I would like to thank Babajiejie and Wanglairufeng for the reward of ten thousand gold. I bow my head in respect.
***
In order to become emperor before Zhu Youlang, Zhu Youlang did not even have time to prepare the dragon robe. The dragon robe and official uniforms he used when he ascended the throne had to be borrowed from the costumes of Cantonese opera actors.
This was like a farce. When the news reached Zhaoqing, Zhu Youlang, who had claimed to be the regent, and Qu Shisi and others were furious. They made emergency preparations and finally ascended the throne and proclaimed themselves emperor half a month later.
He then immediately dispatched Peng Yao, the Imperial Censor of the Military Affairs Department, and Chen Jiamo, the Director of the Ministry of War, to Guangzhou to pay a visit to Emperor Shaowu with the etiquette of a vassal king and to persuade him to give up his imperial title.
Su Guansheng, the chief minister of the Shaowu Dynasty, was furious and executed Peng and Chen. He then ordered Chen Jitai to lead the army to attack Zhaoqing.
Emperor Yongli sent Lin Jiading and Xia Sifu, the right assistant ministers of the Ministry of War, to lead troops to engage in a fierce battle with the Shaowu army in the west of Sanshui County and repel the enemy.
Su Guansheng then ordered Guangdong General Lin Cha to lead tens of thousands of newly surrendered pirates to counterattack, and defeated Yongli's army, forcing Zhu Youlang to retreat to Wuzhou.
The hatred between the two sides began at that time and has never been resolved.
This time, the Qin army attacked Guangxi from both sides. Zhu Youlang saw that the Qin army was unstoppable and cities in Guangxi were falling one after another. The situation was critical, so he had to shamelessly send Wu Hui, the head of the Ministry of Rites, to Guangzhou for help.
Su Guansheng finally agreed to send troops to reinforce, but he put forward a prerequisite, which was that Zhu Youlang should first give up the title of emperor and acclaim Shaowu as the legitimate emperor of the Ming Dynasty.
If this condition is not met, there is no need to even think about sending troops to reinforce Guangxi.
Of course Wu Hui could not agree to such conditions. Unable to get help, Wu Hui hurried back to Wuzhou with a feeling of grief and indignation.
At this time, a fast horse also galloped back to Wu from Xunzhou.
"Report, Your Majesty, something bad has happened. The Qin army has broken through your county and your county has been lost!"
The panicked shouting of the messenger made the Yongli emperor and his ministers feel their scalps tingle. Your county is located in the upper reaches of the West River. Going downstream, you can reach Wuzhou directly. The distance is only a few hundred miles, which can be said to be imminent.
"My dear ministers, what should we do? What should we do?" Instead of waiting for reinforcements, the enemy arrived. Zhu Youlang was a man without ideas to begin with, and this news made him panic, and he even asked questions with a tearful tone.
Wu Yu came out and said, "Your Majesty, Wuzhou only has 10,000 soldiers. Apart from that, the troops in the surrounding counties have all been emptied. Considering the distance, it is too late to transfer troops from Guilin Prefecture to the king. Your Majesty, you can't hesitate any longer. We ask Your Majesty to set off immediately and go to Guilin to meet up with the Minister of War. In this way, we can concentrate our superior forces to defeat the enemy in the north in one fell swoop, and the current predicament can be resolved."
"Ridiculous!" The cabinet chief Ding Kuichu immediately came out and loudly refuted: "The situation is critical now. Your Majesty must not leave the palace lightly. Your Majesty, all the soldiers and people are watching you now. Once you leave Wuzhou, it will inevitably cause doubts among the soldiers and people, thinking that your Majesty is afraid of the enemy and is abandoning the land and fleeing. Then the morale of the army will be shaken, and the people will be in turmoil. The consequences are disastrous."
Ding Kuichu had already transported all his property to Cenxi. Once Zhu Youlang went to Guilin, it would be tantamount to giving up the large area of Wuzhou, including Cenxi County. He certainly would not agree to let Zhu Youlang escape to Guilin Prefecture.
Cao Ye, the governor of Guangxi, was in a similar situation. He immediately echoed, "Your Majesty, since ancient times, only ministers have served their emperors, not emperors have served their ministers. Your Majesty has ordered Qu Shisi to return to the army to defend the king, but he not only refused to return, but also wanted Your Majesty to abandon the imperial court and go to Guilin. This is clearly a sinister intention, and he intends to hold Your Majesty hostage.
Your Majesty, now in the north, Qin Zuoming's newly victorious army is heading for Quanzhou, and in the south, Ma Liuliang's army of nearly 10,000 has broken through Binzhou and is heading for Liuzhou. Guilin Prefecture is under attack from both sides, and Qu Shisi is now like a turtle in a jar, unable to do anything. So he is eager to let the emperor go to the dangerous place. If the emperor goes, he can put the blame on the emperor if the army fails in the future.
Your Majesty, looking at the entire Guangxi, Wuzhou is the safest place right now. As long as Your Majesty orders Qu Shisi to lead the army back to defend the king, great things can still be done. Guilin is dangerous, Your Majesty must not go there!"
Feeling the danger approaching, Zhu Youlang was planning to accept Qu Shisi's suggestion and flee to Guilin Prefecture. But upon hearing what Ding Kuichu and Cao Ye said, he immediately hesitated;
Indeed, now the two enemy armies of Qin Zuoming and Ma Liuliang have formed a siege on Guilin Prefecture. Guilin Prefecture may not be safer than Wuzhou.
Zhu Youlang was indecisive, with his mind like fifteen buckets in a turmoil, thinking this was not right and that was not right.
Wu Bing, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, saw that something bad was going to happen and quickly stepped forward and said loudly: "Your Majesty, Wuzhou only has 10,000 soldiers and horses, and it is located downstream, with no strategic location to defend.
The rebel general Ai Nengqi has an army of 20,000 to 30,000 and is coming with great momentum. They are swooping down from your county and our army will have no way of resisting them. Wuzhou has become an extremely dangerous place. Your Majesty is worth millions of gold, how can he put himself in danger
Your Majesty, Guilin seems to be under attack from both sides, but Qin Zuoming and Ma Liuliang have less than 20,000 troops combined. As long as Your Majesty leads the army in person, our army will have a total force of 30,000 to 40,000, twice the enemy's.
What's more, if the emperor leads the army in person, the morale of our army will surely be greatly boosted, and we can divide and defeat them when the time comes. Qin Zuoming and Ma Liuliang are nothing to be afraid of.
Your Majesty, even if Guilin is hopeless, Your Majesty can still tour Yizhou. The mountains in western Guangxi are extremely advantageous to our army, and we can fight the enemy for a long time. When the enemy's divisions are old and the soldiers are tired, our army can counterattack and recover the lost territory. It will not be difficult to recover the Central Plains..."
Wu Bing was worthy of being the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. Most of his words were analyzed from a military perspective. After hearing what he said, Zhu Youlang felt that it would be a good idea to go to Guilin.
Duke Chen Bangfu of Qing was a man with some military knowledge in Ding Kuichu's faction. He immediately came out to refute: "Your Majesty, you can't go to Guilin. Once Your Majesty leaves Wuzhou, the morale of the army and the people will immediately collapse. The road from Wuzhou to Guilin is rugged and difficult to travel. I am afraid that before Your Majesty reaches Guilin, all the soldiers and horses around you will have fled.
Moreover, once the emperor abandons Guilin Prefecture, Ai Nengqi in Guizhou will certainly send troops from Wuxuan to intercept him. By then, the foundation of Wuzhou will have been lost, and the road to Guilin will be blocked by the enemy. The emperor will be caught in a dilemma.
Furthermore, even if the emperor arrived in Guilin safely, Yizhou is not enough to rely on. Before the Qin army invaded, the enemy troops had gathered in the direction of Tongdao County. Once the emperor went to Guilin, the enemy troops would definitely move south from Tongdao County, capture Rong County and other places, and cut off our army's way to the west.
Your Majesty, we cannot go to Guilin. Now we can only order Qu Shisi to return to the capital to defend the king. Your Majesty will stay in Wuzhou. If Wuzhou cannot be defended, you can retreat to Zhaoqing and rely on Guangdong to fight against the enemy.
Whether it is Wuzhou or Zhaoqing, the population is not comparable to that of the mountain towns and small counties in western Guangxi. Here, we can still continuously recruit soldiers. Once we go to the mountains and forests in western Guangxi, where there are few people and wild beasts roaming around, every time a soldier is killed, there will be one less. There will be no way to recruit soldiers. How can we talk about making a comeback and recovering the Central Plains?"
Whether to leave or stay, the pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction argued endlessly. Each side had its own reasons. Zhu Youlang listened and felt that everyone had their reasons. But once he had to make a choice, he found that no one was right.
In the original history, when the Qing army attacked Guangxi, it was actually Qu Shisi and others who were responsible for the resistance, and he was responsible for - escaping!
This is no exaggeration. He has been on the run since the day he became emperor. The resistance against Japan by Li Dingguo and others was all independent and had basically nothing to do with him as the emperor.
It would be easier to let such a person make decisions than to hope that the sun rises in the west.
So when the two factions were at a stalemate, it was doomed to be a matter without a conclusion. The two sides continued to argue, and the more they argued, the more Zhu Youlang felt at a loss.
Until it was almost dark, I still hadn't decided whether to leave or stay. No matter what happens tomorrow, I can't starve to death today. So, I'll discuss this matter tomorrow.
After the court meeting was over, the chief minister Ding Kuichu hurried back to his house, called his confidant Meng Dawei, and said to him: "Take a batch of gold and treasures with you, leave the city overnight, and rush to Guizhou."
"Mr...."
"Don't ask first. Just listen to what I have to say. When you get to Guizhou, go and see Ai Nengqi, give him some gold and treasure, and then say that I..."
Ding Kuichu's voice became inaudible and the lights in the room flickered, making his face look extremely grim.
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ps: It's the last day, and I was stabbed in the ass. It's so sad. Brothers, can you stab me back? Please give me a monthly ticket! (To be continued..)
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