Chapter 233 The plan of Sangui, the Zheng family is in chaos again
Zhao Liangdong was recruited into the army in the second year of Shunzhi. He was under the command of Meng Qiaofang, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and acted as the garrison at Tongguan. He later conquered Qinzhou (now Tianshui, Gansu) and Gongchang (now Longxi, Gansu), defeated Ming generals He Zhen and Wu Dading, and was promoted to Ningxia
In the 5th year of Shunzhi, he suppressed the Milayin and Ding Guodong uprising. Due to his meritorious service, he was promoted to Gaotai guerrilla. In the 13th year of Shunzhi, Zhao Liangdong accompanied Hong Chengchou to conquer Yunnan and Guizhou. He was awarded the title of deputy general of the Chinese Army and later stayed in Guizhou.
Returned to Guizhou Admiral Li Benchen to control.
After Wu Sangui withdrew from Yunnan Province and took over Guizhou, Zhao Liangdong was squeezed out and secretly sent people to the capital to accuse Wu Sangui of colluding with the Ming army and having ulterior motives. However, Wu Sangui obtained the letter and was detained. In addition, Zhu Yongxing's accusation against the so-called three generals of the Han family in Hexi
Always paying attention to Zhang Yong, Wang Jinbao was dead, and Zhao Liangdong was the only one left, so he repeatedly asked Wu Sangui for help to prove Wu Xiangming's intentions.
Now the situation has suddenly changed. The Wu tribe has lost the buffer of Guangxi Sun Yanling, and Guizhou Province is under attack from two sides. Wu Yingxiong has not yet been rescued. In order to buy time for relaxation, Wu Sangui finally killed him and used Zhao Liangdong's head to express his submission to Zhu Yongxing.
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Is it honor or shame for the generals of the Three Han Dynasties in Hexi? In history, they made great achievements in pacifying the Three Feudatories. However, they suppressed the anti-Qing uprising and massacred the people in the war zone. The people of Sichuan suffered another catastrophe. Their crimes should be punished and it is not a pity.
"Why didn't you send the person whom His Highness Min wanted alive?" Guo Zhuangtu asked his father-in-law in confusion in the study.
"This person hates Gu very much. If he gets favored by His Highness, he will be detrimental to Gu in the future." Wu Sangui shook his head and said sadly: "Let's buy some time. When Ying Xiong returns, we can force the Qing court, or
If you want money and food, you may want Hunan, but you still won't lose the title of king."
If you can't defeat the Ming army, even if you temporarily take territory from the Qing court, will the Ming court allow you to split the land and make you king? Guo Zhuangtu sighed secretly in his heart, feeling that the longer Wu Sangui delayed, the worse it would be. Because he wanted to keep an eye on Guizhou, and the Ming army was in Yunnan.
The provinces and Guizhou provinces all have heavy troops but cannot use them. Wouldn't that make His Highness Min resentful?
"Min Fan has a benevolent heart and always pays attention to reducing casualties and wounding of soldiers." Wu Sangui seemed to be answering Guo Zhuangtu's doubts, and seemed to be talking to himself, "If Guizhou is a province, we can protect our family and property; if we invest in it, we can protect it."
The victory south of the Yangtze River has been determined, but the official titles and princes have not been lost."
It's not very coherent, but Guo Zhuangtu understands it. Min Fan is kind and in order to reduce casualties, he probably won't rush to send troops to Guizhou. Now he is just using force to force others. It is true that the Ming army now takes the strategic initiative. But if
It is not certain that we will definitely win. If you wait and see first, and then become a key force at the critical moment, the treatment you will receive will be very different.
"The suspicion of the Qing court is growing day by day. Even if you continue to work hard for it, even if you are temporarily spared, it will not end well in the end." Wu Sangui said slowly: "However, the south of the river is not suitable for the Manchu Eight Banners to gallop and fight with the Ming army. Even if it is
Victory would probably be a serious loss of vitality. The Min vassal empire had overseas territories. They also sent the King of Jin to manage Sichuan, but he was defeated and perished. His navy was as tyrannical as the Zheng family, making it difficult to have peace along the coast. Not to mention that the mood of the Han people had been
Agitate and stabilize the place. How easy is it?"
"The Prince of Jieshi can take advantage of the opportunity to seize the southwest, or join forces with the Min vassal to control the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The status is naturally different." Guo Zhuangtu roughly guessed what Wu Sangui was thinking. He smiled and said: "There are a few Manchus.
If you want to stabilize your rule in the south, you have to break up the soil and divide the grass. The prince is still a prince."
"The situation is changing. This is just wishful thinking, and it is extremely difficult to achieve." Wu Sangui smiled bitterly and said, "Let's wait and see! It's a pity that Qian Province is located inland and there is no way out by sea. Otherwise, with the west
Barbarian trade can provide muskets, artillery and other sharp weapons. With the greatly increased strength, the room for maneuver is naturally wide. The Min Fan and the Yunnan Province are eager to attack Annan before they are settled. They go to the sea from Annan, but their vision is far-reaching.
And!"
"Maybe it's not that far-sighted." Guo Zhuangtu said jokingly: "The situation was so critical at the beginning, Min Fan might have reserved a way out, and if the battle was not easy, he would go to sea!"
Wu Sangui chuckled and said, "Well, I'm afraid I really think so. With Min Fan's ability, as long as he has thousands of elite soldiers to plunder overseas lands and conquer the barbarians, it is not difficult to become king in a different place."
"After becoming king in a different place, Min Fan is not a quiet master." Guo Zhuangtu said with a smile: "I'm afraid a counterattack is indispensable."
"But it won't be such a big momentum." Wu Sangui sighed and said: "It's easier to retreat than to advance. If we really go overseas, we will lose all the people's hearts and it will be difficult to gather them together. How is it like now, even if the Ming army loses a few times?
, even if two provinces are lost, they can still take a breather and recuperate, and fight again with strength. If you want to completely wipe out, unless..."
Guo Zhuangtu thought for a while and already knew what Wu Sangui was referring to. He said tentatively: "Unless the Zheng family turns against each other and severely damages or annihilates their navy."
"That's exactly it." Wu Sangui gently touched his forehead and said in a deep voice: "It's just that the Zheng family's child, how can it be the opponent of Min Fan? But this variable does exist."
Guo Zhuangtu thought quickly and realized that the situation of the Ming army might not be as good as it appeared. There were still hidden dangers and the possibility of civil strife was not small. His father-in-law's caution did make some sense.
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Guangzhou City, Min Palace.
"Send someone to deliver the imperial edict to Xiamen!" Zhu Yongxing walked into the confidential room and issued the first instruction.
As expected, Zheng Jing easily defeated the resistance of the Taiwanese generals. Since Zhu Yongxing had secretly sent people to Taiwan in advance, some generals had already made preparations. When the leader Huang Zhao died in the battle, Zheng Jing was about to surrender, and his defeat was set.
Xiao Gongchen led more than a thousand remaining defeated soldiers and their families to flee in panic by boat, and went to Guangzhou to join the Ming army.
The imperial edict was issued at this time, which satisfied Zheng Jing's request. It also stated in the imperial edict that the imperial court had already made arrangements for Zheng Xi and others in Taiwan, which was to order them to take back their self-proclaimed nursing official positions and come to Guangzhou to plead guilty. In this way,
There was a reason to take in Xiao Gongchen and others, and to block Zheng Jing's mouth to prevent him from pursuing Zhu Yongxing for his traitorous generals and soldiers.
"I ordered the officials of Zhangzhou and Quanzhou to allow the Zheng family to go ashore to purchase food, but the food must be limited. They only said that the war was tight and they needed to supply military supplies."
Following the Qing government's blockade policy may put the Zheng family's supplies in straits, but it is not a wise move. Taiwan has just been opened up for farming, and there will definitely be a big shortage of food. Limited trading will prevent the Zheng family from changing due to hardship, and also
This made it difficult for the Zheng family to accumulate enough food and grass, and they became dependent on it.
Based on Zheng Jing's short-sightedness, Zhu Yongxing was indeed worried about the possibility of fighting with swords and seizing territory by force. Guangzhou did strengthen its defenses. King Ma Bao of Wei transferred a regiment of elite elites from Fujian Province, and other pieces were put together.
The men and horses, as well as Xiao Gongchen who had just arrived, should be safe. But other coastal areas are very empty.
Probably not. Zhu Yongxing has repeatedly discussed with his think tanks that Zheng Jing has already earned the reputation of a "rebellious son". If he uses force against the court, he will completely abandon the image of Mingchen. In the case of internal instability, he
The possibility of such a barbaric act is very small.
Zheng Jing still has to fly the banner of the Ming Dynasty, at least until he thinks he has unified the internal affairs of the Zheng family and established authority. And if he still follows the traditional purge method in history, he will not wait until he fully grasps the
When he lost the power of the Zheng family, he would no longer be able to compete with the Ming army.
According to Zhu Yongxing's calculations, Zheng Jing will most likely do that. A guilty-minded person will neurotically believe that there are dangers all around him. It seems that many people are secretly discussing his immorality and slandering him to make his father angry.
He would also question the legitimacy of his inheritance. In order to cover up and establish authority, well. In ancient times, it was called murder to establish prestige. Zheng Jing would definitely eliminate those who might threaten his status and those who did not respect his authority.
This is not only the inheritance of the title of King Yanping, but also the power to decide all matters big and small. As well as the army and subordinates who are absolutely loyal to him. Purging seems to be the only thing Zheng Jing who grew up in feudal education
Choice and decisiveness in killing were Zheng Chenggong's strengths and weaknesses. While he had supreme authority in the army, he also forced his generals to surrender and become enemies many times because of this.
Zheng Jing definitely didn't understand him so deeply. He must be proud of his father's style. In addition, he cannot fully accept the orders of others and cannot tolerate the slightest disrespect from his subordinates. It is inevitable to embark on the path of betrayal and alienation. What's more,
Zhu Yongxing also secretly ordered the intelligence agencies to do tricks in Taiwan, and Zheng Tai was bound to become the first victim.
"Taiwan produces nitrates, which can be traded or bartered with." Zhu Yongxing continued to make arrangements, not only to control Zheng Jing, but not to push too hard, especially to maintain the connection between Taiwan and the mainland. For the future,
is crucial.
"In addition -" Zhu Yongxing pondered, and said slowly and uncertainly: "It seems that we can discuss matters related to the Fujian Provincial Customs with the Zheng family, and use the condition of sharing a small amount of commercial tax revenue to prevent the Zheng family from intercepting merchant ships.
Random charges.”
"Your Highness, I'm afraid this is inappropriate!"
There were talents from all walks of life in the confidential room, and they were not too old. The atmosphere Zhu Yongxing worked hard to create also made them dare to speak out and give advice. Chen Zhonghe immediately expressed his doubts.
"Commercial tax is national revenue and must be handled by the imperial court. If we want to divide it with the Zheng family, there must be someone from the Zheng family to supervise and verify. Wouldn't it give the Zheng family the illusion of being on equal footing with the imperial court? In my humble opinion,
The imperial court can issue military pay to the Zheng family. If the Zheng family accepts it, they are affiliated with the imperial court, and there is no excuse to stop the ship and charge money. If someone violates orders and acts indiscriminately, His Highness will deal with it well."
"Disburse military pay?" Zhu Yongxing complained a little in his heart and shook his head: "It costs too much and cannot be supported by financial resources, right?"
"My subordinate's intention is that Zheng Jun must be inspected first, and then he can be paid accordingly." Chen Zhonghe explained with a smile: "I'm afraid Zheng Jing won't agree? Even if he agrees, according to the current requirements of our army,
How many qualified soldiers can there be in Zheng's army? If you calculate it, it is estimated that tens of thousands of silver a month can be enough. If you don't have enough financial resources, you can also use land stamps to offset it!"
Zhu Yongxing suddenly came to his senses, smiled and pointed at Chen Zhonghe with his finger, and said: "Okay, this is a great plan. Land ticket, um, how come you forgot about it?"
Isn't it tempting Zheng Jun's soldiers to come ashore and surrender by distributing military pay with part of the land stamps? Zheng Jing will definitely not agree, so that's easy to say. The imperial court is not discriminating against you, Zheng Jun, if you don't want it.
"Your Highness, you can also ask the Zheng family to send troops to help the war, and you can also allow them to do some land prefectures and counties." Zha Rulong added from the side.
Zhu Yongxing nodded lightly and said thoughtfully: "In this case, the Zheng family soldiers will come to serve, so there is no need to sail across the sea, which will be more convenient. Well, Fujian is the best, followed by Guangdong. We still need to think about it.
"
The total number of the Zheng family's soldiers and generals, as well as their accompanying families and people, is no less than hundreds of thousands. It is not possible to resettle them all on land in several states and counties. Unless all the original inhabitants of the states and counties are relocated,
And this is impossible.
Then there is only one way left, scattered settlement and relative concentration. This is probably unacceptable to Zheng Jing. Land is what he once dreamed of, but now it is different from the one he seized from the Qing army, and has no relationship with the imperial court.
Once the boundary was reached, it was difficult for him to ensure that people's hearts would not tilt towards the imperial court.
Speaking of which, this is actually a way to slowly affect and fundamentally weaken the Zheng family. Without a popular base, even if the Zheng family has warships and soldiers, it is bound to become a rogue army.
Historically, it was precisely because of the lack of depth, lack of rear bases, and lack of self-sufficient food and supplies that the Zheng family's army was limited in its performance. Although the coastal relocation was cruel and short-sighted, it did cause great difficulties to the Zheng family. Zheng Jing
He withdrew from Jinxia and concentrated on running Taiwan. This was one of the reasons why he himself caused a great chaos in military morale, and a flood of people surrendered. The lack of supplies from the mainland was also a reason that cannot be ignored.
"Your Highness, Zheng Jing is in the southeast, so worrying!" Zha Rulong expressed his worries. At that time, he supported the faction that took advantage of the Zheng family's civil strife to completely resolve it. Now that Zheng Jing has pacified Taiwan, he feels very sorry.
"The great enemy is the Manchu Qing Dynasty. This must be remembered." Zhu Yongxing is not a believer in "Anti-foreign forces must first settle the internal affairs." He did not say anything clearly. I believe Zha Rulong will understand.
If there was a conflict with the Zheng family at that time, it would indeed be very possible to destroy the unstable Jinxia Group, but the Navy would also suffer a lot of losses. How can it have such great power now? It can be said that the control of the strategic initiative, the Navy
The division's invincibility is the key.
But there is a glimmer of hope. Zhu Yongxing does not want to use force to solve internal problems. Even if Zheng Jing separates his power, as long as he still regards himself as a Ming minister and does not use force against the Ming army, there will be an opportunity for peaceful resolution. Zhu Yongxing can wait, he can wait until he is destroyed
In the Qing Dynasty, wait for him to defeat Tsarist Russia in the north, wait for him to conquer the Mongolian tribes, wait for China Hai Qing He Yan... Even if he waits until he is seventy or eighty, it will not be too late to recover Taiwan by then.
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Changes in the way of war, especially in the early stages, often catch the enemy off guard. Key factors such as troop strength and time will lead to misjudgments because they still follow the previous ideas, which will continue to lead to passivity. To adapt, it takes time and requires a new understanding of the opponent.
, so that correct adjustments can be made.
On September 25, the 16th year of Yongli reign (the first year of Kangxi), Zhongxiang was captured by a double-destruction blast from the Ming army. The defender was killed in the second blast. The defenders were leaderless and failed to organize effective resistance.
Death or surrender, the whole army will be wiped out.
On September 27, the Ming army ambushed the Jingzhou reinforcements of the Qing army 70 miles south of Zhongxiang City, with ten thousand versus five thousand, and won another unsuspicious victory. The Jingzhou Qing army did not work hard. According to the traditional attack and defense time,
They could have arrived to help before Zhongxiang City fell. However, their error in judgment caused them great misfortune and became a model of "first come, first served".
However, Zhang Changgeng first sent a group of Wuchang green battalion troops up the Han River. When they heard the news of the defeat in Shayang County downstream, they immediately stopped advancing, turned around and ran back until they reached Mianyang (now Xiantao City) before taking a breather.
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"Attack Jingzhou and go straight down the Yangtze River." "Attack Jingmen and force the troops to force Yiling." "Occupy Nanzhang in the west, Baokang, and connect with the old base of Difang County and Xingshan."
After the consecutive victories, differences emerged within the Shuo Army. Some were more radical, while others were seeking stability. Liu Tichun and Hao Yaoqi also found it difficult to choose. However, the staff group had not made a decision at this time, which is not to say that it did not have a plan.
, but the contact has not been successful, and they are waiting for news from the Kuidong base area.
"If the navy and the troops left behind can dispatch, it will be a double attack, and we are very sure of conquering Yiling." Wang Yougong gestured on the map and explained to Liu Tichun and Hao Yaoqi, "If our army acts alone, we will be able to conquer Yiling."
There is only water and land, and there is not much material and food to carry around. Once trapped under a fortified city, the consequences will be dire."
"If you want to be on the safe side, you can divide your troops and take Nanzhang and Baokang counties in the west. The Qing troops will be mobilized by Zhong Xiang. These two counties should be extremely empty. It is also possible to take them without fighting." Liu Tichun pointed to the map and said: "
If it is connected with the old base area, the fleet will threaten the waterway, and it can also press southwards on land to Zigui and Yiling."
"If we divide the troops, I'm afraid we will have to make arrangements to abandon Zhong Xiang." Hao Yaoqi said with some reluctance: "Although we have won consecutive battles and gained a lot of materials and personnel, the battle line has also been stretched. If the Qing army reinforces four episodes,
…”
"Don't worry about the gains and losses of one city or one place." Wang Yougong showed his approval and said: "Let's shrink it a little and use Yicheng, Nanzhang, and Baokang as the front lines. The whole army will be united as one, communication will be smoother, and troops will be mobilized more easily.
Fast is the safest."
"Then it's decided like this?" Liu Tichun nodded, again in a questioning tone.
"It all depends on the prince's orders." Wang Yougong chuckled and raised his hand to Liu Tichun.
The plan here was decided, so they moved materials to the upper reaches of the Han River, relocated the people, and sent another general army to Yu. Luo Mao and his 10,000 troops headed west to recover Nanzhang and Baokang counties; Hao Yaoqi led a group of troops to occupy Jingmen County.
Blocking the possible reinforcements of the Qing army in Yiling and making it more advantageous to attack Yiling in the future; Liu Tichun led the main force to build fortifications downstream of Zhongxiang to block the Qing army moving up the Han River.
The troops fighting against Shuo were relatively well-arranged, but due to the communication conditions at the time, they did not know that another battle had begun, and that it was a fight at the east gate of the Kuidong base area.