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Chapter 1495 Governors and Ministers Must Reach Peace, Military and Political Assistants Must Be Helped

In the Zhou Palace, only one large octagonal table was placed in the main hall.

Prince Zhu Gongxiao, Earl Zhang Cheng of Yongning, Bian Yongqing, supervisor of the Yongyi Army, Fang Zhenghua, supervisor of the Baoding Army, as well as Li Banghua, the Censor-in-Chief from the capital, Ling Yiqu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Li Ruolian, the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Li Fengxiang, the Grand Eunuch, Gao Mingheng, the chief civil official of Henan, and Chen Yongfu, the garrison commander, a total of ten people were all at this table.

Inside the left side hall were more than twenty local civil officials from Henan and Kaifeng, led by Liang Bing, the Provincial Administration Commissioner in charge of the Circuit, along with other officials from the capital, including Yu Shangyou, the Censor; Wang Tiaoding, the Director of the Military Affairs Department of the Ministry of War; Ma Jiazhi, the Director of the Henan Affairs Department of the Ministry of Revenue; and advisors such as Sun Shixiang and Hu Yiwen from the Yongning Earl's staff. They were seated at three octagonal tables.

The most bustling place was the right side hall, where local military officers from Henan and Li Fuming, the commander of Shanxi, were present. Of course, the main figures were the generals of the Yongyi Army who had entered Kaifeng with the Earl of Yongning, numbering nearly thirty.

The newly appointed guerrilla commander, Zhu Zhicang, was in the right side hall, accompanying a group of military officers to a banquet. As a member of the imperial family, he acted as if he were half the host, inviting everyone to join in the feast.

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The atmosphere at the banquet was great, and everyone was all smiles.

With the bandit leader gone, Kaifeng naturally returned to its former prosperity. Merchants from all over the country had already returned one after another, and new in-demand goods were being transported in from all over the country.

During the toasts and exchanges of drinks, there were bound to be words of praise for the brave and resolute army, as well as words of commendation for the Earl of Yongning himself.

After the banquet, all the officials took their leave and left the Zhou Palace, including Li Banghua and Ling Yiqu. Only a few people, such as Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng, Governor Gao Mingheng, and Garrison Commander Chen Yongfu, were left behind.

The reason was simple: the wives of Zhang Cheng, Gao Mingheng, and others were all in the Zhou royal palace.

Following the arrangements of the King of Zhou, the Princess Consort also hosted a banquet in the inner palace, inviting Lady Ji Xuanzhu, the wife of the Earl of Yongning. The wives of Gao Mingheng, Chen Yongfu, and others were merely there to accompany her.

The banquet at Princess Zhou's place had long since ended, but the performance on the stage had not stopped. Naturally, the ladies could not leave at this time, so they could only accompany Princess Zhou to listen to the opera.

Taking this opportunity, the King of Zhou invited them to stay and served them tea at the Changxin Pavilion in the garden.

He stroked his white beard and asked, "I have recently heard that after Li Zicheng withdrew from Kaifeng, he retreated to the Funiu Mountains, seemingly to recuperate. Why doesn't the Earl of Yongning seize this opportunity to advance into the Funiu Mountains and completely wipe out Li Zicheng's forces?"

Upon hearing the King of Zhou's question, Gao Mingheng, Chen Yongfu, Liang Bing, Ren Jun, Sang Kaidi, and others all listened intently to see how the Earl of Yongning would respond. Naturally, the one who was most concerned was Wu Shijiang, the Prefect of Kaifeng, whose ears were perked up.

"Your Highness, the rebels have fled from Zhuxian Town and have now retreated to the Funiu Mountain area. However, their main force is still there, and with the help of starving people, their numbers are still in the hundreds of thousands."

Moreover, the Funiu Mountains, where the bandits were entrenched, stretched for more than 800 li from east to west, bordering Shaanxi to the west, extending to the north of Fangcheng in the east, connecting to the northern edge of the Nanyang Basin in the south, and reaching the Xiaoshan Mountains in the north. In between, there were many prefectures and counties such as Lushi, Songxian, Xiangcheng, Yexian, Neixiang, Zhenping, Lushan, Nanzhao, and Yuzhou, covering a vast area with great depth.

However, the rebels are prone to fleeing, and if our division pushes them too hard, we fear they might abandon their base in the Funiu Mountains and flee again. In that case, our division would have to divide its forces to intercept them, leaving us exhausted and constantly on the move.

"So... does the Marquis of Yongning mean... to just let the rebels run rampant... and do nothing about it?" Inspector Liang Bing asked.

The Earl of Yongning glanced at Liang Bing, but his gaze did not linger on him. Instead, he turned to Prince Zhu Gongxiao of Zhou and said, "Your Highness, my master fought a fierce battle with the rebel Chuang in Zhuxian Town. Although he defeated Chuang and forced him out of Kaifeng Prefecture, the battle was extremely brutal."

However, our troops have also suffered heavy losses. Many suits of armor and weapons need to be repaired, and cannons and gunpowder urgently need to be replenished. Moreover, our troops are showing signs of exhaustion from the long battle. If we do not take a break, I fear we will collapse before we even have a chance to fight the enemy.

Furthermore, before the battle between myself and Chuang Ni, I had recruited Yuan Shizhong's small Yuan camp and Luo Rucai's Cao camp of tens of thousands of men. They were not yet fully settled. If there were no strong troops to deter them, there was a risk of rebellion.

If that were truly the case, wouldn't all the achievements we've made today be lost in an instant? Who could bear such a responsibility! Zhang Cheng's words were clear and logical, each word like a pearl, making a resounding statement that startled everyone, including Prince Zhou, who dared not respond.

After a long silence, Governor Gao Mingheng finally spoke and asked, "Commander Chen, what is your opinion on what the Earl of Yongning said?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yongfu glared fiercely at Gao Mingheng, thinking to himself, "That old bastard, he's dug a perfect pit for me!"

Indeed, whether what the Earl of Yongning said was right or wrong, it was not something that a mere Henan general could say or comment on; he was not qualified to do so.

However, from another perspective, Chen Yongfu, as the commander-in-chief of Henan, was the most knowledgeable military person in the region, so his opinion was also a very important factor, which is why Gao Mingheng asked for his opinion first.

Chen Yongfu clasped his hands in greeting and replied, "In my opinion, what the Earl of Yongning said is indeed the current situation."

He then added, "If Luo Rucai, Yuan Shizhong, and others really turn against us, and if we add the rebels Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, our current forces will hardly be able to fight them."

"If that's the case, why not lure the traitors Luo and Yuan to Kaifeng and eliminate them in one fell swoop!"

Prefect Wu Shijiang of Kaifeng spoke fiercely, his expression slightly ferocious as he gritted his teeth, and he even made a slight downward chopping motion with his hand.

Chen Yongfu immediately replied, "If we kill Luo Rucai and Yuan Shizhong, not only will we lose the trust of the world, but what about the hundreds of thousands of troops they left behind? Will we wipe them all out?"

When he asked the question, everyone fell silent, and no one answered.

After a moment, Prince Zhu Gongxiao of Zhou spoke again, saying, "This prince has always adhered to the ancestral precepts and has not interfered in local military and political affairs. Li Zicheng's two sieges of Kaifeng were expedient measures taken in an emergency, and were also a last resort."

Now that the rebels have retreated, it is naturally inappropriate for this prince to interfere in local military and political affairs. I request that the Earl of Yongning and Governor Gao work together to appease the people, restore production, and stabilize the situation in Henan.

We must not allow the traitors to rise again and attack Kaifeng once more. The excellent situation we have today will be completely ruined, and the court's funds and provisions will be wasted. If the Emperor is enraged, it will likely not be good for the Earl of Yongning and all of you gentlemen!"

The Earl of Yongning smiled and agreed, while Gao Mingheng, Chen Yongfu and others looked respectful and dared not be negligent in the slightest.

In fact, they all understood the meaning behind Prince Zhou's words: local military and political affairs were none of his business, and they should negotiate and resolve them themselves, but one thing was certain: the rebel army should not be allowed to besiege the city again.

The Henan governor, Gao Mingheng, bowed and replied, "We, your humble servants, bear the heavy responsibility of governing the border regions. We should comfort the people, ensure the agricultural season is not missed, and do our utmost to collect taxes and provisions so that the Yongning Marquis's army can annihilate the bandits as soon as possible and save the people of the Central Plains from slaughter."

King Zhou nodded slightly and said, "If we want to stabilize the situation in the Central Plains, the governors and viceroys must get along well and cooperate for mutual benefit. The military and the government must support each other, and only by supporting each other can we achieve success. I hope you can understand this principle!"

The Earl of Yongning was in no hurry to express his opinion. He looked at Gao Mingheng, the governor of Henan, with a smile on his face, waiting for his response.

"As a subordinate official, I bear the heavy responsibility of guarding this frontier. I shall assist the Commander-in-Chief in suppressing the bandits and the Earl of Yongning in working together to quell the bandits and pacify the Central Plains!"

"Your Highness, please rest assured. With the full support of Governor Gao and all the officials and generals of Henan, and with our concerted efforts, we will surely be able to conquer the Central Plains."

King Zhou smiled and said, "As long as you governors and viceroys are of one mind, I have nothing to worry about."

At this moment, Cao Kun, the official in charge of the Zhou Prince's residence, came to report that the ladies of the various masters had finished listening to the opera and were waiting for them in the front hall. However, the Lady of Yongning had been kept by the Princess Consort for a chat and would need some more time. She asked the Lord of Yongning to wait a little longer.