The situation of the fall of the northern capital is unpredictable, and Emperor Hongguang inherited the unification and calmed the hearts of the people. Zhao Dangshi, as the driving force behind the scenes, has gradually consolidated the authority of the new dynasty through open and secret battles in various places in the past three months.

After He Tengjiao, the governor of Huguang, was captured, he was escorted to Fan Jing and placed under house arrest along with Wuchang Bingbei Dao Yinxi, pending subsequent convictions. Under his mark, Li Guoying's 5,000 soldiers and horses were lonely and could not scream, and they surrendered, and Huguang led the yamen to absorb them into the unity army. Zhu Changying, the king of Gui, was invited to go ashore on his own boat before leaving Jiujiang Mansion, and was subsequently sent back to Hengzhou Mansion to be closely monitored. Zhu Changying was frightened by this turmoil, and Emperor Hongguang asked to escape into the empty door and let his son inherit the throne, but Emperor Hongguang refused, and only let him live well and raise his body and not disturb himself. Li Chengdong failed to make a rebellion in Fan Jing, and pursued and killed the Jinghe front camp who rushed to help for half a month, and there was almost no place to stand, so he had to flee to Henan in a hurry, and Huguang was as safe as ever.

He Tengjiao's defeat directly affected the situation in Nanjing, Shi Kefa and a group of Donglin Party ministers in Nanjing still had the heart of stubborn resistance, how could they first be Xu Su general Liu Liangzuo as a wall-to-side, let Zuo Mengeng and Fang Guoan two armies pass through the defense area, and then Nanjing Xinjiangkou Battalion General Yuan Shizhong reversed the water, hijacked the sincerity of Bo Liu Kongzhi overnight to return to the division, and captured Nanjing City to meet the left and Fang march, and the overall situation of Nanjing was decided. After Zuo Mengeng entered Nanjing City, he did two things, one was to order Fang Guoan and Yuan Shizhong to strictly defend the city to ensure safety, and the other was to concentrate all the civil and military officials in Nanjing in the Gongyuan, which was called "deliberation", but in fact he was under house arrest. No matter what Yamen issued the decree in Nanjing for a time, it must pass through Zuo Menggeng's hand before it can be delegated.

Shi Kefa and other ministers in Nanjing knew that Mu had already made a boat, and most of them dispelled the idea of stubborn resistance, especially the follow-up arrival of Qian Qianyi, the leader of the Donglin Party, in Nanjing, which made the whole situation completely turn to the Hongguang court.

Zhao Dangshi had visited Qian Qianyi a few years earlier, and later in order for Xiao Yuanying to smoothly become the establishment of the Nanjing River Defense Army, he sent foreign envoys to make friends with Qian Qianyi many times, and the two sides have been secretly exchanging. Although Qian Qianyi is famous in the world, he was originally a person in Vanity Fair, and he was given leisure for a long time and his ambition was difficult to express, so he couldn't help but have the idea of authority, and when the Hongguang Imperial Court was established, Zhao Dangshi specially informed Qian Qianyi in advance and reached a cooperation with him, that is, to ensure Qian Qianyi's position as the first assistant in the first cabinet of the Hongguang Imperial Court, in exchange for Qian Qianyi to come forward to help stabilize the hearts of the people in the southeast for the imperial court.

On the way to Zuo Mengeng and Fang Guoan's march, Qian Qianyi, who heard the news, was on pins and needles in his hometown of Changshu County, and he was almost looking forward to it day and night. Few people in the Donglin Party knew about his friendship with Zhao Dangshi, and only one of his students, Qu Shiyun, who followed him, was an insider, but he had already been persuaded by him. When Yuan Shizhong mutinied, Zuo and Fang entered Nanjing, and Qian Qianyi, who received the letter, was immediately anxious and rushed to Nanjing non-stop. Then, with the cooperation of Zuo Mengeng, a good show was staged to rescue the ministers in the Gongyuan alone.

"If it weren't for the shepherd's forgetting of life and death, standing up for us, with Zuo Menggeng's violence, we would not be able to escape the difficulty of the axe."

When Gao Hongtu, Jiang Yueguang and other Donglin Party ministers were released and walked out of the tribute courtyard one after another, they still had lingering fears about everything that happened to Shicai. At that time, Zuo Mengeng was dressed in armor and came to the Gongyuan to show off his might, but for some reason he suddenly had a quarrel with a minister, and then he was even more furious, claiming that he would burn the Gongyuan and hundreds of ministers. said that it was too late, Qian Qianyi broke out of the side door, not afraid of the bright and swaying sword forest, and stood in front of Zuo Mengeng and had a verbal battle with him, and the scene was very intense. In the end, Zuo Mengeng was persuaded and sincerely admitted his mistake, not only ordered the removal of the guards of the tribute court, but also asked Qian Qianyi to lead the ministers to preside over government affairs.

Zuo Mengeng and Qian Qianyi sang black face and white face one sang white, using force to deter the ministers and at the same time let them see a glimmer of opportunity - it turned out that the military leaders of the Hongguang court were not unreasonable, and in the end they still had to rely on Nanjing officials to do things. No one will take the initiative to hit the nail, especially the hundred officials in Nanjing, in the final analysis, it is only the word "interests" that supports King Gui, but when life is at stake, it is clear which is more important, not to mention that now the defeat is decided, and then the dying struggle, don't want to catch the interests, I am afraid that in the end I will lose my wife and lose money.

The trend of the times, coupled with Qian Qianyi's jumping out to take the lead and guide the public, Nanjing officials recognized the situation, and the resistance gradually subsided. Naturally, Qian Qianyi, who is already famous in the world and "saves comrades from fire and water in danger", has become the leader of all expectations. First of all, Liu Zhaoji, Zhang Tianlu and other troops around Nanjing received instructions from the Nanjing Military Department and lifted the state of imminent war, thinking that Nanjing was about to suffer from the flames of war, and the panic of the people gradually calmed down, and then the Hongguang Imperial Court carried out drastic appointments and dismissals of Nanjing officials.

First of all, there is no doubt that Qian Qianyi, who has a role in determining the situation in Nanjing, entered the cabinet, served as the first assistant, served as the secretary of the ministry, and entered the Wenyuan Pavilion. Next, Jiang Yueguang entered the cabinet and served as a scholar of the Ministry of Rites and a scholar of the East Pavilion. Gao Hongtu entered the cabinet, served as the secretary of the household department, and was a scholar of Dongge University. These three people were all members of the Donglin Party, and they originally had a high status and prestige in Nanjing.

In addition, Ma Shiying, the governor of Zhao Fengyang, entered Nanjing, and entered the cabinet as a scholar of Dongge University as the right deputy capital of the Imperial History of the Imperial Palace. This move was deliberately done by Zhao Dangshi to deprive Ma Shiying of his military power in the local area. Ma Shiying was originally in Fengyang to supervise Liu Liangzuo, Mou Wenshou and other troops, but Liu Liangzuo did not listen to him very much, and in fact, his authority was limited. And after Liu Liangzuo returned to Jiangbei after meeting with Zuo Mengeng and Fang Guoan, he immediately wrote to Ma Shiying pretending to have received King Gui, inducing Ma Shiying to come to the army and detaining him, so Ma Shiying was mired in the quagmire and had to come to Nanjing in order to get out.

There are two more ministers. One person, Wang Yingxiong, entered the cabinet as the left deputy capital Yushi and the East Pavilion University scholar; One person, Ding Kuichu, entered the cabinet as the right attendant of the military department and the scholar of the East Pavilion.

Wang Yingxiong is erudite and talented, and has a strong personality, which is quite respected. As early as the sixth year of Chongzhen, he entered the cabinet because of his alliance with Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren, and until Chongzhen worked in the cabinet under the leadership of Wen Tiren for eight years. In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Zhou Yanru was the first assistant and invited him into the cabinet, but later Zhou Yanru was guilty, Wang Yingxiong was implicated, and he was edicted to enter the court to testify, but before he arrived, Beijing was captured by the Shun army. He then returned to his hometown, but recruited Zhao Dangshi on the way and transferred to Nanjing. Although he failed to arrive in Beijing in the winter of the 16th year of Chongzhen, he could still be regarded as an old official in Beijing in terms of identity, and his appointment also had the political significance of recruiting old officials from the north to come to Nanjing. Incidentally, Wang Xiang, the general of Banzhou Town, who is currently harassing the border of Chongqing Prefecture with the Guizhou General Pi Xiong, is his domestic servant.

Ding Kuichu is the uncle of the late Governor Ding Qirui and the general Ding Qiguang who is now sent by the Hongguang Dynasty in Henan, and has acted as the governor of Fu Zonglong Ji, Liao, Baoding and other places for military affairs, but Chongzhen entered the Manchurian army in the ninth year, he lost his land again and again, and was sent to the blame for missing the opportunity, and Chongzhen was released back to his hometown Yongcheng County, Henan in 11 years. Henan rebellion, he and the same Yongcheng people in the field of the old official practice of state affairs to gather the countryside soldiers to protect the territory, when the aid to suppress the general soldier Liu Chao rebellion, the two of them participated in the counterinsurgency, and then 'entered the Ma Shiying curtain in the military affairs. Similar to Wang Yingxiong, the use of Ding Kuichu is an olive branch thrown at the majority of officials in the opposition.

The first cabinet consisted of six people, three of whom were members of the Donglin Party, and the first assistant was the leader of the Donglin Party, which was a compromise made by Zhao Dangshi after weighing in order to stabilize the military and government in the southeast. The southeast is the base camp of the Donglin Party, and the officials in Nanjing are all over the Donglin, and more than half of the first cabinet of Donglin is an example, and the significance of the situation is greater than the actual significance, and the hundred officials below the cabinet are at ease. However, Ma Shiying, Wang Yingxiong and Ding Kuichu are the opposition forces that Zhao Dangshi deliberately planted in the cabinet, although they do not have the strength of the Donglin Party, but they all have some energy behind them, for example, Ma Shiying's close friend Ruan Dacheng was also edicted to enter the court as an official as an Austrian aid, etc., twisted together, how much can play a role in restraining the Donglin Party.

Of course, even if Nanjing is already in control, Zhao Dangshi will still not easily let Emperor Hongguang go to Nanjing, and resolutely implement the strategy of isolating the emperor from hundreds of officials, at least at this stage - the disadvantages of party strife, Zhao Dangshi knows very well that at the current juncture of military importance, he must not tolerate major changes in the rear court. Whether it is the establishment of a cabinet or a hundred officials, it is a means to stabilize the situation for Zhao Dangshi, and if the emperor is out of control and uncontrolled, then the result will inevitably run counter to his original intention.

As for Nanjing's rhetoric about the absence of an emperor, Qian Qianyi was responsible for presiding over it.

Therefore, nominally, Fan Jing is the accompanying capital, Nanjing is the remaining capital, and Beijing is still the imperial capital. Doing so can show the world the determination and will of the Hongguang Dynasty to recover the old mountains and rivers.

Nanjing has succeeded and Fengyang has been divided, and all parts of Nanzhili can be determined. When appointing and dismissing hundreds of officials, there were also adjustments at the local level. For example, Zhang Liang, the governor of Anlu, and Kuang Zhao, the governor of Jiangxi, who had previously stood in line with He Tengjiao against the Hongguang court, were all removed from their posts on the grounds of "overlapping powers", and all the military and political affairs under their jurisdiction were transferred to Yuan Jixian, the governor of Jiangxi. Huguang, Nanzhili, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Henan, Sichuan and other provinces where Zhao Ying's heavy troops were gathered, the core areas of the Ming Dynasty were basically all subject to the Hongguang court, and it is not an exaggeration to say that the Hongguang court, which was established in just two or three months, has already gained a firm foothold.

The Nanjing matter is decided, and the heart of Zheng Zhilong, the king of Nan'an, who is watching the situation, is also determined. At the end of May, he took his eldest son Zheng Sen as an envoy and went to Fan Jing to meet Emperor Hongguang to show his loyalty and return to Fujian. Emperor Hongguang cordially met with Zheng Sen and comforted him with warm words. He gave the country the surname "Zhu", and the name change was successful, showing full expectations - this was arranged by Zhao Dangshi early in the morning, in order to further win over Zheng Zhilong and make him firm in his attitude, he was supposed to send a messenger to canonize him, and since Zheng Sen came to the door himself, he pushed the boat down the river.

Zheng Sen had previously studied in Nanjing Guozijian, and under the instruction of Zheng Zhilong, he worshipped Qian Qianyi as his teacher, and Qian Qianyi named him the word "Da Mu" in harmony with his name as an encouragement. The reason why Zheng Zhilong had not made up his mind to take the initiative to support Emperor Hongguang earlier, in fact, was also concerned about Qian Qianyi as the leader of the Nanjing Donglin Party.

The Hongguang Imperial Court marched into Henan, Shaanxi, and Shanxi, and the conquest was on fire. Zheng Zhilong saw it in his eyes, he had the idea of borrowing the east wind, and it happened that Qian Qianyi became the first assistant again, with this relationship, Zheng Zhilong listened to Zheng Hongkui's persuasion and moved the idea of bringing troops to Nanjing.

In fact, Zhao Dangshi does have a plan to transfer Zheng Zhilong.

At present, Henan is pacified, Shaanxi is in good condition, and Shanxi is marching like a rainbow. The southeast is established, how can we be stuck in such a situation, and be willing to be lonely. Zhao Dangshi's Northern Expedition, Shaanxi is one road, Shanxi is one road, and one road is Nanjing. As long as the situation in Nanjing is stable, he will take Zuo Mengeng as the commander, gather heavy troops to cross the river and go north, and attack Lianghuai, Shandong and Beizhili along the way.

However, Zuo Mengeng was handsome, his qualifications were still shallow, and he was afraid that it would be difficult to control people's hearts, so Zhao Dangshi proposed a governor to nominally control the soldiers and horses of the Northern Expedition in Nanjing. The candidate for the governor is Shi Kefa, the former secretary of the Nanjing Military Department. He has been in Nanjing for a long time, has a high position, has a wide range of influence, and has a strong personality, and he has never dealt with Zhao Ying. Keeping him in Nanjing will do more harm than good, it is better to do the opposite of the strategy of transferring Ma Shiying into the court, and send him out to be a nominal governor.