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

……

In ancient times, generals would first use diplomacy before resorting to force, thus ensuring their campaigns had a legitimate reason.

But Li Tian is not an ancient person; he is a modern young man who does not understand martial ethics.

The attack struck directly at the heart of the matter, and Yanping Prefecture was captured without any warning.

On the day they captured Yanping Prefecture, the army quickly took control of the city and issued an order to cut off queues (braids).

The people cheered for the arrival of the royal army, but some Manchu bannermen would rather die than be cut down, while others were so frightened that they changed their names overnight, claiming that their ancestors were Han Chinese.

Yan Naichao respected those who refused to yield even unto death and executed them on the spot, while ignoring those who knew better for the time being.

Inside the Yanping Prefecture government office, after taking over Yanping Prefecture, Yan Naichao immediately began assigning tasks.

"Jiang Tao, you will lead two companies of the vanguard battalion, one company of the Shenji battalion, and one company of the reinforced battalion to capture Shunchang Town upstream, forming a defensive line with Yanping Prefecture."

"Yes, Commander." Jiang Tao accepted the order and immediately went to muster the troops and set off.

"Hu Fangyuan, you take your rear guard battalion and prisoners to build a defensive line on the main road of Jiufeng Mountain. The battlefield will be located here."

"Yes, Commander." Hu Fangyuan led the rearguard battalion immediately, carrying military shovels out of the city to build a defensive position.

After roughly assigning tasks, Yan Naichao, along with the remaining people, began to take charge of the government affairs of Yanping Prefecture.

Once they take Yanping Prefecture, it will be their territory.

They wouldn't give up easily, so they took the opportunity to take stock of the population in Yanping Prefecture, understand the population structure, and the social environment.

Originally, Yan Naichao would visit those gentry and officials once or twice. If they knew what was good for them, they could join their ranks. If they didn't, then the only option would be to forcibly implement the new army's policies and let them experience the taste of heavy metal poisoning.

Nanjing.

Hong Chengchou followed the imperial edict to Nanjing.

"It's been a long time since I've seen Prince Lekedehun. I must congratulate you this time."

"I still remember when we parted last time, Commander Hong. I owe you a drink. Now that you're in Jiangning, let's drink until we're both drunk."

When Lekedehun saw Hong Chengchou, he laughed and greeted him. The two had worked together to quell the rebellion in Huguang and had a good relationship.

The group arrived at Lekedehun's residence with smiles on their faces. During the banquet, Hong Chengchou took out the imperial edict, read it aloud, and handed it to Lekedehun.

As everyone expected, the imperial edict appointed Lekedehun as the General Who Pacifies the South, in charge of all military affairs in Jiangnan.

The banquet lasted for three days. The first two days were spent having fun and relaxing, but the third day became more serious.

The people attending this banquet were all extraordinary.

The Qing army's high-ranking generals in the south included General Pingnan, Dorobele Lekedehun, Grand Secretary of the Military Affairs Department of the Southern Governor-General Hong Chengchou, General Jingnan Chen Tai, General Zhengnan Tan Tai, Prince Gongshun Kong Youde, Prince Huaishun Geng Zhongming, Prince Zhishun Shang Kexi, and others.

The generals in each region could only sit at the very end.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy, and Lekedehun's gaze immediately locked onto Kong Youde in front of him.

"I didn't expect you to come too, Prince Gongshun."

Kong Youde had more white hair and looked much older. When he heard Lekedehun call him by name, he knew that trouble was coming and forced a smile.

"If the General doesn't want me to come, I can leave. But the situation in Jiangnan is urgent, and the court has dispatched troops to pacify Jiangnan. As an official of the court, I, Kong Youde, am wholeheartedly devoted to serving the court. Upon receiving this order, I will risk my life to contribute my meager strength to the great cause of the court."

"Hmph, all talk and no action," Lekedehun sneered. "If it weren't for your unauthorized and poorly commanded attack, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of elite troops for the Qing Dynasty, how could Jiangnan be in such turmoil now?"

"Guards, execute the criminal Kong Youde! I want to use Kong Youde's head and blood to inspire the entire army."

The atmosphere froze instantly upon hearing this. Kong Youde had never expected that Lekedehun would want to kill him.

Several guards immediately drew their swords to seize Kong Youde.

At this moment, Geng Zhongming, Shang Kexi, Shen Zhixiang and others immediately stood up to stop the soldiers, and Geng Zhongming even knelt on the ground to beg for mercy.

"General, wait a moment. Executing the king before the battle will actually damage the morale of our army."

"Moreover, Prince Gongshun followed Emperor Taizong in his early campaigns and made countless contributions. Now he has only suffered a few defeats. If we were to execute Prince Gongshun, it would only discourage the generals of the country."

"I implore the General to rescind the order."

Shang Kexi and the others also knelt down and begged Lekedehun to retract his order.

"I implore the General to rescind his order."

Lekedehun narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. Seeing so many people speaking up for Kong Youde, and all of them being Han Chinese, he immediately became wary.

When did this group of people get together?

Lekedehun's face darkened. He wanted to kill all the Han people, but then he hesitated.

At this moment, Bahana spoke up to defuse the situation: "General, Prince Gongshun is a pillar of our Qing Dynasty. Although he has made a mistake, it does not warrant death. Moreover, it is inauspicious to execute a general before the battle. Why not let Prince Gongshun atone for his sins in the army first?"

Upon hearing this, Lekedehun's expression softened slightly, and he then changed his tune.

"Since you are willing to dedicate your life to the great cause of the court, then hand over the Tianyou Army. In this battle, you, Kong Youde, will be incorporated into my command as a soldier."

Upon hearing this, Kong Youde frowned and finally sighed.

If he loses the Tianyou Army, his position in the Qing Dynasty will likely be in jeopardy.

But Kong Youde had no choice but to stand up and kneel on the ground to express his gratitude.

"Thank you for your forgiveness, General."

After this matter was concluded, Lekedehun also gave the many Han Chinese generals present a warning.

Hong Chengchou, standing to the side, watched the scene unfold without uttering a single word.

He was highly respected in the Qing Dynasty, and even Dorgon treated him with great courtesy, but he always knew his place.

During the Qing Dynasty, Han Chinese were absolutely forbidden from disobeying the Manchus.

"General Hong, I have heard that the bandit Li Tian has a sharp weapon and more than 100,000 elite troops under his command. How should we make our move?" Lekedehun brought the topic to the main point.

Hong Chengchou had already made ample preparations, and when he was called upon, he immediately spoke up, while simultaneously signaling his servants to bring over a map.

"Before coming to Fujian, I did some research. The bandits had powerful firearms, but not many of them. They always concentrated their use in one army."

"Therefore, if we are to go to war with Li Tian, ​​we must avoid his sharp edge."

"Taking down Li Tian is not difficult. We just need to attack from multiple angles, find his weaknesses, and then kill him with one blow."

"Our army can enter Fujian from Jiangxi and Zhejiang."

"To enter Fujian from Zhejiang, we need to capture Xianxia Ridge, which is very difficult. We can launch a feint attack."

"Entering Fujian from Jiangxi, we can launch attacks from multiple points, such as Cenyang Pass, Fenshui Pass, and Shan Pass."

Hong Chengchou paused at this point.

"A multi-pronged attack is indeed a good idea. If any army manages to enter Jianning Prefecture, it can advance rapidly and disrupt the rear." Lekedehun agreed with this strategic approach.

"Supervisor Hong continued."

Hong Chengchou smiled and said, "However, we are not in a hurry for this battle, because we will not be the only ones fighting the rebels; there are also the remnants of the Ming dynasty."

"Therefore, our army only needs to station a small number of troops at these passes, and wait for the rebel army to fight with the remnants of Zhu Ming. When both sides are exhausted, our army will break through the passes and enter Fujian. At that time, we will sweep across southern Fujian and Guangdong and wipe out the remnants of the rebels in one fell swoop."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this. The Han people understand each other best. The more critical the moment, the more the rebels who occupy the south will fight amongst themselves.

In the end, they can simply sit back and reap the benefits.

Upon hearing Hong Chengchou's analysis, Zhong, who had been tense, felt much more relaxed about the upcoming meeting in Pingnan, Fujian, and Guangdong.

However, just as everyone was beginning to relax, an urgent report arrived, causing everyone's expressions to turn serious.