June of the sixteenth year of Yongli, Wanxian.

"We've been waiting for almost a year, and the grain and grass that Chengdu promised us has never arrived." He Zhen complained to Liu Tichun.

According to the agreement between Western Sichuan and Kuidong, the attack on Jiangnan should be completed by Western Sichuan alone, while Kuidong was responsible for suppressing the Qing army in Chongqing. The suppression of Chongqing was not very difficult, and the naval division of Wanxian County was almost enough to complete it, and for this reason, coupled with the fact that western Sichuan itself had to send troops, the materials promised to Wanxian were not very large -- it was enough to ensure that the naval division would fight, but the materials for the army to assemble and dispatch were not sufficient.

"The last battle for Chongqing was in August last year." He Zhen was extremely dissatisfied with the arrangement in western Sichuan, and he couldn't go to Jiangnan, where there was gold everywhere, but he had to gnaw Chongqing, which had no oil and water, and He Zhen felt that this was almost a kind of humiliation. Although Sichuan West promised to subsidize Kui Dong and agreed to let Kui Dong share their harvest from Jiangnan, where can he take things from others and move them himself? It's just that He Zhen doesn't have enough ships, his strength is not strong enough, and he has no friendship with the governors of the southeastern provinces. Hearing that the progress of the western Sichuan troops in Zhejiang was going quite well, He Zhen said sourly: "It seems that in the future, we can only share some leftovers from the hands of Zuo Dudu." ”

After waiting for a few more days, a group of ships from western Sichuan passed upstream, and there were some goods for Kuidong on the loaded ships.

"What is this, ivory? So much? He Zhen exclaimed in surprise when she saw the gift from the Chengdu officer.

"Exactly, this is what Baoguo Gong just transported back from Yunnan." The Chengdu officer smiled and said to the princes of the committee that the two large bundles of ivory were gifts that Deng Ming had designated to send to the members of the committee immediately.

The ships were also loaded with a number of Indochina goods, all of which were expensive gems and ivory, some of which had been captured by the Ming army and some of which had been taxed from the consignment soldiers. There was also a part of the consignment of goods from the soldiers who participated in the war, and when the soldiers handed it over to the army, they agreed to let the Chengdu Commercial Bank sell it on their behalf.

At He Zhen's strong request, the escorting officer had to take the princes of the council to the cargo ship for a circle. The men of the merchant house did not want to offend the generals, so they were allowed to visit the ship casually. A few fast-talking guys also told Liu Tichun that this was only the first batch of loot shipped back to Chengdu, and it was said that there were countless followers.

"How is the war of Bao Guogong?" Liu Tichun asked about the situation in Myanmar.

"I heard that peace has been negotiated, and this is also the news that the horse has just been sent to Xuzhou." The general in front of him was not only Deng Ming's ally, but also the father of the Chengdu prefect, and the western Sichuan officer naturally would not hide the good news: "This news was sent all the way by Kuaima, and it will probably take a few months for Zuo Dudu to return with his troops." ”

After the officers of western Sichuan left, the princes of the committee looked at the bundles of gifts, and He Zhen was the first to speak: "When I went to fight Burma, the governor of Zuo said that there was no oil and water in this battle. ”

This sentence is actually wronged Deng Ming, Deng Ming has never said this to the committee, but the people of Chengdu generally believe that Myanmar is a wild land, and most people have never heard of the existence of the rich Lijiang River Valley. And this impression also spread to Wanxian County through the people of Chengdu, so that He Zhen and they had a similar impression.

"Zuo Dudu didn't let us go to Jiangnan, nor did he take us to Burma." He Zhen stroked the gift sent by Deng Ming, if he could get such a few good tusks before, he would definitely be very happy, but now he looked depressed: "Such a good ivory, it is no problem to transport it to Huguang for ten gold." ”

"Or is it because we are breaking into the camp, we don't say it, and we always don't want us to grow stronger in our hearts." Dang Shousu and Deng Ming have no friendship, and he is very unhappy that he can't go to Jiangnan this time.

"What nonsense?" Liu Tichun scolded: "Zuo Dudu and we are all at home, how can you have such a foolish idea?" ”

Dang Shousu slapped the table heavily: "You also saw it just now, the cabin is full of good things, and what we are given is only a fraction." If we had such a boatload of treasures, how many sons would we be able to arm? Deng Ming gave you a Yiling, and he made you so beautiful, do you know that this is a coolie who watches the gate? ”

"!" Liu Tichun was furious: "You don't know anything! This time we didn't go with Burma, the Zuodu people have not come back, the first batch of loot is thinking about sending us a little treasure, the Zuodu Governor is so worried, but you take your kindness as a donkey's liver and lungs! ”

"Isn't that what you're talking about? Isn't that what Lao He just said? Deng Ming didn't take us to any good places, let us go to Chongqing, but he didn't send grain and grass over, so we were so rotten in Wanxian. The more Dang Shousu said, the higher his voice: "Now Chongqing is empty, and it is obviously very easy to fight, but Western Sichuan does not send food over, obviously because he doesn't want to give Chongqing to us!" ”

Regardless of whether the decision was made by the Senate or the Imperial Diet, the generals of Kui Dong believed that it must have been at the behest of Deng Ming. Even if Liu Jinge, Yuan Xiang, and He Daoning sent letters explaining that their elders were suspicious, and others even decided that the Chengdu Yuan Council was merely carrying out Deng Ming's instructions—it would have been unthinkable for them to make such a big decision by their own subordinates without their own nods

Regarding the last defeat in Wanxian, Li Guoying did not tell the truth to Beijing, and after he got better, he tried his best to hide his losses, and the people who helped him talk were Manchu Eight Banners and Daniel Zhang. Although the fiasco of the Battle of Chongqing was not fully exposed, it still caused another shock in the Qing court officialdom, and when rumors were spreading, the Qing court could not make efforts to dig out the truth, so it could only minimize the defeat in Chongqing. However, due to the threat from the northwest, Zhao Liangdong's troops, which had lost their fighters, could not stay in Chongqing for a long time, and after seeing that the Ming army had no intention of attacking, they returned to the northwest -- this large-scale transfer was in vain.

The Qing court in Beijing still refused to give up Chongqing, and after hearing that nearly half of the more than 100,000 troops had been lost, the government and the opposition were already talking about it, and then giving up Chongqing again would be tantamount to admitting the great victory of the Ming army and the complete erosion of the situation in Sichuan.

After learning that the transferred Ganshan Green Battalion had left, the Ming army in Wanxian County had always wanted to launch an attack, but Chengdu said that the grain was tight -- it was necessary to supply the Eastern Expedition, repay the advance payment of Jianchang, and ensure reserves, so it could not be provided until the wheat in the first season was ripe, and the result has been delayed until now.

"Deng Ming must want to wait for him to come back, and then he will send troops to take Chongqing, so that he can give us two money to send us food. He just can't trust our old campers, and he would rather take the people from the West Camp than let us get rich. Dang Shousu snorted and threw down these few words, and strode out of the tent.

The people left behind looked at each other, and Liu Tichun sighed a few times in a row, but kept shaking his head.

A moment later, there was another sound of footsteps outside the tent, and Dang Shousu strode back again, and after entering the door, he asked his guards to fetch the tusks that had been given to him: "I forgot to take my things." ”

After the guards left with their white ivory, Dang Shousu threw down another sentence before leaving: "I said that I would open a committee, but he didn't implement the first resolution, so what is the use of this committee?" ”

Everyone was very bored, and silently divided the ivory, and then went back to their respective camps.

Liu Tichun sat in his tent and pondered for a while, then got up and went straight to Yuan Zongdi's yamen, and after seeing his old comrades-in-arms, he said straight to the point: "What do you think of the words of Dang Shousu and He Zhen just now?" ”

"Dang Shousu is not familiar with Admiral Deng, and He Zhen is even more cautious." Yuan Zongdi comforted Liu Tichun and said: "How the Admiral is a person, don't you and I still know in our hearts?" Besides, didn't Chengdu also make it very clear, now it is Liu Yao and his group who make their own decisions. ”

"Without Admiral Deng's instructions? …… Forget it, I'm not fighting you about this. But people change, old brother, when the third prince ascends the throne in the future, he will treat us well, right? ”

……

On June 10, Yuan Zongdi called Liu Tichun and handed him a letter with a smile on his face: "Your son wrote it, and he said that the Chengdu Yuan Association has completed the inventory and agreed to allocate grain and grass to us, and it is being loaded on the ship. ”

"That's good news." Liu Tichun read the letter carefully and nodded slightly.

"The little tiger is also here, and it is said that it will be there in a while, and his army has already passed the Kuimen." Yuan Zongdi told Liu Tichun the second news, Li Laiheng brought thousands of armor soldiers and a large number of auxiliary soldiers to participate in the offensive battle against Chongqing.

"Little Tiger is here too? So who guards the door in Jingzhou? Liu Tichun was taken aback. After Sichuan Xi proposed that they go down to the south of the Yangtze River alone, the committee reached a new agreement, the Hanshui basin was under the responsibility of Hao Shaoqi, and the Jingzhou front line was under the responsibility of Li Laiheng.

"I heard that the Sichuan army won a great victory in Zhejiang, and wiped out the Zhejiang Green Battalion and the Fujian Green Battalion that went to reinforce the whole army. Now Zhang Changgeng definitely doesn't dare to turn his face, it is enough to leave a Hao Shaoqi. ”

"When will the news come? How I don't know. ”

"Just got it." Yuan Zongdi explained that when the envoy of the Sichuan army arrived in Jingmen, Li Laiheng set off with the whole army, arrived at Fengjie with the good news, and then sent the news to Wanxian through Yunyang as soon as possible. And Li Laiheng also disembarked and rode with his personal guards, right behind the messenger.

"I see," Liu Tichun was stunned for a moment after finishing speaking, and shook his head: "This time is not right." ”

It is said that after the envoy arrived at Jingmen, even if Li Laiheng immediately made up his mind to reinforce him, he would need some time to prepare, how could he set off immediately? This can only show that Li Laiheng has already arranged everything and is waiting for this good news; Even without this good news, he would have planned to go.

Yuan Zongdi was silent for a moment, and he had also thought about this question just now: "Anyway, the little tiger is here, you can ask him in a while." ”

Li Laiheng, who was dressed in a drape, looked heroic, and after he walked into Yuan Zongdi's yamen, he respectfully saluted Yuan Zongdi and Liu Tichun's nephew: "Uncle Yuan, Uncle Liu, come to Heng to see you." ”