The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 792 Encounter at Shanhaiguan

Three days later, Wei Zhongxian, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, was imprisoned and sentenced to death. The charge was that he had colluded with foreign officials and had evil intentions. The emperor waved his red pen and announced that this sworn brother of the Earl of Liaoyang would be executed by slow slicing. The execution took place in the square outside the Huangji Hall. Wei Zhongxian was cut with 3,600 knives by Zhang Tianxing of the Jingshifang.

On August 30, the fourth year of Chongzhen, Zhu Youjian summoned Li Guozhen, the governor of the Beijing camp, and Luo Yangxing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to the Wenhua Hall and announced the next actions to his two confidants.

"The Beijing Camp mobilizes three thousand soldiers to blockade Beijing and sever all ties with Liaodong. The Imperial Guards conduct a city-wide search to arrest spies and the spies Qi Meng has planted in the capital. Don't let any of them escape!"

Both Li Guozhen and Luo Yangxing hated the Earl of Liaoyang to the core. Seeing that the emperor was finally going to take action against Liaozhen, both of them were eager to try.

Li Guozhen spoke first, "Your Majesty has trained the troops for a thousand days, and today is the perfect day for them to be deployed. I will lead the main force of the Beijing Camp, march out of Shanhaiguan, capture the Qi bandits alive, and relieve Your Majesty of your worries!"

Zhu Youjian interrupted with a wave of his hand, saying, "No hurry, just play with him for a while. Instead of going out to fight the Qi bandits, why not let him in?"

"I want to give the Earl of Liaoyang a surprise."

"As for you," Zhu Youjian said, looking at Luo Yangxing, "all the spies from the Northern and Southern Pacification Offices must go out into the streets and arrest the Qi bandits and their accomplices. We would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one go. We must capture all the spies in one fell swoop."

Luo Yangxing clasped his hands together and said with determination, "Your Majesty, rest assured. I have been keeping an eye on them for a long time. I have laid traps everywhere and am just waiting to close them."

Zhu Youjian praised: "After all, it is easier to use one's own people. The Jinyiwei have made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion. When the Qi thieves surrender, I will give you another generous reward."

The emperor was about to dismiss the two men when Wang Chengen reminded him, "Your Majesty, what should we do with Qi Yingxiong?"

"Qi Yingxiong?" Zhu Youjian sneered, "I almost forgot the most important person."

"Li Guozhen, what do you think should be done?"

In the first year of the Chongzhen reign, Princess Changping married Qi Yingxiong, son of the Earl of Liaoyang. Qi Yingxiong became the imperial consort of the Ming dynasty. Because the Ming court was wary of the Earl of Liaoyang, they arranged a political marriage to allow Qi Yingxiong to remain in the capital as an imperial consort, effectively holding him hostage. In the second year of the Chongzhen reign, Qi Yingxiong was granted the title of Viscount of the Third Rank. In the third year of the Chongzhen reign, he was promoted to the titles of Junior Protector and Grand Protector of the Crown Prince. In the fourth year of the Chongzhen reign, he was promoted to Junior Tutor and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.

Qi Yingxiong is less than twenty years old this year. Thanks to his father, Qi Meng, the Earl of Liaoyang, he is now the youngest prince's tutor in the history of the Ming Dynasty.

The commander of the Beijing camp pondered for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty, we must root out the grass. Since the Earl of Liaoyang dared to rebel, his son must not be spared."

Wang Chengen and Luo Yangxing also echoed this. Luo Yangxing said, "If we don't kill Qi Yingxiong, the scholars of the world will think that the Ming Dynasty is afraid of Liaodong. How can the soldiers on the front line dare to risk their lives..."

Zhu Youjian waved his hand and rejected all objections.

"As far as I know, Prince Consort Qi was born to the Earl of Liaoyang and Lady Yang. Lady Yang died early, and Qi Yingxiong became the Earl of Liaoyang's weakness. If he is killed, he will no longer be a weakness. I think it is better not to kill him. Let him live. He may be of great use in the future."

~~~
I don’t know what considerations the time traveler had in mind, but he decided not to kill Qi Meng’s son for the time being.

Do you want to leave room for negotiation with the Earl of Liaoyang? Or do you want to maintain your bottom line as a time traveler?

In any case, the life of the son-in-law Qi Yingxiong was saved. Now, he was under house arrest on a pleasure boat in the Western Garden. The pleasure boat was parked in the middle of the lake, and was guarded by Ming troops on all sides. Food was delivered to the boat every day. It was harder than climbing to the sky for Qi Yingxiong to escape from here.

~~~~
On September 15, the fourth year of Chongzhen, Qi Meng, who was far away in Shenyang, received the news that the court agreed to abolish the feudal system and was shocked.

The Earl of Liaoyang originally hoped that the Ming court would comfort him and keep him, following the precedent of Mu Ying who guarded Yunnan for generations in the early Ming Dynasty, so that he and his trusted subordinates could rule Liaodong for generations - or at least tacitly agree to Liaodong's independent status.

However, contrary to his expectations, Zhu Youjian actually went with the flow and agreed to the request to withdraw the feudal system.

Kang Yingqian advised, "Zhu Youjian has recently trained 80,000 soldiers in the Beijing Camp, and their combat power is unmatched. They have not been defeated in the past ten years. Now he is acting under the banner of the imperial court, and he has the upper hand in terms of legitimacy. Although you, Lord Liaoyang, have 100,000 elite soldiers, the outcome is uncertain. Besides, the reason Liaodong is what it is today is not only because we have nurtured the enemy but also because of the Shanhaiguan defense line. Wu Sangui obeys us, but now that the emperor is going to war, it is still uncertain who the Wu family will side with."

Faced with the hesitant attitude of the peace advocates Kang Yingqian and others, the war advocate Yuan Chonghuan remained calm and said firmly:
"What you all say is illogical. Zhu Youjian, though the Son of Heaven, is in reality a thief. He imposed three additional taxes, exploited the people, and caused widespread uprisings in Shaanxi and Gansu. How can he be called a sage? He's just a loser! Look at the Earl of Liaoyang. He's a wise and brave man with great talent and strategy. He defended Liaodong for thousands of miles, fighting bloody battles and becoming more courageous with each battle. Now he has a well-trained army, sufficient food, and a wealth of talented people. It's time to lead the troops into the pass and save the people. If the Ming thieves don't come, it's fine. If they come, they're just going to die!" Qi Meng saw that Yuan Chonghuan was confident, so he asked him, "Then, in your opinion, when can we enter the pass? When can we pacify the world and save the people?"

Yuan Chonghuan calculated with his fingers: "I am favored by the Liaoyang Lords. I am willing to give you a favor. In five months, we can enter the pass. In ten years, the world can be pacified."

Ma Shiying sneered, "Entering the Pass in May? Commander-in-Chief Yuan is so confident that he believes this battle will be won? Will Wu Sangui surrender to us?"

Qi Meng was worried.

This was the first time I encountered a time traveler fighting against another time traveler. What was even more terrible was that I had no idea which branch of the technology tree the other party had climbed up. Perhaps there was some powerful weapon hidden all the time...
Yuan Chonghuan glanced at everyone, turned around and bowed to Qi Meng, and continued:
"Please allow me to analyze this for you. First, assuming that the situation inside the Great Wall is now stable and Chongzhen has no worries, would he dare to come out and fight our army? Could it be that the Beijing cavalry is also stronger than ours? Second, the bandits have not been completely pacified. Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong in the northwest are quite powerful and pose a great threat to Zhu Youjian's rear. Third, the winter is cold, and the soldiers from the Central Plains will have to travel across mountains and rivers to Liaodong. They will not be able to adapt to the climate and will inevitably suffer from illness."

"Zhu Youjian has all three of the above military taboos. How could he not be defeated?"

Qi Meng clapped his hands and laughed: "Well said, he has the Shenji Camp, I have the Zhenwu Camp, he has the French machine, I have the Red Cannon, what is there to fear!"

Yuan Chonghuan clasped his fists and said, "I am willing to fight to the death for the Lord of Liaoyang. I am afraid that the Lord of Liaoyang may be hesitant."

Qi Meng drew his sword and chopped off a corner of the memorial case in front of him: "Any official who talks about peace again will be treated the same as this case!"

~~~~
On September 19, the fourth year of Chongzhen's reign, the Earl of Liaoyang rebelled against the Ming Dynasty, killed Wang Huazhen, the governor of Liaodong, arrested 59 officials below the rank of Censor who were disobedient, and issued a manifesto, calling himself "the former commander-in-chief guarding Liaodong, now commanding the world's land and sea marshal, and the general who quelled the rebellion."

He supported "Prince Zhu Si" (Zhu Cimiao, the fourth son of Zhu Youjiao) as Emperor Longwu, and announced 81 crimes of Prince Xin Zhu Youjian, including killing his brother and mother.

The translation of the manifesto is as follows (excerpt):

Emperor Tianqi Zhu Youxiao ascended the throne at the age of sixteen, served as emperor for seven years, and died of illness at the age of 23. The first three children of Emperor Tianqi all died early. Before his death, he sensed the conspiracy of Zhu Youjian and others. In order to prevent the fourth son (Zhu Ci Miao) from being harmed by the villain again, he specially ordered the palace maid Yang Yue to send the fourth prince Zhu out of the palace to be raised.

However, it was unfair that the prince escaped but the emperor himself could not escape the clutches of the thieves.

One day in May of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, the emperor and his eunuchs were boating in the Taiye Lake. A gust of wind capsized the boat, and Zhu Youxiao fell into the water. The water temperature in the capital was still low in May, and although Zhu Youxiao was rescued, he caught a cold and fell ill. His health deteriorated day by day. The then Minister of War, Huo Weihua, presented him with a "magic medicine" called "Linglu Drink," which tasted sweet and delicious. Zhu Youxiao drank it every day, and gradually his body became swollen and he was bedridden.

Wei Zhongxian was worried that he would have no one to rely on after Zhu Youxiao's death, so he tried his best to pray for the emperor to prolong his life.

Prince Xin Zhu Youjian visited the palace every day and instructed Huo Weihua to present the "holy water" to the emperor.

Zhu Youjian read about a strange disease called "water Gu" in "Miscellaneous Studies of Strange Diseases". It was caused by putting a pointed snail into the water tank containing the "magic water" he mentioned. As a result, the water quality changed. After drinking this water, the patient would gradually become bloated, with a sallow complexion and thin body. It was difficult for even the best doctors to cure the disease, and the patient would die.

The "Miscellaneous Examinations of Strange Diseases" records that this was believed to be a kind of Gu hidden in water. If a person drank such water, the Gu worm would enter the body, causing illness and even death. This was also the real cause of Emperor Tianqi's death.

In addition to regicide, mother murder, and usurping the throne from his nephew, Zhu Youjian's greatest evil was murder.

When he lost his temper, he was like a mad dog that had broken free from its chains, with all his humanity and rationality gone. He didn't seem like the son of Emperor Guangzong at all - there were rumors that he was an illegitimate child - Chongzhen liked to invite ministers to the throne room, bow to them, and say, "Thank you, gentlemen, please help me govern the country." Then he would fly into a rage and blow half of the heads off the "gentlemen" with a musket. The scene was extremely bloody...

During his four-year reign, the puppet emperor Chongzhen exploited the common people for his own ends. In Shaanxi and Shanxi, tens of millions of people died on the battlefield or starved to death.

He said many sweet and touching words, but they were all lip service. He favored the eunuch Wang Chengen and killed the praised Wei Zhongxian, which further proved that this tyrant was "knowing people and appointing them to positions."

~~~
The manifesto was printed out and sent to the two capitals, thirteen provinces, Annan, Korea, Japan, and old officials from various places. It was also sent to the southeastern pirate Zheng Chenggong, the southwestern chieftains, the Miao people, the Chahar Mongolian Burni, the Qinghai Mogen Taiji and other tribes, inviting them to respond.

The battle to enter the Pass began from then on.

(End of this chapter)