The wind rises at the end of the Ming Dynasty

Four years later, I revisited the place, but everything had changed.

Facing the rising sun, bathed in its rays,
Chen Wang led his warhorse, gently kicking its belly, and raised its head, slowly making its way towards the tall and majestic Yongding Gate.

Behind them, tens of thousands of Jingnan soldiers marched forward with their heads held high and muskets on their shoulders.

The passageway at the city gate was already lined with fully armed soldiers of the Jingnan Army.

On the day they arrived in Beijing, Chen Wang ordered Zhou Yumao and Zuo Guangxian to lead troops into the city and take over the city's defenses.

The two battalions of infantry directly under Zhao Huailiang's command have also entered the Forbidden City and taken over the defense of the four gates of the Forbidden City and the palaces throughout the Forbidden City.

Now, the entire city of Beijing is completely under the control of the Jingnan Army.

The army that entered the city numbered 50,000, while on the southern and eastern outskirts, there were 120,000 Jingnan troops watching with predatory eyes.

On the wide Grand Canal, thousands of sails fluttered in the breeze, and 15,000 naval officers and soldiers had taken control of the docks and ferry crossings in various places, isolating all hidden dangers and threats.

Chen Wang spurred his horse slowly into the passage, and the crisp, powerful sound of hooves immediately echoed through the enclosed passageway. It mingled with the sounds of fluttering banners, the slight clinking of armor, and the heavy breathing of warhorses, all amplified several times by the narrow space.

The heavy sound of footsteps and the crisp sound of horses' hooves instantly drowned out all other noises, becoming the dominant tone in this narrow space.

The outer city wall of Beijing during the Ming Dynasty had a circumference of 28 li (approximately 14 kilometers).

It has a flat, elongated shape that is wider from east to west and narrower from north to south.

It has seven gates and four corner towers at the four corners.

The city wall is made of rammed earth inside and covered with bricks and stones on the outside.

The outer city wall was covered with bricks about one meter thick, which was enough to withstand the bombardment of heavy siege cannons for a long time.

Yongdingmen is the main gate of the southern wall of Beijing's outer city and the southern starting point of Beijing's central axis.

Yongding Gate was built in a magnificent manner.

Its gate tower is a two-story, double-eaved, hip-roofed pavilion-style building covered with gray tiles with green trim, and decorated with green glazed roof beasts. There are regular five-tiered brackets under the two eaves. The whole structure looks both solemn and majestic, as well as magnificent.

It is truly a superior nation and a celestial empire, worthy of being called the divine capital and imperial capital.

Unfortunately, as the Ming Empire declined, Yongding Gate suffered repeated ravages of war during the Chongzhen era and was no longer as magnificent as it once was.

In many places, even broken city bricks have not been repaired, and arrow holes and cannon marks still remain in many places.

The dazzling golden light pierced through the layers of clouds and radiated in all directions, and the red sun slowly rose from the eastern horizon.

Stepping out of the Yongding Gate passageway, sunlight streamed down, and the scene before him made Chen Wang's expression slightly dazed.

In the twelfth year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, the Wuyin Incident came to an end with the Battle of Qingshan Pass.

He was ordered by the emperor to accompany Sun Chuanting to the capital to present the captives.

When the gates of Yongdingmen were opened.

The streets were lined with cheering crowds, their thunderous shouts drowning out all other sounds in the world.

But now, the long street is deserted, and the broken walls and ruins are desolate and lifeless.

The once bustling streets have been reduced to ruins, with withered grass swaying among the rubble.

There were no more cheers like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing down, nor were there the crowds who used to wave their arms and cheer as they lined the streets to welcome them.

Only the mournful sound of the wind passing through the broken windowpanes remained, like a lament.

Several ruined walls surround an old well, which has always been a family home.

Chen Wang sat astride his warhorse, looking ahead with a gloomy expression.

In the past, their procession entered the capital from Yongding Gate, heading north all the way through Zhengyang Gate, bringing cheers all the way and making the entire capital city boil with excitement.

Now, all around is desolate, with ruins everywhere, and many buildings have been destroyed by fire.

Under the leadership of Huang Taiji, the Qing army captured the capital.

Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself to die for his country, and the palace women scattered and fled.

Although many ministers also died for their country when the city fell.

However, there were also many who were afraid of death and took the initiative to open the gates of the mansion, kneel down on the street, and invite the Qing army to take over the capital.

Huang Taiji agreed and even issued an edict that officials of the third rank and below who surrendered would be employed and allowed to return to their hometowns at their leisure, while those who hid in the city would be executed.

After the Qing army entered the city, Huang Taiji, in order to win over the hearts of the people, restrained his soldiers from looting and put away their swords and arrows.

Under Huang Taiji's strict orders, the Qing army did not commit any offenses at the beginning of their entry into the city.

However, as time went on, the situation became increasingly unfavorable. In order to raise military supplies and provisions, Huang Taiji took action.

The Qing army began targeting wealthy households and officials in the city, fabricating charges to confiscate their property.

However, this move has not yet affected ordinary people in the outer city.

What truly brought disaster to both the inner and outer cities was...

After news of the defeat at Jining reached the capital, military discipline began to loosen.

At first, they exercised some restraint, only taking some precious gold, silver, valuables, antiques, and paintings, packing and bundling these valuables to take with them when they left.

By the time Ajige and Dorgon, after a long and arduous journey, led their remaining troops to reunite and arrive in the capital, the situation had completely spiraled out of control.

After Dorgon and Ajige had been on the run for many days, they saw that their troops were in a state of panic and their morale was low. So they opened up the camp and allowed the soldiers to burn, kill and loot at will in the city in order to restore morale.

The Qing army, which had suffered defeats and had long been suppressed and lost their rationality, revealed their ugliness after receiving the pardon.

They ran rampant inside and outside the capital city, breaking down doors, raping, plundering, stealing anything they could find, and killing anyone they encountered.

Meanwhile, Dorgon and Ajige dispatched their trusted troops to pile up firewood, pour oil, and lay out flammable materials at major transportation routes, near city gates, and around important buildings both inside and outside the city.

After half a day of frenzied and bloody slaughter and looting, Ajige and Dorgon led their troops away from Beijing. Before leaving, they ordered their men to set fire to various flammable materials.

The main reason Dorgon and Ajige sent soldiers to burn the city was to delay the pursuit of the Jingnan army.

When a great fire broke out in the capital, Chen Wang led his troops to the scene. He would first do his best to put out the fire and then appease the panicked survivors in the city and restore order from the chaos.

However, their plan ultimately failed.

The sudden fire did indeed destroy a large number of houses and buildings in a short period of time.

However, when the people of the capital discovered that the Qing army had fled in panic, the surviving people spontaneously began to put out the fire.

At this moment, the intelligence officers of the Jingnan Army in the capital also stepped forward. All the hidden intelligence stations were activated. These spies who had been hiding in the capital for a long time, like eyes and ears in the dark, and who had been passing on information to the South, became the core of the firefighting efforts.

With their familiarity with the city's layout and their organizational skills, they shouted to guide the way, coordinated the chaotic firefighting crowd, and more effectively organized the forces to contain the fire.

Meanwhile, many former yamen runners and clerks also took to the streets. Some former imperial guards who had been hiding in secret corners and had luckily escaped the Qing army's purge also stepped forward and joined the firefighting efforts.

Because the Qing army fled in haste, the arson arrangements in many places were actually very rushed, and the ignition materials left behind were not sufficient, and the fire sources could not be completely connected.

Therefore, thanks to the joint efforts of all parties, the firefighting operation was timely and effective, and the fire did not get completely out of control as the Qing army had hoped.

Therefore, by the time Chen Wang led his troops to the capital, the fire had already been brought under control.

The fire started by the Qing army did not reduce the entire city of Beijing to ashes as they had hoped. However, the Qing army clearly carried out targeted sabotage before their withdrawal, and several major granaries storing military supplies and civilian food in the capital were still destroyed by the fire.

Chen Wang led his troops forward until they reached the Zhengyang Gate, where they saw a large, dark crowd gathered.

The long street was lined with fully armed Jingnan soldiers, isolating the crowd.

Although there were many people in the square outside Zhengyangmen, the atmosphere was relatively orderly, with only a few soft noises.

Among the crowd, one could see soldiers dressed in Jingnan red uniforms, with goose-feather sabers at their waists, patrolling back and forth.

Temporary porridge sheds were set up in the square, and Jingnan soldiers wearing red turbans were vigorously stirring the rice porridge in the large pots.

The rice porridge was fairly thick, but not thick enough to allow chopsticks to stand upright when inserted.

The summer grain harvest was not completed before the troops were dispatched ahead of schedule. The regions were already suffering from the ravages of war, and supplies were extremely limited.

In preparation for this Northern Expedition, the people in many parts of the South truly tightened their belts to make ends meet.

Chen Wang instructed Chen Gong, who was then leading troops to guard the southern country, to raise his butcher's knife and kill a group of powerful landlords. He also arrested a group of grain merchants on the grounds of hoarding and speculation.

Only by employing this two-pronged approach could they barely gather enough food to support the Northern Expedition.

This Northern Expedition involved a main force of 130,000 troops, a detachment of 50,000 troops from the eastern route, and two divisions to reinforce Guan Ning. The daily and weekly consumption of provisions and supplies for the troops and horses was an extremely alarming figure.

Not to mention the sea transport of grain and supplies to Guan Ning, which was lost and damaged along the way.

The northern country was in turmoil, and under the rampage of the Qing army, the livelihoods of many people were in jeopardy, and they could only barely make ends meet.

Fortunately, the natural disaster has finally subsided somewhat, so that the people of the northern country are not left without even a bite to eat.

However, many people were still affected by the disaster, and in the capital, after the granaries were burned down, grain prices were extremely high, and the people were in dire straits.

Chen Wang gazed heavily at the long line of Beijing residents before him.

The people living under the emperor's nose generally live a more prosperous life than those in other places; at least many of them do not go hungry.

However, with the spread of war and the onslaught of disease, even the people of the capital were suffering.

He longed to take advantage of the Qing army's recent defeat and low morale, follow them out of the pass, and strike directly at the heart of the enemy.
He also longed to follow them out of the pass, to send troops out of Shanhaiguan, to trample over the so-called Shengjing City of the Qing court, and to eliminate the border troubles.

However, many things cannot be done simply by wanting to.

Although the Qing army's strength was greatly reduced, it still had a force of about 20,000 men attacking Ningyuan, although most of them were auxiliary troops.

These troops are not good for field battles, but they are barely usable for defending cities.

Dorgon and Ajige were still alive; both were highly experienced military commanders and renowned generals of their time.

Guan Ning alone could not conquer the entire Liaodong region.

If the still relatively submissive Mongolians were recruited, they could indeed defeat the Qing Dynasty.

However, the outer Mongol vassals are not yet completely subjugated. If they are conscripted to conquer the Qing Dynasty, they will inevitably demand a great deal of benefits.

The Guan Ning Army was small and unable to control the troops of the outer Mongol vassals, which inevitably led to many troubles.

However, without relying on the Mongol vassals, Guan Ning alone was not enough to destroy the Qing Dynasty.

The army needs provisions to march north, but there is currently a shortage of provisions, making it impossible to continue.

War is never simply fought on a battlefield.

Whether the rear can be stable, whether the supply lines can be kept open, whether the people's hearts are won over, and whether the political system is clean and efficient. Maintaining logistics, balancing the various forces, and governing the northern lands in their infancy...

All of this was like an invisible shackle, restricting his next move.

At this moment, stabilizing the capital region, appeasing the people, and restoring production are far more urgent and realistic than pursuing the remaining enemy forces.

Thinking of this, Chen Wang couldn't help but let out another soft sigh.
Just then, a shout made Chen Wang turn his head unconsciously.

"The general above... could it be General Chen Wang, the former garrison commander of Hanzhong?"

An elderly man in a brocade robe with white hair looked up at him.

The old man's wrinkled face was filled with a mixture of anticipation and disbelief when Chen Wang looked at him.

The old man swayed suddenly, then slowly knelt down on the ground, his eyes filled with sorrow.

The old man's shouts were like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, quickly creating ripples among the surrounding crowd.

"General Chen?"

Someone nearby repeated it in a low voice, their tone tinged with doubt.

"Could it be Grandpa Chen, who won a great victory at Qingshan Pass, shot the enemy chieftain with an arrow that pinned him to Gongshutai!"

"General Chen!"

"It's General Chen!"

The news spread like wildfire among the crowd. The people who had been numbly queuing for porridge began to stir. Countless eyes instantly focused on Chen Wang, filled with astonishment, awe, and an indescribable excitement of surviving a desperate situation.

Chen Wang reined in his warhorse and looked at the surging crowd around him. Something seemed to strike his heart, and a complex and indescribable emotion welled up inside him, making his throat tighten slightly.

Four years have passed, separated by thousands of miles and countless battles, and these people in the capital have only met him once, yet they still remember him.

In an instant, a cacophony of noise erupted all around, with countless people calling out different names, but without exception, they all called Chen Wang.

Chen Wang dismounted and, surrounded by armored soldiers, helped up the old man who had been the first to kneel.

"Please rise, sir. I, Chen, truly... cannot accept this..."

"We, the generals, have failed to defend against the enemy, resulting in the destruction of our land, the humiliation of our elders, and the chaos that has plagued the nation to this day. This is truly due to the fault of us, the generals. I, Chen, dare not accept your salutations."

look around.

Those eyes, filled with gratitude, excitement, and sorrow, made Chen Wang's heart grow heavier. He felt as if a heavy stone was pressing down on his heart, making it hard for him to breathe.

Chen Wang's eyes were red, and his voice was hoarse, full of apology.

"Yes... Mr. Chen... is late..."

The old man stood up shakily, about to thank him again.

But when he looked up and saw Chen Wang's face clearly up close, he suddenly froze on the spot.

The words he wanted to say stuck in his throat, turning into a sob that he could only choke back.

"General..."

The old man's cloudy tears slid down his cheeks.

The old man's voice was hoarse, filled with sorrow.

"General... is only in his early thirties..."

"Why... am I getting gray hair so early..." (End of Chapter)