The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 450: Fleet Returns: I Want to Fight Ten
"Husband, what about the Liaodong military situation?"

When Liu Zhaosun looked back, Queen West, wearing a gauze and holding a bowl of steaming lotus seed soup, was standing behind him.

Liu Zhaosun often stayed up late. The queen heard from Old Song that lotus seed soup could reduce internal heat, so she often got up in the middle of the night to make it for her husband.

"Qing'er, I'm relieved that you're worried about Jin Yuji. It's not about Liaodong."

The emperor turned around and smiled, like a tiger taking a nap, closed his eyes, put his big hands on the armrests of the armchair, and was lost in thought without saying a word.

It is most appropriate to describe Emperor Wu Ding as "living with the emperor is like living with a tiger."

The emperor was moody and his temper was difficult for his close ministers to understand.

In order to nip the problem in the bud, the emperor became increasingly harsh on his subjects, especially on the eunuchs in the harem.

Previously, on the way to move the palace, a young eunuch accidentally broke a piece of blue and white porcelain that Yang Qing'er had brought from Linqing. When the emperor heard about this, he immediately beheaded the young eunuch.

Over the past few months, countless eunuchs and palace maids have been killed or punished for various trivial matters. The lenient and relaxed atmosphere of the Kaiyuan era is gone forever. Everyone in the palace is terrified and walking on thin ice, and dare not relax anymore.

Priest Francisco couldn't stand it anymore and privately said that the archbishop seemed to be possessed by the devil from hell since the Wanggongchang explosion and was no longer as kind and wise as before.

Because of this rumor, the missionary close to the emperor was exiled to the Zhaoyuan gold mine to mine, and his life or death was uncertain.

Cruelty and bloodiness were gradually devouring the emperor's heart. His brutality was only directed at outsiders. In front of Yang Qing'er, the emperor was still as amiable as before, and usually addressed her as the empress and her husband. This was unbelievable to outsiders.

"Chen Xin reports that on November 30th, Wu Aheng and Meng Jinbao returned with their navy from Australia. The Liaodong Fleet is currently docked at Yingzui Harbor in Dengzhou."

"what?"

Yang Qing'er was greatly surprised and quickly placed the lotus seed soup on the table. She took the memorial handed to her by the emperor, glanced through it quickly, and said with a look of surprise:
"Excellent! Your Majesty, with the return of the navy, is even more powerful, and the battle in Liaodong has a better chance of victory!"

Liu Zhaosun nodded, but his face was a little gloomy.

Yang Qing'er was well versed in the dispatch of supplies and fodder, and knew the Liaodong campaign was difficult. After pacifying Shandong, reinforcements for Liaodong were quickly put on the agenda, but Emperor Wuding remained silent. The army, the civil administration, and the farmers' associations frequently urged the dispatch of troops, but Emperor Wuding vetoed them, citing the freezing weather and a shortage of supplies.

According to the emperor's plan, reinforcements could only be dispatched after the warmer weather of next spring. Crossing the Liaoxi Corridor to attack Shanhaiguan in the dead of winter, braving temperatures dozens of degrees below zero, was bound to be a disaster for the infantry. After Li Xianzhong was killed in the bombing of the capital, the remnants of the bandits in the capital retreated to Shanhaiguan, still numbering at least tens of thousands.

"The navy fleet has returned, but was attacked along the way and lost many warships. My enemies are growing in number."

Emperor Wu Ding had a cold expression on his face as he handed another memorial from the table to Yang Qing'er. Yang Qing'er quickly opened the memorial and read through it hastily. Her face suddenly turned pale:

"Ah, Zheng Zhilong rebelled? And he even attacked the Da Qi navy in Fuzhou?"

Liu Zhaosun picked up the lotus seed soup on the table, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. He wiped his mouth and said calmly:
"Zheng Zhilong was originally a pirate, and his evil heart remains unchanged. I don't blame him, I only blame myself for trusting them."

"I," the emperor poured red lacquer into the inkstone and stirred it with the tip of his brush. The red lacquer flowed like a river of blood, churning in the inkstone.

"I will make these pirates suffer a fate worse than death."

Yang Qing'er put down Wu Ahheng's memorial, her eyebrows drooping in anger, and gnashed her teeth as she said:

"My husband treated Zheng well, but I didn't expect him to be so despicable. Wu Aheng stopped at Penghu Island for supplies, but he suddenly attacked and sank four of our large ships!"

The emperor had experienced too many conspiracies and betrayals, so he remained calm when he heard about this. After a moment of silence, he dipped his brush into the red lacquer in the inkstone and wrote in red ink on the back of Wu Aheng's report: "I understand, return to Jinan as soon as possible."

After finishing writing, he called the eunuch Dongfang Zhu from the Imperial Household Department and said to him:

"Eunuch Dongfang, send someone to Dengzhou to have Wu Ahheng and Meng Jinbao come to Jinan to see me."

Dongfang Zhu agreed and respectfully took the report with the emperor's seal. He was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something and said cautiously:
"Your Majesty, the cards haven't been turned over tonight."

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand.

"No need. Tell the concubines in Kunning Palace that there is no need to wait. I am with the Empress and the Noble Concubine tonight."

After the emperor said this, he stood up from the armchair, picked up Yang Qing'er, who was as light as a swallow, and strode towards the bed.

Dongfang Zhu knelt on the spot, not daring to look up, waiting for the emperor to leave. He faintly heard the laughter of the empress and the concubine coming from the other side of the dragon bed.

Eunuch Dongfang did not dare to stay, or even to take a peek. He knew the emperor's methods, killing people was like killing chickens. He quickly put away the red-ink seal and slowly retreated.

After more than three months of training and polishing by the emperor, Dongfang Zhu has changed from the former corrupt and lustful official Dongfang to the submissive and obedient eunuch in front of him.

Of course, Dongfang Zhu would only act like this in front of the emperor.

Deep down, Eunuch Dongfang is still the tough guy and local tyrant he used to be. Moreover, after being castrated, his original temperament as a ruffian and down-and-out has been given a bit of the sinister and ruthless nature that only eunuchs can possess.

Eunuch Dongfang is an upgraded version of Wei Zhongxian, but because his starting point is higher, Dongfang Zhu surpasses Wei Zhongxian in terms of personality, political tactics, etc.

Right now, Emperor Wuding needs such a ruthless person and these knives to help him kill.

After leaving the palace and returning to the Pacification Office, it was already three quarters past midnight. Dongfang Zhu waved his hand and called over a night guard and asked him to deliver the imperial edict to Dengzhou.

Tiqi took the decree and said hesitantly:

"Don't worry, ancestor. I'll send someone to Deng... early tomorrow morning..."

Dongfang Zhu wrapped his cloak tightly around him, and in the dim light of the lantern, he glared at the man and shouted a curse:

"Tomorrow? His Majesty is anxious to send someone to the capital! If you delay the military and national affairs, we will skin you alive first! And then we will kill your whole family!"

The Tiqi was so frightened that he immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowed on the icy bluestone floor, and said in panic:
"Damn it, damn it, I'll go right away!" As he said this, he jumped on his horse and rushed towards Dengzhou.

"Standing,"

Dongfang Zhu called out to Tiqi, who was still in shock, afraid of making another mistake. He sat uncomfortably on his horse, not knowing whether to move forward or dismount.

Dongfang Zhu took off his cloak and put it on Tiqi himself. He patted Tiqi on the shoulder and said:

"The current emperor is wise and intelligent. We must not be careless in our work for His Majesty. It's cold on the road, so dress warmly and don't get frozen." The imperial guard's eyes were red, and he was about to kneel down and kowtow. Dongfang Zhu waved his hand and said, "Go, and come back quickly. The emperor has important things to do!"

~~~~~
Two days later, Wu Aheng, commander-in-chief of the Liaodong Navy, Meng Jinbao, deputy commander, and Lü Demin, envoy of the Liaodong Navy, were summoned to the capital.

The three men, along with 27 naval officers above the rank of captain-general, entered the Eastern Capital from the Qichuan Gate. Accompanying them were more than 100 natives and red-haired barbarians captured from Taiwan and Australia by the Liaodong Fleet.

Emperor Wu Ding met with a group of generals outside Chengyun Hall in the Eastern Capital. After a brief ceremony of surrendering prisoners, the emperor kept Wu Aheng, Meng Jinbao and Lu Demin to question them.

The emperor gave the three people seats and asked the palace maids to serve tea.

"I have read the memorials submitted by the three of you. I also know about the affairs between Zheng Zhilong and the Satsuma Domain. I will avenge the Liaodong Navy for you. Let's not talk about these sad things for now, let's talk about what we have seen in Australia."

Wu Aheng, Meng Jinbao and Lu Demin looked at each other. It felt like just a day had passed since they returned to Dengzhou.

It should be noted that two years ago when the fleet set sail from Kagoshima, the emperor was not yet the emperor, but the Marquis of Pingliao of the Ming Dynasty. Now the Ming Dynasty has become the Qi Dynasty, and the Marquis of Pingliao has become the emperor of the Qi Dynasty.

Kang Yingqian, Qiao Yiqi and others were trapped in Liaodong. The Jiannu, Korea and Japan became enemies, and even the two pirates Zheng Zhilong and Satsuma clan stabbed Liu Zhaosun in the back.

For the three people who have not returned for two years, the world has become unrecognizable.

"Ping, Your Majesty, Your Majesty,"

Wu Aheng was not used to it for a while, and it was only after Lu Demin pulled his sleeve that the naval commander hurriedly changed his words.

"This trip south to Australia went smoothly. We arrived in Taiwan a month after departing from Kagoshima. While the fleet was resupplying, we were attacked by the local natives. I defeated them and captured some of them. After arriving in Australia, we encountered the red-haired barbarians..."

Historically, during this period, Australia was still a wild land, visited only by sporadic European colonists, and had no name.

Liu Zhaosun named Australia just for the sake of easy memory. Later, after the Qi Dynasty conquered this place, it changed Australia to a more down-to-earth name:

Burying the Wrong (now the Wanwan Continent in the eastern part of Daqi)
Because it became the place where the empire exiled prisoners, according to historical records, in the late period of Emperor Wu Ding, all the serious criminals in the entire empire were exiled here, and 50,000 to 60,000 prisoners were sent to Taiwan from all over the Eastern Hemisphere every year.

These criminals were either caught in storms and eaten by fish, or died in foreign lands due to acclimatization. "Their condition was so tragic that they were called 'burying injustices'." (See "Wanwan Miscellaneous Notes" by Shi Hongbao, a writer from Qi State.)
Lü Demin took over the conversation and continued to introduce it to the emperor:
"Your Majesty is wise. After landing in Tianjin, I and the two naval commanders kept in mind the teachings of Your Majesty during your stay, which taught us to follow the right path and practice righteousness. So, I took the lead in trading with the red-haired barbarians on the island, using the silk gifted by Your Majesty to trade with them in exchange for their glass... Unexpectedly, these barbarians were arrogant and said that they discovered Australia first and that it was a territory given to Europe by God. They told us to board the ship and leave immediately. Among them was an English sailor named Robinson Crusoe who sneaked onto the ship in the middle of the night and tried to burn the naval warship. Fortunately, Vice Admiral Meng discovered him in time. We took the initiative to capture all the red-haired barbarians on the island. We don't know what to do with them..."

Emperor Wu Ding interrupted Fatty Lu and pointed at the ragged red-haired barbarians and Taiwanese natives kneeling outside the hall.

"Meng Jinbao, are these the troublemakers?"

Meng Jinbao nodded and replied loudly:

"Your Majesty, the Red-haired Barbarians are truly despicable. They are behind the rebellions in Japan and Liaodong. I even saw their cargo ships transporting artillery while I was stationed in Australia."

Liu Zhaosun waved his hand.

"kill!"

The three of them were slightly stunned. Zhang Dong, who was standing beside them, had already strode out and skillfully called the pacification soldiers and the imperial guards to come forward.

Emperor Wu Ding added, "Swallow Robinson to death, and chop off all the other 327 captives! Execute immediately!"

Wu Aheng looked at the emperor in confusion. Even this hawkish representative who was once the most hardline in the Kaiyuan Army was shocked by this move.

"Let's talk about reinforcing Liaodong. How many warships and sailors do you have now? How long will it take for my 60,000-man army, horses, rations, artillery, and equipment to be transported from Dengzhou to Liaonan?"

Dongfang Zhu whispered beside him, "Your Majesty, Da Qi only has 40,000 soldiers..."

Liu Zhaosun disagreed and said:

"Three months later, there will be 60,000."

At this time, screams of the red-haired barbarians were heard outside the hall, and a massacre began again.

Wu Aheng and others didn't dare to speak.

Emperor Wu Ding saw that several naval officers were still in a daze, so he continued:
"Zheng Zhilong, the Jiannu, the Southern Ming, Japan, Korea, the Cossacks, England, France, the Netherlands... none of them can be left alive. I will defeat ten with one. I will only say this once: if you encounter any red-haired barbarians at sea, kill them without mercy. There is only one Great Qi in the world; all others are enemies."

~~~~~~
At the beginning of December in the first year of Wuding, the imperial edict announcing the crimes of the Emperor of Qi had spread to the south of the Yangtze River. Also spreading were the various atrocities committed by the Qi army in Shandong, including the confiscation of property, extermination of clans, burning, killing, looting, and so on.

The atrocities committed by the Great Qi aroused strong anger among the Hongguang emperor and his ministers. After reading the edict of apology, Zhu Changling was furious:
"Absurd! Ridiculous! Shameless! Liu the thief said his biggest mistake in the past was killing too few people, and that he would punish them severely in the future. What kind of confession is this? It's simply shameless!"

"The traitor Liu will soon send troops to Liaodong. Ministers, the opportunity to launch a northern expedition has arrived! Seize the opportunity and destroy this traitor in one fell swoop!"

Zhu Changling threw the imperial edict from the traitor Liu that he had obtained from the Qinhuai River merchant to the ground, looked up at the ministers in the hall, and was furious.

The cabinet ministers looked at each other in bewilderment. In the past few months, all the upright gentlemen had seen what the traitor Liu had done in Shandong. All the properties and lands that everyone had purchased in Shandong were confiscated by the traitor Liu overnight and distributed to a group of peasants.

The Donglin Party regarded Bao Qi as a scourge and compared Liu Zhaosun to figures like Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang, wishing they could eat their flesh and sleep on their skin.

However, the previous Northern Expedition failed, and Liu Zongzhou, who advocated the Northern Expedition, had already been beheaded, and in the end not even a piece of his body was brought back.

The Qi army has now become a nightmare. In the city of Nanjing, just mentioning the name of Liu Zhaosun can have the magical effect of stopping children from crying at night.

"Censor Ruan,"

Zhu Changling turned his attention to Ruan Dacheng, the Left Vice-Censor-in-Chief. The emperor had high expectations for Ruan Dacheng. Ruan Dacheng was a man of great literary talent and had extensive social connections. He was on good terms with a group of famous scholars such as Wen Zhenmeng, Zhang Dai, and Fan Jingwen, and had written a large number of poems in response to theirs.

Poems such as "The hermit of astronomy sleeps in the mountains, and his shadow plays with the baby, making him famous in the world. If only the battle of Yumen Pass could be ended, why not cultivate the flower garden?" have fully grasped the essence of the mountain-returning poems.

After Liu Zongzhou died for his country, he gradually attracted the attention of the emperor and became the only choice for the second Northern Expedition.

"Ah? Your Majesty, I believe that the Eastern Tartar Liu thief is currently engaged in a fierce battle in Liaodong, with the outcome uncertain. It would be better to let them slaughter each other, and Your Majesty reap the benefits."

Beads of sweat oozed from Ruan Dacheng's forehead. He was good friends with Ma Shiying. Last time, he learned about the strength of the Qi army through Ma Shangshu. Liu Zongzhou's lesson was not far away, and he was unwilling to go to the north to die again.

(End of this chapter)