The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

April 29th, the sixteenth year of the Chongzhen reign.

Southern suburbs of the capital.

South of Yongdingmen.

The crimson banners stretched endlessly, forming a boundless, raging tide of blood that obscured the vast countryside.
The snow-white military tents were scattered like stars, like newly fallen snow, reflecting a cold luster under the spring sun, filling every inch of the visible grass.

The tents were arranged in a neat and orderly manner, stretching for more than ten miles.

The snow-white military tents and red banners complement each other, creating a magnificent picture with a strong visual impact, and the solemn atmosphere soars to the sky.

Layer upon layer of military tents were spread out, and countless banners stood tall.

In the center of this sea of ​​military tents and spears, a particularly enormous tent, made of blue curtains, stands majestically, like the North Star surrounded by a constellation of stars.

In front of the tent entrance.

Three tall, crimson banners fluttered in the wind, moving wildly.

Outside the main tent, a group of Jingnan soldiers, dressed in cloaks, belts, helmets, and armor, stood along the tent, swords at their sides and bows at their sides.

Beneath the bright helmet, his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's; his crimson battle robe reflected the cold gleam of his scale armor, and a fierce killing intent slowly flowed from his body.

Even though the Qing army had already fled north and the entire northern country had been subdued, and they were in the most central part of the entire camp, the armored soldiers guarding outside the tent did not slacken their vigilance in the slightest.

Inside the Chinese military tent.

The generals were seated in rows.

But the scene was desolate, silent and indifferent.

In April, the capital city was still not completely free of the cold.

Chen Wang leaned slightly forward. Instead of the usual command desk, a brazier of charcoal fire sat on the desk in front of him.

The only sound in the tent was the crackling of burning charcoal in the brazier.

Chen Wang raised his hand, removed the heavy Ming helmet, and casually placed it at his feet.

Chen Wang had already removed his heavy armor before entering the tent.

Chen Wang, dressed in a crimson python robe, gazed at the charcoal brazier at his feet, which emitted a faint red glow.

The crimson python robe gleamed a dark red under the glow of the charcoal fire.

The charcoal brazier dispelled the chill inside the tent, and the dark red flames illuminated Chen Wang's face, giving it an eerie glow.

The flickering light and shadows fell on the faces of each general who was focused on his work, and all of them had their eyebrows lowered.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Chen Wangcai finally made a move.

Chen Wang withdrew his warmed hands, slowly raised his head, and looked at the officers and soldiers inside the tent.

All the officers and soldiers noticed Chen Wang's actions and immediately straightened their backs, lowered their heads and looked down.

Chen Wang's gaze swept from left to right, taking in the faces of all the officers and soldiers.

Chen Gong sat in the first seat on the left, wearing a cavalry armor. Whether ranked by rank in the army or by distance, Chen Gong should rightfully sit in the second position.

The position on the right should belong to Zhou Yumou, the Earl of Dingyuan, who was the General Commander of Huguang Garrison. However, the person sitting on the right at this time was not Zhou Yumou, but Zuo Liangyu.

Although Zuo Liangyu was previously the head of the various towns in the south, his official position and rank in the court were indeed second only to Chen Wang.

However, after Chen Wang reorganized the various towns in the south, Zuo Liangyu was only the commander of one division, and could only command the troops of one division.

Official positions in the imperial court were not important in the Jingnan Army's hierarchy.

Chen Ming, who is now the garrison commander of Henan Town, was previously just a guerrilla.

Chen Wang transferred Chen Ming to Henan Town to oversee the entire town and added him to the list.

Based solely on this point, Chen Ming quickly replaced Chen Yongfu as the garrison commander of Henan Town and was granted the title of Earl.

In fact, Chen Ming didn't have many military achievements.

He was appointed general and granted a title simply because Chen Wang needed a trustworthy person to command the troops under the Henan town.

Such an award naturally caused considerable controversy in the imperial court.

But those controversies were useless; under the threat of military might, power naturally took hold.

There were no objections from the various towns and armies.

In the eyes of the military academy students.

Chen Wang.

It is destiny!

Destiny.

If destiny truly exists in this world.

That vague and elusive destiny.

Undoubtedly at this moment.

This is being done to Chen Wang!

The world is in darkness, the people are lamenting, the nation is in distress, the sun and moon are dim, the state is as precarious as a pile of eggs, and its collapse and destruction are imminent.

It was Chen Wang.

After a long and arduous campaign, the army pacified seventy-two battalions, quelled the southern rebels, drove out the Jurchens, restored the northern kingdom, and returned to the old capital, thus wiping away decades of humiliation for China.

It was Chen Wang.

Take them with you.

They truly accomplished something that almost no one in the world could do.

To turn the tide and save the collapsing edifice!
Chen Wang today.

Although nominally he was still only a minor marquis.

But who doesn't know that?

Who is the person who holds the greatest power in the world today?

If it weren't for Chen Wang...

The fierce, clear phoenix from beyond the pass had already swept across the entire Nine Provinces.

How can the sun and moon, now dim and without light, still illuminate the entire universe?

It was because of Chen Wang, who held up the sun and moon, that their light was able to continue to exist.

Chen Wang looked to the left, towards Zuo Liangyu sitting on his right.

Zuo Liangyu felt Chen Wang's gaze fall upon him, and without any hesitation, he lowered his head once more.

There was no resentment in his heart about bowing down to his former juniors.

In the military.

Martial spirit!

The strong prevail.

This is an ironclad rule in the military.

Zuo Liangyu knew why he was able to sit on the right.

This was a clear instruction given to him by Chen Wang.

Obey orders, fight bravely and risk your life, and you can rise to the top quickly.

Chen Wang witnessed the entire battle in Qingzhou.

In the Battle of Qingzhou, he no longer retreated after a slight setback to preserve his strength, as he had done in the past. Instead, he fought with all his might.

Of the three thousand trusted retainers and cavalry, thirteen hundred were killed in battle.

Three generals died in battle, and Zuo Liangyu himself was also wounded multiple times in the battle.

Chen Wang looked at Zuo Liangyu, his tone gentle.

"I am aware of the Battle of Qingzhou. I have ordered the merits of each garrison to be recorded. They will soon be sent to Chen to go south. I will ensure that the martyrs do not harbor resentment and that the army does not lose heart." "I have personally petitioned His Majesty to posthumously confer titles on Li Wanqing, Ma Shixiu, and Du Yingjin, so that their descendants may enjoy their privileges."

The ups and downs of military life over the past decade flashed by like a revolving lantern, and at this moment, a bittersweet current welled up in Zuo Liangyu's eyes.

Zuo Liangyu clasped his hands tightly to his knees, his thoughts drifting.

As a Ming general, he obeyed the imperial court's orders and fought his way through the north and south, narrowly escaping death.

The young men below followed him through thick and thin, risking their lives.

But what do we ultimately get?

They received reprimands from the imperial court, contempt from civil officials, and orders to mobilize troops.

The Ministry of War harshly criticized those who captured enemy heads, greatly diminishing the merits they earned through their desperate battles.

The Ministry of Revenue was stingy with military pay and provisions, leaving the soldiers hungry and destitute, even withholding the pensions they had earned at the cost of their lives.

Even those who die on the battlefield are punished for defeat, implicating their families.

He would never forget that after Luo Hou's defeat, the pensions for nearly 10,000 soldiers were reduced to only 2,000 taels, not even enough to provide each soldier with a simple coffin.

Why should they risk their lives for such a court?
But now, things are finally different.

After the Battle of Yangzhou, all the compensation and rewards were distributed by military judges one by one.

The money they risked their lives for was finally in their hands...

only……

Those soldiers who died unjustly over the years...

"Today we have recovered the northern kingdom, driven out the Jurchens, reclaimed our land, and wiped away our past humiliation."

Chen Wang turned his gaze to the officers and soldiers inside the tent and said in a stern voice.

"The great achievements of the ages and the stability of the nation for ten thousand generations are all thanks to your bravery and the courage of the three armies, which turned danger into safety, prevented the land of China from sinking again, and prevented the tragedy of Yamen from repeating itself."

"Sacrifice should not be forgotten, and martyrs should not be let down."

"The soldiers who died in the previous campaigns of suppressing rebellions, defending the emperor, rushing to the aid of the border regions, and on the road to the Northern Expedition should not be buried in the long river of history."

"I have ordered the Military Affairs Department and the Intelligence Department to conduct investigations and search all over the country, and record them. Soon, steles and shrines will be erected in various places."

"May your life be long and prosperous, and may your incense burn forever..."

Inside the central command tent, all the officers and soldiers looked up and stared at Chen Wang.

After Yangzhou, the Jingnan Army set up a shrine to martyrs outside the city, inscribing the lives of those who died in battle on stone tablets for worship.

Now, Chen Wang has chosen to expand the Martyrs' Shrine once again, and to broaden the scope of those eligible to be included in the shrine from the original Jingnan Army faction to all military towns across the country.

Such measures did not resonate much with the officers and soldiers of the Jingnan Army's direct line.

However, all the Ming army officers and soldiers who came from the old army were red-eyed.

They gritted their teeth, clenched their fists, and desperately suppressed their emotions.

Seeing the reactions of the generals in the tent, Chen Wang couldn't help but sigh softly.

Many of these officers and officers, who came from the old army, had a notorious reputation in history.

There were those who killed innocent people to claim credit, those who allowed their troops to plunder, and those who embezzled public funds and drank the blood of soldiers were commonplace.

Many of the former military officers who followed him in the tent today preserved their reputations of loyalty and righteousness, and collapsed along with the decaying edifice of the Ming Dynasty.

They did indeed do many wrong things. In fact, many of them were just ordinary people who were swept along by the tide of the times, powerless and struggling to survive because they were alone and isolated.

Given the times and the state of the world, it is extremely difficult to distinguish who is right and who is wrong. We must recognize the limitations of our time and not be too harsh on people of that era.

Being afraid of death is not a fault, and compromising one's principles is not hateful.

The real mistake lies in surrendering and then becoming an accomplice to evil, turning the blade against one's own compatriots.

What is hateful are those who, after defecting to the enemy, slaughtered even more ruthlessly than the foreign races, and stained their hats with the blood of their compatriots—these hypocritical beasts.

Chen Wang's gaze sharpened slightly, halting his wandering thoughts.

Now that the northern kingdom has been recovered and the main force of the Qing army has been annihilated, the remnants of the Qing army are fleeing north.

After receiving news of the Qing army's defeat and retreat, Zu Zefu personally selected 6,000 elite cavalry from Guan Ning, along with 4,000 auxiliary cavalry, and combined them with 10,000 troops to intercept the remaining Qing forces at Shanhaiguan.

In Miyun, Jizhou Town, they encountered the remnants of the Qing army led by Ajige and Dorgon, and a fierce battle broke out between the two sides.

Dorgon fled north from Jining, gathering the remnants of his army along the way. After reaching the capital, he also took the capital's garrison with him, bringing his combined forces to 15,000 cavalry.

Later, he joined forces with the remnants of Ajige's army in Tongzhou, and the two divisions combined to form an army of more than 27,000 cavalry.

In terms of troop strength, the Qing army held the advantage.

However, the disastrous defeat at Jining demoralized the Qing army, leaving them with no will to fight and no intention of engaging in battle. Furthermore, after receiving news of the Qing army's defeat, soldiers in various parts of Jizhou Town defected one after another, and the Qing army was worried that the road out of the pass would be completely blocked.

On the other hand, the Guan-Ning Army, upon hearing of the Qing army's defeat and the loss of its main force, pursued them relentlessly, their morale soaring.

Furthermore, due to the blood feud in Liaodong, the troops were united and determined to fight to the death, ultimately defeating the Qing army in Miyun.

After their defeat, Dorgon and Ajige had no choice but to flee in panic.

When he led his troops to Xifengkou, only 20,000 men remained under his command; the rest had either died or fled, and their whereabouts were unknown.

Not far from Xifengkou, his troops were attacked and annihilated by a coalition of Mongol tribes in southern Mongolia.

Most of the troops from the various Mongol tribes in southern Mongolia were transferred into the pass, and the troops still outside the pass were all temporarily assembled.

Under normal circumstances, they were no match for the Qing army.

However, the Qing army was exhausted from repeated escapes and was worried that the Guan Ning army would follow them, so they were determined to escape.

The various Mongol tribes of southern Mongolia pursued the Qing army for over 300 li before withdrawing, killing and wounding over 3,000 Qing soldiers and seizing a large amount of supplies.

The journey from Xifengkou to Shenyang via the road outside the Great Wall is nearly two thousand miles.

It was still cold outside the pass at this time, and there were few places to resupply.

Although the casualties were only three thousand, it can be predicted that by the time Dorgon and Ajige return to Shenyang, the number of troops under their command will be reduced by at least 30% to 40%.

This time, upon entering the pass, the Qing army mobilized the entire nation, conquering all the outer Mongol tribes, and amassed an army of 250,000 to raid the northern country from the south.

Upon returning to Shenyang, they found they had at most ten thousand soldiers.

Although Dorgon and Ajige fled, the Liaodong region remained under the control of the Qing army.

However, the Qing court's war potential had actually been completely destroyed.

Chen Wang turned his head west.

The Qing Dynasty is now nothing more than a candle flickering in the wind.

He had already woven a deadly net for the Qing Dynasty in Liaodong.

When Dorgon and Ajige returned to Shenyang.

They will find out.

North Korea, which has always been trembling under their military might, will no longer be so docile.

The Han Chinese people in their own country who had been abducted and forced into servitude would also no longer behave themselves.

The various tribes of Southern Mongolia had already broken away, and they too suffered greatly under the rule of the Qing court.

With the Qing court now weakened by nine-tenths, how could they possibly give up such a golden opportunity for revenge?

The Guan Ning Army was no longer at a disadvantage in terms of troop strength when facing the Qing army.

The Qing army had completely lost the ability to launch proactive attacks.

The offensive and defensive situation in Liaodong has been completely reversed.

This Northern Expedition will now come to an end.

The campaign to reach the capital had already depleted the grain and provisions accumulated by the Jingnan Army over many years.

The soldiers, having fought across thousands of miles, were nearing their limit.

Moreover, now is the time to turn our attention to the interior, to the western part of China, to the war-torn southwest and the northwest, which has been occupied by Li Zicheng for a long time. (End of Chapter)