The New Destiny of the Ming Dynasty

In the spring of the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign, the newly appointed military governor of Jiliao, or more precisely, the minister in charge of military affairs and provisions in Jiliao and other places, was the famous Hong Chengchou.

However, the newly appointed Governor-General of Jiliao, Hong Chengchou, is still on his way to Liaodong and has not yet officially taken office.

The newly appointed eunuch supervising the military in Ji and Liao regions, Gao Qiqian, is currently stationed at Shanhaiguan and dares not venture even half a step beyond the pass.

Therefore, the highest-ranking civil official in Liaodong outside Shanhaiguan is Fang Yizao, the governor of Liaodong.

The supreme military commander was Zu Dashou, the General Commander of Liaodong of the Ming Dynasty, who was also known as the "General of the Vanguard of the Liaodong Expedition".

The Zu family has lived in Ningyuan City for generations. The Zu family compound is even more magnificent than the Jiliao Governor's Mansion, so there is no need for the Jiliao Governor's Mansion.

Therefore, after Fang Yizao took office as the governor of Liaodong, he temporarily set up his governor's office in the former Jiliao Governor's Office.

Yang Zhen rode his chestnut horse, followed by the military officer who came to deliver the order, and soon arrived at the gate of the Jiliao Governor's Mansion. He dismounted and followed the officer leading the way through the front courtyard and into the second hall where the meeting was to be held.

When Yang Zhen arrived, the second courtyard of the Jiliao Governor's Office, which is now the Liaodong Governor's Office, was filled with soldiers and the atmosphere was tense. The second hall where the governor worked was already full of Liaodong civil and military officials who had gathered in Ningyuan City for several months.

"Your humble servant—Yang Zhen, Commander of the Guangning Rear Garrison of the Liaodong Military Command and Deputy General of Ningyuan—is here to receive orders!"

This was Yang Zhen's first time attending such an event, and he didn't know what rules he had to follow.

But I also felt that it wouldn't be right to just walk in and find a seat without being summoned.

Therefore, upon arriving outside the second hall where the meeting was to be held, he had no choice but to kneel on one knee at the bottom of the steps outside the second hall to announce his arrival, as he felt he should do. After all, it's never wrong to be polite, and there's no harm in it.

Fortunately, no one paid attention to his actions at that moment.

After Yang Zhen finished his report, he looked up and saw a tall young general standing inside the second hall, waving at him, indicating that he should go in.

So Yang Zhen stood up, raised his head, stepped over the high threshold, and entered the second hall where the meeting was to be held.

As soon as he entered, he heard a deep, weary voice say:

"Yang Zhen is here? You've come at the right time! I heard you've just recovered and went to the drill ground this morning to train the soldiers. Very good! It seems your fall from your horse a few days ago wasn't a big deal!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen knew that this was the current Liaodong Governor, Lord Fang Yizao. He immediately knelt down on one knee and bowed to the gaunt old man who had spoken.

At this moment, two figures sat side by side on either side of him in the hall:

One of them was that skinny old man, Fang Yizao.

The other general, with his dignified appearance and imposing presence, was none other than Zu Dashou, as he already knew in his heart.

"Your humble servant Yang Zhen greets Your Excellency the Governor! Your humble servant Yang Zhen greets the Commander-in-Chief!"

Yang Zhen first bowed to Fang Yizao, then clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zu Dashou, and then continued:

"This humble servant accidentally fell from his horse and fainted. I am deeply grateful for Your Excellency's visit! Your kindness is truly appreciated!"

He had previously heard Zhang Degui mention that he was able to be released from prison this time and had the opportunity to come to Ningyuan to serve as a deputy general, all thanks to Fang Yizao speaking up for him.

Moreover, he and his old troops came to Ningyuan City with Fang Yizao's son.

Of course, this was also thanks to Yang Zhen's uncle, Yang Guozhu, who was the general in Xuanfu Town.

Fang Yizao knew Yang Guozhu, so Yang Guozhu asked Fang Yizao for a favor.

Fang Yizao, a scholar who had passed the imperial examination, was in urgent need of some battle-hardened and valiant generals and soldiers under his command during his tenure as the governor of Liaodong. Therefore, he spoke up for Yang Zhen.

In this way, Yang Zhen and several of his former subordinates, who had been imprisoned after their defeat in November of the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, were released from prison and regained their freedom. They then gathered the remaining members of their former subordinates and, under the pretext of redeeming themselves through meritorious service, went to serve under the governor of Liaodong.

Therefore, although Yang Zhen was not familiar with Fang Yizao, he still sincerely bowed to Fang Yizao and took the opportunity to express his gratitude.

If I am ordered to rescue Jinzhou and relieve the siege of Songshan this time, and like in history, I never return, I won't even have the chance to express my gratitude.

"Rise, rise—with the great battle of Liaodong imminent, there is no need for such formalities between the generals and this governor!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen slowly stood up, quickly walked to the young general at the door, and stood with several other generals under Zu Dashou whose names he could not recall.

He had just stood still when he heard Fang Yizao continue speaking:

"Yesterday morning, the eunuch Gao, the military supervisor of Ji and Liao, sent a letter urging us to advance on Songshan as soon as possible to relieve the siege of Jinzhou."

"Just yesterday, I, Governor-General Zu, and Lord Qiu discussed this matter, and my thoughts are consistent with those of Governor-General Qiu and Commander Zu."

"This siege by the Jianlu is similar to the previous ones. Their aim is to mobilize the Ningyuan garrison, so that they can besiege the city and attack the reinforcements, and then launch a field attack against us. Our Jinzhou and Songshan are well-equipped with soldiers and supplies, and have capable generals. Although we are not good at advancing, we are more than capable of holding the city!"

"At the same time, the high-ranking officials of the court, as well as the supervising eunuch Gao, are far away in the interior and do not have a deep understanding of the actual situation of the enemy and ourselves at the front. Therefore, after yesterday's meeting, this governor and General Zu decided to withstand the pressure from the court and continue to hold the fortified positions with the troops in each city. We will send troops to pursue and attack when the enemy runs out of food and retreats!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhen was both surprised and overjoyed. Could it be that his time travel had changed history?!

However, just as Yang Zhen was about to feel relieved, he heard Fang Yizao sigh deeply after taking a sip of tea, and Yang Zhen's heart clenched again.

Sure enough, Fang Yizao took a sip of tea, put down the teacup, sighed, and continued:

"However—this morning, I and General Zu received another document from my lord and Eunuch Gao urging Liaodong troops to advance and relieve the siege!"

"Both the Ministry of War's official document and the eunuch Gao's letter, which were written in the name of the Emperor, were extremely harsh in their wording. It must be the Emperor's intention that was so."

"After careful consideration with General Zu, this Governor and I believe we should strictly follow His Majesty's will and prepare to mobilize all the troops from Ningyuan to march north and relieve the siege of Jinzhou and Songshan!"

As soon as Fang Yizao said this, apart from the two who remained unmoved, the rest of the people in the hall were in an uproar.

"Your Excellency, please reconsider!"

"General, you mustn't!"

"The Jurchens' siege of the city is clearly a ploy to besiege the city and then attack the reinforcements!"

Just as the hall was filled with loud arguments, with everyone voicing their opposition to sending troops, a loud bang was heard, startling everyone and immediately silencing them.

It turned out that Zu Dashou slammed his fist heavily on the small tea table next to him, his cold and ruthless eyes scanning the faces of everyone in the hall until the entire second hall was completely silent.

At this moment, Zu Dashou finally spoke:

"Shut up, all of you! Let Lord Fang finish what he has to say!"

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a powerful aura.

Zu Dashou's prestige in the Liaodong army was unparalleled. As soon as he said this, no one in the hall dared to utter another word. They all held their breath and waited for Fang Yizao to continue.

Yang Zhen's heart, which had been filled with joy, was suddenly gripped with excitement again.

Fang Yizao continued, "It is not an easy thing for a large army to set out. Not to mention troop deployment, the most important thing is to have food and pay. Arranging these things takes time. Therefore, all the camp leaders of Ningyuan Army should be patient and take these days to organize the camps, check the equipment, train the troops and make preparations!"

"As for the provisions and supplies needed for the army's departure, this governor and General Zu have jointly submitted a report to the supervising eunuch Gao. Once eunuch Gao has given his opinion, our Ningyuan armies will then set off north!"

After Fang Yizao finished speaking, many generals in the hall who held similar ranks to Yang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, and some even couldn't help but smile broadly.

These people were all well aware of the implication behind Fang Yizao's words.

However, only Yang Zhen felt a little doubtful after hearing these words:

"Could it be that I remembered it wrong? Or did those who later compiled the history of Ming and Qing make a mistake?"

Although he wasn't a military enthusiast in his later years, he still had some understanding of the warlord temperaments and styles of the Liaodong army at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Most of these people were terrified of the enemy and had no desire to confront the Manchu Eight Banners army head-on.

Therefore, they would delay as much as possible, avoid fighting if possible, and only pose a problem to the court or their superiors if there was absolutely no other way.

The most respectable problem was the supply of provisions and military supplies for the army's march and battles, and these demands were often exorbitant, leaving the imperial court helpless.

Now, Yang Zhen hopes that this time will be the same.

Although doing this is somewhat despicable, in a life-or-death situation, it's more important to preserve one's own revolutionary capital.

Unfortunately, Yang Zhen's lingering hope and doubts were quickly dispelled. The governor, Fang Yizao, took a sip of tea and continued slowly and deliberately:

"Generals! You all understand what I mean! However, despite what I say, I must give an explanation to this General, the Imperial Eunuch Gao who was appointed by His Majesty as the military supervisor, this Governor, General Zu, and the armies of Ningyuan! And it must be a reasonable and lawful explanation!"