Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 385 New Dynasty
In Guangzhou, the streets are crowded with people, colorful flags are flying on the storefronts, and the city is full of festive atmosphere.

On the street, a dozen teenagers were walking through the crowd, holding newspapers in their hands and shouting to sell their wares.

"Special report, special report, His Royal Highness the Regent has ascended the throne and changed the reign to Yongli"

"Special protection, special report, His Royal Highness the Regent has ascended the throne and issued the edict of accession..."

On the side of the street, two men in long shirts were walking towards the city. One of them heard the newsboy's call and suddenly stopped and called the newsboy over.
"Hey little brother, buy a Times"

"Sir, you are welcome. Regular newspapers cost 15 cents each, and the collector's edition costs 1 cent. Which one would you like?"

Wang Fuzhi was also stunned when he heard this, and asked

"What is this collector's edition? How is it different from ordinary newspapers?"

The newsboy also spoke directly after hearing this.

"His Highness the Regent ascends the throne, which is a great event for the Ming Dynasty to reopen the world. With His Highness the Regent ascending the throne, good days for us Han people will come."

"Our Xingming Times has specially published a supplement this time. The regular edition is just like any other newspaper, but this collector's edition is printed on the finest rice paper. It also features a painting of the enthronement of His Majesty by a famous painter, depicting the grand scene of His Majesty's enthronement on that day."

"This collector's edition of Xingming Times is rarely reprinted. If you get one, you can keep it at home and pass it down to future generations. It will surely appreciate in value in the future. Sir, you must not miss it."

Wang Fuzhi looked at the chattering newspaper boy, hesitated for a moment, and finally took out the money and bought two newspapers.

Wang Fuzhi put the scroll-like collector's edition aside, and then took the normal edition newspaper and started reading.

There were a few black characters printed in a prominent place on the front of the newspaper. They were the title of His Highness's enthronement edict: "Han and the barbarians cannot coexist. Be prepared for the Central Plains."
There were crowds of people on the street, but Wang Fuzhi was unaware of it. He just focused on the newspaper in his hand. After a while, Wang Fuzhi put down the newspaper in his hand, his face was excited, and he said

"Han and the barbarians cannot coexist. We must stay prepared for the Central Plains. We must save the Ouyue of our Han family and restore our Ming Dynasty."

"Your Highness has ascended the throne and succeeded the throne. Your voice has shaken the world. The people of the Han Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty have found another wise ruler."

Xia Ruobi, who was standing by, saw Wang Fuzhi's excited expression and chuckled, saying:

"When His Highness ascended the throne, the city was full of colorful lanterns, fireworks were set off all night long, and the people were running around to tell each other about the event. It was extremely lively, almost like the prosperous times of the past."

"Brother Nong arrived a few days late and was unable to catch up with His Highness's coronation ceremony. What a pity."

When Wang Fuzhi heard this, his face became serious and he said

"As long as you are on the land of the Ming Dynasty, you can be loyal to the court and congratulate His Majesty wherever you go. Loyalty to the emperor is the same, regardless of whether you are inside or outside the city, in the south or in the north."

Xia Ruobi was stunned when he heard this, and then nodded happily.
Wang Fuzhi had already obtained the title of Juren in the 15th year of Chongzhen, but he did not participate in the Gengyin imperial examination at the beginning of the year.
Wang Fuzhi's father died several years ago. When the news came that the imperial court would reopen the imperial examination, the Wang family urged Wang Fuzhi to take the exam, but Wang Fuzhi still insisted on observing mourning for three years.
Wang Fuzhi has now finished mourning, and this trip to Beijing is both to travel around the capital and to prepare for the next imperial examination.
Xia Rubi was a good friend of Wang Fuzhi. They were both from Hengzhou and had passed the provincial examination together. Xia Rubi had gone to Beijing to take part in the Gengyin examination last year, but failed to pass.

After the examination, Xia Rubi did not return home, but stayed in the capital to prepare for the next examination.
At this time, there were many scholars like Xia Rubi in Guangzhou.
After this year's imperial examination, all the scholars concluded that the next imperial examination would focus on the practical affairs of the court.
Guangzhou was the center of the imperial court. No matter what new trends or moves the imperial court had, they could be immediately known in Guangzhou.

These new moves of the imperial court in the next few years will most likely be the questions for the next joint examination. If they stay in Beijing, they can gain an advantage over candidates from other provinces.
It was at Xia Ruobi's strong invitation that Wang Fuzhi decided to go to the capital to prepare for the exam.

Wang Fuzhi put away the newspaper in his hand and was about to rush to the inn, but at this time Wang Fuzhi found that many people on the street were holding an autumn chrysanthemum and walking out of the city.
Seeing the doubt on Wang Fuzhi's face, Xia Ruobi also spoke up.

"It is almost Double Ninth Festival now, and these are the people who are leaving the city to pay tribute to the martyrs' monument outside the city."

When Zhu Lang ascended the throne, in addition to offering sacrifices to the Heaven and Earth Altar, he also led all the officials in the court to offer sacrifices to the Martyrs Monument.
Although the court stipulated that the monument to the martyrs should be offered sacrifices twice a year, in spring and autumn, Zhu Lang had just offered sacrifices when he ascended the throne on the first day of September, so the court did not hold another sacrifice on the Double Ninth Festival this year.
But after the Xingming Times reported that Zhu Lang carried Qiu Ju to worship the martyrs, the people of Guangzhou followed suit.

Nowadays, a large number of common people and scholars go out of the city to worship the tomb every day.
Wang Fuzhi's face turned serious when he heard this. He looked at Xia Ruobi and said:

"Brother Shuzhi, have you been to the monument to the martyrs?"

“I’ve been there before”

"Please lead the way, Uncle Zhi. I want to go to the monument to the heroes and pay my respects to the heroic spirits of the Ming Dynasty."

Wang Fuzhi had just entered the city today. Xia Ruobi originally wanted to take Wang Fuzhi into the city to settle down, but seeing Wang Fuzhi's insistence, he did not refuse.

They each bought a bunch of autumn chrysanthemums in the city, and then walked out of the city.
The west peak of Yuexiu Mountain is full of people on the mountain road. These are the people in the city who are going up the mountain to pay respects to the dead.
Zhu Lang built a monument to heroes outside Guangzhou and set sacrificial ceremonies in the court. Now, all provinces in the Ming Dynasty have followed suit and built monuments and mausoleums.
Although there are imitations of it in various places, the most famous one is the monument to heroes outside Guangzhou. It has become a must-see attraction for scholars from other places after entering Beijing.

Some city vendors saw business opportunities and started selling cold drinks, cakes and other snacks at the foot of the mountain. The conversations of the crowd and the vendors' cries were intertwined, making the place extremely lively.
Wang Fuzhi and Xia Ruobi followed the crowd and spent two quarters of an hour before finally reaching the mountainside. However, the mountainside was also crowded with people.

People crowded together in the open space outside the cemetery, and several old soldiers in scarlet military uniforms were maintaining order.
Zhu Lang had just ascended the throne for two days, and the heat had not yet passed, but there were already a lot of people going up the mountain to pay respects. Even if the people who went up the mountain arrived outside the cemetery, they had to wait in line. Only when the first group of people came down the mountain could the next group of people enter the park to pay respects.
Wang Fuzhi was lining up in the crowd. Several women in plain clothes arrived at the gate of the cemetery, but they walked past the people lining up and went straight into the cemetery.
Several women were leading their children. The old soldier who was maintaining order outside the gate saw the women wearing bronze badges, but he did not stop them and allowed them to enter the garden.

Seeing Wang Fuzhi's look, Xia Ruobi also spoke up.

"These are all the families of the soldiers buried in the cemetery. Before Your Highness ascended the throne, he awarded the army. All the sacrificed soldiers buried in the cemetery will be awarded the bronze medal of heroism as a reward."

Wang Fuzhi also reacted at this time. These women all wore a round copper seal with a sun and moon pattern engraved in the middle of the seal, and two crossed swords underneath.

The common people in the city only brought a bunch of autumn chrysanthemums, but these women were holding bamboo baskets and incense paper in their hands. It was obvious that they were here to pay homage to the tombstones.
After entering the cemetery, the common people usually only burn incense and offer flowers in front of the huge stele in front of the square. However, after entering the cemetery, the women climbed the stone steps and entered the layers of stele tombs in the back mountain.
In the middle of the square, a tall stele stands, and a huge bronze incense burner is densely filled with incense sticks. A puff of white smoke rises in front of the stele.
In front of the stele are many autumn chrysanthemums. The golden chrysanthemums surround the stele and are as tall as a person.
Wang Fuzhi looked at the crowd of people offering sacrifices and paying respects in front of the tomb, but could not help but sigh.

"To be loyal to the court while alive, and to be worshipped by the people after death, this is what a real man should be like."

Wang Fuzhi inserted a long incense stick into the bronze tripod, placed the chrysanthemum in front of the tomb, and bowed his head in salute.
On the mountain road behind, there was still a steady stream of people rushing towards the cemetery.
In the main hall of the Zhang family's house in the south of Guangzhou, there are five or six celadon tribute plates on the altar, on which are placed apples, oranges, walnuts, cakes and other items.

On both sides of the hall stood several women and children in plain clothes. The hall was silent and no one spoke.
Zhang Shipeng took out two scrolls from the wooden box and carefully hung the two portraits in the main hall.

The left scroll depicts a middle-aged man wearing a crane-shaped scarlet robe and looking dignified, while the right scroll depicts a young man wearing a long shirt.

Zhang Shipeng is the second son of Zhang Guowei. The man in the official robes of the crane in the painting is Zhang Guowei, the former Grand Secretary of Wuying Palace, and the young man on the right is Zhang Guowei's eldest son Zhang Shifeng.
In the first year of Lu's reign, that is, 1646, the Qing army broke through the Qiantang River defense line, and all the troops in Zhejiang Province were defeated.

Lu Jianguo fled to Zhoushan in panic, but before leaving, he ordered Zhang Guowei to retreat to the four prefectures in order to plan for the next move.
At that time, the main forces of Lu Jianguo's court were all defeated, and even the army in the court had been defeated. It was simply unrealistic to let Zhang Guowei, a civil official with a nominal title, resist the Qing army.

After receiving the order, Zhang Guowei actually returned to Dongyang and tried to recruit more soldiers to defend the city. However, the situation was difficult to reverse. Not long after Zhang Guowei returned to his hometown, the Qing army had already conquered Yiwu and marched straight to the city of Dongyang.

Before the Qing army entered the city, Zhang Guowei invited his two sons into his study to ask about their attitude towards life and death. The eldest son, Zhang Shifeng, did not hesitate and said that he would never betray his country and live in vain.

Zhang Shipeng was worried about the safety of his grandmother and children at home, so he was slow to respond. He was immediately hit by the enraged Zhang Guowei with a stone inkstone.
At that time, in Zhejiang Province, Fang Guoan led his troops to surrender to the Qing court, Lu Jianguo fled to the sea in panic, and Zhang Guowei had no soldiers or money. Even if he recruited more soldiers to defend the province, it would only result in a massacre.
The day before the Qing army arrived in Dongyang, Zhang Guowei wrote three suicide notes, saying that loyalty and filial piety could not be fulfilled at the same time, and as a minister, he should die if the country was overthrown, and asked his two sons to be loyal and filial.

Zhang Guowei left a suicide note, then dressed in court clothes, bid farewell to his family, and before Dongyang fell, he threw himself into the garden and died for his country on Ming soil.

After Zhang Guowei's death, his two sons did as they had chosen that day. Zhang Shifeng was captured by the Qing army and died in prison without giving in, while Zhang Shipeng was lucky enough to survive.
After the Ming army invaded Zhejiang Province, chaos broke out in all parts of Zhejiang Province. Zhang Shipeng also risked his life to protect the elderly and children in his family and successfully escaped to the Ming court.
After Zhang Shipeng hung up the portraits of the two men, he stood up and unfolded a scroll. On it were written the words "Han and the barbarians cannot coexist, and we must stay prepared for the Central Plains."

This scroll is a special edition supplement published by Xingming Newspaper. After the enthronement edict printed in regular script, there is a long list of names.
The list of names after the enthronement edict was all the martyrs since Jiashen. These martyred ministers were divided into four groups according to the place where they died.
They are the officials who died in Jiashen, the officials who died in Jiangnan, the officials who died in Jiangshang, and the officials who died in Fujian.

The ministers who died in the Jiashen Incident were the ministers who died in the capital. The first ones were the Grand Secretaries Fan Jingwen and Li Banghua during the Chongzhen period.
The martyrs in Jiangnan were led by Shi Kefa and Huang Degong, the martyrs in Fujian were Fu Guan, Cao Xuequan and others, and the first two martyrs in Jiangshang were Zhang Guowei and Zhu Dadian.

The four lists of martyred officials include more than a hundred people in total. Those who were included in the list were officials of the seventh rank or above during their lifetime.
The number of civilians and officials below the seventh rank who died in the war but whose records were not published is too numerous to count. No dynasty has ever seen as many martyrs as the Ming Dynasty.

The incense on the incense table had been lit, and a wisp of green smoke rose up. Zhang Shipeng led the women and children of the Zhang family to kneel on the futon.
Zhang Shipeng looked at the portraits of Zhang Guowei and Zhang Guowei above. He felt that in the wisps of smoke, his father and brother were still sitting in the hall looking at him as they did in the past. Zhang Shipeng said softly:
"Father, the Zhang family has now moved to Guangjing. I am unfilial and have not been able to visit your hometown to pay respects to you."

"Now my hometown has been conquered by the Qing invaders and barbarians. My father has been loyal to his country all his life. If he were still alive, he would have returned to the Ming land. I believe my father would have forgiven me."

"Everything is fine at home. Grandma is still healthy. Mother and sister-in-law are doing housework. My nephew has gone back to school and is studying very hard. He will be able to take the imperial examination next year."

"My father and brother have protected me, and I have been appointed as a secretary in the court. Everything is fine at home now."

"Since His Majesty took over the throne, he has attacked the Eastern Tartars in the north, defeated 100,000 bandits, and recovered eight provinces. Now the imperial court has been re-established in the South, and His Majesty ascended the throne a few days ago."

"The Ming dynasty will continue to flourish, and the emperor is wise and brave. Father can rest assured."

The women and children of the Xu family listened to Zhang Shipeng's words, kneeling on the futon with red eyes.

Zhang Shipeng knelt on the futon and reported the recent situation of his family and the court. He then took a copy of the Xingming Times from the old servant and threw the newspaper containing the edict of enthronement into the brazier.
The flames in the brazier rolled, and the newspapers were quickly burned, turning into a uniform green smoke that rose up and merged into the smoke of the incense above.
Zhang Shipeng led the women and children of the Zhang family to kneel and kowtow. When everyone was about to stand up after paying their respects, the old servant outside the door hurried into the hall with a happy look on his face and said

"Master, the angel from the palace has arrived outside the mansion, saying that he has brought the imperial decree to posthumously confer the title on the old master."

Although Zhang Shipeng was sad before, he was still able to remain calm. However, when he heard the old servant's report, Zhang Shipeng's eyes suddenly turned red.

Zhang Shipeng looked at the portraits of the two people above and said in a sad voice

"The emperor announced to the world that he would posthumously honor the ministers who died in the war. My father was listed as the first among the ministers on the Yangtze River and was included in the Temple of the Virtuous and Good. Now everyone in the world knows the meaning of my father's loyalty."

"Your Majesty is brave, brave and benevolent, and is a wise ruler that is rare in the Ming Dynasty. If my father and brother are still alive, please protect Your Majesty and ensure the long-term prosperity of the Ming Dynasty."

Zhang Shipeng kowtowed three times respectfully in front of the portraits of his father and brother above, then stood up and directed the servants to set up the incense table in the courtyard to prepare for the imperial edict.

In Guangzhou, a group of eunuchs went to the city to announce the imperial edict, posthumously conferring titles on the officials who died since Jiashen. This was both a farewell to the past and the beginning of a new dynasty.
While Zhang Shipeng and others were receiving the imperial edict, the first meeting of the Military Affairs Council after Zhu Lang ascended the throne was also underway in the palace.
(End of this chapter)