The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 394: Four Cities of Liaodong
On that day, the fleet set sail from Zhangjiagang and headed towards Lushun Port without any conversation along the way.

They arrived in Lushun on May 10th, and the Lushun garrison, led by Zheng Yishi, went to the dock to greet them.

Zheng Yishi was a boatman recruited by Emperor Wuding from Zhangjiagang seven years ago. Relying on his military achievements, he was promoted step by step to the commander of the Seventh Guards Army. During the defense of the capital, he was responsible for guarding the five cities in southern Liaoning: Jinzhou, Fuzhou, Gaizhou, Lushun and Haizhou.

Before arriving in Lushun, Kang Yingqian and Pei Dahu issued an order that no one was allowed to disclose the changes in the capital, otherwise they would be beheaded.

Therefore, until everyone gathered in the hall of the General's Mansion, Qiao Yiqi, Wang Huazhen and others did not know the news of Emperor Wuding's disappearance and the Kaiyuan army's disastrous defeat.

On May 11, with the Empress Dowager Dong listening behind the curtain, a group of civil and military officials began to discuss the future direction of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Kang Yingqian briefly recounted the events that had occurred in the capital, and everyone looked as pale as death.

Qiao Yiqi murmured, "Emperor Wuding is a man blessed by heaven, and will surely survive this disaster. It's inappropriate to hastily establish a crown prince."

Kang Yingqian waved his hand to interrupt his old partner and said without question:
"What's wrong with that? That night, the walls of Tianjin collapsed, and Governor Yuan died for his country. The capital was razed to the ground long ago! Supervisor Qiao, this is not the time to act rashly."

"What? Governor Yuan is dead too?"

Qiao Yiqi was shaking all over and his legs could no longer support him. Lin Yu quickly stepped forward to support him.

Supervisor Qiao pushed them aside and angrily shouted at the crowd, "Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Five days ago, Governor Yuan and I were drinking and writing poetry at the north gate of Tianjin. Ten days ago, the Emperor personally instructed me to wait for me to gather a large army in Liaodong. Then, we can join forces inside and outside to defeat the bandits in one fell swoop!"

"Impossible! He was fine in those dangerous times at Sarhu and Hunhe River. He will not die this time either. He is the greatest emperor of all time. He cannot die! Absolutely impossible!"

Before he could finish his words, Qiao Yiqi's tears welled up in his eyes and flowed down his aging face.

Everyone was silent.

After a long while, Wang Huazhen comforted him, saying, "Jiang Jianjun, everyone knows about the friendship between you and Emperor Wuding. We also know that Governor Yuan once did you a favor and saved your life. I can't bear to hear this tragic news suddenly... Please accept my condolences. If the emperor is still alive, he hopes that we can quickly support the crown prince and calm the people's hearts..."

Without waiting for Wang Huazhen to finish, Qiao Yiqi suddenly roared, "I want to see him alive or dead! Before the emperor is found, I do not agree to support the new emperor! Who dares to support him?"

Kang Yingqian winked at Pei Dahu, but the head servant stood still, his eyes slightly red. Qiao Yiqi burst into tears:
"If I hadn't been slow to act this time, wasting time on the road, and reinforcements hadn't arrived in time, the Emperor wouldn't have been trapped to death in the capital! I'm guilty!"

He howled twice and fainted.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment. Several generals had red eyes, but only Kang Yingqian and Ge Yewen were still trying to control their emotions.

In the autumn of the second year of the Tianqi reign, Ge Yewen was transferred from the Governor of Denglai, Shandong to the Governor of Liaodong, becoming the head of civil affairs in Liaodong.

Since the bandits' eastward expedition, he has been paying close attention to the war in the capital, busy coordinating the transportation of troops and food, and doing his best to support the interior.

He witnessed with his own eyes that all the troops in Liaodong were withdrawn and sent to the battlefield in Beijing.

Even if Qiao Yiqi hadn't told him the "inside story" of the defense of the capital yesterday, this capable official who had been a county magistrate could still sense the tremendous changes taking place inside the Great Wall.

"What Chief Minister Kang said makes sense," Ge Yewen watched Qiao Yiqi being helped out by Fujiwara Kyoji, raised his head and looked at everyone, saying in a calm tone: "The country cannot be without a king for a day, and we must support the crown prince to succeed to the throne as soon as possible. The scouts have learned that there have been unusual things happening in Hetuala and Yehe for the past month. Dudu and Burhanggu are training their troops every day, and I don't know what they are doing. Regardless of whether the emperor dies or not, we must be fully prepared, and..."

He suddenly stopped and lowered his voice, "This matter cannot be concealed. If we don't quickly establish him, rumors will spread and we will be in a more passive position."

Everyone agreed with Ge Yewen's words. Kang Yingqian and Ge Yewen had no previous interactions, so he felt quite proud when he heard Ge Yewen call him the Prime Minister.

When Kang Yingqian first entered the cabinet, he was always suppressed by Yang Hao and others. Even when Zhang Yan was favored and he was in high spirits, he was only a second assistant.

"This is the advice of a wise and prudent man. I believe that we must send troops to various parts of Liaodong as soon as possible to mobilize reinforcements and gather them in the four cities along the Liao River: Liaoyang, Shenyang, Tieling, and Gaizhou. The soldiers stationed in Hancheng must also be recalled immediately."

Kang Yingqian pondered for a moment and added, "To avoid arousing Li Hui's suspicion, just say it was a normal defense change."

When the civil and military officials heard Kang Yingqian's words, they were all dumbfounded.

Mao Yuanyi said, "Why not Kaiyuan? It has all the necessary workshops, schools, and military settlements, and the people support it. We can't abandon it."

Wang Huazhen also said, "The Great Qi has its roots in Kaiyuan, and many of the soldiers' families are there. Abandoning Kaiyuan is not seeking death."

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Kang Yingqian waited for them to finish speaking, then said firmly:

"I know what you are saying. Kaiyuan has been a battleground for four times. It cannot be defended without the courage of Emperor Wuding. Who among you can defend this city?"

The hall, which was noisy just now, suddenly became silent.

Kang Yingqian coughed lightly and continued:
"Constrain our forces and defend the four cities of Tieling, Shenyang, Liaoyang, and Gaizhou. We will control the Liaohe Plain and be able to attack when advancing or defend when retreating. We have great potential..."

Everyone was shocked again.

Wang Huazhen asked, "Master Kang means that we don't want Kuandian, Qinghe, and the other cities in western Liaoning?"

Kang Yingqian nodded: "That's right, we can't defend it, so we might as well abandon it all."

"The four cities of Tieling have a population of no less than 500,000 and a million acres of fertile land, most of which is cultivated. The heart of Liaodong is here, and with Gaizhou to the south to maintain trade, the location is far superior to Kaiyuan to the north. If we stay in Kaiyuan, the fertile land of the Liaohe River will eventually be occupied by the Jiannu or the Southern Ming. We will be short of food and soldiers, trapped in an isolated city, and can only sit and wait for death!"

There was a whisper in the hall, and Jin Yuji, who was sitting behind the curtain, remained silent.

Zheng Yishi frowned and couldn't help complaining:

"At present, there are only 8,000 soldiers available in Liaodong. We have long lost contact with the Korean and Japanese soldiers. It's difficult to defend Shenyang with 8,000 people, so how can we defend four cities?"

Kang Yingqian's expression was stern. He stared at the only surviving commander of the Imperial Guards and shouted in an unquestionable tone:
"I don't care! That's your officers' business. If you can't hold on, just jump into the sea together! I don't want to surrender to the Jiannu, and even less to the Ming court!"

(End of this chapter)