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Volume 2: A Different Chief Chapter 758: Contact

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    The second day of December in the sixteenth year of Chongzhen.  ¡ó¡ý It was very cold in the capital in the twelfth lunar month. The wind howled all day long and was extremely cold to the bone.  What is colder than the weather is the people's hearts. Sun Chuanting's defeat has not yet cooled down. Soon, the news of Kaifeng being flooded spread again, causing an uproar in the capital and boiling material discussions.  In addition to accusing the bandits of being crazy and inhumane, many people are also frightened.  With the officers and soldiers destroyed and the prefectures and counties in ruins, is the Ming Dynasty really seriously ill?  It¡¯s the twelfth lunar month, and people in the capital should be preparing for the New Year, preparing for the New Year, celebrating the New Year, celebrating the New Year, the Laba Festival, celebrating the Small New Year, cleaning the house, grinding tofu, cutting meat, and pasting New Year pictures.  People should be very busy throughout the twelfth lunar month. They are busy buying new year's goods and making various preparations for the New Year. Those who are out of town are also busy rushing home.  But at this time, the entire capital was not preparing for the New Year celebrations. It was cold and dry, and the plague that had been raging some time ago had finally subsided.  This was partly due to the weather and the large number of doctors aided by the Imperial Guard, but there were still many victims pouring into the capital.  The weather this year is very strange. A severe drought is followed by a severe flood. This combination of drought and flood has resulted in a large number of refugees.  A large number of refugees were crowded near the capital, and the government was unable to provide relief. A large number of people died of freezing and starvation every day in the cold weather.  The situation is getting worse and worse. In addition, in recent years, bad news has continued, and the bad news that has shocked the whole country has made even the most insensitive person feel that the building is about to collapse and a disaster is imminent.  In the Dongnuan Pavilion, Emperor Chongzhen stared blankly at the memorial in his hand. He did not move his eyes for a long time. Below him, Zhou Yanru, the chief minister of the cabinet, and Chen Xinjia, the minister of the Ministry of War, also stood blankly. The depressing atmosphere was extremely frustrating.  disturbed.  "Compared with the past, Emperor Chongzhen has more wrinkles and white hair on his face and head, and his face is horribly pale.  After a long time, he asked feebly: "Has the posthumous title of Sun Chuanting been agreed upon?" Zhou Yanru composed himself and replied: "Returning to Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites has decided to posthumously name Sun Chuanting as 'Zhonglie', and his loyal servant Ma Weizhong  He spoke carefully. Last year, after he petitioned to weaken the power of the factory guards to detect crimes, he was targeted by the Jin Yiwei, who kept spying on his private affairs, and then kept complaining in front of the emperor.  The emperor had a bad impression of him.  Although he still holds the position of chief minister of the cabinet, he is no longer as majestic and upright in the emperor's heart as in the past. He has a tendency of losing his favor as a holy family member, and he has become more careful with his daily speech.  Emperor Chongzhen hummed. He sat exhausted mentally and physically, with deep weakness in his eyes and a trace of imperceptible regret.  He regretted that he should not have urged Sun Chuanting to go south. The situation was already very good at that time, but he was too impatient, otherwise When the news of Sun Chuanting's defeat came, Emperor Chongzhen was furious and vented all his anger on him.  .  But looking back now, I feel deep regret in my heart, but he would never say these words to his ministers under any circumstances.  At the same time, Kaifeng fell again. What are you afraid of?  Until now, he still felt unbelievable. He murmured: "Is Kaifeng really flooded?" Zhou Yanru replied: "Your Majesty, what Tangma reported that Biancheng was flooded is indeed true.  The bandits drove tens of thousands of refugees into the Yellow River. The water entered from the north gate and exited from the southeast gate. The water roared like thunder and was as powerful as a mountain. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians drowned, but less than 20,000 were killed by the king, his concubine, the prince, and the governor.  The people were able to escape, and all the beauties in Kaifeng's Jia Zhongzhou were lost in the water. After the palace of the King of Zhou was destroyed, he led his officials and relatives to live in the city for several days and nights. The governor Hou Xun used his boat division to welcome the king and fled to the north bank of the Yellow River.  "Emperor Chongzhen said in a low voice: "The population of the people all belong to Bochen, and there are hundreds of thousands of my soldiers and people" There was indescribable sadness in his words, and the pavilion was quiet. Zhou Yanru and Chen Xinjia both shed tears in silence.  .  After a long time, Emperor Chongzhen cheered up and said: "Fortunately, the uncle of the vassal prince did not miss. This is a great blessing among misfortunes. Hou Xun can take the blame." He said: "Shaanxi cannot tolerate any mistakes. Although the bandits have not entered Tongguan westward,  But we should not take it lightly. With Sun Chuanting gone, Hou Xun, the Minister of War, went to help Shaanxi, and Chen Yongfu went with him to protect the king of Zhou when he went to Qin. They were ordered to guard the pass with all their strength.  If you try to redeem yourself by allowing the thieves to enter the Qin Dynasty, you will be punished with several crimes!" At this point, he increased his tone, and Zhou Yanru responded respectfully.  After thinking about it, Emperor Chongzhen said again: "Gao Mingheng lost the city and was surrounded. His sin is unforgivable. Considering his hard work in defense, it is not a serious crime. I will dismiss him as official and let him return to his hometown." Zhou Yanru responded respectfully again.  Come down.  Finally, Emperor Chongzhen picked up a memorial and said bitterly: "The thieves are going east again. They intend to attack Xuzhou and even cut off our water transportation!" Chen XinjiaWhen he spoke, his face was full of worry: "Liu Liangzuo has more than 10,000 soldiers, but hundreds of thousands of bandits are attacking. I am afraid that he will not be able to defend Xuzhou." At the end of last year, Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo led 60,000 troops to attack Governor Fengyang.  When Ma Shiying surrendered, Emperor Chongzhen was overjoyed. Sun Kewang was appointed as the commander-in-chief of Shouzhou, and Li Dingguo was appointed as deputy commander-in-chief. Liu Liangzuo, the former commander-in-chief of Shouzhou, was transferred to Xuzhou as the commander-in-chief.  Although Liu Liangzuo was known as a brave man, he led troops to fight with bandits in Susong, Luzhou and Lu'an all year round, and was promoted to the rank of chief military officer based on his merits.  In the tenth year of Chongzhen's reign, he and the general Mou Wenshou defeated Luo Rucai's men, who shook the sky and shook more than 200,000 people.  He had rich experience in fighting with fellow thieves and had accumulated a lot of merits. However, famous generals and important ministers were destroyed one after another. Liu Liangzuo could not be said to be a famous general. No one was sure whether he could hold Xuzhou.  And if Xuzhou goes down, it may threaten water transportation.  Water transportation has always been an important strategy for the Ming Dynasty's military and state. All goods from the south needed by the capital city were brought back by water ships from the south of the Yangtze River, and goods from the north in the south of the Yangtze River were also brought back by water ships.  Every year, up to 11,000 canals go north through the canal, transporting more than 4 million shi of grain. The fate of the world depends on it.  The water transportation in the Ming Dynasty usually takes place after the eleventh month of the lunar calendar and before March of the following year. The water transport ship must first arrive in Huai'an, and then the governor of water transport will personally inspect it, issue a signature, and enter Huaihe through the four gates near Qingjiangpu.  yellow.  Every year in March and April, it is also the time when the canal boats head northward, until the Huai'an Tongji Gate is dammed in early June to block the Yellow River.  This is to avoid the outbreak of floods and the intrusion of yellow water, which will silt up the river and make dredging inconvenient. Therefore, after June, Huai'an's canal boats generally do not leave.  As for the canal reaching Nanwang and Linqing areas in Shandong, dams are also built on October 15th every year to serve as large and small bridges for the river channel. The dams are opened on February 1st of the following year.  When tribute ships come here, they have to find other ways to move forward. All other government and civilian ships can only suspend passage, waiting for the dam to be opened.  Therefore, when officials of the Ming Dynasty went north to take office, they rarely took boats, and most of them took post roads.  Although it is not yet time to transport grain, many grain ships have already gathered in Huai'an, waiting to go north in March or April next year.  Although Li Hualong opened the Ba River in the 32nd year of Wanli to avoid the danger of the second flood in Xuzhou for more than 200 miles, the canal ships no longer transported grain northward through Xu and Lu's second flood, but went from Pizhou.  But Xuzhou City is not far from the canal. Taking over Xuzhou City means taking over the canal and cutting off the grain supply.  Even if the bandits did not capture Xuzhou in the end, most of them gathered and looted everywhere. If the canal ships could not be anchored in Huai'an, it would still delay the canal transportation.  Emperor Chongzhen could not imagine what the capital would be like without the four million grains and rice shipped from the south in the coming year.  He said decisively: "Xuzhou must be rescued. I heard that Sun Kewang and Li Dingguo under the command of Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying have many powerful soldiers. They have 10,000 horses and mules and 50,000 infantry. They can be ordered to rescue them. Huang Degong, the commander-in-chief of Luzhou, is also known as brave, so he ordered them to be rescued."  With Governor Ma Shiying, Lu Jiude and Liu Zeqing from Shandong, the Ministry of War ordered them to go south together. "Chen Xinjia hesitated and said, "I'm afraid it's another way of encirclement and reinforcements." Emperor Chongzhen said sternly.  Am I just going to watch Xuzhou fall?" Chen Xinjia remained silent, and Zhou Yanru also looked at him in silence.  Emperor Chongzhen thought for a moment and was worried that the bandits would ignore Xuzhou and march eastward to seize the Shantong Division. He said solemnly: "The Ministry of War needs to inform the four governors of Jin, Yu, Bao, and Dong, and let them organize their troops and horses individually."  Station the river stems and work together to block them. No thieves are allowed to cross the river, otherwise they will be strictly controlled. " "Also, order the governor of Huaiyang and the governor of Caoyun Road Zhenfei to guard the two rivers, and do not allow the thieves to go down the Yellow River and the canal and take them directly.  Huai'an!" In July of this year, Shi Kefa was promoted to Minister of War in Nanjing, and the imperial court promoted Lu Zhenfei to be the envoy of Youqian Capital and the governor of water transportation, stationed in Huai'an.  When Emperor Chongzhen summoned him, Lu Zhenfei confronted him about the matter. At that time, Emperor Chongzhen felt that he was a serious official who was responsible for his duties. Sure enough, as soon as Lu Zhenfei arrived in Huai'an, he wiped out the bandit Cheng Jikong who was causing trouble to the local area.  , Wang Daoshan, and Zhang Fangzao, it should be no problem to guard Huai'an.  After Chen Xinjia and Zhou Yanru left, Emperor Chongzhen sat helplessly in his seat. He didn't understand why the Ming Dynasty was getting worse and worse after he had worked so hard to achieve it.  ¡­Three days later, on the fifth day of December, Dorgon carefully looked at an intelligence report from Manzi City, which recorded the defeat of Sun Chuanting, the flooding of Kaifeng, and the eastward march of Li Zicheng.  This "Barbarian City" was a place where spies were maintained at great expense during the Nurhaci period. It specialized in spying on the Ming Dynasty's intelligence, spreading rumors, and arranging spies.  Later Jin Manqing Dynasty was very willing to spend money in this regard. Just for the spy Wang Maofang who was captured that year, the Ming court confiscated 2,530 taels of silver from each shop in Zhidun.  However, later Jin Manqing trained spies and established a spy network, and the harvest was also very great. The fall of various cities in Liaodong,The Ming generals Zhang Pan and Zhu Guochang, and even the commander-in-chief Shilong who died because of the conspiracy, are among their achievements.  At that time, the king of Jin Dynasty once said: "There are countless people in Chang'an today who are Liu Bao, and those who hunt down traitors are spies." This is horrifying.  By deploying spies, the Manqing Dynasty of the Later Jin Dynasty had a good grasp of what was going on in the Ming Dynasty. Of course, except for Xuanfu Town and the Duhu Mansion, the spies arranged were destined to die one by one.  And he died horribly, either skinned, cut in half, or Ling Chi.  The reputation of Minister of Intelligence Wen Daxing shocked Manzi City.  At the beginning of November, the Manchu and Qing dynasties had withdrawn their troops from Japan. Although Zheng Zhilong and European countries formed a combined fleet that was sharp, it could not do anything to the Manchu and Qing troops on land.  The Japanese castle town allowed the Qing army to capture everywhere, but it was impossible to cut off their food and grass assistance, and the two sides were in a stalemate.  And the plague also broke out in Japan, and the shogunate was even more unwilling to continue the war, so the two sides began peace negotiations.  In the end, the Qing Dynasty agreed to release some of the captured Nagasaki people and was willing to start trade with the Zheng family and other countries. This was also a large market, enough to make up for the losses in Nagasaki, so those greedy Europeans gave up.  The shogunate also had its own steps, and signed a peace agreement with the Qing Dynasty. The two sides called each other brotherly states and would not invade each other.  Before leaving, the Qing army took away the Eight Banners Japanese Army. Some of the southwest feudal lords who felt that they would be liquidated even made the Tokugawa shogunate worried, and the Japanese affair ended.  Although there was a slight setback in the Japanese attack this time, the harvest of more than 100,000 people, a large amount of money and supplies, and knowing that the world is vast was still a great gain for the Qing Dynasty.  However, it was no longer possible to visit the east, so Dorgon returned his greedy eyes to the Ming Dynasty.  The presence of spies all over the country allowed the Qing Dynasty to obtain information faster than the Ming Dynasty. The difference was only a few days due to the long distance.  Therefore, Dorgon quickly learned that Sun Chuanting was defeated, Kaifeng City was flooded, and Li Zicheng's army rolled eastward towards Xuzhou City.  He looked at the information in his hand, and then at the map on the case, and looked at it for a long, long time On the 6th of December, after convening the Manchu and Han ministers for a discussion, and a day after a fierce quarrel, an envoy came out with a letter written by Dorgon.  Shengjing, he will go to Xuzhou to contact Chuangjun.  He wrote in the letter: "The Emperor of the Qing Dynasty wrote to the generals who controlled the Ming Dynasty in the south: I am writing this letter, hoping to work together with the princes to capture the Central Plains. If they are mixed into one area, the wealth and honor will be shared.  I don¡¯t know what my respect is like, but I rush to the messenger and express my sincere wishes"
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