I have a cornucopia

Chapter 213 A great scholar will interpret the scriptures for me
Prince Yang is really sincere...

He didn't want to fight with Li Zicheng.

The current situation is actually quite good for him.

And it’s almost spring.

The great chaos caused by the fall of the capital of the Ming Dynasty has lasted for nearly a year. If the war continues and drags on until spring, affecting agricultural production, it is unknown how many people will starve to death.

Because it was such an era, no matter how he struggled, the Ming Dynasty was always on the brink of collapse, or he tried his best, but in fact, he only made the collapse of the Ming Dynasty, which had already occurred, always stuck on the edge without a real collapse. But this situation was very fragile. It could be said that the current Ming Dynasty was like a pile of shaky building blocks. Although it still retained a minimum of integrity, it could disintegrate in an instant with a breath. He had to be careful to maintain it, otherwise all his efforts would be wasted if there was even a small accident.

He has to hold on.

Paperhanger.

He is now a paperhanger.

But the problem now is that it is almost impossible to continue pasting.

The gentry in Jiangnan would definitely not surrender to Li Zicheng. They were afraid of Li Zicheng, willing to negotiate and willing to make concessions, but they had never considered surrendering. It was not only because of Li Zicheng's torture and looting of the capital, but also because the torture and looting of the capital was essentially a financial issue. Li Zicheng's principle was not to pay taxes when the King of Rebellion came. His failure was not because he forgot his original intention, but because he did not forget it. However, if he did not pay taxes, there would be no fiscal revenue. So if he wanted to ensure that he had enough silver while not paying taxes, he could only torture the gentry.

The gentry are also aware of this, so this is certainly not something that can be resolved by surrender.

It’s not like those in the capital haven’t surrendered.

No matter what Li Zicheng promised them to coax them, in the end, as long as the King of Rebellion came and refused to pay taxes, he would eventually put them in a siege.

Therefore, the result of Li Zicheng's march south of the Yangtze River was that they would inevitably resist.

What about Yang Feng?

in spite of?

They will borrow troops to suppress the bandits.

Dorgon didn't really leave. He was still waiting for the gentry in Jiangnan to change their minds!
The Qing army still chose to hold on to Chuzhou and Xuyi, while stepping up the attack on Chaoxian and Anqing. The purpose was obviously to seize the Huaixi area. After all, for Dorgon, even Huaixi could provide him with food, especially around Chaohu Lake. He also controlled central Henan, so the passage from Huaixi to the capital was opened, and food could be transported north of Yinghe River and then transferred to the north by land.

As for Hauge in the capital, he could not cause any waves at all. As long as Dorgon had food, he could easily deal with him.

In short, Dorgon will not run away.

He wants to fight.

This is also the last chance for my Qing Dynasty to maintain its hegemony. If we return with nothing this time, then my Qing Dynasty will have no future.

Therefore, as long as the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River choose to call out their love to him, he can strike out at any time.

Then Jiangnan became a battlefield where all parties fought each other.

This land with the most dense population and the most concentrated wealth in the Ming Dynasty has turned into a sea of ​​blood just like it did in history.

But if Yang Feng wanted to intervene, he would go to war with Li Zicheng.

He didn't want to take the blame for the Jiangnan gentry. Even his supporters didn't want to do it. If the Shandong group lost too much in Jiangnan and Li Zicheng, what would the Qing army do if they attacked Shandong? Besides, what good would it do even if they won? At most, they could extort some silver, but it was impossible to ask for too much. This time, it was already very dangerous. If they were forced into a corner, the Jiangnan gentry would eventually resist, so they couldn't extort too much silver. What's more, if a real fight broke out, it was unknown what would happen. Did the generals in the Nanjing system really want to fight to the death with Li Zicheng to protect the wealthy families behind them?
No way?
Are they cheap?
For example, the Zheng family.

Zheng Sen has been officially named successfully...

The danger to Nanjing had been lifted, although the Qing army was actually unable to cross the river, but this was also the credit of the navy, especially since he also seriously injured Dorgon.

Although in fact Dorgon was only hit by the rubble stirred up by the artillery shells.

Just a minor injury.

But here he would definitely be seriously injured.

One shot can cause destruction over dozens of miles!
In short, Zheng Sen was successfully granted a title, his father was granted the title of Marquis of Nan'an, and he was also given the title of Deputy Governor-General, and served as the commander-in-chief of the Fujian navy. As for his uncle Zheng Hongkui, he was also granted the title of earl, admiral Caojiang Wuchen, and served as the commander-in-chief of the navy on the Yangtze River.

Many people were given titles this time. Except Gao Jie, all other major generals were given titles. And it was not requested by the regent. Li Zicheng asked Chongzhen to give titles to these people in order to win them over. In fact, it was to tell these people not to worry. When the Qin army arrives, there is no need to resist. Don't be afraid that the Qin army will deal with you. You will be given titles first. So these guys are not very reliable now. After all, generals like Zheng Hongkui and Wu Zhikui will not be able to get the title of duke even if they surrender to Li Zicheng. As for the Zheng family, Li Zicheng will not care about them at least in the short term.

Although I will definitely take care of it in the future.

But the same goes for Yang Feng!

Zheng Zhilong is not stupid. No matter how Yang Feng and Li Zicheng try to win him over or what promises they make to him now, they will eventually get rid of him.

It's just that I can't take care of it for the time being.

Therefore, under the current situation, the smartest thing for the Zheng family to do is to preserve their strength. At least when facing Li Zicheng, they would definitely not do such a stupid thing as risking their lives to protect the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.

It’s all unreliable!

"But Li Zicheng will never agree to stop. If he won't stop, what's the point of talking?"

Chen Zilong said dejectedly.

The others also looked heavy-hearted.

Negotiations are of course good, but the question is why should Li Zicheng stop?

They have an absolute advantage, with 300,000 troops going down the river and ready to set foot in Jiangnan at any time. Why stop and negotiate at this time? Can't we talk in Nanjing? Can't we talk in Suzhou? Or just go to Xuanmiao Temple and talk directly with the elders, put the clamps in place and then talk...

Or you can learn from Yang Feng and stuff the elders' heads into the clamps first, then talk while tightening the screws.

"Then it depends on whether you can stop him. After all, you are not without resistance. Yangzhou can stop the army of more than 100,000 Jianlu. Then, can't the combined strength of Jiangnan stop Li Zicheng's army? Li Zicheng is not without worries. Wu Sangui is in the north and Zhang Xianzhong is in the south. They are all his worries. Once he is blocked by the Yangtze River and loses his troops, others will attack him. Therefore, you still have to move westward. At least before Li Zicheng goes east, you must push the defense line forward as much as possible, at least to Chizhou. If you can push it to Jiujiang, it will be perfect.

As for Jiangbei, leave it to me.

Whether it is Jianlu or Li Zicheng, I will not let them threaten Nanjing."

Yang Feng said.

The power of the gentry is like a ditch; if you squeeze it you will always get some.

They must continue to empty their vast fortunes in order to defend their own.

The Jiangnan militia must advance westward along the Yangtze River and join forces with the Jiangxi militia to block Li Zicheng on the Yangtze River just like the Sun-Liu coalition forces did. However, in this way they would have to resolve battlefields such as Chao County and Anqing in advance.

In other words, fight the Qing army first.

But the gentry in Jiangnan should not want to fight the Qing army at this time. They should have been really considering borrowing troops to suppress the bandits when necessary. The Dorgon Group will be their last backup, but Yang Feng is now forcing them to fight Dorgon.

He led the elite troops behind, acting as a supervisory team in the name of protecting Nanjing, driving the militia forward to join forces with the Jiangxi militia to defeat the Qing army, and then advancing the defense line to resist Li Zicheng, blocking Li Zicheng on the Yangtze River and then negotiating with him. As for time, there was actually enough time, because even if Li Zicheng went to Hankou, he would not be able to go down the river in a short time. Nanjing had a navy, and it was a very strong navy. If Li Zicheng did not have enough navy, it would be impossible for him to go east.

He also had to raise warships first.

So there is still enough time, but it depends on whether the gentry in Jiangnan are willing to pay. After all, Dorgon is still waving to them tirelessly.

Got to stimulate them.

We have to mobilize the enthusiasm of the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River.

"There is another matter, something that must be resolved as soon as possible, and it can be said to be more important than fighting."

Yang Feng said.

"Please tell me clearly, Your Majesty!"

Zhang Huangyan quickly bowed and said.

Everyone else also looked forward to it.

Yang Feng glanced at their faces pretentiously.

"If the name is not right, then the words will not flow. Li Zicheng used the emperor to control the princes. He has the righteousness in his hands. If you want to stop him, then shouldn't you solve this problem first?"

He said.

Everyone continues to look forward to...

"Well, don't look at me. I am not very talented and learned. Although I was able to become an official by chance, I am still just a student. In terms of knowledge, I am still not as good as the great scholars in Jiangnan. But I usually think that according to the teachings of the sages, the people are the most important, the emperor is the least important, and the country is the second. At this time, Li Zicheng is holding the emperor hostage to command the princes. In order to protect His Majesty, we have to pretend to be submissive. Isn't there a limit? If we continue to endanger the country and the people like this, should we put the country and the people first?

But if we put the country and the people of the world first, and endanger Your Majesty himself, then are we not loyal enough?
It is very confusing as to which is more important.

I am not very talented or well-educated!

You are so ignorant and incompetent! "

Yang Feng said, shaking his head with a confused look.

"Your Majesty's words have enlightened me!"

Xia Wanchun said immediately.

He obviously didn't think too much about it, but Chen Zilong was different.

"This matter is indeed extraordinary. After all, we are all your Majesty's subjects, eating the emperor's salary. A son should not talk about his father, and a subject should not talk about his emperor. In my humble opinion, it would be best to gather great scholars from all over the country in the capital, such as the presidents of various academies and elders, to debate together."

Chen Zilong said deeply.

It’s time to interpret the scriptures.

Li Zicheng's biggest advantage now is that he can control the emperor to command the princes and control Chongzhen to issue orders. Yang Feng is right. Before resistance, we must first solve the problem of legitimacy. Li Zicheng holds the righteousness of the emperor and his subjects. Resisting him is resisting the emperor. He can directly accuse you of treason. Therefore, resistance to the emperor must be made legal and just, and it should not affect everyone's loyalty to the emperor. It is necessary to interpret the scriptures, and let those great Confucian scholars interpret the scriptures to provide legitimacy for this resistance and make resistance legitimate.

But they can't do this kind of thing, and they can't bear this responsibility.

This kind of interpretation will go down in history.

Of course, it may also be infamous for eternity.

After all, this is to let a group of great scholars make a clear definition for the emperor, the country, and the people. Although everyone used to say that the emperor is light and the people are heavy, in fact, everyone knows that he must be the most important in the emperor's heart.

What are the people?
But now we need to let these great scholars make it clear through debates that he is not the most important thing, but the people are.

Of course, this person is definitely not a peasant.

But it is precisely because of this that great scholars need to interpret the scriptures.

This is to truly place the teachings of sages above imperial power.

Redefine imperial power.

If this were normal, all nine generations of the family would be executed.

But the problem is that under the current situation, for the gentry in Jiangnan, they really need it urgently, not just to fight against Li Zicheng. Even if there is no threat from Li Zicheng, they have already thought about this problem. They have actually overwhelmed the imperial power, at least for the time being. The local elders' associations and academies have actually controlled the local areas, but this good day that makes them cry with joy is a castle in the air.

No foundation.

There is no legal basis.

Just because the throne is vacant.

This is an abnormal state. Once the imperial power returns or the country returns to normal, everything they have now will collapse in an instant.

So they have to fix that.

They had to find legitimacy and legal basis for the current situation that was so beautiful that it seemed like a dream to them, and build a solid foundation for it. They needed to interpret the scriptures, redefine imperial power, and create a supporting theoretical system for their control over the local areas.

"That's your business, but if someone can really solve this puzzle, Yang would be happy to see it happen. Of course, we are all loyal ministers. We are loyal to His Majesty and the Ming Dynasty. If anyone betrays the Ming Dynasty or His Majesty, Yang will not agree. As long as it's not a betrayal of His Majesty or the Ming Dynasty, everything else is fine. After all, we are all disciples of sages. What is written in the sages' books is of course correct. At most, we have different understandings and different interpretations of the sages' way.

There's nothing wrong with that.

We in the Ming Dynasty do not punish people for their words, this is all purely academic!"

Yang Feng said with a stern and righteous look on his face.

Chen Zilong and others nodded.

Understand!
As long as you don't collude with the Jianlu.

This includes not being able to collude with Zhu Cilang, because colluding with Zhu Cilang is also a betrayal of Chongzhen.

As for the final result of the debate, that all depends on one's understanding of the books of sages. Even if it is determined that the emperor will have to listen to the elders' council, that is fine.

It’s just my personal understanding!
Even if a great scholar understood from the books of sages that the emperor should listen to the elders, that was only his personal understanding. In the Ming Dynasty, where people were not convicted for their words, it was certainly not a crime. But if such an understanding was recognized by His Majesty the Emperor, and Chongzhen also believed that he and future emperors should also listen to the elders, then the urgent problem that the gentry in Jiangnan needed to solve could be solved. However, if His Majesty the Emperor recognized it, Li Zicheng had to be defeated first.

and so……

"Then don't delay. Gather the militia and reinforce the upstream area. Send troops first. I will go to Suzhou and ask the Elders' Association to raise another one million taels to recruit new soldiers."

Shen Tingyang said impatiently.

"Yi Zhong returned to Songjiang and asked the Elders' Association to continue recruiting reinforcements."

Chen Zilong said to Xia Yunyi.

……

(End of this chapter)