Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 99 Chongzhen is trapped
In Xiangyang Prefecture, Chongzhen finally persuaded Prince Xiang, and then prepared to go to Beijing with his guards.

Because of the arduous journey of two thousand miles, King Xiang Zhu Yiming asked people to prepare many things. In addition to summer supplies, he also asked people to prepare autumn and winter clothes.

Boxes, cages, sacks...all kinds of things were piled up like a mountain.

In addition, they also had to prepare gifts for the emperor and supplies needed to meet with some ministers in the court.

All in all, in just one afternoon, the team had grown a lot, with fifty more horses, catching up with a caravan.

"Captain Lu Tinghui of the Guard Battalion pays his respects to the Prince and the Crown Prince. We are ready." A man in guard uniform came in and saluted with his fists clasped.

The visitor was none other than the chief of the palace's guards, Captain Lu Tinghui.

Taizu established that each palace of a king should have a guard. There were five guards: left, right, front, back, and center. Each guard had two thousand-household guards and ten hundred-household guards. There were also two guards, each with one thousand-household guard and five hundred-household guards.

But now, the Xiangwang Mansion has only a symbolic thousand households, one hundred households, and 74 guards, a total of 76 people.

"Get up!" Chongzhen waved his hand to let Lu Tinghui stand up. "I heard that you also hired some civilians?"

"My Lord, the Ming Dynasty is not peaceful right now, so I hired dozens of people."

Last time, Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming said that the guards would be handed over to Chongzhen for management, so Lu Tinghui mainly reported to Chongzhen.

Before Chongzhen could say anything, he heard Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming say, "It's good to bring more people. We've traveled too far this time, so we should be careful on the road."

Lu Tinghui replied: "What the prince said is true, so I asked them to wait outside Xiangyang City and did not let them know the identities of the prince and the prince."

“……” Chongzhen looked at the noisy team and was silent for a long time, but finally did not say anything.

Let’s do whatever you say!

"Who knows how long this round trip will take?" Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming touched a magnolia tree in the courtyard of Prince Xiang's mansion, "Maybe we won't see it bloom this year."

After a long while, I heard Lu Tinghui in front of me shouting, "Let's go, let's go!"

In order not to delay his son's exam, King Xiang Yiming took a deep breath and got into the carriage.

Set off resolutely.

……

In Tongzhou, after receiving the order from Huang Taiji, Dorgon finally took action and moved towards Shandong.

They did not choose to head towards the capital again via Changping, Pinggu, Baodi and Julu, but instead rushed directly towards Baodi and Tianjin.

Their movements were immediately noticed by the Embroidered Uniform Guard and reported to Cao Huachun.

Cao Huachun listened to the report from the Imperial Guards and nodded. "It turned out to be just as Your Majesty expected. They really didn't retreat? Instead, they continued to move south?"

In the Grand Council, the emperor once said to them, "The hardest thing for people to accept is their own failure, especially for those who have always won. After a defeat, they will not give in so easily, and this is your opportunity."

Turning his head to look at the map in the tent, he said, "Tell Lu Xiangsheng and the others not to engage in a head-on confrontation with the Eight Banners Cavalry. Instead, they just need to tie them up."

He is not worried about the combat effectiveness of the Beijing Camp, the Yongwei Camp, and the White Spear Soldiers now. The only thing he is worried about is that the other border troops will be the first to engage in battle with the Qing army.

The morale that has been built up with great difficulty cannot be lost because of their misbehavior.

What we fight for is morale and confidence.

As for this, he could only try his best to avoid it, because the Manchu and Mongolian cavalry had always been known for their ferocity in field battles. Once they found the opportunity to fight, no one could predict what would happen.

Li Banghua was also looking at the map at this moment. "General, do we still need to go to Dezhou to start the battle?"

Cao Huachun nodded, "Yes, wait until the encirclement is smaller."

Texas,

Sun Chengzong and Minister of War Yang Sichang both regarded this city as the only way for the Qing army to move south, and ordered Governor Yan Jizu to lead troops to guard it.

However, not long after the army set out, the Jinyiwei came to report again.

"Report! Tianjin's 7,000 troops encountered the Qing troops."

……

Leading the 5000 troops in Tianjin was the deputy general Wu Jingtai, which consisted of 2000 infantry and more than cavalry.

When he heard that he was going to fight the Manchu Tartars, he was extremely reluctant, so he delayed all the way.

When he heard the scouts' report that the Qing army was heading towards Tianjin, he was so frightened that his skull almost burst open.

"Quick, retreat!"

But most of them were infantry, so how could they outrun the Manchu Tatar cavalry? They were caught up after just one hour.

"This is the Ming army in our impression!" Erhe, the Gushan Ezhen of the white flag under Dorgon, shouted with a fierce smile: "My men, kill them!"

They entered the pass several times, and the Ming army fled when they saw them.

Even if they occasionally encounter stubborn resistance, it is sporadic and few in number. For such people, they have only one goal.

That's killing!

After the city was captured, everyone was massacred.

"Kill~~" With the order from Gushan Ezhen, more than 7,000 cavalrymen under his command rushed towards the Ming army like a flood.

The fleeing Ming army did not dare to confront the Manchu Tartars head-on, so the Tartars were under no pressure at all.

The battlefield was extremely brutal.

"Hah!"

"kill!"

Erhe simply loved the feeling of galloping on horseback and killing enemies. When the scimitar stabbed into the enemy's body, the feeling was especially wonderful.

After three days of holding back in Tongzhou, their anger was finally vented.

The Ming soldiers fell to the ground one by one.

"The artillery of the Ming army?"

"What about a musket that can fire over a hundred steps?"

"Isn't Yuetuo Beile trying to scare us?"

"..."

……

Cao Huachun was following the Qing army several dozen miles behind the Tartars. When he heard the news, he could not help but curse:
"Idiot, they left Tianjin a long time ago, and they only walked forty miles in two days?"

If the plan had been followed, the more than 7000 people in Tianjin should have already arrived in Tongzhou to join Cao Huachun and his men.

"Whoo~"

It took Cao Huachun a long time to recover.

It must be said that after commanding the Yongwei Camp, the Jing Camp and the White Spear Soldiers, he actually forgot for a moment how rotten the border troops of the Ming Dynasty were.

"Where are Lu Xiangsheng and the others?"

"They have already arrived at Niulanshan." Qin Liangyu replied.

Li Banghua pondered for a moment, "The gap is more than a hundred miles, should we press on first?"

"Press forward!" Cao Huachun's eyes were cold. "The thousands of people in Tianjin are probably useless, but they are not completely useless. They can also serve as a wake-up call for the soldiers in other border towns."

"Just because we can defeat the Manchus doesn't mean they can. Even if they are passive and lazy, they may not be able to escape unscathed."

Cao Huachun clenched his fingers and told a messenger of the Jinyiwei in a cold voice, "Send a message to Lu Xiangshengdeng, Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi, Jinzhou, Guanning troops will be combined into one place, Baoding, Shandong, Denglai troops will also be combined into one place, forming a triangular encirclement." "Tell them that not seeking to kill the enemy, but delaying the enemy is the greatest victory."

In this way, Lu Xiangsheng, Jinzhou and Guanning Army can form a team of 40,000 people, while Baoding, Shandong and Denglai in the south will have a team of more than 20,000 people.

"Yes!" The Jinyiwei took the order and left.

……

After the Qing cavalry killed the 7,000 people in Tianjin, the entire army fell into a state of excitement.

Whether it was Niulu, Jiala or Gushan Ezhen, they all shouted excitedly, started burning, killing and looting, and divided their troops into two groups, heading south towards Tianjin.

Why was Tianjin chosen?

Because they captured several Ming soldiers, they learned from them that this group of people came from Tianjin.

With 1000 casualties, Tianjin was left empty, with only the local militia and the remaining combat soldiers defending the city.

When Yuetuo and Beile Dudu heard the news, they were so excited that they almost passed out. They immediately reported to Dorgon, "Prince Rui, this is a good opportunity. If we can capture Tianjin, there will definitely be a lot of property, people and animals in the city."

If he could capture Tianjin City, it would be a great achievement. If he went back to see Huang Taiji, he could not only save his life but also avoid punishment.

So the two of them tried their best to persuade Dorgon.

Yuetuo was Daishan's eldest son, and Beile Dudu was also Nurhaci's grandson, and he called Dorgon "imperial uncle".

Dorgon couldn't help but be tempted by the two's persuasion, but more importantly, he didn't want to go south. He always felt that this entry into the Pass was different from the previous ones made by Huang Taiji.

So I agreed to their request.

As a result, more than 60,000 troops marched straight to the city of Tianjin.

……

When Cao Huachun received the news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard that many Manchu Tartars were preparing to attack Tianjin City, his face suddenly changed and he was extremely excited.

"it is good!"

"How dare they attack the city? Immediately send an order to the Yongwei Battalion, the Jing Battalion, and the White Spear Soldiers to attack from the west side of Tianjin."

The Tatars were best at field battles, not siege warfare, although they had attacked cities several times before.

But a siege cannot be conquered in a day or two. Even if there are only a few hundred people inside, they can hold out for several days or even dozens of days.

And this is your chance.

The troops of the three towns of Xuanda, Jinzhou and Guanning are in the north, and the troops of Shandong, Denglai, Baoding and others are in the south. They block the west and there is the sea in the east.

A huge encirclement can be formed.

……

On an official road in Xiangyang Prefecture.

A fairly large caravan was heading north. The reason it was disguised as a caravan was because the peasant uprising in the north was raging.

"Father, this outfit is too ugly."

At this time, Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming and Chongzhen were both wearing servants' clothes and huddled in a carriage, and the carriage they were riding in was also of an extremely ordinary style.

"Just bear with it. Didn't you see that your father is wearing the clothes of a merchant?" Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming tugged at his coarse cloth clothes. "Remember what I told you. If anything happens."

"You must not say anything and leave it to your father. The world is not so peaceful. It is better to be safe than sorry..." Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming kept reminding him.

Chongzhen only felt his ears buzzing, and he pulled aside the curtain to look at the scenery outside.

When he came back to his senses, he found that King Xiang was still saying, "Did you listen to what I said to you? It doesn't hurt to be more careful."

"I heard it!"

"That's good!" Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As representatives of the Ming Dynasty's imperial power and symbols of wealth, the royal family and vassal states were naturally targeted by the "extremely vicious" peasant uprising army.

Seeing that it was getting dark, Lu Tinghui rode his horse to the carriage and whispered, "Your Highness, I have booked an inn in front. Let's rest here today."

"We can enter Xinyang tomorrow."

Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming nodded and said, "Just do as you see fit."

Maybe because they had only walked for half a day, everyone was in good spirits and many were talking and laughing.

Started unloading the things from the carriage and moving them into the room.

Chongzhen asked in confusion: "Why do we have to unload everything? Wouldn't it be more convenient to put it on the carriage?"

The shop assistant came out and said, "It's obvious that the owner doesn't do business often, so he doesn't know this, right?"

"If we don't unload the goods, we will definitely encounter thieves at night. Only by moving all the goods into the house where we live can we feel more at ease."

Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming glanced at the other person and said quickly: "He is not a boss, just a scholar who followed the caravan to Beijing to take the imperial examination."

"Oh, no wonder!" The guy stared at Chongzhen's hand.

It is understandable that scholars do not have calluses on their hands and do not have this common sense.

Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming smiled and said a few words to the shopkeeper. His words seemed to be relaxed and casual, but his words were flawless.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "My dear father, this journey north is not safe at all!"

"Oh?" King Xiang was startled. "What happened in the north?"

The innkeeper sighed, "The Manchu Tartars have entered the pass. I heard that our Ming Dynasty won a victory. The horse thieves in Xinyang Prefecture are also making a lot of trouble. You can see that this city is full of merchants. If you hadn't booked the inn in advance, I'm afraid you might not be able to accommodate so many people today."

"People were in a panic, and many merchants did not dare to go north, and instead went south to Zhili."

"Horse thieves?" Chongzhen's eyes widened suddenly, "Won't the government suppress them?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and sneered, "If it were just horse bandits, the government might have suppressed them, but now there are uprisings everywhere, and they can't even take care of themselves, so how can they take care of suppressing bandits?"

After Prince Xiang finished talking to the shopkeeper, he dragged Chongzhen upstairs to the room and checked the facilities in the room first.

I finally breathed a sigh of relief after checking the table, under the bed, beams...everywhere.

"You can go to sleep now, but don't sleep too deeply at night." Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming said, "I will keep watch at night!"

Chongzhen couldn't help but say, "Father, you are too cautious, aren't you? Why are you so sophisticated? Have you been out before?"

"Be cautious? You'll know once you've experienced it." Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming smiled bitterly, "Remember I told you before that when I was young, I didn't want to be a vassal, so I ran away once. That time, although I only ran 600 miles, it taught me a lesson of life and death."

"That's when I learned these things. I never thought that after so many years, I would use them again."

"The world has been much worse in recent years than it was when I was there, but now that we have come this far, we can only look forward."

Chongzhen looked at Prince Xiang and suddenly said, "Father, you should take a nap first. I am not sleepy now, so I can read a book for a while."

"Okay, father, just lie down and take a nap. When you feel sleepy, wake me up." King Xiang did not refuse anymore. After all, the night was a long time.

Chongzhen moved the bean-sized oil lamp closer, then took out a book to read, but as he read... his eyelids felt as if they were filled with lead and drooped involuntarily.

Suddenly, he was awakened by a loud quarrel in the distance.

"Horse thieves... horse thieves are coming!"

"The horse thieves are coming..."

(End of this chapter)