Kangxi, your Qing Dynasty is dead

Chapter 340 It's all republic, can't you proclaim yourself king? (ask for subscription, ask for monthly pass)

Ningbo Mansion, Zhenhai, Dajing Dongxing three years March [-]th.

This emerging maritime trading city located on the banks of the Dajia River, under the sunshine of spring, showed a gray style.There are few people on the streets of the city. Even the busiest shopping mall on the bank of the Dajia River in the past is now deserted. All the shops have locked doors.On the top of the city, there is only a blue flag with Geng character fluttering weakly.

After the Battle of Chashan, the 5000 field force that Geng Jingzhong managed to put together collapsed.Geng Jingzhong fled in a mule cart under the protection of a group of soldiers from Gengwangzhuang. Fortunately, there were not many cavalry in the Ming army at that time, only one battalion, and there was no time to chase down the tens of thousands of fleeing troops.However, the official road from Chashan to the south is not wide, and there is still a large section of mountain road. Tens of thousands of horses and horses squeeze in together, which will inevitably lead to congestion. .It only took them half a day for a group of them to reach Hangzhou City.Then he rested for a while, gathered some remnants of soldiers, brought gold and silver from the Hangzhou treasury, and extorted a batch of silks, satins, chariots and horses from the Hangzhou Chamber of Commerce, and continued to flee.After running for another two and a half days, he finally escaped to Zhenhai County, the residence of the Ningbo Government Office and the Office of the Dajing Minister of Commerce.At this time, there are less than 5000 people who are still loyally following Geng Jingzhong, half of them are from Gengwangzhuang, Fuzhou, and the rest are either followed in a daze, or are Manchurian soldiers who belonged to Yue Le .These [-] people plus Li Daoren's [-] recruits to act as pirates in the navy, left a total of less than [-] people.

Before Geng Jingzhong led 1 field elites, they were defeated by Li Zhongshan and Chen Yonghua with more than 7000 people. Of course, Ningbo cannot be kept with this mere [-] people.

Since Ningbo cannot be kept, there is nothing to talk about.These 7000 people immediately began to run amok in Zhenhai County and Zhenhai Commercial City, occupying houses, extorting money, and plundering women.Geng Jingzhong, the king of subjugation, did not restrain his subordinates. Instead, he ordered them to rob, and even took the initiative to participate in the robbery, snatching all the merchant ships from various countries moored in the Dajia River!

Although this plunder greatly lost the hearts of the people, it could help Geng Jingzhong, who was at the end of his life, to gather the morale of the army a little bit—the ones who are still following him are of course not good people, either they are doing a lot of evil and have nowhere to go, or they are still alive. Fantasizing about being able to have fun with Geng Jingzhong for the last time.

This time, Geng Jingzhong took them to plunder Zhenhai. They did something bad together, and offended Fujian maritime merchants and Zhejiang gentry.The background of the former is "Zheng Jing", and most of the latter have spent money to donate to the people and scholars of the country, and they are all small shareholders of Daming.Moreover, half of the backbone members of the reformist national scholars are from Zhejiang!If you offend these two groups of people, don't even think about surrendering to Daming, just follow Geng Jingzhong all the way to the black.

And after Geng Jingzhong commanded his subordinates to destroy Zhenhai County and Zhenhai Commercial Town, "retribution" will come soon!One after another, some Geng family members who escaped from the Chashan battlefield and some family members of Geng family generals who escaped from Jiande County arrived in Ningbo, and brought two bad news to Geng Jingzhong and others.

One is that Jiande surrendered, and most of the officials of the Dajing Dynasty and the families of civil and military officials became prisoners of the Ming army!
Second, Shang Shuying, who had no time to leave before the Ming army besieged the city, was executed by Ling Chi after being handed over to Li Zhongshan by Geng Juzhong and Ma Hu.
"What? Is it really late?"

"Why? Li Zhongshan and Shuying don't have such a big enmity, right? Although many members of the Shang family were killed by the Li family, the Li family was never killed by the Shang family. And after all, Shuying was the former Northern Princess. Isn't Ling Chi too miserable?"

"Is the news reliable?"

Geng Jingzhong and his confidantes Yu Renying, Li Daoren, Sai Leng'e (the son of Yue Le), and Xu Wenhuan were fine when they heard that Jiande surrendered, but when they heard that Shang Shuying was cut, they were all frightened.

Of course Shang Shuying is guilty, she is a traitor!He also led troops to attack Mochou Lake Prince's Mansion. His crime was not small, and it was not wronged to cut her.But the problem is that the sins of Geng Jingzhong, Yu Renying, Li Daoren, Sai Leng'e, Xu Wenhuan and others are not less than Shang Shuying!
Shang Shuying is in such a miserable situation, how can they get better?

"No mistake, this is what Ma Hu, a scholar of Qixing Pavilion, said," said an elderly Geng family man, "Shang Gege was escorted to Li Zhongshan's camp by him, and the old man was also present at that time, and tied her with ropes. At that time, she was chatting and laughing with the third master (Geng Juzhong), saying that when she arrived at Li Zhongshan's place, she only had to be good, and at most she would be beaten up, or she would be killed, so she told the third master not to worry. Unexpectedly, Ma Hu came back and reported that Gege had been killed. Stayed in Li Zhongshan's barracks and got cut!"

Several other family members of Geng Wangzhuang's retainers who came with the old man also gave him certificates.

"Shang Gege was cut, it's miserable. We heard the screams in Jiande City!"

"I've been calling for most of the day."

"Exactly!"

Finished!

Geng Jing's loyalty was lost, so he had to wave his hand to let these people go back to rest first, and after they left, he looked around again.

"Your Majesty, let's go to sea!" Yu Renying said, "Going to the sea a thousand miles to the southeast is Shang's Ryukyu. We still have dozens of sea boats in our hands. If we squeeze together, we can bring all the brothers from Zhenhai with us." !"

Li Daoren added: "Your Majesty, as far as I know, the country of the Ryukyu Shang clan was originally a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, but it was occupied by the Satsuma clan of Japan decades ago. The vassals of Ming Dynasty are also the foreign vassals of Japan. However, the people of Ryukyu all want the Celestial Dynasty and are unwilling to be the foreign vassals of Japan. If we claim to be soldiers of Ming Dynasty, then the people of Ryukyu will definitely support us and oppose the soldiers of Satsuma Fan."

"How many soldiers does this devil have?" Geng Jingzhong asked.

"Maybe there are tens of thousands of people?" Daoren Li said, "But most of the old Sa's soldiers are on Kyushu Island in Japan. There are not many people in Ryukyu. There are at most five hundred, right?"

"Five hundred is not much, but are they good?" Geng Jingzhong had suffered enough to underestimate the enemy, and now he became timid, "I heard that these Japanese pirates are quite capable of fighting."

"No matter how much we can fight, we can't compare to us!" Yu Renying said, "How many years have we been fighting? The last time Japan fought was 60 years ago!"

"60 years" Geng Jingzhong sighed, "I didn't expect that the Japanese people in Japan have enjoyed 60 years of peace and prosperity!"

Xu Wenhuan, the head of Geng Jingzhong's soldiers, narrowed his eyes and reminded: "Your Majesty, Japan has been closed to the outside world for 60 years, and the way of fighting is mostly the same as it was 60 years ago. Maybe none of the Sajia soldiers in Japan have ever seen a flintlock gun. Woolen cloth!"

Yu Renying nodded and said: "Xu Zongbing is right. Although we have always lost battles in the past few years, we have opened our eyes a lot! A few years ago, we couldn't even use matchlock guns well. How should the gun be used!"

Geng Jingzhong nodded helplessly, and said in his heart: I have been learning how to fight with Li Datou these few years!It's just that the tuition is really a bit expensive!

Sai Leng, who had just died of Ama, said with a mournful face, "But we don't have many flintlock guns in our hands!"

Daoren Li interjected, "My lord, we still have some flintlock guns in our hands. From this year onwards, Foshan, Zhangzhou, and Quanzhou will no longer make matchlock guns. They are all flintlock guns! And the foreign guns sold by foreign devils , are also flintlocks. So this year, the muskets bought by the lower officials for the court are all flintlocks, and there are [-] brand new flintlocks in the warehouse of Zhenhai Minister of Commerce and Commerce alone!"

Li Zhongshan is really a good teacher. He not only makes progress by himself, but also leads everyone to make progress together!Even the military industry in Guangdong, Fujian and other places has been upgraded, and now the warlords want to go there to buy matchlock guns are gone!

"Three hundred." Geng Jingzhong asked, "Is there still some in our army?"

"Yes!" Xu Wenhuan said, "Although most of the people ran empty-handed, we can still make up two or three hundred flintlock guns."

Geng Jingzhong thought for a while and said, "Then let's gather five hundred fusiliers, all equipped with bayonets, and form a team according to the method of the Chashan Ming army."

"Okay!" Xu Wenhuan stood up and bowed to Geng Jingzhong, "Don't worry, your majesty, hurry up and try to train the fusiliers within half a month."

Geng Jingzhong waved his hand: "Wen Huan, don't call me the emperor anymore. My Dajing Kingdom has already perished, and I am a subjugated king!"

As he spoke, his eyes watered down.

The confidantes in front of Geng Jingzhong look at me and I look at you, but no one persuades him to continue to be the emperor. His being the emperor is too bad!If he didn't covet the emperor's false name, he would still be the Eastern King of Ming Dynasty!
"Then my lord," Seleng asked, "why don't you be the emperor? What shall we call you in the future?"

Geng Jingzhong was taken aback by this question.

Why is he not an emperor?
"My lord," Daoren Li suggested, "Ryukyu's heart is towards the Ming. Why don't you become the Eastern King of the Ming Dynasty and conquer the Eastern General!"

"I am the Eastern King of the Ming Dynasty?" Geng Jingzhong couldn't help but smile bitterly, "How can I be? Do I have to submit a petition? I can submit a petition, but can Li Zhongshan absolve me of the crime and then seal me as the Eastern King? "

Yu Renying smiled and said, "Master, why do you ask Li Zhongshan for title? He is not the emperor."

"Then I ask the Emperor of the Republic to seal me?" Geng Jingzhong shook his head, "It's impossible for him to seal me!"

"You can call yourself!" Yu Renying said seriously.

"Self-proclaimed?" Geng Jingzhong was taken aback.

Yu Renying nodded: "Yes! Isn't it a republic now?"

"With the republic, can you proclaim yourself king?" Geng Jingzhong asked.

"Of course I can!" Yu Renying said solemnly, "Isn't it said in "Yuanjun" and "Yuanchen"? The emperor and his ministers should be teachers and friends. They rule the world together. My subject, it is because the world is too big for an emperor to manage, and I need the help of my courtiers. Then is this Ryukyu part of the world? Is the land of Ryukyu a royal subject?"

"Of course!" Geng Jingzhong already understood what Yu Renying meant, and his mouse eyes were a little bit bright.

Yu Renying then explained: "Ryukyu has always been a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, and the king of Ryukyu has always been a minister of the Ming Dynasty. But now the Ryukyu Kingdom does not pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, but pays tribute to Japan. It has changed from a minister of the emperor to a minister of Japan. Wang Chen!

And why did the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty not send troops to expel the old Sa family from Japan, and turn the Ryukyu Kingdom into a prince of Ming Dynasty again?This shows that Da Tianzi is too busy. Moreover, his princes are not free either.

And my lord, you are now sending troops to Ryukyu, expelling the Japanese Sa family, and re-turning Ryukyu into the land of kings and ministers. You have done a great favor to the Emperor of the Republic!Of course you are the king's servant, the king's servant who leads the land of Ryukyu.Therefore, you restore the position of the Eastern King, and in the name of the Eastern King, perform the duties of the king's ministers, send troops to Ryukyu, and restore the king's land, that is justified! "

Geng Jingzhong nodded, and muttered: "It makes sense, I'm here to help the Emperor of the Republic! But it seems a bit inappropriate for me to proclaim myself king?"

"No, no, it's not self-proclaimed!" Yu Renying said, "It's the Son of Heaven who made you the King of the East, the General of the East, and ordered you to send troops to Ryukyu to restore the king's land!"

"The Son of Heaven will come to seal you?" Geng Jingzhong asked, "Is it because I help the Emperor of the Republic to make me the Eastern King, General Zhendong?"

Yu Renying stood up and bowed to Geng Jingzhong to the end, "Your Majesty, I implore you to accept the order of the Emperor of the Republic! Be the Eastern King of the Ming Dynasty again!"

Li Daoren, Sai Leng'e, and Xu Wenhuan saw Yu Renying persuaded to come in, and they also persuaded: "Your Majesty, I beg your Majesty to restore the Eastern King by order!"

Geng Jingzhong also nodded cheekily and said: "Forget it, since the Emperor of the Republic has issued an edict, then I will reluctantly continue to be the Eastern King!"

Whether this Geng Jingzhong coquettish edict and proclaiming himself the Eastern King conforms to the principles of "Yuanjun" and "Yuanchen" is another theory, but Geng Jingzhong's Dajing Kingdom must have come to an end.

With the demise of the Great Jingguo, the people's hearts of the Republic of Nanjing suddenly rose.At first, some people were worried that their "investment" would be lost due to the defeat of the Republic of China, but at the beginning of April of the third year of the Republic of China, with the general Li Zhongshan escorting the Yasukuni officials, clans and their families captured in Jiande The family members returned to Nanjing triumphantly, and held a grand captive offering ceremony on Yifengmen Inner Street, and no one had any doubts about the future of the Ming Dynasty.

Afterwards, a group of newspapers and publications advocating the republic, headed by "Guo Shi Ping", began to report in lengthy articles on how Ming's Republican Model Army defeated Geng Jingzhong with one enemy and five slings in the Battle of Chashan.Coupled with the news that the prefectures and counties below Zhejiang Province were being recovered one by one, it didn't take long before there was good news that Geng Jingzhong had fled to the island and the entire territory of Ningbo Prefecture was also recovered.

And in the streets and alleys of Nanjing, the people of Nanjing began to discuss when the Ming Dynasty would defeat Wu Sangui, recover Jiangxi and Huguang, and when it would be able to sweep away the Zhou and Qing Dynasties, and then unify the country!

Although the current Ming Dynasty only has five complete provinces of Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, and Guangdong, plus one each of Guangxi, Henan, Hunan, Hubei, and Jiangxi, people who have full confidence in the Republic already feel that they The country I live in is a country full of vitality and everything is competing for development. It is completely different from the dead Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty that people are always in fear of.

And how can Wu Sangui and Kangxi resist such an emerging country full of vitality?

The one who will rule the world in the future must be the Republic and Ming Dynasty!
It's the right time, why don't you hurry up and increase your position?

As the common people in the market are like this, the civil servants and military generals of the Republic of Ming Dynasty are of course more interested and more motivated. They are all shareholders and work for themselves!Can you be more positive?If you miss this wave of "big market" that has made great achievements, will you regret it for the rest of your life?

So Li Zhongshan, who returned to Nanjing, had to meet a large group of civil servants and generals who asked for battle every day. Everyone didn't take Wu Sangui seriously, let alone Kangxi?
However, Li Zhongshan himself was very cautious. After returning to Nanjing, he went to the Wangjiang Terrace on the Lion Mountain in Yifeng Gate to watch the training of the Yangtze River Navy almost every day-now the Ming Army has nothing to worry about. It is nothing more than expanding the model army. One town is not enough, if it is expanded to two towns and three towns, it will be enough anyway.

But Daming's Yangtze River Navy is a weak point!
Li Zhongshan has mainly developed the army in recent years, and the navy is basically outsourced to the Yiwang Zheng family. Even the Guangdong navy was run by the Zheng family's general Zhu Tiangui and a group of Chaozhou people (Qiu Hui's party) who were once attached to the Zheng family. .

And the navy run by the Zheng family seems to have a big problem. They are the navy, not the river navy!Therefore, the warships appearing on the water of the Yangtze River under the Lion Rock are all very large!Many of these warships have no oars. As long as the wind direction is wrong or there is no gun, they will not be able to move. It is not completely impossible, but this method is a bit ridiculous no matter how you look at it!

"Brother Shikai, am I right? Are those big boats being towed away by small boats?" It was Wu Xiaojiao who spoke, and today she was with Yang Xiaohuan, who had just given birth to "Xiuzhong", and Shang Shuying, who was still visiting Li Zhongshan. Together, accompany Li Zhongshan to stare at the Lion Mountain, and watch the naval training together.

Hearing Wu Xiaojiao's question, Li Zhongshan turned his head and looked at Shang Shuying with a smile, "Shuying Gege, can you see clearly? Do you know what to say when you see Wu Sangui?"

It is not the first day for Shang Shuying to climb the Lion Mountain with Li Zhongshan. Every time she can see the training program of the small boat towing the big boat-this is obviously not fake, Li Zhongshan really intends to drive these dozens of big boats Enter Poyang Lake
Thinking of this, Shang Shuying asked half-jokingly: "General, do you want my family to tell the truth to the Emperor of Zhou? Does this count as leaking your military situation? Will you be punished even more in the future?"

Li Zhongshan said with a smile: "Gege Shuying, are you afraid that the crime will be increased? Tell Wu Sangui the truth. On land, Wu Sangui has no chance, but on the Yangtze River and Poyang Lake, his sailors can still fight. My Daming's sailor has a lot of wrists, but he has to be careful to become Chen Youliang's second!"

(End of this chapter)