Both Nandu Daily and Daming Daily reported this groundbreaking news, which caused an uproar once it was published.
The people never expected that Emperor Chongzhen was so afraid of Xiyi that he would abandon the city and flee.
In the eyes of this emperor, is it possible that the Western Barbarians are as fierce as tigers?
Although many people feel that something is fishy, they still want to wait and see.
However, the families of officials in the city had already begun to use horse-drawn carriages to transfer their belongings out of the city, and everyone couldn't help but believe it.
If this is the case, it is true. People in the whole city began to panic, and the streets became chaotic.
After hearing the news, Chongzhen had to send a large number of factory guards to maintain order and ensure that the main streets and city gates could pass normally.
This is the second time we have moved. Last time we brought many items from Beidu.
Except for filth and houses, no matter what they are, anything that can be moved away cannot be left to the Westerners.
However, because he did not know when the Xiyi fleet would be able to enter the Yangtze River estuary, Chongzhen could only ask his servants to be more agile.
If there is procrastination, the time of relocation will be delayed, causing the Western Yi to go upstream and fight to the bottom of the city.
Then these items that have been packed will all become other people's trophies...
The most important thing is that millions of taels of silver must be transported away. This was what Chongzhen had saved over so many years.
Chongzhen didn't want to die, let alone live without money. He had already had enough of the days when he had no money.
Similarly, all the money deposited in Taicang, the Ministry of Revenue, must be packed in boxes and transported to places beyond the reach of Xiyi.
While supervising the packing, Chongzhen couldn't help but think that the incident was caused by the traitor.
If the traitor hadn't asked Zhenhai Marquis Zheng Zhilong to attack Luzon, the Western Yi wouldn't have retaliated.
After Xi Yi is defeated, the traitor must bear some consequences.
If nothing else, you must at least respect your father's goods worth millions of taels!
"Your Majesty, the second assistant brought the businesswomen Gu Hengbo and Liu Rushi to ask for an audience. He said that the two women wanted to donate 500,000 taels of silver to resist the invasion of the Western Barbarians!"
"Oh? Announce it!"
Chongzhen was very interested in this. He didn't expect these two women to have such ambitions and ambitions. He had underestimated them before.
"Minnu..."
"I'm free of charge! I'll give you a seat!"
"Minnu dare not!"
"It doesn't matter, you two are also the agents of Beiting's products. If you want to come with me, please take a seat if you can!"
"yes!"
"Your Majesty, the two women did not dare to come here rashly for fear of disturbing Your Majesty, so they went to the minister's house to inquire about the content published in the newspaper. After I confirmed it, the two women wanted to donate 500,000 taels of silver to reward the army to defend the enemy. I felt that This is an important matter, so please come with us and your two daughters!"
Gao Hongtu briefly summarized the causes and consequences. Rewarding the army was a very important matter, and others might not dare to mention it. However, as the second assistant, facing a national crisis, he had to make the best of the situation no matter what.
"Well, I am very pleased that my second assistant is a loyal and good man of the Ming Dynasty. Now I am fortunate to see two heroic women helping each other. It is really a great blessing for the king of the Ming Dynasty. If the merchants of the Ming Dynasty all do the righteous deeds of the two, the Western Barbarians will surely There is no doubt that you will lose, and I will definitely reward you two."
Chongzhen also wanted to give these two the title of royal wife, but then he thought that since they were not married yet, they were not wives at all.
"Your Majesty, Minnu and her sister do not ask for rewards for this donation. They only hope that the king will defeat the Western Yi and protect their family and country to prevent the Western Yi from poisoning the people!"
Gu Hengbo told the emperor what the two sisters had agreed upon in advance. They did not donate all their wealth, at least they would leave money to make a comeback.
The two girls did not intend to accompany the driver to the mountainous areas in the south. Since they had accumulated a lot of belongings, quickly loading the ship and heading north was the best shortcut.
After saying that, he stood up and left. Staying here could not help the court. Besides, if he went back early, he could direct his servants to load the belongings onto the ship so that he could set sail as soon as possible.
Gao Hongtu didn't want to spend any money, and donated one hundred thousand taels of silver by the way, which was a little show of concern. Compared with the two young ladies, the old man would vomit blood.
Chongzhen couldn't let the two women return empty-handed, so he gave a gold medal as if I were here in person, so that the two women could transfer their family wealth.
Previously, a certain new emperor had given one to the two sisters, who would carry it with them when they went out. Now the two sisters have one each.
Even if this kind of gold medal is lost, others cannot use it because it has the name of the giver and a number. At most, it will be turned into gold ingots.
The two girls were already protected by factory guards. In addition, Jiangnan's economy has improved in the past two years. Bo Shi Trading Company purchased more than ten merchant ships. Using its own ships saves time in queuing.
In fact, there are more than fifty merchant ships calling this company. This is another way of making a contribution, but the tax is exact, and the purpose is to avoid being exploited.
Gu Hengbo and Liu Rushi have become well-known businesswomen in Jiangnan. The reason for their wealth is simple: they have obtained the only agency rights for novel products in Jiangnan, and the other one is Emperor Chongzhen.
Emperor Chongzhen was the biological father of a new emperor, so the relationship between these two women and the new emperor was unexplainable. No one dared to ask him face to face unless they told him.
Many people have already guessed it, but you can't reveal it, otherwise your life will be in danger. Deliberately criticizing your affairs will really make you lose your head.
It's not that there are no people who covet the two sisters, but there are as many as crucian carp crossing the river. However, due to the factory guards around them, no one dares to get involved.
Even if he has the intention, he is still afraid of the one in the north, for fear of being retaliated against later. If something happens to him, the whole family will suffer accordingly.
The death penalty may be exempted, but the life crime, such as a family going mining, probably cannot be escaped.
The two girls never expected that the peaceful Jiangnan region would one day be affected by war, but what even Cifu Gao Hongtu was sure of was probably true.
The two women have cleared all the goods that can be dispatched to agents in various places immediately. Only those with no orders for the time being will be shipped together with Yinzi.
After discussing with Liu Rushi, Gu Hengbo planned to follow the fleet north along the canal to Huai'an, where Shi Kefa was stationed and was probably safe for the time being.
If that doesn't work, go north to Jining to avoid the limelight. You might even encounter the Beiting army heading south, and then you'll be completely safe.
Not only the merchant ships of the trading company, but also the merchant ships of other companies, all traveling along the Yangtze River, are traveling upstream from the Yangtze River Estuary.
Some are going to Huai'an, some are going to Wuhan, but none of them intend to wait on the shore to watch the Xiyi fleet come to show off its power.
Merchants' money is not blown by strong winds. If Xiyi fails to protect it, half a lifetime's hard work will be given away.
Gu Hengbo and Liu Rushi had a close personal relationship with Lao Gaotou because Cifu could get the goods without queuing.
Having tasted the sweetness, Lao Gaotou also opened the door to the two girls. As long as they do not break the law, they can take the green channel.
Over the years, Gao Hongtu discovered that there is no contradiction at all between being loyal to the emperor and serving the country and making money for himself...
Not long after, Huang Degong sent someone to collect the money.
Five hundred thousand taels of silver is not a small amount. A box of two thousand taels of silver costs two hundred and fifty boxes.
Before joining the battle against Xiyi, Huang Degong planned to give each of his men five taels of silver first in order to motivate his men and boost their morale.
Whether to fight or not depends on the time of arrival of the Xiyi fleet and the speed at which Hou Di packs the boxes.
If the Xiyi fleet arrives at the Nandu River and these items have not been transported out, the Yongwei Battalion will be responsible for cutting off the rear.
Chongzhen wanted to move as soon as possible, but he didn't want to see the people running away. As a result, he and his concubines were surrounded by Xiyi.
For this reason, Tian Youwei, the eunuch who oversees the internal factory, was specially sent to take charge of this matter, especially the internal money. Not a single box should be missing.
As long as it is verified that the person who committed the crime is correct, he can be punished immediately on the spot.
These retreats are not only limited to Nandu, but also involve the entire Yangtze River Delta region.
The government, merchants, people, soldiers and horses in the surrounding financial and taxation areas such as Jiangdu (Yangzhou), Qiantang (Hangzhou), Huating (Songjiang), and Changzhou (Suzhou) must all retreat.
Retreating without a fight would definitely be embarrassing, but it was better than overestimating one's own capabilities, going up to resist, and being eaten one by one by the Western Yi.
Whether it was Fu Qu Shichu, Second Fu Gao Hongtu, Yuan Jixian, the Minister of War, or Huang Degong, they all believed that it was the most important thing to preserve their strength!
Once the soldiers and horses of the Southern Court were annihilated by the Western Yi due to taking the initiative to attack, wouldn't it be extremely tragic for the Western Barbarians to loot and board the ship before the reinforcements from the Northern Court arrived?
The one in the north had previously used a tortoise defense to resist the invasion of Donglu. It was disgraceful to win, but it was a win after all. This was better than the defeat of Shenzi!
In the current situation, Nanting's men and horses could not retreat even if they wanted to. Xiyi, relying on their strong ships and powerful artillery, did not give them a chance to retreat at all.
They could only change from holding on to retreating, abandoning the main cities, allowing the wealthy gentry to retreat with the soldiers and horses with the grain harvested in the summer, and wait for the opportunity to counterattack again.
During the day on July 20, 1646 AD, the extremely majestic Spanish-British combined fleet appeared at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
It was a pity for Admiral Oquendo to give up attacking Guangzhou and Xiamen along the coast.
But I was still a little excited at the thought of being able to break through the capital of the Ming Empire and let the soldiers loot the place.
According to reports, former pirate leader Zheng Yiguan has fled north with his ridiculous fleet.
This shows that his previous results were just a matter of luck, or that he caught the Dutch by surprise.
When encountering a truly strong man, all offensive actions taken by Zheng Yiguan and his fleet are self-destructive!
Although the Spanish galleon had a relatively deep draft, it had no problem entering the Yangtze River and traveling upstream.
It's just that apart from the sporadic fishing boats, there was no merchant ship on the river, which made Admiral Oquendo a little strange.
But the British army couldn't wait any longer. They had been fighting with the Spanish at sea for nearly half a century, and they had long been accustomed to doing piracy under the banner of the navy.
According to the previous agreement between the two parties, the area along the Yangtze River in South Zhili belonged to Spain, and the cities of Huating and Qiantang and the surrounding areas belonged to the United Kingdom.
The combined fleet did not find the enemy fleet at the mouth of the Yangtze River, so it did not encounter any resistance. The British fleet fired a signal flare and turned south, planning to loot Qiantang.
The mouth of the Yangtze River is the best blocking location for the Ming Dynasty's navy. Giving up here means that it will be difficult to stop the advancement of the hegemonic fleet in the Yangtze River.
Seeing this situation, Marshal Mero and Admiral Oquendo believed that Akito and his so-called emperor were ignorant and cowardly, perhaps frightened by the powerful hegemonic fleet.
In this case, there is no reason to reject the other party's good intentions. The purpose of raising troops and mobilizing troops in this way is to teach the Ming Kingdom a lesson and, if possible, occupy part of the Ming Kingdom's land.
The wily Marshal Mero did not let his soldiers disembark and adopted a strategy of advancing both by land and water.
He believed that battleships were the best bunkers, and there were tens of thousands of naval guns that could provide cover.
As long as Oquendo takes the fleet to the river near Nandu, after the bombardment, the army will take over the rest.
The entire plan has been progressing extremely smoothly so far, and the Ming Dynasty has not even blocked it.
Until the entire fleet saw the magnificent Nandu City, they were not bombarded at all.
Admiral Oquendo ordered the fleet to launch a salvo on the target, and at the same time, more than 3,000 heavy artillery bombarded the southern capital.
Calculated four times an hour, the fleet fired more than tens of thousands of shells per hour.
The bombardment stopped after two hours. After the smoke cleared, the city head was already in tatters.
After the fleet gradually docked, Marshal Mero immediately ordered his troops to land.
Regardless of the number of defenders in the city, this huge city must be captured as soon as possible.
The sound of gunfire rang out again, but more and more Spanish soldiers found that the other side never seemed to fight back.
There was not a single figure visible at the top of the city, only a bunch of flags of different colors flying, which made everyone very puzzled.
As a last resort, Marshal Melo sent a company of soldiers to conduct reconnaissance.
After waiting for a quarter of an hour, the company reported back that no enemy was found at the top of the city.
Marshal Mero did not believe that the Ming Dynasty would abandon his capital, and immediately sent a large army to march in.
Except for a few people who were unwilling to leave their homes, there were no valuable targets in the city.
According to the translator's account from the captives, the emperor had taken most of the people in the city southward, seemingly to the mountains.
It wasn't until he entered the extremely glorious rear residence and looked at the empty main hall that Marshal Mero believed that the prisoner's words were true.
What depressed him the most was that the army didn't find much food in the city, and they didn't even get the chance to fight to support the war.
Some of the food they managed to collect was still rice, which the Imperial soldiers couldn't get used to eating.
The men found a previously published newspaper, and the translator said that the content in it asked people in all major cities to move to other places.
The purpose was to avoid the powerful hegemonic fleet. If the imperial troops wanted to capture the emperor of the Ming Kingdom, they had to go deep into the hinterland of the Ming Kingdom.
Where exactly the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty went, according to the contents of the newspaper, Marshal Mero believed that it was at least in the Tianmu Mountain area, at least hundreds of miles away from his location.
If we don't pursue it, it seems that we won't get anything from this trip.
On the contrary, it is not certain that the Ming Emperor is actually there.
If the fleet is turned around to attack Guangzhou and Xiamen, what if the situation there is the same as here?
After discussing with General Oquendo, Marshal Mero decided to first send his troops in units of a thousand people to collect grain from the countryside.
The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty could evacuate Shi Min, but he wouldn't have to evacuate Nong Min in the countryside as well, right?
For now, let the soldiers grab enough food so that they can maintain the imperial troops' long-term combat needs!
