Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 240 Chongzhen: Drinking and causing trouble

Zhu Changgan came out of the Qianqing Palace and did not go to the morning court but went to the Grand Council.

Today, the Ming Dynasty's defense theory in Liaodong is still largely based on the deep defense system that Sun Chengzong built after he arrived at Shanhaiguan.

This defense system is divided into three defense zones.

The front is the Ningjin defense zone, which is based in Ningyuan and where heavy troops are stationed. The towns and forts between Ningyuan and Jinzhou are connected to form the Ningjin defense line.

In the middle is the Guancheng defense zone, with Shanhaiguan as its center. Relying on the natural barriers of mountains and sea, the right wing starts from Haikou, the left wing goes to the north of Beishuiguan, and the front goes to Zhonghouso (now Suizhong, Liaoning), forming a defense zone to defend Shanhaiguan.

Within Shanhaiguan, troops were stationed in Lulong, Jimen, Yizhou, Tongzhou and other places, which formed the defense zone within the pass.

Such a layered defense can effectively stop the attack of the Later Jin Army.

During the sixth and seventh years of the Tianqi reign, Nurhaci and Huang Taiji led their troops to attack twice, but were both repelled by the Ming defenders thanks to Sun Chengzong's defense system.

Zhu Changgan had this consideration in mind when he appointed Sun Chengzong as the chief minister of the cabinet.

Zhu Changgan looked at the map of Shanhaiguan, turned his head and asked, "Xu Cifu, where is the money and grain now?"

"Your Majesty, in addition to silver, the salt merchants and textile manufacturers in Jiangnan, as well as antiques, calligraphy and paintings, rare treasures... a total of 26 million taels of silver will be brought to the capital soon." Xu Ci Fu, the director of the Integrity Bureau, stepped forward and said.

"What about food and fodder? How much have you purchased so far?"

Minister of War Yang Sichang replied: "Your Majesty, even if we step up the purchase, we have only collected 300,000 shi so far. Adding the original 200,000 shi from Tongzhou, the total is 500,000 shi, which is still a little short."

Then he continued, "Your Majesty, Juehua Island is surrounded by the sea, but in winter, this natural barrier becomes a smooth road. Isn't this a money-eating beast for the Ming Dynasty?"

"Even if I swallow up a lot of silver, I want to control it in my own hands."

"What's more, the situation is different now. If Dorgon wants to capture Juehua Island again, the price he will pay will not be as simple as it was during Nurhaci's time."

While reflecting on the battle of Juehua Island, Zhu Changgan discovered a huge problem, that is, the highest general on Juehua Island was just a guerrilla general.

Not to mention the general or deputy general, there is not even a lieutenant general.

Everyone in the court knew the importance of Juehua Island, but its capture by the Qing Dynasty did not cause much disturbance in the Ming court.

Whether the Ming Dynasty was deceiving itself or concealing something, the consequences were extremely serious.

Juehua Island was developed into a port in the Tang Dynasty. After being operated by several dynasties, the population on the island has been increasing, and it has become more prosperous.

And its key strategic location: it controls the water and land transportation throat of western Liaoning.

It was for this reason that in the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the Ming army in Liaodong built Juehua Island into a water grain storage base.

The loss of Juehua Island also caused the Ming Dynasty to lose a powerful water grain storage base in the Liaodong region. If the Ming Dynasty's ships wanted to transport grain and fodder, they would inevitably be attacked by the Qing Dynasty.

As a result, food and fodder for the Guanningjin line can only be transported by land, and the consumption on land is more than ten times that of water.

This plunged the Ming Dynasty into a vicious cycle of "increasing taxes and levies", further exacerbating the already acute social contradictions in the Ming Dynasty.

In the long run, wasn’t the loss of Juehua Island one of the causes of the Ming Dynasty’s demise?

Therefore, Zhu Changgan was determined to win.

At this moment, a eunuch ran in and shouted, "Report~"

"The Jinyiwei reported that Huang Degong has captured Juehua Island and has gathered troops to the north to engage in battle with the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty."

"it is good!"

Zhu Changgan stood up suddenly, his eyes flashing with coldness, "This battle can only succeed, not fail. If there is not enough food, load half of the sweet potatoes onto trucks and transport them to Liaodong."

In addition to 500,000 shi of grain, Zhu Changgan also asked the Agricultural Department to keep half of it for seeds, and the other half... hundreds of thousands of shi of sweet potatoes were dried and transported to Liaodong.

"No matter how hard it is, the soldiers cannot suffer."

A national war will inevitably require the whole country's strength, so the progress of popularizing sweet potatoes across the country will be slowed down a little. But if the Qing Dynasty can be defeated in one fell swoop, it will all be worth it.

"Have the troops in Tongzhou been assembled?"

"Your Majesty, the troops of the five camps have already set out from Tongzhou."

Zhu Changgan nodded, then turned to ask Wang Hui, the military officer, "How many sleds have been made?"

Snow had already started to fall in Liaodong. Considering the transportation of supplies, Zhu Changgan asked the Military Affairs Bureau to make a thousand sleds in advance so that supplies could be transported smoothly even in the ice and snow.

"Your Majesty, eight hundred have been made and will be sent to Liaodong along with the Tongzhou army. The remaining two hundred will be dispatched the day after tomorrow."

"..."

Just as the emperor and his ministers continued to discuss military and political affairs, Ma Shiwei, deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, walked in and whispered a few words into the emperor's ear.

"Oh?" Zhu Changgan suddenly laughed.

He looked at the ministers present and asked, "Do you want to know what I heard?"

The expressions of the ministers below suddenly changed.

Nowadays, what ministers fear most when they go to court is that the emperor will smile at them. From the East Factory, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to the rectification of the Beijing Camp... because countless experiences and lessons have made them form conditioned reflexes.

That is... the emperor's smile can lead to life or death.

"I heard someone wanted to contact you. What's this about being in harmony with the world? You actually embezzled 200,000 shi of grain and stuffed your cotton clothes with reed fluff... Who are these people? I don't need to point you out one by one, right?"

"Your Majesty, spare your life!"

"Your Majesty, I am confused..."

"Punish all nine generations of the clan and execute them by slow slicing!" Zhu Changgan was really angry. He thought that after killing so many gentry from Jiangnan, the court should be more peaceful. What's more, these people had been in high positions for decades and they had to maintain their status and face.

A tree without bark is doomed to die; a person without shame is invincible.

Those who are easy to bully should be bullied to death, and those who can make money should be made to death. Now during the national war, there are still people who want to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune? Then don't blame me for my thunderous means.

"Hang their heads above the East Gate and list them as traitors to the country for all the people to see."

Suddenly, several ministers collapsed to the ground, their clothes soaked.

"Your Majesty~"

"Your Majesty, please spare my life..."

……

On October 14, the five major camps of the Ming Dynasty left Shanhaiguan.

The sounds of carts rumble and horses neigh.

The sounds of neighing war horses and bustling crowds stretched so far that there was no end in sight.

The soldiers of the Five Battalions gathered around the campfire, cooking porridge in iron pots, some throwing sweet potatoes into the porridge, chatting and laughing with each other. On the other side, there were the peasant soldiers who surrendered, such as Sun Kewang, Shi Daoshen, and Li Dingguo. They were obviously not as well dressed as the Five Battalions, and they gathered in twos and threes.

"Prince Xin, I'll give you a blanket. Don't mention Mingting... The blankets of Daming are quite good at keeping warm."

Chongzhen took it, thought about it, and gave the blanket to the old blind man, "Here, you are old, keep warm."

The wind and snow were blowing, and the old blind man was riding on a horse, wearing a warm cotton coat. "You know what, this coat is quite warm. Who thought of stuffing duck and goose down inside? It's so warm?"

Since the last time everyone wore clothes made of reed fluff, now everyone has changed into their reed fluff clothes.

After finishing eating, the Iron Torrent continued to move northward. After an unknown amount of time, a sudden cry of surprise came out:
"Look, Shanhaiguan is just ahead."

With this sound, everyone raised their heads and looked at the big

"Shanhai Pass?"

“The key to the two capitals, the first pass of the Great Wall…” Chongzhen also stood up and looked at this majestic pass.

Shanhaiguan towers tower high, facing the sea to the east, and the terrain is steep...

"Is this Shanhaiguan?" Although Chongzhen was an emperor and had seen the word Shanhaiguan too many times in memorials, when he really saw it, he couldn't help but feel dazed and intoxicated.

Looking back on the past, a feeling of great passion arises spontaneously.

"Is this the place where the teacher came from?"

The teacher he was referring to was Sun Chengzong.

Sun Kewang also stared blankly at the pass in front of him and couldn't help but sigh: "I wonder how many soldiers are guarding this pass?"

Chongzhen blurted out: "On land, 1 people will be stationed in the stone city of Sandaoguan so that we can attack the enemy at the right time.

Eleven forts were built outside Beishui Pass and cannons were installed.

On the front side of Shanhaiguan, 3000 men were deployed to guard the middle and rear posts, 3000 men were deployed to guard the middle and right posts, and elite cavalry were dispatched to patrol the middle and right posts, so that the front side of the pass and the left and right wings could support each other and facilitate the defense.

The General Ping Liao commanded three divisions, with two deputy generals, the North and South, and the Department General, stationed in Haikou and Jiaoshan respectively. The Central Division was commanded by the Central Army, stationed in Luocheng. In addition, there were two deputy generals, the front and rear divisions, stationed in Qiantun and Honghuadian respectively, with a total of 7.5 people.

"Prince Xin actually knew it so clearly?"

Chongzhen had studied it countless times and had already memorized it by heart.

The Qing Dynasty had only three options to enter the North China Plain from Liaodong.

One is through Lulongkou (entering Xifengkou), through Lingyuan, Dalinghe, Chaoyang, and reaches the Liaohe River Basin. This road is called "Lulong Road".

The other route is through the Songnen Plain, out of Pingquan, across the Luan River, through Gubeikou, and then through Miyun and Shunyi. This road is called the "Gubeikou Road".

However, both of these roads run along river valleys, passing through the mountains of western Liaoning. The roads are difficult to travel on. They are ok for a small number of people, but are simply not feasible for large groups of people, especially large numbers of cavalry.

Apart from this, there is only one last road. There is a very narrow and long plain between the Liaoxi Mountains and the Bohai Sea. This is the legendary "Liaoxi Corridor". Its convenience far exceeds the above two roads. This road is called "Banghai Road".

Shanhaiguan is located on this coastal route.

"One man can hold the pass against ten thousand men!"

……

Hongniangzi was also standing not far away at this moment, looking at the vast and majestic pass.

Since Prince Xiang left a message, Chongzhen didn't know what to do with her, so he took her with him all the way.

Now she can go out to eat, but besides eating, she also has other things to do. She has been looking for the second in command, the third in command and others for several days.

Unfortunately, there were too many people and she couldn't find their camp for a while.

"Sir, have a drink of wine to warm yourself up." Sun Kewang handed a bag of wine to Chongzhen with a smile on his face, but with a hint of loneliness and bitterness.

Chongzhen seemed to see through his thoughts. He took a big sip and almost choked on the first sip.

But after taking a few more sips, he really felt warmer.

So I couldn't help but drink a few more sips.

"I have a few words to say... I know what you are thinking?" Chongzhen suddenly stood up and said loudly with a red face.

The scene suddenly became cold, and everyone looked at her.

"Prince Xin, you..."

Sun Kewang wanted to say something, but Chongzhen stopped him. "You are thinking about whether this battle will send you to die, or whether you can really be granted a title and gain fame and success."

Everyone immediately lowered their heads and fell silent.

They really thought so. Even if they had not read "Water Margin", they had heard about it from storytellers. They all knew how Liangshan Marsh ended.

What's more, so many rebel kings were suppressed, and only these people were left behind. Are they really so kind?

Chongzhen stood a little taller, "But think about it the other way around. If you really go back home, what can you get? After fighting for so many years and rebelling for so many years, you are about to be conferred a title and you back down?"

"What's more, I am your guarantor. I am a royal relative. If the court doesn't keep its word, you can just tear my head off first. I'm not afraid, so what are you afraid of?"

Chongzhen raised his hand with a smile and drank a few more gulps.

"I am very happy to work with you brothers. In fact, along the way, it is you who let me know how good the people of my Ming Dynasty are. It is you who...lift up the Ming Dynasty..."

The prestige of Prince Xin was unquestionable in everyone's mind, especially when he spoke in this manner, everyone's eyes suddenly turned red.

"But we are facing the Later Jin soldiers." Shi Daoshen said in a deep voice.

"What happened to the Later Jin soldiers? Didn't they claim to be invincible when they had tens of thousands of soldiers? Didn't they also suffer defeats in Tongzhou and the Mongolian battlefield south of the desert?"

"Don't think this battle is too complicated. We will just follow the five battalions. If they fight, we will fight too. If they want to retreat, we will retreat too. None of us will be cannon fodder for them."

"What if the commander-in-chief Li Banghua insists on letting us take over?" When Sun Kewang, Shi Daoshen, Li Dingguo and others listened carefully, they saw Chongzhen's figure shaking and suddenly burping.

The boss's eyes widened suddenly, "He dares? Do you think I dare to skin him alive?"

Old Han was still listening, but when he heard these words, his head buzzed and he quickly covered Chongzhen's mouth, "Prince, you've drunk too much..."

"No...no...let me go." Chongzhen still wanted to struggle, but could only make a whimpering sound. He suddenly stopped in exasperation.

Because a whisper came into my ears, "Even if you are a prince, you cannot call yourself "I". This is a crime of deceiving the emperor and treason."

He suddenly realized that he had spoken out of turn after drinking, but the words had already been spoken. At this moment... he squinted his eyes and looked around.

"ga"

He fell headfirst onto the ground and “fell asleep”.

(End of this chapter)