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

Chapter 340 Deceiving Wu Sangui Again
The north bank of the Chishui River.

Li Guoying, the Governor-General of Sichuan, remained calm. He was a true warlord in troubled times, excelling in both military and civil affairs. He was a composed and reserved man who never showed his emotions.

He observed for a while the more than 300 Wu soldiers who were bound by ropes were captured.

"I am Li Guoying, the Governor-General of Sichuan. Are you willing to surrender?"

No one answered; there was a deathly silence.

Li Guoying nodded with satisfaction.

"I can see that you are all brave warriors who are good at fighting. Prince Pingxi has treated you well, and it is a good thing that you are grateful and remember the past. I also admire loyal men. How about this, it is not too late for you to consider changing your allegiance after Prince Pingxi is defeated and killed in battle."

Having said that, he waved his hand dismissively.

The prisoners were driven to a nearby mine and temporarily forced into hard labor.

……

Watching the departing crowd, Li Guoying felt a mix of emotions. He was terrified that if he tried to persuade them to surrender, the prisoners would all kneel down and bow their heads in obeisance.

In that case, we can't be lenient!
This is a contradictory mentality unique to those in power: they both hope the enemy will surrender and fear that the enemy will surrender too readily.

Accepting surrender is an art.

We must set an example for the world, satisfy those who come to surrender, and also satisfy our own people.

Surrender is an art.

You can't be too quick, too eager, or too adamant in refusing, lest you infuriate the client's father.

Guan Yu's name is etched in history, while Yu Jin was beheaded.

Zhang Qian's name will be remembered forever, while Li Ling was saddened and heartbroken.

Upon returning, Li Guoying immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Changsha.

Firstly, to offer one's loyalty.

Sichuan is willing to submit to the central government.

Secondly, conditions were proposed.

There aren't many conditions, just three.

First, the appointment of civil and military officials and hereditary chieftains in Sichuan must be done by him; the Ministry of Personnel only needs to go through the formalities.

Secondly, the central government needs to provide Sichuan with 20 shi of grain and 100 million taels of silver annually.

Third, the central government transferred 5 young women from surrounding areas to Sichuan.

Li Guoying and Wang Jinbao had different mindsets.

Wang Jinbao has a purely working-class mentality. He knows his own limitations and only wants to enjoy high-ranking positions and generous salaries on the existing platform.

Li Guoying, having reached the pinnacle of his career as a high-ranking official, didn't want to start his own business, but he aspired to become the general manager of a subsidiary.

……

Upon receiving Wu Sangui's personal letter, Ma Bao and Liu Xuanchu, without hesitation, immediately ordered the abandonment of baggage, provisions, and artillery, and led their troops lightly armed into the Luoxiao Mountains.

The Luoxiao Mountains form the boundary between the provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi, and are characterized by steep terrain and treacherous roads.

The mountain was still sleeting, and the temperature was bone-chilling.

The army struggled to advance, with soldiers constantly slipping off cliffs and deserting. Morale plummeted to rock bottom.

No matter how difficult it is, you have to persevere.

Because: Loyalty > Tactics.

Ma Bao and Liu Xuanchu were loyal to Wu Sangui; their intentions were good, but their execution was flawed.

When Meng Qiaomei, stationed at Fort Santa Maria, discovered that the enemy in front of him had fled, he did not pursue them. It would be easy for a few thousand men to be surrounded by tens of thousands of men.

Unwise!

It would be better to reclaim the lost territory and search for the spoils.

When the Shaanxi-Gansu Green Standard Army and the Eight Banners troops entered the abandoned Wu army camp on the banks of the Yuan River, everyone was excited. There were supplies, provisions, mules and horses, and even cannons.

Get rich!
Everyone excitedly divided up the wealth.

This was also Liu Xuanchu's original intention: to leave behind a huge amount of wealth to make the enemy happy. If the supplies were burned, the enemy might be furious and pursue them relentlessly.

Wealth is a powerful motivator.

If you take someone's money, you should do them a favor.

While reporting the victory to the rear, Meng Qiaomei secretly divided the spoils, distributing them in a 4:3:3 ratio: 4 parts were handed over, 3 parts were given to officers, and 3 parts were given to soldiers.

While sending people back to their hometowns to deliver the spoils, Du Biao and Xi'an Town also wrote letters actively seeking battle.

I admire and respect General Meng.

He admired and respected Chief Minister Chiang.

They loved and respected the imperial court.

War is all about making money.

Is choosing to gamble with one's life cruel?

No.

Even high-ranking officials of the first or second rank have to gamble with their lives, let alone ordinary people.

……

April.

Hengzhou Prefecture.

Wu Sangui suffered from insomnia and immense pressure every day. Since he raised his army...
Guangdong.

Shang Kexi, that old dog, seems to have rebelled, yet not entirely. No matter how the messenger he sent interrogated him, Shang Zhixin's eyes reddened as he said that his father, Shang Kexi, was bedridden and about to die.

A year has passed, and the person is still not completely dead.

Sichuan.

The 7000 elite cavalrymen led by the son-in-law Guo Zhuangtu disappeared without a trace, causing great unease.

No news is perhaps the best news.

Guangxi.

Li Dingguo kept demanding food and supplies from him. No matter how much he urged him, his reply was always that he would send troops next month, making a solemn vow and speaking with certainty.

Even honest people with thick eyebrows and big eyes can go astray.

Fujian.

Zheng Sen was vague about his request to send troops, agreeing verbally but taking no action whatsoever. Considering Zheng Sen's low-key development over the past few years, it felt like he was brewing something big, perhaps intending to bypass Emperor Yongli and go it alone.

They might be planning a scheme where the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

……

Chen Yuanyuan quietly took everything in. She didn't need to see the detailed military report, because the man's expression was the report itself.

At first, she felt a little guilty.

Now, she has completed her ideological preparation.

I, Chen Yuanyuan, am no ordinary woman; I am one of the Eight Beauties of the Qinhuai River.

My first meeting with Wu Sangui was at the residence of the Ming Dynasty's Imperial Uncle. I was given to Wu Sangui as a gift by the Imperial Uncle. It was not a formal marriage, not a family alliance, and not because we were mutually attracted.

I was forced.

The two sisters, Liu Rushi and Kou Baimen, did so voluntarily.

I, Chen Yuanyuan, am like a priceless He Shi Bi jade, which only emperors and generals can possess, appreciate, and exchange with.

How could an ordinary person possibly possess the priceless He Shi Bi jade? Even if an ordinary person did obtain the He Shi Bi jade, they should obediently hand it over.

Treasures should rightfully belong to the most distinguished few.

At first glance, it seems perfectly logical.

Women who emerge from the chaotic battlefields of the Qinhuai River tend to have a fairly consistent internal logic.

Having completed her self-psychological preparation, Chen Yuanyuan secretly sent a long letter of several thousand words to Chief Minister Jiang. She was quite open-minded; since she was going to sell herself, she might as well sell herself completely.

……

Wu Sangui's personality was quite complex; sometimes he was indecisive, and sometimes he was bold and ambitious. His biggest problem was that he couldn't handle pressure.

When the situation is unfavorable, he becomes unbalanced, agonizing over his actions, and even wallowing in self-pity.

Character determines destiny!

Hengzhou Prefectural Government Office.

A guard hurriedly entered the mansion.

"Your Highness, there's news from Sichuan."

"How to say?"

"General Guo sent someone with a letter and a wooden box."

"Bring it here quickly."

Upon seeing the small regular script character "捷" (jie, meaning victory) written in the upper right corner of the envelope, Wu Sangui felt an instant sense of relief, as if he had drunk fine wine.

I opened the letter and shook out the thin sheet of paper.

The entire paper contained only one large character – 捷 (Jie)!

At this moment, the generals also rushed over upon hearing the news, staring anxiously at Wu Sangui, their hearts in their throats.

"You little brat, you didn't write anything except the character 'Jie,' the 'Jie' of 'great victory.'"

"Congratulations, Your Highness!"

The generals cheered in unison.

……

Wu Sangui looked at the nanmu box held in the hands of the guards and saw that the seal read "Head of Li Guoying, Governor-General of Sichuan" and that it was locked.

"Where's the key?"

"The person who came didn't give me the key."

"Smash it."

"Whoo."

With two loud bangs, the wooden box opened.

A brand-new red cloth tightly wrapped the severed head, with blood seeping out and turning black from the bruising.

"That little brat, he's just imitating those pretentious intellectuals. When he gets back, I'm going to give him a good whipping."

The crowd burst into laughter.

Wu Sangui lifted the red cloth, glanced at it, and then fell straight backward.

(End of this chapter)