Southern Ming, my destiny is too abstract

Chapter 79: Your Highness, I have met His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty
With [Mountain Climbing], Zhu Cixuan can quickly climb up the cliff and lower the rope ladder.

Crossing the river depended on Zhu Cixuan leading the way by swimming back and forth and building a floating bridge.

The assault battalion is basically not restricted by any terrain.

The only thing that limited them was the long distance of 1,500 miles of forced march.

In order to avoid fatigue of soldiers and excessive non-combat casualties.

Nor dare to travel a hundred miles a day.

Even if we advance 60 miles every day, it will take nearly a month to reach Kunming.

The second restriction is baggage.

The Luchuan Plateau is mountainous and crisscrossed with rivers.

It is difficult for horses and carriages to move.

Therefore, the entire army set out lightly, intending to pass through Mengding Prefecture, which had been evacuated of its people, and then go to the chieftains in southern Yunnan to purchase food and horses.

Jin Weixin said that the people of Yunnan and Dian are clear-minded.

Zhu Cixuan also felt so.

But I never expected that the chieftains and the people would line the streets to welcome me.

Just after passing Ma Yuancheng and Gengma Pacification Office, we arrived at the border between Mengding and Mengmian.

They encountered a group of local chieftains and their people, who forced the Ming army soldiers to rest in their village.

There's no need to be so happy about welcoming the royal teacher, right?

Zhu Cixuan was a little confused as he looked at the Wa men and women who kept pouring in.

He knew that the Ming Dynasty's three hundred years of rule was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.

But it has little to do with these border chieftains.

The chieftains in southern Yunnan, such as Mengding and Menggen, were basically semi-independent and independent, and did not become independent chieftains.

It is not much different from Lancang Siam outside Middle-earth.

The latter was tribute, in which the chieftains in southern Yunnan paid taxes and grain and sent troops to assist Prince Mu's palace.

It is different from Manmo who jumps back and forth between Daming and Hongsha, sometimes belonging to Daming and sometimes to Hongsha.

Southern Yunnan is within the Nujiang River, and Hongsawadi is difficult to conquer by crossing the Nujiang River.

So it has always been under the jurisdiction of the Ming Dynasty.

Moreover, it is very different from the three major Xuanfu offices in Longchuan, Nandian and Ganya.

Although most chieftains have the surname Dao.

However, the leaders of the Three Xuan tribes were all Han generals who stayed behind when the Ming Dynasty conquered Toungoo during the Wanli period.

The chieftains of southern Yunnan were pure southern barbarians.

There is also a custom of using human heads as sacrifices to grain.

To put it bluntly, the family history of many chiefs is much longer than that of the Zhu family.

At least during the Yuan Dynasty, our ancestors became leaders.

When the Ming Dynasty conquered Yunnan and Yunnan during the Hongwu period, they successively became dependents on the Ming Dynasty.

The chieftains in southern Yunnan would follow whoever occupied Kunming in central Yunnan.

The chieftains on the Dali side of western Yunnan have been communicating and integrating with the Han people since the Han and Tang dynasties.

It makes sense that they have China in their hearts.

It is a bit unbelievable that the chieftain of southern Yunnan would open the bed to welcome us.

No matter who was the ruler of the world during the Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, it had nothing to do with them. They all lived their own lives behind closed doors.

Moreover, in the feudal period, bandits came like combs and soldiers came like rakes.

We should not welcome a large army whose enemies and friends are unknown.

Zhu Cixuan almost thought that Wu Sangui had discovered his intentions and had joined forces with the chieftains to ambush him.

Just when Zhu Cixuan was about to ask Bai Wenxuan, Ma Bao and others to act cautiously.

A chieftain with a red cloth wrapped around his head, wearing a green short coat and a tiger head tattoo on his neck came slowly with several leaders.

"I, Han Zhongxing, the prefect of Mengding, the Great Ming, pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Ming."

Zhu Cixuan, who was carried on the elephant's back by the Wa woman, narrowed his eyes slightly:
"Isn't the prefect of Mengding called Han Rong?"

The Toungoo army was powerful and invaded southern Yunnan. The chieftain surnamed Dao from Mubang Mengding assisted the Toungoo Mang family.

After the Ming Dynasty pacified Luchuan, the chieftain surnamed Mengdinghan replaced the Dao surname.

Before, when Zhu Cixuan cleared out the people from the three counties and established a fortified defense system, the leader of Zhenkang Prefecture fled to Mangshi Prefecture.

The prefect Mengding did not completely side with Wu Sangui, and also sent officials to assist Zhu Cixuan.

But he himself did not come to Hongsavadi, and no one knew where he hid.

It turned out that he changed his name and hid in Mengmian.

Han Zhongxing patted his chest and bowed his head, saying solemnly, "I have learned that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has defeated the Qing army, and I know that all the gods in the sky are standing behind His Royal Highness."

"To demonstrate my loyalty, I have changed my name to Zhongxing."

"I only hope that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will revive the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Cixuan glanced at the several chiefs behind Han Zhongxing who looked a little uneasy.

Some guesses.

It seems that the destruction of the Toungoo Kingdom and the overthrow of the Mang clan's direct lineage have had a greater deterrent effect on these chieftains of the Luchuan Plateau than he expected.

When they heard that the Ming army had defeated the Qing army, they couldn't wait to come and offer their loyalty.

Compared to Wu Sangui's suppression of Yuanjiang Prefecture, Zhu Cixuan, who was on the verge of destroying his country, was more terrifying. Bonfires were lit and wooden drums were beaten.

The Wa girls swing their long hair, move gracefully, and smile brightly, showing their charm.

At the grand banquet, women dressed in brightly colored clothes walked around the bamboo houses in the courtyard, serving carefully prepared special delicacies.

Zhu Cixuan avoided the pile of insect delicacies.

Pick up a piece of sour bamboo shoots and dig into the chicken and rice.

The unique fermented aroma of sour bamboo shoots and the delicious chicken immediately made up for the lack of stomach function after several days of forced marching.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw some Ming army soldiers exchanging glances with the chieftain girls.

Zhu Cixuan turned sideways and instructed Bai Wenxuan, "We still have twenty days of marching ahead. Tell them not to drink too much, not to touch women, and to conserve their energy for the journey."

Without waiting for Bai Wenxuan to respond.

The chieftain who was toasting Ma Bao and other Ming army generals immediately replied:
"Your Highness, there is no need to worry. Not only us, but the entire Mengmian chieftains know that the Ming army is approaching."

"Even if they don't know the situation, Prefect Han has already communicated to them."

"We have prepared carriages and provisions, and will definitely assist His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in advancing quickly."

Seeing that the prince readily agreed.

The chieftain smiled and drank a cup of wine, then hesitated and said:
"Your Highness, I heard from Prefect Han that the chieftains of Mengding assisted the Ming Dynasty in building passes and forts..."

Zhu Cixuan was stunned when he heard this.

Even if he didn't say everything, you could guess what he meant.

There is no such thing as no gain without pain. No wonder they are so happy to welcome the royal army.

It feels like I am both the god of plague and the god of wealth.

Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty treasury had two million taels of gold, enough to squander for several years.

Zhu Cixuan immediately activated his skills.

[Ying Chuang Wang: When you promise not to pay taxes, you will gain the support of the people.]

"Southern Yunnan has been somewhat stabilized, but the local chieftains have been fighting for three years, and the local people are still recovering. They should be exempted from grain and tax for three years to solve their food and clothing difficulties."

After hearing this, several leaders immediately knelt down to express their gratitude and offered three cups of wine.

"We know we can't compare to Prefect Han's long sword against a wild boar, but we will always dedicate our fine wine to the Ming Dynasty."

When the news came out, it immediately caused cheers.

The chieftains and their people were now truly celebrating the return of the Ming Dynasty from the bottom of their hearts.

The bonfire burned brighter.

Zhu Cixuan threw out a carrot and hit it with a stick.

"The Ming Dynasty is different from the barbarians of the East. Now that you have returned to the Ming Dynasty, you are once again bathed in the royal rule."

"My Ming Dynasty is different from before. You should change some of your customs."

Looking around at the chieftains who were sitting upright, Zhu Cixuan continued, "I saw some human heads being used as sacrifices in Mengding."

"Even more barbaric than the Hongsha Shan people, this is not good. Can we use monkey heads instead?"

The Wa La people were degraded as a slave tribe by the Shan people and are said to have originated from caves.

They believed in primitive worship and hunted heads to sacrifice to the god "ghost".

Every year people hunt heads to pray to the gods for a good harvest.

The leaders looked at each other, whispered to each other, and then all looked at Han Zhongxing.

The prince gave them a choice, but they didn't dare to really choose it.

But the tradition since ancient times is not like the hair of the Han people, which can be changed at will.

You are an official of the Ming Dynasty, in charge of the local chieftains, and you are the big boss. You speak for yourself.

Han Zhongxing pondered for a moment, then said, "We really can't use monkey heads to offer sacrifices to the gods. Can we use tiger heads instead?"

"But tigers are difficult to hunt."

Zhu Cixuan waved his hand and said, "This is your own internal matter. You can discuss and decide among yourselves."

Skip this little episode.

Military orders were as heavy as a mountain, and the Ming army officers and soldiers did not fall into the trap of comfort.

And with the help of local chieftains.

The assault battalion's marching speed soared to 100 miles a day.

After receiving the Ming Dynasty's promise of tax exemption, local chieftains took out horse-drawn carriages, ox-drawn carts and elephants, and each of them carried Ming army weapons and armor.

The chieftains from one place to another pushed Zhuge wheelbarrows to deliver and transport the food.

Zhu Cixuan didn't even need to climb cliffs or wade through water. The chieftain called on the brave warriors in the village to build bridges over water and clear roads across mountains.

What is now hindering the Ming army's advance is the warm invitation and hospitality from various villages.

It took six days to cross Mengding, while Mengmian took only two days.

When they reached the border of Jingdong Prefecture, Zhu Cixuan and his party met the real remnants of the Ming Dynasty.

"Three years, three years."

"This old minister knows that the Ming Dynasty's destiny has not yet ended."

"Lei Yuelong, a Jinshi in the 47th year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion during the Yongli reign, a Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and the Minister of Rites."

"Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Ming."

(End of this chapter)