My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

However, Zhu Cilang merely smiled slightly, calmly shook his head, and spoke with a gentle yet unwavering resolve:
"Father, I believe that the wedding should not be rushed for now."

"Oh?"

Emperor Chongzhen was somewhat surprised and looked at his son.

Zhu Cilang's gaze turned northeast, as if traversing thousands of mountains and rivers to see that black soil, his voice steady:

"Your Majesty, I think...we should wait until we have destroyed the Jurchens, thoroughly pacified the northern frontier, presented the captives to the Imperial Ancestral Temple, and comforted our ancestors before holding the grand wedding ceremony. At that time, we will have double happiness and the whole world will rejoice. Wouldn't that be even better? Right now, the affairs of the country are not yet settled, and we have a powerful enemy at our side. Your Majesty, I have no heart for this. I beg Your Majesty's understanding."

Looking into his son's eyes, Chongzhen knew that he truly placed the extermination of the Jurchens as his top priority, and he felt both moved and gratified. He remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"I am very pleased that you have such ambition and prioritize the affairs of the state. Very well. Then let's wait another year or two. When you have swept away all the enemies and returned in triumph, I will personally preside over your wedding. I will make sure it is a grand and glorious affair, so that the whole world can see what a hero the Crown Prince of our Great Ming Dynasty is!"

In the Ming Dynasty, the crown prince usually married at the age of fifteen or sixteen, but it was not a problem if he married a year or two later.

While the continuation of the royal bloodline is important, the Crown Prince already has Zheng Xiaomei, whom he greatly favors, so there is no rush for him to have an heir.

As for the selection of the Crown Princess, Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou would naturally choose carefully, considering factors such as family background, character, appearance, and talent, and would certainly not wrong their son.

Zhu Cilang himself was completely indifferent to this. His core goal in coming to this world was, from beginning to end, to save the Ming Dynasty, reverse the fate of the nation, and realize his grand ambitions. Romantic love and matters of the harem played a negligible role in his grand plan.

What he wanted was the whole world, the survival and rise of civilization.

As for his wife, as long as she is virtuous and dignified and can stabilize the harem, he can accept her as long as her appearance and temperament are not too unbearable.

In any case, the selection of an empress in the Ming Dynasty has its own strict procedures, and there is absolutely no chance that an unsuitable person will catch Empress Zhou's eye, so he doesn't need to bother.

The father and son paused for a moment on the mountaintop, gazing at the capital city bathed in spring sunshine, as if silently confirming the rebirth and solidity of the dynasty, before slowly descending the mountain.

Since the Coal Hill Talks, the massive war machine of the Ming Dynasty has begun to operate with greater efficiency and clearer objectives, fully accumulating strength for the war of annihilation that has been postponed for a year but has now entered the substantive preparation stage.

Zheng Zhilong had received a secret order from the imperial court and a handwritten edict from the crown prince as early as last year. He quickly adjusted his vast trade network, drastically reducing or even suspending some of the lucrative luxury goods trade in the Far East and Southeast Asia, and concentrating most of his large Fujian ships and bird ships suitable for ocean transport into several large special transport fleets.

These fleets no longer carried silk, porcelain, and spices, but were instead laden with rice, wheat, and beans purchased from Annam, Champa, Siam, and even Luzon, as well as sulfur and copper from Japan. They set sail from ports in Fujian and Zhejiang, braving the wind and waves, heading north.

Ships came and went in an endless stream, like diligent worker ants, continuously transporting overseas grain and supplies to northern ports such as Tianjin and Dengzhou. From there, they were transported via canal or newly built cement roads to Tongzhou Warehouse and Jingtong Warehouse, while some were directly transported to reserve bases such as Jinzhou and Ningyuan on the Liaodong front.

Grain was piled up like mountains in the warehouses. Censors and officials from the Ministry of Revenue dispatched by the imperial court, along with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, conducted joint inspections to prevent corruption and embezzlement.

According to the plan formulated by Hong Chengchou and the Ministry of Revenue, it was necessary to stockpile enough grain and fodder for at least 500,000 troops and corresponding laborers for a year and a half of combat. This "great migration of grain" across the sea and land became the most spectacular and urgent logistical operation in the first half of the seventeenth year of Chongzhen's reign.

Meanwhile, a secret but crucial mission began.

Accompanied by several elite members of the Imperial Guard who were well-versed in Mongolian affairs and messengers from the Eastern Palace, Qiqige left Beijing once again.

She was secretly ordered by Zhu Cilang to travel to southern Mongolia with a handwritten letter and generous gifts to find her brother, Abunai.

Zhu Cilang's intentions were very clear.

According to the three-pronged attack strategy initially proposed by Hong Chengchou and others:

The first route, the main force of the Ming army, went out of Shanhaiguan, through Jinzhou and Yizhou, and headed straight for Shenyang. This was the central axis.

The second route, led by Zheng Chenggong, involved integrating the Ming Dynasty's navy and the Korean army. They crossed the Yangtze River from places like Pi Island and Uiju in Korea to harass the Jurchens' flanks and rear, contain their forces, and cut off any possible connections between them and Korea.

The third route, which also required the most external support and tested political skills the most, was to launch an attack from the Mongolian grasslands, threatening Shenyang from the west or north, forming a pincer movement with the main Ming army, and preventing the remnants of the Jurchens from fleeing west to the northern desert.

This third force will inevitably consist mainly of cavalry from various Mongol tribes who are familiar with the grasslands and skilled in horsemanship and archery.

To mobilize the Mongol tribes, especially the powerful Khorchin tribe with a blood feud with the Jurchens, Abunai's attitude was crucial.

In Zhu Cilang's view, Abunai would find it hard to refuse.

With national and personal grievances at the forefront and tribal interests secondary, if he could gain the support of the Ming Dynasty, break free from the control of the Jurchens, or even turn against them and reclaim his honor and pastures, he had no reason not to be tempted.

Moreover, refusing the Ming Dynasty's olive branch could put them in a passive position in the future grassland landscape.

Qiqige's mission is to persuade Abunai and use him as a bridge to contact influential Mongolian princes in southern Mongolia, paving the way for a possible joint military operation next year and establishing a preliminary trust and coordination mechanism.

Everything is progressing smoothly.

Food was being stockpiled, the army was undergoing retraining and re-equipping, and diplomacy was being conducted in secret.

Zhu Cilang, presiding over the central government, coordinated all parties, his gaze always firmly fixed on Liaodong.

This time, he no longer wanted to repel or severely damage the country, but to make thorough preparations, gather an overwhelming force, and launch a war of complete annihilation that would leave no room for chance and no future troubles, erasing the "Great Qing" era name and regime from history.

September of the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen reign (1644), Beijing.

Time flies. After the Coal Hill conversation, which established a specific timetable for the war of annihilation, the entire empire's war machine was mobilized at an unprecedented intensity.

In the blink of an eye, the sweltering heat of summer has been quietly replaced by the coolness of early autumn, with clear skies, light clouds, and a refreshing breeze.

The streets and alleys of Beijing are filled with the delicate fragrance of chrysanthemums and osmanthus blossoms. However, in the heart of the empire, there is a subtle, chilling atmosphere, unlike any other year, a chilling air of iron and blood mixed with the smoke of gunpowder.

Months earlier, imperial envoys, carrying urgent secret orders bearing the emperor's jade seal, had already been traveling along official roads and post stations leading to various parts of the empire.

Orders, like an invisible network, were issued to the nine border towns, provincial governors, and even some remote military towns.

The order was concise and powerful: all the military commanders listed on the list, including admirals, generals, deputy generals, and brigade commanders, who were stationed in their respective regions and commanded large armies, were to properly hand over their defense duties and immediately travel to the capital for an audience with the Emperor without delay! The list included almost all the capable and independent generals of the Ming Empire at present.

Examples include Sun Chuanting, Governor-General of the Three Border Regions of Shaanxi and Minister of War; Yin Zudashou, Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong and General Pingliao; Wu Sangui, Commander-in-Chief of Ningyuan; Li Dingguo, former General under Zhang Xianzhong; and Qin Liangyu, Pacification Commissioner of Shizhu and Commander-in-Chief.

In addition, the main generals under the Governors-General of Xuanda and Jiliao, the core military officers of the nine important border towns such as Shanxi, Datong, Yansui, Ningxia, and Guyuan, and even some middle-aged and young generals who have made meritorious contributions in suppressing bandits and defending the borders, were all summoned.

It can be said that almost every military general who was ranked among the top in the Ming Dynasty's military system and held real power in guarding a region received this unquestionable summons.

Such a large-scale and high-level gathering of military commanders from all over the country to the capital was rare in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

Its purpose is clear to everyone in the government and the public, and anyone with a modicum of sense—what else could it be but the war of annihilation that is no longer a secret and is about to be launched, aimed at completely resolving the great threat to the northern frontier?
The imperial court needs these actual executors of the future war to hear firsthand the strategic intentions of the highest decision-making level, to witness firsthand the "trump card" that will lead to victory, to unify their thinking, coordinate their actions, and to clarify their respective positions on the grand chessboard of the future.

Upon receiving the order, the military officers dared not delay and quickly arranged defenses. Some traveled lightly with only a few personal guards, while others set off day and night towards Beijing, the center of the empire.

For a time, on the official roads leading to the capital, one could often see the figures of generals, covered in dust and gleaming in armor.

As a result, the various inns and guild halls in the capital were bustling with activity, filled with proud and fierce soldiers from all over the country. When they met, they would inevitably exchange their speculations about the current situation and their expectations for what was to come in hushed tones.

However, Zhu Cilang, who was at the core of this "general review", appeared unusually calm.

He did not rush to summon the military officers one by one after they arrived in the capital, nor did he hold a grand welcoming banquet.

On the contrary, he acted rather "coldly," only arranging the food and lodging of the generals through the Ministry of War and the inner court, and strictly ordering them not to make unwarranted connections or leave their posts while in the capital, and to wait for their summons.

This deliberate "testing" only made these generals, who were used to battlefield warfare and were mostly straightforward, feel more uncertain, curious, and in awe.

They could sense that this trip to the capital was no ordinary report or reward; something earth-shattering was about to happen.

By mid-September, most of the generals who had received the orders had arrived, and Zhu Cilang then issued a joint notice through the cabinet and the Ministry of War:

The following morning, all the military officers summoned to the capital were to assemble outside the Xihua Gate of the Imperial City to act in unison without any mistakes.

September 16th, early morning.

As dawn broke, a large crowd of nearly a hundred military officers of varying ranks, dressed in different types of armor, had already gathered outside the Xihua Gate.

Most of them looked serious, communicating only with their eyes or in very low voices; the atmosphere was heavy and solemn. No one knew where the Crown Prince was taking them or what they were going to do.

At the beginning of the Chen hour (7-9 AM), Zhu Cilang's entourage appeared at the Xihua Gate.

He was not wearing court robes today, but rather a smart apricot-yellow outfit with a half-sleeved outer garment, riding a magnificent Arabian horse, looking dashing and spirited.

Accompanying him were only a few people, including Li Banghua, Wang Hui, Bi Maokang, and Hong Chengchou, a scholar of the Cabinet, as well as a large number of elite palace guards and Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards).

Without saying much, Zhu Cilang simply nodded slightly to the leaders, Sun Chuanting and Zu Dashou, before pulling on the reins and leading the way.

Hong Chengchou signaled his generals to follow.

The large group of people silently left the imperial city area, passing through streets and alleys, but did not enter the city. Instead, they headed straight for the western suburbs of Beijing.

The further they walked, the more desolate the place became. The roadside gradually changed from bustling city streets to farmland and villages, and finally to rolling hills and wasteland. The autumn morning breeze, carrying the scent of wild grass and earth, brushed against the faces of the generals. Many of them were even more puzzled: Why had the Crown Prince brought them to this desolate wilderness?

After traveling for about an hour, a vast area appeared ahead, tightly enclosed by newly constructed tall cement walls and wooden fences.

The cement wall was two zhang high and stretched for miles, with no end in sight. The entrance was guarded by fully armed Shenwuwei soldiers, making it far more secure than an ordinary military camp.

Inside the walls, banners could be faintly seen fluttering, and rhythmic commands and the clanging of metal could be heard in the distance.

"Where is this place...?"

One of the generals couldn't help but whisper a question to his men.

No one could answer.

Upon arriving at the entrance and verifying their tokens, the heavy iron-clad wooden door slowly opened. The group rode in, and a bright and open space opened up before them.

This is no longer a wasteland; it has clearly become a large-scale, fully-equipped military testing ground!

The ground inside the venue was leveled and compacted, and then divided into different areas.

In the distance, various targets were set up, ranging from simple straw men and wooden stakes to earthen fortifications simulating city walls and moats.

Nearby, there are many sturdy barracks and sheds, as well as a tall wooden viewing platform.

The air was filled with a faint, yet stronger, smell of gunpowder, rust, and grease, similar to that of the Firearms Research Institute. Several charred explosion marks were even visible on the ground. Some officials and craftsmen dressed in the uniforms of the Ministry of Works or the Research Institute were busy at work.

Zhu Cilang led his generals up to the viewing platform. The platform offered an excellent view, encompassing the entire testing ground. Attendants had already prepared chairs, but most remained standing, their gazes sweeping over the mysterious area below with suspicion and uncertainty.

Hong Chengchou stepped forward and addressed his generals in a loud voice:

"Generals, this is the newly established 'Military Weapons Demonstration Ground' by the Imperial Court, dedicated to testing and practicing various new types of military equipment, especially firearms and heavy weapons. Equipment that cannot be used in the city's research institutes has been moved here. The reason I have invited you all here today is to let you see for yourselves the skillful craftsmen of the Ministry of Works and the talented individuals of the Firearms Research Institute of our Great Ming Dynasty, and to witness firsthand the formidable weapons that have been prepared for our royal army in recent years!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a small door on one side of the test field opened, and a group of soldiers dressed in new gray field uniforms, their expressions stern, marched in with perfectly synchronized steps, quickly forming two horizontal lines about eighty paces in front of the reviewing stand. (End of Chapter)