The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 250 Zhu Youxiao

In November, fighting broke out frequently in western Liaoning.

After the Battle of Guangning, the Kaiyuan army marched straight in, captured the cities of Yizhou and Jinzhou, and marched straight to Ningyuan.

Border troops from all over the country that came to support Liao gathered at Shanhaiguan. The Ming army was afraid to advance. The generals in Shaanxi Town clamored for military pay every day, and the border troops in Ji Town even looted directly at Shanhaiguan. General Man Gui was unable to suppress them and had to retreat back inside the pass.

The border troops from other places also complained and asked Zu Dashou for the food and fodder they needed every day.

Zu Dashou was miserable. On the one hand, he had to deal with the approaching Kaiyuan army, and on the other hand, he had to deal with these border town generals and meet all kinds of unreasonable demands of these military leaders.

The imperial court was also suffering.

Wang Huazhen surrendered in Kaiyuan, shocking the government and the public. The cabinet and the Imperial Household Department fought over it, and eventually put forward a new candidate for the governor of Liaodong.

In early October, the cabinet voted to replace Wang Huazhen with Wang Zaijin, the assistant minister of the Ministry of War, to govern Liaodong, and ordered Wang Zaijin to lead the border troops from Jizhen, Xuanda, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi and other places to rush to Ningyuan to launch a large-scale attack and eliminate the thief Liu.

On the sixth day of October, Wang Huazhen of the Jin Dynasty was appointed as the Minister of War and Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief, in charge of Liaodong, Jizhen, Tianjin, Dengzhou, and Laizhou. The emperor specially bestowed upon him a python jade, a belt, and an imperial sword.

When the new Liaodong governor left the capital, he was summoned to the palace to analyze the situation outside the Great Wall to the ailing Emperor Taichang:

"The traitor Liu destroyed Liaodong and Liaoxi. The first destruction was in Kaiyuan, the second destruction was in Hunhe, the third destruction was in Liao and Shen, and the fourth destruction was in Guangning. The first destruction was a crisis, the second destruction was a defeat, the third destruction was a stalemate, and as for the fourth destruction - abandoning all of Liao, there is no strategy left!"

At this time, the emperor was already seriously ill and lying in bed, dying. After hearing Wang Zaijin's words, he hurriedly shook his hands, struggled to sit up, and looked at his ministers with a wandering look:

"The late emperor was lenient and generous to Kaiyuan, allowing the traitor Liu to grow in power. Liu's ambitions are abhorrent to both humans and gods. Now that the situation in Liaodong has reached this point, you must not refuse. We will provide you with food and reinforcements. A country in turmoil needs a good minister. When you arrive in Liaodong, you must work together with Zu Dashou to eliminate this traitor for the Ming Dynasty and achieve unparalleled merit! Remember this."

Wang Zaijin had served as the Right Deputy Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. He knew that this time the foreign troops were fighting to aid Liao, and it would be difficult for them to prepare enough food and fodder.

Soldiers in the nine border regions of the Ming Dynasty had long been in arrears with their wages. Xuanda was owed six months, and Shaanxi ten months. Soldiers in various regions were reduced to beggars, many selling their children, and even selling their swords and armor was commonplace.

Last year, Xu Guangqi submitted a memorial to the emperor to reform the border troops, demanding that each soldier's salary be increased to two taels, that their equipment be replaced, that the Beijing Firearms Bureau be abolished, and that reliable muskets be purchased directly from the Macau Arsenal... As a result, Xu Guangqi was naturally attacked and impeached fiercely by the censors and generals, and the matter was never followed up.

Xu Guangqi's whereabouts have been unknown recently, and it seems that he was kidnapped by Kaiyuan spies.

In short, there is currently a lack of food and supplies on the Liaoxi battlefield, and no hope of reinforcements.

Wang Zai Jin knew that the emperor had no one else available. Who else but himself would be willing to wade into the muddy waters of western Liaoning?

Wang Zaijun comforted the emperor with a few words, prayed for his speedy recovery, and then walked out of the Forbidden City alone.

Reflected by the Jinshui River, the sun gradually sank into the western mountains.

In the early spring of the capital under the Little Ice Age, there was no chilling breeze among the willow trees. Instead, there was only the bloody wind and rain of Liaodong.

Wang Zai Jin wrapped his leather cap tightly, walked out of the palace quickly, and sat in his sedan chair.

The official sedan chair went all the way to his residence.

People were running on the streets to buy rice and flour. Some grain shops had sold out of food, and the shop assistants were pulled by their clothes by latecomers, forcing them to sell grain.

"Are there any left? The price will go up again tomorrow!"

"Damn Liu Zhaosun, he's fighting every day! I can barely eat!"

The war in western Liaoning is affecting the capital.

Wang Zai Jin sighed and shook his head helplessly.

～~～~
After losing the control of Wei Zhongxian, Zhu Changluo, under the instigation of Xu Xianchun, the new factory official, indulged in revelry and women every night. Historical records record:

"In the tenth month of the second year, the imperial officials presented beautiful women to the emperor. Within ten days, the emperor fell ill."

On the eighth day of October, Emperor Taichang was seriously ill and summoned the eunuch Cui Wensheng to treat him.

Cui Wensheng was originally a trusted eunuch in Concubine Zheng's palace.

After Zhu Changluo fell ill, Concubine Zheng instructed Cui Wensheng, the eunuch in charge of the imperial pharmacy, to bring laxatives to the emperor. Over the next day and night, Zhu Changluo suffered from diarrhea 30 to 40 times, becoming extremely weak and exhausted.

On October 10, the second year of Taichang, Zhu Changluo summoned Duke of Yingguo Zhang Weixian, Chief Minister Fang Congzhe and thirteen others into the palace, and ordered the eldest son Zhu Youxiao to meet him. Cui Wensheng was expelled from the palace.

On the 12th, Li Kezhuo, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, presented Zhu Changluo with an elixir. After taking it, Zhu Changluo felt better and asked the eunuch to pass on the message:
"After taking the holy medicine, you will feel warm and comfortable, and you will want to eat and drink."

At five o'clock that night, Zhu Changluo passed away.

On October 15, the second year of Taichang, the eldest son Zhu Youjiao succeeded to the throne and changed the reign title to Chongzhen. He was known in history as Emperor Chongzhen.

～~～~～

On the same day, Wang Zai Jin arrived in Ningyuan.

Outside Ningyuan City, there was a tide of rioters.

Tens of thousands of Liao people in Qijiabao, Yizhou, Shuangbao, south of Jinzhou, Shiguanertun and other places built villages to protect themselves. There were also thousands of Liao people in Dalinghe and Xiaolinghe who refused to follow Zu Dashou.

One hundred thousand refugees gathered at Shisan Mountain, Qiansi Mountain and Chajiao Mountain, led by the Yizhou hero Yang San. Yang San adopted a neutral strategy, neither retreating to Ningyuan with Liaozhen nor surrendering to the Kaiyuan army.

Liu Zhaosun sent officials such as Ma Shiying and Sen Ti to pacify more than 100,000 refugees.

Ping Liaohou promised the refugees that he would give them land after defeating Zu Dashou.

As long as the rioters in western Liaoning did not kill innocent people during the war, they will be forgiven.

However, Yang San, the leader of the Thirteen Mountains, had other ideas.

He sent people to Ningyuan to ask the Liaodong governor for money and food, saying that once the money and food arrived, he would personally lead the Liaoxi righteous men to fight the "Liu thief" to the end and serve the court.

Wang Zai Jin naturally didn't listen to this.

At present, the defenses of Ningyuan and Shanhaiguan are not yet stable, and we cannot act rashly. If we rescue the refugees, they will have nowhere to settle down and no food to provide them with. Moreover, there will definitely be many Kaiyuan spies among the refugees.

Wang Zaijin said to the envoys from the Thirteen Mountains:

"The traitor Liu has only annexed Jinzhou and hasn't immediately attacked Ningyuan or Shanhaiguan. If the imperial court easily accepts you, it will surely give the traitor Liu a reason to start a war. So, you're on your own."

In February of the first year of Chongzhen, after the Battle of Guangning, the garrison commanders of Youtunwei, Jinzhou, Dalinghhe City, Xiaolinghhe City, Songshan, Xingshan, Lianshan, and Tashan, under the order of Wang Zaijun, burned houses and grain stores and evacuated the military and civilians to the interior.

Wang Zaijin handed over full responsibility for the Liaoxi military affairs to Zu Dashou.

When Zu Dashou heard that the Kaiyuan army had crossed the Liaohe River, he immediately made military deployments and transferred troops everywhere.

Ningyuan City was defended by the infantry of Guangwu Camp. Chen Zhaolan, the commander of the Central Left, led his own infantry into the city and assisted with the commander Xu Fuzou in the defense. The general's servants provided support on the city wall and at the four gates.

The central army, led by Sun Shaozu, He Kegang, Li Guofu, Huang Weizheng, and Peng Zhangu, led the battle, while Zu Dashou personally led his household servants to apprehend the spies within the city. General Zu Dabi led his elite troops from Xingshui County Fort and Wayao Chong as reinforcements.

Deputy General Zhu Mei, guerrillas Ma Guang and Deng Maolin each led their elite troops to join forces with Zu Dabi as external aid to the north of Ningyuan.

Zu Dashou also ordered the officers of the small forts under Ningyuan and Jinzhou, Meng Jikong, Sun Chenghui, Zhang Cunren, Jin Guofeng, Sun Dingliao, and Zhao Bangning, to lead their cavalry to meet up with Zu Dabi.

The guerrillas Yao Yuxian, Qiao Heng, Ji Shideng of Longwu Water Camp, and the commander Wang Xifu and others selected elite soldiers from each ship and waited on Juehua Island to provide external support to Ningyuan in the south.

The Zhongyouso was defended by Liu Yongchang and You Dai, while the general of Qiantunwei, Zhao Luejiao, led his three-car battalion infantry to defend Zhongqianso, Qiantunwei and Zhonghouso as support for Ningyuan.

In this way, a defense system with Ningyuan as the center and supporting each other in the east, west, south and north was established.

Zu Dashou learned from Zu Dabi and the defeated troops how Liaoshen, Guangning, and other places had fallen. He called on the entire Ningyuan city's military and civilian population to defend the city together. He had his servants post notices throughout the city. The text read as follows:

"I will live and die with this city. All the generals within, whether defending or aiding, must live and die with this city. We must unite as one, share a common purpose, and strive for survival amidst death. We will live without death. Anyone who retreats in the face of battle will be executed before the army. Anyone who acts recklessly will be killed, and anyone on the city walls who descends will be killed!"

(End of this chapter)