Chapter 39: The Three Ghosts and Cheng Chou

  Tengchong is located in the southwest of Yongchang, more than 200 kilometers away. Historically, it was an important town on the ancient Southwest Silk Road. Due to its strategic location, successive dynasties have stationed heavy troops here. The city was built during the Zhengtong period of the Ming Dynasty and reinforced during the Jingtai period. The city wall is made up of giant stones, with a circumference of 7 li and 3 fen, and a height of 2 zhang and 5 chi. The city tower is 4 zhang high, and it is known as the "First City on the Edge".

  Wu San-sheng's troops had over 2,000 people, but nearly half of them were wives and family members of Li Ding-guo's generals, so it was not surprising that they made the judgment that the remaining army was not yet organized and the Mangshan Kezu people and horses were not accustomed to battle arrays. Gao Wen-gui's troops had over 3,000 people, who retreated to this place after the Mopanshan Battle, he made what he thought was the most secure suggestion based on the solidity of Tengchong City, which was also reasonable.

  Just - Zhu Yongxing neither wanted to fight the Qing army head-on, nor did he want to be trapped in a passive defense of the isolated city. He defended Tengchong but didn't fight at Tengchong. Every day, when he had time, Zhu Yongxing would think deeply about past and present battle examples, planning and deliberating in front of tourist maps, and had already roughly formulated such a plan.

  Of course, this is just a paper plan, and Zhu Yongxing also has his own worries. He needs the guidance and advice of old generals like Gao Wengui, Wu Sanjing, and Wu Zisheng. In terms of overall military strength, the Southern Ming army does not have an advantage, and they are divided into different departments. If they cannot unify their opinions and work together, Zhu Yongxing would rather not fight this battle.

  As for whether the Qing army can come, Zhu Yongxing only has 50% confidence in his heart. He hopes that he will make enough trouble, the target is big enough, and the name of the imperial clan is threatening enough; also hope that the Qing army is arrogant and underestimates the enemy, Zhang Yong is eager to take credit.

  From the overall situation, Zhu Yongxing felt that leading the Mangshan Ke clan to rush to Annan was not a good strategy. He worried that in Annan, they would face the joint attack of the Qing army from Yunnan and Guangxi provinces. By stirring up trouble in western Yunnan, the Southern Ming army could be revitalized and their military strength increased, which might tie down the Qing army in Yunnan, allowing him to only face pressure from Guangxi when he arrived at Anning.

  It's really urgent to get a victory over the Qing army! Although the military strength is still insufficient. For this, Zhu Yongxing was somewhat helpless about the reality and expected to compete with the so-called ancient famous generals. But now it's not the time to reveal the plan to Gao Wengui and Wu Sanxiang, he still needs some intelligence to confirm, needs the Southern Ming remnants to rest better, and needs the Miao people of Mengshan to familiarize themselves with the terrain as soon as possible.

  ……

  The Wuhua Mountain in the northwest corner of Kunming City, the palace of Yongli, although it has not undergone the large-scale expansion of Wu Sangui, the Southern Ming army withdrew voluntarily, without war, and the building is still magnificent. In the back garden, the spring water is introduced into the canal in the garden, like a flowing emerald belt, with buildings on both sides of the water flow, and bridges built in mid-air, like a rainbow connecting the buildings on both banks.

  However, at this time, the two big traitors Wu Sangui and Hong Chengchou were secretly discussing in a pavilion by the green water amidst this picturesque scenery.

  This time the Qing court used troops in Yunnan and Guizhou, although it was said that there were three routes of advancement, but the one route led by Wu Sangui himself played an important role, especially when advancing to Yunnan, Wu's route took the lead, bearing the main battlefield combat mission, engaging in fierce battles with Li Dingguo's elite troops, charging and breaking through, achieving great success. The imperial court rewarded him, naturally without hesitation. But as time went on, Wu Sangui's ambitions also expanded, aiming to inherit the position of the Ming dynasty's Mu family as the hereditary ruler of Yunnan.

  "The journey is long and arduous, the road is treacherous, and the miasma is difficult to defend against. The Manchu soldiers are also not adapted to this climate. Generals such as Luo Duo, Duoni, and Zhao Butai all hope to return to Beijing soon to rest. The court also intends to recall the troops from Gansu. If the Yunnan situation reverses, it will be no small matter!" Wu Sangui said with a worried expression.

  Wu Sangui, who was nearly fifty years old, had a dignified face with fair skin, and his eyebrows were full of vigor. A pair of slightly sunken eyes shone with wisdom, only the faintly white whiskers and wrinkles at the corners of his eyes showed that he had reached the age of heaven, but the majestic and heroic spirit was still there. If you want to find any flaws on his face, it would be a red scar on the bridge of his nose.

  "Brother Chang, I understand your intention." Hong Chengchou nodded slightly and said slowly: "The opinion of the Ministry of War is that Duoni, the solid mountain Ertai, should stay in Kunming to guard the provincial capital, with Brother Chang as the commander-in-chief, mainly using Han army and Green Camp soldiers, together with the solid mountain Ertai Zhuo Luo leading a small number of Manchu soldiers to march into Myanmar to capture the fake emperor Yongli."

  "This plan is not feasible." Wu Sangui hastily said: "The people of Yunnan Province are not yet settled, and the various local officials, fake camps, and remnant soldiers have privately received fake documents and fake seals, sworn blood oaths, and are waiting for an opportunity to rise up. If they hear that a large army is pursuing them from the west, they will inevitably think of going crazy and fleeing back to the interior. At that time, the pursuing army will be far away and unable to turn back, while the main force in Yunnan Province will still be stationed in the provincial city and will not be able to pursue them far, which would be a disaster."

  Hong Chengchou smiled faintly and said, "I have already memorialized the imperial court, stating that Yunnan is in a state of extreme turmoil, with war and fire devastating the people, and it's uncertain whether we can last till dawn. Grain prices are soaring, and there's no way to buy supplies. The local officials are numerous and often rebel, only seeking profit, so if our army doesn't move, the rebels will use Yongli as a rallying cry to incite the internal and external barbarians, luring them with high ranks and heavy rewards. Once they're stirred up, they'll rise up all over the place, and this is a problem that's right at our elbow. We must first have a plan for internal stability before we can make plans for external conquest."

  "With great talent and insight, your words are sure to be adopted by the imperial court." Wu Sangui slightly relaxed his tone and flattered him with a sentence.

  Hong Chengchou looked at Wu Sangui with profound meaning, and Wu Sangui's thoughts were not unknown to him. He intended to wait and see how the imperial court would arrange things before making a decision. The Manchu soldiers were not accustomed to the local climate, and they would have to leave sooner or later. This land of Yunnan could not be relied upon without the support of Wu Sangui's troops. If they were to pursue and attack vigorously, annihilating the remaining forces of Southern Ming in one fell swoop, Wu Sangui would naturally worry that the Qing court would discard him once his usefulness had expired. For the time being, letting the remnants of the Southern Ming army escape into the border regions was merely a plan to nurture a future threat.

  "Although it's not possible to launch a large-scale military campaign, the fact that the fake Lu Shou Shi Zi entered Yunnan is something that can't be taken lightly!" Hong Cheng Chou furrowed his brow and said solemnly: "The Ming dynasty's Yongli is like a withered bone in a tomb, it's not extremely important. But this fake Lu Shou has some guts, daring to enter Yunnan from Burma and openly raise the royal flag in Tengyue. With this backing, various local chieftains and remnants of the rebel army will surely gather around him, we absolutely can't let him become too powerful!"

  "It's just a desperate struggle before death." Wu Sangui seemed to be not too concerned, coldly laughed and said: "There are only more than 2,000 barbarian soldiers who are not familiar with the battle array, plus the remaining 2,000 or so broken troops of the fake marquis Wu Zisong. They are a bunch of cowards who have lost their hearts and souls, and are not worth worrying about. I have already ordered Yongchang Zhang Yong to lead the army to quickly eliminate them, and they will be destroyed in no time."

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