I have a cornucopia

Chapter 281 Duke Yansheng obeys the will of heaven to quell the rebellion?
The following battle was not affected. After Zhu Dadian was so angry that he vomited blood and fainted, all the other staff members and personal soldiers around him, including Zhang Huangyan, were also captured by Yang Feng's followers...

No one dared to resist.

After all, Yang Feng was standing there, and even those fully armed personal soldiers had to wait obediently to be held down by his followers.

The officers from Zhejiang who led the Zhejiang New Army to fight the Qing Army on the battlefield did not know what happened in their hometown and continued to command the battle. After Zhu Dadian was unconscious for an hour, they finally won the decisive battle. The Qing Army, knowing that they could not win, retreated honestly. There were more than 3,000 Qing soldiers left on the battlefield, but only 2,000 Zhejiang New Army soldiers were killed, and the main reason was that they did not have heavy artillery and could not effectively suppress the Qing Army's red cannon.

However, the latter's number was unable to effectively suppress the Ming army's artillery, which numbered hundreds.

Now, a poor guy like Dorgon simply cannot afford to use a large number of red cannons. After all, this thing is not only about the manufacturing cost, but also about throwing away money every time it fires.

In fact, there is no money even to produce him now.

Because the southern provinces have been competing to expand their military forces in recent years, the price of copper has been pushed to the point where one tael of silver can only be exchanged for less than one thousand copper coins.

You have to know that in the late Ming Dynasty, especially during the Chongzhen period, because silver was convenient to carry and run away in times of chaos, one tael of silver was exchanged for several thousand wen. But now, in less than three years, the price of copper has risen to the level of the early Ming Dynasty, which is more expensive than during the Wanli period. During the Wanli period, the price was around fifteen hundred wen. It can be said that all of it was used to cast cannons. Li Zicheng even melted the bells in the temples due to lack of copper.

After all, field artillery can only be made of bronze, and the coal-iron cast cannons in the north are only suitable for fortresses. Not to mention this time, even in the mid-19th century, before the birth of the inner mold water-cooled cast iron cannon, Krupp cast steel cannon, and Armstrong steel composite cast cannon technology, field artillery was still made of bronze. The technology mastered by the Qing Dynasty is iron inside and copper outside, and the outside must be bronze, which only reduces the cost, but the main part is still bronze. At the current copper price, Dorgon really has no money to make it, after all, a large part of the wealth of the Qing Dynasty was robbed by Yang Feng.

Now the limited gold and silver have to be used to buy food and salt. Salt alone requires a huge amount of money a year. After all, in the past the price of salt sold from Changlu Salt Field to the capital only increased fivefold, but now five times is just a fraction.

Fifteen, twenty-five.

Too expensive?

If you think it’s expensive, don’t eat it!
The Hedong salt from Li Zicheng and the Huai salt from Gao Jie are more expensive. Even the Liao salt from our Qing Dynasty is more expensive than this.

After all, the Bohai Sea shipping was completely controlled by Huang Fei. Even the nearest Liaoyan Salt Field was in Ningyuan and needed to be transported to the capital by land. Moreover, the salt industry in Ningyuan was actually half-dead. Firstly, Huang Fei's navy often attacked, and secondly, the production capacity there was originally low, and now it was even lower after the population dropped sharply.

You should know that in the past, the entire Liaodong produced less than 4 million kilograms of salt a year.

But each guard in Liaodong had its own salt field...

Even an inland Wei like Tieling Wei had its own salt field, but the salt field of Tieling Wei was in Gaizhou.

But where are the people now?

The total population of our Qing Dynasty in Liaodong is less than 200,000!

And this includes slaves. The actual number of regular soldiers of the Eight Banners was just over 10,000, and with their families, there were only about 40,000 to 50,000 people. With this small population, there was not enough to build a salt field, or to farm or hunt.

Therefore, Dorgon had to give them silver and let them find ways to buy food to supplement their food.

The economy of the Qing Dynasty has actually collapsed. It is worse than before entering the Shanhai Pass. At that time, it was supported by the harvests of plundering. Now the plundering is not enough to cover the expenses, and it has become the target of plunder. The silver is constantly plundered by Yang Feng and squeezed by profiteers. The expansion has failed one after another. Not only did it not plunder, but it also lost the military expenditure in vain. The population is getting smaller and smaller, and it is ridden on the neck by those Han tyrants who used to be dogs. It is not even possible to enter the Shanhai Pass. I thought I could enter the Shanhai Pass as a master, but now I am living worse than a slave.

sorrow.

How sad.

Of course, everything is over after this battle.

night.

"What on earth do you want to do?"

Zhu Datian, lying on the hospital bed, looked at Yang Feng who came to visit him with a heart full of grief and indignation.

"General Zhu, why do you say it was me? I was clearly in charge of the recapture of Fengyang, so why do you say I ordered them to do it?
Is Zheng Chenggong still a rebel wanted by the Nanjing court?
I am not responsible for what he does. Even though he is under the Governor-General's coastal military control, he is now a rebel wanted by the court. So what he does has nothing to do with me.

As for the actions of the Confucian Knights, they were ordered by the Grand Master, and it was the Duke of Yansheng who sent them south. I am only a member of the Knights and cannot make any decisions on behalf of the Grand Master. Moreover, the Duke of Yansheng was supported by the Shandong Tongshan Association. This was a civilian action. There was no official army going south. Even those troop transport ships were civilian fishing boats. The Confucian Knights were a civilian organization, and those transport fishing boats were civilian fishing boats. Zheng Chenggong, who led them, was a wanted rebel by the court.

Which of these has anything to do with me, the imperial official appointed as the commander-in-chief of Ji and Liao and the governor-general of the coastal areas?
It doesn’t matter!
Don't frame me!

I admit that it was because I left Shandong and was here to command the recapture of Fengyang that they took advantage of the opportunity. It was my dereliction of duty.

But to say that I instructed them to launch the Jingnan Rebellion is pure slander.

There is not a single one of my followers there; all my followers are here and in Nanjing."

Yang Feng said with a smile.

Indeed, there were no followers of his in the Jingnan Army, he just had more farmers.

But the farmers were not his slaves. They had no dependent relationship with him. They were free people who had the right to make their own choices and did not need to be responsible to him.

In short, this Jingnan Campaign had nothing to do with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi. He was commanding the attack on the Jiannu in Fengyang. It was done by the Grand Master of the Knights of Confucius and Mencius, Duke Yansheng, and the Shandong Tongshan Association.

Duke Yansheng obeyed the will of Heaven to quell the rebellion, and the Shandong Tongshan Society eradicated the traitors and fought against the rebellion!
What does it have to do with His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi?
Zhu Dadian was so angry that he pointed at him again, and was about to spit out blood again.

But suddenly he dropped his hands.

"What does the king want from us?

You asked for silver and food, and we gave them to you. You asked us to send troops to fight for the court, and we did. We believe that we have done justice to the Ming Dynasty.

I admit that what Your Majesty did was wrong, but Your Majesty should also understand that it was not the Senate that prevented Your Majesty from entering Nanjing, but the people of Nanjing who prevented him from entering Nanjing. The Senate just did not help Your Majesty.

It is Your Majesty who has been abandoned by the people, not the Senate.

The Council of Elders just wanted His Majesty to abdicate. Since the people had already abandoned His Majesty, if they continued to force His Majesty to enter Nanjing, the result would only be that the people would rise up to welcome Li Zicheng. However, if His Majesty abdicated and the Empress succeeded, the people would still be able to recognize the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It was His Majesty who was too stubborn and unwilling to consider the overall situation. It was His Majesty who was greedy for power and unwilling to put the country first. As for Zheng Chenggong's rescue, it was just an accident. His Majesty's death was also an accident. Guns and cannons are blind on the battlefield, and accidents are inevitable.

But if Your Majesty had not been stubborn and refused to abdicate, how could this have happened?

Your Majesty has lost the kingdom since the fall of the capital. The only reason he has been able to survive all these years is because of the Empress's kindness and love for the people, and the people's love for her and the people's love for her.

Otherwise, there are so many members of the royal family that no one can fail to inherit the throne."

Zhu Dadian said.

He is also an old fox. Since Yang Feng has taken such an attitude, it proves that he is not prepared to lead his troops south in person and he will not participate in the Jingnan Campaign.

So this matter can be negotiated, as long as Yang Feng's conditions are met. But his conditions...

"Your Majesty's affairs are indeed as you said, but Yang can understand, but it does not mean that everyone in the world can understand. Regicide is a fact after all. If that is the case, then there is nothing wrong with those loyal to Your Majesty raising an army to suppress the rebellion. After all, Your Majesty is dead, so what is wrong with loyal ministers avenging him? As for the Council of Elders saying that Your Majesty was abandoned by the people of the world, it was only because the people of Nanjing prevented Your Majesty from entering the city. But can the people of Nanjing be considered the people of the world? The people of Nanjing, and even the people of Jiangnan, all think that Your Majesty is incompetent and has brought the country to this point, and he should be held responsible, but this is at best just one capital and two provinces. The Ming Dynasty has two capitals and thirteen provinces. Can one capital and two provinces be the masters of the two capitals and thirteen provinces?
Zheng Chenggong is from Fujian, and Huang Daozhou is also from Fujian. They conspired to rescue Your Majesty. Zhang Jiayu and others came from Guangdong and Guangxi, and they are also willing to fight to the death for Your Majesty.

Can the Senate be their master?
The Shandong army marched south to quell the rebellion. Can the Council of Elders rule over them?
Can't you?
Huguang would rather cooperate with Li Zicheng than with the Council of Elders. Can the Council of Elders say that this theory that Your Majesty is guilty was their idea?

The Ming Dynasty’s territory extends beyond Jiangnan.

The Senate cannot make the decisions in this world.

You think you did nothing wrong, but others think you are regicide, so as a loyal subject, is there anything wrong with attacking you?"

Yang Feng said.

Zhu Datian was speechless.

Although he knew that Yang Feng just didn't want to state the conditions yet, what this guy said was actually correct. The criticism against Chongzhen from the beginning to the end was done by the gentry in Jiangnan...

Of course, there is no need for others to do so!

Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi can certainly show their loyalty by standing in the back, but Jiangnan is facing the emperor directly, but this kind of thing cannot be used as an excuse in the open. What is brought out must be high-sounding, but high-sounding, that is disloyalty. Those young scholars do have a new theoretical system to support them, but this new theoretical system is only for young scholars, and only some young scholars, especially those in eastern Zhejiang, and even those in Jiangxi do not support the new theory. During this period, the scholars in Jiangxi, especially those centered on the White Deer Cave Academy and Yuzhang Society, also criticized the theory of no monarch and no father of the eastern Zhejiang school. Yang Tinglin and others even publicly accused Huang Zongxi of misleading the public with his evil words!

Of course, their real purpose was to cut off the enemy's territory in case they could not hold on any longer and surrendered to Li Zicheng, which would be difficult to explain.

Jiangxi has actually been in a state of vacillation.

They didn't want Li Zicheng to get involved in Jiangxi, but they didn't want to destroy Jiangxi to protect the two behind. They were just pushed by the situation, but in fact they were always keeping a way out.

In terms of public opinion, they were not as high-profile as the people downstream, especially in eastern Zhejiang, who shouted that Chongzhen was guilty and no longer qualified to be emperor. Instead, they accused those radical scholars of continuing to hold on to traditional loyalty. As for stopping Li Zicheng, they did not say that Li Zicheng had regicide and usurped the throne. It was just because public opinion had rejected Li Zicheng last time, and Li Zicheng had already withdrawn from Jiangxi, and now going south again would be a breach of contract.

That's why Jiangxi resisted.

This leaves room for negotiation.

This is different from the downstream people who are shouting that Li Zicheng regicide and usurped the throne. Of course, the downstream people are not shouting this now, after all, this can no longer be shouted.

So there is nothing wrong with what Yang Feng said.

The gentry in Jiangnan did shout that Chongzhen was guilty and had no right to continue to be the emperor, but this was only shouted by the gentry in Jiangnan. Other provinces did not say so. On the contrary, they would say that they were loyal subjects and loyal to His Majesty the Emperor. Then they could say that the Jiangnan group was regicide and treason. You openly insulted the emperor, you blocked the emperor from going to Nanjing, and even besieged the emperor. In the end, he was killed by artillery fire. Even if you don't admit it, who would believe it if you told it to others?

You are traitors!

We are loyal subjects.

What's wrong with a loyal minister fighting against rebellion?

As the descendant of a saint, what was wrong with Yanshenggong's campaign to quell the rebellion?

Although such a statement is indeed a bit ridiculous, Duke Yansheng led the Confucian and Mencian Knights to quell the rebellion as the Grand Master of the Confucian and Mencian Knights. After this, it is estimated that no one would dare to keep Duke Yansheng.

and so……

"Your Majesty, are you saying that we should gather all the wise men in the world to discuss this matter?"

Zhu Dadian said.

"Now that there is a queen, the decision should be made by the queen."

Yang Feng said.

Zhu Dadian nodded, which was tantamount to his agreement.

Of course, he also understood the consequences of this. After all, the empress's court was controlled by the gentry in the south of the Yangtze River. But if he did this, it would be tantamount to returning to the past pattern. Although many provinces were missing, with the addition of the equally powerful Shandong Group, power would have to be redistributed.

then……

"Your Majesty, the Zhejiang army is making a fuss. Some generals claim that the Northern Army attacked Ningbo and massacred the gentry, and they want to fight back to rescue them."

An attendant came in to report.

"Ah, apparently there's more than one person delivering the letter!"

Yang Feng said.

It was obvious that the generals knew about it, which meant that someone secretly sent them a message.

"What's the point of slaughtering the gentry?"

Zhu Dadian immediately grasped the key point. The information he received was the earliest version, so he didn't know what would happen next.

"It wasn't a big deal. Li Zhifang raided Ningbo and was resisted by Qian Sule and others. Several Confucius and Mencius knights died. Then he got a little impulsive and killed Xie Sanbin and others who came out to greet him."

Yang Feng said lightly.

"Qian Sule resisted, so why did he kill Xie Sanbin?"

Zhu Datian didn't know the range of these people. This matter was actually not a big deal. The death of several Confucius and Mencius Knights must be followed by equal revenge. Besides, he was a Jinhua person and didn't care much about the Ningbo gentry. Although he had cooperated with Xie Sanbin, they were not close friends. But Qian Sule led people to resist and killed the Confucius and Mencius Knights. Shouldn't that be revenge against Qian Sule?

"Then I don't know. I just received the urgent report from the court."

Yang Feng said.

Then he calmly left with his entourage to deal with the Zhejiang Army issue.

Zhu Datian looked at him suspiciously from behind, but he still did not realize the seriousness of the matter. With the help of his servant, he left the bed and went to discuss with Zhang Huangyan who was in solitary confinement.

(End of this chapter)