Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 341 A Thorough Purge of Traitors - A Trembling Experience

Zhu Jue's sudden deployment of troops caught the three guards of Duoyan completely off guard.

The Jingying chariots and cavalry advanced together, and all the men, horses, cattle, and sheep of the Duoyan Three Guards were blocked in the northern part of the Laoha River Valley and could not move.

There was no other way. At this time, the total population of the Doyan Three Guards was only over 400,000, while the Beijing Garrison's chariots and cavalry combined numbered over 400,000. Even if the entire population were mobilized for war, they still couldn't defeat the well-equipped soldiers of the Beijing Garrison.

In addition, the soldiers of the Beijing garrison were like wolves and tigers, and anyone who dared to resist was caught and killed. Moreover, Huang Taiji did not send any troops to rescue them, and told them to find their own way.

Under these circumstances, they had no choice but to surrender.

With the surrender of the Three Guards of Doyan, the former territory of the Northern Pacification Commandery was effectively recovered.

When the news reached the capital, the whole city rejoiced, and the common people were even happier than during the New Year.

If we're talking about other places, the ordinary people in the capital might not be so aware of it.

The Northern Pacification Commandery was well-known in the capital, as it served as a natural barrier to the north of the capital.

Before the Beiping Commandery was ceded to the Doyan Three Guards during the Yongle reign, the northern part of the capital was essentially protected by a thousand-mile-long wall of iron, making it impossible for the northern barbarians to invade the capital from the north.

Once the Northern Pacification Command was withdrawn, it was all over. The weak defense line of Jizhou Town had been breached countless times by the Northern barbarians. Anda Khan even broke through Gubeikou and marched directly to the capital region.

If the Northern Pacification Commandery were still in existence, Anda Khan's army would never have been able to get through.

The people of the capital city were well aware of this, and the flimsy defenses of Jizhou Town had always kept them on their toes.

They were all afraid that one day the northern barbarians would suddenly break through Jizhou Town again.

If the northern barbarians were to invade the capital region, it would be a catastrophe for the people outside the city. The people inside the city would not fare much better. With the city gates closed, it would be inconvenient for them to do anything. Moreover, most of them had relatives and friends outside the city, and no one wanted their relatives and friends to be ravaged or even killed by the northern barbarians.

Now that's good, the Beiping Commandery has been recovered, so it's impossible for the northern barbarians to invade the north. In addition, Liaodong has also been recovered, so the east is safe. As for the west, with the Juyong Pass Great Wall protecting it, it's unlikely that the northern barbarians will be able to break in.

The capital city is now impregnable, and there is no longer any need to worry about the northern barbarians invading.

The people of the capital were overjoyed, but the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou were devastated.

The Hanzhong army has now reached Taiyuan Prefecture, and their stronghold is about to fall.

They could have hoped that the Jurchen cavalry would come to their rescue, but now that hope was gone.

This is because the Northern Pacification Commandery is located precisely between the Horqin Grassland and Shanxi.

It would be virtually impossible for the Jurchen cavalry to break through the defenses of 400,000 garrison troops in Beijing and arrive as reinforcements. If they couldn't go through the Beiping Regional Military Commission, the Jurchen cavalry would have to take a long detour, and it might take them one or two months to arrive.

Can they hold on for another month or two?

That's unlikely too.

Gao Yingxiang is too incompetent; he's no match for the Hanzhong army at all.

While the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou were filled with fear and unease, the Hanzhong army suddenly intensified its offensive.

They seemed to know that the Jurchen cavalry was unlikely to come to their aid, so they went all out and charged northwards at breakneck speed.

Soon, Yuci, Taigu, and Qixian were captured by the Hanzhong army.

This caused the eight major imperial merchants to suffer heavy losses, as most of their headquarters and workshops were located in these three counties.

More importantly, Shanxi has very little arable land, and most of it is concentrated in the Fenhe Plain. Yuci, Taigu, and Qixian are located in the Fenhe Plain, and almost all the land in these three counties has been bought up by the eight imperial merchants. This area is their granary.

Now that their granaries have been looted, where will they get grain to sell to the Jurchens?
They originally thought that losing so many headquarters, workshops and fields was already a devastating loss.

Who would have thought that the Hanzhong army would suddenly change its ways and start killing their relatives and friends indiscriminately? Almost all of their relatives and friends who stayed behind to look after the shops, workshops, and fields were killed!

They truly hadn't expected the Hanzhong army to become so ruthless.

This was because the Hanzhong army's first two invasions of Shanxi only involved looting grain and valuables; they did not harm the civilians remaining in the area.

In addition, since their businesses, workshops and fields already required people to stay and guard them, most of their relatives and friends remained in the area.

The Hanzhong army's rampage quickly wiped out their relatives and friends!

That’s nothing.

Immediately afterwards, the Hanzhong army split into six routes. Three routes headed north towards Taiyuan, while the other three routes headed south towards Pingyao, Xiaoyi, and Jiexiu.

At this moment, the eight imperial merchants were as anxious as ants on a hot tin roof.

If Pingyao, Xiaoyi, and Jiexiu are captured by the Hanzhong army, their strongholds will be completely wiped out.

If their entire stronghold is destroyed, their headquarters will be gone, their workshops will be gone, and their fields will be gone. How will they continue doing business?
The three powerful clans of Puzhou were also in a hurry.

The Hanzhong army is clearly aiming to break through Fenzhou in one fell swoop and head straight for Puzhou.

If the Hanzhong army were to reach Puzhou, their stronghold would be destroyed.

Upon receiving the news, Han Kuang could no longer remain seated.

Just then, the Prince of Jin from Taiyuan Prefecture also submitted a memorial requesting reinforcements. He directly attached a draft proposal, asking for the mobilization of troops from Xuanda and the three border regions of Shaanxi to besiege the Hanzhong army.

Unfortunately, Zhu Jue is not in the capital at this time.

He had already gone to the Beiping Regional Military Command. It takes time for memorials to be sent back and forth. Even if the three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou were in a hurry, they would still have to wait a few days for news.

At this time, the capital was getting a bit hot, but the Beiping Commandery remained quite cool.

In the Laoha River Valley, the former site of Daningwei, more than 200,000 artisans and able-bodied men are rapidly constructing city walls in a square formation spanning nearly ten miles.

They built the city wall very quickly because the original foundation was already in place, and the bricks and cement were readily available; they just had to lay the bricks on top.

In just three or four days, the city wall of Daningwei has been built to a height comparable to a person.

If construction continues at this pace, the city walls of Daningwei will probably be almost complete in less than half a month.

Next, it seems we need to consider the layout within the Daning Garrison City.

Early that morning, around 7 a.m., Zhu Jue led Lu Xiang-sheng, Yuan You, Wang Cheng-en, and others on horseback out of the cavalry camp south of Daningwei City and headed straight for the city wall under construction.

However, they did not enter the city.

They then wandered around outside the Zhuxia Gate, which is directly south of the Daning Garrison City.

There's also the foundation of a city wall here.

Prince Zhu Quan of Ning did not build his palace inside the city of Daning, but instead built it directly to the south of the city.

Zhu Jue led everyone on a tour, then looked at the city wall of Daningwei under construction, and then decisively said: "Father-in-law, why don't we build the city wall of the Prince of Ning's residence as well? We can build a large station here to facilitate the travel of horse-drawn railcars."

From now on, this Daningwei City will be our storage place for grain and supplies for our counterattack beyond the Great Wall. There will be countless horse-drawn railcars coming and going every day. If they all flood into the city, there will probably be traffic jams.

"If we build a large station here, things will be different. Horse-drawn carriages traveling north and south can rest here before queuing up and entering the city in an orderly manner, thus preventing traffic congestion."

Sure, there are over 200,000 able-bodied artisans here, and the foundation of the city wall is already in place. Building another two or three miles of city wall won't take much time.

The problem is, he's never built a station this big before. Yuan You nodded slowly, then asked, "Your Majesty, I am but a humble subject. What kind of station should this be built?"

Zhu Jue pondered, "It gets very cold here in winter too. The three guards of Duoyan have to build warm sheds for their cattle, sheep and horses to ensure that they don't freeze to death or get frostbite in winter. We should also build more warm sheds at this station so that the horses pulling the carts don't have to stand outside and freeze."

"Here's what we'll do: build long, heated sheds along the tracks, like warehouses, with boilers and heating inside. Put gates at the front and back, and stables and huts on both sides for the horses and drivers to rest."

Uh, build it like this.

How many greenhouses would we need to build?
Yuan You was taken aback for a moment before nodding repeatedly and saying, "Your Majesty, I understand."

As they were discussing, the Emperor's father-in-law, Tian Hongyu, suddenly rode up, cupped his hands, and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."

You've finally arrived.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly, then asked, "Grandfather Tian, ​​the tracks have been laid, right?"

Tian Hongyu nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, the tracks have already been laid to the outside of the eastern city wall. Your Majesty, where should we lay them next? Should we lay them directly into the city?"

The able-bodied young men and women of Liaodong still have to go back to farming.

Zhu Jue shook his head slightly and said, "It's almost mid-May, and spring plowing in Liaodong should have started by now. You don't need to lay the tracks anymore. You can leave the rest of the work to Yuan Guozhang. You should quickly gather horse-drawn railcars and bring the able-bodied men back from Liaodong."

Is this okay?
Tian Hongyu was taken aback for a moment before nodding repeatedly and saying, "Your Majesty, I understand."

As luck would have it, at that moment another fast rider came galloping from the south.

Soon, Fang Zhenghua strode over with a memorial in his hand, held it high above his head, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, this is an urgent dispatch from the Grand Secretariat."

The cabinet actually sent him an urgent message?
What's the rush for these guys?

Zhu Jue took the memorial, opened it, and couldn't help but snort coldly.

This memorial was submitted by the Prince of Jin. The Hanzhong army was almost at Taiyuan City, so it's not surprising that the Prince of Jin was asking for help.

The problem is that the cabinet even submitted a draft proposal to mobilize troops from Xuanda and Shaanxi to besiege the Hanzhong army.

The three powerful clans and eight imperial merchants of Puzhou were frantic with worry.

The rebel Gao Yingxiang had been entrenched in Shanxi for so long, yet they never mobilized troops from Xuanhua, Datong, and Shaanxi to suppress him. Only when the Hanzhong army reached Taiyuan Prefecture did they immediately mobilize troops from Xuanhua, Datong, and Shaanxi to suppress him!
Wouldn't it be better for the two rebel groups to kill each other?
When Zhang Xianzhong attacked Hanzhong Prefecture, you didn't say you wanted to besiege Zhang Xianzhong, but when the Hanzhong Army attacked Gao Yingxiang, you wanted to besiege the Hanzhong Army.

Have you no shame?

I'll slap you in the face!

Zhu Jue coldly said, "Ruoyu, isn't it better for rebels to kill each other than to approve the reply?"
When Zhang Xianzhong led his army to attack Hanzhong Prefecture, why didn't you let Hou Xun mobilize troops from the three border regions of Shaanxi to recapture Xi'an Prefecture?
"The Hanzhong army and Gao Yingxiang are currently locked in fierce combat. Why are you mobilizing troops from Xuanda and Shaanxi to encircle and suppress them?"

He wanted to see how these traitors would explain themselves.

The Da Ning Wei is not far from the capital; it can be reached in a day by express courier.

The next morning, around 7 a.m., the approved memorial was sent to the cabinet.

When Han Kuang saw Zhu Jue's reply, he couldn't help but tremble.

The young emperor saw through their scheme to send Zhang Xianzhong to attack Hanzhong Prefecture!

There was nothing inherently wrong with Zhang Xianzhong attacking Hanzhong Prefecture; it was normal for rebels to fight each other over territory.

That was precisely why they sent Zhang Xianzhong to attack Hanzhong Prefecture.

The problem is that most of Zhang Xianzhong's troops went to attack Hanzhong Prefecture, leaving Xi'an Prefecture vulnerable. Why didn't Hou Xun mobilize troops from the three border regions of Shaanxi to recapture Xi'an Prefecture?
This is too strange. Hou Xun was specifically in charge of suppressing the rebel Zhang Xianzhong. Why didn't he take action when he had such a good opportunity?

They didn't think of that at the time!
Now they actually ordered Hou Xun to mobilize troops from the three border regions of Shaanxi to besiege the Hanzhong army. How do you explain that?

To be honest, there's really no way to explain this kind of thing.

However, they couldn't just stand by and watch the Hanzhong army take over their stronghold, Puzhou.

Han Kuang frowned and pondered for a while, then suddenly realized that this was a memorial from the Prince of Jin pleading for help.

After thinking for a moment, he shamelessly replied: "Your Majesty, the Hanzhong army is approaching Taiyuan City, and the Jin vassal state is in grave danger. The Prince of Jin has urgently requested our assistance. We cannot stand by and watch them perish."

The next morning around 7 a.m., the memorial was delivered to Daningwei again.

At this moment, Zhu Jue was standing on the high base of the former main hall of the Ning Prince's Mansion, watching the craftsmen and young men around him cleaning up the broken walls and ruins.

He slowly scanned the map, then looked at the map held up by the guards in front of him. He then pointed at the map and said, "Father-in-law, the tracks from Liaodong should make a slight turn here and be laid directly to the station. Don't go into the city."

This one is simple.

Upon hearing this, Yuan You nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhu Jue looked at the city walls of Daningwei City again, and then pondered, "In the future, what we will mainly transport from Liaodong is grain and coal, while what we will mainly transport from the capital is supplies and ammunition."

Therefore, you should also separate the warehouses in the city of Daning. The warehouses for storing grain and coal should be built on the east side. Since coal is a bit dirty, the warehouses for it should be built in the northeast half of the city. The warehouses for storing grain should be built in the southeast half of the city.

Supplies and ammunition also needed to be kept separate. Ammunition is flammable, so the storage area needed to be kept as small as possible to minimize personnel movement. Therefore, ammunition depots should be built in the northwest half of the city, while supply depots should be located in the southwest half.

This is also simple.

Upon hearing this, Yuan You nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhu Jue pointed to the map and explained in detail: "The Zhuxia Gate is right in the middle of the station. If all the horse-drawn railcars squeeze into the middle, it will easily cause congestion. Therefore, we need to open a gate on both the left and right sides to allow the horse-drawn railcars to enter and exit. The Zhuxia Gate will serve as the city gate for people to enter and exit."

Also, we can't lay the tracks in the city in a straight line. You need to build a main street running north-south in both the east and west halves of the city, and then lay a circular track on these main streets so that horse-drawn railcars can turn around and come out directly after entering.

On both sides of the main street, you should build rows of east-west oriented warehouses. At the same time, the passageways between the warehouses should be constructed as individual circular tracks. This way, after horse-drawn carriages enter the city, they can directly access the warehouses from the main street to unload their goods, without blocking the main thoroughfares on either side.

Well, this is a bit troublesome. A horse-drawn railcar can't turn straight; the loop on the circular track has to be very large to make it turn.

Yuan You stared at the map and pondered it carefully for a while before slowly nodding and saying, "Your Majesty, I understand."

As they were discussing, Fang Zhenghua strode over with a memorial in his hand, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, this is an urgent dispatch from the Grand Secretariat."

How do you explain these traitors who colluded with the enemy and betrayed their country?

Zhu Jue took the memorial and glanced at it, then couldn't help but let out another cold snort.

Han Kuang actually turned the tables on him, meaning that he deliberately refused to help and let the rebels deal with the princes and royal family!
You dare to play this trick on me?

I'm willing to stand by and watch someone die, so what?

You still want me to mobilize border troops to rescue your relatives and friends? Dream on!
Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then said coldly, "Ruoyu, approve the order: to prevent the Jurchens from invading, the border troops shall not be moved. Anyone who dares to move the border troops without authorization shall be executed without mercy."

When Han Kuang received the approval, he couldn't help but tremble.

The young emperor is clearly using the rebels to deal with them!
It's impossible for them to mobilize the border troops to deal with the Hanzhong army.

What else can they do in this situation?

He frowned and pondered for a while, then he could only order his trusted confidant to go back and report the news, telling his family and friends to escape as soon as possible!
A base can be rebuilt if it's gone, but if people are gone, then everything is over.

(End of this chapter)