Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 134 Rebels' Plot Leads to the Fall of Zhongdu (Part 2)

Zhu Jue indeed did not remember what major events the rebels had accomplished after they gathered in Xingyang.

However, he vaguely guessed the purpose of the rebels' hasty gathering in Xingyang at this time.

This is all because Wei Zhongxian is extensively implicating people and frantically confiscating property in Suzhou Prefecture and the counties surrounding Taihu Lake.

This is tantamount to robbing the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party of its livelihood, and even undermining the foundation of the Donglin Party.

The Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party would naturally not sit idly by.

Even stirring up a massive popular uprising by these guys didn't work, so we can only resort to the tactic of rebelling.

The Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party generally believed that he could only mobilize about 50,000 to 60,000 troops in Suzhou Prefecture. Therefore, these guys asked the rebels to make a big fuss so as to lure away the troops in Suzhou Prefecture and make Wei Zhongxian return to the capital in disgrace.

This tactic of feinting to the east while attacking the west, or besieging Wei to rescue Zhao, was frequently used by the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou.

Historically, whenever rebels could not hold out, the Jurchens would inevitably invade. Whenever Emperor Chongzhen wanted to mobilize a large army to recover lost territory or even consolidate the defenses, the rebels would inevitably become more and more aggressive!
They used this tactic to force Chongzhen to either divert troops meant for suppressing rebels to defend against the Jurchens, or to divert troops meant for recovering lost territory and consolidating defenses to suppress rebels. This left Chongzhen unable to eliminate either the rebels or deal with the Jurchens, leaving him with nothing but troops to spare for both sides.

Right now, they just want to use the rebels to draw away the troops he can mobilize, thereby resolving the crisis in Jiangnan.

He certainly wouldn't fall for that trick.

If the rebels were to attack the vassal states and deal with those wealthy but unkind vassal kings and their families, it would suit their purposes perfectly.

It was impossible for him to hastily transfer the troops from Suzhou Prefecture to Kaifeng Prefecture for support, let alone recall Wei Zhongxian at this time.

The matter of the rebels is the responsibility of Hong Chengchou.

He then ordered an imperial edict to be sent by messenger at an urgent speed, questioning Hong Chengchou about what was going on. More than 200,000 rebels had almost taken half of Kaifeng Prefecture, and Prince Zheng was so frightened that he sent an urgent message for help, yet Hong Chengchou had not even submitted a report!

Historically, this was the case; when the rebels gathered in Xingyang, the governor in charge of suppressing them was Hong Chengchou.

This guy, just like Feng Shengming, the military commissioner during the Battle of Liaoyang, mysteriously disappeared at such a crucial moment!

In short, when the rebels gathered in Xingyang, the governor-general Hong Chengchou, who was in charge of the encirclement and suppression, was doing something unknown. This part of history has been erased by his writings, as if there were only rebels at this time and no imperial army.

So what exactly was Hong Chengchou doing at this time, and what was the purpose of the rebels gathering in Xingyang?

No one really knows what Hong Chengchou was doing. The history books clearly record what other governors and provincial governors did, but his actions are described as strange, elusive, and unfathomable.

Even later generations have said that the story of the rebels gathering in Xingyang is a fabrication, because Hong Chengchou altered this part of history in a way that is completely baffling.

It is true that the rebels gathered in Xingyang.

Early that morning, around 7:00 AM, more than seventy rebel leaders gathered in the main hall of Xingyang County Government Office, exchanging greetings, engaging in lively discussions, and making grand pronouncements, creating quite a scene.

The case had long been thrown out and burned as firewood. A bunch of chairs and stools had been moved into the main hall from who-knows-where, and everyone was sitting or standing casually, with no one seemingly in charge.

With both Hengtian Yizi Wang Jiayin and Zijin Liang Wang Ziyong dead, it seems no one present is qualified to be the leader anymore.

However, there are thirteen families among them with tens of thousands of men, while the others are mostly one or two thousand, with the most having five or six thousand. Their strength is simply incomparable to theirs.

Therefore, the leaders of these thirteen families were quickly elected to take charge.

Among them, Gao Yingxiang, the "Chuang King," and Zhang Xianzhong, the "Eight Great Kings," were the most powerful, each commanding nearly 30,000 men.

Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader, seemed to be rather taciturn and didn't like to talk much. His nephew, Li Zicheng, on the other hand, was very good at handling things and seemed to have convinced all the leaders to respect him.

What they discussed most was naturally what to do next.

However, none of the thirteen factions seem to have any good solutions. Most of them rebelled because they wanted to have enough to eat; very few wanted to be emperor. Besides, there are already more than seventy leaders, and everyone is on equal footing. If someone wants to be emperor, no one else will listen to him.

Ultimately, it was Li Zicheng's strategy that gained everyone's approval.

His strategy was to divide his forces into four routes, sending those he knew well to one route, thus spreading his troops evenly and launching attacks from all four directions, making it difficult for the imperial forces to decide which side to target.

This strategy may not be considered particularly brilliant, but it is certainly the one that best suits everyone's temperament.

If more than 70 companies and more than 200,000 people travel together, they will have to choose a leader. If no one is willing to submit to anyone else, it would be better to split up and attack with those they know.

After discussing it for a long time, they finally made a decision.

The rebel leader Gao Yingxiang and the Eighth King Zhang Xianzhong led an army of over 50,000 men eastward to attack Fengyang Prefecture. They destroyed the ancestral graves of the Zhu family and severed the dragon vein of the Ming imperial family!
Cao Cao and Luo Rucai, along with twenty or thirty acquaintances, marched south into Nanyang Prefecture, directly threatening Huguang.

Ge Liyan and He Yilong, along with twenty or thirty acquaintances, marched westward to attack Luoyang Prefecture, heading straight for Shaanxi.

Old Ma Shouying, along with twenty or thirty acquaintances, marched north to attack Weihui Prefecture, heading straight for the capital region.

The reason why Gao Yingxiang, the rebel leader, and Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King, went to attack Fengyang Prefecture was actually for many reasons.

First, they dug up the ancestral graves of the Zhu family, severing the dragon vein of the Ming imperial family. This was indeed one of their goals. Rebellion always produces an emperor, so they cut off the dragon vein of the Ming imperial family first. As for who would become emperor in the end, that would depend on their abilities.

The leaders of all the rebel groups were also the ones who most agreed with this.

In fact, Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong had another purpose: to ensure that these rebels would never turn back.

If these rebels are just engaging in petty squabbles, running around aimlessly, looting some grain, killing some local tyrants, evil gentry, or even corrupt officials, then they can still turn back.

Once the imperial court grants them amnesty, these things will not be a big deal, and they will not have to worry about having no way to survive after accepting the amnesty.

However, things would be different once the Zhu family's ancestral graves were dug up.

These days, digging up someone's ancestral graves is the greatest humiliation. If the Zhu family's ancestral graves were dug up, would the emperor forgive them?
Even if the imperial court offers amnesty, these rebel leaders will live in fear, lest the emperor behead them.

This is tantamount to cutting off their escape route, forcing them to resist to the very end.

As for why Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong went themselves, and why they led their own men, it was because they didn't want other rebel leaders to overthink things and cause the matter to fall apart halfway.

This time they absolutely have to dig up the Zhu family's ancestral graves!
The other rebels thought Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong were deliberately trying to take on the toughest challenge, but in reality, these two had ulterior motives.

Even the strategy of dividing the army into four routes was malicious.

These two guys wanted to use other rebels as cannon fodder to draw away the imperial forces, thus relieving the pressure on Fengyang and allowing them to succeed in one fell swoop.

The other three routes are essentially forcing the enemy to defend their own territory.

For example, if Cao Cao and Luo Rucai's forces were to attack Nanyang and advance into Huguang, the princes of Huguang would be in danger. Most of the princes of Huguang were descendants of the Xingxian Prince's Mansion of the Jiajing Emperor. Would the current emperor not send troops to rescue them?
For example, along the way, the Prince of Fu in Luoyang was the emperor's uncle. How could the emperor not send troops to rescue him?

For example, on the way to Ma Shouying's camp, the Prince of Lu of Weihui Prefecture was the emperor's cousin. How could the emperor not send troops to rescue him?

On the contrary, Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong's forces, when they bypassed Zheng Fan and attacked Guide Prefecture, did not attract the attention of the current emperor.

This is because Guide Prefecture is the only prefecture in the entire Central Plains that has not been granted a fiefdom by a prince. Why would the current emperor care about them? As long as they do not attack Fengyang Prefecture in advance, the current emperor probably will not bother with them.

They wanted to use this time difference to have the other three groups of people distract the imperial forces.

Will Zhu Jue fall for their trick?
(End of this chapter)