If I add money to become a layman, I can cultivate immortality

Chapter 68 Ding Xiu: Jiangnan is in chaos?Do I hit myself?

This year was an eventful year for Ming Dynasty.

The former vassal state's younger brother Goryeo was defeated by the Qing army and had to surrender. Ming Dynasty lost a younger brother and gained an opponent.

Foreign enemies were watching with eager eyes, and within the Ming Dynasty, Wang Er, Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong...peasant uprisings in various places were also vigorous.

On the contrary, in the vast Jiangnan, except for the Japanese pirates who caused trouble, no one rebelled.

There are many reasons.

But the main reason was that the generals of the peasant rebel army were short-sighted and only thought about how to invade the capital and kill the emperor to replace him.

As everyone knows, Jiangnan at that time was a large granary, the economic and cultural center of the Ming Dynasty.

After occupying Jiangnan, why worry about not being able to fight against the corrupt Ming Dynasty?

Of course, this is the old calendar.

Ding Baiying finally raised the banner in the south of the Yangtze River in the name of the descendants of the Qi family army.

The Qi Jiajun can be said to be very popular in Jiangnan. In addition, Ding Baiying has been planning for many years. Once the banner is pulled, it can be said that everything responds to the call.

At first, the imperial court did not pay enough attention, thinking that they were just some stragglers, and suppressed them easily.

Unexpectedly, the fighting power of this team shocked everyone.Their military discipline is strict, well-equipped, and they move like the wind. They are obviously professionally trained.

How does this look like a peasant rebel army?It's like the Qi Jiajun from back then reappeared in the world.

Moreover, there is an elusive team in the secret, and their combat effectiveness is even more powerful.

Stealing camps, beheading enemy generals, robbing grain and grass, robbing horses, robbing weapons... the imperial court's quelling the chaos caused the army to fall into disarray even before the war started.

In just over a year, the Jianghai Gang has recruited more than 10,000 people.

Although the number is far less than that of the millions of peasant rebels in the Guanzhong area, God knows how much water they claim to have in the millions of soldiers and horses?How many old, weak, sick and disabled people are there to make up the numbers?

The 10,000+ troops of the Jianghai Gang are real. There are disciples of the Jianghu Gang who have secretly developed over the years, there are people and soldiers from the Jiangnan area, and there are also surrendered border troops.

Among them, the most elite are naturally the specially trained special forces, with a total of about 5000 people, divided into several small teams, mainly carrying out some surprise missions behind enemy lines.

For example, before attacking a city, first send a small team of special forces disguised as a caravan and civilians to sneak into the city.At that time, the inside should be coordinated with the outside, and it will naturally be much easier to attack the city.

Conquer the city and capture the territory, and good news comes frequently!
Of course, for the Ming court, it was not a good news, it was like ringing a death knell.

"What? Fengyang fell?"

Emperor Chongzhen was so angry that his eyes turned black and he almost vomited blood.

After all, Fengyang is the hometown and birthplace of the Zhu family. There is also a Ming Emperor Mausoleum there, where the parents, brothers and sister-in-law of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang are buried.

In short, it is the ancestral tomb of all the royal disciples of the Zhu family.

The majestic emperor of tomorrow cannot even guard his own ancestral grave?It’s no wonder that Emperor Chongzhen lost his composure after hearing the news.

"Kill, you must kill all these gangsters for me!"

"Who is willing to lead troops to Jiangnan to quell the chaos?"

"Whoever quells the chaos in Jiangnan will be rewarded heavily and given the title of Marquis!"

"Are you trying to force me to conquer in person?"

All the ministers: "..."

Granting the title of Marquis is indeed a matter of honoring one's ancestors, but... the prerequisite is that one must have the life to come back and be granted the title.

The imperial court has successively sent several groups of troops to quell the chaos, and the results are that everyone is dead and surrendered. In short, it is like a meat bun beating a dog - there is no return.

"you……"

Chongzhen was so angry that his chest tightened. He pointed at the ministers and his body was shaking.

"Sir, I would like to lead the troops!"

Finally someone is willing to stand up.

It was Ding Xiu.

If Chongzhen was not the emperor, he would definitely rush forward and hug Ding Xiu tightly, shouting: Good brother, it will be you at the critical moment.

Chongzhen tried hard to control the excitement in his heart, and a glimmer of hope finally ignited in his eyes: "Okay, very good! Let Ding Aiqing lead the troops... Ding Aiqing stepped forward to listen."

"Chen is here!"

"Ding Aiqing was awarded the title of Commander-in-Chief of the Jiangnan Army, and he went out on my behalf to lead troops to Jiangnan to quell the rebellion! All soldiers and horses in Jiangnan obey Aiqing's orders. Anyone who resists and disobeys the decree will be killed first and then reported!"

The title of Commander-in-Chief is usually granted on a temporary basis, and the commander's seal must be returned when he returns from the war.However, once a battle is won, rewards are inevitable.

"Sir, obey the order!"

In his heart, Ding Xiu secretly thought: Put an end to the chaos?Just kidding?Do I hit myself?

If Emperor Chongzhen could hear Ding Xiu's thoughts... I wonder what kind of fun would happen.

He would never have guessed in his dreams that the source of the turmoil in Jiangnan was Ding Xiu. This guy was the mastermind behind the scenes. When the truth was revealed, would he be so angry that he vomited blood on the spot?

The day before leaving Beijing, Ding Xiu was still "loyal and responsible" and personally visited the palace.

Finally, I came to Ciqing Palace alone.

In the palace, Queen Zhang had just finished lunch and was about to take a rest.

A palace maid came in and reported softly: "Your Majesty, the commander of the Jinyi Guards is asking for an audience."

"Ok?"

Queen Zhang seemed a little surprised.

Logically she shouldn't be surprised. After all, the commander of the Jinyiwei has a special status. He leads the Jinyiwei and is responsible for the security of the entire imperial city and palace.

This also includes the harem.

Now, Ding Xiu can enter and leave the palace freely, and the same goes for the harem.

However, you still have to report before entering the palace of the concubines in the harem, unless you encounter special circumstances such as hunting down assassins.

Queen Zhang was surprised because she was surprised why Ding Xiu wanted to find her.

Could it be that... he still doesn't give up?

What an enemy.

For a moment, Queen Zhang felt a little confused, and scenes from the past could not help but appear in her mind.After hesitating for a while, he finally responded: "Please command your Excellency to come to the front hall."

"Yes!"

The palace maid left.

After Ding Xiu came to the front hall, Queen Zhang walked in with Jin'er not long after waiting.

"The humble minister sees the empress!"

"You don't have to be polite, general, just sit down."

She still used to call Ding Xiu general.

"Thank you madam!"

After Ding Xiu sat down, Queen Zhang took the initiative to ask: "I heard that the general led the order to go to Jiangnan to quell the chaos?"

"Correct!"

At this time, the sensible and well-behaved Jin'er took the initiative to say: "My Lady, please wait outside."

Queen Zhang nodded: "Well, go ahead."

After Jin'er left, Ding Xiu said again: "The soldiers have been ordered and will board the ship from Tongzhou to Jiangnan early tomorrow morning."

Empress Zhang sighed: "Why do you ask for orders to go to Jiangnan by yourself? You are the commander of the Jinyi Guards and are mainly responsible for guarding the imperial city. Jiangnan is so chaotic, you..."

At this point, he couldn't help but stop.

Ding Xiu smiled: "Are you concerned about me?"

Hearing this, Queen Zhang couldn't help biting her lips, subconsciously glanced outside the door, and whispered: "Why do you ask knowingly?"

"Don't worry, ma'am, I'll be fine."

"Well, since you have received the order, I can only pray for your safe return..."

Having said this, Queen Zhang took out a sachet from her sleeve and handed it to Ding Xiu: "I made this with my own hands. You must bring it with you."

At this moment, Ding Xiu couldn't help but feel a hint of warmth and love in his heart.

When a woman gives a sachet to a man, she often expresses her feelings in a subtle way, praying for the other person's safety, and at the same time thinking about him.

Ding Xiu reached out to take the sachet, but he grabbed Queen Zhang's soft and smooth little hand.

Empress Zhang's face was red with embarrassment and anger: "You... let go quickly, be careful someone sees her."

"No, Jin'er is outside."

"That's not okay, if someone sees it..."

Ding Xiu did not continue to pester. He let go of his hand and whispered: "My queen, I just need to wait with peace of mind. Maybe one day, we can be together openly."

"You...what crazy words are you talking about?"

"Your Majesty, if you have nothing to do, please leave first."

Ding Xiu didn't explain anything, put away the sachet, bowed his head, turned around and strode away.

However, Queen Zhang's heart was completely confused.

What the hell is this guy talking about?
What's the point of being together openly and what does he want to do?
The next day, Ding Xiu led [-] soldiers and horses to leave Beijing for Tongzhou, and took an official ship to take the Grand Canal to the south of the Yangtze River.

He only brought [-] troops to the south of the Yangtze River to quell the chaos. None of the ministers in the court were optimistic, and some even gloated about his misfortune, wishing that Ding Xiu would never come back.

In fact, from the bottom of Emperor Chongzhen's heart, he was eager to send hundreds of thousands of troops.

It is a pity that the Ming Dynasty is now suffering from internal and external troubles. It must not only prevent foreign enemies such as Jurchens and Tatars from taking advantage of the situation, but also send troops everywhere to quell peasant uprisings. Where can they find extra troops?
Most of the soldiers and horses led by Ding Xiu were Jin Yiwei.

Taking away so many Jin Yiwei at once would make the capital's defense much weaker, but Chongzhen could no longer take care of it.

Firstly, it is really difficult to mobilize troops, and secondly, the Jinyiwei's combat effectiveness is much stronger.

Even if he didn't expect to quell the chaos in Jiangnan, he had to at least get Fengyang back first. Otherwise, how could he have the face to meet his ancestors?
Just two days after Ding Xiu left the capital, a fire suddenly broke out in the harem, and a raging fire broke out in Ciqing Palace and the two adjacent palaces.

Because the fire was so strong, it was not put out until dawn.

The Ciqing Palace was the most thoroughly burned, with all buildings almost reduced to a pile of ashes.

"My lady, my lady..."

The eunuchs and maids who escaped from the fire shouted loudly and rummaged through the ruins.

Queen Zhang has been missing. Could it be that she was burned to ashes?

There is a tradition of fires in the Imperial Palace of the Ming Dynasty. For example, Emperor Jianwen Zhu Yunwen died in the fire without knowing where he was. No one could tell whether he was alive or dead.

Not to mention the Jiajing period, there were frequent fires in the harem, and later a fire even burned the queen alive.

Could it be that Queen Zhang also suffered this bad luck?
It is said that after Ding Xiu led his troops to the border of Jiangnan, spies came to report that the rebel army was encircling Jinling and there were signs of attacking Jinling.

Jinling was the companion capital and the capital when the Ming Dynasty was established, so there was no room for error.

Therefore, Ding Xiu immediately led his troops to Jinling for reinforcements.

Regarding Ding Xiu's arrival, all the old ministers and young adults in Jinling City were so excited that their eyes filled with tears.

Everyone has been in panic all day long, and they don't know when the rebel army will attack the city.Now, I am looking forward to the stars and the moon, and finally I am looking forward to the savior.

After all, Ding Xiu was different from other generals. He had already gained a great reputation when he suppressed the Japanese pirates in the south of the Yangtze River, and his reputation even surpassed that of the Qi family army back then.

Therefore, as soon as he came, the young and old ministers felt much more at ease.

After entering the city, Ding Xiu, accompanied by a group of officials and guards, patrolled the city and made some defensive arrangements.

The next day, a group of officials were convened in the Jinling Palace to discuss the defense of Jinling and quell the rebellion.

This matter was not only related to the safety of the court, but also related to the lives of the officials and their families. Therefore, almost all the officials in charge came to the scene early.

However, they never expected that this so-called discussion would completely change the Ming Dynasty and their destiny.

They were obviously discussing how to deal with the rebels.

As a result, the person who discussed dealing with the rebels with them turned out to be the biggest leader of the rebels?

This is simply the big joke of the slippery world!
……

(End of this chapter)