Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 361 Entering Zunyi
The silence speaks.

Although everyone present was silent, everyone knew that they were watching which side the "imperial envoy" supported.

This is the embodiment of power.

When the news of the Crown Prince's regent spread, except for the Jiangnan forces that Zhu Cilang was closely tied to, which gave some support, the rest of the places pretended to be ignorant, and some people even had the idea of ​​establishing their own independence.

However, as Zhu Cilang continued to grow stronger in the battle with Duoduo, this situation was reversed. Through a series of operations and exchanges, various places expressed a certain degree of support for his ascension to the throne.

But now.

There is no need for Zhu Cilang to show up in person. Xiang Rensheng, who has been a soldier for about a year, just sits here, and the military leaders who hold real power will have to hand over the real decision-making power to him.

Of course, this kind of thing depends on how you score it.

If you think about it in a darker way, these people must have reacted this way because they were intimidated by the imperial court's powerful military force and endless supply of money and food.

But if we think about things more positively, the new emperor has already proved his ability through one great victory after another, and as a subject, we naturally have to give due respect to the envoy sent by the holy monarch.

However, there is no need to worry about this kind of thing. After all, such a situation is enough to prove that the current Ming Dynasty is no longer what it used to be.

It's just that the general has always fought wherever His Majesty has directed.

Even when he was not by the emperor's side occasionally, he received detailed instructions and never had any difficulty in making such strategic decisions.

At this moment, everyone in the hall cast their eyes on him, and he immediately became at a loss.

This can’t be blamed on Xiang Rensheng.

To others, the problem that people in this position have to deal with every day is to make a choice between left and right, good and bad.

But in reality, the choice that people in high positions face every day is to choose the better of two iron rods that are poured from the same mold.

Take this moment for example, Fan Yiheng's basis is very clear.

He believed that Your Majesty's fundamental purpose was to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between two tigers, and then try to reap the benefits according to the changes in the situation in northern Sichuan.

But now the army is in Zunyi, at least 1,600 to 1,700 miles away from the battlefield in northern Sichuan.

This distance would take several days for a large army to march even at full speed, let alone travel by force. If any changes really happened on the battlefield in northern Sichuan, the army would certainly not be able to react in time.

By then, there will be no point in talking about how to reap the benefits. I'm afraid the battle will have been settled before you even get there.

It is obvious that Fan Yiheng, the Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, applied the imperial order flexibly after understanding it, but Wang Yingxiong's concerns were not completely unreasonable.

No matter what, the Ming army had no idea about the real reason why the Dashi Army withdrew from Chongqing.

It would be fine if they were transferring troops from the rear to support the frontline because of the shortage of troops. The two sides have already reached a tacit understanding not to attack each other, and sending troops into a city that the other side has given up should not cause any trouble.

But what if the withdrawal of the Dashi Army from Chongqing was not ordered by Zhang Xianzhong?
Everyone present had been through this for many years, so they naturally knew that all kinds of outrageous things could easily happen at this time of year.

Once the Ming army enters Chongqing and Zhang Xianzhong knows nothing about it, not to mention that all your majesty's previous arrangements may come to naught, it is not impossible that the Dashi Army will turn around and surrender to the Qing in anger.

A dilemma, a real dilemma.

Faced with such diametrically opposed yet similarly beneficial choices, not to mention Xiang Rensheng, a fighter who came from a coolie background, even someone who had been in officialdom for many years would find it difficult to handle.

not to mention.
"Jun Dai, I am also from Sichuan, and my family is still in Chongqing. If we talk about restoring my hometown, I am no less willing than you and the other generals. However, this involves a lot of people, and we must not let our emotions ruin the situation that Your Majesty has worked so hard to set up."

Just when Xiang Rensheng didn't know how to make a decision, Wang Yingxiong's voice rang out again, and after hearing these words, Fan Yiheng's face immediately darkened.

Just as Wang Yingxiong said, after fighting with the Dashi Army in Sichuan for such a long time, more than half of the troops he brought from Shaanxi had already been killed. At this time, the soldiers and generals under his command were all newly recruited in Sichuan in the past two years.

It would have been fine in the past, after all, the two sides had fought each other and had won and lost alternately. Even though the Ming army had been slow to recover central Sichuan, everyone from top to bottom was working towards this goal.

But now, the Dashi Army has clearly withdrawn from Chongqing, but our side is still unwilling to go north due to various concerns, which will surely cause resentment in the army.

But he really didn't insist on sending troops because of these reasons!

Faced with the dirty water thrown by Wang Yingxiong, Fan Yiheng suddenly felt furious. If it weren't for the fact that His Majesty's "imperial envoy" was here, he would have had a good fight with him.

"You are worrying too much, Wang Zhitai. I and tens of thousands of soldiers in the army are willing to risk our lives for the Ming Dynasty. How can we sacrifice public interests for personal gain? It's just that some people are idle and have made no achievements. I don't know how they can stand in the court!"

"you!"

As soon as Fan Yiheng finished speaking, Wang Yingxiong became so angry that his eyes widened and his hands and feet trembled.

Obviously, this sentence touched his sore spot, making the governors of several provinces lose face.

If Wang Yingxiong was really a person who just wanted to eat and wait for death, then he would naturally not have such a reaction.

But not only did he dare to enter the unknown hinterland of Sichuan alone with only a piece of torn paper, he also sold his property and assembled thousands of soldiers before Zhang Xianzhong arrived in Chongqing.

Afterwards, he failed to achieve anything as Fan Yiheng had said, and he felt even more resentful after being transferred away from Sichuan by the new emperor.

At this moment, the flaw in his heart was exposed in public. How could someone like him who was willing to die for the Ming Dynasty have the audacity to remain calm?

This was probably the problem at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

In the absence of absolute authority, ministers who were willing to die for the Ming Dynasty calmly were unable to work together for various reasons.

Even if successors like Li Dingguo and Zheng Chenggong fought many brilliant battles, how likely were they to revive the Ming Dynasty amid internal friction?
Fortunately.
"Both of you."

As Xiang Rensheng's short and loud voice came, both Wang Yingxiong who was planning to counterattack, and Fan Yiheng who was thinking about defense, calmed down.

"I thought that both of you governors were intelligent people, and that you would understand the real purpose of your majesty sending me here without me having to explain it to you."

"Humph!"

"Humph!"

As soon as they finished speaking, they both turned their backs and swung their sleeves.

Although they still had anger on their faces, at least they stopped saying hurtful words.

Seeing this, Xiang Rensheng was relieved, but he still knew that if he could not decide whether to send troops, a fight between the two would be inevitable.

So he took advantage of the moment when the two men stopped fighting and began to think quickly.

“Report~~~~~!”

Just when the situation in the hall was completely deadlocked due to the silence of the three people, a soldier ran in hurriedly.

"My Lords, there are several unidentified people outside the government office who want to see General Xiang. They say they are from Yunnan and have urgent military information to report in person." Yunnan? !
Emergency military information?!

As these two words were uttered, the already silent lobby became even more dead silent.

Although there were eight or nine people in the hall at this time, they all knew that His Majesty was in Yunnan to suppress Sha Dingzhou's rebellion.

According to the performance of the emperor's personal army earlier, they were invited to deal with a few local soldiers, but now the people from Yunnan claimed to have urgent military information. Could it be...
With this in mind, not only Xiang Rensheng walked out quickly, but Fan Yiheng and Wang Yingxiong, who were at odds with each other, also followed closely behind.

Then the generals present looked at each other. Even though they knew they shouldn't go out together, under the pressure of those two words, they followed suit and quickly caught up with the three people in front.

As Xiang Rensheng only had a buzzing sound in his head, he had no time to care about the reactions of the officials behind him.

He knew very well that no matter whether the war in Yunnan went smoothly or not, His Majesty would never summon him.

But now the urgent military situation in Yunnan is just outside the government office. Even if he has full confidence in his own Majesty, how can he not have wild thoughts?
The sword has no eyes!
The sword has no eyes!!

Yunnan is a place full of epidemic diseases and miasma. If Your Majesty really
With this in mind, he immediately broke into a jog, already running quite fast.

But when he turned a corner and saw the situation outside the yamen clearly, his heartstrings, which were almost broken, relaxed instantly, but his pace became several points faster than before.

Fan and Wang could understand Xiang Rensheng's reaction. Not only that, the two old ministers, both in their sixties, also moved as quickly as possible.

In the final analysis, they shared the same guess as Xiang Rensheng. If His Majesty had not encountered an accident, there would be no way he would have been able to pass on any urgent military information here.

The situation had just gotten a little better, so how could an accident happen?
Is it really the end of fate, is it God's will to destroy the Ming Dynasty? ! !
The two old ministers, who were having a dispute with each other, had these thoughts at the same time while running. Afterwards, they looked at each other at the same time and quickened their pace.

just
"Your Majesty! The commander of the imperial guards, Xiang Rensheng, pays respect to Your Majesty!"

Just as the two old ministers turned around the porch, they saw Xiang Rensheng kneeling before a Ming army soldier. Then the shouting voice reached their ears, and they both froze in place.

"Master, what happened? How are you?"

The generals were a little further away, and from their perspective they only heard a loud shout from the front, and then the two provincial governors were stunned at the corner.

Seeing this, Yang Zhan, who had some contacts with both of them, couldn't help but ask.

But who would have thought that the two of them did not even wait for Yang Zhan to finish his question and hurriedly crossed the corner as if they were frightened by something.

I’m afraid it’s a big deal.

Seeing the performance of Fan and Wang, Yang Zhan had his own guesses in his mind. Then he and a group of soldiers ran over quickly. When they turned the corner, they saw the three in front of them had already knelt on the ground.

What happened?

Could it be that the emperor passed away?

Yang Zhan could not fully understand the scene before him, but when various thoughts flashed through his mind, he saw that Li Guo and Gao Yigong, who usually didn't talk much, actually left the team of generals.

"Your Majesty! The Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Fan Yiheng, pays respect to Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty! Wang Yingxiong, the military governor of Sichuan, Hubei, Yunnan, and Guizhou, pays respect to Your Majesty!"

"Your Majesty! Li Guo and Gao Yigong pay their respects to His Majesty!"

What?
Meet Your Majesty?

After all, at this time, Yang Zhan was just a lieutenant general with some military achievements. Not to mention the various secrets of the current emperor, he might not know all the major events that happened in the court.

So when he saw several people bowing before an ordinary soldier, his first reaction was not anything else but that those officials might be crazy.

"Come and meet His Majesty!"

Following Fan Yiheng's shout, Yang Zhan and other generals who seemed to be still in a daze hurried forward. After they imitated the high officials and bowed down, they heard a very young voice.

"Okay, everyone, get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

There was another round of cheers, and more than a dozen civil and military officials who were kneeling on the ground responded. When Yang Zhan glanced over, he saw that the "soldier" had already jumped off his horse and was coming into the mansion under the guidance of the senior officials.

"Your Majesty, aren't you in Yunnan? How come..."

"Sha Dingzhou could not resist the attack, and was defeated by more than a thousand rear troops in one encounter."

In response to Xiang Rensheng's question, Zhu Cilang answered with a smile.

Afterwards, he took a closer look at the two civil servants in red robes, and glanced at the group of generals on the mountain. Then he put away his smile and bowed.

"I am able to have your assistance, it is truly God's blessing to the Ming Dynasty."

"Your Majesty! You are embarrassing me!"

"Your Majesty! How can this old minister be so worthy of such honor?"

"Your Majesty! We are ashamed!"

The more sincere Zhu Cilang's words were, the more the ministers present felt as if their faces were burning. Even when they knelt before Zhu Cilang again, old ministers like Fan Yiheng and Wang Yingxiong, who had endured many grievances and difficulties, had red eyes and trembling shoulders.

It has been more than two years since Zhang Xianzhong entered Sichuan. Although a group of civil officials and generals have tried their best to drive this group of bandits out of Sichuan, after fighting so many battles, not only have they failed, but the bandits have even proclaimed themselves emperors and founded their own country here.

People are so strange. If someone criticizes them to their face, the people in Sichuan will not only put their difficulties in front of the other party, but also use the performance of their colleagues to highlight their own diligence and responsibility.

But when the invincible Majesty recognized their contribution, these civil officials and generals who had persisted in extremely difficult circumstances for two years felt ashamed.

"Frustrated? You, Fan Yiheng, have been fighting the bandits since Shaanxi. After entering Sichuan, you did not allow the bandits to develop peacefully without reinforcements from outside and money and food from inside. If you have to be defeated, then who else in the Ming Dynasty should not be defeated?"

After helping Fan Yiheng, who was already crying, to his feet, Zhu Cilang said nothing more but turned towards Wang Yingxiong again.

"What virtue and ability do you have? You, Wang Yingxiong, came to Sichuan alone, ruined your family to help the country. When I ascended the throne, I transferred you away from Sichuan without asking a single question. But you never complained at all, and you worked hard on the reclamation work, which was a model for all the ministers. If you have to complain about what virtue and ability you have, then who in the Ming Dynasty dares to claim virtue and ability?"

Being transferred away from Sichuan was a thorn in Wang Yingxiong's heart, but now His Majesty not only laid it out clearly, but also took all the responsibility on himself.

After hearing these words, he suddenly felt relieved, and then he felt two streams of warmth flowing out of his eye sockets.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang would not stare at his ministers losing their composure. He then said loudly to all the generals: "No minister in Sichuan can say he is ashamed!"

"Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)