The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 063 A Foolish Move

I slept well all night.

Although he had been drinking, Zhou Lun woke up at the crack of dawn thanks to his biological clock. Besides, he hadn't drunk too much the day before, and he was still full of energy when he woke up.

After a quick wash and getting dressed, Zhou Lun was about to leave his tent and lead Gao Yigong on a tour of the camp.

This was a habit he had developed over the past few months; he had to make the trip himself, no matter the time of day. But no sooner had he stepped out than someone from Gao Yingxiang's side came to invite him, saying he needed to go to Gao Yingxiang's tent.

Zhou Lun frowned slightly, wondering why Gao Yingxiang had sent someone to summon him so early in the morning. He turned around and gave Gao Yigong a few instructions, asking him to take a few of his men to inspect the area for him. Then he followed the messenger toward Gao Yingxiang's tent.

The two sides weren't far apart; it only took about the time it takes to burn an incense stick to get there.

"King Chuang!" Upon entering the tent, Zhou Lun immediately saw Gao Yingxiang sitting inside waiting. Zhou Lun stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting, but as soon as he uttered "King Chuang," Gao Yingxiang's sharp gaze swept over him, and he frowned, asking, "King Chuang?"

"Uncle..." Zhou Lun quickly corrected himself. Only then did a smile appear on Gao Yingxiang's face.

"Come, sit here." Gao Yingxiang beckoned to Zhou Lun, patted the seat to his left, indicating that he should sit down next to him, and then pointed to some food that had been prepared on the table, saying, "I know you are used to patrolling the camp every morning, haven't you eaten yet? Let's eat and chat."

Zhou Lun's gaze fell on the table. Breakfast was very simple: two flatbreads, a bowl of thin porridge, and some pickles. He didn't stand on ceremony, thanked the table, plopped down, picked up a flatbread, tore it open, soaked it in the porridge, and started eating.

Gao Yingxiang also ate with Zhou Lun, but he ate slower than Zhou Lun. By the time Zhou Lun finished eating, Gao Yingxiang had only eaten one piece of flatbread, but he had finished his porridge.

"Are you full? Would you like some more?" Gao Yingxiang asked with a smile.

"I'm full, this is enough," Zhou Lun said, wiping his mouth.

Gao Yingxiang nodded, said nothing more, finished the rest of the cakes, and then picked up the teapot to pour water into each of their cups.

"What do you think of yesterday's alliance meeting?" Gao Yingxiang asked directly after taking a sip of water from his cup.

Zhou Lun had noticed long ago that Gao Yingxiang showed no signs of drunkenness from the moment he entered. This was completely different from his state last night, when he was so drunk he was unconscious and had to be carried home. It seemed that he wasn't the only one faking drunkenness yesterday; Gao Yingxiang had done the same. They were all quite the actors.

Zhou Lun had some suspicions about why Gao Yingxiang had summoned him so early in the morning. Now, hearing his question, he quickly organized his thoughts and said, "An alliance is a good thing. My troops and Chief Wang's troops have joined forces, and our forces now exceed 30,000. With this strength, we are more than capable of protecting ourselves. Moreover, the strategy of heading north was already decided long ago, so holding an alliance meeting after the initial meeting is only natural."

Gao Yingxiang smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and gave Zhou Lun a meaningful look. He then changed the subject, no longer mentioning the alliance meeting, and began to talk about other things.

They asked Zhou Lun directly what his opinion was about the future of the rebel army and what the safest course of action would be.

Faced with this question, Zhou Lun did not answer, but instead cast an inquiring glance at Gao Yingxiang.

Gao Yingxiang sighed softly and, without hiding anything from him, told Zhou Lun about the private discussion he had with Wang Jiayin and Wang Ziyong the day before.

They didn't speak loudly when they talked about this yesterday, and Zhou Lun was some distance away. In addition, the atmosphere at the banquet was lively and the conversation was noisy, so he didn't hear anything at all, let alone know what they talked about. Now that Gao Yingxiang has told him the whole story, explaining why Wang Jiayin appeared in Shenmu and his subsequent plans, Zhou Lun finally understands the purpose of Gao Yingxiang's question.

After listening carefully, Zhou Lun did not answer immediately, but sat there deep in thought. His hands were on his knees, his fingers moving slightly as he pondered.

Gao Yingxiang didn't urge him, and waited quietly. After a while, Zhou Lun finally raised his head.

"Since Uncle sent me here today, I suppose you already have a plan in mind? In Uncle's opinion, are you planning to continue your journey north?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Yingxiang smiled, his expression full of admiration. He wasn't surprised that Zhou Lun could guess his thoughts; in fact, that was why he had called Zhou Lun over so early in the morning.

Seeing Gao Yingxiang's reaction, Zhou Lun understood and frankly said, "When my uncle and my elder brother decided on the strategy of heading north, in addition to meeting with Chief Wang, the key was to break out of Shaanxi, march eastward, enter Shanxi from Shaanxi, and then gradually plot to conquer the Central Plains in order to seek room for maneuver and development."

"In my opinion, Uncle's vision is insightful. Shaanxi is indeed not a place to stay for long. Moreover, Shaanxi has been suffering from drought for more than a year, and judging from the current situation after more than a month, next year will probably not be much better. If we continue to stay in Shaanxi, let alone development, how will we solve the problem of food and supplies for the army? Just survival will be a difficult task."

"Furthermore, the imperial court has already reacted. The government troops in the south have been following us northward. Although we haven't engaged in battle yet, as they advance northward, our operational space has been gradually compressed. Today, my uncle also mentioned that government troops have appeared in Fugu, where Chief Wang is stationed. In my opinion, once the two government forces coordinate their attacks from the north and south, along with the border troops and even the Shanxi government troops entering Shaanxi to fight, the rebel army will likely face a situation of being surrounded on all sides, and their predicament will be dire!"

Gao Yingxiang nodded silently; this was also what he was worried about.

The government troops in the south pressed forward relentlessly, following closely northward. Meanwhile, Wang Jiayin's decision to abandon Fugu and move south allowed the government troops to regroup and recapture the valley.

In addition, the Shanxi government troops on the east bank of the Yellow River, led by General Wang Guoliang, had recently won a battle against Wang Jiayin's troops while crossing the river, and had killed Wu Tinggui on the battlefield, which greatly boosted their morale.

The rebel army's current alliance appears powerful on the surface, but it is actually fraught with danger. If the government forces from the north and south continue their advance, the rebels will be caught in a pincer movement. Furthermore, although the Ming Dynasty has rules prohibiting troops from crossing borders to fight, in times of emergency, expediency is necessary. Who can guarantee that Liang's forces from the Shanxi Kingdom will not cross the Yellow River to join the battle?

Another important reason was the imperial court's reaction.

Since Wang Jiayin first raised the banner of rebellion, more than a dozen rebel armies of varying sizes have emerged in Shaanxi in just half a year. Now, most of these forces have gathered here to form an alliance, creating a formidable force that should not be underestimated.

The imperial court would never ignore this situation. With the rebels being so powerful, the court would surely take action. In addition to ordering local authorities to encircle and suppress the uprising, it might soon send an imperial envoy to Shaanxi to coordinate the joint operations of various government troops in the capacity of governor or even viceroy.

At that time, not only will Wang Guoliang's troops from Shanxi enter Shaanxi to fight, but the elite border troops may also be mobilized to directly participate in the war. The rebel army will no longer be facing just the two government armies from the north and south; government troops from all directions may come to surround them from all sides... In that case, how will the rebel army cope?

If this happens, neither staying in Shenmu nor heading south is the best option. From a topographical perspective, these places offer little room for maneuver.

In later battles against the government forces, it was uncertain whether the rebels could win, given their fighting capabilities. Even if they did win, it wouldn't change the overall situation. The government forces were backed by the imperial court and local officials; even if they lost once, they could immediately mobilize other troops to continue the encirclement and suppression.

The rebel army was different; it was just a bunch of peasants who had come together to rebel. If they won, all would be well, but if they lost, this rabble might just scatter, and their fate would probably be defeat and death.

This was precisely what Gao Yingxiang was worried about. He knew very well that Shenmu was not a place to stay for long, and a choice had to be made as the situation changed. However, he did not agree with Wang Jiayin's decision to go south. In his view, continuing north, reclaiming Fugu, which Wang Jiayin had voluntarily given up, and then continuing eastward was the best strategy.

Although there were government troops to the north, and if the rebel army turned back north, the government troops to the south would certainly continue to follow, then even if they captured Fugu, they would face encirclement and suppression by two government forces. However, Fugu was a place of different strategic significance. It was located on the west bank of the Yellow River, and east of the Yellow River was Shanxi Province.

Although Wang Guoliang, the general of Shanxi, was stationed east of the Yellow River, his troops were few, numbering at most a few thousand, and he couldn't possibly defend every inch of the territory. If they could find a loophole and catch them off guard, they could simply slip through Wang Guoliang's defenses and, once in Shanxi territory, leave the Shaanxi army behind. Furthermore, with the natural barrier of the Yellow River, it would be much more difficult for the government forces to gather their strength to suppress the rebels.

Wang Jiayin retreated south because he had suffered a great loss at the hands of Wang Guoliang, or rather, the death of Wu Tinggui made him not only heartbroken but also more wary of Wang Guoliang.

But Gao Yingxiang didn't see it that way. He believed that victory and defeat were common occurrences in war, and that people would inevitably die in battle. He argued that the best strategic goals and plans should not be abandoned just because the eastward crossing campaign had failed.

If once doesn't work, try twice; if twice doesn't work, try three times. The rebel army isn't short of people; it has a force of over 30,000. How can we easily back down just because an important leader has died and we've lost a few hundred more men?

Gao Yingxiang considered it a foolish move to choose the south route instead of the best one, a view shared by Zhou Lun.