Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 287 Wu Sangui's Ambition (Part 3)

Even as Meng Jun was mobilizing troops, contacting various parties, and sending scouts everywhere, the Qing army was not like a piece of wood that stood still. As early as when Meng Jun was about to arrive in Jiujiang with his personal guards, the heavy armored army and the Po Lu army, the Qing court had already begun to dispatch Wu Sangui's troops out of Hanzhong to reinforce the Huguang battlefield.

Outside the city of Xiangyang, where Wu Sangui's troops camped.

In the central army tent, there were only Wu Sangui and his trusted adviser Fang Guangchen.

Like most people with ulterior motives, Wu Sangui also spent a lot of time thinking about Zhou Wang Mengjun, who rose like a comet. In Wu Sangui's view, Meng Jun's rise really made him look sideways.

There were all kinds of rumors about Meng Jun, some of them were strange and bizarre, but Wu Sangui still managed to sort out some clues from them. Three years ago, this ordinary gentry in Changshu City surrendered to the Qing Dynasty with the rank of Qianzong when Duoduo went south. Obviously, Meng Jun, who now holds high the slogan of expelling the Tartars and restoring the country, is also a fellow traveler like Wu Sangui, and also has the stain of surrendering to the Qing Dynasty.

However, in July of that year, when he was transporting supplies from Changshu to Suzhou, he suddenly rose up in rebellion against the Qing Dynasty. Whether it was the capture of Suzhou city in one fell swoop or the defeat of Li Chengdong, the Qing court at that time regarded them as trivial local matters. Until he defeated Bolo in Qiantang River, Meng Jun became famous and quickly conquered Zhejiang. After that, he captured Jiangning, destroyed Jin Shenghuan, seized Gan, and restored order in the southeast. He had become a force that could not be ignored in the world.

In the tent, Fang Guangchen said to Wu Sangui: "Your Highness, this time we are marching south, it can be said that a large army has gathered. There are so many brave and powerful generals in the court, all gathered in Huguang. In your opinion, how likely is it to win?"

Wu Sangui replied: "Well, that being said, Meng Jun's troops are not weak either. They have the help of Zheng's navy, and the Western bandits have also stationed troops in Changsha. The combined strength of the three parties is not weaker than that of the imperial court. This battle will not be easy. As for the outcome, it's a fifty-fifty chance."

By listening to his words and observing his actions, Fang Guangchen felt that Wu Sangui's confidence was insufficient. He was no longer as confident as he was two years ago that the Qing Dynasty could seize the world.

Seeing this, Fang Guangchen moved closer and lowered his voice and said, "The world today is like a gambling game. Most people bet on the "big" of the Qing Dynasty, while those who are old and young in the Ming court bet on the "small" of the Ming court, and people like Meng Jun and Sun Kewang bet on themselves. Your Majesty, who do you want to bet on? Or yourself?"

Wu Sangui's expression remained unchanged. He shook his head slowly and said, "The situation is treacherous and difficult to decide. We are now like trees without roots, just chess pieces. How can we be qualified to sit in the chess game?"

People who are keen on fame and fortune are often those who know the times. The old saying that a man who knows the times is a hero has become a fig leaf for countless traitors. When Wu Sangui opened the pass to welcome the Qing army, he probably did not expect that the Qing army would so quickly destroy the Dashun court and occupy the north, nor did he expect that the Ming court in the south was so corrupt.

In the first year of the Hongguang reign, Zhu Yousong proclaimed himself emperor in Nanjing and sent an envoy to confer the title of Duke of Ji on Wu Sangui. He also sent Shen Tingyang to transport 10,000 dan of grain from the sea route and 100,000 taels of silver as a reward for Wu Sangui. Wu Sangui declined the offer, but still stated that he would not fight against the Ming court, saying, "I cannot bear to throw a single arrow at you."

When Duoduo went south, he overthrew the Hongguang court with great force. After Wu Sangui returned to Jinzhou, he never mentioned making the prince the emperor again. Instead, he pledged allegiance to Dorgon and repeatedly wrote letters to express his "loyalty to the Qing Dynasty." However, Wu Sangui's heart seemed to have changed again at this time, and this subtle change was immediately noticed by his trusted adviser Fang Guangchen.

After listening to Wu Sangui, Fang Guangchen immediately responded, "Your Highness, Emperor Zhaolie of the late Han Dynasty had a life of wandering and drifting, like duckweed on the river, following the tide, following Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shao, Tao Qian, Cao Cao, Lu Bu, and Liu Biao successively. He was like a fallen leaf in the autumn wind, truly displaced and experienced many hardships, but despite this, he never changed his ambition, and what he held on to was only tenacity."

Comparing Wu Sangui to Liu Bei made him very happy, but he still said modestly: "Tingxian is just joking. Emperor Zhaolie of Han is a noble descendant. I am just a military successor who inherited his father's influence. How dare I compare myself to him? Isn't this like comparing a candle to the bright moon?"

Fang Guangchen said with a serious face: "Your Highness, why should you be so modest? An Zhongrong once said that the emperor is the one with the strongest soldiers and horses. In an era of great contention, how can the fate of the world be decided by blood?"

After saying this, Fang Guangchen carefully looked at Wu Sangui's expression and whispered, "Your Highness, in this battle, the court has already used all its strength and mobilized all the soldiers in the north. If you win, Your Highness will be sincere and loyal to the new dynasty, but...if something goes wrong, the northern provinces will be like a land without a master, at the mercy of others."

Wu Sangui looked at Fang Guangchen deeply for a long time before he slowly spoke: "I am now a noble prince, and I am a minister of great honor. Even if the situation is as Tingxian said, the imperial court will not be able to win even if it has the powerful troops in the north. If I do this, wouldn't I be making things easier for Zhou's army?"

Although Fang Guangchen's words touched Wu Sangui's heart, Wu Sangui's concerns were not groundless. The Qing court occupied the entire north, and not only had the Eight Banners, but also the help of Mongolian cavalry. If he still could not win, then even if he took advantage of the situation, he would not be able to match the strength of the Qing court. How could he possibly defeat Meng Jun? Besides, he was already a prince and was extremely rich. If he made a wrong choice, let alone losing the title of prince, it was not impossible that he would be beheaded.

Fang Guangchen shook his head and refuted, "Your Highness is overthinking. If there is a change in the court, Meng Jun's power is great, but there are also hidden concerns. First, he has no descendants. If there is a change, his people will scatter. Second, the court's troops are approaching. Zhou, Xi, Zheng, and Ming can still barely maintain peace, but I assert that if the court's troops retreat, a civil war will surely break out. Third, Meng Jun's power rose too quickly, so his foundation must be unstable."

Wu Sangui understood Fang Guangchen's hidden meaning, which was to let him not give his best effort and muddy the waters so that he could fish in troubled waters. However, among all the parties now, Wu Sangui's own strength was the weakest except that of the Ming court.

Thinking of this, Wu Sangui hesitated and said, "I have been thinking hard for a long time, and I want to take a place to live. The regent once said that after the Yongli Emperor was destroyed, the land of Yunnan would be my vassal land. Could it be that the court has no such intention and is just trying to comfort me?"

Fang Guangchen shook his head again and said, "Regardless of whether the imperial court has this intention or not, even if it is fulfilled, the prince will have to wait until the world is pacified before he can rule Yunnan."

"I don't have any big ambitions. If I can rule Yunnan for the rest of my life, that will be enough for me."

"Your Highness, if the world is peaceful and there are no more foreign threats, there will be no foreign lands in all dynasties. At that time, the emperor will definitely reduce the power of the princes!" Fang Guangchen said firmly.

Those who live in troubled times and have powerful armies are all ambitious and seek their own selfish ends. These people are ambitious and want to dominate by force or by manipulating power. Each of them has his own agenda.

As the saying goes, human greed is insatiable, and one will always want more. Fang Guangchen clearly realized that if the Qing Dynasty could not win this war, ambitious people in the north would surely emerge, like a pack of wolves surrounding them, and the chaotic times were not far away!