The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 301 To Save or Not to Save Gao Chuangwang?

As soon as Emperor Chongzhen issued the decree, Lu Xiang-sheng rushed to Xuanhua University.

Although he was mentally prepared, the scene before him still made Lu Xiang-sheng gasp in surprise.

Xuanfu and Datong, which should have been the strongest shield for the northern border of the Ming Dynasty, are now riddled with holes.

Years of warfare, coupled with embezzlement and exploitation, led to the near exodus of military households from Xuanfu and Datong, leaving vast tracts of land abandoned.

The soldiers who were still holding their ground were all emaciated and poorly clothed; their fighting tools were either rusted or broken.

Even the warhorses in the army were so hungry that their breastbones were visible, making them barely better than donkeys.

The city walls of various prefectures and counties were in ruins, and nine out of ten border forts and beacon towers along the way were empty. The entire border defense system had been completely paralyzed.

Even more critically, the morale of the Ming army plummeted to its lowest point after the Qing army's unimpeded invasion.

The generals were terrified of the enemy, and the soldiers had no will to fight. A sense of despair and decadence permeated the entire Xuanda region.

Faced with this mess, Lu Xiang-sheng did not complain. Wasn't the emperor's intention in transferring him here to clean up this mess?

If we don't turn the situation around quickly, the next time the Qing army comes, there might be more than 20,000 men.

With this in mind, this governor, who could fight on horseback and bring peace to the people on foot, immediately and swiftly implemented a series of rectification measures in the Xuanda region:
First, he summoned all the generals in the army in Xuanfu and began to investigate the personnel and supplies of each camp.

A number of border generals who were drawing salaries without working and exploiting their soldiers were severely punished, and the confiscated embezzled funds and recovered rations were distributed to the actual soldiers.

This will at least ensure they have enough to eat, and temporarily stabilize morale.

Sufficient food is essential for a strong army. In order to solve the problem of food and pay in the long term, Lu Xiang-sheng began to vigorously restore the military farms in various prefectures and counties.

On the bright side, the Qing army's invasion of the Central Plains resulted in the abduction of a large number of people, and at the same time, a significant amount of land was also cleared out.
Lu Xiang-sheng gathered the displaced military households and civilians, distributed land to them, and also lent them oxen and seeds.

It is worth mentioning that after Lu Xiangshan took office, he specifically led a team to sweep through the areas ravaged by the Qing army.

During this time, he even found more than 7,000 soldiers and civilians who had been kidnapped and separated near Muye Mountain in the border region.

Lu Xiang-sheng gathered these people together and used the work-for-relief program to gradually repair the city walls and border forts damaged by the Qing army, and to reinforce key passes.

These measures have injected a lot of vitality into the Xuanda area, which had been like a stagnant pool.

Although Lu Xiang-sheng could not completely change the deeply entrenched situation in both places in a short period of time.

However, his upright and honest style and pragmatic and hardworking attitude still gave the desperate soldiers and civilians of Xuanda a glimmer of hope, and the Jiubian defense line gradually began to recover under his leadership.

The problem is that with Lu Xiang-sheng gone, the Central Plains battlefield immediately lost its backbone, and the pressure on the rebel army in the Huguang region was greatly reduced.

Upon learning of Lu Xiang-sheng's transfer, leaders such as Lao Hui, Ma Shou-ying, and Zhang Yi-chuan, the "Sweeping King," immediately emerged from the Yunyang mountain area and resumed their activities in various prefectures and counties.

At this time, Wang Mengyin, the governor of Huguang, and Song Zushun, the magistrate of Yunyang, took over the responsibility of suppressing bandits from Lu Xiangsheng.

The abilities of these two are worlds apart from those of Lu Xiang-sheng.

They lacked both military knowledge and decisiveness, resulting in a chaotic situation for the Ming army's deployment and operations.

Ma Shouying, Zhang Yichuan, and others were all seasoned veterans who had fought for many years, and they immediately saw that there were problems within the Ming army.

They took full advantage of the gaps in command and control caused by the change of officers and soldiers, and carried out large-scale maneuvers and feints in the Kaifeng, Xiangyang and Nanyang areas.

The rebel army feigned an attack on Kaifeng today and launched a surprise attack on Nanyang tomorrow, completely bewildering those two fools, Wang Mengyin and Song Zushun.

The government troops were exhausted from running around, but they couldn't even catch a glimpse of the rebels.

The situation in the heart of the Central Plains deteriorated once again.

Meanwhile, Gao Yingxiang, who had been lying low for a long time, also learned of Lu Xiangsheng's transfer to the north and the chaos among the central government troops.

His chance to make a comeback has finally arrived.

This time, however, Gao Yingxiang did not rush to the prosperous south again, but carefully considered his strategic route.

He carefully summarized the lessons learned from the previous failed attempt to conquer the south, and drew several profound conclusions from them:

First, the determination and strength of resistance in the southern prefectures and counties far exceeded his expectations.

In particular, the fierce battle under the walls of Chuzhou left Gao Yingxiang with considerable psychological trauma due to the intense artillery fire from the defending government troops.

The gentry in the south were wealthy and, in order to protect their property and land, they were able and very willing to donate funds and recruit soldiers to organize the city's military and civilians to resist.

The rebel army lacked a mass base in the south and found it difficult to establish a foothold.

Shaanxi, on the other hand, is completely different. It is a place where natural disasters and man-made calamities are most frequent and where oppression is most severe.

As the stronghold of the rebel army, the people of Shaanxi had almost no psychological barriers to joining the rebels.

If any rebel army is decimated, they can quickly rebuild their forces after retreating to Shaanxi and wandering around for a while.

The soil in Shaanxi was more suitable for the survival and development of the rebel army.

"Your position determines your perspective!"

Gao Yingxiang couldn't help but sigh to himself.

The gentlemen of Jiangnan would surely fight to the death to protect their paradise, while the poor people of Shaanxi would hope that someone would lead them to a way out.

Therefore, Gao Yingxiang notified Ma Shouying and Zhang Yichuan's various rebel armies, and led them westward along the Han River, entering the Hanzhong region without any obstacles.

The rebel army then captured Shiquan and Hanyin counties, where they recruited soldiers and made temporary reorganizations.

At this moment, Gao Yingxiang faced two paths:

The first plan is to head south into Sichuan to find Jiang Han;
The second plan was to continue northward, penetrating deep into the three border regions of northern Shaanxi, and replenish the elite border troops.

Many in the army wanted to go south to Sichuan, but Gao Yingxiang thought it over and over and felt that it was a bit awkward.

What are you going to Sichuan for? To seek refuge with Jiang Han?

It's no longer the second year of Chongzhen's reign, and Gao Yingxiang is no longer the deputy who followed Wang Jiayin and cheered him on. He can be considered a local tyrant.

Gao Chuangwang simply couldn't bring himself to slink away and live under someone else's roof.

What if I refuse to submit and Jiang Han takes the opportunity to kill me?
Even if we assume that they look down on his small, defeated army, what would he be doing going to Sichuan?

Do you expect others to give you charity or help you?
Therefore, Gao Yingxiang still preferred the second route: leaving Hanzhong and entering Shaanxi.

"Chuang Wang" means to carve out your own path and create your own world.

Meanwhile, Gao Yingxiang also received a lot of information in Hanzhong. The most troublesome governor-general of five provinces, Hong Chengchou, was currently being held up in Shanxi by Luo Rucai and others and could not get away for the time being.

The newly appointed governor of Shaanxi was apparently named Sun Chuanting, a civil official who was said to have come from the capital.

Gao Yingxiang was no stranger to the civil officials from the capital.

I'd guess he's similar to Yang He, probably incompetent and not worth worrying about.

How capable could a Beijing official who had never fought in a war possibly be?
It seems that Shaanxi is currently vulnerable and worth exploring!
After making up his mind, Gao Yingxiang began to study the route from Hanzhong northward into Shaanxi.

The Ziwu Road, Baoxie Road, Tangluo Road, and Chencang Road are all extremely treacherous routes in Shu.

Take Tangluo Road, for example. This road is close to the main peak of the Qinling Mountains, Taibai Peak. It is the shortest route, but also the most dangerous.

The saying that there is a bird path leading across Mount Emei is referring to this very path.

The Chencang Road is difficult to traverse due to its high mountains and treacherous waters, but at least there is the Lianyun Plank Road to walk on.

The problem is, Gao Yingxiang can't get there now.

To travel the three routes of Baoxie, Tangluo, and Chencang, Gao Yingxiang had to pass through Hanzhong Prefecture.

Meanwhile, the Ming army had already stationed a large number of troops in the Hanzhong Prefecture area.

When Hong Chengchou left Hanzhong, he deliberately left two armies in Hanzhong Prefecture to prevent Jiang Han from attacking Hanzhong from the north.

With Gao Yingxiang's current small and defeated army, trying to take Hanzhong head-on would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

Just when Gao Yingxiang was at his wit's end, someone in the army pointed out a fourth way to him—the Ziwu Road.

The Ziwu Road is very famous. It is the route planned in the "Ziwu Valley Surprise Attack" proposed by Wei Yan to Zhuge Liang during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period.

Heading north along this route, one can perfectly bypass the areas heavily guarded by the Ming army and reach the outskirts of Xi'an, catching the Ming army off guard.

The problem is that the Meridian Road is known for its treacherous and desolate terrain, and apart from a few villages and towns along the way, the army has almost no supply points.

Even Prime Minister Zhuge Liang dared not walk on this road back then.

Standing at the entrance of Ziwu Town Valley, Gao Yingxiang looked at the winding path that led deep into the Qinling Mountains and felt a chill in his heart.

But Gao Yingxiang had no other choice; his thousands of men needed to eat, so he had to set off.

It's impossible to stay put and develop. Due to years of natural disasters and wars, Hanzhong is no longer the golden basin and the little Jiangnan of Qinba it once was.

However, the Ming army guarded the west, and the east was a primeval forest. At this time, Gao Chuangwang was in a dilemma.

Just as he was hesitating about this, news of the rebel army entering Hanzhong was quickly sent back to Chengdu by Deng Yang, who was hiding in Hanzhong.

Deng Yang originally had no interest in this matter, but Zhu Changhao, the Prince of Rui in Hanzhong, kept making a fuss and demanding that the Ming army stationed there advance eastward to annihilate Gao Yingxiang and his gang.

Wang Zaitai, the prefect of Hanzhong, was also quite interested in this and wanted to send troops to annihilate Gao Yingxiang and his associates.

Left with no other option, Deng Yang sent a messenger back to Chengdu to ask Jiang Han for his decision on the matter.

Meanwhile, Jiang Han was not idle either.

During this period, he was busy with Wang Chengbi, the head of the academic department, and a group of people, renovating the academy, planning the curriculum, and preparing for the talent selection ceremony. He was so busy that he didn't have time to rest.

The first priority was to settle the orphans who had changed their surnames in the Martyrs' Shrine.

Jiang Han had made a promise in front of everyone that he would ensure these children could read and write and have a good future.

Jiang Han had high hopes for these kids, not only to cultivate talent but also to build a solid foundation for them.

It should be understood that under the existing education system of the Ming Dynasty, most of the scholars who graduated were empty talkers who only knew the Four Books and Five Classics but were ignorant of practical affairs. As for those former Ming officials who surrendered, although they had temporarily bowed their heads, they might not necessarily be of one mind with Jiang Han.

That's why Jiang Han wants to cultivate a new generation of talents who understand science and reason.

These orphans were also the foundation for Jiang Han's later breaking of the thousand-year-old Confucian monopoly and establishing a new order.

Therefore, with a wave of his hand, he emptied out all the government offices and yamens in the western part of Chengdu, around the Ink Washing Pond.

For the past few months, the craftsmen in the Ministry of Works have been working overtime to renovate it.

The Ministry of Works cleared out a plot of land of more than 200 acres in the west of the city and built a large academy with complete functions.

On the day of completion, Jiang Han personally led Wang Chengbi and other officials from the Ministry of Education to the west of the city to inspect the project.

Wang Chengbi's current position in charge of the Ministry of Education is a lucrative post, and countless people are envious of his position as the head of the Ministry of Education.

The key is not in the profits and power, but in future development.

Anyone with eyes can see that the King of Han is extremely concerned about this newly built academy, even going so far as to appoint himself as its headmaster.

Of course, Jiang Han is definitely not the one in charge of the actual affairs.

The tasks of teaching and management fell to Wang Chengbi, the deputy headmaster.

It should be noted that there are thousands of orphans in this group.

Even if only half of them succeed in their careers and enter officialdom, they will still be a significant political resource in the future.

Wang Chengbi also knew this was a lucrative position, and in order not to betray Jiang Han's trust, he hadn't had a good night's sleep in the past few months.

Every day, as soon as he opened his eyes, he would rush to the Prince of Han's mansion to work with Jiang Han and others to formulate various rules and regulations for the academy and compile and select teaching materials. He was so tired that he was dizzy.

After screening, the first batch of orphans enrolled totaled 1,200, with a male-to-female ratio of about eight to two.

These orphans are around seven or eight years old, and they need to undergo a two-year initiation program.

This initial learning is not simply about recognizing characters, but rather a foundational stage.

The aim is to achieve cultural literacy and moral foundation building, master the most basic practical skills, and forge a strong physique and a sense of community.

This stage of learning is relatively simple, mainly involving three subjects.

First, we must correct our understanding of traditional Chinese learning.

Using the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic as core teaching materials, and supplemented with pinyin brought by Jiang Han from later generations, basic literacy and literacy education are completed.

Textbooks should prioritize content that is easy to understand, clear in meaning, and relevant to daily life, while avoiding obscure characters and difficult annotations.

In addition, there is the "Newly Compiled Book of Sichuan Elementary Learning" compiled by several Sichuan Confucian scholars, which mainly contains stories of famous historical figures.

For example, the most famous figures from Sichuan include Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, Chen Zi'ang from Shehong, Su Shi from Meishan, and Yu Yunwen from Renshou.

Jiang Han hopes to cultivate the moral character of these children by learning from these historical figures from Sichuan.

Finally, here are some basic writing exercises:
Starting with composing couplets, and then moving on to learning letter writing and keeping a daily log, the emphasis is on the accuracy and simplicity of language.

Then comes the elementary mathematics.

Jiang Han introduced Arabic numerals, as well as simple addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division symbols.

This course requires a thorough understanding of the four arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of integers and decimals.

Children need to learn how to keep accounts and calculate, which is an essential skill for anyone who wants to go into politics, the military, or business in the future.

The third course was basic military drills.

The academy has fixed times every day for drill training to improve physical fitness and discipline.

Finally, and most importantly, is the course on the investigation of things.

This is not a formal academic discipline, but rather more of a guidance program.

Jiang Han would take the time to personally lead these children in observing natural phenomena:

Why can heavy boats float on water? Why can levers reduce effort? Why are there four seasons and day and night?

Instead of rushing to give answers, we should stimulate their curiosity and the habit of asking questions, thus planting the seeds for the next stage of learning natural sciences.

After the two-year introductory period, children who pass the exam will enter the next stage of learning, which Jiang Han calls the broad knowledge period.

The goal of this stage is to broaden horizons, establish a basic worldview and scientific thinking, and begin to gradually acquire advanced skills.

For example, in the study of traditional Chinese culture, as the difficulty level increases, selected readings of classics such as the Analects and Mencius will be added, as well as appreciation of some excellent Tang and Song poems.

Writing is not limited to articles; a new course on administrative affairs has been added to cultivate basic administrative skills at the grassroots level.

The students will learn how to write formal reports, official documents, and notices, requiring concise language, clear logic, and getting straight to the point.

Mathematics should also be further deepened, incorporating the basic content of Euclid's Elements and combining it with some content from the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art, requiring the ability to solve more complex mathematical problems.

The course adds lessons on classical texts to explain policies and adds practical skills courses to study "Complete Treatise on Agricultural Administration" and "Illustrated Explanation of Strange Western Instruments".

The new geography section requires you to memorize the general mountains, passes, and important towns of the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, with a particular focus on studying the geography of Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Hubei.

There is also the "Complete Map of the World" which allows students to understand the concepts of the five continents and four oceans, and to know the approximate locations of Western countries.

This stage of study typically lasts about four years.

At this stage, students can begin preparing for the exams and enter officialdom.

Those with further aspirations can pursue advanced studies and become research-oriented talents.

At this stage, each subject covers the most difficult content.

Studies like traditional Chinese learning mainly revolve around interpreting the meaning of classics in relation to "difficult problems in governing the country," studying more in-depth and detailed historical works, and conducting case studies.

Students are required to write policy essays, and the academy also organizes regular "policy essay exchanges" among students, where they debate the same important issues in groups.

Jiang Han or some officials would occasionally attend to provide commentary, selecting outstanding trainees who were "thoughtful and outspoken".

All the questions come from real-world challenges, such as flood control, promoting new grain varieties, and suppressing rebellions by local chieftains. Students are required to conduct investigations and research and propose solutions that are supported by data, have specific steps, and are logically structured.

Jiang Han even opened a Thai-Western language course, preparing for students to learn Latin or Portuguese.

Besides the purpose of communication, it also allowed them to read firsthand European academic works and drawings brought by missionaries, thus reducing information loss during translation.

The best students who graduate from this academy can directly enter key government offices; the average students are assigned to various places as junior officials or military officers.
Those who pass the test will stay at the school as instructors.

Jiang Han and his group arrived at the west side of the city, where Ding Jun, an official from the Ministry of Works, was already waiting at the entrance of the academy.

This place was originally the seat of Chengdu County. After the reconstruction, it has a brand-new look with white walls and blue tiles.

In front of the academy, there is a plaque inscribed with the words "Tianfu Academy" by Jiang Han.

Ding Jun respectfully led Jiang Han, Wang Chengbi, and their entourage inside for a tour and provided a detailed explanation.

The college, covering an area of ​​more than 200 acres, is clearly divided into four functional areas: teaching area, living area, training area, and administrative and logistics area.

The area is divided yet connected by corridors, passageways, and trees, creating a well-organized layout with clear distinctions between active and quiet areas.

The core teaching area includes a primary school hall as small classrooms, as well as several large halls used for large classes.

The museum displays a map of the world, a globe, and some simple mechanical models.

The library is tall and spacious. Jiang Han donated all kinds of classics, histories, philosophical works, and books on mathematics, agriculture, and even Western books that he had collected by all means to the library, which are available for teachers and students to read.

The living area has dormitories for students, which are mostly shared sleeping areas.

There are two canteens, which serve three meals a day at regular times.

Other basic living facilities such as clinics, washrooms, and public latrines are also readily available.
The training area is a large drill ground used for daily drills, physical fitness training, and some martial arts training.

The administrative and logistics area consists of the general office, warehouses, and guard barracks.

The academy's organizational structure is also quite comprehensive:

Jiang Han was appointed as the headmaster, and Wang Chengbi was appointed as the deputy headmaster.

It has various full-time teachers, dormitory supervisors, managers, etc., totaling more than 300 people.

The daily routine is strict, starting with morning exercises at 5:00 AM and ending with evening classes at 7:00 PM.

The cultural learning, military training, rest and meals were arranged in a well-balanced manner, fully embodying the school's philosophy of "emphasizing both academic and military education".

Ding Jun led Jiang Han and the others through these areas one by one, explaining in detail the function and construction considerations of each place.

Jiang Han examined the project carefully, asking questions about details from time to time. Overall, he was quite satisfied with the progress of the project and the final result.

Wang Chengbi, standing beside him, was already silently planning how to select qualified instructors as soon as possible and put the massive and complex curriculum into practice.

Just as the visit was drawing to a close, the group paused in front of the library when a messenger rushed over.

The messenger took out a letter marked with a red label from his pocket and handed it to Jiang Han personally.

This letter was a secret report sent from Deng Yang in Hanzhong.

Jiang Han was startled when he saw the secret letter.

It turns out that even at this point in time, Gao Yingxiang has finally entered Hanzhong.

This Gao Chuangwang is quite temperamental. He didn't even send anyone to inform me after entering Hanzhong. It seems he's determined to lead his troops north.

But Jiang Han knew very well that if Gao Yingxiang chose to take the Meridian Path, he would be captured alive by Sun Chuanting.

It is estimated that Sun Chuanting had by this time deployed scouts at various crossroads in Guanzhong to carefully monitor Gao Yingxiang's movements.

As soon as Gao Yingxiang sets off from Shiquan, Sun Chuanting will immediately set up an ambush in Heishuiyu to surround and annihilate him.

So, the problem now lies before Jiang Han:
Should we give Yingxiang a boost?
(End of this chapter)