Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 139 The sharpest "knife" of the Ming Dynasty

"sure?"

"That's right. Dozens of Manchus died, and the entire Zhenglan Banner was in an uproar."

“This is a good opportunity.”

"The superiors have ordered our Jingzhong Group to move, and the other lines should continue to hide."

The Jinyiwei and Yebushou, who were in charge of intelligence in Shengjing, soon heard about the rebellion among Chao Pichang's subordinates and responded quickly.

Thousands of Chao Pichang's troops mutinied and rushed directly into a bathing area in Zhenglan Banner. After killing hundreds of people, they fled.

Among them, there were two Niulu Zhangjing and one Jiala Zhangjing.

The incident happened suddenly, and the Manchus were already nervous about a rumor, so they didn't react.

I don't know who said it these days, "The emperor is dying, Dorgon has returned to Shengjing. Hauge is back to fight for the throne."

Within a day, all the forces in Shengjing seemed to be confused by this news.

Another part of the reason was that Hauge returned to Shengjing. These things were mixed together, and the Eight Banners and Han officials were preoccupied with this matter.

I never thought that these Han officials would choose to rebel.

Moreover, he did so in such a decisive way, by killing Manchu generals in order to earn bargaining chips for his return to the Ming court.

These Han soldiers carried the heads of the Manchus and, with the intentional or unintentional help of the Ming Dynasty's Jinyiwei and Yebushou, they actually broke through several checkpoints and escaped all the way to the Jinzhou front line.

Jinzhou City,
When Zu Dashou and others received the news from the Jinyiwei, they were a little confused.

"All of Chao Pichang's subordinates mutinied? And they killed the Manchu generals? How is that possible? Could Huang Taiji have let them escape?"

"We are already heading towards Jinzhou. We hope that General Zu will send troops as soon as possible to put pressure on the Qing front line." Jinyiwei commander Li Ruolian personally came to Jinzhou to meet Zu Dashou.

"How can I mobilize troops without receiving an order from His Majesty? If something goes wrong, the lives of the soldiers in Jinzhou will be a minor matter, but the country and people of the Ming Dynasty are more important."

Zu Dashou's brow bones were originally high, and now that he was frowning, they looked even higher.

I haven't heard anything about this.

When it comes to understanding Liaodong, no one in the entire Ming Dynasty knew more than him.

Because he has his own channels in the Qing Dynasty.

Of course, this channel is not closed overnight.

Nowadays, most of the Ye Bushu have joined the Jinyiwei organization and receive salaries from the emperor.

As for Zu Dashou, he was unwilling in his heart. After all, although Ye Bushu were not his personal soldiers, they were cost-effective. If there were any dangerous or dirty things, he could just throw them to do.

If he dies, he dies. I won’t feel sad.

Now that the emperor has suddenly withdrawn these people, we will have to have our own people to go out on dangerous missions in the future.

However, compared with the Yebushou of Liaodong, Zu Dashou actually values ​​the artillery and muskets of the three major camps more.

He was jealous of anything that could reverse the combat effectiveness of the Ming army and the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty.

In fact, not only Zu Dashou had his own information channels, but each unit of the Ming army in Liaodong had its own information channels. Only the Ming court did not have its own channels.

Yang Sichang, the Minister of War, proposed that before resisting foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country.

He wanted to first negotiate money with the Qing Dynasty to achieve a temporary truce, and then focus on dealing with the peasant army in the Central Plains, but this matter became a hot topic.

Even Xuanda Governor Lu Xiangsheng heard about this and questioned Yang Sichang:
"Zhou Yuanzhong went there to negotiate for money and had several exchanges. This was initiated by the Governor-General of Ji and Liao and others, and finally he was ordered by you. The whole world has heard about it. Who can hide it?"

Who is this Zhou Yuanzhong?

He was just a blind fortune teller who had traveled around in the past and had been to Liaodong many times. The Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty court, lacking intelligence on the enemy, developed him into a spy to understand the situation outside the Great Wall.

How could a fortune teller without any official position have any formal contact with the Qing Dynasty?
This is a question of basic common sense in politics and military affairs, but for the literati in the late Ming Dynasty, it was a complete mess.

When the two sides were at war, the Ming dynasty had to rely on a blind man to provide intelligence and communicate.

It feels bizarre and sad to talk about it.

And this kind of military secret was spread throughout the court and criticized and condemned. This shows why the Ming Dynasty was always defeated in every battle.

"Hmph!" Li Ruolian seemed to have expected this result a long time ago. He stood up and reached out to pull an object from the hand of a Jinyiwei behind him.

"This is the Imperial Sword bestowed upon you by your Majesty. Seeing this sword is like seeing your Majesty in person."

The muscles on Zu Dashou's face twitched a few times, but he finally knelt down and said, "Your servant Zu Dashou is willing to lead the troops to support us."

"May I ask the Imperial Envoy, besides Jinzhou City, who else sent troops?"

"Don't worry, all the troops of Guanning are dispatched this time. Don't worry, there is a high probability that there will be no fighting this time. Dorgon has already returned to Shengjing, and the Tartars' energy is still more focused in Shengjing."

"Did something happen within the Qing Dynasty?" Zu Dashou looked at Li Ruolian in confusion.

The latter laughed and said, "General Zu, His Majesty asked me to give you something."

"?" Zu Dashou was puzzled, but saw Li Ruolian handing him a note.

He unfolded it and his pupils shrank suddenly. He saw the words written on it: "Shengjing, the third courtyard on the east side of Elm Alley."

"This is?"

Li Ruo Lian looked at him with a smile, "His Majesty said that whenever you are ready, my Jinyiwei can bring General Zu's family back at any time."

That’s right, this address is exactly where Zu Dashou’s elders and nephews are.

Back then, when Yuan Chonghuan was executed by slow slicing by Chongzhen, Zu Dashou was horrified and prepared to surrender to the Qing Dynasty, but was scolded by his mother and persuaded by Sun Chengzong, so he ran back to the Ming Dynasty.

Although Zu Dashou returned to the Ming Dynasty, his elders and nephews fell into the hands of Huang Taiji and were detained in Shengjing City.

Afterwards, he negotiated with Huang Taiji, trying to rescue his son and nephew, but the other party's position kept changing, and he could not figure out where they were.
Now Li Ruolian actually knew about this, which shocked him, but he also finally believed it:

The Jinyiwei's infiltration was faster and more powerful than he had imagined.

And what accompanies it is a deeper fear.

This was the case with Shengjing in the Qing Dynasty, so what about Jinzhou City?
Are my every move also under the eyes of His Majesty?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"

……

capital,

Chao Pichang has not returned yet, but the whole capital is in an uproar because the Ming Daily has reported the incident.

Zhu Changgan asked the Minister of Justice Liu Zhifeng to decide how to deal with Chao Pichang.

After Liu Zhifeng figured out the emperor's intention, he was eventually sentenced to death by slicing for the crime of treason.

When listening to Wang Chengen's talk, Zhu Changgan sighed, "It's a bit heavy."

Of course, he could not escape the death penalty because the Ming Dynasty needed to set an example.

The Ming Dynasty needed such a traitor who could be sentenced to death and recorded as an example in "Bi Chen Zhuan" to serve as a warning to future generations.

Even though he knew that Chao Pichang had not wanted it, after Changping City was broken, he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty and turned against the Ming Dynasty, which was the biggest original sin. At the same time, Zhu Changgan offered conditions for pardoning all the Ming Dynasty soldiers who had surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in Liaodong:
"Anyone who kills a person of the same rank in the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty, or two Eight Banners generals of a lower rank, can return to the Ming Dynasty and I will treat them with courtesy."

It's not that you are not allowed to come back, but if you want to come back, you have to kill more Manchus with the same position.

If you are the general, you must kill one Gushan Ezhen or two Jiala Zhangjing.

If you are a lieutenant general, then you can bring the head of Jiala Zhangjing, a Manchu Tartar, back to the Ming Dynasty and all your previous crimes will be forgiven.

Cross out the name from the Biography of Traitors.

If you want to continue serving in the army, you will be reinstated; if you do not want to serve in the army anymore, you will be allowed to return home and start a new life.

"Trust is extremely difficult to build, but it is much easier to break." Zhu Changgan took a deep breath, "See, the sequelae of this incident are far more than just this."

“Prejudices in people’s hearts are like a mountain. They cannot be moved just by working hard enough and being strong-willed.”

If there had not been a hierarchy between the Manchus, Mongols and Han people in the Qing Dynasty, perhaps this would have been just an accident.

As long as one can live with his back held high, no one wants to kneel.

This was true for the surrendered Ming generals, as well as the surrendered Mongols and Koreans.

If what happened to Chao Pichang happened a few more times, I'm afraid no one would be willing to surrender to the Qing Dynasty again.

Wang Chengen flattered the emperor with a gleam in his eyes: "Your Majesty's heart is beyond the reach of my humble servant."

Zhu Changgan glanced at him and said with a smile: "I haven't seen you for a few days. You have become better at flattering me."

It can be said that Wang Chengen participated in the whole process, and Zhu Changgan just gave the Jinyiwei an idea.

Afterwards, Hauge came out of seclusion and exchanged hostages with the Ming Dynasty, and all the processes, including Ming soldiers pretending to be Manchus, were completed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Immediately afterwards, people arranged by the Jinyiwei spread rumors in Shengjing that Huang Taiji would die, Hauge was exchanged back in order to succeed to the throne, and Dorgon disappeared from the front line in order to succeed to the throne.

Wang Chengen looked up at the emperor, then quickly lowered his head.

This is really not the Majesty that I am familiar with. The emperor in the past would definitely not have such a "sinister" plan.

In the past, the emperor was regarded as the "holy lord" by all officials and the model of religious etiquette and law. But now
But it must be said that the current emperor is better to the Ming Dynasty and to himself.

He did not have to review memorials all day and night, nor did he have to argue with civil and military officials. He even defeated the Tartars, who had been invincible for decades.

The emperor was happy, and Wang Chengen was happy too.

Zhu Changgan has now formed a habit.
That is to finish dinner before the sun sets, because he found that Chongzhen had irregular eating habits.

During the break after dinner, he counted the money in the treasury.

The expenses for training troops, the Armory, and the dispatch of the three major camps, all in all, cost more than 14 million taels, a quarter of which was spent in one go.

“That’s a bit much.”

The reason for calculating the treasury is because of the next plan.

Attack Mongolia.

The Qing Dynasty had two thugs, one was Mongolia and the other was Korea.

Before this, both of them were little brothers of the Ming Dynasty, but now they have rebelled and joined the enemy.

How to do?
Then we have no choice but to beat him, beat him completely into submission, and let him know the consequences of betraying his eldest brother.

The reason why we attacked Mongolia first instead of North Korea.

On the one hand, it was because Mongolia was adjacent to the Ming Dynasty and threatened border towns such as Xuanda, Ji and Liao. Huang Taiji entered the pass several times, but he actually detoured through the Guanning front and directly attacked the Ming capital from Mongolia.

However, North Korea is separated from the Ming Dynasty by sea, so the threat it poses to the Ming Dynasty is limited.

On the other hand, the Ming Dynasty’s warships and naval combat capabilities were not sufficient to support a direct attack on Korea from the sea.

"We need to get some more money." Zhu Changgan murmured.

Money, money, money, life is connected!
In the first year of Chongzhen, the national fiscal revenue was 3.26 million taels of silver. After deducting the deficit of the previous year, only more than 2 million taels were left. The total military expenditure spent in Liaodong that year was 3.27 million taels of silver.

It’s impossible to wait until all the flowers are gone before doing it.

"Your Majesty, Sun Chuanting has arrived in Beijing. When should you ask him to come and see you?" Wang Chengen walked in and asked.

Zhu Changgan glanced at the sky and said, "It's getting late. Let him enter the palace tomorrow."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Changgan was stunned by the person called "Sun Chuanting".

……

Zhu Changgan always had high hopes for using Sun Chuanting.

This person will not take sides or form cliques, such as Wen Tihen and Qian Qianyi.

He will not talk nonsense, which will deteriorate the relationship between colleagues and make it difficult for him to gain a foothold, like Xiong Tingbi.

He would not have his own ideas and act without considering the emperor's opinion, like Yuan Chonghuan.

He would not try to figure out the emperor's thoughts without any talent at all, like Liang Tingdong.

He will not give up and run away just because he feels wronged, like Zu Dashou.

He will not take advantage of the title of general to embezzle huge assets for himself, and then run away when encountering danger, like Wang Pu.

Not too greasy, full of tricks, just for the sake of self-reliance, like Zuo Liangyu.

They would not be too friendly to rebels, such as Xiong Wencan.

Sun Chuanting is capable but has little personality; he is extremely loyal but not a nerd; he understands the situation and considers everything for the emperor.

His highest praise came from Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty a hundred years later: Sun Chuanting was posthumously named "Zhongjing".

In addition to being loyal to the emperor, talented, and knowledgeable in military affairs, he was perfect in other aspects under the requirements of the feudal system.

A loyal minister of a feudal dynasty who is a textbook example of a hexagonal warrior.

If there is a shortcoming, it might be that it is too cruel.

In the 16th year of Chongzhen, Sun Chuanting advanced his troops to Baofeng. After he broke through the city, "the troops swarmed in, the city was in turmoil, and the fire was as bright as day." He said that the people in the city were thieves who were defending the city, so he massacred the people. (Recorded in Baofeng County Chronicles and Ershenye Records)
Another group of his troops also carried out a massacre in Tang County.

He is considered a loyal minister and a good general.
But it is absolutely impossible to love the people as one's own children.

If we talk about it from the perspective of feudal ethics alone, famous officials like Zhuge Liang and Yue Fei all had their own ideals, which were even higher than the ideals of imperial power.

But Sun Chengzong did not do that. His ideal was to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country. All his ideals were to serve this purpose. He was willing to abandon his own ideals, his own worth, and even his life.

But even such a person was forced repeatedly by Chongzhen a few years later and had to enter Henan to fight a decisive battle with Li Zicheng without any adequate preparation.

After being defeated, he retreated to Shaanxi. The Dashun Army broke through Tongguan. Sun Chuanting died in the chaos, and his wife and daughter committed suicide afterwards.

Chongzhen actually suspected that he had faked his death, and did not give him any posthumous title or honor.

Zhu Changgan will finally see this sharp "knife".

(End of this chapter)