The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

The news that the entire Jingnan Army Navy was mobilized and sailed in a grand procession along the long coastline of Shandong and Southern Zhili to Taiwan dominated the headlines of newspapers in coastal provinces.

However, news of the naval expedition to the south only occupied a very small section in the newspapers of Henan, Huguang, and Sichuan.

"Extra! Extra! The elite troops of the five garrisons of the Jingnan Army have been mobilized, with Marquis Hu Zhiyi of Wuwei leading the western expedition!"

In urban and rural areas of the three provinces, on the streets and alleys, countless people were discussing the same news.

The imperial court is finally going to use force against the rebels who have been entrenched in Sichuan and Shaanxi!

The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh divisions of Henan Town, totaling 84,000 people.

The second and fourth divisions of Huguang Town, with a combined population of 40,000.

The Sichuan Pacification Commission has six divisions and one garrison division, totaling 84,000 men.

The garrison of Hanzhong Town, Shaanxi Province, comprised the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Divisions, totaling 90,000 men.

The Fourth Division of Datong Town had 40,000 people.

The four garrisons combined with the 21st Division mobilized a total of 340,000 troops!

Of the 340,000 soldiers, nearly half were the elite troops of the former Nanping Wanmin Army who had fought against the Jurchens in the north!

The grain and provisions collected after the autumn harvest in the three provinces of Beizhili, Henan, and Huguang were not even submitted to the national treasury. They were merely recorded in the records of the Jingnan Army and then escorted to the military camps of the Jingnan Army in various towns.

In addition, at the same time, on the official roads from other provinces to the four provinces, a large number of laborers were conscripted to escort large amounts of grain and provisions all the way to the border areas of the four provinces.

In the border regions of the four provinces, the imperial court also issued orders to conscript laborers.

The total number of conscripted laborers reached a staggering 250,000!
This is because most of Sichuan Province is now under the control of Li Zicheng, and the entire population of southern Sichuan is already a soldier, with civilian laborers not included in the conscription.

At this time, the six Pacification Commissions were still ruled by Tusi (chieftains), and the Tusi areas were always places where people needed to perform corvée labor during wartime.

The ethnic minorities in the Tusi region have always supported war, especially pacification wars like this one.

As long as there is war, there will be money; the imperial court will distribute money, and the local chieftains will also distribute money.

When the army sets out, those who enlist receive a resettlement allowance, those who kill the enemy receive a reward, and those who die in battle receive a pension.

In the jungles and hills, struggling to survive in the fields, even finding enough to eat is a struggle. Only by going to war can one possibly change all of this.

This is a consensus among all ethnic minorities within the six Pacification Commissions, so they are not afraid.

If we include the laborers from Sichuan, the total number of laborers conscripted would be as high as 350,000.

All of this was, for the Ming Dynasty of yesteryear, an accumulation that was enough to empty the national treasury, and even require the collection of additional grain and military pay.

However, for the Ming Dynasty at present, it has not suffered any serious damage.

The implementation of the new policies greatly alleviated the financial difficulties of the Ming Dynasty.

Chen Wang swept through the gentry of Jiangnan with swift and decisive measures, filling the national treasury with the wealth accumulated over centuries by numerous prominent families and literary clans in Jiangnan.

The eight princes who were deposed, along with their accumulated wealth over hundreds of years, were all confiscated by Chen Wang.

This alone yielded over 270,000 taels of gold, over 28 million taels of silver, and tens of thousands of acres of farmland.

This is why Chen Wang dared to wage war on both land and sea fronts simultaneously, and to expand military industrial bases and ports on a large scale.

This confidence stems entirely from the abundance of the national treasury.

Henan Province.

Inside and outside Tongguan, the continuous military tents almost completely blocked out the view.

The General's Office was solemn.

Hu Zhiyi, wearing a golden crown, a flying fish robe, and a fish-scale armor that reached his waist, sat high in the main seat of the government office.

Inside the hall, the generals sat upright, heads bowed in reverence, and the crowd remained silent.

The seven divisions of Henan, the three divisions of Hanzhong, and the two divisions of Huguang, totaling twelve officers, were all seated there.

Chen Ming, Chen Yongfu, Gao Qian, Sun Qiyun, Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, and Liu Wenxiu, seven officers from Henan Town, sat on the right.

Meanwhile, five generals, including Zuo Liangyu, Liu Guangzuo, and You Shiwei, sat on the left side of the hall.

Apart from the two garrison generals who stayed behind in Hanzhong Prefecture with Hu Zhiyi, all the officers and soldiers seated there were at least earls.

Following the great victory at Jining, Chen Wang was promoted to Duke of Yan, and his generals and officers were also rewarded for their merits, each being granted the title of Earl.

Earls are easy to obtain, but marquises are difficult to confer.

This is the consensus reached by the Jingnan Army from top to bottom.

Currently, only one marquis has been granted the title in the entire world.

Zheng Zhilong was granted the title of Marquis of Jinghai because he surrendered all his military power and handed over all the trade routes, shipping lanes, and nautical charts under his control.

Becoming a count is not difficult. As long as you are a general or officer in the Jingnan Army and have accumulated a certain amount of military merit, the imperial edict will be issued soon.

However, the title of earl bestowed by the imperial court, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it was bestowed by Chen Wang.

Earls are divided into three classes: the first class can be inherited for three generations, the second class for one generation, and the third class is a nobility without succession.

Most of the earls granted to the Jingnan Army today can only be passed down for two to one generation.

A small number of those whose military achievements were not particularly illustrious were granted the title of nobility, and their lives ended after their deaths.

Marquises were also divided into three ranks, from top to bottom: county marquis, township marquis, and pavilion marquis.

The title of Marquis of a Pavilion can be inherited for two generations, that of a Marquis of a Township for four generations, and that of a Marquis of a County for six generations.

The hereditary marquisate was the highest rank, and could only be held by those who had made outstanding military achievements and pacified the country.

Such stringent military merit titles did indeed draw criticism from most officers and generals.

However, the treatment of officers set by Chen Wang was many times higher than in the past, which diluted the harsh requirements for military merit and titles.

Moreover, the reason why everyone is so eager to obtain a marquisate is...

The biggest reason is that although marquises cannot be hereditary, the rank of earl does allow for hereditary succession.

Zheng Zhilong has now been granted the title of Marquis, namely the Marquis of Ting.

As for the promotion from earl to marquis based on his merit in following the emperor, most of the officers and soldiers present were well aware of this.

Most of them did not have such merit in following the emperor.

Chen Wang rose from humble beginnings, his influence stemmed from the Cao family of Datong, and his advancement was largely due to the support of the Chen and Hu families. Only a few of his direct descendants, such as Zhou Yumao, might be directly promoted to marquis in the future.

Those who joined later, when the situation was more or less settled, found it difficult to bridge the gap between the ranks of nobility.

Thinking of this, all the officers and soldiers in the hall had their eyes burning with anticipation.

Military merit is everything.

Wealth, honor, and privilege for one's family—all these can be achieved through military merit!

Everyone knew in their hearts what the deepest reason was that Hu Zhiyi, a person they didn't know well and had little contact with before, was the commander of this western expedition.

Li Zicheng now commands an army of 300,000, but in reality, only tens of thousands are capable of fighting.

Chen Wang mobilized an army of 300,000 this time, so the outcome was already decided.

Hu Zhiyi was Chen Wang's cousin. He had always followed Chen Wang in his battles across the country. After Chen Wang left Hanzhong Prefecture, it was Hu Zhiyi who stabilized the situation in Hanzhong Prefecture and guarded the rear.

Chen Wang appointed Hu Zhiyi as the commander-in-chief of the western expedition this time, precisely because he wanted to use the military merit of recovering Sichuan and Shaanxi to promote Hu Zhiyi to the rank of marquis.

Everyone understood that, initially, they did indeed harbor some resentment.

They all knew that Hu Zhiyi was one of the earliest followers of Chen Wang, and that he was from Chen Wang's mother's family. However, most of them had never met Hu Zhiyi. The only notable achievements Hu Zhiyi had so far were his repeated defeats of Li Zicheng, which paled in comparison to their illustrious military exploits in the north and south.

However, in just over a month, Hu Zhiyi suppressed all his hidden discontent.

The nearly 200,000-strong army was surprisingly well-organized and orderly under Hu Zhiyi's command, without any chaos.

The vanguard marched out of the pass and defeated the Shun army seventeen times in a row, without a single loss.

Such tactics and such martial arts skills are enough to win everyone's heartfelt submission.

The longer they were under Hu Zhiyi's command, the more respect and admiration they felt, as if they had returned to the past when they were still under Chen Wang's command.

They only need to steadfastly execute the established strategy, and even if unforeseen circumstances arise before battle, they will always receive timely reinforcements and will never be placed in a life-or-death situation.

Even Zuo Liangyu had to admit that he was indeed far inferior to Hu Zhiyi.

When he led an army of 50,000 northward into Qingzhou, he was already overwhelmed by the sheer number of troops he commanded.

Hu Zhiyi, on the other hand, commanded and coordinated nearly 200,000 troops while also overseeing hundreds of thousands of troops in the other two major war zones, and still managed to do so with ease.

"On October 25th, Chen Liubo led 40,000 troops from the second and third divisions of Hanzhong Town to Feng County. It is expected that they will arrive outside Dasanguan Pass in three days."

According to intelligence from the Right Thousand Household Office of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stationed in Shaanxi, there are only 15,000 troops stationed at Dasanguan Pass, and no more than 10,000 troops stationed in various prefectures and counties within Fengxiang Prefecture.

On the right side of the hall, a commander of the Imperial Guards, dressed in a scarlet brocade robe, held a document in his hand and reported on military intelligence from various regions.

Today, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been completely replaced by the Intelligence Bureau. In addition to the commanders stationed in various places, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has also set up several large jurisdictions based on the region to manage the affairs of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in neighboring provinces. These are called the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commandery.

The 340,000 troops did not all march west from Tongguan; they were designated by Hu Zhiyi as the three major war zones.

Hu Zhiyi left behind the Third and Fourth Divisions of Hanzhong Town in the Hanzhong War Zone, which were commanded by Chen Liubo Zuo Guangxian and formed the Second War Zone.

"On October 23, the Marquis of Zhongwu led 50,000 troops from four divisions to attack Chengdu Prefecture, captured Mianzhou, and inflicted a great defeat on the Shun army, beheading 1,895 people."

"General Liu Zongmin of the Shun Army led his main force of 50,000 troops back from southern Sichuan and stationed them in Deyang."

"On October 26, the Marquis of Yongyi led 15,000 troops out of southern Sichuan and advanced to the southernmost part of Chengdu Prefecture, outside Neijiang County, where they were locked in a stalemate with the enemy."

Sichuan was designated as the Third War Zone by Hu Zhiyi. The title of Earl of Zhongwu was held by Ma Xianglin, while the title of Earl of Yongyi was held by Hou Liangzhu.

Although Hou Liangzhu had no outstanding military achievements, he was a former general of the Ming court.

However, when Chengdu fell and all the prefectures surrendered, Hou Liangzhu rose up alone, gave away all his wealth, and single-handedly supported the entire war situation in southern Sichuan.

Therefore, after Chen Wang made the decision, he conferred the title of Second-Class Earl on Hou Liangzhu, with the honorary title of Yongyi.

"On the first day of the eleventh month, Jiang Xiang was ordered to divide his troops, with his deputy Wang Fuchen as the vanguard. He led 15,000 men, passing through Rongcheng and Hancheng, and had already entered Xi'an Prefecture."

"The Shun army was shaken and morale was low. The rebel leader divided his forces into 20,000, led by General Qi, and marched north to resist."

In the spacious hall, the voices of the Jinyiwei officers echoed as they reported on the military situation in various regions.

"Our army has cleared out the enemy strongholds west of Tongguan and pacified the area along Huayin."

"Li Zicheng's army of 200,000 set up defenses along the three places of Chaoyi, Zhaodu Town and Hulu from the eastern suburbs of Huayin."

"Chaoyi and Zhaodu Town are located in the northeast of Huayin, facing Puzhou across the river. Li Zicheng originally left 50,000 troops to resist the troops of Datong Town. After Datong Town divided its troops, only 20,000 troops remained."

The Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) garrison in Shaanxi has infiltrated the entire province like a sieve.

In terms of intelligence, Li Zicheng had very little knowledge of the situation, even though he had created an organization similar to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, they were mainly used to monitor military commanders in various regions and to infiltrate the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Zicheng only controlled Shaanxi province and a few other areas in Sichuan, and finances have always been his biggest challenge.

If it weren't for the capture of Chengdu, which allowed them to obtain the Shu King's mansion's accumulated wealth over the past century, and the killing of a large number of Sichuan and Shaanxi gentry, the kingdom would likely have collapsed from within first.

Financial difficulties left Li Zicheng with little resources to build an intelligence agency.

The Intelligence Division is in control of the entire situation, making it impossible to infiltrate.

"Hulu Town has a total of more than 80,000 soldiers. Li Zicheng has always ordered his soldiers to dig trenches and build fortifications to prepare for our army's invasion."

"Li Zicheng led the remaining 70,000 troops and stationed them in Huayin City to support the central army."

"Chen Liubo attacked Dasanguan, and Fengxiang was in dire need of help. Li Zicheng then dispatched more than 10,000 troops to reinforce Fengxiang."

For the Jingnan Army, there were no secrets whatsoever in the Sichuan and Shaanxi regions controlled by Li Zicheng.

The deployment and deployment of the Shun army were almost entirely under the control of the Jingnan army.

"The Shun army's defenses are now in place. In the Huayin area, Li Zicheng has 150,000 troops, but only 130,000 in the front."

"The Shun army has been besieging Tongguan for a long time without success, and their morale has declined. In addition, they have heard that troops have risen up in various places, and their morale is wavering, making it difficult to raise their fighting spirit."

Hu Zhiyi sat at the head of the table, his calm gaze slowly sweeping over the assembled officers and soldiers.

"The weather is turning cold, many places are freezing, rivers are drying up, and the time to cross the river is approaching."

"I have already decided to send troops out on the fifth day of the month, which is tomorrow, to wipe out the enemy in Huayin."

Hu Zhiyi's tone was normal, but everyone could sense the unquestionable authority in it.

"You Shiwei."

"The general is here!"

You Shiwei stood up, bowed his head, and clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"In this battle, I appoint you as the vanguard, leading our troops to Hulu."

"As ordered!"

You Shiwei bowed deeply and responded with a resounding thud.

"Li Dingguo and Ai Nengqi."

Hu Zhiyi remained calm and continued to issue military orders methodically.

"You two will lead your troops to act as the vanguard and support, standing on the left and right respectively, to provide backup."

"As ordered!"

One after another, military orders to set off were issued from Hu Zhiyi's mouth.

As Hu Zhiyi spoke, the dispatch documents were obtained by the officers and soldiers in the hall.

"The rest of the tribes followed this town."

As Hu Zhiyi's final order was given.

All the officers and soldiers in the hall bowed their heads in salute and responded with a resounding roar.

"As you command, General's order!"

The dust has settled, and the overall situation is stable.

In an instant, the area inside and outside Tongguan was bustling with noise.

The heavy gate slowly opened amidst the roar of the winch, revealing the vast expanse of yellow earth beyond the pass.

Amidst the continuous bugle calls, the Jingnan Army's armored cavalry, already arrayed and ready, moved at the command, their thunderous hooves overwhelming everything in their path.

The red military flags fluttered wildly in the north wind, like fiery dragons soaring into the sky.

Inside and outside Tongguan Pass, there were 175,000 elite Jingnan Army soldiers from three towns and twelve divisions.

They've all come out in full force! (End of Chapter)