At the beginning of the winter and December of the first year of Longwu, several families of Sinan and Tian received a lot of military intelligence. Without exception, it was the news that the Qin Army was approaching.
The imperial army kept moving toward Guizhou. They didn't move fast, but their target was clear. Now some of the imperial army had entered the territory of Guizhou. They drew maps and measured the terrain everywhere. Then they repaired roads and built houses. Their intention was unknown.
The situation in Guizhou suddenly became tense. After Ms. Tian knew the news, Ms. An and Ms. Song had no reason not to know. Therefore, Inspector Zhu Zhengse, who had been deliberately ignored by everyone, suddenly became popular. Chieftains, big and small, came to see him with gifts.
To be honest, rebellion or not didn't mean much to everyone. Everyone wanted to make money and enjoy life in peace. They were used to the days when the imperial court turned a blind eye. Everyone had figured out a way to get along with local officials and make money together. How could they have time to rebel?
Other than those who were born rebellious or those who were forced into a corner, everyone tried their best to avoid revolting. If Yang Yinglong was not short of money, he would just be a rather arrogant chieftain. He was still a distance away from rebelling.
The other three families had more businesses and more connections. They didn't raise as many soldiers as Yang Yinglong. In the early days of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, they were more ruthless. Although they ranked ahead of Yang Yinglong, in terms of military strength, Yang Yinglong was undoubtedly the strongest.
Therefore, raising soldiers required money. Yang Yinglong was short of money, but they weren't so short of money.
For them, they still wanted to live in peace with the imperial court and local officials as usual. They didn't want to make a big trouble. Otherwise, everyone would have a hard time.
Not to mention that Xiao Ruxun was notorious. They really didn't want to be Xiao Ruxun's enemy.
Therefore, when things happened, the first thing they thought of was not confrontation, but communication and clearing up misunderstandings. They asked the imperial court's purpose to see if there was any misunderstanding to contact. The best target was definitely not the army, but Zhu Zhengse.
The three chieftains and a group of their subordinates visited Zhu Zhengse one after another. They brought him quite a lot of gifts, which were much better than the previous gifts with double meanings of warning and flattery. Pearls, agates, gold, silver, and jewelry were nothing. Paintings and calligraphy of famous people were the most important.
Zhu Zhengse liked paintings and calligraphy of famous people. After all, he was a scholar. They all knew how to cater to him.
Zhu Zhengse experienced the feeling of having someone behind him. It couldn't be more comfortable. So he sat in the city of Guizhou and talked and laughed with the chieftains.
There was only one message he wanted to convey — the soldiers of the imperial court were not here for you. You just have to cooperate obediently. Or, you can even provide the imperial court with guides, food, paths, and so on. After the matter is settled, you guys know what to do.
It wasn't as if the three clans hadn't received a letter from Yang Yinglong, saying that he had seen a series of movements in the imperial court and felt that something was amiss. He invited the three clans to put down their grudges and face the outside world. Everyone needed to understand the principle of interdependence. If I'm done for, you won't be any better off.
The three Chieftains wavered between the imperial court's promise and Yang Yinglong's warning. It was not until the third day of the twelfth month, when the vanguard of the imperial court's army entered Sinan Manor and Tongren Manor respectively from the direction of Baojing Prefecture's Xuan Manor and Chen Prefecture's Manor, that the three Chieftains and the local Chieftains truly became nervous.
More than a hundred thousand soldiers marched majestically, following the current and splitting into two groups to enter Guizhou. Their armors were bright, and their auras were majestic. There were also a large number of ships following the army, covering the entire river.
The imperial court had mobilized countless troops this time. Even a blind man could tell that they had come with ill intentions.
Such a large scale army frightened the three chieftains. Before the army of the court arrived, they could still waver. After thinking about whether they should believe Zhu Zhengse's words or the fact that they were interdependent, the three chieftains made a decision in a very short time.
They would wait and see.
When the conflict was too great and they couldn't make a clear decision, being a coward was also a choice. In any case, as long as they didn't take a clear-cut stand on one side, there was always room to maneuver, no?
Naturally, the fence-sitters weren't very welcome.
But for Xiao Ruxun, taking care of the other three chieftains had to wait. Getting rid of Yang Yinglong, the leader of the troublemakers, was the most important thing. The other three chieftains were wealthier than the Yang Clan, but in terms of military strength, if they didn't have enough time to mobilize, they would only be on par with the Yang Clan.
If they took care of the Yang Clan, which was the most capable of fighting, there was a high chance that the other three chieftains would be frightened out of their wits. There was also a high chance that they wouldn't dare to disrespect the imperial court. It was even more likely that the imperial court would feel exhausted after taking care of the Yang Clan and decide to call a truce. Good times would come.
But for the Black Turtle Battalion and other armies, there was no such thing as too many military merits.
Moreover, Xiao Ruxun had more than one smoke grenade in his possession.
The thirty thousand Sichuan troops in Chongqing were also preparing to march towards Qijiang under Ma Qiancheng's command. Once they set off, they would immediately follow the Qijiang River to the south and attack in the direction of the Sanyuan Dam, directly threatening Yang Yinglong's lair.
In addition, Zheng Ying had also designated several marching routes.
The Black Turtle Battalion was divided into three armies: the left, middle, and right. The right army was led by Liu Gu and led thirty thousand soldiers out of Longquan County.
The middle army was led by Zheng Ying himself and led forty thousand soldiers out of Baini Division.
The left army was led by Zheng Ying's most capable general, Wu Yong, and led thirty thousand soldiers out of Xinglong Guards.
The Azure Dragon Battalion's troops heading south were organized into one army, led by the Azure Dragon Battalion's Deputy General, Qi Dayong. They marched to Gui Zhou's Wujiang Pass and directly marched out of Bozhou's Xuan Ji Division, later known as Zunyi, Yang Yinglong's lair.
Such a five-route attack, strictly according to the pre-planned tactical routes, would destroy Yang Yinglong's resistance within fifteen days, compress Yang Yinglong into the Sea Dragon Camp, and then annihilate him in one fell swoop. For this reason, Xiao Ruxun ordered the provinces in the southeast to provide sufficient provisions for the army, and conscripted naval warships to transport provisions for the army.
The two bumper harvests after the land reform in Jiangnan last year and this autumn provided enough food support for the army's large-scale deployment. The provinces in the southeast were full of granaries.
Moreover, it was the middle of winter, when the farmers were slack. Under the call of the county government, the various village governments organized the peasant associations to send up to thirty able-bodied men to help the army. Based on the principle of voluntary participation, the families of the able-bodied men who participated in the transport of provisions were exempted from paying next year's agricultural tax.
Receiving such a favorable policy, the peasant households were enthusiastic. The peasant associations immediately organized the able-bodied men to be arranged by the village governments to be sent to various designated locations to participate in the transport of provisions.
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