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

……

Fu'an, Funing Prefecture.

At this time, Fu'an City was completely besieged. Guo Zhixiu, the magistrate of the Qing Dynasty, patrolled the city walls day and night, fearing that the enemy would launch another attack.

However, after the morning light pierced the darkness this day, Guo Zhixiu discovered that the Ming army was not attacking.

"Strange, are the rebels unable to break through today?"

"That's good. As long as we can hold them off, once our Qing reinforcements arrive, the rebels outside the city will be wiped out in an instant."

At that moment, a subordinate came to report.

"Report! Your Excellency, the rebel army outside the city seems to be retreating."

"Retreat?" Guo Zhixiu's face showed surprise upon hearing this result. Looking around, she could indeed see the enemy troops retreating in the distance.

Guo Zhixiu's eyes darted around as she suddenly realized something; "Such a sudden retreat is not like a normal withdrawal. There must be a problem in the rear. And those remnants of the Ming Dynasty are best at hindering the front lines in the court."

"Follow me out of the city to pursue them!" Guo Zhixiu shouted loudly, not wanting to miss this opportunity.

The rebels outside the city were treated as if they were his doing.

Meanwhile, the Ming army's positions outside the city...

Liu Zhongzao's siege of Fu'an went smoothly, but he received an urgent report from the rear.

"General, something terrible has happened! Our supply lines have been intercepted, and we've suffered heavy losses in the rear!"

Liu Zhongzao frowned. The supply of provisions to the rear is the lifeline of an army. If it is attacked, even the strongest army will be annihilated.

"Explain in detail. Qing reinforcements haven't arrived, and scouts nearby haven't detected any other Qing troops. Our supply lines are in the rear, so how could they be cut off?"

The soldier took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and said, "General, it wasn't the Qing army that attacked our supply lines, but rather, it was the Duke of Jian's army."

"It seems they have already captured Jianning Prefecture, and on their return they seized our supplies while our army was off guard."

"Zheng Cai! You bastard who was born of a mother but raised without one!" Liu Zhongzao roared, kicking over the table.

Zheng Cai repeatedly thwarted his plans. The small city of Fu'an was about to be captured, but Zheng Cai stubbornly blocked his advance.

For a fleeting moment, Liu Zhongzao even suspected that Zheng Cai was a spy sent by the Qing Dynasty.

After all, his uncle Zheng Zhilong had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty.

"General, please calm down. Let's put this matter aside for now, withdraw our troops, and inform King Lu of what has happened here."

Lieutenant General Dong Shinan immediately stepped forward to dissuade Liu Zhongzao.

"And I recently received some bad news: I heard that Grand Secretary Qian was scared to death by Zheng Cai."

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhongzao frowned, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, but he was completely helpless.

If he immediately turns against Zheng Cai, all his efforts will be in vain.

The infighting ultimately benefited the Qing Dynasty.

"Why!"

Liu Zhongzao could only sigh heavily, and then reluctantly ordered a retreat, arranging for a rearguard action.

Harassing Liu Zhongzao's rear and preventing him from successfully attacking Fu'an was naturally part of Zheng Cai's plan.

The army marched in a grand procession, as if the royal army had won a great victory, and the unsuspecting people lined the streets to welcome them.

Meanwhile, news that Zheng Cai had captured Jianning Prefecture and that the rebel leader Li Tian had sent an envoy to sue for peace unknowingly reached the ears of the Prince of Lu in Fuzhou.

Upon hearing this news, Prince Lu, Zhu Yihai, was extremely anxious. He immediately summoned Prince Yunxi, Zhu Changhu, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief Zhang Huangyan, and Left Vice Minister of War Shen Chenquan to discuss the matter.

"As you all have heard, the rebel army in Jianning Prefecture has sent envoys to sue for peace, and I've heard that they don't just number two or three thousand, but a hundred thousand!"

"If these 100,000 men surrender, they will likely be brought under Zheng Cai's command. At that time, Zheng Cai's military power will be even greater, and there will probably be no one in the court who can restrain him."

Everyone's expressions turned solemn upon hearing this.

The reason why Zheng Cai was so arrogant was because when Prince Lu wanted to return to the mainland from the sea to continue the anti-Qing and restoration movement, Zheng Cai was the first to respond in Fujian and led a large army to welcome Prince Lu.

The fact that everyone was able to establish themselves in Fujian back then was largely due to Zheng Cai.

This is precisely why Zheng Caicai became arrogant and domineering.

King Kelu and his entourage were not to be underestimated; they had been actively recruiting local rebel forces to bolster their own strength.

Furthermore, a formidable figure like Liu Zhongzao emerged, frequently recovering lost territory and advancing all the way to Fuzhou.

Otherwise, King Lu would have become a puppet long ago.

"Reverend, do not worry, this matter needs to be discussed later," Zhang Huangyan said from the side.

"What are your thoughts, Imperial Censor Zhang?" asked Zhu Changhu, the Prince of Yunxi.

"I have been ordered to win over the rebels in various places. I am well-informed, and as far as I know, that rebel army is no ordinary one."

Zhang Huangyan had been traveling on business trips, secretly contacting righteous armies to overthrow the Qing dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty. He was very well-informed and had just returned to Fuzhou to report on his duties.

"The rebel leader was named Li Tian, ​​but we don't know his specific details. He was probably from Fujian."

"His rebel army somehow reached the walls of Jianning Prefecture and fought against our army and the Qing army three times. First, they fought against the Qing army that launched a surprise attack from behind and annihilated 6,000 of them. Then they attacked Jianning Prefecture and the city fell in one day. A few days later, they fought a decisive battle with the Qing army's governor, Chen Jin, at Xiaosongxi. They launched a night attack on the Qing army and wiped out more than 100,000 Qing soldiers in one night, achieving a great victory."

"Qing governor-general Chen Jin is suspected to have died in the chaos of battle, and there has been no further news of the Qing army advancing south since then."

"By the time the Duke of Jianguo received the plea for help from Jianning Prefecture and set off with his army, Jianning Prefecture had already fallen into the hands of Li Tian. Judging from the time, the Duke of Jianguo probably only walked around the city of Jianning Prefecture and did not attack it. Otherwise, he would not have suffered no losses."

Zhang Huangyan is often on the front lines and is also among the civil servants, so his intelligence is highly credible.

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes became more thoughtful.

"If what Imperial Censor Zhang said is true, then Li Tian probably didn't send envoys to seek peace because he was afraid of Zheng Cai, but rather he took the initiative to send envoys to join our Great Ming." Zhu Changhu suddenly thought of this and couldn't help but smile.

If so, then the imperial court will have another powerful force to counter Zheng Cai.

Achieving such a balance will make future actions much easier.

Shen Chenquan shook his head and smiled; "Li Tian is powerful, and joining might be a good thing, but it will also bring more intense struggles. Zheng Cai probably won't tolerate Li Tian."

"If you can't tolerate Li Tian, ​​why is the Duke of Jian Guo protecting the envoy's entourage?" Prince Lu suddenly asked.

Everyone shook their heads; there was too little information, and perhaps it wasn't what they thought.

"Your Excellency, no matter what the situation, I will personally go to bring the envoy back to Fuzhou. Then I will know exactly what Li Tian wants to do and what Zheng Cai plans to do," Zhang Huangyan suggested.

After all, contacting the rebel army was one of his duties.

"Very well, let's do as Imperial Censor Zhang says. I'll trouble Imperial Censor Zhang to make the trip," said Prince Lu.

Zhang Huangyan accepted the order and acted decisively. He left the palace shortly afterward, returned home to make preparations, and then immediately set off for Zheng Cai's army.

Zheng Cai's army had already entered the territory of Fuzhou, so Zhang Huangyan could meet them in a few hours by galloping at full speed.

"Your humble servant Zhang Huangyan pays his respects to the Duke of Jian Guo and congratulates him on his triumphant return."