Ming Dynasty: Starting from Liaodong Jiangmen

Chapter 15
A few days after Yuan Chonghuan was arrested, the situation took a turn for the worse.

Tongzhou fell, the defender died in battle, and Zhizhou died for his country. The news that came later caused chaos throughout the capital.

King Qin's Liao army rushing from Shanhaiguan arrived outside Zunhua City, but was refused entry by the Ming army defending the city. Then they were ambushed by Houjin on the way in. General Zhao of the Liao army led his teaching force to death in battle, and five thousand elite Liao troops fell into the sand. All died heroically for their country!

The news flew into the capital, and the government and the public were shocked!
It wasn't just the Liao army and Hou Jin who were fighting fiercely, the Beijing army also helped a little, but it was a negative help.

A few days ago, the Beijing troops from Zhending and Baoding slowly arrived not far from the capital. However, they were afraid of the enemy like a tiger. Before they could touch Huang Taiji's tiger tail, they were frightened by a series of defeat reports and exploded one after another. camp.

Then the generals fled, and the army fell apart in an instant.

After annihilating the [-] Liao troops led by Zhao, Huang Taiji worked non-stop. He led the Jin army to fall into Zunhua first, and then entered Yongping. Then the troops were divided into three groups, attacking cities and killing generals along the way, recruiting surrenders and rebels, and became arrogant.

Without the obstruction of the Liao army, the Jurchen Eight Banners in the land of Jifu were even more deserted. The Beijing army men who fought fiercely among themselves became sheep that could only shrink in the city when faced with the unstoppable Eight Banners cavalry.

Even if there were reinforcements, they would mutiny and bomb camps along the way, and not many could reach the city.

There were only a few Liao army guards left in the capital, and rumors spread for a while.

There are even rumors that General Zu Dashou of the Liao Army had an affair with Hou Jin in order to rescue Yuan Chonghuan and wanted to retaliate against the Ming Dynasty.

All that came in the past few days were reports of defeat, the city was lost, generals died in battle, the officers and soldiers blew up the camp and fled, and Chongzhen was furious in the court hall, but it didn't help.

Although the six cabinet ministries still criticized Yuan Chonghuan verbally and writtenly, they had to consider releasing him to stabilize the overall situation.

At this time, the cabinet finally exerted its due effect. Regardless of the risk of being involved, the bachelor Cheng Jiming went to court and suggested that Emperor Chongzhen issue an edict and order Yuan Chonghuan to write a handwritten letter to appease his ancestors.

Zu Dashou's Guan Ning Army is now the most unstable part of the Liao Army. They are Yuan Chonghuan's direct descendants. They are like an angry tiger that may bite people at any time. Only Yuan Chonghuan can control them.

Chongzhen instantly became rigid. He had just issued an order to arrest Yuan Chonghuan a few days ago, and now he was begging him for something. Isn't this a slap in the face?

But it doesn't matter, naturally some of my subordinates will understand the holy meaning.

After the dynasty was over, the officials including the nine ministers from the cabinet gathered in the prison. They spoke to each other and used all kinds of righteous and awe-inspiring words to persuade Yuan Chonghuan. He asked him to write a handwritten letter to Zu Dashou, urging him to lead Guan Ning's army to return to defense.

However, at this time, Yuan Chonghuan actually refused.

He claimed that as a guilty minister, he would not dare to get involved in national affairs without Chongzhen's will.

Emperor Chongzhen was even more furious when he learned about it, and ordered Guan Ning's army to return to defense.

Guangqumen, the head of the city.

Stars dotted the night sky, and the cold wind in December was like a sharp knife, cutting on the body over and over again.

Below the city is a large Liao army camp. Many scattered Liao soldiers learned that there was an admiral in Guangqumen who could distribute food, so they gradually moved closer to Guangqumen, and more and more refugees fled here.

Li Shunzu looked at the gas-fired bonfires in the Liao army camp below the city, and thought of the scene during the day when these refugees, carrying large and small bags on their backs, dragged their families to settle down at Guangqumen City, fell into deep contemplation.

"Take the stage."

A low call brought Li Shunzu's thoughts back together. He turned around and found Yu Kuan, the general manager of Guangqumen Qian, standing quietly behind him.

Titai was the honorific title given to the admiral in the late Ming Dynasty.

"It's late at night, why don't you go home? What's the matter?" Li Shunzu lowered his voice, not wanting to destroy this rare tranquility.

"Ti Tai has been busy gathering the refugees during the day. There are many people and many eyes. It is difficult for me to say some things directly because of my humble position."

Li Shunzu seemed to understand what he was going to say, and said nothing more. He just walked a few steps forward slowly and came to an edge enemy platform where no one was standing guard. He took a deep breath, then stood with his hands behind his hands under the moonlight, waiting. Yu Kuan continued.

"Master Zhao died in battle, and there was a huge change in the court. Zu Dashou is afraid that he will not come back."

"Without Guan Ning's army, the slave soldiers will come to the city again sooner or later, so we should make plans early."

Li Shunzu frowned, looked at the smiling refugees drinking gruel below the city, and asked lightly.

"Then what do you think I should do?"

Yu Kuan hesitated for a while and then asked abruptly.

"What do you think of Your Majesty?" Li Shunzu was suddenly startled and could not judge his true intention for a while.

Thinking that he was not familiar with this subordinate just a few days after taking office, Li Shunzu hesitated for a while and did not answer this question.

But Yu Kuan's face was always tense, making it difficult for Yu Kuan to see the change in his mood.

Yu Kuan seemed to guess that Li Shunzu couldn't believe him. He struggled on his face, but suddenly he knelt on the ground.

"Raise the stage!"

"Please look at this knife!"

Li Shunzu slowly turned his head and saw Yu Kuan taking off his sword and offering it with both hands.

"This is.?"

"My great-grandfather Yu became famous. He once served as a guerrilla general under the old commander Ning Yuan, his grandfather in Titai. He followed the commander since he was stationed in Guangning. This was the sword that my great-grandfather carried when he fought. He always wore it with him even in his humble position."

"Later, the old commander was impeached and demoted by traitorous officials in the court, and my great-grandfather, who held a humble position, was also transferred to Tieling and died in the battle when the slave soldiers attacked the city."

"Without the support of the commander-in-chief, his humble position would be nothing more than a domestic slave in Liaodong, and his parents would not be able to enjoy the blessings in the capital. The family's wealth depends entirely on the commander-in-chief. How dare he lie even a little bit."

The original person knew the brutality of the Battle of Tieling in his memory. Among the athletes under Li Chengliang, one named Yu Chengming later died in the battle at Tieling. His son Enyin Baihu entered the capital as an official. The next two generations were hereditary officers in the capital.

Li Shunzu sighed when he recalled it.

"My great-grandfather fought to the death to defend the city, and he was truly loyal."

Is it worth it to spend a lifetime fighting on the battlefield and finally get a hereditary family for future generations?
"Then why did you come to me today to say these things?"

Yu Kuan looked ashamed.

"After the old commander left, the Li family members were either transferred to the frontier or demoted to official positions. Only three people with direct connections to the Li family were in Beijing."

"Bizhi also asked about Titai's whereabouts, but several times he went there, the Li family said he didn't know, and later even turned Bizhi away."

"Titai has been the commander of the Southern Division for many years, but he knows nothing about his humble position. This is really strange."

"It was only after Titai was summoned by His Majesty that he held an official position in the capital, and his humble position was revealed!"

Of course Li Shunzu remembered that in history, as the eldest son of the Li family, he was downplayed in the history books. Later, it was almost as if he disappeared out of thin air, and he had no idea where he went.

If Yu Kuan is right, and Yuan Chonghuan said a few days ago that someone was plotting against someone directly involved in the Li family, this matter would be a bit scary.

Could it be that someone is deliberately trying to make the Li family disappear from public view?

When he thought about this, Li Shunzu had no idea where to start to investigate. There was no need to create obstacles for himself. Anyway, the soldiers would just cover up the water and the earth, so he smiled slightly and then let go.

Back in front of me, Yu Kuan looked pretty reliable.

After all, his great-grandfather was Li Chengliang's old subordinate, and he was promoted by the Li family to have the hereditary official position of hundreds of households today.

Besides, even if you don’t believe it, it doesn’t hurt to listen to what he has to say.

Thinking of this, Li Shunzu pulled him up and patted his shoulder.

"Your family's official position of [-] households was earned through bloody battles by your great-grandfather. It was not obtained through the support of my Li family."

"Besides, you are my subordinate and one of my own. If you have anything to say, just say it without any scruples!"

Yu Kuan stood up, looked at the refugees under the city, calmed down, and then said.

"When raising the platform, Ci does not control the troops. If this continues, even if all the C-word banks are emptied, it will not be enough to feed these refugees and the Liao army for half a month. It is time to make a choice about which one is lighter and which is heavier."

"There are many people in the Liao army whose fathers and ancestors fought with the Li family. Perhaps they, like their humble colleagues, want to serve their old masters but have nowhere to find them. If we only supply the Liao army outside the city, it will be enough to feed them for three months."

"For the current plan, winning over the scattered people and establishing prestige among the Liao army is what we should do to gain power!"

(End of this chapter)