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Part One: Penghu Storm Chapter 549: Moving south?

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    Ding Yuanzhao watched his children leave him. When Xie Tian was about to leave, Ding Yuanzhao stopped him: "Xie Tian, ??go back and tell Ding Yunyi that Wang Qingheng cannot be trusted. If a thief comes to Beijing,  , he must be the first to surrender. I kept Wang Qingheng to remove some harm to your Marquis Wu Lie, so that they should remember this."

    "Yes." Xie Tian said silently: "Is there anything else you would like to give me?".

    Ding Yuanzhao let out a long sigh: "Let Ding Yunyi never forget that he is still a minister of the Ming Dynasty no matter what. In the future, no matter what, please ask him to leave some blood for the Ming Dynasty."

    Xie Tian nodded silently.

    Outside, the carriage was ready, and about twenty solemn-looking people were closely guarding the carriage. As soon as the Ding sisters and others got on the carriage, the curtain was quickly lowered, and then the carriage left quickly.

    Xie Tian stared blankly at the Ding family for a while, then bowed his head to the end.

    At this time in the Ding Mansion, Wang Qingheng was restless, but Ding Yuanzhao smiled and said to his wife: "Madam, no matter what, we are still together."

    Ding Chen Wanhe was also smiling slightly: "Actually, you are still very proud of Xiang Wen, right?"

    Ding Yuanzhao nodded and said: "Yes, although Xiang Wen is lawless, few people can create such a large scale in such a short period of time like him. And I always have  I have a hunch that as long as Xiang Wen is here, our Ming Dynasty will not be destroyed."

    "It can't be destroyed, it can't be destroyed." Ding Chen Wanhe said with a smile: "Our Ming Dynasty cannot be destroyed, and neither can our Ding family."

    Wang Qingheng is very surprised why this old couple can still laugh

    What Chongzhen really didn¡¯t expect was that the defenders in the strategic towns of Taiyuan, Ningwu, Datong, Xuanfu and other places would be vulnerable to a single blow and collapsed at the first touch.  What's the point?  Total collapse caused by long-term accumulation of bad governance.  Since the Jiajing period, the border guard army's problem of arrears in military pay has never been solved, and its morale has been extremely low. Under the strong pressure of rogue bandits, it quickly collapsed.

    Li Zicheng's army captured Pingyang on the 23rd of the first lunar month, advanced to Fenzhou on the second day of the second lunar month, captured Taiyuan in the seventh lunar month, and marched north from Taiyuan on the 15th of the seventh lunar month. At Ningwuguan, they were resisted by the commander-in-chief Zhou Yuji.  Datong's commander-in-chief Jiang Quan not only refused the order to reinforce Ningwu, but instead surrendered to the bandits, and Datong fell without a fight.  On the sixth day of March, the bandits advanced to Yanghe, and Jiang Xuan, the deputy general, surrendered.  On March 13, rogue bandits entered Xuanfu. Governor Zhu Zhifeng and general soldier Wang Chengyin surrendered, and Xuanfu fell without a fight.

    The situation is like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.  Could it be that the Ming Dynasty simply allowed "the majority to be exhausted" and did nothing?  Of course, Chongzhen and his ministers were not willing to give in, so they planned an expedition, moved south, and served as king.  However, none of them worked.

    On the ninth day of the first lunar month of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, the Ministry of War received a document sent by Li Zicheng, announcing that the soldiers would arrive at the gates of Beijing on the tenth day of March, and the two sides would start a decisive battle.

    This was obviously a challenge to the authority of the Ming Dynasty and an extreme contempt for the combat effectiveness of the Ming Dynasty army, so the time for the decisive battle was publicly announced.  There was not much time left for the court to prepare for war.

    As the leader of a country, Chongzhen was so anxious that he had trouble sleeping and eating. For several days in a row, he could not think about food or drink due to anger and exhaustion.  When he went to court, he expressed his true feelings to the ministers: "I am not the king of a subjugated country. Everything is a symbol of the subjugation of the country. The world where our ancestors were protected by wind and rain, once lost, what will be seen in the earth? I am willing to supervise the master to  In a decisive battle, even if you die on the battlefield, you will not care, but you will not die in peace.¡±

    After saying that, he cried bitterly and angrily asked the ministers: The situation is like this, there is no manpower outside the imperial court to turn the tide, and the imperial court's finances are close to drying up, what should we do?  Can you share my worries?

    When the ministers heard that the emperor planned to personally supervise the army and fight to the death, they did not dare to neglect. Chen Yan, the chief minister of the cabinet, was the first to express his willingness to go out on behalf of the emperor.  Chongzhen replied without hesitation that it was difficult for southerners to do the job and he refused.  The cabinet ministers Wei Zaode, Jiang Dejing, Qiu Yu, Fan Jingwen, Fang Yuegong and others successively requested to go on an expedition on behalf of the emperor, but Chongzhen disagreed.

    At this time, Li Jiantai, who entered the cabinet together with Fang Yuegong in November last year, spoke: "The emperor is so worried and angry, how dare I not contribute my own strength. I am from Shanxi, understand the situation, and am willing to use my family wealth as military pay. Please  Lead the troops to war."

    Chongzhen originally intended to let this Shanxi native lead troops on an expedition. Hearing his statement, he was overjoyed and praised him repeatedly. He also said that he would personally farewell to him in the suburbs of Beijing to show the majesty of "going out on behalf of the emperor".

    Who is Li Jiantai?  He was a native of Quwo County, Shanxi Province. He was a Jinshi in the fifth year of Tianqi's reign. He successively served as the imperial wine minister and the right minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. He entered the cabinet in November of the sixteenth year of Chongzhen.

    This person often talks to his colleagues about the war in his hometown and is willing to?Contribute family wealth and go out to quell chaos.  It seems that his coming forward was not a whim, but was well prepared.  Of course the emperor couldn't ask for it, because Li Jiantai was from Shanxi and would fight to the death to defend his hometown. What's more, he was a local rich man, so he didn't have to worry about military pay. It was the best of both worlds.

    On the 26th of the first lunar month, the "Expedition for the Emperor" ceremony was solemnly held.  First, the prince-in-law, Captain Wan Wei, offered sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple. Then the emperor came to the main hall and held the so-called "sending ceremony". On the spot, he handwritten the four characters "conquer on my behalf" and awarded them to Li Jiantai together with the Jie Yue and monk Fang Baojian, which symbolized power.  Then, the group of people took a bus to the Zhengyangmen Tower, where the emperor personally hosted a farewell banquet.  Along the way were soldiers holding flags and flags, lining up from the Meridian Gate to the outside of the Zhengyang Gate. The golden drums were beating, flags were fluttering, and the atmosphere was quite lively.  There are nineteen banquet tables on the Zhengyang Gate Tower. In the middle is the emperor's royal seat, to the east are nine tables for civil servants, and to the west are nine tables for military officials. The wine sets on the table are ancestral ritual vessels, and the ones used by the emperor are inlaid with gems.  The ministers use ordinary gold cups.  As the music sounded, the emperor toasted three glasses to Li Jiantai and said emotionally: Sir, going here is like I am going on an expedition in person, and everything can be done easily.

    After the banquet, the eunuch put on a red flower and a red cloak for Li Jiantai.  Amidst the sound of drum music, Li Jiantai left the Zhengyang Gate Tower, and the emperor watched him off on the tower.

    Such a grand expedition ceremony placed high hopes on the emperor and the court.  So, can Li Jiantai, a man from Shanxi, really turn the tide?

    The situation in Shanxi is very chaotic. It is not an exaggeration to describe it as "the three Jins are invincible".  Before the rogues arrived, the defenders fled, leaving behind empty cities and panic.

    In this emergency situation, Li Jiantai should have worked hard and traveled day and night, but he chose to take his time and used ancient military techniques to march no more than thirty miles a day. He really failed the emperor's trust.  The emperor personally assigned him 1,500 soldiers from the Beijing camp, and they were equipped with Ling, the head of the Ministry of War, Guo Zhongjie, the commander-in-chief, and Tang Ruowang, the missionary in charge of Western weapons. The lineup was not weak.  Cheng Yuan, a Jinshi, rushed to Zhending Temple and encouraged Li Jiantai to rush to Taiyuan to calm people's hearts.  He also showed Ling the defense strategy of Pingyang and Taiyuan.  But it was all in vain.  Li Jiantai didn't want to take the risk and go to Taiyuan to calm people's hearts.

    Shanxi has long been in chaos. On December 21 last year, the city gates of Pingyang Prefecture were opened wide. Officials abandoned the city and fled, leaving them undefended.  On the 23rd of the first month of this year, the bandits arrived in Pingyang from Puzhou, and the prefect Zhang Lin surrendered.  Five days later, news of the fall of Pingyang reached the capital.  The delivery of information was so slow.

    The poor functioning of Shanxi's local government directly affected the imperial court's strategic decision-making, making Li Jiantai's "campaign on behalf of the emperor" an afterthought.

    The imperial court had no precise military intelligence, so it focused Beijing's defense on the southern flank - the line from the Taihang Mountains to Zhending and Baoding, and neglected the northern flank - the Datong and Xuanfu lines, assuming that it would be heavily guarded to ensure safety.  The emperor's decision-making was based on the wrong analysis of the Ministry of War. The first step when he ordered Li Jiantai to go south to Baoding was to consider that "the imperial court's worries" were in Baoding, not Xuanfu and Datong; even if Baoding was lost, it would still be possible.  Xuanda's army can be recruited to defend the capital.

    This judgment is completely inconsistent with the actual situation. Even if Li Jiantai's expedition is fruitful, it will be difficult to ensure the safety of the capital. At best, he can only resist Liu Fangliang's partial army.  Moreover, Li Jiantai did not want to defend Shanxi to the death. His behavior was just a political gesture and a bluff.  He brought 1,500 forbidden troops, and the food and salary supplies in the Baoding area had to be dealt with on the spot. The local officials were afraid that he would come to recruit troops and demand payment, so they refused to allow his troops to enter the city, which ruined the prestige of the dignitary superintendent.  Prior to this, Wei Zhengu, the censor, pointed out to the emperor: One soldier and one pay are all dependent on the local area, so why should the powerful control the weak?  In his opinion, "auxiliary ministers cannot be relied upon, and state affairs cannot be blamed."  That means, don't place too much hope on Li Jiantai's expedition.

    Li Jiantai himself was not a loyal and courageous person. His request to "go on behalf of the emperor" was nominally to share the emperor's worries, but in fact it was to save the property of a wealthy family in his hometown.  However, when he was still marching from Baoding Prefecture to Zhending Prefecture and Shunde Prefecture, and before he could reach the land of Shanxi, his hometown Quwo fell.  In this way, his motivation to save his hometown was completely lost. Like a frustrated ball, the heroic words he said in front of the emperor a few days ago were suddenly thrown out of the sky.  He knew that the situation in Shanxi was beyond control, and he didn't want to attack the situation again.  From then on, Li Jiantai had no intention of heading westward and had been lingering south of Beijing, waiting to see the situation and doing nothing.

    Chongzhen, who had high hopes for Li Jiantai, heard that Zhending had been captured by rogue bandits and thought that Li Jiantai had "sacrificed his life for the country."  On February 28, he summoned Zhang Jinyan, the Minister of War, to verify the situation with him.

    Zhang Jinyan replied: "I have never heard of it."

    Chongzhen was a little angry: "I have alreadyYou know, why are you still hiding it?  "

    Zhang Jinyan replied again: "I didn't see the newspaper."

    Chongzhen was very angry: "Zhending has fallen. Of course, it is impossible to report it. Why doesn't the Ministry of War send someone to conduct reconnaissance?"

    Zhang Jinyan¡¯s answer was even more baffling: ¡°Sending people to conduct reconnaissance requires money and food. The Ministry of War does not have money and food, so it cannot conduct reconnaissance.¡±

    After hearing this answer, Chongzhen was so angry that he had nothing to say, so he pushed forward the case.

    The Ministry of War, which holds the central position of the military, would use the excuse that it is too poor to send spies. Isn¡¯t it ridiculous?  But what is even more ridiculous is that the emperor received the news that Li Jiantai "sacrificed his life for the country", which was completely false.

    The fall of Zhending was on February 23rd and March 3rd. This Li Jiantai actually suggested to the emperor to "move south" to show that he was still alive, and the lie was self-defeating.  However, Li Jiantai's claim to "camp on behalf of the emperor" was shattered.

    Not only was the cowhide destroyed, but it also ended in a disgraceful end.  Liu Fangliang commanded the bandits and soon captured Zhending, and Li Jiantai fled to Baoding.  On March 13, Liu Fangliang surrounded Baoding City. He did not resist at all. He sent the Chinese army to Guo Zhongjie City and announced his surrender. He himself became a prisoner. The imperial edict, the governor's seal, and Shang Fang's sword were all burned by the rogue bandits.  .

    After the failure of the "Emperor's Expedition", the proposal to move south was put forward again.

    Li Mingrui told Emperor Chongzhen.  On the way to Beijing, I heard that the situation was dangerous and that rogue bandits were approaching the capital. Now is the time of survival and death, so we must take a long-term approach.  At present, it seems that "moving south" is the only solution to alleviate the urgent task.

    In view of the lesson that his "southern migration" proposal was stillborn, Chongzhen was more cautious about this and said perfunctorily: This matter is important and should not be raised easily. I don't know what God's will is?

    Li Mingrui sighed and said: "Destiny is unpredictable. It all depends on human affairs. Human beings can defeat God. The emperor's move is in line with God's will. The slightest difference can be a huge mistake. Moreover, the situation has reached a critical moment and we can no longer delay and follow the rules. The authorities are confused, but the bystanders know clearly. The emperor must make an immediate decision.  "

    Chongzhen looked around and confided his inner thoughts to him: "I have been determined to do this for a long time, but no one has helped me, so it has been delayed until now. I agree with you, but the ministers outside do not obey, so there is nothing you can do. This matter is important, please ask you  Keep it confidential and never let it out.¡±

    Chongzhen asked him in detail about the specific matters of "moving south".

    Li Mingrui said confidently: "Under the escort of the army, the imperial court can go south by land, sea, and canal. The emperor must drive south by small road and reach the Huaihe River in twenty days."

    Chongzhen expressed his approval and once again told this matter not to be leaked.

    Seeing that the emperor seemed to have some considerations, Li Mingrui asked the emperor to make a decisive decision and leave Beijing. There would be no benefit in being trapped in a dangerous city.

    After lunch, the conversation between Chongzhen and Li Mingrui continued.  After dinner, Chongzhen felt that there were still many issues to be studied during the "southern move", so he made an exception again and summoned Li Mingrui. The two had a chat and discussed specific matters such as food and salary support, military stationing, and the use of internal funds during the "southern move".

    When the conversation ended and Li Mingrui left the palace, it was already the second watch of the night.

    This was an extraordinary meeting. It was on the third day of the Lunar New Year. People were still busy celebrating the New Year, but Chongzhen was considering his retreat - "migrating south."

    To be fair, under the circumstances at the time, "moving south" seemed to be the only option available to get out of the predicament.  There are Zuo Liangyu's 100,000 troops in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, and there are troops from the four towns in the north of the Yangtze River in the lower reaches guarding the natural moat of the Yangtze River. Nanjing is much safer than Beijing. Even if the north falls, it is still possible to settle in the south of the Yangtze River.

    The problem is that "moving south" means abandoning the ancestral temple and mausoleums, which is difficult to talk about. Important ministers from the cabinet and the six ministries must come out to oppose all opinions and form a unanimous consensus among the court.

    "It's a pity that those ministers are afraid of being stigmatized and dare not advocate "southern migration".  On the ninth day of the first lunar month, when he proposed to the six ministers of the cabinet that "I am willing to supervise the army", the ministers rushed to express their willingness to "camp on behalf of the emperor" and no one mentioned "moving to the south".

    However, the situation is becoming more and more urgent.  After Li Zicheng marched into Shanxi, he issued a proclamation to denounce the Ming Dynasty. The aphorism in it - "The king is not very dark, isolated but blind; the ministers are all private, and they are less loyal than the party and the public." It caused great shock.  Although Li Zicheng said that "the emperor is not very bad" - the emperor is not bad, Chongzhen still issued a "Edict of Sin" to deeply reflect on the country's peril, claiming repeatedly that it was all my fault.  His original intention was to unite the increasingly scattered public sentiment and turn the tide.  Unfortunately, the matter has reached this point, and empty words will no longer help.

    Chongzhen once again thought of "moving to the south" and summoned Gong Yonggu, the prince's consort, to consult the emperor's relative on emergency measures.  Gong Yonggu strongly encouraged the emperor to "move south" and if he was trapped in the capital, he would sit and wait for death.

      Soon, Li Mingrui made a public appeal and suggested "moving south".  He said: If the emperor "moves south", the Beijing camp troops can escort him, and hundreds of thousands of soldiers can be recruited along the way.  Some royal palaces in Shandong can be stationed there, and the buildings in Zhongdu in Fengyang can also be stationed there. There are Shi Kefa and Liu Kongzhao in Nanjing who can entrust great things and establish the great cause of Zhongxing.  Beijing can entrust Wei Zaode, Fang Yuegong and other cabinet ministers to counsel the prince and deal with the aftermath.

    Chongzhen handed his memorial to the cabinet for discussion.  Chen Yan, the chief assistant of the cabinet, opposed the "southern move" and signaled the military department to give the matter to Zhongguang Shiheng. He severely condemned Li Mingrui's "heretical theory" and threatened in a stern voice: If Li Mingrui is not killed, it will not be enough to calm the people's hearts.

    Li Mingrui refused to accept it and tried his best to defend the "southern move". He cited the precedent set by Guo Zuo for 150 years after the Song Dynasty "southern move", and repeatedly argued that only "southern move" could have any hope of resurgence.

    Chongzhen was very disgusted with Guang Shiheng's opinions. He reprimanded him face to face for being motivated by "clique" and issued an imperial edict: "Guang Shiheng blocked my move to the south. I should have been executed. I will spare my life." Although his attitude was very firm.  , but the ministers remained silent.

    Li Banghua, the censor of Zuodu of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, supported Li Mingrui. He wrote a secret memorial to the emperor, proposing a compromise plan, sending the prince to "move south" and making Nanjing the companion capital, leaving a way out and maintaining the hope of the people.  Chongzhen read his memorial and was filled with admiration. He was so excited that he walked around the palace and rubbed the memorial into pieces without letting go.  He immediately summoned Chen Yan, the chief minister of the cabinet, and told him: Li Banghua is right!  Chen Yan was firmly opposed to "southern migration" and deliberately revealed the news to the outside world, and encouraged officials to lash out at the idea of ??"southern migration".

    Chongzhen felt the pressure of "moving south", and his position changed subtly. When he summoned his cabinet ministers again, he made a decision that was completely different from his original intention: to stick to Beijing.  His reason was: If I go alone, what will happen to the ancestral temple and the country?  What to do with the mausoleum?  What to do with the millions of lives in the capital?  It is the moral orthodoxy that the king and the country live and die together.

    The cabinet ministers suggested that the prince should be allowed to "move south" to continue the reign of the country.

    Chongzhen retorted: I have been running the world for more than ten years, but to no avail. What has a brother like the prince done?  Gentlemen, please take the opportunity to study the countermeasures of war and defense. There is no need to say anything else.
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