After seeing off the Qing envoy Fan Wencai, the Empress Dowager Cisheng convened the civil and military ministers in Wuding Palace to discuss the defense of Shenyang and Fuzhou.
The long-running Liaoshen Campaign lasted from the early summer of the first year of Wuding to the late autumn of this year. The Qi army's more than 70 city strongholds in Liaodong fell bit by bit from north to south, from east to west. By the beginning of September, tens of thousands of troops retreated back to Shenyang and Fuzhou.
If it were not for the convenience of withdrawing to the pass, Fuzhou would actually be abandoned. After all, there were too few defenders in Liaodong.
Emperor Wu Ding died suddenly. The Qi army in the pass was completely lost. The surviving troops were also torn apart. There was a melee in the pass. The enemy in Liaodong was present. The battle was fierce and dangerous. The little emperor Liu Kan was less than one year old. The current situation can be said to be the most critical. when.
Being a mother means being strong, and Jin Yuji is also the mother of the country. In order to protect Liu Kan and preserve the inheritance left by Emperor Wu Ding, Jin Yuji chose to stay in Shenyang and shoulder the responsibilities that she did not originally bear.
When people in later generations of Qi discuss this period of ancient history, they often have questions like this: at the most critical moment of the Liaoshen Campaign in the first year of Wuding, why was it the Empress Dowager Cisheng who finally stood up to preside over the overall situation and stabilize people's hearts, instead of Empress Dowager Cisheng? The Eastern Queen Yang Qing'er. Because according to various historical data (including images, movies, games, comics, etc.), no matter what aspect of comparison, Yang Hao's daughter Yang Qing'er is more experienced than Queen Mother Kim in terms of military dispatch, stabilizing people's hearts, and coordinating the overall situation. , more skillful and more convincing.
However, history is often such a mystery. It does not take into account the mood of later people. Real history is actually more imaginative than movies and games.
At the most critical moment of the empire, Jin Yuji, who had almost zero political experience and ability, was pushed to the front.
History chose the Cisheng Queen Mother, and she also used her actions to turn the sky upside down and live up to the king.
The Cisheng Queen Mother has just turned twenty-three years old. After eight years of hard work, her sassy aura has not diminished, and she is even more calm and calm.
"Jiannu has been at war with me, Daqi, for three months. Today's proposal for peace is nothing more than an attempt to attack people's hearts and subjugate them without fighting. I am a woman with little knowledge. You are all important ministers of the late emperor. Please tell me, What’s the next step, how to defend Fuzhou and Shenyang?”
After Jin Yuji finished speaking, she glanced around the hall and looked at the civil servants and military generals left behind by Emperor Wu Ding.
The newly built Wuding Hall is much smaller than the Imperial Palace of the Capital, and is only slightly larger than the main hall of the original Liaodong General Military Mansion.
Since May of the first year of Wu Ding, the emperor and his wife went north to hunt for Liaodong. They fought for more than four months and fought hundreds of battles. This palace was barely built and was only used for the enthronement ceremony of the young emperor. Not to mention compared with the palace in the Forbidden City. , even compared with Dudu's Khan Palace in Hetuala, the scale and shape are extremely crude.
The last civil servants and generals of the Da Qi Dynasty were crowded into the small palace, as if this short-lived empire was finally forced into a desperate situation.
"The matter has come to an end. You don't have to hide anything. If you have anything to say, please say it!"
Jin Yuji repeated it again.
Qiao Yiqi, who was still outspoken and sincere, was the first to stand up. He saluted the Empress Dowager, looked around and saw that no one was speaking, so he got straight to the point:
"Three months ago, Ma Shangshu was entrusted by Prime Minister Kang to go south to ask for help, saying that he wanted to stop the Southern Ming Dynasty's Northern Expedition. It has been more than three months, and there has been no news back, and it is not known whether he is alive or dead. Now that the plague in the North has passed, the Southern Ming Dynasty , The rebels and thieves are beyond the reach of the capital area and unable to occupy it. This is a good opportunity. Instead of fighting hard in Shenyang and the city being destroyed and massacred, it is better for the army to enter the pass from Fuzhou, occupy Beijing and Tianjin, and create a new world!"
"What Mr. Qiao said is true!"
"What Qiao Shangshu said makes sense. The late emperor said it when he was still alive. If you save the land and lose the people, you will lose the people and the land. If you save the people and lose the land, you will save the people and the land. It is better to abandon Shenyang and Fuzhou too!"
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As soon as Qiao Yiqi finished speaking, there was a chorus of agreement from around him. Most of the civilian officials and military officers present agreed with this opinion.
Indeed, as Qiao Dazui said, Wang Gong's factory exploded, the plague was rampant, and the prefectures and counties along the route from the capital to Shanhaiguan were basically transformed into ghosts.
Now that the plague has subsided and the floods, droughts and locust plagues have passed, these places have not yet been occupied by the bandits and the Ming army. Since the Qi army cannot stay in Liaodong any longer, it is better to withdraw to the pass and occupy a piece of territory, which will have great potential in the future.
There was a buzzing discussion in the main hall. Kang Yingqian glanced at the throne. Jin Yuji looked like water and remained silent.
Xu Guangqi, a bachelor of Dongge University, took a step forward, holding a wat tablet in his hand, and said to the Empress Dowager Cisheng sincerely:
"What Qiao Shangshu just said is actually a matter of old age and country planning. The Queen Mother Shengming, at present, our army has only 20,000 troops. We are trapped in Shenyang. We have 30,000 to 40,000 slaves. The Korean soldiers are also about 20,000, and there are a large number of Korean soldiers attached to them. , the enemy is numerous and we are few, there are no reinforcements outside and there are rebels inside, even if the late emperor is here, it will be difficult to defend against the enemy."
Xu Guangqi coughed twice. He was originally Yang Hao's mortal enemy. When Yang Hao gained power, Xu Guangqi indulged in scientific research and played with firearms. After Yang Hao died for his country, Xu Guangqi was overtaken by Kang Yingqian again. Seeing that the City Abandoning Faction now has a slight advantage, he He decided to take advantage of the victory and pursue it, completely overwhelming Kang Yingqian and occupying a dominant position in the court.
"The people in Shenyang City are far inferior to the merchants in Kaiyuan. They do not remember the kindness of the late emperor. After only two months of siege, some people began to flee. Most of the tens of thousands of people left in the city are people brought from Kaiyuan and Tieling. The empress dowager is kind and cannot bear to kill. If things go on like this, she will only help the enemy. When Du Du attacked the city, the people who escaped were cannon fodder to fill the trenches, and the ants who invaded the city first. Furthermore, if it is delayed for several months, , the food and grass in the city are exhausted, the weather is freezing, and there is no need for Jiannu to attack, our army will be defeated first, so I think that while the defenders still have the strength to fight, it is a safe strategy to retreat to the pass immediately to preserve their strength."
After Xu Guangqi finished speaking, he glanced at Kang Yingqian who was standing in front of him. Kang Yingqian just snorted lightly and had no response.
There was chatter and discussion in the hall again.
Jin Yuji looked down at everyone and said in a deep voice: "Do other ministers think so too?"
All the ministers agreed.
Fight or defend, go or stay, for a moment, all the pressure fell on Jin Yuji.
The Empress Dowager Cisheng looked at her brother Jin Dajiu and the North Korean general Jin Yinghe. These two people were part of the Empress Dowager's core team. Together with Kang Yingqian and Zhao Lijiao, they were considered the Empress Dowager's party, or the Queen's Party for short.
Jin Dajiu coughed lightly and said in broken Chinese:
"What both adults said makes sense, but since we are still defending the city, let's talk about defending the city. Donglu did not fight any tough battles along the way from Hetuala to Kaiyuan, Fushun, Qinghe, Tieling, etc. We evacuated all the cities ourselves, and only Liaoyang fought with them. There is a saying that a arrogant soldier will be defeated. I think Du Du is so proud now that he dared to propose marriage to the Empress Dowager. He is not far from death. Can't we fight without reinforcements? The women and children in the city have all fled. From now on, other strong men cannot let them leave the city again."
Jin Yinghe standing next to him was like an iron tower in the frost, standing firm and motionless.
Jin Yuji turned her attention to Kang Yingqian again.
"What does Prime Minister Kang think?"
Kang Yingqian bowed to the Empress Dowager, looked around, glared at Xu Guangqi and Qiao Yiqi, and said with a murderous look on his face:
"Du Du is a man with the most narrow-minded temper. He is a man who will retaliate for his anger. Both Lao Nu and Huang Taiji died in our hands. He once succumbed to Kaiyuan's army and threatened to take revenge in the future... In public and private matters, Du Du He will not let us go. Now the Qing army is at its peak, and the North Korean army is assisting us. No matter whether we go or stay, it will not be easy for us to escape. Shenyang City is high and deep, the troops are strong, and the food and grass are enough to last three months. We You are not afraid of an old man in his sixties, so what are you afraid of! Besides, if we stay in Shenyang, we still have the strength to fight. If we withdraw now, the Qing army will follow us halfway. Will we fight or surrender? We will even fight against the city. If you don’t even dare, how can you go to the field to fight?”
Kang Yingqian's words made sense, his voice was cadenced, and he had an aura that was irrefutable.
There was another sound of admiration from the surroundings, all of which were officials supporting Kang Yingqian.
Xu Guangqi retorted loudly: "There is still a glimmer of hope for abandoning the city and entering the pass. As long as Shanhaiguan is defended, the refugees in the good land in the pass can be used by Da Qi. As long as it recovers in three to five years, they can come back and sweep holes and plow the courts like the late emperor." !”
Song Yingxing retorted: "If Shenyang can't be defended, how can we defend Shanhaiguan? It's dangerous outside the pass, but is it easy to survive inside the pass? Three years to recover? By then, morale will be eroded and it will become a piece of loose sand. I'm afraid it will be wiped out!"
"Lord Song, stop being alarmist!" Ge Ye said sarcastically: "It's understandable that you don't want to go back to the pass. Everyone knows that your Song family still has some properties in Shenyang!"
"My shop has been closed down by the late emperor a long time ago, so don't slander me!"
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There was a lot of noise on both sides, and there seemed to be a tendency to start a fight.
There was a bang, Jin Yuji stood up and slapped the table, and the crowd suddenly became quiet.
The Empress Dowager Cisheng raised her head and looked at Zhao Lijiao who had returned from Japan. From the beginning to the end today, Zhao Lejiao had not said a word.
Zhao Shujiao is Yuan Chonghuan's confidant and Yuan Dudu's old partner. At that time, Yuan Chonghuan led the 9th and 10th Guards Army to Kyushu. In the end, more than half of them were lost, and only more than 2,000 people fled back to the country. Yuan Chonghuan finally died together with the demon monk - all of this was the result of Emperor Wu Ding's insistence on dividing his troops and resorting to force. The Guards stationed in Kyushu actually became the victims of wrong decisions in the end.
Yin Jian is not far away, and Zhao Zhijiao will be very sensitive whenever he hears the words "dividing troops" and "retreating".
He is the middle force between the war and defense, and he is also a figure that both factions want to win over.
"Queen Mother," Zhao Lijiao raised his head and looked at the Cisheng Queen standing in front of the throne. At this moment, he remembered what Yuan Chonghuan said to him before he died.
"At the last moment of his stay in Japan, Magistrate Yuan asked his ministers to let me bring the soldiers home,"
Mentioning Yuan Chonghuan, Zhao Shujiao's eyes turned slightly red.
"Master Yuan said that most of the soldiers of the Ninth Army and the Tenth Army are Liao people, and he wants me to take them back to Liaodong."
Everyone around them looked this way, looking at the tall Zhao Shujiao, whose voice suddenly became high-pitched.
"Kaiyuan's troops are advancing but not retreating! My troops have just retreated from the Japanese country. They don't want to withdraw from Shenyang. The last time they were defeated, my chief officer Yuan Chonghuan died. This time they are defeated. Do you want my emperor to die?" ?!”
"good!"
The Cisheng Empress Dowager shouted loudly, "A scholar may be killed but not humiliated!"
Jin Yuji pulled out the wild goose feather sword that had killed countless people. She raised the sword with her hand and lowered it. The sword flashed with cold light and cut off a section of the imperial court.
There was a clang sound, and the Yanling knife was thrown in front of everyone.
The ministers were all startled and looked up blankly at this Korean woman who had followed the late emperor on the battlefield.
"This sword was a gift from the late Emperor before his death. Kaiyuan's army can advance but not retreat. If it advances, it will have a chance of survival. If it retreats, it will die without a burial place. If anyone dares to retreat, use this sword to kill me and Liu Kan!" Kill all the soldiers! Step over our corpses and retreat safely to the pass!"
The elegant sparrows in the main hall are silent.
After a while, Zhao Lijiao took the lead and knelt down, facing the Empress Dowager Cisheng and shouted:
"The last general is willing to lead the remaining troops and defend Shenyang to the death. He would rather die than retreat!"
The ministers knelt down one after another and shouted to the emperor and empress on the throne: "Defend Shenyang to the death, rather die than retreat!"
