Chapter 381: Pulling a Great Big Grudge!

"How do we strike?" Wu Xiang looked at Zhu Cilang and shook his head. "Your Highness, apart from the fifteen model regiments, we have no troops that can really fight!"

"Don't we still have the navy?" Huang Binqing said. "We can put the Northern Fleet to work. They've been fed for nearly a year now — plenty of trade, but hardly any fighting!"

Shen Tingyang was a merchant at heart, and making money off the northern sea trade was his specialty. Now that Zhu Cilang had stopped blockading the Qing, apart from a few controlled goods — ironware, gunpowder, copper, and grain — all other trade was unrestricted. So Shen Tingyang had been raking it in lately!

But he hadn't just been lining his pockets without doing his job. During this period the Northern Fleet had added two more centipede ships! The defensive systems of Dengzhou City, Dengzhou Water Fortress, and the fortifications on Danya Mountain had also grown increasingly solid.

Both Dengzhou Water Fortress and Dengzhou City had undergone bastion-fortress conversion, and the Water Fortress in particular had been almost completely rebuilt into a standard bastion fort!

In addition, Shen Tingyang had built numerous earth-and-timber fortifications on Changshan Island, Shamen Island, Hei Island, the Greater and Lesser Bamboo Islands, and Huangcheng Island, garrisoned them with troops, and turned these islands into bases from which the Northern Fleet could operate in the Bohai Gulf.

However, the most important task Zhu Cilang had assigned him — reopening the Dongjiang Garrison — had been continually delayed and never carried out.

Because the concept of the Dongjiang Garrison was far too sensitive. The moment it was raised, the Tartar caitiffs would fly into a rage.

Zhu Cilang of course understood the gravity of the matter. He turned and glanced at Hou Xun. Old Hou had now taken up the post of Governor-General of Jiangbei — which in practice meant overseeing the defense of Fengyang Prefecture, Guide Prefecture, and part of Kaifeng Prefecture, taking over Ma Shiying's former duties.

Ma Shiying, meanwhile, had been appointed Governor-General of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan, concurrently Governor of Guizhou, and would soon depart for his home province of Guizhou to take office. The reason Ma Shiying was sent to govern Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan was that his family had for generations served as Guard Commanders of the Guizhou Guard. Ma Shiying's ancestral home was Yizheng County in Yangzhou Prefecture, and his forefather Ma Cheng was a truly formidable figure — a meritorious official who had followed Zhu Yuanzhang in conquering the realm, led troops into Guizhou, and became a Guard Commander there. From then on, his descendants had flourished in Guizhou, and the family was now the foremost house in Guiyang Prefecture!

Moreover, Guizhou was unlike the southeast — everywhere there were hereditary native chieftains, while regularly appointed officials were in the minority.

Over more than two hundred years, these native chieftain families had intermarried with one another and long since formed a deeply entrenched interest group. The Ma family of the Guizhou Guard was one of the core families of this interest group.

So if Ma Shiying's ability in Fengyang rated a ten, then once he returned to his home province of Guizhou, his ability would at least double — to a thirty! Because everyone high and low in Guizhou had connections to the Ma family. Once Ma Shiying arrived, he would have men when he needed men and grain when he needed grain!

Of course, sending Ma Shiying to Guizhou did carry a bit of risk. The Guizhou Ma family might well turn into something like the Yang family of Bozhou.

But those were troubles for the future. For now, Ma Shiying still had to make the hard journey, and for the Huaixi and Henan fronts, they could only rely on Hou Xun, that great Confucian scholar of Henan.

"Your Highness," said Ma Shiying, who was about to depart for Guizhou. He had previously been Governor-General of Fengyang, directing the defense of the Huaixi sector, and had more authority to speak than the newly appointed Hou Xun. "The only fighting force in the Huaixi sector is the new army of the Eight Guards and One Battalion of the Central Capital, totaling no more than some ten-odd thousand men — barely enough to hold a few cities.

Furthermore, during my tenure in Fengyang I organized some local militia and repaired nine cities — Sizhou, Xuyi, Wuhe, Linhuai, Changhuai, Huaiyuan, Shouzhou, Huoqiu, and Dingyuan. Together with Fengyang, that makes ten cities capable of prolonged defense. If Huang Degong's force can be shifted south to the cities along the Huai River, and if part of the Yangtze Fleet can move north into the Huai, and if a portion of the model army is also redeployed, then the Huai River line can still be held."

Of the ten cities Ma Shiying mentioned, all except Dingyuan lay along the Huai River line. In fact, Ma Shiying, Huang Degong, and later Zhu Chunchen, who replaced Huang Degong, were all set on the idea of defending the Huai.

Everything north of the Huai — including Guide Prefecture and part of Kaifeng Prefecture, which Huang Degong currently occupied — was to be abandoned at any moment.

Although Shangqiu and Suiyang were also iron-hard strongholds, these two fortresses were not built along a great river that the fleet could use at any time, and could easily be blockaded by the Tartar caitiffs' cavalry.

Then Shangqiu and Suiyang would become isolated "points," perfect for the Tartar caitiffs to play their favorite trick — besieging a point to strike the relief force. That was their specialty!

"That settles it, then." Zhu Cilang patted the table before him. "To defend the Yangtze, one must defend the Huai. As long as the cities along the Huai line can hold, the Yangtze gives us no worry. The defense of the Huai, then, I entrust to you, Master Hou."

Hou Xun replied: "As long as this old subject is here, the Huai defense is here. I guarantee the Tartar caitiffs will not reach the Yangtze unhindered."

"Defending the Huai" did not mean holding the river itself, but rather establishing defenses along its line. If nine riverside fortresses along the Huai remained in Ming hands, then the Tartar caitiffs coming from the north would have to divide their forces to besiege them. Assign three or two thousand men to each fortress, and an army of twenty thousand would be split up just like that.

And even if those two or three thousand men were all genuine Tartars, they could only hold the land routes — the waterways would still be beyond them. That meant the Tartar caitiffs' supply lines could be cut at any moment! Therefore, a large Tartar army that broke through the Huai could not linger long on the banks of the Yangtze, nor could it commit everything to a river crossing.

If Zhu Cilang's Yangtze Fleet could perform at its normal level, the fortresses along the Yangtze — Anqing, Wuhu, Chizhou, Taiping, Tongling, Nanjing, Pukou, Yizheng, Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, and so on — could all be firmly held.

Then Zhu Cilang's rule over the southeast would be as secure as Mount Tai.

At this thought, Zhu Cilang's mood immediately lifted. Lord of the southeast — that still made him a national leader!

And this was the Age of Sail now. The Europeans were already evolving toward line-infantry volley fire. Barbarian cavalry and the like were about to become legend.

As long as he could stabilize the southeast, victory in the Northern Expedition was only a matter of time!

"Very well!" Zhu Cilang patted the table again. "It's settled. We're going to go make trouble for Dorgon. We can't let Li Zicheng, cornered like a desperate dog, bolt into Huguang."

He thought for a moment. "Shen Tingyang doesn't dare step up, so let Su Guansheng do it. Su Guansheng has nerve. Appoint him Governor-General of Military Affairs for Liaodong, Dengzhou, and Laizhou, concurrently Governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou."

Hearing this order from Zhu Cilang, Wu Xiang, the Minister of War, shook his head repeatedly. Wasn't this pulling too much hatred onto themselves?

Even a Governor-General of Liaodong now! Were you planning to counterattack Liaodong? You're digging up the Tartars' roots and not letting them live.

"Your Highness," Wu Xiang was a timid man. Frowning, his face full of fear, he began to remonstrate. "We do not hold a single inch of ground in Liaodong. What use is establishing a governor-general there? Will the Tartar caitiffs be afraid?"

Zhu Cilang thought about it and agreed — establishing a governor-general without holding a single inch of ground did seem a bit sloppy.

"Right, right," Zhu Cilang nodded. "We need to take some territory! Take Juehua Island, establish Juehua County, and make it the seat of the Governor of Liaodong."

Ah, now a Governor of Liaodong as well...

"Thousand Years, Juehua Island cannot be held!" Wu Xiang hastily urged. "In winter, the sea around Juehua Island freezes over."

"That's a good thing." Zhu Cilang smiled. "If it doesn't freeze, how will the Tartars get across?"

Wu Xiang drew a sharp breath. They were actually going to fight on Juehua Island!

Zhu Cilang thought it over. "Have Zhang Huangyan, the County Magistrate of Penglai, concurrently serve as County Magistrate of Juehua, and lead the civilian laborers of Penglai to Juehua Island to build fortifications. Also have the Nanjing Practical Academy and the Military Academy send officials skilled in fortification north to assist Zhang Huangyan.

Additionally, establish the Dongjiang Garrison in Liaodong — right on Zhangzi Island! Does anyone here know Zhangzi Island?"

Zhangzi Island was quite a remarkable place!

"Zhangzi Island?" Wu Xiang shook his head. "I spent half my life in Liaodong and have never heard of it."

"South of the Greater and Lesser Changshan Islands — the southernmost of that island chain." Zhu Cilang was very familiar with Zhangzi Island; he had gone there on a research trip. It was a fine place, with rich fishery resources and abundant seafood.

The Crown Prince smiled and said to Huang Binqing: "We need someone well versed in naval warfare to serve as Regional Commander there. Commander Huang, how about letting your brother-in-law Cai Cong make the hard trip?"

(End of Chapter)