Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 80 Everything is ready
"Organize troops and prepare to snipe when the enemy is returning?" Wu Aheng looked at the emperor's order and didn't understand what it meant for a long time.

But he was an old minister after all, so he suppressed his confusion and said, "I accept your order and thank you!"

At this time, the army was in chaos, but he couldn't help but ask, "What does your majesty mean by organizing the troops to return for a sniper attack?"

The captain of the Imperial Guard shook his head and said, "Governor Wu, when the commander handed the letter to me, he only told me to pass it on and asked you to organize your forces. It will take at most ten days, at least three days, and you will know by then."

At this moment, an arrow shot towards this side, but was deflected by the sword of the Jinyiwei captain. "Governor Wu, the most important thing right now is to leave quickly."

Wu Ahheng clenched his fingers and nodded with a red face.

Since His Majesty has ordered him to let the Tartars in, he is not considered a deserter or a defeated general, and he does not have to die.

Wu Ahheng gritted his teeth and said, "I want to report General Wu Guojun and the eunuch Deng Xizhao for deserting the battlefield!"

If it weren't for these two bastards, things wouldn't be so miserable.

……

The troops of the five towns of Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, Jizhen and Baoding were the first to receive military reports about the Manchu Tartars entering the pass and began to reorganize their troops.

But they just reorganized their troops and none of them took the initiative to attack.

Especially Wang Pu, the general of Datong, he didn't even reorganize his troops.

When his subordinates urged him to do so, Wang Pu scolded them calmly, "Why are you urging me? Yuan Chonghuan and Man Gui are both dead. There are many people who are more capable than me, and they also have people in the court, but aren't they all dead now?"

"What about the military supervisor?"

"He won't say anything. He knows how much money he has taken from us, the Shanxi merchants, overtly or covertly over the years."

Wang Pu clenched his fingers. Asking himself to confront Huang Taiji's troops head-on, wouldn't that be trouble?

As for the troops from other towns, they were even worse than his own. The military supervisors and the civilian commanders knew exactly what the troops from the five towns were like. To sum it up in a few words, they could avoid a decisive battle with the Manchu Tartars.

"However, in order to avoid being held accountable by His Majesty, we still have to follow from a distance and take care of the baggage train."

……

Then there was Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three borders of Shaanxi

At this time, Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting were encircling and suppressing the peasant army from the southeast and northwest respectively. When they heard the news that the Tartars had entered the pass, they couldn't help but feel a little shocked.

"Oh, time is running out, time is running out!" Hong Chengchou's first reaction was that he had finally encircled the rebels, but if the Manchu Tartars entered the pass, all this would be in vain.

Lu Xiangsheng, who was in charge of military affairs in Nanzhili, Henan, Shandong, Huguang, Sichuan, and later Shanxi and Shaanxi, and was known as the "Premier of Seven Provinces", also received reports of the Tartars' invasion of the Pass.

The whole person was like being struck by lightning. After being stunned for a long time, he finally gave the order, "Pass the order, all soldiers should be organized and prepare to go to the capital to defend the king."

However, before they could organize their troops, the emperor's edict arrived.

Let them continue fighting where they are and not go to Beijing to support the king.

The moment Hong Chengchou received the imperial edict, he was worried, but more of a relieved one. The emperor's edict to him was to make a concerted effort to wipe out the rebels.

When Lu Xiangsheng received the imperial edict, he had a completely different reaction from Hong Chengchou, "Eunuch Li, why doesn't His Majesty allow us to go to the capital to defend the king?"

"General Lu, His Majesty has already made arrangements, so you don't have to worry about the rest. His Majesty said that he hopes you can settle this war as soon as possible and come to Beijing as soon as possible." The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict said meaningfully.

"My lord, thank you Lord for your kindness!"

Zhu Changgan did not give orders to everyone.

There are only a few people including Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangsheng and Wu Aheng.

……

In Wenhua Hall, military reports were continuously delivered.

"Report, Yue Tuo's army has crossed Qiangziling..."

"Report, Dorgon's army is heading towards Tongzhou!"

Intelligence from the Ministry of War and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was constantly being delivered, but there was a clear difference in quality when compared to the others. Often, it would take a long time for the Embroidered Uniform Guard to deliver intelligence while the military reports from the Ministry of War finally arrived.

Sometimes, the military reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard had already arrived, but the military reports from the Ministry of War had not yet arrived. When they were asked and investigated, they found out that the intelligence was either lost or missed.

Yang Sichang's face turned blue and purple, and he couldn't help wiping the sweat off his face. "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhu Changgan ignored him and looked at a location on the map. "It seems that history still has a certain inertia."

Tongzhou!

"Right here!" Zhu Changgan pointed to the Tongzhou area and said to Cao Huachun, Sun Chengzong and Yang Sichang: "Dorgon and Yuetuo must have met here, and they definitely didn't expect that we would ambush here so early!"

Although Huang Taiji entered the Pass a year earlier than before, he still divided into two wings, one led by Dorgon and the other led by Prince Keqin Yuetuo, who entered from Qiangziling and Qingshanguan respectively by destroying the border walls.

The two armies crossed Qian'an, passed Fengrun, and met in Tongzhou.

Yang Sichang's throat rolled, "Your Majesty, if the Manchus don't gather here, then the capital will be left without a single soldier to defend it?"

Zhu Changgan said coldly: "How can there be no soldiers? Shuntianfu and Wucheng Bingmasi still have 20,000 people. Although they are not as brave as Yongwei Battalion, Jingying and Baigan Soldiers, they can still defend the city in a short time."

What he didn't say was that the 6,000 people from the Eastern Depot and the 4,000 remaining Jinyiwei on duty totaled 10,000 people.

Tongzhou is sixty miles away from the capital, but considering the need to transport artillery, it will take at least one day.

Zhu Changgan said in a deep voice: "I have made up my mind. Let the Yongwei Battalion, the Jing Battalion, and the Baigan Army send out the troops!"

This time, not only Yang Sichang, but also Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua couldn't help but frown.

"Your Majesty, I think it's inappropriate!"

"Your Majesty, think twice!"

Zhu Changgan looked at the other party with a sharp gaze, "Why, do you want to disobey the order?"

Yang Sichang suddenly felt as if a cold snake was crawling on his back, "I...I dare not!"

It was not until this time that he suddenly realized that the so-called Grand Council established by His Majesty was not for the purpose of receiving and transmitting military intelligence, but was designed for him to have the final say.

"In this battle, victory or defeat, I will bear all the responsibility!" According to Zhu Changgan, the Grand Council was originally established to bypass the Ministry of War, and it was only to bring Yang Sichang here to borrow his name.

Sun Chengzong frowned and asked a question after a long while, "Your Majesty, who do you want to lead the army?"

What he hoped in his heart was to send a civil servant. The governor-general of the Ming Dynasty was different from the governor-general. The governor-general had no responsibility for governing the local areas, but had the power to command the local areas, and the governor-general had to obey his control.

Usually the person in charge is the cabinet or the minister of war, and is granted the imperial sword.

Yang Sichang finally raised his head suddenly, and saw Sun Chengzong's eyes flickering, and he didn't know what he was thinking.

"Lord Cao, how about you personally lead the army?"

Zhu Changgan actually wanted to lead the army in person, but in the end he gave up.

Apart from anything else, there is a civil service group in the court, nobles who are ready to make moves, and various forces. The emperor's worries about being lost in the water have just been reduced a little.

The control over the capital has just become more stable.

If the emperor went out to war and they caught the opportunity, they would use the emperor's death as an excuse and then make a scene of helping a new emperor ascend the throne, which would cause another chaos.

Cao Huachun was startled, then his eyes were filled with joy, "This old minister...I am willing to go!" The position of military commander is not a permanent one, but a temporary one, usually with the title of Minister of War, which is of a very high rank and the highest position for a civilian to command troops. But now His Majesty has given this position to me.

Just as Sun Chengzong was about to speak, Yang Si stood up and said, "I think it is most appropriate for Eunuch Cao to leave!"

"Minister Yang, you..." Sun Chengzong's eyes suddenly widened. He never expected that Yang Sichang would say that.

Of course Yang Sichang would second the proposal because he didn't want to go.

From the moment he became the Minister of War, he had been thinking about a way out for himself.

There is no other reason. During the ten years since Emperor Chongzhen came to power, he changed more than a dozen prime ministers and killed five ministers of the Ministry of War (a total of seven ministers of the Ministry of War were killed before Chongzhen hanged himself).
Facing this battle, Yang Sichang felt that he had no chance of winning. Since he knew it would be a crushing defeat, why should he take the blame?
Zhu Changgan nodded, "Since Minister Yang also agrees, then I am relieved."

Why did he let Cao Huachun be the commander-in-chief? Because only he could carry out his will.

No matter which civil servant serves as the commander-in-chief, he will have his own plans.

But this is a big taboo for me.

Cao Huachun is a man of both civil and military talents. He is able to train a fierce and powerful army called the Yongwei Battalion for the Ming Dynasty. He is no worse than those civil servants who are good at talking in the court.

The key is that he is most familiar with the changes in the Yongwei Camp and the use of firearms in recent days.

The eunuch Gao Qiquan, who had been ready to make a move, suddenly dimmed the light in his eyes.

He wanted to step forward and serve as the military supervisor, but if the commander-in-chief was Cao Huachun, it would be none of his business.

What level is Cao Huachun? What level is he?
Do you still want him to supervise the army?

If Cao Huachun finds out that he is not good at military affairs at all, it would be even more of a loss.

……

When the news reached the Yongwei Camp, there was a burst of cheers.

In particular, Huang Degong and Sun Yingyuan had been working hard to go to the battlefield. Now that they heard that Cao Huachun was the commander-in-chief again, they all felt relieved.

Apart from anything else, I'm just afraid that a eunuch or civil servant will come and give blind orders.

Huang Degong grinned, "General Sun, let's not fight this time. We'll see the outcome on the battlefield."

"The outcome will be determined on the battlefield." Sun Yingyuan responded with a gleam in his eyes.

The last time the two men competed in the martial arts arena, neither of them was willing to give in. After Cao Huachun petitioned the emperor, he adjusted the positions of the two men, with each of them commanding 10,000 people.

Each of them had fifty artillery pieces, three thousand musketeers, three thousand cavalry, and four thousand infantry.

Not far from them was the White Rod Barracks.

The emperor asked Cao Huachun to arrange the garrison for the White Spear Soldiers. In order to facilitate the subsequent unified dispatch, he directly asked the Yongwei Camp to vacate some tents, and then each camp built some more tents.

The White Spear Soldiers listened to the cheers from the Yongwei Camp and looked over here one by one. One of the lieutenant generals asked Qin Liangyu's son Ma Xianglin, "General Ma, don't you know that they will have to fight the Northern Tartars? Why are you so happy?"

Ma Xianglin was considered a brave and skilled warrior, but when he heard that he would have to face the Manchu Tartars, he couldn't help but feel scared.

Whether it was the Battle of Hunhe River or the last time the White Spear Soldiers came to Beijing to defend the king, they had never won against the Manchu Tartars.

Having the courage to fight is one thing, but being able to win is another.

Before they could figure out what was going on, they heard Qin Liangyu calling them to go outside and move supplies.

Ma Xianglin ran out and looked at the carts of things, and was stunned, "Wow, so much rice? And mutton, chicken, pork..."

He turned to look at Qin Liangyu, "Mother, what is this?"

"This is the reward from His Majesty. In addition, His Majesty also gave us 400,000 taels of silver." Qin Liangyu pointed to the carts behind her carrying silver and said, "This is the annual salary of the White Spear Soldiers. Divide it among the brothers!"

Ma Xianglin quickly ran to the silver carriage, took out a silver ingot from it, and took a bite with his teeth. "Really... the emperor is so generous!"

He looked at the Yongwei Camp in the distance and asked, "Your Majesty, have you distributed their salaries today?"

"They had already sent out the message before we entered the capital. They cheered because we could finally go to war." Qin Liangyu sighed and said, "It seems like yesterday since we last saw your Majesty, but your Majesty's demeanor is completely different from that day."

"What's the difference?"

Qin Liangyu thought for a moment, looked around, and when she saw that no one was around, she said in a deep voice, "Compared to the past, Your Majesty is more decisive, wise, and also more... arbitrary."

As if she saw her son's face turn ugly, she continued: "The arbitrary and autocratic I'm talking about here is not a bad thing, but a good thing."

"What I saw in your Majesty's eyes was confidence and determination...but I didn't see suspicion."

Seeing that Ma Xianglin still seemed confused, she patted her son on the shoulder and said, "You will understand slowly. Anyway, since we have entered the capital, we naturally have to share the worries of His Majesty. Tomorrow we will go to the battle together with the Yongwei Battalion and the Beijing Battalion."

"The commander is General Cao Huachun. Eunuch Cao is loyal to His Majesty, if nothing else. At least we will not be abandoned because of factional disputes like in the Battle of Hunhe."

In the Battle of Hunhe, the Ming troops participating in the battle were the Southern Army (Zhejiang soldiers), the White Spear Soldiers, and the Liaodong Cavalry. The Liaodong Army did not trust the Ming court, and the Southern Soldiers and the Sichuan White Spear Soldiers did not trust each other.

The Zhejiang soldiers also had conflicts with the Liao army, and had group fights with the Jizhen border army. Both sides even used cannons. So when they fought against the Manchu Tartars, they simply wanted to kill the other side before taking action. As a result, they were defeated one by one by the Eight Banners.

"The Yongwei Camp and the Jing Camp are now your Majesty's personal soldiers. In a sense, we are also entering the capital in the name of your Majesty's personal soldiers." Ma Xianglin nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.

On the way here, what he and his mother talked about most was that they must not become victims of the factional struggles in the court like in the last Battle of Hunhe.

They are loyal, but not stupid!
There is no conflict of interest among the Yongwei Camp, the Jing Camp, and the Baigan Soldiers, but they have only one common goal, which is to fight for the emperor.

In addition, the commander-in-chief was Cao Huachun. Li Banghua of the Beijing Camp had been excluded from all parties and squeezed out of the court, and had just been reinstated by the emperor.

There is no way to interfere in the party struggles in the court.

Qin Liangyu shouted to the generals, "Brothers, eat first. After you finish eating, the officers and soldiers above the rank of Qian Hu will follow me to the Yongwei Camp."

"To the Brave Guard Camp?"

Qin Liangyu nodded, "Yes, let's go and see the firearms. His Majesty has repeatedly emphasized that we should quickly familiarize ourselves with them."

"We were not the main force in the early stages, they were!"

"Ah?" Ma Xianglin stared at Qin Liangyu in a daze. "Your Majesty didn't ask us to fight the Manchu Tartars?"

He looked at the silver cars and felt as if everything was a dream.

……

Qianqing Palace,
Zhu Changgan left Cao Huachun alone and explained his strategic intentions to him in detail.

"This is my idea. It can be used as a general outline. You can discuss the remaining details with Qin Liangyu, Li Banghua and others. When a general is away from home, he may not obey military orders."

"I only hope to win the battle, use more firearms, and have fewer deaths!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Cao Huachun took the order and left.

Zhu Changgan clenched his fingers and looked at the sky outside, only to find that dusk was gradually rising on the horizon.
The glow of the setting sun gushed out like blood, fiery red, wanton and flamboyant, as if wanting to burst out with all its strength.

The last thing Zhu Changgan had to do was to put an end to Chongzhen’s micromanagement and all kinds of outrageous operations.

In the past, we won’t mention the mess when the Manchu Tartars entered the pass and Chongzhen’s various outrageous actions led to mutinies in the loyalist army and their joining the bandits.

But this time, make sure he keeps his paws clenched, his mouth shut, and doesn't interfere at all.

(End of this chapter)