Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, looked at the devastated city, but he smiled.
Standing at the top of the city, he had already seen General Cao Wenzhao returning with his army.
Some time ago, he and Cao Wenzhao led troops to encircle and suppress the rebels in northern Shaanxi.
Long Yan was delighted after capturing the rebel leader Wang Jiayin alive and sending him to the capital.
His position as governor on three sides was completely secure.
Cao Wenzhao went to pursue the last group of rebels. When he returned with his army, he must have wiped out this group of rebels.
The Shaanxi rebels were completely put down.
Hong Chengchou was very happy. The first half of his five-year plan to defeat thieves has been completed.
The gate of Suide City was opened, and Hong Chengchou came to the gate in person to welcome Cao Wenzhao's army into the city.
"General Soldier Cao, thank you for your hard work."
Hong Chengchou looked at the dusty Cao Wenzhao and said with a smile.
Cao Wenzhao knelt down on one knee in front of Hong Chengchou and said respectfully: "Under the command of Master Hong, I will completely wipe out the remnants of Wang Jiayin's rebel bandits entrenched in northern Shaanxi."
Hong Chengchou stepped forward to help Cao Wenzhao.
He thought about how to unite more gentry and build an army to resist the invasion of yellow-clad thieves.
Apart from the yellow-robed thieves entrenched in Hanzhong, there are no other large-scale rebel thieves in Shaanxi now.
As long as Hong Chengchou finds a way to resist the thieves in yellow, he will live up to the emperor's favor.
Shaanxi's military strength alone cannot stop it.
Sichuan's soldiers are well supplied with fine food and cannot stop them, but Shaanxi is short of food and few soldiers.
Even Hong Chengchou didn't have the confidence to resist the thieves in yellow.
Fortunately, other rebels in Shaanxi were eliminated, giving him time to recuperate.
Wang Jiayin's tribe was completely wiped out.
Wang Ziyong's troops fled to Baoji, but Guan Ning's army did not dare to pursue them.
Gao Yingxiang's tribe fled to Shanxi and had already left the boundaries of Shaanxi.
The thieves in yellow have just conquered Sichuan. With your style of doing things, Su He, the leader of the thieves in yellow, will not choose to invade Shaanxi at this time.
The civil uprising resulted in the death of many gentry, and most of the land was given to the gentry who supported Hong Chengchou.
He allocated a small portion of land to accommodate some refugees.
In this way, Shaanxi will regain its strength as soon as possible. As long as God gives some face, it does not ask for good weather, but only asks that the food harvest does not stop.
Hong Chengchou felt that he had the ability to resist the invasion of the yellow-clad thieves after two or three years.
Hong Chengchou suddenly saw dust flying in the distance, and soon there was another sound of reprimand.
"Military emergency, everyone get out of the way."
A man in Ming army uniform rode a fast horse towards the gate of Suide City.
The soldiers on both sides saw the red flags on the horses' heads, signaling an emergency military situation, and they all moved out of the way.
When he saw Hong Chengchou, he reined in the horse.
Cao Wenzhao felt a little distressed when he saw this horse. It was a rare good horse in the army.
A good horse was panting heavily and foaming at the corners of its mouth.
This horse was obviously useless and could only be used to pull carts.
The man immediately knelt down in front of Hong Chengchou.
"Lord Hong, on the orders of Lord Chen Qiyu, I bring you important news."
After he finished speaking, he took out a package, which contained a letter written by Chen Qiyu to Hong Chengchou and the newspaper of the thief in yellow.
Hong Chengchou opened the package and first read the letter from Chen Qiyu and then the newspaper from the thief in yellow.
Chen Qiyu only said one thing in his letter, Su He, the leader of the thieves in yellow, officially proclaimed himself king.
Hong Chengchou looked through the Yellow Clothes Thieves newspaper again, which recorded detailed reports of Su He becoming king.
After reading the newspaper, his face turned livid and his fingers were trembling slightly.
Cao Wenzhao stood aside and looked at Hong Chengchou's condition, knowing that something big had happened.
He didn't dare to take a breath for fear of shocking Hong Chengchou, so he waited for Hong Chengchou to return to normal.
"General Soldier Cao, we are preparing to fight again."
He then sighed.
"What a troubled time!"
Hong Chengchou saw Cao Wenzhao's confused face, so he handed the newspaper to Cao Wenzhao.
Cao Wenzhao took the newspaper and he could understand the simplified Chinese characters for "thief in yellow".
Most of the simplified Chinese characters are derived from cursive writing. As long as they are exposed to them a few times, it is not difficult for readers to understand the meaning of these characters.
After reading this, Cao Wenzhao was shocked and said: "How dare the thieves in yellow dare? How dare they directly claim the throne?"
Cao Wenzhao immediately understood that the matter had become extremely serious.
The thief in yellow is different from the ordinary rebel thief.
Usually the rebels form a grassroots team and claim to be the king of so-and-so.
The imperial court only regarded them as mountain kings, these grass-headed kings, and no one cared about these people being called kings.
Everyone from the emperor down to the generals believed that these rebels could be wiped out by sending troops.
The thieves in yellow are completely different. They have transformed from ordinary rebels into a separatist force.
They have their own system and their own government.
We are even starting to open courses to get a bachelor’s degree.
As a military general, Cao Wenzhao also knew the consequences of a rebel who started to gain scholars and became king.
The imperial court will do whatever it takes to exterminate the thieves in yellow.
Cao Wenzhao said worriedly: "Your Majesty the Governor, Su He, the leader of the thieves in yellow, is now officially king.
The newspaper of the thief in yellow has recorded all Su He's words and deeds in it.
The thieves in yellow want to compete with the Ming Dynasty. They have turned from rebels to rebels.
His Majesty the Emperor will never tolerate Su He doing this, and the imperial court will definitely mobilize a large army to encircle and suppress the thieves in yellow."
Hong Chengchou saw Cao Wenzhao's surprise. He was a little surprised that Cao Wenzhao had such insight.
He said worriedly: "The thieves in yellow have now become a separatist force, and we cannot treat them as ordinary rebel thieves.
The thieves in yellow should be raised to the same status as Hou Jin.
No, the thieves in yellow pose a greater threat to the Ming Dynasty.
The thief in yellow is now a serious problem for the imperial court.
The newspaper report of the thief in yellow stated that Su He was called the King of Qin.
From the name King Qin, we can see the next move of the thief in yellow.
The title "King of Qin" also refers to the previous practice of the thief in yellow.
Su He admired Qin Shihuang very much.
He ranked ancient and modern emperors, ranking Qin Shihuang first.
The thieves in yellow have now occupied Sichuan and Hanzhong. The next step will definitely be to attack Shaanxi and occupy the entire Three Qin Dynasty.
We are in danger. After the autumn harvest, the thieves in yellow may attack at any time.
I hope that the imperial court can encircle and suppress the yellow-robed thieves, and the imperial court will send several large armies to attack the yellow-robed thieves.
Only in Shaanxi can we survive."
Cao Wenzhao waited until Hong Chengchou finished speaking. He immediately knelt on the ground and promised in a loud voice:
"Please rest assured, Governor-General, the Guan Ning Army under my command will defend Shaanxi and the Governor-General to the death."
Hong Chengchou looked at Cao Wenzhao's performance and was very satisfied.
Cao Wenzhao commanded the army well.
Especially the Guan Ning cavalry under his command are very powerful in the plains of Shaanxi.
Hong Chengchou knew in his heart that Shaanxi alone could not stop the thieves in yellow.
There is a huge gap between them and the thieves in yellow.
Hong Chengchou immediately wrote an inscription to the court, informing the leader of the bandits in yellow that Su He had become king.
At the same time, he told Emperor Chongzhen of his conjecture and asked the court to encircle and suppress the yellow-robed thieves as soon as possible, so as not to allow the yellow-robed thieves to become bigger and threaten the Ming Dynasty.
…………………………
Hou Xun led Huguang officials at all levels to inspect Xunyang Mansion.
This is one of the forefront locations of the war between Huguang and the yellow-robed thieves.
Hou Xun called all the officials and generals together and said angrily: "The situation is so tense now, and there is not even a sentry on duty on the front line.
You Shiwei, lead the troops to rearrange the defense line of Xunyang Mansion."
You Shiwei stood up immediately.
"The last general takes orders."
Hou Xun was extremely disappointed with the situation here in Xunyang Mansion.
Not only did the officers and soldiers lack the will to fight, they were also very afraid of the thieves in yellow.
Here in Yunyang Mansion, many local generals and officials in Huguang are doing business secretly with the thieves in yellow.
Hou Xun sent his master to investigate. There were too many people involved, so the investigation simply ended.
He has already experienced an accident and will not be stubborn and go against everyone in the officialdom again.
At that time, he had just taken office as governor, and he was in high spirits and wanted to make great achievements.
He saw that the Ming Dynasty's army was lax in armaments and investigated the border army's treasury.
When I was just starting to get some ideas, I walked to the gunpowder and it suddenly exploded.
That time, he almost died, and his body has not fully recovered yet.
After Hou Xun experienced that life and death crisis, he knew that the Ming army was completely rotten.
He has no ability to clean up the army and can only choose to join in the evil deeds.
Emperor Chongzhen entrusted him with an important task, and he must live up to the emperor's favor and do his best to stop the yellow-clothed thieves in Huguang.
"Stand back! This is an emergency period. Please restrain your subordinates."
Hou Xun waved his hand and directly told the local Ming army generals in Huguang to retreat.
If he hadn't brought a new force like You Shiwei, he would have only relied on his troops.
It was still unable to deter the local Ming army generals in Huguang.
"Zuo Liangyu."
"The villain is here."
A somewhat flattering voice sounded, and a general whose smile was uglier than crying walked up to Hou Xun.
He is Hou Xun's confidant, leads all the troops under Hou Xun's command, and now serves as the deputy commander-in-chief of Huguang.
"These people are doing business with thieves in yellow, and their income must be amazing, so they resist our arrival.
Take your own troops and block the Han River.
No matter which side's ship passes by, I will be charged severely.
We want to reap the maximum profits from these trades."
When Zuo Liangyu heard what Hou Xun said, he was stunned on the spot.
Hou Xun saw Zuo Liangyu's performance, and he happened to be in a good mood, so he explained with a smile:
"My footing is not yet stable and it is impossible to cut off the business of the Huguang gentry. I still need the support of these people.
Hu Guang's local generals don't need to care what they think.
I am the governor, and if I deprive them of their benefits, they still dare to rebel.
But we still need to rely on them to fight against the thieves in yellow. It is not good to force Taishi, so give them some oil and water.
We cut off our trade relations with the thieves in yellow and got nothing.
We can gain great benefits by maintaining trade relations.
It's like we use the money from the thieves in yellow to arm ourselves to fight against the thieves in yellow."
"Sir, I understand what you mean. Let's block the Han River now."
When Zuo Liangyu went out, he understood what Hou Xun meant.
This money is not for Ming Dynasty, nor for the Governor's Yamen.
This money is for "us", but it is actually Hou Xun's personal earnings.
Zuo Liangyu thought that he could also go through oil and water, and he would have more motivation.
He has seen that now in troubled times, having soldiers means everything.
Zuo Liangyu must use every opportunity to expand his military power and try every means to retain his troops.
In troubled times, the winner is the one who survives to the end.
Master Hou Xun, Chen Chengren, walked into his room in a panic.
Seeing Master's behavior, Hou Xun did not show any dissatisfaction on his face, but he was very unhappy in his heart.
Hou Xun re-examined Zhu Xieyuan's failure and discovered that his master Yang Qianhe might be a spy for the thieves in yellow.
Zhu Xieyuan's other subordinates and masters all left traces after his death.
Only Yang Qianhe is not seen alive, and his body is never seen dead.
Hou Xun asked Zhu Xieyuan's other masters and servants and found that Yang Qianhe had many abnormal behaviors.
He was more cautious when choosing his master.
The most important selection criterion is having a grudge against the thief in yellow.
The more deeply a person has a blood feud, the more likely he will be reused by Hou Xun.
Chen Chengren was originally the magistrate of Baoji County. When the county seat was captured by thieves in yellow clothes, he abandoned the city and fled.
His ability is not very strong, but he is more than enough to be a master.
He was also the person who had deep conflicts with the thief in yellow in the early days, so he would definitely not be the thief in yellow.
"Master Chen, what can you do?"
Chen Chengren handed over a newspaper with trembling hands.
"Sir, this is the newspaper brought back by the businessman. Huang, Huang, Huang Yi, Su He, the leader of the thieves in yellow, has become king."
Hou Xun originally looked calm, as if Mount Tai collapsed before him but his expression remained unchanged.
Upon hearing the news that Su He was crowned king, Hou Xun suddenly stood up and reached out to grab the newspaper from Chen Chengren's hand.
After Hou Xun read it, despair continued to pervade his mind.
He knew that Emperor Chongzhen would be furious if this news reached the capital.
Regardless of the current strength of Huguang's troops, they will immediately attack the thieves in yellow.
After the military defeat, Emperor Chongzhen would calm down and realize the huge gap between the wise emperor and the thieves in yellow.
But by then, the troops and generals had been lost, and the already weak Ming army would become even weaker.
Hou Xun knew what was about to happen, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
But for myself and for Ming Dynasty.
He resolutely chose to write an inscription to Emperor Chongzhen, not to start a war easily.
Hou Xun also hoped that Emperor Chongzhen would have some determination and not directly start a war with the yellow-robed thieves.
Buy some time so that Zuo Liangyu, You Shiwei and others can integrate the local army in Huguang.
…………………………
Li Zicheng was walking through the mountains and forests. He looked behind him and saw many more troops than before.
There are many poor people in Shanxi, and through coercion, his team can expand rapidly.
The old battalion acted as a sharp sword and supervising team to drive these young men to attack the official army.
Survival of the fittest, the soldiers who can survive are all elite soldiers with certain abilities.
Li Zicheng saw his uncle Gao Yingxiang approaching.
"Uncle, look at us, only by escaping from that poor place in Shaanxi can we eat well and drink hot food.
The two kings wanted to stay in Shaanxi, but one of them was captured by the Ming army and sent to the capital to be cut to pieces.
The other one was desperate and didn't know where to escape. He was probably going to die too.
Let's break out of the cage of Shaanxi. The Ming army here in Shanxi is very weak.
Several small groups of rebels could defeat the Ming army in Shanxi together.
The most famous team among them is Zhang Xianzhong's team.
That kid looks very ambitious, so let’s take advantage of his weakness and swallow up his troops.”
"A few days ago, I was planning to swallow these people to increase our strength.
It doesn't work now, we have more important goals.
We must unite others and avoid internal strife for the time being.”
After Gao Yingxiang finished speaking, he took out a relatively fresh newspaper.
"Capture a caravan with many newspapers among their cargo.
The latest issue is about the report on Hanzhong Suhe becoming king."
Li Zicheng took the newspaper from his uncle and slapped his thigh after reading it.
"Great, it's a great time for Su He to become king.
If Su He becomes king, the Ming court will definitely not tolerate it.
The king he calls is different from us.
There was Suhe in the front to attract the Ming army's troops.
We can take the opportunity to expand our troops and attack the Ming army's rear."
At first, Gao Yingxiang just wanted to unite multiple rebel armies and capture a big city.
The food in their army is getting less and less, and only the food stocks in big cities can make up for the consumption of the army.
Hearing what his nephew Li Zicheng said, Gao Yingxiang realized that he should have a bigger goal.
Suhe attracted the attention of the Ming army in the front, and they attacked the Ming army's rear.
Maybe we can take advantage of this opportunity to occupy a large area of territory.
Like Su He, he became a real prince with a large territory.
"Nephew, where do you think we should attack? How about Taiyuan, Shanxi?"
Li Zicheng shook his head and said, "Uncle, it's not possible here in Shanxi.
Shanxi's grain production is insufficient, and local grain cannot feed the local people.
Even if we occupy Shanxi, we won't be able to hold on for long.
My opinion is to attack Henan southward, where there are many people.
We can build a larger team, and Henan is also very wealthy.
In particular, Henan is very rich in food and can feed our army.
The Ming army attacked Suhe from Huguang, Shaanxi and other directions.
Henan is the rear area, so the defense will definitely be empty, and we will have the opportunity to take advantage of it."
After listening to Li Zicheng's analysis, Gao Yingxiang immediately summoned all the generals to discuss the matter.
A consensus was reached among the team of King Chuang.
Gao Yingxiang also summoned other rebels here in Shanxi in the name of King Chuang.
He wanted to unite many rebels and go south to attack Henan.
With their troops alone, they would not be able to capture Henan, and they would easily be surrounded and suppressed by the army.
Many rebel armies bloomed on all sides, leaving the Ming army exhausted.
Only by breaking into the army can we find the opportunity and give the Ming army a fatal blow.
…………………………
Shenyang.
Fan Wencheng met with representatives of Shanxi merchants.
"Your Fan family has shipped too little food and weapons during this period.
Next time if I can't transport enough food and weapons, I will give the opportunity to other families.
Let me tell you that the head of the family, Fan Yongdou, is not the only Jiexiu Fan family that is cooperating with Shanxi merchants at Daikin.
For the sake of the fact that we all share the same ancestor five hundred years ago, I will give you the Fan family some opportunities, so don’t be ungrateful."
"Sir, we also want to bring more food and weapons, but we really have no choice now.
The imperial court originally supported Huguang and Shaanxi, asking them to deal with the yellow bandits and requisitioning grain from many places.
Emperor Chongzhen issued an order to cast cannons, and officials transferred several times the amount of iron to the cannons.
Now that the leader of the thieves in yellow is proclaimed king, he will definitely offend Emperor Chongzhen.
The Ming court would consume more grain and iron.
There is no product on the market at all. Even if we have money, we can't buy it and there is nothing we can do.
The local iron output in Shanxi is too small to meet the needs of adults."
"What, Su He, the leader of the thieves in yellow, has become king."
Fan Wencheng asked in surprise.
Su He became king much earlier than he expected.
Doesn't Su He know that once he officially proclaims himself king, he will be surrounded and suppressed by the Ming Dynasty?
"Sir, this is the newspaper brought by our Fan family."
Fan Wencheng read the newspaper and saw that Su He was really the king.
He immediately reported the news to Huang Taiji.
Huang Taiji knocked on the table with his hand and fell into thinking.
"The thieves in yellow have developed too fast, and their operational style is very steady.
If you are not sure, you will never make a decision easily.
If Su He chooses to become king, he will be sure to withstand the siege of the Ming Dynasty.
We at Daikin cannot wait. After this winter, we Daikin warriors need to recharge their batteries.
Next year, we will unite with Horqin and other tribes to attack Chahar and destroy the Mongol Khan.
Borji Jin Lindan Batur is just an empty show, the Great Khan of the Mongolian Empire in name only.
But the presence of Lin Dan Khan influenced us, Dajin, to annex Monan Mongolia."
Huang Taiji has made up his mind to formally send troops next year to annex Monan Mongolia, improve the Mongolian Eight Banners system, and let the Mongols help them conquer the world.
The population of Daikin is still too small and it cannot afford to consume it.
…………………………
Chongzhen summoned the cabinet members on the platform.
"This is the inscription written by Hong Chengchou and Hou Xun. They both explained one thing: Su He, the thief in yellow, officially became king.
He called him the King of Qin and said that our Ming Dynasty was unjust and wanted to overthrow the Ming Dynasty.
Do we want to encircle and suppress the thieves in yellow?"
Emperor Chongzhen saw these two title books, coupled with the difficulties of the court.
He was hesitating, but he was more inclined to surround and suppress the thieves in yellow.
Zhou Yanru said in a firm tone: "Your Majesty clearly knows that if the thieves in yellow become a phenomenon, the world will not know how many people will become kings.
When the smoke spreads everywhere, it will be our fault."
Chongzhen looked at Zhou Yanru, the first assistant, and he was a little moved.
But Xu Guangqi had already gone to the south to collect taxes, and the money had not yet been sent to the capital, so he could not afford the military pay.
Chongzhen was very hesitant to send troops to encircle and suppress the yellow-robed thieves now.
Wen Tiren stood up and said: "Your Majesty, I also believe that the imperial court should use all its strength to exterminate the thieves in yellow.
Dealing with the thieves in yellow must not be delayed any longer.
Before the yellow-robed thieves annexed Sichuan, heavy troops were sent to exterminate the yellow-robed thieves. How could the trouble have reached this level?
But the Ministry of Finance has no money now.
If you want to encircle and suppress the bandits in yellow, you can only mobilize troops and horses from Liaodong.
The Guan Ning Army consumes huge amounts of military pay every year and achieves few results in Liaodong.
Wei Chen suggested that Liaodong should focus on defense and mobilize the main force of Guan Ning's army to enter the pass and destroy the yellow-clothed thieves.
In this way, the yellow-clothed thieves can be wiped out without the court spending too much money."
The cabinet has reached a consensus that even if there is peace talks with Hou Jin, the thieves in yellow must be eliminated.
The back money is only a small problem, but the thieves in yellow are the most serious problem.
When the Jin Dynasty really came over, scholars would be needed to govern the country, and landlords would be needed to maintain stability in the countryside.
The thieves in yellow came and they immediately banned the famous religion and asked them to re-learn the philosophy of mind.
None of this matters, the thieves in yellow are too cruel to the gentry.
Hanzhong is relatively closed, the influence of the gentry is not enough, and the methods of the thieves in yellow are not known to most people.
The thieves in yellow raised their butcher's knives against the gentry in Sichuan.
Many gentry went to Huguang, Yunnan and Guizhou, and they immediately accused the yellow thieves of their numerous crimes and cruel practices.
The fate of my friend is more intuitive than what was told in the newspaper, so that all gentry should know the true face of the thief in yellow.
This time, not only the cabinet, but also all officials of the Ming Dynasty reached an unprecedented consensus.
The thieves in yellow must not be allowed to stay, and they must be exterminated at all costs.
When Chongzhen heard Wen Tiren's words, his eyes lit up, but he still had some doubts.
Zhou Yanru saw Emperor Chongzhen hesitated.
"Your Majesty, the Hou Jin Dynasty is just a small problem. In all dynasties, except for the Song Dynasty, which was too weak, the nomadic forces did not pose a great threat to the Central Plains Dynasty.
The thieves in yellow are anti-king forces, and once they become popular, they will overthrow the Ming Dynasty."
When Chongzhen heard Zhou Yanru say this, his heart was completely biased toward annihilating the yellow-robed thieves.
A nomadic force like Dai Jin can only invade to steal some money and people, but the thieves in yellow want his country.
Wen Tiren immediately knelt down and suggested: "Master Zhou is devoted to serving the country, I am not as good as him.
In the previous encirclement and suppression of the yellow-clothed thieves, our Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers had improper command and did not cooperate. This was an important reason for the failure.
This war is a battle concerning the life and death of our Ming Dynasty.
I, Wen Tiren, am willing to go to the front line to supervise the battle and coordinate and command the various troops."
"Please leave me alone and go back to the cabinet office first..."
Zhou Yanru, Wen Tiren and others immediately left the platform.
Zhou Yanru walked out of the palace and looked at Wen Tiren with extremely vicious eyes.
"Wen Changqing, this trick of yours is too cruel, I've fallen into your trap.
When I come back from the front, I will fight with you again."
Zhou Yanru knew that he was the chief minister of the cabinet, and Emperor Chongzhen really had to make up his mind to send cabinet members to supervise the war.
I would not choose Wen Tiren. His external personality is that he is not good at military affairs.
In order to gain power, Zhou Yanru often intervened in military affairs.
It is obvious who Emperor Chongzhen will choose.
Chongzhen kept pacing in the Palace of Qianqing, muttering to himself.
"I am definitely not the last emperor, and the Ming Dynasty will never die in my hands."
Chongzhen ordered Zhou Yanru to serve as the imperial envoy to preside over the encirclement and suppression of the yellow-clothed thieves.
Mobilize Guan Ning's cavalry to enter the pass, cooperate with Hong Chengchou and Hou Xun, and send troops to exterminate the yellow-clothed thieves.
The chief assistant personally went to supervise the battle, which represented the importance the court attached to the thieves in yellow.
Zhou Yanru could not destroy the thieves in yellow, so there was no need for him to come back.