decision.

That same day, Wu Sangui's envoy swiftly left the city and traveled along the Tea Horse Road to Sichuan to secretly meet with Wang Jinbao.

……

Urgent letters from frontline officers poured into Kunming, causing Wu Sangui sleepless nights and his indecisiveness to resurface.

The beloved concubine Chen Yuanyuan was as usual, moving lightly with lotus-like steps, her breath as fragrant as orchids.

"Your Highness, have a cup of lotus seed tea to calm your temper."

"Yuanyuan, I'm feeling upset."

"What's wrong, Your Majesty?"

"Regarding the route of the Northern Expedition, my subordinates have differing opinions. Several of their proposed plans seem to have a chance of success, but none of them are absolutely certain of success. I can't make up my mind."

"Your Highness, please choose based on your intuition."

"Major events in the world are interconnected, and every small change can have far-reaching consequences. We must be extremely cautious, consider all aspects carefully, and deliberate repeatedly. How can we rely on intuition?"

"I misspoke, Your Highness, please forgive me."

"Alright. I'm not in a good mood today. Dance with me."

"Your Highness, please wait a moment while I go and make some preparations."

Chen Yuanyuan's skills in dance were not outstanding, at least not as good as Liu Rushi's, but she was, after all, the top performer from the Qinhuai River. Her so-called lack of skill was only slightly inferior to that of professionals.

After the song ended, Wu Sangui's annoyance lessened somewhat.

"Yuanyuan, is this the new dance you choreographed?"

"Yes, my concubine, musicians, and dancers have been preparing for a month and a half. Does Your Highness like it?"

"Not bad, it's mysterious and beautiful, full of ethereal charm, and seems to convey the intention of praying to gods and Buddhas. By the way, what's the name of this new dance?"

"The Dance of Rainbow Feathers".

Wu Sangui's smile froze instantly.

Chen Yuanyuan didn't immediately realize what the problem was.

Wu Sangui angrily stood up and stormed off.

"Your Majesty?"

"Your Highness??"

Long after Wu Sangui left, Chen Yuanyuan suddenly realized that the "Rainbow Feather Dance" was the masterpiece of Emperor Xuanzong and Consort Yang, and the prince probably thought it was unlucky.

Tears of grievance flowed uncontrollably.

……

Wangfu.

Wu Sangui's temper grew increasingly worse.

"This is outrageous! This scoundrel Liu Xuanchu should never have been sent to Jiangxi."

Everyone looked at each other.

A crumpled letter lay on the ground.

Xia Guoxiang picked it up, and his expression changed instantly.

Your humble servants, Ma Bao and Liu Xuanchu, submit this memorial with tears in their eyes: The Qing army has advanced rapidly, and our central route is in grave danger. Considering the current situation, there is a risk that our forces will be unable to connect with each other, or even link up with each other from east to west. If Hunan falls and the Qing army reaches Hengzhou, even if we fight our way through Jiujiang and point our swords at Jiangnan, we will be like a tree without roots or water without a source; defeat is only a matter of time.

Strategic missteps are irreparable.

Time was of the essence, and the relay system was time-consuming.

Therefore, for the sake of Your Highness's long-term success, we have decided to abandon the siege of Jiujiang and concentrate all our forces in Jiangxi to retreat to Changsha for a decisive battle with the enemy.

A decisive battle is inevitable.

If they win, the prince will be able to conquer the Central Plains.

If we are defeated, we will perish together.

A general in the field may disobey orders, and we are willing to accept any punishment for our crimes after the battle.

Now, Your Highness must abandon all illusions and concerns, concentrate all forces, and go all in, leaving no way out.

The struggle for the throne has always been like this.

If possible, Your Highness should win over all forces that can be won over. In any case, the decisive battle in Changsha is inevitable, and having one more soldier will slightly increase the chances of victory.

……

"Liu Xuanchu!"

Wu Sangui kept repeating this name, his hatred palpable.

He never expected that the refined and gentle strategist Liu Xuanchu would be so courageous. He really deserves a nickname: Sichuan Little Dragon.

That wasn't advice, it was a threat.

His words were even more arrogant to the extreme. What did he mean by saying, "Your Highness, you must abandon all illusions and all concerns"?

They pointed at the bald man and cursed the monk, they cursed me for being indecisive, they cursed me for being overly cautious, and they cursed me for having a poor strategic vision.

Everyone stared in silence at the pained expression on the face of the Prince of Pingxi.

Many people secretly admired Liu Xuanchu and decided that after winning the battle, they must plead for Liu Xuanchu and Ma Bao, and under no circumstances should the prince kill them.

Everyone has a scale in their heart.
The Prince of Pingxi was decisive in small matters but indecisive in big ones, earning him the nickname "Little Yuan Shao of Yunnan."

……

After a long time.

Wu Sangui spoke up himself:

"Things have come to this point and there is no way to turn them back. The only option now is to make the best of a bad situation, to announce to the entire army that they should prepare to break camp and march north to fight to the death."

"Long live~"

Wu Yinglin led the shouts, and everyone followed suit, yelling "Long live the Emperor!"

Amidst the rising and falling shouts, Wu Sangui's resentment lessened slightly, and his wounded pride was somewhat repaired.

suddenly~
In the afternoon, people from Sichuan arrived.

"Greetings, Your Highness! Long live the Prince!"

"Zhang Yong?"

"Yes."

"How did you come?"

"By order of the Admiral, I have come to report a tremendous secret to Your Highness."

"is it?"

"Please dismiss your attendants, Your Highness."

Wu Sangui nodded, and the guards immediately withdrew, while his trusted confidants remained present.

Zhang Yong took a deep breath.

"Your Highness, there is not a single soldier left in Shaanxi and Gansu. This is a golden opportunity!"

Wu Sangui jumped up in fright.

"Zhang Yong, tell me quickly!"

"At the request of Chief Minister Chiang, Governor-General Meng Qiaofang of Shaanxi and Gansu has transferred all his troops south. The vast Shaanxi and Gansu region is now completely deserted. Your Highness should dispatch all your elite cavalry to Sichuan and Shaanxi and Gansu at full speed, and then launch a surprise attack on the capital to establish an unparalleled great cause."

Why isn't Wang Jinbao here?

“Li Guoying has been keeping a close eye on him. He’s not easy to fool. If he leaves Chengdu without permission, Li Guoying will be on guard.”

"Where did you get your intelligence from?"

"Meng Qiaofang's son, Meng Xiongchen, is currently leading troops stationed in Baoning, Sichuan. He is willing to be our inside man."

"why?"

"Because he doesn't want to be Zhao Defang or Zhao Dezhao!"

(End of this chapter)