Chapter 5: Mountains and rivers become high, and the banner of national salvation is displayed

In May of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the first year of Hongguang, all the eyes of the world focused on Shanhaiguan in the northeast. There's a duel going on on a scale of unprecedented proportions. Wu Sangui received the support of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and brazenly rejected Li Zicheng's ultimatum, and after Li Zicheng occupied Beijing, after more than a month of rest and recuperation, he personally led 150,000 horse infantry and killed the Shanhaiguan. Wu Sangui was-for-tat and issued a document against the thief, claiming to avenge Emperor Chongzhen, and the whole army was allied with blood, and set up a decisive battle to the death. Li Zicheng has been fighting for a long time and is good at attacking, while Wu Sangui has been guarding the frontier for many years, and he is good at defending, one has a strong army, and the other has strong artillery and artillery, and it is difficult to predict who will win and who will lose.

On 18 May, before the army under the command of Li Zicheng arrived at Shanhaiguan, the two armies fought to the death in a rocky area, and Shanhaiguan was shrouded in the smoke of war. Half a month later, the smoke cleared, and the outcome of the war surprised the world. Just when Li Zicheng and Wu Sangui's two armies were exhausted, suddenly ambushed the troops in all directions, 100,000 Manchu Qing Eight Banners swept in, the corpses in front of Shanhaiguan were all over the field, blood flowed like a river, the Dashun army was defeated, and retreated to the capital, Wu Sangui's troops lost most of their troops, and they also lost their bargaining chips with others, and finally it was the Manchu Qing who was proud on the battlefield.

Dolgon finally tore off the mask of kindness, waved the army into the Shanhaiguan, at this time Wu Sangui was at the end of the road, in desperation, finally surrendered to the Manchu Qing, the Qing court named Wu Sangui as the king of Pingxi, hereditary replacement, Dolgon and his high-fives for the oath never to lose, Wu Sangui has since become a lackey of the Qing court.

The smoke of gunpowder in the northeast dissipated, and the Manchu Qing Dynasty punished the 300,000 troops of the Manchu and Han Eight Banners to attack the Beijing Division, opening the prelude to unifying the world and winning the country, and the situation in the Central Plains has changed since then.

Wang Qiang's prophecy of "there are rebel generals who lead the Qing Dynasty to invade Xinjiang" became a reality again, and the time has come for the Taiping Sect to officially set up a banner of resistance to the Qing Dynasty.

One day at the end of May, Wang Qiang convened a meeting of the leaders of the Taiping Sect to analyze the situation and study countermeasures. Through a one-day meeting, they formulated the eight-character policy of "internal strength and external strong reinforcement", and decided:

First, the militia was formally reorganized into the Taiping Army, with Wuchang as the base camp of the Taiping Army, and ordered all localities to openly raise the banner of resisting the Qing Dynasty, recruit troops, and form local armed forces of the Taiping Army to resist the Qing Army.

Second, unite and mobilize the forces of all factions in the country to unite with the outside world and jointly resist the Qing Dynasty, and send envoys to meet with Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and the governors of various provinces, affirm the Taiping Sect's stand of resisting the Qing Dynasty, and strive for the development space of the Taiping Sect in various localities.

Third, use the power of the Taiping Sect in various localities to propagate the ideas of the Taiping Sect to the common people, extensively develop the congregation, and win the support of the people.

Fourth, the main task of building a rear base for the Taiping Army in Kunming, Yunnan Province, is to train personnel and plan military supplies. Pai Tian was shrewd enough to personally go to Yunnan to preside over the construction of the rear base and to be responsible for the raising of grain and wages.

At the same time, in Wuchang City, Lu Xiangsheng also received the will of the Southern Ming court, appointing him as the commander of the Ming army in the four provinces of central China, and ordering him to organize the army to resist the bandits. At the same time, the Southern Ming Dynasty crowned the three princes as the king of Gui, and the territory was Yunnan. The envoys of the Southern Ming Dynasty said that they only recognized the crown prince, and only when the prince went to Nanjing would he be willing to give up the throne.

Lu Xiangsheng has always regarded himself as Chongzhen's minister, and he wants to support Chongzhen's son as the emperor, but the current situation makes him in a dilemma, in a dilemma, if he raises troops to support the three princes, then he will face this break with the Southern Ming court. The Manchu invasion and the chaos in the Central Plains made the domestic situation even more chaotic, and the Ming Dynasty became more and more difficult to protect. If you follow the will of the Southern Ming Dynasty, it will be equivalent to recognizing the status of Emperor Hongguang, and it will be difficult to support a new emperor in the future. He was good at commanding the army, did not like politics, encountered this kind of problem is naturally difficult to decide, after thinking about it, he decided to go to Wang Qiang for advice, the Manchu invasion and the Southern Ming court refused to give way to the matter were all in his words, this person is now powerful, whether it is to raise troops to support the new master, or the whole army to restore the lost territory needs to rely on his strength.

On the way to the helm of the Taiping Sect, Lu Xiangsheng pondered about Wang Qiang. He admired Wang Qiang's ability to judge the general trend of the world, and also believed in Wang Qiang's personality and talent. Since his debut, this person has gone off the rails, stacked strange moves, never followed the rules, and could turn danger into danger every time he went to a dangerous place, as if he had God's help. After being injured, he recuperated in the Northeast for two years, but quietly created a Taiping Sect, and in a blink of an eye, there was such a big force, and even Ming generals like Shang Dayong and Li Gang followed him with all their hearts. Who the hell is this, he has heard a lot about Wang Qiang recently

Rumors, some say that Wang Qiang is a god sent by God to save the world, some say that Wang Qiang is not a eunuch at all, and some say that Wang Qiang has a tryst with God and can predict the future, these rumors make this little eunuch even more unfathomable. He originally planned to use his position as a minister to take Wang Qiang for his own use, but he didn't want Li Gang and Shang Dayong, who originally belonged to the old Ming army, to join Wang Qiang's command. Thinking of this, Lu Xiangsheng was a little jealous of this little eunuch.

Wang Qiang received Lu Xiangsheng in the reception room.

After the greetings, Lu Xiangsheng planned to test Wang Qiang's details first, so he said: "Now that the Manchu Qing Dynasty is invading, it is really not expected by the adults, the adults are young, but they judge the general trend of the world so accurately, which really makes Lu admire." It is said that adults have expected this more than a year ago, and it is amazing. ”

"Hehe, there's nothing strange about it. I fought with the Qing army in the northeast, and then sent an envoy to the Qing court, and I saw the strength of the Manchus and the ambitions of the Qing lords, so I concluded that they would definitely invade our Central Plains, but I did not expect it to be so soon. Wang Qiang said perfunctorily.

"So, you've been preparing since then," Lu Xiangsheng asked.

"Yes, I expected this festival at the time, but I was worried that the emperor would suspect me, so I had no choice but to cheat and secretly continue to resist the forces of the Qing Dynasty. There's no way, it's all forced. Wang Qiang said calmly.

Lu Xiangsheng sighed, feeling that although Wang Qiang's approach was a bully, it was also the best choice at that time, so he said: "My lord, I admire Lu Mou. However, in your analysis just now, I am a little unclear, this Li Zicheng has millions of troops and occupies several provinces, and he alone should be able to repel the Manchus, can the Manchus really threaten my Jiangnan provinces?"

Wang Qiang said: "This Li Zicheng is arrogant, short-sighted, and non-human, he can have today's power, but with his bravery, I am also exhausted in my vitality." Although he occupied several provinces, he only occupied them, not ruled them, and although the people supported him, they were not loyal to him. Although there were millions of soldiers under his command, most of them were rabble, composed of poor people who had surrendered and joined temporarily, lacked training, and less than half of the troops could really fight, while the Qing army was prepared for many years, plus the combined forces of the Han army and the Mongols, the strength was actually above Li Zicheng. Therefore, the Qing army is likely to defeat Li Zicheng, occupy the Central Plains, and then move south to occupy the entire Ming Dynasty. Therefore, we must now step up our military training and prepare to defend ourselves against the enemy. In addition, I also plan to join forces with Li Zicheng to resist the Qing army. ”

Lu Xiangsheng pondered for a moment, nodded and said: "Lord Wang is reasonable, but then Li Zicheng broke the capital of our country and forced the first emperor to death, he is the mortal enemy of my Ming Dynasty, and I am afraid that it will not work if I join forces with him, and the Nanjing Imperial Court will not agree." Besides, let the Manchu Qing and Li Zicheng fight to defeat both sides, can't we just recover the lost territory and recover the Ming Dynasty?"

Wang Qiang smiled and said: "Militarily speaking, my lord's proposal is good. But in this way, the people of the Central Plains will fall under the iron hooves of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and be killed and humiliated, which I cannot bear to see. Besides, once the Manchus defeated Li Zicheng to unify the Central Plains and gain a firm foothold, I am afraid that it will be difficult for us to recover it. ”

Lu Xiangsheng said admiringly: "I didn't expect that adults still have compassion for the people, but I didn't expect this layer." Shameful"

Wang Qiang said angrily: "The purpose of my Taiping Sect is to help the world and the people, and naturally take the people's livelihood as the top priority. However, I guess the Southern Ming Dynasty may not think so, we will naturally not be able to cooperate with Li Zicheng in the name of the Ming Court, and Li Zicheng will not agree, but the Taiping Sect is not under the control of the Imperial Court, so it can join forces with Li Zicheng to fight the enemy, I plan to raise troops in various places in the name of the Taiping Sect against the Qing Dynasty, but this matter does not need to be explained to the Imperial Court. ”

Lu Xiangsheng listened to Wang Qiang's meaning, obviously did not plan to defect to the Ming Court, and also made it clear that he was in an equal position with himself, but he still agreed with Wang Qiang's proposition of helping the world and the people.

After figuring out Wang Qiang's intentions, Lu Xiangsheng was relieved, so he said: "The imperial court's envoy arrived in Wuchang the day before yesterday, and as you expected, they only recognized the prince, not the three princes, and only named the three princes as the king of Gui, which belongs to Yunnan. He also appointed me as the commander of the Ming army in central China, and ordered me to organize the whole army to resist the bandits. I didn't have a decision on where to go for a while, and I asked Lord Wang to explain. ”

Wang Qiang already knew the news of Lu Xiangsheng's entitlement, and thought about his rhetoric in advance, he sneered and said: "Hmph, don't talk about the three princes, even if the prince goes to Nanjing, they may not recognize it, but now is not the time for internal strife, if we fight ourselves, it will only benefit the Manchus, I think we still have to be unanimous with the outside world now."

, we can take our own internal affairs slowly, and how the situation will develop is still unknown, so it's better to wait and see. Therefore, my opinion is better to accept the will of the Southern Ming Dynasty, and then strengthen the strength first, I don't know what the adults want."

Lu Xiangsheng sighed and said: "It can only be like this, but when I first came here, it is quite difficult to reorganize the army and manage the place, and there are very few people available in my hands, and it is not so easy to reorganize the army to fight against bandits. He considered that he needed assistants for the whole army, and wanted to take Li Gang, Shang Dayong, and other old generals of the Ming court under his command.

Wang Qiang heard what Lu Xiangsheng meant, and said with a haha: "Haha, I am friends with Dashuai, and it is my duty to assist Dashuai." Now that our Taiping Sect is also training a new army to resist the Qing Dynasty, I, Li Gang, and Shang Dayong will all obey the dispatch of our adults, just like when we were in the Special Administrative Region, and we will definitely be invincible when we join forces. ”

Lu Xiangsheng saw that Wang Qiang refused to let go, and he felt helpless. Wang Qiang suddenly remembered Zhang Xiaodong, so he said: "The lack of people under the adults must not be worried, especially if the local officials can't help each other and raise food and salary, it is difficult to reorganize the army." If you want to say that I am good at governing local talents, I know a person, the current governor of Suzhou, Zhang Xiaodong, is good at the economy, and has a good reputation in the local people. ”

Lu Xiangsheng said: "I have also heard of this person, he is a capable official, I will report to the court today and transfer him to serve as the governor of Hubei." ”

"There is another person, who was originally the county commander of Tongzhou, called Zhang Hao, when I was in the Special Administrative Region, I cooperated very well with me, he was a talent, this time the capital fell, he also came here with the team, and now he is free, he can use it." Wang Qiang said.

"Oh, then I'll see you, if it's a good fit, I'll entrust the prefect of Wuchang." Lu Xiangsheng said.

Wang Qiang quietly had already placed two people close to him, and seeing that Lu Xiangsheng was not suspicious, he continued: "I trained some talents in the Northeast when I ran a school in the Northeast, but they were all young and lacked experience. ”

"How many people you have recommended, I just want to take this opportunity to tidy up the place, otherwise this battle will not be able to be fought in the future." Lu Xiangsheng said happily.

Wang Qiang said worriedly: "The marshal suddenly arranged so many official adjustments, can the court agree?"

Lu Xiangsheng said proudly: "Since they want me to organize the army to defend against the enemy and let me supervise several provinces and localities, I must be entrusted with full power, and I have the final say on the appointment and dismissal of officials and the expenditure of taxes in the four provinces, otherwise I will not recognize him as a small court."

Wang Qiang felt that the Southern Ming Dynasty had just been established, and he was in a hurry to appease the local area and buy off the remnants of the Ming Dynasty. He considered that the Taiping Sect was going to establish a base in Yunnan, and Concubine Li and her son were also going to Yunnan, and felt that it would be most advantageous for the governor of Yunnan to arrange his own people, so he said: "There is another matter, please think about it, this time the imperial court will send the three princes to Yunnan to stay forever, I am worried that after a long time, the prince will be wronged there, it is better to arrange the post of governor of Yunnan to our people, so as to ensure the integrity of the prince." ”

"Adults are very worried, and I am also worried. In order to keep their positions, some people in the imperial court will not be good for the three princes in the future, I don't know if the adults can have suitable candidates to recommend anyway, I will fight with the imperial court, and if we don't arrange our people, then the prince will stay here and not go to Yunnan. Lu Xiangsheng said.

"Well, how does the marshal think of Tian Jingming, he was originally in charge of the market and money in the special zone with the rank of servant of the ministry, he is good at the way of economy, he is loyal, and he is sophisticated, what do you think?" said Wang Qiang.

"Okay, it's Lao Tian. This person has never been slow to supply military supplies to my front line at the beginning, and he is honest and self-disciplined, which is exactly what I want. Lu Xiangsheng said happily.

The two had a secret discussion, each had their own gains, and they parted happily.

A few days later, under the decree of the imperial court, Zhang Xiaodong was transferred to Hubei and Tian Jingming was appointed as the governor of Yunnan. In the past few days, Wang Qiang has also made careful plans according to the changes in the situation, and he wants to build Yunnan into his own base and the base camp for the development of Taiping Sect forces.

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