The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 585 Southern Expedition
At the end of the fourth year of Taichu, various contradictions that had been suppressed under the high-pressure polar rule of Da Qi finally broke out.

From Shenyang to Xuzhou, from the inner court to the border, from the army to the civil affairs, from Hunhe River to Huaihe River, there were many alarms in the north and south, and smoke was everywhere. There was no peace in such a big empire.

Affected by the civil unrest in Shenyang, the Jin Yinghe and Zheng Yishi Corps were reorganized.

The army was stationed in Korea, Shanxi, Henan, and Mongolia. By the end of November, of the 11 corps and 100,000 troops that the empire was proud of, only 20,000 could be mobilized in Liaodong.

The most fatal problem is not the shortage of manpower, but the severe shortage of resources.

After ten years of continuous high-intensity war, Qi's national strength had long been seriously overdrawn. Now, once it lost the supplies from Huguang and Southern Ming, the empire's supply lines suddenly became precarious.

The problem has always been internal.

Although the new cabinet headed by Lu Xiangsheng did not advocate comprehensive reform like Chen Xin, they all agreed that the current high-pressure model of Da Qi was no longer sustainable.

Lu Xiangsheng suggested that the collection of surplus grain from farmers in Liaodong, Shandong and other places be reduced to the level of the first year of Wuding.

If the collection standard is reduced to the first year of Wuding, only half of the grain can be collected.

The eleven corps that maintain the foundation of the empire will soon be short of food and their collapse is inevitable.

Unless the imperial court can resolve the problems of the White Lotus Sect in Shandong and the refugees in Huguang before next summer harvest, and gain benefits from the two military operations (at least stop bleeding), Xie Yang and others infer that the areas within the Great Wall and Liaodong will collapse by then.

Talking about reform is wishful thinking. Time is running out, and fighting to support the war is the only possibility to prolong life.

Of the two battlefields, Shandong and Huguang, which came first and which was the main one?

The time has come to test the strategic resolve of the empire's decision-makers.

Lu Xiangsheng reminded the Emperor that the reason Chen Xin dared to speak so recklessly in the Dazheng Palace that day was because he had widespread public support in Shandong, and he might have colluded with the powerful leftists. Killing this thief would only cause more chaos in Shandong, and suppressing the rebellion again would be more trouble than it was worth. So...

"Although Chen Xin is dead, there are still many people in the court and the country who want reform. Your Majesty must pay attention to this force! I believe that we can use this thief's death as an opportunity to promote reforms in Qi and Lu, leaving the mess to the local tyrants, so that Your Majesty can focus on dealing with Huguang."

Liu Zhaosun pondered for a long time and felt that what Lu Xiangsheng said was correct. He just asked curiously:
"In the past, all the powerful people in Shandong were eliminated by me. Where are the powerful people left?"

Lu Xiangsheng patiently explained:
"Weeds are hard to remove, but if you don't dig the ground, how can you kill them all? Qi and Lu are the lands of Confucius and Mencius, and their people are the most eager to enter the government, yet the officials Your Majesty has sent over the years have been hypocritical, like the locals who follow the local customs, acting like powerful individuals. They have long since hollowed out the Great Qi system, and are nothing more than countless small-time Chen Xins."

Liu Zhaosun was hesitant. Although he did not understand history, he was somewhat aware of the dangers of separatist regimes in the late Tang Dynasty, which led to the eventual demise of the Tang Dynasty.

"Are you not afraid of repeating the late Tang Dynasty?"

Lu Xiangsheng confidently replied, "Your Majesty, you're so worried, like the people of Chu carving a boat to find a sword. Why? Because our dynasty is different from the late Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty controls the military, personnel, and finances. All we lack is food and fodder. If we can concentrate our forces to pacify the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, we can revive the situation and restore order. Shandong is just a small corner of the country. If a few powerful forces become powerful, then Your Majesty can issue an edict and march our army across the border, and we'll be able to destroy the bridges."

The Emperor was puzzled and said, "Destroying the bridge after crossing it? Would those powerful and powerful people be willing to make wedding clothes for the imperial court?"

Lu Xiangsheng laughed and said, "Why not? I heard that Your Majesty fought against the White Lotus Sect in the past. How could you not remember the White Lotus Sect's teachings?"

Liu Zhaosun recalled the scene when he landed in Shandong and conquered the Wenxiang Sect.

"It's nothing but nonsense like the Vacuum Homeland, the Unborn Parents, the Red Sun Tribulation Ends, the White Sun Tribulation Begins, and so on. Bai Lian and Chen Xin's faction are incompatible. Unless the powerful ones are willing to be killed, they will definitely unite and train to protect themselves."

"I'm afraid they'll harm their neighbors and cause chaos and harm neighboring provinces."

"Your Majesty, please instruct Henan and Northern Zhili to strengthen their self-defense."

Liu Zhaosun sighed deeply: "This will only bring suffering to the people of Shandong."

Lu Xiangsheng said with emotion, "If it weren't for this, the north and the south would be in chaos, and it wouldn't just be the people of Shandong who would suffer. Your Majesty, please just blame this on me. Let the people suffer, and I will bear the blame."

~~~~~
After repeated discussions, the emperor and his ministers decided to concentrate their efforts on solving the Huguang issue. The White Lotus Sect in Shandong was handed over to local authorities for disposal, allowing those with the ability to recruit soldiers and train on their own to defend against the enemy and kill bandits for the court.

This plan was opposed by the ministers. It was equivalent to automatically recognizing the legal status of local tyrants, fundamentally denying the legitimacy of the "Land System of the Qi Dynasty", and would inevitably shake the foundation of the country.

Liu Zhaosun overcame all objections and pushed forward the plan forcefully, and asked officials from six ministries to immediately draft relevant details.

In order to prevent his ministers from hindering the expedition to Jianghuai, the retired emperor went a step further and set the combat goal as conquering Jiangnan and wiping out the Southern Ming.

The will to fight was set, and Liaodong, Henan, and northern Zhili all entered a state of combat readiness again. Cavalrymen with small flags on their backs ran through villages, garrisons, and towns, shouting loudly, conveying the order of the army's imminent southward march to the people of the empire.

The civil affairs department was required to prepare 50,000 dan of military rations, 10,000 dan of fodder, and cotton-padded clothes, leather boots and other items needed for 20,000 people within two months.

When Dongfang Zhu came to the Civil Affairs Office to announce the decree, he found that the office was empty except for Xie Yang and his guards.

With the war imminent, the Civil Affairs Office, responsible for gathering food and fodder, was so deserted that the eunuch was somewhat surprised. He asked, "Master Xie, where is Director Liu? Are there any others?"

Xie Guangkun raised his head, and Dongfang Zhu saw that his hair was completely bald. Then he suddenly remembered that Xie Yang's right-hand man Liu Yue'er had hanged herself in front of her husband Yang Tong's grave last month, leaving behind a six-year-old son.

"We're short on pacification troops, and the Chamber of Commerce and Civil Affairs officials have all gone to collect grain, leaving me alone here." "Oh, I heard a peasant woman in Jing'an Fort refused to pay grain, and you beat her to death yesterday. Is that true?"

Dongfang Zhu asked with some gossip.

Xie Yang didn't say anything. The two civil affairs guards looked at the eunuch who suddenly broke in with ill intentions.

Dongfang Zhu didn't care about these things. He had just come back from the Navy Department to announce the imperial edict. He had been busy announcing imperial edicts everywhere these days and had no time to rest. He was extremely tired.

He dragged a square stool over, not caring that there was dust on it, sat down, picked up the teapot on the table and started drinking.

After a while, Xie Guangkun's faint voice came to my ears.

"Father-in-law, that was the stool that Director Liu used when he was alive..."

Dongfang Zhu screamed, jumped up, and looked up to see Liu Yue'er still wandering around the yamen.

He felt a chill down his spine, dropped the imperial edict, and fled from the Civil Affairs Office without even exchanging greetings.

On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, the nine corps began to draw troops, crossed Shanhaiguan, bypassed the entire Shandong province, and quickly moved south along the Beizhili Post Road.

On New Year's Eve of the fourth year of Taichu, troops from various groups gathered in Xinyang, Henan. After a short rest, they went south along the Yangtze River and entered the Jianghan Plain.

The war is imminent.

Qiao Yiqi started to get busy again, continuing to serve as the first executioner of Da Qi.

Starting from mid-November, a group of Da Qi officials who opposed the southern expedition, together with generals who participated in the rebellion, and Zheng Zhilong's family who had been detained for many years, totaling thousands of people, were beheaded in front of Guangji Gate.

The Hunhe River was dyed red with blood.

As Qiao Yiqi, who was standing on the execution platform, threw the beheading token, the expression on his face gradually became numb.

~~~~
On the third day of December in the eighteenth year of the Hongguang reign of the Ming Dynasty (1642), Emperor Hongguang Zhu Changling summoned his ministers to the Huangji Hall in Nanjing to discuss the war against Qi.

After recuperating over the past few years, the Southern Ming court, in view of the recent changes in the north, especially the surrender of the Qi army in Xuzhou, realized that their northern neighbor was indeed in trouble.

Should the Ming Dynasty fight or make peace with the rebellious Qi? Should it launch a full-scale northern expedition or withdraw while the going is good? These are the questions that must be discussed and resolved in the court today.

The lesson from the past is not far away. Liu Zongzhou, the last person who advocated the Northern Expedition, has long since turned into dry bones, and Wu Sangui, the general who was most persistent in the Northern Expedition, has also lost his body.

Therefore, the ministers no longer dared to speak lightly on whether to fight or make peace.

Prime Minister Ruan Dacheng looked around and saw that his staff all lowered their heads. As usual, he said in a conciliatory manner:

"Your Majesty, I believe that peace is worse than war."

Zhu Changling was undecided about the battle and both sides were indecisive. Although there might be civil unrest in Qi, the Ming army had almost been defeated in many battles with Liu Zhaosun in recent years. There was not even a draw between the two sides. The fear of the Qi army had penetrated into the bones of Emperor Hongguang.

"Why do you say war is not as good as peace? Please tell me, Grand Secretary."

Ruan Dacheng cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, a nation cannot be without trust. Previously, the Ming Dynasty and Qi formed an alliance, and both sides put aside their hostility. This is why Jiangnan has been able to recover for over a decade. Today, the Ming Dynasty is prosperous and its people are strong, living and working in peace. Trade with the Southeast Asian countries is flourishing, earning millions annually. If we start a war again, it would not be a good idea."

When the ministers heard the Prime Minister's speech, they all agreed. After all, war is a matter for military men. The civil officials who were constantly fighting among the parties finally reached a rare consensus: let's watch the fire from the other side of the river for the time being, and wait until Qi becomes weak before launching a northern expedition.

Zhu Changling looked at the group of ministers who were obeying orders and felt a little bored. He was about to announce the adjournment of the court when two people suddenly stood in front of the hall.

"Your Majesty, do not listen to the corrupt scholars. I believe that the tyrannical Qi must be eliminated. Now that the Ming Dynasty has favored us, let the Liu rebels kill each other. The Qi army in Xuzhou has surrendered. This is a golden opportunity for a northern expedition. Don't miss this opportunity! We cannot stop at the Yangtze and Huaihe Rivers. We must march north with all our might to recover our former territory, sweep away the ruins and plunder the country, and aim our sword at Liaodong!"

Zhu Changling only felt his blood boiling in his heart, sweeping the acupoints and plowing the courtyard, pointing his sword at Liaodong. Things that he had never dared to think about before might now come true!

The speaker was none other than General Suppressing Bandits, Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, and Marquis of Ningnan, Zuo Liangyu. Although he had been defeated repeatedly in battle, he remained a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Hongguang nodded in satisfaction and asked,

"I wonder how many troops the Ningnan Marquis needs, when can he launch the Northern Expedition? Which route will he take? How much military pay and food will he need? Who can serve as the vanguard general? What are the chances of victory?"

"This..." Zuo Liangyu obviously did not consider these issues carefully.

Ruan Dacheng was about to sneer.

"Thirty thousand elite troops each for the northern and southern routes are sufficient. I will provide the troops, horses, money and food for each route myself! By then, we will sail north from Nanjing and occupy southern Liaoning. We will advance westward from Xuzhou and only take Henan. Liu Bei's Huguang region is in chaos, filled with refugees, and he's surrounded on three sides, with no one to defend. As long as we can win in southern Liaoning and Henan, our Northern Expedition will be accomplished!"

All the ministers looked up and looked at the commander-in-chief of Fujian, Zheng Chenggong, the loyal and filial marquis who was only twenty years old.

(End of this chapter)