Southern Ming Rebel Army

Chapter 268 Human Heart

The news that Chen Shaozong fled back to Guazhou in a panic and that the navy had only 41 ships left soon reached Baiyintu's camp in Jiangbei. Baiyintu was furious and immediately led a team of Goshaha to rush to the navy camp.

Since Baiyintu went south, he gathered various tribes, including 20,000 people from the Eight Banners of Manchu and Mongolia and more than 55,000 people from the Green Camp, and set up a large and solid camp in Jiangbei. However, Yangzhou was in ruins, and all the food and fodder needed by the army had to be transported from afar. The Qing court was already struggling to supply materials to the Huguang front and the Jiangbei camp.

Originally, Baiyintu stationed troops in Jiangbei, eyeing Nanjing, which made Meng Jun dare not leave the base camp too far. Even if he left, he had to leave enough troops for defense. But now that the Guazhou navy was destroyed, the Jiangbei camp was no longer of much use. Although there were only forty or so naval ships left, in Baiyintu's view, the navy that was unable to threaten the Yangtze River had already been destroyed.

Baiyintu led his guards to the navy camp, furious. He broke into the military tent and saw Chen Shaozong sitting on a chair, discussing something with his generals. When he saw Baiyintu rushing in, Chen Shaozong was stunned, then he immediately reacted, knelt on the ground, and shouted: "I didn't know that the commander-in-chief was coming, and I failed to welcome him. Please forgive me!"

Baiyintu didn't look happy at all. In front of everyone's horrified eyes, he pointed at Chen Shaozong and cursed: "You idiot, you actually destroyed the navy on the river. How dare you sit here like an idiot!"

Chen Shaozong's face turned pale with fear, and he quickly explained: "General, the navy's attack was ordered by the prince, and I am just following the order."

"Geng Zhongming only brought more than fifty ships. Didn't you lead the rest of the navy?" Bai Yintu said with a gloomy expression.

"This...this...Marshal, the prince has been captured, and I am eager to save him!" Chen Shaozong was afraid that Bai Yintu would use him as a scapegoat, so he replied in a trembling voice.

"Idiot, you've ruined my plan..." If there weren't too few generals in the Qing Dynasty who understood the navy, Bai Yintu really wanted to kill this man with a single blow to vent his anger.

Seeing Chen Shaozong's submissive look, Bai Yintu became even more angry. He looked around and found nothing suitable, so he simply took off the scabbard of his knife and hit Chen Shaozong with it, making him scream in pain.

………………

In Jinling City.

Liu Zhongzao and Lu Zhenfei sat opposite each other in the quiet room. The sky outside was getting darker, and the aroma of tea lingered inside. Liu Zhongzao sighed, "In the past, Emperor Xiang was locked up in Fujian, controlled by the Zheng family, and watched the world fall. If Your Majesty were still alive, you would return the capital to Nanjing, follow the example of the Southern Song Dynasty, rebuild the country, reorganize the army, and march north to the Central Plains. Then the great cause of the Ming Dynasty's revival would be just around the corner. Alas!"

“The death of the emperor is the fault of the Zheng family. Many royal family members, whether it is Prince Fu, Prince Lu, or Prince Yiyang who is the regent in Chongming, have all disappointed the people of the world. Only Prince Lu and the late emperor still have the ambition to revive the country. Today's Kunming court, alas, is hard to describe in a few words.” At the end, Lu Zhenfei also sighed.

The two were silent for a moment, and Liu Zhongzao slowly spoke: "Heroes are made by the times. Now, whether it is Jinling City or the land of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, they only know the Meng family and do not respect Zhu Ming. If this continues, I am afraid that the world will change."

Lu Zhenfei said in a gloomy voice, "The principle that King Zhou is pursuing is to drive out the Tartars and restore the mountains and rivers. It is just to restore the mountains and rivers, not to restore the Ming Dynasty. This is quite similar to the slogan of Taizu's northern expedition against the Mongols in the past. It can be seen that King Zhou has great ambitions!"

"Human power is limited, and who can predict destiny? I only know that if the emperor today cannot break free from the control of the Western Court, the Ming Dynasty will be in danger of collapse."

"That's easier said than done. Even if we get rid of the Western Palace, the emperor has no soldiers to use, no money or food. If it weren't for Sun Kewang supporting the court, I'm afraid even the cabinet ministers wouldn't be able to eat enough, let alone the cost of training soldiers and selecting generals." Lu Zhenfei retorted. He no longer had any hope in the Yongli court. It would be more realistic to expect Sun Kewang, the military saint, to be invincible rather than to expect those people in the court to fight back from Kunming.

The two of them drank a sip of tea one after another. Liu Zhongzao picked up the teapot and poured tea for him, saying, "Brother Lu, I have an idea. Although it may be a bit unrealistic, I have to express it."

"Please say"

"Now that the King of Zhou has not yet expressed his intention to change his mind, I wonder if we can ask the King of Zhou to welcome the King of Lu!"

Lu Zhenfei laughed when he heard this, then shook his head and said, "This is just a fantasy, Uncle Jian, even if we take a step back, the ambitious generals under the King of Zhou, Qian Biao, Lin Shiqi, Liang Sanhu, and Bai Yongfu, agreed to welcome the King of Lu. Now the King of Lu has no soldiers or generals and is living under the protection of the Zheng family. Even if he comes to Nanjing, he is just a puppet. Moreover, if the King of Zhou establishes the King of Lu, I am afraid that internal strife will arise between Zhou and Xi again. Uncle Jian, you must not raise this issue."

Liu Zhongzao looked a little lonely, nodded and said: "In fact, I also know that if we want to revive the Ming Dynasty now, we need a rare talent in a century to have the opportunity to revive the Ming Dynasty. It's a pity that the King of Zhou's surname is Meng, not Zhu."

“Uncle Jian, you…” Lu Zhenfei was a little amused when he heard this.

After calming down, Liu Zhongzao started talking about business: "In the past two days, the shogunate has sent letters to various places to prepare supplies, transport food and grass, and recruit civilians. This must be a sign that King Zhou is about to send troops. Brother Lu, in your opinion, where should we send troops in this battle?"

Lu Zhenfei replied without hesitation: "Geng Zhongming was killed, the Guazhou navy was destroyed, and King Zhou no longer has any worries. Given King Zhou's character, it must be time to use troops. Guangdong is difficult to change the overall situation, so the place to use troops must be Huguang!"

Liu Zhongzao hesitated for a moment, nodded, and echoed: "Li Chengdong of Guangdong has sent people to seek peace. His words are very humble. He said that he is willing to follow the lead of King Zhou. Such a villain is really shameful. But if this happens, where will the Kunming court stand?"

"The prestige of the imperial court has fallen. If it weren't for the support of the Western Army, it would be difficult to maintain its current momentum, not to mention military leaders like Li Chengdong, who only care about who has more soldiers and whose soldiers can fight better. When has he ever taken the imperial court seriously?"

After listening to Lu Zhenfei's words, Liu Zhongzao didn't want to mention the court anymore, and said instead: "If the army marches west and conquers Huguang, the best land in the world will be in the hands of King Zhou. With such a vast and prosperous area, there must be countless lucky people. If he can't hold back, there may be changes."

Lu Zhenfei shook his head upon hearing this and said, “In my opinion, if the Northern Capital is not restored, King Zhou will not do such a big thing.”

After pausing for a while, Lu Zhenfei continued slowly: "There is no family that is not defeated, and no country that is not destroyed. As the saying goes, destiny changes, and the divine weapon changes. How can it be changed by human power? If destiny is on Zhu, then it is fortunate, but if destiny is on Zhou, it is also acceptable. Now the King of Zhou has only one daughter, and has not yet established a principal wife. I want to write a letter to ask for the establishment of the principal wife and the birth of a son as soon as possible to calm the people of the world."