Chapter 1145: The New Coastal Commander
Jiang Daliang recounted in detail how the rebels had contacted him, asking for his help to open the city gates from the inside and collaborate.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xu couldn't help but chuckle. "You, a local boy, actually thought about becoming an inside man for the rebels."
Jiang Daliang looked a bit embarrassed, even ashamed. "I just wanted to lure the rebels in to kill Wang Wen."
Cheng Xu sighed. "Look, I can understand why you'd think that. Sometimes, when the weak want to fight back against the strong, they feel like they have to gamble everything. But you also have to consider the ordinary folk of Chongqing. Luring in rebels might kill Wang Wen, but countless more innocent people would suffer. Sacrificing an entire city just to eliminate one man—that's fundamentally wrong."
"I understand," Jiang Daliang admitted, shame coloring his voice. "I've been agonizing over it, but seeing Instructor He made me realize I couldn't go through with it."
Cheng Xu nodded. "It's never too late to pull back from the brink. The fact that you came to me and confessed everything means you're already forgiven. Now, go about your business."
Jiang Daliang looked surprised. "Instructor He, aren't you going to have me continue to contact the rebels, then pretend to open the gates and lure them into an ambush?"
Cheng Xu chuckled. "We're not going to stoop to such a dishonorable tactic, especially when it would put you at immense risk."
"I'm not afraid to die!" Jiang Daliang declared.
Hearing those words, Jiang Daliang was overwhelmed with a mix of emotions, speechless for a moment. Profoundly moved... truly touched.
"Then... then I'll join the army, I want to be a soldier!" Jiang Daliang dropped to his knees in a flash. "Please, let me join your army! If I'm a soldier, then I can do dangerous work!"
Cheng Xu smiled. "Even as a soldier, you wouldn't be doing that particular job. Haha, with all the bombing and shelling we've been doing at Tieshan Ping, the rebels' scouts aren't blind, are they? They've probably long since fled in terror. If you go to Longtou Temple now, you'll likely find they've already vanished."
"Huh?" Jiang Daliang blinked, momentarily stunned, then quickly dashed out of the city, heading towards Tieshan Ping.
Sure enough, when he reached Longtou Temple, the ten thousand rebel troops who had been hiding there were nowhere to be found. Only the bodies of three monks—an old one and two young ones—remained in the temple...
The rebels had fled!
Returning to Jiangbei City, Jiang Daliang launched into a fervent confession before Cheng Xu. "It's all my fault! If only I had told you about the rebels' presence here sooner, you wouldn't have attacked the local strongmen first, and you wouldn't have accidentally alerted the rebels, allowing them to escape."
"It's alright, you're not to blame," Cheng Xu reassured him. "Those local strongmen were a problem that had to be dealt with regardless. Besides, by eliminating them, we've firmly established ourselves in Chongqing. With cooperation from Chengdu, the rebels will have nowhere left to run, sooner or later."
Just as Cheng Xu had said, establishing a base in Chongqing would be immensely helpful for controlling Sichuan.
Chongqing's strategic location was paramount.
All goods transported from downstream could be unloaded at Chongqing's Chaotianmen Pier, then transferred to smaller boats, and radiated upstream via the Yangtze and Jialing Rivers. Gao Family Village's logistics could then supply almost half of Sichuan—
In the capital city, at the morning court.
The Chongzhen Emperor, Zhu Youjian, wore a rare expression of joy. Seated on his imperial throne, his back was ramrod straight, and an aura of renewed vigor emanated from him.
Just moments ago, news of a great victory at Pi Island had arrived.
The entire court, both civil and military officials, rejoiced.
Zhu Youjian's mood soared as if on a jet plane.
A rare and significant victory, dealing a heavy blow to the Manchus, killing nearly ten thousand of the enemy, and securing their base behind enemy lines. Both strategically and tactically, it was a truly exhilarating triumph.
Zhu Youjian slapped his imperial throne and laughed heartily. "Hahaha! I hear the greatest credit for this victory belongs to Cao Wenzhao! He anticipated the Manchus' flanking maneuver and, by spending a fortune to hire pirates, ambushed the Manchu fleet at sea. That's how we achieved this great triumph! Minister Cao truly lives up to his reputation as our dynasty's foremost general!"
With the Emperor himself speaking this way, the officials, naturally, followed suit with their own praises.
"General Cao is truly a brilliant commander!"
"Only General Cao could have achieved such a great feat!"
"The strategy of hiring pirates was utterly ingenious!"
"To think pirates could be used in such a way! Your humble servant's eyes have been truly opened."
Zhu Youjian continued, "My esteemed ministers, what should be our next course of action for Pi Island?"
The moment the question was posed, officials who had been secretly contacted by Gao Family Village through Wu Shen, Shi Kefa, Lian Guoshi, and others immediately stepped forward. They memorialized, "Your Majesty, since General Cao is so valiant, why not have him remain to garrison Pi Island?"
Zhu Youjian frowned. "The situation on Pi Island has always been complex, with numerous internal conflicts and power struggles. The current island commander, Shen Shikui, is no easy man to deal with. If We were to order Cao Wenzhao to seize his command, wouldn't that merely ignite another internal rebellion on Pi Island?"
The official who had presented the memorial replied, "Although Shen Shikui has many flaws, he is nonetheless a loyal and courageous general, a man of integrity. There's no need to strip him of his command. Your humble servant believes that Shen Shikui can continue to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Dongjiang Garrison. As for Cao Wenzhao, he can be given a different official post, allowing him to legitimately remain on Pi Island."
Zhu Youjian raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What position do you propose?"
The official suggested, "How about Coastal Commander? The previous Coastal Commander, Chen Hongfan, deserted during the aid mission to Pi Island and was intercepted and killed by a Qing ambush force during his escape. The post of Coastal Commander is now vacant."
The moment he spoke, several other officials immediately chimed in. "Precisely! Chen Hongfan is dead. The position of Coastal Commander would be perfectly suited for General Cao Wenzhao!"
Zhu Youjian mused, "The Coastal Commander needs ships, but Cao Wenzhao doesn't have any, does he?"
"Doesn't he have a pirate fleet?" another official countered. "Since this pirate fleet could be hired to fight the Manchus, it stands to reason they could also be offered official positions and brought under imperial control... just like the great pirate Zheng Zhilong in the southeast, hasn't he now become a naval admiral for our Great Ming dynasty? Your Majesty, if you grant Cao Wenzhao the title of Commander-in-Chief, he will have the authority to legitimately enlist these pirates. We would gain a naval fleet for free—wouldn't that be splendid?"
"Free!" Those two words made Zhu Youjian's eyes light up. Free was excellent! Not only would it cost him nothing, but he'd gain a naval fleet. By any measure, it was an absolute windfall.
Zhu Youjian no longer needed to deliberate. With a decisive slap, he finalized his decision: "The Dongjiang Garrison will remain as is, with Shen Shikui continuing as its Commander-in-Chief. Furthermore, We appoint Cao Wenzhao as the Coastal Commander, responsible for coastal security and supporting the Dongjiang Garrison."
"Additionally, We assign Cao Wenzhao the task of pacifying and enlisting the pirates for service to the imperial court." Zhu Youjian paused, considering for a moment, then looked up. "Cao Wenzhao shall have the discretion to assign any official post below that of Guerrilla General to the pirates."
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