How can anyone blame anyone? Everyone has worked very hard.
But sometimes, hard work is not enough. The mandate of Great Ming had already reached its end; Zhu Ci had barely managed to extend its life for a little longer.
However, sometimes one simply cannot deny the Mandate of Heaven. No matter how many people he changed their destinies for, if these people could not defeat Dorgon, they simply could not defeat him; there were no other possibilities.
Fu Qingsheng said, "If Your Majesty is worried, I.."
That won't do." Zhu Ci immediately waved his hand. "You can't go. If you go, who will help me coordinate the logistics?
To be honest, Zhu Ci knew exactly what kind of person he was; sending him to the battlefield would be no problem, but asking him to handle logistics would be far too difficult.
I wouldn't say there are no capable people in the imperial court, but if Fu leaves, things might just fall into chaos.
Moreover, Fu's health has only just recovered, there are many things he needs to be careful about in his daily life. Conditions during military campaigns are harsh, it would be very troublesome if he were to get sunburnt.
It was already difficult enough for him to have grown this large without developing skin cancer, so before sunscreen could be developed, Zhu Ci became increasingly cautious.
Fu understood the Emperor's concerns and couldn't help but feel a bit despondent; after all, his physical condition still imposed too many limitations.
Although it wouldn't be impossible to launch a forced expedition if he disregarded everything, Fu was somewhat reluctant to die early.
In the past, his rebellion was driven by a desire to vent his resentment and seek revenge; it would have been best if he succeeded, but if not, he would have accepted it.
But now, he no longer had that thought.
He simply did not want to agree to a personal expedition; what if.. he didn't dare think any further.
Zhu Ci watched his expression, then turned and put all the food in his hands into the Macaw's food box, before turning to lead Fu Huaizhang to the Qianqing Palace. As they walked, he asked softly, "Huaizhang, do you know what the Son of Heaven's Mandate is?"
Fu turned to look at Zhu Ci, his eyes clearly saying: Isn't that you?
Zhu Ci smiled. "If it weren't for me, Dorgon would be the Son of Heaven at this time."
How could he not be counted? He was accomplished in both civil and military arts, held great power in his hands.
Although he failed to ascend the throne, had he not died so young, it would be anyone's guess who would have claimed it.
Moreover, he was actually only a title away from being the Emperor; in terms of actual power, there would be no issue in calling him the Emperor of the Qing Dynasty.
Fu's brow gradually furrowed; this was not good news.
Zhu Ci reached out and put an arm around his shoulder, saying, "The Son of Heaven is not so easily defeated. Since you think I am as well, then perhaps I am the only one left who can fight him."
Fu listened to the faint fragrance on the Little Emperor, his thoughts drifted for a moment: Has the incense in the Qianqing Palace been changed to osmanthus recently?
However, he quickly pulled his thoughts back and said with a slight frown, "But it is still too dangerous. The current situation.."
The current situation is already very bad," Zhu Ci sighed. "The siege at Xuzhou has lasted so long without success; once Dorgon breaks through Yanmen Pass, Nanjing will be in grave danger.
If even Yanmen Pass cannot stop Dorgon, what other passes on the route from Yanmen Pass to Nanjing could be more treacherous?
In other words, if Dorgon cannot be stopped now, are we to wait until he threatens Nanjing and his troops are at the city gates?
By then, so many soldiers and officers will have been lost that they might no longer have the strength to launch a counterattack.
When that day truly comes, even if Zhu Ci does not surrender, he will have no choice but to follow the example of Zheng Chenggong in history and head straight to Taiwan to take refuge.
Fu remained silent, feeling a genuine sense of irritation in his heart. The court officials usually acted so arrogant, never hesitating to lecture others and posturing as if they controlled everything, yet when real trouble actually arose, none of them could be relied upon.
Zhu Ci patted his shoulder and said to Fu with a wink, "Now we shall see who has better luck, me or Dorgon."
He finished speaking and looked at Fu, his expression extremely firm as he said, "My decision is made. Issue the order."
Fu could only maintain a solemn expression and bow, saying, "Your servant.. obeys the Imperial Decree."
The news that the Emperor would lead a personal expedition sent shockwaves through many people. In an instant, countless memorial petitions flew toward the Censorate like snowflakes, forcibly increasing the Censorate's workload several times over.
Even the usually mild-tempered Zhu Yujian was incredibly irritable: "Admonish, admonish, admonish—all you know is to admonish! What use is it? If anyone were actually capable of going toe-to-toe with Dorgon, would His Majesty even need to lead a personal expedition?"
Zhu Yujian cursed while throwing the memorial together.
Beside him, Yan Yingyuan also let out a sigh; if he could, he would give anything to go on the expedition in the Emperor's stead.
To be honest, he was not afraid of death, but even if he were to die, he still wouldn't be able to defeat Dorgon.
This personal expedition was carried out with swift action from top to bottom. While there were indeed many people offering remonstrance, those with any sense generally only offered a perfunctory suggestion before stopping. Those with sound minds all knew that this personal expedition was inevitable.
If the Emperor isn't sent out again, are we going to wait until Dorgon reaches Nanjing?
At this point, none of the remaining generals of the Great Ming could instill any confidence in the officials or the common people.
The ones sent out before were all famous generals, yet none of them succeeded. Do you really think the ones left will be any different?
Not only that, but Zhu Ci did not even bring those generals who had already gained some fame; instead, he brought most of the top three candidates from the Military Service Examination of the last two years.
The people mentioned in historical records or those who appeared in the original book seemed unreliable, he couldn't simply send everyone away; if something were to happen in the Capital due to its emptiness, it would be a massive disaster. It was better to look toward this new generation.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: It's time to compete in luck. Devout cat burning incense. jpg
Next update at 6:00 PM~
Chapter 235
Before setting out on the expedition, the Emperor summoned Zhu Ci for a private audience.
Zhu Ci had actually found it somewhat strange. The Emperor was about to embark on a personal expedition, the people he had been summoning recently were all high-ranking officials from the Grand Secretariat or the Censorate; he wondered why he was being summoned as well.
After he arrived at the Qianqing Palace, he had just finished his salutations when he heard the Emperor say, "I have already written a will. If I should unfortunately perish during this expedition, my elder cousin shall be the heir to the throne."
Upon hearing these words, Zhu Ci, who had not even finished kneeling after his salutation, nearly collapsed to his knees in shock.
He was struck with alarm: "Your Majesty!"
Zhu Ci turned his head and looked at him with a very relaxed expression, saying, "Don't be nervous, it is merely a matter of taking precautions."
Zhu Ci shook his head and said, "I beg His Majesty to rescind the order."
It can't be taken back." Zhu Ci spread his hands helplessly, "The imperial edict has already been written, both the Grand Secretariat and the Censorate have already stamped it. How can the command be rescinded now?
Zhu Ci looked on in disbelief. It was one thing if it were anyone else, but why was Fu also following His Majesty in this nonsense?
If he had possessed that ability, his cousin would not have become the Emperor back then.
Zhu Ci seemed to know what he was thinking and said in a gentle voice, "Don't underestimate yourself. After all these years, the Great Ming is not the same as it once was, you are not the same as you once were. How will you ever know if you don't try?"
Zhu Ci was about to speak when Zhu Ci said, "Do not overthink it; it is merely to be safe. Aside from you, I cannot think of anyone else to entrust this to."
Zhu Yihai shouldn't even think about it; he is indecisive, entrusting him with it would be no different from the destruction of the nation. Zhu Yujian.. perhaps he might be capable, but he seems to have lost all his ambition now.
Zhu Ci couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Your servant also.."
If even Zhu Ci were defeated, he wouldn't be able to hold out either.
Zhu Ci spread his hands. "If you are not up to the task, then I will have no choice but to entrust the world to the Grand Secretary."
Zhu Ci said instinctively, "How can that be?"
Fu's surname is not Zhu.
Zhu Ci had long known he would react this way, so he said, "Then you see.. there's nothing else to be done. Fine, don't think too much about it. If that day truly comes.. you should take your people and retreat to Taiwan. The Tartars' shipbuilding technology is still insufficient; they won't be able to reach Taiwan in the short term. It would be for the best if Zheng Chenggong and Zhang Huangyan can survive."
Zhu Ci listened to his tone, which sounded as if he were making his final wishes, his heart grew heavy, until he finally had no choice but to nod.
Zhu Ci patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, the situation isn't that bad."
After meeting with Zhu Ci, Zhu Ci had originally intended to see Fu, but remembering the unsightly look on Fu's face on the day he issued the imperial edict, he decided it was better not to meet him after all.
He knew exactly what he wanted to emphasize to Fu, so it was fine even if it wasn't stated explicitly.
Zhu Ci rarely evaded something, but after this time, before the expedition, he never met with Fu alone again.
On the day of the expedition, Fu led the civil and military officials to the outskirts. The army had already set out; this time, the number of troops Zhu Ci brought was not large, totaling only ten thousand, five thousand of whom were Jinyi Guard.
Dressed in black armor, Zhu Ci looked around, seeing the forced calmness and the unmistakable worry on everyone's faces. He felt a strange sense of comfort in his heart; at least everyone was still quite worried about him.
Does this prove that he, as Emperor, is actually doing a decent job?
Of course, after meeting Fu's gaze, he had no more thoughts at all.
Grand Secretary Fu's gaze at this moment was truly too calm, so calm that it was somewhat eerie.
It made Zhu Ci feel as if he were going out on a tour rather than going out to war.
His calmness actually allowed Zhu Ci to sense something extraordinary about him, but in front of everyone, he said nothing. He simply took a bowl of wine from Jiang Quan, drained it in one gulp, smashed the bowl, turned, rode off on his horse without looking back.
Fu watched his departing figure silently, then turned and said, "Colleagues, let us return."
The officials bowed slightly and gave a response, exchanging glances with one another, feeling that the Grand Secretary seemed a bit off today.
They also felt Fu's calmness; everyone could see that something was wrong with the Grand Secretary.
This strangeness lasted for a long time. The members of the Grand Secretariat discovered that after the Grand Secretary finished handling state affairs every day, his favorite thing to do was to look at maps.
Everyone thought the Grand Secretary was analyzing the current situation, but only Fu Huaizhang himself knew that he was speculating about where the Little Emperor was at this moment.
Zhu Ci arrived in Kaifeng after not much time of forced marching. All along the way, the Henan plains stretched as far as the eye could see, the commoners here were still living their lives in peace, completely unaware that danger had already arrived.
Seeing that it was already July, the millet and sorghum here had both ripened. Along the way, Zhu Ci saw scenes of bustling harvesting; some people had joy for a bountiful harvest on their faces, while others looked sorrowful due to poor yields.
All walks of life and their myriad forms are most touching to the human heart.
Zhu Ci turned his head and said to Jiang Quan, "Seeing everyone living peaceful lives, I feel we cannot lose to the Tartars."
Jiang Quan said with a hint of excitement on his face, "Since His Majesty is leading a personal expedition, he will surely strike terror into the hearts of the Tartars!"
"Read more books and stop being so crude," Zhu Ci said with a laugh, thinking to himself that you certainly have more confidence in me than I have in myself.
He did not even dare to claim that he could defeat Dorgon.
After all, he had truly used strategy and tactics to push the Great Ming to this point.
Of course, one cannot rule out the factor of superior numbers, but if it had been a different, useless general—not necessarily completely incompetent, but someone like Ajige—the Qing Dynasty might have already been finished.
After all, the Ming Army's weaponry was somewhat more advanced, but unfortunately, the drawbacks were also quite obvious: the coverage rate was insufficient.
If the coverage rate had been higher, the result wouldn't be like this.
Ultimately, it comes down to insufficient productivity. It is a pity that developing this requires the world to be at peace, but for the world to be at peace, the Qing Army must be defeated; defeating the Qing Army requires military preparedness, military preparedness in turn requires productivity—it is a direct closed loop.
After passing Kaifeng, Zhu Ci rode at full gallop, ignoring everything else and heading straight for Yanmen Pass.
At this time, Li Guo, Zhang Huangyan, Zheng Chenggong had all abandoned their posts elsewhere and had all gathered at Yanmen Pass.