Compared with the Dashun Army, the overall strength of the Daxi Army is much stronger.
Firstly, Sichuan is a land of abundance, with rich products and a large population.
Secondly, after the Eight Great Kings entered Sichuan, they did not suffer a major defeat like King Chuang, which caused a sharp drop in morale.
The third point, and the most important point, is that the Daxi Army is united and the eight kings speak for themselves.
Although after accepting the canonization from the imperial court, Zhang Xianzhong also spent all day in the Shu Palace in Chengdu, hugging him from left to right, drunkenly and dreamily, without any ambition to make progress, and completely handed over military and political affairs to his four adopted sons.
But the four adopted sons were not only loyal to Zhang Xianzhong and obeyed his advice, but they also had great abilities.
The eldest son is expected to be good at both civil and military affairs. Not only can he lead troops to fight, he is also good at government and has the talent to govern the country.
The second son, Li Dingguo, knew soldiers well and was good at fighting. He had excellent strategies and had the talent of a general.
The third son, Liu Wenxiu, and the fourth son, Ai Nengqi, can also play their part.
Although the four brothers have their own teams and many subordinates who follow and support them, and they often fight openly and secretly, with Zhang Xianzhong's pressure on them, they don't dare to go too far, and they can still work together.
Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo stayed in Chengdu to assist Zhang Xianzhong, one taking charge of government affairs and the other taking charge of military affairs.
Liu Wenxiu, the third oldest, was in Hanzhong, and Ai Nengqi, the fourth oldest, was in eastern Sichuan, guarding against Qin Liangyu from Shizhu.
Since surrendering to the imperial court, the Daxi Army also canceled its original plan to capture Yunnan and Guizhou, and focused all its energy on internal affairs.
In the past two years, Sun Kewang has also carried out drastic reforms in all states and counties in Sichuan, and the reforms are more radical than those in Jiangnan.
Perhaps he knew that no matter what he did, he could not win the sincere support of the gentry and landlords in Sichuan, so fortunately Sun Kewang launched a large-scale purge of the gentry and landlords in Sichuan, killing hundreds of people.
Then, based on Zhu Cixi's garrison farming system, part of the confiscated land was distributed to the old brothers to serve as military attachés, while the rest was rented to the common people and organized into military households, where they farmed and trained troops at the same time.
They also tried their best to win over the chieftains from various places. Those who refused to submit were first blocked and then sent out to destroy them.
In just two years, the Great Western Army became stronger and stronger, its morale was high, and ordinary people gradually returned to their cause.
If Qin Liangyu of Shizhu had not died, I am afraid that all the chieftains from all over Sichuan would have surrendered.
Although Qin Liangyu is only the commander-in-chief of Shizhu and also a chieftain, he has great reputation and intimidation among the chieftains in the entire southwest.
These reputations and intimidating power were gained by Qin Liangyu's white-pole soldiers who fought in the north and south for decades.
It can be said that most of the big and small chieftains in the southwest are not afraid of the imperial court and the Ming army, but none of them are not afraid of Qin Liangyu and the white pole soldiers.
Especially when Qin Liangyu was made a marquis by the emperor, a general, and the right governor of the Dudu Mansion, the chieftains in Sichuan were even more afraid to seek refuge with Zhang Xianzhong.
After Qin Lihua returned to Shizhu from Beijing, she had money, food, and the emperor's will, so she no longer had any scruples and began to recruit troops aggressively.
Although there are only a few people in Shizhu, there are many mountain people under the jurisdiction of other chieftains who want to join the white pole soldiers. As long as Qin Liangyu sends a word, it is easy to recruit one hundred thousand, let alone fifty thousand.
In the past, the number of white-pole soldiers was limited. One was because the imperial court did not allow it and they were always on guard against the chieftain. The other was because they were restricted by money and food.
Nowadays, both of these are no longer problems. If Qin Liangyu hadn't grown old, and as long as Zhu Cihong spared money and food, I'm afraid Zhang Xianzhong and the chieftains in the southwest could be eliminated with white-pole soldiers alone.
After the eunuch who delivered the order arrived in Chengdu, the Daxi Army also had differences. In fact, it was Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo who had differences.
The ambitious Sun Kewang was naturally unwilling to completely surrender to the Ming Dynasty, while the less ambitious Li Dingguo held the opposite attitude.
The third child Liu Wenxiu has a better relationship with the second brother Li Dingguo, so he naturally chooses to side with Li Dingguo, while the fourth child Ai Nengqi is close to the eldest brother Sun Kewang, so he naturally supports Sun Kewang.
As a result, Zhang Xianzhong was also hesitant, and the four brothers were arguing so much that he could not make up his mind. As a result, the eunuch who delivered the order also lived in Chengdu for half a month.
"Brother, when today Zixiong is so talented, young, and has a lot of destiny, why do you have to go against the will of heaven and let your brothers follow you to a dead end?"
On this day, Zhang Xianzhong summoned the four brothers to the study again for discussion. Seeing that Sun Kewang always insisted on his opinion, Li Dingguo also tried hard to persuade him.
The reason why Li Dingguo chose to completely surrender to the Ming Dynasty was because he knew that the general trend of the world had returned to the Ming Dynasty. Even if he struggled again, he would end in failure in the end.
If the emperor was old, he could still fight to the end and wait until the emperor dies of old age, but the emperor is only seventeen years old and has no chance at all.
"Huh, second brother, don't try to build up other people's ambitions and destroy your own prestige. Now that our army has strong soldiers and horses, sufficient food and grass, and high morale, we just need to take advantage of the Ming army to attack King Chuang, capture the stone pillars, eliminate the white pole soldiers, and Qin Liangyu's
Capturing the old immortal alive can force the chieftains from all over the country to surrender and completely solve their worries.
In the end, even if King Chuang is defeated, our army can rely on the dangers of the Shu Road to protect itself. While we are stationed in the fields to raise troops, we can also capture Guizhou and Yunnan. Wouldn't it be more comfortable than leaving our future and fate to that little emperor?" Sun Kewang snorted coldly.
"Brother, as you said, what can we do even if we occupy the southwest in the end? Back then, the world was divided into three parts, and Zhuge Kongming couldn't unify the world with the land of Bashu. Now the emperor is full of energy, and his knowledge and vision are comparable to those of the ancient sages.
Sir, we focus on military affairs, farming, reform and forge ahead, how long can we remain in peace?
The Ming Dynasty can lose countless times, but as long as we lose once, we will be doomed, so why should you ignore the future and destiny of your brothers for your own selfish desires?"
"That's nonsense. I am only thinking about the future and fate of my brothers and my father's great cause. On the contrary, it is you, the second brother, who wants to push my brothers into the pit of fire and disregard my father's life and death."
Sun Kewang blushed, pointed at Li Dingguo and shouted.
"Brother, please don't spit on anyone!"
Li Dingguo also blushed and pointed at Sun Kewang, then knelt down on one knee and said to Zhang Xianzhong.
"Father, my son is willing to go to Beijing with you to meet the emperor. If the little emperor really breaks his promise and wants to harm his father and break his promise to the world, I will fight to the death to protect you and follow my father to the death."
"Okay, boss, the second brother is also thinking about everyone. Please don't say such hurtful words in the future."
Zhang Xianzhong waved his hand, and then said nonchalantly: "My father is old. He has been in the world for twenty years, and he has enjoyed everything he deserves. I am satisfied that I have reached this point. If I can use my father's life,
In exchange for your glory and wealth, the little emperor can take it at any time."
"Father..."
When the four brothers saw what he said, they all knelt down with tears in their eyes.
"Boss, my father knows that you have lofty ambitions, but as the second brother said, now that I am not here, the final outcome is really unpredictable, so you have to think clearly."
Zhang Xianzhong looked at Sun Kewang and sighed.
"Father, life or death is determined by fate, wealth is in heaven, no matter what the outcome is, the child will have no regrets. At this point, the child is really unwilling not to fight!" Sun Kewang worshiped with a firm look on his face.
"Brother..."
Just when Li Dingguo was about to continue to persuade, a report came from outside the door, and envoys from the Qing Dynasty and King Chuang asked to see him.
Zhang Xianzhong and the four others were not surprised that King Chuang would send an envoy. What was surprising was that Jiannu also sent an envoy.
When Niu Jinxing and Fan Wencheng told them about the alliance between the three families, Sun Kewang was overjoyed and supported the alliance of the three families without hesitation.