The Great Rebel at the End of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 088 A Plan to Turn the Tide

Gao Yingxiang was no ordinary man; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to secure his position as the leader of the rebel army. As for Zhou Lun, needless to say, as a former business elite, he had an exceptional understanding of human nature and could guess Yang He's true intentions from this letter.

Putting ourselves in Yang He's shoes, if Zhou Lun were Yang He, this method would be the most suitable way to divide and weaken the rebel army.

If the imperial court had sufficient military strength to forcibly quell the various rebel armies in Shaanxi with overwhelming force, Yang He certainly wouldn't have done so.

The problem is that Yang He simply cannot do it now. First, there's the issue of troop strength. Although Zhou Lun doesn't know exactly how many troops Yang He has at his disposal, he can tell from the situation that he is severely lacking in manpower.

Furthermore, the rebel army is pressing forward relentlessly, and the Battle of Yan'an is about to begin. If Wang Jiayin captures Yan'an and then takes Yanchuan and Hancheng, the road to southeastern Shaanxi will be opened.

Yang He would absolutely not give up on southeastern Shaanxi. It's important to understand that Shaanxi's terrain is quite unique; Tongguan Pass is the gateway to Shaanxi.

Once Wang Jiayin takes over this place and occupies Letong Pass, the rebel army will control this passage for free entry and exit from Shaanxi.

If the rebel army advances eastward, they can enter the Central Plains, and by occupying this area, they can cut off the passage between Shaanxi and the central government. If they move westward, they can directly threaten the provincial capital, Xi'an.

Furthermore, if you continue south, you can enter the Shu region.

As a result, not only will Shaanxi be devastated, but the whole country will be shaken.

Therefore, Yang He's method was a last resort. He first tried to win over a group of rebels to weaken the overall strength of the rebel army, while also buying himself time and reinforcements.

If Yang He could stop Wang Jiayin, or even find a way to first encircle and eliminate this rebel army, the situation in Shaanxi would be greatly improved once Wang Jiayin's forces were destroyed. At that time, he would have enough troops to deal with other hidden dangers and could make arrangements at his own pace.

Whether he genuinely recruits Gao Yingxiang and others and gives them official positions, or settles scores later and turns against them, isn't it all up to Yang He's whim?

"This is utterly absurd," Gao Yingxiang declared, giving the letter of surrender a definitive assessment. In his view, neither the imperial court nor the local government, especially the court officials, could be trusted. As for the words in the letter, they were nothing but empty rhetoric meant to deceive him. How could he, a man of honor, betray his allies? If he did, how would the world view him?

"Uncle, are you planning to refuse?" Zhou Lun asked at this moment.

"What? My dear nephew, your words have a hidden meaning. Could it be that you're considering siding with the imperial court?" Gao Yingxiang asked, frowning slightly. He found it strange; he knew Zhou Lun well enough to know he wasn't the kind of person who would betray principles for personal gain. Besides, Zhou Lun wasn't stupid. Even he himself could see through Yang He's true intentions; surely Zhou Lun, with his intelligence, couldn't understand?

Zhou Lun smiled faintly and shook his head, saying, "I certainly don't have the idea of ​​sincerely surrendering to the imperial court. Since raising an army, this is the only path I can take. Throughout history, those who rebel have only two fates: either they are defeated and die, or they achieve great success."

He said seriously, "Of course, that's not absolute; there are indeed people who have been recruited. But their fates are hardly any better."

"My uncle and I both understand Yang He's intentions. However, understanding is one thing, and acting on it is another. Uncle, don't forget, it's only early spring, and there hasn't been any rain or snow for the past few months. If nothing unexpected happens, this year will likely be another year of disaster. My troops currently number over 20,000, and with the local population, the number is even greater. Even though Fugu is near the Yellow River and can draw water from it, it's just a drop in the ocean and can't cover other areas at all. In addition, farming and harvesting take time; the seeds planted in the fields don't yield a harvest immediately. If we run out of food, it will be a huge problem!"

Zhou Lun's words made Gao Yingxiang nod emphatically. Gao Yingxiang had also been troubled by this matter these past few days.

Although they had acquired Fugu as their territory, the food problem continued to plague the rebel army.

As they marched north, Gao Yingxiang's troops amassed a considerable amount of grain: Zhou Lun had previously used the pretext of attacking Shenmu to intimidate and extort some from Qiao Daonan; they also captured some grain in the battle of Gaohanling; and after taking Fugu, the grain stored in the city naturally all went to the rebel army.

However, even with this much food, the rebel army wouldn't be able to rest easy. No matter how much food they had, it would eventually run out, and the weather was the same as the previous two years; just as Zhou Lun had said, this year would likely be another year of famine.

Even though Fugu is close to the Yellow River and some areas can draw water from the Yellow River for irrigation, this is limited to a few areas near the Yellow River. Most areas cannot even draw water from the Yellow River for irrigation.

This is not the future. There are no usable machines, nor the support of various technologies. Digging canals and diverting water by manpower alone would be a massive undertaking. Even if the entire imperial court were to pool its resources and spend millions or even more taels of silver to conscript laborers, it would still take at least a decade or more to complete this task.

A distant source of water cannot quench an immediate thirst.

Once the food supplies run out, not only will the local area be unstable, but the army itself will also face serious problems. Gao Yingxiang has been secretly worried about this lately.

On the one hand, he mobilized farmers to cultivate land and grow grain in the area adjacent to the Yellow River; on the other hand, he was also thinking about ways to solve the food problem. Even today, when he summoned Zhou Lun, he not only wanted to discuss the letter, but also considered asking Zhou Lun if he could threaten Qiao Daonan, just like last time, to get some more grain from Shenmu to make up for the shortage.

Zhou Lun continued, "Since food is such a big problem, why not take this opportunity to openly demand grain from Yang He? Besides grain, there's also silver and even weapons. If Yang He can provide these to show his sincerity in pacifying us, wouldn't that be good for our troops? With grain, morale will be stable; with silver and weapons, we can use the former to buy grain from merchants, and the latter to strengthen our troops. As for the pacification, in my opinion, we shouldn't refuse; let's negotiate first. The key is to get tangible benefits in our hands first."

"Here you go!"

Gao Yingxiang's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh and burst out laughing.

This was something he hadn't expected. Now that Zhou Lun said it, it seemed like this matter could actually be handled.

Since Yang He wants to appease them, he must offer some tangible benefits, right? Just a pardon and a so-called appointment? To put it bluntly, that's not even enough to cover up the mess.

The key lies in the supply of provisions, silver, and even weapons. These are the real tangible things. With these, not only can the food shortage be solved, but the strength at hand can be further enhanced. As for the final outcome of the appeasement efforts, isn't that up to us?

It's all negotiation anyway, just like doing business. You ask for the moon, I'll negotiate the price. If we can reach an agreement, great; if not, we'll part ways and turn on each other. What can you do about it?

The more Gao Yingxiang thought about it, the more feasible he felt this approach was, far more appropriate than a direct rejection.

Moreover, Gao Yingxiang and Zhou Lun had never intended to head south. If they had, they wouldn't have parted ways with Wang Jiayin in Shenmu. Now, the more trouble Wang Jiayin causes in the south, the more secure they become in Fugu. Gao Yingxiang's true plan was to use this period of stability to develop and accumulate strength, preparing for their eventual crossing of the Yellow River and entry into Shanxi.

However, Yang He was certainly unaware of this. Yang He's biggest worry right now was that Gao Yingxiang and his men would head south to join forces with Wang Jiayin and attack the heart of Shaanxi; otherwise, he wouldn't have written to try and win them over. Given this, there was room for maneuver. They might as well try anything, even if it seemed risky; what if Yang He actually provided them with money and supplies? It wouldn't be a loss for them!

The more Gao Yingxiang thought about it, the better he felt this method was. Excited, he immediately discussed the plan with Zhou Lun. After more than half an hour, the two came up with a solution: to pretend to be interested in the conditions proposed by Yang He, while reaching out to Yang He to ask for some benefits, and see how the other party would react.

Gao Yingxiang himself couldn't handle this matter. His subordinates Huang Long and Liu Zhe were also incapable of doing it. As for Li Wanqing, Wang Er, and Zhao Sheng, they were even less capable. Therefore, Zhou Lun, as Gao Yingxiang's nephew-in-law, became the best candidate.

Moreover, the letter came from Qiao Daonan, the magistrate of Shenmu County. Zhou Lun had dealt with this guy before, and the two could be considered acquaintances.

Since that was the case, the task was assigned to Zhou Lun. Zhou Lun did not refuse and immediately agreed, assuring Gao Yingxiang that he would handle the matter perfectly.