Ming Dynasty: Ask Zhu Yuanzhang to abdicate at the beginning

Chapter 611 Xu Miaojin's Decision! A Change in the Situation!
How did he manage to kill Liu Zhenbang so easily and control Wu Ding, whom he brought with him?
It wasn't the power of the guards, but her own status as the Imperial Concubine of the Ming Dynasty.

After all, Liu Zhenbang's core associates in this incident were merely coerced followers.

With just a little coercion, his psychological defenses collapsed.

If Liu Zhenbang is like this, then what about the others?
At this moment, a personal maidservant spoke up: "Your Highness, please forgive my bluntness, but if we cannot rush in to save His Majesty, then after sending the telegram, we should leave this place to avoid falling into the hands of the bandits instead of saving the Emperor. It would be of no use. Your Highness should protect yourself first before you can save the Emperor."

"No need," Xu Miaojin shook her head and said, "Those who launched the remonstrance are all inside the Confucian Temple. There are only two or three small fry outside. It won't be difficult to deal with them."

"The men that Liu Zhenbang brought are the best example."

"We are safe here."

After she finished speaking, she suddenly changed her tone and raised her voice, saying, "I've got it. Actually, we can control the perimeter first."

“They used the Confucian Temple to stage a military remonstrance, so we did the opposite.”

"First, isolate the inside from the outside."

Xu Miaojin analyzed, "To enter and exit the Confucian Temple, besides this temporary small gate, the only other option is the front gate."

“The situation inside is complicated, and they can’t worry about the outside for the time being. I just need to send someone to guard the front gate again.”

“Those outsiders are not core personnel.”

"Some people may have been involved, but most of the generals were probably unaware of it."

"Moreover, with me here to oversee things, even those participants wouldn't dare to act recklessly."

She immediately summoned another team of guards and then instructed their leader: "Take this team and go to deliver my decree. Order the officials in charge of guarding the Temple of Literature to come here to see me immediately. Do not delay."

"Remember, this person is very likely involved in the treason, so you must be prepared."

The guard leader cupped his hands and said, "Your humble servant obeys!"

According to Xu Miaojin's analysis, most of the outside forces, including the officials and generals who commanded them, were probably unaware of the situation and had not participated in the matter.

After all, the fewer people who know about this kind of thing, the better.

There are two key points.

One was the telegraph room, and the other was the front gate passage of the Confucian Temple.

The telegraph room not only allowed communication with various places via telegram, but also had a temporary small door connecting to the Confucius Temple.

As for the front gate, its importance goes without saying.

Xu Miaojin continued, "After you deliver the decree, if the official guarding the front gate obeys, then do not alert him for the time being. Just send someone to accompany him and 'escort' him over."

"If he resists in any way, then say that you have obeyed my decree and executed him on the spot."

"Whether he comes at the command or is executed on the spot, after all this is done, immediately issue another command to close the gates of the Confucian Temple."

"Unless His Majesty comes in person, no one in the Confucian Temple is allowed to come out, let alone send out orders."

"As for those military officers and yamen runners, they should be incorporated into the government and not be moved lightly."

Xu Miaojin was full of confidence and said, "Don't worry, they will definitely do their remonstrance against His Majesty in order to keep the news from leaking out. The ordinary soldiers guarding outside the Confucian Temple will definitely not know about it."

"All you need to do is take my token, go and convey my decree, and kill the gatekeepers just as I killed Liu Zhenbang. Then explain to them the greater good of the court, and those soldiers and yamen runners will obey your orders."

All officials of any rank were currently participating in the grand ceremony to worship the sage at the Confucian Temple.

Those who were qualified to participate in the military coup were probably all among them.

So what if Wu Ding outside was brought in by them?
Ultimately, those military officers were still the court's military officers, not the private servants of any particular general or official.

By controlling the leading military officers and officials, we can effectively cut off their supply lines.

"Yes!" The guard leader immediately accepted the order and left.

After the guards leader left, Xu Miaojin instructed, "Go and convey my decree again, summon all the constables who are still maintaining order outside, as well as the low-ranking officials and Wu Ding generals. I want to see them."

Xu Miaojin also gave special instructions that the guards who delivered the orders should go in groups of three, rather than one person going alone.

After delivering the edict, he immediately ordered the low-ranking officials in charge of the constables and yamen runners, as well as Wu Ding's generals, to come with him. They were not allowed to delay for even a moment, and were not even allowed to communicate with their confidants.

The guards who delivered the orders all carried weapons. If they found any sign of disobeying orders, they would kill them on the spot and take control of the soldiers or constables under their command.

The remaining guards, apart from a few who remained around the server room.

Another dozen or so people formed a mobile team.

If anyone loses control of the situation, they should immediately rush to provide support.

Meanwhile, other guards who had already seized power could also lead Wu Ding or constables and yamen runners to the scene.

According to Xu Miaojin's reasoning, the low-ranking officials such as the constables and Wu Ding's generals outside should not be qualified to participate in such a secretive matter as the "military remonstrance," except for those guarding key places such as the front gate of the Confucian Temple.

But it's always better to be safe than sorry.

She was still prepared for the possibility that there might be trusted confidants among them who had already revealed the secrets.

Sometimes, a high-ranking official's confidant might be a low-ranking official, or simply an ordinary constable or yamen runner, or a minor general.

For various reasons, the other party was not promoted.

Or perhaps, they are deliberately placed at the grassroots level to hone their skills before being entrusted with important responsibilities in the future.

But even if such people exist, they must be very few.

As long as most of the guards successfully convey the orders and maintain control of the situation.

Even if some individuals want to stir up trouble, they can't create much of a stir.

The little girl was very meticulous and made preparations for all possible situations.

After giving his instructions, the guard immediately went to relay the order.

Everything went very smoothly.

Upon hearing the imperial edict from the Imperial Concubine, the low-ranking officials and junior officers below were quite puzzled, wondering why the dignified Imperial Concubine would summon such insignificant figures as themselves. However, once they saw the token and realized that it was indeed the Imperial Concubine's edict, everyone immediately expressed their obedience, and not a single person disobeyed the order.

Soon, the chief constables and young generals of Wu Ding gathered in the courtyard.

At the same time, the guard leader who went to take over the guard force at the front gate of the Confucius Temple also successfully took over.

The officials who were previously responsible for guarding the front gate of the Confucian Temple did not resist when they heard that it was the imperial concubine's decree. Instead, they obediently followed and came here as well.

At this point, Xu Miaojin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At this time, the telegraph machine also received reply telegrams from various places.

The first message came from the New Army garrison, two hundred miles away. The message was extremely concise: "Received. The entire army shall depart immediately in accordance with the order and arrive before sunset."

Soon, telegrams from the other armies also arrived one after another, with basically the same content, all indicating that they would obey the order and set off immediately to arrive as quickly as possible.

The difference is that one of the new army's telegrams, in addition to stating that it was departing as ordered, also specifically mentioned that it had already sent a telegram to the Military Affairs Department to report the matter.

Xu Miaojin's pupils contracted slightly.

But this was to be expected.

The sudden mobilization of troops is a momentous event. Not to mention that the so-called imperial edict was merely a telegram.

They neither sent anyone nor issued any military seals or official documents.

Although it is said that in urgent situations one should act expediently, and the other party also knew that the telegram was sent from the location of the emperor's residence, it could be basically determined that the telegram was genuine and valid.

However, just in case, it is only right to report the situation to the military affairs department while carrying out orders.

However, once the report reached the military affairs department, the matter could no longer be concealed.

Xu Miaojin's expression changed slightly, but she didn't say anything.

Next came the replies from the Political Affairs Department and the Military Affairs Department.

The telegram replies generally stated that they would act in accordance with the instructions in the telegram, and at the same time, immediately proclaim the emperor's prayer to the sage to the world.

However, Xu Miaojin was more concerned with the signatures of the Minister of State Affairs and the Minister of Military Affairs at the end.

Seeing that all the ministers of state and military affairs in Beijing had signed their names put her at ease.

This indicates that everyone was sitting in the government and military offices, waiting for the emperor's decree, and no one left to conduct any secret activities.

This also shows that the situation in Nanjing remains as stable as Mount Tai.

Her biggest fear—that someone with higher power and status than Wang Shoulian would cause trouble in Nanjing—did not come true.

Of course, it is more likely that the time is not right, and there is still news that has not been sent over, so the other party is still holding back.

But in any case, nothing is better than something bad happening.

Soon, the military affairs department sent a telegram inquiring about the sudden troop deployment.

At the same time, Gu Panjun called back, which contained only a few words: "Understood, let's split up."

Xu Miaojin knew very well that Gu Panjun was in a hurry to go out and stabilize the overall situation, and had no intention of organizing more written replies. She probably just gave a brief instruction, told the telegraph operator to compose and send the telegram, and then left.

But she made her point very clearly.

This means she will take responsibility for things in Jinling.

The matter in Shandong could only be entrusted to Xu Miaojin.

The text revealed no emotional fluctuations, only a concise and to-the-point answer, which is enough to show that Gu Panjun remained calm and composed when faced with such a major change.

This put Xu Miaojin at ease.

"There's no need to reply to the military affairs department's inquiries; Her Majesty the Empress will handle them herself," she immediately instructed.

Gu Panjun has already made it clear that everyone should go their separate ways, so she won't interfere.

After all, Gu Panjun was in Jinling City, where she could meet with the Minister of State Affairs and the Minister of Military Affairs. She was better able to make the right decisions than I was, who was thousands of miles away.

At that moment, Yang Rong's reply arrived.

Yang Rong suggested that since the instigators of the mutiny were all in the Confucian Temple, the Imperial Concubine could take this opportunity to use her status to control the constables, yamen runners, and military officers patrolling the perimeter.

If it really comes to the worst, the news can be announced and hundreds of thousands of people outside can be mobilized to surround the Confucian Temple to rescue the emperor.

Your Majesty is deeply loved by the people, and they will certainly not tolerate Your Majesty being coerced by rebels.

However, this strategy should not be used lightly, lest the situation descend into chaos and cause Your Majesty to suffer the consequences.

The second thing was to send a telegram to the nearby garrison, so that the garrison could rush to the Confucian Temple.

Secondly, the surrounding prefectural and county governments should be notified so that they can prepare for any eventuality.

To Xu Miaojin's surprise, Yang Rong also listed the names of some generals and officials in the telegram, saying that these people were loyal to the emperor and reliable, and could be used.

One person was specifically mentioned, named Tie Xuan, who was a councilor in Shandong.

Yang Rong said that this person was loyal to the court and His Majesty, and was quite talented and capable of undertaking important tasks.

Moreover, he had been serving as an official in Shandong for some time and was familiar with the situation in Shandong's officialdom.

If he is in Qufu, he can ask this person directly.

If you are not in Jinan, you can also inquire by telegram.

It might have an unexpected effect.

Meanwhile, Yang Rong stated in the telegram that he would travel at full speed from Kaifeng and was expected to arrive by tomorrow morning.

The distance from Kaifeng to Qufu is about 600 li.

Previously, the fastest imperial courier service could travel 600 li (approximately 300 kilometers) in a single day.

However, this was only possible in flat plains with smooth roads, and it was achieved by changing riders and horses, running day and night without stopping.

The journey from Kaifeng to Qufu was smooth, but if Yang Rong wanted to come, he could only change horses, not riders.

To get here by tomorrow morning, I would have to run over 600 li (approximately 300 kilometers) within 24 hours.

Fortunately, although he was a scholar, he was not the kind of weak person who couldn't even kill a chicken.

Yang Rong was extremely strong and often rode horses; galloping on horseback was not difficult for him.

But he was not a specially trained courier; he was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, living a life of luxury and ease.

This is certainly not an easy task.

However, with the emperor in trouble, Yang Rong, as a subject, had no choice but to risk his life to rush to his rescue.

After reading the telegram, Xu Miaojin nodded slightly, put the paper down, and left the room.

Outside, all the minor officials of the government office and Wu Ding's junior generals had just arrived.

Upon seeing the Imperial Concubine emerge, the crowd, who had been discussing amongst themselves and wondering why they had been summoned, immediately fell silent.

"See the royal concubine!"

They had no idea what was going on.

I felt extremely apprehensive about being personally received by the Imperial Concubine.

After all, the officials with real status and position have all gone to the Confucian Temple today to participate in the grand ceremony of worshipping the sage.

They were just low-ranking officials and minor generals; how could the Imperial Concubine be of such noble status?

Normally, it would be superfluous for the Imperial Concubine to even glance at them.

I never expected that I would be personally received by the Imperial Concubine.

Even though it was a group reception, it was enough to make them feel flattered.

Xu Miaojin's gaze slowly swept over the crowd below, and she smiled, "His Majesty has come to Qufu to worship the Sage. You have been responsible for maintaining order on the perimeter. Your contributions are great and your hard work is commendable. On behalf of the court, I thank you!"

……

(End of this chapter)