Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 227 Something unprecedented

"Report, Zuo Liangyu's rebels cannot escape into Annan!"

Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but smile when he heard the report.

The reason why he was advancing steadily was to force Zuo Liangyu into despair, rush into Annan, disrupt the situation there, and prepare for the Ming Dynasty to invade Annan and re-incorporate Annan into its territory.

But at the beginning, he didn't expect Zuo Liangyu to be frightened, and he huddled there as if he wanted to wait for death. Therefore, he had to send Jinyiwei spies to find Lu Ding and ask him to induce Zuo Liangyu to do what Emperor Chongzhen wanted.

Not to mention, this internal agent is really easy to use. It works as soon as it is used. Zuo Liangyu went to Annan.

However, Emperor Chongzhen did not rush to lead his troops into Annan, but continued to reorganize the remaining territory in Guangxi and wait for the end of the war in Dongwu. In this way, part of the military strength can be allocated for the war against Annan.

On Donggo's side, if the immigration exchange is to be completed, it will take at least several years. Then Annan will also need to immigrate after it is conquered. It will also take several years to completely solve the Annan problem.

Of course, Emperor Chongzhen would not forget the Manchu Qing Dynasty in Liaodong, which was also an enemy to be dealt with. There is also Japan, which also needs to be attacked.

Based on this, Emperor Chongzhen began to consider formally implementing a national military service system.
  This is not something that happened suddenly, not to mention that it had happened before in Chinese history. As for the Chongzhen Dynasty, he innovated the guard system, improved the treatment of soldiers, and even awarded many titles for military merit. This paved the way for national military service.

With this in mind, he issued a decree to the capital to formally discuss specific measures for the national military service system, and the results were to be released within six months.

By that time, Emperor Chongzhen estimated that he had also completed the transformation of the entire Guangxi.

After this decree was issued, it immediately caused a sensation in the government and the public. There are those who agree and those who are against it. In restaurants and teahouses everywhere, you can often hear arguments about this topic.

"To tell you what I'm telling you, the world has just been peaceful and it's time to recuperate and recuperate. Your Majesty is going for war, and what's more, he wants to implement a compulsory military service system. This is to expand the army and start another war. This is a policy that harms the country!"

"Your Majesty is just fighting the war that needs to be fought! Dongwu, let alone sending troops to participate in the Tusi rebellion this time, has also invaded our borders and killed the people of the Ming Dynasty before. Your Majesty said that now that our Ming Dynasty has a strong military, it will definitely The purpose is to kill the chickens and frighten the monkeys, and destroy their country as a warning to others. Otherwise, in the future, there will be barbarian countries coveting our heavenly kingdom."

"Then there's no need to expand the entire army. Why do you want everyone to be soldiers?"

"Don't forget, there are still Liaodong Jianlu who have not yet been pacified!"

"Liaodong Jianlu? They haven't entered the customs again in the past few years. It's time to stop, right? It's a bitter and cold place. Don't forget it!"

"Are you right? If you can say no to the territory that your ancestors opened up and expanded, then you don't want it? Besides, the reason why Jianlu has disappeared in the past few years is because he was frightened by the current emperor. He once captured a slave alive. Chief."

"Isn't it better to be afraid? Isn't it good for the world to be peaceful?"

"Actually, you are afraid of joining the army, right? So many years of war have proven that without a strong army, the world will be in chaos! Today's emperor treats soldiers very well. Joining the army is not like before, it should be a glorious thing!"

"..."

For most people in the Ming Dynasty, joining the army can improve social conditions and even achieve a class jump. Therefore, they are not opposed to serving as soldiers.

Only a small number of people with superior family backgrounds, the so-called rich young men, would resist joining the army. Because for them, being a soldier is not as good as the life they already have.

That is to say, these people have more say and can make their voices heard. Therefore, it seems that many people still have opinions on the implementation of this national conscription system.

Especially in places with relatively good economies in the south of the Yangtze River and along the coast, there would be more arguments like this until the Battle of Dengzhou in Shandong broke out.

In early May of the [-]st year of Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the Manchu and Qing Dynasty's Korean Navy set out from Lushun, crossed the strait, and launched a massive attack on Dengzhou, Shandong Province. The main purpose was to besiege the Dongjiang Navy's station and try to annihilate the Dongjiang Navy in one fell swoop.

Fortunately, both Kong Youde and Geng Zhongming were not vegetarians. They had already taken measures when they detected that the Manchu and Qing Dynasty's North Korean navy began to gather in Lushun on a large scale.

Therefore, when the North Korean Navy invaded on a large scale, the Dongjiang Navy, although its warships were about half the size of the North Korean Navy, could still rely on the fortifications on the shore to resist, making the North Korean Navy unhappy.

When the North Korean Navy wanted to land and attack Dengzhou and other places, it happened to encounter two newly reorganized Fujian naval forces who were ordered to go north. The situation was reversed. The North Korean Navy's more than a thousand large and small warships probably only Less than [-] ships escaped, and more than half were lost.

In this Dengzhou naval battle, although the Ming Dynasty navy won a great victory in the end, it also shocked the people along the coast and the court into a cold sweat.

In the past few years, there has been no movement from the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, which has made many people numb, thinking that the Manchu and Qing Dynasties have nothing to worry about. As a result, they suddenly invaded from the sea in a large scale.

According to subsequent interrogations, it was learned that the Manchu and Qing Dynasty's plan was to destroy the Dongjiang Navy in one fell swoop, and then attack the Jiangnan region along the coast. The entire coast of the Ming Dynasty would be within the attack range of the Manchu and Qing Navy.

In the past, when the Manchus invaded, the first people to suffer were the people in the Gyeonggi region in the north. To put it bluntly, people in the south of the Yangtze River didn't care much and felt that they were far away.

But things are different now. It is possible for the Manchu and Qing Dynasties to directly attack the Jiangnan region. Just like the Japanese pirate rebellion in the past, it left painful memories for the older generation.

In addition, after the interrogation of the prisoners captured this time, it was learned that the Manchu Qing Dynasty was aggressively expanding its army and had also purchased tens of thousands of firecrackers from the Japanese state. At this time, the entire Ming Dynasty's memory of the dangers of the Manchus returned.

It was also because of this incident that the whole-military conscription system suddenly became very smooth, and there was no longer any objection. Even if there is any opposition, it will be quickly silenced by others.

News about the naval battle naturally reached Emperor Chongzhen immediately, and was more specific than external rumors.

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen was still sitting in Guangxi, and almost all the chieftain territories had been returned to their native lands.

After seeing the memorial, he decided to return home in triumph and ignore Annan's affairs for the time being.

In fact, the Li Dynasty in Annan sent an envoy to ask for an audience with the emperor, and was willing to encircle Zuo Liangyu's tribe and ask for peace with the Ming Dynasty.

However, Emperor Chongzhen refused.

First, Annan was the territory of the Ming Dynasty, so how could there be any talk of peace?
  Second, Annan also sent troops to participate in the Battle of Kunming. It is not possible to ignore it by being soft. At least the person who made the decision must pay the price. He had already started to attack Annan, and even considered immigration, but the Dengzhou naval battle made her let Annan go for the time being.

In this Dengzhou naval battle, after two naval divisions, Zheng Zhibao and Shi Lang, participated in the battle, the North Korean Navy finally escaped with nearly half of its warships. The reason was that the North Korean Navy's turtle boats were relatively powerful and could not be destroyed without large-caliber artillery.

In addition, the Manchu Qing Dynasty's large-scale purchase of muskets from the Japanese country exceeded his expectations, with more than [-].

Emperor Chongzhen realized that in the war with the Manchus, he had to upgrade his firearms and equipment in order to continue to maintain his advantage.

If possible, he did not want his army to suffer too many losses.

As for the upgrade of firearms, to be precise, it means clicking on the technology tree. He still has to be there himself to avoid many detours.

In the past, he had no time for this and was always trying to save the nation. Now that Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong have been eliminated, the major bandits in the Ming Dynasty no longer exist. It is the turn of the Ming Dynasty to send troops to teach the barbarians a lesson, then he can free up time to build technology trees.

In mid-July of the [-]st year of Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen returned to the capital.

Although it is said that the Ming Dynasty during this period was still in the Little Ice Age, there was drought in the north and floods in the south. But one is that the population has decreased significantly, and the second, and most crucial, is that man-made disasters have decreased a lot, so although there are still natural disasters, they have not caused major problems.

Especially in recent years, the sweet potato promoted by Emperor Chongzhen has played a very huge role. Planting outside farmland greatly supplements the food ration problem.

Of course, there is also a problem with sweet potatoes, that is, if the same land is planted continuously, the harvest will become very small. Regarding this point, those experienced farmers who cannot participate in industry competitions know very well that this is a problem of the fertility of the land, and they need to cultivate the land and change the land for planting.

When Emperor Chongzhen returned to the capital, the first thing he did was to send the fallen soldiers to the Hall of Loyalty and Martyrs and pay homage to them. Then he granted Fang Zheng, who had been following him, the title of Marquis of Dongfang, a third-class marquis.

Many people were surprised by this, but it was also expected by many.

Surprisingly, Fang Zhenghua was the first eunuch to be knighted in the Chongzhen Dynasty, and he was also a third-class marquis. It was definitely very rare and a huge honor.

Unsurprisingly, Fang Zhenghua had been accompanying the emperor on all directions since he personally led the troops, and participated in all the wars. Although he did not have any apparent military exploits in attacking cities and conquering territories, his actual achievements definitely did not belong to those who had done so. A knighted general. As someone close to the emperor, it would be strange if the emperor didn't express anything at all.

Regarding this, Wang Chengen, the eunuch in charge of the ceremonial department, and Li Ruolian, the commander of the Jinyiwei, were both envious. Although they are also the emperor's most trusted people, they have never been able to go on expeditions with their families. Although they are comfortable, now Founder has been granted the title of Marquis!
  In fact, let alone them, even the prince Zhu Cixi was a little envious. He envied Fang Zhenghua for being able to accompany his father on his expeditions to the north and south, and to witness so many of his father's miracles that he was awarded the title of Marquis.

In fact, he also thought that although he was the prince and would later be the Ming Emperor, she had never led an army, and she had not gained any reputation because of his own efforts. In the past, Emperor Zhengde named himself a general. If he was granted a similar title by his father, it would be due to his hard work.

Of course, he himself knew that this was impossible. However, he still showed some meaning in his words.

No, not two days after Emperor Chongzhen returned to Beijing, during a palace dinner, he asked his father about the excitement of conquering the world.

Emperor Chongzhen answered a few words casually, then suddenly thought of a question, he looked at Zhu Cixiang and said: "The outside world is very exciting. You will also be the Ming Emperor in the future, so you should get to know the outside world! Are you ready for these days? Next, I will ask Dongfang Hou to protect you and travel around the country to learn about the local customs and people's livelihood customs."

As soon as he said these words, everyone was very surprised.

Except for a few of the founding princes of the Ming Dynasty, all other princes lived in the Forbidden City until they became emperors and died.

Zhu Cixiang was the first to come to his senses, and immediately confirmed with surprise: "Father, can my son really go out?"

For the Ming Dynasty, the Forbidden City was the center of power, but for him, the Forbidden City was his prison. Basically he could only stay here for the rest of his life, and all he could see was this piece of sky.

To a certain extent, it is also sad. So when he heard his father's words, he was naturally excited.

Emperor Chongzhen understood his mood, so he smiled and nodded and said: "Go out and see more, think more, don't pretend to be a prince, just a traveler, so that you can see what you want to see, not what the local officials want you to see." Things. All the expenses along the way are from your mother, learn to save. I give you a one-year deadline, and you can go and see me wherever you want!"

At this point, he remembered something and said with a smile: "If you meet a girl you like, you can bring her back to see if she is suitable, but it must comply with the laws of your ancestors."

Zhu Cihong is already nineteen now. If it were any other prince, he would have been married long ago, and maybe his children would be everywhere.

However, the Chongzhen Dynasty was constantly at war, and until Emperor Chongzhen was time-traveled, his marriage was not finalized. Then Emperor Chongzhen, trying to save the nation, kept leading troops to fight outside, and this matter has been delayed.

If it were another dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen's words would be a bit shocking. But the concubine of the Ming Dynasty Prince has always obeyed the folk women from a small family, which is okay.

But even so, Queen Zhou was still shocked when she heard it. She wanted to persuade him, but she saw that Zhu Cihong was already excited.

In the end, she thought for a while and said nothing more.

At this time, a female voice suddenly sounded, with a hint of complaint: "Father!"

When Emperor Chongzhen saw that it was his eldest daughter, he smiled and said, "When you go out with your brother and meet someone you like and who conforms to the laws of the ancestors, you can tell me and your mother."

Princess Kunxing's marriage was also delayed. Now in this ancient time, she is considered an old girl, she is eighteen years old.

When she heard what Emperor Chongzhen said, she was immediately overjoyed. But before she could speak, Queen Zhou frowned and said, "Your Majesty, is this bad? This has never happened before in all dynasties. It is so disrespectful of etiquette!"

The son is still mature, but the daughter is not.

When Princess Kunxing heard this, her heart suddenly dropped. She also knew that this was outrageous.

But who would have thought that after hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen said boldly: "How many unprecedented things have the Chongzhen Dynasty done?"

(End of this chapter)