Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

The news that Dongjiang Town had dispatched troops soon reached the capital.

Along with this, the news of Zhuang Jichang's death was also sent back.

Zhu Youjian was very pleased when he learned that Mao Wenlong had sent troops.

This general, who was somewhat self-important in his own right, was finally willing to obey the orders of the court after being rewarded with a fiefdom.

However, after knowing the role played by Zhuang Jichang, Zhu Youjian was silent for a while, and suddenly said:

“Everyone has to die, some are heavier than Mount Tai, some are lighter than a feather.”

"Zhuang Jichang was loyal to the court and died for the recovery of Liao. His death is heavier than Mount Tai."

"The court cannot mistreat such a person."

He also instructed the officials of the Ministry of Personnel:
"Although Zhuang Jichang is a sixth-rank imperial lecturer, his position as the chief secretary of Dongjiang is a fifth-rank position."

"We should posthumously confer the title of Fifth Rank official, and recognize them as having died in the line of duty like the officials who died for their loyalty, to commend such loyal officials."

Yang Jingchen, the Minister of Personnel, is a fellow countryman of Zhuang Jichang. Both of them are from Jinjiang. Upon hearing this, he immediately said:

"The Hanlin Academy belongs to the Ministry of Rites, and Minister Zhuang died in a foreign vassal state."

"I think he can be posthumously awarded the title of Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple, which is in line with the Honglu Temple's duty of collecting tribute from various tribes."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement, thinking that posthumously awarding the title of Honglu Temple to Zhuang Jichang was more suitable.

However, he felt that the position of Shaoqing was a bit too low. In order to show his approval of Zhuang Jichang, Zhu Youjian decided:
"The word 'Shao' in Shaoqing is removed, and the title of Honglu Temple Minister is awarded posthumously."

"Let the Ministry of Rites draft a posthumous title and publish an obituary in the Dibao and Jingbao."

"Zhuang Qing was the top scorer in the last imperial examination of our royal grandfather. I had intended to make great use of him."

"It's a pity that he died suddenly."

At this moment, Zhu Youjian really regretted not paying more attention to this talent and letting the imperial physician pay attention to his health.

There are not many officials who are so diligent and think about the court's orders before they die.

Zhu Youjian planned to commend Zhuang Jichang with great fanfare and called on all officials to learn from Zhuang Jichang.

Therefore, all the proper treatment should naturally be given, including drafting a posthumous title, publishing an obituary, etc.

He even planned to confer a deity title to Zhuang Jichang and confer titles on his descendants in accordance with the treatment given to wise ministers of the Purple Pavilion in order to expand his influence.

So, he continued:

"In his memorial, Mao Wenlong mentioned that he wanted to give the credit to Zhuang Jichang and requested that his descendants be given a title."

"What do you think about this matter? Should we agree to it?"

When the ministers heard this, they were all a little surprised.

Because of the overseas title conferring, the emperor had already seized it through overseas martial law.

I had never discussed this with ministers before, at most I only talked to the Minister of the Lifanyuan.

Unexpectedly, this matter was brought up at the standing committee meeting, which surprised the ministers who heard it.

Yuan Keli, who was still serving as the Minister of War, said:
"Taizu issued an order: Civil officials are not allowed to be granted the title of duke or marquis unless they have made meritorious contributions such as founding a country."

"Zhuang Jichang is a civil servant and has not made any special achievements. Logically, he should not be granted a title."

"But if General Mao insists on giving up the credit, Your Majesty can follow his discretion."

Zhu Youjian nodded in agreement, and then listened to the Minister of Rites Wen Tiren say:
"Your Majesty has previously stipulated that overseas lords can apply to the court to confer titles on vassal nobles, and earls can confer titles on knights."

"I think we can ask General Mao to request that Zhuang Jichang be knighted."

This is also a solution, but in Zhu Youjian's opinion, the title is a bit low.

In order to let everyone know his determination to recover Liao, he said to his ministers:

"Although Zhuang Jichang was the chief officer of Dongjiang, he was an official of the imperial court."

"How can such a loyal person be ennobled as a noble of a feudal state?"

"If I have to confer a title on him, it must be a title from the imperial court. I intend to confer him the title of baron posthumously, and his descendants will inherit the title of knight."

"It is not necessary for Mao Wenlong to give up his merits, but he must give up Yizhou. This city and the surrounding area of ​​30 miles should be left to the descendants of Zhuang Jichang as a fiefdom."

"Let Mao Wenlong expand to other places and regain this fiefdom."

Yizhou is just across the river from Zhenjiang. It is a port for trade between Liaodong and Korea. This city can be regarded as a treasure land for Dongjiang Territory.

Once the imperial court has taken control of this area, it will be able to send troops to Dongjiang through Zhenjiang after recovering Liaodong in the future, making it impossible for Dongjiang to have any disloyal intentions.

So when the ministers heard this, they knew that the emperor was weakening the Dongjiang Territory to make it easier to control it in the future.

Obviously, the emperor was not without grudges about Mao Wenlong's hesitation. The separation of Yizhou this time was a warning to him to behave himself in the future.

Otherwise, the imperial court could divide up more of the prime land in Dongjiang and leave him only with barren land.

Zhuang Jichang was a civil servant after all, and there were many ministers from Jinjiang in the court. So no one objected to his somewhat unusual reward.

What's more, their opposition was useless, as the emperor could make the final decision on overseas titles.

Next, the emperor appointed Zhuang Jichang as the City God of Yizhou, which was even more natural.

Zhuang Jichang's posthumous treatment was finally decided:
He was posthumously awarded the title of Minister of the Ministry of Rites and third-class baron, and given the posthumous name Zhongjian. He was also proposed to be given the title of City God of Yizhou.

This is almost exactly the same as the treatment given to many wise officials in the Purple Pavilion.

Only at this time did the ministers understand why the emperor brought this matter up for discussion.

The posthumous title of "Zhongjian" was used by Zong Ze, who called for the restoration of Liao three times in the early Song Dynasty. The emperor obviously intended to portray Zhuang Jichang as Zong Ze and call for the restoration of Liao.

Wen Tiren, who was good at guessing the intentions of his superiors, immediately summoned officials from the newly established Propaganda Department of the Ministry of Rites after the court meeting and asked them to make a publicity plan for the death of Zhuang Jichang.

He wanted to cater to the emperor's intentions and shape Zhuang Jichang into the direction of Zong Ze.

So the newspapers quickly published Zhuang Jichang's obituary, and some colleagues also expressed their remembrance of Zhuang Jichang.

After learning that Zhuang Jichang died after calling for the recovery of Liao three times, the people in the capital quickly linked him to Zong Ze, who called for crossing the river three times.

The Royal Orchestra's drama troupe even set about creating a play about Zong Ze and Yue Fei.

Literary men such as Qian Qianyi and Zhang Pu also praised it highly in newspapers.

For a time, the names Zhuang Jichang and Zong Ze quickly spread in the capital.

Especially Zhuang Jichang's status as the top scholar and his untimely death made many people feel regretful.

Some officials were even moved and took up arms to join the cause of recovering Liao.

Chen Zizhuang, who had just finished his father's funeral and returned to the Hanlin Academy to work as a compiler, was one of them.

He and Zhuang Jichang were in the same class, and both were top scorers in the 47th year of the Wanli reign. After learning about Zhuang Jichang's deeds, he was heartbroken and wrote a petition requesting to be appointed to the position of the governor of Dongjiang.

He was going to Dongjiang to help Zhuang Jichang with his funeral arrangements.

Zhu Youjian, of course, greatly appreciated this behavior and immediately promoted Chen Zizhuang to be a lecturer and concurrently the chief officer of Dongjiang, which was exactly the same position as Zhuang Jichang's previous one, and encouraged him to carry on Zhuang Jichang's legacy.

This incident caused a sensation in the Hanlin Academy, and when Chen Zizhuang took office, many of his colleagues saw him off.

When the scholars and common people in the capital learned about this, they also praised Chen Ziqiang, believing that this third place winner was as good as the first place winner in the same subject.

Even the North Korean envoys couldn't help but sigh after seeing this scene:
"With such a man of great ambition, the Ming Dynasty will surely be able to recover Liao in the future!" "I will persuade the king to send the prince here as soon as possible."

He wrote a memorial to the King of Korea, explaining the reactions of the people in the capital to the death of Zhuang Jichang.

It was believed that the morale of the people of the Ming Dynasty had been mobilized and that the Jianlu could not stop the Ming Dynasty when it exerted its full strength. Korea should not hesitate any longer and must completely side with the Ming Dynasty.

When this memorial reached Seoul, the Korean king and his ministers were also shocked by Mao Wenlong's decision to send troops.

For many years, Mao Wenlong has been retreating step by step, and his efforts to contain the Jianlu were just to boost morale.

They used to complain about this, thinking that Mao Wenlong was cowardly.

Who would have thought that this time Mao Wenlong would come out in full force and penetrate deep into the heartland of the Jianlu.

As a result, the Korean king and his ministers who received the news first did not believe it, and then panicked.

They were worried that Mao Wenlong would anger the Jianlu, who would then send troops to attack them.

They felt that they would never be able to stop the Jianlu with the two thousand men Mao Wenlong left in Dongjiang.

Therefore, some ministers have advised the King of Korea to temporarily take refuge in Ganghwa Island.

The King of Korea was also somewhat tempted by this and almost ordered a move to Ganghwa Island.

But at this time, Hong Chengchou made a decisive decision. After hearing about this incident, he strictly ordered the Korean king and his ministers to stay in the name of the minister stationed in Korea. They could not escape in advance before the arrival of the Jianlu:

"If the king is like this, how can he save face if the news gets out?"

"How do people in North Korea view the king?"

He reprimanded all the ministers who proposed to escape and suggested that the King of Korea dismiss them.

After the initial shock, Li Zong calmed down a bit. He did not blame Hong Chengchou for being so aggressive, but felt relieved and asked for advice:

"Mr. Hong, are you sure that the Jianlu will not invade North Korea?"

"If Dongjiang Ling can't stop it, what will North Korea do?"

Hong Chengchou was extremely angry at the weakness of the Korean monarch and his ministers. He never expected that the Korean monarch and his ministers, who controlled thousands of miles of land, had no determination to resist the Jianlu.

If he had such a large territory and population, he would have the confidence to pacify Jianlu. Unlike the King of Joseon, he is so unworthy of being a king.

Some thoughts came to his mind, but Hong Chengchou said respectfully:
"Korea is a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, why should the king worry?"

"This time, the troops are not only sent to Dongjiang, but also to Lushun, grassland and other places."

"Even the Andong Protectorate received instructions to send troops."

"Hong will soon head north and send troops to the heart of Liaodong."

Then he advised the King of Korea:
"Last year, Hong advised the king to send the crown prince to the capital."

"If the king is really worried, you can send the prince over."

"I, Daming, keep my promise. Even if something happens to the king, I will support the crown prince to inherit the throne."

Li Zong agreed to send the crown prince to the capital last year, but he kept dragging his feet and only sent an envoy.

Now that Hong Chengchou brought it up again, Li Zong thought about it and began to take this proposal seriously:
Just as Hong Chengchou said, after sending the crown prince to Ming Dynasty, even if something unexpected happens to him, Ming Dynasty will escort the crown prince to inherit the throne of Korea.

He believed this. The Ming Dynasty had always had a good reputation towards its vassal states. During the Imjin War, it could even be said that it had helped Korea recover.

Even if the Jianlu conquer Korea, they will surely retreat in the future due to their population. As long as his son is not dead, he can inherit the throne.

Therefore, under the persuasion of Hong Chengchou, Li Zong was inclined to send the crown prince over.

He also thought of one thing, that is, Korea was now in danger of being invaded by the Jianlu again, and needed to improve its relationship with the Ming Dynasty.

Sending the crown prince to the capital is a way of showing sincerity. The Ming Dynasty will also be more attentive when dealing with Korea.

At this time, the memorial from the Korean envoy to the Ming Dynasty also came. After seeing the public sentiment in the capital of the Ming Dynasty surging and everyone calling for the restoration of Liao, Li Jong finally made up his mind and said to Hong Chengchou:

"My son, I will leave your care to the country from now on."

"I wonder if the Lord of the upper country has any preferences? I will send someone to present it to him."

Hong Chengchou was delighted when he heard this, knowing that he had finally completed the task.

As for the question of the King of Korea, after thinking for a while, he lowered his voice and said:
"The current emperor has no preferences, but he admires young girls and is curious about beauty."

"There are quite a few Mongolian concubines in the palace now, as well as beauties presented by the chieftains of the southwest."

"If the king wants to please His Majesty, he can choose a woman to offer as a tribute, as he did before."

When Li Zong heard this, he immediately thought of the tribute girls from Korea in the early days of the country, and immediately said to Hong Chengchou:
"I will select a woman and present her to the monarch of my country."

"Please take the trouble to give me some pointers, Mr. Hong."

Hong Chengchou stroked his beard and smiled, accepting Li Jong's kindness.

Then he reminded Li Jong:

"If the king is really worried about the Jianlu, he can increase his support for Dongjiang Town."

"According to what Hong knows, the thing that Dongjiang Town lacks most is food."

"As long as there is enough food, we can gather tens of thousands more troops."

"It may be difficult for these people to attack Liaodong, but they are more than enough to defend the territory."

"Your Majesty, you can ask Dongjiang to train more militiamen and have them guard the Dongjiang Territory."

"As long as there is nothing wrong south of the Cheongcheon River, why should the king worry?"

These words touched Li Jong's heart. The reason why he agreed to divide the area north of the Cheongcheon River last year was that he wanted to use those feudal lords to separate Jianlu and Joseon.

Now it has really started to work, making him feel more at ease.

However, he felt bad again when he thought that Mao Wenlong was not only a feudal lord he had appointed but also a general of the Ming Dynasty. Now he was obeying the orders of the Ming court to send troops to the Jianlu, which might draw the Jianlu's attention to Korea.

He secretly lamented that Mao Wenlong was not a Korean subject, otherwise he would have strictly ordered Mao Wenlong not to take the initiative to attack.

Hong Chengchou didn't know what Li Zong was thinking. If he knew, he would definitely laugh to death.

The Ming Emperor was worried that he could not control Mao Wenlong, so he granted him a territory to allow him to become independent.

Why did King Yi Jong of Joseon think he could control Mao Wenlong and not be afraid that he would rebel and seize the throne?

As far as he knew, Mao Wenlong had already had the idea of ​​seizing Korea, so he had been controlling the military and civilians of Dongjiang.

If it weren't for the restrictions of the imperial court, Mao Wenlong might have fought with Korea. Did the King of Korea still want him to be his subject?
Everything in the world has its pros and cons. How can it be perfect?

After persuading Li Zong to send the crown prince to Beijing and convincing him to provide more food, Hong Chengchou returned to the Governor's Office with satisfaction. He also received the court's posthumous award for Zhuang Jichang and the news that Chen Zilong was sent to serve as the Chief of Dongjiang.

This made him feel very emotional, and he felt sorry for Zhuang Jichang who passed away suddenly due to illness:
As a fellow Quanzhou native, he was very optimistic about Zhuang Jichang and even thought that he might become a court minister earlier than himself.

Unexpectedly, Zhuang Jichang died suddenly. This reserve prime minister of the Hanlin Academy remained in the position of reserve prime minister.

Now that the court has given high honors to Zhuang Jichang, he is very pleased. He is also very impressed with Chen Zizhuang, who inherited Zhuang Jichang's legacy, and plans to help him gain a foothold in Dongjiang.

Soon, the grain escorted by Lu Shanji, the counselor to Korea, arrived at Dongjiang Territory at the same time as Chen Zizhuang took office.

After Chen Zizhuang got this batch of food, he immediately trained militia with the help of Lu Shanji to guard against the invasion of Jianlu. (End of this chapter)