Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 48 Taking Control of Nanjing
At the end of April, Zhu Cilang brought a group of powerful ministers from the Nanjing court to discuss and personally deploy the Jiangbei defense line. After resolving this urgent task, he led them to pay homage to the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum, and then began to travel south to prepare to ascend the throne and inherit the throne.

The great Ming Dynasty did not even have a strong army available, so there was naturally no way to talk about a Northern Expedition.

After all, without the support of troops, Gao Hongtu's so-called rent reduction and exemption, winning over the people's hearts, and the speculated uprising of the Shandong and Northern Zhili rebels to welcome the royal army were all just castles in the air without any foundation.

Although Dong Xueli had only two thousand soldiers, he had more than one hundred thousand Shun troops behind him. Before Li Zicheng was defeated at Shanhaiguan, even Gao Jie, the strongest of the four generals, did not dare to rush north.

However, although the Northern Expedition was temporarily shelved, Zhu Cilang took advantage of this bluff to truly shift the focus of the Nanjing court to military preparations and the Northern Expedition to restore the country.

The key here is whether he, who will soon become the emperor, truly controls the military and political power of the court. Otherwise, the so-called Northern Expedition will only be a slogan that will never be put into practice.

At the same time, he also took this opportunity to warn the officials in Nanjing that in the future when they offer suggestions, they must seek truth from facts and not make jokes like the Ming Dynasty still has hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Not only that, Zhu Cilang also took advantage of the victory and immediately promoted a group of capable ministers and generals to show his favor.

Zhou Shixian, Chen Fu, Chang Denggui, Lin Yongan, and the other twenty-two riders who broke out of Beijing at the beginning, these originally low-ranking loyalists and Nanjing ministers, the most loyal Shi Kefa, the powerful Xu Hongji, the quick-witted Ma Shiying and others were also directly promoted and reused.

His previous performance was mediocre. He had neither led troops to the north to defend the king several times like Shi Kefa, nor had he the profound qualifications like Xu Hongji, nor was he as sharp as Ma Shiying to seize the fleeting opportunities. Instead, those ministers who jumped between supporting Fu and Lu were unsurprisingly neglected.

Of course, Zhu Cilang will need many of them in the future, but now he still has to teach them a lesson so that they know what to do when facing the new monarch.

In addition to these ministers who went north, Zhu Cilang also specially sent Chang Denggui and Lin Yongan to lead troops to escort those royal family members who moved south from Huai'an Prefecture.

Chang Denggui and Lin Yongan were both left on the north bank of the Huai River to command the Palace Army. They were unable to participate in the suppression of the rebellion like Chen Fu, and were not able to drink the blood wine. Zhu Cilang wanted to give them a chance to perform this time.

The former has been following him for a long time and is also an excellent deputy talent. Zhu Cilang cannot ignore him. The latter understands water transport and knows many trade secrets of the canal and Jiangnan. He will be of great use in the future and also needs to be given some more merits before he can be promoted further.

After the news of Prince Fu Zhu Yousong and the eunuch Lu Jiude, who was in charge of Fengyang, colluding to rebel, the royal family members stranded in Huai'an were like frightened birds and dared not make any unusual moves.

After Chang Denggui brought more than 300 soldiers of the Palace Army to the manor arranged by Lu Jiude for the royal family members stranded in Huai'an, he quickly subdued the guards in the manor and then personally led people in to confiscate the dirty property.

The dozen or so remaining servants of the royal family who fled from the north to the south originally wanted to resist, but after Chang Denggui chopped three of them alive, they all quieted down and hid in the corner.

Seeing this, the soldiers brought by Chang Denggui and Lin Yongan were no longer afraid. The orders they received were to confiscate the traitor's property and arrest his accomplices. Even if they killed people, it was justified.

However, due to psychological inertia, they did not dare to do anything unless Chang Denggui took action.

When Chang Denggui and Lin Yongan brought their men to search the house and carried out box after box of valuables, these servants all turned their faces to the wall as if they were worried that they would be silenced after seeing something they shouldn't have seen.

As for the royal family members, looking at the bodies of the servants lying in the garden, they all regretted accepting Zhu Yousong's kindness and moving into the garden of the salt merchant who was on good terms with Lu Jiude. Now, facing the soldiers who were confiscating the dirty property, they had no way to defend themselves.

Seeing the silver they had brought from their fiefdoms being taken away, the royal family members initially burst into tears, some even threatening to fight for their lives. However, Chang Denggui stopped them all, accusing them of plotting rebellion, and then they were all carried away by the soldiers. Zhu Cilang was not in a hurry to convict Prince Fu, but was still looking for evidence and seeking justice, waiting for this moment. If the case had been convicted and closed earlier, how could he have exploited the issue?
These royal family members had managed to escape from their fiefdoms with some gold, silver, and jewelry. Some had at least tens of thousands of taels of silver, while others even had over a hundred thousand taels, as well as many jewels. After losing their land, they basically planned to live the rest of their lives on this money.

After all, the current imperial court has long been unreliable.

But now, this money is suddenly confiscated as dirty property. Isn’t it the end of them?
But Chang Denggui was accused of collaborating with the enemy, and with the support of the imperial edict, under his demonstration and suggestion, the other soldiers also became aggressive and even killed the eunuchs who joined in the riot. Which of these spineless royal family members dared to be so presumptuous?

So, even when Chang Denggui and Lin Yongan took them and the confiscated property south, they were still clamoring to file a complaint and seek justice from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.

Soon after, their property was accidentally sank into Hongze Lake along with the capsized boat during the transfer process. Although Chang Denggui and Lin Yongan tried to salvage it, they found nothing in the end.

This time, all the servants in the palace were mobilized to salvage the ship, and they all saw clearly that the ship had indeed sunk.

As for Zhu Cilang, he finally received the news when he went south to Pukou and was greeted by the Nanjing Ministry of Rites and hundreds of officials.

So he immediately issued an edict to appease these now penniless royal family members as a sign of imperial grace. He also rewarded each of them with one hundred taels of silver and promised to build a new mansion for them in Nanjing and arrange for them to live in.

As for the justice they were crying and shouting for in person, Zhu Cilang would naturally give it to them. The face of the royal family was also his face, and he could not throw them to the ground in front of those ministers.

Of course, an investigation is definitely necessary. Once the facts are discovered, severe punishment must be imposed. Zhu Cilang even issued an edict in front of a group of ministers. His attitude was very firm and severe, but he did not arrange for any specific person to do this.

Soon, Duke of Wei Xu Hongji, who had returned to Nanjing earlier, led a group of nobles across the river to greet him. Zhu Cilang boarded the ship at the Pukou camp. Hundreds of large and small ships crossed the Yangtze River in a mighty force, as if coming from the sky.

After crossing the river, the fleet stopped at Swallow Rock at Guanyin Gate, where Zhu Cilang met with officials from Nanjing on board. After repeated persuasion and repeated attempts to withdraw, Zhu Cilang finally agreed to ascend the throne, reluctantly agreeing to do so due to the circumstances. He then rode his horse to pay homage to the Xiaoling Mausoleum and the Mausoleum of Prince Yiwen.

On the first day of May, Zhu Cilang led the Palace Army into the city from Chaoyang Gate. The more than 3,000 boatmen who had come a month ago were now equipped with armor, swords and guns, and had trained in drums and trumpets for half a month in the military camp in Fengyang City. At this time, they were heavily armored and in neat formation.

The soldiers of the Beijing camp on the Chaoyang Gate Tower looked at the troops entering the city with unified orders and majestic momentum, and they all opened their mouths in surprise. It was the first time they had seen such an army.

The roadsides were now crowded with onlookers, and even the houses and restaurants along the street were filled with people, all looking out, wanting to catch a glimpse of the Crown Prince's true appearance.

However, when these people who had not experienced war for a long time saw the army in front of them with shining armor, swords and spears, and powerful momentum, they were all stunned for a moment. It was the sound of drums and bugles that woke them up again.

Zhu Cilang rode on his horse and quickly passed through the city gate. He looked at the crowded streets that stretched all the way to the western wall of the imperial city. Countless pairs of eyes filled with curiosity, fear, and awe were looking at him.

From now on, there will be no more Prince Fu or Emperor Hongguang in this world. This will be a new Ming Dynasty and a new era!

　Thanks to book friends Yuekenlu Dazhuang and Qianxun Muchenxi for their rewards.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)