The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 475 Serving the Emperor to Command the Disobedient!

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

"I, the Emperor, have inherited this great legacy and ascended the throne."

"At a time of national crisis, we rely on loyal ministers and righteous men to work together to save the country."

"Chen Wang, the Earl of Jingnan, was a man of unwavering loyalty and integrity, and possessed both literary and military talents."

“When the barbarian cavalry invaded the capital, you led your elite troops northward, swiftly and bravely defended the king, and decisively defeated the barbarian hordes, causing them to flee in disarray and restoring the prestige of the nation.”

"He once again wielded his spear to sweep away the enemy, led his troops to quell the bandits, and pacified the rebellious forces in Qin and Yu, and swept away the traitors in the southern lands."

"When the Southern Capital fell, it was thanks to your valiant efforts that it was able to be recovered."

"Where the arrows are aimed, the stubborn are reformed; where the banners are pointed, the people live in peace."

"To establish my imperial chariot, so that the six ancestral temples may shine again, and the people may have a place to rely on."

"To rescue the common people from fire and water, and to secure the nation from peril."

"His achievements are magnificent, and his integrity is awe-inspiring."

"Now I hereby appoint you as the Marquis of Jingnan, with the additional title of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, and bestow upon you a python robe and a gold book. You shall be the supreme commander of the military affairs of the North and South Zhili provinces, as well as Shandong, Henan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Shaanxi provinces, and shall control the troops of all the garrisons. You shall be granted an iron certificate, which shall be hereditary and perpetual."

"The mountains and rivers bear witness to your meritorious service in pacifying the land; the bronze vessels inscribed with your achievements will forever commemorate your virtuous deeds in upholding justice..."

Golden light shimmered on the river's surface, and the warships rose and fell gently with the waves.

A river breeze swept by, swirling up thousands of banners and flags.

The angel who proclaimed the decree was dressed in a brocade robe and jade belt, holding a bright yellow imperial edict, and his clear voice fell.

"Your subject respectfully obeys the imperial decree."

Chen Wang knelt on the ground and raised his hands.

The hem of the angel's brocade robe trembled slightly, and the hands holding the imperial edict unconsciously tightened.

The angel took a deep breath, took half a step forward, and bowed, placing the bright yellow edict steadily on Chen Wang's hands, which were covered by iron armor.

The official presented the edict with both hands and quickly walked to the yellow table that had been set up, where he placed the edict upright and offered it up.

According to etiquette, a bow should have been performed at this moment, but Chen Wang stood still without moving.

Suddenly, the sound of drums and music rang out; it was the music that guided the angels away.

This piece of music, which should have been solemn and serious, now sounds like a hastily concluded, incomplete piece.

The messenger opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he simply lowered his head, swallowed all his words, and, with his retinue, boarded the official ship they had come from.

As the official ship sailed away, Chen Wang remained calm.

The angel who delivered the decree had already learned of its meaning when he set off from Nanjing.

The reason is simple: all the rewards in this imperial edict were arranged by Chen Wang himself.

Chen Gong led Pingnan Town south, Li Jiyu surrendered the city, and the officials who had fled south gradually returned to Nanjing.

News of the fall of the capital has arrived, shaking the southern kingdom.

However, the situation was beyond their control; a country cannot be without a ruler for a single day.

Now that the capital has fallen and the late emperor has died for his country, a new emperor must be established.

In the original timeline, because Emperor Chongzhen died for his country and none of his three sons were able to escape to the south, various factions in the Southern Ming Dynasty engaged in a series of intrigues and struggles over which prince to support.

However, this time, the issue of Li Jun was resolved without causing much of a stir.

The first emperor of the Southern Ming Dynasty in history was Zhu Yousong, the Prince of Fu.

However, Zhu Yousong had already been killed by Li Yan in Luoyang, so he naturally had no way to inherit the throne.

Although Zhu Changfang, the Prince of Lu, who was the second candidate in history, fled to Southern Zhili.

In the original timeline, without Zhu Yousong, Zhu Changfang would naturally have inherited the throne.

However, on the issue of establishing a new emperor, the ones who truly have the say today are not the officials and nobles in Nanjing.

It was Chen Wang, who commanded the troops of the various towns in the south.

The person who actually controls the entire southern China today is undoubtedly Chen Wang.

Everyone knew that only those who had Chen Wang's support could inherit the throne.

In fact, for Chen Wang, no matter who becomes the new emperor, the current situation will not be shaken in the slightest.

He firmly held military power in his hands.

He also did not need the financial support of the imperial court.

Henan, Huguang, Jiangxi, and Southern Zhili were all under his direct jurisdiction.

He has already established a substantial independent regime.

However, Chen Wang had absolutely no good feelings towards Zhu Changfang.

Zhu Changfang was weak-willed and incompetent. After Zhu Yousong's death, he was appointed regent, but later surrendered the city to the Qing, showing no integrity whatsoever.

Even if it meant installing a puppet ruler, Chen Wang did not want Zhu Changfang to take the throne.

Therefore, the newly established emperor of the Ming court is Zhu Yujian, the Prince of Tang, who has set the reign title as Longwu.

Wu Sheng, Shi Kefa, and Ma Shiying were appointed as Grand Secretaries of the Dongge Pavilion, concurrently serving as Minister of War, Minister of Rites, and Minister of Personnel, respectively.

In addition to Chen Wang being granted the title of Marquis of Jingnan.

Chen Wang also had Chen Gong push forward to completely and truly finalize the appointment of the generals in each town.

The garrison commander of Hanzhong Town was Hu Zhiyi.

The garrison commander of Henan Town was Chen Ming.

In Southern Zhili, the garrison commander of Pingnan Town was Chen Gong.

The garrison commander of Huguang Town was Zhou Yumao.

The garrison commander of Shandong Town was led by Gao Jie.

The garrison commander of Sichuan Town was led by Ma Xianglin.

The six garrisons were given additional power as fiefdoms, and each garrison was allowed to independently levy its own troops, money, and provisions.

At the same time, the generals of the six garrisons were all promoted to the rank of earl.

Hu Zhiyi was appointed as the Earl of Zhaowu, Chen Gong as the Earl of Xuanwu, Chen Ming as the Earl of Weiyuan, Zhou Yumao as the Earl of Dingyuan, Gao Jie as the Earl of Xingping, and Ma Xianglin as the Earl of Zhongwu.

The conferment of power upon the Six Garrisons and their subsequent establishment as fiefdoms is similar to the edicts issued by the Hongguang court at the beginning of its history.

This was also Chen Wang's demand to make his taxation of the local area more legitimate.

Emperor Longwu, Zhu Yujian, was indeed a strong and resolute emperor.

However, even a skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice.

No matter how many ideas Zhu Yujian had in mind, he didn't have a single army to mobilize, so naturally he had no say in anything.

The entire army in the South, except for those in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, and Jiangxi, was actually subordinate to Chen Wang.

Meanwhile, the troops in Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian and other places have suffered heavy losses in the continuous suppression and relief efforts. It is already extremely difficult for them to just hold their local areas and guard against peasant uprisings and bandits, so they are simply not up to the task.

Now, Nanjing is completely under the control of the Jingnan Army.

Even the imperial guards protecting the capital were soldiers from Pingnan Town.

The power to draft proposals did not lie with the Cabinet or the Directorate of Ceremonial, but with the Central Army Headquarters of the Jingnan Army.

Military and political power did not lie with the governor or the viceroy, but with the generals of the various garrisons of the Jingnan Army.

"Marquis of Jingnan..."

Chen Wang stared at the imperial edict placed on the incense table.

In this era, the concept of righteousness still holds importance.

Although he had already achieved a substantial separatist regime.

However, for now, the Ming Dynasty's name is still needed to decorate the facade.

With just the title of Earl of Jingnan and Chen Wang's current status and prestige, it would be difficult to win the hearts and minds of all the people.

in this era.

Emperor.

It represents true supremacy. Even in the late Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, those who rebelled against the Qing and restored the Ming under the banner of the so-called "Third Prince Zhu" were still able to raise a considerable number of troops, which shows just how powerful it was.

As a powerful minister, he wanted to usurp the throne and establish himself as emperor.

Before the Song Dynasty, a series of steps had to be taken.

Entering the court without bowing, praising without using one's name, and wearing a sword and shoes to court—this was the beginning.

However, Zhao Kuangyin, who led the Chenqiao Mutiny during the Song Dynasty, did not experience this process.

However, more than two hundred years have passed since the Ming Dynasty unified China, and the concept of the Mandate of Heaven and imperial power has once again taken root in people's hearts.

The event of being crowned emperor is unlikely to be repeated.

Chen Wang is not in a hurry now.

He is currently in the prime of his life.

He firmly held the highest power in the country.

The court in the south was also under his control.

He's in a bad situation now.

It's just about achievements and fame.

His prestige from suppressing domestic rebels and defeating several Jurchen armies was not enough to support his move to change the dynasty.

Right now, maintaining stability is the most important thing.

When we defeat the Jurchens, recover the northern kingdoms, quell the rebellion of Li Zicheng, and reclaim the Three Qin regions.

At that time, whatever Chen Wang wants to do...

Everything just happened naturally.

"Upon hearing that the General Commander had led a large army north along the Grand Canal, Dorgon led his troops back from Pei County to reinforce Jining."

"The intelligence department reported that shortly after the Qing army captured the capital, it conscripted tens of thousands of laborers to build fortresses and gun emplacements in Jining, set up numerous obstacles inside the canal, and sank hundreds of ships to block the waterway."

"At the same time, the Qing army also built three artillery batteries near the canal to protect the blocked section of the canal."

"Moreover, this place is also within the range of artillery deployed in the east of Jining City."

Dai Zhenglin saw the look Chen Wang gave him and immediately understood what Chen Wang meant. He then reported the current situation to Chen Wang.

"According to Li Qingshan's report, even without any interference, it will probably take more than a month to clear the river."

In inland warfare, the navy often has the advantage, but this has little impact on the overall battle situation.

This is especially evident in the north, where the main advantage provided by the navy is actually logistical support.

The reason is simple: there are simply too many ways to counter a navy in inland river basins.

Besides the most well-known iron chains used to block the river, there is also the method currently used by the Qing army.

Sharp, iron-clad wooden stakes were driven into the shallow waters of the waterway. These stakes served a similar purpose to reefs; if attacking ships did not clear them from the water and sailed directly towards the enemy, the warships would be damaged.

During the Ming Dynasty, when Japanese pirates raided southeastern China, the Ming army deployed "plum blossom stakes," which were underwater arrays of staggered wooden stakes, along the coasts of Zhejiang and Fujian, to restrict the invasion of Japanese pirate ships.

Another approach was simple and brutal: directly requisition a large number of ships and sink them all to the bottom of the water.

Sinking ships to block waterways is a common defensive tactic. Although the cost of sinking ships is considerable, the results are entirely worthwhile, as it often takes a long time for the attacking side to clear the blocked waterways.

Chen Wang's gaze slowly swept over the area around Jining City. The General Staff had already clearly mapped out all the Qing army fortifications and camps around Jining City.

They even obtained information about the deployment of some Qing troops in Jining City through their intelligence network.

The total strength of the Qing troops entrenched in Jining has reached 70,000.

The army was composed mainly of the Plain White, Bordered White, Bordered Yellow, and Bordered Blue banners belonging to the Manchu and Mongol tribes, totaling eight banners with more than 30,000 banner soldiers.

The Manchu and Mongol banners of the Bordered Blue Banner, originally under Hauge's command, rushed from Hanoi to Jining to provide assistance after receiving news of the police attack there.

The Han army numbered 20,000, all of whom were veterans of the Qing army.

In addition, there were 20,000 Mongol cavalry from the outer regions.

When Chen Wang led his troops north, he mobilized seven divisions in addition to his personal guard division, including 120,000 infantrymen and 15,000 naval troops, for a total force of 130,000.

The seven divisions were two divisions led by Cao Bianjiao and Zhou Yumao, respectively, in Huguang Town.

The other five divisions were all troops from Henan garrison, led by Chen Yongfu, Gao Qian, Li Dingguo, Ai Nengqi, and Liu Wenxiu respectively.

Of these 120,000 infantrymen, the most elite and the backbone were undoubtedly the Imperial Guard Division under Chen Wang, and the three divisions under Zhou Yumao, Chen Yongfu, and Gao Qian.

The three divisions led by Zhou Yumao, Chen Yongfu, and Gao Qian were also originally the old army of the Ming court.

However, after continuous downsizing, most of the soldiers are from good families selected according to the Qi Family Army's selection method, while a small number are former soldiers of the Ming court.

The Third Division had a total of 44,000 men, and all infantrymen were equipped with the Hai Shi gun, a flintlock musket, which was also equipped with bayonets.

To prepare for this battle, Chen Wang mobilized almost all the weapons in the armory, and even drew weapons from various armies to fill the gaps.

In preparation for this crucial battle.

Chen Wang even mobilized all the artillery units that originally belonged to Hanzhong Town.

Today, the three divisions are arguably the most heavily armed forces in the entire world.

Including the Guards Battalion, all infantry units were equipped with 4-pound cannons, or field 6-pound cannons, for fire support, totaling 360 cannons.

Each battalion's artillery unit had twelve 7-pound cannons, which were Western-made nine-pound field guns, serving as long-range firepower.

The fifteen battalions had a total of 180 artillery pieces.

Each division-level heavy artillery unit is equipped with three 24-jin (32-pound) cannons and eight 18-jin (24-pound) cannons.

The Fourth Division had twelve 24-pound cannons and thirty-two 18-pound cannons, possessing a total of forty-four heavy siege artillery pieces.

In addition, the four divisions he commanded were mostly old troops.

However, these old troops were not weak.

In order to counter the superior cavalry of the Qing army, Chen Wang selected elite cavalry from various camps and filled them into the Fourth Division.

Gunners now make up half of the infantry, though most of them are equipped with the Sea Oath Gun, which is not armed with a bayonet.

All the soldiers had fought their way through swords and spears, crawled out of seas of blood, and were truly battle-hardened elite troops.

The armor coverage rate reached an astonishing 100%.

The armor was not uniform; not all of them wore visible armor. Most of their armor was cloth-covered iron armor.

However, in this era, such armor and the armor coverage of an army of this size were unprecedented.

While the number of artillery pieces used for auxiliary support was not as large as in Hanzhong Town, there were still nearly two hundred artillery pieces of various sizes.

The infantry division numbered 120,000 and was equipped with more than 700 artillery pieces of various sizes.

The number of artillerymen alone exceeded four thousand.

The rest of the army consisted of 18,000 armored infantry, 60,000 flintlock musketeers, and 40,000 elite cavalry.

This is a standard that other armies of this era can hardly reach.

"Ugh——"

The deep sound of horns echoed among the naval vessels everywhere.

On the shore, thousands of soldiers sang triumphant songs and marched forward with high spirits.

Chen Wang gripped the goose-feather saber at his waist, raised his head, and gazed at the city of Jining standing at the edge of the horizon.

The surrounding generals of the Jingnan Army also focused their attention on Chen Wang.

After a long silence.

Chen Wang simply uttered two words.

This was met with a roar of shouts that sounded like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing.

"Login."

Accompanied by the tolling of the ship's bell.

Hundreds and thousands of warships cut through the waves and headed toward the west bank of the canal.

On the west bank, the infantrymen raised their weapons high and shouted in unison.

"Long live!!!"