Chapter 266: Joy and Worry
When he was half asleep, he vaguely felt a pair of eyes staring at him. Then he woke up from his dream, opened his eyes suddenly, and saw a man sitting by the bed with his back to him!
Zhu Kui subconsciously touched his sword and found that the long sword under his pillow had been taken away!
Jiang Yongkang turned around and looked at him with a smile: "Brother Zhu, did you have a good rest last night?"
Zhu Kui's chest heaved, making him even more alert, but he pretended to be sleepy. "I'm a bit too happy to leave! Where's Brother Jiang?"
As he spoke, Zhu Kui had already quickly looked around the room, and then he keenly discovered that his dozen or so subordinates were not in the room!
At this moment, the room was full of Jiang Yongkang's men!
Logically speaking, if Jiang Yongkang's men entered, his own people would definitely remind them.
But now, they entered his room quietly and took away his weapons first. No matter how Zhu Kui thought about it, he felt that Jiang Yongkang had come with bad intentions.
Sure enough, Jiang Yongkang said the next second: "Last night, I asked Brother Zhu to consider joining our city lord. How is his decision?"
Zhu Kui's mind was filled with alarm. Could it be that Jiang Yongkang was determined to keep them?
He said in a stern voice, "Brother Jiang, you and I are each our own masters. Since I have no intention, why are you forcing me? Don't forget that His Majesty the Ming King has an army of 500,000. If you force me to stay, can your city lord withstand His Majesty the Ming King's wrath?"
In the end, the real purpose has been revealed and it is close to being a threat.
Jiang Yongkang smiled faintly, "But Brother Zhu... now you have no other way out except to surrender to our city lord."
Zhu Kui was stunned. Looking at the gloomy eyes of the man opposite him, his heart began to beat fast. "Brother Jiang, what do you mean by this?"
"Brother Zhu, you might not know this yet. Our troops are split into two groups. One will attack the two Li kings head-on and rendezvous with you at Xiangshui Prefecture. The other will ride swiftly from the rear and circle around to the rear of Fancheng." Jiang Yongkang's voice was soft, like a demon's whisper. "At this moment, your Fancheng has been occupied by our people."
Zhu Kui was furious, but his mind was frantically thinking about the truth of the matter.
Jiang Yongkang seemed to see through his thoughts. He took out a letter from his pocket and handed it to him. "If you don't believe me, you can take a look at the letter of surrender written by the general defending the city that you left behind."
Jiang Yongkang kindly pointed to the lower right corner of the letter and said, "Here, there's also the seal of Fancheng. This can't be faked."
Zhu Kui breathed rapidly and almost snatched the letter away!
"Oh, and one more thing: our people have already written a letter to His Majesty the Ming King, saying that you have already surrendered to us long ago and have joined forces with us, offering Fancheng as a token of your sincerity." Jiang Yongkang lightly brushed off his clothes and stood up, speaking with a hint of condescension. "So, guess, will His Majesty the Ming King believe your innocence?"
Zhu Kui was furious. "How despicable! You dare to sow discord between me and His Highness! Traitor! I will kill you!"
However, almost the moment Zhu Kui jumped up, the people around him quickly pinned him down on the bed and made him unable to move!
Jiang Yongkang leaned closer, his face still sporting that nonchalant smile. "As the saying goes, all is fair in war. You and I each serve our respective masters, and I was merely employing a subtle tactic. General Zhu, you have no escape route now. On behalf of our city lord, I sincerely invite you to surrender. Don't worry, we've already sent people to protect your family. As soon as you agree, they'll be immediately sent to Jinzhou Prefecture. We'll never give His Majesty the Prince of Ming any opportunity for revenge."
Zhu Kui gritted his teeth, veins bulged on his face, and his heart was filled with hatred and regret.
I hate myself for being greedy and eager to achieve success, and for being fooled by Jiang Yongkang!
What he regretted was that he shouldn't have set foot in Xiangshui Prefecture in the first place!
Jiang Yongkang's move of cutting off the source of the trouble was truly vicious. Although the King of Ming treated his subordinates well, he was also very suspicious. After even losing Fancheng this time, he would definitely suspect that he had ulterior motives!
He has no words to explain himself now!
If you insist on going back, you might lose your head!
But Jiang Yongkang used such a despicable method to force him to surrender, and Zhu Kui was furious!
Jiang Yongkang is still trying to persuade him patiently.
"As I said last night, the world is about to be in chaos. My lord, Xu Zhenying, is a genius. She has many capable people under her command, and the people follow her willingly. Not to mention the discord you've caused today. If it happened to me, the city lord would never believe it. As the saying goes, trust your subordinates; don't doubt them. Our city lord has always trusted his subordinates, and as long as you have talent, you will have a chance to succeed! If you want to achieve great things, our city lord is your best choice! General Zhu, I'm sorry to have tricked you into coming here in this way. No matter how much you hate me, you have no other choice now. Surrender, and I won't touch any of your subordinates, and I will also keep your relatives safe—"
Zhu Kui listened carefully, his chest gradually calming down. He couldn't help but smile bitterly, "You've already cut off all my escape routes. Do you think I have any other choice?"
Jiang Yongkang stared at Zhu Kui, then waved his hand, "Quick! Untie General Zhu!"
Zhu Kui was freed in a few seconds, but he was still furious. He had no choice but to surrender to Xu Zhenying, so he could only endure it. "What are you going to do with my soldiers?"
"Naturally, they will all be converted to civilian status and sent to labor camps for a month. After a month, we'll determine whether they should be converted to soldiers based on their individual circumstances."
Zhu Kui, the leader, was dissatisfied: "These soldiers have followed me through thick and thin. They are all brave men who have experienced hundreds of battles. Are you really not going to let them serve in the army? And what is labor reform?"
Jiang Yongkang patted his shoulder and said, "Brother Zhu, our city lord has many rules. Anyone who surrenders will be sent to labor reform, either to farm or to open up wasteland—"
"What?!" Zhu Kui's face turned red with anger. "You want my soldiers to farm?"
"Of course. All those who come to surrender, regardless of their official rank or background, must first go deep into the grassroots. Only by going deep into the grassroots can you understand what the people think. This applies to not only you military officers but also civil officials. Moreover, clearing wasteland like this is not hard labor. We in Jinzhou Prefecture work for four hours, with a half-hour break in between." Jiang Yongkang smiled meaningfully, "Not to mention you, even Bai Ci'en was farming on the outskirts of the city back then."
"Bai Ci'en?" Zhu Kui's eyelids jumped. "Have you ever fought with Bai Ci'en?"
Ah Tao beside him immediately interjected, "It was more than just a fight! Bai Ci'en was beaten to a pulp by our Minister Jiang, and all his men were captured. If the city lord hadn't shown mercy and didn't want to confront the Great Zhou Dynasty head-on, he wouldn't have let Bai Ci'en go!"
A Tao naturally would not mention the fact that the city lord suggested exchanging Bai Ci'en for 200,000 taels of silver.
This time, Zhu Kui looked at Jiang Yongkang with a somewhat obscure look.
This man is young, but his methods are vicious. Even Bai Ci'en was defeated by him, so there is nothing shameful about losing for himself.
Since Bai Ci'en has farmed before, he should also farm, right?
Sure enough, Jiang Yongkang said, "Brother Zhu, I recruited you, so I'm going to tell you a few honest words. Although my methods may be a bit despicable, our city lord is indeed someone worth following. Just take a look at Jinzhou Prefecture, and you'll understand why all of us are willing to follow him. Jinzhou Prefecture...it's a completely different world."
Zhu Kui was tickled by what he said, "Why is it another world?"
"You'll understand once you go see it," Jiang Yongkang smiled. "Also, our city lord has very strict conditions for recruiting soldiers, including cultural requirements. During the labor reform, there will be teachers and propagandists, so you must listen carefully to what they say. Brother Zhu, with all your talent, don't let a lack of information hinder your development."
Facing Jiang Yongkang's sincere words, Zhu Kui was not so angry. After thinking it through, he had a hint of anticipation in his eyes. "I heard that your soldiers are required to be both civil and military, and to have actual combat exercises. I want to see how you train these soldiers!"
Zhu Kui untied himself and changed his clothes. Although he should follow local customs, he really didn't want to wear the long sleeves and long pants worn in Jinzhou Prefecture, so he just changed into something casually.
Then his men appeared in disgrace.
It seems that they are all treated the same as him.
General Zhang stepped forward. He seemed to have known about Jiang Yongkang's attempt to sow discord, and also knew that they could not return to His Majesty Ming Wang. However, there was not much dejection on his face. The few of them had just met and, after discussing, they found that Jinzhou Prefecture was a good place to go.
Anyone who can create such a firearm is definitely not an ordinary person.
What's more, the soldiers of Jinzhou Prefecture were well-disciplined, well-mannered, and filled with a murderous aura that was incomparable to any army of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
It’s not bad to follow a master like this.
In troubled times, the fate of a soldier is a life of wandering and displacement. Today you fight for your side, tomorrow you become your enemy, until one day you die on the battlefield.
At least, the soldiers on Xu Zhenying's side were treated well.
Naturally, they didn't know about the forced labor, so they looked a little excited, but they restrained themselves when they saw Zhu Kui.
Hundreds of people from Jinzhou Prefecture followed them to the camp outside the city to announce their surrender.
Seeing that Zhu Kui was still unhappy, General Zhang tried to comfort him: "General Zhu, at least we are safe. Besides, Xu Zhenying already owns six prefecture cities. Her power cannot be underestimated. It is not a loss for us to follow her."
Zhu Kui frowned and said, "A soldier should be buried in his horse's hide. Dying on the battlefield is fate! As a soldier, how can you be so afraid of death?"
Young General Zhang was so scolded that he dared not respond.
But thinking about the future of forced labor, and hearing Jiang Yongkang's words, it meant he and everyone under him were competing fairly, and it was uncertain whether Zhu Kui could successfully join the army in the future. So now these people were no longer his subordinates, and perhaps they would become his colleagues or even his superiors in the future.
Zhu Kui's former glory is completely gone.
According to Jinzhou Prefecture's standards for selecting talents, it is even possible that he has no advantages at all.
Although Zhu Kui felt bad, the situation was stronger than him, so he had to relent a little: "I just think about how much kindness the King has shown us, and now we have turned to the enemy. I feel really uneasy."
But General Zhang didn't think so.
Zhu Kui had been a personal guard in the palace of His Majesty the Prince of Ming. After the rebellion, when no one else was available, he was promoted to general. Zhu Kui had always been grateful for this. However, General Zhang saw clearly that Zhu Kui should be grateful for luck, not Zhou Heng.
"King Ming is suspicious. We will definitely have no place to stand if we return. We might even be assigned as a vanguard like General He before, dying inexplicably on the battlefield. Now that things have come to this, General, you might as well try to look forward. At least the weapons and equipment of Jinzhou Prefecture are first-class. We can take this opportunity to observe them. Maybe we can even use those firearms in the future!"
Zhu Kui's smile was forced.
When we arrived at the camp, we found that there were already one or two thousand people from Jinzhou Prefecture stationed near the camp.
From the look on his face, Zhu Kui knew that the 40,000 soldiers under his command already knew that he had surrendered to Jinzhou Prefecture.
He was about to offer some words of comfort when one of his generals came running up to him with a look of joy on his face: "General, we've finally surrendered! So, are we now soldiers of Jinzhou Prefecture?"
Someone nearby immediately said, "How can they be soldiers from Jinzhou Prefecture?! Didn't the propagandist just say that they have to go to labor reform first, get to the grassroots level! They also have to learn cultural knowledge during labor reform. After a month, whether they become soldiers or officers, they have to pass an assessment!"
"Right, right, right. I've already made it very clear. There are no restrictions on identity in Jinzhou Prefecture. Not to mention soldiers like us from the Great Zhou Dynasty, even local prostitutes or other low-class people can take the exam as long as you study hard! And I even asked what the exam is about. It's different from the imperial examinations of the Great Zhou Dynasty. You don't need more than ten years of study. They say that some people with good brains can pass the exam in just half a year by studying arithmetic, common sense, physics and chemistry!"
"I'm not good at studying. The treatment for soldiers in Jinzhou Prefecture is good, so I'd better join the army."
"You're dreaming! Didn't you just hear the propaganda officer say that soldiers also have to study! And the cultural requirements for soldiers are even higher. They have to take exams every month, not only on physical strength, but also on reading and writing! Speaking of which, it's probably even stricter than being a clerk! Didn't you see that when we were registering our situation just now, all the soldiers from Jinzhou Prefecture had beautiful handwriting! I even asked one of them quietly, and he said that only those with poor academic performance become clerks! Those with good grades go to the army or join some research institute to study firearms! There are also medical schools to learn to be doctors!"
"Oh my god, there's a place like this? If I want to study medicine, do I have to pay? I'm afraid this is not cheap, right?"
"Anyway, it's free now! But if there are too many people later, they might have to charge admission! We have to hurry up!"
"Oh my God! I'm stupid and can't read. What should I do?"
"Don't be afraid. There are opportunities everywhere in Jinzhou Prefecture. You can even pick up money just by bending down. We won't starve to death! Besides, everyone else can learn, so why can't you? When we get there, we will study hard. I don't believe we will be worse than the people in Jinzhou Prefecture! Don't you agree, General Zhu?"
Zhu Kui listened to the soldiers' chattering and looked at their excited expressions, feeling very uncomfortable.
Is he the only one who has ever been loyal to His Majesty the Ming King?
Without waiting for Zhu Kui's reply, the group of people started talking about the information they had just gathered. It was obvious that they were full of anticipation for the trip to Jinzhou!
This made Zhu Kui sigh at Jiang Yongkang's methods again!
Jiang Yongkang first pretended to cooperate with them to capture the territory of the two Li kings, but then, while the mantis stalked the cicada, the oriole was waiting behind him, and he led his men to outflank and capture Fancheng. Before he even offered his allegiance, he had already secretly sent people to undermine the loyalty of his soldiers.
Now the soldiers are no longer reluctant to leave and are eager to go to Jinzhou to realize their ambitions.
Forget it, it’s not unfair for Zhu Kui to fall into Jiang Yongkang’s hands!
——————————————————
When the battle report from the south reached Xu Zhenying's desk, she was both happy and worried. She stared at the victory report in silence.
The several armies that Xu Zhenying sent before his departure made good progress, and now almost all of them have returned to Xingyuan Prefecture, with only Ming Xiaoshuang still outside.
At this moment, everyone in the lobby looked at Xu Zhenying with a somewhat nervous expression.
Now the Jinzhou government is almost mobilizing all its strength to fight wars everywhere, and their minds are as tense as if a string is taut at all times.
These old people knew the situation of Jinzhou Prefecture best. To be honest, the strength of Jinzhou Prefecture could not support such a large-scale war. But sometimes there was an opportunity and you had to take a gamble.
Therefore, as soon as the battle in Xingyuan Prefecture was over, they began to pay attention to the enemies on both sides of Jinzhou Prefecture.
Xu Jiahui was the boldest and asked directly, "City Lord, was the battle in the south defeated?"
Xu Zhenying shook his head. Seeing everyone looking at him nervously, he realized the problem and smiled slightly. "That's not the case. On the contrary, it's a happy event. Zhang Wanjun led a surprise attack on Zhu Kui's rear and has now occupied Fancheng. Jiangling Prefecture, which Zhu Kui had captured, is also in our hands. Now, with the addition of Bao'an Prefecture and Xiangshui Prefecture captured by Jiang Yongkang, our strength has increased greatly. We can barely say that we have a hundred thousand troops."
This news made everyone present cheer!
Wow, Jiang Yongkang is indeed the most capable general under Xu Zhenying. He took over Qianzhou Prefecture with one move before, and now he is on a roll, taking over three prefectures in succession, directly doubling their territory!
Calculated in this way, their territory is comparable to that of the previously powerful King Li, King Li and King Zhoushan!
This means that they are no longer small traitors huddled in a corner, but actually have the chips to sit at the table!
How could everyone not be happy about this?
Even Zhang Qiuchan, who was standing next to her, was so excited when she heard her sister's name that she almost burst into tears!
She only knew that Zhang Wanjun was the deputy governor of Qianzhou Prefecture, but she never expected that this time she would lead the charge and achieve such an amazing feat. Her pride and joy can be imagined.
Everyone passed the battle report around with joy on their faces.
"Minister Jiang is truly a genius! He was able to capture three provincial capitals with just over 20,000 soldiers. Such an achievement is simply unheard of!"
"Not only that, I think this female soldier Zhang Wanjun is the real deal! She's able to apply the military tactics she learned in the barracks so flexibly. If she hadn't thought of this enemy attack strategy, how could we have captured the three prefectures so easily?"
"The combined population of these three cities is probably over a million, not to mention the garrisons. The city lord just said we have 100,000 soldiers, but that's far too conservative. We have at least 150,000 combatants!"
"These soldiers of the Great Zhou Dynasty are useless and have little combat effectiveness! We need to recruit them and train them well!"
"Zhang Wanjun should be credited with the main contribution in this matter!"
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