Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

What is Eleanor doing? #Query Eleanor's status

"I remember letting her play in the yard..." Jiang Han muttered as he went out to look for his daughter. Sure enough, he saw Eleanor squatting in the yard watching the little rabbits eating grass.

There was curiosity about life in the child's eyes, his little eyes were wide open, and he seemed to be amazed by the existence of the little white fur ball in front of him.

Little White Bun, looking at the little white rabbit chewing the grass, it was such a picture of peace and tranquility, Jiang Han felt like he was healed.

She seemed to be watching the little rabbit eating with relish and wanted to reach out and touch it, but she was afraid that her actions would scare the creature in front of her, so she was very cautious. What a kind child... I guess she must be thinking about how to make friends with the little thing in front of her.

Then Jiang Han saw Eleanor take out her scythe.

"Just wait for me!"

Jiang Han was worried about raising his children, but the situation in the Ming Dynasty was extremely precarious.

There is an old saying that a wounded beast is the most dangerous. The Qing Dynasty is in this state today. In Yangzhou, the Qing Dynasty can be said to have been seriously injured. If nothing unexpected happened, they would have been unable to recover. However, on the way back, the Qing army faced a group of black iron players.

The Shandong general started to fight wildly as soon as he heard that the Tartars were coming. The Qing army captured many towns in Shandong with almost no effort. For the Qing army responsible for the attack, they were back, everything was back.

After fighting with the outrageous army in Yangzhou for a full month, the Qing army, which was accustomed to such high-pressure, high-density and high-intensity firepower attacks, felt like they were on a picnic when facing the defensive firepower of the Ming army. The weak Ming army trembling in fear on the city walls were like experienced babies rewarding their guests, allowing the Qing army to enjoy the French fries.

It’s like returning to Silver after playing King of Glory and instantly finding the feeling of home. This is what a local is like!

The Qing army attacked the locals extremely harshly, as if they wanted to vent their anger on the Ming army and civilians, and began a mass killing. The cities along the Qing army's route in Shandong and northern Zhili were directly plunged into a sea of ​​blood.

According to the memorial submitted by the ministers of Northern Zhili, Qingdu, Luancheng, Zhaozhou, Baixiang, Tangshan and other places were massacred by the Qing army.

Among them, the military department copied out the manuscript written by Gong Dingzi, the inspector of Guangping Prefecture, which said: "The places I have passed through, such as Qingdu, Luancheng, Zhaozhou, Baixiang, and Tangshan, are all wild and uncultivated... Entering their cities,

There are no chickens or dogs, only rubble but no houses, only thorns but no smoke... Some say the city walls are more than 20 miles wide, but the residents in the city are less than 200 or 300 households... Some say the number of editors and reviewers has always been tens of thousands, but now it is only more than a thousand

In other words, many medium-sized cities with a wall circumference of more than 20 miles were left with only 200 to 300 households after being massacred by the Qing army, and only more than 1,000 people were left with a registered population of tens of thousands!

Huolu County and its surrounding 16 counties were also massacred by the Qing army, leaving a scene of mountains of skulls and a sea of ​​blood.

Among them was a report by Wang Guobin, the governor of Shandong: "From the Yellow River to Jinan... the air is desolate and the roads are desolate... the whole place is covered with ashes, the road stinks, and the streets are filled with blood.

Deng Qiannan, the Shandong Provincial Grain Supervisor, reported: "My grandmother, my great-uncle, my brothers, sisters, and slaves, a total of 46 people, all died in the flames of war.

At the same time, when a fire broke out at home, the Qing army, eager to return to rescue, did not choose the previous route of entering the pass from Miyun, which would require crossing many heavy mountains and take too much time. Instead, they chose to take a shortcut through Xuanda.

After Xuan Da was taken over by Lu Xiangsheng, he managed the area, emphasized people's livelihood, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, and managed the area of ​​Xuan Da like an iron barrel, causing the Qing army to suffer greatly during their previous attempts to enter the pass.

However, now that Xuan Da had lost Lu Xiangsheng and the Tianxiong Army had been completely wiped out, Xuan Da did not receive any extra attention from Chongzhen. This strategic location that had just been developed had once again returned to its former half-dead state.

This is also the main reason why the Qing army chose to return to Shengjing from here.

Your aunt is no longer the aunt of the past.

And on this road, Gaoyang City is a point that the Qing army cannot avoid.

Gaoyang is just a small city. For the Qing army, they had already regained their confidence in Shandong. Having regained their strength, they were determined to capture Gaoyang City.

At this moment, heavy snow was falling near Gaoyang City, and there were raindrops mixed in the snow. The people were busy repairing the city walls, and there were working workers everywhere inside and outside the city.

In the city, a group of yamen runners surrounded an old man with white hair and beard, who slowly walked out of the north gate. The laborers stopped their work, stretched their necks and rushed over to watch.

If you want to know who the old man is, he is Sun Chengzong, the imperial tutor of the Ming Dynasty, a veteran of three dynasties, a former cabinet minister, and the Minister of War. He has trained generals such as Yuan Chonghuan and Mao Yuanyi. When he was the commander-in-chief in Liaodong, he built the Guanningjin Defense Line, which blocked the Jiannu for decades. He even outlasted Nurhaci but was unable to make any progress. Now Huang Taiji is still trying.

Sun Chengzong is now seventy-six years old. He has devoted all his talents and efforts to the Ming Dynasty. He has been retired at home for several years. However, in his later years, the Qing army reached his hometown, Gaoyang County.

Sun Chengzong took his family of more than 40 people to the city wall to defend the city, preparing to welcome the Qing army that was coming to attack the city.

Gaoyang was a small city with no garrison in the city, only some servants. There were no generals to command the war and no food, so it was vulnerable.

Inspired by Sun Chengzong, none of the thousands of civilians in the city fled. Instead, they all participated in repairing the city walls and went up to the city to defend against the enemy.

The magistrate of Gaoyang County climbed up the city wall of Gaoyang North Gate and looked into the distance. He was surprised to find a large cloud of dust rising in the distance. Even though it was far away, he could still tell that it was the cavalry shrouded in the smoke. He quickly gave the order to sound the alarm.

Hearing the urgent alarm bells, the construction site outside the city gate suddenly became a mess, and people began to swarm into the two-meter-wide city gate, exposing their shortcomings due to lack of training.

.......

Half an hour later, the Qing army completed its assembly. This time, they did not do what they usually did, which was to persuade the enemy to surrender first and then attack. Instead, they started blowing horns and beating drums directly, and launched the offensive before the Gaoyang defenders could react.

This is the valuable knowledge they learned in Yangzhou, never let the enemy spread out, otherwise you are finished.

Three thousand Eight Banner Han troops pushed the tall ladders and rushed straight to the north gate of Gaoyang with great momentum, and slowly advanced towards Gaoyang City behind the ladders.

There was no artillery fire, no rain of bullets, only bows and arrows. The infantry led by the Han army flag rushed to the city gate almost without any resistance. Wooden stakes carried by several people hit the city gate rhythmically under the shouts, and with every hit, wall plaster and stones fell down.

The Jiala Zhangjing of the Qing army, dressed in full iron armor, hid his eyes in the shadow of his helmet and watched the battle in front of him coldly. Under the supervision of the Niulu Zhangjing of each camp, the Han army soldiers attacked the Gaoyang city wall in the rain and snow.

The resistance on the top of Gaoyang City was very fierce. In such rainy and snowy weather, the Gaoyang defenders composed of yamen runners and civilians still burst out with amazing fighting will. However, what they were facing at this moment was the Qing army that had just crawled out of an environment comparable to hell. Such resistance was far from enough. They were once pinned to the ground and beaten like rats!

The battle lasted for an hour, and the northern part of Gaoyang City was filled with corpses of the Eight Banner Han Army and the Gaoyang defenders. The temperature continued to drop after the rain, and the cold rain mixed with snowflakes washed the blood on the ground into a large red area.

Gaoyang City was captured. Sun Chengzong, the emperor's tutor of the Ming Dynasty, and his entire family, including seven sons, a dozen grandsons, and nephews and great-nephews, all died in the battle without any sacrifice. Only his eldest son, who was still an official, was left alive, so at least the family line was not cut off. The bodies of the whole family were tortured to pieces by the Qing army, and it was almost impossible to recover a complete body.

My computer broke down these past two days. I checked and found out that the motherboard was burned out. I had no choice but to replace the motherboard. Today, I downloaded a typing software on my phone, and my efficiency dropped a lot. I was so unlucky that even drinking cold water would get stuck in my teeth. Oh...

Volume 369: Chapter Chapter : Farce

With such a big commotion, the news naturally could not be concealed from the higher-ups. However, due to the distance, the news that the Tartars attacked, Yangzhou was defended, Hong Chengchou's army encountered the thief Zhang, and many places in Huguang were attacked by the thief Zhang reached the capital almost at the same time. It can be said that good news was reported frequently throughout the country.

It has to be said that Zhang Xianzhong was a very cunning person. He knew that his only advantage was his large number of troops and he could easily form a team. However, he also knew that most of them were just a group to make up the numbers. They could scare people, but if they really wanted to fight a decisive battle, it would be very risky.

Therefore, when he heard that the government troops were coming to suppress the bandits, he did not fight them head-on like the wise men of the Gezuo Fifth Battalion, and then let them be crushed head-on, chased and killed, and then gave his own head to Hong Chengchou as a military achievement. Instead, he dispersed his forces and attacked at multiple points to confuse the government soldiers and put them in a tense state, making them lose sight of one thing while focusing on another.

In this way, Zhang Xianzhong could not only hide the main force of his old camp, but also seize the initiative and attack the government troops by surprise. If the government troops dispersed their forces and went to rescue different places separately, then Zhang Xianzhong could concentrate his forces and defeat them one by one.

This wave, this wave is a strategy of confusing the enemy, using one's own strengths to overcome the weaknesses of officers and soldiers. Zhang Xianzhong was able to become a hero in the turbulent times of the late Ming Dynasty. He had some skills and he understood the art of war.

Zhang Xianzhong's outrageous actions caused Hong Chengchou a headache. In the court, all officials were still focused on the recent Tatar attack.

Sun Chengzong's status was not small, and the title of the Ming Dynasty's imperial tutor was quite appealing. The death of such a person at the hands of the Tartars was undoubtedly bombshell news, especially as he was killed in a sneak attack by the Tartars after the peace talks.

We agreed to negotiate peace. I acquiesced to your excessive request for revenge. I gave you face, and you gave me face. Let's just make it okay. What did you do? You turned around and took my money to Yangzhou, but you didn't take Yangzhou, and you turned around and ran to Shandong to have fun? ?

Chongzhen was now in power, and he felt that he had been tricked by the Tartars. These dogs of the Jian slaves had no moral principles and were not worthy of being human.

He believed that he wanted to seek revenge on the rebels, and he gave the money required for peace talks himself. In the end, the rebels were still alive and well, and he turned around and slapped me in the face!

Are you two playing a trick on me? You think I'm an idiot, right?

He now reasonably suspected that this Jiang thief was very likely in league with the Tartars, otherwise how could this situation be explained? Ten thousand against two hundred thousand, and you were still able to hold on? Why didn't you say you were a Daluo Jinxian?

And now it's not just Chongzhen who is in trouble, the court is also in an uproar.

"I have long known that the Jiannu's evil ambitions should not be trusted! I have reminded them many times! But you, Yang Sichang, insisted on doing it your own way! As a result, my Ming Dynasty has become a laughing stock!"

Xue Guanguo has been waiting for a long time! What the hell! I just caught you, little Bi Nian? I'll blow your head off! There are three million key immortals in the sky, and they must bow their heads to me when they see me, key in!

Otherwise, Xue Guanguo is a man without tact. Who came up with this idea? Yang Sichang, but the person who nodded is still sitting there. If you scold him like this, won't you also get Chongzhen into trouble? How can a person like this expect to be promoted when the leader picks up food, when the leader picks up food, when the leader opens the door, when the leader gets in the car? You're not going to get promoted!

Chongzhen moved his butt slightly.

Although the composition of the people in charge of the peace talks this time was very complex, including people from the Qingliu, the eunuch party, and the Donglin party, this did not stop the enthusiasm of the ministers to hold a meeting to share the blame, and the entire court was in chaos.

"I've wanted to say this a long time ago! Rebels and bandits are the internal affairs of our Ming Dynasty. Even if we kill their leader, Huang Taiji, there is no reason for them to come to the interior of our Ming Dynasty to seek justice! This is the law of our ancestors."

This guy came up and broke the ancestral rules, violating the group training. It can be said that he was putting Teacher Dazhen on the fire. Chongzhen secretly wrote this man's name on the little notebook in his heart, coughed, and signaled the people below to say something quickly.

It is no wonder that Yang Sichang was favored by Chongzhen. When he saw the emperor cough, Yang Sichang immediately understood the meaning and winked at his team. As the head of the cabinet, naturally there would be many people who would charge forward for him.

As expected, an official from the Censorate stepped forward and immediately started scolding.

"FNMDP! You have been wanting to say something for a long time. You were the most active in waving the flag and shouting during the peace talks. Now the Tartars have gone back on their words, and you don't know that we share the same hatred and the same enemy. Instead, you are pretending to be shrewd and observant. Who are you looking at? How dare you, a cunning person like you, bring up the laws of our ancestors?"

Oh, how comfortable, my court mouthpiece, this barrage of sarcasm and insults brought out all of Chongzhen's inner thoughts, making Teacher Dazhen feel so relieved. He silently remembered the name of this very promising censor. It was a pity that he was not good-looking. If he was better-looking, I would definitely promote him.

"? I just scolded Lord Yang, why are you so eager to jump out? He is your father?"

"Putting aside the peace talks, isn't there any problem with Shandong's defense?..."

"The person is dead, so please stop talking..."

"Where is Hong Chengchou? Ask him to keep an eye on Yangzhou. The Jiannu have already fought their way to Shandong, and Huguang has also been attacked everywhere. What is Hong Chengchou doing? #Check Hong Chengchou's status"

Everyone was arguing with each other, especially Yang Sichang, who was scolded harshly, making Chongzhen's head buzzing.

"enough!"

Following Chongzhen's roar, the court fell silent in an instant, waiting for Chongzhen to speak.

"Today's court meeting will mainly discuss two matters. First, Elder Sun died for his country. The Ministry of Rites needs to come up with a plan for his posthumous honor and title. If you have any opinions, please feel free to speak up."

After saying that, without waiting for anyone to react, he called out, "Yang Aiqing, you tell me what to say."

Listen to the words and the tone. Everyone present knew that something was wrong. Yang Sichang was in the emperor's favor, but such a thing could not make the emperor dislike him. Why did Yang Sichang decide on such a big matter? This was to show his attitude. Those who wanted to impeach him in the future would have to think twice.

Hearing Chongzhen's name being called, Yang Sichang trembled and slowly replied, "Your Majesty, I have discussed this matter with the Minister of Rites. The Ministry of Rites initially proposed to posthumously confer the title of Grand Master on Sun Ge Lao. As for the posthumous title, I think it is unnecessary."

Seeing Chongzhen's suspicious expression, Yang Sichang continued, "A posthumous title is a sign of one's conduct; a title is a symbol of one's achievements; and a carriage and clothing are the marks of one's position. Therefore, great deeds are rewarded with great titles, while minor deeds are rewarded with minor titles. One's conduct comes from oneself, while one's reputation comes from others. To manage the heaven and earth is called culture, to risk one's life to serve the emperor is called loyalty, and to serve the emperor at home and abroad is called righteousness. As Lord Sun died during his retirement, the court should not have bestowed a posthumous title on him..."

There was a commotion in the court, and Xue Guoguan stepped forward immediately. This man was a big fan of Yang Sichang, and he would oppose anything Yang Sichang proposed. He stepped forward and said solemnly, "To govern the world is called Wen, to be moral and knowledgeable is called Wen, to be loyal and to be polite is called Wen, to govern the country and establish its reputation is called Wen, to be strong and not violent is called Wen; to risk one's life for the benefit of the country is called loyalty, to not turn back in the face of danger is called loyalty, to serve the king with all one's heart is called loyalty, to sacrifice one's life for the country is called loyalty, to defend the country with death is called loyalty, and to restore the king with virtue is called loyalty!"

"Lord Sun was the imperial tutor of two dynasties. He rejected the enemy's repeated attempts to persuade him to surrender. He and his family of more than 40 people died defending the city. Even if he cannot be posthumously named Wen Zheng, how can he not be named Wen Zhong? Such a capable minister who served the country cannot even be posthumously named. Wouldn't it discourage the scholars of the world from serving the country?"

Chongzhen was very upset when he heard this, but he couldn't find a reason to refute: "Okay, let's discuss this later!"

Xue Guoguan wanted to say more, but was quickly interrupted by Chongzhen: "Let's talk about the second thing. The Jiannu have gone back on their word and have already attacked Xuanda. How should we fight them? E?"

Xue Guoguan saw that the emperor was determined to protect his beloved Yang Yang, so he had to stop and prepare for the next fight.

Yang Sichang spoke again: "I think we can send the Guanning Army to fight the enemy..."

Chongzhen nodded and said, "Okay, then let's send Chen Xinjia as the commander-in-chief and Gao Qiquan as the military supervisor. Then... " Chongzhen pondered for a long time and was stuck. He thought it didn't seem right. It seemed that I had no one to use.

Lu Xiangsheng is gone, Zu Dashou of Liaodong must not be moved, Liu Zeqing and his ilk are simply the Bull Demon rewarding guests, and the capable Hong Chengchou is still entangled with the thief Zhang in Huguang. With this calculation, there is really no one who can be used.

Xue Guoguan saw Chongzhen was stuck, and his heart moved. Here comes my chance. Humph, I can't touch you, Yang Ge Lao, but can't I disgust you to death? So he said decisively: "Your Majesty, why don't you use Sun Chuanting?"

When Xue Guoguan said this, Chongzhen was stunned for a moment, and Yang Sichang's face became visibly sour. Why? This has to start with Sun Chuanting.

Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou were of the same age, but Hong Chengchou passed the imperial examination three years earlier than him. Sun Chuanting passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi in the 47th year of Wanli. His first official position was the magistrate of Yongcheng County, Henan Province (the seventh rank). In the early years of Tianqi, he was transferred to the capital to serve as the chief seal inspector (the sixth rank) in the Ministry of Personnel. He was later promoted to the rank of Jixun Langzhong (the fifth rank), who was in charge of the commendation of officials. It can be said that he had a prosperous career.

Hong Chengchou was a Jinshi in the 44th year of Wanli's reign. His first official position was the Director of the Jiangxi Qingli Division of the Ministry of Justice (sixth rank). He was later promoted to Yuanwailang (fifth rank) and Langzhong (fifth rank). He served in the Ministry of Justice for six years.

The resumes of the two men were almost the same. After working for five or six years, they both rose to the rank of fifth-rank doctor of the Six Ministries. Sun Chuanting even surpassed him later because among the six ministries, the Ministry of Personnel was more powerful than the Ministry of Justice. The personnel department has more benefits than those who are sent out to manage criminal matters, and they have real power.

At this rate, even if he took office three years later than Hong Chengchou, Sun Chuanting should have been able to catch up. He was young and could even outlast those old men in the position of Shangshu just by outlasting them.

However, after working as a Langzhong in the Ministry of Personnel for two years, Sun Chuanting resigned and returned to his hometown for a vacation because he was dissatisfied with Wei Zhongxian's dictatorship. This was his temper and he was so willful.

This vacation lasted for seven or eight years. He enjoyed himself very much, but his neighbor Hong Chengchou did not stop for a moment. He was promoted and made a fortune all the way. He was transferred from a Beijing official to a local official, from the Zhejiang Provincial Education Commissioner to the Left Councillor of Liangzhe Province. Soon after, he was promoted to the Shaanxi Grain Inspectorate.

When Hong Chengchou was on the rise, Sun Chuanting was still at home reading books. It was not until the eighth year of Chongzhen that Sun Chuanting, who had been idle for nearly ten years, was revived and became a fifth-rank doctor in the Ministry of Personnel, responsible for evaluating officials.

However, Sun Chuanting's move was also a bit good. Why? Chongzhen hated Wei Zhongxian, so those who opposed Wei Zhongxian must be good people. He promoted Sun Chuanting to Shuntian Prefecture as a magistrate, a fourth-rank official, second only to Shuntian Prefecture governor. However, Sun Chuanting did not plan to gain experience in Shuntian Prefecture. He wanted to show his talents on the front line, so he volunteered to be the governor of Shaanxi, responsible for suppressing the bandits in Shaanxi.

The position of Shaanxi Governor was a high-risk job at that time. If you went there, you would be killed by bandits. If you didn't die at the hands of bandits, you would be removed by the court. There were two possible outcomes: the former was that your ability was too poor, and the latter was that you would be treated as a scoundrel and be bullied.

In March of the ninth year of Chongzhen, Sun Chuanting got his wish and became the governor of Shaanxi. At that time, many of his friends silently saw him off, thinking that he would never come back. Chongzhen also allocated 60,000 taels of silver to him, asking him to work hard and spend it frugally.

What can sixty thousand taels do? It's enough to pay the military pay of ten thousand men for half a year. What kind of place is Shaanxi? It's a poor place with bad water and mountains, and the people are simple and honest. The citizens of Gotham can be regarded as innocent boys in front of them. If you want to make a difference here, you have to recruit soldiers for several years at least and have enough power. What can sixty thousand taels do?

However, Sun Chuanting used the 60,000 taels to accomplish something. He established an army in Yulin, Shaanxi, and named it the Qin Army.

In just four months, Sun Chuanting used the newly formed Qin troops to completely wipe out the troops of King Chuang Gao Yingxiang, and captured Gao Yingxiang and several rebel generals alive, and presented the captives at the Meridian Gate.

He made full use of the simple folk customs of the local people in Yulin, Shaanxi, and recruited local people to join the army. Since the time of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, many of the people here have been professional soldiers. They do not farm, but specialize in chopping off the heads of Tartars for rewards. They are all old bounty hunters.

However, Sun Chuanting captured Gao Yingxiang alive, and later defeated Li Zicheng together with Hong Chengchou. Although he should have made great contributions, Chongzhen did not summon him specifically. Why? His character collapsed. Simply put, Sun Chuanting's reputation in Chongzhen's eyes collapsed.

Zhu Cilang also read Sun Chuanting's resume. From the perspective of people at that time, Sun Chuanting was more like a nouveau riche. From the time he took office to the end, it took only four months to get rid of Gao Yingxiang, who had been idle for seven years. Isn't this nonsense? It must be open! Who knows, maybe he just got lucky.

Moreover, Sun Chuanting had a hot temper and offended many Shaanxi gentry. The gentry had representatives in the court, so he was inevitably criticized. The result can be imagined. As a result, Chongzhen turned from a fan to a hater.

When the Tartars entered the pass before, Sun Chuanting also led his troops to defend the king. However, after the peace talks and the Tartars moved to Yangzhou, Sun Chuanting proposed to lead his troops back to Shaanxi, because Li Zicheng had come out again, and seeing that his momentum was not small, he wanted to crush Li Zicheng completely.

Sun Chuanting's willfulness made Yang Sichang very angry. Yang Sichang also wanted him to go back to suppress the bandits, but you have only been here for a few days? Going back, what's the matter? Where do you put the safety of the capital? Where do you put the emperor?

Yang Sichang couldn't stand Sun Chuanting's arrogant look. Isn't it just arresting Gao Yingxiang? What's so crazy about it? If I bring you into the cabinet in the future, will you even ignore me?

Yang Sichang rejected Sun Chuanting's memorial in the cabinet and simply ignored him. He almost made it clear that what you want to do is not up to you, so just stay here honestly.

Sun Chuanting was not convinced and immediately submitted a petition to the emperor requesting an audience, but was ultimately obstructed by Yang Sichang and failed.

Sun Chuanting was furious, so he took the excuse of illness and resigned, saying that he quit.

Yang Sichang was also annoyed by him. Fried fish with essence, right? Want to eat rice with sauce, right? He reported to Chongzhen that Sun Chuanting was claiming to be ill because he was not willing to obey the imperial court's orders and was suspected of contempt for the emperor.

Chongzhen was furious when he heard this, and ordered Sun Chuanting to be demoted to a commoner. Later, he was still not satisfied and put him in prison awaiting judgment.

Sun Chuanting is in jail now. Xue Guoguan mentioned Sun Chuanting at this time purely to disgust him. He has a plan in mind. There is no one available in the court now. If Sun Chuanting is appointed this time and can make meritorious deeds outside, wouldn't it prove that Yang Sichang is jealous of talented people? If he makes some efforts, he will definitely give him a big hand!