weaving

Seeing Wu Sheng and Huang Jingfang working together to shift the blame for the fall of Lu Province onto Zhang Cheng, the Earl of Yongning, who was in charge of the western route of the loyalist army, Chen Yan was somewhat unwilling, but he still chose to remain silent.

After all, Chen Yan, as the Grand Secretary, did not want to offend all his colleagues, and as the Grand Secretary, he dared not take full responsibility for the loss of the fiefdoms on the cabinet.

Since Wu Sheng and Huang Jingfang had stepped forward to shift the blame to Zhang Cheng, he could only choose to stand by and watch, first extricating himself from the situation, and then trying to cover for and protect Zhang Cheng.

"So... the fall of Lu Prefecture is entirely Zhang Cheng's fault."

Emperor Chongzhen's voice was not loud and was slightly hoarse, but it sounded extremely heavy to Chen Yan and the others. They secretly exchanged glances and finally looked at Chen Yan, hoping that he would step forward to make a final decision.

"Your Majesty, the Earl of Yongning failed to provide adequate assistance, resulting in the fall of the Lu Kingdom to the slaves. His crime is unforgivable."

Chen Yan first affirmed that Yongning Earl Zhang Cheng should be the primary culprit, but then his tone changed: "However... the slave bandits are currently rampaging through Qi and Lu, and I bear the responsibility of commanding the western route army to defend the king, which is of great importance."

Although there is a grave offense of failing to provide adequate relief, leading to the fall of the Lu region, the situation on the Qi-Lu front is urgent, and the court is in dire need of capable personnel. Moreover, changing generals in the midst of battle is a major taboo in military strategy.

As he said this, he couldn't help but glance at Emperor Chongzhen. Seeing that the emperor did not show any displeasure, he continued, "Furthermore, we only know that Yanzhou has fallen and Lu has been captured. However, this news was reported by Prince Yongji of Lu. We still need to convey the truth about the fall of Yanzhou to the Earl of Yongning so that he can report it in detail."

Although Emperor Chongzhen appeared calm, he was actually very excited inside. However, his self-control was better than before, so he did not fully reveal it.

At that moment, he tapped his finger lightly on the imperial desk and said through gritted teeth, "What do I need you cabinet ministers for? Then have Zhang Cheng report it immediately!"

"Yes, yes. Your subject will go and draft an edict immediately, requesting the Earl of Yongning to report back as soon as possible the reasons for the fall of Yanzhou." Chen Yan said, getting up to leave.

Emperor Chongzhen stopped him and said, “Regardless of whether there are other reasons behind this, Zhang Cheng is the commander of the western route. With the fall of the Lu region, he cannot escape his crime. Your cabinet should immediately draft an edict on my behalf, with sharp and incisive wording.”

"Yes, I accept the order."

Looking at these Grand Secretaries below, Emperor Chongzhen felt a mix of emotions. If there were other people who could replace them, he really wanted to get rid of these old fogies who were just sitting around doing nothing.

Reality is often like this. Emperor Chongzhen knew perfectly well that these few cabinet ministers were helping him manage the entire Ming Empire. However, in some matters, and even in many matters, Emperor Chongzhen could not do as he pleased!
It was as if the master of this Ming Empire was not him, but these cabinet ministers below, or rather, the old forces behind these cabinet ministers.

Emperor Chongzhen was both annoyed with these people and didn't want to use them, yet he had no choice but to use them!

After all, how could one person possibly manage such a vast country, such a vast territory, and such a large population?

Even if Emperor Chongzhen made the right decisions, once they reached the lower levels, they still had to rely on these people to implement and carry them out. Even the best scriptures need monks who can recite them.

"You all go back to the cabinet and discuss this matter again. Zhang Cheng must be punished," Emperor Chongzhen said, looking at Chen Yan and the others. "No matter what excuse Zhang Cheng uses to exonerate himself, he has lost his fiefdom. He cannot go unpunished; otherwise, how can we convince the people?"

Chen Yan rose again and said, "Your Majesty, we have received your decree and will certainly devise a plan to punish the Earl of Yongning, to warn all officials and generals to fight bravely against the enemy, and to prevent the Earl of Yongning from losing heart and morale."

Emperor Chongzhen remained noncommittal, simply waving his hand lightly and saying indifferently, "You may leave. I am tired."

...The Jurchens besieged Qingzhou Prefecture but failed to capture it, so they attacked and captured Shouguang County and looted it. Another Jurchen besieged Changle County but failed to capture it after two days, so they moved east into the territory of Laizhou Prefecture.

On December 15th, in Changyi County, approximately ten thousand Jurchen cavalrymen camped about ten miles from the city.

Li Cuixiu, the magistrate of Changyi County, convened officials and gentry in the city to discuss defense strategies. He personally took charge of the command, while County Assistant Zhang Qiren, Registrar Tian Wenju, Instructor Jiao Fuze, and former Instructor Guo Erjiao ascended the four city walls to lead the people in a steadfast defense.

The Jurchens attacked the city for three days without success. However, on December 18th, the Jurchens brought cannons from who-knows-where and bombarded the city fiercely for half a day. The northeast corner of Changyi City collapsed, and the Jurchens poured in, leading to the fall of Changyi.

More than seventy prominent officials, gentry, and scholars in the city died defending the city.

County Magistrate Li Cuixiu was killed at the foot of the northwest corner tower; County Assistant Zhang Qiren was killed in front of the Guanwang Temple in the city; former Instructor Guo Erjiao was killed on the east city wall; Instructor Jiao Fuze was killed in the south city; and Registrar Tian Wenju was captured by the Qing army and taken to their camp, where he refused to surrender and was killed.

Changyi County was the first city in Laizhou Prefecture to be captured by the Jurchens, marking the fact that the Jurchens' invasion had penetrated deep into the heart of the Ming Dynasty.

On the same day, a group of Jurchens marched south into Huai'an Prefecture in Southern Zhili, captured Shuyang County, and shocked the entire Huai'an Prefecture.

…………

December 19th.

When the Jurchens who had captured Changyi County heard that their attack on Weixian had failed and that they had suffered heavy casualties, they were filled with resentment. They rallied their remaining strength and, relying on the three cannons they had captured from Changyi County, marched on to Weixian and set up camp south of the east gate of the county.

At the second watch of the night on the 19th, the Jurchens, taking advantage of the darkness, launched an attack on the city by lamplight.

Dozens of long ladders were used to reach the west side of the south gate, and people swarmed up the city wall. In addition, thousands of captured people were driven to dig at the wall with hoes and picks, and soon the wall of cattle and horses was knocked down more than ten feet long.

The Jurchens launched a fierce and coordinated attack, their momentum unstoppable...

Zhou Liangong, the magistrate of Weixian County, braved arrows and stones to lead the local officials in charge of defending the four cities, including Hu Zhenqi, Yang Yuan, a student of the Imperial Academy, and Liu Fangsheng, a military officer. On the one hand, he encouraged the soldiers and civilians to calmly fight the enemy, and on the other hand, he sent Zhu Yuansheng, Zhao Conggeng, and others to lead suicide soldiers to the city walls to launch a surprise attack on the Jiannu who were digging through the walls.

The Jurchens' attack on the city failed, and he once again considered leaving.

However, after traveling more than twenty miles east, they encountered a group of Jurchens from Pingdu Prefecture, which had just been captured, coming from the west. They mentioned their two failed attempts to capture Weixian, resulting in heavy losses of soldiers.

The Manchu Plain Yellow Banner's Meile'ezhen Babuhai was immediately enraged and vowed to attack Weixian to avenge this humiliation.

So they returned to the walls of Weixian. On the morning of the 20th, more than a thousand enemy soldiers stormed into the north gate of Weixian. To protect themselves from cannon fire and archery from the city walls, they covered themselves with door panels.

The Jurchens set up the three cannons they had captured from Changyi City and bombarded the north gate continuously. They also resorted to their old tricks, driving the captured refugees to dig at the base of the city wall with shovels and hoes.

In less than two hours, they had dug six large holes, each large enough to hold dozens of people, and they continued digging for three days... (End of Chapter)