Ming Dynasty: A mere unruly commoner is rebelling against the heaven?

Chapter 283 One hundred thousand black cavalry marched south of the Yangtze River!
Wang Zhi and Gao Shun left Changting.

Zhu Youtang stared at the fat carps in the lake fighting for food. Only after the carps had snatched up all the food and the lake had returned to calm did he come to his senses and sigh.

"Alas, the world is bustling with people, all for the sake of profit. The world is bustling with people, all for the sake of profit."

"Since you are willing to sacrifice your life for the sake of money, I will grant your wishes!"

Zhu Youtang frowned. No matter how beautiful the scenery before him was, his mood was still extremely heavy.

No matter what, the people of Jiangnan are also his people.

He did not want to commit any more murders, nor did he want the people of Jiangnan to suffer and rivers of blood to flow.

But now all this is the result of the relentless pressure from the Jiangnan gentry, so it’s not his fault!

"Xiao Jing."

"The slave is here."

Xiao Jing, the eunuch who is now in charge of the daily operations of the Imperial Household Department, came quietly behind Zhu Youtang.

He bent his body deeply and waited respectfully for Zhu Youtang's orders.

"Send a message to the East Factory, and have them take my edict to the important towns on the nine frontiers."

"Tell the nine generals in the border towns to immediately send troops south to join Gao Shun and quell the rebellion in Jiangnan!"

Xiao Jing bowed deeply and accepted the order: "Yes, Your Majesty!"

……

After Wang Zhi and Gao Shun walked out of the West Garden in silence, Wang Zhi said to Gao Shun, "General Gao, at 1:00 a.m. tomorrow, I will lead two thousand Western Factory soldiers to the West Mountain military camp."

"At that time, the battle in Jiangnan will be entirely under the command of General Gao!"

Gao Shun nodded: "Okay, we will set off on time at noon tomorrow!"

"After arriving in Jiangnan, the combat intelligence will be handed over to Director Wang."

Wang Zhi nodded and bowed to Gao Shun: "I hope this trip will live up to your majesty's trust."

"Clearing Jiangnan is urgent!"

After Gao Shun returned the salute, the two of them, one went to the Xishan military camp, and the other returned to the Xichang Yamen.

Wang Zhi returned to the Western Depot Yamen and quickly summoned all the Western Depot men who could still be mobilized in the capital.

Thanks to Zhu Youtang's previous large-scale purge of people from Jiangnan in the capital, almost none of the senior officials in the capital were from Jiangnan.

So even though Jiangnan was in chaos this time, the capital city was still calm.

Those annoying civil servants from Jiangnan could no longer stir up any trouble in the court.

This also allowed Wang Zhi to draw more manpower from the capital to participate in the war to suppress the rebellion in Jiangnan.

The Western Factory Yamen was crowded with people. More than 2,000 Western Factory guards stood in front of Wang Zhi with solemn expressions and murderous looks.

Except for the necessary personnel who must stay in the capital to run the Western Factory, Wang Zhi must take all the other guards away!
"Prepare your troops and horses, conserve your energy, and meet at the West Hill at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow!"

"The Jiangnan Rebellion is of great importance. We must not lose this battle!"

"Yes, Mr. Factory Supervisor!"

……

Xishan military camp.

After Gao Shun returned to the Xishan military camp, he immediately summoned all the soldiers in the Xishan military camp, just like Wang Zhi.

At this moment, the number of soldiers in the Xishan military camp reached its peak.

In addition to the 100,000 troops led by Wang Yue to the south to march to Annan, the remaining soldiers from the three major camps in the capital and the soldiers from the Xianzhen Camp were all stationed in the Xishan military camp.

The 80,000-man Xianzhen Camp and the 150,000-man three major camps in the capital, a total of 230,000 troops, were ready to go. They gathered together on the parade ground of the Xishan military camp, waiting solemnly for Gao Shun's speech.

Gao Shun stood on the stage, looking at the dense army below, and shouted loudly: "Jiangnan is in rebellion, it is extremely urgent. Your Majesty has ordered that tomorrow I will lead 100,000 troops to the south to quell the rebellion!"

Before Gao Shun finished speaking, the 230,000 troops on the parade ground of the Xishan military camp were already excited!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The 230,000-strong army was extremely excited. They stretched their necks, stared at Gao Shun eagerly, and shouted loudly to kill.

Their eyes were full of desire, hoping to be chosen by Gao Shun and go with him to the south of the Yangtze River to quell the rebellion.

Logically speaking, Zhu Youtang was so warlike and launched many internal and external campaigns in just two years. The soldiers should have been tired and disgusted with fighting.

But the situation at this moment is completely the opposite.

The soldiers not only did not feel tired, nor did they hate fighting, but they were all extremely excited and rushed to participate in the new war.

The reason was simple: Zhu Youtang gave enough silver.

When the soldiers who went out to fight returned to the barracks with their tired bodies.

After seeing the full bag of silver that was allocated to him, he immediately took his weapons and returned to the training ground.

Launching four large-scale foreign wars within two years was Zhu Youtang's limit, but it was far from the limit of these generals.

As long as the military pay is in place, there is no enemy that they cannot defeat.

Imagine that you are a soldier in the Ming Dynasty, and your annual salary is less than ten taels of silver.

And after you have been away fighting for a few months, the bonus you receive is equivalent to five years of military pay.

Moreover, all military salaries will be paid in full in cash, without any deduction or delay.

Holding this full bag of silver, you will only regret that you did not try your best on the battlefield. You killed too few enemies and it is far from your limit of killing.

And there are only two words in your mind...

Now, there is another task of earning several years' military salary in a few months before you. How can you not be excited?

There were a total of 230,000 soldiers present, but only 100,000 of them could enjoy such an honor.

So everyone was full of hope, hoping that Gao Shun would choose them.

But Gao Shun also had his own considerations regarding this battle.

This trip to Jiangnan to quell the rebellion was different from the previous three large-scale military operations.

In the past, the purpose of using military force was to kill foreigners, barbarians, and rebels.

This time, when suppressing the rebellion in Jiangnan, the people killed were the common people of the Ming Dynasty, some of whom were the gentry and wealthy families who had committed many evil deeds.

Some are just ordinary people who are bewitched, coerced, or even intimidated.

Gao Shun was worried that this battle would cause some soldiers with weak wills to suffer psychological trauma that would affect them for the rest of their lives.

Therefore, in addition to combat effectiveness and loyalty, Gao Shun also had to consider the issue of whether he was determined.

After thinking it over again and again, Gao Shun decided to send all the main forces to his own formation.

The remaining people will be selected from the Three Thousand Camp and the Shenji Camp.

Taking mobility into consideration, the troops sent to the south of the Yangtze River to quell the rebellion were all cavalry.

"For this expedition, I have decided to select 50,000 Xianzhen Camp, 33,000 Camp, and 20,000 Shenji Camp to go together!"

"If your name is called, step out immediately!"

"Pack your luggage, gather your strength, and set out on time at 5 a.m. tomorrow!"

After Gao Shun announced the order, he waved his hand to the side and asked his deputy general Xu Chang to select the names of those who would go to the expedition one by one.

"Chen Liuding!"

"To!"

"Zhao Yiya!"

"To!"

"Zhou Dabao!"

"To!"

"..."

As Xu Chang read out the names one by one, the soldiers whose names were called stood out in the queue with joy on their faces, feeling deeply honored. The soldiers whose names had not yet been called frowned nervously, clenched their fists, and anxiously waited for their names to be called.

The five military camps, which formed the largest number of troops, were completely silent, and every soldier had a gloomy look on his face.

As long as Gao Shun can capture the Xianzhen Camp, the Three Thousand Camp and the Shenji Camp, the soldiers of the Five Army Camps will have no chance of this great battle.

……

Just as Gao Shun was reporting for battle in the Xishan military camp, the atmosphere in the Dongchang government office was also filled with tension and depression.

After Liu Jin received the news from Xiao Jing, he was stunned for a moment, and then pounded the table in regret.

"Damn it, I'm one step late again!"

At this time, Liu Jin also received news about the rebellion in Jiangnan.

But before he could report to Zhu Youtang, Zhu Youtang's order had already been issued to his Dongchang Yamen.

There was no way. Liu Jin missed this opportunity to show his ability in front of Zhu Youtang and could only complete Zhu Youtang's order as quickly as possible.

"You guys! Quickly deliver these imperial edicts from His Majesty to the hands of the nine generals in the nine important border towns!"

"Don't waste even a moment. If you miss something important, we will never forgive you!"

Liu Jin spoke seriously to the nine Dongchang men he had selected.

At the same time, Liu Jin also handed over the nine imperial edicts made by the Imperial Household Department to them one by one.

The nine Dongchang guards bowed and took the imperial edict handed over by Liu Jin: "Yes, Sir!"

Afterwards, the nine Dongchang men packed up their luggage, mounted their horses, and rushed out of the capital overnight.

They are heading northwards, and will lead 90,000 border troops southwards to conquer the south of the Yangtze River in one fell swoop!
……

The next day, Mao Shi.

Xishan military camp.

An army of one hundred thousand is ready for battle.

They were all dressed in black armor, riding black horses, and were surrounded by a murderous aura.

Because he had experienced many battles and killed many enemies with his own hands.

Even if this most elite army just stood there quietly, the overwhelming murderous aura was enough to make people dare not look directly at them.

In addition to these 100,000 black cavalry, there were also 2,000 Western Factory soldiers led by Wang Zhi.

The main function of these bandits was to collect intelligence and act as eunuchs to supervise the army.

"The whole army obeys the order!"

Gao Shun was wearing heavy armor, sitting on a black horse, holding a long spear in his hand, and personally commanding the six armies.

He turned around and scanned the faces of all the soldiers present.

Looking at the determined eyes and solemn expressions of the soldiers, Gao Shun nodded with satisfaction.

"Attack!"

Gao Shun, holding high his halberd, took the lead and rushed onto the post road, heading south.

Wang Zhi was originally by Gao Shun's side, and he immediately whipped his horse and kept up with Gao Shun's pace.

Afterwards, a hundred thousand troops also rushed up, set foot on the post road, and rushed towards the south of the Yangtze River with great momentum.

These 100,000-strong army are all cavalry.

In addition, Zhu Youtang made preparations in advance and ordered the grain transport soldiers to transport grain and fodder from the north south along the Grand Canal from Beijing to Hangzhou.

Therefore, Gao Shun did not need to worry about supply issues during this expedition.

Without the burden of logistical baggage and the restriction of infantry, these 100,000 black cavalrymen rushed to the south of the Yangtze River in a mighty force without any scruples.

One hundred thousand black cavalrymen, like a black tide, surged towards the south of the Yangtze River along the post road beside the Grand Canal.

That’s right, once Nanjing was in chaos, a hundred thousand black cavalrymen marched south of the Yangtze River!

……

An important town on the nine frontiers.

Xuanfu.

Because Xuanfu is closest to the capital, the eunuchs from the Eastern Depot who came to convey the imperial edict were also the fastest to reach Xuanfu.

"Your Majesty has ordered that the city gates be opened immediately. Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu, come out immediately to listen to the order!"

The Dongchang soldiers who were charging on horseback, before they even got close to the city wall, raised the imperial edict in their hands and shouted loudly to the defenders on the wall.

The guards on the city wall heard that it was the emperor's order and saw that the man was dressed like a man from the Eastern Depot. They did not dare to be careless and quickly opened the city gate.

At the same time, he quickly sent another person to the tent of Wang Chun, the general commander of Xuanfu, to report the situation.

"Report!"

"General, the emperor's decree has arrived. Go out and receive it!"

Wang Chun, who was originally handling military affairs, suddenly became serious when he heard this.

He didn't say much, but stood up quickly, rushed out of the tent, and tidied his clothes.

When he arrived at the parade ground in Xuanfu, the guards from the East Factory who were responsible for conveying imperial edicts had already arrived at the parade ground.

The East Factory guard dismounted and took out Zhu Youtang's imperial edict: "Wang Chun, the general of Xuanfu, listen to my order!"

Wang Chun hurriedly knelt down in front of Zhu Youtang's imperial edict and listened quietly.

"Nine important towns, nine great generals, immediately send troops south to join forces with Gao Shun, the Left Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Commandery. All actions must be under Gao Shun's command!"

After the East Factory guard finished reading the imperial edict, Wang Chun hurriedly and respectfully accepted it: "Your humble servant Wang Chun, I will obey the imperial edict!"

After Wang Chun received Zhu Youtang's order, he immediately ordered the officers around him: "Blow the horn, gather the soldiers, and send troops to Jiangnan immediately!"

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief!"

The lieutenant took the order and left. Not long after, a loud and deep horn sounded on the parade ground in Xuanfu.

The sound of the horn spread to every corner of Xuanfu. Every soldier who heard the horn immediately put down what he was doing and rushed to the Xuanfu parade ground to gather as quickly as possible.

Soon, the Xuanfu parade ground was filled with soldiers from Xuanfu.

"The ten thousand cavalrymen I selected earlier, step out!"

Wang Chun stood in front of the army and gave orders loudly.

The next moment, ten thousand cavalrymen with strict discipline and neat equipment stepped out of the ranks.

A few days ago, they had already prepared to go to Jiangnan to fight, and now everyone was ready and geared up to go.

"Wang Shi!"

"To!"

Wang Chun looked at the general standing at the front of the army, who was his younger brother Wang Shi.

In order to complete Zhu Youtang's task without any mistakes, Wang Chun even included his own brother Wang Shi in the team going to the south of the Yangtze River.

"The team going south of the Yangtze River is now led by you!"

"This battle can only be won, not defeated!"

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief!"

Wang Shi accepted the order, then drew the long sword from his waist and immediately ordered: "All troops attack!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Behind Wang Shi, shouts and cries of killing shook the sky.

Wang Shi led 10,000 Xuanfu border troops, galloped out of the Xuanfu city gate, and headed straight to the south.

They were chasing after the 100,000-strong army led by Gao Shun.

(End of this chapter)