Chapter 246 Hegemony

Fan Wencheng.

A Jiangnan merchant.

A demon from the White Lotus Sect.

But no matter what his true identity was, Qi Yanming and others could only regard him as their only savior.

There was no other way. The army needed too much food and supplies, and they could not survive by plundering cities!

Soon Liu Liu and Liu Qi and others came over.

The bandits of the past had all turned into generals with "heavy troops".

Fan Wencheng took out a geomancy map and spoke confidently under the expectant eyes of these people.

"Everyone, look, our army is now in Raoyang County, and we can march north or east!"

"Continue to march north, and we can directly attack Beijing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty..."

"Absolutely not!" Qi Yanming rejected the proposal without waiting for Fan Wencheng to finish his words.

Liu Liu and Liu Qi were very excited at first, and even had a hint of excitement in their eyes.

After all this battle, they can be regarded as "experienced in hundreds of battles". Relying on their own bravery and good fighting skills, they have conquered several cities in a row, which also brought the two brothers unprecedented blind confidence!

There is no way, who let those officers and soldiers be too weak and useless?

Wherever the rebels passed, those patrol officers and soldiers saw that the rebels were powerful and at their peak, and they did not dare to stop them at all. They could only defend themselves and did not dare to fight with the rebels.

In this way, wherever the rebels passed, they could be said to be "unstoppable" without any decent resistance.

For example, the rebels attacked Raoyang County, but in just one day, those Raoyang County officials fled with their families in fear, and were caught by the rebels ambushed outside, and Raoyang County collapsed without attacking!

All of this is to convey a clear and definite political signal to the rebels!

That is, the Ming Dynasty, which used to expel the Tartars and restore China, is now rotten, and it is rotten!

In this case, why can't they replace it?

"Brother, let's go north!"

"Yes, brother, let's attack Beijing directly!"

Liu Liu and Liu Qi said excitedly, and their words instantly aroused the blood of other bandits.

"Boss, let's go north!"

"Yes, general, let's attack the capital of the Ming Dynasty directly!"

No way, don't blame them for being so excited, don't blame them for being restless.

After all, before the uprising, they were just poor peasants, who didn't know a few words, and only had some martial arts. Even if they made a name for themselves in Bazhou, they were still called "bandits"!

In other words, they were just thieves before!

But what about now?

If they can really attack the capital of the Ming Dynasty, then they are no longer "thieves"!

But they are heroes who can directly shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty's rule...heroes, heroes of the world!

"Brother!" Liu Liu said anxiously: "This Ming Dynasty is rotten to the core, why can't we just attack the capital?"

"Back then, Zhu Yuanzhang was just a cowherd and a beggar. He took advantage of the chaos in the world to steal the world. We can do it too..."

Zhu Yuanzhang's life and past are well known to the world.

In fact, the Emperor Taizu Gao has never made any restrictions in this regard.

Why should there be restrictions?

He was a cowherd from a poor peasant family!

He was a little beggar begging along the way to escape famine!

He was a little monk who went to the temple to ring the bell to get a bite of food!

He was the cowherd!

He was the little beggar!

He was also the little monk!

These resumes are indeed humble and not worth mentioning, and they are indeed enough to be criticized!

However, the person who finally conquered the country and established the Ming Dynasty was not those heroes, not those heroes in the world, but him, a beggar monk!

This actually highlights the wisdom and bravery of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang!

"Yes, Zhu Yuanzhang is just a beggar..."

"Shut up!"

Seeing these people's arrogant appearance, Qi Yanming couldn't help but scolded them coldly.

"I think you are really arrogant. You even want to attack the capital of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Not to mention that Beijing is the capital of the Ming Dynasty. The city is strong and heavily guarded. Can you resist the Beijing Army soldiers in Beijing?"

Beijing Army soldiers!

Hearing these four words, the restless people suddenly calmed down.

There is no way. A person's reputation is like a tree's shadow. The Beijing Army soldiers are the most elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty. In the past, they followed Emperor Taizong Zhu Di to fight in the south and the north, and they fought six times and five times, making the Mongolian Tartars flee in panic!

Can these makeshift teams really beat the Beijing Army soldiers?

Fan Wencheng also spoke at this moment, but he put forward a different opinion.

"General, what you said is true. The soldiers of the Beijing Army are not so easy to fight. What's more, there are the emperor's imperial guards in Beijing. It is difficult to resist with our limited forces!"

"But from another perspective, if we can really kill to the city of Beijing, it will be a disaster for the Ming Dynasty. The heroes of the world will witness the decay and decline of the Ming Dynasty with their own eyes, and they will understand that this corrupt dynasty has lost control of the world!"

"Again, a spark can start a prairie fire. At that time, the heroes of the world will rise up and finally overthrow this corrupt dynasty together..."

"Ha!" Qi Yanming sneered: "What about us? Will we become pathetic victims?"

He is not stupid and has a certain amount of wisdom.

Fan Wencheng's words should not be too obvious.

This means that he supports the rebels to continue northward and fight to the gates of the Ming Dynasty in Beijing, allowing the world's heroes to witness the powerlessness of the Ming Dynasty's rule, and inspiring the world's heroes to rebel together!

However, the result is that these people will definitely die!

Even if the world is in chaos and heroes are everywhere in the end, it will have nothing to do with people like them.

"Although these words of the General are unpleasant to hear, they are very likely to be the truth."

"In fact, Xiaosheng did not agree to continue heading north, because the soldiers of the Beijing army had a brave and skilled commander, and the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty also exploded with unimaginable terrifying combat power in his hands. If our army really kills the Ming Dynasty, If you encounter this person head-on, you will definitely die!"

Hearing this, Liu Liu and Liu Qi expressed their dissatisfaction.

Why is Commander Lao Shizi so brave and good at fighting?

Isn't it better than them?

Qi Yanming took a deep breath and seemed to have gotten the answer.

"Is the person Mr. Fan is talking about...the Marquis of Zhongshan?!"

Tang Hao, the Marquis of Zhongshan!

Upon hearing this name, the atmosphere instantly became extremely solemn.

The faces of brothers Liu Liu and Liu Qi, who were still unconvinced before, gradually turned pale.

Because, they have also heard of this name, and it has many illustrious names!

Thanks to the deliberate publicity of the civil servants and gentry, the evil reputation of Zhongshan Hou Tang Hao had long spread throughout the country, and even the people who farmed the fields had heard about it.

First, he fought a tiger in Nanyuan and saved His Majesty the Emperor.

Then came the two uncles who violently beat up the common people at the entrance of the palace.

Immediately he took charge of the Beijing army and formed a new army in Dongguanting, and killed the twelve princes of Tuanying in one fell swoop.

…

All these examples are before their eyes. Such a brave and terrifying figure is indeed not comparable to them.

No matter how blindly confident Liu Liu and Liu Qi were, they still knew what they were capable of. Let alone fighting a tiger, it would be good if they could escape from the tiger's mouth!

Because of this, they were truly convinced and admired the Marquis of Zhongshan.

The purpose of Fan Wenzheng was achieved, and then there was no more nonsense.

"Therefore, Xiaosheng believes that the best strategy for our army is not to continue heading north, but to turn around and head south!"

"What? Turn around and go south?" Qi Yanming was shocked and hurriedly looked at the map.

"That's right, go south and attack Nanjing City directly!"

Fan Wencheng said enthusiastically: "It is difficult to attack the capital because it is heavily guarded, but Nanjing is different. The small court there is just an empty frame!"

"As long as our army suddenly turns around and heads south, it will not only be able to avoid the soldiers of the Beijing army who came to encircle and suppress them, but also avoid the Marquis of Zhongshan who is currently in Shandong, but it will also catch the Nanjing soldiers by surprise!"

"General, don't forget that Nanjing is the land of Longxing in the Ming Dynasty. It has natural geographical advantages. Since the Tang Dynasty, the economy of Jiangnan has developed rapidly and surpassed that of the north, becoming the country's economic center. Nanjing, located in the south of the Yangtze River, The river defense system formed by Quashi and Guazhou upstream and downstream is the direct barrier to ensure the safety of Nanjing! "

"In addition, Nanjing's geographical conditions are also very advantageous. Nanjing's terrain is dangerous and surrounded by mountains. It is high in the north and low in the south. It is easy to defend but not easy to attack. The Qinhuai River flows into the west, and there are many mountains and rocks along the river. From the southwest to the northeast, there are Stone Mountain and Ma'an Mountain. , Siwang Mountain, Lulong Mountain, Mufu Mountain, Zhongshan, the highest peak of the Ningzhen Mountains, in the northeast, Fuguishan, Fuzhoushan, and Jilong Mountain in the north, and Changmingzhou, Zhanggongzhou, Bailu and other sandy states forming Jiajiang River in the south. These natural barriers protect Nanjing, making this treasure land very attractive to emperors of all dynasties.”

"Not only that, Nanjing also has convenient transportation. The Taihu Plain and Qiantang River Basin in the southeast are places rich in water resources. Along the river, you can go up to Jiujiang and Wuhan, and down the river to Shanghai. Together with the Qinhuai River and Taihu water systems, Nanjing is connected in all directions... …”

"So, as long as we conquer Nanjing in one go, we can use it as a base to slowly develop our power, control the Jiangnan area, build high walls and store up food, and slowly become king. When we are strong enough, we can then send our troops north to complete our dominance in one fell swoop!"

Qi Yanming was elated when he heard this, and the generals were also excited.

It was as if they were just headless flies running around without knowing where to go and what to do next.

But now Fan Wencheng has given them a clear goal, and even a grand plan for hegemony that is enough to make people excited!

Nanjing!

The land of Ming Longxing!

Qi Yanming swallowed deeply.

Fan Wencheng's ideas coincided with his in a sense.

Qi Yanming had already seen it. If he really wanted to achieve something big, he couldn't continue like this and rely on attacking the county town and looting to solve the food problem.

In other words, once they fail to attack a certain city and their supplies and supplies are no longer sustainable, the so-called 30,000 rebels will collapse without a fight in an instant, and no one knows how they will die.

After all, they are still a group of bandits wandering across the border. They only know how to rob but not produce. Without logistical supplies, they cannot be called an army at all!

Unless, we can lay down a treasure land as the foundation of the rebel army, and then continue to expand in all directions!

And the Nanjing proposed by Fan Wencheng at this moment is undoubtedly an excellent choice!

Why?

Because that’s Nanjing!

Back then, Zhu Yuanzhang was just a leader of the rebel army. It was because he conquered Nanjing that he was able to rise step by step and grow into one of the heroes competing for the world, and finally conquered the entire country!

And as long as Nanjing is conquered, then they can erode the Jiangnan region. These prosperous and fertile lands will become the granaries of the rebel army. At that time, they naturally don’t have to worry about food issues!

Since Zhu Yuanzhang, a cowherd boy, can do it, they can do it!

So turning around and attacking Nanjing is indeed a good idea!

"Sir, you are really smart!"

"Just do as you say, we will turn around and attack Nanjing!"

"As long as Nanjing is conquered, the grand plan will be no problem!"

The thieves naturally had no objection, and they were all immersed in the grand plan.

Now they want to copy the path taken by Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, to conquer Nanjing, build high walls, store grain, and slowly become king, and finally achieve hegemony!

Still the same sentence!

Zhu Yuanzhang, a little beggar, could do it, so why couldn't they?

Fan Wencheng smiled modestly on the surface, but he was full of contempt in his heart.

Just relying on you crooked, brainless fools, dare to compare with the great and powerful emperor like Emperor Taizu Gao?

From the beginning, Fan Wencheng looked down on these self-righteous fools.

The reason why he instigated Qi Yanming to turn south at this moment was not for their grand ambitions, but to avoid the Ming Zhongshan Marquis who was about to lead his army to quell the rebellion!

Thirty thousand well-trained Beijing soldiers, plus a brave and warlike Zhongshan Marquis, these rubbish will be killed in an instant, not to mention fighting against them!

So Fan Wencheng spoke at this moment, taking these rubbish south as much as possible to flee everywhere, creating trouble for Zhongshan Marquis, so that he would not be able to quell the rebellion so quickly, otherwise Qinghe Shipyard would not have time to launch, and all his thoughts would be in vain.

The gentry really wanted to transfer the Marquis of Zhongshan away, and they were indeed greedy for the profits from sea trade.

But this does not mean that they will really sit back and watch the Ming Dynasty really fall!

After all, a stable court and a stable regime are the basic base of the gentry.

If the dynasty changes, who will recognize them as officials of the Ming Dynasty? Especially the rebels who hate the officials and gentry so much, they can't wait to kill all the gentry!

Therefore, these idiots deserve to die, but how to die and how to make them more valuable depends on how Fan Wencheng operates next.

"General, please issue an order to clarify military discipline, and not to kill and humiliate civilians at will. You must know that whoever wins the hearts of the people wins the world!"

"What you said is very true!"

In the following time, Qi Yanming and Fan Wencheng agreed on the next marching route, or the escape route.

Anyway, no matter how troublesome it is, it is not to give the Marquis of Zhongshan the opportunity to lead the army to quell the rebellion directly.

At this moment, Tang Hao has joined forces with 30,000 Beijing troops and is guarding the main traffic route from Raoyang County to the capital.

However, the next move of the rebels was beyond everyone's expectations.

"They went south to Shen County. Do they want to attack Zhending Prefecture?"

Tang Hao chuckled, touched his chin and pondered.

Among this group of thieves, I am afraid that there are those gentry and gentry who deliberately led this group of rebels around to avoid Tang Hao's army to suppress the rebellion.

Is this deliberately delaying time?

Tang Hao just thought it was funny.

But the next moment, one person spoke up, Ma Zhongxi, the right assistant minister of the Ministry of War.

"Lord Tang, Zhending is a thoroughfare between the north and the south, the throat of Yan and Jin, and it must not be lost!"

"Please ask Lord Tang to send troops quickly to wipe out these rebels!"

Ma Zhongxi, a native of Hejian Prefecture, Zhili, his grandfather Ma Xian was awarded the title of Right Deputy Censor of the Censorate. His father Ma Wei was the chief historian of Tang Prefecture, and he was born in an official family.

In the eleventh year of Chenghua, Ma Zhongxi passed the imperial examination and was appointed as a clerk in the criminal department.

At that time, Wan Tong, the younger brother of Wan Guifei, the favorite concubine of Emperor Chenghua, relied on his sister's power and was arrogant and lawless. Ma Zhongxi twice impeached him and was punished to be caned outside the Meridian Gate twice, but he still did not change his nature of hating evil.

Eunuchs Wang Zhi and Liang Fang committed many evils, and Ma Zhongxi also reported to expose them.

Because he repeatedly exposed the illegal behavior of the powerful, he failed to be promoted for nine years.

After examining his political achievements, he was finally transferred to Yunnan Ancha Qianshi, Shaanxi Qianshi, and Deputy Envoy of Inspector of Education.

In the fifth year of Hongzhi, he was summoned to be the Right Shaoqing of Dali. He served for three years and resigned due to illness and returned to his hometown. He lived in seclusion in the old city for seven years without taking up an official position, and his name was known throughout the world.

After Zhu Houzhao ascended the throne in the first year of Zhengde, court officials took turns to submit thirteen memorials, requesting the appointment of Ma Zhongxi. His Majesty then issued an edict to appoint him as governor of Liaodong. Later, due to the conspiracy of Liu Jin and Li Dongyang, Xu Jin, the Minister of War, retired from mourning, Yang Yiqing succeeded him as the Minister of War, and Xiong Xiu returned to the court as the Left Vice Minister of War.

Zhu Houzhao was moved by what Xiong Xiu and Liu Daxia had done before, so he promoted Ma Zhongxi to the Right Vice Minister of War, which was equivalent to planting a nail in the Ministry of War who hated evil.

This time, the troops were sent to suppress the rebellion, and the routine was still the same. Military generals, nobles, civil officials, and eunuchs were indispensable.

Ma Zhongxi, the Right Vice Minister of War, was the civil official who accompanied the army to supervise this time.

Tang Hao rolled his eyes at him and then suggested: "Since Minister Ma is so anxious, why not lead the troops to quell the rebellion yourself!"

"I will lead the main force to support you from behind, what do you think, Minister Ma?"

Ma Zhongxi was startled when he heard this, and then he became furious.

"Marquis Zhongshan!"

"The rebels are right in front of us, but you deliberately delay the military opportunity. What is your intention?"

"How I fight is my business. If you are unhappy, then get out!"

Tang Hao suddenly shouted, frightening everyone in the tent.

"Since when has it been your turn as a civil official to make decisions on marching and fighting?"

"Ma Zhongxi, do you believe that if I kill you now, the civil and military officials in the court will not dare to say "no"?"

When this was said, everyone was shocked.

How can you kill your own people before you start to suppress the rebellion?

But Ma Zhongxi is so stubborn that he doesn't care about Tang Hao's threats at all, and he wants him to send troops immediately.

The two of them confronted each other and refused to give in. They looked like they would fight if they disagreed!

The accompanying eunuch Qiu Ju immediately stepped forward to appease them, and finally appeased them after some persuasion.

But the Marquis of Zhongshan was used to being arrogant and domineering, so he refused to give in and directly sent Ma Zhongxi away with an order.

Finally, Ma Zhongxi seemed to have thought of something, looked at Tang Hao deeply, and then left angrily.