Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 357 The Power of the Ming Emperor

"Who are you? Stop and sign up!"

"Please report to the commander that Tusi Hanlong killed the enemy chieftain Sha Dingzhou in the battle formation, and now I am presenting his head to Your Majesty."

This was already the seventh scout team Han Long had encountered. Even though he had reported these words several times, he still spoke them out loud without omitting even a single word.

"Sha Dingzhou?"

"Yes."

"You are so lucky. You got such a great achievement so easily."

After hearing Han Long's answer, the scout leader felt quite regretful. At the same time, Han Long took out a gold ingot the size of a baby's fist from his sleeve, while the local soldiers guarding beside him seemed to be alert to something.

"It's just a small token of respect, please buy us a few drinks."

"Drinking? Why would we need so much? If you are willing, just give us some loose change. I'm afraid it would be hard to digest such a piece of gold."

Hanlong was in a difficult situation.

After dealing with Sha Dingzhou, he left his men there and headed straight for Chuxiong with only a few personal guards.

But in this way, he would become a troublemaker with gold. If someone really had such intentions, other troubles would probably arise.

Of course, he could also just say that he was paying a visit to the emperor and not mention anything about Sha Dingzhou, but Wangnong and Kunming had been attacked for several days, and the surrounding chieftains should have received the news.

If so many people really came, how could Han Long meet the emperor smoothly?
Therefore, along the way he was announcing Sha Dingzhou's surrender and using silver to pave the way, so as to give some soup to the soldiers he met and not arouse envy.

But who would have thought that faced with the tempting gold, the scouts they met had the same reaction. They would only accept small change but directly rejected the yellow gold ingots.

Han Long knew very well that scouts had heavy responsibilities but little power, and were not like quartermaster officers in terms of the possibility of accepting bribes.

These scouts were able to do this either because the army had enough money to spend, or because the military law was so strict that no one dared to step out of line.

If it were in the past, Han Long, who knew the nature of the Ming army well and was extremely interested in everything about the Ming Dynasty, would naturally inquire about it. But now all his thoughts were on how to bring Sha Dingzhou's head safely to the emperor, so he had no time to investigate these things.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

As soon as he finished speaking, a servant handed over the loose change. After receiving the "reward silver", the scout leader nodded to the soldiers beside him, then rode straight towards Chuxiong. However, the group of scouts did not go elsewhere like they did last time, but just waited there.

After all, they are the emperor's guards, and just being a scout is enough to give you a glimpse of the whole situation.

Thinking of this, Han Long couldn't help but sigh.

Although he was concerned about everything happening in the mainland, the intelligence he obtained all came from the public.

Among the many things, most of them highlight the emperor's wisdom and bravery, and his ability to anticipate the enemy's moves, but there is very little description of the details.

In the eyes of those who did not know the inside story, the Ming Dynasty merely changed its emperor, and everyone from top to bottom fought to the death and remonstrated to the death. It seemed as if it had been reborn and won complete victories in several battles against the Qing army.

But he could also be considered a small lord, so he naturally knew that such a change would have to be accompanied by a series of operations and means.

So while waiting for a reply, he couldn't help but explore.

"I have been in Yunnan for a long time and know little about what is happening outside. However, I heard a few days ago that Your Majesty won a great victory over the Tartars. I wonder if I would be lucky enough to hear your story, General?"

According to Han Long's thinking, with silver paving the way, it would not be difficult to find out some widely known news. However, to his surprise, the scout leader frowned after hearing these words, as if he didn't want people to mention these things.

"Yes, that's true. Your Majesty won a great victory in Ganzhou, and the enemy chieftain Ajige was also beheaded in this battle."

Finished?

Such a great victory was only reflected in this sentence?
If it were his own soldiers, it would take at least several years. Why would the general react like this?
Thinking of this, Han Long immediately realized something was wrong, but before he could think about it carefully, he heard the general continue speaking.

"We are just barbarians. How can we be undefeated against Your Majesty, the True Dragon Emperor?"

When he spoke, the general seemed not to have thought that the people in front of him were also barbarians. After opening with these words, he changed the subject again.

"There's really nothing much to say about that battle. Your Majesty led the army to arrive, and the Tartars were defeated. But we had a very exciting battle here. I wonder if you would like to hear it, Chieftain?"

"Oh? Is there anything more exciting than the Battle of Ganzhou? I need to hear your detailed account, General."

Seeing that the other party was extremely curious, the general told him in detail about the battle to seize TW.

"Speaking of the Dutch, you know the Dutch, right? Yes, they are the red-haired devils. There is a big island in Ming Dynasty that was occupied by the Dutch."

Yunnan is located inland, so Han Long was not too concerned about things at sea. But when he heard that a Ming warship was carrying dozens of heavy artillery, his whole mind was focused on every word of the general.

There is no need to think too much about what happened next. The number of firearms used by the Ming army when attacking the Dutch surprised Hanlong, a chieftain who was still in the era of cold weapons.

When the general talked about the Ming army using heavy artillery to flatten a city, he could hardly close his mouth.

The general was quite satisfied with Han Long's performance. After he told him all the details worth mentioning about the entire battle, he changed the subject.

"Your Majesty values ​​our rear guard the most. Although we are slightly inferior to the other four armies in close combat, if they use all their abilities, even if they are all combined, they may not be able to defeat our rear guard."

At this point, Han Long naturally understood why the general only used a few words to discuss the battle of Ganzhou, but highly praised the attack on TW.

To others, the general praised the TW war because it was fought by their rear army, but Hanlong saw from the general's words how terrifying the rear guard army equipped with large-scale firearms was.

Is this the emperor’s confidence?
I'm afraid that all the chieftains in Yunnan combined are not enough to defeat this imperial guard.

Thinking of this, Han Long was even more glad that he did not follow Sha Dingzhou to cause trouble, but at the same time he felt a little regretful as to why he did not help Mu Tianbo and Yang Weizhi at the beginning.

"Boss~~~, they are being called over."

Just when Han Long was a little confused, the scout who had been sent back to the camp to report had returned. But when the general was about to lead them back to the camp, he interrupted as if he had thought of something.

"Sir, Sha Dingzhou's head was cut off by a general. Will the bloody head alarm the emperor?"

As soon as the words fell, the group of scouts all laughed. When Han Long was confused, the leading general explained: "It's okay. In the battle, His Majesty is more fierce than us warriors. A few heads will not alarm His Majesty."

Your Majesty is probably a figure like the Emperor Taizong of Tang or the Emperor Taizu of Song.

Although this thought arose in his mind, it did not delay Han Long's actions.

Afterwards, it took him half a cup of tea to reach the Ming army camp outside Chuxiong City under the guidance of the scout leader. After waiting for a while, he was finally summoned by His Majesty.

It was not known whether Sha Dingzhou's head had played a role, or whether he was the only chieftain who "led the army to the emperor's tent to listen to his orders", but when he arrived outside the central army tent, he was the only one there, and did not find the other chieftains as expected. "This is a private summons, you must be careful with the rules, and do not lose your manners in front of the emperor."

"Thank you for your advice, sir."

After taking back the silver that had not been stuffed in, Han Long walked straight to the door of the big tent. Then he took a deep breath, and when his mood calmed down a little, he shouted loudly: "Your Majesty! Tusi Han Long wants to see Your Majesty!"

"His Majesty has issued an order, ordering Hanlong to come to the audience~~~~!"

Following the vigorous shouts from inside the tent, Han Long finally stepped into the military tent. However, he kept all the rules in mind and kept his eyes two steps in front of him, but he never dared to look up.

"Your Majesty, I bow to you!

Long live our emperor! Long live! Long, long live our emperor!"

"Be flat."

After the three kneelings and nine kowtows, a very young voice was heard in the tent. Han Long then stood up in response, but his eyes remained the same as before, not daring to move at all.

"I heard that you brought troops to the tent to serve?"

According to Han Long's original idea, the emperor would definitely ask about Sha Dingzhou as soon as they met.

But to his surprise, the first sentence fell directly somewhere else. If he had not been prepared, he might have been stunned in front of the Holy Chariot.

"Your Majesty, when I heard that the royal army had entered Yunnan, I led more than 2,300 warriors under my command to serve Your Majesty."

"Well, it's a thoughtful gesture, but it came a little late."

"Death penalty!"

The young man's voice did not contain any anger, but Han Long fell to the ground and pleaded guilty after hearing the words.

If he had not had a conversation with the general, this would probably have been just an attitude. But after that, he already knew how powerful the Ming army was, and while he was prostrating himself and apologizing, some real fear was inevitably mixed in.

"Get up. I don't mean to blame you. It's just that in such a big country like Yunnan, people like Lu Yongming are rare. I still feel a little disappointed."

"Your Majesty! I am guilty of death! I am guilty of death!"

The emperor's voice still did not contain any anger, but Hanlong still prostrated himself on the ground and kept apologizing, not daring to take the words "get up" seriously at all.

"I just expressed my feelings, and I don't mean to blame you. To put it bluntly, my Ming Dynasty was like that before, and even important ministers and generals rebelled and surrendered to the enemy. You did your duty as a minister by not following Sha Dingzhou to cause trouble. I will not be too demanding and harsh."

Another sentence reached his ears, and Han Long no longer had the courage to apologize.

These words were Zhu Cilang's heartfelt words, but to Han Long they sounded like serious heart-wrenching words.

He really had no intention of doing anything to these neutral chieftains. To be honest, his demands on Yunnan were not the same as those on Jiangnan. His treatment of these chieftains was mainly to weaken them, not to kill them all.

"Meichun."

"His Majesty."

"Hel him sit down."

"Yes."

As Zhu Cilang spoke, Han Long, who was already a little limp, was helped by Mei Chun to sit on the seat under the tent.

Seeing that the man seemed to be in a trance, Zhu Cilang did not urge him. After a while, he continued, "You are a smart man to lead the troops here. You should understand what I mean."

"I understand."

"Well, good, the past is written off here, and you don't have to worry about anything. From now on, you will do it, and I will watch over it. If you do well, you will be rewarded, but if you do poorly, I will not lack thunderous means."

Zhu Cilang's words were more murderous than before, but after they were heard, Han Long gradually calmed down.

Obviously, this smart man had understood His Majesty's intention of letting bygones be bygones, and his mind was no longer as confused as before.

just
"I need your help with something here."

"Your Majesty, please speak. I will do my best!"

As Zhu Cilang finished speaking, Han Long immediately stood up from his chair.

This is what should be expected.

Since His Majesty has already said "You do it for me", there will naturally be a task handed over to him.

According to Han Long's idea, this mission was nothing more than providing food and grass support and eliminating the remnants of Sha Dingzhou, but when he confidently agreed to it, he found that things were far from that simple.

"The matter of exterminating the remaining followers of Sha Dingzhou will be left to you in Yunnan. In addition, Sichuan and Huguang have suffered heavy population losses, and we need to relocate people from other provinces to fill the gap. In Yunnan, we can select 20% of the young and strong from the chieftains."

"Your Majesty"

Population is the foundation of everything. Without population, everything is lost.

Of course, although it would be painful for the chieftains in Yunnan to withdraw 20% of the young and strong men under the rule of each chieftain, it was only a slight injury and was far from losing everything.

Even if the chieftains would be somewhat dissatisfied with this, they would not go through the same old path as Shadingzhou again.

But this is like cutting meat with a blunt knife. If it happens once, it may happen twice.

If it goes as he expected, there would not be a need for too many troops to be withdrawn, because the chieftains who suffered heavy losses in the Sha Dingzhou Rebellion would become marginal forces in Yunnan within a few years.

By then, there will be no need to talk about anything else. The situation in Guangxi, Sichuan and Guizhou will be a model for Yunnan.

But does Hanlong dare to refuse?
The Ming Emperor ignored the Tartars in the north and the Dutch in the south, and traveled thousands of miles to central Yunnan in person. This move itself showed his determination to resolve the repeated rebellions in Yunnan.

If Han Long really dared to say no on this issue, his name might be added among the remnants of Sha Dingzhou.

If things really got to that point, his lair would probably be razed to the ground by artillery fire like the Dutch city.

Thinking of this, Han Long couldn't help but feel bitter in his mouth, but the situation was stronger than he was. What else could he do except to greet Sha Dingzhou's family again in his heart?
"Your Majesty is wise, I will definitely accomplish this!"

I have something to do today, so I am a little late. Sorry

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(End of this chapter)