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

Chapter 376 Another Scheme Against the Miscellaneous Army

Outdoor temperatures are getting lower and lower.

Although there was ample food in Shengjing, the governors and viceroys of various provinces were getting restless; this stalemate could not continue.

After meeting privately to discuss the matter, the group decided to jointly petition the palace.

"Prince Pingnan, Shang Kexi, pays his respects to the Grand Secretary."

"Li Guoying, Governor-General of Sichuan, pays his respects to the Grand Secretary."

"Li Dingguo, Grand Marshal of the Southwest Army, pays his respects to the Grand Secretary."

"Hunan Governor Wang Fuchen pays his respects to the Grand Secretary."

"Liu Guoxuan, the Left Guard of Fujian, pays his respects to the Grand Secretary."

"He went to war on behalf of his father and temporarily served as the Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu. Meng Xiongchen, the Commander of Anhui, paid homage to the Grand Secretary."

Jiang Qingyun stood up drunkenly, his eyes glazed over, staring at everyone.

"Why are you all here? Has something serious happened outside?"

……

Everyone was speechless.

Li Guoying stepped forward first, cupped his hands and said, "Prime Minister, we should withdraw our troops. The weather is getting colder and the snow is getting heavier. Once the heavy snow blocks the roads, we won't be able to leave even if we want to."

"Prime Minister, let's withdraw the troops."

"With such a large army on the front lines, the amount of food and supplies needed for the men and horses every day is considerable."

"The Grand Secretary's suppression of Liaodong has earned him military achievements comparable to those of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing. He should return to the capital to enjoy the admiration of the people."

Jiang Qingyun stumbled down the imperial steps, parted the crowd, and walked outside the hall. Instantly, a biting cold wind mixed with snowflakes rushed into the hall.

Achoo~
The lightly dressed prime minister sneezed loudly on the spot.

"What you all say makes perfect sense. Let's retreat, retreat immediately, and return to the capital. Which unit is willing to be the vanguard?"

"The Sichuan Green Standard Army is willing to be the vanguard of the army."

"That's right."

Chiang Kai-shek readily accepted advice, his attitude undergoing a complete 180-degree turn.

That day~
The Sichuan Green Standard Army was the first to set off, braving the wind and snow to embark on their journey south.

next day~
The Guangdong Tianyou Army set off.

Day again.

The Green Camp in Yunnan and Guizhou has set out, as have the Green Camp in Henan and Shandong.

The bustling city and its surroundings were no longer as lively as they used to be.

……

The walls of Shengjing city.

Dressed in leather jackets, Chiang Kai-shek and his son gazed at the army struggling to march in the distance and spoke in hushed tones.

"Son, do you want these southerners to freeze to death?"

"Dad, don't say things that are detrimental to unity. They made their own decisions, so they can't blame anyone else. If they take care to keep warm, they won't freeze to death."

"Yes Yes."

Jiang Zhongcheng smiled happily.

Watching everyone disappear into the distant snowstorm, Jiang Qingyun stretched out his right hand and waved it twice in the air as a farewell ceremony before returning to the warm hall.

Settle the score!

This battle!

Under his brilliant and skillful command, the battle outside the pass eliminated more than 4 Tatar bandits.

Our side suffered a loss of over 4 men, 8% of whom were miscellaneous troops and 2% were central troops.

A great victory!!
This was a successful war that dealt a heavy blow to both the enemy's manpower and the local warlord forces, clearing the way for the united empire.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Qingyun added another number after 4.

+1? That seems too conservative.

Adding 3 seems too aggressive.

Well then, let's just go with the flow.

The city gate.

Braving the wind and snow, the soldiers took down the old plaque on the city wall and hung up a brand new one—Fengtian!
……

The Mongols were also preparing to return home. They would brave the biting wind and snow to cross the mountain pass to the west and return to the familiar grasslands.

This is a well-established route that Huang Taiji has traveled many times!

Before entering the pass, the Eight Banners army often took this route to the grasslands to practice wild horse archery, killing 100,000 gazelles in one go.

The so-called "Eight Banners Iron Cavalry, unparalleled in horsemanship and archery" was trained in this way.

Qing Empire?

No, the Yellow Sheep Empire!

"The Great Khan of Khorchin, Zhuoerji, bids farewell to the Grand Secretary." "Great Khan, please rise. I wish you a safe journey."

"Thank you, Chief Minister."

Despite the biting cold wind along the way, Zhuoerji, dressed in thick clothes, was in high spirits, speaking with the authority of the emperor, succeeding as the Great Khan, and moving his camp to Tongliao. Who dared to disobey him?
He even began to dream of annexing Chahar and having the Golden Family grovel at his feet.

Jiang Qingyun allowed Zhuo Erji to dream.

Jiang Qingyun encouraged Zhuo Erji to dream.

Because Zhuoerji was the father of Empress Borjigit, who was deposed by Emperor Shunzhi, and was a prisoner whom he had released from the capital. This man harbored resentment towards the Qing Dynasty.

If Abu Nai is disobedient, Zhuo Erji will deal with him.

It's like the Russians versus the Eight Banners of Heilongjiang; no matter who wins, in the end, it's always Chief Minister Chiang who wins.

This is the most brilliant form of politics!
Without losing a single soldier, the enemy fought amongst themselves, and rivers of blood flowed!
……

The only imperfection occurred with the fleet led by Zheng Tai and Liu Guoxuan.

Pi Island.

However, the flag of Goryeo was raised again.

The Zheng family fleet slowly set sail and left this blood-soaked land. They transferred Pi Island to Goryeo. In exchange, the Goryeo people paid 2 catties of copper, 5 catties of iron, and 200 women.

This is a bold deal.

Jiang Qingyun was furious when he learned of this.

This deal reflects the arrogance of the Jeong family and the disloyalty of Goryeo; neither side took them seriously.

It is not surprising that the Zheng family was arrogant and unruly.

It's quite unusual that Goryeo (Korea) would disobey them.

Jiang Qingyun couldn't help but reflect on one thing: Could this poor, tiny country really have a plan to "rebuild Great Goguryeo"?
After calming down, he decided to vent his anger on Dong-e, who had the blood of the Goryeo Dynasty.

If it weren't for Li's unattractive appearance, she would probably have suffered some hardship as well.

Now is not the time to start a foreign war.

There are more pressing issues in the country that need to be addressed. These are matters of great importance, and if we cannot resolve them within our lifetime, the consequences will likely be disastrous for millennia to come.

……

Fengtian Imperial Palace.

A military officer unfastened his sword and entered the palace unarmed, his steps steady, clearly a seasoned and valiant warrior.

"Wang Jinbao, the Governor-General of Sichuan, pays his respects to the Grand Secretary."

"No need for formalities, come and sit down."

Wang Jinbao was flattered and sat down nearby. As soon as he looked up, he saw that Chief Minister Jiang had a kind and amiable face.

"I detained you and prevented you from leaving with the Sichuan army because I have an important task to entrust to you."

"Please give your orders, Grand Secretary. I will do anything to earn my life."

"I want to establish the Fengtian Military Governor position, a first-rank official, and you will be appointed to it. Are you willing?"

"This humble general will obey the chief minister's orders."

"well."

Jiang Qingyun peeled an orange for Wang Jinbao himself.

"Oranges are available this time of year?"

"It was transported from the south, have a taste."

The two of them sat around the stove eating oranges, creating a very romantic scene.

Jiang Qingyun smiled:
"After a collective decision by the cabinet, the civil administration system will not be established outside the Great Wall for the time being, in order to leave enough room for the Liaodong armed reclamation army to grow. Therefore, your task as the military governor of Fengtian is very easy. You only need to suppress bandits and resettle refugees within the territory, and you don't need to worry about anything else."

"Then, my soldiers?"

“You will transfer 50 trusted officers from the Sichuan Green Standard Army. In addition, the Zhili Green Standard Army will allocate 2000 cavalrymen to you. You will also recruit one or two thousand infantrymen in Fengtian.”

"As ordered."

"After you step down as Governor of Sichuan, who can succeed you?"

"As the Grand Secretary commands."

Jiang Qingyun was very satisfied with Wang Jinbao's attitude and peeled another orange for him.

"I'd like to hear your opinion?"

Seeing that the Grand Secretary was sincere and without any pretense, Wang Jinbao boldly uttered a name: "Zhang Yong!"

"Okay, it's him."

Be open to good advice!

"Li Guoying, what do you think?"

"Governor Li was both a scholar and a warrior. He also organized a tiger-hunting team to hunt wild beasts and appease the people. He was quite famous in Sichuan."

Jiang Qingyun remained silent.

(End of this chapter)