Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 285 With hope, nothing is difficult.
Compared to his attitude towards Emperor Chongzhen, Zhu Yuanzhang was much more lenient towards Emperor Yongli.

no way.

Emperor Chongzhen, despite wielding immense power, engaged in numerous questionable actions, plunging the country into chaos and ultimately leading to its overthrow by rebel forces. He bears a significant share of the responsibility for the country's demise.

The Yongli Emperor, however, had little to do with him. He was a puppet throughout his life, constantly on the run, like a rat in the street, and lived a very miserable life.

Although he was weak and incompetent, he was kind and generous. During his time in the southwest, he treated the people under his rule well, so much so that the people of the southwest supported him and Duke Mu Tianbo of Qian.

In the later years of the Yongli reign, many chieftains in Yunnan and Guizhou rose up against Wu Sangui. This was because Wu Sangui's tyrannical rule in the southwest, in contrast to Yongli's policies, forced them to become loyal subjects of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang could not possibly place the blame on Emperor Yongli. At most, he could say that Emperor Yongli was mediocre and did not have the ability to turn the tide and rebuild the Ming Dynasty like Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu.

However, precisely because of this, Emperor Yongli could no longer remain emperor.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang did not want to change the emperor. Changing the emperor was not a simple matter. Zhu Yuanzhang himself was the emperor and knew that in order to rule, he had to ensure the dignity of the Ming Dynasty Zhu family. How could the emperor be changed so easily?
Even if he were the ancestor, and could indeed replace him at will, there still needs to be a reason. Otherwise, replacing someone without any justification would only elicit sympathy from the people of the world for Zhu Youlang.

But there is really no way.

In times of chaos, what is needed is a wise and capable ruler. Zhu Youlang's weak character led to his mediocrity. He might have been suitable in times of peace, but he was simply not up to the task at this time.

Therefore, this is the only way.

The new emperor had already been chosen; it was Zhu Yunfeng's ancestor, Zhu Cibei.

Although it is unknown whether Zhu Cibei has the talent of a great ruler, the fact that he was able to escape the cruel rule of the Manchu Qing Dynasty and establish a family in the deep mountains and forests is quite an achievement.

They are certainly not weak in domestic affairs; they are far-sighted, shrewd, and know how to manage money.

Moreover, he came from the lower class of the Zhu family, and was essentially a commoner. Therefore, he was definitely not weak in terms of empathy for the lower class and the wisdom of ordinary people.

If one day I were to rise to a high position, I dare not say that I could accomplish great things like Liu Bang or Zhu Yuanzhang, who also came from humble backgrounds.

However, maintaining stability and ensuring the well-being of the people can still be achieved, preventing a chaotic situation from arising.

And so the matter was settled.

Changing emperors is a major event, and it must be announced to the world.

At the same time, we also need to spread the news of Lao Zhu's arrival to boost morale.

Without further hesitation, Lao Zhu ordered his men to spread the word.

In August, Zhu De worked overtime in Yunnan, transporting a large amount of supplies from modern times in preparation for the Northern Expedition.

Meanwhile, the Manchus were still on their way.

Encirclement and suppression by a large force is no easy task, especially in ancient society where transportation was underdeveloped and a large amount of food and supplies needed to be mobilized.

That is, by the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, productivity and social tools had made significant progress to a certain extent.

In the Tang and Han dynasties, if you wanted to start a major battle involving more than 200,000 people, the preliminary preparations alone could take six months or even a year.

The Tartars received the news in mid-July and began preparing various supplies and provisions. It wasn't until late August that their main force marched south from Beijing to Hubei.

Then, it wasn't until the end of September, or even late October, that they crossed the Three Gorges and entered Sichuan, heading straight for Chongqing.

By this time, Zhu Yuanzhang had already completed the initial stockpiling of supplies and made strategic deployments, preparing to launch a head-on attack on the Qing army.

In those short two months, news of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang descending to earth to save the world and rebuilding the Ming Dynasty in the southwest spread throughout the country.

This wasn't just hearsay; it was a document that Zhu Yuanzhang personally wrote using a printer, a proclamation against the Qing dynasty, which was over three thousand words long and even bore his imperial seal and a solemn photograph of his portrait.

Millions of copies were made using printers, and anti-Qing patriots from Yunnan, Guizhou, and other places were dispatched to infiltrate various regions and distribute these proclamations everywhere, either by posting them at night or by handing them over to the anti-Qing patriots.

On October 2nd, in Yuyao, Zhejiang, there was a thatched cottage on the eastern outskirts of the city. Inside the cottage was a separate courtyard and study, named Hongwen Hall.

It was already evening, and the students in the library had all gone home after class. Only the teacher was sitting in his study writing a manuscript, on which he wrote: "To take my great selfishness for the great public good is truly a great harm to the world."

Just as I was about to write down my thoughts, I heard hurried footsteps outside.

A man pushed open the study door. It was raining in Jiangnan at the time, and the rain was drizzling outside the thatched cottage. The man who came in was wearing a raincoat and hadn't even had time to change out of it, only taking off his straw hat.

Huang Zongxi frowned when he saw the water droplets left by his younger brother's raincoat wetting the wooden floor. He asked, "Zewang, why did you come back instead of hiding in the Buddhist temple?"

The person who came was Huang Zongxi's younger brother, Huang Zonghui. As a tribute student in the late Ming Dynasty, although he did not join his brother in the early years to fight against the Qing Dynasty, he went into seclusion after the fall of the Ming Dynasty and often frequented many temples in Jiangnan, hence the saying that he hid in the pagoda.

Huang Zonghui untied his raincoat, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, walked up to Huang Zongxi, and said in a deep voice, "Brother, take a look at this."

"Oh?"

Huang Zongxi took the paper with a puzzled look, frowning as he looked it up and down, his brows furrowing more and more as he looked.

This document was written in Zhu Yuanzhang's voice.

The opening is actually an exclamation, lamenting that Zhu Yuanzhang once drove out the barbarians and restored the clothing and customs of the Han Chinese.

Who would have thought that more than two hundred years later, the vast land of China would once again be occupied by barbarian tribes, who were even more rampant than the Mongols and sought to completely subjugate the Han people?

Then came a detailed account of the massacres committed by the Manchu Jurchens over the years, including the slaughter of millions of Han Chinese and the countless innocent souls lost.

The middle part describes some of his own mistakes, admitting that he did some things poorly at the beginning of the founding of the dynasty, which left hidden dangers for the Ming Dynasty and led to the events that followed.

He also said that after his death he ascended to become an immortal and became an ancestor. His current descent to the mortal world is to save the people, destroy the Qing Dynasty, rebuild China, and make up for the mistakes of the founding of the country.

Finally, the discussion turned to the problems of the Southern Ming Dynasty, all stemming from the complete demise of the Chongzhen Emperor's lineage, which led to the coexistence of various princes and their power struggles.

Zhu Youlang was forced into the position and became an emperor in name only.

Now that he has descended to earth to save the world, he intends to change this situation.

After observing him, he concluded that Zhu Youlang was weak-willed and unsuitable to be emperor, so he could only order him to abdicate and replace him with Zhu Cibei from the Prince of Ji's mansion.

This time, Zhu Yuanzhang should seek justice for the Han people and make the Manchus pay a bloody price to comfort the millions of wronged souls.

It is a lengthy piece of writing, consisting of over three thousand words.

Given Zhu's character, it was impossible for him to admit his mistakes.

However, this article is actually about restoring the legitimacy of the Ming Dynasty, and he spares no effort in this regard, so he is naturally willing to be more open-minded.

Besides the text, there was even a color photo of Zhu Yuanzhang next to it. He was wearing a dragon robe and sitting solemnly on the dragon throne. His face was round and his temples were gray. Just sitting there, he was full of solemnity and had the appearance of an emperor.

"Brother, what do you think?"

After Huang Zonghui met Huang Zongxi, who had finished looking at the photo, he carefully examined the old Zhu's photograph and asked, "Is this matter true or false?"

"Well"

Huang Zongxi pondered for a moment and said, "It doesn't look fake."

"Aren't you afraid someone might be impersonating you?"

“If someone impersonates the emperor, they will not be able to use his name. If they attempt to usurp the throne again in the future, everyone in the world will probably want to kill them.”

"That's true."

Huang Zonghui thought it made sense, so he said, "Brother, do you think this is true?"

"I hope it's true."

"Oh? Doesn't my brother usually say that the world should be without a ruler?"

"It's better to have no ruler than to have one. The Han emperor himself is stronger than the barbarians. Do you still want to keep hanging on to that tattered rat tail?"

Huang Zongxi glanced at Huang Zonghui's head.

Huang Zonghui then gave a wry smile.

His elder brother, Huang Zongxi, was very famous and had many friends in Jiangnan. He lived a secluded life, hiding himself away and usually keeping his hair tied up and wearing a headscarf, so that no one could tell what was going on.

But as he traveled around sightseeing, he encountered Manchu soldiers on the road, and if he didn't cut his hair, he would be arrested and beheaded on the spot. So he had no choice.

He then said, "Of course I don't want to, but I have no choice. Besides, although I still have a queue on my head, my heart is that of a Han Chinese, so why should I care?"

Huang Zongxi laughed: "Zewang, your knowledge is already quite insightful."

Huang Zonghui then said, "Now that the story of the founding emperor descending to earth is causing such a stir, should we take advantage of this and rally many righteous people to resist the Qing? When the time is right, we can rise up in rebellion?"

Huang Zongxi pondered for a moment, then slowly stood up from his desk, went to the door, looked at the torrential rain outside, stood with his hands behind his back, and said with a slightly narrowed gaze, "No rush, let's wait a little longer."

"When?"

"If this founding emperor could defeat the Tartars' heavily armed forces when they were besieging and suppressing us."

"But wouldn't that be like the winner being siding with the winner?"

"You're wrong, Zewang."

Huang Zongxi closed his eyes and said softly, "Our righteous men are dwindling in number and cannot withstand any more setbacks. If we suffer a major defeat in the Southwest, wouldn't that drag everyone down with us?"

By the time of the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi Emperor's reign, what remained for these anti-Qing patriots was no longer hope, but utter despair.

Many people know that the Ming Dynasty was completely destroyed and the Manchu Qing Dynasty had already established its power; they could not possibly cause any trouble.

Therefore, many insightful people disbanded their anti-Qing forces and returned to their hometowns to live in seclusion.

They were either later captured and killed by the Manchus, or they hid in the mountains and forests, traveling and writing books.

Huang Zongxi once organized resistance against the Qing dynasty.

However, the Manchu forces were too strong, and the huge disparity in strength between the two sides ultimately forced Huang Zongxi to disband his troops and flee back to his hometown.

There seems to be hope now, but who knows if it will just be another despair?
So he didn't want to gamble anymore.

Otherwise, if he makes the wrong bet, it won't just be his life and fortune, but the lives and fortunes of thousands of righteous people who followed him in the uprising and their families.

"But at least the news should be spread."

Huang Zonghui continued.

"Yes, send someone to contact Grand Secretary Zhang and tell him that once there is a change in the southwest and the Tartars are defeated, we will raise the banner of rebellion in Jiangnan!"

Huang Zongxi made up his mind and then said, "We can meet with Yonghui, Kaofu, Jingke, and Wenbai. We can talk about these things, but don't mention raising an army yet."

The people he mentioned, such as Yonghui and Kaofu, were Lü Liuliang, Zhang Luxiang, and others. These people not only raised the banner of anti-Qing like him, but were also disciples of his mentor Liu Zongzhou.

Therefore, Huang Zongxi had a close relationship with them, as they all belonged to the anti-Qing literati circle in Jiangnan.

Huang Zongxi once thought that under the oppressive rule of the Qing Dynasty, many of his friends were hiding in various places and that there would probably be few opportunities to visit each other again.

Now, unexpectedly, the world has changed so much, and such an opportunity has arisen. It is time to contact our old friends and righteous men who fought against the Qing Dynasty together, and wait for the right moment to overthrow the tyrannical Qing court.

"it is good!"

Huang Zonghui agreed.

The two brothers then chatted for a few more minutes.

Huang Zonghui then put on a raincoat and left in the wind and rain.

Huang Zongxi escorted him to the door, stood under the porch, watched his younger brother disappear into the wind and rain, and looked up at the sky where the rain continued to pour down, his eyes filled with longing.

If that Taizu in the southwest is real, that would be wonderful, wonderful.

In the "Baiyelu" hut in Gaojie Village, Jinlan Township, Xiangxi, Hunan, Wang Fuzhi, only forty-two years old, had finished organizing his "Collection of Poems on Fallen Flowers".

Since the death of his wife, Zheng, who had accompanied him through many hardships, in June, Wang Fuzhi had become much more silent.

He had followed Du Yinxi in resisting the Qing Dynasty, and also organized uprisings with Xia Rubing, Guan Siqiu, and Seng Xinghan, but all of them failed. He was wanted by the Qing government and had to change his name and hide in the east and west.

Now that the cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty is hopeless, I recall my father's dying wish to resist the Qing to the end, but now he is all alone, wandering around. I am filled with grief and indignation, and despair fills my heart.

From then on, Wang Fuzhi devoted himself to scholarship and thought, no longer paying attention to the general trend of the world.

However, the southwest winds soon reached Hunan.

Although Xiangxi was remote, Zhu Di had already heard about his conquests and expansions from Hunan to Guizhou and Yunnan.

Some of his friends even approached him on their way to Yunnan to join Zhu Di, asking if he would like to go with them.

But at that time, Wang Fuzhi had completely given up hope of resisting the Qing dynasty. He felt pessimistic about the possibility of a Ming army occupying Kunming, given the internal strife and power struggles that would follow.

After all, the failure of the Hunan resistance against the Qing was due to internal conflicts between He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi. Later, the Yongli Emperor also witnessed the interference of the "Five Tigers" in politics, which he observed due to his relationship with Guan Siqiu.

Therefore, Wang Fuzhi did not believe that this time he could succeed.

However, today the student brought a piece of paper, a piece of paper he had never seen before, white as jade.

The paper contains writings by Zhu Yuanzhang, and even a portrait of him and his imperial seal.

Wang Fuzhi stared blankly at the contents above.

Did the founding emperor descend to earth to save the world?

"Sir, sir?"

Seeing Wang Fuzhi in a daze, student Guan Yongxu asked him a few questions.

"Pack up."

Wang Fuzhi put down the paper and said softly.

Guan Yongxu asked in bewilderment, "What does the gentleman need to pack?"

"leave here."

"Leaving here? Are we leaving again? Where to?"

"Yunnan!"

Wang Fuzhi stood up and went to the bedroom to pack his luggage.

Guan Yongxu was taken aback for a moment, then quickly followed and said, "Sir, are you really going to seek refuge with the founding emperor? But whether this is true or not is still uncertain. Are there really immortals in this world? Could it be an imposter?"

"With five thousand men, we defeated tens of thousands of troops in Guizhou, and then hundreds of thousands of troops under Wu Sangui. Now, with only twenty thousand men, how can our great cause not be restored?"

Wang Fuzhi, with a clear mind, said, "You and I are in western Hunan, close by, you know all this, so what are you afraid of?"

Guan Yongxu suddenly realized: "That's it, that's it."

"If it really is the Founding Emperor descended to earth, the great cause can be accomplished, the great cause can be accomplished! I must go to Yunnan to see, and perhaps my father's last wish can be fulfilled."

Wang Fuzhi became increasingly agitated, and his packing became more and more frantic. When he ran out of things, he simply stopped packing altogether, grabbed a few clothes, put them in a box, walked out the door, and laughed loudly, "If I die on this journey, then so be it."

His father's last wish, his wife's passing, and his loneliness left him with nothing left to lose.

Apart from Huang Zongxi and Wang Fuzhi.

Gu Yanwu was traveling through Shanhaiguan at the time and was unaware that many righteous men in Jiangnan had also learned of this matter.

Some were extremely excited, some were worried, some were filled with longing, and some even took action.

Many scholars and intellectuals who dedicated themselves to the anti-Qing and restoration of the Ming dynasty during the late Ming and early Qing periods, such as Qu Dajun, Qi Bansun, Wei Geng, Qian Zhanbai, Qian Zuanzeng, Pan Tingcong, Li Qianru, and Fu Shan, went to Yunnan.

Especially Fu Shan.

He traveled the world many times in hopes of finding a way to resist the Qing dynasty, but in despair he was forced to retire into seclusion.

Now that there is hope, there are countless difficulties. What should we do?
(End of this chapter)