The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 860 Reinforcements Arrive Tomorrow
In September of the first year of Tianshou, Princess Xining succeeded to the throne and became emperor, and the Great Qi entered the era of empress.

The ministers in Tianxin City unanimously agreed that the new policy should continue and Emperor Guangde's political legacy should be carried forward.

However, the poison of Confucianism and Legalism is so deep that it cannot be eliminated overnight, and the power of military men must be restricted as soon as possible.

As Emperor Guangde said before his death:

“To keep the beast of power in a cage, every step must be taken with extreme caution.”

In winter, Emperor Guangde would take his daughter out of Tianxin City and come to the banks of the Han River.

Unafraid of the cold, undaunted by the wind and frost, Liu Kanwang asked his daughter:
“Can I make it to the other side?”

Princess Xining said, "Grandpa, yes."

Liu Kan asked curiously, "Why?"

The little girl blinked her eyes and said, "Grandpa can fly with a sword."

"Don't talk about flying with a sword!"

The conversation between father and daughter ended here.

Liu Zhaosun had been dead for more than 30 years, and the polar circle system he left behind was completely destroyed by Liu Kan.

Thanks to the unremitting efforts of Emperor Guangde, civil officials, military generals, and royal relatives no longer enjoyed privileges within the territory of Da Qi.

If we have to say that they have any privileges, it is the sense of honor of being in a superior position.

This sense of honor requires them to take the lead when the empire is in danger.

The mind returns to reality.

"Everyone, it's time to sacrifice your lives for your country. If Liu Wuji gains power, not only will your lives and property be in jeopardy, but the late emperor's reforms will also be wasted!"

Before the late emperor's funeral was held, Emperor Tianshou hurriedly summoned his ministers to discuss the defense of the capital.

The situation is critical.

After Liu Wuji raised his army in Jiangxia, countless people from all over the country responded to the "Jingnan" movement.

Intelligence from the Suoyi Guards indicated that troops were being mobilized frequently in some prefectures and counties in Henan and Shandong, with some troops already heading towards Tianxin City. Even more devastating was the fact that the rebels were advancing southward unimpeded.

As of early September, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Sichuan continued to remain loyal to the court, wrote letters to condemn Liu Wuji's evil deeds, and actively defended the new policies.

The rest of the provinces either joined Liu Wuji's campaign of pacifying the rebellion or stood by and watched, ignoring the imperial edict issued from the capital to support the king.

The garrisons in several counties and prefectures surrounding the capital were withdrawn to Beijing by Kang Guangxu early on.

The Ministry of Revenue intercepted military pay and food sent to Henan and Shandong. Hundreds of cannons planned to be transported to Liaodong to strengthen the defense were intercepted at Wusongkou, and then transported upstream to the capital, where they were deployed at the gates of Tianxin City to strengthen the capital's defense.

Army Marshal Deng Tianpei held a newly received intelligence report to Emperor Tianshou:
"Over 83,000 reinforcements have gathered in Xiangyang, primarily from the Hunan, Sichuan, and Jiangxi armies. Twenty thousand reinforcements from Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Guangxi are expected to arrive in five days. Furthermore, the Governor-General of Annan has just passed through Zhennan Pass with 3,000 elephant soldiers..."

Emperor Tianshou clapped his hands and praised: "Strong winds reveal strong grass, and turbulent times reveal loyal ministers! When my father was alive, he said that Qiao Wenlong was a loyal minister. Let him guard Annan!"

Kang Guangxu nodded and said, "Old Qiao stood firm as a mountain on the battlefield of Sarhu, beheading the slave chieftain Amin in battle. Governor Qiao has taken on the style of his uncle!"

All the ministers followed suit, and the tense nerves of the civil officials in recent days finally relaxed a little, and the Huangji Hall was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

The Queen interrupted, "What about Ryukyu and Korea?"

"The King of Ryukyu said that the storm was too strong, making it difficult for the warships to leave the harbor and participate in the rebellion. However, they asked Fujian merchants to transport ten ships of sulfur and artillery back. The Governor-General of Korea did not reply, and..."

The Grand Marshal hesitated to speak.

The smiles that had just appeared on the faces of the ministers disappeared instantly.

The Empress said calmly, "Oranges grown south of the Huai River are oranges, while oranges grown north of the Huai River are bitter oranges. If you stay in Korea for too long, it's inevitable that they will develop rebellious thoughts."

Although she said she was well prepared, Empress Tianshou still felt dizzy when Deng Tianpei told her that the Governor-General of Korea had killed the imperial envoy, colluded with the Liaodong garrison, and marched south overnight to "pacify the rebellion and support the king."

The empress was silent for a long time, and said to herself:
"It's because my father has been overly fond of the Korean Governor-General and has handed all the power to him. The Governor-General is usually unruly and now that he heard that the army is being disbanded and the privileges of military personnel are being abolished, he has become desperate and has taken action!

Previously, during the reign of Taizu, the Qi Dynasty was a warlike nation, with soldiers engaged in wars almost every day. Consequently, the military enjoyed a high status.

My father once told Princess Xining that if we want to give Da Qi a new lease of life and ensure the continuation of the new policies, we can try to divide Da Qi into dozens of states and maintain their separatist rule. Only by killing each other can the empire survive."

Regardless of whether such an idea is appropriate, what does it mean to kill hundreds of innocent people for the sake of so-called peace?
As the Portuguese missionaries said, the country needs more professional bureaucrats to be governed, rather than making everyone live in fear.

Under such intense pressure, not only the common people, but even the emperor himself was insecure. Given this, the Taoist woman still wanted the military to support her. Wasn't this child's play?

Liu Wuji was dismissive of his father's tricks. He always was.

The rebel vanguard moved south from Nanyang.

In Liu Wuji's view, his father and sister are the most hypocritical people in the world.

"The system established by Taizu is suitable for Da Qi. Our dynasty has its own national conditions! How can we give power to peasants?"

Yes, when the new policy was first implemented, there was chaos everywhere.

Factories and mines no longer competed with the people for profits, taxes were reduced to 1/30, and the officials who were unable to take care of themselves suddenly recovered and began to appear on the streets with their own umbrellas, reviewing documents, serving themselves meals, pouring themselves tea, and holding their own umbrellas...
Common people no longer had to be beaten with a stick before going to the government office to file a complaint. Some people could even go to the state, province, or Tianxin City to file a complaint without having to worry about being invited for tea by the Suoyi Guards.

With the relaxation, overnight, no one cared about us, no one enslaved us, no one bullied us, and everyone actually felt a little uncomfortable.

There are many voices among the people calling for the masters to come back, just like animals waiting to be slaughtered, they all miss the taste of the guillotine...

Liu Wuji also wanted Da Qi to return to the pre-Ming Dynasty and return to order. To be more precise, he wanted to let officials continue to be high and mighty, let the warriors be unruly, and continue to parasitize on this land.

Emperor Tianshou thought of Emperor Taizu who had been dead for many years.

The empress heard that her grandfather was still alive when she was born, which means that Emperor Tianshou had met Liu Zhaosun, the founding monarch of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Liu Zhaosun was a warrior.

She will end the history of these warriors ruling the country.

The former eldest princess Liu Yufei, known as the rebel of the Great Qi, was just the shadow of a man, not a woman.

"I am different from her. I am no longer a man's shadow. I will inherit my father's will and implement the new policy to the end. I am not afraid of the clouds."

Troubles are Bodhi, and Bodhi is troubles.

Kang Guangxu said, "Your Majesty is wise. When Emperor Guangde was in power, he advocated a new policy to limit the power of the military. But now that Liu Wuji has rebelled, will you compromise with the military generals who support the court?"

Emperor Tianshou hoped that he could truly achieve tranquility and inaction, just like he did when he met Zhen Palace.

Perhaps, she was just a mascot of the empire, a symbol of the transition from the imperial era to the citizen era.

So what?
The Queen said with a resolute gaze:
"Do everything as you did when Father was on the throne. There is no need to compromise. If you don't change your policies for three years, you can be considered filial."

Kang Guangxu murmured, "Not pursuing fame and fortune, not caring about gains and losses, not fearing superficial things, this is what a wise ruler should be like... If the late emperor knew this, he would be pleased."

The old ministers of Tianxin City are all paying attention to Emperor Tianshou. They hope that this empress can continue the policies of Emperor Guangde and weaken the imperial power to the greatest extent. Da Qi cannot allow figures like Princess Liu Yufei and Crown Prince Liu Wuji to appear again.

However, no one knew what Emperor Tianshou was thinking.

"Prime Minister, I need to remind you that Da Qi does not need saints or wise rulers. Those who want to be saints end up becoming tyrants!"

Kang Guangxu didn't dare to respond.

As everyone knows, the tyrant the empress was referring to was her grandfather, Emperor Taizu Liu Zhaosun.

Kang Guangxu was overjoyed, his eyes swept over the memorial in his hand, and then his face darkened:
"The rebels in Hebei and Liaodong provinces are unstoppable. Liu Wuji's vanguard has passed Nanyang and is less than a hundred miles away from Tianxin City. They may launch an attack at any time. Your Majesty, although you are the one who makes the final decision, must still face reality. Should we defend the isolated city or lead the people to move the capital? Please decide! The southern provinces firmly support..."

The empress remained silent and looked up at the elderly Jiang Liuer.

Jiang Liu'er stroked his white beard and said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, all the intelligence shows that the siege of Tianxin City is inevitable."

"When will the main reinforcements arrive?"

"Reinforcements will arrive tomorrow."

"Since we can arrive tomorrow, there's no need to worry. Tianxin City is high and deep, can't we hold it for even a day? This city was built fifty years ago, and every blade of grass and every tree is the blood and sweat of Emperor Taizu and my father. It's our ancestral land! I will never move the capital! Besides, if we do, where can we escape to?"

The Queen glanced at everyone in the hall and concluded in an unquestionable tone:
"The will of heaven and the people's hearts are with me, not Liu Wuji. Our future is limitless, but he will go to hell with those traitors!"

Several old ministers looked at each other, with relief on their faces.

Deng Tianpei moved his burly figure and couldn't help but interrupt:

"Your Majesty, it's clear that Tianxin City hasn't seen war in twenty years. The Central Guards might be able to march in formation, but if they were to engage in a real battle of swords and spears, they'd be no match for the Border Army."

(End of this chapter)