Yongzhou Prefecture is the southernmost prefecture in Huguang Province, bordering Guangxi and Guangdong and adjacent to Guizhou.
Wang Chengen is not sensitive to other places, but he is extremely sensitive to Guizhou.
Because there have been two rebellions here.
One was the Bozhou Rebellion in the 24th year of Wanli.
Another was the She'an Rebellion in the second year of the Tianqi reign.
Especially the She'an Rebellion.
The war started in the first year of the Tianqi reign and lasted until the second year of the Chongzhen reign.
It lasted for nine years and affected four provinces: Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Guangxi, with millions of casualties.
The amount of money and food consumed is incalculable.
The cause of the She'an Rebellion was simple.
At that time, the Ming Dynasty was fighting against the Jiannu in Liaodong and asked the She family of Yongning in Sichuan and the Xi family of Shuixi in Guizhou to send troops to Liaodong.
She Chongming mobilized 20,000 troops and headed north to Chongqing, intending to sail downstream and then head north to Liaodong.
As a result, the imperial court withheld his food and wages, and since he had already been planning a rebellion, he simply rebelled.
He first commanded 20,000 troops to capture Chongqing, and then marched westward to besiege Chengdu.
If Qin Liangyu and the Guizhou army had not entered Sichuan to rescue him, the King of Shu would probably have died.
"Hmm?" Chongzhen glanced at the stunned Wang Chengen, who knelt down hurriedly: "In reply to your Majesty, Yongzhou Prefecture is the southernmost prefecture in Huguang, adjacent to Guangdong, Guangxi and Guizhou."
"Who is the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi?"
Historically, in the late Ming Dynasty, Guangdong and Guangxi did not have separate governor posts. Instead, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi was in charge of the military affairs of Guangdong and Guangxi and served as governor of Guangdong and Guangxi.
"In reply to the emperor, the Governor of Guangdong and Guangxi is Shen Youlong."
After listening to Wang Chengen's introduction, Chongzhen vaguely guessed Zhang Xianzhong's intention.
Zhang Xianzhong's previous target for going south was neither Guangxi nor Guangdong.
Because Guangdong and Guangxi are mostly mountainous and hilly, with very little flat land, it is not conducive to the march of large armies.
At the same time, the population in Guangdong and Guangxi is sparse, and the supplies they receive are much less than those in Huguang.
Thinking of this, Chongzhen ordered: "Send a letter to Shen Youlong, asking the troops in Guangdong and Guangxi to focus on defense and not to actively pursue. Otherwise, they will be led by Zhang Xianzhong by the nose."
......
Twenty days later, a secret letter from Beijing was delivered to the Sanzongfu in Zhaoqing.
In the first year of Chenghua in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming court established the Guangdong-Guangxi Governor's Office, the General Town Office, and the General Military Office in Wuzhou, which were called the Three General Offices.
In the 45th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Three General Offices were moved from Wuzhou to Zhaoqing.
Chen Youlong, also known by his courtesy name Yunsheng, was born into a poor family and was from Huating County, Songjiang Prefecture.
After passing the imperial examination in the 44th year of the Wanli reign, he entered the court as an official.
The reason why he was able to sit on the position of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi was mainly due to his military achievements.
In the tenth year of Chongzhen, Zhang Puwei organized the followers of the "Mimi Sect" to revolt.
After Shen Youlong learned about it, he sent troops to encircle and suppress the rebellion, and defeated it in one fell swoop. As a result, he was awarded the title of Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Right Censor-in-Chief, and Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi.
In history, Shen Youlong led the rebel army to resist in Songjiang when the Qing army marched south, and died a martyr when the city was captured.
In the government office of the Three General Prefectures of Zhaoqing, Shen Youlong was wearing a blue robe with a purple horn-patterned belt around his waist.
His long hair was tied up with a net scarf on his head. He had a square face, big round eyes, a chin like a swallow, a beard like a tiger, and a sturdy build.
It gives people a feeling of...Zhang Fei being a civil servant.
Shen Youlong opened the envelope very politely, took out the letter inside and read it carefully.
After a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Sir Shen," the yamen runner outside the door stepped in, "Ma Jixiang, the commander of the Guangdong Jinyiwei, requests to see you."
"Oh?" Shen Youlong grinned, "Please come in."
Before Ma Jixiang entered the room, Shen Youlong put away the secret letter and held it in his arms.
Not long after, Ma Jixiang, dressed in casual clothes, hurried in from a distance.
After some polite words, Ma Jixiang got down to business: "Sir Shen, the bandits went down the Xiang River and captured Yongzhou, intending to attack Guangdong and Guangxi. I wonder what plans Sir Shen has made?"
Shen Youlong smiled slightly: "Commander Ma, rest assured. I have already deployed heavy troops on the road that the bandits must take to the south. There are 10,000 garrisons near Guilin Prefecture, nearly two garrisons in Wuzhou Prefecture, and 10,000 garrisons in Shaozhou Prefecture."
"It will be difficult for the bandits to defeat the soldiers from Guangdong and Guangxi in the mountains and forests!"
Ma Jixiang shook his head slightly: "I'm afraid it's not that simple!"
"What does Commander Ma mean by this?" Shen Youlong asked with a frown.
Ma Jixiang is the commander of the Guangdong Jinyiwei and is well-informed. He must have known something to say this.
Ma Jixiang pretended to be mysterious and said, "Master Shen, think about it. Previously, the bandits rarely fought positional battles with the government troops, but used strategies to defeat the enemy. This time, their tens of thousands of troops stayed in Yongzhou for nearly a month. They must be planning something."
"What are you planning?" Shen Youlong asked.
Ma Jixiang did not answer his question immediately, but sighed first, and then slowly said: "I don't know exactly what they are planning. I want to send a spy to find out the situation, but the government has no money."
"If you have money, someone might work hard for you. But if you don't have money, no one will work hard for you. It's difficult!"
Shen Youlong immediately understood Ma Jixiang's intention.
He came to ask for money.
Is it possible that there is no money in the Jinyiwei Yamen?
Of course not!
The only explanation is that there is a major reshuffle within the Jinyiwei, and it will soon be the turn of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Ma Jixiang's accounts at the Guangdong Jinyiwei Yamen didn't tally, so in order to fill the hole, he thought of getting money from Shen Youlong.
Thinking of this, Shen Youlong sighed: "Ah, it's really difficult! The court exempted the whole country from taxes for two years. Guangdong and Guangxi are thousands of miles away from the capital. The silver from the Ministry of Revenue has been transported here since the beginning of March, but it has not been transported here yet!"
"What do you think? Should we submit a petition to the Ministry of Revenue?"
Ma Jixiang cursed in his heart: Old man Shen is indeed a veteran in the officialdom. He actually cried poor before me.
"In fact, the Ministry of Revenue cannot be blamed for this. If anyone should be blamed, it should be Li Chuang the thief! He caused chaos in Fengyang area, which resulted in the blockage of the canal transportation. The Ministry of Revenue's silver could not be transported south through the canal!" Ma Jixiang changed his tone and advised.
"Indeed, they are all difficult! Oh, by the way, Commander Ma, is there anything else to do? If not, I will go to Wuzhou in person to prepare for the war." Shen Youlong asked with a smile, stroking his beard on his chin.
Ma Jixiang had no choice but to use the second set of words he had prepared in advance: "Lord Shen should know that the Jinyiwei is undergoing a major reshuffle. As the commander of the Guangdong Jinyiwei, I have neither merit nor hard work."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the post of Commander of the Guangdong Jinyiwei will be handed over to someone else. I want to take advantage of the opportunity of the bandits' southward march to make merit and retain the position based on my achievements."
After listening to Ma Jixiang's remarks, Shen Youlong looked up.
Ma Jixiang's eyes were as bright as the moon and his expression was as firm as iron, giving people a feeling of righteousness.
Under Shen Youlong's gaze, Ma Jixiang began to feel uneasy.
There was no way, Shen Youlong looked like Zhang Fei, especially his big eyes, which made Ma Jixiang feel uncomfortable.
Just when Ma Jixiang was about to give up, Shen Youlong spoke.
He stared with his eyes as big as copper bells and asked viciously, "I wonder what Commander Ma wants to do?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
