Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Just as Kong Zhenyun and others were making preparations for taking up their posts, the news that Zhang Xianzhong had been conferred the title of Earl had already reached Heilongjiang.

When Gao Yingxiang learned that his former subordinate had become an earl, and even held the same position as his current lieutenant general, he was filled with envy and jealousy, and wished he could lead his troops to conquer Nenkorchin immediately and also obtain the title of earl.

After two years of fighting with the Khorchin tribe, he knew that it would not be difficult to defeat the tribe. However, to completely conquer them, he had to consider the reinforcements of the Jianlu.

With the current strength of the Black Dragon Camp, it could not even deal with a single flag of the Jianlu. Therefore, Gao Yingxiang could only send people to explore the roads and news according to the order of the court, waiting for the troops of other camps to be in place and launch an offensive together.

In Yaksa, north of Hailar, Zhang Tongchang was also thinking about this matter.

At this time, he had already learned the news that the court had appointed him as the general of Andong, and he knew that the court's next plan was to conquer or expel Nenkorqin, restore the post roads of Songhua River and Nenjiang River, and recapture the Songnen Plain.

In the future, the imperial court will migrate people to the Songnen Plain and relocate the garrisons to allow the Heilongjiang army to be self-sufficient and organize more troops.

Zhang Tongchang knew that it was not difficult to expel Nenkorchin, but it was difficult to conquer this tribe. If Nenkorchin surrendered to the imperial court, not to mention the impact on the Mongolian tribes, the Ming Dynasty could launch an offensive against Jianlu more quickly.

As the new general of Anton, he hoped to conquer Nenkorchin.

This is his first battle after taking office as commander-in-chief, and he must fight well to let the court see his abilities.

Only in this way can he secure the position of general, and in the future, like the Duke of Qian, Mu, he can serve as general for generations and rule a region:
"It's not easy to keep your seat as the general guarding Andong!"

"Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong are not easy to deal with. Even Ningyuan Bo Li Zunzu in the south cannot be ignored."

"These people will all be able to become generals in the future. Even Liu Zongmin, who is under my command, is a great general."

Liu Zongmin was sent by the emperor to help him. Zhang Tongchang relied on this man's bravery when he subdued the tribes around Miao Street.

Zhang Tongchang was well aware of his bravery, so he brought him with him when he came to Yaxica to recruit soldiers.

Now he was about to leave, and called Liu Zongmin and said:
"The emperor has conferred upon Zhang Xianzhong the title of the Earl of Xihai. I will soon march westward to read out this decree."

"The matter of recruiting Sauron soldiers will be handed over to General Liu during this period."

"We must recruit more soldiers and bring their families to Temple Street."

Liu Zongmin was stunned by the news that Zhang Xianzhong was conferred the title of Earl. When he heard Zhang Tongchang's order, he was puzzled and said:
"It's fine to recruit soldiers, but why do you want to bring your family with you?"

"The leaders of those tribes may not be willing to let them migrate."

Zhang Tongchang explained to him:

"The area around Yaksa and Mohe will be governed by the Mohe Military and Civilian Government from now on."

"Although I can recruit soldiers in the name of the general, it is still a bit inconvenient."

"Now, while their affiliation is still undecided, take the recruited Sauron soldiers and their families with you."

"If the tribal chief is unwilling, I allow you to use force."

"We, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, cannot be bullied by the native leaders."

Having said this, Zhang Tongchang knew what the consequences would be.

It is very likely that Liu Zongmin will, like Zhang Xianzhong, attack the disobedient tribes to recruit soldiers in the future.

This is completely different from his previous strategy, but at this moment, he can't care about that.

If possible, he wanted to treat them like he did with the tribes near Temple Street, using courtesy first and then force to gradually influence them.

But Kong Zhenyun was about to lead his troops here, and he didn't have time to recruit people here slowly.

Liu Zongmin was impatient with the slow recruitment process, and he was happy to hear this:

"Don't worry, sir!"

"None of the native tribes here can stop a squad of muskets!"

He was determined to clear out the surrounding tribes and capture as many as he could.

Zhang Tongchang brought two squads of firearms this time, and he was confident. The power of the new firearms was completely beyond the ability of these poorly armored native tribes to cope with. A squad carrying artillery could easily defeat a tribe.

Thinking of his musketeers and Zhang Xianzhong's rebelliousness, he said:
"I will be traveling west with a small team this time."

"Xi Haibo is still in a standoff with King Shunli!"

"If necessary, I will continue to dispatch troops."

This time, the imperial court treated Ligdan Khan harshly. Not only did it reduce his reward, but it also took over all of Alukhorchin's land.

If Lin Danhan did not agree to the court's conditions, he might have gone to war.

As the general, Zhang Tongchang had to prepare for this.

Liu Zongmin was stimulated by Zhang Xianzhong's title of Earl and said eagerly:
"As for recruiting soldiers, just leave anyone alone. I am willing to follow the general westward."

"If King Shunli dares to take action, I will make sure he never returns!"

Zhang Tongchang laughed loudly upon hearing this and said:
“Not so nervous!”

"King Shunli didn't dare to fight before, and it's probably the same now."

"Just bring some people to intimidate him. They should be dressed in bright and shiny armor and look smart."

"Choose a thousand such people and have them all wear armor."

"The rest of you stay behind and prepare for the expedition with the Black Dragon Battalion in Hailanpao."

Although he was not optimistic about Ligdan Khan's determination to fight, he was also prepared for a fight.

No matter what, he is now the general of Anton. Now that the Aru River coast has been recovered, it cannot be lost in his hands.
-
Orders were issued one after another and various preparations were made.

Seeing that Liu Zongmin was reluctant to leave, Zhang Tongchang asked him:

"how?"

"Do you have anything else?"

"Don't be shy in front of me, just speak your mind!"

Liu Zongmin seemed to have taken a reassurance pill and asked with determination:
"Sir, Zhang Huanghu has been made a baron. When will this general have a chance?"

"I heard that the Duke can be conferred the title of Baron. Will you please mention this to the Emperor?"

Zhang Tongchang laughed when he heard this, walked over and patted Liu Zongmin on the shoulder and said:
"Is your ambition, Liu Jiexuan, just to be crowned a baron?"

"If Zhang Xianzhong could be made a baron, why can't you?"

Then he said to him earnestly:
"To tell you the truth, you, like Gao Yingxiang, Zhang Xianzhong and others, have long been in the emperor's heart."

"And compared to them, the emperor trusts you more."

"So Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong took charge of their own battalions early on and had to do everything on their own."

"But you can follow me and train and hone yourself."

These words moved Liu Zongmin to tears and his blood boiled.

He really didn't expect that he had always been remembered by the emperor, and his current situation was arranged by the emperor.

This made him kneel down and say:
"How could Liu deserve such grace from the Emperor?"

"From now on, I will repay the emperor's kindness with my life."

"I will never forget the kindness you have shown me!"

He expressed his loyalty to the emperor who was far away in the capital, and also expressed his willingness to continue following Zhang Tongchang.

Zhang Tongchang helped him up and said:
“Just remember these!”

"The reason why the emperor cultivated you is because he knew your loyalty."

"From now on, as long as you remember to be loyal to the emperor, you don't have to worry about your future and title."

And revealed to him in advance:
"This time, the emperor has established three military and civilian offices in Heilongjiang, each of which has a camp." "Among them, the emperor has designated you as the commander of the Blackwater Camp."

"You will be stationed in Khabarovsk, which is in Boheli."

Zhang Tongchang didn't want to tell Liu Zongmin about this matter, because after he told him, Liu Zongmin, who was recruiting soldiers, would probably make plans for the Black Water Camp.

But now that Liu Zongmin asked about his future, he had to reveal it. Otherwise, when Liu Zongmin knew about his concealment in the future, the two might become estranged.

Zhang Tongchang would not be so unwise as to make enemies with a future general just for a few Sauron soldiers.

Even if Liu Zongmin took all the recruited Sauron soldiers for himself, Zhang Tongchang could afford the loss.

But if Liu Zongmin did that, he would look down on this person in his heart.

Fortunately, after two years of training, Liu Zongmin understood a lot about the military rules and social etiquette. At this time, he patted his chest and said loudly:
"No matter where I serve, I am always your subordinate."

"Whatever order you give, I will carry it out to the letter."

"This recruitment is the last thing I will do for the Principality of Jiangling. I will do my best to live up to your kindness."

Zhang Tongchang was very pleased and said to him:
"You will be the commander-in-chief from now on. You need to make plans for yourself."

"The soldiers recruited this time will be divided equally among us, and their families will be temporarily arranged in Temple Street."

"On your way back, you can take a good look at the land on the north bank and choose a piece for your future fiefdom. I asked Protector Kong to reserve it for you."

"After we recover the Songhua River and Asu River in the future, it will be easy to get a title based on our achievements in recovering the land."

"Then you can move all your family and relatives to your own fiefdom."

This was an idea he had originally had, and he now expressed it in advance.

Liu Zongmin was so grateful after hearing this that he felt comfortable following such a boss.

But when it comes to family, he said somewhat sadly:

"My father was forced to death by the government's rent and taxes, and my mother took me to beg for food and died of hunger and cold on the road."

"Luckily, my uncle took me in and made me a blacksmith's apprentice, so I survived."

"I don't have many family members now, and my uncle is the only relative I am closest to."

Zhang Tongchang felt pity when he heard this, because he had not expected that Liu Zongmin had suffered so much in the past.

At the same time, he also realized why the emperor immigrated from Shaanxi:
Liu Zongmin's family suffered so much even before the severe drought. Now that droughts are frequent, families like his will have an even harder time.

So he comforted Liu Zongmin:

"Now that you are well-off, you can bring your uncle's family over to help you get familiar with the local conditions and help you manage your fiefdom in the future."

"As for the villagers in my hometown, if they have trouble making ends meet, we can recruit them all over here."

"In the future, you will have hundreds of miles of land, and you will need a lot of people to farm it!"

Liu Zongmin was delighted by what he said, and he imagined a future where he would have hundreds of miles of fiefdom and people would farm for him.

He used to hate landlords and government officials, but now that he has the potential to become a big landlord and be able to govern hundreds of miles of land, he suddenly feels extremely happy and feels comfortable this way:
"The largest landlord in Lantian County, or even the entire Lantian County, will not have a fiefdom as big as mine in the future."

"I want to make more military achievements and strive for a larger fiefdom!"

"Choose a good place to establish the Liu family's business."

When he thought of his family business, his face suddenly changed again, because up to now, he had not married.

With his current status, it is not difficult for him to find a woman. Now, there are two women serving him.

However, these two women could only be concubines at best. As he considered himself as a future lord, it was impossible for him to just find anyone to be his wife.

So he said hesitantly:
"Master, look, I'm already 24 years old and I don't even have a wife."

"Sir, could you please take the trouble to help me, Old Liu, find a matchmaker?"

Zhang Tongchang laughed loudly, patted Liu Zongmin and said:

"Don't worry, Jiexuan!"

"I will definitely help you find a virtuous wife and give birth to a son to inherit the family business."

"When you go out to fight in the future, she can help you take care of the house."

He planned to choose a virtuous woman from the Zhang family or close families to further improve his relationship with Liu Zongmin.

Liu Zongmin was so happy that he smiled from ear to ear and felt that his life was complete.

He couldn't wait to go into battle and make merit in order to earn a title and fiefdom.
-
After some communication, the relationship between Zhang Tongchang and Liu Zongmin became obviously closer.

The next day, Liu Zongmin personally helped Zhang Tongchang select a guard and sent him to the fleet heading west.

Zhang Tongchang had previously sent his cousin to mediate, and also prepared supplies for the Daxi Camp.

Now that they had received the order from the imperial court, they immediately followed the route explored by Zhang Xianzhong and went upstream.

When he arrived at Mohe, he encountered a fleet sent by Daxiying, and his cousin Zhang Tongkui was also in it. This surprised him and he asked:
"How's the situation over at the Aru River?"

"But has it been settled?"

Zhang Tongkui replied with a smile:

"We didn't reach an agreement, but we didn't fight either."

"The main force of the Chahan tribe has gone to conquer other tribes in Mobei."

"General Zhang asked me to take advantage of the opening of navigation to transport back the cattle and sheep he had seized."

"There are also tributes for the emperor. General Zhang has selected a few beauties."

He secretly told Zhang Tongchang about this matter, and even encouraged him to present the beauty to him.

It is almost common knowledge that the current emperor likes music and beautiful women. I wonder how many people have been lucky enough to be promoted because of him.

However, Zhang Tongchang shook his head and said:
"The Imperial Ming Dynasty's ancestral teachings: Do not accept ministers' gifts."

"Zhang Xianzhong could do this, but if I did it, it would only attract censors."

"Moreover, the emperor reiterated this ancestral precept a few days ago, clearly stating that he would not accept gifts from ministers of the court, including high-ranking nobles such as dukes, marquises, and earls."

"After Zhang Xianzhong became the Lord of Xihai, he couldn't do such things anymore."

"Even if he wanted to give it to him, the Emperor would not accept it."

This made Zhang Tongkui dumbfounded, and he pointed at the boat carrying the beauty:

"What about these people?"

"Should we send it back?"

Zhang Tongchang smiled in silence and said:

"That's not necessary!"

"Zhang Xianzhong is not yet a count!"

"He is lucky this time, otherwise I would have to stop him if I went there."

The last time Zhang Tongchang helped Zhang Xianzhong present Hai Lanzhu, he was criticized by many censors.

If he had turned a blind eye to the beauties sent by Zhang Xianzhong after the decree of conferring the title was read out, he would probably have been criticized even more severely by the censors.

Fortunately, Zhang Xianzhong sent the people out immediately, saving him from the embarrassment.

He didn't want to go against this unruly man unless it was absolutely necessary. (End of this chapter)