In the eleventh year of Chongzhen, it was evening, December 25th.
The land in the north is mostly covered with white snow, and the sky is vast and white, and the fields are endless.
The cold wind howled, and it was rainy and windy in the capital for more than ten days in a row, with no sunny days.
The biting and violent northwest wind blew the bone-chilling snowflakes endlessly.
It will be New Year’s Eve in a few days, and it will soon be the twelfth year.
But there was no festive joy in the entire capital.
The huge city of Beijing is a gloomy and desolate scene.
The streets and alleys are sparsely crowded and deserted, with no joy in sight.
Since the 19th year of Yongle, Ming Dynasty's founder Zhu Di moved his capital to Beijing.
Beijing has been the capital of the Ming Empire for 217 years and will soon enter its 218th year.
The high shores are valleys, and the deep valleys are mausoleums; the vicissitudes of the sea indicate the ever-changing world.
So much has changed in more than two hundred years...
Today's Ming Dynasty is no longer the Ming Empire of the past that chased the Mongolian and Yuan Dynasties in the north, became famous in the West, and oppressed all nations like a soaring dragon.
Today's Ming Dynasty is full of twilight, full of holes and decay, like a red tiger lying on the ground and entering its twilight years.
Its claws are no longer sharp, its fangs are no longer sharp, the strength in its body is almost gone, and the pain inside its body is tormenting it.
It is at a critical juncture, a juncture that determines life and death.
If it can step forward and overcome the difficulties, then it will be rejuvenated, regain its strength, and gain new life.
But if you can't move forward and are overwhelmed by the pain, then what awaits you is death...
Countless vultures were circling in the sky, surrounded by a pack of wolves with glowing green eyes, and hyenas wandering in front and behind.
They are all waiting, waiting for Chihu to reach the end of his life.
Red Tiger's body was covered in blood and scars. Because of his weakness, gray wolves and hyenas would come forward to provoke him from time to time, or even challenge him.
The long-standing pride and the humiliation suffered by its ancestors made it difficult for it to lower its head. It could have spent this difficult period by bowing its head.
Among the surrounding beasts, one hyena is the most sinister and strongest. Many of the scars and bloodstains on Red Tiger's body were caused by it.
That hyena was once very weak, and it even survived because of the protection of the red tiger.
Following the red tiger, it grew up slowly. In the process of growing, it learned the red tiger's walking posture, learned the red tiger's roar, and learned the red tiger's hunting skills.
Time passed quietly, and the once weak hyena had become the leader of the party, and his ambitions continued to expand in the hyena's heart as his strength expanded.
Although Red Tiger is strong, he is already old and weak, but he is young and strong. At that time, an extremely crazy idea came into his mind.
It wants to defeat the red tiger, kill the red tiger, it wants to eliminate all traces of the red tiger, replace it with the new red tiger, and eventually become the soaring dragon that soars above the nine heavens.
After dormant for several years, the hyena stepped forward again, and while Chihu was fighting the disease, he suddenly stepped forward and bit Chihu's neck.
The red tiger roared and wanted to fight back, but it couldn't fight back. Once it fought back, the injuries on its body would be aggravated and it might never recover.
It was too sick, it had aged too much, and there were too many and too many thoughts in its mind. The pride hidden in its body made it finally swing out a claw and slap the incoming hyena hard.
In the Forbidden City, the Xinuang Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace is brightly lit with candles.
Emperor Chongzhen lowered his eyes, sat behind the papers, and read the memorials that had been sent from various places in recent times.
It has been nearly four months since the slaves were invaded.
In the past four months, memorials and news have been sent from all over the country every day, and almost none of them has good news.
Chongzhen's face was horribly white, and even under the light, there was no blood.
Eleven years have passed since he succeeded to the throne from his elder brother, but he is still only twenty-eight years old.
Twenty-eight years old should have been a high-spirited age, but Chongzhen's face was full of melancholy and sorrow, and white hair could even be seen faintly emerging between his temples.
Chongzhen wears a black gauze winged crown, which is decorated with gold dots and green dragons playing with beads.
Wearing a red straight body, the chest and back of the straight body are decorated with cloud shoulders. The inner embroidery is the pattern of happy meeting clouds and dragons, the longevity mountain, sea of blessings and colorful cloud patterns.
Sleeve darts are used from both shoulders to the cuffs. Knee darts are used at the front and rear hems of the robe, and extend to the hems on both sides. The darts and collar edges are all decorated with cloud and dragon sea patterns.
Beside Chongzhen, Wang Chengen, wearing a beam crown and a red t-shirt, stood beside him.
The person who usually stands the most in Nuan Pavilion is actually not Wang Chengen, but Cao Huachun.
When Chongzhen was young, Cao Huachun followed Chongzhen in Prince Xin's palace.
In the early years of the Apocalypse, Wei Zhongxian gained favor and gained power and killed Wang An.
Cao Huachun was implicated and was expelled from Beijing and sent to the capital of Nanjing to await his punishment.
After Zhu Youjian succeeded to the throne as emperor, Cao Huachun was immediately recalled and entrusted with the important task of redressing unjust cases.
For Cao Huachun, Chongzhen can be said to have given him great trust.
Now he is serving as the Eunuch Bingbi, the Superintendent of Ceremonies, the Admiral of the East Factory, and the Chief Admiral of the military affairs of the capital.
It shows that Chongzhen has great trust in him, but now Cao Huachun has no way to repay Chongzhen's trust.
Cao Huachun has been bedridden for more than several months, unable to take charge of the board of directors. He has already written three memorials begging for permission to take leave.
However, Chongzhen refused to agree and still asked the imperial doctor to treat him with all his heart.
National affairs are inherently difficult. Cao Huachun is well versed in political affairs and can solve many problems. If Cao Huachun leaves, many things will be difficult to deal with.
"Where did the Donglu troops appear?"
The more memorials he read, the worse Chongzhen's complexion became.
Chongzhen raised his head and asked Wang Chengen who was nearby.
Upon hearing Chongzhen's inquiry, Wang Chengen, who was standing by, quickly took a small step forward, lowered his head and bowed to answer.
"Back to the Emperor, the Ministry of War reported yesterday that most of the Donglu troops have crossed Qihe and Yucheng in Jinan Prefecture and are approaching...Jinan City..."
Wang Chengen hunched over and didn't dare to raise his head, and he didn't dare to speak too loudly. He really didn't have the slightest confidence.
Chongzhen's already pale face became even paler, and his eyes were full of resentment and humiliation.
The war situation was critical, and wars were going on all over the country. Jiannu entered Shandong, and it was like entering an uninhabited country. In the past few days, he had received news that either a certain place had been plundered, or that a certain state or county had fallen.
Although he had already been prepared when he heard that Gao Qiqian defeated Linqing and the Donglu invaded Gaotang Prefecture, he still couldn't accept the exact news for a while.
After a long silence, Chongzhen spoke again and asked.
"How many defenders are there in Jinan City..."
Chongzhen really didn't dare to ask about the situation in Jinan. In order to prevent the Donglu from blocking the canal, Shandong Governor Yan Jizu led his troops to guard Dezhou. He was also aware of the arrangements of the Ministry of War.
Jinan today is probably...
"Most of the soldiers and horses in Jinan City moved to Dezhou with Yan Jizu, the governor of Shandong. There are only 500 rural soldiers left in the city. Seven days ago, 700 reinforcements entered the city from Laizhou. Five days ago, 1,000 reinforcements entered the city from Qingzhou, totaling 2,000 taels. Hundreds of people……"
"I see……"
Chongzhen raised his hand and stopped Wang Chengen's words.
There are only more than 2,200 soldiers to rely on in the entire Jinan City. Even if the city is strong, the number of Donglu gathered in Jinan Mansion this time is as large as 60,000.
There was a huge disparity in military strength, and the purpose of the Donglu's rapid march was obvious. Soon after the battle in Jiazhuang, Sun Chuanting also wrote a letter claiming that the Donglu would probably attack Jinan.
Ten days ago, a fierce battle broke out between Xuan's army and Jiannu in Jiazhuang. If the Shaanxi army had not rushed to the rescue in time at night, I am afraid that Xuan's army would have been completely annihilated.
However, even though the Shaanxi army arrived and temporarily forced the Qing army back, Xuan's army still suffered heavy losses, losing more than 2,500 people and nearly half of them injured. Du Wenhuan, the general of Datong, was killed in battle and Lu Xiangsheng was seriously injured.
Hu Dawei, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province, and Yang Guozhu, the commander-in-chief of Xuanfu, were both wounded. Nearly half of their generals were lost and they were unable to fight anymore.
Guan Ning's army was defeated in Linqing and lurked in the west of Jinan Prefecture, which was completely useless.
The memorial that Chongzhen is holding now is the memorial submitted by Sun Chuanting.
Chongzhen had a very good impression of Sun Chuanting.
When they first met on the platform, Sun Chuanting was full of energy, and he couldn't hide his sharpness as he looked around.
However, although he was very sharp, he did not boast like Yuan Chonghuan, saying how many years he would be able to suppress the Liao Dynasty and how many years he would suppress the rebellion. Instead, he stated the situation, clearly stated the difficulties, took on important tasks, and expressed his willingness to do his best.
And Sun Chuanting did not disappoint him. After entering Shaanxi, he actively rectified the military and political affairs of Shaanxi and solved the problems that Gan Xuakuo had not solved for many years.
Less than a month after taking office, he killed Zhang Xian, the neat king who was stationed in Shangluo and was causing trouble.
Three months later, he received a document from Sun Chuanting reporting his victory in the Forbidden City - the great victory at Heishui Valley and the massacre of Gao Yingxiang!
When Sun Chuanting left the capital, he gave Sun Chuanting 60,000 taels of silver, an official title, and a seal.
The reward Sun Chuanting brought him was six thousand troops who dared to fight, sufficient salary and silver, abundant grain and grass, and the elimination of rebellion.
This time the Jiannu invaded, Sun Chuanting followed the imperial edict and went all the way north. As soon as he entered Beizhili, Zhending defeated the Qing army. He actually defeated the Jiannu army in a field battle and won a great victory over Zhending. He beheaded 463 people and was lifted. After breaking the siege of Zhending, the morale of the soldiers in the towns and camps was greatly increased.
When the good news was delivered to the Forbidden City, Chongzhen couldn't even believe his eyes and ears.
He didn't believe it at all at first. It wasn't that he didn't really believe it, but he just couldn't believe it.
The situation in Liaodong has deteriorated to the point where the establishment of slaves is now in great danger, just like I answered in the past, and even more so.
It wasn't until he saw Sun Chuanting's name that Chongzhen dared to believe it.
Only when the 463 heads were sent to the capital, and the captured flags were sent to Qianqing Palace, did Chongzhen completely believe that everything was not false.
The same goes for the Jiazhuang battle. If Sun Chuanting hadn't arrived in time with his troops, Xuan's army would have been in danger.
During these days, it was only after seeing Sun Chuanting's memorial that Chongzhen's face became better.
However, Sun Chuanting's memorial today was not able to relax Chongzhen's frown.
Even Sun Chuanting couldn't save Jinan...
Sun Chuanting's troops fought in two formations and marched all the way. Many people fell ill. The army reached Dezhou, but only 14,000 people were left able to fight.
There were 14,000 men against 60,000 men. Although the Shaanxi soldiers under Sun Chuanting were capable of fighting, the disparity in strength was too great after all.
Since the Donglu defeated Mongolia, there have been a large number of Mongolian cavalry in the army.
There were many Donglu cavalry, and they were defeated in the field battle. Let alone retreat, I'm afraid it would be difficult to even escape.
The soldiers in various towns in Shandong have the ability to defend the city, but they have no ability to fight in the field.
It is true that Chongzhen is not good at marching to fight, but the combat power of Donglu can be clearly seen from the battle reports.
What were the soldiers in the camp below like? When he first came to the throne, he thought everything was fine, and it was as beautiful as it appeared on paper.
Now that he has been in power for nearly twelve years, how could Chongzhen still be the easily fooled young man he was then?
On paper, there were tens of thousands of Shandong soldiers in Dezhou, but I really don’t know how many Chongzhen actually had.
The numbers reported below are basically not trustworthy. The soldiers said there were 10,000 people, which was probably only half, or even less than half.
The shortage of soldiers in the camp was slightly lighter, but the shortage of the guards was extremely serious. One guard actually only had a thousand people, which was simply outrageous.
Letting the soldiers from the towns in Shandong go into battle and go out to fight in the city will not only not be a help, but will also become a drag.
Chongzhen stood up and looked away from the document, feeling as if a knife was cutting through his heart.
The Donglu went all the way south, causing devastation and deprivation of life for the people.
Entering Jinan again this time, it was a place where several mansions were ruined.
There is also a fiefdom of King De in Jinan Mansion. Jinan City is now difficult to protect and it is almost certain to lose.
The loss of the vassal vassal and the fall of the capital city were truly a national disgrace.
Chongzhen walked back and forth, sighing constantly. The more he thought about it, the more critical the situation became. After thinking for a long time, he finally informed Wang Cheng'en to send someone to invite a bachelor, and Yang Sichang, the Minister of Rites, came.
Yang Sichang did not go to bed, and he, like Chongzhen, was not able to sleep.
The war situation evolved faster and worse than expected.
He also knew that Jinan was besieged, but he had no reinforcements.
The Qing army rushed forward in two directions.
There are only three troops closest to Jinan Prefecture.
The first part is the Zu Kuan tribe who is currently in Hejian Mansion.
Many cavalrymen under Zu Kuan's command were previously asked to assist the capital, so they stayed in Hejian Mansion.
However, Jinan was in a hurry and ordered him to rush for help, but Zu Kuan made excuses and delayed responding.
The second part is about the Guan Ning Army stationed in Linqing Prefecture, but how can Gao Qiqian be counted on.
Thinking of Gao Qiqian, Yang Sichang couldn't help but feel angry. In this situation like the battle in Jiazhuang, Gao Qiqian actually ran away without fighting.
Although Yang Sichang did not agree with the decisive battle, how could he sit back and watch the elite warriors under Lu Xiangsheng's command be destroyed.
Fortunately, Sun Chuanting was still there, and most of the capable soldiers were finally saved.
Sun Chuanting's words were extremely sharp every time he went to court, and he was very picky about the decrees he issued.
Yang Sichang was actually quite hostile to Sun Chuanting, but Sun Chuanting's rescue this time made Yang Sichang feel a little better.
The last one is Sun Chuanting who just arrived in Texas not long ago.
(End of chapter)
