Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 131 Both Ends
In the lobby of the government office, Zhu Lang sat at the top, with civil officials such as Lü Daqi, Su Guansheng, Wu Bing, and Gu Yuanjing on his left, and imperial guards such as Jiao Lian, Bai Gui, and Zhao Xing on his right.

In the dead of night, the hall was brightly lit, making it seem as bright as day.
However, the atmosphere in the hall was quite solemn at this time, and everyone was silent.
Lu Daqi glanced at the silent Regent above him, and gave a slight hint to the people below. The Minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wu Bing, saw the hint and immediately stood up and saluted, saying:

"May I ask Your Highness, have you found out the situation of the Qing invaders outside the city?"

Zhu Lang glanced at Wu Biao below, but his face showed no expression. He waved to one side.

Li Chengzhi, who was standing beside him, immediately stood up and spoke.

"My Lords, the Imperial Guards have investigated the origins of this Qing army."

"On the sixth day of November, this group of Qing troops entered Huizhou. Li Shilian, the general of Huizhou, took several members of the royal family to Changle to surrender to the Qing."

"The Qing army saw that Chaozhou and Huizhou had surrendered, and used the corrupt officials of Chaozhou and Huizhou to find out that Guangzhou was empty, so Li Chengdong led a small group of troops, pretending to be soldiers transporting silver from Chaozhou, and quickly attacked Guangzhou with light equipment."

"Li Chengdong and Tong Yangjia led the rear army down the Longchuan River, conquering all the counties along the way to Huizhou."

"According to the thief's general, if the Qing army marches at full speed, it will reach Guangzhou in three or four days."

Li Chengzhi finished explaining the situation of the Qing army in one breath. When the ministers below heard Li Chengzhi's words, they were shocked at first, but then they suddenly felt relieved.
It would take three or four days for the Qing army to arrive with all their strength. In other words, in a short period of time, there were only a few hundred Qing army vanguards outside the city.
In three or four days, when most of the Qing army arrives, they might be able to escape back to Zhaoqing.

Wu Bing's expression also relaxed. He glanced at Lu Daqi above him and saw that he nodded slightly. Then he spoke respectfully again.
"The Qing army's vanguard attacked recklessly and was defeated by Jiao Hou's imperial army. They must have suffered heavy casualties by now and were unable to stop the imperial court from leaving."

"Your Highness is the foundation of the country. We should move from Guangzhou to Zhaoqing as soon as possible while the enemy's retreat is not yet reached, and then mobilize the Zhaoqing army to encircle and annihilate the invading enemy."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuansheng and other officials all nodded secretly, thinking that Wu Bing was still quite capable.

They were clearly advancing in order to seize the opportunity to fight, so how could they abandon the city and flee?

Wu Bang didn't care what everyone thought. Seeing that His Highness didn't say anything, he was determined and continued to speak.

"The court is protected by Marquis Jiao's imperial guards, so the remaining Eastern Tartar troops outside the city will certainly be defeated. However, if they return via the original route to the west of the city, they will inevitably disturb the Holy Emperor."

"Fortunately, Guangzhou is close to the ocean. I request Your Highness to send the imperial army to drive out the Eastern Tartars in the south of the city, and then leave the city through the south gate and evacuate by water..."

Wu Bing was talking eloquently, but he was interrupted by someone above him when he was halfway through his speech.

“Who else has this opinion?”

A cold voice suddenly came from above

Wu Bing's voice suddenly stopped. Looking at the cold-looking prince above him, he panicked and stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do.

When the ministers below saw the look on His Highness's face, they were also startled. They all lowered their heads, avoiding the sight of His Highness the Regent, with a slight gleam in their eyes.
Although His Highness was asking, everyone present could tell what His Highness meant. His Highness was obviously against withdrawing from Guangzhou.
Lu Daqi saw that Su Guansheng beside him also had a slightly changed expression, and his face also darkened. He was about to speak, but His Highness the Regent above him had already spoken directly.

His Highness the Regent glanced at the ministers below, his face was cold.
"Retreat! When did I ever say we should retreat?"

"If we withdraw now, Guangzhou will be occupied by the Qing army outside the city. Ganzhou has already been lost, how can we lose Guangzhou again?"

"The Qing army has always been brutal. Don't you know that the Tartars slaughtered the people of our Ming Dynasty in Jiangnan? The Tartars failed in their previous surprise attack and were severely damaged by the imperial army."

"If we withdraw now, the Tartars will certainly massacre the people of Guangzhou to vent their anger. The hundreds of thousands of people in Guangzhou will fall into the hands of the thieves. It is possible that what happened in Jiangnan will happen again in Guangdong Province."

"We can withdraw, but how can we withdraw the hundreds of thousands of people in the city?"

"Are you planning to let me abandon the hundreds of thousands of people in this city and flee alone?"

The Jian Guodian's voice was cold, and his eyes swept across the crowd below. The faces of the civil officials below were all frozen, and everyone lowered their heads and remained silent.
When Lu Daqi and Su Guansheng heard this, their faces froze, and then they both remained silent.
Although the ministers below did not dare to refute, they were somewhat dissatisfied in their hearts. It was already a time when Ganzhou, Guangzhou, and the people were still
The Tartars are about to attack us, isn't it most important to escape now?

Zhu Lang looked at the silent ministers below. How could he not know that they were dissatisfied? But so what? He was going to use justice to shut them up. Whoever dared to let him escape at this time would immediately become a traitor who persuaded the emperor to abandon the people. Didn't you see that Lu Daqi and Su Guansheng were both silent? Even the cabinet ministers could not bear this hat.
Zhu Lang's plan to hold the city was not a fantasy
The most dangerous part of this plan is the period between the arrival of the main force of the Qing army and the arrival of the reinforcements from Zhaoqing.
As mentioned before, the time difference between the two sides is at most three or four days. Defending a city is not like a battle in the field. There are more than 100,000 people and there are city walls. Can't they even hold on for a few days?

Zhu Lang looked at the silent ministers, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes. Even if he couldn't defend himself, he still had a way out!
He had already seen the map of Guangzhou City. The Jinghai Gate in the south of Guangzhou City was connected to the Pearl River.
If he really couldn't hold out for a few days, he could just hide himself and let Li Chengzhi escort him to escape directly from the Pearl River into the sea and return to Zhaoqing by sea.
The Qing army only had about 10,000 troops. If they wanted to surround the city from all sides, they would definitely not be able to cover the entire city.

The city had been defended for several days, and the Qing army certainly did not expect him to suddenly escape.

After all, if they wanted to escape, the people in the city would definitely flee before the army arrived. How could they suddenly abandon the city and flee after defending it for a few days?
Seeing that the people in the city had held out for several days without retreating, the Qing army must have believed that the people in the city had made up their minds to fight to the end.
However, Zhu Lang was able to take advantage of the Qing army's sudden carelessness and escape overnight.
At that time, he would take Li Chengzhi, Jiao Lian and others, abandon everyone in the city and leave the city lightly. There is a great possibility that he would escape successfully before the Qing army reacted. The Qing army couldn't lock up such a big Pearl River.
But if he escaped first, Guangzhou would certainly not be defended, and the ministers who stayed with him in the city would probably have to rely on themselves for the best.
Zhu Lang looked at the ministers below, with a hint of indifference in his eyes.

This is not ruthlessness. It's just that since these ministers have received this salary, they should be prepared for this. Don't you see that he, the Regent, is also taking risks? Everyone should just do their part reluctantly.
Zhu Lang had determined his escape route and was certain that moving the capital to Guangzhou was the right move.
Guangzhou not only has a large population, but people can also get around more efficiently than other places!
The ministers below bowed their heads. Jiao Lian looked at the cold-looking Regent above him. He was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

"Your Highness still cares about the people even in times of danger. This is truly a blessing for the people of the Ming Dynasty. However, Your Highness is the foundation of the country. How can you easily put yourself in danger for the sake of a city or a pond?"

"Your Highness, please leave this place for the time being. I am willing to stay in Guangzhou and protect the people of Guangzhou. This way, the court can have the best of both worlds."

The ministers looked at Jiao Lian, who had a resolute expression on his face, and their eyes lit up. Then they all looked up at His Royal Highness the Regent.

His Highness the Regent is afraid that someone will accuse him of abandoning his people and running away. Now that someone is willing to stay and die, His Highness the Regent should finally agree to evacuate, right?
Zhu Lang looked at Jiao Lian below, with a hint of surprise in his eyes. He had a better understanding of Jiao Lian, who was considered by everyone in the court to be the favorite general of the imperial party.
But his face was cold and he shouted coldly:

"Both? How can you achieve both?"

"There are only 300 imperial guards in the city. If you want to escort me away, I'm afraid all of them will have to be taken away. Ask Chen Bangyan if there are any soldiers available in Guangzhou City. What will you use to defend the city? Do you think you are an immortal soldier or a general?"

Jiao Lian's face fell silent upon hearing this. His original intention was to sacrifice himself in exchange for His Highness's evacuation of Guangzhou.
How could he not know that if His Highness escaped, it would be impossible to defend Guangzhou
He was a guest general from Guangxi Province, unfamiliar with Guangzhou, and his imperial guards were withdrawn to escort His Highness to evacuate. How could he defend Guangzhou?

Zhu Lang no longer cared about Jiao Lian, but looked at the ministers below and said in a cold voice
"If I leave now, Guangzhou will be in chaos. I'm afraid that the hundreds of Qing troops outside the city will occupy Guangzhou before tomorrow."

"If I am in the city, the people of Guangzhou will know that there is an emperor here, and the people in the city will be at peace. Only then can they defend the city together. And when the Zhaoqing army knows that I am in the city, Li Mingzhong and others will also come to rescue me with all their strength."

"Guangzhou can only be defended if I am in the city"

"There are 100,000 people living in Guangzhou. As the emperor of the Zhu family, we should guard the national border and also protect the people!"

"I am determined to hold on to Guangzhou. Do you understand?"

Su Guansheng looked at the determined young man above him, and remained silent. After an unknown amount of time, a gleam of light shone in his eyes.

He seemed to have made some kind of decision, and a firm look flashed across his face. It was only then that he felt that he had seen the true face of the Regent.

He finally understood why Qu Shisi had lingered for several years and even gave up the opportunity to serve in the Longwu Central Committee, just to support the Prince of Gui as regent.
Such a master can make his subjects die for him.

Su Guansheng straightened his expression and stood up from his chair. When Lu Daqi saw Su Guansheng standing up, his expression also changed slightly.
But before he could react, Su Guansheng bowed and said

"It is a blessing for the Ming Dynasty to have such a benevolent ruler like Your Highness. I will swear to follow Your Highness until death and protect the people of Guangzhou."

Su Guansheng stood up to answer the order. Lu Daqi's expression changed several times, and finally he had to stand up and follow him to pay his respects.
No matter how good the reasons are for abandoning a city, it will always be criticized.

Why did he first seek out Su Guansheng to unify opinions? Wasn't it to form a public opinion in the court, and then decide the matter in the name of public opinion?
If someone wants to use this incident to cause trouble later, all the ministers accompanying him will be held responsible.
But now Su Guansheng has changed his mind. If he still insists on evacuating, then in the future, it will be said that His Highness the Regent and Su Guansheng were concerned about the people and insisted on defending the city, while Lu Daqi was greedy for life and afraid of death and persuaded His Highness to abandon the city and the people. How can this be feasible?

So the moment Su Guansheng changed his words, Lu Daqi had no choice.

Wu Biao and the others below lowered their heads with unpleasant expressions on their faces, but at this time the two cabinet ministers had already expressed their opinions, so whether they were willing or not, they could only follow their orders.

The emperor and his ministers were ready to sacrifice their lives to defend the city, so they had no choice.

"Okay, if that's the case, then we should quickly prepare the city's defenses."

Seeing that all the ministers had obeyed his orders, Zhu Lang did not give them a chance to change their minds. He directly agreed to the order and began to arrange the defense of the city.
(End of this chapter)