Chapter 283: The First to Enter Yan Shall Be King

Zhu Cilang burst out laughing after reading the three memorials. "Ha ha! The situation is excellent — truly excellent, not just a little good!"

He waved at Huang Xiaobao, signaling him to pass the memorials around to Zhu Chunjie, Cao Youyi, and Wu Sanfu, then added, "The Tartars were arrogant before — seizing land, seizing houses, forcing people into bondservice, and even digging up the grave of the Sage Confucius! Who knows how many common folk they've killed. Now at last they've lost the Way and find few to help them!"

"This business is a bit hard to see through," Wu Sanfu said, shaking his head as he read Lü Daqi's memorial. "What's been defeated now is only the two Han armies of Jin Yuhe and Zu Kefa. They don't have much strength — just one or two Han niru each, at most a thousand men fit to fight between them. Even if they were wiped out, it wouldn't hurt the Tartars' vitality.

Thousand Years, this subject thinks Governor-General Shi, Governor Gao, and Governor Lü are all being far too optimistic."

Zhu Cilang turned his gaze to Cao Youyi. "Guard Commander Cao, what do you think?"

Cao Youyi was holding the joint memorial of Shi Kefa and Gao Hongtu. Hearing Zhu Cilang, he too shook his head. "Doubtful, Thousand Years — doubtful. This subject also thinks the Tartars are not so easy to deal with. Don't look at how smoothly the roving bandits are fighting in Huaiqing, Weihui, Zhangde, and Daming prefectures — that's because they haven't met the Tartars' main force. If they had, I fear they'd already be beaten."

Zhu Cilang nodded and shifted his gaze to Zhu Chunjie.

Although Zhu Chunjie had not yet seen the memorials, he knew many secrets that neither Wu Sanfu nor Cao Youyi knew.

For instance, the Qing main force nearest to Zhangde and Daming prefectures — that is, the positions and exact troop strength of Wu Sangui's and Ajige's forces ten days ago, as well as their general battle plan — he knew all of it with complete clarity.

"Thousand Years," Zhu Chunjie said, "the roving bandits may have slipped through a gap and may swagger for five or ten days, but once Ajige's Qing force is pulled out of Shanxi, the situation will likely reverse."

"And if we join in?" Zhu Cilang asked with a smile.

Wu Sanfu was taken aback. "But our elite troops are all in Jiangnan! And even those elites may not be able to stand against Tartar crack troops."

In order to distribute land, put down roots, and further expand the army, Zhu Cilang had transferred all six divisions of the Hard-Working New Army — including the division previously garrisoned at Dengzhou and the First Division garrisoned at Huai'an — to the area around Nanjing for reorganization and training. North of the Huai River, there were now only the ten thousand-odd men of the Deng-Lai Seven Guards, Su Guansheng's 2,000-man governor's standard, Shen Tingyang's Northern Fleet, and part of the new army under the jurisdiction of the Central Capital Garrison Office.

Incidentally, under the direction of the Central Capital Garrison Commander Zhu Chunchen, the military guards of Fengyang Prefecture had also undergone a reorganization. Apart from the eight guards and one station directly under the Garrison Office, the lands of all other military guards (there were more than eight guards and one station within Fengyang Prefecture) were all taken back and placed under the jurisdiction of the Military Farm Command Office subordinate to the Central Capital Garrison Office — the so-called Military Farm Commander was in fact an office managing military farms and government land, either under the jurisdiction of a Garrison Office, a Regional Command, or a Governor-General's Office, or directly under the Military Farm Guard of the Grand Marshal's Office.

However, Zhu Cilang's court had not yet placed all the military fields, government fields, and hidden fields in the Southern Metropolitan Area, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi under the Military Farm Commanders. It had only taken the land confiscated from the Nanjing merit nobles and meritorious officials — after deducting the land granted as rewards to the Hard-Working meritorious officials, a remainder of more than twenty million mu — plus the undistributed military farms and government fields and the discovered hidden fields in Fengyang, Huai'an, Yangzhou, and Runing prefectures, and placed all of it under the management of the Military Farm Commanders, totaling just over thirty million mu.

The lands of the eight guards and one station directly under the Central Capital Garrison Office were granted to 17,000 able-bodied men recruited locally from Fengyang Prefecture. With these 17,000 land-granted men, the Central Capital Garrison Office now had a certain military strength.

In addition, the Central Capital Garrison Office and the Tang Prince's estate in Runing had together recruited a total of 30,000 able-bodied men for Zhu Cilang, who would also be sent to Nanjing in batches to join the Hard-Working New Army.

Once these 30,000 men joined the land forces of the Hard-Working New Army, Zhu Cilang would be able to carry out a new round of expansion. If Zheng Zhilong could also supply enough firearms, then the Crown Prince's rule in the southeast would be basically secure.

But even with a force of over a hundred thousand, Zhu Cilang would not have the strength to counterattack Yan and Yun in the short term. After all, these troops had only just filled their manpower quotas — whether their equipment could be fully assembled was still uncertain, and their organization and training were still far behind! Even the Western instructor corps that Tang Ruowang was recruiting for Zhu Cilang in Macao had not yet been fully assembled!

Zhu Cilang smiled. "What about Huang Degong, Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, Liu Zeqing, and Xu Dingguo? Those five have no fewer than 130,000 elite troops in their hands! They cost Us two hundred thousand taels of silver every month — shouldn't they be expected to put in some effort?"

"I'm afraid they won't be willing," Cao Youyi said, shaking his head.

Zhu Cilang smiled. "We have Our own methods!"

As he spoke, an announcement came from outside the door — Wu Xiang and Li Ruolian had arrived together.

Li Ruolian had previously been Regional Commander of Deng-Lai and had just been transferred back to Nanjing to serve as Military Farm Guard Commander of the Grand Marshal's Office.

As soon as Wu Xiang and Li Ruolian knelt to pay their respects, Zhu Cilang waved his hand and laughed. "Enough, enough — a token gesture will do. Sit."

Zhu Cilang's manner was extremely approachable — not because he had the thinking of a later age, but because above him as Crown Prince stood sixteen ancestors; if he took the throne he would be the seventeenth-generation emperor of the Great Ming. When an emperor had been passed down through the family to this point, he no longer needed others to kneel to demonstrate his nobility.

After Wu Xiang and Li Ruolian were seated, Zhu Cilang had them read the memorials of Lü Daqi and of Shi Kefa and Gao Hongtu.

Once the two had finished reading, Zhu Cilang did not ask their opinions but said directly, "In view of the present situation in the north, We have decided to launch a northern expedition! Huang Degong, Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, Liu Zeqing, and Xu Dingguo — these five Regional Commanders will send out troops, with the objective aimed straight at Yan and Yun!"

Wu Xiang and Li Ruolian were both stunned. What had gotten into the Crown Prince? Had he suddenly become naive? To actually believe those five warlords who clung to their troops would send forces on a northern expedition... No, how could the Crown Prince be naive? There must be a trick! You must be scheming something wicked again!

Seeing that neither Wu Xiang nor Li Ruolian offered any remonstrance, Zhu Cilang smiled and added, "To spur the five of them to send troops, We will also make a pact with them: the first to enter Yan shall be king!"

"Thousand Years, are you imitating King Huai of Chu?" Wu Xiang could not hold back any longer. The Crown Prince was truly letting his imagination run wild!

Zhu Cilang laughed. "We are not King Huai, and Huang Degong, Gao Jie, Liu Liangzuo, Liu Zeqing, and Xu Dingguo are not Liu Bang and Xiang Yu."

Li Ruolian shook his head. "Then why would they be willing to send troops? Those are Tartars we're talking about!"

"They will be willing!" Zhu Cilang said with a smile. "We have a way!"

Wu Xiang looked at his fine son-in-law: Of course you have a way. What way? Out with it!

Zhu Cilang smiled back at him: This method cannot be told to you or Wu Sanfu — heh heh heh!

"Venerable Father-in-Law," Zhu Cilang said with a smile, "Zu Kefa will soon be escorted to Yangzhou. Could you trouble yourself to make a trip and bring him back together with Jin Zhijun and Sun Zhixie?"

"Together?" Wu Xiang thought to himself: What sort of combination is this? A prisoner and two envoys lumped together...

"Yes, together!" Zhu Cilang said. "Also, We must trouble Venerable Father-in-Law to act as a persuader and have a good talk with Zu Kefa."

"Thousand Years wishes to persuade Zu Kefa to surrender?"

Zhu Cilang laughed. "Does it even need persuading? Would Zu Kefa actually want to die a martyr for the Tartars?"

"That's impossible," Wu Xiang said.

"Exactly," Zhu Cilang said. "We want him to atone for his crimes through meritorious service!" He paused, then added, "Venerable Father-in-Law must set out as soon as possible! The Embroidered Uniform Guard will send men to go with you. What to say — the Embroidered Uniform Guard men will instruct you."

"Very well, then this old man will leave today." With that, Wu Xiang rose to take his leave.

"Fine," Zhu Cilang said, gesturing to Wu Sanfu. "Sanfu, accompany Venerable Father-in-Law on this trip as well."

"This subject obeys the decree."

The Wu father and son left the Hall of Great Merit together without further thought. Zhu Cilang watched them walk into the distance, and only then said to the few people remaining in the hall, "Now let us talk about the matter of the first to enter Yan being king. You few will all have to put in some hard work. Chunjie, go to Fengyang to see the Duke of Chengguo. Marquis Gongshun, go to Shandong to find Shi Kefa and Liu Zeqing. Marquis Zhenhai (Li Ruolian), go to Xuzhou — first see Our sworn elder sister, then see Our sworn elder brother-in-law, and when that's done, proceed to Dengzhou to take up your post as Regional Commander of Shandong Military Affairs and Regional Commander, commanding the troops of Deng, Lai, and Qing prefectures!

You must be quick! Everyone sets out tomorrow!"

(End of Chapter)