Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 78 Moving the Capital
In the Ding Mansion study, Wang Kun and Ma Jixiang walked in hurriedly, pushing the door open.

Ding Kuichu put down the book in his hand, looked at the two people with serious expressions, frowned slightly, and said
"What has made you two so anxious?"

"I just received an urgent report that Ganzhou has been destroyed by the Qing army and has already fallen," Ma Jixiang took out a memorial from his sleeve.

"What"

Ding Kuichu's expression suddenly changed. He immediately stood up from the table and took the memorial from Ma Jixiang.
Ding Kuichu unfolded the letter and glanced at the contents on it. His face was filled with shock and anger.

"What on earth does Wan Yuanji do for a living? He has the resources of the entire Gan Province at his disposal, tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, and so many ministers to help defend the city, but he can't even defend a city. He is a waste, really a waste."

Ding Kuichu held the letter in his hand and cursed loudly, but a trace of panic flashed in his eyes.

Once Ganzhou was captured, the Qing army could rest for a while and then march directly into Guangdong Province.
There is no longer any barrier in front of Guangdong Province, and they will have to face the Tartar army head-on!
Ding Kuichu recalled the tragic situation during the Chongzhen period when the Qing army plundered Hebei Province. After the Qing army's plunder, the whole city was wailing, and countless people were driven out of the border like pigs and sheep by the Qing army. They drove them out of the border like pigs and sheep, and there were bloody corpses and white bones all the way. Thinking of the cruelty of the Qing army, his face turned slightly pale.
The three of them sat in the room in silence, with the letter paper spread out on the table. The room was completely silent.

After a while, Ma Jixiang finally couldn't bear it anymore and said

"According to the military report, Ganzhou City fell on the eighth day of the first lunar month. It has been nearly twenty days since then. How to deal with this matter? The Lord needs to quickly formulate a plan. Who knows, the Qing army may have already arrived."

When Ding Kuichu heard that the Qing army might have come to attack him, he became even more panicked, but he kept a calm expression on his face and said:

"The imperial court has already spread the word to all directions. If the Qing army enters Guangdong, they will know that the imperial court is here as long as they inquire a little."

"After hearing the news, the Qing army will definitely head straight to Zhaoqing to achieve great success. We cannot stay in Zhaoqing and must move the capital immediately," Ding Kuichu said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, move the capital. Zhaoqing is too close to the front line. We must move the capital immediately." Wang Kun's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he quickly agreed.
The imperial court moved from one place to another in the past few years. In three years, there were three emperors and three capitals.

The new dynasty was established in Zhaoqing only a dozen days ago. Nanjing and Fuzhou can be left, so why can't Zhaoqing be left?

"According to the elder's opinion, where should we go?" Wang Kun said repeatedly.

"Once the Qing army enters Guangdong Province, there will be war everywhere. We cannot stay in Guangdong Province. There are also large armies gathering in Guangxi Province. For the sake of the court's stability, I intend to move the capital to Guangxi." Ding Kuichu's eyes flashed with determination.

If he remained in Guangdong Province after the capital was moved, then after the Qing army entered Guangdong, the Guangdong army under his command would inevitably be sent out to fight against the Qing army.
Let's not talk about whether his Guangdong army can resist the Qing army. Even if they can, they will certainly suffer heavy casualties. How can they

This Guangdong Army is the capital of his survival. Without this army to rely on, how can he sit firmly on the position of Prime Minister? The Guangdong Army in his hands must not be wasted like this.

When Ding Kuichu thought of this, his expression became more determined. Moreover, there was another benefit of retreating to Guangxi Province.

He did not have a complete base in Guangxi Province. He had won the first merit in suppressing the rebellion for Chen Bangfu in his early years, and he had a long-standing friendship with Chen Bangfu.
Now Chen Bangfu has an army of 10,000 and is stationed in Nanning. Once the court retreats to Guangdong Province, with the Guangdong Army under his command sitting in the center and Chen Bangfu supporting him outside, the situation in the court will still be under the control of Ding Kuichu.

In this situation, if we do not consider Chen Bangfu's intentions, after retreating to Guangxi Province, his control over the court will be even stronger than in Guangdong Province.
Thinking of this, Ding Kuichu became more determined to move the capital to Guangxi. If he defended Guangdong Province, his army might be wiped out, but if he retreated to Guangxi Province, there would be a bright future ahead.

When Wang Kun and Ma Jixiang heard this, they thought of Chen Bangfu who had come to visit them earlier, and their eyes lit up.

At this time, Ding Kuichu had already made up his mind. Without waiting for the two people below to express their opinions, he continued to speak.

"Although we have to protect the central government and retreat to Guangxi, we must also defend Guangdong. If we abandon Guangdong, we will lose the support of the people."

"Doesn't Qu Shisi always say that he wants to revive the Ming Dynasty? I intend to appoint Qu Shisi as the governor of Guangdong Province and order him to lead Li Mingzhong's Gui army to stay in Zhaoqing to fight against the Qing army."

"It would be best if we could convince Gui Jianguo to leave Jiao Lian's imperial guards behind. The Central Government has our 20,000 Guangdong troops to protect it, so why would they need imperial guards?"

Ding Kuichu's eyes flashed with ruthlessness. He looked at Wang Kun on the left below. If he wanted to persuade Gui Jianguo to make this happen, it would most likely require Wang Kun to exert his strength in the palace.

"Great, great!"

Wang Kun was amazed when he heard this.

"His Highness the Regent relies heavily on Jiao Lian. I'm afraid he will never let go of the Imperial Guards. However, there is a lot of room for improvement in the matter of Qu Shisi and Li Mingzhong."

"Your Majesty the Regent is very concerned about his reputation. As the Prime Minister, Lord Ding will naturally accompany the emperor on the western tour. As the Prime Minister, Qu Shisi will naturally take on the important task of defending the border for the country."

"People like Qu Shisi are the most famous. As long as we can persuade the regent to speak up and force him with justice, he will definitely not refuse even if he knows he will die."

Wang Kun had a way out of moving the capital, and his mind was at peace. He quickly started to make plans.
The people they fear most in the court are Qu Shisi, Li Mingzhong and Jiao Lian. They have thousands of troops, but they are just military men after all and cannot have a say in court affairs.

Only Qu Shisi, who has roots in Guangxi Province and is inextricably linked to Jiao Lian and other Guangxi troops, can truly form a check and balance on them in the court.
Apart from Qu Shisi, without Guangdong Province, Lu Daqi, He Wuzuo and other Fujian and Guangdong people are nothing but a bunch of stray dogs. They have no soldiers and no power. When the time comes, they can just wave their hands to get rid of all these people.

The more Wang Kun thought about it, the colder his expression became. By this time, his expression had completely calmed down.

He thought for a moment and continued speaking.

"If you want to make this happen, I'm afraid Lord Ding will need to send out some soldiers. Right now, the Guangdong Army under Lord Ding's command has the largest number of troops. If you want to persuade General Li Mingzhong to stay in Guangxi, it would be unreasonable if the Guangdong Army did not send out any soldiers."

"If you want to keep Li Mingzhong in Guangxi Province, it would be best for Lord Ding to send out five or six thousand Guangdong troops. This way, you can shut up the mouths of the people in the court and accomplish this." Wang Kun narrowed his eyes and spoke in a cold voice. Hearing this, Ding Kuichu frowned, but avoided Wang Kun's gaze and did not reply.
Five or six thousand Guangdong troops, this is already a quarter of his troops

He is not without rivals after entering Guangxi. Although Chen Bangfu is submissive now, he may have some intentions after entering Guangxi. He also needs enough troops to ensure his right to speak after entering Guangxi.

Seeing that Ding Kuichu avoided answering, Wang Kun guessed that Ding Kuichu was reluctant to give up his army, so he spoke again.
"Why hesitate, Lord Ding? There are only about five or six thousand people. First, select all the old and weak soldiers in the army. That will make one or two thousand people. Then, we can gather another two or three thousand people and that will be enough."

"When the cabinet minister enters Guangxi and takes control of the government, the money and grain in the court can be allocated as much as you want. At that time, the cabinet minister can recruit as many people as he wants. Why bother to delay important matters for these soldiers?"

"This matter concerns the overall situation of the court after entering Guangxi. How can it be accomplished without paying a small price?" Wang Kun advised again.

"Okay, let's do as Eunuch Wang said. I will give up these 5,000 soldiers and serve the country."

Ding Kuichu listened to Wang Kun's words, and thought about how to remove all the obstacles in the court, and finally made up his mind.
Ma Jixiang, who was standing by, saw the two of them finish their discussion and looked hesitant, but he finally spoke.

"What Eunuch Ding said is reasonable, but what if His Royal Highness the Regent does not want to move the capital?"

As soon as Ma Jixiang finished speaking, the expressions on Ding Kuichu's faces suddenly froze, and the crowd fell into silence for a while.
His Highness the Regent had just held a banquet for all the generals a few days ago, and openly swore to the previous dynasty that he would follow the example of Emperor Taizu and launch a northern expedition. They were happy to discuss this, but His Highness the Regent might not be willing to follow them in moving the capital and evacuating.

But soon, Ding Kuichu sneered and said

"Commander Ma is overthinking. The so-called Northern Expedition that Gui said a few days ago was nothing more than a lie after he ascended to the throne suddenly. He was probably flattered by the people around him, and he wanted to be the leader of the revival of the country."

"Now the Qing army is really coming to kill us, do you really think that Gui Jianguo is not afraid of death?"

"This Gui Regent fled all the way from Hunan Province, and he fled thousands of miles and was caught up in the chaos of the army. All the kings in the palace died, but this Gui Regent is still alive and well. Such people are good at saving their lives, and they will never do anything to defend their country and risk their lives," Ding Kuichu said coldly.

When Wang Kun and the others heard this, they thought about Gui Jianguo's past experiences and felt that what Ding Kuichu said made sense.
The former King Gui had so many princes, but only this Gui Jianguo survived to the end and inherited the throne. Such a person must be very flexible. How could he joke with his own life?
It can only be said that Ding Kuichu hit the mark by accident, and he really got Zhu Lang's character right. Although Zhu Lang might not flee at the first sign of danger, he would definitely not hesitate when the critical moment came.

Although the emperor is the one guarding the national border, the Ming Dynasty's national border has been retreating again and again in recent years. Isn't Zhu Lang also guarding the national border now?

In this case, it would not be a big deal for the Ming Dynasty to retreat a little. The predecessors did it, so there is no reason why Zhu Lang cannot do the same.

If Guangdong Province is gone, there is still Guangxi Province. If Guangxi Province is gone, there is still Guizhou Province and Yunnan Province. When he came to this era, although he didn't want to say anything about the king, Zhu Lang always believed in his heart that only he was the best commander of the Ming Dynasty.

After some thought, the three of them concluded that Gui Jianguo would never defend Guangdong Province to the death, and they felt a little relieved.

But Ding Kuichu's face turned serious and he spoke directly

"Although this is the case, we have to be on guard. Eunuch Wang, you must go to the palace immediately and find out the attitude of Gui Jianguo. It would be best if he could make up his mind as soon as possible and move the capital to Gui Province as soon as possible."

"Commander Ma, you are in charge of the Jinyiwei. Find a way to mobilize people and collect as much information as possible about Ganzhou. It would be best if you can find out the current movements of the Qing army. If the Qing army makes any unusual movements, report it immediately."

"You all know the situation in Guangdong Province. Guangdong Province's elite troops are all in Zhaoqing. The rest of the places are all guards and local soldiers. Meiguan has been in disrepair for a long time. The Qing army in Ganzhou can jump over Meiguan and march straight in. Guangdong Province will definitely not be able to defend it."

"Time waits for no one. The sooner we move the capital, the safer and more secure we will be."

Ding Kuichu kept making arrangements, and the two men became serious. They responded respectfully and left in a hurry.
While Ding Kuichu and others were discussing, a figure broke into the Governor's Mansion in the night and rushed towards the study in the backyard.
In the backyard, the door of the study was pushed open.
Li Guoyong had a serious look on his face, holding a wrinkled memorial in his hand. He walked towards His Highness the Regent behind the table and spoke hastily.

"Your Highness, the Ministry of War has an urgent report: Ganzhou has been lost."

The young man behind the table also changed his expression when he heard this. He took the blood-stained military report from Li Guoshou. This military report was the real original military intelligence.
Li Guoyong stood in the hall with a terrified look. He had followed Zhu Lang these days and gradually realized the importance of Ganzhou. But it was also because of this that he became more terrified after learning that Ganzhou had fallen.
Li Guoyong secretly looked at the young man above. After he received the military report in the duty room of the Ministry of War, the members of the Ministry of War had already been in a mess.

He originally thought that His Highness would be furious or shocked and terrified after reading the military report, but strangely, apart from the initial shock of hearing about the fall of Ganzhou, His Highness's expression suddenly calmed down after reading the letter.

The young man in the bright yellow dragon robe put down the blood-stained military newspaper in his hand, walked slowly to the window, and looked at the deep night outside the window.

In the late autumn evening, the sky in the distance was covered with dark clouds. From time to time, a flash of lightning flashed through the gray clouds, making a dull thundering sound. The sky and the earth suddenly turned white, and then turned dark again.

"The East Wind is Coming"

A young man in a bright yellow robe stood by the window, whispering to himself
Li Guoyong looked at His Highness the Regent by the window, and a trace of doubt rose in his heart. It was already autumn, and even if there was wind, it should be the west wind. He didn't know why His Highness said it was the east wind.

Although Li Guoyong was puzzled, he looked at the young man with a deep expression by the window, but he did not dare to speak. No one in the room spoke at this time, and it fell into a strange silence.

Suddenly, a dull thunder was heard from the dark sky. A cold wind suddenly blew in through the window, blowing the curtains in the room up. However, the young man seemed unaware of it and continued to stand by the window, gazing at the deep night outside.

Tick
Suddenly there was a slight sound outside the window. The rain that had been brewing for a long time finally fell.
Every autumn rain brings a chill. I wonder how many people's hearts will be chilled by this autumn rain.
After the release, there should be fewer random insults in the comments. You can feel free to leave comments and communicate.

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(End of this chapter)