Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 162 Clear the obstacles on the north side of the Ming Dynasty!

As soon as Sun Chuanting received the battle report, he came out of the military camp to welcome Cao Bianjiao and the Firearms Battalion.

Big win!

Killing tens of thousands of bandits in one battle was like a shot of stimulant to Sun Chuanting's heart.

When he came out, he found that people from far and near had already crowded the sides of the road.

A welcoming welcome.

"I haven't seen such a scene in decades." Sun Chuanting sighed with cloudy eyes.

Ever since he became the governor of Shanxi, the people have been suffering. It is so rare that they can come to welcome the government troops now.

Of course, he knew that these people were not here to see him, but to see the Loyal and Brave Army, because that was the emperor's personal army.

The biggest reason behind this is, of course, that His Majesty exempted them from taxes for three years.

Sun Chuanting was not at all displeased. Whether it was the Majesty's personal soldiers or the three-year tax exemption, they were both great help to him in suppressing the rebellion and would eventually become his own achievements.

Tax exemption means the return of people. The hungry people everywhere are the natural basis for peasant uprisings. Now that the emperor has exempted taxes, it is like cutting off the fuel needed for the cause.

Even if the fire looks strong now, but without firewood underneath, it has no roots and will soon weaken.

Moreover, the militias in various places have now begun to play a huge role. Although they cannot confront the bandits head-on, they can rely on county towns and large towns to resist the bandits' attacks in a short period of time and wait for the arrival of government troops.

In this way, not only can Sun Chuanting's strategy of clearing the countryside be realized, but Sun Chuanting also does not have to consume more troops.

Before Sun Chuanting returned from the capital, he told the emperor that he would solve the issue of food and wages himself, but this was not just talk.

He started with the two aspects of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure. In Shaanxi province alone, the proceeds from clearing the military garrisons amounted to 45 taels of silver and 5 dan of rice, wheat and beans.

Now Sun Chuanting is in charge of military affairs in Shaanxi, Gansu, Yansui and Ningxia, and controls the Governor of Hexi, the Governor of Hedong, the Governor of Shaanxi, and the nine generals of Gansu, Liang, Su, Xi, Ningxia, Yansui, Shendaoling, Xing'an and Guyuan.

He was confident that he could turn these border troops into a force that would repeatedly achieve great success.

All of this will eventually become stepping stones on the road to the cabinet.

……

In the capital, Zhu Changgan was in the Grand Council, discussing matters with Sun Chengzong and Yang Sichang.

"Your Majesty, I think Sun Chuanting is not qualified to be the governor-general of the three frontiers. His fundamental ability lies in the economy. Why don't you transfer him to the Ministry of Revenue to manage the Ming Dynasty's purse?"

Yang Sichang proposed "four in the front and six in the corner, three in the cavalry and seven in the infantry, a total of 120,000 soldiers, increase to 2.8 million, and aim to quell the rebels within 100 days."

The emperor already held his head with his hands and said bluntly: "I met you too late."

But in the end, the emperor turned around and adopted Sun Chuanting's strategy of "training elite soldiers, not wasting food and money, and using a limited number of elite soldiers to focus on attacking the enemy's main force."

How could Yang Sichang not be angry?

"Oh?" Zhu Changgan narrowed his eyes and looked at Yang Sichang, "Are you doubting me?"

"I dare not, but I am just talking about the facts. The war in the Central Plains affects the entire situation of the Ming Dynasty. If we lose, the Ming Dynasty will be in danger."

"I only want the result, not the process. Sun Chuanting used 60,000 silver coins as the starting capital, and he solved the rest by himself. From 300 soldiers, we have developed it to tens of thousands of soldiers now, and we have won every battle. I will give you 100,000 taels now, and you go and build a team for me." Zhu Changgan said without any mercy.

The muscles on Yang Sichang's face twitched a few times. He opened his mouth, but was finally speechless.

Zhu Changgan looked somewhat displeased. Yang Sichang was loyal to the Ming Dynasty and had certain talents, but he also had the common problem of civil servants, which was that he always considered his personal interests.

Not only Yang Sichang but also Sun Chengzong had this characteristic.

It’s just that Sun Chengzong was old and shrewd at this time, and he didn’t say a word from beginning to end.

"Your Majesty, the Jinyiwei reported that the Mongolian Prince Chahar has been escorted to Beijing." The eunuch walked in and made a request.

"Got it." Zhu Changgan stood up and walked outside.

When the emperor left,
Yang Sichang was the first to speak: "Lord, please say something. The court is in a mess right now. Are you going to let His Majesty do this? You are the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty!"

After the parade that just ended, Yang Sichang felt a chill down his spine. He and several important officials in the court went to find Sun Chengzong, but were turned away. Today, he finally met him and couldn't help but ask.

"So what if he's the Prime Minister? Can't you see it now? The troops are in the hands of His Majesty. Whether you and I agree or not, it is no longer something we can control." Sun Chengzong stepped aside and prepared to walk out.

"But we civil servants..."

Sun Chengzong had already walked to the door, but paused and said, "This is a different time. In the past, Your Majesty relied on us to lead the army in Liaodong and Central Plains, but now the most capable fighters are Your Majesty's personal soldiers, the four battalions, and Cao Huachun, not you and me."

This sentence hits the nail on the head.

Ever since Yu Qian's defense of the capital, the civil service group has risen and has lasted for a long time. The biggest reason is that the emperor relies on them to collect taxes and fight wars.

But now, taxes, tax revenue is not coming in.

The battle cannot be won.

Then why do you think that the civil service group should have absolute control over everything?
Yang Sichang sat there for a long time without reacting. When he raised his head, he suddenly found that a eunuch was coming with a fire starter to light the lamp.

……

In the imperial prison, Chahar Prince Ezhe was placed here.

The deputy commander of the Jinyiwei walked in with a plate in his hand. "Prince Chahar, His Majesty asked me to ask you, do you want to go back?"

"I... can go back?" Upon hearing this, Ezhe's fat body flew to the door of the cell, "What should I do to go back?"

"It's very simple. Just let Dorgon come in exchange for you."

"Exchange, who?"

Ma Shiwei put down the food and said, "Do you know who has lived in this house? Haoge..."

Ezhe immediately understood that what the Ming court wanted were the Ming generals who surrendered from the Qing Dynasty. They wanted to use the same old tricks to stir up conflicts between the Manchus and the Han people in the Qing court.

"But... I am not Haoge, and Dorgon is not Huang Taiji. He can't exchange me for a Han minister."

Ma Shiwei smiled and shook his head. "That's not necessarily true. I heard that your mother is Jirgalang's wife. How is your relationship with her?"

"My relationship with my mother is naturally very good. She is willing to agree to anything for me."

"That's good. Just wait patiently. Maybe it won't be long before you can go back."

In the eighth year of Chongzhen, Yehenala Sutai, together with his son and a thousand households, surrendered to the Later Jin Dynasty and presented the imperial seal passed down from generation to generation.

Later, she remarried Jirgalang as his third wife, and then Jirgalang was conferred the title of Heshuo Prince Zheng, and Su Tai was also conferred the title of Heshuo legitimate wife.

A Chahar prince is not of much use, but his mother is very useful.

Of course, Zhu Changgan was not targeting Su Tai. A woman in her thirties with a strong smell was something Zhu Changgan naturally disdained. What he was interested in was Su Tai's identity.

After the last incident with Hauge, the Jinyiwei responded that the relationship between the Manchus and the Han people in Liaodong was much more tense than before. Since this method is effective.

Now we must make good use of this Ezhe, maybe it will have unexpected benefits.

……

In Jinzhou City, the handwritten letter from Sun Chengzong, the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, finally reached Zu Dashou's hands.

Zu Dashou looked at the familiar handwriting and recognized who wrote it at a glance. "Sure enough, the most troublesome thing has happened."

"Who can't write well? It has to be him." Zu Kefa was stunned for a long time, and couldn't help but sigh, but suddenly he seemed to think of something, "Foster father, what do you think His Majesty means by this?"

"As the saying goes, a biting dog doesn't bark... If Sun Chengzong wanted to attack you, he wouldn't have written this letter himself, but he did it anyway."

"You mean... His Majesty asked him to write it?" Zu Dashou suddenly reacted, took the letter again, and after reading it, his eyes flickered.

This time, he could almost confirm that the letter should have been written by the emperor to Sun Chengzong. The handwriting was correct, but the tone was different upon closer inspection. "This is a bit intriguing. What does His Majesty mean by asking Sun Chengzong to write to me?" Zu Dashou paused, picked up the letter again and read it again.

Zu Kefa said at this time: "Father, I heard that recently, His Majesty has been extremely unfriendly to the civil officials in the court. Dozens of people from the six ministries have been imprisoned..."

Zu Dashou raised his head and said, "You mean, Your Majesty deliberately asked Sun Chengzong to write this letter in order to make Sun Chengzong and I put aside our prejudices and face the outside world together?"

Zu Kefa did not continue speaking at this time, because he understood that he could only provide one idea, and the decision still had to rely on Zu Dashou.

I am just an adopted son, not a biological son after all.

Zu Dashou pondered for a long time, and finally his brows relaxed. "Anyway, since His Majesty asked Sun Chengzong to write it, it means that His Majesty and the civil officials have no other ideas about us in the short term."

"Then, should we send troops?" Zu Kefa had also read the letter at this moment and naturally knew the contents of the letter.

"Sending troops is just to disrupt the Later Jin army, not a decisive battle, so we have to do it for show." Zu Dashou stretched out his hand and rubbed his brow, "Let Sucun (Wu Sangui, whose courtesy name is Sucun) and others send some troops to create some momentum."

In Zu Dashou's opinion, the emperor asked Sun Chengzong to write the letter, in addition to the above meanings, perhaps there was also a certain test in mind.

In this case, let the court see that the Guanning Army is not as weak as they imagined, and is far from what those in the court think. It can be replaced at any time.

……

In the past few days, Mongolia south of the desert has fallen into complete chaos.
The Mongolian territory south of the desert stretches for thousands of miles. The son of Ligdan Khan was captured alive. The six tribes south of the desert are now like stray dogs, having been beaten to the point of having no backbone at all.

The remaining ten tribes hastily organized 30,000 troops and tried to form a pincer attack with the Qing troops to encircle the Ming army.

However, the Manchu Eight Banners soldiers did not come out, and only fought a few simple engagements with the Ming court. Not only did they fail to achieve any success, but they were also hit by the Ming army's powerful artillery and muskets several times because they were chasing too closely.

But once they were far away, the Ming army's troops might appear in other places out of nowhere, cut off their food and supplies, or attack the non-combatants of the many Mongolian tribes, causing heavy property losses.

Apart from this, the biggest key point is that the Qing Dynasty’s scouts were completely at a disadvantage in the battle with the Ming Dynasty’s scouts.

Being beaten.

After the Jinyiwei recruited a lot of "night squads", they were able to crush the Qing scouts in terms of both equipment and personnel. Often the enemy would be discovered by the Jinyiwei's telescopes before they could even see the people.

War is all about taking advantage of information gap.

If you fall behind, you will be beaten.

These tribes were attacked day and night by the Ming army, and the people were completely confused.

"Prince Zheng, please give the order! The Ming army is like a whirlwind, attacking our tents and cattle and sheep... If it continues like this, our people will not be able to hold on." The banner king of the Ordos tribe found Jirgalang and complained.

The Eight Banners soldiers could withstand the Ming court's style of fighting, but the Mongols could not!
Jirgalang also understood that if this continued, even if the Mongolian tribes south of the desert were not defeated, they would still be in trouble.

"Wait a moment, I have already submitted a memorial to the emperor." Jirgalang was also waiting for Dorgon's imperial edict. It was not that he did not want to fight a decisive battle, but he did not have the determination to win.

Therefore, it was necessary to ask for permission from Dorgon to prevent the emperor from taking revenge on him later.

"Report!"

As the sound of galloping horses came, Jirgalang hurried out of the tent.

The Banner King of the Ordos tribe also came out and asked excitedly, "But has the emperor's decree arrived?"

Jirgalang took it and unfolded it. He did not avoid the banner king of the Ordos tribe, so the king also squeezed over to read it together. However, after just a few glances, his expression suddenly changed drastically.

Because it said that the Ming court sent 50,000 troops from Jinzhou and Ningyuan to attack Manchuria.

The Qing army led by the Manchu Emperor Dorgon had an encounter battle with the troops led by Zu Dashou and Wu Sangui in the Jiamashan area near Xingshan, which ended in casualties on both sides.

"No... Not only did the Emperor not send troops over, but he also wanted to send the two white flags back. How can we fight this war? Prince Zheng, you can't send the troops back..."

The blood instantly drained from the face of the Ordos tribe's banner king.

Jirgalang's face was also extremely ugly. He knew that to call back the troops at this time would be equivalent to allowing the Mongolian tribes to suffer more casualties.

However, the Ming army on the Guanning front had 100,000 soldiers, while the Qing emperor Dorgon only had two yellow flags, a few Mongolian Eight Banners, and three Han Eight Banners, with a total number of less than 30,000.

If the Guanning Army also had such artillery and muskets at this moment, 30,000 people might not be able to stop them.

Even your butt can figure out what is more important.

The Mongolian tribes south of the desert watched in despair as the Qing troops with two white flags left.

At the same time, the Ming army also discovered this situation at the first time and reported it to Cao Huachun.

"Okay, tell Xuanda Governor Lu Xiangsheng that they can enter."

"Order all units to check their artillery and muskets and make preparations."

"In this battle, we must completely subdue the tribes in the south of the desert and clear the obstacles on the northern side of the Ming Dynasty!"

……

As early as a few days ago.

When Cao Huachun led the four camps out of Xuanfu,
The troops from Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, as well as the Tianxiong Army of Xuanda Governor Lu Xiangsheng, had already assembled.

Lu Xiangsheng came alone to visit Cao Huachun, "General, in compliance with the order of His Majesty, Lu Xiangsheng leads the troops of the three towns of Xuanda to come to assist."

"Please stand up quickly." Cao Huachun quickly helped Lu Xiangsheng up, "How many soldiers does Xuanda have now?"

"Thirty thousand!"

Before the Manchus entered the Pass, Lu Xiangsheng had just taken over as the Governor-General of Xuanda and reported to the court that there were 6000 combat soldiers in Shanxi Town, 5000 combat soldiers in Datong Town, and 1 combat soldiers in Xuanfu Town.

In addition, the Governor of Xuanda also had 7000 standard bearers under his command, which means that the three towns of Xuanda had a total of only 28000 combat soldiers.

Immediately after the Qing Dynasty entered the Pass, the emperor allocated 400,000 taels to Lu Xiangsheng, most of which he used to recruit new soldiers. After fighting and more than two months of training, he now has more than 33,000 soldiers.

Not only are there more than 5,000 more than before, but half of them have experienced war, and their combat effectiveness has increased by more than a little bit compared to before.

Except for leaving one thousand soldiers in each of the three towns to guard the city, he mobilized all the rest.

"Commander-in-chief, please give the order!" Working with the three camps again, Lu Xiangsheng seemed more calm.

Cao Huachun smiled upon hearing this, "His Majesty asked me to tell you to be patient. There will be a time for you to take the stage. This is His Majesty's order for you."

……

Above the Xuanfu city gate,

A figure stands on the city gate every day.

It was Lu Xiangsheng who was waiting for Cao Huachun's signal to send troops.

I waited for a day, nothing. I waited for another day, nothing again.

His heart sank.

Suddenly, there was a gust of yellow sand in the distance, and several war horses were stepping on the yellow sand. Lu Xiangsheng stood up suddenly and rubbed his eyes hard, "Red armbands, black flags, here they come!"

"Hurry, put on your armor and wield your weapons for me!" Lu Xiangsheng trotted down from the city gate, his hands shaking.

Ever since he fought alongside the four major battalions last time, Lu Xiangsheng has become a completely different person.

Not to mention the power of Ming's artillery and muskets, which were difficult for the Qing Dynasty to withstand. The fact that Your Majesty did not send military supervisors to hinder them was the greatest trust and support for the border troops.

Lu Xiangsheng realized that the best times had come.

He had been looking forward to this day for a long time, but the order from the Grand Council was for him to wait. There were constant battles on the grasslands south of the desert, and the military achievements were visible to the naked eye. The longer he waited, the more uncomfortable he would feel, and his heart was bleeding.

Now that the signal has finally come, how can I calm down?
(End of this chapter)