Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 237: National War Begins
When Hongniangzi woke up again, she found that the scenery outside had changed, and she seemed to be on a boat. She couldn't help asking, "Where is this?"

"Are you awake?" An old maid came in from outside and replied with a smile: "This is on the canal!"

"canal?"

"Yes, the Grand Canal."

"Where are my people? Where are my brothers and sisters?" Hong Niang wanted to get up, but found that her whole body seemed to be filled with lead and she couldn't even lift her arms.

"Girl, the master said that you are still weak and need to rest for a while." The old maid suddenly remembered something, "The master said that if you wake up, you will know after reading this letter."

As he said this, he took a letter from the table and handed it to Hongniangzi.

The latter started doubtfully.

After reading it, I was suddenly stunned.

The letter said that Hongniang's army had been recruited, the second and third in command had already joined the Ming court, the fourth in command had left, and most of the rest had joined the Ming court.

I actually slept for five days in a row... During these five days, everything changed drastically.

"In the end what happened?"

……

Outside the cabin, Chongzhen looked at the blue sky.

It has been four months, from June to October now.

The bandit problem of the Ming Dynasty was solved just like that?

He still couldn't believe it until now.

The fire of bandits that had ravaged the Ming Dynasty for more than a decade was put out by "themselves"... Sun Kewang, Shi Daoshen, Li Dingguo and others surrendered, while Lao Huihui, Diandengzi, Wang Guoning, Ke Tianhu, Wang Chenglong, Black Scorpion and other villagers who escaped from Wuchang City were killed by the government troops.

Among Chongzhen's own troops, most of the bandits chose to return to their hometowns to farm, and in the end only the 40,000 troops led by Sun Kewang and Shi Daoshen remained.

From Hongniang's team, only 8,000 people chose to join the Ming army.

There was no use of Yang Sichang's "four sides and six corners, a net spread out in ten directions", no huge amount of money was spent, and no need to cut flesh to heal the wound.

And the problem was solved with my personal participation.

Chongzhen looked up to the sky and howled, "Uncle, you should have shown up earlier!"

"After ten years of hard work, we will finally see the dawn of the Ming Dynasty..."

……

At this moment, a Jinyiwei came aboard, and Lao Han took it from him, "Prince Xin, the Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall has been burned down."

After he entered Suzhou City, he heard that Donglin Academy was destroyed and felt quite sad, so he thought about preserving Jiangnan Imperial Examination Hall. Now that the news came back, he could only sigh.

This wave of Jiangnan gentry was targeted by bandits, poor common people, government troops, the Anti-Corruption Department, and clan members, all of whom wanted to snatch food from the gentry. However, this group of old pedants and scholars from Jiangnan academies thought they were well-read in the books of sages and were the pillars of the country, so they tried to stop them.

They thought they could change everything by crying in the temple and mobilizing public opinion, but the bandits, the common people, the government troops, the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and the clan members would not buy it.

As a result, many academies that had been famous since the Hongwu Emperor, such as Yuelu Academy, Donglin Academy, and Bailudong Academy, were all burned down.

"..." Chongzhen was silent for a moment, then said: "Let it be destroyed. After this, we won't have to ask the Imperial Guards to come and search again."

"How is the army?"

"Reply to the king, the five major camps have already begun to move north, and Sun Chuanting's troops are following behind."

With the death of Zuo Liangyu, all his troops fell into the hands of Sun Chuanting, so that the number of troops under Sun Chuanting's command as governor reached 150,000.

On the other hand, except for the troops under Prince Xin and Lady Hong, almost all the famous bandits were wiped out. Now, there is no enemy in Zhejiang, Huguang, Jiangxi and Nanzhili.

More importantly, the distribution of land and exemption of grain were like the sun in midsummer shining on the ice field. A large number of bandits became deserters and would rather return to their hometowns to farm than continue fighting with the government troops.

Once the bandits can no longer snowball, they will completely lose their combat effectiveness.

Fifteen thousand troops were enough to complete the battle, and Zhu Changgan gave him twenty days.

Twenty days later, 70% of Sun Chuanting's troops would also head north.

Chongzhen nodded, motioning for Old Han to leave, then picked up a piece of paper from the table and muttered:
"We still can't abandon the performance evaluation method!"

"If Zhang Taiyue had died later, perhaps the situation in the Ming Dynasty would have been very different. If the system of performance evaluation had still been in place, if Qi Jiguang could have stayed in Liaodong for a while, perhaps Nurhaci would not have been able to grow up, and there would be no Later Jin today..."

This was his reflection these days. Although he was not in the court, he was thinking about the gains and losses of the Ming Dynasty court every moment.

According to Chongzhen's analysis, Zhang Juzheng was overthrown, which was the beginning of the tragedy of the Ming Dynasty and this country.

The person who personally overturned everything that Zhang Juzheng had worked so hard to build was none other than his grandfather, Emperor Wanli.

As soon as he came to power, he abolished the Performance Evaluation System, and all the corrupt officials who had been brought down by the System were reinstated one by one.

All of Zhang Juzheng's students and talents were imprisoned. Qi Jiguang, who was serving in Liaodong at the time, was also demoted and transferred to Guangdong just because of his good relationship with Zhang Juzheng. For a general, how lonely and painful it must be to have no war to fight? He died in poverty and illness.

During this period, a Jurchen man named Nurhaci began to rise slowly in Liaodong.

During this period, Shangshu Zhou Yong advocated sending troops to suppress the rebellion and to strike hard to avoid raising a tiger.

Unfortunately, there is no longer a way to pass exams in this world.

Civil officials and military generals played the game of power, arbitrarily changing the suppression to appeasement, and then changing the appeasement to appeasement.

Finally, when they arrived in Liaodong, Li Chengliang just made a brief contact and that was it. As a result, the leader of the Jurchens in Jianzhou, far away from Liaodong, was able to fight calmly, expand territory, and finally develop to the point where he can now overthrow the Ming Dynasty.

The river breeze blew, and when the boat reached the center of the river, we saw the opposite bank surrounded by mountains, with undulating peaks and shrouded in clouds and mist, like a fairyland painting.

Chongzhen lay on the deck and fell asleep unknowingly.

……

Beijing, Qianqing Palace.

"Dorgon asked Yue Tuo and others to cultivate land in Yizhou. Zu Dashou strengthened the defense of Jinzhou, especially preparing a large amount of food and grass to deal with Huang Taiji's siege. Hong Chengchou gathered eight generals in Ningyuan, with 11 infantry and cavalry..."

Battle reports from Liaodong were continuously reported to the Grand Council.

"Your Majesty, if we don't let Hong Chengchou send troops to rescue, once Jinzhou and Songzhou are captured, the Qing troops will be able to march straight in, and our Ming Dynasty will inevitably lose its last line of defense." Yang Sichang said anxiously.

"Your Majesty, Zu Dashou has few soldiers and civilians totaling no more than 30,000 people. I'm afraid it will be difficult to defend Jinzhou." Sun Chengzong also said with a worried look on his face.

Although the Manchus invaded and plundered the pass five times, the Guanningjin Defense Line was still firmly controlled by the Ming army. Every time the Qing army entered the pass, they had to take a detour to enter the heartland of the Ming Dynasty.

As long as the Guanningjin Defense Line is not destroyed, the Qing army will not be able to occupy the cities within the pass.

During the Ji Si Rebellion, the Qing army sent troops to occupy four cities including Zunhua and Qian'an. However, after the main force of the Qing army returned to the outside of the Great Wall, these four cities were quickly besieged by the superior forces of the Ming army and eventually lost.

As Huang Taiji said:
"The army has repeatedly entered the Great Wall, but has not gained any ground, all because of the Shanhai Pass. If we want to take the Great Wall, we must first take the four cities outside the Great Wall."

For the Ming Dynasty, Guanningjin was the last barrier to protect the capital, and it must not be lost. Now that the Qing Dynasty had sent out troops, a war was imminent, and Jinzhou, which was at the forefront, naturally became the focus of competition between the two sides.

Liu Zhifeng, the Minister of Justice, stepped forward and said, "I heard that the one guarding Jinzhou was Zu Dashou, who had flirted with Huang Taiji."

As a result, he was glared at by the emperor, and he quickly stood back, his Adam's apple rolling, not daring to say another word.

"I know Zu Dashou has few troops, but on the other hand, it is precisely because of the small number of troops that the food and grass can last longer." Zhu Changgan looked at everyone, "My order is to let him hold on and wait for reinforcements. Dorgon is determined to win this time, and he has surrounded the city tightly in order to strike at the reinforcements of the Ming Dynasty."

Surround the spot for reinforcements.

Based on the past field battles between the Ming and Qing dynasties, we can know that whenever the Ming reinforcements in the border towns fought with the Qing troops in the field, they just gave gifts to the other side and never won a single battle.

Instead of doing this, it is better to let Zu Dashou stay indoors. Jinzhou city is strong and has abundant food and grass, which is enough to sustain for a while.

Zhu Changgan looked at everyone solemnly, "Pass on my order. After the five major camps gather in Tongzhou, they will immediately rush to Liaodong, and the elite troops from the nine borders will follow closely behind... Go out of the pass and recapture Liaodong!"

……

Following the issuance of the imperial edict by the Ming Emperor, the Ming Times no longer published any other decrees or matters. Instead, the entire page was filled with manifestos to expel the Tartars and enhance the country's prestige.

"In Manchuria today, the Donghu outside the Great Wall, who eat raw meat and drink blood, have repeatedly caused border troubles.

Later, taking advantage of the troubles in the Ming Dynasty, they occupied our territory, massacred our Ming people, robbed our Ming food, forced our Han people to be their slaves, and killed millions of those who refused to obey.

The evil is extremely cruel and has now penetrated the whole body.

Today, the Ming Dynasty vows to drive out the Tartars and recover our lost territory...

At the crossroads of the capital city, the scholars read out loud at the top of their lungs.

The Battle of Liaodong suddenly became a hot topic among people all over the world, especially in Kyoto.

Every day, soldiers rode through the streets on horseback, such as the troops of Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of Xuanda. They came to the capital not for any other reason, but to ask the court to allocate them more artillery and soldiers.

There were other generals who came from all over the country to ask the emperor for permission to go to the Liaodong front.

……

"Your Majesty, the Governor-General of Denglai and the Governor of Tianjin are requesting an audience outside the palace." Wang Chengen said in a low voice.

"It is enough to let them guard the local area. The war in Liaodong will not need them for the time being."

Unfortunately, all their memorials were rejected.

Because the total number of troops from the five major camps, Xuanda, Jiliao, Miyun and the subsequent Sun Chuanting's troops has exceeded 300,000.

Fighting a war requires enough soldiers and horses, but if there are too many, we also have to consider whether the logistics can support it.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Wang Chengen bowed and left. Zhu Changgan hesitated for a moment and waved his hand to let everyone go out.
"Main quest: Save the Ming Dynasty Completion: 8218/10000"

"The National Fortune of the Ming Dynasty: 10620 (The national fortune is over . The trend of natural disasters and the cooling of the Little Ice Age has been reversed. It has continued to warm up. The lives of the people have improved. Everything is stable and improving."

"The Ming Dynasty has lasted for 4200 days"

「Modern lifespan bonus: 4200 days」

「Funding reward: 115068492 yuan」

The progress of the main line has been improved again, with the national fortune improving the most. I think there will be a bigger improvement during the freezing period next year.

Everything was going steadily and well. The country's fortunes also increased over a two-year period, and the funds exceeded 100 million for the first time.

……

On the Grand Canal,
"What happened?" Chongzhen looked at the scene of people watching the manifesto and could not even squeeze in, so he could only ask.

An old man said, "Don't you know? Our Ming Dynasty is going to fight the Qing Dynasty Tartars."

"Then they are..."

"Sign up for the army!"

Chongzhen was stunned for a moment, "Ah? So many people?"

In the next few days, the people in Nanzhili, Henan and other places were all excited, and many people signed up to join the army.

They stared at the recruiting documents with shining eyes.

"If we can enter the Five Great Camps of the Ming Dynasty, then our family will have no worries in the future."

"That's right. Even if you die on the battlefield, it will be a great honor to your family. One hundred and fifty taels of silver and twenty acres of land..."

Chongzhen didn’t feel it was particularly serious, but it was a different story for Sun Kewang, Shi Daoshen and others.

Li Dingguo murmured, "No wonder the government troops are so good at fighting. If I had so much money, I would have joined the army!"

Not to mention that there are a large number of artillery and muskets in the five major camps. How could they lose the battle against the peasant army?

Chongzhen seemed to see through their thoughts and whispered, "The Ming Dynasty wants to mobilize troops to attack Liaodong. You should take this opportunity to make contributions. If you can be awarded a title, I will ask the Ming Emperor for it if the Ming court does not give it to you."

Everyone's eyes were instantly filled with ecstasy, "Yes, Prince Xin!"

Which of these people doesn't hope to be granted a title of nobility?
At this moment, a government ship suddenly appeared on the river. "Is that Prince Zhu Changgan of Xiang Wang in front?"

"Exactly!"

"Cen Bingsun, a captain of the Imperial Guard, has come here with your Majesty's handwritten order to read out the decree."

"Oh." Chongzhen quickly asked someone to invite the other party up.

"Your Majesty has appointed Zhu Changgan as the Minister of War, given him the seal of the General of Suppressing the Enemies, and ordered him to lead the generals Sun Kewang, Shi Daoshen, and the deputy general Li Dingguo... to assemble in Tongzhou and head to Liaodong with the five major battalions."

"Uh..." Chongzhen was a little stunned, "Didn't you ask me to go back to Kyoto first?"

I was thinking about going back to the palace and having a long talk with Zhu Changgan, why did this suddenly happen?
The captain of the Imperial Guard handed the emperor's order to him and said, "It's too late. The Manchu Tartars have been attacking Jinzhou for seven days."

"Then, let the King of Xiang return to the capital with you, is that okay?"

"Yes!" Jinyiwei Qianhu Cen Bingsun looked around and said, "Excuse me, where is Prince Xiang now?"

"He..." Chongzhen couldn't help scratching his head when he heard this, and looked at the other boat with a troubled look.

The two men broke up because Prince Xiang knew Chongzhen's "true identity".

……

ps: Thanks everyone. I came back late today and posted it now.

(End of this chapter)