Prince Chongzhen

Chapter 127

The Weisuo System was the most important military system in the Ming Dynasty, founded by Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang.

In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, the country had limited financial resources. In order to meet the needs of strengthening the military and expanding the army, Zhu Yuanzhang began to set up guards and separate the military and civilians, and implemented the guard system. The guard system stipulated that the main source of military soldiers was selected from the hereditary military households, that is, each household sent one person as a regular soldier to serve in the guard.

In order to maintain the army without wasting national financial resources, soldiers took turns guarding the garrisons and cultivating the land.

During wartime, temporary conscription was used to recruit soldiers; in peacetime, the soldiers returned to the garrisons to cultivate the land.

The harvest from the military farms was used to support the lives of the military households and the needs of the regular army.

It can be said that he has considered everything.

But how could it be possible that all the benefits in the world are taken by one person?
Since the Xuande period, the military system gradually deteriorated and the military households became the private property of the military generals. This directly led to the situation that the Ming Dynasty had millions of troops but only a few of them could be deployed to fight.

But there are exceptions to everything.

Hou Chengzu, the commander of Jinshanwei, is one of these rare people.

At the age of sixteen, he inherited his ancestor's position as commander-in-chief. He then rectified defense, inspected the army, replenished forces, and calmed the people's hearts. While improving the army's combat effectiveness, he also did not forget to develop agricultural production.

After the Qing troops crossed the river, the county magistrates and county officials resigned one after another, but Hou Chengzu gave away all his family property and land, sold his gold and silver jewelry, recruited brave warriors, and was ready to fight with his life. He was truly loyal.

However, this guard was still a little weak in front of the Qing army, so after learning that Suzhou had surrendered, he asked for help from all parties several times.

Unfortunately, at that time, Nikan's troops were about to arrive in Hangzhou, and the various forces in the city were fighting each other. In the Suzhou and Songjiang areas, the two forces were intertwined. The Ming army had either surrendered or was unable to take care of itself, so his request for help received no response.

Fortunately, this situation has undergone significant changes in the past few days.

First, General Fang Guoan won a great victory over the Qing army outside Hangzhou with the help of the Yingtian Army, and then just two days later he received a letter from General Wu Zhikui.

Although the letter only said that he was invited to Chongming Island to discuss matters with the people from Yingtian, it did not mention what was being discussed. However, Hou Chengzu was an old man in the army after all. After a little thought, he realized that this was to establish a subordinate for the Susong troops who were acting independently.

Although Hou Chengzu felt that Yingtian was being a little too arrogant, he did not reject it. After all, in the current situation, having a plan was better than having nothing.

just
"The people coming from Yingtian are really arrogant. We are fine, but General Huang is the Earl of Zhennan appointed by the imperial court. Why is he waiting here? Could it be that the Duke is coming?"

On the Chongming Island dock, a team of military officers and civil officials stood on both sides, apparently preparing to welcome some important figure. However, among the team, there was a bearded man dressed as a military officer who seemed to be impatient of waiting.

Seeing this situation, Shen Tingyang, as the host, naturally had to speak to ease the situation, but before he opened his mouth, he heard the man say another sentence.

"Sir Shen, what exactly does Ying Tian think? He doesn't tell us what he does, and he doesn't tell us who he meets. It doesn't make sense for him to just ask us to stay here."

"Don't worry, General Wu. We have received a report earlier. It will arrive in about a moment."

This general named Wu was Wu Zhikui, the general of Wusong. His base was across the river from Chongming Island.

After learning of each other's existence, they maintained close contact, but in the end, they were not subordinate to each other and had never coordinated in actions. After receiving the letter summoning him to Chongming Island, he was somewhat unhappy.

"Don't make a fuss, Saint Jia. The road to Yingtian is long. What's the harm in waiting for a while?"

"My Lord, that's not the case. You and Lord Wu are stationed in Taihu Lake. Although the distance is close, the river is rugged and it is still far from Yingtian."

"pass."

Seeing that Wu Zhikui was becoming more and more outrageous, Zhennanbo Huang Fei said something in a deep voice, and then Wu Zhikui really shut his mouth and stopped talking.

However, what Wu Zhikui said was not wrong. Although Yingtian was a little farther away, the journey was downstream, and if there was a tailwind, it would not take long.

Huang Fei's navy was stationed in Taihu Lake. Although they could be considered to be sailing downstream, it could not be compared with the Yangtze River. Therefore, in their view, it was natural that the people from Yingtian should arrive first.

It was a coincidence. Huang Fei was originally on guard against the left wing together with Huang Degong. But that night Hongguang was captured and Huang Degong was killed. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, he gathered some defeated soldiers and marched down the river.

As for why they did not contact the Ming army in Yingtian when passing through the city
This is where fate comes into play.

He thought Yingtian had been lost so he quietly passed by at night. The defenders on the city wall in the dark thought they were Qing troops passing by and paid no attention to them.

As a result, the opening of the Yingtian waterway was delayed for a month. After learning of this situation, Zhu Cilang could only sigh at the fate.

"coming."

I don't know who shouted, but everyone, who were still thinking about something, looked up into the distance.

When they saw several warships appear in sight, no matter what they had thought before, they all waited obediently on both sides.

This is not difficult to understand. Apart from loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, their need for Yingtian is greater than Yingtian's need for him.

For example, Wu Zhikui, although the Qing army in Suzhou City had never launched a large-scale operation against him under the control of Huang Fei and Wu Yi, but he could only be a thief for a thousand days, so how could he guard against thieves for a thousand days? He could not sleep or eat well while guarding the small Wusong.

If Yingtian, who possesses powerful fighting power, can help him get rid of this major worry, then naturally he would agree to anything.

Regardless of whether the rest of the people are loyal or not, they came to Chongming Island more or less out of practical considerations.

This is understandable, but it does not prevent Zhu Cilang from thinking that they are all loyal ministers.

With a clang.

The wooden planks extending from the warship were placed on the dock, and then a team of soldiers in armor walked down from the ship first.

Seeing this, everyone knew that the person coming from Yingtian must be of high status, so they showed a little more respect to him.

"Mr. Shen, there was an accident on the road. Sorry for the long wait."

Just when everyone was wondering who the Crown Prince had sent, a young voice was heard from the pile of soldiers. When Shen Tingyang looked in the direction of the voice, he saw Zhu Cilang, wearing armor, looking at him with a smile.

"Your Highness! How can you...? Your Highness Shen Tingyang pays respect to His Highness the Crown Prince."

After all this, everyone knew that the "young soldier" was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince who defended Yingtian, attacked Zhenjiang, saved Hangzhou, and reversed the downward trend.

For a moment, people were kneeling on the dock, and the sound of greetings was endless.

"Stand up, you are all loyal subjects of the Ming Dynasty. You don't have to do this. You don't have to do this."

Hearing this, everyone slowly stood up, and Shen Tingyang began to chatter again.

"Your Highness, the river is rough and the waves are strong. There are also Tartars harassing us. You..."

"It's okay. If the soldiers can come and go, then I can too. Moreover, this time I'm meeting a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, so how can I not come?"

"temple"

"Master Shen, please introduce him to me."

"Yes." Shen Tingyang was really worried. Although these warships were large in size, this place was connected to the sea. If they really encountered wind and waves, they could not guarantee absolute safety.

But he was interrupted by Zhu Cilang twice. He couldn't continue talking, so he had no choice but to introduce them one by one.

Although it was called an introduction, Zhu Cilang had already learned about the past of these people from various channels before coming.

When Shen Tingyang mentioned someone's name, Zhu Cilang only needed a moment to pick out his past achievements and say a few words about them.

In this way, everyone felt that they were valued and also felt that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was indeed different from others.

It has to be said that Zhu Cilang's actions shocked these people greatly.

Needless to say, a minor official like Hou Chengzu almost cried when he heard his "glorious deeds" from the mouth of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Even Earl Huang Fei and Wu Yi, who were used to meeting high-ranking officials, seemed unable to control themselves.

"Your Highness, I have prepared some light wine to welcome you."

"Well, I can't refuse your kindness, so please join me."

After a drama of harmony between the monarch and his subjects, Shen Tingyang whispered something on the side, and then a group of civil and military officials, led by him, followed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince into the city.

After about a cup of tea, the group arrived at Shen Tingyang's residence. After Zhu Cilang sat in the main seat, the rest of the group took their seats respectively as civil and military officials.

"This first cup of wine is for the victims who died under the butcher's knife of the Tartars."

As he spoke, Zhu Cilang slowly poured the wine in the cup onto the ground, and all the ministers did the same.

"This second glass of wine is for everyone to remain fearless in the face of danger."

"Your Highness, this is the duty of a subject. How can I accept your toast?"

As Zhu Cilang was about to finish his words, Wu Yi took the lead to step forward.

In the eyes of the ministers who were sticking to their bottom line, how could they still pay their respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince when the Qing army had already arrived at the city of Hangzhou?
But in Zhu Cilang's view, so many generals and governors had surrendered without any psychological burden, so even if those ministers who were still holding on had minor flaws, they deserved this glass of wine.

"Well deserved."

Faced with the refusal of his ministers, he simply said something and drank up the wine in the cup. Then both the civil officials and the military generals also drank the wine.

"This third cup..." After the waiter filled the glass, Zhu Cilang raised the glass again, but this time he seemed to have not thought it through. He paused for a while before saying, "It is to recover the lost territory as soon as possible."

As a result, they had already drunk three cups of wine before the dishes were served. Shen Tingyang on the side hesitated for a long time but ultimately failed to speak up to dissuade them like Xu Yu did.

Anyone who knows a little about Yingtian City knows that Xu Yu is a special existence in Zhu Cilang's small court.

In terms of literature, he cannot govern the people; in terms of military force, he cannot defend against the enemy.

But thanks to his initial contribution, he occupied the most important position beside Zhu Cilang.

Although many people envied him for this, they could only remain at envy, because he was the first minister to arrive when Zhu Cilang was in trouble.

"I summoned you all here today, firstly, to meet the loyal ministers of our Ming Dynasty, and secondly, to learn some information from you."

"Your Highness, please ask. We will tell you everything we know."

Hearing the Crown Prince's question, Shen Tingyang waved his hand, and the waiter who was serving the dishes quietly withdrew. Then he walked into the hall as a representative to express his position. A group of civil and military officials sat upright and waited for Zhu Cilang's next words.

"Nothing else. The most important thing is the situation in Susong. If we fight the Tartars, what are our chances of winning."

After the words were spoken, silence fell in the hall.

It’s not that they don’t want to answer, but the question is too general and people don’t know where to start.

For example, what should we talk about the situation in Suzhou and Songjiang?

Is it the military strength of the enemy and ourselves? Is it the will of the people? Is it the topography? Or something else?

If Your Highness does not want to hear the details, who dares to say that he can give a general description of the situation in this large area?

"Just tell me what you know. It doesn't matter if you're wrong."

Seeing no one answered, Zhu Cilang asked again, but everyone remained the same, so he could only call on the generals.

"Mr. Zhennan, you go first."

"Yes."

Huang Fei was not surprised to see that he was the one being called. After all, he had the highest rank among all the people present, so it was reasonable for him to be the first one to be called.

As far as Zhu Cilang knew, Huang Fei had followed his uncle Huang Long to fight against the Qing army in Dongjiang Town since he was a teenager. After Mao Wenlong, the general of Dongjiang Town, was killed by Yuan Chonghuan's forged edict, he experienced several more turmoils, and only had a few days of peace when Hongguang succeeded to the throne.

So he felt that this middle-aged man must be good at fighting, but not necessarily good at expressing himself.

But this is not his fault. After all, except for those who came from noble families, the generals he had dealt with before could only recognize his name at most.

To answer his questions, one must not only understand the surrounding situation, but also be able to summarize logically on this basis. Otherwise, if one talks haphazardly, one may not be able to explain the situation of the entire county by the end of the day.

But he only knew one side of the story. At that time, Dongjiang Town relied on its powerful navy to use its hungry and poorly clothed soldiers to force the Tartars to retreat south with all their might.

As a general of a technical branch of the navy, how could Huang Fei be really "illiterate"?
"Your Highness, our headquarters is stationed in the west mountain of Taihu Lake. We have 15,000 naval forces, over 10,000 land troops, and over 170 large and small warships. Although the neighboring counties of Wuxing, Nanxun, and Changxing have submitted letters of surrender, there are only over a thousand Tartars stationed in the county town, and the people in the city are all loyal to the court. If Your Highness sends troops, we will surely be able to defeat them in one battle."

In just a few words, Huang Fei described the situation around him clearly, which made Zhu Cilang sigh in his heart: I underestimated this killer.

Afterwards, Zhu Cilang asked one by one, and the ministers answered one by one. When it came to Hou Chengzu, who had the lowest official position, he also followed Huang Fei's format and reported his family situation to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, our headquarters is stationed in Jinshanwei, with 6,000 land troops. Although the surrounding counties have also submitted letters of surrender, their situations are similar to those of Lord Bo. As long as you send troops to attack, we will surely be able to defeat them in one battle."

"Ah."

After he finished speaking, Zhu Cilang just hummed and started writing and drawing on the table with his wine.

No one dared to disturb him in this situation, and only after a while did they see him raise his head.

"I already know the general situation. Do you have any countermeasures for the current situation?"

After the words were spoken, everyone fell silent again.

(End of this chapter)