The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 373 Great Qi Empire
In the first year of Ming Yan Guang, the first year of Da Qi Wu Ding, in 1626 AD, on the eighth day of the first lunar month, the last emperor, Emperor Yan Guang Zhu Cilang, held a ceremony of abdication in the Huangji Hall of the capital and officially issued an edict to abdicate on the same day.

The contents of Emperor Yanguang's abdication edict are as follows:
Previously, the traitor Zhang Chun plotted rebellion, prompting exiles from southern provinces to respond. Nine summers were in turmoil, and countless lives were lost. The Protector of the Nation was specially commissioned to lead a large army to quell the rebellion. Over the past two months, the Protector of the Nation has fought bravely, winning nine battles in a row and stamping out the rebellion. He apprehended the ringleader, turned the tide, and rebuilt the nation.

Yet, the north and south are divided, locked in a stalemate. Merchants are forced to abandon their roads, and scholars are forced to retreat into the wilderness. Every day of rebellion brings unrest to the people. The people are now largely leaning towards the Protector of the Nation. Civil and military officials have championed this cause, and the generals of Kaiyuan have followed suit. The will of the people is known by destiny. How can I, for the sake of the prestige of one family, go against the will of the people? Therefore, observing the prevailing situation and assessing public opinion, I, along with the Emperor, have abdicated power to the Protector of the Nation. This will appease the people who long for order and peace within the nation, and align with the ancient sages' ideal of a world for all. Liu Zhaosun will serve as Protector of the Nation, Grand Secretary of the Eastern Court, Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong, Minister of War, and Archbishop. At this juncture of transition between the old and the new, we must possess the capacity to unify the north and south and forge a new chapter in history. We will consult with the gentry and the people of all regions on a method of unification. Our ultimate goal is to ensure the safety of the people and peace throughout the land. We will continue to unite the two capitals, thirteen provinces, Jiaozhi, Korea, and Burma of the Ming Dynasty into the Great Qi Empire. I have been able to retire to a leisurely place, enjoying my years at ease, enjoying the courtesy of my fellow citizens, and witnessing the conquest of Europe by the Qi Dynasty. Isn't that wonderful?

The eighth day of the first lunar month of the first year of Yanguang

A few days before, the Duke of Protectorate declined three times, and the ministers urged him to accept the mandate of heaven and inherit the throne, but he was always rejected by Liu Zhaosun.

During the first month of the lunar calendar, from the capital to northern Zhili, auspicious signs and miracles continued to appear everywhere. From a white rainbow piercing the sun to toads descending upon the streets, from Mars in the heart to the Protector of the Country's eyelids twitching. The myriad auspicious signs are too numerous to recount here. In short, it was destiny, the time, and fate that determined Liu Zhaosun's rise to the throne.

The Duke of Huguo declined for a long time, but Kang Yingqian, Yang Hao and others threatened to commit suicide. Wang Erhu even threatened that if he did not obey the will of heaven, there was no guarantee that he would not be crowned emperor again at Lugou Bridge.

The Duke of Huguo weighed the pros and cons and made a comprehensive analysis. In order to prevent the people from suffering from war again and to allow the Kaiyuan cause to continue to move forward, he finally reluctantly accepted the advice of his ministers and prepared to ascend the throne to become emperor.

So the country was named Da Qi, known in history as Xin Qi or Dong Qi (because its capital was in the Eastern Hemisphere). The Yan Guang era was abolished and changed to Wu Ding, with the capital still in Beijing. Jin Yu Ji was canonized as the Eastern Queen and Yang Qing'er as the Western Queen, with the two queens coexisting. Liu Kan was made the crown prince, and Yang Hao was canonized as the father-in-law of the country.

Liu Zhaosun enfeoffed Emperor Ming Zhu Cilang as King of Shunyi and established his vassal state on Jeju Island in Korea. The two-year-old emperor was reunited with his uncle, Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youxiao, and they shared the joy of family in the distant country of gentlemen.

As the saying goes, when one person succeeds, his family and friends will all benefit. After the Duke of Huguo became emperor, all his trusted subordinates who had followed him for many years were rewarded.

Kang Yingqian was promoted to Governor of Sichuan, truly becoming a frontier official. Qiao Yiqi continued to serve as the Minister of Revenue. Prime Minister Yang Hao also served as the Minister of War, and was given the title of father-in-law of the emperor. Pei Dahu and Lin Yu were promoted to chief officers of the Central Army Guard. Zhang Dong replaced Shen Lian as chief officer of the Suoyi Guard. Yang Tong was promoted to commander of the Five Cities Bingmasi. Officials of the civil affairs department were also rewarded.

The new emperor showered rewards, though many of the official positions were empty promises. For example, Lü Tongzhi was appointed Governor-General of the Great Qi Empire in Australia. Given the current situation, it was unclear how long it would take to establish a presence in Australia.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month of the first year of the Wuding reign, Emperor Wuding held his first morning court session. The civil and military officials flanking him were replaced by officials from Kaiyuan. The only change was that the duty censors disappeared. The new dynasty had new rules, and the censorship system was abolished altogether.

After the ministers finished congratulating Emperor Wuding, Kang Yingqian stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty is wise and holy, and you are strong and decisive. However, I have heard that a country cannot have two rulers, and a palace cannot have two queens. Now you have two queens, the East and the West, and you have appointed Empress Yi'an's son as the crown prince. I am afraid that the story of King Wu of Zhao at Shaqiu will be repeated..."

Liu Zhaosun didn't expect that the first person to come out and advise him would be Kang Yingqian.

"Does Governor Kang know Emperor Xuan of Northern Zhou, Yuwen Yun? I heard that this man enthroned two empresses. I named the country Qi to make it known to the world that everyone should be treated equally."

Kang Yingqian and Qiao Yiqi exchanged glances. The other ministers were quite critical of the idea of naming the country Qi. Even Ma Shiying, who was far away in Sakhalin, sent a report back, requesting the name Han. Ma Shiying cited classics, starting with the Western Han Dynasty, and enumerated twenty-one advantages of naming the country Han. However, Liu Zhaosun overcame all objections and insisted on using Qi.

In history, the only countries that used Qi as their country name were Tian Qi during the Eastern Zhou Dynasty and Northern Qi during the Southern and Northern Dynasties.

Needless to say, the Qi State of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty was just a few provinces, and the Northern Qi was called the Beast Dynasty. In other words, the Xin Dynasty actually wanted to use the Northern Qi as a benchmark. This is really shocking!

No one knows what Liu Zhaosun is thinking.

"Everyone must be wondering, why Qi, and not Han? Why two empresses, one in the east and one in the west? Why not just one?"

Liu Zhaosun lifted up his dragon robe, revealing the iron arm underneath. He grasped the long sword and pointed it to the south.

"I will tell you today. First, the south is not yet pacified, and the northern demons are approaching. The princes of various places, any with a little strength, have declared themselves emperors, all hoping to fish in troubled waters. At present, I control only a few places in Liaodong, Liaoxi, and Zhili. Compared with the powerful Han, how can I have the face to call myself a Han? Second, when the army marches south, I will thoroughly settle accounts with the princes of the old Ming Dynasty, the corrupt officials who sucked their blood and robbed their marrow, and the local tyrants and evil gentry. By then, my actions will be worse than those of beasts. If you don't go to hell, how can you see the Buddha nature? From now on, I am their hell, I am their nightmare! I hope that all enemies will think of the brutal Northern Qi when they mention me! This is the origin of Qi!"

There was dead silence in the Huangji Hall. Qiao Yiqi, Kang Yingqian and others remained silent for a long time.

"The war has just begun. Most of you are my close followers and confidants. I tell you, the war has just begun! I have established two empresses, the Eastern and Western, for no other reason than that I love them both and cannot favor one over the other. Empress Jin and I have shared weal and woe, and Empress Yang is a virtuous and helpful wife. Now that the crown prince of Da Qi has been established, Empress Jin and Empress Wang are both his foster mothers. They are loving mothers and filial sons, and their lives are filled with joy. From now on, there will be no more disputes in the harem of Da Qi, and the fighting can also be stopped. I believe that the story of King Wu of Zhao and Li Yuan killing each other will never happen to me again."

~~~~~
In the first month of the first year of the Wuding reign, the new emperor declared a general amnesty and allocated military rations to aid the people of the capital, where people were starving to death every day. A new dynasty, a new atmosphere. While other matters could not be taken care of, the first thing to do was to ensure that the people at the emperor's feet did not die of hunger and cold.

As Liu Zhaosun wished, his Great Qi Empire indeed became a place surrounded by wars. The Northern Expedition Army of the Hongguang court was gradually approaching, and this time it was really coming.

However, the main response direction of the Qi army was still Shaanxi and Shanxi. As for the south, it mainly focused on defense, because in history, there were very few successful attacks from the south to the north.

In February and March, a large number of refugees in northern Zhili were organized to deal with the continuous influx of vagrants coming from Shaanxi.

Use refugees to fight refugees, and use magic to defeat magic. This is the basic logic of Emperor Wu Ding.

(End of this chapter)