Chapter 432: Hong Chengchou's shady tactics and Huang Taiji's anxiety
"Yang Guozhu has led his troops to retreat to Juyongguan. If the Fuxing Army continues to advance eastward, I don't know if they can hold it."
"Once Juyongguan is lost, there will be big trouble."
Lu Xiangsheng is very worried now, which is why he is frowning.
Now, not only has most of Jin Province been occupied by the Fuxing Army, but even Xuanfu has almost completely fallen into the hands of the bandits.
Of the vast Xuanfu, only Yanqing Prefecture and Bao'an Prefecture are still under the control of the Ming Dynasty, and the rest of the territory has been captured by the White Tiger Legion of the Fuxing Army.
The latest military intelligence shows that Hongmei, who led the Suzaku Legion and the Qilin Legion to capture Taiyuan Prefecture, is ordering the army to advance quickly towards Bao'an Prefecture.
The enemy's aggressiveness forced Sun Chuanting, who had just assembled an army of 100,000 men, to retreat into Zhenbian City and build a defense line in an effort to prevent the Fuxing Army from entering Shuntian Prefecture.
Sun Chuanting must have known that it was impossible to defend Bao'an Prefecture and the loss of the entire Xuanfu was inevitable.
The Jin Army led by him and part of the Tianxiong Army led by Yang Guozhu, watched over and helped each other on the line between Juyongguan and Zhenbiancheng, hoping to use the natural barrier to firmly block the Fuxing Army's subsequent eastward advance.
Lu Xiangsheng felt powerless about this.
Although he had broken through to the sixth level of cultivation and even had a pair of spirit birds in the early sixth level recognized as their master, he was defeated head-on in a battle with the two main combat legions led by Hongmei in Chengyangqu, Taiyuan Prefecture, and had to give up the entire Taiyuan Prefecture.
Lu Xiangsheng could not have imagined that Hongmei, the chief steward of the Fuxing Army, not only had reached the sixth level of cultivation, but also had a two-piece set of natal artifacts, and a sixth-level golden eagle by her side.
Lu Xiangsheng, a genius of his generation, was defeated without a doubt after fighting with Hongmei for half an hour.
In the Fuxing Army, it is not only Hongmei who has amazing combat power. The commander of the Qinglong Legion, Cao Yongxiang, is also terrifyingly strong.
In the process of retaking Pingyang Prefecture not long ago, he easily defeated the coalition forces of Zuo Liangyu and Cao Wenzhao, and made their two legions flee in defeat, thus resulting in the huge Pingyang Prefecture falling into the hands of the enemy.
The Cao family army and the Zuo family army, which had suffered heavy casualties, retreated to Luzhou Prefecture and Liaozhou Prefecture respectively for a long rest.
Together with the main force of the Tianxiong Army that was resting in Zezhou Prefecture, they formed the last line of defense in Jin Province.
"Brother, Luzhou cannot afford to lose anything next."
Lu Xiangguan's face was solemn, and he reminded, "Now the King of Dai, the King of Jin, and the King of Lu are all in Lu'an Prefecture. These are three princes, and they have no way to retreat."
With the successive fall of Taiyuan Prefecture and Pingyang Prefecture, the two families of Prince of Dai and Prince of Jin had already taken refuge in Prince of Lu's Mansion.
They were princes of Jin province and could not leave unless they received an imperial edict.
However, the current imperial court does not have the spare capacity to accommodate them in the capital.
What's more, the civil and military officials in the court were unwilling to see them come to the capital and have to serve a few more princes above them.
The problem that Lu Xiangguan is talking about now is extremely serious.
Once Luzhou fell and something happened to the three princes, both Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting would inevitably be severely punished by the court.
The loss of Jin Province and the loss of face for the royal family were too much for anyone to bear.
After Hong Chengchou lost the city of Chang'an, the Prince of Qin and his family were captured alive. Except for the Prince of Qin himself, all of them were beheaded by the Fuxing Army and displayed to the public, which caused an uproar in the court.
I heard that His Majesty was furious and had ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to go to Hanzhong to capture Hong Chengchou and bring him to Beijing.
However, the Jinyiwei and the imperial envoy who were heading to Hanzhong mysteriously disappeared in the Qinling Mountains, and there has been no news of them since then, which is puzzling.
But no matter what, Hong Chengchou was also responsible, and it was inevitable that he would continue to be held accountable by the court.
"This won't work!"
"I will report to His Majesty and ask that the three princes and their families leave Jin Province!"
Awakened by his brother's words, Lu Xiangsheng could no longer sit still. He stood up and said anxiously, "With the current strength of our Tianxiong Army and Jin Army, we can't stop the six main armies of the Fuxing Army. It is inevitable that Jin Province will fall into the hands of the thieves!"
"We can't let the three princes go to the capital in the north, so I think Jinling City in the south is very suitable!"
"Only if we allow the three princes and their families to take refuge in Jinling City can we fight the Fuxing Army without any restraint."
As an outstanding commander, Lu Xiangsheng came up with the best solution after just a little thought.
"That's how it should be."
Lu Xiangguan nodded and agreed, saying, "As long as the civil and military officials in the court are not stupid, they will agree to this suggestion."
"After all, if the three Jin princes were to suffer, it would not be of any benefit to them, and His Majesty would vent his anger on them."
After the two brothers made up their minds, they immediately began to work intensively, carefully considering the words in drafting the memorial.
They didn't want to repeat the mistake Hong Chengchou had made.
Compared with this major event, the imminent threat from the Restoration Army has to be put aside.
……
"Grand Governor!"
In the meeting hall of the Ruiwang Mansion in Hanzhong City, Hong Yuanfeng jumped over and respectfully reported to Hong Chengchou, "The eunuchs and the Jinyiwei who came to announce the imperial decree have been successfully intercepted and killed by my men deep in the Qinling Mountains."
"I personally led the Youth Camp's death squad to complete this operation. It was done without anyone noticing, and there was no risk of being discovered."
His tone was cold and he said with disdain, "It was a waste that our Hong family worked so hard to serve the court, but in the end, the Qin King's family suffered because of the fall of Chang'an City. Your Majesty has no regard for our old friendship and actually wants us to be buried with him. This is unreasonable!"
"It turns out that your previous concerns were correct, Grand Admiral. You have already made the corresponding preparations."
It was normal that the Qin Army was defeated by the Fuxing Army.
No matter who comes, it is impossible to do better than Hong Chengchou.
The results of it?
When the Qin Prince's family was in trouble, the civil and military officials in the court did not hesitate to abandon Hong Chengchou as a scapegoat.
The key point is that His Majesty holds the same view. How can this not make people feel disheartened?
Fortunately, three months have passed since Hong Chengchou led the Qin army to retreat into Hanzhong. With various plots and strategies, the entire Hanzhong is now completely under Hong Chengchou's control.
Even King Rui and his family were placed under house arrest in a separate prison, living an isolated life in prison.
"very good!"
Upon hearing this, Hong Chengchou secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said leisurely, "I had anticipated this step when I gave up Chang'an City. Fortunately, our plan was implemented as scheduled, and we don't have to worry about the Ming Dynasty court anymore."
"In the next few years, we should just stay in Hanzhong Prefecture and focus on developing and growing stronger. We should not make it public and just secretly accumulate the strength of the Hong family."
"Yuanfeng, from now on, we have to block all the external passages of the entire Hanzhong Prefecture, and by the way, clear out all the unstable factors in Hanzhong!"
"Ha ha……"
He smiled grimly, "Whatever the Fuxing Army can do, I, Hong Chengchou, can do as well!" "In order to completely eliminate internal hidden dangers, all the aristocratic families, wealthy merchants and tycoons in Hanzhong Prefecture, no one should be kept!"
"These bastards have enjoyed wealth and glory for so long, it's time to end it."
"The wealth they have accumulated is just right for the development and growth of our Hong Family Army!"
There is no doubt that after killing the imperial envoy who came to Hanzhong to announce the imperial decree, Hong Chengchou had completely broken off relations with the Ming court and became a veritable traitor.
Hong Chengchou had been preparing for this for a year or two and had made plans early on. Even the Hong family members in their hometown in Jiangnan were picked up by him and resettled in Hanzhong Prefecture three months ago.
“That’s great!”
When Hong Yuanfeng heard that his master had made the final decision, he laughed excitedly and said, "According to the latest intelligence, the three provinces of Qin, Jin, and Shandong will soon fall into the hands of Li Dingguo's Fuxing Army!"
"Moreover, the Qinglong Legion of the Renaissance Army is advancing eastward along the Yellow River, capturing towns along the river with unstoppable force!"
"In two months at most, the entire Yellow River Basin will fall under the control of the Renaissance Army, and the Eastern and Western Renaissance Armies will have a grand meeting."
"As a result, the imperial court in the north will collapse and won't be able to hold out for much longer."
"How can they have the energy to come and cause trouble for our Hong Family Army in the future?"
"As long as our Hong family is firmly established in Hanzhong and has ample room for maneuver, we will definitely have a place in this world in the future!"
"In a few years, the Fuxing Army, the Later Jin Tartars, and the Ming Dynasty will form a three-way split in the world, and our chance will come."
"By then, our strength must have increased dramatically. We seized Shu at lightning speed. After developing vigorously, we would at least be a local lord!"
He's right.
The Hong family, which has no way back, is now temporarily a rebel in the guise of the government army, an unknown kind.
But the truth will eventually come out, and it won’t be long before they are officially declared to be de facto traitors.
If the news can be delayed for several months before being exposed under the strict blockade, it will be very beneficial to Hong Chengchou's layout.
Apart from anything else, Hong Chengchou was still able to build Hanzhong Prefecture into an unbreakable foundation.
Lu Xiangsheng could never have imagined that Hong Chengchou would dare to be so rebellious, and that for a long time to come, he would probably live a more comfortable life than most people.
……
"What did you say?"
"Has the entire Qilu land been completely conquered by the Fuxing Army led by Li Dingguo?"
"And it's not just Qin territory, most of Jin Province and Xuanfu have also been captured by the Fuxing Army?"
Huang Taiji looked at Fan Wencheng in front of him and shouted in surprise, "How can this continue? Has the Fuxing Army really become unstoppable?"
Huang Taiji was overjoyed when he received the good news that Hauge, leading the soldiers of the Bordered Yellow Banner and the Two Blue Banners, had already invaded the heartland of Goguryeo and were surrounding the Goguryeo royal city.
But in the afternoon, Huang Taiji received the shocking news from Fan Wencheng, which made him upset.
With his strategy, he knew that once the Qin and Jin provinces and the Qi and Lu lands fell into the hands of the Restoration Army, the eastern and western Restoration Armies would soon merge and then successfully cut off the connection between the north and the south of the Ming Dynasty.
In this case, it would be strange if the Ming Dynasty court in the area north of the Yellow River did not collapse quickly!
At that time, the Ming court had no choice but to move the capital south to Nanjing as soon as possible.
The Fuxing Army's control of the area north of the Yellow River was inevitable.
By then, the formation of a three-way division of the world would not only be extremely disadvantageous to the Ming Dynasty, but would be even more disadvantageous to the Qing Dynasty entrenched in the Liaodong region.
Just like the Fuxing Army that was just rising in the morning sun, it was completely incomparable to the extremely corrupt Ming Dynasty.
Once Li Dingguo obtains sufficient population, territory and resources, the speed of his development and growth will not only be able to crush the Ming Dynasty, but will also far exceed that of the Qing Dynasty.
The Fuxing Army, which replaced the Ming Dynasty and bordered the Qing Dynasty, was much more difficult to deal with than the Ming Dynasty.
To put it bluntly, as long as Li Dingguo was alive, it would be as difficult as climbing to the sky for the Qing Dynasty to successfully enter the pass and plunder the valleys again.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Fan Wencheng's face was even uglier than Huang Taiji's. He said confidently, "According to the news from our Fan family and other Shanxi merchants, after Hong Chengchou abandoned Chang'an City and headed west to Hanzhong, the entire Qin area has not only fallen into the control of the Fuxing Army in just a few months, but has also been well governed and has begun to develop rapidly again!"
"There is reliable information that the Fuxing Army has already established dozens of recruit camps in Qin, selected millions of warrior recruits, and vigorously carried out recruit training in preparation for a large-scale expansion."
"The Northwest Renaissance Army, led by the Renaissance Army's General Manager Hong Mei and Chief Commander Cao Yongxiang, has sent out six main armies and is advancing rapidly in Jin Province. They have already captured most of Jin Province's territory."
"Especially Cao Yongxiang, who is leading the Azure Dragon Army and the Black Tortoise Army, is advancing rapidly towards both sides of the Yellow River at an average rate of conquering one city per day!"
"It will take less than a month for the Eastern and Western Renaissance Armies to merge."
"If nothing unexpected happens, the time left for the Northern Court of the Ming Dynasty will be short."
The rapid rise and expansion of the Fuxing Army was definitely devastating news for the Fan family.
Fan Wencheng is now much more anxious than Huang Taiji.
If this continues, the Fan family’s blood feud will never end, and there is even a great possibility that the entire family will be wiped out in the future.
After enduring humiliation for so many years, the revival of the Fan family will become a huge joke.
"Aobai!"
Huang Taiji's face flushed red, and he stood up suddenly, shouting to Aobai who was waiting for his orders, "You personally ride on your natal spirit beast Jiaolong and go to Goguryeo!"
"Help Haoge to quickly capture the Goguryeo royal city, collect the spoils as quickly as possible, and lead the army back to Shengjing!"
"We can't just watch and watch Li Dingguo and the Fuxing Army grow rapidly. We must destroy them as soon as possible!"
"Inform all banners, including the Eight Banners of Mongolia and Eight Banners of Han, to prepare for another westward expedition to the northwest of Ming!"
"Three months later, the Qing army of three million will march westward into the Great Wall!"
After receiving the bad news from Fan Wencheng, Huang Taiji really could not sit still.
If we allow Li Dingguo, who is blessed with great luck, to continue doing this, who knows how powerful they will become in a year or two?
Especially when he heard that Li Dingguo had broken through to the middle stage of level six, he was so shocked and angry that he dared not let it go any longer.
Otherwise, even if they had the help of nine level six dragons, they might not be able to defeat the opponent.
At that time, it was not Li Dingguo and the Fuxing Army that was destroyed, but his own Qing Dynasty!
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Aobai, who had successfully broken through to the initial sixth level of cultivation not long ago, bowed and took the order and left to convey the emperor's latest decree.
(End of this chapter)
