One could tell from the name Li Chengdong that he was not Manchu. He had once been part of Chuangwang Li Zicheng's army, serving under Gao Jie, later followed Gao Jie in submitting to Great Ming, eventually rising to the rank of General and stationed in Xuzhou.
When Dodo arrived in Xuzhou during the Southward Advance, Li Chengdong took the initiative to shave his head and change his clothing, leading his subordinates to surrender and handing over such a strategically important place as Xuzhou.
If it were just that, it would be one thing, as he was a bandit by birth and no good man; furthermore, the number of generals surrendering to Great Ming was not limited to just one or two, so it was not enough to cause any emotional upheaval in Zhu Ci.
Ultimately, it was because in the original work, this person was responsible for the Three Massacres of Jiading, the number of righteous men killed in resistance against the Qing Army was countless.
Such a person is very suitable for use as a deterrent, as anyone who surrenders to the Qing Army meets with a terrible end.
However, Zhu Ci did not dare say this aloud; he knew that many people in the imperial court were discussing whether or not to try and win the allegiance of those generals who had surrendered previously.
Surrendering generals usually surrendered with their armies in tow, not to mention that these people's military capabilities were not poor either.
However, Zhu Ci did not want a single one of them.
Shi Kefa had already reached a dead end at that time; he was able to sternly refuse Dodo's summons to surrender, so these people who were voluntarily surrendering had not yet reached such a desperate state.
Once disloyal, forever untrustworthy.
These people are all fence-sitters who cling to whoever is strongest; what use are they?
But mentioning Shi Kefa.. Zhu Ci thought for a moment and looked at Fu, asking, "Is it true that every Emperor's accession to the throne is accompanied by a general amnesty?"
Fu looked up at him. "Whom does Your Majesty intend to pardon?"
Zhu Ci said, "Release Shi Kefa, let him lead the troops to advance north of the Yellow River."
Zhu Ci looked at the map. Once a war reaches a certain scale, it is never just a single troop marching toward one location; instead, forces are split to strike at multiple points simultaneously.
It was just that Great Ming had too few capable people at hand right now. Although Shi Kefa's abilities were limited, he couldn't truly be nothing more than a useless figurehead, could he?
He might as well give Shi Kefa another chance.
Anyway, the mistakes he had made before were neither too large nor too small; it all depended on whether Zhu Ci would hold them against him.
It just so happened that since ancient times, every time an Emperor ascended the throne, he would grant a general amnesty to the world to demonstrate his benevolence.
However, there were some people Zhu Ci truly did not want to release, so after weighing his options, he chose Shi Kefa.
Incidentally, his two subordinates could also be released; these two subordinates were the ones who, in the original work, prevented Shi Kefa from committing suicide after the city fell.
They only tried to stop him because they didn't want their superior to die; in the end, they died at the hands of the Qing Army along with Shi Kefa.
By this time, Shi Kefa had already been imprisoned for over a month. When he was released, the large, sturdy man even had tears welling in his eyes.
He had cried once when he was released, he had cried once upon hearing that his army was still under his command, he cried once more when he saw Zhu Ci.
Shi Kefa knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, Zhu Ci felt like his head was going to explode.
He isn't even crying, so what on earth is this man crying about!
Zhu Ci waited for a while, but seeing that he had no intention of stopping, he could only cast a single glance at Jiang Xueyan.
Jiang Xueyan immediately walked over to help Shi Kefa up and said, "General Shi, please stop crying. Even we women are not as prone to tears as you are. How can you expect His Majesty to feel at ease letting you command an army alone?"
Shi Kefa wiped away his tears and said, "I.. I am merely overcome with emotion at the Emperor's grace."
He never expected that he would be able to come out in this lifetime; previously, he had even thought that he might be beheaded.
After all, he had offended the Crown Prince, now the Crown Prince had ascended the throne to become the Emperor.
Thinking back to when his subordinates had taken it upon themselves to bar the Crown Prince from the gates—if it hadn't been for His Highness's prowess in battle, he might have already perished at the hands of the Qing Army.
A crime of this magnitude is difficult to pardon; one only needs to see that since the Crown Prince's ascension, Liu Zhaoji has come to visit him, which shows that there isn't even a single person in the imperial court speaking up for him.
Even among those who had surrendered to the Qing Army, some felt he should be brought back into the fold, yet no one spoke of granting him a pardon; this just goes to show how absurdly many mistakes he had made.
In the end, no one could have imagined that the Emperor would actually release him.
Although he was not restored to his original post, he was still given command of an entire army on his own, Shi Kefa's mood at this moment was indeed too complex to suppress.
Zhu Ci found it quite amusing: "If you truly feel grateful for my benevolence, then lead your troops well to take back the remaining areas of Huaian Prefecture, especially Pizhou."
Shi Kefa immediately bowed again and said, "Your servant accepts the decree."
Because he had just finished a bout of weeping, Zhu Ci did not want to say anything else. He waved his hand and said, "Go, do not disappoint me."
After he left, Zhu Ci met several more people; this time they arrived in a group, civil officials from the Censorate led by Huang Chunyao.
Zhu Ci got a headache just looking at them; the officials from the Censorate truly had too much energy, finding things to impeach all day long, one thing after another.
The main thing was that they truly weren't just looking for trouble; after all, the current imperial court was nothing more than a makeshift troupe, unreliable people were everywhere, from the top to the bottom.
There are only three reliable ones: Fu Chunsheng, Huang Chunyao, Zhu Ci.
Well, Zhu Ci is unreliable most of the time.
Right now, Huang Chunyao and the others felt the Emperor was acting up again; come on, let's go advise him together.
As soon as they entered, they saw a map laid out in the main hall.
Zhu Ci waved to them and said, "Ministers, please come here."
Huang Chunyao immediately walked over, his mind occupied by only one thing: seeing what kind of nonsense the Emperor would spout this time!
Even if he spoke in flowery prose, he still wouldn't be able to make the Emperor personally lead the campaign!
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: As the dignified Minister of War of the Hongguang Era, how can such a famous general of the world still be such a crybaby! *Cat sneers while handing over a tissue. jpg*
Next update at noon~
Chapter 106
After the salutations, everyone crowded around Zhu Ci.
To be honest, Zhu Ci felt quite a bit of pressure being surrounded by a group of old men, especially since any one or two of them picked at random had once been Jinshi scholars.
He pointed at the map with his finger and said, "I have already ordered Shi Kefa to be appointed as the General of the Northern Expedition to recover the territories lost north of the Yellow River."
He pointed at Pizhou while saying, "If nothing unexpected happens, he will be stationed in Pizhou."
Huang Chunyao hesitated slightly. "Your Majesty, the General of the Northern Expedition.. has no significant victories. Is it not a bit risky to send only him?"
Zhu Ci said, "He is skilled at leading troops. There are no particularly formidable enemy forces over there, so he should be sufficient; the real focus is here."
He reached out and tapped Xuyi, then traced a line from Xuyi to Sizhou, continuing all the way to Suzhou, before finally stopping.
Our main force will pin down the main Qing Army here, in the end, coordinate with the General of the Northern Expedition to attack Xuzhou!
The Censors of the Censorate had their eyes lit up upon hearing this. They might not have the ability to lead armies in battle, but they certainly possessed the ability to fight on paper; anyone with even a slight understanding would know that Xuzhou was an extremely important location.
As long as Xuzhou can be taken, it would be equivalent to seizing the Qing Army's throat.
But the more so, the greater the danger.
Huang Chunyao said, "This battle will be difficult; how can His Majesty take such a personal risk?"
Zhu Ci set down his hands and turned to look at the group of veteran officials, asking, "General Shi has been famous for a long time, yet you all still feel uneasy about him merely attacking Pizhou. Now, who else in the imperial court can make everyone feel secure enough to boldly entrust him with the majority of our forces to attack Suzhou?"
Huang Chunyao said after some consideration, "Liu Dingwei is exceptionally brave and martial; perhaps he would be suitable."
He was once under General Shi's command. You didn't even trust General Shi, so why do you trust him now?
After Zhu Ci finished speaking, he explained with rare patience, "Although I am going on this expedition, I will be accompanied by General Liu and General He, as I am still exploring the ways of warfare."
After finishing, he turned and returned to his throne, leaning forward slightly as he said earnestly, "My ministers, this battle is a fight for the very survival of Great Ming. As long as we can drive the Tartars back, we can secure several years of peace even if we fail to take Xuzhou. If we lose, not only Huaian, but Yangzhou, Suzhou, even Ningbo Prefecture could be lost. My decision to go on this campaign is by no means an emotional impulse."
Considering all the civil and military officials in the imperial court, the only one who has ever defeated the Qing Army is he, the Emperor.
The significance of his going to war now was no longer about whether he could command, but rather for boosting morale.
Huang Chunyao and the others exchanged glances and pondered. If they set out on the campaign with Liu Zhaoji and He Gang, then these two would inevitably be responsible for capturing cities and fortresses, while the Emperor would just stay in the rear as a figurehead.
In that case.. it wouldn't be impossible.
Not to mention the Emperor would personally lead his thousand Jinyi Guards away.
Unlike the Jinyi Guard of the past, the current Jinyi Guard is merely the elite of the Emperor's personal army, primarily responsible for the Emperor's safety.
These one thousand men were personally trained by the Emperor during his humble beginnings; whether in terms of loyalty or elite combat capability, they far surpassed ordinary soldiers.
Of course, the Censorate's eventual agreement was primarily due to that sentence spoken by Zhu Ci: a battle for survival.
They knew that Huaian was not safe, that Great Ming was not safe either; it was indeed a matter of life and death.
Zhu Ci finally breathed a sigh of relief after having difficulty persuading the Censorate, then turned to Fu Chunsheng, who had come to deliver a memorial, said, "You are truly a good official; you saved me from having to exhaust myself with endless persuasion."
Fu certainly did not need Zhu Ci to persuade him; he knew very well that at this stage, Zhu Ci had to go on an expedition. Just as he had said, it would serve to stabilize the hearts of the soldiers while simultaneously acting as a deterrent to the Qing Army.
Huang Chunyao and the others were not unaware of this; they were simply more worried that if Zhu Ci were to fall in battle, given the current situation in the imperial court, the throne would most likely fall to Fu.
Of course they could also support Zhu Ci, but how could Zhu Ci possibly be a match for Fu?
By then, it would only cause the newly unified Great Ming to fracture once again. Moreover, so many people had staked their wealth and status on Zhu Ci; if anything were to happen to him, their previous "investments" would go down the drain.
Naturally, one would have to stop it to some extent.
Zhu Ci left the court affairs to Fu and Huang Chunyao and prepared to set out on his expedition.
As a result, a small interlude occurred before he left; Zhu Yujian and Zhu Yihai each sent him a manifesto to scold him, using words so sharp they might as well have been calling him a traitor who recognized his enemy as his father.
This traitor naturally refers to Fu.
Zhu Ci was somewhat annoyed. These two truly had nothing better to do; ever since Zhu Yujian ascended the throne and Zhu Yihai was enthroned as Regent, these two had never ceased their antics.
Day after day, they exchanged manifestos to insult one another, refusing to recognize each other's regimes and claiming the other was illegitimate.
Of course, they also found all sorts of ways to insult Zhu Ci, refusing to recognize his imperial position, even went so far as to include him in their attacks.
A few days ago, Zhu Ci had been incredibly busy. With not enough subordinates, with Fu and Huang Chunyao having limited capabilities, both the Censorate and the Grand Secretariat were short-staffed, so Zhu Ci naturally had to take on more responsibility.
Now that he is about to set out on a campaign, these two are still here doing nothing but hurling insults at each other, dividing the forces resisting the Qing.
The Young Prefect's expression was quite complicated. He looked at the thermometer in his hand, then at the Nine-Nine Winter Map hanging on the wall, finally at the thermometer again. "This thermometer is truly a strange thing," the Young Prefect muttered. "It can actually show the temperature so precisely." "It's a miracle of technology," the Young Prefect's nephew said with admiration. "I've never seen anything like it." The Young Prefect nodded, but his mind was elsewhere. He was thinking about the implications of this device. If this could be mass-produced, it would change everything. It would revolutionize agriculture, warfare, even daily life. He looked at the thermometer again. The red liquid inside was rising steadily. It was getting warmer. "The temperature is rising," the Young Prefect noted. "Yes, it's getting warmer," the Young Prefect's nephew agreed. The Young Prefect looked at the Nine-Nine Winter Map. It was a beautiful piece of art, but it was also a scientific instrument. It showed the progression of winter, day by day. "We need to study this more," the Young Prefect said. "We need to understand how it works." "Yes, Master," the Young Prefect's nephew replied. The Young Prefect nodded. He knew that this was just the beginning. There was so much more to discover. He felt a sense of excitement and anticipation. He couldn't wait to see what the future held.
The young scholar from the Mongol lands arrived at the Suzhou Prefecture City, carrying a heavy burden of expectations. As he walked through the bustling streets of Suzhou, he couldn't help but notice the intricate Gu Embroidery Screen displayed in several shop windows, their craftsmanship exquisite. He was here to study, but his mind often wandered to the Nine-Nine Winter Map he had seen in the capital, wondering how the climate here in Jiangnan compared to the harsh winters of the north. As he approached the Suzhou Prefecture, he saw the local officials gathered near the Five Military Governors' Office, discussing the recent news regarding the Three Massacres of Jiading. The tension in the air was palpable. He knew that the stability of the Great Ming depended on the strength of its borders and the wisdom of its leaders, from the Emperor to the local Prefect. He found lodging in a small inn near the Wusongjiang Post, where he met a merchant who spoke of the various transport routes, including the Sea Transport Map and the Canal Transport Map, which were vital for the empire's economy. The merchant also spoke of the growing influence of the Water Dragon Society and the rumors of unrest in the provinces. Despite the distractions, the young scholar remained focused on his studies. He spent many hours in the local libraries, poring over ancient texts and studying the various maps of the empire, from the Nine Border Maps to the Yellow River Map. He dreamt of one day serving the empire, perhaps as a high-ranking official in the Six Ministries or even a Grand Secretary in the Grand Secretariat. One evening, while walking near the Hangzhou Prefecture, he witnessed a magnificent display of fire-dragon water-spouts, a sight that reminded him of the legends of old. He realized that the world was much larger and more complex than he had ever imagined, his journey had only just begun.
The young master's expression was complicated, his eyes flickering as he looked at the thermometer. "This thing is called a thermometer," the young master explained, "it can measure temperature." "Temperature?" The young master's nephew asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Can it really measure temperature?" "Of course," the young master replied, "it's a very useful tool."
The young scholar from the Mongol Scholar group arrived at the Suzhou Prefecture City, carrying a heavy sense of anticipation. He had traveled all the way from the northern borders, passing through many provinces, just to reach this prosperous land of Jiangnan. As he walked through the bustling streets of Suzhou, he couldn't help but marvel at the elegance and prosperity of the local culture. The Suzhou Prefect had long heard of the talents of the young scholars from the north, he was eager to meet this particular guest. He had prepared a banquet in the main hall of the Suzhou Prefecture City to welcome him. As the young scholar approached the gates of the Suzhou Prefecture City, he noticed a group of Jinyi Guard members patrolling the area. Their presence was a reminder of the strict laws and order maintained even in such a prosperous region. He kept his head down and walked past them, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. Inside the Suzhou Prefecture City, the atmosphere was lively. Merchants from all over the country gathered in the markets, selling everything from fine silks to exotic spices. The young scholar found himself mesmerized by the vibrant colors and the lively chatter of the people. He realized that the world was much larger and more diverse than he had ever imagined back in his homeland. As the sun began to set, the young scholar finally reached the residence of the Suzhou Prefect. He was greeted by a group of servants and led to the main hall, where the Prefect was waiting to receive him. The banquet was magnificent, filled with delicacies that he had never seen before. As he tasted the exquisite food and listened to the music, he felt a sense of belonging in this strange yet beautiful land.
After finishing the two manifestos, Zhu Ci tossed his brush aside and said directly, "Send them out!"