Chapter 20: The Warlord of the Late Ming: Zuo Liangyu!

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Zhu Cilang asked directly, “What do you think of Zuo Liangyu?”

Zuo Liangyu—the Ming Dynasty’s general with the largest number of mercenaries under his command!

According to historical accounts, Zuo Liangyu was a man who valued his mercenaries highly, possessing great intelligence and cunning.

When the Ming Dynasty was nearing its collapse, Emperor Chongzhen ordered Zuo Liangyu to rally forces to protect the throne. Yet, commanding hundreds of thousands of troops, Zuo ignored the emperor’s command and chose not to come to the rescue.

Later, after the Southern Ming was established, Zuo pledged allegiance to it.

But through a twist of fate, he eventually died.

After his death, his son, Zuo Menggeng, led his father’s troops to surrender to the Qing.

Zhu Cilang personally despised Zuo Liangyu.

Although Zuo never formally defected to Li Zicheng or the Manchu invaders, his subsequent actions were little different from betrayal.

This man was nothing short of a ticking time bomb!

Just as he was thinking this, Sun Chuanting replied, “I have collaborated with Zuo Liangyu several times. He is brave and resourceful—a capable general.”

“However, he does seem to have a tendency to value his own power excessively.”

Sun Chuanting gave his candid assessment.

So, it was not just his own suspicion that Zuo Liangyu was self-important; others knew it too!

Zhu Cilang smiled bitterly to himself, then asked, “Then what do you think about killing him?”

Uh...

Sun Chuanting was instantly speechless.

After all, Zuo Liangyu was still a general of the court. How was he supposed to respond?

But since the Crown Prince had asked, he dared not refuse.

After a moment’s thought, Sun Chuanting said, “Though Zuo Liangyu does seem to place too much trust in his own troops, he has yet to betray the court. I believe it is better not to kill him.”

“To execute him on these grounds would likely damage morale.”

Zhu Cilang rubbed his nose, finding some merit in Sun’s words.

“Very well. I shall entrust Zuo Liangyu’s forces to you. Until your elite troops are ready, let Zuo use his troops to contain Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong.”

“Of course, before that, I will make sure to give Zuo Liangyu a stern warning so that he harbors no other intentions.”

Zhu Cilang declared.

“Your command shall be obeyed!”

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Though unsure how the Crown Prince intended to win over Zuo Liangyu, Sun Chuanting respectfully accepted the task.

Counting the 50,000 new recruits planned, the 5,000 capital garrison soldiers, plus Zuo Liangyu’s troops, Sun was about to command a force of around 70,000 to 80,000!

To be honest, even Sun felt a twinge of apprehension.

After a brief hesitation, he inquired, “Your Highness, which eunuch will be assigned as the supervising officer for this campaign?”

It was an interesting custom in the Ming military: every commander going into battle had to be accompanied by a supervising officer.

This supervisor held immense power—even able to override the general’s orders.

These supervisors were almost always eunuchs whom the emperor trusted in order to prevent generals from becoming too powerful.

If one was lucky, the eunuch would be greedy but not meddlesome—a bribe could keep him quiet.

But if unlucky, a greedy and meddlesome eunuch would cause great trouble for the frontline troops.

Sun Chuanting had suffered such a fate before.

So he earnestly hoped Zhu Cilang would assign him a eunuch supervisor who would not interfere recklessly.

However, Zhu Cilang shook his head upon hearing this.

“There will be no supervising eunuch this time. All decisions are yours alone!”

Chongzhen had distrusted Sun because he did not truly understand him.

But as a time traveler, Zhu Cilang knew Sun very well.

Therefore, he trusted Sun completely.

If he did not, how would he be different from Emperor Chongzhen?

Sun Chuanting, in the late Ming, was like Zhuge Liang of the Three Kingdoms or Yue Fei of the Song Dynasty.

Given sufficient trust, he would deliver results to completely satisfy his sovereign.

Upon hearing there would be no supervising eunuch, Sun was deeply moved.

This was absolute trust from Zhu Cilang!

But...

He could not accept it.

So the next moment, Sun bowed again and said, “Your Highness, please assign me a supervising eunuch. With such a vast army under my command, even if Your Highness trusts me, the court officials will not.”

“If they rise up against me, and Your Highness defends me, would that not invite criticism from the ministers?”

“To train troops and suppress bandits without worry, I humbly ask you to assign a supervising eunuch.”

“Additionally, I wish to bring my wife and children to Beijing to dispel any suspicion from the civil and military officials.”

Zhu Cilang considered and finally nodded in agreement.

Only by doing so could they silence the court officials and prevent any faults from being found.

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After all, not everyone trusted Sun Chuanting.

“Very well, I shall assign a squad of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to accompany you as your supervising officers.”

“Any requests you have can be communicated to me through them.”

“Besides, these guards will serve as your personal protectors; you may command them freely.”

“As for your family, bringing them to the capital is fine. I will ensure they are well cared for.”

Zhu Cilang said.

Sun Chuanting breathed a sigh of relief, then knelt solemnly.

“I thank Your Highness for your trust. I will not fail your expectations!”

Afterward, Zhu Cilang discussed the campaign against the bandits in Shaanxi with Sun.

No doubt, Sun was gifted in this regard, possessing unique strategies against Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong.

He even tactfully reminded Zhu Cilang that relying solely on military force would not solve the bandit problem in Shaanxi.

Ultimately, the key was to resolve the food shortage.

Those who followed Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong rebelled out of hunger.

If the court could provide them with food, they would naturally become law-abiding citizens.

Zhu Cilang was well aware of this.

He had long since devised a plan: to promote the large-scale cultivation of high-yield crops like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and corn as staple food.

However, with so many urgent matters at hand, he had not yet implemented this plan.

Once the Battle of Songjin was over, he would begin promoting these crops.

By simultaneously suppressing bandits and encouraging the populace to grow high-yield crops, the problems posed by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong would be nearly resolved.

After some more discussion, Zhu Cilang ordered Sun Chuanting to be escorted back to his temporary residence.

Before heading to Shaanxi to train troops, Sun needed to rest and recuperate.

If anything happened along the way, it would be a great loss.

After a while, Ma Baolai, standing guard at the door, reported that Luo Yangxing had arrived.

No need to guess; Zhu Cilang knew he was here to report on the results of the house search.

“Let him enter,” Zhu Cilang said.

Shortly after, Luo Yangxing appeared before Zhu Cilang.