Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 296 The Army Approaches Nanjing
Just over ten days later, memorials from the southern regions requesting assistance poured into Beijing like snowflakes.

Time was running out for the Qing court to make a decision.

According to the memorial, the Ming Dynasty's offensive was becoming increasingly fierce, and Zhu Yuanzhang's main force had entered Anhui Province, with its troops heading straight for Nanjing.

Meanwhile, Feng Sheng, Fu Youde, Lan Yu, Tang Shengzong, Lu Zhongheng and others have already entered Jiangxi and Fujian from Hunan and Guangdong respectively.

With Zheng Chenggong landing in Fujian, Liu Liangzuo, Geng Jimao, Li Shuaitai, and others were naturally extremely anxious, sending several official documents to Beijing every day, hoping that the imperial court's reinforcements would arrive as soon as possible.

However, the Qing Dynasty was also in a very desperate situation at this time.

The total number of Manchu, Han, and Mongol Eight Banner troops was only around 200,000, and many of them were stationed elsewhere, a few hundred here and a few hundred there, with half of the troops stationed outside.

The slightly larger areas were Beijing and the surrounding Eight Banners garrisons, totaling approximately 100,000 men.

However, when Aobai went on the expedition, he took three-fifths of the Eight Banners soldiers with him, about 60,000, leaving 40,000. Of the more than 200,000 Green Standard Army soldiers in the Beijing Garrison, Aobai also took most of them, leaving only 20,000 to 30,000.

In other words, the total number of Manchu, Han, and Mongol Eight Banner soldiers plus Green Standard Army soldiers in the entire city of Beijing was not even 100,000; there were only about 60,000 to 70,000.

Once these troops march south, Beijing will be left without any soldiers to defend it.

Although the Qing court immediately began conscripting soldiers in the north, conscription is not something that can be done in a short time.

Moreover, they are all untrained, incapable rabble, and it's hard to guarantee they'll be of any use.

Therefore, the Qing court is now in a very difficult situation.

Send someone.

Sending these people there would put Beijing in great danger, and there's no guarantee they'd win.

Let's not send it.

Jiangnan completely fell.

When Ming Nie marches north, they will be doomed just the same.

Therefore, the Qing court's current situation is indeed in a very dangerous state.

No wonder even Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang, who lived deep within the palace, had to come out of seclusion.

But her coming out of seclusion was of no use.

The Battle of Chongqing was essentially a decisive battle between the Manchu Qing dynasty and the Southern Ming dynasty.

After this battle, the Qing dynasty lost all its elite troops. Even Wu Sangui's army of over 100,000 men was routed, leaving only 30,000 to 40,000 cavalrymen to flee.

The southeast had only about 200,000 troops, which were not only scattered in various places, but also attacked by the Ming army, civilian uprisings and Zheng Chenggong's troops, and were simply unable to resist.

Most of the troops in the north had been redeployed, leaving only tens of thousands in Beijing. There were also some border troops stationed in the northeast and along the northern border.

Even if they sought help from the Mongol tribes that had good relations with the Qing Dynasty, the number of reinforcements they could obtain was questionable.

the most important is.

Even if they manage to secure 500,000 reinforcements.

they.

Can they really defeat the remnants of the Southern Ming dynasty, who were capable of annihilating 400,000 elite Qing troops?

This problem lingered in the minds of every high-ranking official of the Qing Dynasty, like a leech clinging to a bone, and could not be shaken off for a long time.

Therefore, the Qing court was unable to send reinforcements for a long time, and could not provide much help to the south.

They didn't even dare to levy heavy taxes anymore, but instead reduced taxes in the north, and stated that as long as a family sent a male member to join the army, most of the taxes could be reduced or exempted.

This was undoubtedly a wise decision.

Because the Manchu Qing dynasty had been based in the Central Plains for more than ten years, it still maintained the heavy taxation system of the late Ming dynasty.

Although the annual expenditure was considerable due to the large amount of money required to suppress the Southern Ming and maintain an army of over 800,000.

However, according to the "Veritable Records of the Qing Dynasty", when Shunzhi died, he still left Kangxi 2.4 million taels of silver from the treasury of the two countries and as much as tens of millions of shi of grain reserves.

And this is just a reserve, that is, the money left over from the national treasury after deducting expenditures each year is stored away.

Prior to this, according to historical records, in the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi reign, the total national tax revenue, including land tax, industry and commerce tax, and population tax, amounted to approximately 25 million taels of silver.

The tax revenue from actual grain was approximately 20 million shi (a unit of dry measure).

After deducting annual expenses such as officials' salaries and military maintenance, the Shunzhi Emperor was able to save a little money each year.
Therefore, at this time, the Qing government's treasury had not yet reached the point of complete depletion.

In particular, after Ao Bai led his entire army of 400,000 men to their demise, the national army's military expenditure was reduced by nearly half, saving a large amount of money and grain.

Currently, the national treasury still holds seven to eight million taels of silver, and granaries across the country store more than twenty million shi of grain.

Although it is unknown how many corrupt officials have been involved.

However, recruiting a few hundred thousand more troops to fight temporary battles could still maintain the situation.

Therefore, by exchanging taxes for troops, a large number of cannon fodder soldiers could be quickly gathered in a short period of time, and the stability of the north could be maintained to prevent the north from becoming like the south, with uprisings and rebellions breaking out everywhere.

Anyway, it was the Han people who died, and it was the Han people who were seized, so what did it have to do with the Manchus?

If we can win, there are so many Han people, and they can have children and continue to farm to support the Manchu Qing dynasty.

If we lose, there's even less to say. What's the point of caring about the lives of the Han people if we've already lost our country?

Therefore, this move can be described as a vicious scheme that kills the goose that lays the golden eggs.

However, this treacherous plan required the Qing court to have a certain amount of silver and grain reserves.

Otherwise, if instead of exchanging taxes for population, high taxes are continued and soldiers are constantly conscripted, then the situation will evolve into that of the Chongzhen era.

The people, unable to bear the burden any longer, will rebel, and the north will become a place of uprisings and widespread warfare.

The Manchu people had already suffered countless casualties in the Battle of Chongqing, and every Manchu family, both inside and outside the Great Wall, hung white cloth in their homes.

If another peasant uprising is sparked in the north, Beijing may fall to the rebels even before Zhu Yuanzhang goes north.

Whether they went beyond the Great Wall to seek help from the Mongols, transferred the Qing troops stationed outside the Great Wall into the interior, or exchanged taxes for troops, none of these could stop the tide of history.

It would be difficult for the Qing government to gather so many troops in a short period of time.

We dare not easily send out the tens of thousands of people we have on hand.

As a result, Jiangnan waited for more than a month, but still could not receive the army of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

As time passed, it gradually came to December of the eighteenth year of the Shunzhi reign, which is December 1661 AD.

According to the Gregorian calendar, it was January 1662.

During this period, Zhu De's army had reached Anqing and Chizhou, and after recovering these two prefectures, it had also reached Taiping Prefecture and Luzhou Prefecture.

The local Qing troops had all been summoned away by Liu Liangzuo or had fled, and the Ming army occupied cities and towns almost without any hindrance, recovering large swathes of land.

The main reason he did not continue his advance was that it had been raining in Jiujiang and other places recently, causing the Yangtze River to rise.

Traveling along the Yangtze River has both advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage is that if the weather is good and the river is calm, the speed is extremely fast. It only takes less than half a month to travel from Chongqing to Nanjing, a total distance of more than 1400 kilometers by Yangtze River.

There are also drawbacks.

A slight misstep while traveling on rivers can lead to the destruction of the boat and loss of life.

When the weather is bad or the water level rises, it is common for ships to be stranded at various docks along the Yangtze River for days or even months.

However, while waiting, Zhu did not do nothing. Countless righteous people from all over Jiangnan came to see him.

His army has grown to 400,000 people, and the number continues to rise.

Zhu Yunfeng's ancestor, Zhu Cibei, had already moved to Hankou.

Countless scholars came to seek refuge with him, and he quickly organized a court.

Such as Wang Fuzhi, Qu Dajun, Qi Bansun, Wei Geng, Qian Zhanbai, Qian Zuanzeng, Pan Tingcong, Li Qianru, Fu Shan, etc.

These people were all appointed by Zhu Cibei as important officials in the court, responsible for helping him manage local affairs, including selecting local officials, appeasing local people, and maintaining local order.

Old Zhu also handed over the logistics work to Zhu Cibei.

In military campaigns, logistics are of paramount importance. Even though the Hongwu Army was invincible, it still needed to eat and wear clothes.

Therefore, this job is not so simple.

Zhu Cibei did not disappoint his father, making the most of all the money and resources at his disposal. He sent a large amount of supplies to his father, allowing the hundreds of thousands of troops to fight with peace of mind.

The heavy rains of the past few days have quickly subsided, and the swollen river has gradually calmed down. Although the weather is not exactly clear and sunny, it is less humid.

After waiting a few more days and having replenished some shells, Zhu De officially led his troops to Nanjing.

The mighty river surged and the sky was slightly overcast.

Old Zhu stood at the bow of the boat, wearing a life jacket, with lifeboats hanging on both sides of the boat to ensure his safety to the greatest extent possible.

It was December, and a cold north wind was blowing, with the city of Nanjing already faintly visible in the distance.

"The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, its waves washing away countless heroes."

Looking at the vast river, Old Zhu couldn't help but sigh.

Zhu Yunfeng asked curiously, "Grandpa, have you started reading 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'?"

Old Zhu glanced at him and said, "Read more books; those are Yang Shen's poems."

Zhu Yunfeng was utterly speechless. "Do you think I don't know 'Linjiangxian'? Who would have known that you, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, would read poetry from the mid-Ming period?"

"Oh, I didn't read it. I was reading 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' and I heard the song was nice, so I searched for it online."

Old Zhu said casually.

"."

Zhu Yunfeng rolled his eyes.

Jihe is currently transporting supplies in Hyundai.

Zhu Di pursued Wu Sangui to Shaanxi.

It was just the two of them, grandfather and grandson, here. Zhu Yunfeng didn't have much respect for Old Zhu, and they bickered every day.

The vast land surged and churned, while Qing troops lit smoke signals on the shore.

Wisps of smoke rose straight into the sky.

Speaking of which, many of the beacon towers on both sides of the river were built by Zhu Yuanzhang back then.

Now they're using it against him.

But it doesn’t matter.

As the infantry advanced along the river, these beacon towers were gradually captured and controlled by the Ming army.

By noon, the army had already passed Dasheng Pass and arrived at Jiangning Wharf.

There were almost no Qing soldiers at the dock, only many local people.

They brought some grain and wine and, led by local gentry, sought an audience, expressing that the Qing government was cruel and had destroyed the Han people's culture and customs, and that they were willing to abandon darkness and embrace the light, returning to the embrace of the Ming Dynasty.

I've seen this kind of thing far too often along the way.

Whether they were local gentry or the vast majority of ordinary people, they had no sense of national or familial responsibility.

They didn't care whether the rulers were Han Chinese or not; they only cared about less taxation and less corvée labor.

Therefore, since ancient times, they have always helped whoever wins, even if they are ruled by the Mongol Yuan Dynasty or the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Unless their fundamental interests are threatened, their hair can be cut and their whips can be kept.

This has nothing to do with humanity.

It's purely a survival philosophy that has been around for thousands of years.

Therefore, they were not wrong.

At first, Old Zhu was naturally very disgusted with these opportunistic gentry, landlords, and common people.

I think these people lack a firm stance and are utterly hateful.

But later, Zhu Yunfeng explained this to him, and he gradually came to understand.

After all, he himself was born into poverty. The common people just wanted to live, and they were not wrong. The fault lay with the Ming ruling class for failing to protect the country.

Therefore, when facing the gentry and common people, Zhu Yuanzhang generously welcomed them back to the embrace of the Ming Dynasty, which reassured the local people.

After pacifying the local people of Jiangning, the army went ashore and continued its advance in the afternoon, reaching the outskirts of Nanjing.

Behind them were countless troops. They landed at the Jiajiang ferry dock, which was probably in the Jianye District of Nanjing in later years.

After landing, the soldiers, carrying rifles and mortars, marched in a mighty procession to the southwest bank of the Qinhuai River.

By the time they officially arrived in Nanjing, it was already late afternoon.

Under the command of the commanders of each thousand households, the soldiers of the Hongwu Army began to deploy defenses around the city, launch drones, and set up mortars to prevent a surprise attack by the Qing army inside the city.

Meanwhile, the Southern Ming troops in the rear set up tents, built camps, and lit campfires to cook.

They didn't even have enough trees to build a fence for their camp.

Old Zhu and Zhu Yunfeng then climbed a small hill nearby. Actually, it wasn't really a hill; there are very few mountains around Nanjing, only some hills, no more than a hundred meters high.

Standing atop a small hill, the drone overlooks the entire city of Nanjing.

Looking northeast of the Qinhuai River along the city wall, one can see a large number of Qing troops preparing, with rows of red cannons aimed at the southwest, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Clearly, facing the arrival of the Ming army, Liu Liangzuo, the highest-ranking commander in the city and the governor of Jiang'an, was terrified and prepared for battle.

"Have you found Liu Liangzuo?"

"Maybe this."

"Perhaps it is this."

"It's hard to say."

Zhu Yunfeng kept swiping his finger across the screen, pointing out the suspected targets found by the drone pilots.

Nanjing is such a huge city that more than 20 drones searched everywhere, along the city wall which stretches for more than 10 kilometers, as well as some of the luxurious mansions within the city.

But on the city wall, all that could be found were people dressed in armor, looking like generals.

As for who Liu Liangzuo is, it won't be easy to find out.

Those men wore cotton armor of various colors, just like the ones shown in TV dramas, and the generals' armor was similar in appearance and style.

There may be some differences, but none of them are researchers of Qing army armor and clothing, so they naturally couldn't find them.

But it doesn’t matter.

Old Zhu said, "Then forget it. When we attack the city tomorrow, we'll capture them if we can. If we can't capture them, we'll consider them lucky if they die."

As for Liu Liangzuo, he naturally hoped to capture him and execute him by slow slicing.

Unfortunately, guns and cannons have no eyes.

If Liu Liangzuo were lucky enough to die amidst the artillery barrage, it would only mean he was fortunate enough to avoid the agony of being slowly sliced ​​to death.

if not.

Ha ha.

Old Zhu sneered inwardly, his gaze seemingly piercing through the sky to see the blood.

As dusk falls and night approaches, the fiery clouds on the horizon are incredibly beautiful.

In less than an hour, the world went from bright white to gray, and then from gray to black.

Tomorrow, a massacre is inevitable.

(End of this chapter)