Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 4 Accidents happen
"Yes!" Upon hearing this, Chang Denggui immediately bowed and clasped his hands.

Seeing this, the others no longer hesitated. After Crown Prince Zhu Cilang took the lead in mounting his horse, they all took action. Chang Denggui even personally led two riders to clear the way.

Lin Changfeng and Lin Changping were very skilled in riding horses and soon rode their horses to Zhu Cilang's side. He looked at the two of them and thought that he might have underestimated these two brave warriors from Liaodong.

In fact, many of the retainers and even servants in the mansions of the nobles and ministers in Beijing were elite soldiers from the Beijing Army.

Li Banghua, the former Minister of War and now the Left Censor-in-Chief, reorganized the army once in the early years of Chongzhen, and the Beijing camp regained some strength. However, with his demotion, this kind of occupation and false impersonation soon resurfaced.

Wang Zhixin was Chongzhen's favorite minister, the military inspector, and the commander-in-chief of the Eastern Factory. Wang Chengen was the commander-in-chief of the Beijing Camp. It would be easy for him to occupy a few brave warriors from the Beijing Camp.

Soon, a group of twelve men and twelve war horses rushed out of the palace gate, which was already engulfed in flames. Led by Zhu Cilang, they were about to break out of the encirclement of hundreds of thousands of Shun troops. This was the major event that Zhu Cilang had been planning since his time traveling through time!
Outside the palace, the surrounding people who were attracted by the burning fire and were watching the excitement looked at their attire, especially the brothers Lin Changfeng and Lin Changping, who were among them, and thought that they were the servants and cavalry of the eunuch Wang Zhixin.

Although the inner city of Beijing is still in the hands of the Ming army, the Beijing army is weak and discipline has collapsed. Everyone is already preoccupied with their own affairs. Many dignitaries and wealthy merchants have taken their servants and tried every means to escape from the city. This has become commonplace.

Not only that, in the chaos, sporadic looting, arson and killings followed in many places after nightfall.

In the 14th year of Chongzhen's reign, the plague that swept across North China spread to Beijing. In just two years, it not only destroyed the three major camps in the capital, but also caused the city to lose more than 200,000 people. Even Fengyang, Anqing, Luzhou and other places in Jianghuai were greatly affected.

This undoubtedly dealt a fatal blow to the already shaky Ming Dynasty. Otherwise, the Ming court might have only been able to hold on for another year or two, and the course of history would have very likely changed.

Zhu Cilang rode his horse at a rapid pace. The cold wind of early spring was whistling in his ears, scratching the skin on his cheeks. He looked at the city of Beijing, which was basically plunged into darkness except for the homes of some nobles and high-ranking officials, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

This is the capital of the Ming Dynasty, where all the wealth and nobles in the world gather. Yet it has fallen into such a state. One can imagine how difficult the lives of the people are and how hard they are suffering in other places in the northern provinces!

However, in the current situation, he, a prince who was fleeing, could only sigh in his heart.

If he wants to change this era and the fate of hundreds of millions of people, he must go to Nanjing and restart the long-dormant backup state machinery, converting the wealth and manpower of the south into a military force capable of resisting the Manchu cavalry and changing the fate of the country and the nation. Otherwise, everything will be just empty talk.

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang's gaze became firm again. As his eyes adjusted, the city of Beijing under the moonlight gradually became clear, and a group of people and horses quickly galloped towards the imperial city.

Although the city gates had not been breached at this time, the situation had deteriorated to such an extent that the imperial guards and the Han generals of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who were guarding the Forbidden City had already fled, and the twelve palace gates inside and outside the imperial city and the Forbidden City were all unguarded.

Chang Denggui led his men to clear the way ahead, and the operation into the imperial city was completely unobstructed. Not to mention encountering any strong resistance, apart from the eunuchs and palace maids who fled from time to time, there was not a single figure of the defending army.

After all, at this time, whether it was the Imperial Guards, eunuchs, or palace servants, they were all busy escaping. Who would go around to the Gunpowder Bureau or the Armory Bureau in a corner of the Imperial City?
As Zhu Cilang expected, the gunpowder bureau and the weapon bureau in the imperial city still stored a small number of muskets and armor. There were more than a dozen brand new matchlock rifles alone. It seemed that they were bird guns made by European missionaries such as Johann Adam Schall von Bell under the order of Chongzhen.

As for traditional weapons such as bows for foot and horse, arrows, swords and spears, there are hundreds of them, and nearly a hundred sets of armor, but most of them are of questionable quality, and only two or three out of ten are usable.

These equipments are insignificant to the tens of thousands of old and weak soldiers in Beijing, but they are more than enough for their team of twelve people.

Under Zhu Cilang's command, the group quickly armed themselves. In addition to two sets of armor, a thick-backed knife, and a long spear per person, each person also had a bow or a musket hanging on their bodies, and arrows, lead bullets, and gunpowder were hung around their waists.

At this time, a series of successful actions also further increased Zhu Cilang's prestige, especially his command and orders, the eleven people accompanying him had become accustomed to obeying them.

You know, initially, the nine members of the team, including Chang Denggui, who originally belonged to the Beijing Camp, were extremely nervous about returning to the Imperial City to replenish their equipment. But the results now proved that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was right. For these soldiers, nothing could be more convincing than leading them to victory on the battlefield. Sufficient pay, sophisticated weapons and equipment, and accurate battlefield assessments were the foundation of victory.

Zhu Cilang has now accomplished all of this. The gold, silver, and jewelry seized from Wang Zhixin's house will make it even more difficult for these accompanying guards to surrender to the Shun army easily. Otherwise, they will find it difficult to keep the wealth they have worked so hard to obtain.

However, the few hundred horses remaining in the Imperial Stables had already been looted by the fleeing imperial guards and eunuchs.

After all, these good horses are walking gold, which can not only be used to escape, but also to exchange for silver.

Although Zhu Cilang took the lead and rushed to the Imperial Stables after confirming the weapons, armor and muskets, when he arrived, he only saw several eunuchs who were not familiar with horse riding trying to control the horses under their crotch, and their movements were very rough and clumsy.

These eunuchs had no way of controlling these hot-tempered horses, and soon some of them were thrown to the ground, some even breaking their legs, and then they ran away quickly while cursing.

"These bastards actually dared to steal my horses!" Zhu Cilang cursed angrily when he saw this. These horses were also the key to his breakout from the capital.

Upon hearing this, the brothers Lin Changfeng and Lin Changping looked at each other, then rode forward, drew their bows and arrows at the same time, and at a distance of more than forty steps, they shot down the three eunuchs who were still shaking on their horses and whose figures were blurred in the dark night.

Zhu Cilang looked at the three eunuchs who fell from their horses with screams, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly at their superb archery skills. He had previously judged that their origins were unusual, and now he was even more certain.

Not only that, Lin Changfeng and Lin Changping quickly controlled the five horses that had run away and returned to Zhu Cilang to report. Chang Denggui had also come out of the stable at this time, but he looked worried.

"Your Highness, there are only two horses left in the stable."

"Only two left?" Zhu Cilang was a little surprised when he heard this, but after hearing the cannon fire coming from the north and west of the city, he no longer hesitated and quickly made a decision:

"Put all the extra armor and weapons on these seven horses. Now return to the gunpowder depot to meet up with the others, and then head to Dongzhimen."

"Yes!" The seven people surrounding Zhu Cilang responded at the same time, and then immediately rode their horses towards Di'an Gate in the north of the imperial city.

Although the planned horses were not found, time waits for no one. Zhu Cilang had to wait inside Dongzhimen. Once the west and north gates were breached by the Shun army, he had to act immediately.

If he wants to successfully break out with the limited number of troops he has, he must time it well and not allow any mistakes.

On the one hand, it is not good to be too early. The Shun army stationed in the east of the city has not yet started to move to the north of the city, and it will be easily discovered by patrolling or ambushing scouts.

On the other hand, if it is too late, it will also be very dangerous. The Shun army outside the city is very likely to restore normal order after the chaos when the city was just broken.

You know, although Li Zicheng did not deploy as many troops in the east of the city as in the west and north of the city, he also set up several large camps, and there must be an army of 10,000 or 20,000, which means that there are hundreds of scouts deployed along the line.

Zhu Cilang now has only one person and one horse. Even if the seven new horses are counted, he and the other six people only have two horses each. Whether they can break out or not depends on their gamble!

(End of this chapter)