In the late December of the forty-seventh year of Chongzhen reign in the Ming Dynasty, Yingtianfu, Nanjing City.
With the end of the battle to defend Nanjing that lasted for more than half a year and the overall situation in the southeast has been initially determined, this southeast city has returned to its former prosperity.
As the New Year approaches, the Chinese people in Nanjing wear brand-new "Chinese robes" - a red round-collar robe, with a "Chinese sword" - a three-foot sword hanging on their belts, swaggering through the streets, forming a It creates a landscape that is quite "the world is for the common good". These "Chinese robes" and "Chinese swords" are not just something to wear or hang casually, but are symbols of the status of Chinese people and national scholars. In Nanjing, only those who have joined the army and been on the battlefield or served for a certain period of time, or paid to buy them Only those who have passed the examination or been awarded the title of scholar (scholar) can wear red robes and long swords, which is very majestic.
In addition to prestige, the status of a countryman and a countryman certainly has other benefits. First, a countryman and a countryman have the privilege of not bowing before an official and not being tortured in court; The third is that Chinese citizens and national scholars have the right to enroll in official schools themselves or to send a nephew or brother to official schools; fourth, national scholars have the qualifications to participate in political meetings and restoration meetings, and to serve as officials, while Chinese citizens only need to pay a certain amount of donations. Or you can obtain the status of a national scholar by graduating from a designated official school and passing the examination.
In short, the benefits of becoming a national and a national scholar are obvious!
In the city of Nanjing, if any grown man did not seize the opportunity when Nanjing was besieged by the Qing army last time to join the civilian army or donate military salary to establish himself as a national or a national soldier, it would be too late to regret it now!
Now that the Battle of Nanjing is over, the number of the Nanjing People's Army has been reduced to two to three thousand people - it is just a frame and city defense camp. The members are all military training (regular army). If you want to become a people's army again, Go up to the city to work on duty, shoot a few arrows, wave the flag and shout, just to become a Chinese citizen, there is no way out.
As for participating in Yingtianfu military training, firstly, the number of places is limited, and secondly, military training requires long-term service, and military discipline is strict, and citizens who are making a living and doing business in Nanjing are not willing to practice in the military.
So now those men with no status in Nanjing can't hold their heads up when they see the Chinese people and scholars in the streets. If the family is not very poor in money, even if they donate, they have to donate an identity!
And those who became nationals and scholars also enjoyed a great life. It turned out that they were part of the Ming Dynasty!
The representatives they elect can attend the Fu Ming Conference and the Nanjing Political Council. They have the right to speak on national and local affairs. Moreover, to serve as an official, one must be a national or a scholar. This feeling that I am one of the emperor's own family members is really good.
In addition to feeling good, the incomes of the handicraftsmen and small businessmen in Nanjing have also risen to a higher level after the victory of the Battle of Nanjing!
Nanjing is the capital of silk, an important trade hub on the Yangtze River, and a metropolis in the southeast. However, before the victory of the Battle of Nanjing until the Qing Dynasty took control of Nanjing, Nanjing's foreign trade was strangled by the Qing Dynasty, silk could not be sold at a high price, and the interests of the Yangtze River trade hub also dropped sharply, especially in the southeastern cities. Not to mention that the landowners in the southeast area either died in the troubled times or were cowed by the literary prison of the Qing Dynasty. Who dares to come to Nanjing to spread the word?
Therefore, the older people in Nanjing all miss the Ming Dynasty. Now, the Ming Dynasty is back, Nanjing is the capital of the country again, and overseas trade has become much smoother. The gentry from the southeast also flocked to Nanjing after the Battle of Nanjing. If you don't come back to Nanjing City, you will be regarded as a rich man by the scholars! And if you don’t come to Nanjing, how can you donate to the country? If you don’t donate to the country, how can you become an official or a master in the future?
Now that the Ming Dynasty has just been restored, there will definitely be a need for many officials. This opportunity cannot be missed!
Therefore, after the end of the defense war, the market in Nanjing became visibly prosperous. The whole city was really full of vitality, and everything was competing!
But at such a good time when "everyone, big or small, is happy", rumors began to spread in Nanjing that "Long live the East King" and "The East King will kill the king, and the Qing Dynasty will come back"!
When this rumor first came out, the people of Nanjing didn't believe it - now they are all "original monarchs and original ministers". Even if King Ding ascends the throne, he will be a virtual monarch who rules from the top down. According to the Fuming Conference, it has been finalized The original law of the Ming Dynasty established the principles. From now on, the major national affairs of the Ming Dynasty will be discussed and decided by a political meeting called the "Grand Council", and then the emperor of Ming Dynasty will nod and seal it. The daily affairs of the country are also managed by the Cabinet Office elected by the Ecumenical Council, and the leader of the Cabinet Office is called the Prime Minister. The real power of this prime minister is much greater than that of the emperor!
If Geng Jingzhong wants to seize power, can't he find a way to become prime minister? Why bother to kill King Ding and live long? If King Ding wants to be a "Long Live the Seal", he might as well be the Prime Minister or even the King of the East! Long live if he wants to be the real power. Although Wu Sangui, the Western King, is now the Emperor of Zhou and no longer cares about the Ming Dynasty, there are still the South King, the Zhong King, the Ying King, and the Yi King. Oh, there is also the North King, and Lu Zhongtang, Chen Zhongtang, can they agree? Even if the North King is close to the East King and supports him in the end, the opposition will be quite strong!
If one thing goes wrong, the Ming kings, Zhongtang, and Jiedu envoys will all be killed together, and then the Qing Dynasty may really come back!
But on the twentieth day of the twelfth lunar month, as the silver-armored Northern Princess Shang Shuying led 5,000 Northern Imperial troops to disembark from the Waijinchuanmen Pier in Nanjing, and then drove into the Shence Gate in a mighty manner, "Eastern Rumors such as "Long live the king" and "King of the East will kill the king, and the Qing Dynasty will come back" suddenly spread wildly in Nanjing.
However, there are still many people who still don't believe that Geng Jingzhong wants to rebel and kill the supervisor to become the emperor.
And on the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, which is today, Susong Town Jiedushi Yue Le, Eastern Zhejiang Observer Li Zhifang, Western Zhejiang Observer Fan Chengmo, Fujian Observer Liu Bingzheng and other foreign ministers led their troops to Beijing in accordance with the Eastern King's order, and the army was entering. The news about the Shangmen Gate in the outer city of Nanjing suddenly spread throughout the inner city of Nanjing like a pot explosion. Now everyone knew that something was wrong!
Not only did all the "red-coated citizens" on the streets of Nanjing's inner city carry swords, some even brought newly purchased flintlock pistols when they took to the streets!
The blacksmith street outside Dinghuai Gate in the inner city of Nanjing is even more red. They are all citizens who have purchased cloth-covered iron armor and chain mail armor at their own expense. According to regulations, Chinese citizens and soldiers are not only allowed to possess muskets and crossbows. , you can also purchase armor. Of course, the quantity is limited, and you must hold a "nationalist card" and a "national scholar card" to purchase it. The purchased armor, muskets, and crossbows must also be engraved with the name of the national or national soldier. name and brand number.
On the street outside Dinghuaimen where Chinese people and scholars gathered, the rumors spread even more powerfully.
"Have you heard? King Geng Dong is really going to rebel. The old imperial city he occupied has been put under full martial law. No one is allowed to enter or leave without King Dong's order!"
"Isn't that right? Yesterday I saw with my own eyes on the Shangfang Bridge that the troops of Yue Le, Li Zhifang, Fan Chengmo, and Liu Bingzheng came in in large numbers. Their total number was ten to twenty thousand!"
"The Eastern King's Army is also mobilizing to Nanjing these days. There are troops coming in from Xianhemen every day!"
"The soldiers of the North King are here too! The North King's Mansion in Jinchuan Gate has almost turned into a military camp. The North King's concubine Shang Shuying who brought the troops back is the sister of Sima Shangzhixin of the East Prince's Mansion!"
"Rebellion, anyone who rebels is a traitor!"
"What are you afraid of? Do they have as many people as we do? There are tens of thousands of soldiers training in Nanjing City, and there are no less than 150,000 Chinese and national soldiers. Over there in Anqing, there are tens of thousands of troops from the King of England and the King of Nan! There are also tens of thousands of troops in Yangzhou in the north of the Yangtze River. Chen Zhongtang's Huaiyang regiment is training. If anyone named Geng dares to rebel, we will destroy him!"
"Yes, just destroy him!"
Most of the people and scholars in Nanjing were elected after more than half a year of war, and they really regarded themselves as their own people in the Ming Dynasty. Now of course they must take up arms to defend the newly born people and scholars in the Ming Dynasty!
Moreover, Yue Le, Li Zhifang, and Fan Chengmo were all defeated by the Nanjing people. They led so many troops to fight for more than half a year, and they didn't even touch the edge of the inner city of Nanjing. There are only 10,000 or 20,000 people now. What is there to be afraid of?
As for Geng Jingzhong, the people of Nanjing also looked down upon him, and privately nicknamed him the "Rat King".
The reason for this nickname is that Geng Jingzhong looks a bit like a rat with a deer head.
Second, Geng Jingzhong is a thief and a coward.
On the one hand, he wants to be known as Long Live - and everyone will know about it; on the other hand, he is a bit timid and always afraid of others plotting to kill him.
So Geng Jingzhong hid in the Imperial City of Nanjing all day long and rarely went out. Even if he went out, he would go out quietly at night. He was really like a mouse king.
Even if such a rat king succeeds by luck, he will definitely not be able to defend the situation. The Qing Dynasty may come back!
Of course, Geng Jingzhong himself does not think that he has a "rat nature". He also thinks that his plan is very good and it should be foolproof!
Just when Nanjing's national gates began to spontaneously strengthen their armed forces, King Geng Dong was still in his palace with Yue Le, Fan Chengmo, Li Zhifang, Liu Bingzheng, Shang Shuying, who had just entered the city, and his confidant Shang Zhi in Nanjing. Xin, Yu Renying, Li Daoren, Bai Xianzhong, Xu Wenyao, Wang Shiyu and others conspired to rebel.
"Your Majesty, there are now 15,000 of your troops in Nanjing, 20,000 troops of Commander Yue, Li Kuan, Fan Kuan, and Liu Kuan, and the 5,000 troops of King Bei, a total of 40,000 people. Only Lu Sanhao is on the opposite side. With 10,000 regiments and two to three thousand militiamen, we have a huge advantage!"
"Your Majesty, now Dashengguan, Dangtu, Caishiji, Wuhu, Tongling, Guichi and other places are under the control of Marshal Zeng. Lu Bu's troops, large and small, are still under the strong city of Anqing. Chen Yonghua's The troops had just captured the city of Huai'an and were now resting. As for Lu Sanhao, he was in embarrassment because Wu Sangui claimed to be the Emperor of Zhou. Our people impeached him, causing him to be pestered by people from the Restoration Conference every day. There is no one in Nanjing who can fight with him. Your Majesty, you are the person you are fighting against!"
"My lord, you don't have to worry about Lu Bu and his son. They can't come to Nanjing at all. My Prince of the North leads five thousand elite troops to guard the Puzikou camp! How can Lu Bu and his son come here if they don't have a navy?"
"Your Majesty, don't worry about the Qing Dynasty coming back. The Qing Dynasty will be in chaos. Kangxi and his second brother, the regent Wang Fuquan, are already at war with each other. There will be a war in the spring of next year. They can't fight it themselves. Will you mind our business?"
"Wu Sangui doesn't have to worry. The first thing he has to deal with is Li Zicheng. These two are old enemies. It's impossible to make peace. There will be a fight between dragons and tigers!"
"King Kang of Jiangxi will not be our enemy. He has been besieged by Lu Bu and his son and Li Zicheng for so long. It is difficult to protect himself! As for King Yi of Fujian, he has always been a thief who guards his home. He cannot see beyond southern Fujian, so there is no need to worry. "
"My lord, the right time, the right place, and the right people are on our side. Let's go ahead and do it!"
Geng Jingzhong listened to the analysis from all aspects by his subordinates, and the result was of course that he was very confident. As long as he went ahead and started working, he would succeed in nine out of ten cases.
It seems that the prophecy of the emperor's clone, Erhuo, is absolutely correct!
Since he is right, Geng Jingzhong has also made up his mind!
He looked at the group of party members and allies in the hall, nodded heavily and said: "The power of the Ming Dynasty has been exhausted. The southeast is actually a land without one. If we don't take it, after Lu Bu and his son conquer Anqing and take Jiujiang, they will definitely join forces with Li Zicheng." Come and get it. They have now restored the surname Li, and have joined the sect with Li Zicheng, and they have become one. In addition, there are prophecies that say 'the eighteenth son will have the world'. The eighteenth son is the word Li! It can be seen that the world in the future will not be easy to hear. It’s the Eighteenth Son! I have now decided to strike first!
Are you willing to work together with Geng to bring order to the world? "
This is what everyone is waiting for!
So they all stood up and knelt down, clasping their fists with their hands, and shouted to Geng Jingzhong: "I am willing to follow the Eastern King to conquer the world!"
Geng Jingzhong nodded: "Okay! Each battalion will have a feast tonight, and we will send troops to attack Prince Ding's Mansion at three o'clock tomorrow!"
"yes!"
"嗻"
Dingwangfu, back garden.
Prince Ding Zhu Cijiong was sitting in a secluded pavilion at this time, looking at Lu Sanhao, Chang Wei and Luo Dawei in front of him with helpless expressions on his face.
Rumors spread throughout the city of Nanjing that Geng Jingzhong wanted to rebel, and moreover, "the king of the East killed the king of Ding". This is not to allow people to be regarded as emperors of the Ming Dynasty! After Emperor Xian was deposed, there was still a public official in Shanyang County. Why did he only have to behead his head?
This is not possible!
He has to fight to the death! You have to work hard to survive! Gotta take a death bite!
But as the king, he has no soldiers or generals, so he can only rely on the help of his loyal ministers, the powerful ministers!
But the problem is that now there is no powerful minister in Nanjing except Lu Sanhao who can take action. Chen Yonghua is from Jiangbei, so he sent a gentle and elegant Chang Wei to help. Li Zhongshan was still besieging Anqing, so he sent Luo Dawei, a kind-faced, easy-going and weak-mannered man, to escort him.
What made Prince Zhu the most speechless was that these three people did not have many troops. Lu Sanhao only had 10,000 people, Luo Dawei and Chang Wei each brought back 3,000 people, and there were also some militiamen. And then they were gone!
There are less than 20,000 people in total, but Geng Jingzhong’s side is at least 40,000 to 50,000, which is still a fraction!
The Ming Dynasty is about to end, and Emperor Xian of the Ming Dynasty is about to perish!
"Don't worry, Your Majesty." Lu Sanhao was quite calm. "Although King Geng Dong has 40,000 to 50,000 troops, there are still hundreds of thousands of Chinese people and scholars in Nanjing. As long as we can resist a little, we can wait for the Chinese people and scholars in Nanjing." If we all gather together, we can eradicate the traitors in one fell swoop."
Luo Dawei said with a gentle face: "Your Majesty, all of our Huaixi Red Scarf Army are capable of fighting. We can fight ten for one. We are not afraid of Geng Jingzhong's mischief. If he dares to rebel, I will capture him alive for you!"
The third Prince Zhu, who was quite capable of boasting, looked at Chang Wei again. He seemed to be even more hopeless. He was dressed as a scholar and looked like a scholar!
Chang Wei smiled and said: "Since ancient times, those who win the hearts and minds of the people win the world. Now the hearts of Jinling are with the king and not with King Geng. If King Geng dares to rebel, the people of Jinling will not forgive him!"
The third prince Zhu nodded: "Okay, then you hurry back to the military camp to capture the troops. Maybe tomorrow, maybe the day after tomorrow, the traitor Geng Jingzhong will rebel!"
After saying that, he waved his hand and asked Lu Sanhao, Luo Dawei and Chang Wei to leave.
Seeing them walking away, the Third Prince Zhu coughed again, and then he saw Jin Yiwei Supervisor Liu Shuochuan sneaking out of the woods nearby and quietly arriving at the Third Prince Zhu's side.
"Your Majesty, Geng Jingzhong will rebel early tomorrow morning!" Liu Shuochuan whispered.
"Really?" Zhu Cijiong glanced at him.
"It's absolutely true!" Liu Shuochuan said, "I have an informant in the Northern King's army."
"Are the Beishou ships ready?" Prince Zhu asked.
Liu Shuochuan nodded: "We are ready! Your Majesty, shall we set off immediately?"
The third prince Zhu sighed and whispered: "Wait, wait, wait until dark before leaving! I didn't expect that it would be so difficult for me to become an emperor!"
(End of chapter)
