Canton Road, Zhaoqing Mansion.

Ding Kuichu, the governor of Liangguang, was sitting in the governor's palace with a sad brow, and Wang Xianchuan, the chief military officer of Guangdong, was sitting opposite him, with a calm face at this time, and he was fiddling with an official document in his hand.

"Why, it's been so long, and the governor hasn't thought about it yet?"

Ding Kuichu frowned slightly, and said: "Guangxi's soldiers and horses have already ordered to start assembling, but they are only tens of thousands of elites, and they are not enough money and food. What is the situation in Guangdong? ”

"There are more than 70,000 soldiers and horses in Guangdong, and this town can temporarily requisition the money and grain from the government treasury in various places, which is enough for the army for two months."

"Two months?"

Ding Kuichu said: "It seems that General Wang is sure that within two months, the hundreds of thousands of troops of the imperial court will be blocked, and the imperial court will be forced to return to the negotiating table?" ”

Wang Xianchuan laughed and said, "The governor doesn't have to make fun of me, I just said that with the current strength of Liangguang, the attack is insufficient, and self-protection is acceptable." Besides, aren't there Yungui's soldiers and horses, and Fujian's Zheng Zhilong? They won't be unaware of the truth of cold lips and teeth. ”

Speaking of this, Ding Kuichu also nodded slightly, the truth is this truth, but in actual operation, God knows what the three of them think in their hearts, Xu Jiaming, the chief soldier of Guizhou, Li Guozhi, the general soldier of Yunnan, and Zheng Zhilong, the governor of Fujian, think in their hearts, people's hearts are separated from their stomachs!

So Ding Kuichu said: "The matter is big, you and I will secretly assemble and mobilize troops and horses, and at the same time send people to urge Xu Jiaming, the general soldier of Guizhou, Li Guozhi, the general soldier of Yunnan, and Zheng Zhilong, the governor of Fujian, to make an appointment to raise troops together." ”

Wang Xianchuan looked at the cautious Ding Kuichu, and couldn't help but feel a little contemptuous, but after all, he was the governor of Liangguang and the official of his own Guangdong army, so he had to say at this time: "Since the governor has made up his mind, then the general will handle it." ”

"Hmm."

Out of the Governor's Mansion, Wang Xianchuan got into a carriage directly, and his accompanying subordinates came over and asked, "General Town, where are we going?" ”

Wang Xianchuan said: "Go back to Guangzhou City first, and then you go and prepare a few reliable people, and I will send someone to deliver the letter." ”

"Yes."

At the beginning of July, in the General Soldier's Mansion in Guiyang City, Xu Jiaming, the General Soldier of Guizhou, looked at the secret letter in his hand and said to the generals in the house: "It seems that Liangguang is ready to start, how can we reply?" ”

A staff general said loudly: "The imperial court wants to implement military reform, that is, to seize our military power, these years, everyone has relied on soldiers and horses to live, without military power, we are all dough at the mercy of others, the court wants to deal with it, how to deal with it, and must not let the so-called inspection team enter Guizhou!" ”

Another garrison also said loudly: "The soldiers of Liangguang are bloody, and our Guizhou people are not bad!" Headquarters, make up your mind! ”

"If we don't have enough money and food, even if we start an army, how long can we hold out?"

The garrison said: "The headquarters town doesn't know, during this time, our civil officials in Guizhou can't sit still, and now dozens of people have sent news: as long as the headquarters is willing to raise troops, those civilian officials will pay money and food to support us!" ”

Hearing this news, Xu Jiaming's heart suddenly felt a lot more steady.

Then Xu Jiaming frowned slightly, thought for a long time, and then his eyes became much firmer, and he said loudly: "Okay!" The town agreed to come down and sent someone to reply to the messenger: According to the time set by Wang Xianchuan, the chief soldier of Guangdong, we will raise troops together! ”

"Yes!"

At the same time, in Kunming, Yunnan, Li Guozhi, the general soldier of Yunnan, also faced the same problem, and the secret letter of Wang Xianchuan, the general soldier of Guangdong, was also sent here.

Li Guozhi convened a group of generals, and after discussing for a long time, they couldn't make up their minds.

There are two reasons why Li Guozhi has never been able to make up his mind, one is the problem of money and food, and the other is the problem of troops.

A general named Li Wei took out a list, and then said mysteriously: "The head town, please take a look." ”

"What is this?"

"Zongzhen, this is the list of civil officials from all over Yunnan, and the people on it are willing to contribute money and food to support our troops."

"Humph!!"

Li Guozhi snorted coldly and said: "These literati are bad, they just spend some money and food, but let our brothers fight with the elite of the imperial court!" ”

Staff General Li Wei said: "It's just that in the current situation, we can't help it. The general town, now even the Tusi of Cheli Xuanwei, Ganya Xuanwei, Limasi and other places have sent news, and they are willing to send troops to follow! ”

"It's to be expected."

Li Guozhi said: "The imperial court implemented a new policy, which also had the so-called policy of changing the land and returning to the stream, saying that it was to exempt the Tusi and set up a liuguan to govern the place, and those Tusi naturally couldn't sit still. ”

"In that case, what are we worried about? Take the brothers and do it! ”

"Hmm!!"

Li Guozhi finally made up his mind at this time, and said loudly: "Okay, just do it!" ”

"You immediately go and gather your troops and horses, and according to the date set by Wang Xianchuan, the chief soldier of Guangdong, you will start with me!"

"Order!"

At the same time that Wang Xianchuan, the commander-in-chief of Guangdong, Xu Jiaming, the commander-in-chief of Guizhou, and Li Guozhi, the commander-in-chief of Yunnan, were secretly in contact, the Nanzhen Fusi of the Military Intelligence Department also inquired about various news, and then through the secret lines deployed by the Military Intelligence Department in various places, Pegasus was sent into Beijing.

"Ding Kuichu?"

In the mansion of Lu Guogong, Liu Yan looked at Wu Guojin who came to report in surprise, and was a little surprised.

Liu Yan knew Ding Kuichu.

Ding Kui Chu is in the middle of the word, the number is light three, and this person even has a Latin name, called the holy name Luke, who was born as a Jinshi in the forty-fourth year of Wanli.

The head of the Shaanxi Division of the Ministry of Household Affairs at the beginning of the year, and the power of good deeds is important, which means that Ding Kuichu is good at tying up the powerful.

Subsequently, Ding Kuichu successively served as the right governor of the imperial history, the governor of Baoding, and the right attendant of the military department, and served as the governor of Ji, Liao, and Baoding on behalf of Fu Zonglong.

In July of the ninth year of Chongzhen, due to the entry of the Houjin army, Ji Fu was soldiered, and Ding Kuichu was sent to the blame for missing the opportunity, and Chongzhen was released after 11 years.

Historically, after the Jiashen national disaster in May of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, Zhu Yousong, the king of Fu, took the throne, and in October of the same year, Ding Kuichu was appointed as the original official, and the governor of Henan, Huguang and the governor of Chengtian, De'an, Xiangyang and other places in the military department.

In the first year of Longwu, Zhu Yujian, the king of Tang, proclaimed himself emperor in Fuzhou, and ordered Ding Kuichu to be the former official assistant to Rong Zheng, looking for the secretary of the military department, the prince Taibao, and giving Shang Fang the sword. Zhu Hengjia, the king of Jingjiang, rebelled in Guilin, captured Wuzhou, imprisoned Qu Shiyun, the governor of Guangxi, and Ding Kui Chu ordered Si'en to attack Zhu Hengjia and others to capture Zhu Hengjia in Guilin and escort him to Fuzhou.

Emperor Longwu named Ding Kuichu as Ping Yuebo, and he stayed in the town of Liangguang. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, Ding Kuichu and Qu Shiyun, the military department Shangshu Lu Daqi and others supported Guiwang Zhu Youlang to be the emperor in Zhaoqing, Guangdong.

Ding Kuichu sent soldiers to excavate Duan inkstones in the area of Lingyang Gorge in Zhaoqing and made them into exquisite inkstones. The Qing soldiers went south to capture Guangzhou, forced Zhaoqing, Ding Kuichu fled to Wuzhou in the Yongli Emperor, and then diverted to Cen Xi, because of too much weight, there were more than 300 ships carrying 200,000 taels of gold and more than 240,000 taels of platinum, and were caught up by the Qing general Li Chengdong, and Ding Kuichu surrendered.

Li Chengdong and Ding Kuichu once had a grudge, so Li Chengdong killed hundreds of Kuichu's family. Kui Chu begged for forgiveness to save a son, and Li Chengdong smiled and said: "You are not protected, but you still want to be alive?" "All killed.

It can be said that Ding Kuichu in history is a powerful man who defects at the opportunity, and Liu Yan has a very bad impression of this person.

Now that Ding Kuichu is secretly preparing to raise an army, it is completely to compete with the imperial court for power, and Liu Yan cannot tolerate this person no matter what.

So Liu Yan said to Wu Guojin: "Immediately transfer the relevant information of Liangguang and Yunnan and Guizhou to the Ministry of National Defense." ”

"Yes."

In the afternoon of the same day, Liu Yan hurried to the Cabinet Office, and had already brought in Tian Huixu, the secretary of the Ministry of National Defense, in advance.

"All the information has been received??"

"Yes."

Tian Huixu said: "Ge Lao, according to the information provided by the Ministry of Military Intelligence, the current situation is very grim, Liangguang, Yunnan and Guizhou, plus Fujian, it can be said that the five southern provinces must be opposed, according to the Ministry of National Defense's estimates, at least two to three armies of national defense forces must be mobilized to stabilize the situation." If the garrison is to be mobilized, seven or eight battalions of troops will have to be mobilized. ”

Tian Huixu frowned slightly, and continued: "In addition, with such a scale of troop mobilization, the imperial court must prepare at least half a year's military expenses, which is equivalent to eight million silver coins in silver and one million stone in grain and grass!" ”

Liu Yan nodded and said: "Money and food are not a problem, now that the imperial court has money and food, this war can be fought, let alone half a year, even if it is two or three years!" ”

"It's just a matter of troops......

Liu Yan paused and said: "At present, the First Army to the Eighth Army of the National Defense Force are all assembled in the Shanhaiguan area, mainly to guard against the Manchu Tartars, the Ninth Army to the Eleventh Army are in various places with the inspection team, and the Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Armies are stationed in the capital, and it is difficult to draw troops out. ”

"Only the garrison troops of Shandong and Beizhili can fight, and Shanxi and Xuanfu can also draw some garrison troops. In addition, Qin Liangyu in Sichuan should also be able to send troops. ”

"The Ministry of Defense should immediately study it and formulate a plan to meet the battle, especially in the transfer of troops, and it should carefully consider it."

"Yes!"

Afterwards, Tian Huixu hurried back to the yamen of the Ministry of National Defense, preparing to gather a group of subordinates to draw up a strategy for facing the battle.

And Liu Yan sat in the cabinet office, and couldn't help but sigh, and sighed in his heart, don't look at the current national defense force has 14 armies and hundreds of thousands of soldiers and horses, but it is the northern border defense, the new political military reform, and the defense of Beijing are each involved in the troops, and now it seems that once the south rebels, the main force to quell the rebellion can only temporarily rely on the garrisons in various places.

"However, it is also necessary to ventilate the armies of the National Defense Force in Shanhaiguan, once the war in the south is unfavorable, it is necessary to transfer troops from Shanhaiguan to the south to participate in the war."

"As for the matter of going north, it can only be suspended!"

Thinking of this, Liu Yan was angry with Ding Kuichu and other southern strengths, and said to himself in a cold voice: "Since Ding Kuichu and others want to die, then Bengong dares to bury them, now it depends on whether the south can be chaotic!" ”