Chapter 480: The ungrateful wolves that can’t be tamed, choose to take a chance
Xuzhou, City Lord's Mansion, meeting hall.
Liu Zeqing looked at his fellow brothers in front of him and asked in a deep voice, "Zongfu!"
"What is the current progress of the Blood Robe Guard that we secretly helped Duke Cheng to build?"
Like most of the military generals of the Ming Dynasty, Liu Zeqing relied on his brothers, uncles and nephews as his arms to control his millions of troops.
Among them, two of his talented cousins, Liu Zongfu and Liu Zhengwu, are his left and right arms.
When they were young, the three brothers all became disciples of Zong Zanghai, a hermit master from Caozhou. After they completed their training and returned to Liujia Village, they decided to join the army.
After Liu Zeqing's unscrupulous means and various calculations, he finally became a powerful general in a high position.
"General, the training resources we have obtained recently are not very sufficient, and most of the materials of the strong have to be used to train our own servants and guards of the Liu Family Army. Duke Chengguo wants us to help him secretly expand the 200,000 Blood Robe Guards, but currently only 50,000 combat soldiers have passed the assessment and training of new recruits."
Liu Zongfu bowed and reported, and then expressed his dissatisfaction, "The Duke of Cheng is too greedy and stingy. He has always been very stingy with the money and food allocated to us. How can we complete his instructions so quickly?"
"Even the money and cultivation resources collected by the aristocratic families have to be paid to him 30%. They simply treat us as slaves to be used at will."
Liu Zongfu had had enough of the insatiable Duke Chengguo Zhu Chunchen.
Now his own commander has to face the extremely brutal Fuxing Army. It would have been fine if Duke Cheng did not give his full support, but he blatantly abused his power for personal gain. Not only did he withhold the money, food and supplies that the Liu family army should have received, he also asked Liu Zeqing to help him train 200,000 Blood-Clothed Guards without alerting outsiders.
It is true that their commander-in-chief was supported by Duke Cheng, but even if you raise a dog to guard the house, you must first make sure that he is well fed and watered.
Otherwise, how can you raise a good dog?
Zhu Chunchen simply worked Liu Zeqing to death and treated him like his own slave.
This resulted in the situation that although Liu Zeqing had million soldiers under his command, in reality most of the soldiers in the army did not receive sufficient training resources. How could he possibly train an elite force?
Liu Zeqing selected 200,000 elite soldiers from the million-strong army and took them in as his own servants and guards, training them intensively, so that he finally had a pretty good elite force under his command.
As for the remaining million soldiers and warriors, they are just a group of rabble and are of no use.
"Humph!"
Hearing the complaints from his trusted general Liu Zongfu, Liu Zeqing was furious. He snorted coldly and said grimly, "This Zhu Chunchen is simply going too far!"
"He thinks I, Liu Zeqing, have no temper. He squeezes me however he wants. He doesn't even treat me as a human being!"
"Obviously, his wishful thinking was wrong!"
"What is the situation now? This is a real era of survival in troubled times!"
"Even though I, Liu Zeqing, was supported by Zhu Chunchen, I am now the general of a town and a commander of an army of million!"
"Zhu Chunchen is so short-sighted, how can I, Liu Zeqing, listen to him?"
Although Liu Zeqing's literary and military skills were not outstanding, he was after all a hero who had worked hard and used all means to climb up from the bottom. How could he be willing to be a dog for Duke Cheng Zhu Chunchen all his life?
In the past, I lacked confidence and had no choice but to flatter Duke Cheng Zhu Chunchen if I wanted to survive in this world.
Now that he has grown stronger, he will naturally have other ideas.
He didn't want to be an ungrateful person, but Zhu Chunchen forced him to become one!
Especially after the imperial court moved south, Zhu Chunchen, who now had absolute power in Nanjing City, became extremely arrogant.
Relying on the power of the Five Military Commanderies and the help of his trusted vassal Liu Zeqing, he was so arrogant that it was hard to describe him.
However, Zhu Chunchen could never have imagined that now it was not only Emperor Chongzhen who was secretly making trouble, but even his own staunchest confidant Liu Zeqing had become disloyal.
"By the way, how is Liu Zhengwu's progress in Yangzhou?"
Liu Zeqing's eyes flickered a few times, as if he had some calculations, and then he asked about the most important issue that concerned him.
Like Liu Zongfu, Liu Zhengwu was one of his cousins and also his most trusted general.
Liu Zhengwu, who led 100,000 elite soldiers and 500,000 generals and officers and was stationed in Yangzhou City, was responsible for making huge fortunes for the Liu family army.
This is not surprising. In the entire area along the Yangtze River, the richest town is none other than Yangzhou.
The salt merchants in Yangzhou controlled the salt industry of the entire Ming Dynasty, and each of them was as wealthy as a country.
For Liu Zeqing, who now controls the military power of Yangzhou, it is not a big task for him to grab a big piece of fat meat from it.
As long as there are plenty of money, food and supplies, the shackles that restrict the development and growth of Liu's army will be immediately broken free, and then they will embark on the path of rapid development and rise rapidly.
"Commander."
Liu Zongfu quickly reported, "There has not been much progress in the martial arts competition for the time being."
"The main reason is that our Liu family army has only recently moved into Yangzhou City, and those big salt merchants are deeply rooted and have a lot of backers in the court."
"They are just forced by circumstances to give up a small amount of benefits. They are still a long way from truly subjugating the other party."
This is also normal.
In the Ming Dynasty, the big salt merchants had too many connections behind them. Almost all the aristocratic families had behind-the-scenes entanglements with them, involving massive interests and trade routes.
Although Liu Zeqing was a local vassal and nominally controlled the military affairs of Xuzhou and Yangzhou, his control was ultimately too short-lived and he did not have any real deterrent capability.
Even though Liu Zeqing is now in a high position with great power, and his subordinates legitimately control an army of million, the power of those large families in the south of the Yangtze River, no matter which one, will not be weaker than that controlled by Liu Zeqing if all their resources are put forward.
If Liu Zeqing's eating habits were too ugly and angered the other party, the consequences would be something Liu Zeqing could not afford.
"This……"
Liu Zeqing felt angry and helpless as he did not get a satisfactory answer from Liu Zongfu.
I can only blame myself for having just taken office. I can't eat the hot tofu in a hurry. If I want to get a big piece of the pie from Yangzhou, the richest city in the world, I have to take it slow. I can't become fat in one bite.
"Zongfu, how are we going to place our pawns among the Blood Robe Guards who are in training?"
Liu Zeqing then asked about another important matter.
Liu Zeqing, who had long been dissatisfied with Zhu Chunchen, did not want to hand over the 50,000 Blood-Clothed Guards, who had been secretly and carefully trained for the Chengguo Mansion, to Zhu Chunchen.
Although Zhu Chunchen sent several confidants to supervise the training progress of the Blood-Clothes Guards on a daily basis, it was very easy to do things secretly in Xuzhou where Liu Zeqing had absolute power.
"Marshal, don't worry."
Liu Zongfu said confidently, "Most of the officers at all levels in the Blood Robe Guard have secretly sworn a blood oath to be loyal to us and will not let the Chengguo Mansion take advantage of us."
"Once the right time comes, we can remove the people sent by Chengguo Public Security Bureau at any time."
He said this with great confidence. Among the starting troops that Liu Zeqing brought from his hometown of Caozhou, there were more than a hundred members of the Liu family. Under his vigorous training, they had broken through and become masters of the Qi Refining Realm.
Due to the great changes in the rules of heaven and earth in recent years, spiritual energy is constantly recovering, and more and more top-level cultivation resources are produced between heaven and earth. The suppression on the realm of practitioners is getting smaller and smaller. Liu Zeqing already has more than a dozen level five generals under his command.
Liu Zeqing himself and several core figures such as Liu Zongfu, Liu Zhengwu, etc. are already level five peak powerhouses.
Due to the great increase in luck in the past year, Liu Zeqing accidentally discovered and obtained the inheritance of an ancient secret realm on an island in the middle of the Yellow River north of Xuzhou a few months ago.
Unknown to others, he quietly broke through to the early stage of level six half a month ago, and his foundation was greatly enhanced.
This was also the reason why he decided to confront Duke Chengguo Zhu Chunchen and did not want to continue being a dog.
If Liu Zeqing is given another year or two to develop safely, he might really shock Zhu Chunchen and even cause considerable trouble to the Fuxing Army.
Unfortunately, no if.
"Whoosh!"
Just as Liu Zeqing and Liu Zongfu were having a secret discussion, a sound of wind was heard and the two of them hurriedly looked towards the entrance of the meeting hall.
A familiar figure flew over and arrived in front of Liu Zeqing in the blink of an eye. He reported in a panic, "Marshal, something bad has happened!"
"We are on routine patrol on the Yellow River north of Xuzhou City. We discovered that a large fleet is coming down the river from the direction of the Grand Canal in the north. It is estimated that it has entered the Yellow River now!"
"This Rejuvenation Army fleet has at least 500 treasure ships! The worst treasure ship is of medium quality, and there are no less than ten top-quality treasure ships!"
"It is very likely that the Fuxing Army is marching south in large numbers, preparing to cross the Yellow River and attack our Xuzhou City!"
His face was pale, obviously he was frightened.
The general who came to report military intelligence was one of Liu Zeqing's cousins, named Liu Lianfeng.
His aptitude is slightly inferior to Liu Zongfu's. He is currently in the late fifth level of cultivation. There is no doubt about his loyalty.
In this big world, the villagers are still the most capable assistants to the generals of various military towns.
Cases like the bandit leader Wang Jiayin who was stabbed in the back by his cousins and brother-in-law six years ago are ultimately rare.
"what?"
"The Restoration Army's large fleet is attacking?"
Liu Zeqing was shocked by the sudden bad news. He couldn't help but shout, "Didn't they just end the Liaodong war with the Tartars a few months ago and are now recuperating? How could they launch an attack southward so soon?"
"Lian Feng, did you see it wrong?"
Obviously, Liu Zeqing still found it hard to believe the shocking news brought back by his cousin.
Under normal circumstances, the Fuxing Army had just conquered Liaodong and had to deal with countless military and political affairs. It would have been impossible to launch a war to unify the south so quickly without spending several years to stabilize local order and restore people's livelihood.
This was the consensus of all civil and military officials of the Southern Ming Dynasty.
However, less than half a year had passed since the Liaodong War when Li Dingguo's Fuxing Army broke the rules and brazenly marched south to continue the war, which was beyond the expectations of all Southern Ming forces.
"Marshal, it's absolutely true!"
Liu Lianfeng said in extreme panic, "In about half an hour at most, the enemy's large fleet will be at the gates of the city!"
"The water fortresses that our army has set up along the Yellow River in the north city are probably not able to stop the enemy for even a moment. Compared with the enemy's naval fleet, the gap in every aspect is too big!"
"Even the many spirit pigeons that our army had scattered over the Yellow River have disappeared. Most of them have not returned as scheduled. Apparently, they have been hunted down by the enemy's top spirit birds!"
"All signs indicate that the Renaissance Army is dispatching its army this time specifically to target us!"
Liu Lianfeng was really anxious, and his rapid voice was full of panic.
As long as he is not stupid, he will know that the world-famous Fuxing Navy Fleet is the strongest in the world and cannot be contended with by the water fort near the big pier outside the north city.
This means that within an hour at most, the Fuxing Army will land outside the city of Xuzhou and launch a powerful offensive against their own side.
"Zongfu!"
After receiving the exact answer, Liu Zeqing's face turned pale, and he immediately ordered Liu Zongfu in front of him, "You go and gather the soldiers in the city immediately and prepare for all kinds of defense!"
"The Restoration Army is not only famous for its navy, but also for its main battle corps, which have never been defeated."
"What's more, the other side has no shortage of level six warriors. Our Xuzhou City is in danger this time!"
"For the sake of our lives and property, we must stop the opponent's next attack at all costs!"
Although Liu Zeqing had recently broken through to the early sixth level through a fortuitous encounter and had become a top expert among human forces today, he was not at all confident that he could contend against a main force of the Renaissance Army.
The most terrible thing is that the Renaissance Army issued an order to kill all of them.
This means that it is impossible for us to surrender and there is no need to think about surviving in disgrace.
Now that the enemy is coming at us with such force, we cannot just sit there and wait to die. Time does not allow us to retreat calmly, and the only option is to fight to the death.
As for Liu Zeqing and others, what if they decisively led a group of core soldiers to abandon the city and flee at this time?
This is a way out.
But this means that Liu Zeqing will have to give up the foundation he laid with so much difficulty and become a stray dog again. How can he be willing to accept this?
You may have to give it a try.
Once most people have tasted the taste of high status and power, they will not be willing to give it up easily.
Seeing his two trusted generals, Liu Zongfu and Liu Lianfeng, leaving upon receiving the order, Liu Zeqing stood there in a daze, his face turning blue and red. After a moment, he gritted his teeth, jumped up, flew out of the meeting hall, shouted loudly, and urgently summoned his core combat force, servants and guards.
He still held a glimmer of hope in his heart.
That is, there is no level six strongman in the Renaissance Army fleet.
The reason why he thought so was mainly because the territory of the Restoration Army was too large, especially in Liaodong. Huang Taiji occupied Goguryeo, which posed too great a threat to the Restoration Army. It was necessary to leave enough level six strong men to take charge.
Now that the Fusion Army has suddenly launched an offensive to the south, it is impossible that they will only face the main force of the Fusion Army that they are about to face. They will definitely adopt the strategy of dividing their troops into multiple groups to cross the river and move south.
This means that the opponent's small number of powerful level six generals will be unable to cope with the situation.
In that case, as long as they could block the enemy's surprise attack, they would have hope of defending Xuzhou City.
(End of this chapter)
