The Ming Dynasty: A bookstore sells the history of the Ming Dynasty, leaving Emperor Chongzhen bewil

When Chongzhen returned to the capital, it was already February of the second year of his reign.

He stayed in Shaanxi for almost a month.

During his inspection tour of Shaanxi, Emperor Chongzhen did many things. The most important thing was naturally the promotion of sweet potatoes, potatoes, and corn. The second was the issue of the post stations. The third was dealing with Hong Chengchou and Li Zicheng, both of whom have now been brought back to the capital by him.

As for Wu Zhiwang, the governor of the three border regions, Chongzhen saved his life and also allowed him to retire to his hometown.

The situation in Shaanxi was indeed complex and the pressure was immense. Emperor Chongzhen was afraid that the old man wouldn't be able to handle it and might commit suicide again at any time, but there was no need for that.

The person who succeeded Wu Zhiwang as the governor of the three border regions was not Yang He from the original historical timeline, but Sun Chuanting, the future political rival of Yang He's son, Yang Sichang.

Sun Chuanting was from Shanxi. He became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in the 46th year of the Wanli reign. Many famous people were on the same list as him that year, including Yuan Chonghuan.

During the Tianqi era, Sun Chuanting, dissatisfied with Wei Zhongxian's dictatorship, requested leave to return to his hometown.

After returning to his hometown, Sun Chuanting served his mother, taught students, built a grand residence, planted pine and lotus trees, and enjoyed drinking wine and composing poems. He was very happy.

Despite his carefree life, Sun Chuanting never abandoned his concern for national affairs, aspiring to "bring peace to the world." His student Feng Rong advised Sun Chuanting to give up his concern for national affairs, saying that "the affairs of the world are almost impossible to accomplish," but Sun Chuanting disagreed, saying, "I will start doing it myself; whether it succeeds or not is up to fate."

Sun Chuanting did not expect that the court would remember him so quickly, and that it would not be a simple appointment, but rather a high-ranking position such as Governor-General of the Three Border Regions.

Without hesitation, Sun Chuanting bid farewell to his mother and took up his post...

……

The grass grows and the warbler flies in February, and the willows are drunk in the spring.

After a harsh winter, spring returned to the earth, all things revived, and the capital city began to bustle again. Li Hongji entered the capital sixteen years earlier than Li Zicheng in the original timeline. On his first visit to the capital, Li Hongji was like a country bumpkin, looking around with great interest and curiosity.

Emperor Chongzhen, on the other hand, was extremely anxious, almost ignoring everything around him, and kept urging everyone to return to the palace. The reason he was in such a hurry to return to the palace was that Empress Zhou was about to give birth.

On the fourth day of the second lunar month, Emperor Chongzhen was anxiously waiting outside the curtains of the Kunning Palace.

The tranquility of Kunning Palace was shattered by the cry of a newborn baby!

The midwife, beaming, rushed out of the inner room and knelt on the ground: "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Empress has given birth..."

Before the midwife could finish speaking, Emperor Chongzhen impatiently asked, "Is it a boy? Or a girl?"

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! You have a son!"

"I have a son! I'm a father now!"

Chongbei was overjoyed, because this was not only Chongbei's first son, but also the son of Empress Zhengguan, who was destined to be made crown prince and the legal heir of the Ming Dynasty.

In the previous dynasties of the Ming Dynasty, some emperors had children but no sons, while others had no children at all, such as his elder brother, the Tianqi Emperor. Therefore, they were anxious about the succession to the throne and fought each other to the death!

Now that he was in the prime of his life, and the Empress had given birth to a son for the first time, how could Chongzhen not be overjoyed!

In addition to naming his son Cilang, he also instructed his servants to give the midwife "ten silver coins".

The midwife quickly kowtowed to express her gratitude.

The Ming Dynasty welcomed its new successor, while the Later Jin Dynasty on the other side was also reforming itself, accumulating strength, and eyeing the Ming Dynasty with hostility...

……

When talking about the Later Jin dynasty, one must first mention a Han Chinese, Fan Wencheng, the strategist who helped Nurhaci and Huang Taiji achieve their great cause of establishing and building the nation.

Fan Wencheng's ancestor was Fan Zhongyan, a famous loyal minister and general in Chinese history.

In his "Record of Yueyang Tower," Fan Zhongyan proclaimed, "Be the first to worry about the world's troubles and the last to enjoy its pleasures," expressing the ideals and aspirations of all upright and patriotic people over the past few centuries. This has become a sacred saying for conduct and interpersonal relationships.

Subsequently, the Fan family inherited this ancestral tradition for generations, remaining unyielding, loyal, and dedicated. After entering the Ming Dynasty, the great-grandfather Fan Gong, who inherited this tradition, rose to the position of Minister of War during the Jiajing era and was sent to oversee the three border regions. However, he offended the powerful minister Yan Song, was slandered, retired, and died in depression.

My grandfather, Fan Shenggong, held the official position of Commander of Shenyang Guard. He continued this tradition, being upright, honest, and loyal to the country. However, he was demoted for impeaching Li Chengliang, the General of Liaodong, for extortion. After being dismissed from office, he fled to Fushun to avoid trouble. He personally engraved the three characters "Take a Step Back" and embedded them in the gate tower to suppress his resentment. But he eventually died of anxiety and resentment over national affairs.

The same misfortune befell Fan Wencheng's father, Fan Nan. This city garrison officer of Fushun was honest, cautious, and well-liked by the people, but he still could not escape the trap of being slandered and demoted. He was dismissed from office due to being falsely accused...

The grievances and humiliations suffered by his ancestors for generations made Fan Wencheng see through the darkness and corruption of the Ming Dynasty. He resolutely embarked on the path of "betraying the country and the race" and joined Nurhaci, who was in the midst of an uprising, at the age of twenty-one.

The defection of Fan Wencheng, a scholar from a family of scholars and a man of great learning, gave the valiant Nurhaci a significant boost. From then on, Nurhaci conquered countless battles and won every single one.

The tradition of respecting and treating the strategist Fan Wencheng well was passed down from Nurhaci to Huang Taiji, along with the throne.

Whenever it came to a matter, Huang Taiji always sought Fan Wencheng's opinion first.

That day, in Fan Wencheng's living room, Fan Wencheng was sitting in a chair, asleep with his head on the table, and next to him was a map that had not yet been put away.

At this moment, Huang Taiji quietly entered. Looking at Fan Wencheng's sound sleeping posture, he couldn't help but smile and sat down to wait.

In his sleep, Fan Wencheng unconsciously reached out and knocked a teacup off the table, shattering it on the floor. With a sharp crack, Fan Wencheng awoke with a start, looking up to see Huang Taiji sitting before him. He quickly rose, his face filled with shame.

"Your Majesty, I... Your Majesty, I am guilty of being impolite and have kept the Great Khan waiting alone for so long..."

Huang Taiji waved his hand and smiled: "Sir, you can be so calm and composed, so you must have a well-thought-out strategy for defeating the enemy. I would be happy to sit with you all night! Please have a late-night snack and a drink, sir."

As he opened the food box he had brought, he pointed to the map on the table: "Sir, you were probably fighting against the enemy in your dream, weren't you?"

Fan Wencheng nodded and smiled, "In my dream, I saw Sun Chengzong rushing back to the capital in a panic, and I also saw Emperor Chongzhen flying into a rage, with the entire capital in a state of terror!"

Huang Taiji exclaimed in astonishment, "Sir, are you dreaming?"

Fan Wencheng replied, "Whether the dream will come true depends entirely on the Khan's decision."

Huang Taiji nodded resolutely, then sighed, "Life is hard for my Jin Kingdom! Last year we suffered from floods and insect plagues, leaving the land barren and the people destitute. Furthermore, since Sun Chengzong took command of the Ji-Liao region, he has been building fortifications and is relentlessly encroaching on our territory, slowly nibbling away at our northwards!"

Fan Wencheng said with a solemn expression, "Sun Chengzong is exceptionally intelligent and currently serves as the commander-in-chief of Jiliao. He is indeed a huge threat. Moreover, he is extremely good at defensive maneuvering, making it difficult to break through from the front."

Huang Taiji said, "My mind is made up. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will take any risk and fight to the death!"

Looking at the anxious Huang Taiji, Fan Wencheng tried his best to comfort him, saying, "Great Khan, you can't rush things. The Ming Dynasty is like a big tree, and you are the one who cuts it down. As long as you are patient and calm, and keep cutting it down, no matter how thick the trunk is, it will eventually be felled by you."

Huang Taiji nodded in agreement, saying, "What you say is quite right, sir. But where should we aim this axe now?"

Fan Wencheng pondered for a moment: "Now that Sun Chengzong is overseeing the Ji-Liao campaign and rebuilding the Ning-Jin defense line, it will be extremely difficult for our Great Jin to break through head-on. Therefore, to break through, we must bypass this defense line. This axe..."

"Wait!" Inspired and influenced by Fan Wencheng, Huang Taiji's mind became active. He interrupted Fan Wencheng and used his finger to dip in tea to write the words "around the rear" on the table.

Fan Wencheng nodded and smiled knowingly: "That's right! It's exactly a flanking maneuver!"

"Your opinion is exactly what mine!"

Huang Taiji was overjoyed to find that he and Fan Wencheng had the same idea: "The Ming Dynasty has long regarded the Great Wall in the rear as an absolute barrier, but little did we know that the place we were most at ease with is often the place we are most vulnerable with!"