Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 68 Doing something you know you can’t do

After Zhu Cilang finalized the preparations for the imperial expedition and determined the civil and military officials who would accompany him, he immediately issued an edict, ordering Li Banghua, Gao Hongtu, Zhou Shixian and others to be responsible for transporting the stored grain in the treasuries of various governments in the south of the Yangtze River, and to try to collect the arrears of taxes accumulated by the gentry over the years, in order to raise the money needed for the army's departure.

As for the specific strategy of using troops to repel the enemy, in a court full of mediocre people, no one could come up with anything.

The civil and military officials in the court, especially the ministers, vice ministers, censors of the Censorate and nobles who held high positions at the time, were indeed mostly loyal officials who swore to never surrender, but they could not be called capable officials, and almost none of them knew anything about military affairs.

Not to mention Ma Shiying, Shi Kefa, Liu Zeqing and other peace-avoiding factions who feared the Qing Dynasty like a tiger, even ministers such as Gao Hongtu, Zhang Shenyan, Huang Daozhou, Chen Zilong were only able to do their jobs reluctantly.

After the court session, except for a few who were smug, most of the ministers in the Dingwu court looked sad and left the Forbidden City in groups of three or five, talking about something.

They were all worried about the current situation, fearing that Zhu Cilang, who insisted on leading the army in person, would be defeated and captured by the Qing army, and the Dingwu Dynasty would be destroyed.

Ma Shiying quickly caught up with Shi Kefa, who was sighing, and his attitude was very respectful, looking like one of those scholars who admired Shi Kefa.

Ever since he realized that Zhu Cilang was truly determined to launch a northern expedition, rather than just building momentum for his ascension to the throne, bluffing, and occupying the moral high ground, he became worried.

If the Tartars could be defeated so easily, would the situation have reached its current state?

At the same time, as the important positions in the court gradually became filled, Li Banghua sat firmly in the position of Prime Minister, Gao Hongtu became more and more favored, and he became more and more redundant. After weighing the pros and cons, Ma Shiying immediately turned to please Shi Kefa.

"Master Shi, there's no need to sigh. Once the war breaks out and His Majesty sees the power of the Tartar soldiers, he'll understand our painstaking efforts!"

"I am worried about your Majesty's safety. If the Qing army knew that your Majesty was in Zhongdu, they would definitely send troops to attack you. How would your Majesty break out then? If the city is broken, wouldn't it be a repeat of the mistakes of Jingkang?" Shi Kefa became more and more excited as he spoke, even attracting the attention of surrounding officials.

Upon hearing this, Ma Shiying immediately made a booing gesture, secretly cursing the fool in his heart, but his face showed the same sorrow:

"Master Shi is a man of great foresight and a true pillar of our dynasty. It's a pity that Your Majesty has been deceived by the lies of those treacherous ministers, believing that the Tartars are easy to deal with and insisting on leading the army in person."

"Your Majesty is still young after all, and has a vague understanding of the current situation. However, he has great ambitions, is benevolent, filial, loyal, and righteous, and naturally wants to avenge the late emperor and restore the country." Shi Kefa sighed, then shook his head and said:

"But the Qing army is so powerful. How can the hundreds of thousands of soldiers from Southern Zhili be a match for it? If we can negotiate peace with them, and buy them ten or twenty years to recuperate, and then slowly develop our forces, and then launch a northern expedition after we have trained a strong army, wouldn't that be a safer option?"
After all, the Qing army was from the north, they did not know how to swim and found it difficult to adapt to the southern climate. It might be easy for them to occupy the north, but it would be wishful thinking for them to march south and cross the river.

This has been the case throughout the dynasties. Gao Hongtu is also well-versed in history books, so why doesn't he understand this?"

The reason why the anti-war and peace-loving faction became the anti-war and peace-loving faction is because they have such unrealistic fantasies.

"Yes, from the Jin Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, which dynasty succeeded in conquering the north? But which one couldn't protect itself for hundreds of years?"

Ma Shiying immediately agreed:

"Even if there is unrest in the Central Plains and we take advantage of the situation to attack the north, we may achieve temporary success, but it will be nothing more than a fleeting cloud. We will soon be driven back south again."

"It's useless to say these things now. Your Majesty has been deceived by those who seek fame and reputation. The most important thing now is to ensure Your Majesty's safety." Shi Kefa said in a firm tone.

"As long as His Majesty is not allowed to cross the Huai River, our dynasty will be able to advance and retreat. Since we are accompanying the emperor to repel the enemy, even if it means risking our lives, we must not allow His Majesty to advance rashly and do anything disastrous."

After Ma Shiying finished speaking, he bowed to Shi Kefa and said:

"When the time comes, we will all follow Lord Shi and prevent those treacherous villains from stirring up trouble again. For Your Majesty, for the Ming Dynasty, and for the people of the world, I, Ma Shiying, will not hesitate even if it means losing this black hat on my head."

"When the time comes, Your Majesty will see the might of the Qing army and understand our painstaking efforts."

Shi Kefa nodded approvingly, as if he had a new respect for Ma Shiying.

Now, because Zhu Cilang successfully suppressed the rebellion and Ma Shiying no longer had to betray him and pledge his allegiance, there was actually no insurmountable hurdle between the two.

Li Banghua replaced Shi Kefa and became Ma Shiying's target. These two people, who had been in contact for a long time and shared the same political views, naturally came together.

Moreover, Shi Kefa also had a dream of becoming the prime minister. If Zhu Cilang could recognize the situation and turn to negotiate peace with the Qing army, Li Banghua, Gao Hongtu and others would inevitably fall out of favor.

"I'm afraid that by then, tens of thousands of soldiers will be lost, and the morale of the people in Jiangbei will probably plummet from then on."

"The treacherous and corrupt officials in power are a disaster for our dynasty!"

Ma Shiying sighed softly, and then immediately complimented Shi Kefa:

"Once these treacherous ministers are eradicated and Your Majesty is no longer deceived, Lord Shi will surely be able to ascend to the position of Prime Minister. We will certainly work together with Lord Shi to assist Your Majesty and revive the Ming Dynasty." If Shi Kefa could become the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, Ma Shiying would be confident that he could replace him within three months, drive him out of office, and at the same time get rid of the Northern Expedition faction in the court.

On the other hand, after the court meeting, Zhu Cilang specially left behind Li Banghua, Gao Hongtu, and Zhou Shixian, and was now instructing them on the specific matters of staying in Nanjing and transporting money and grain in the rear.

The chief minister of the cabinet, Minister of War Li Banghua was naturally the best choice to stay in Nanjing. He was responsible for the transportation of money and grain in the rear, the control of the garrison troops, and the stability of the Jiangnan region.

As for Gao Hongtu and Zhou Shixian, Zhu Cilang had to take them both with him.

You know, even in Fengyang, those officials who advocated avoiding war and maintaining peace would seize every opportunity to impeach and attack the pro-war faction and disrupt the normal strategic arrangements. These were the traditions of the Ming court ministers.

At this time, the Jinyiwei under Zhou Shixian had infiltrated various prefectures in Nanzhili, especially those in Jiangbei. Xu Dingguo from Guide had always been the focus of surveillance by the Jinyiwei. Zhu Cilang needed to get the intelligence from all places as soon as possible.

However, when Zhu Cilang finished discussing all matters with them and was about to let them leave, Gao Hongtu suddenly bowed, cupped his hands and said to him:

"Your Majesty, I believe that in addition to preparing for war in Jiangnan, we should also send envoys to Korea to persuade them to stay in Korea, so as to act as a check on the north. After all, the Qing army is powerful, and without a check on the north, it would be inappropriate."

"Inappropriate?" Zhu Cilang frowned slightly. "Gao Qing, you threatened me to send troops north earlier. Why is it inappropriate now?"

"That is not the time. If I do not insist, Your Majesty's desire to lead the army in person will be impossible!"

Gao Hongtu sighed after saying this, and then continued:
"I have been working with Lord Li for half a year now, handling confidential matters, discussing military affairs, and raising funds and food every day. I have learned a little bit. I naturally understand that our army is weak and the Tartars are strong. We are completely unable to match them in a frontal battle.

However, I am worried that if the court becomes complacent, the great cause of the Northern Expedition and restoration will be completely abandoned, so I always shout.

Your Majesty, without the millions of people in the Central Plains, is still the ruler of the Ming Dynasty. But if they lose your Majesty, they will become slaves of the Tartars!"

"Okay, knowing it's impossible, we still do it. This is how things are in the world, and only then can things improve!"

Zhu Cilang clapped his hands in praise, but then he changed the subject and said:
"But I must correct you on one point. I am the ruler of the people of the world. If I lose the millions of people in the Central Plains and cannot recover my homeland outside the Great Wall, how can I sit on the throne with dignity? As the ruler of the Ming Dynasty, I will never abandon my people!"

"When the rebels besieged the city, all the civil and military officials in the Northern Capital thought the situation was hopeless. They all lost their fighting spirit and surrendered. But Your Majesty showed no fear at all. That's why you are now training troops in Jiangnan and planning a northern expedition."

After hearing this, Li Banghua also clasped his hands together and said slowly:
"The current situation is certainly critical, but success depends on human effort. With a sage like Your Majesty personally leading the charge, are we still worried that we won't be able to defeat the Qing army and restore the Northern Expedition?"

"What Lord Li said is true. Your Majesty is brave and resourceful, and you are good at planning. Even if we lose this battle, our dynasty will surely rise again." Gao Hongtu continued.

"Defeat? Hahaha!" Zhu Cilang couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Mr. Gao, you keep talking about the Northern Expedition. I really thought you had never thought about defeat!"

"Of course I thought our army would be defeated, but I also thought our army could fight hard and repel the enemy and return victorious.

The Tartars are not heavenly soldiers and generals. As long as we have the right strategy, our army will definitely be able to defeat them!"

Gao Hongtu was obviously influenced by Zhu Cilang and Li Banghua during this period, and the passion in his words became even stronger.

"Going north to kill the enemy is an honor, even if you fail, and even if you die, it is a worthy death. But hiding in the south of the Yangtze River, like a coward, is truly a laughing stock."

"Well said, this is the kind of courage the court lacks. That's why I'm personally leading the army north. I want not only to defend the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers, but also to win a victory."

Zhu Cilang looked at the three ministers in front of him with a firm gaze and a steady tone:
"Otherwise, seeing how they fear the Qing Dynasty like a tiger, how can I face my father and ancestors in the future?"

　Thanks to the book friends "Yueken Road Dazhuang", "Ah, little lady, don't run", "An ordinary handsome guy", "F Feng Taiji", "Evil Sparta", and "Sui Ying" for their rewards over the past two days.

　　In addition, I recommend a book written by a book friend, "The End of the Ming Dynasty: I, Li Zicheng, Recapture the World!"

　　Introduction: What is the name of this place? Jiugong Mountain!

　　In Jiugong Mountain, a soul from later generations opened its eyes in Li Zicheng's body.

　　From this moment on, the wheel of history suddenly deviated.

　　A war song that belongs to King Chuang, Dashun, peasant rebels of all ages, and all Han people in the world is played!

　　There are very few books about Li Zicheng now, and this book friend is an old author, you can go and have a look!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)