Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 5 I Grant You the Right to Open the Sea

The gong had just sounded at the hour of Mao, and the sky in the distance was already turning pale.

Zhu Youjian, escorted by eight hundred cavalrymen, stopped in front of Wu Xiang's mansion.

He actually has two main goals when he comes out this time.

One was the corrupt official Zhou Kui, and the other was the military leader Wu Xiang.

Not many people may know Wu Xiang, but his sons Wu Sangui and Zhu Youjian are well-known.

Even before he traveled through time, Wu Sangui's Guanning Army had become Chongzhen's obsession.

He did not hesitate to reinstate Wu Sangui's biological father, Wu Xiang, to his original post, and appointed him as the governor of the Beijing camp and the governor of the capital's defense in order to win over Wu Sangui.

With so much Liao tribute every year, Zhu Youjian didn't believe that Wu Xiang didn't embezzle.

But when he arrived, he discovered that the residence of this former Jinzhou general and current Beijing camp admiral was surprisingly simple.

The horse-tethering stone in front of the door was covered with moss, and the copper bells on the eaves were mute in the night wind.

Zhu Youjian stretched out his hand, and several cavalrymen urged their horses forward.

"Your Majesty, please be cautious. The Guanning Army has not yet..." Wang Chengen finished his words.

Then he saw the door of the mansion open from the inside.

The 62-year-old veteran, still in armor, knelt in the middle of the gate.

Dozens of well-equipped men behind him made the same gesture, filling the outer courtyard.

The surroundings were brightly lit, as if they had been waiting for a long time.

Zhu Youjian sighed inwardly, he still needed the Embroidered Uniform Guards, otherwise there would be no secrets at all.

His face showed no sign of it, and he said with a half-smile, "Admiral Wu has good eyes and ears. I just arrived and he already knew about it."

Wu Xiang didn't even blink, but clasped his hands together and saluted, "Your Majesty, this old minister pays respects to you."

"Your Majesty, you've made such a big move. Even if I don't want to know, I have no choice."

"So you're ready?"

Zhu Youjian dismounted and glanced at Wu Xiang's worn iron armor. "Although I didn't bring the Imperial Guards with me, I'm afraid your attempt to cry poor won't work."

"I have absolutely no such intention. There are 27,000 taels of silver and 400 dan of grain in the General's Mansion. Your Majesty can take them away at any time."

Wu Xiang knelt on the ground, his tone unchanged.

Zhu Youjian was now interested. "Then why are you kneeling here in the middle of the night?"

"This old minister has something to ask Your Majesty."

Zhu Youjian walked among the troops behind Wu Xiang, looking at these elite men who had fought their way out of Liaodong, and casually replied, "Speak."

"I would like to ask, Your Majesty, are you planning to use silver to resist the rebel army?"

Zhu Youjian did not answer, but instead asked, "If I don't use silver, what else can I use? Can I rely on Admiral Wu and these dozens of private soldiers to fight against the rebel army of hundreds of thousands?"

"I can't do this, but neither can the silver..." Wu Xiang hesitated for a moment. When he saw the elite cavalry following Zhu Youjian closely, he finally gritted his teeth and shouted, "The capital cannot be defended!"

Zhu Youjian suddenly turned his head and looked at Wu Xiang.

Before he traveled through time, Chongzhen had issued an order that anyone who proposed moving south would be executed.

So even a person with a brain would know that the capital city could not be defended, and no one mentioned going to Nanjing.

But Wu Xiang said this at this time, risking his life.

Could it be that I saw it wrong?
Was Wu Xiang a loyal minister? Or was he a loyal minister with military talent?

Zhu Youjian's silence made Wu Xiang feel disappointed.

He saw Zhu Youjian first get a group of elite cavalry armed to the teeth from somewhere, and then deal with Zhou Kui without any delay.

Thinking that his emperor had finally become wise in the face of a powerful enemy, he took the risk to speak out and gamble on the future.

But now it seems that Chongzhen is still the same Chong...

"Tell me clearly why the capital cannot be defended!" Zhu Youjian suddenly spoke with a serious expression.

"Ah?" Wu Xiang was stunned, then suddenly came to his senses.

I was so excited that I couldn't feel anything. My bet was right!

He quickly stood up and saluted.

"Your Majesty! May I ask Your Majesty to move to the study, and let this old minister explain it to you!"

……

Under the protection of sixteen cavalrymen, Zhu Youjian and Wang Chengen followed Wu Xiang to the study.

The first thing that catches your eye is a wall with a huge map hanging on it.

It is the defense map of the capital city.

"Your Majesty, please take a seat." Wu Xiang moved the only chair in the study to the center of the room.

After Zhu Youjian sat down, Wu Xiang quickly walked to the map and pointed at Changping.

"Your Majesty, please look. This place is Changping, less than a hundred miles from the capital. If my guess is correct, Juyongguan Pass was breached yesterday. By dawn today, the rebel troops will be here."

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly. In his memory, Li Zicheng had indeed been to Changping on March 16. He raised his hand to signal him to continue.

The latter nodded and said, "After Juyong Pass, Changping and Shahe have no strategic locations to defend, and no heavy troops are gathered. All we need to do is hurry on."

"At the speed of our army, we will reach the capital by noon tomorrow at the latest."

"There is no reinforcement that can reach the capital within two days to support the king."

"Although the capital city has high walls and an iron bulwark, a 28-li wall, with less than 10,000 scattered soldiers, even if there were one man every five zhang, it would be difficult to defend it. Even if Your Majesty bestowed a generous reward, how could the soldiers defend it if they all died?"

"Besides, the people in the city are restless right now. The generals have no will to fight and the soldiers have no courage left. I'm afraid that by the time the rebels attack, the city will be broken."

Wu Xiang's analysis was very accurate, and Zhu Youjian also knew all of this.

But he had reasons for having to leave.

The 70 million taels of silver in the entire capital are enough for him to raise an army that can fight against Li Zicheng!
Once you leave, there won't be many such opportunities.

Although Jiangnan was also rich, both in the previous life and in Chongzhen's memory, it was clearly remembered that Jiangnan belonged to the world of gentry and wealthy businessmen.

He only had a thousand cavalrymen, and it would be easy for him to fail.

Even if you want to leave, you have to make all the money in the capital before leaving!

After a moment of silence, Zhu Youjian asked in a deep voice.

"Is there any way to defend the city?"

Now it was Wu Xiang's turn to remain silent.

He lowered his head, crossed his hands, and said no more.

"The Jian Nu army just replaced their young leader last year, and Dorgon is worried about finding allies. Wu Qing, what should I do if the Jian Nu army forms an alliance with the rebels?"

In the dead silence, Zhu Youjian suddenly said something inexplicable.

These words accurately hit Wu Xiang's deepest fear.

The reason why the Wu family was able to have the final say in the Guanning Army was because of its close yet distant relationship with the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty's emphasis on border defense.

By maintaining a balance between the left and the right, their family can enjoy wealth and prosperity.

Once the Ming Dynasty fell, whether the Qing Dynasty entered the pass or Li Zicheng became more powerful, the situation of the Guanning Army would be extremely embarrassing and dangerous.

Wu Xiang's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"Your Majesty... I'm not trying to avoid war."

As he spoke, Wu Xiang suddenly knelt to the ground, his armor clashing with the blue bricks with a dull thud. "The capital city is truly undefensible. Even if Wei and Huo Guangwu were reborn, they wouldn't be able to lead a defeated army of a few thousand eunuchs against hundreds of thousands of rebel soldiers!"

"Then how many people do you need to hold out until the Guanning Army arrives?" Zhu Youjian asked, rubbing the gem on the hilt of his sword and staring into Wu Xiang's eyes.

"This... the Guanning Army spends four million taels of Liao military pay every year to support two hundred thousand soldiers."

Seeing that the emperor still placed his hopes on the Guanning Army, Wu Xiang finally took off his disguise and took out the account book from his arms.

His performance just now was enough to attract the emperor's attention.

As long as the emperor can be persuaded to move south, then the emperor and the important officials in the court can only rely on the Guanning Army, which is the nearest, to protect him.

He held the only military power in his hands and protected the emperor from danger.

Such a tremendous achievement is second only to following the dragon!
Whatever it takes is worth it!
"Actually... the actual number of troops is less than 30%, and the number of soldiers capable of fighting is only 30,000 Guanning Iron Cavalry."

Zhu Youjian flipped through the shocking records of embezzlement, but his tone was surprisingly calm. "So you and your son deliberately allowed the Jiannu to invade so that the court could not do without the Guanning Army?"

"Your Majesty, do you know what life was like for the Liaodong generals after the Battle of Guangning?"

"From the 46th year of the Wanli reign to the 7th year of the Tianqi reign, 90% of the Liao people died! We are not nurturing the enemy to protect ourselves, we are leaving a way for the people of Liaodong to survive!"

"If we fill the quota, there won't be a single male left in Liaodong except for the military camp! Are we going to leave the women, children, the elderly and the weak to till the fields and freeze to death in the cold winter?"

These words reminded Zhu Youjian of the "Old Manchu Archives" he had read in his previous life, which recorded the miserable situation of the Han people in Liaodong.

But I can only listen to what Wu Xiang says.

These military leaders are all as shrewd as devils.

Seeing that it was already bright outside, Zhu Youjian did not continue to test Wu Xiang's time.

This old guy is definitely not a good guy, but he is the only one in the capital who has some military talent, has been on the battlefield, and commanded large troops in battle.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, almost all the remaining generals who were able to fight were killed by Chongzhen!
The few remaining generals, such as Zhou Yuji, had died in battle a few days ago. Huang Degong, whom Zhu Youjian had some impression of, was still in Jiangbei at this time, and distant water could not quench immediate thirst.

If he wasn't used, Zhu Youjian would have no one to use. He couldn't let an ordinary person like him learn micro-manipulation from a master and move the cavalry five steps to the left, right?

There are not so many loyal people in the world. It is enough as long as the other party's interests are on the same side as your own interests.

When you have money later, you can kill or chop people off!

He stood up from the chair and personally adjusted Wu Xiang's armor.

"My dear, there is no need to say so much. As long as you defend the capital, I will grant you the Wu family the right to open the sea."

Wu Xiang's whole body was in shock.

For many years, they have smuggled ginseng and mink furs, and the farthest they have gone is North Korea.

If it is really possible to engage in maritime trade legally.
(End of this chapter)