Huangming

Chapter 484 Wang Mingzhang, the mastermind behind the scheme in Jiangnan.
Jinshanwei was not an ordinary garrison in the coastal area of ​​Jiangnan.

Instead, it can be called a "major coastal defense town".

According to the Ming Dynasty's garrison system, a regular garrison had no more than 5,600 men. However, at its peak, Jinshan Garrison, including its agricultural troops, combat soldiers, and garrison soldiers, had as many as 13,357 men, more than twice the number of ordinary garrisons.

Even after Yuan Keli's reorganization and downsizing, there were still 3,000 combat soldiers remaining. Adding the auxiliary soldiers guarding the fort, they formed a strong barrier for the southeastern coastal defense.

But at this moment, this barrier appears somewhat precarious.

Jinshanwei City.

Inside the Guard Commandery's office.

The generals sat upright among them.

The map of Jinshanwei hanging on the wall behind the main seat marks nine subordinate castles, thirty-five watchtowers, and thirty-nine dikes in vermilion.

It used to be a coastal defense early warning network stretching for more than 300 miles, but the edges of the map have long been curled up, and next to the markings of many castles on the map, someone has lightly drawn circles with ink, marking "collapsed" and "undefended".

After the Japanese pirate raids were quelled during the Jiajing reign, the imperial court stopped funding repairs. Half of the walls of Zhelin Fort collapsed, and only the foundation of the Nanhuizui watchtower remained. Even the parapet of the fortress itself had several cracks as wide as a finger, and no one bothered to repair them.

"Report!!"

at this time.

The silence inside the government office was suddenly broken by the urgent shouts of a scout outside.

A scout wearing a straw raincoat stumbled and crawled into the hall. He knelt on one knee, his voice trembling:
"Commander! Something terrible has happened in Songjiang Prefecture!"

Wang Xing, who was looking down at the military register, suddenly looked up. He was the military and political commander of Jinshanwei, and although he wore the official robes of a third-rank official, he could not hide the solemnity between his brows.

Wang Xing said in a deep voice, "What's the panic? Speak slowly!"

"It's Wang Haoxian!"

The scout swallowed hard and spoke rapidly.

"Since he arrived in Songjiang Prefecture, those scattered rebels have gathered together, and now... now that guy Xu Chengye has also defected!"
I heard that all the money and grain from the Xu family manor were given to the rioters, and Wang Haoxian has already mobilized his troops and is heading towards our Jinshanwei City!

"Xu Chengye is a traitor?"

Wang Xing's eyes instantly turned cold.

Chu Sijing, a centurion of the Imperial Guard standing to the side, stepped forward half a step. He was dressed in a flying fish robe and had an embroidered spring knife at his waist. His expression remained calm, but he added a sentence that was even more chilling:
"The Zhongqianhu garrison stationed in Songjiang Prefecture was destroyed when the rebels rose up."

The commander and his men fought to the very end, but no reinforcements arrived, and they all perished.

Now, in the entire Jinshanwei, only the three thousand men in the garrison are capable of fighting.

These words immediately made the atmosphere in the hall even more tense.

Wang Xing stood up, walked to the map, and glanced at the official road from Songjiang Prefecture to Jinshanwei, his voice filled with anxiety.

"The rebels are overwhelming, where are the reinforcements? Minister Yuan's rebellion in Yingtian Prefecture has been quelled, why haven't we received any news?"

"Minister Yuan did indeed quell the unrest in Yingtian Prefecture."

Chu Sijing's tone was calm, but it revealed a sense of helplessness.

"From Yingtian Prefecture to Songjiang Prefecture, we have to pass through Suzhou and Changzhou along the way. There are still small groups of rebels in those places. Yuan's troops will have to clear them all the way through. It will probably take at least a month to get there."

"One month..."

Wang Xing repeated in a low voice, his brows furrowed.

He turned to look at Hou Chengzhu, who had remained silent to the side.

Hou Chengzhu, the commander in charge of training troops, a hereditary position of the Hou family of Xuyi, was staring at the mark of Jinshanwei City on the map with a grim expression.

"Commander Hou, what do you think?"

Hou Chengzhu raised his head, his voice full of pessimism:

How many bandits were there?

Chu Sijing answered decisively:

"At least 50,000, mostly a mix of refugees and pirates, with little actual fighting force."

Even if they have no fighting strength, they still have 50,000 men!

Hou Chengzhu slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups on it shake.

"Jinshanwei City has been in disrepair for many years. The parapet is cracked, the ice in the moat has not been broken through, and even the old cannons in the arrow tower are so rusted that they cannot be pulled open!"
"Our three thousand men, though reorganized by Minister Yuan, are mostly former soldiers transferred from the military farms. They've never fought in real combat; how can we possibly hold off fifty thousand rioters?"

"you do not say!"

Bai Qin, the commander in charge of the land reclamation, also sighed. He rubbed his hands, which were red from the cold, and his eyes were dim.

"Our three thousand men have to guard the city walls, as well as protect those watchtowers and embankments."

But those watchtowers have long been abandoned, and most of the dikes have collapsed, making it as if there were no defenses at all!
If a real fight breaks out, the rioters can easily find a gap and storm in!

Hou Chengzhu's words were like a spark falling into a powder keg, instantly igniting the pent-up resentment that filled the room.

"Isn't that right? This year, Minister Yuan is reorganizing the garrisons, cutting off our livelihood!"

When I was in charge of the military farms, I was able to supplement my family's income every year. My mother's medicine and my son's tuition all depended on this.

And then there's Li, the centurion of the Left Thousand-Household Garrison. He falsely reported forty soldiers, including his three brothers-in-law and two nephews on the roster to receive pay. Now that the roster has been cleared, his family can't even afford decent winter clothes!

"me too!"

Zhang Laoshuan, the platoon leader of Zhelinbao, joined in the conversation.

“Before, I could register ten more guards in the fort to hire a few hunters to teach the brothers archery. Now that the pay is gone and the hunters are gone, the brothers can’t even draw their bows properly.”

Minister Yuan is very powerful, and we dare not utter a single word of dissent. But now we're being asked to risk our lives to stop 50,000 rioters? On what grounds?

These words struck a nerve with everyone. The commanders exchanged glances, and the captain of Baoshan Fort even muttered under his breath:
"Even a prestigious family like Xu Chengye's has invested; at least they can protect their families."

We're just holding onto this crumbling city; if it falls, we're doomed. It's better to…”

He didn't dare say the second half of the sentence, but it made the atmosphere in the hall even heavier.

"enough!"

Wang Xing slammed his hand on the table.

His face was ashen, and the veins on his forehead throbbed; the anger he had been suppressing finally broke free.
"Have they all forgotten that they are garrison officers of the Ming Dynasty?"

Those who eat the king's food should be loyal to the king!

Minister Yuan reorganized the garrisons so that we could fight and defend our territory, not so that you could collect salaries for doing nothing!
Now that bandits are at your doorstep, instead of thinking about defending the city, you're preoccupied with your own personal gain.

If we lose Jinshanwei, the first people the rioters will kill are us officials!

Xu Chengye defected to the enemy; that's because he forgot his ancestors. Do you also want to be branded as 'traitors' and have your descendants unable to hold their heads high?"

The hall suddenly became quiet.

Wang Xing took a deep breath, his tone hardening. He surveyed the crowd and said coldly:
"Go and prepare!"

Bai Qin, take your men to the armory to inventory the swords, guns, and muskets. Polish all the old cannons that can be repaired, and move all the gunpowder and lead bullets to the city wall.

Commander Hou, go and supervise the work. Have the brothers use sandbags to plug the cracks in the parapet and break the ice in the moat so that the rioters can't easily get through.

The commanders of each fort returned to their respective forts.

Anyone who dares to slack off will be dealt with according to military law!

Wang Xing's words were the final word, leaving the generals in the hall speechless.

Hou Chengzhu looked at Wang Xing's ashen face, opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything discouraging. He just sighed heavily, cupped his hands, and said:

"The general will obey the order."

Bai Qin also stopped complaining, rubbed his hands together, and responded.

The officers and sergeants looked at each other, muttering to themselves, "This city is impossible to defend," and "We're probably going to lose our lives," before sighing as they walked out of the government office.

After everyone had left, only Wang Xing and Chu Sijing remained in the yamen.

A cold wind slipped in through the cracks in the window, causing the edges of the map to tremble slightly.

Wang Xing leaned back in his chair, wearily rubbing his temples. The anger from earlier seemed to have drained all his strength, leaving him breathless.

at this time.

Chu Sijing stepped forward, her voice very low.

“Commander, you saw what those people were thinking just now.”

Not only are they unwilling to concentrate on defending the city, but if the rebels attack too aggressively, some might even use the city gates as a pledge of allegiance to save their lives.

His gaze darkened, and he continued:
"Xu Chengye was a descendant of Xu Jie, yet he still surrendered to the traitors in order to save his life."

These military officers, whose salaries had been cut off, already harbored resentment towards the court. If faced with a life-or-death situation, defecting to the enemy was not out of the question.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xing let out a heavy sigh.

"Commander Chu, do you think I don't know?"

His voice was full of helplessness.

"Jinshanwei has long been corrupt. Since the Japanese pirate raids during the Jiajing era, the garrison has never properly trained its troops. It has become common for soldiers to receive salaries without working and for military rations to be withheld. The morale of the troops has long since collapsed."

As the military and political commander, I may seem to hold a high position, but what can I do when my subordinates outwardly comply while inwardly defying me?
Last time I wanted to transfer the soldiers from the Left Thousand Household Office to repair the watchtower, but Li Baihu made up an excuse that "the brothers are too cold to walk" and dragged it out for half a month.

Now that the bandits have arrived, it's no wonder they're not taking it seriously.

At this point, Wang Xing had essentially given up.

"If the city falls, I will die for my country. That would be worthy of this third-rank official robe, worthy of the Ming Dynasty, and worthy of His Majesty."

"Commander, you mustn't!"

Chu Sijing hurriedly spoke.

"If things are beyond saving, one does not necessarily have to die for one's country."

We can lead our men to evacuate Jinshanwei City and retreat to Shanhutan Island.

That island is close to the Zhoushan Islands, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. Once Minister Yuan's main force arrives, we can join forces with the navy for a counterattack and recapture the garrison city.

Wang Xing suddenly looked up, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, like a drowning man grabbing onto a piece of driftwood:

"Shanhutan Island? But we don't have enough boats!"
Jinshanwei now has only 4 sand barges, each capable of carrying 100 people.

Ten bluffing ships, each carrying a maximum of fifty people, could only carry about nine hundred at most. How could they possibly evacuate several thousand elite troops?

Chu Sijing smiled, put the waist token back into his pocket, and spoke with a hint of confidence:

"Commander, rest assured, I have already sent a message to the Tianjin Navy in Zhoushan through the Jinyiwei's channels."

They have a patrol fleet in the nearby waters specifically for intercepting pirates, and they promised to send 10 cargo ships to meet them.

Those grain transport boats are large vessels, each capable of carrying two hundred people. Combined with our existing ships, we can easily transport several thousand people, or even more logistical supplies.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xing was initially delighted, but soon a look of doubt appeared on his face.

"The Tianjin Navy...isn't their patrol area supposed to be the Bohai and Yellow Seas? Why would they suddenly come to the Zhoushan Islands to meet us?"

Jinshanwei was under the jurisdiction of the Southern Zhili Military Command, while the Tianjin Navy was directly under the Central Military Command. The two had no prior dealings, so how could such a crucial support arrive so timely?
Before Chu Sijing could speak, Wang Xing's face darkened again, and his tone became more serious:

"Besides, I am the military and political commander of Jinshanwei, and it is my duty to defend the territory."

If the city is lost, even if the troops are preserved, the emperor will still be held responsible upon returning to the capital.

At best, I'll be dismissed from my post and exiled; at worst, I'll be imprisoned and executed. How can I leave?

Seeing this, Chu Sijing stepped forward and said:

"Commander, you must have heard the saying: If you save the land but lose the people, you will lose both the land and the people; if you save the people but lose the land, you will save both the land and the people."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xing turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with shock.

He looked Chu Sijing up and down. The man in front of him was wearing a flying fish robe. Although he was only a centurion, he had knowledge far beyond that of ordinary military officers.

Such words, concerning the outcome of the battle, would never be uttered by an ordinary garrison officer, let alone by a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Wang Xing's hand trembled slightly as he tentatively asked:

"This...this is Minister Yuan's intention?"

Chu Sijing did not answer directly, but instead gave a meaningful smile:
"The commander might consider why Yuan Butang did not immediately send troops to aid after he pacified Yingtian Prefecture."

He had long noticed the dilapidated state of Jinshanwei's defenses and the demoralized state of its people.

Whether or not Weicheng falls is something that Minister Yuan, and even His Majesty, have anticipated.

He paused, watching Wang Xing's eyes gradually brighten, and continued:

"If you can preserve your elite troops, you can easily retake the city by joining forces with the navy to launch a counterattack."

At that time, you will not be a traitor who lost the city, but a meritorious official who preserved our strength. The court will make a fair judgment on your merits and demerits.

Wang Xing's breathing suddenly quickened. He stared at the waist token in Chu Sijing's hand and instantly understood.

Chu Sijing's arrival at Jinshanwei was not simply to "assist in defense," but rather to carry secret orders from Yuan Keli and even the imperial court, in preparation for "abandoning the city to save the troops."

The previous worries and guilt were blown away by a gust of wind, replaced by a sense of relief and clarity.

"Good! I will immediately issue the order for the brothers to pack their belongings and prepare to evacuate the city!"

"Wait a minute."

Chu Sijing suddenly spoke, his tone turning somber.

"The few commanders under your command secretly went to inns on the outskirts of Songjiang Prefecture under the pretext of 'inspecting the city's defenses' in the afternoons of the past two days."

My informants saw that the person they met was Xu Chengye's personal butler.

Hou Chengzhu and Bai Qin, though they didn't openly oppose it in the hall, secretly discussed it after the meeting, saying, "If the rioters really attack, we should make plans as soon as possible."

Wang Xing's face turned pale instantly.

"They...they really dare to collude with traitors?"

His voice trembled. Although he knew that the people were not united, he did not expect that these people had secretly contacted Xu Chengye, and even hereditary commanders like Hou Chengzhu had become disloyal.

"It may not be a case of treason, but it is absolutely unbelievable."

Chu Sijing slowly said:

“If we let them retreat with us, and they turn against us halfway, our elite troops might be lost at sea. It would be better to… leave them here.”

"Stay here?"

Wang Xing was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"You mean, test them?"

"Exactly."

Chu Sijing nodded, his eyes sharp.

"The commander might as well issue an order to Hou Chengzhu to go to Zhelinbao to organize the defense."

Zhelin Fort is closest to Songjiang Prefecture, so the rebels will likely attack there first.

Then send Bai Qin to the former Thousand Household Fortress to guard the main road leading from the city to the sea. If they have no ulterior motives, they will defend the fortress to the death. At that time, we will send someone to inform them of the retreat plan.

If they defect to the thieves or abandon the fort and flee, we won't waste our energy rescuing them; instead, we can eliminate a potential threat nearby.

Wang Xing took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and nodded:
"Just do as you say!"

He immediately went to the desk, picked up a pen, and quickly wrote two military orders on the paper. He then affixed the military and political seals, summoned two trusted guards, and whispered the instructions:

"Send these two orders to Commander Hou and Commander Bai respectively, instructing them to set off immediately without delay."

Remember, keep a close eye on their movements, and report anything unusual immediately!

"Yes!"

After the guards left to carry out their orders, Wang Xing turned to look at Chu Sijing, his eyes no longer showing the hesitation of before, but only decisiveness:
"The transfer of supplies needs to be done as soon as possible."

otherwise
Once we get to the sea, won't we be left to starve?

He summoned the clerk in charge of the treasury and gave him the following order:
"At midnight tonight, have the people in the warehouse load all the usable muskets, lead bullets, and gunpowder onto the carts, and move all the rice, wheat, and cured meat from the government warehouse to the dock in the south of the city."

Only our trusted confidants are allowed to be employed, and not a single word of this is to leak out!

Although the clerk was full of doubt, he dared not ask any more questions, bowed and accepted the order and left.

Just as Wang Xing was about to retreat, the enemy army was in a state of great activity.

Wang Haoxian's army surged out of Songjiang Prefecture like a black tide.

They rushed towards Chuanshabao on the first day.

This fortress, which once guarded the mouth of the Yangtze River, now had its gates ajar, and the garrison had long since vanished, leaving only a few Ming army flags lying on the ground.

Xu Chengye rode alongside Wang Haoxian, pointing to the empty fortress, his eyes crinkling with laughter:
"My lord, look! These government troops have long heard of your illustrious reputation, and they don't even dare to fight you!"

Wang Haoxian laughed heartily and immediately ordered his men to take over Chuansha Fort.

After capturing Chuanshabao, Wang Haoxian continued his operations.

The next day, they set off for the fortress where the South Hui Tsui Central Retreat was located.

The process of taking over the city was so easy it was almost absurd.

When the army approached, the commander of the thousand guards did not fire a single arrow. He led a dozen or so trusted men and slipped out through the back gate. The remaining auxiliary soldiers looked at each other in confusion. Finally, an old soldier took the lead and opened the city gate to kneel and welcome Wang Haoxian.

They had long since run out of supplies and had lost all will to defend their territory, so they might as well surrender and get something to eat.

Wang Haoxian sat on his horse, looking down at the kneeling crowd below, a disdainful smirk playing on his lips:
"The soldiers of the Ming Dynasty have become like this."

Wang Haoxian's worries vanished instantly.

He had previously worried that his ragtag army was no match for the government troops, but it turned out that the government troops were even more incompetent than he had imagined.

His ambition swelled as a result.

On the morning of the third day, the army arrived at Zhelin Fort.

This fortress, which was originally the front line of Jinshanwei, was now filled with the sound of rapid hoofbeats.

Hou Chengzhu, dressed in full armor and carrying the fortress's military register, galloped out of the fortress gate and knelt down before Wang Haoxian's horse with a thud, his voice full of flattery:
"This humble general, Hou Chengzhu, has long admired the divine might of the leader and is willing to lead all the brothers of Zhelin Fort to surrender. He only begs the leader to grant him a way out!"

The gates behind him swung open, and the garrison actually came out of the city to surrender.

Having witnessed the previous scenes, Wang Haoxian was no longer surprised by this situation.

Who told me I possessed the aura of a king, who told me I was destined by fate?

Wang Haoxian glanced down at Hou Chengzhu, then looked at Xu Chengye. Seeing Xu Chengye nod slightly, he waved his hand.

"Get up. Following me will bring you benefits."

The news of Wang Haoxian's surrender quickly reached the city of Qianqianhusuo.

Bai Qin was planning how to preserve his strength and how to resist the rebel army, but when he heard that Hou Chengzhu had surrendered, and when he remembered that his salary had been cut off, he lost all his last bit of hesitation.

That very night, carrying the head of the junior officer who had tried to resist, they opened the city gates to welcome Wang Haoxian's vanguard.

He didn't even wait for Wang Haoxian to arrive in person before rushing to pledge his loyalty, fearing that he would lose his position if he was too late.

With the surrender of the two commanders, almost all the other thousand-household units surrendered without resistance.

When the news reached Jinshanwei City, Wang Xing could only sigh softly.

These people dared to join the thieves, and they were already courting death, so he didn't need to wait for them.

The next day.

early morning.

Four sand barges, ten muskets, and ten grain transport boats were already moored on the shore. The trusted soldiers were loading the last batch of muskets onto the boats, which were also packed full of grain.

Wang Xing glanced back at the fortified city behind him. The stone walls were faintly visible in the mist. It was the place he had guarded for ten years, but now he had to abandon it.

Chu Sijing comforted him from the side, "Commander, if we don't leave now, Wang Haoxian's vanguard will arrive soon."

Wang Xing took a deep breath, suppressing his reluctance, and gritted his teeth:
"sail!"

The oars cut through the morning mist on the river, carrying a thousand elite soldiers and a full ship of supplies, slowly sailing towards the distant Shanhutan Island.

The footprints on the dock were quickly covered by the morning dew, as if no one had ever been there.

On the fifth day at noon, under the blinding sunlight, Wang Haoxian's army finally arrived at the foot of Jinshanwei City.

The twelve generals surrounded him, with Hou Chengzhu and Bai Qin following behind, while Xu Chengye rode his horse back and forth, pointing at the city walls and cheering:

"My lord! Look, Jinshanwei City is right in front of us! There are no soldiers on the city walls. Have they all deserted?"

Wang Haoxian reined in his horse, looked up at the tall city wall, and felt so happy that he almost laughed out loud.

With a force of over ten thousand men, he captured all the fortresses and strongholds from south to north without losing a single soldier, and now even the main city is within reach.

"Yeah!"

"This Ming Dynasty is like a dilapidated house; I only kicked it once, and it's about to collapse!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Tietou stepped forward and kicked the city gate.

The heavy wooden door creaked open; there was no lock and no guards.

"Enter the city!"

Wang Haoxian waved his hand and went in first.

But the further he went into the city, the more his brows furrowed.

The streets were deserted, the shops were all closed, and the government office was wide open, but there wasn't even a sweeper inside.

The armory door was ajar. When we went inside, we found only a few empty wooden crates; not even a single lead bullet remained.

The granary was completely empty, with only a few grains of rice bran scattered on the ground.

"Master, the city is deserted!"

A scout rushed back, his voice full of doubt.

"Most of the civilians have left, and those who remain are hiding in their houses, afraid to come out. When I asked a few, they all said that the government troops withdrew this morning!"

"nobody?"

Wang Haoxian turned around abruptly, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"Where did they go? Did they sprout wings and fly away?"

He had thought he could seize a warehouse full of weapons and grain, and even capture a few government generals to establish his authority, but he was surprised to find an empty city. His initial excitement quickly faded.

Seeing this, Xu Chengye quickly stepped forward, a smile spreading across his face, and raised his voice a few decibels:
"My lord, this is a good thing!"
Where did the government troops at Jinshanwei actually withdraw?
It's because I'm afraid of you, my lord!
They fear you like a tiger, and can only flee into the waves; they dare not even defend the main city!

He paused, then winked at the people around him, and continued:
"Now that our lord has captured Jinshanwei, this is a tremendous victory!"
The righteous armies in other prefectures of Jiangnan, as well as the gentry, will surely surrender at the mere sight of their lord, who is so powerful!

This is destiny bestowed upon our lord!

These words immediately dispelled Wang Haoxian's displeasure.

Li Tietou, one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals, also shouted, "Our leader is mighty! He is the chosen one!"

Pirate Li Kuiqi also joined in the commotion:

"Next, we'll go rob silver from all over Jiangnan, and no one can stop us!"

Hou Chengzhu and Bai Qin exchanged a glance, then quickly bowed and said:
"Congratulations, my lord, on capturing Jinshanwei! From now on, Songjiang Prefecture belongs entirely to you!"

Even the previously silent minor leaders joined in the fun, whispering words like "the leader is wise" and "he is destined by heaven" into Wang Haoxian's ears.

Wang Haoxian stood in the middle of the empty street, listening to the flattery all around him; his earlier astonishment had long since vanished.

He raised his hand to straighten his fur coat, feeling as if he had truly received a divine mandate.

He took Jinshanwei in just a few days. Next, Jiaxing Prefecture, Hangzhou Prefecture, and Suzhou Prefecture should be within his grasp. In the future, Jiangnan, and even the whole world, will be his.
"Hahaha!"

He threw his head back and laughed, his voice echoing through the empty city.

"Well said! With Jinshanwei breached, Songjiang Prefecture has no rivals left! Issue the order to rest for five days, reorganize and train the soldiers, and then march on Jiaxing Prefecture!"

Five days later.

On the city gate tower of Jinshanwei, Wang Haoxian's black flag fluttered in the cold wind, and the rebel army under its banner was no longer as ragged as before.

The veteran soldiers from the garrison brought by Hou Chengzhu were standing on the training ground, teaching the refugees how to form ranks. The rioters in the first few rows held muskets seized from the garrison. Although their movements were clumsy, they were able to barely complete the continuous action of "raising the musket, aiming, and firing".

Bai Qin led his men to inventory the remaining supplies in the armory, dismantling and polishing the rusty old cannons, and even collecting the previously scattered lead bullets, putting them into burlap sacks and distributing them to each team.

After capturing Jinshanwei, the rebel forces grew exponentially.
The rebel army not only incorporated the three thousand surrendered soldiers of the garrison, but also obtained the grain that the Songjiang gentry had secretly hoarded through Xu Chengye's connections.

These gentry, who had previously refused to pay grain, now opened their ancestral granaries to save their lives, raising a total of 100,000 shi of rice.

Pirate Li Kuiqi expanded his fleet to thirty ships, patrolling the Huangpu River daily, intercepting government cargo ships, and demanding "tolls" from passing merchant ships.

Standing by the training ground, Wang Haoxian looked at the nascent team before him, his ambition growing even stronger.

With surrendered soldiers to teach him how to fight and with provisions to support him, he felt that not only Jiaxing Prefecture, but even Nanjing City was within his grasp.

At that moment, he felt like he was the second Zhu Yuanzhang!

Perhaps he should change his name. From now on, he won't be called Wang Haoxian; he should be called Wang Mingzhang.

You, Zhu Yuanzhang, are the perfect weapon to eliminate the false Yuan dynasty.

I, Wang Mingzhang, am also a powerful tool for destroying the false Ming dynasty!

the other side.

Inside the Ming army camp outside the city of Zhenjiang.

Yuan Keli's command tent was brightly lit.

A huge map of Jiangnan lay spread out on the table, with red dots drawn in Jiangyin, Changzhou, Changxing, and other places using a vermilion brush. Yuan Keli held the brush, his voice steady:
"The rebels in Zhenjiang Prefecture have been mostly eliminated. Next, we will divide our forces into four routes and make sure to capture these key locations within ten days."

The generals under his command bowed in unison in agreement, but Yuan Keli continued speaking without stopping:
"Xu Bida, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, led the Jiangshui Water Defense Force to Jiangyin and immediately took over the Jiangyin Garrison and city, and used warships to block the Yangtze River waterway."

No vessel is permitted to cross the river without a warrant from this ministry.

He looked at Xu Bida, his tone solemn.

“Jiangyin is the only passage for the rebel army to advance north. Holding this place will provide Nanjing with an extra layer of protection.”

Xu Bida, the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, knew that this matter was of great importance, and immediately nodded, saying, "Your subordinate obeys!"

Upon hearing Xu Bida's reply, Yuan Keli nodded, but continued speaking, turning his pen to Changzhou.

"Li Fuming, the magistrate of the Central Route, is going to Changzhou."

"Strengthen the city's defenses, mobilize auxiliary troops from surrounding garrisons to assist in the defense, and dig three trenches in the suburbs and set up breech-loading cannons."

Changzhou is the eastern gateway to Nanjing; we absolutely cannot allow the rebel army to break through from here.

"I will obey your orders!"

Li Fuming immediately clasped his hands in acceptance of the order!
"Zhou Xianzong, the adjutant general of the right wing, led two thousand cavalry to Changxing."

He looked at Zhou Xianzong and then pointed to the west bank of Taihu Lake.

"Changxing controls the land route from western Zhejiang to Nanjing. If the rebel army wants to bypass Nanjing from Huzhou and Hangzhou, they must go through Changxing."

You need to set up roadblocks on the official road outside Changxing City, and then contact the fishermen of Taihu Lake. Once they discover any trace of the mutinous troops, send a message immediately.

Zhou Xianzong immediately nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Excellency, I know what I'm doing."

Finally, Yuan Keli's gaze fell upon Yanzhou and Zhuji in western Zhejiang:
"Zhang Zhiji, commander of the Noble Camp, and Luo Yangxing, vice commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, led three thousand infantrymen, joined forces with the government troops of Yanzhou Guard and Zhuji Garrison, to defend the mountainous areas of western Zhejiang."

If the rebel army wanted to march south and annex the righteous army in eastern Zhejiang, or flee to Fujian, these two places would be their obstacles.

Zhang Zhiji and Luo Yangxing nodded immediately.

"Rest assured, sir, if the bandits come, we will make sure they never return!"

After the generals left with their orders, only Yuan Keli and Duke Zhang Weixian remained in the tent.

Looking at the red dot on the map, Zhang Weixian couldn't help but ask:

"Minister, you allowed the rebels to cause trouble in Songjiang because you wanted to use them to wipe out the gentry. But now that the rebels have taken over Jinshanwei, their strength is growing day by day. If we let them continue, they may become a major threat."

Yuan Keli picked up the teacup on the table, gently blew away the foam, and his eyes held a hint of deep thought:

"What His Majesty wants is 'controllable chaos'. The gentry in Jiangnan have been entrenched for a century, hiding their land and colluding with rebels. The previous land surveys conducted by the Disaster Relief Department failed to shake them down."

Now that Wang Haoxian has come to attack, these people will either surrender to the rebels or have their homes ransacked by the chaotic army. This is a good opportunity for the court to clean up this pile of 'rotten flesh,' which is called 'sweeping the house clean before inviting guests.'"

"But the rebel army has colluded with gentry and pirates, and already numbers in the tens of thousands. If they were to take Jiaxing and Hangzhou and then control the Grand Canal and the coast, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Zhang Weixian's tone was full of worry.

"That's why we need to set up this 'encirclement'."

Yuan Keli put down his teacup and pointed to the red dot on the map.

"Jiangyin locks the Yangtze River, Changzhou guards the eastern road, Changxing controls the land route, and Yanzhou and Zhuji block the southern road."

By trapping the rebel army in the Songjiang, Jiaxing, and Suzhou area, they could neither march north to threaten Nanjing nor expand southward; they were forced to remain confined to this region.

"Once they've nearly wiped out the gentry, we'll concentrate our forces and wipe them out, or at least drive them away. These bandits will be nothing more than playthings in our hands."

Yuan Keli's eyes flickered.

Wang Haoxian thought that by acquiring Jinshanwei, he had gained the upper hand, and that the gentry of Jiangnan would surely invest heavily once they saw his power.

Little did they know that they had already walked into a trap they had meticulously prepared.

Even the most rampant rebels are still just thieves.

If you run into an official, you're doomed.

Wang Haoxian was merely a farming tool used to plow and pacify the south of the Yangtze River for His Majesty.

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(End of this chapter)