Chapter 34: The Dilemma of Tanda Tusi

  However, as Mengzhu said, relying on the current military strength, it is clear that the expected goal cannot be achieved. Zhang Yong, a famous general in the early Qing dynasty, was intelligent and brave; the Qing army was strong and powerful. Zhu Yongxing wanted to win a big victory to boost the morale of the soldiers and civilians, but when facing a famous general, he couldn't help but have doubts in his heart.

  Even if he was a traverser, even if his mind was full of ancient and modern battles from all over the world, Zhu Yongxing still didn't have any practical experience in battlefield fighting. Underestimating the ancients would come at a cost.

  Let's wait a bit longer and see how many Ming troops we can gather, then combine Zheng Yanbei's investigation of the more accurate situation in Yongchang, before making the final decision.

  Zhu Yongxing let out a soft sigh, temporarily putting aside the tempting idea, and carefully recalled his conversation with Zheng Yanbei to see if there were any omissions. He contacted and gathered the remaining Ming army, recruited craftsmen and miners, purchased gunpowder and related materials, collected grain and supplies, and spied on the Qing army's intelligence in various places...

  Everything that can be thought of has been arranged, and the effect can only be verified by time. Moreover, whether Zheng's family has such ability and whether they have enough manpower is also uncertain at present.

  The candle flame flickered, the night was deep and quiet, Zhu Yongxing was sometimes worried and sometimes happy, with a thousand thoughts. Although he had taken the first step to success, when facing the Qing army, Zhu Yongxing, who was not familiar with the killing array, couldn't help but feel hesitant and uncertain.

  Can't think about it anymore, if I continue to indulge in wild thoughts, the duck pear will be so big that it will break its own nerves. Zhu Yongxing sighed and shook his head, what should be trusted must still be trusted, this is the helpless situation that has been forced to the point. What should be faced will always have to be faced, this is the arrangement of fate.

  ……

  After staying at Tongguan Pass for two days, waiting for the follow-up tribes led by Yang to arrive, Zhu Yongxing led the vanguard cavalry to continue advancing, and entered the territory of Pinda in just one day.

  Yuan Da is now within the jurisdiction of Yingjiang County, and at that time it was under the jurisdiction of Gan Yi Xuan Fu Si. The local chieftain was a Dai ethnic minority, Knife clan, hereditary position. Hearing that the Ming dynasty royal family had led troops into the border, the current local chieftain, Dao Bai Long, personally came to welcome them, with very respectful etiquette.

  Zhu Yongxing was not surprised at this. Whether it was loyalty to the Ming dynasty, coercion by military might, or hatred for the Qing army, these reasons were not important. What was important was that in history, there were very few tusi who fought against the Southern Ming remnants. It was impossible for Li Dingguo and Bai Wenxuan, the Southern Ming remnants, to persist for several years in the remote areas of Yunnan without the support and supply of local forces such as tusi, zhaihou, and touren in terms of food and materials.

  Moreover, Zhu Yongxing had already learned from Zheng Yanbei's mouth about the corruption of the Qing army and its atrocities in Yunnan, "Wherever the military carts went, not a single fox or rabbit was left. Every time they arrived at a place, they searched for women everywhere, sang and drank wine, and the people deeply resented them."

  "... everywhere suffered from the ravages of war, no one escaped plunder. Moreover, all men and women, young and old, were rounded up and taken away, causing soldiers and civilians, fathers and mothers, brothers, husbands and wives, children to be separated and scattered, a tragic situation beyond words. The remaining elderly, weak, and disabled were arrested, interrogated, burned with fire, forced to hand over grain and silver, houses and land were turned upside down, homes were destroyed by fire, resulting in people having no intact clothes, bodies having no intact skin, families having no complete mouths, crying out to heaven and earth, with no one to turn to..."

  "...it was even more tragic in the Yongchang area, where the dead and those who died from torture filled the roads, and for hundreds of miles around there were no signs of human life. It's truly enough to make Ji Zhi cry without end, and Zheng Qiao unable to fully depict it... I don't know how the people of Yunnan could have been reduced to such an extreme..."

  Evil place, robbery and plunder, this is self-digging grave; crime is obvious, heaven's way is good to return, I must take the responsibility of punishing evil. Zhu Yongxing's determination became more firm, late justice is not justice, let those who do evil enjoy their years, it is really God's blindness, heaven has died. And this mission of replacing heaven, undoubtedly should be borne by him, only then will he not betray his journey through time.

  "Your Highness." Tusi Dao Bailong saw Zhu Yongxing politely decline his invitation to a banquet, and he hesitated for a moment before speaking out his difficulties. "Since the Qing army entered Yunnan, they have ravaged the local area, and the people are suffering greatly. Many refugees have fled to the border areas, and some have even drifted to Panzhihua and Ganzi. However, due to differences in ethnicity and customs, conflicts continue to arise despite our efforts to resettle them..."

  Understood, Zhu Yongxing nodded slightly. This was the contradiction between the indigenous people and outsiders. Bao Bai Long hoped to resolve it himself, which meant that most of these refugees from outside should be Han people. If he didn't intervene, these people would either clash with the locals, integrate into the local community, or flee to another country. For example, in later generations, the Hakka people in Myanmar's Kokang and Wa State areas all claimed to have ancestral homes in Nanjing; many even migrated to Vietnam and Siam, becoming remnants of the Ming Dynasty.

  Bai Long saw that Zhu Yongxing was still hesitating, so he threw out another enticing reason: "Among the refugees from Yongchang Prefecture and Tengyue State, there are many with exceptional martial skills. As a member of the imperial family with the title of 'Guardian', if you summon them in the name of justice, you will surely be able to gather heroes and plan great things."

  This guy, he's probably had a hard time and is eager to take charge of these refugees or take them all away. Zhu Yongxing turned to Zheng Yanbei beside him and asked politely: "Yi Changshi, how do you think this matter should be handled?"

  Originally, the position of Long Shi as the largest official in the Ming dynasty's royal court should be personally appointed by the emperor, similar to the protector of each vassal king, and it is not allowed for each royal court to recruit on its own. But now, such a situation, obviously can't all follow the rules. Moreover, Zhu Yongxing even dared to forge imperial edicts, and dared to add titles to princes and kings by forging orders, what does a Long Shi count as?

  This long history should be given to Zheng Yanbei, but Zheng Yanbei declined politely due to his old age and poor health, and recommended a middle-aged man named Yi Cheng. As for Yi Cheng, Zhu Yongxing didn't know much about him, but since he was trusted by Zheng Yanbei, it could be considered as representing the Zheng family, and giving him some face was also necessary.

  Yi Cheng hastily bowed and replied: "Yongchang was originally a barbarous and desolate land, since the Ming dynasty there have been many exiled prisoners sent to serve in the military, while after Yongle's time most of the immigrants who entered Yongchang did so for the purpose of garrisoning troops; Tengyue is an extremely remote place, historically known for its martial valor."

  Is it self-respect to only give reasons but not answer directly? Zhu Yongxing hesitated for a moment, smiled slightly and said: "Since it's usable, I'll go ahead..."

  "Your Highness's body is worth a thousand pieces of gold, how can it be easily exhausted?" Yi Cheng hastily stopped him and said: "It's just some refugees, Your Highness only needs to send a messenger to summon them."

  Zhu Yongxing thought for a moment, nodded, and it seemed that he had not fully adapted to his current identity and grasped the way of doing things in ancient times. At this time, people attached great importance to their status and believed that being too approachable would have an adverse effect.

  Bao Ergong was overjoyed to see that the difficult problem had a solution in sight, and he arranged for Zhu Yongxing and his men to be quartered, and also sent up wine and meat as a sign of respect.

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