I have a cornucopia

Chapter 224 You don’t want to be hanged by Li Zicheng in Tengwang Pavilion, do you?
Li Zicheng personally led 10,000 cavalrymen from Ezhou to Tongshan in the south, and then advanced eastward from Tongshan, passing through the mountains that stretched for two or three hundred miles, and directly penetrated the rear of De'an's defense line...

Wanyuanji actually also guarded against this line.

Even if he couldn't think of it, Jie Xuan would have thought of it too.

But they didn't think Li Zicheng would really do that, and they didn't think Li Zicheng would come from Tongshan. They were only worried that Li Zicheng would go south from Ruichang, because the mountainous area between De'an and Tongshan was already a wild world in their eyes. Using their standard description, the people in that area were a combination of wildness, barbarity, sturdiness, treachery, and arrogance. Sometimes they stole hair. The image should be that they farmed during the day and robbed at night. It is said that the imperial power does not go below the county, but that is also a place where the gentry cannot go. Therefore, the limit of the sphere of influence they can really control is actually Baishuibao, a hundred miles to the west, which is the area around Baishui Street, one of the main battlefields of the Battle of Wanjialing.

Further west?
They can't reach it!
With this calculation, it is no wonder that Li Zicheng capsized and died in Jiugong Mountain.

The local gentry probably felt the same way in the past.

In short, Wan Yuanji still arranged several hundred people to defend and guard Baishui Fort.

But after Li Zicheng went south to Tongshan, these rough, treacherous and unruly people along the way immediately came out to welcome the King of Rebellion. Then, with the simple dream of getting rich, not only did they not stop him, but they all took up their weapons and followed him.

Li Zicheng led 10,000 cavalrymen southward, and when he finally arrived at Baishuibao, he had 30,000 troops. The King of Rebellion, who had found his old self, was full of vigor and vitality, just like an old man who had regained his second spring. The militia stationed at Baishuibao was so scared when they saw the big flag with the word "Chuang" on it that they abandoned the city without hesitation. However, their escape speed was definitely not comparable to the cavalry's assault, so before Wanyuanji could wait for the person they sent to report the news, Li Zicheng's vanguard had already appeared behind him.

Moreover, Li Zicheng divided his troops into two groups at Baishuibao, one group headed towards the battlefield in Sixi, while the other group went south with the mountain people following them and headed straight for Jianchang.

The militia at the Sixipu battlefield fled.

But thanks to the flank attack cover of Zhejiang militia, they finally escaped back to De'an safely.

Jianchang was in trouble.

The mercenaries stationed there were the reinforcements from Yunnan, but this mercenary group was actually not easy to use. In terms of military discipline, they were really no different from the Ming Dynasty's official army, and their fighting styles were almost the same. Therefore, Wan Yuanji did not like to use them as there were too many uncertain factors. At least the commanders of the militia were people he was familiar with, and he knew them inside out, both in terms of their abilities and moral integrity.

Even if they would run away, Wan Yuanji could roughly guess under what circumstances they would run away.

We have been friends for more than ten years, and we know each other's tolerance.

But using these people...

Who knows when they will sell off the wing without a fight?

In short, they were thrown into Jianchang.

Then, facing the surging Beijing troops and the mountain people who followed them, these Yunnan soldiers, led by their generals, fled without a fight, and the Beijing troops led by Hao Yaoqi took Jianchang. Although Li Zicheng did ask his subordinates to be as restrained as possible and show the style of a royal army, he could not expect Hao Yaoqi and his men to be so sensible. Besides, why did the mountain people who followed them come? In short, with Hao Yaoqi's tacit approval or even connivance, the mountain people looted the main wealthy families in Jianchang and hanged all the local celebrities. If Hao Yaoqi had not resolutely stopped them, they actually wanted to massacre the city directly.

Now we are in big trouble.

After all, Nanchang is not far away.

Although Li Zicheng's main force could not move south, especially transport heavy weapons, because the defenders in De'an and Xingzi were still holding on, the problem was that there were still countless such mountain people in the mountainous areas of northern Jiangxi.

Or rather, shanty dwellers.

It was a bomb that could explode at any time.

Li Zicheng has already lit the fuse, although this fuse is a bit long due to limited conditions.

But it will burn eventually!
Once those shed dwellers come out, they will really massacre the city, because these people have nothing to do with the locals. These mountain dwellers can even be traced back to the old subordinates of Chen Youliang who refused to surrender to Zhu Yuanzhang, and then the unruly people of the entire Ming Dynasty gathered together for more than 200 years. Li Zicheng really couldn't go south in a big way, but he could recruit these mountain dwellers and let them come out of the mountains in a big way to plunder Nanchang and even Yuanzhou. The original plan of the Jiangxi Elders Association was the war of attrition proposed by Jie Xuan, and to fight Li Zicheng in northern Jiangxi. Li Zicheng couldn't outlast the local militia, and finally let Li Zicheng retreat and end the war. But now it's no longer possible. Even if they capture able-bodied men from all over the country, they dare not use them on the front line. They must stay in their local areas to defend against the attacks of the mountain dwellers. In other words, the strategy of war of attrition has actually failed.

Nanchang.

Jiangxi Elderly Association.

It is actually the Wanshou Palace.

"This is troublesome."

Yang Feng stroked his mustache and looked at the elders who were waiting anxiously with pitiful eyes.

The latter was obviously really panicked.

You should know that Jianchang is only a hundred miles away from Nanchang, but there is the Ganjiang River as a barrier.

"I really didn't expect you guys to be so difficult to deal with. The Ming Dynasty has been around for almost three hundred years, and you can't even deal with the mountain people next to you. Even if you don't have the ability to go in and wipe them out, you can always persuade them to surrender and appease them, right? You've been confronting each other in the mountains for almost three hundred years? You're guarding a powder keg, and you're just leisurely and carefree every day as if nothing happened?"

He said.

"King of Donghai, there is no way to deal with these mountain people. Most of them are refugees, escapees, and those who come from Fujian to grow broccoli. Normally, they are fine and live in peace. They also have to trade with the outside world, but I am afraid that they will become bandits and go out of the mountains to burn, kill and plunder during war and famine. Last time the Jianlu went south, the mountain people took the opportunity to plunder, but we still had the strength to suppress them. This time, Li Zicheng is luring them. They are greedy for money outside and want to seek a future with Li Zicheng, so they will definitely come out to plunder."

Zeng Yingheng, a member of the Elders' Council and former head of the Ministry of Personnel, quickly explained to him.

"Give them that, too!"

Yang Feng said.

"Uh?"

The elders were at a loss.

“What time is it now? It’s a matter of life and death!
Why bother with anything else?
All those who can be won over should be won over, and all those who can be promised should be promised. If the mountain people follow Li Zicheng, then tell them that as long as they don't follow Li Zicheng, they will be one family in the future. I will decide to set up a county for them. If they don't want to set up a county, their leaders will be made chieftains. The militias that were conscripted have no morale and will collapse at the first blow to Li Zicheng, so let them have morale, tell them that after defeating Li Zicheng, they will only have to pay back the principal and interest of the high-interest loans they borrow, and tell them that the rent will be reduced in the future, to a maximum of 30%.

We must unite all forces that can be united and gather the strength of all parties to jointly resist the enemy."

Yang Feng said.

The elders were even more confused.

But they soon came to their senses, and one of them rushed towards Yang Feng without hesitation.

Yang Feng was so frightened that he leaned back instinctively.

"Your Majesty, you can't do this!"

The old man fell to his feet and cried out sadly.

“No, then there’s nothing I can do.

Hao Yaoqi hanged more than a hundred local sages in Jianchang. If he went to Nanchang, I guess you would all be hanged in the Tengwang Pavilion. It's time to be so fussy. Don't you understand why the militia collapsed at the first blow? When they faced the Jianlu in Chao County before, they fought to the death. The 10,000 militias in Hanshan were annihilated, and in the end, no one surrendered to the Jianlu. But now they are facing Li Zicheng, who is even worse than the Jianlu, and they are collapsing at the first blow.

Li Zicheng really gave benefits, but King Chuang refused to pay taxes when he came!
what about you?
Only if you die in battle will you be exempted from rent for ten years. And I don’t know if this will be fulfilled in the future.”

Yang Feng said contemptuously.

In fact, if you think about it, you will know that it is impossible to really fulfill it.

But the militia did show tenacity when facing Dorgon. After all, everyone knew the consequences of the Qing army's southward advance, especially after the Yangzhou massacre, they were even more afraid. In this situation, keeping the enemy out of the house was the best option.

Just like during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the bald guys captured able-bodied men and fought the Japanese desperately.

But Li Zicheng is different!

People in Shaanxi really don't collect taxes.

"He extorted tens of millions of taels in the capital, so there's no need to collect taxes!"

An elder said angrily.

"Yes, if he comes to Jiangxi and hangs you all and then steals tens of millions of taels from your homes, he can still exempt Jiangxi people from taxes. What difference does that make to the people? He tortures the nobles in the capital in exchange for not collecting taxes in Shaanxi. He tortures you in exchange for not collecting taxes in Jiangxi. Why should the militia resist him?
They are not stupid!
Anyway, I have made it clear that I am just a mediator this time. I will not risk my life for you. As a Shandong native, I have no obligation to lead my brothers to risk their lives to protect the wealth of Jiangxi gentry. For the sake of friendship, I can help you. However, it is just to help. I don’t have an acre of land or a shop in Jiangxi, and I don’t have anything to protect here, so you have to save yourself, and don’t think that you will have a good result if you surrender. Li Zicheng has already gone south. He can’t pass Hukou, so he won’t go to Nanjing for the time being, but he can sweep Jiangxi. It’s useless for you to surrender, because you have already resisted, and Li Zicheng has already entered Jiangxi. At this time, your surrender is also worthless.

He can defeat him easily, what's the point of your surrender?
You can surrender before.

After all, he didn't know that the militia would collapse in front of him, and he was also worried that the 100,000 militia would lead to his defeat in Jiangxi.

You can still bluff.

He can also consider your request.

But he doesn't need it now. Since the militia will collapse in front of him, and since the mountain people can respond in unison with just one word, why should he still consider you? Wouldn't it be better to kill you all and use your wealth to bribe the people to follow him to sweep across the south of the Yangtze River?
Stop dreaming.

Wake up! "

Yang Feng said.

The elders all cried.

“My proposal to you is to first announce a rent and interest reduction and reaffirm your commitment to the militia. I will be your guarantor. If you break your promise in the future, I will stand up for the people of Jiangxi.

Second, win over the shanty dwellers, find their leaders, and tell them that the Nanjing court can set up a new county, or a patrol office, or even a chieftain for them in the mountainous area, whichever they like. This mountainous area is large enough for them to live in, and they will all be court officials in the future, and they can even be hereditary like the chieftains.

Then in exchange, they rejected Li Zicheng's temptation, and even if they wanted to make money, they could send young and strong people to fight for you like chieftains.

As for other interests, you can discuss them.

After all, you all know what they want.

third,"

Yang Feng gave a strange smile.

"Since this is a war in Jiangxi Province, those princes shouldn't stay out of it, right?"

He said.

There are two kings in Jiangxi.

There are Prince Huai of Poyang and Prince Yi of Nancheng. In addition, there should be a few princes in the Prince Ning system.

The Ning Wang rebellion only deposed the Ning Wang, but the previous generations of the Ning vassal kings were not necessarily involved. It was just that there was no Ning Wang. These clan members were still there, and the other two vassal kings were intact. Of course, Yang Feng was just giving these elders a consolation prize. Although you have suffered a lot of losses, you can go to the vassal kings to make up for it. This is a provincial war.

Jiang Yueguang and others smiled coldly...

How could they wait until now?

The Prince of Huai and other members of the royal family had been blackmailed by them many times before, and even a lot of the land of these princes had been robbed by the gentry.

It can't be said to be robbing.

After all, a large part of the land of the princes was actually illicitly deposited by the gentry. According to an official investigation, more than one-third of the land of the Jiangxi princes was actually illicitly deposited by the gentry and did not really belong to the princes, and there was definitely more. So it was nothing more than no longer being registered under the name of the princes, but returning to the name of the gentry, and the other major income of the princes, which was the silver every year, was also stopped. So it had long been gnawed to the bone, but taking this opportunity to squeeze the bones and suck the marrow out of it was indeed a compensation that was better than nothing. I was forced to offer a pig and then picked up a chicken.

"If you want to make a decision, please do it as soon as possible. Now there is only one city left in front of us, De'an. As long as Li Zicheng takes De'an, the northern army will sweep south. Zhejiang militia will not be able to stop his 300,000 troops. Drinking water from Ganjiang River is inevitable. Don't think that he can't open Nanchang City because he doesn't have heavy artillery.

When he was rampant in the north, he never relied on cannons.

What's more, there is still time to cast it now.

Your ironworks is in Fenyi. Once he occupies it, will it be difficult to cast some huge cannons weighing ten thousand catties and then transport them to the city of Nanchang by water?"

Yang Feng said.

The iron smelting in Jiangxi is based on the Fenghuangshan Iron Mine, which was one of the most important iron smelting bases in southern China during the Ming Dynasty.

"King of Donghai, your plan is really good, but I have to remind you that it is useless even if the Council of Elders agrees. We are all old ministers and can indeed consider the overall situation, but you don't think that the gentry in various places will consider the overall situation, right? They will only listen to the decisions of the Council of Elders if they are willing to listen, and they will not listen if they are not willing to listen. I am afraid that most local sages will not agree with this matter, so the Council of Elders is useless."

Jiang Yueguang said.

With his brain, he certainly understood that Yang Feng deliberately watched Li Zicheng go south, using Li Zicheng to threaten the Jiangxi gentry and forcing them to reduce rent and interest.

But this is impossible to accept.

"No, the decision of the Jiangxi Elders' Council is the will of the people of Jiangxi, and the will of the people of Jiangxi must be respected. The Regent will issue orders based on the will of the people of Jiangxi, and the orders issued by the Regent must be executed. Anyone who dares to oppose the Regent is treasonous and rebellious. I am happy to suppress it for the court, or I can ask the King of Qin to do it for me.

public opinion.

The will of the people cannot be violated.”

Yang Feng said.

(End of this chapter)