Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 342: Setting Sail~Setting Sail~
Yang Weizhi is a man of wisdom and principles.

Just when everyone thought he was persuaded by Sha Dingzhou, he took advantage of the opportunity when the Sha chieftains were chasing Mu Tianbo to repair the Chuxiong city defense and mobilize soldiers from the surrounding areas.

After all, Chuxiong is not a big city, and it is about to go through war.

If Yang Weizhi resisted at this moment, he would surely be defeated and killed, and it would be of no use except losing the power for counterattack.

I have to say, this is indeed an extremely cunning method.

The two chieftains who supported Mu Tianbo were both located in the border area with Myanmar. Due to the wars in the early years, the cities under their rule were all used for military purposes and were incomparable with Chuxiong.

So when Sha Dingzhou hurriedly chased after him, he spent a lot of time in the two cities of Ningzhou and Yongchang.

In the end, although he captured Ningzhou at a great cost, during the attack on Yongchang, he found that Chuxiong, who was stuck in the rear, was ready for a fight to the death.

Things had come to this point, even if Sha Dingzhou was a fool he would understand that he was being plotted against.

He then left Yongchang, which had been under siege for a long time, and returned to Chuxiong. However, facing the well-prepared Yang Weizhi, the local soldiers were unable to capture Chuxiong until the Dashi Army entered Yunnan.

Obviously, Yang Weizhi's action did have the suspicion of diverting trouble to others, but it is undeniable that Chuxiong's persistence also slowed down Sha Dingzhou's integration of Yunnan on a practical level.

However, this incident alone can only show that this general is resourceful, but it cannot reflect his integrity.

In the original history, when the Dashi Army approached western Yunnan, Yang Weizhi once led his troops to resist at the Qiming Bridge in Lufeng. However, the gap in strength between the two sides was too great, and after a fierce battle, the Ming army was ultimately defeated.

However, when Yang Weizhi committed suicide by jumping into the water, he was unexpectedly captured by the Dashi Army. As the temporary leader of the Dashi Army, Sun Kewang proposed "allying with Ming to resist Qing" and agreed to the three things proposed by Yang Weizhi: one, not to continue using the pseudo-Dashi reign title, two, not to kill people, and three, not to burn houses or rape women.

At this point, the last anti-Qing forces completed their union, greatly delaying the Qing court's pace of sweeping across China.

However, this kind of alliance was ultimately just a temporary measure for Sun Kewang.

After he had secured a stable foundation and sorted out the internal affairs of Yunnan, he launched a purge of generals loyal to the Ming Dynasty, such as Yang Weizhi, while external enemies still existed.

Finally, after several conflicts, "Wei Zhi became very angry, took off the hat on his head and was killed", and the Ming court completely lost Yunnan as its rear base.

In fact, considering the situation at that time, if all parties in the Ming Dynasty could seize the opportunity, they would still be able to compete with the Qing army for the world.

It’s a pity that although the anti-Qing forces at that time all held the flag of the Ming Dynasty, they were actually a self-contained system within themselves.

Not to mention the remnants of the Dashi and Dashun armies, even the armed forces within the Zheng family and the Ming court acted independently without any coordination.

Under such circumstances, even though there were such powerful men as Li Dingguo who created the situation of two famous kings purely by personal ability, he was ultimately unable to withstand the internal strife and his success was short-lived.

Honestly, this is not anyone's fault.

As a social animal, even in the absence of external enemies, it would fall into civil strife due to the lack of a leader who can command the support of the people, let alone at a time like the end of the Ming Dynasty?
However, for the current Ming Dynasty, internal struggles have been contained within a controllable range. If someone really dares to make some excessive moves for factional struggles, then what awaits him will probably be thunder and rain, which are all the grace of the emperor.
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January 4

Guangzhou
Today is the day when Shen Tingyang’s fleet leaves Guangzhou and heads for Manila.

All the officials and people in the city, led by Gu Yuanjing, had gone to see him off, so compared with the crowded dock, the Governor's Office, which had few visitors to begin with, seemed even more deserted.

"Your Majesty, the reply from the Governor of Manila seems to have no intention of conflicting with the Ming Dynasty. Shen Butang's visit will surely enhance our country's prestige and deter the villains."

Seeing his Majesty looking towards the dock across the courtyard walls, Xiang Rensheng thought for a moment and tried to relieve the king's worries.

The day before yesterday, the reply from the Governor of Manila was finally delivered by Du Chen. After waiting for half a month, Shen Tingyang was finally able to lead the fleet out to sea.

In that letter, Governor Forca first spent a lot of space reviewing the friendly history between the Ming Dynasty and the Kingdom of Spain, and then expressed his hatred for the cruel acts of the local indigenous people.

Later, he made a solemn promise as the Governor of Manila, stating that he would severely punish the local natives in order to maintain the international image of the Spanish Kingdom.

In the end, Forcado extended an invitation to the Ming Navy and hoped that the ancient Ming Empire could play a greater role in international affairs. The process was finally completed.

Zhu Cilang had made many assumptions, the most likely of which was that after receiving the arrogant letter, the Spaniards would choose to respond coldly due to the pressure of reality, and the Ming fleet would naturally encounter some minor incidents after arriving in Manila.

In this way, the relationship between Ming, Spain and the Netherlands became similar to that between Wei, Shu and Wu.

At this point, a stable triangular structure has been formed, and the Dutch have to carefully consider the issue of TW.

But who would have thought that after reading the letter, there were only two words in his mind: enthusiastic and neither humble nor arrogant.

It has to be said that there are indeed very few fools among those who can leave their mark in history.

Instead of being blinded by anger and fear, Governor Forcador used some rhetoric to make a subtle turn of events.

It can be expected that after this visit, Forcado will certainly promote the friendship between Ming and the West.

As a result, Zhu Cilang was a little confused about the Dutch's next move.

Ordinary people might think that Zhu Cilang's original intention was to ally with the West to contain the Netherlands, but this time he sent a fleet to actually create conflicts.

The logic here may be a little confusing, but if you understand the power in the South China Sea clearly, you will be able to discern the three meanings.

In terms of naval power, the Dutch are the strongest, followed by the Ming, and Spain can be ignored;

When it comes to army strength, the strongest must be the Ming Dynasty, but the Spanish are still better than the Dutch.

If there are some minor disputes between Ming and Spain, the Dutch will certainly stand aside and watch, otherwise it will be tantamount to actively forcing the two countries to unite;

But if the Ming and Western countries have a tendency to unite, the Dutch, feeling greatly threatened, will have any other choice except to strike first and cripple one of them?

So the question is, what will the Dutch choose?
The advantage of attacking Spain first is very obvious, as it will allow us to control the entire archipelago.

But in this case, the Dutch would not only have to use their own army to fight the Spaniards, but they would also be likely to be attacked by the Ming navy and be caught in a two-front war.

The benefits of attacking the Ming Dynasty first are also very obvious. As long as the Ming navy is annihilated, the Ming Dynasty will be driven out of the South China Sea table.

However, the news that the Ming navy was not weak had already been released, and the Dutch had to consider whether they would still be able to maintain absolute superiority over the Spanish in the South China Sea after the war.

After weighing the two options several times, Zhu Cilang was still unsure what choice the Dutch would make, which was why he looked worried when Shen Tingyang left Hong Kong.

At this point, some people may say that it would be better not to send a fleet to Manila.

Zhu Cilang had originally planned to do so, but without this "visit", there would have been no variables between the Ming Dynasty and the Netherlands.

Even with Stetson as a spy, the Dutch fleet is very likely to appear off the coast of Ming Dynasty in a month or two.

Although it may not pose a fatal threat to Zhu Cilang at that time, it will still be a big trouble.

So after thinking it over for a while, he still believed that the case was originally planned to visit Manila.

just
"What do you think of Shen Qing?" Huh?
Why do you ask this?

When Xiang Rensheng heard His Majesty ask this question with a frown on his face, he suddenly felt a little strange.

However, this was a conversation in front of the king after all, so he did not have much time to think about it carefully. After a breath or two after the words fell, Xiang Rensheng answered honestly.

"Shen Butang is an upright person, loyal to the emperor and the country, as scholars would say." At this point, Xiang Rensheng paused for a moment, then continued, "Yes! A modest gentleman."

"Well, Shen Qing is indeed a modest gentleman."

After responding, Zhu Cilang turned and walked towards the main hall.

He was still wondering whether Shen Tingyang, a modest gentleman, could cause some trouble in Manila, but after a while, he thought it over.

History is a complicated chess game.

The current momentum may turn into danger in more than ten steps, and the temporary difficulties and delays may turn into light at the end of the tunnel.

There are too many actuaries in this world. They calculate the pros and cons of every step clearly, but in the end they are all defeated by Xu Zhu.

God will not let you always make a profit after your shrewd calculations;

There are bound to be some things you don’t understand that will only become clear to you after you’ve taken more than ten steps.

If not, how could there be so many regrets in this vast history, and how could so many talented people find their own Wuzhangyuan and Luofengpo?

God will not be calculated by you.

At this point, Zhu Cilang felt suddenly clear-headed, and then he turned and went to the main hall.

Anyway, we can only deal with the enemy with our soldiers and block the water with earth. I didn’t feel so melancholy when I was in Yingtian Prison, but now I am hesitant and worried. I am afraid that I have really put on my shoes.

As he moved, a calm smile appeared on his face again. When he reached the main hall entrance, he stopped, turned around and said, "Let Qu Shisi in."

As soon as he finished speaking, the guards went out of the courtyard, but Zhu Cilang, whose mind was clear, stopped after hesitating for a moment.

"I, the guilty minister Qu Shisi, pay my respects to Your Majesty.

Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long live our emperor."

After the great ceremony, the dusty Qu Shisi fell to the ground and did not move.

When he received the imperial edict a few days ago, he realized that the situation in Yunnan had been devastated due to his own mistakes.

Knowing this, Qu Shisi did not dare to delay. He rode at full speed and arrived in Guangzhou from Guangxi in just four or five days. As soon as he entered Guangzhou City, he went to the Governor's Office to meet His Majesty.

It was just that Zhu Cilang was still upset because his plans had repeatedly failed, so this Ming Dynasty feudal lord had been waiting outside his courtyard for a long time.

"Okay, get up. It was wrong of me to leave you out here."

"Your Majesty, I am guilty of death! I am guilty of death!"

"The chieftains in Yunnan rebelled, but Guangxi is safe and sound. No one would believe you if you said it was not your contribution."

Having said this, Zhu Cilang paused, and when he saw Qu Shisi lying on the ground with his shoulders shaking, he finally did not step forward to support him, but continued talking.

"As the saying goes, a good warrior is not known for his achievements. You have to stabilize the situation in Guangxi while raising military supplies. It would be difficult for you to find out the situation in the surrounding provinces."

Zhu Cilang's words were not meant to win people's hearts, but were truly his heartfelt words after he had figured out the inside story.

A while ago, Guangzhou city was captured, which not only killed important generals and ministers, but also caused the food and fodder that had been stored for a long time to be burned.

Under such circumstances, the areas surrounding Guangxi were all plunged into war. Even though the chieftains there were slightly different from those in Yunnan, who didn't have the thought of "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers different in kind?"
Guangxi can still be as stable as before and can also support the surrounding areas. How can the contribution of Qu Shisi, the governor of Guangxi, be ignored?

"Your Majesty, I have already caused great disaster. Only..."

"Alright, get up. I didn't expect Sha Dingzhou to come up with such a plan. Do I have to take the blame too?"

"I dare not, I dare not."

"Okay, get up. Do you still need me to help you?"

Having said this, Qu Shisi kowtowed to the ground three times before standing up as ordered. When Zhu Cilang saw that his eyes were red and his tears had not yet dried, he turned around and went inside, giving the provincial governor a chance to tidy up his appearance.

After a while, Zhu Cilang sat down in the main hall. He started talking again after Qu and Xiang came in.

"I have sent Zhang An and Zhao Yinxuan to Yunnan to quell the rebellion. Before they arrive, you should investigate the situation in Yunnan."

"I will obey your majesty's order."

By this time, Qu Shisi's emotions had stabilized.

If you don't look at his face, but only listen to his voice, you would never imagine that this Ming Dynasty provincial governor was so moved just a moment ago.

Seeing this, Zhu Cilang was planning to give him some words of encouragement, but who would have thought that Xiang Rensheng, who was usually steady, would suddenly interrupt him.

“You’re not going to Yunnan?”

As soon as he finished speaking, not only did Zhu Cilang look at him in surprise, but even Qu Shisi tilted his head subtly.

"Your Majesty."

Faced with this situation, Xiang Rensheng wanted to slap himself twice, but then he heard His Majesty's words that resolved his embarrassment.

"The situation with the Dutch is uncertain. I guess we can't go there."

Zhu Cilang knew Xiang Rensheng's thoughts very well.

After all, the imperial guards were always by his side. If he didn't go to Yunnan, Xiang Rensheng probably wouldn't be able to go either.

Knowing this, he did not feel any dissatisfaction, but when he really wanted to continue with his previous words to encourage Qu Shisi, he was interrupted again.

"Your Majesty, Gu Yuanjing is outside the courtyard asking to see you."

Ok?
Didn’t you finally hold on?
There is a fan fiction written by a book friend in the previous work. Friends who are interested can go and have a look.

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(End of this chapter)