Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1: The Jiashen Incident
On the night of March 18, the 17th year of Chongzhen's reign, rumbling cannon sounds were heard from the west and north of Beijing. The bright lights from the cannon flames flashed continuously, and together with thousands of burning torches, they dyed the dark night sky a yellowish color.

This is the army under the command of Li Zicheng, the Yongchang Emperor of Dashun, setting up artillery to bombard the city, trying to force the Chongzhen Emperor of Ming Dynasty, who was still struggling in the city, to surrender.

Under such circumstances, the people in Beijing were already in panic. Even most of the eunuchs sent from the palace to supervise the city walls had colluded with the Shun army inside and outside. As a result, the outer city of Beijing in the south fell into the hands of the Shun army.

This was only two days after the Shun army besieged the city.

After the plague, the Beijing camp completely collapsed. Li Jiantai, who volunteered to lead the troops to war, took away the last thousands of soldiers in the Beijing camp who were able to fight. At this moment, facing the hundreds of thousands of Shun troops besieging the city, the originally impregnable Beijing city had no possibility of holding on at all.

Not only the eunuchs, but also the Ming court ministers in the city had been ready to make a move. As soon as the opportunity came, they would open the city gates and welcome the new king.

In the original history, the city of Beijing would be breached by Li Zicheng's Dashun Army in the late night of this day, and the next morning, Emperor Chongzhen would let his hair down and cover his face, leaving behind the words "You may divide my body into pieces, but do not harm any of my people", and then hang himself from an old tree on Coal Hill, thus ending the orthodox Ming Dynasty.

But now, a soldier's soul from the future, who has traveled through time and space to Zhu Cilang's body, is flapping his butterfly wings with all his might in order to change his own destiny.

In two days, as his memories quickly merged and vivid historical figures appeared before him, he had to accept the fact that he was Zhu Cilang, the Crown Prince of Chongzhen, no matter how absurd it was.

This modern soul accidentally traveled through hundreds of years of time and space during a special peacekeeping operation in East Africa. He clearly remembered the tragic fate that his own body and tens of millions of Ming Dynasty people would face in history.

This was not an ordinary change of dynasty, but a crisis of national extinction and destruction. Among the more than 1,300 counties in the Ming Dynasty, more than 1,000 had records of massacres by the Qing army.

If he did not want to surrender, was unwilling to accept being captured by the Shun army, and then disappear in the chaos, and ultimately die without a trace, then he had to make changes immediately.

As long as the inner city of Beijing has not been breached, there is still room for maneuver.

He has been a soldier for so many years, and the combat skills and psychological qualities formed by day-to-day hard training and many actual combats have long been extraordinary. If there is someone who is familiar with the surrounding terrain and routes to lead the way, it is not impossible for him to break out in the chaos.

By then, he would still be the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty. Once he arrived in Nanjing and inherited the throne, there would still be a chance to salvage everything.

You must know that in history, the Southern Ming Dynasty was not completely without the possibility of restoring its country and reviving the country through the Northern Expedition. It was just that the princes who inherited the throne had difficulty convincing the people with their legal legitimacy. A series of internal struggles seriously weakened the remaining strength of the Southern Ming army, and ultimately the Manchu Tartars gained an advantage in vain.

Amidst the deafening roar of cannons, in Jiangjun Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing, in the residence of Wang Zhixin, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, Zhu Cilang looked at an officer from the Beijing Camp standing upright before him. He slowly stood up and asked with a smile:

"May I have your name"

"In reply to your Highness, my surname is Chang, my given name is Denggui, and I am the captain of the Fifth Army Battalion."

Chang Denggui lowered his head, his arms trembling slightly as he clasped his fists. He swallowed nervously and felt very uneasy. He didn't know why the Crown Prince, who had behaved so docilely all the way, suddenly wanted to call him into the house.

Zhu Cilang still had a smile on his face when he heard this. He slowly walked behind Chang Denggui and asked knowingly:

"Chang Denggui, the captain of the Fifth Army Battalion and the emperor's personal guard, am I right?"

Chang Denggui was shocked when he heard this, but he immediately replied, "Your Highness is right."

"Then my father ordered me to travel south to Yingtian Prefecture to inherit the throne and plan for the revival of the country. Is it your responsibility to protect me along the way?"

As Zhu Cilang spoke, he had already walked around Chang Denggui from behind him to his side. The constant sound of footsteps made Chang Denggui's heart beat uncontrollably.

After all, he is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, and at heart he is a modern soldier who has experienced many battles. As long as he cheers up a little, he can completely suppress Chang Denggui, a small commander of the Beijing Camp, in terms of momentum and psychology.

"My brothers and I will escort His Highness safely south even if it costs our lives!" Chang Denggui seemed to have thought of something and promised firmly.

"Okay, with your words, I feel relieved."

Zhu Cilang walked around and finally returned to Chang Denggui. He stretched out his hands and held Chang Denggui's arms. His tone instantly became serious:

"There are twenty-five people in the yard outside the house now. Three of them are from the East Factory, three are servants in Wang Zhixin's mansion, and nineteen are the elites from the three camps. How many of them obey you?" Things have come to this point. Chang Denggui, who has always been meticulous, no longer understands what the prince in front of him wants to do, but he can't believe it for a moment.

But the other person's hands holding his arms were so strong, and his voice was so steady and powerful.

Chang Denggui was so frightened that he wanted to kneel down, but what he never expected was that he was actually held up by the prince. In the end, he was completely confused and said:
"Your Highness, these are all loyal ministers of the Ming Dynasty!"

"Hmph, if he is a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, why would he leave me in his residence at this critical moment?" Zhu Cilang sneered, pointing the finger directly at him, and then said quietly:

"Could it be possible that his small palace could withstand the thousands of troops of the bandits? And where are my two younger brothers now?"

After hearing this, Chang Denggui didn't dare to answer at all.

"The situation is urgent now, so I won't waste my time talking to you."

Zhu Cilang quickly let go of his hand and sat back in his seat. Seeing Chang Denggui's expression, he immediately said in a firm tone:

"If you still have a heart of loyalty to the emperor and the country, take your men and kill the six people Wang Zhixin sent to monitor me. Just tell the other dozen people and the other servants in Wang Zhixin's house that I have ordered a confiscation of their property. There are hundreds of thousands of gold and silver in his house, and whoever grabs it will own it. These people will naturally not make things difficult for us.

If you don't have the heart to be loyal to the king and serve the country, joining the army and fighting in the war is nothing more than wanting to eat food and make money. With so much gold and silver, you and your brothers can just divide it among them. Just take a bag of gold and find a peaceful place. You will be able to become a wealthy man in the future.

I only need two horses, a set of armor, a bow, and a sword, and I can break out on my own. If I can successfully reach Yingtian Prefecture and inherit the throne, no matter which of you brothers goes south in the future, I will treat them well, give them high positions and generous salaries, and I will never break my promise."

Zhu Cilang knew that he had no bargaining chips, but he could still make good use of his status as the crown prince.

As long as one can win over one of the prestigious military leaders and make him a confidant, it will be entirely possible to break out of the city with a dozen guards.

These elite soldiers, who were picked from the tens of thousands of old and weak soldiers in the city, would not be loyal to the king who was always high and mighty and stingy towards them. Zhu Cilang could easily instigate them to rebel.

After all, as long as you break out of the capital, it is not impossible to go to the south with horses and armor. And the merit of following the emperor to protect him will make you rise to the top and be second only to the emperor. It is extremely tempting at any time.

Chang Denggui could naturally think of these things. He had eight brothers under his command. Among the twenty remnants of the Beijing camp who were transferred to guard the prince but were divided into six groups, he was considered the strongest group. This might be the reason why the prince chose him.

The prince in front of him, although young, is indeed not simple.

"Your Highness, the other brothers from the Beijing Camp must also follow."

"We don't need them. We don't have that many horses. And if they are unwilling to listen to you, what will you do?" Zhu Cilang shook his head, showing his unconditional trust in Chang Denggui.

"If I can break out, I will still be the Crown Prince of Ming Dynasty, with the country, the people, gold, silver and treasures, everything I will lack. But if I can't, I will be a prisoner, with nothing."

He looked at Chang Denggui, who was still bowing his head, paused, and continued to encourage him:
"A true man, born between heaven and earth, should establish himself and achieve unparalleled merit. What does life and death matter? This is my last chance, and it is also the last chance for you, General Chang, and your brothers.

"General Chang and his men, are you willing to live in obscurity for the rest of your lives? Even if you join the Chuang Chuang, you'll just be cannon fodder heading south. Since you're risking your life, why not follow me and give it a try?"

Under Zhu Cilang's persuasion, Chang Denggui couldn't help but be tempted. In fact, he was very reluctant to surrender to the enemy, otherwise he would not have obeyed the order to come and protect the crown prince at this time.

Moreover, what Zhu Cilang said made sense. As long as they arrived in Nanjing, these heroes who protected the emperor would surely rise to prominence and get promoted and make a fortune.

As for breaking out, as long as there are horses and no one encounters large groups of scouts, there is a great chance of success.

"Let's take a gamble!" Chang Denggui gritted his teeth and thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)