"You're going to do it in batches?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Do you think you can just gather nearly a million people like that? We've already sent troops to those who are nearby."
I chuckled and said, "If that's the case, then thank you very much, Brother Zhu."
Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly said mysteriously, "The last batch of troops will be setting off soon. I have a big surprise for you. I'm not bragging, but once my group arrives, everyone in your household will be overjoyed."
I lowered my voice and said, "You've brought me a bunch of camp prostitutes?" I personally think that reliable armies throughout history don't do this. Besides, if he brings Ming Dynasty women over and they have children with Qin Dynasty soldiers, which dynasty would those children belong to?
Zhu Yuanzhang said disdainfully, "How can you be so despicable? Just you wait, it'll definitely be something special."
I tossed the phone aside and said, "Just wait."
Qin Wuyang said, "How about I go to the Jin camp again? Don't worry, Xiaoqiang, I definitely won't let you down this time!"
I chuckled and said, "This kind of thing doesn't need someone in your line of work. Also, the one who didn't mess up is here too, so you can't bring up past issues."
Qin Wuyang asked in surprise, "You mean Jing Ke?"
As he spoke, Jing Ke lifted the tent flap and entered. Qin Wuyang asked in surprise, "Jing Ke, you're not dead?"
Ersha grinned and said, "You didn't die either, did you?"
Qin Wuyang spread his hands and said, "No, I've already died once."
Ersha said, "Me too."
Upon hearing this, Qin Wuyang stepped forward and said affectionately, "So you're also... wait, that's not right, how come I've never seen you at Xiaoqiang's place?"
I knew that if Ersha tried to explain, things would only get more complicated, so I quickly told Qin Wuyang the truth. Qin Wuyang took a few seconds to react, then roared, "You bastard Jing, you tricked me!" He was about to charge at Jing Ke to fight him. A group of people quickly grabbed him, some by the waist, others by the hands. Qin Wuyang, caught in their arms, roared furiously, "You bastard Jing, I'm not done with you today!"
Everyone tried to persuade him again, but Qin Wuyang waved his arms and said, "Get out of the way, no one can say anything today!"
In the chaos, Xuanzang grabbed Qin Wuyang's hand, his eyes burning, and said, "I'll just ask you one question: weren't you scared the first two times?"
Qin Wuyang recalled the scene of his assassination attempt on the King of Qin and stammered, "I..."
Xuanzang said sternly, "I'm just asking you, are you not going to back down?"
Qin Wuyang said dejectedly, "I did chicken out, but where did this 'twice' come from?"
Xuanzang said, "You think you were a coward just because you chickened out last time? Go ask everyone here if they don't understand what happened. You were even more cowardly the first time!"
Lin Chong quietly told Qin Wuyang about the previous assassination attempt on Qin Shi Huang by Qin Wuyang and Jing Ke. Qin Wuyang asked dejectedly, "Are you serious?"
Everyone looked at him with smiles. Qin Wuyang knew it was true, and said in a tearful voice, "I really did chicken out twice!"
I quickly comforted him, saying, "I think you were much better the second time than the first. Everyone matures gradually—even a great scientist like Einstein had to make a bench three times, didn't he? I believe that if there's a third time, you'll definitely be a tough guy!"
People quickly chimed in, "Yeah, the first time you were basically just a nobody, but the second time was much better."
Qin Wuyang: "I understand... but won't I die one more time than him?"
Ersha stared at him intently and said, "Now everyone in the six kingdoms says we're heroes, but I can't stand the light of day. I envy you, though. If you're unhappy, you can kill me once, so I won't have to suffer."
Qin Wuyang understood that Ersha must have done a lot of work to clear his name out of guilt, and sighed, "I pride myself on not being afraid of death, but you have never taken life and death seriously. You, surnamed Jing, are indeed braver than me. I admire you."
Xuanzang then released Qin Wuyang and explained to everyone, "You see, sometimes it is only by touching a person's sore spot that they can be brought to their senses. This is another kind of wake-up call."
Mao Sui wiped his sweat and said, "My level is no match for Teacher Chen's."
I laughed and said, "It's different. You're the one who stirs up trouble, while Teacher Chen is the one who mediates conflicts. Everyone has their own expertise."
Just then, a scout rushed in and reported, "They're here! They're here..."
I asked him, "Who's here?"
The scout, breathless, said, "I don't know. Hundreds of thousands of troops came from behind us. Their uniforms are indistinguishable, and we don't recognize their unit numbers..."
I stood up and said, "It must be Zhu Yuanzhang's men who have arrived."
Just in case, Wu Yong still ordered the entire army to be on high alert. When we came to the rear of Liangshan, we saw countless shadowy figures approaching us in the darkness, and we couldn't tell if they were planning a sneak attack or something else. I turned to Shan Tao, who had been acting as the scribe, and said, "Remember, the problem of the allied forces not having a unified banner must be resolved as a priority."
After several tentative contacts, we finally confirmed their identities; they were indeed Zhu Yuanzhang's Ming army. This time, the commander was an adjutant named Hu Yieryi. Judging from his name, he clearly came from a poor background, only having a surname. However, judging from his name, his parents must have had him late in life…
Chapter 162 The Resilient Renminbi
This time, the Ming army's vanguard numbered 300,000. After joining forces with Liangshan, our weakest base was finally secured. At this point, the seven army groups—Qin, Chu, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Liangshan—were finally fully organized, with an average strength of over 500,000 troops in each of the four directions.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, I convened my first meeting with all the deputy commanders of the army groups. Most of them were present, but the problem remained unresolved. I hadn't gathered so many people from so far away just to have a party. We still hadn't found an effective way to deal with Jin Wuzhu, who was as stubborn and intractable as a toilet stone.
Attendees included: the eighteen heroes of the Sui and Tang dynasties, some high-ranking generals of Liangshan and Fang La's army, Muqali, a representative of the Mongol army, Liu Dongyang, a representative of the Song army, Hu Yieryi, a representative of the Ming army, Wang Ben, a representative of the Qin army, and Zhang Han and Ersha, representatives of the Chu army. Xu Delong and his soldiers can be considered as the official representatives of the Southern Song Dynasty. Some non-partisan individuals (i.e., casual observers) also attended the meeting.
At the outset of the meeting, I made it clear that our goal was not to completely annihilate the Jin army, nor was it to force anyone to submit. The use of force was merely to achieve political objectives. Speaking of politics, Xi Jinping was the Grand Marshal of the Qin state, and Li Shishi was a woman who left her mark on history. Of course, my status was not low either. To reciprocate Fang Xuanling's favor, I did not mention my position as prime minister. However, Liu Dongyang habitually called me Duke of Anguo, while Hu Yier called me Grand Tutor Xiao…
At the meeting, Wang Ben and Zhang Han had a brief exchange. Zhang Han and Wang Ben's son had worked together, making Zhang Han Wang Ben's junior, but he appeared to be more than twenty years older than Wang Ben. Liu Dongyang, Mu Huali, and Hu Yieryi, as attendees of similar rank, sat together and seemed to be having a good conversation.
Looking at these people, I suddenly realized something: these people themselves might not be enemies, but the countries they represented had a very subtle connection. Although Liu Dongyang and Muqali were more than one generation apart, the Mongols ultimately wiped out many regimes, including the Southern Song Dynasty, and Hu Yieryi must have led his troops to fight against the Mongol army. This was a rather complex and sensitive matter.
Leaving aside the issue of "nationality," our coalition comprises troops from multiple countries, spanning over a thousand years, with vastly different ethnicities and lifestyles. Each group was a formidable force in its own era and region, but whether their combined fighting strength increases or decreases is uncertain. Historically, aside from the Allied forces during World War II, coalition forces have rarely achieved significant success. From the Six Kingdoms Alliance to the Eighteen Princes' campaign against Dong Zhuo, and then to the Eighteen Princes' rebellion against the Sui Dynasty, the outcome was considered relatively good if they ultimately dispersed and went their separate ways. The biggest fear for a coalition is internal strife, especially in the current situation, where a large coalition is nested within smaller coalitions. Facing this complex and diverse group, I have no idea what they are truly thinking.
I cleared my throat, a little hesitantly, and said, "Everyone... well, I don't know what your superiors told you before you came, but it's definitely fate that we're all gathered here, and we're all working towards the same goal. So I hope you can put aside any personal grudges or differences in stance for now. If you really can't figure things out, you can go see Teacher Chen for psychological counseling..."
Among them, the Liangshan army and the Qin-Chu allied forces have a relatively close relationship with me, and can be considered as half of my direct troops. Liu Dongyang, Hu Yieryi, and others also laughed and said, "Don't worry, Duke Anguo (Grand Tutor Xiao), His Majesty has already instructed us before leaving to strictly follow your orders. We will fight wherever you point."
Hearing them say that, I was quite surprised. It's not like Zhao Kuangyin and Zhu Yuanzhang were such kind people. Wu Yong leaned over and whispered to me, "The reason why the allied forces can't work together is mainly because the lords are afraid of the balance of power shifting. We don't have that problem here."