With 100,000 elite soldiers at the start, what should you call me?

……

Fuzhou.

A middle-aged man with tanned skin, sharp eyes, and wearing armor surveyed the soldiers below the reviewing stand.

"Set off to attack Fu'an."

Liu Zhongzao’s voice was deep. After he finished speaking, he stepped down from the stage and mounted his warhorse.

His gaze turned to Fu'an.

After he reclaimed Fuzhou, he rested for a while before immediately launching an attack on Fu'an.

Before the Qing army can return to defend, we should take over the entire territory of Fuzhou as soon as possible. Then we can go further and take over the rich city of Hangzhou. In this way, the great cause of overthrowing the Qing and restoring the Ming can be seen in the future.

"Minister Liu, I am willing to be the vanguard and cut off the Qing scouts around Fu'an City, thus cutting off the enemy's retreat route." Zhao Shimian, a general under Liu Zhongzao, volunteered for the mission.

He was tall and strong, with a face like a steel statue, and his eyes held an imposing presence even without anger.

In battle, Zhao Shimian always took the lead and was incredibly brave.

"Alright, first cut off the Qing army's spies and block their retreat, then the main force will follow."

"Remember not to pursue the enemy too far."

Liu Zhongzao agreed to Zhao Shimian's proposal, while adding a word of advice.

Zhao Shimian bowed and agreed, then led three thousand soldiers to leave the ranks first.

With the vanguard clearing the way and the main force pressing forward, taking the isolated city of Fu'an is only a matter of time.

However, at this moment, a rider galloped up from behind, and Liu Zhongzao immediately frowned.

"A 600-li urgent dispatch... Something happened back home at this time?"

"Report! Urgent military intelligence from the rear of Minister Liu's camp!"

The soldiers at the post station quickly dismounted, handed over the envelope, and dictated the military situation: "The Duke of Jian Guo, under the pretext of aiding Jianning Prefecture, is wantonly looting our territory, and many civilians have been slaughtered! General Huang, who is guarding Shanyang Town, requests Minister Liu to send troops to support us."

Upon hearing the news, Liu Zhongzao raised an eyebrow and clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.

He picked up the letter, glanced at it, veins bulging on his forehead, and then tore it to shreds.

"Outrageous! Utterly outrageous, Jung Chae!"

A surge of anger welled up inside Liu Zhongzao, but he dared not actually curse Zheng Cai.

Zheng Cai held a position of power second only to the emperor in the imperial court. As a Duke, he controlled the court and even dared to kill ministers at will.

Liu Zhongzao was merely the Minister of War; if Zheng Cai found any fault with him, he could be killed with a single order.

For the sake of the bigger picture, he had no choice but to endure it; everything would be fine once Fu'an was taken over.

The soldiers at the post station glanced up at Liu Zhongzao, and seeing that he had not given any further orders, they were puzzled.

Liu Zhongzao noticed the gazes of the surrounding soldiers; this was a tricky situation.

He could only curse inwardly: "That beast Zheng Cai, he had to cause trouble in the rear at this time. If we don't handle it well, the morale of the army will be unstable. But if we offend Zheng Cai, the plan to recapture Fu'an will have to be put on hold."

Liu Zhongzao racked his brains and came up with a solution that was hardly a solution.

"Have General Huang rally the surrounding people and defend the city. I guarantee that Duke Jianguo will not actually attack the city. I will report this matter to the court and have the court severely punish him."

"Don't worry, the Duke of Jian Guo has surely angered the public with this act, and I guarantee he will be punished by the Prince of Lu."

After Liu Zhongzao's words, the soldiers finally felt reassured, but this assurance also left them feeling uneasy and suspicious.

Because internal power struggles within the imperial court have happened more than once or twice, this time it probably won't be that simple.

Liu Zhongzao also knew that this matter had to be suppressed, so he immediately wrote a letter and sent it to the court.

"Take this letter to Minister Qian; he will have a solution."

The messenger returned to Fuzhou immediately upon receiving the letter.

Among the important figures in the imperial court who could speak on Liu Zhongzao's behalf, only Grand Secretary Qian Sule was truly influential.

No one else is qualified to fight Zheng Caidou.

In less than a day, Qian Sule received a letter from Liu Zhongzao.

Inside the study, Qian Sule read the letter by lamplight, his brows, which were already furrowed, now tightly knitted together.

"The Zheng traitor is brutal; how is he any different from the Jurchen barbarians!"

Qian Sule grumbled and cursed, but considering Zheng Cai's influence in the court, he suppressed his desire to submit a memorial.

The deaths of Xiong Rulin, a Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, and Zheng Zunqian, the Marquis of Yixing, are still fresh in my mind.

If he rashly submitted a memorial, he would surely be killed by Zheng Cai.

However, if Zheng Cai's sabotage in the rear is not stopped, Liu Zhongzao will not be able to continue attacking Fu'an.

"Oh! It's so difficult, so very difficult!"

Qian Sule paced anxiously in the room, finally letting out a sigh.

He spread out the paper, picked up the brush, and dipped it in ink.

"Uncle Jian, let this matter rest for now. Zheng is arrogant and will surely face retribution in the future. We only need to defend the city, and Zheng will not dare to act recklessly. He can plunder the countryside as he pleases. Once we have taken back Fu'an, we will have the power to challenge Zheng in the imperial court. Zheng will surely pay the price in the future..."

In his letter, Qian Sule showed no restraint, cursing Zheng Cai and even calling him a traitor, expressing his desire for revenge in the future.

However, the overall situation must be prioritized at present. Liu Zhongzao wants to recapture Fu'an, while Zheng Cai's military expedition is also under the pretext of supporting Jianning Prefecture.

Once he has plundered to his satisfaction, he will naturally withdraw and attack the cities he has already captured. Zheng Cai is unlikely to do such a thing.

In short, be patient and settle scores later.

After finishing writing the letter, Qian Sule was exhausted.

Seal the letter, instruct the servants to deliver it to Liu Zhongzao as soon as the city gates open tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile, Liujia Village, located around Shanyang Town, was also nearby.

Shanyang Town is located at the border of Fuzhou Prefecture and Funing Prefecture. If you go any further, you will enter Funing Prefecture.

Inside a commoner's house, a disheveled, rather attractive woman knelt on the ground, begging for mercy from the man sitting in the seat.

"My lord, I have already gone along with you. Please, have mercy on my husband."

The woman's voice trembled, her body was covered in bruises, and she seemed somewhat mentally unstable.

Zheng Cai sat in the seat of honor, looking as if she had just enjoyed herself.

"You can get lost now. If you keep bothering me, I'll chop you up with this knife."

Zheng Cai didn't want to pay attention to the woman in front of her, yawned, and prepared to go to sleep.

Upon hearing this, the woman looked anxious and quickly stepped forward to hug Zheng Cai's feet.

"My lord, please, spare my husband! All the grain and money we had hidden in our home were donated to the army. We have nothing left."

Zheng Cai clicked his tongue and his face turned angry. He kicked the woman away.

"Guards, take him away!"

A cold remark sent a chill down the woman's spine.

The soldiers guarding the door exchanged a smile, then immediately pulled the woman out, followed by a scream.

"Keep your voice down!"

Zheng Cai went back to his room and fell asleep immediately. He slept very well that night.

As for the couple in the house, the man had been killed for not honestly donating grain, and the woman was naturally given to the servants.

The next morning, Zheng Cai slept soundly.

Early in the morning, a guard, accompanied by another person and holding a letter, stood guard at the door, waiting for Zheng Cai to finish washing up.

"Your Excellency, we have apprehended a suspicious person who claims to be from the Qian family. We do not believe him and can only leave the decision to Your Excellency."

After the guard finished speaking, he presented a letter.

Zheng Cai planted many spies around his political enemies, such as Qian Sule, so that their every move was under his watchful eye.

There must be something fishy about Qian Ge Lao sending a letter at this time.

Zheng Cai took the letter, opened it, and sneered, "Well said, Qian Xisheng!"

After speaking, he looked sharply at the messenger.

"You're from Qian Ge Lao's family, right? I'll deliver this letter for him; you can go back now."

"By the way, tell Grand Secretary Qian that I'm not done with him about this!"

The messenger was so frightened that he immediately knelt down and kowtowed; "Thank you, sir, for sparing my life."

After saying this, he scrambled away and returned to the Qian residence, where he told Qian Sule about the incident.

"Your Excellency, something terrible has happened! The letter has been stolen by the Duke of Jian Guo."

"What did you say?!" Qian Sule's eyes widened, his withered hands gripping the messenger tightly, his body trembling uncontrollably. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but no words came out.

"The letter was snatched away by the Duke of Jian Guo, and the Duke of Jian Guo even said, even said..."

"What else did Zheng Cai say?" Qian Sule asked, holding his breath.

The messenger said, "The Duke of Jian Guo sent me with a message that this matter is not over."

Upon hearing this, Qian Sule froze. In extreme terror, his eyes, which were about to pop out of their sockets, rolled upwards. Then, he stopped breathing and fell backward.

"master!"

The servants rushed forward to help Qian Sule up.

But by this time, Qian Sule had already stopped breathing.