The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 432 Waves
The affairs of Southern Zhili and Shandong are not so important now.

The court had Wu Shen to deal with the situation, and Liu Zeqing in Shandong could not cause any trouble.

The Wanmin Army is now deeply mired in the war in the South, and Zheng Zhilong's attitude is gradually tilting due to the stalemate in the war.

What made Chen Wang most happy was that Ma Yuying's elders had agreed to his request for marriage.

Chen Wang sent a cavalry team of a thousand men from Hanzhong Prefecture, and with great fanfare, they picked up Ma Yuying from Shizhu to Xiangyang.

Everything is settled, just waiting for the wedding date.

But there is a problem.

That’s Qin Liangyu’s attitude.

Qin Liangyu was known as the Pillar of the Southwest and enjoyed a very high reputation among the chieftains and common people in the southwest.

The marriage strengthened the ties between Hanzhong Town and the Tujia chieftains.

But Qin Liangyu's heart was still with the court.

During this period, Qin Liangyu sent several letters.

The letter not only severely criticized Chen Wang's many actions, but also revealed disappointment and worry between the lines.

But these things are also true.

Chen Wang directly asked Hu Zhili to handle the imperial edicts and completely ignored all transfer orders. Even the tax revenue was withheld by Chen Wang with many reasons.

Henan Governor Gao Mingheng and Yunyang Governor Yuan Jixian both nominally had leadership over the army.

At the beginning, Chen Wang also ordered his men to pretend to be bandits and robbers in order to distract them.

However, when the imperial court was weakened, Nanjing was captured by the Wanmin Army, and after it completely controlled the Central Plains and Lianghuai, Chen Wang directly removed this superficial disguise.

Now Gao Mingheng and Yuan Jixian are under house arrest. There are spies from Hanzhong Town everywhere inside and outside the government office. Even their daily lives are monitored, let alone the exercise of their power.

The chief officials of major cities such as Fengyang, Xiangyang, Xuzhou, etc. also had no military power. They could only handle civil affairs on weekdays. All of them were under the surveillance of Hanzhong Town.

These once powerful officials of the imperial court are now nothing more than chess pieces on the chessboard.

However, Qin Liangyu is old after all, and is now 68 years old.

The foundation of the Shizhu Xuanwei Division was ultimately the Ma family. When Ma Xianglin was young, Qin Liangyu took over as the Shizhu Xuanwei Envoy.

The Shizhu Xuanwei Envoy had already been returned to Ma Xianglin.

The situation in the world was turbulent, and the Ming Dynasty was already on the decline.

The trend of changing dynasties is inevitable, and anyone with a discerning eye can see it clearly.

Ma Xianglin is no exception.

Ma Xianglin's ideas were different from Qin Liangyu's.

Ma Xianglin did not have much gratitude or loyalty towards the Ming Dynasty court.

Ma Xianglin knew very well how his father died.

His father fought for the Ming Dynasty in many battles, and his men from various tribes risked their lives for the Ming Dynasty.

But what is the return?
At that time, his father contracted a summer epidemic and was unwell. As a result, because of his poor reception, he offended the eunuch Qiu Chengyun who was sent by the Ming Dynasty to supervise the army.

Later, Qiu Chengyun made false accusations and his father was falsely accused and thrown into prison.

In prison, he received no medical treatment and soon became seriously ill and died.

The court then simply issued an imperial edict and the matter was left unresolved.

So even though his mother Qin Liangyu was quite opposed to this marriage, Ma Xianglin still agreed to Chen Wang's proposal.

Ma Xianglin saw it clearly.

Chen Wang has actually completed the separatist rule in the Central Plains and Lianghuai. He has a strong army and is the leader among all the heroes in the world. He also has the ambition to conquer the world.

Today, the imperial court is incompetent, the country is exhausted, and it is on the verge of collapse.

Why should Ma Xianglin be buried alive for the imperial court that treated the Ma family so badly?

Ma Xianglin had no feelings for the imperial court, so why did he reject Chen Wang's request for marriage?

What's wrong with tying the fate of the Ma family and even the chieftains of various tribes to Chen Wang? This may be a way out.

If Chen Wang could really conquer the world, then his Ma family would be true royal relatives, and no longer just hereditary chieftains.

These chieftains are like local tyrants in their territories.

But in the past, in the eyes of high-ranking officials in the court, he was just a running dog who could be used at will.

Ma Xianglin became increasingly disgusted with this since he became the envoy.

They come when called and go when dismissed, just like a slave.

A man is born between heaven and earth, and he should stand upright.

If a man lives in the world doing nothing, what is the difference between him and rotten wood and rotten grass? !
Ma Xianglin didn't want to be a small chieftain of Shizhu all his life. He wanted to be like his ancestor, General Ma Yuan of the Han Dynasty, who conquered all directions and expanded the territory!
He is already 48 years old this year. In another ten years, he doesn't know whether he will still be able to wield a lance.

Now that we have such a great opportunity, how can we give it up easily?

Therefore, even under tremendous pressure from his mother, Ma Xianglin had to agree to this marriage.

The other five envoys also sensed the coming of danger and did not object to Ma Xianglin's arrangement.

Chen Wang recalled the news that the marriage proposal team brought from Shizhu, and his heart was much more excited.

The six major Xuanwei offices currently have a total of more than 40,000 combat troops, including more than 10,000 elite and combat-skilled White Spear Soldiers.

These soldiers are very good at mountain warfare and will undoubtedly be the best help in our future advance into the southwest.

In the southwest, the only strong rival is the Mu Palace in Yunnan.

However, the Prince Mu's Palace still has a certain control over Yunnan, but after all, it is far away from the Central Plains and cannot control many things.

Its influence in Sichuan was far less than that of the six Xuanwei offices headed by Ma Xianglin.

This marriage obtained the support of the six Tujia envoys headed by Ma Xianglin, and basically established the control over Sichuan.

Hanzhong Prefecture is his base, and he also has the support of Tujia chieftains in Sichuan, so it is basically a foregone conclusion that he will control Shuzhong.

However, the Qinghai Mongols now occupy Tibet, Li Zicheng has joined forces with them, and they also have the support of a number of Qiang chieftains, posing a considerable threat to Sichuan.

"How is the Intelligence Department's deployment in the snowy area?"

Chen Wang narrowed his eyes slightly, tapped the table lightly with his fingers, and asked.

"Gushri Khan now proclaims himself the Khan of Gansu, Qinghai, Kham and U-Tsang, and has become the de facto ruler of the Snowland."

"However, the Snow Region is vast and the situation is complicated. There are still rebellious armies in various places. It will take a lot of time for the Qinghai Mongols to completely rule the Snow Region. For the time being, there is no big threat to Sichuan."

Hu Zhili stepped forward a little, stretched out his hand to point at the map on the table, his fingertips passed over the eastern Tibet and Qinghai areas, and reported.

"The Intelligence Department has basically figured out the situation in eastern Tibet. According to the general commander's previous instructions, we have also provided weapons and instructors to the resistance forces."

On the desk was a general map of the world drawn by the Central Military Department based on maps from various sources and Chen Wang's memory.

The map is very similar to maps of later generations, and Xinjiang, snow regions, the Far East, and Southeast Asian countries are all included.

The accuracy of the details far exceeds that of any map in the world today.

Chen Wang frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and asked again.

"How long will it take for Qinghai Mongolia to completely control the snowy area?" Hu Zhili hesitated for a moment and answered cautiously.
"According to the intelligence department, it will take at least three or four years for Qinghai and Mongolia to completely stabilize the snowy areas, and in the best case scenario, it will take more than two years."

Chen Wang lowered his head, looking at the map spread out on the table, thinking in his mind.

Because of the butterfly effect, Gushri Khan's power was strengthened.

The domestic situation of the Ming Dynasty is more turbulent than in history because of its development. I am afraid that Gushri Khan will not live in the snowy area as he did in history.

Therefore, we must guard against the invasion of Qinghai Mongolia.

Many times, when conflicts arise domestically in many countries, they tend to go to war with foreign countries, using external conflicts to divert internal conflicts.

In recent days, the Mongols in Qinghai have sent a number of spies into central Sichuan, obviously preparing for war.

Chen Wang felt that this was not only due to Gushri Khan's own ambition.

The biggest reason may be that in the Battle of Songjin, which was influenced by himself, the Qing army suffered greater losses than in history.

That is why Huang Taiji tried to seek foreign aid as much as possible.

This led to a chain reaction, causing Qinghai and Mongolia to also begin preparing for war.

Chen Wang stared at the map in front of him, and the situation in the world gradually became clear in his mind.

The threat from Qinghai Mongolia is still a bit far away, so there is no need to worry too much about it for the time being.

"What is Li Zicheng's movement like?"

Chen Wang's gaze moved upwards and fell on the territory of Shanxi.

"It's unstoppable."

Hu Zhili shook his head solemnly. The situation in the north was not good.

"The situation in the north is worse than expected. Before Zhou Yanru led his troops to Taiyuan, the city had already fallen."

"Zhou Yanru was timid and hesitated to move forward, so he stationed his troops in Zhending Prefecture to wait and see the situation."

"After the Chuang army captured Taiyuan, they headed north to attack Datong."

"Datong General Jiang Ge sent an envoy to Li Zicheng to surrender. In late June, Li Zicheng led his troops into Datong and still appointed Jiang Ge as Datong General. However, Jiang Ge no longer had any real power and was actually under house arrest."

Chen Wang was not particularly surprised by Jiang Ge's surrender.

In history, Jiang Ge also surrendered to the Chuang army.

Although the current rebel army is not as powerful as it was in history.

However, during this period, the elite troops of Datong Town led by Jiang Ge suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Songjin. Due to the interruption of transportation between the north and the south, the combat effectiveness of Datong Town did not recover well.

Jiang Ge had no choice. He was in Datong. To the north were the Mongolian tribes south of the desert. To the south, Taiyuan had already been captured by the Chuang army. To the west was the Chuang army's territory. Although he could escape to the east, he could.

However, the rebel army had a large number of cavalrymen, and it was simply impossible to lead a large group of troops to escape.

If he led a small number of cavalry to escape.

Then I'm afraid that as soon as I arrive at Juyongguan, I will be captured and questioned by the imperial envoys.

The imperial court was unable to provide food and wages, so Jiang Ge's surrender was completely understandable.

"The epidemic in Northern Zhili is getting worse. Tianjin and the capital have already begun to break out. The Chuang army seems to have received the news, so it has temporarily stopped its advance and is consolidating the territory it has conquered."

"The Great Epidemic..."

Chen Wang sighed.

He has the ability to change many things today, but the only thing he cannot change is the epidemic.

Hu Zhili looked at Chen Wang who was in deep thought, and suddenly seemed to remember something, and said.

"By the way, the doctor that the General had previously instructed the Intelligence Department to look for has been found."

"You mean, Wu Youke?"

Chen Wang was slightly startled and asked.

"Correct."

Hu Zhili nodded and replied.

"Wu Youke is indeed a famous doctor. When he heard that the general was recruiting him and was willing to allocate money to treat the epidemic, he agreed to serve."

"After Wu Youke arrived at the army, he immediately began to formulate epidemic prevention regulations and taught the recruited doctors how to treat and prevent the spread of epidemics."

"The epidemic in northern Henan has now been effectively controlled and is no longer spreading rapidly. If nothing unexpected happens, the disease can be contained outside the jurisdiction."

Wu Youke's arrival is undoubtedly good news.

If the disease spreads, it will undoubtedly cause serious damage to the areas that are currently under control.

Moreover, if a large-scale disease breaks out in the army and there are serious casualties, it will inevitably shake the current relatively stable rule.

Chen Wang recalled the history he had seen.

This epidemic that swept across the north lasted until the 16th year of Chongzhen, when it finally came to an end.

The main reason was the impact of war, which led to the Ming Dynasty's unprecedentedly low control over the local areas, which led to the spread of the plague on such a large scale.

However, the impact of the plague did not cause as much destructive power as it did in Europe in the Middle Ages.

After all, the Ming court's control over the countryside had declined significantly, but there was still order in the major cities, and they had some experience in preventing and controlling epidemics.

"Until the epidemic is completely quelled, please suspend the handling of northern affairs."

Chen Wang did not hesitate much. The situation in northern Zhili, Shandong and other places was complicated, and there was the impact of the epidemic. It would be unwise to advance at this time.

"If the epidemic prevention forces along the river are insufficient, the Yellow River Flood Control Battalion and the surrounding patrol inspection offices can be deployed to guard the border. A defense line must be built to prevent the epidemic from spreading southward."

Chen Wangjian tapped the table lightly, and his thoughts gradually faded.

Once the tone is set, the focus is shifted.

Historically, the Qing army mobilized its troops to plunder the south in October of this year.

Even if this time is advanced, it will not exceed one month.

The Mongols were nomadic, and the Jurchens were fishing and hunting. After they conquered Liaodong, they also started farming, and they also had to harvest at this time of year.

As he thought about it, Chen Wang's gaze turned back to the city of Wuchang on the map.

And just a moment later, the curtain was suddenly lifted, and the sunlight slanted in.

Chen Gong strode in with his goose-feather sword in hand. His red arrow robe illuminated the inside of the tent and also brought news from outside the camp to Chen Wang.

"Zuo Liangyu, Meng Ruhu, Cao Bianjiao and other generals from the Southern Kingdom have arrived outside the camp!"

Chen Wang raised his head, looked at the blazing sunlight outside the tent, and squinted his eyes subconsciously.

The reason why he personally led his troops to Huguang was precisely for this military meeting.

Troubled times arise in all directions, and where there are soldiers, there is the Caotou King.

There are many towns and mountains in the southern country, and the court has lost power, which has caused many people to have different ideas and want to make their own voices heard.

but.

The world doesn't need too many other voices.