Zhu Yuanzhang in the cellar

Chapter 313 Liquidation!

After the fall of Beijing, chaos ensued within the city.

People fled in panic, and the streets were filled with people dragging their families along, crying and running north.

However, although they are called ordinary people, they should actually be referred to as the families of the Manchu Eight Banners.

During the more than ten years that Shunzhi ruled the Central Plains, a large number of people migrated from outside the Great Wall to inside, but the number of Manchus was simply too small.

If we exclude the Mongol and Han Eight Banners, and consider that the number of male Eight Banners men counted by the Qing Dynasty in the fifth year of the Shunzhi reign was less than 60,000, then the total Manchu population was only around 300,000.

Even including the Mongol and Han Eight Banners and their families, the number of Banner people was only around 600,000 to 700,000, which is pitifully small compared to the huge Han population.

But these mere 600,000 to 700,000 Manchu bannermen ruled over nearly 100 million Han Chinese, lording it over them. Naturally, there were traitors within the ranks who acted as accomplices.

Old Zhu then purged a large number of internal traitors and executed many scoundrels who were willing to serve as slaves to foreign tribes but turned around and slaughtered their own people.

now.

Then it was their master's turn.

These Manchu bannermen did not live in the outer city like ordinary people, but in the inner city.

In the early Qing Dynasty, it was stipulated that the inner city was the exclusive residential area for the Eight Banners officers and soldiers and their families.

Han Chinese commoners, including Han Chinese officials, were not allowed to live in the inner city, no matter how high their rank or how much power they wielded.

Therefore, in the later years of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, Gao Shiqi, as a lecturer, was specially granted a residence in the Xiyuan Garden in the area of ​​present-day Beihai by the emperor. He was overjoyed and wrote the poem "I have long made this humble alley my home, but suddenly I am surprised to find myself living in the western garden under the emperor's grace" to express his gratitude for the emperor's great favor.

However, in the early Qing Dynasty, the Eight Banners were placed in the inner city not only to facilitate the emperor's direct control of the Eight Banners troops, but also primarily for effective governance and military defense.

The Manchu and Han people were separated.

The Manchus were considered superior, while the Han Chinese were considered inferior.

This continuous political suppression of the Han people led to the establishment of the Manchu people's privileged status and ruling order.

But now, the clever methods that were once used to maintain Manchu rule have suddenly become a disastrous move that led to the downfall of the Manchu people.

Because after the Ming army entered the city, they quickly sealed off all the city gates.

The Manchus lived in the inner city, while the Han Chinese lived in the outer city. As a result, once the Ming army sealed off the city, the Manchus and Han Chinese were clearly separated. When Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to kill someone, there was naturally no chance of accidental injury. Or there was no possibility of a Manchu impersonating a Han Chinese to avoid his blade.

"The Emperor Taizu has decreed that the blood debt of millions of Han people must be repaid today. All inner city gates are to be closed, and swords shall not be sheathed for ten days. Not a single living Tartar shall be allowed to remain in the city!"

The cavalrymen shouted as they relayed the order to all directions.

As soon as the order was given, the entire inner city transformed overnight into a living hell, with screams and wails echoing endlessly.

There are no eggs under the covering nest.

Large numbers of Southern Ming soldiers marched in orderly formation, raised their swords, and rushed toward the Tartars.

Their homes were kicked open, and they were searched and captured no matter where they were hiding. All the city gates were closed, and any Tartars who were not Ming soldiers were killed. The city became increasingly terrifying and bloody.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, Emperor Zhu sat solemnly, with many generals standing below him.

The Hongwu guards did not participate in the fighting; most of them went to chase after the scattered and fleeing Tartars. About three thousand of them followed Zhu Yuanzhang into the city and now returned to their old profession—standing guard at the palace.

It really felt like coming home, after all, the soldiers that Zhu Yuanzhang transferred from Hongwu's side were actually soldiers from various units under the Five Military Commissions stationed in Nanjing.

Besides training, their daily tasks included rotating guards in various parts of Nanjing, including the Imperial Palace.

Therefore, one should not be too skilled at standing guard.

Having taken control of the area outside the palace, Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand and ordered the Southern Ming soldiers to settle their scores and grievances, leaving no Tartars or their families alive in the inner city.

Countless Southern Ming soldiers poured into the city, embarking on a lavish feast in response to dozens of massacres, large and small, committed by the Manchus, including the Yangzhou Massacre, the Jiading Massacre, and the Jiangyin Massacre.

At this moment, Old Zhu sat high in the main seat, his right index finger gently tapping the dragon head armrest on the dragon throne, his left hand supporting his left cheek, his body slightly tilted to the left, his head tilted, and his whole body in a relaxed state with his eyes closed, resting.

Below, besides Lan Yu, Tang Shengzong, Lu Zhongheng, and others who were either outside or controlling various passes in Beijing or pursuing the Tartars, Fu Youde, Feng Sheng, Li Dingguo, Bai Wenxuan, and others stood in line.

There were about twenty generals standing on the left and right sides.

Mao Xiang and Jiang Huan stood solemnly on either side of the steps. The hall was quiet, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Fengtian Hall is not far from the Meridian Gate, and faintly, one can even hear screams from outside the palace.

"Ancestor."

Just then, Zhu Yunfeng came out of the side hall, pulled up a chair, walked to the stage, and sat down next to Old Zhu.

"Well, what should I say?"

Old Zhu responded.

"The agreement has been reached."

Zhu Yunfeng said, "My great-grandfather was very happy to hear the news and said he would set off from Nanjing tomorrow."

"That's great. Your ancestor got such a huge empire for free. He must be overjoyed. He's probably ecstatic right now."

"Look at what you're saying! Wasn't my ancestor your grandson?"

"hehe."

Old Zhu smiled, not a mocking smile, but a smile of amusement.

"Zheng Chenggong has also made contact and has already captured Shanhaiguan. Now they control the route for the Tartars to retreat back to the outside of the pass. The Tartars scattered in the eastern part of Ji cannot go back unless they jump into the sea to feed the fish."

"Yes, that's good news. Where are Lan Yu and the others?"

"They also controlled the exit routes such as Xifengkou, Gubeikou, Zhuangdaokou, Baimaguan, and Qiangzilu, but there are probably still some narrow paths, so it's possible that a few hundred or a few thousand Tartars could still pass through."

"It's alright, how's the fourth brother?"

"The fourth brother is also stepping up his offensive against Xuanfu, and it should be over in the next day or two."

Zhu Yunfeng scratched his head.

"Why so slow?"

"He was at a disadvantage because he was too embarrassed to rob the people. Wu Sangui was too much of a beast. When he was short of food and horses, he robbed people in Shaanxi and Shanxi. The fourth son, at least, had the halo of Emperor Taizong above him and was fighting for the restoration of the Ming Dynasty and the restoration of the Han people's country. So he was definitely not going to do such things. Just the food and drink along the way would cost him money, which would definitely cause more trouble."

"I see."

Old Zhu didn't open his eyes, but nodded to indicate that he understood.

After hearing what Zhu Yunfeng said, he understood what was going on.

Wu Sangui's army of over 100,000 was forced to abandon the infantry and flee with only 30,000 cavalry.

But cavalry is also a type of force that requires logistics, and even more so than infantry.

While foot soldiers are indeed slower on two legs, they are not as delicate as horses in ancient times. They can easily fill their stomachs with some dry rations.

Horses, on the other hand, are completely different.

If you only feed horses grass, they won't develop the strength to run fast and their endurance will also be very poor.

Therefore, in ancient times, cavalry was often used for short-distance raids. For example, Cao Cao's night raid on Wuchao involved 5,000 cavalrymen who ran about 40 kilometers to Wuchao and set fire to Yuan Shao's grain supplies.

As for the reasons why Huo Qubing and others traveled hundreds or even thousands of kilometers, there are many factors involved.

First, he used war to sustain war, seizing the Xiongnu's grain and horses.

Secondly, Emperor Wu of Han provided tremendous logistical support. According to records, the Xiongnu horses were thin and weak in winter and lacked stamina.

In order to ensure the strength of warhorses, the Han Dynasty would feed them grain. Huo Qubing's cavalry even used soybeans and other concentrated feed to strengthen the horses before battle.

This ensured that Huo Qubing's horses had sufficient strength during his long-distance raids. Therefore, warhorses were extremely valuable; to ensure they could run for extended periods, in addition to using horseshoes to reduce wear and tear, their food supply had to be guaranteed.

Zhu Di led a light cavalry force of a thousand men north out of Sichuan, chasing Wu Sangui all the way from Shaanxi to Shanxi, without any logistical support.

Along the way, even people had to find their own food, let alone horses.

In contrast, Wu Sangui could be shameless.

Since he had already betrayed the Han people once and slaughtered countless Han people, he didn't care about continuing to do what he had done before.

Therefore, when he abandoned a large amount of supplies and the Qing court was too busy to provide him with food and supplies, he could choose to slaughter the people along the way and plunder their food to replenish his troops and supplies.

Zhu Di, however, could not.

can only say.

Whether it's the burden of maintaining an idol image or a basic moral compass, it's truly remarkable that they've managed to survive by buying food with money, without resorting to robbery.

After all, the world is in chaos again. If you want to be a good person and spend money to buy food, you need to have something to buy.

Moreover, Wu Sangui had already looted the area once before, so even if there were any left, the people would have to sell them, and they might even encounter the unpleasant situation of price gouging.

Therefore, we cannot blame Zhu Di for being incompetent; we can only blame the fact that in chaotic times, those without principles tend to outlive those with principles.

However, he won't live much longer.

Although Wu Sangui escaped to Xuanfu by plundering, there was really nothing left to steal there.

With the Qing court preoccupied with its own problems, he could only fight like a cornered beast.

Further north lies Mongolia.

Many soldiers had deserted along the way. Of the more than 30,000 Guan Ning cavalry who were originally Wu Sangui’s staunch supporters, about a third had fled by the time they reached Xuanfu, leaving only about 20,000.

If he fled to Mongolia, he would find it hard to leave his homeland, and even the most die-hard supporters would likely rebel against him, Wu Sangui. Therefore, he had no choice but to fight a desperate battle.

Basically, now is the time for Zhu Di to have good news.

At this moment, with Zhu Yuanzhang's entry into Beijing, the Qing Dynasty, which had ruled for more than ten years and whose rule was almost deeply rooted, collapsed in just eight months.

Of those eight months, it is estimated that more than seven months were spent traveling, and the actual time spent fighting was very limited.

This demonstrates just how vulnerable ancient feudal dynasties were to modern firearms.

Even at the height of a dynasty's founding, it is as fragile as a piece of paper, easily broken with a touch.

Old Zhu sat quietly on the dragon throne.

Even further outside the Meridian Gate, the screams continued.

Zhu Yunfeng hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Ancestor."

"Ok?"

"There are some things I don't know whether I should say or not."

"I know what you're trying to say. You're trying to tell me, how am I any different from the Tartars in doing this?"

"How should I put it? I know it's because my modern mindset is different, but as you know, no matter how much the Japanese pirates slaughtered, our army still treated prisoners of war well."

"I know you're influenced by the ideas you have there. I guess you're just mentioning it casually. In the end, it's just a difference in thinking."

Old Zhu opened his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Do you remember something you said before?"

"What?"

Why is it that, despite both being massacres of Han Chinese, Chinese people hate the Manchus and Japanese pirates, but not the Mongols and Jurchens?

"I see."

Zhu Yunfeng then shut his mouth.

Actually, he just mentioned it casually while listening to the constant screams outside.

no way.

It's not fair to call him a saint; it's just that the inherent kindness in the Chinese people is at play.

Even though you have hurt us in the past, you still can't help but feel pity when you see such pitiful things.

But this pity quickly dissipated with a few words from Old Zhu.

Because Old Zhu is right.

Firstly, this is an ancient matter, while Zhu Yunfeng's roots are in the modern era, so he has no reason to meddle in ancient grudges.

Secondly, as Lao Zhu said, there are differences in ideas and concepts between ancient and modern times.

Zhu Yunfeng can be kind because he was born in a powerful new China, with the country's strength, which allows Chinese people in the new era to have kind hearts.

However, in ancient society, feudal dynasties collapsed in an instant, and the Manchus directly massacred millions of Han people and indirectly killed tens of millions more.

Who will pity these Han Chinese who died?

Therefore, no modern person is qualified to judge Zhu Yuanzhang's act of revenge against the Manchus, who were also ancient people.

Thirdly, and most importantly.

In later generations, the Chinese people no longer hated the Mongols and the Jurchens.

The main reason is that the time is too long, and even the greatest hatred will be worn away by time.

A secondary reason is that the Jurchens were purged by the Southern Song Dynasty in alliance with the Mongols, while the Mongols were purged by the Zhu family.

After the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Di slaughtered the Mongols, forcing them to flee westward. The Mongols in the southern desert were almost wiped out by the Zhu family.

In contrast, the Qing Dynasty was also purged halfway through the late Qing period by rebel armies such as the Taiping Rebellion and the Nian Rebellion.

However, these morgues and the Nian Rebellion only killed the lower-ranking Manchu bannermen, and had no effect on the upper-class elites of the Qing Dynasty.

Unfortunately, the corrupt and incompetent Qing government at that time lost sovereignty and national humiliation. In addition, the Manchu elites sided with the Japanese pirates and continued to act as their accomplices. This is enough to show that the purge of the Manchu elite class was not thorough enough!
Therefore, among the blood debts owed to the nation, the Japanese pirates naturally rank first.

However, the blood debts of the Qing Dynasty have been largely erased over time, but many people still remember that debt.

This massacre, in a sense, is a blood debt being repaid in blood.

Everyone faces reckoning.

Perhaps due to various reasons, the reckoning with the Qing Dynasty has become a thing of the past and will not happen again in the future.

However, at least today, Old Zhu wants to represent the plight of the Han people during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and demand retribution for this debt.

Otherwise, we would be letting down the many innocent people who died.

under these circumstances.

If others say things like, "If a dog bites you, what's the difference between you biting back and the dog?", they're just talking without understanding the situation.

Because the knife is cutting you.

This knife.

It will eventually have to be returned.

Only then can the nation's pent-up resentment be completely quelled.

(End of this chapter)