Chapter 45: Scheming Against Qian Jian

  Ma Yuntao, Bai Meng and Ding Zhongming stared foolishly at Ma Qi as he pledged allegiance to Wang Yuezhe, their minds a complete muddle, unable to believe what was happening before their eyes. That arrogant and conceited young master had actually pledged allegiance to the Western Sichuan Army! The object of his allegiance was even younger than him - the young commander of the Western Sichuan Army! Although they were unwilling to believe what was happening before their eyes, they had no choice but to accept reality.

  "Too much courtesy, General! Ma Qi is ashamed and dare not accept!" Ma Qi hastily shook his head. Now, he was under Wang Yuze's command, so he had to put things in their proper place. Although Wang Yuze called him "older brother", if he really took himself as the older brother, that would be a bit too much.

  Wang Yuezhe didn't say much more. Ma Qi, although a bit arrogant, was still quite talented. However, Wang Yuezhe couldn't fully trust him yet.

  "Mr. Ma, Bai Meng, Ding Zhongming, what are your plans?" Ma Qi turned around and asked them. These three people in the Qingma Army also belonged to the actual power faction. If they had their support, it would be easier for him to seize the power of the Qingma Army. Especially the troops of Bai Meng and Ding Zhongming were stationed in Nangqian, where the three battalions were all elite. If he could control them, that would also be a considerable capital.

  "Ah! Young master, you want us to betray Admiral-sama together with you?" White Moe immediately jumped up.

  Ma Yuntao and Ding Zhongming's faces also looked a bit unsightly. Now they were in Changdu! This was the territory of the Sichuan Western Army, and now that they knew about Ma Qi's loyalty to the Sichuan Western Army, wasn't that like a sheep entering a tiger's den?

  "That's right! The Qing government has become corrupt and no longer has the vigor it once had when it was expanding its territory in the northwest. If we continue down this path, there will eventually be a day of defeat and collapse! Now, our only option is to reform and follow the example of the Sichuan Army if we want to have any hope for improvement!" Ma Qizhen said firmly.

  "Mr. Ma, General Bai and General Ding, you three are all intelligent people. I'm sure you're also aware of which one has more development potential between Sichuan and the Qing court. The Ma family army is blindly relying on the Qing court and opposing me in Sichuan, how can there be a good outcome in the future? Now, if you pledge allegiance to Sichuan, I guarantee that in the future, you will have endless wealth and glory!" Wang Yuzeng solemnly promised to Ma Yuntao, Bai Meng and Ding Zhongming.

  Ma Yuntao, Bai Meng and Ding Zhongming hesitated, they were not three-year-old children anymore, knowing that if they refused Wang Yuez's kindness, they would probably not be able to leave here today. Even if the Sichuan Army didn't kill them, they definitely wouldn't let them go back to report the news.

  In addition, Ma Yun-tao also thought of other things. This time his task was not completed, and when he returned to Xining, what awaited him would definitely be punishment. Since that's the case, why not rebel! Even Ma Hai-yan's own son had betrayed him, so how could he blame these outsiders? Besides, with the strength of Chuanxi, who knows, they might really be able to overthrow the Qing dynasty in the future, and at that time, they would be the founding fathers!

  However, the only thing to worry about is their family. According to the custom of the Qinghai Army, all the families of the regimental commanders live in Xining, which allows Ma Haiyan to effectively control the entire Qinghai Army. The generals who command the troops will not betray Ma Haiyan at the cost of their family's lives. If they betray Ma Haiyan, their families will be doomed. Ma Haiyan is not a good person, he killed many people when he started the uprising, and if they join him, they will only have one dead end.

  "General, if we surrender to the Sichuan forces, our families will be doomed!" Ma Yuntao said with a gloomy expression. Although he had no other choice now, thinking of his wife and children being killed by Ma Haiyan still made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

  "We will do our best to rescue your family members from Xining. However, I cannot guarantee how many we can rescue. But I promise you, we will try our utmost!" Wang Yuze said immediately. This is an unavoidable problem, if you want to get something, you must pay first.

  Seeing Wang Yuze's solemn guarantee, Ma Yuntao, Bai Meng and Ding Zhongming felt a little better. Wang Yuze's approach made them feel valued.

  "Ma Yuntao, Bai Meng, Ding Zhongming from now on, obey General Shao's orders!" Ma Yuntao, Bai Meng and Ding Zhongming knelt down in front of Wang Yuezhe, saying loudly.

  "Haha, great, the three of you please rise now, we are a family from now on!" Wang Yuze was extremely delighted. Because these three men's object of loyalty was him, not their former master Ma Ke. This made Wang Yuze even less afraid that Ma Ke would have any second thoughts.

  Ma Qi saw such a scene, and a flash of dissatisfaction appeared in his eyes, but it disappeared soon. After all, what qualifications did he have to ask others to be loyal now? There were better objects, Ma Yuntao and the others would not choose him. After all, good birds choose trees to perch on! Compared with Ma Qi, Wang Yuezhe's future was undoubtedly more promising. Once Chuanxi succeeded, if Wang Yuezhe became the new emperor of the empire, then they would be the meritorious officials who had helped the dragon rise to power.

  "Now, let's discuss what to do next! You know more about the actual situation of the Qingma Army than we do. If our Xixi Army attacks the Qingma Army, how can we defeat them with the smallest cost and control the entire Qinghai?" Cai Yun said with a delighted face. Ma Yuntao's surrender meant that the door to entering Qinghai had been opened, and it was likely that they could also gain 3,000 elite cavalrymen, which would be a great start!

  "General Xiao, Commander-in-Chief Cai, I don't know how many troops your army plans to deploy this time?" Ma Yuntao asked.

  "For this campaign, the Tenth Division will mainly take on the task of attacking the Qing Ma Army. As for the Fourth Division, it will be responsible for defending against the He Zhou Ma Family Army," said Cai Yun.

  "A single brigade, over 8,000 people?" Ma Qi, Ma Yun-tao, Bai Meng and Ding Zhongming's faces all looked a bit unsightly. The Qingma Army should have at least 30,000 elite troops! Although the Chuanxi Army is powerful, with only one brigade attacking the Qingma Army, it seems somewhat insufficient! Moreover, the main purpose of the Chuanxi Army is still to reorganize the Qingma Army, and this small force is extremely weak!

  "It's just an initial investment of one division. If it doesn't go smoothly, we'll invest more troops. Of course, everyone also knows that our main enemy is still the Qing court, and a large number of troops are being held back by the Qing court, so we can't invest more troops in Qinghai! With the help of several of you, I believe that if things progress smoothly, one division will be enough!" Wang Yuzhang also said.

  "Although the troops are a bit scarce, as General Shao said, if the plan is thorough and progresses smoothly, it may be enough. The Green Horse Army has more than 30,000 elite soldiers, divided into 36 battalions. However, half of the forces are concentrated in Xining, while the remaining forces are divided into two parts: eight battalions are deployed in the Yushu area and another ten battalions are deployed in the Maqu area to counter the Sichuan army!" Ma Yuntao said.

  As Ma Haiyan's staff officer, he was more familiar with the deployment of the Qingma Army than even Ma Qi, the young master.

  "From Changdu going north, Yushu will be our main direction of attack. Among the eight battalions deployed in Yushu, three are from the front line in Kangding. They are General Bai's 12th battalion and General Ding's 17th battalion. There is also Zhang Mingyuan's 23rd battalion! We can completely rely on General Bai and General Ding's troops to force Zhang Mingyuan to surrender. In this way, we can get a complete three thousand elite troops. At that time, when we attack Yushu with lightning speed, we will at least get five or six thousand troops. Adding the 10th Brigade of the Western Sichuan Army, it is not impossible for us to have the strength to confront the Qinghai Army head-on!" Ma Yuntao analyzed calmly. Since he had already decided to pledge allegiance to Western Sichuan, he naturally had to show his true abilities.

  "So, the most important point of this plan is to capture the pocket. General Bai, General Ding, are you two confident?" Wang Zizai looked at Bai Meng and Ding Zhongming.

  "Don't worry, General, the entire 12th battalion, from top to bottom, are all my men! They will all follow me!" White Meng said immediately.

  "General, my 17th Regiment is the same!" Ding Zhongming also replied.

  Update 1 is here! The western Sichuan expansion has begun, seeking support!