Chapter 66: Abandoning Danger

  Zhu Yongxing was again distracted, and Mengzhu opened his mouth, but didn't disturb him, instead waiting quietly.

  It took Zhu Yongxing a long time to regain his composure, and he smiled wistfully. A meal is eaten one mouthful at a time, and a road is walked one step at a time. Having an overall grand strategy isn't a bad thing, but more thought still needs to be spent on the present.

  "Your Highness, in the letter, Yi Chang also mentioned that after conquering the southern barbarians, General Yang Wu will send someone to request that you grant him the title of Duke." Mengzhu saw Zhu Yongxing regain his composure and continued reading the letter.

  "Hmph, hmph." Zhu Yongxing suddenly let out two cold laughs and asked: "What's your opinion, Yi Changshi?"

  Mengzhu paused for a moment, then continued to read: "Yi Changshi said that Yang Wu did not lead his troops to join forces and defeat the enemy, but only sent someone to ask for the imperial edict of added titles. His intentions are difficult to fathom. Please, Your Highness, make a decision."

  It's not bad, and he actually thought of this layer. Zhu Yongxing secretly praised him and slightly lowered his eyelids to fall into deep thought. Yang Wu, the former general who guarded Yongli and the small court when they retreated from Yongchang to the south, took advantage of the opportunity to plunder and loot, making a lot of "national difficulty money" before leading his troops away. Now that he has sent someone to ask for the imperial edict of promotion, it is likely that his mind is already set on surrendering, and he wants to use the promotion to increase his own weight in the Qing court.

  It's really greedy and not enough! Zhu Yongxing wanted to capture Yang Wu, take his wealth and seize his troops, but now it's clearly not the time. After thinking for a while, Zhu Yongxing had an idea in mind, and said to Mengzhu: "Send a letter to Yi Changshi, let him detain and interrogate Yang Wu's envoy, find out where Yang Wu's troops are stationed and how many soldiers he has? This matter must be done secretly, don't let others know."

  Mengzhu nodded and picked up her pen, scribbling away quickly.

  For now, deal with the Qing army first, and then collect you this greedy guy later. If Yang Wu is allowed to surrender to the Qing army, it will undoubtedly add weight to the enemy's scale, which is what Zhu Yongxing does not want to see. Hopefully, it can be done in time, Zhu Yongxing got up and walked to the window, standing with his hands behind his back.

  From the current situation, it seems that taking the step of entering Yunnan was correct, and to some extent, it has cleared away some of the shadows that had been cast over the hearts of the anti-Qing activists by Yongli's hasty entry into Myanmar. However, the road ahead is still long and arduous, and failure is still a possibility. Although he may appear confident and calm in front of others, when alone, Zhu Yongxing cannot help but feel anxious and fearful. Yet, he has no room for retreat, as the strong enemy is approaching, and he must fight with all his might. Even if he were to lose the battle, he would never be like Yongli, who lost heart at the mere rumor of the enemy's approach.

  This battle, whether won or lost, must be fought. Because this is an opportunity for Zhu Yongxing to establish his authority and make a big name; it is an opportunity to show the remaining Ming army in Yunnan Province and the people who are loyal to the great Ming Dynasty that they can rise again and see hope.

  In any case, the Qing army cannot easily stabilize the situation in Yunnan. From the performance of the Han people after the Manchu entered the pass, and the performance of the Northeastern people after Japan occupied the Northeast for several years, for ordinary civilians, as long as they are not forced to the point where they cannot survive without rebelling, they generally still prefer to accept the rule of an alien tribe in exchange for a relatively stable situation.

  As long as the Qing army is constantly harassed and mobilized, as long as the Ming army still shows the strength to contend with the Qing army, it will be inevitable for the people's hearts to lean towards resistance. After all, the Qing army has been burning, killing, looting and doing all sorts of evil in Yunnan, which forms a sharp contrast with the "great prosperity", "great abundance" and "people's sufficiency" under the governance of the Dashun Army and the Yongli Court.

  War, Zhu Yongxing clenched his fists and pounded them heavily on the window frame, causing Mengzhu to shift her gaze and glance over, her beautiful eyes flashing with uncertainty about what had happened.

  ……

  Thousands of meters of altitude difference, more than seventy degrees of steep slope, half a foot thick floating soil. Even with Lin Guoan and Zhang Yong's personal soldiers supporting them, climbing to the top of the slope was also drenched in sweat, panting heavily. Stopping to look around, the peaks were stacked up, beautiful as brocade, making one's heart feel refreshed.

  "Abandoning this natural stronghold, it can be seen that the Wei army has lost its will to fight." Xian Guo An let out a breath, his face filled with pride and joy.

  Zhang Yong hesitated for a moment, and cautiously said: "The pseudo-Ming army is based on this natural danger, with few casualties, suddenly withdrawing, I'm afraid there's a trick. Our army should be cautious in its actions, and must not be taken lightly!"

  Xian Guoan didn't make a sound, looking around at the scenery, but in his heart he had some contempt for Zhang Yong's cowardice. After a while, he said with certainty: "It must be that the fake imperial family is left to guard and is frightened out of their wits, wanting to withdraw the army and flee south. A pampered guy like him can already show up on the battlefield, it's already quite impressive. Hmm, I'm afraid there are strict orders from above forcing him, and below him are many generals holding him back, so he has no choice but to put on a show. Now I'm afraid he will follow in the footsteps of Emperor Yongli, fleeing in panic."

  Zhang Yong swallowed his words and didn't say anything. In terms of official position, he was about the same as Xian Guoan, but the other man had been a favored servant for a long time, so naturally he wasn't as trusted. If every sentence was unpleasant to hear, it would only provoke Xian Guoan's resentment and discontent.

  "Our army should advance quickly and capture the enemy's stronghold." Xian Guoan saw Zhang Yong remain silent, his emotions becoming more agitated, he pointed south with his hand, "If we achieve a great victory, it will be shared with Brother Zhang."

  "Thank you, General." Zhang Yong politely cupped his hands, naturally knowing that Lin Guoan's main force had not yet arrived, and the battle array still needed to rely on his Gansu Green Camp, so he was a bit more polite.

  Haha, Xian Guoan burst out laughing, as if victory was already within his grasp. Ahead of him lay a flat and open road. From Yongchang to Tengchong, this was the shortest route in terms of straight-line distance. Originally, he had thought that this place would be treacherous and difficult to attack, and he had planned to launch an attack from another route. Unexpectedly, the Ming army had withdrawn their troops, saving him from having to take a circuitous route.

  This time, the Ming dynasty's royal family left behind to annihilate Tengchong was indeed Guo Ying himself who asked for it. Kunming decided to send troops to support Zhang Yong, but the Manchu army did not want to move, and Wu Sangui also did not want to use his own trusted soldiers, only selecting from other armies.

  At this time, Xian Guoan had just heard that Lin Tianying, the new governor of Yunnan, had impeached him for "plundering and killing during the campaign against the Yi people in western Yunnan, with atrocities even more cruel. Request to be punished." He was somewhat afraid that the Qing court would use punishment to win over the hearts of the people of Yunnan, so he took the initiative to ask for help, hoping to use military merit to reduce his guilt.

  Although the Qing army suffered some setbacks at Modao Mountain, the three routes to the southwest did not encounter strong resistance from the Ming army, and their arrogance was unabated. Xian Guoan believed that the Ming army gathered in Tengchong was just a remnant of a dying fire, which would be extinguished as soon as it was attacked. Therefore, he led 3,000 cavalrymen to rush to Yongchang ahead of time, crossed the river and joined forces with Zhang Yong, while the main force of over 10,000 men marched slowly on the road with their baggage.

  In the previous few days' battle at Gray Slope, Xian Guo An was extremely frustrated and disheartened. Having increased his losses by several hundred men, he found it difficult to advance even an inch, leaving him no choice but to think of another plan. But suddenly, victory's door seemed to open up before him, how could he not be overjoyed and revitalized?

  …………