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

With just over 800,000 taels of silver, the Ming Dynasty's dusty sword was polished back to its former glory, and its military might was restored.

Emperor Chongzhen seemed to understand something.

The Ming army has always been a formidable fighting force. From the Battle of Ningyuan to the Battle of Ningjin, and even the yet-to-be-conquered Battle of Kyoto, the Ming army has consistently been able to defeat the Manchus on the front lines.

But why is it that in many places military discipline is corrupt, and even mutinies are frequent?

Ultimately, it all comes down to pay.

What do soldiers serve for? On a grander scale, it's to have their names inscribed on Yanran Mountain and to achieve fame and success. But this is only for a minority. After all, the success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand. So, on a more modest scale, for most people, isn't it just for those few taels of silver?

This time, however, Emperor Chongzhen used his own private funds to pay the military expenses, and he used almost all of it, leaving only a few hundred thousand taels of silver.

What will we do next time? What will we do in the future?

Emperor Chongzhen didn't know, but he knew that this time, he absolutely could not lose.

"Sir, guard Liaodong well for me!"

Emperor Chongzhen gave Sun Chengzong a brief instruction and then prepared to leave.

However, Sun Chengzong tried to persuade him to stay: "Your Majesty, are you really going to Pi Island?"

"Um."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and asked, "How long does it take to get from here to Pi Island?"

Sun Chengzong was silent for a moment before replying, "With a favorable wind, four hours; against a wind, one day and one night."

Passing through Pi Island was part of Chongzhen's planned eastern tour. In his view, the trip to Pi Island was more crucial than the inspection of Guan Ning Jin, because Sun Chengzong was stationed there, while Mao Wenlong was an unstable factor on Pi Island. There was also an even more unstable factor there: Yuan Chonghuan, whom he had appointed but who had been demoted to the border for deceiving the emperor, was also there.

Pi Island can be described as a gathering place for powerful figures, but it's unclear what happened there. More importantly, Pi Island occupies a very delicate position, and the Later Jin Dynasty is extremely wary of it.

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen was determined to go and take a look no matter what.

However, at this time, upon hearing that the Emperor was going to pass through Pi Island, the generals of Liaodong all stepped forward, just as when Emperor Chongzhen decided to go north to inspect the border.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

"Pi Island is isolated overseas. How can His Majesty, the supreme ruler, lightly venture into such a dangerous place?"

"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" The generals knelt down one after another to dissuade him.

Emperor Chongzhen, however, was somewhat unconcerned, saying, "Pi Island belongs to the Ming Dynasty, and Mao Wenlong is the Ming Dynasty's commander-in-chief. What's wrong with me going to see my soldiers?"

"Mao Wenlong, he..."

Zu Dashou hesitated, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, you must not go so rashly!"

Emperor Chongzhen looked at Zu Dashou and asked, "What happened to Mao Wenlong?"

"Mao Wenlong... I don't know whose subordinate he is." Zu Dashou finally said it.

"Zu Dashou, don't talk nonsense!" Sun Chengzong shouted to stop him.

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "It's alright, Zu Dashou. Speak freely and boldly. I also want to hear what exactly happened with Mao Wenlong."

With the Emperor's words, Zu Dashou could no longer hold back and spoke his mind: "Mao Wenlong occupies Pi Island and commands troops overseas, often displaying arrogance and lawlessness. But none of that matters. What matters is that Mao Wenlong's relationship with the Manchus is ambiguous. In the winter of the seventh year of the Tianqi reign, five Later Jin envoys, including Kuo Ke, infiltrated Pi Island and mistakenly entered the camp of Huang Zhongse, the Ministry of Revenue's supervisor of supplies, and were captured on the spot. These men came from Liaoyang by sea; without an inside accomplice, how could they have reached the commander's court so directly?"

"If Mao Wenlong truly has ties with the Manchus, wouldn't Your Majesty be placing yourself in a precarious position by going to Pi Island?"

"It is not that I have any grudge against Wenlong, but I am truly worried about Your Majesty's safety!" Zu Dashou said earnestly.

Emperor Chongzhen pondered for a moment, then asked, "Are you afraid of Mao Wenlong?"

Zu Dashou, not understanding why, blurted out, "Of course I'm not afraid!"

"Alright!"

Emperor Chongzhen nodded: "You will come with me to Pi Island. If you are not afraid, why should I be?"

"this……"

Zu Dashou was speechless for a moment.

Others tried to dissuade him, but at this moment, Sun Chengzong stepped forward and said, "His Majesty has made his own decision, and there is no need for you to say anything more."

Sun Chengzong knew that the current emperor was not the same as before. He still remembered the talk about "showing the sword" that the emperor had told him a few days ago. If the emperor didn't even have the courage to go to Pi Island now, and was timid and hesitant, how could he talk about "showing the sword"?

Moreover, Sun Chengzong had his own judgment about Mao Wenlong.

Day two.

Chongren's fleet departed from Shanhaiguan and headed towards Pi Island, four hundred li away...

……

Pi Island, also known as Duan Island, is located east of the mouth of the Yalu River in North Korea. Together with Zhangzi Island and Lu Island at the mouth of the Yalu River, it forms a tripartite balance, which can complement each other and serve as a strategic point.

In the first year of the Tianqi reign, Mao Wenlong led more than 100 men in a night raid on the undefended city of Zhenjiang, capturing Tong Yangzhen, a relative of the Later Jin emperor, along with his son Tong Fengnian and nephew Tong Songnian. He also sent Chen Zhong and others to attack Shuangshan, capturing and beheading Miao Yizhen, a Later Jin guerrilla commander, and others, which was known as the "Great Victory of Zhenjiang".

After this battle, castles such as Kuandian, Tangzhan, Xianshan, and Aiyang surrendered one after another, and hundreds of thousands of people came to welcome them with cattle and wine.

People at the time praised Mao Wenlong, comparing him to Ban Chao, who led thirty-six men to pacify the Western Regions, and Geng Gong, who led a hundred men to defend Shule.

After the great victory at Zhenjiang, Mao Wenlong was like a sharp dagger stuck in the back of the Later Jin, causing them great fear. However, Tao Langxian, the governor of Dengzhou and Laizhou behind Mao Wenlong, outwardly complied with the imperial orders but inwardly defied them, refusing to send a single soldier or pay to aid them. Huang Taiji, Amin, and others successively led 5,000 elite troops to attack Zhenjiang. Mao Wenlong had only a little over 100 men under his command, and outnumbered, he led his army and civilians to retreat into Korea.

North Korea has been under pressure from the Later Jin to capture Mao Wenlong. On the one hand, it refuses the Later Jin's demands, and on the other hand, it keeps urging Mao Wenlong to seek refuge on the island.

Ultimately, Mao Wenlong chose to settle on Pi Island.

Mao Wenlong established his base in Pi Island, Tieshan, and the Kuan'ai mountain area, recruiting refugees, using the elderly and weak for farming, and the strong as soldiers. He gradually developed this into a formidable force overseas, becoming a major threat to the Later Jin dynasty, which it desperately wanted to eliminate. Mao Wenlong frequently launched attacks on Later Jin cities, recapturing Jinzhou, Lushun, Fuzhou, and other places, and reclaiming hundreds of miles of land in southern Liaoning.

In the second year of the Tianqi reign (1622), after Mao Wenlong established Dongjiang Town on Pi Island, Pi Island was also called Dongjiang Island.

During this period, there were many memorials impeaching Mao Wenlong, and the incident of the Jin envoy Kuoko going to Pi Island also occurred, but the Tianqi Emperor managed to protect all of these.

By the time of the Chongzhen Emperor, Mao Wenlong had already managed Pi Island with great success.

At this time, the emperor suddenly exiled Yuan Chonghuan to the army for the crime of deceiving the emperor, and the place of exile was Pi Island, which left Mao Wenlong completely bewildered.

Because his feud with Yuan Chonghuan had a long history.

Moreover, in terms of rank, Mao Wenlong was once Yuan Chonghuan's subordinate, but now Yuan Chonghuan has become one of his lowly soldiers. Such a dramatic rise and fall in life is truly lamentable.

Surprisingly, Mao Wenlong did not take action against his former boss, who had once been at odds with him. Instead, he greeted him with a smile and even wanted to treat him as an honored guest.

However, when Yuan Chonghuan arrived, he adopted a very humble attitude and did not intend to be a distinguished guest. Instead, he addressed Mao as General Mao and said that he was a convicted criminal and should start from the lowest rank of soldier.

Able to bend and stretch, Yuan Chonghuan, the former military governor of Jiliao and Minister of War, truly regarded himself as a lowly soldier exiled here.

Gradually, Mao Wenlong also began to forget about Yuan Chonghuan and returned to his happy life on Pi Island.

However, this happy life did not last long, for an imperial edict came from the capital, saying that the emperor wanted to visit Pi Island in person.

This threw Mao Wenlong into a panic, and he hurriedly tidied up Pi Island to prepare for the arrival of his entourage...