So, in less than half a month, the Western thief Sun Kewang set out from Wuding Prefecture, attacked Yunnan Prefecture, and occupied Kunming City.
In other words, the entire ruling center of Yunnan no longer belongs to the Ming Dynasty.
If it is in other provinces, this means the disappearance of a province, a big news like the sky is falling.
But it is different in Yunnan. Here, the chieftains and the government govern together, and the Yunnan government is only part of the government.
There are twenty-seven prefecture-level administrative units in Yunnan as a whole, including countless Xuanfu Departments, Appeasement Departments, etc.
As the huge Third Division of Yunnan Province moved to Chuxiong Mansion, at the same time, Mu Tianbo, as the Duke of Guizhou, ordered the chieftains of Yunnan to suppress the bandits.
In an instant, dozens of chieftains mobilized their troops, and the whole of Yunnan fell into chaos. The smoke was thick and the people were in dire straits.
However, the news that the governor of Yunnan sent a messenger to ask for help passed through Guizhou, entered Huguang, and then traveled to Nanjing.
The time has come for the rainy season.
The misty and rainy Jiangnan is full of pedestrians and black boats, shrouding the entire Jiangnan in a beautiful scenery.
Emperor Hongguang was in a good mood during this period.
The resolution of the three major cases, especially the fake prince case, completely established his legal status.
Because the prince is fake and has been witnessed by all the officials, this means that if any prince or something shows up in the future, he will be treated as a fake.
The prince Zhu Cixiang, who was trapped in the rebel army, would not be able to make waves even if he came back.
Therefore, he did not brutally kill the false prince, but comforted him and caused ripples in people out of thin air.
However, what troubled Emperor Hongguang was that for nearly a year, the concubines in the harem had nothing, not even half a prince.
This made him doubt himself:
"Am I really not good at it?"
Just when he was distracted, Ma Shiying, the chief minister of the cabinet, came to ask for a meeting.
"Announce him to come in!"
Holding his fleshy chin with one hand, Hong Guang's eyes were full of doubts. He was thirty-eight years old, did he really want to have an heir?
Ma Shiying walked in with his head held high and saw the melancholy emperor. He couldn't help but ask:
"Now that the country is at peace, does your Majesty have anything to worry about?"
Hongguang waved his hand and dismissed the palace maid and eunuch.
Wearing a light yellow dragon robe, although the emperor has a fat head and big ears, his face is pale and his eyebrows are full of worry:
"I am nearly forty years old, which is the age for ordinary people to have grandchildren. However, the palace is half a year old and there are no children. I am very worried!"
Although Emperor Hongguang liked to have fun, having few heirs was definitely the most important thing for him to stay in the harem.
Without heirs, no matter how powerful the emperor was, he could not pass on.
The Ming Dynasty's cabinet system was enough to ensure that he would not lose his authority. Even Ma Shiying, who held great power, had to curry favor with the emperor in order to do whatever he wanted.
When Ma Shiying heard this, he was startled, and then immediately said: "Your Majesty, the Spring and Autumn Period is at its peak, and there is no need to worry about the issue of heirs."
"Alas!" If there was no such comfort, Emperor Hongguang waved his hands and said: "This is fate. If the brothers are gone, there will be no heirs, and this damn trespasser will do it."
The emperor's hateful expression and his almost engulfing gaze did not affect Ma Shiying.
He has long thought about the issue of heirs, or in other words, he and the Donglin Party members have begun to fight openly and secretly.
Just like Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, he advocated adopting an heir to the clan and inheriting the throne.
The Donglin Party members wanted King Lu to succeed to the throne because the succession of Lord Chang would bring happiness to the world.
But the look on his face when he looked at Emperor Hongguang showed that he had become less anxious in recent years.
"Your Majesty, there is news from Yunnan that the Western bandits, who came south from Sichuan Province, have entered Yunnan and occupied Yunnan Prefecture."
Ma Shiying cupped his hands.
"What?"
Hong Guang was stunned. Yunnan Prefecture is the capital of Yunnan. Of course he knew its status and was immediately shocked: "Why don't you send troops and generals to rescue Yunnan Province?"
"The inheritance of our ancestors cannot be taken away by Western thieves again."
Ma Shiying pursed his lips and said softly: "Your Majesty, I think that He Tengjiao of Jiujiang has not been given the title of military governor of Huguang, Guizhou and other places? Why not let him lead the troops to put down the rebellion in Yunnan?"
"He Tengjiao?" Emperor Hongguang was stunned and said, "Isn't he in Jiujiang? If you want to go to Yunnan, I'm afraid you have to pass through Huguang!"
"Your Majesty is wise!" Ma Shiying praised: "It is precisely to pass through Huguang, borrow a road from the King of Yu to transport troops, and then pass through Guizhou and reach Yunnan."
"I'm afraid this will disturb King Yu."
Emperor Hongguang hesitated.
Although he lacks political ability, he has listened to many court discussions in the past year and has a rough understanding of the political implications.
Damn it, the emperor is actually smart.
Ma Shiying cursed secretly, but thinking about the excuse he had just discussed with Ruan Dacheng, he blurted out: "It's not a surprise, it's just a test."
"If King Yu agrees to borrow the road, it can be seen that King Yu still has respect for His Majesty and the court."
"And if it is not allowed, the court will have to be on tight guard."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Hongguang was stunned. He was stunned for a while and said slowly: "Now that we are facing a powerful enemy, it is still not possible to reduce the vassal status."
"Weichen naturally understands."
Ma Shiying was a little impatient.
"That's all, I understand."
Emperor Hongguang waved his hand and said: "I will support you at the imperial meeting."
"Your Majesty is wise!" Ma Shiying smiled and held up his hands.
Immediately, an imperial meeting was convened to discuss matters related to Yunnan.
Regarding the Western thieves, both the Donglin Party and Ma Shiying emphasized suppression. In this regard, their interests were consistent.
However, the methods of suppression are different.
Ma Shiying argued that He Tengjiao had been in Jiujiang for a long time, trained troops for a long time, and held the position of Yungui, so it was natural for him to go to quell the chaos.
More importantly, He Tengjiao is from Guizhou and can effectively deploy Guizhou's troops and horses to better suppress the Western bandits in Yunnan.
However, the Donglin Party has always been flattering and opposed, so Jiang Yueguang directly said:
"He Tengjiao is the governor of Huguang, but he is catching fish and turtles in Jiujiang. He is enjoying himself. How can he know the soldiers?"
"Furthermore, the Western thieves are so powerful. He Tengjiao is a scholar and has never led an army. How can he win?"
"I've never heard of many of Guizhou's soldiers and horses being able to fight. A few toasts have been used for several years. It can be seen that the people of Guizhou are all idle, so why bother?"
Directly staged a personal attack, Ma Shiying was immediately furious.
He is from Guizhou, isn't this just a stab in his heart?
On the side, Qian Qianyi saw the spark and hurriedly stopped him: "Let me say some fair words."
"Let's not mention the soldiers and horses in Guizhou for now, but He Tengjiao from Jiujiang must go to Huguang if he wants to go to Yunnan."
"How about King Yu's side then?"
"It's impossible to transfer from Jiangxi to Lingnan and then enter Guizhou, right? The day lilies will be cold by then."