After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

According to the laws governing the founding of the state after the Southern Song Dynasty moved south.

The children born to the empress can be called princes and princesses.

However, princes could be granted the title of marquis, but not king, and could not be made crown prince.

A princess may be granted the title of princess.

After the princess comes of age, she must choose a husband from among the heirs of the Zhu Liang dynasty. Only their children can be established as heirs of the dynasty.

Empress's grandfather, Emperor Longchang, was the maternal grandson of Consort Shangguan and Princess Xuanwu.

but,

This moment, that moment.

This was the most difficult time for the Great Liang Dynasty, with enemy troops besieging the city and the threat of national subjugation looming.

Although there is still a way out for Daliang,

That was to mobilize the troops from Yunhu and Changzhou to hold back the enemy, while the Yongwei Battalion would escort the central government south to Fuzhou, Fujian.

The troops dispatched by the Tang emperor were stationed in the Zhoushan area.

Gongsun Mao, the governor of Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, had also recruited 10,000 soldiers, appointed generals, organized garrison troops, and led 30,000 troops to Huzhou, where they marched towards Liyang.

Both armies can rely on it as a shield.

However, the cabinet would not abandon Nanjing unless absolutely necessary.

To abandon Nanjing is to abandon the entire Jiangnan region.

At that time, even if the central government could still be stationed in Fuzhou, it would be impossible to withstand the iron hooves of the Northern Dynasty.

They could only watch helplessly as their opponents swallowed up Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Huguang, Sichuan and other places... The Great Liang had no power to fight back.

The Empress is about to give birth.

This already caused widespread anxiety among the court officials.

There is a concern that if things go wrong, the Great Liang will be left leaderless.

Even though the Empress has successfully given birth, her body is still weak and she is still unable to take charge of the country.

The only recourse is to entrust the Qin chief minister with the responsibility of governing the country.

Luan Zongyuan was appointed Governor-General of Southern Zhili.

How to establish the foundation of the nation, unite the people's hearts, and let all the civil and military officials know for whom they are serving and for whom the emperor will repay them has become an urgent matter for the Great Liang Dynasty.

At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the sky was just beginning to brighten.

Having not slept all night, Qin Yuanzhang summoned two Grand Secretaries, Gao Congzhe and Liu Zhenxi, as well as Li Xiangsong, who was ill. After inquiring about his condition, Qin Yuanzhang ordered his men to bring Li Xiangsong over.

He then shared some of his thoughts with Luan Zongyuan, who was guarding the city gate. Luan Zongyuan gave him a note: "I entrust this matter entirely to Lord Qin."

After the four cabinet ministers discussed the matter for half an hour, they ordered someone to summon Zhang Qi, the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and Yan Yuqing, the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At the appointed time, the six people finished their discussion.

The emperor personally selected four children from the Zhu family and summoned them.

It seems they realized something.

The parents of these children also excitedly followed and waited outside the palace. Among them were princes, generals who protected the country, and even the lowest-ranking general who served the country.

It was only because among the imperial relatives whom the Empress sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate that their children were of suitable age and their parents had never committed any misdeeds that they were chosen as imperial heirs.

These children were all between seven and eight years old. After some examination, although these four children could not be described as exceptionally gifted, they were still of average appearance.

After they chose one of them, they called in the other person's parents.

"General of the State," Qin Yuanzhang said calmly, getting straight to the point, "His Majesty has entrusted us with the selection of an heir."

Tears streamed down the other's face as he hurriedly nodded repeatedly, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty has considered this matter carefully... Your arrangements for my Great Liang are... are perfectly made... I am deeply grateful... deeply grateful..."

Qin Yuanzhang asked, "General Zhenguo, are you aware of the current situation?"

The other party sighed and said, "The war is dangerous and fierce... The army is besieging the city... Indeed, we should establish the foundation of the nation as soon as possible... Establish the foundation of the nation as soon as possible."

Yan Yuqing said in a voice like an owl:

"Is the General Who Guards the Nation loyal to His Majesty? Loyal to the Great Liang?"

The other party solemnly replied, "How dare I not be willing to give my life for His Majesty!"

Yan Yuqing nodded and said coldly:

"In that case, once your son is made crown prince, the court will dispatch three thousand brave guards and the Liang navy to escort His Majesty upstream to Huguang to personally lead the expedition and relieve the siege of Huguang. The crown prince will continue to be stationed in Nanjing to drive out the Tartars."

The other party was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward excitedly and said:

"No, shouldn't it be the Crown Prince fleeing... the Crown Prince leading the army personally? How... how come it's His Majesty leading the army personally?"

He finished speaking haltingly.

Qin Yuanzhang gave the other person, whose face had turned deathly pale, a deep look.

Facing the old man's gaze, this relative, whose rank was General Zhenguo and who received a thousand shi of rice from Daliang every year, suddenly felt a chill.

Qin Yuanzhang didn't say much, just waved his hand, and the eunuch Zhang Qi ordered someone to take the other person away.

"There's no need to test the second one," the old man sighed.

The others nodded as well.

One emperor and one courtier.

This is an ancient theorem.

Although the Empress arranged for the selection of an heir apparent, she even gave Qin Yuanzhang the power to depose and install emperors, and she did so in front of the Grand Secretariat, the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, these potential heirs were neither the Empress's nor the Emperor Emeritus's children.

They each have parents.

Once established as the heir apparent, he will be the foundation of the nation.

Whether it's themselves, their parents, or even their brothers and nephews, if they were to create an event like the "Great Rites Controversy" of a certain emperor of the previous dynasty, not only would the foundation of the country be uncertain, but they might also disrupt the court under the instigation of some opportunists.

Such a thing had precedents long before the Queen of Resurgence.

At that time, the country was in crisis, and all sorts of people with ulterior motives wanted to claim credit for the succession of the emperor. They kept supporting members of the Zhu clan to ascend to the throne, and the infighting was endless. The infighting even reached the point where they could sit idly by and watch the Northern Dynasty move south.

"If we do not wish to repeat the same mistakes, this is the only way we can do it."

The Prime Minister of Qin said this to the crowd.

Zhang Qi, Yan Yuqing, and even Gao Congzhe, Liu Zhenxi, and others all agreed.

Zhang Qi was a eunuch. If his master changed, the other party would definitely promote a trusted eunuch to replace him as the Grand Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial as a favor.

Just like when he became the Grand Eunuch, he swept away all of his predecessor's confidants and promoted his own people.

bestow favors...

Only by showing favor to subordinates, and by treating them as people you've promoted, will they be grateful and trustworthy to you.

Eunuchs are like this?

Are civil and military officials no different?

Gao Congzhe and Liu Zhenxi were promoted to the cabinet by the retired emperor, and Your Majesty is of the same lineage as the retired emperor.

Yan Yuqing was promoted by His Majesty to the position of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Luan Zongyuan was appointed Governor-General of Zhili by His Majesty himself.

Shangguan Yun of Jiangpu City is a confidant of the Emperor Emeritus and the Governor-General of Jiangbei appointed by His Majesty.

especially,

Fan Shiwei, the pillar of Nanjing, was released from prison by His Majesty and appointed as the commander of the Yongwei Battalion.

Gu Xichuan, the Governor-General of Huguang, is His Majesty's Imperial Tutor and also the Governor-General appointed by His Majesty.

The Governor-General of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, Gongsun Mao, was also recently appointed by His Majesty. Gongsun Mao's father, Gongsun Yuliu, the Minister of Rites, was also invited by His Majesty to join the Six Ministries.

The governor of Sichuan, Marquis Mingzhong, was appointed by the Emperor Emeritus himself…

Besides that...

Everyone has just discussed it one by one.

That is the background of the child born to His Majesty.

His father is a descendant of Ning Changling, the Marquis of Jingbei, and the child's father, Ning Nan, has also made great contributions to the dynasty.

Fan Shiwei was even Ning Changling's adopted son.

Yang Ye, who is now in Jurong, is also a student of Ning Changling and a confidant of Fan Shiwei.

If His Majesty's offspring are designated as the foundation of the nation, then they will be considered the new emperor's own people, and naturally will not be anxious about their future or whether they will receive the titles promised by His Majesty...

Qin Yuanzhang thought it over and over.

The pillars of the current dynasty are all from the lineage of the former emperor and His Majesty. Once the bloodline is transferred to the left...

If someone with ulterior motives were to instigate it, the Great Liang Dynasty could instantly repeat the disasters of the previous dynasty, falling into disarray and fighting on all sides.

Therefore, he made up his mind.

Announcement.

Set the foundation of the country.

He also dispatched messengers out of the city, who bypassed Yue Zhongqi's besieging army late at night and delivered the message to the governors-general in all directions, in order to reassure the officials and civil and military officials.

The country is established.

The Empress was also safe and sound, which put the soldiers and civilians of Nanjing at ease.

Especially after seven days.

After giving birth, the empress, clad in golden armor, ascended the southern city wall and declared, "Cuiwei swears to expel the Tartars! Until death do us part!"

This brought the morale of the soldiers and civilians in Nanjing to its peak!

…………

On August 25th, the sky was clear and the air was crisp.

The Yongwei Battalion marched east again, and this time they also defeated Yue Zhongqi's troops deployed in the east. They fought fiercely with the enemy's cavalry until sunset, when they finally maintained their formation and withdrew back to Nanjing. Both sides suffered casualties.

The Yongwei Battalion retrieved hundreds of Tartar heads and hung them above the city gate, awaiting the Tartars' attack on the city. This action greatly boosted the morale of the people of Nanjing!

but……

Ten days later.

Several urgent reports shattered this high morale.

The first letter came from Gu Xichuan, the Governor-General of Huguang, saying that Ortai, the Grand Councilor and Minister of War of the Northern Dynasty, led 30,000 troops south, integrating the Green Standard Army of Shanxi and Huguang, and was launching a fierce attack on Huguang, attempting to cross the river!

The Hubei and Hunan regions are about to be attacked from both sides.

A letter came from Zou Xinzhi, the governor of Guizhou, saying that Guiyang had fallen and he could not atone for it even if he died ten thousand times. He had already withdrawn his troops to Tongren.

There was also a letter from Ming Zhonghou, the governor of Sichuan, who was already besieged on both sides.

Say……

The Prince of Gui has rebelled.

They dispatched a large army to join forces with the Xi'an clan of Shuixi.

Chengdu is in dire need of help...

In addition, Nian Gengyao's army had already arrived in Guangyuan.

One force took the Jinniu Road to attack Jiange, while the other took the Micang Road to threaten Bazhong.

Another detachment took the Lychee Road, and it was previously unknown whether the Ministry had also sent a detachment from Wen County to take the Yinping Road.

Marquis Mingzhong judged that the main force of the Nian Army should take the Jinniu Road and the Micang Road.

But the Prince of Gui has rebelled, and Chengdu is in dire need of help. Marquis Mingzhong requests the court to send reinforcements immediately!

……

This news struck the entire court of Liang like a thunderbolt.

The Prince of Gui rebelled, joined forces with the Shuixi, and marched on Chengdu.

Sichuan is in a state of emergency.

Ortai led a large army south from Huguang, causing great turmoil in Huguang.

Changzhou was attacked by Yue Zhongqi's reinforcements, and Zhanggu was in dire need of help.

Jurong fell three days ago, and Yang Ye's troops retreated to Lishui...

In an instant, the Great Liang Dynasty... was on the verge of collapse.

……

The situation has not improved.

On September 5th, Yue Zhongqi's army launched a fierce attack on Nanjing. After a siege of more than a month, this was the first time that any of Yue's troops had climbed the city walls.

On September 8th, Changzhou had fallen, and Zhang Gu retreated to Suzhou.

On September 12, Hubei and Hunan were unable to withstand the attack due to being tied down by Guizhou, and most of Ortai's forces crossed the river.

Gu Xichuan ordered his navy to harass the enemy, while most of his forces retreated to the Xianning area to strengthen the defenses.

On September 15th, the Russians, Dutch, and Portuguese launched a fierce artillery attack on the eastern side of Nanjing!

A section of the city wall at Xianhe Gate collapsed.

On September 18th, a report came from Chengdu that Chengdu had been largely besieged by the Gui King's forces.

Nian Gengyao had already captured Bazhong by the time he reached the Micang Circuit...

…………

September 19th.

A life-saving downpour came to Nanjing.

Because of the rain, the ground was muddy, and the artillery was also ineffective.

Many people were kowtowing and crying towards the Yangtze River, saying, "Thank you, Dragon King, for your mercy."

Zhu Cuiwei stood outside the Qianqing Palace, getting caught in the rain for a short while.

……

September 19th afternoon.

Nanjing received another urgent report from Sichuan...

Ning Nan, the Grand Master of the Three Realms of Liang, the Top Scholar of Liang, a Sixth-Rank Compiler of the Hanlin Academy of Liang, the Deputy Envoy of the Liang Mission to the Northern Dynasty, and the Grand Prince Consort of Liang... led his troops to a great victory over Nian Gengyao outside Jianmen Pass.