weaving

The Emperor's bestowal of titles and rewards has not yet arrived, but the Earl of Yongning has already begun bestowing titles and rewards upon the powerful local strongholds and clans throughout Henan.

For example, in Runing Prefecture, there was a powerful figure named Liu Hongqi who was appointed as the General of Xiping Guerrilla. He was stationed in Xiping County, Runing Prefecture, and had a battalion of 3,500 elite soldiers under his command, with 27 military settlements under his jurisdiction, each with more than 1,000 able-bodied men.

His brothers Liu Hongchao and Liu Hongdao were appointed as commanders, his cousins ​​Liu Hongxun and Liu Hongli, as well as Jin Gao, Zhao Fawu, and others were appointed as commanders of thousands. This is a true reflection of the saying that when one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs rise to prominence.

For example, the powerful Shen Wandeng was appointed as the Zhenyang Guerrilla General, stationed in Zhenyang County, Runing Prefecture. He had a battalion of 3,500 elite soldiers under his command, and oversaw 23 military settlements, each with more than 1,000 able-bodied men. His cousins ​​Shen Wanqing, Shen Wantang, and Shen Wankang, as well as his beloved general Wang Minbiao, were all appointed as commanders of a thousand households.

Meanwhile, Lei Peng, who was stationed at Yuzhai in Henan Prefecture, was appointed as the garrison commander of Dengfeng. Tong Guanchu and Shang Wugui were both under his command as captains, with a total of 3,000 soldiers. Zhang Ding, who was stationed at Pingfengzhai, was appointed as the garrison commander of Songxian County, with 2,000 soldiers under his command.

Of course, Kaifeng Prefecture was the key area for the Yongning Earl's reorganization.

Han Jiadi of Xuzhou was appointed as the Lin Ying Guerrilla General, stationed in Lin Ying County, Kaifeng Prefecture. He commanded a battalion of 3,500 soldiers and oversaw 14 military settlements, each with over 1,000 able-bodied men.

Liu Xuan of Xiangcheng was appointed as the Yuzhou Guerrilla Commander, stationed in Yuzhou City of Kaifeng Prefecture. He commanded a battalion of 3,500 soldiers, oversaw 12 military settlements, and had more than 13,000 able-bodied men.

After incorporating these local strongmen and bandits, the Earl of Yongning made different arrangements for them. Some remained in their original locations, while others were transferred to neighboring prefectures and counties.

For example, local bandits like Liu Hongqi and Shen Wandeng from Runing Prefecture remained stationed in their sphere of influence without any changes, since the Yongning Earl's forces had only just entered Runing and naturally prioritized stability.

Han Jiadi and Liu Xuan left their comfort zones and were respectively stationed in Yuzhou and Linying. This was because Xuzhou and Xiangcheng were important locations, and since the Yongning Earl's army had already arrived there, they could not be handed over to the local bandits.

Xiangcheng is the frontier connecting Kaifeng Prefecture, Nanyang Prefecture, and Ruzhou, while Xuzhou is a vital transportation route connecting Zhengzhou to the north, Runing to the south, Kaifeng to the east, and Ruzhou and Nanyang Prefecture to the west. The Earl of Yongning will surely want to control these two places.

In addition, Liu Xinqian from Liujiazhai in Taikang County was appointed as the Taikang Agricultural Promotion Magistrate, while Guo Jinyi from Guojiabao, a fellow student from the same county, was summoned to serve in the Yongning Earl's government.

Qin Mengxiong, a gentry from Xifeizhai in northeastern Qixian, also served as the Qixian Agricultural Promotion Magistrate. His son, Qin Sheng, like Guo Jinyi, was summoned to serve in the Yongning Earl's office.

Within Kaifeng Prefecture, not only were the powerful local strongholds entrenched in various villages pacified under the command of the Earl of Yongning, but many local scholars and gentry also accepted the titles conferred by the Earl of Yongning and took up positions such as county magistrate, registrar, and clerk in various counties.

Of course, the most common position was that of Agricultural Promotion Officer. The Earl of Yongning set up the position of Agricultural Promotion Officer in various prefectures and counties of Kaifeng Prefecture. Its main responsibilities were to appease the people returning to their hometowns, promote agricultural affairs, and also take charge of the farming of military farms in various places.

In addition, the Earl of Yongning was also recruiting students and scholars to serve in his staff in the various prefectures and counties of Kaifeng Prefecture that he had successively recovered, as a means to win over the prominent families and literati of Henan.

As news of the rebel army's defeat spread throughout Henan, many local bandits who had originally pledged allegiance to Li Zicheng began to waver. Meanwhile, those who had previously been hesitant also came to his door, voluntarily requesting to submit to the command of the Earl of Yongning.

For example, Liu Xuan, who was originally stationed in Xiangcheng, not only moved to Yuzhou very smoothly without any resistance, but also actively sent his son Liu Hengcai to the Yongning Earl's headquarters. Ostensibly, he asked the Yongning Earl to train him, but in reality, he was sent as a hostage.

Furthermore, Li Hao, who was entrenched in Yuzhou, had already submitted to the rebel king. However, when he learned that the rebel king's army had been defeated and retreated to Ruzhou, he contacted Zhang Yang of Zhenping, Han Huamei of Xinyang, and others who had also submitted to the rebel king. Through Liu Xuan, he expressed his willingness to accept the rule of the Earl of Yongning.

The Earl of Yongning naturally welcomed this, accepting all who came and awarding them silver medals for their merits, appointing them to guard the local area, maintain order, prevent bandit attacks, and protect the safety of the people. For example, Li Hao was appointed as the garrison commander of Yuzhou, stationed in Yuzhou City, Nanyang Prefecture; Zhang Yang was appointed as the garrison commander of Zhenping; and Han Huamei was appointed as the garrison commander of Xinyang. They each commanded a battalion of three thousand soldiers.

Of course, there were also local bandits who were completely wiped out by the army of the Marquis of Yongning.

For example, Wang Dengyu, known as the "Two-Character King" of Shangshui, had previously joined the forces of the rebel king and even sent troops to help the rebel king's army to collect grain from all over the place. When the rebel army was defeated, his forces were wiped out by the Yongyi Army along the way.

It was located in Guide Prefecture, which was situated between the Liang and Song dynasties.

Local bandits such as Zhang Changtui, Wang Yanbin, Ning Zhen, and Wang Wenhuan, who had originally sided with Luo Rucai, also gladly accepted the appointment of the Earl of Yongning.

Zhang Changtui was transferred to Kaifeng Prefecture and appointed as the garrison commander of Yifeng; Wang Yanbin was appointed as the garrison commander of Kaocheng; Ning Zhen was appointed as the garrison commander of Zhecheng; and Wang Wenhuan was appointed as the garrison commander of Luyi.

Even local bandits like Li Zhenhai, Fang Wenyu, Xu Xianhuan, Cheng Xiaoyu, and Qi Nianwu, who originally had no dealings with the government, sent people to request to submit to the Earl of Yongning's command.

Ultimately, Li Zhenhai was appointed as the garrison commander of Shangshui, Fang Wenyu as the garrison commander of Chenzhou, Xu Xianhuan as the garrison commander of Yucheng, Cheng Xiaoyu as the garrison commander of Xiayi, and Qi Nianwu as the garrison commander of Yongcheng.

…………

Zuo Liangyu, who had originally been holed up in Xiangyang Prefecture, once again led his troops into Nanyang Prefecture.

However, he himself led the main force to stay in Xinye and did not advance further. Instead, he sent his capable subordinate, Deputy General Xu Ensheng, along with Assistant General Lu Guangzu, Guerrilla General Xu Yong, and Zhang Yingxiang, to garrison Nanyang Prefecture.

Ma Shangzhi was a local bandit active in the Tang County area. When the rebel army captured Luoyang, he sensed the danger and sought refuge under Zuo Liangyu.

Now, the rebel leader has been defeated by the government army led by the Earl of Yongning under the walls of Kaifeng, and Zuo Liangyu's army has re-entered Henan with even greater momentum than before.

The previously hesitant Su Qingshan from Tongbai, along with local bandits such as Hai Cheng, Ming Guangshi, and Ding Ruwan who were active in the Dengzhou area, also took the initiative to come to Zuo Liangyu's camp and request to be accepted.

Zuo Liangyu was in the recovery period at the time, so he naturally accepted all comers and brought them all under his command.

However, Xiao Yingxun, who was active in the Biyang County area of ​​Nanyang Prefecture, assessed the situation and did not join Zuo Liangyu's forces. Instead, he went to the camp of Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning.

To demonstrate his loyalty, Xiao Yingxun sent his son, Xiao Sanjie, to the Yongning Earl's camp for training...

Therefore, Xiao Yingxun received a silver medal as a reward for his merits and was appointed as the garrison commander of Biyang, completing his magnificent transformation from a local bandit to a formal military officer of the imperial court.

Thus, the Central Plains, once rife with local bandits and in utter chaos, finally began to show signs of stability, seemingly foreshadowing the potential revival of the Ming Dynasty! (End of Chapter)