Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

March 18th is the birthday of Nuwa and Houtu, which is designated as the Feast of the Holy Mothers in the Gregorian calendar and is also a festival for all mothers in the world.

The Beijing Music Festival was held on this day.

However, unlike the lively opera performances and music screenings of previous years, this year more people flocked to Andingmen to welcome the triumphant return of the Liaodong soldiers.

This is also a tradition in the capital: in times of war, troops would depart from Deshengmen, signifying "a victorious start." When returning home, they would pass through Andingmen, signifying "peace and stability."

The pacification of Liaodong was a great achievement, and the triumphant return ceremony was quite grand.

Although Emperor Zhu Youjian did not personally visit Andingmen, he sent the three Grand Secretaries—the Chief Grand Secretary, the Second Grand Secretary, and the Privy Councilor—whose positions under the new system were comparable to the Three Dukes, to greet him.

The Prince of Lu, who was in the capital, was also sent by the emperor to represent him in welcoming the meritorious officials.

Sun Chengzong had been informed in advance, and upon seeing the figure, he hurriedly dismounted, repeatedly saying, "I dare not."

He knew his own family members knew their own situation, and he knew that his contribution was far less than that.

If it weren't for the superior weaponry and the dedication of his soldiers, the achievement of pacifying Liaodong would never have fallen into his hands.

Moreover, knowing the situation in the capital, he couldn't possibly be arrogant.

Deep down, he had many worries.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang, who led the noble ministers to greet Sun Chengzong, looked at him with a mixture of envy and worry.

Regardless of what he was thinking at that moment, his face was full of joy.

After all, Sun Chengzong was also a member of the Donglin Party. The reason he was dismissed during the Tianqi era was because the eunuch faction was worried that he would lead the Liaodong troops to purge the emperor's inner circle.

Now that Sun Chengzong has returned to the capital with the credit for pacifying Liaodong, the Donglin Party's influence has soared.

As the chief minister who came from the Donglin Party, Han Kuang naturally benefited from this.

He treated Sun Chengzong with great courtesy.

Needless to say, Yuan Keli, the Grand Councilor, was an old friend of Sun Chengzong.

Yang Jingchen, the second-in-command who was busy with the reform of the Supreme Court, was also quite polite to Sun Chengzong.

Prince Lu then pointed to the royal orchestra on the city wall and said:
"Master Sun, this was specially sent by the Emperor."

"And a piece of music was specially composed for you, called the Triumphal March."

"Please, Lord Sun, accompany this music as you proceed to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to present the captives."

With a wave of his hand, the drums and music on the city tower immediately began to play.

Accompanied by stirring and rhythmic music, Sun Chengzong and his entourage were filled with excitement as they slowly entered the city amidst cheers from the people of the capital.

Accompanying him back to Beijing were representatives from various armies in Liaodong, as well as troops from the capital who had gone to participate in the war.

The people of the capital naturally had a good impression of these meritorious troops from the capital.

They also supported and loved the various armies in Liaodong.

After all, these people drove out the Tartars and helped them eliminate the threat from the north.

From now on, the capital will no longer be in constant fear, as the city was fortified and prepared for war against the Jurchens.

With this mindset, the victorious soldiers received a warm welcome.

They responded positively, delighted by the support of the people of Beijing.

The guards from the capital city maintaining order on the street were filled with envy, and even a hint of jealousy—

They already knew that the emperor was going to relocate a number of hereditary officials from the garrisons to make room for meritorious soldiers.

Those meritorious generals who made contributions, were injured or even sacrificed their lives in the line of duty, or their descendants, were qualified to enter the capital's garrison as hereditary officials.

The emperor wanted to use them to change the atmosphere of the garrisons in the capital and to train the guards of each garrison properly.

This naturally made the soldiers of the garrison in the capital quite dissatisfied, but seeing these people full of murderous aura, and even with blood on their armor, they dared not cause trouble and could only look at them with envy and jealousy.

As the troops advanced and entered the capital, some of the Liaodong soldiers became increasingly unruly.

These people were used to running rampant on the frontier. Seeing the warm welcome from the people of the capital, some of their old habits kicked in, and they started harassing and fighting. Liu Qiao, watching from his hot air balloon, couldn't help but shake his head and give the order:

"Send out the military police and teach them a lesson."

"These old troops really have bad habits, no wonder His Majesty is worried."

He ordered the military police of the Eagle Banner Army to be dispatched, armed, to separate the dissolute soldiers from the people of the capital.

Some of those who went too far were taken away by the military police and given a severe dressing-down.

These people were initially somewhat resentful, but after Sun Yingyuan intervened, they immediately dared not cause any trouble.

During the exercises in Liaodong, Sun Yingyuan led the Archery Battalion to defeat various Liaodong armies.

Moreover, he made great contributions in driving out the Tartars, and the Shooting Sound Battalion was one of the main forces.

No matter how arrogant they were, they didn't dare to cause trouble in the face of this famous general of the Eagle Flying Army.

Sun Chengzong was walking at the front of the group when someone noticed this incident.

He already had some worries on his mind, and upon learning this, his heart sank even further, and he felt uneasy about the future.
The fact that they dared to cause trouble at the grand ceremony of presenting prisoners of war, meticulously organized by the Emperor, shows the arrogance of the Liaodong army. This must have reached the ears of the Emperor and his ministers.

It might soon be disbanded and replaced by a new army—

After all, Sun Chengzong knew that the new army had participated in the major battles of the Liaodong campaign.

If it weren't for the New Army's support, they wouldn't even have had the courage to engage the Jurchens in open battle.

Now, these people are acting recklessly because of their minor achievements, and the imperial court will certainly not be lenient with them.

As the supervising commander, he might also be implicated and face punishment from the imperial court.

Thinking of the fates of Wang Yangming, Qi Jiguang, and others, Sun Chengzong immediately gave the order:

"Where are the military judges? They're maintaining order with the friendly forces in the capital."

"This is under the emperor's nose, so make them all behave themselves."

He dispatched trusted generals to assist Sun Yingyuan in maintaining order.
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Thanks to their concerted efforts, the triumphant ceremony finally went smoothly without any further mishaps.

Sun Chengzong led the captured Jianzhou Jurchens on display on Chengtian Street, then proudly went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. After offering sacrifices outside the temple, he went to the Meridian Gate to pay homage to the emperor who was sitting on the gate tower.

Zhu Youjian accepted his audience and ordered that an imperial edict be issued to the whole country.

Then the Minister of Justice knelt down and petitioned to hand over the prisoners to the officials in charge of punishment.

The highest-ranking prisoner presented this time was Dudu. He was once one of the banner lords of the Eight Banners and was also Nurhaci's eldest grandson.

Zhu Youjian had previously tried to win him over, but he refused. Later, he was seriously wounded during a breakout attempt in Haizhou and was captured by the imperial court.

Now, Dudu, as Nurhaci's eldest grandson, atones for his grandfather's sins by being publicly executed by the Ming Dynasty to appease the people and soldiers of Liaodong.

Also captured was his younger brother, Nikan, a Manchu prince who was historically killed by Li Dingguo, who was executed here as a foil.

When the soldiers in Liaodong and the people in the capital saw these heads of the Jurchens, they cheered.

The subsequent rewards from the imperial court brought them even greater joy.

The imperial court's rewards this time were truly generous, including not only three marquises and twelve earls, but also dozens of viscounts and hundreds of knights, all of whom could choose hereditary lands or fiefs.

Those who did not wish to go to the frontier could remain in the capital and serve as officials in the capital's garrison.

Sun Chengzong, as the most meritorious official, was appointed as the Right Privy Councilor, Left Commander-in-Chief of the Central Military Commission, Grand Pillar of State, and given the title of First-Rank Assistant Minister.

Moreover, he was granted the title of Grand Tutor as a meritorious official, becoming one of the Three Dukes in life.

Such an honor filled Sun Chengzong with joy, but also with a sense of unease.

He firmly declined the appointment as Privy Councilor, and requested to resign from the additional title of Regent Minister and Grand Secretary, so that he could devote himself to serving as a meritorious official in the Five Military Commissions.

Zhu Youjian, of course, refused at this time and forced Sun Chengzong to accept it and announce it to the world.

His aim was to commend military achievements and encourage territorial expansion. (End of Chapter)