Of course Li Zicheng’s envoys got to meet him!
Not to mention that everyone is "Eighteen Sons", let's just say that the territory Li Zicheng currently occupies in Wuchang, Hanyang, Yuezhou and other places is also a good location for the Northern Expedition of the New Army of Guangdong and Guangxi.
Moreover, the line currently pursued by Li Zicheng is relatively close to that of the Wang family, and everyone is considered to be of the same mind.
The Juntianfu military system implemented on his own territory is relatively close to the Juntianxiang military system implemented by the Wang family in Guangdong. The difference is that Li Zicheng is more "feudal", while Wang Zhongxiao's approach is more "average".
This is because the Wang family has stronger financial resources - the Guangdong side only has the estimated annual revenue of the five land and sea customs offices of Macao Customs, Guangzhou Customs, Leizhou Customs, Shaozhou Customs, and Jiangkou Customs (at the junction of Guangdong and Guangxi). , coupled with the tax package of chambers of commerce in five large commercial cities such as Guangzhou Commercial Port (including the outer city and Pearl River Wharf area), Foshan Town, Macao City, Qujiang City, and Jiangkou City, it can exceed three million taels per year - so Only now did the Wang family have the conditions to pay varying amounts of military pay to new officers and soldiers and former rural soldiers, and at the same time bear all the expenses incurred by them during their service. Therefore, in the process of land equalization in Guangdong, Wang Zhongxiao was able to adopt a more even approach, allowing most farmers in Guangdong to own a similar amount of land.
The land where Li Zicheng started his business this time did not have that much money, so he adopted the method of equalizing land between the more soldiers and less common households. Then the soldiers with more equal fields relied on land income to support their service, and exchanged military exploits for more land. .
However, in the general direction, both sides adopted military mobilization methods to deprive the interests of the landlord class (the degree of deprivation was different, but the direction was the same), and they controlled a large amount of population and land.
Therefore, from this perspective, the kings of the south and the north are unlikely to please the gentry and landlord class, and they can also be regarded as natural allies in politics.
Huang Zhisheng, a former wealthy man in Xinhui, was of course extremely disgusted with the rule of Wang Fuchen and his son in Guangdong - although he presided over a more intense land equalization in Lizhou and Wuchang, he was still equalizing other people's land and being equalized by others. Can he be the same?
But no matter how disgusted Wang Fuchen and his son were, when they met, they still had to bow respectfully and hold their noses to hand out the gift list.
This time, Li Zicheng showed his sincerity in making peace with Wang Fuchen. Not only did he write a personal letter, but he also asked Huang Zhisheng and his party to secretly carry many treasures confiscated from the homes of big landowners in Wuchang and Hanyang who resisted the equalization of land.
In the lobby of a four-cornered building in Foshan Town, Wang Fuchen and Wang Zhongxiao, father and son, took the gift list and letter brought by Huang Zhisheng and began to read each. Wang Fuchen got the gift list. After reading half of it, he smiled from ear to ear. He even asked pretending to be concerned: "Mr. Huang, have all your family members been sent to Foshan? Are they still okay? Now they are here in Fucheng, Guangzhou. There are a lot of open spaces, why not give them a street in the inner city or near Tianzi Pier!"
The dignified Xinhui landowner once had tens of thousands of acres of land in his family, but now it has become "half a mountain" in Xiangdao and "a prime street in Guangzhou". Is this sending beggars away?
Huang Zhisheng is not a rare thing for Mr. Huang!
"No need," Huang Zhisheng said, "King Li has already given the foreign minister a farm in Huang'an. The foreign minister wants to take all his family members from Guangdong to Huang'an to settle down. He doesn't need a street in Guangzhou and a farm in Xiangdao. It’s half a mountain.”
This sounds a bit angry!
Wang Zhongxiao, who had just read Li Zicheng's autographed letter, raised his eyes and looked at the handsome Mr. Huang from Xinhui, and thought to himself: Huang'an and Macheng next door are such good places that the stars are shining brightly!
"Mr. Huang," Wang Zhongxiao said warmly, "if Chenzhou, Guiyang Prefecture and southern Yongzhou in Hunan are still in the hands of Lu Zhen, the governor of Hunan in the Qing Dynasty, most of Jiangxi is still under the firm control of the Qing Dynasty. Your family must I'm afraid it's not easy to get to Wuchang through the territory of the Qing Dynasty, right? How about letting them stay in Foshan for a while, and when we join forces with King Chuang in Jiangxi, how about you bring Guangdong to welcome your family to the north? "
"Are we joining forces with King Chuang?" Wang Fuchen was slightly stunned.
Wang Zhongxiao had already handed over Li Zicheng's autographed letter and said with a smile: "Sir, King Chuang's letter said that he is definitely not the destined emperor, so the prophecy of 'eighteen sons to rule the world' will not apply to him, but it is possible The blame lies with us. Our ancestor’s surname is also Li, right?”
Wang Fuchen was shocked when he heard this. He quickly took Li Zicheng's letter and read it again, and then said with a panic: "King Chuang actually called me brother and brother, and asked me if I have the idea of ruling the world. This is really real. You are so flattering to me, Li Fuchen!"
Ah, this is Li Fuchen?
Wang Zhongxiao was startled and said in his heart: How dare you think about it!
Huang Zhisheng also smiled and said: "Li Zhijun, now that Shang Zhixin's two brothers are separatist in Nan'an, it is justifiable for you to send troops to fight against them. And King Chuang's army has already invaded Yining Prefecture and Wuning County in Nanchang Prefecture. Further south is Rui Zhou, Yuanzhou, and Linjiang Prefectures, and after Li Zhijun’s troops captured Nan’an, they headed north to Ji’an Prefecture. It’s better for our two families to join forces in Ji’an!”
Wang Fuchen couldn't make up his mind and looked back at his son Wang Zhongxiao. Wang Zhongxiao smiled and said: "It's not possible for two families to join forces. If you want to join forces, you have to join forces with three families!"
"Three families? Who else?" Huang Zhisheng asked.
"Of course it's General Wu from Hunan!" Wang Zhongxiao said, "We must first join forces with General Wu in Hunan, and then we can discuss the carve-up of Jiangxi together!"
It was very simple for Wang Fuchen and Wang Zhongxiao to enter Hunan, because Lu Zhen, the governor of Hunan, was in panic all day long, looking forward to the Wang family sending troops to Hunan every day - Kangxi had already given him a decree, asking him to persist until Wang Fuchen's troops entered Hunan.
As long as Wang Fuchen arrives, Lu Zhen can hand over his territory and then retreat to Jiangxi. This is a retreat under the order and will not be held accountable for the loss of land.
However, Lao Wang's family has not yet reorganized its territory in Guangdong, so they are not in a hurry to enter Hunan.
Moreover, the territories of Yongzhou, Guiyang, and Chenzhou must be coordinated no matter how they are divided. They all belong to Wang Fuchen and Wang Zhongxiao. Will Wu Guogui in the north be happy?
The current size of the Lao Wu family seems to be quite large, but due to the lack of a central city and the existence of geographical barriers, there is the possibility of forming a powerful force between Wu Yingxiong in Hubei, Wu Guogui in Hunan, and Wu Yingqi in the northwest.
When the time comes, Wu Guogui's stance may be able to influence the direction of the world.
Therefore, Wang Zhongxiao must find a way to win over his father-in-law!
Thinking of this, Wang Zhongxiao said to Huang Zhisheng again: "Mr. Huang, it is not a top priority for the three families to join forces in Jiangxi now. The top priority is to restore the Ming Dynasty! With the Ming Dynasty, we can only fight against the Manchus and the Qing Dynasty!"
"Restore the Ming Dynasty?" Huang Zhisheng was stunned, "Wang Jieshuai means to support the third prince Zhu?"
Wang Zhongxiao did not comment, but just smiled and said: "It may not be convenient for King Chuang to come forward in this matter, but there should be someone under King Chuang who can inherit the title of Duke Linguo, right?"
Duke Linguo was Li Laishun's elder brother, Li Laiheng. Li Laishun was Li Guo's son, and Li Laiheng was Li Guo's adopted son. After the defeat of Laiheng, Li Laishun should inherit his territory of Ming Linguo.
Li Zicheng did not have a son to ascend the throne, and his successor could only be Li Laishun. Therefore, having Li Laishun come forward to support the third prince Zhu was a good way out for Chuangying, and it could also consolidate Li Laishun's status as heir within Chuangying.
"There is indeed someone among King Chuang's nephews and nephews who can inherit the position of Duke Lin!" Huang Zhisheng said.
"Okay!" Wang Zhongxiao smiled and said to Wang Fuchen, "In that case, Sir, why don't my family form an alliance with the Chang family? We are all 'eighteen sons'. If we check the family tree, we might be related!"
Wang Fuchen said with a smile: "Well, Li Fuchen was also from Chuangying back then, so he naturally admired King Chuang! Mr. Huang, please go back and tell King Chuang that if he intends to support Prince Zhu San together with Fuchen, then Fuchen is willing to join the clan with King Chuang , become brothers with the same surname!"
The so-called sworn clan is actually similar to sworn homage, but sworn sworn friendships mostly involve brothers with different surnames, while sworn clans are brothers with the same surname who recognize each other as their own family, so it can be regarded as sworn homage on behalf of the organization!
"That's easy to say!" Huang Zhisheng said with a smile, "This is something that will be of great benefit to both families. King Chuang will most likely agree! It's just a matter of supporting the third crown prince Zhu. How should we do it?"
Wang Zhongxiao smiled and said: "This matter has already been done. King Chuang only needs to continue to march towards Jiujiang to attract Jieshu's attention. Then, after there is a change in Nanjing, he will send an envoy to persuade King Ding of the Ming Dynasty to advance in the name of Duke Lin. That’s it.”
Huang Zhisheng's eyes lit up, and he already understood a little bit what Wang Fuchen and the others wanted to do?
He stopped asking - this matter was a secret, and people would become suspicious if he asked too many questions!
"Okay!" Huang Zhisheng nodded: "I will return to Wuchang immediately to see King Chuang!"
Wang Fuchen smiled and said: "Mr. Huang, Li wrote a personal letter to Lu Futai in Hunan, saying that you are Li's staff and asking him to let you cross the border."
Wang Zhongxiao added: "I will also write a letter to General Wu without hiding anything from Mr. Huang. General Wu in Hunan is my Lao Taishan. With my letter, you can travel unimpeded in Hunan."
Huang Zhisheng was startled again and thought to himself: Your family is really good at building relationships. On one side is Wu Sangui's grandson-in-law, on the other is Li Zicheng's clan descendant, on the other side is the Guangdong vassal town of the Qing Dynasty, and on the other side is supporting Prince Zhu San. , Qing, Wu, and Ming, no one of you will fall behind!
Are these more than just domestic slaves with three surnames? They are basically loyal ministers of the four surnames, and they were all appointed at the same time.
Lu Bu is far behind your family!
Just a few days after Huang Zhisheng embarked on his return journey with a handwritten letter written by Wang Fuchen and Wang Zhongxiao, and a return gift from "Li Fuchen", two Fujian visitors were welcomed at Guangzhou Tianzi Pier. .
These two are Chen Yonghua, the commander-in-chief of the Qinghai Road Relief and Suppression Campaign, representing Zheng Jing, and Yu Renying, the master of Prince Geng's Mansion, representing Geng Jingzhong.
Of course the two of them came here for the Northern Expedition to Nanjing!
"Chief Captain, Ming Xiang and Liu Zhen have escorted Shang Zhixin and the others into Fujian. They will arrive in Fuzhou soon. King Yanping and King Geng ordered me to come by sea. I just want to ask you when you can leave for the north. ?”
In the Prince's Mansion that originally belonged to Shang Zhixin, in the lobby where there is a couplet on the door that reads "Earthquake high hill, a stream of streams and mountains show through the ages; the door faces the sea, the three rivers merge and flow for thousands of years", Chen Yonghua and Chen Yonghua, who have been traveling all the way, Yu Renying finally met Wang Zhongxiao who came from Foshan.
After the two parties chatted for a while, Chen Yonghua asked about Wang Zhongxiao's trip north.
Chen Yonghua now calls Wang Zhongxiao the "chief rudder". Of course he is the chief rudder of the Tiandi Society!
Now Prince Zhu San no longer holds the position of chief rudder of the Tiandihui, but has handed over this position to Wang Zhongxiao.
Yu Renying also smiled and said: "Wang Jieshuai, let's set off quickly. If the waterway goes smoothly, we might be able to get to Fuzhou before Prime Minister Mingming!"
He and Wang Zhongxiao had met each other when they were in Beijing, and later accompanied Geng Jingzhong to the south together, and they became quite familiar with each other. However, he is not a member of the Tiandihui, so he does not call Wang Zhongxiao the chief helmsman, but calls him "Wang Jieshuai". Wang Zhongxiao is now the Jiedu Envoy of the Guangdong Navy!
Wang Zhongxiao's teacher Mingzhu didn't go very quickly. As an imperial envoy, why don't we welcome him and send him off wherever he goes, so he can stay here for a while?
So he walked slowly for more than a month before arriving in Zhangzhou.
And Zhangzhou is the residence of the Governor of Fujian and the Duke of Haicheng. The city is crowded with buildings, and it is also an important commercial town (smuggling town). The officials there are making a lot of money. Couldn't this be an opportunity to curry favor with Ming Zhongtang?
By the way, they also need to inquire about the situation in Guangdong. Why are there so many Jiedu envoys popping up in Guangdong at once? Is that place still considered the territory of the Qing Dynasty?
In addition, will Fujian be like Guangdong in the future?
In short, Mingzhu will have to stay in Zhangzhou for a while before she can continue her journey to Fuzhou.
At the same time, Geng Jingzhong and Zheng Jing from Fuzhou are ready to do big things!
"Where is the third prince?" Wang Zhongxiao asked.
"Reporting to the chief helmsman," Chen Yonghua said, "I have arrived at Xiamen Island, and I have already met King Yanping!"
"Has the plan been finalized?" Wang Zhongxiao asked again.
"Okay!" Chen Yonghua laughed, "We are going to attack Nanjing in three groups. One group is the main force led by King Geng and Liu Jieshuai, fifteen thousand people, going to Nanjing by land!
The second line is the navy commanded by King Yanping, which attacks Ningbo by sea! "
"Ningbo?" Wang Zhongxiao asked, "Aren't you going to the Yangtze River Estuary?"
"No more entering the Yangtze River Estuary," Chen Yonghua shook his head and said, "The Yangtze River navy and the sea navy are completely different Landing in Ningbo. Now Dinghai near Ningbo is completely in our hands. Dinghai is the location of the navy's yamen to assist in the suppression. The Dinghai County Magistrate gave it to our man, Feng Xifan, to buy it! So there is no problem for King Yanping to land in Ningbo. Yes. After taking Ningbo, the Yanping Wangjin can march along the canal to Nanjing, or they can take a step back to Ningshao and pass through eastern Zhejiang. The situation is much better than the one with only Dajuan Island."
Wang Zhongxiao nodded and said to himself: This Zheng Jing is still so "smart"! If you are too "sophisticated", you won't dare to stud! Therefore, historically, he did not dare to attack Ningbo and Shaoxing directly, and cooperated with Geng Jingzhong to win Zhejiang in one fell swoop. Now we don't dare to go directly to Nanjing, but want to take over Ningbo and Shaoxing, two fat provinces first.
In comparison, Geng Jingzhong is bold enough to play big!
Although his "gambling skills" are mediocre and his luck is not good, he is indeed very courageous!
Fifteen thousand people dared to attack Nanjing!
"What about the third way?" Wang Zhongxiao asked again.
Chen Yonghua said with a smile: "Xiaguan is the third route. Xiaguan will lead the boat division and the Jiangnan Tiandihui brothers to sneak into Nanjing, and suddenly launch an attack in Nanjing city, creating an excuse for King Geng and Liu Jieshuai's troops to enter the city.
In addition, the third prince will also accompany Xiaguan! "
"What? The third prince is also with you?" Wang Zhongxiao was stunned, "Fufu, aren't you afraid that the third prince will be arrested?"
"Don't be afraid," Chen Yonghua said with a smile, "Chief rudder, don't you remember how many officials we bought on the ground in Jiangnan? And the third prince himself also bought an official in the name of Wang Shiyuan. He was the Shaoxing master who bought the Guangdong candidate County. Now that the situation in Guangdong is in chaos, what's wrong with him abandoning his official position and returning to Jiangnan to do some activities in Liangjiang? How can local officials in Liangjiang embarrass him, an official from Guangdong?"
It is indeed impossible for officials in Jiangsu to arrest officials in Guangdong. Officials should go on a blind date!
"Hahaha!" Wang Zhongxiao laughed and said, "Okay, Chen Fufu, you are really good at getting things done. Okay, then I will come with you! Let's go to Jiangning together!"
"Wang Jieshuai," Yu Renying asked, "under what name are you going to go north?"
He knew that Wang Zhongxiao could not go north in the name of the Guangdong Navy's military envoy, otherwise it would not be a sneak attack, but an upright Northern Expedition.
Wang Zhongxiao smiled and said: "The chief rudder of the Tiandihui is Li Zhongshan! My family name is Li, and now I am going north to do something in the name of Li Zhongshan."
(End of chapter)
