The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 092 Asking for an Exorbitant Demand

"Eat, eat! This fish is very well prepared. Lord Qiao, please have a taste."

Zhou Lun picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it into Qiao Daonan's bowl, saying with a smile.

"Brother Zhou, this matter..." Qiao Daonan was frustrated.

Having said so much and presented everything he needed to, why did Zhou Lun remain unmoved? Qiao Daonan, growing impatient, hesitated for a moment, not touching the piece of fish in his bowl, and couldn't help but ask again.

"This matter is not urgent, let's discuss it further," Zhou Lun said with a smile.

Zhou Lun wasn't in a hurry, but Qiao Daonan was!

Yang He gave him a death order: he had to find a way to appease Gao Yingxiang in the north.

It should be noted that Wang Jiayin's troops are currently causing chaos in central and eastern Shaanxi. They have not only captured Qingjian and Anding, but also occupied the four counties of Bao'an, Yanchuan, Yanchang and Yichuan in recent days.

At present, Wang Jiayin's main force is launching a fierce attack on Yan'an Prefecture, while his detachment is heading south towards Hancheng, the northern gateway to Tongguan.

If Gao Yingxiang of Fugu were to join forces and march south at this time, not only would Wang Jiayin's prestige increase significantly, but more importantly, Shenmu, where he was located, would be the first to be affected.

Shenmu is not far from Fugu. Previously, Zhou Lun's feigned attack on Shenmu had frightened Qiao Daonan quite a bit.

Qiao Daonan knew very well that with Shenmu's military strength and city defenses, it was simply no match for the rebel army's attack. Once Shenmu was breached, he would face the prospect of the city falling and him dying.

Qiao Daonan was afraid of failing Yang He's mission, and even more afraid of dying.

With his life hanging in the balance, he hoped more than anyone else that Yang He's policy of appeasement would be successfully implemented. As long as Gao Yingxiang accepted the appeasement, the imminent threat would disappear, and Qiao Daonan would not only be able to save his life, but also leave a deep impression on Yang He for his meritorious service in the appeasement.

When the banditry in Shaanxi is quelled, Qiao Daonan will undoubtedly be promoted based solely on his merits.

"Brother! It would be such a pity to miss such a good opportunity!" Qiao Daonan continued to persuade Zhou Lun earnestly, "This kind of opportunity doesn't come often. As the saying goes, isn't the purpose of life to rise above others? What good can come of it for a bandit to fight against the imperial court? Our Great Ming Dynasty has two capitals and thirteen provinces, a large population, and ample military strength. Don't be fooled by your current antics; the court hasn't officially responded yet. Once His Majesty is enraged and mobilizes a large army to suppress you, do you think you can contend with the imperial elite with just these peasants?"

He paused, then continued, "Furthermore, as the folk tales say, murder and arson can lead to amnesty. Isn't it good to go from bandit to official? As the saying goes, those who understand the times are heroes. His Majesty is the unparalleled ruler of our Great Ming. There's also the saying: 'A good bird chooses its tree, a wise minister chooses his lord.' If you don't seize the opportunity early, it will be too late to regret!"

Zhou Lun was not impressed by Qiao Daonan's words at all, especially Qiao Daonan's statement that "Chongzhen was a wise ruler," which he scoffed at.

Emperor Chongzhen was a wise ruler? That's utter nonsense! He was far inferior to his brother, Emperor Tianqi.

He's all talk and no action, yet he's arrogant and thinks he's all that, and he squanders a winning hand.

To put it bluntly, if a pig had been placed on the throne and done nothing, the Ming Dynasty might not have fallen.

However, although he thought this in his heart, he would never say it out loud.

Zhou Lun gave Qiao Daonan a half-smile. Since Qiao Daonan had already put things this way, Zhou Lun couldn't continue to play dumb. Today's meeting wasn't just about figuring out each other's true intentions; Zhou Lun also needed to state his own conditions. Otherwise, wouldn't the meeting have been a waste?

He sighed, and said to Qiao Daonan with great helplessness, "Lord Qiao, I wholeheartedly agree with what you say..."

Seeing a flicker of joy cross Qiao Daonan's face, Zhou Lun continued, "But the conditions you and Governor Yang have offered are far too insincere. How can we possibly accept the imperial court's offer of amnesty under such conditions?"

"Brother Zhou, isn't that a bit much?" Qiao Daonan said anxiously. "Lord Yang's terms are quite generous. He pardons you all from the death penalty and petitions the court to bestow official titles upon you. These are extremely sincere offers no matter where you put them..."

Before Qiao Daonan could finish speaking, Zhou Lun waved his hand and said, "These are just pretexts, but there's nothing to it."

Seeing Qiao Daonan's surprise, Zhou Lun stopped beating around the bush and directly stated his request.

Zhou Lun's requirements were simple: in addition to the conditions for pacification that Qiao Daonan had just mentioned, Zhou Lun had three more requirements.

The first requirement was the allocation of provisions and pay.

Since they were being recruited, their rebel army would be transformed from bandits into government troops, becoming part of the imperial corps, and thus receiving government stipends.

They're paid by the emperor, but what about their grain? Their military pay? These must be provided by the imperial court, right?

Gao Yingxiang's troops currently number over 20,000. Even if we make it a full 20,000, the amount of grain they consume daily is not insignificant.

In addition, regarding military pay, according to the court's standards for border troops, a month's pay would be 40,000 taels of silver. Zhou Lun's request wasn't high; he simply wanted half a year's pay and provisions allocated in advance. In total, this amounted to approximately 72,000 dan of grain plus 240,000 taels of silver.

The second requirement is the division of territory.

Currently, Gao Yingxiang's troops have occupied the Fugu area, which is now under their actual control.

Fugu was under the jurisdiction of Jiazhou, and roughly one-third of the area from Fugu to Jiazhou was under Gao Yingxiang's control—a considerable territory. Therefore, a single military commander and commander-in-chief were simply insufficient.

If Yang He is sincere, he should at least give Gao Yingxiang the title of deputy commander-in-chief, plus the additional title of vice commander of the governor's office.

As for Gao Yingxiang's subordinates, such as Zhou Lun himself, as well as Li Wanqing, Wang Er, Zhao Sheng, Huang Long, and Liu Zhe, in addition to holding military ranks no lower than commanders, they were also required to receive hereditary centurions as rewards.

Thirdly, even after being pacified, Gao Yingxiang's troops would obey orders but not proclamations.

In other words, it's acceptable for a bandit to become an official, but Yang He needs Gao Yingxiang's consent to transfer his troops.

Moreover, Gao Yingxiang's troops would absolutely not march south to join forces with the government army to deal with Wang Jiayin immediately after being pacified; this was Gao Yingxiang's bottom line.

After all, they were all from the same righteous army and had a history of friendship. Moreover, when they first formed an alliance, Wang Jiayin was the leader and Gao Yingxiang was the deputy leader. They were all brothers, and blood was thicker than water.

Gao Yingxiang, a dignified and respectable man, even when he offered amnesty, it was to find a way out for his men. Yet he couldn't bring himself to turn his blade against his former brothers.

If Yang He could agree to these three demands and put them into practice, then Zhou Lun would be fully confident in persuading Gao Yingxiang to accept the offer of amnesty and defect. If he couldn't, there was nothing Zhou Lun could do about the amnesty.

After hearing Zhou Lun's request, Qiao Daonan was instantly dumbfounded.

He never expected the other party to be so outrageous, proposing such absurd conditions. He, Qiao Daonan, couldn't make any of these three decisions; they were far beyond his authority.

He had to consult Yang He before replying to Zhou Lun. However, Qiao Daonan still tried to dissuade Zhou Lun, saying that these conditions were too high and it was really difficult for him. To be honest, Qiao Daonan wasn't sure if Yang He would agree either.

Zhou Lun smiled and said it was no problem. Today was only their first meeting, and the main purpose was to communicate. Just like negotiating a business deal, you make an offer, and I counter-offer—it's only natural. It doesn't matter if Qiao Daonan can't make the decision; he can just report his requirements to Yang He, who can. What if this Governor-General agrees? Right?

Left with no other choice, Qiao Daonan could only promise to report it as soon as possible and wait for Yang He's reply.

And so, they got to know each other during their first meeting, but nothing came of it.

Zhou Lun wasn't in a hurry. After Qiao Daonan hurriedly returned to Shenmu, Zhou Lun and his men didn't go back to Fugu either, but settled down here in peace.

Zhou Lun didn't even need to worry about their food, drink, or other necessities. Before Qiao Daonan left, Zhou Lun had made a request: since he was brought in to discuss this matter, he should at least help with their supplies while they were here.

Qiao Daonan was speechless as he looked at Zhou Lun, who was all smiles and had an incredibly thick skin.

However, for the sake of the grand plan of pacification, he finally gritted his teeth and agreed. Not long after returning, he sent someone to deliver grain and meat. In this way, Zhou Lun, on the one hand, sent someone to report the situation of the day to Gao Yingxiang, and on the other hand, he leisurely set up camp there.

The situation in Shaanxi changed after Wang Jiayin marched south. Shortly after Hong Chengchou led his troops away from Xi'an, news came from Qingyang Prefecture that the bandit leader Shen Yiyuan and his brother Shen Yikui had split their forces with Wang Jiayin's main force, first capturing Bao'an County, and then marching directly southwest to take over the heart of Shaanxi.

Upon hearing the news, Yang He could no longer sit still and immediately mobilized his troops to personally oversee the situation in Qingyang Prefecture. He had barely arrived when Qiao Daonan's letter arrived.

Yang He opened the letter and read it carefully, initially full of anticipation for good news from Qiao Daonan. But after reading half of it, his expression changed. Anger appeared on his face, his eyebrows stood up, and he looked furious.

"How dare you, you scoundrel!"

With a loud "smack," Yang He slammed his hand on the table, the force so great that the teacup fell to the ground and shattered.

Hearing the commotion, the guards outside rushed in to check. Yang He waved to them, and seeing the broken porcelain shards on the ground and confirming that Yang He was indeed unharmed, the guards withdrew.

Yang He stood up, his anger still burning, and paced back and forth in the room.

The conditions proposed by Zhou Lun were simply unacceptable to him.

Yang He simply cannot meet any of these three conditions.

The issue of provisions and military pay was exacerbated by the severe drought in Shaanxi over the past two years, coupled with the tight finances of the imperial court. As the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions, Emperor Chongzhen only provided him with a paltry three thousand taels of silver for military expenses when he left Beijing, which was far from sufficient.

Upon arriving in Shaanxi, he was already overwhelmed with various matters as the Governor-General of the Three Border Regions. In particular, the deployment of troops to suppress the rebel army required money and provisions, but he simply did not have much at hand and was powerless to do anything about it.

Now Zhou Lun is asking for 72,000 dan of grain and 240,000 taels of silver? Yang He isn't a god, where would he get so much money and grain?

Besides, if Yang He had so much money and grain, wouldn't it be more appropriate to spend it on military operations to suppress the rebels than to offer them amnesty?

As for the promise of official titles, while it was somewhat excessive, it was still barely acceptable. However, official titles were official titles, and Yang He, the governor of the capital, could not make that decision on his own; it required the emperor's approval.

The last one was what angered Yang He the most. Did Gao Yingxiang intend to become Erlang Shen (a deity in Chinese mythology) by obeying orders but not proclamations?

Even if Gao Yingxiang's troops were appeased, what good would it do? They would remain independent, and even explicitly stated they would not march south to participate in the government's military campaign against Wang Jiayin. What benefit would this bring to themselves or the court?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Yang He felt a surge of anger welling up inside him, which he couldn't vent. He instinctively grabbed the letter, intending to tear it to shreds.

But the moment he moved his finger, his remaining rationality brought him back to his senses.

He took a few deep breaths, slowly sat back in his chair, stared blankly at the letter in his hand, and frowned in deep thought.