Although the eight generals didn't say anything, they were very happy in their hearts.
Who is Shi Kefa?
Donglin Party!
They became friends with the Donglin Party, and the imperial court began to use the Donglin Party.
What does this mean?
This shows that the imperial court would not treat them the same way it treated Zuo Liangyu.
In addition, the military salaries had just been paid some time ago. All these factors combined made them less wary of Yuan Jixian.
After understanding these principles, Jin Shenghuan and Ma Jinzhong were the first to stand up.
Among the generals under Zuo Liangyu, Jin Shenghuan and Ma Jinzhong had the largest number of troops and the strongest combat power.
Jin Shenghuan first chuckled and said, "From now on, I will follow Governor Yuan's orders."
Ma Jinzhong followed up and said, "I will follow Governor Yuan's orders."
Upon seeing this, the other generals stood up and bowed to Yuan Jixian.
"Okay." Yuan Jixian nodded slightly and motioned for everyone to sit down.
After everyone was seated, he reached out and took out the second document and slammed it directly on the table.
Jin Shenghuan took the document with a smile, and his face suddenly changed after reading it.
The others didn't understand what was going on and quickly grabbed the document to read.
After reading it, everyone’s face turned as ugly as Jin Shenghuan’s.
Jin Shenghuan stood up and asked seriously, "Governor Yuan, is the content of this document true?"
"It's true." Yuan Jixian had a blank expression on his face. "I personally submitted a petition to the court requesting a reduction in the number of troops, and the Ministry of War and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince have both agreed."
"Then... whose soldiers should be laid off?" Jin Shenghuan said in an unfriendly tone.
"Everyone here needs to lay off soldiers!" Yuan Jixian replied.
"No, absolutely not!" Jin Shenghuan was the first to object.
He had followed Zuo Liangyu the longest, and like Zuo Liangyu, he had long regarded the soldiers under his command as his personal property rather than soldiers of the imperial court.
Asking him to cut down his troops would be tantamount to cutting off his own arm, so he opposed it at the first opportunity.
Ma Jinzhong followed up by saying, "With the enemy at hand, cutting down the army is like tying up one's own trap. Governor Yuan, please think twice!"
Although Ma Jinzhong also held an opposing attitude, his tone and words were very calm.
Who is Ma Jinzhong?
Ma Jinzhong started an uprising in the early years of Chongzhen, and was known as "Hun Shiwan".
In the 11th year of Chongzhen, he was defeated in Shanzhou and fled to Xinyang and Guangshan before surrendering to Zuo Liangyu.
He transformed himself from a bandit leader into a general of the government army.
Ma Jinzhong was very satisfied with this change, so after surrendering he made many military achievements and remained loyal to the Ming Dynasty.
In history, Ma Jinzhong first pretended to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, and after gaining the other party's trust, he pushed the Eight Banners artillery into the river, and then fled to Hunan to join He Tengjiao.
Ma Jinzhong's troops were small in number, but their fighting power was extremely fierce.
The Battle of Mahe, known as the greatest achievement of the Southern Heroes, was fought by Ma Jinzhong.
It was Ma Jinzhong's brave performance that led Emperor Yongli to start conferring titles on him lavishly.
Ma Jinzhong, who came from a bandit family, did not want to openly oppose Yuan Jixian, so he was very respectful.
Hui Dengxiang was also a bandit and behaved in the same way as Ma Jinzhong.
The rest expressed their opposition clearly and with a firm attitude.
Yuan Jixian slammed the table and said, "If you disagree, you can leave! I will never stop you."
As soon as these words were spoken, the eight people fell silent at the same time.
Jin Shenghuan, who was confident of his strong military force, turned black in the face and sat down on the chair very reluctantly.
Seeing Jin Shenghuan surrender, the others also sat down.
Yuan Jixian snorted coldly: "Everyone, this westward expedition is long and difficult. Sichuan is not like Huguang, especially the eastern part of Sichuan, which is full of mountains and hills. Even if there are a million troops, they cannot be deployed in full force."
"The two sides will fight a protracted war, and the one who holds out to the end will be the winner. There are many disaster victims and even bandits and vagrants in your army. They are weak in combat. It's okay if the wind is favorable, but they will be the first to flee if the wind is against them."
"The defeat is like a landslide. Our army will definitely be defeated!"
"I bear the heavy responsibility of the court, and I will never allow this to happen!"
The eight generals looked at each other, not daring to refute.
They know best the character of their soldiers.
"Then...what should happen to the laid-off soldiers? If we don't leave them a chance to survive, these people may rebel at any time," Ma Jinzhong asked.
"I have already thought of a countermeasure." As Yuan Jixian spoke, he took out eight envelopes from his arms and placed them in front of these people according to the names on the envelopes.
"You should reduce the number of troops and recruit soldiers according to the method above. I want to see the results in ten days."
After Yuan Jixian finished speaking, he stood up, waved his sleeves and left, leaving the eight generals staring at each other in dismay.
After a long while, Ma Jinzhong was the first to pick up the envelope and open it.
He read it quickly and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.
"Old Ma, what did Governor Yuan write to you in the letter?" Jin Shenghuan asked.
Ma Jinzhong chuckled and said, "I won't tell you."
Jin Shenghuan gave Ma Jinzhong a disdainful look, then opened the envelope and read it carefully.
After a moment, Jin Shenghuan asked again: "Old Ma, tell me what is written in the letter? The content may be different."
"Of course it's different!" Ma Jinzhong stood up while speaking, "My fellow brothers, I have something urgent to do and I'll leave first. Excuse me!"
"Don't go. What did I write in the letter to you?" Jin Shenghuan was a little anxious.
He saw the expression on Ma Jinzhong's face as he opened the letter.
It is self-evident what that smile represents.
So he was eager to know how Yuan Jixian bribed Ma Jinzhong.
However, Ma Jinzhong did not give him a chance. He stood up, bowed, and turned away.
Surrounded by hundreds of personal soldiers, he headed towards the South City garrison.
Immediately following.
Hui Dengxiang also said a few words like Ma Jinzhong, then got up and left.
Then Lu Ding also got up and left.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It’s even more exciting later!
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