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

Chapter 334 Lacking any semblance of a ruler~
The question and answer are logically consistent.

Wu Sangui was once again caught in an endless dilemma.

Zhang Yong cupped his hands and said:
"The Admiral said that when the battle is at a stalemate, it depends on who dares to go all in. I wonder if Your Highness dares to follow the example of Emperor Chengzu in the Jingnan Campaign?"

Guo Zhuangtu, observing the situation, coughed twice.

"Zhang Yong, you must be tired from your journey. Come on, let's have a drink."

Guo Zhuangtu put his arm around Zhang Yong's shoulder and left. The two had some prior acquaintance, but the main purpose was to give Wu Sangui enough time to think things over.

This is a matter of great importance; Your Highness must be struggling with it.

Zhao Zilong was full of courage, while the Prince of Pingxi was full of inner conflict.

However, this time, he guessed wrong.

Wu Sangui was actually quite interested in this crazy plan.

Forbidden City: Come here, Prince Pingxi!
Who could resist such temptation?

……

Wu Sangui composed himself: "Gentlemen, what do you think?"

Xia Guoxiang: "This plan is risky but also very rewarding. But I still maintain that Wang Jinbao, the Green Standard Army commander of Sichuan, must first pledge his allegiance by beheading Li Guoying. Otherwise, we will never send troops into Sichuan."

Chang Kuo-chu: "I'd be willing to give it a try."

Tan Hong: "Once we enter Sichuan, we'll be on their territory. I think we can send a detachment; it's too risky to commit the main force."

……

They discussed it for half an hour without reaching a conclusion.

Although almost none of his subordinates fully agreed, Wu Sangui himself was still very interested in this "plan that Emperor Chengzu had succeeded in".

His mind was filled with images of the Guan Ning cavalry besieging the city, the capital surrendering without a fight, and then Emperor Shunzhi hanging himself from a tree in the southeast and Jiang Qingyun drowning himself.

Emperor Yongle of the Qing Dynasty?
Ah, that doesn't sound very good.

Emperor Taizu of Zhou!
It sounds good.

He even consoled himself that even if he couldn't capture the capital, capturing Sichuan or Shaanxi and Gansu would still be a huge gain, at least he would have half of the country under his control.

He automatically beautified and blocked out many unfavorable factors.

This is what happens when people get carried away by adventurism!
In fact, the core of adventurism and capitulationism is highly consistent—to gain without effort, or to gain more with less effort.

The only cure for adventurism is time.

Time can calm people down, time can make them rational.

Unfortunately, what we lack most right now is time.

The military situation in Changsha is extremely tense!

Whether I go or not, the final battle will take place!
……

The day.

Just as the 7000 Wu cavalrymen were about to leave the city, they suddenly received an order: postpone their march and await the king's command.

This caused Xia Guoxiang great concern.

He visited late at night, attempting to offer advice.

“Your Highness, I oppose the plan to launch a flanking attack from Sichuan and Shaanxi. As you know, I have always insisted on taking Jiangxi first, then Jiangnan. Now that Liu Xuanchu and Ma Bao have acted on their own, for the sake of the overall situation, we should simply focus on preparing for the Battle of Changsha.”

Wu Sangui gazed at the moonlight and, after a long pause, finally uttered a sentence.

"This is a golden opportunity. If I miss it, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"Your Highness??"

“I know you mean well. Listen to me. Here’s what I’m thinking: first, send a vanguard into Sichuan. If everything goes well, I’ll send all my cavalry in to kill Li Guoying. Then, proceed according to plan and seize as much territory as possible. If we can succeed in pacifying the rebellion, the people of the world will enjoy peace and tranquility from now on. That would be a great achievement for us.”

"Your Highness, you mustn't gamble."

"I thought about it, and Liu Xuanchu was right about one thing: the struggle for the throne has always been like this. Fighting for the world is a risky thing, and we can't expect to be sure of success."

"Your Majesty!!"

"I have made up my mind, no need to persuade me any more!"

……

The next day.

Zhang Guozhu led 500 Wu soldiers northward, heading towards southern Sichuan.

3 days later~
Guo Zhuangtu led 7000 cavalrymen northward, proceeding slowly and maintaining intermittent contact with Zhang Guozhu.

The once bustling city of Kunming became deserted. Wu Sangui's group, from the royal palace to various levels of government offices, all headed north, preparing to launch two "all-or-nothing" wars simultaneously.

The 29th day of the first lunar month.

On the day Wu Sangui left Kunming, it happened to be raining heavily.

He glanced longingly at the blurry city gate tower, silently thinking: When I return, I will either be the emperor or die on the battlefield.

"Your Majesty?"

Chen Yuanyuan lifted the carriage curtain and called out, but received no response, indicating that Wu Sangui was still very angry about the "Rainbow Feather Dance".

In the past year.

First they moved from Kunming to Changsha. Then they moved from Changsha back to Kunming.

Now, they have moved from Kunming to Changsha.

The road ahead is long and arduous, and the hardships are indescribable.

For a delicate old woman like Chen Yuanyuan, even a long journey in a carriage was no easy task; the bumpy ride and noise made it unbearable.

……

When the entourage reached Liuzhou Prefecture, Wu Sangui ordered a short rest and sent someone into the mountains to contact the Yongli Emperor to request an official title.

As time went by, Wu Sangui's adventurism gradually faded, and conservatism took hold once again.

There has been no news from his son-in-law Guo Zhuangtu for nine consecutive days. Has his entry into Sichuan gone smoothly? Those 7000 cavalrymen were the foundation of his warlord career.

What if, what if, what if?

Wu Sangui really wanted to invite his son-in-law Xia Guoxiang to discuss the matter, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

At first.

Right speech.

"I have made up my mind, no need to persuade me any more!"

Now, it's a complete slap in the face.

……

Sartre once said:

A successful man should never expose his vulnerability to loyal subordinates, and even less should he expose his vulnerability to the woman he loves.

Wu Sangui didn't understand philosophy; he pondered repeatedly and became restless.

The government office of Liuzhou.

Back hall.

Chen Yuanyuan, whose figure had become thinner due to the bumpy journey, was startled by his appearance.

"Your Highness? What's wrong?"

"I'm really upset."

"Is things not going well at the front?"

“Yuanyuan, you don’t understand. Five provinces and 180,000 troops are now on my shoulders. The pressure I’m under is beyond what others can comprehend.”

"Your Highness, please sit down."

Wu Sangui's bald head began to receive gentle pressure from behind.

Gradually, the anxiety decreased slightly.

"Your Highness, you stand on the side of justice, and Heaven will surely bless you."

"Yes, nowadays, I am the only one in the world who can shoulder the heavy responsibility of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming. I am the Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty is me. If Heaven is not blind, it would not dare to let me lose."

"Your Highness, whose troops are more numerous?"

"We have 18, and the other side has 8."

"Then we're guaranteed to win."

"I'm still worried."

"What is Your Highness worried about?"

Wu Sangui's guard was greatly lowered, and he blurted it out.

"Guo Zhuangtu took my old troops to Sichuan. That bastard Ma Bao retreated without authorization to seek a decisive battle, putting me in a very passive position. I didn't want a decisive battle in the first place! I'm a cautious person by nature and I don't like gambling!"

……

Chen Yuanyuan was startled, but remained outwardly calm.

"Sanlang, it's alright, I will always be with you."

"Round and round~"

"Sanlang~"

The two hugged each other tightly.

While cooperating with the performance of Farewell My Concubine, Chen Yuanyuan felt extreme contempt for the man she had once admired.

18 vs. 8!
Even though I had the advantage, I was scared like a dog.

What does this mean?
This shows that this scoundrel is weak and spineless, not a hero, and has no bearing of a ruler!

……

Half an incense stick later, Wu Sangui left with a slight sense of relief.

Chen Yuanyuan was left staring blankly at the roof beam.

Upon closer reflection, she discovered that this man had too many character flaws—for example, he lacked long-term planning, long-term determination, and unwavering self-confidence.

The main reason I chose him was because of his promising future and his youth.

He's not young anymore, and his future doesn't look very bright. What will he do in the future?
(End of this chapter)