Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 103 The Southeast is Slightly Calmed, and the Emperor Enters the Capital (Part 1)

Huang Taiji actually ran away.

Although Zhu Jue felt that he hadn't made the fellow suffer enough this time, he still didn't order Lu Xiang-sheng to lead his troops to pursue him.

This is because at this time their cavalry is still fewer than the Jurchens', and their chariots cannot keep up with the speed of the cavalry.

If he had sent Lu Xiang-sheng with 30,000 cavalry to pursue them, they might not have been able to defeat the Jurchen cavalry.

He didn't want to lose the Beijing cavalry for nothing, and he certainly didn't want to lose a rare commander like Lu Xiangshan, or other rare generals like Zhou Yuji and Huang Degong.

Two days later, the Jurchen infantry had already withdrawn from outside Xifengkou, and the Jurchen cavalry had disappeared without a trace. Zhu Jue also arrived at Zunhua City with 30,000 chariots and 10,000 cavalry.

Around dusk, as the sun set, Zunhua City, still reeling from the war, looked rather desolate. Eight or nine out of ten of the city's defenders had perished, and the places where the two sides had fought were marked by smoke and fire. In particular, the northern city wall was riddled with arrows and was badly damaged, and the city gate tower was almost burned down by fire arrows.

Standing atop the dilapidated north gate tower, Zhu Jue looked at this desolate border town and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

The garrison of Zunhua City was decimated; fewer than a thousand managed to break through the encirclement, and all of them were badly wounded.

The fall of Zunhua was not due to any fault of the soldiers; they were betrayed by an internal traitor and died a truly ignominious death.

He still needs to gather troops to guard this important town.

Where can he gather troops now?

He thought about it carefully and then asked, "Jiandou, are there any troops that can be transferred from Jizhou Town?"

Right now, where in Jizhou Town are there any men or troops that can be transferred?

Lu Xiang-sheng thought for a moment, then said cautiously, "Your Majesty, at present only the Santun Camp can spare one guard. However, the city walls there are low and there is no moat. If the Jurchens know the true situation inside, they will most likely choose to break through from the Santun Camp next time they come."

It seems the Beijing garrison needs to recruit more men quickly.

Zhu Jue pondered, “The chariot troops of the capital garrison can stay here temporarily to assist in the defense. Leave 10,000 in Zunhua City, send 10,000 to Santun Camp, and send 10,000 to Jizhou City. If the Jurchens knew that so many chariot troops were deployed here to assist in the defense, they probably wouldn’t come.”

It's simple for us to let the Jurchens know about our deployment here. As long as we lift the blockade, the spies in the court will naturally pass the information on to them.

The key is that the elite troops of the Beijing Garrison can't just stay here to defend the city forever. We still need to launch a counterattack and recover the lost territory. Therefore, we must quickly recruit some Beijing Garrison infantry specifically for defending the city. Otherwise, with the Beijing Garrison's chariot troops stuck here and unable to move, a counterattack is simply out of the question.

You still want to recruit more men?

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng cautiously replied, "Your Majesty, the able-bodied men of the Jingying Garrison are currently building the city wall. Once the wall is completed, they will have to return to spring plowing. Only after spring plowing is over can we conscript them. And even after they are conscripted, we will still need to equip and train them before they can defend the city. So we will have to wait at least three months."

Waiting three months here is not a big deal, but we need to send reinforcements to Sun Chuanting's side immediately, just in case.

Zhu Jue nodded slowly and said, "The cavalry of the capital can stay here to guard for three months. We also need to hurry up and go to reinforce Chuanting. He has pushed the defense line to Shuangtaizi River. At this time, the city and fortresses there are probably only just beginning to be built."

Although the Jurchens would most likely return to their stronghold to deal with Mao Wenlong, it couldn't be ruled out that Huang Taiji might receive a message from an inside agent and lead his army to sabotage the still-under-construction Shuangtaizi River defense line.

Huang Taiji is too cunning. They originally wanted to drag things out and wear him down for several months, but who knew that as soon as he realized he couldn't win, he ran away.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng cautiously reminded him, "Your Majesty, currently there are only 30,000 cavalrymen in the capital garrison that can be deployed to reinforce the capital. If all of them are deployed there, the defense of the capital will be rendered ineffective."

We can't afford to be short of manpower everywhere once the fighting starts. The Beijing garrison must be expanded quickly, and we also need to find a way to recruit more men from the Liaodong garrison.

Zhu Jue pondered, "Let's send Yu Ji with 20,000 cavalry to provide support. There are already 20,000 Guan Ning Iron Cavalry in Liaodong. With the addition of these 20,000 Jingying cavalry, we should be able to barely withstand the Jurchen cavalry's attacks."

As they were discussing, a fast rider suddenly came galloping from the south.

Not long after, Fang Zhenghua came quickly with a memorial in his hand and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this is an urgent report from Xiong Wencan, the Governor-General of Zhejiang, Zhili and Fujian, delivered by express mail."

Has Zheng Zhilong done something again?
Zhu Jue took the memorial and couldn't help but show a hint of joy on his face. The Governor-General of Zhejiang, Zhili and Fujian, Xiong Wencan, reported that Zheng Zhilong had dispatched all his warships and troops after the New Year to hunt down pirates everywhere. Most of the pirates in the southeast were so frightened that they surrendered at the first sign of trouble. Shi Daxuan, Hong Xu, Gan Hui and others had all joined Zheng Zhilong's command. Only the pirate Liu Xiang's group was defeated by Zheng Zhilong and fled to the waters controlled by the Dutch.

Nowadays, pirates in the southeastern sea area have been almost completely eradicated, fishing boats can now go out to sea to fish, and merchant ships can also travel between Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong and Guangxi.

OK!

The eighteen pirate groups in the southeast have finally been quelled, but the crucial issue is that Zheng Zhilong is about to be tricked into coming to the capital.

Once Zheng Zhilong is tricked into coming to the capital, he can take the opportunity to control the interests of overseas trade, and then he will have money to recruit troops and even provide relief to disaster victims.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, and then decisively said: "Ruoyu, draft an imperial edict to promote Zheng Zhilong to the title of Marquis of Nan'an, and order Xiong Wencan to lead him to the capital. I will personally confer the title upon him."

Zheng Zhihu was promoted to General of Fujian, and Zheng Hongkui and Zheng Zhibao were promoted to Deputy Generals of Fujian. One of Zheng Zhilong's sons was granted the hereditary title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruoyu immediately ordered someone to bring him the writing materials for drafting imperial edicts and began to write them down with great speed.

This string of rewards and promotions should make Zheng Zhilong so excited that he'll be completely overwhelmed. It shouldn't be a problem for Xiong Wencan to lure him to the capital.

After all, Xiong Wencan had already tricked him into going to Jinling City to bestow a reward upon him once. Zheng Zhilong went there gladly and returned with honors without any problems.

He should return to the capital. At this time, it takes a whole day for memorials to be sent back and forth, which is very troublesome. Moreover, the new city north of the capital is still under expansion, and it is unknown how the construction is progressing.

The key was that he still needed to find a respectable mansion for Zheng Zhilong. His order for Xiong Wencan to lure him to the capital was only to indirectly place him under house arrest, not to imprison him in the imperial prison.

He needs Zheng Zhilong's cooperation to control overseas trade. If he tries to force him, it will most likely end in a lose-lose situation, which is not his goal.

Zheng Zhilong is very concerned about his reputation, so he has to give him some face first, and then use a combination of soft and hard tactics to make him obey.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully again, and then asked, "Jian Dou, do you think there's a problem with leaving Ying Yuan here to guard the area?"

This is of course no problem.

Lu Xiang-sheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, Ying Yuan is already managing the defense line here. He knows this place better than I do. There will definitely be no problem for him to stay and guard it."

That's settled then.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jue decisively said, "Alright, we'll leave Ying Yuan here to manage the defenses properly. Once he succeeds, he can lead the remaining 10,000 cavalry back to the capital with us."

Are you in such a hurry to go back?
Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng cautiously reminded him, "Your Majesty, didn't you say you wanted to give Wang Yuan-ya a grand funeral?"

Oh, I almost forgot about that.

Wang Yuanya, a loyal and virtuous man, should be praised and his sacrifice for the country should not be in vain.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then decisively said, "Ruoyu, draft an imperial edict to posthumously grant Wang Yuanya the title of Minister of War, and to grant his son the hereditary title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ruoyu immediately knelt down again and began writing furiously.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then carefully instructed, "Jian Dou, go and tell Ying Yuan to find Wang Yuan Ya's body and build a mausoleum in a place with good feng shui along the Shahe River in the south of the city, and give her a proper burial."

Wang Yuanya is indeed a good person. He ordered him to guard Zunhua, but the man devoted himself to the country. So, he had to do something for him.

Now His Majesty has posthumously awarded him the title of Minister of War, granted his son the title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and ordered the construction of a mausoleum for a grand burial. It is already quite remarkable that his funeral arrangements have been handled in this way. He has certainly lived up to the expectations of his subordinates.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand. Thank you for your grace."

(End of this chapter)