Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 5 The Value of Chongzhen

Under the cover of night, the sound of horse hooves echoed on the wide avenue paved with bluestone slabs. Zhu Cilang and his group of twelve people, riding nineteen horses, quickly galloped out of Di'anmen, heading north along the street, preparing to take a detour at the Drum Tower north of Di'anmen, and then head straight for Dongzhimen.

The planned twenty horses were not found in the Imperial Stables, but it was not a complete failure. Seven new horses were eventually found, which meant that there were still five people in the team, and they could only have one horse each, and they were very likely to become cannon fodder in the breakout.

As a result, the morale of this hastily assembled guard team was inevitably shaken.

If Zhu Cilang had not already established the prestige that a prince in wartime should have, the seven new horses would have all been used to carry armor and weapons. The military leader Chang Denggui was loyal and devoted, and some of them would probably have taken advantage of the chaos to escape by now.

You have to know that at this critical moment of life and death, these soldiers of the Beijing camp did not have any feudal spirit of fearlessness and sacrifice. Any slight disturbance could lead to unpredictable consequences.

However, Zhu Cilang still had a backup plan. Before he left the palace yesterday, he had already sent his trusted eunuch out of the palace to take action.

However, he had no idea whether the other party had passed on his order, or whether this order, which he had no hope for, had been carried out.

Otherwise, he would not have revealed any relevant information to Chang Denggui and others until now.

We do need to paint a pie in the sky and hope that it will be given, but we definitely cannot just paint it casually or ask for it out of our mouths. If the pie in the sky is right in front of us and can be easily verified, but things are beyond our control, then we are courting death.

You must know that Zhu Cilang's prestige at this time is far from enough. As long as he is still surrounded by the Shun army, he cannot make any mistakes in decision-making and let these temporarily gathered guards have any suspicion of him, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable.

This is the human heart!

Soon, Chang Denggui, who had been exploring the way ahead, led his men back. In a hurry, he did not dismount to salute, but directly reined in his horse, clasped his hands towards Zhu Cilang, and said excitedly:

"Your Highness, the Imperial Consort, Commandant Zhou Shixian, is currently awaiting your arrival at the Drum Tower. He has brought his horse with him."

After hearing this, Zhu Cilang finally let go of the worry that had been hanging in his heart. He immediately waved his hand and said, "Okay, take me there quickly!"

At the same time, the other eight guards who had been waiting by the roadside also spurred their horses and galloped towards the Drum Tower. Their originally low morale immediately rose after hearing Chang Denggui say the word "there are horses".

After Zhu Cilang figured out his situation yesterday, he handed over the property he had accumulated in the palace to the two eunuchs serving him, and asked them to take his letters to Gong Yonggu and Zhou Shixian respectively, and then escape on his own.

One of these two men was Chongzhen's brother-in-law, and the other was Chongzhen's future son-in-law. Both were imperial concubines of the Ming Dynasty, and both had some abilities and connections in the capital.

It now seems that the letter was at least delivered to Zhou Shixian's hands, and Zhou Shixian, the son of a captain of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Junior Secretary of the Imperial Household Department, is a man of real ability who can use his father's connections and relationships to get the horse.

"Shixian, I knew you would come!" After Zhu Cilang got off the horse, he immediately walked towards Zhou Shixian who was kneeling on the ground under the drum tower, and helped him up.

"Where did you get the horse? You're quite capable! I just came from the Imperial Stables, and there were no horses there!"

"Your Majesty, your Majesty asked someone to borrow it from the Imperial Stables last night." Zhou Shixian looked embarrassed and stammered. The horse farm in the south of the city had been emptied long ago, and he had no choice but to resort to this last resort and take a shortcut.

"." Zhu Cilang was speechless for a moment after hearing this. The Imperial Stables were looted by the Imperial Guards and eunuchs. I'm afraid it was you, the "roundabout way to find a horse" who started it.

"Your Highness, I am incompetent. I only managed to get thirty-four horses and two carriages. I'm afraid they are only enough for Your Majesty and Your Majesty to visit me." Upon seeing this, Zhou Shixian quickly changed the subject. He looked very excited, and from what he said, it seemed that he still wanted to go and rescue the emperor.

"My father has decided to die for his country. His last will and testament is to order me to break out of the siege and head south to inherit the throne and revive the Ming Dynasty." Zhu Cilang said with a sad face.

He had no intention of going back to save Chongzhen.

Firstly, by this time, Chongzhen had already killed his wife and daughter, so it was too late to go back and save them. After killing his wife and daughter, Chongzhen did not dare to commit suicide and had no idea where to escape. He might not be able to find them if he went back.

Secondly, at this point, if they turned back, even if they could finally find Chongzhen, the time for breaking out would probably be delayed due to the hassle and effort of explaining things.

Most importantly, if Chongzhen were still in power after arriving in Nanjing, the court would have been in chaos. If this had delayed the two main Qing forces' western expedition against Li Zicheng, the Southern Ming would have had less than a year's strategic window, and the situation would have been truly irreversible. In other words, for both the Ming Dynasty and Zhu Cilang, the living Chongzhen Emperor was a negative asset. Only the heroic and heroic sacrifice of the Chongzhen Emperor would have given the Ming Dynasty, a broken ship, greater brand value and earned Zhu Cilang great political capital when he went south to inherit the throne.

Moreover, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. How could there be two harmonious leaders in the same court? Not to mention that Chongzhen was suspicious and indecisive by nature.

Therefore, no matter from which angle Zhu Cilang considered it, his best option did not include going back to save Chongzhen, and there was almost no possibility of saving Chongzhen.

If he had traveled through time ten days or half a month earlier, it would still be possible in terms of time, but now, he is in a difficult situation and can hardly save himself. Going back would be suicide.

However, he possessed supreme power, and the legal basis for commanding the people came from Chongzhen. To his subordinates, he naturally had to be a filial son, and he and Chongzhen had to have a fatherly and filial relationship, the kind of father-son and monarch-subject relationship that was so touching that they parted in life and death.

Zhou Shixian was fooled by him and did not doubt his existence at all. He immediately handed over all the servants, Jinyiwei, and twelve brothers from the Beijing camp, including himself, to Zhu Cilang.

Since Emperor Chongzhen has died for his country, the Crown Prince Zhu Cilang is the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty and also his ruler!
Although Zhou Shixian wanted to go back to rescue Princess Kunxing, the situation was urgent, especially since he didn't know where Princess Kunxing was now. He could only give up temporarily and make long-term plans after breaking out of the capital and heading south to Yingtian.

Zhu Cilang knew that Kunxing would not die. Although Zhou Shixian could find people if he went back now, it was absolutely impossible for him to break out with a female relative with a broken arm and travel thousands of miles south.

"Shixian, one day, I will return with a large army to recover the capital." Zhu Cilang patted Zhou Shixian on the shoulder, then signaled him to mount his horse and follow him towards Dongzhimen.

"But the most important thing now is to break out and head south. Only when we reach Nanjing and rebuild the Ming Dynasty will we have the ability to do so. Otherwise, we will be lambs to be slaughtered!"

After hearing this, Zhou Shixian felt reluctant, but he still said "yes" immediately, and then immediately ordered his men to distribute the extra horses to the soldiers of the Beijing camp under Chang Denggui.

At Zhu Cilang's instruction, Chang Denggui divided some of the armor and weapons carried on the backs of the five horses to equip the twelve people brought by Zhou Shixian. Apart from one or two pieces of armor, they did not have enough other equipment.

After this assignment, the relationship between the two groups, most of whose troops originally came from the Beijing camp, instantly became harmonious.

Not only that, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince actually had a backup plan. Whether it was Chang Denggui's group or Zhou Shixian's group, after seeing each other, their originally anxious hearts instantly calmed down a lot, and Zhu Cilang's image in their hearts became even more unfathomable.

Zhu Cilang knew very well that as long as he led this team through a life-and-death breakout, these twenty-four people would truly become his confidants, the kind who would follow him till death and never betray him, and his march south would be guaranteed.

However, just as he was about to give the order to go to Dongzhimen, Zhou Shixian suddenly remembered a person he had just seen on the road, and immediately asked Zhu Cilang for instructions.

"Are you saying that the Left Censor-in-Chief Li Banghua just appeared outside the Wen Xinguo Temple?" Zhu Cilang was shocked when he heard this.

"That's right. I've met Mr. Meng several times and I won't make a mistake."

"Is there still time for you to go there now?"

Zhu Cilang was obviously tempted. If he could bring this old minister who had served as the Minister of War and the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Two Capitals, and who could single-handedly persuade Zuo Liangyu's tens of thousands of rebellious troops to retreat, many things would be much easier to handle after arriving in Nanjing.

"The situation is urgent now. I cannot go with you, otherwise the army will be thrown into chaos. If we can still make it in time, Shixian, take a few trusted people with you to invite them. If we can't make it in time, then forget it. Shixian, you are a royal relative, and to me, you are also my right-hand man and a pillar of the country. You cannot be lost."

Zhou Shixian was deeply moved after hearing this. He naturally understood what Zhu Cilang meant. You know, he had originally recruited dozens of people, but because of his lack of prestige, he couldn't control these soldiers and horses, and most of them fled.

In the huge city of Beijing, there are indeed hundreds or thousands of soldiers who can be used, but under such a situation, people's hearts have long been in chaos and cannot be controlled at all.

At this point, if Zhu Cilang suddenly changed his plan and took everyone to bypass Wen Xinguo's ancestral hall, some of the guards would inevitably become suspicious. If he split up the troops, chaos would ensue. Although Li Banghua was an all-round important official and would be of great use if he were to take him away, it wasn't worth the risk.

"Your Highness, I will take two people with me and we will be back in a quarter of an hour at most." Zhou Shixian bowed and clasped his fists. Influenced by Zhu Cilang, his eyes were very determined.

Zhu Cilang nodded and said, "Okay, after picking up Mr. Meng, go to Dongzhimen immediately. I'll be waiting for you there!"

(End of this chapter)