Chapter 507: Betrayal

Watching Li Zicheng looking thoroughly pleased with himself, Tian Jianxiu, who had just finished reporting the military situation, said with a smile, "Imperial Lord, this is only three prefectures. If we could take all of Huguang, then we would truly be rolling in wealth!"

Li Zicheng laughed. "Well said. If we can take all of Huguang, then march west to take Sichuan... my three-part realm would look far better than Uncle Liu's three-part realm! Yufeng, when I go west on campaign, I entrust the nine commanderies of Jing-Xiang to you. Don't you go learning from Guan Yunchang and let that boy Zhu Cilang steal Jingzhou out from under you."

"Imperial Lord, rest easy," Tian Jianxiu said cheerfully. "With me in Jingzhou, that Zhu boy will never get his hands on it... I'll build warships for you right here in Jingzhou. Once Your Imperial Lordship has settled Western Shu, we'll use the Jingzhou-built warships to sail east and take half the Zhu family's realm!"

Li Zicheng stroked his beard and smiled. "I've long wanted to go have a look at Jiangnan!"

Niu Jinxing watched Li Zicheng and Tian Jianxiu making such fine plans and did not dare pour cold water on them. He only frowned quietly, but Li Zicheng caught it with one eye.

The Great Emperor Li asked with a smile, "Does the Left Assistant not believe I can take all nine commanderies of Jing-Xiang?"

"Imperial Lord," Niu Jinxing said hurriedly, "this subject merely observes that the Zhu family's Crown Prince holds strong cities, defends the Yangtze, and has the advantage of a navy and heavy cannon... and our forces are not all that numerous — not even a hundred thousand, with only half fit for battle. To take the southern part of Huguang, I fear they would not be sufficient!"

Li Zicheng had now instituted the "Old Camp Soldier System." Although it did right by his old brothers, it also had its drawbacks — he could no longer sweep up common folk and press them into the ranks. Press-ganging was what roving bandits did. Now that Li Zicheng's Shun army had put down roots as local landlords, they naturally would not drag their own tenant farmers off to be cannon fodder. Otherwise, from whom would they collect rent next year?

Thus the Shun army's numbers were no longer as terrifying as before. The troops that followed Li Zicheng and Li Guo on this campaign totaled ninety-six thousand, of whom only forty-eight thousand were regular soldiers fit for the line.

The remaining forty-eight thousand auxiliary troops were able-bodied men from tenant households, but after all they had "masters," and unless it was absolutely unavoidable, they could not be spent recklessly to the death.

So the Shun army's strength on the Huguang front seemed rather insufficient. After taking three prefectures, with Zhu Cilang pressing from the east and Zuo Liangyu and Zuo Menggeng to guard against in the west, they had basically reached their limit.

Moreover, the backbone of Li Zicheng's army was made up of men from Shaanxi or Henan, who had little skill at naval warfare. Although they had made a great show of building warships in Xiangjing Prefecture, their strength was still inferior even to the old Cao River Fleet, let alone the Yangtze Fleet.

Besides, the Ming army's cannon also looked far more formidable than the Shun army's — they shot farther, and the shells were bigger too!

Li Zicheng laughed. "Across from us it isn't just the Zhu family's Crown Prince alone — it's Zhu Cilang, He Tengjiao, and the Zuo family, father and son, three parties... They may well start fighting among themselves first. When that happens, our chance will come!"

A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Tian Jianxiu's face. "Imperial Lord, is such a thing truly possible?"

Niu Jinxing also asked, "Does Imperial Lord have a clever stratagem to employ?"

Li Zicheng was just about to speak when Gu Junen suddenly hurried in from outside, an envelope clutched in his hand. He first kowtowed to Li Zicheng, then without saying a word, rose and handed the envelope over.

Li Zicheng took the envelope, opened it, pulled out the letter inside and looked at it, then burst into loud laughter. "That old villain Zuo Liangyu is finally dead! A good death — and timely, too!"

"Military Advisor, Uncle Qiu, Sister... if you have any thoughts, speak up!"

Zuo Menggeng, dressed all in hempen mourning clothes, sat in the central hall of a heavily guarded luxurious mansion within Jiangling city, tear stains on his face. Huang Shu, Qiu Lei, and Zuo Mengmei were also seated in the hall, and Zuo Mengmei, like him, wore hempen garments.

Needless to say, Zuo Liangyu had now breathed his last!

For Zuo Menggeng, this was certainly no good thing — could a dead father be a good thing? Certainly not! And Zuo Menggeng could not even rightfully inherit his father's "military legacy." Historically, the Southern Ming court, in order to placate the Zuo family army, had conferred the title of Bandit-Suppressing General on Zuo Menggeng when they enfeoffed Zuo Liangyu as a marquis, which amounted to confirming father-to-son succession as master of the Zuo army.

So Zuo Menggeng's succession should have been beyond question!

But Zhu Cilang was not as easy to deal with as the fat Prince of Fu. Enfeoffing Zuo Liangyu as Marquis of Wuchang was done without the slightest hesitation, yet he absolutely refused to transfer the Bandit-Suppressing General title to Zuo Menggeng.

So Zuo Menggeng now held only the office of Wuchang Garrison Regional Commander — and Wuchang Prefecture had now been taken by Zhu Cilang!

In other words, Zuo Menggeng now had neither territory nor title. All he could rely on were the three thousand Zuo family retainers and the old man's former troops from the Liao garrison.

The room fell silent. Only after a long while did Qiu Lei break the stillness. "Young General, the Crown Prince is now locked in a standoff with Li Zicheng across the river. This is a time when he needs soldiers and generals — he will not make trouble for the Young General over the Bandit-Suppressing General appointment. As long as the Prince of Chu submits a memorial recommending you, he should go along with it readily enough."

Zuo Menggeng shifted his gaze to Zuo Mengmei. That woman was living comfortably now, having charmed the young Prince of Chu so thoroughly he did not know east from west — if he had known she was this bewitching, he should have sent her to Zhu Cilang!

"Sister, what do you think?"

Zuo Mengmei smiled. "Brother, His Highness listens to me. Submitting a memorial is no problem. Only..."

"Only what?" Zuo Menggeng asked.

"Only, with the Crown Prince garrisoned at Wuchang, can you, as master of an army, fail to go pay your respects?"

Zuo Menggeng's expression changed.

Zuo Mengmei went on speaking at length. "Brother, you have deeply offended the Crown Prince! That day when the Crown Prince wanted me to attend on him, it was you who blocked it!"

Was that my doing? Zuo Menggeng groaned inwardly. It was the old man who refused! At the time I thought the old man was wise; now, thinking back, he was completely muddled. If I had sent you, you flirtatious wench, to Nanjing, I would now hold Wu Sanfu's position! Perhaps even more — if your belly had done its duty and you'd borne a son...

Zuo Mengmei continued, "The Crown Prince wished to ascend the throne early, and you threatened him by supporting the Prince of Chu."

What an injustice! Zuo Menggeng thought. That was the old man's foolish talk!

"This time when Li Zicheng marched east, you again withdrew to Jingzhou without a fight, handing the three prefectures of Chengtian, De'an, and Hanyang over to Li Zicheng..."

This blame was indeed Zuo Menggeng's. His brows furrowed deeply.

Zuo Mengmei said, "Brother, even now, do you still think you can be forgiven by the Crown Prince and inherit Father's office of Bandit-Suppressing General?"

Zuo Menggeng turned his gaze to his military advisor Huang Shu. "Military Advisor, what is to be done?"

Huang Shu smiled. "What is the Young General panicking about? The Young General now sits like a tiger in Jiangling, in a position to watch the tigers fight. Neither Li Zicheng nor the Crown Prince dares do anything to you!"

He glanced at Zuo Mengmei and Qiu Lei, and smiled. "The Young General is overwrought with grief and his mind is unsettled. Let us discuss great matters another day."

Zuo Menggeng sighed and nodded.

Qiu Lei and Zuo Mengmei, father and daughter, exchanged a look, then rose and took their leave. Huang Shu, who had proposed the postponement, did not leave.

Zuo Menggeng looked at him. "Does the Military Advisor have something to say?"

Huang Shu smiled. "Now it is a Northern and Southern Dynasties situation. The Northern Dynasty is without doubt surnamed Aisin Gioro. And whether the Southern Dynasty goes to the Roving King or to the Crown Prince — that depends on the Young General's wishes!"

"Military Advisor, you call Li Zicheng..."

"The Roving King!" Huang Shu said. "Half of Huguang is now welcoming the Roving King!"

Zuo Menggeng frowned. "Li Zicheng is carrying out land distribution by headcount!"

"So what?" Huang Shu said. "Does the Young General have a great deal of land for him to equalize away?"

Zuo Menggeng shook his head. "That I do not..."

Huang Shu laughed. "Then what does the Young General have to fear?"

"Well... I fear the generals will be unwilling to follow!"

Huang Shu smiled. "As long as the General can rise to glory, how could the generals be unwilling to follow?"

Zuo Menggeng asked, "But how can I rise to glory?"

Huang Shu said, "The Young General can become master of Hunan!"

"Master of Hunan?" Zuo Menggeng drew a sharp breath. "How? How would I do that?"

Huang Shu smiled. "The matter is all too easy... Governor He Tengjiao of Hunan is on good terms with us and has received favors from the old marshal. Now that the old marshal has passed, can he fail to come pay his respects? And besides, the Prince of Chu is still in your hands!"