The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 051 The King of Rebels Invites You

The rebel army did not stay in Qingjian for long, mainly because they had already rested in Anding, and the weather was gradually getting colder, with winter approaching.

In recent years, the weather in the Ming Dynasty has become increasingly unpredictable, especially in Shaanxi.

The drought was bad enough, but the winters were also unbearably cold, and in recent years winters have been arriving earlier and earlier. Before autumn was even over, the temperature began to drop sharply. To make matters worse, despite the cold, there was no snow, and coupled with the strong winds and sandstorms in the Northwest, the cold weather naturally made marching inconvenient.

Since their uprising, rebellions have occurred in almost half of Shaanxi, with rebel armies emerging from time to time.

Gao Yingxiang's forces fought their way through various regions, successively capturing cities such as Bao'an, Chengcheng, Anding, and Qingjian, and the rebel army grew increasingly large. Even the slow-moving imperial court finally reacted.

The officers and soldiers who had been stuck in the south have begun to tentatively advance northward.

According to information obtained from scouts, in order to annihilate this rebel army, the imperial court not only mobilized the local garrison troops, but also gathered a battalion of soldiers who were rushing towards Qingjian.

The so-called camp soldiers were not ordinary garrison soldiers.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, its military structure consisted of three main parts.

Part of this naturally stemmed from the garrison system established by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang. Garrisons were set up in local areas, with a provincial-level command headquarters serving as the highest military officer in charge of all garrison troops within the province.

The prefecture was established with a Commandery, which oversaw various units of 1,000 and 100 households, in varying numbers. The garrisons were composed of military households, passed down from father to son, who farmed for their own sustenance during peacetime while maintaining military training.

In the event of war, troops could be readily mobilized and deployed to the front lines. This system laid the foundation for the main military force in the early Ming Dynasty and enabled the court to maintain an army of millions without spending a single penny or grain.

However, more than two hundred years after the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the garrison system had long since deteriorated.

The local military garrisons existed in name only, and with layers of oppression and exploitation from commanders, chiliarchs, and even centurions, the lives of the lower-ranking military households were worse than those of ordinary people. How could they possibly fight when they couldn't even get enough to eat?

The other part of the army was the Jingying (京营), also known as the famous Three Great Camps – the Five Armies Camp, the Three Thousand Camp, and the Divine Machine Camp.

This was the most elite force in the imperial court's hands, and the trump card to ensure the safety of the capital and suppress the local areas. Unfortunately, the current Beijing garrison is no different from the local guard posts; it is also in a terrible state. Apart from looking impressive on the outside, it has long lost its fighting power.

The last force was the border troops stationed in the nine border towns. Because the border troops had to face wars with the northern barbarians, in reality, they could be considered the best-preserved and most combat-effective field army in the Ming Dynasty at present.

Besides these three, the Ming Dynasty also has a temporary force, namely the battalion troops.

The battalion was organized similarly to the border troops, but it was not responsible for border defense. Instead, it was more about maintaining local stability, much like the original garrison troops.

This force was specifically established to address the corruption within local military garrisons. While stationed locally, it was not under the jurisdiction of the Regional Military Commission; supreme command rested with the imperial court. Its organization and personnel were not fixed, and it was not present in every province.

In places like Shaanxi, there was a battalion of about two thousand men, with the highest commander being appointed as the Vice Commander-in-Chief, whose military rank was Guerrilla General.

Previously, with rebellions erupting in various places, local governments were too busy to help those in need, and Xi'an was too far away to provide immediate assistance. Although the Regional Military Commission was willing to suppress the rebels, the back-and-forth travel was taking too long, and the rebels were constantly moving around, making the local garrisons simply unusable.

Seeing the rebel army grow stronger in just a few months, the Provincial Administration Commission and the Military Commission were powerless to do anything about it. They could only urgently report the matter to the imperial court for a decision in the capital and suggested that border troops be dispatched to assist in the local suppression.

Unexpectedly, when the news reached the capital, the court was in an uproar for over a month without a resolution. This made it impossible for Shaanxi to rely solely on its garrison troops to suppress the rebels. After several urgings from Shaanxi, a decision was finally reached in the capital not long ago.

On the one hand, he ordered Shaanxi to continue to gather garrison troops to encircle and suppress the rebels; on the other hand, he ordered the use of the camp troops stationed in Shaanxi to cooperate with the garrisons in suppressing the rebel army.

As for using border troops, this suggestion was rejected outright.

The high-ranking officials in the court, including the emperor, believed that these mere rebels were nothing more than a rabble who had caught the court off guard. They thought that once the imperial army arrived, annihilating them would be a piece of cake.

The border troops are responsible for the security of the border and the Great Wall. As the weather gets colder, Ligdan Khan in the north is becoming restless, and things are becoming unstable on the grasslands. Under these circumstances, the border troops must not be mobilized to prevent the border from becoming undefended.

As a result, Shaanxi had no choice but to act according to the imperial court's orders. They managed to spare more than two thousand garrison troops with some fighting ability, plus an equal number of battalion soldiers, totaling about five thousand men. They first went to Anzhai to meet up, then headed north to Yanchuan, and then rushed towards Qingjian.

Faced with this move by the government troops, Gao Yingxiang adopted a policy of avoiding direct confrontation. It wasn't that he didn't want to fight, but rather that, given the current situation, there was simply no need to engage the government troops in battle.

Gao Yingxiang was well aware that although his rebel army outnumbered the government troops, especially with the recent addition of Zhao Sheng, the rebel army now numbered over 10,000, more than twice the size of the government troops.

Compared to the government troops, the rebel army's morale was not bad, but their equipment and combat strength were far inferior. Once this battle started, even with Qingjian City as their backing, the rebel army would likely suffer heavy losses even if they won.

Gao Yingxiang wouldn't do a losing deal. If he didn't have enough military strength, he would lose his voice. Once he went north to Fugu and joined forces with the rebel army in the north, how could he ensure his position in the rebel army?

Furthermore, the troops that have arrived so far are only a portion of those dispatched by the imperial court; the most elite border troops in Shaanxi have not yet been deployed. If this force is repelled, the imperial court will directly mobilize the border troops to encircle and annihilate them. Are we to sit in Qingjian, a lonely city, and invite our own demise? Someone as intelligent as Gao Yingxiang would never do such a foolish thing.

Upon learning of the government troops' movements, Gao Yingxiang immediately ordered them to abandon Qingjian and continue northward as planned.

Gao Yingxiang acted swiftly; before the government troops to the south could react, he led his rebel army away from Qingjian, marching north in a grand procession.

Five days later, the vanguard of the troops arrived in Suide.

Seeing the overwhelming strength of the rebel army, Suide City dared not obstruct them and quickly closed its gates, adopting a defensive posture. Gao Yingxiang had no intention of attacking Suide and led his troops around the city. The marching army of tens of thousands stretched as far as the eye could see, and the people of Suide watched in fear until the rebels had passed, at which point they wiped away their cold sweat and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

After passing Suide, continue north to Mizhi.

Mizhi is Gao Yingxiang's hometown. He was originally from Mizhi, but his father moved south from Mizhi to Anzhai.

Having not returned to his hometown for many years, Gao Yingxiang now returned to this place with his righteous army. Looking at the city of Mizhi not far away, he was filled with emotion.

He also had no intention of attacking Mizhi, especially since it was his hometown. Gao Yingxiang specifically restrained his troops, particularly instructing Wang Er not to act recklessly in Mizhi. Wang Er knew that Mizhi was a special place, and readily agreed.

About thirty miles from Mizhi City, in a town, Gao Yingxiang's troops temporarily encamped. Having marched all the way from Qingjian, the rebel army had not stopped. Taking advantage of the opportunity to return home, Gao Yingxiang planned to rest for a few days and also do something he had long ago planned.

Because of Gao Yingxiang's instructions, the rebel army obeyed orders without question, and since he was a local, they did not harm the local people.

The day after they settled in, Zhou Lun was training the veteran soldiers with Wang Tieniu. Throughout the journey, he hadn't relaxed his training of the veteran troops. Whether stationed or on the march, Zhou Lun always made time to drill the troops, ensuring they quickly developed combat effectiveness and were prepared for war.

"Brother Lun!"

While they were busy working, Li Shoutian rushed over and called out to Zhou Lun from afar.

Zhou Lun was taken aback, then gestured for Wang Tieniu to continue leading the training, and turned to walk towards Li Shoutian.

"My elder brother asked me to call you over," Li Shoutian said to Zhou Lun as he approached.

"What is it?"

"I don't know either, but someone from the rebel leader's side just came over," Li Shoutian said.

Zhou Lun nodded, and Chong Wang Tie Niu gave a shout before following Li Shoutian. Upon arriving at the camp, before he could even salute Li Wanqing, Li Wanqing grabbed his shoulder and said urgently, "Come on, come on! The King of Chuang wants us to go over; he's been waiting for you for a while."

"What does the rebel leader want with us?" Zhou Lun asked, puzzled.

Li Wanqing said, "I don't know either. They just sent someone to invite you and me to go together, but they didn't say much. I'm guessing it's part of our upcoming trip north. We've passed Mizhi now, and we're not far from Fugu in the north. It's good to discuss it in advance."

Zhou Lun thought about it and agreed with Li Wanqing's reasoning. He nodded and followed him out of the camp. The two, along with a few attendants, went straight to the town, where Gao Yingxiang was staying in a house and was waiting for them.

(Thanks to the reader who finally had time to give a reward)