Azig, Wu Sangui, and Li Guohan led the Manchurian and Mongolian Guanning soldiers and horses from Nanyang to Xiangfan, and it was surprising that the road came very quickly and the attack was extremely fierce.

He Zhen listened to Liu Xuanchu's plan, deployed a battalion of Wang Fuchen's naval army along the river, and stationed Xiangyang and Fancheng with the 9th town.

After Ma Chao occupied a place, after obtaining supplies from the army, he immediately left a small number of personnel to distribute the captured grain and grass to the local people, and heard that Ma Chao had captured ten logistics supply stations in Tartar in just three days, and the captured grain and grass reached more than 100,000 quintals, Wu Sangui, who was attacking Fancheng, could no longer stand it, and after discussing with Azig, it was decided that Wu Sangui would lead 10,000 Guanning soldiers and horses to encircle and suppress the Ma Chao Cavalry Association.

When he heard that Wu Sangui was leading his troops to come, Ma Chao led the army into the Shangluo Mountains while waiting for an opportunity to counterattack.

Shangluo Mountain is in the Qinling Mountains deep in the old forest, due to the implementation of the new policy, the Loyal and Righteous Army is strictly disciplined, the local people are quite supportive of the Loyal and Righteous Army, plus the Tartars, Guanning soldiers and horses and the green camp are extremely brutal to the local people, and sometimes the whole village slaughters the local people, arousing the people's righteous indignation.

But the strength of the two sides is very different, after the continuous battle is unfavorable, Ma Chao did not dare to lead the troops to attack, and after the threat behind the removal of the back, Azig led 3,000 Mongolian iron cavalry, 3,000 Han troops with red flags and 50,000 Guanning soldiers and horses to storm Fancheng, Fancheng City is small, although He Zhen resisted stubbornly, but was outnumbered and forced to withdraw from Fancheng and retreat to Xiangyang.

The Tartars once approached Xiangyang through the chain bridge, but fortunately, Wang Fuchen led the naval army to arrive, and used the two Jingjiang-class naval forces on the Franc machine guns to bombard the soldiers and horses of the green battalion that were crossing the river, so as to force the Tartars to retreat, although so, the situation in Xiangyang as a whole was still precarious.

Despite this, He Zhenzhen suffered heavy casualties, and the emergency documents flew to Wuchang like snowflakes one after another, and flew to the base camp.

In addition, it is the Qing army in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the traitor Hong Chengchou originally led the army to garrison Nanjing, and now there is more Yue Le defeated troops, and Jierharang defeated troops fled to Liangjiang, so the strength of the Qing army is far above other departments.

Everyone was originally going to take a break and take a breath of relief, but now when they heard that Yang Xuan had actually gone deep into the rear of Guang (Western Land), they decided to launch a counterattack despite the fact that there were too many wounded in each department.

Although the remnants of the Manchurian White Banner, the Han Army Banner, and the Green Battalion Soldiers and Horses under the command of Yue Le, Cai Shiying, Shi Tingzhu, Tong Tulai and others were defeated by the Loyal and Righteous Army in Yiting and Wuchang Dielian, and are now stationed in Tongcheng to recuperate, although the number of their troops is less than half of the heyday, they are now also reinvigorated and launched an attack from Jiangbei.

In addition to the blue flag of Zilharang and the remnants of the red flag of Wakda, there are also soldiers and horses under the command of Ma Guozhu, the governor of Liangjiang, Zhang Dachief, and the commander of the navy, Bai Yintu.

Ma Guozhu led the soldiers of the road to the west, but after Yang Jie's army was defeated and killed, the navy was very weak, and the Yangtze River Naval Division of the Qing Dynasty had lost more than half, how could it be the opponent of the loyal and righteous army equipped with Jingjiang-class gunboats.

Chen Huaixi led the naval army to attack continuously, and repeatedly sank the ships that captured the Tartars to transport soldiers, horses, food and grass, forcing the Tartars to slow down their offensive.

Despite this, Ma Guozhu and Zhang Datou still relied on the superiority of their forces to capture Hukou, and are now using Hukou as a base to build ships to attack Jiujiang.

Hearing that Jingxiang people were panicked, after entering Hunan, Wu Yanghu, the privy envoy of the Privy Council, led the various departments to march north, and Yang Xuan was escorted by a cavalry to travel day and night in a royal four-wheeled carriage, and returned to Wuchang City in only 5 days.

In order to calm people's hearts, Wu Zhaoyuan, the prime minister of Zuo, and others went out of the city for ten miles to greet each other, and after everyone shouted long live and knelt down to salute, the group slowly entered the city.

The ministers walked left and right, Yang Xuan sat in the wide four-wheeled carriage, different from ordinary carriages, the royal four-wheeled carriage was dragged by eight tall war horses, like a modern version of Rolls-Royce, very spacious and stable.

There was a desk in the car, Yang Xuan sat on the soft chair behind the desk, took a sip of the tea on the desk, and looked at his left prime minister with his eyes.

Wu Zhaoyuan sat in front and sighed: "Your Majesty's behavior is often unexpected, and the ministers originally estimated that they would probably wait until after the pacification of Jiangnan, but they never expected it to come so quickly. ”

Leaning forward, Yang Xuan sighed and said, "Everyone is begging each other, and I am also forced to be helpless, so I do something extraordinary."

When the news comes, what is the change in the place? ”

After stabilizing his body, Wu Zhaoyuan shook his head and said: "As the saying goes, five hundred years of saints, Your Majesty is the saint who saves all the people from fire and water.

But the Tartars are different, two days ago He Zhen came to report, the Tartar offensive is getting worse day by day, and the battle ahead is urgent. ”

Leaning back, Yang Xuan said with a smile: "We take it as our mission to expel the Jiannu and restore China, and we can't coexist with the Tartars, and their reaction is really expected."

If the Tartars send heavy troops deep into the south of the Yangtze River, we will occupy the advantage of the geographical advantage, which will be advantageous. ”

Wu Zhaoyuan opened his mouth, shook his head slightly, and suddenly said: "Your Majesty has a plan, so it is very good.

However, Xiangfan is the key point between the north and the south, and the Mongol Tatars captured Xiangfan and caused the Yangtze River to be lost.

Now that the Tartars are attacking Xiangfan, the front-line battle is getting worse day by day, so I hope Your Majesty will pay attention to it as soon as possible. ”

Yang Xuan nodded, lifted the curtains and looked at the markets on both sides, unlike in previous months, the shops along the way were all renovated, and the streets and teahouses on both sides were full of people to welcome the triumphant return of the Loyal Army.

At first, he was quite excited, but the closer he got to the palace (formerly the palace of the king of Chu), Yang Xuan frowned, not to mention anything else, just looking at the mansions of court officials and important generals, they were more luxuriously decorated.

Entering the carrier gate, passing through the carrier hall and other halls, and coming to the harem, the queen Zhu Shuying, the lotus concubine Liu Lian'er and the princes Yang Wen and Yang Wu rushed to greet them.

Looking at the eunuchs and palace maids kneeling in front of him, about 300 people, Yang Xuan shook his head, and was about to speak, when Queen Zhu Shuying stepped forward and grabbed her big hand and said, "Your Majesty inherits the will of heaven, conforms to the will of the people, and inherits the unification, which is gratifying."

Wu'er, you are the son-in-law, hurry up and kneel down to thank your father. ”

Looking at the two sons in front of him, Yang Xuan fell into a sense of confusion.

The eldest son Yang Wen was born to his deceased wife Huang Daiyun, and is now six years old.

The second son, Yang Wu, is five years old, with a strong body, a rough voice, and a very lively and lovely person.

Thinking of his deceased wife, Yang Xuan felt a sour nose, afraid of being seen by others, so he hurriedly bent down and held one in one hand and asked in a low voice.

After a long time, Fang returned to normal, and took his two sons back to the palace with a group of people.

As soon as she sat down, she took the tea handed over by the palace maid, and just took a sip, Queen Zhu Shuying's voice trembled: "Your Majesty, the concubines have been frightened for a while these days, and you will have to compensate the concubines at that time."

Everyone calculated in every way, but no one thought that the day after the rescue of Neijiang Gong, the ministers would do extraordinary things, and the concubines were also surprised when they got the news.

Heavenly pity Your Majesty is the true dragon son of heaven, although there are three or two ministers who oppose it, but fortunately, Prime Minister Zuo and others still have a conscience, so they did not cause a catastrophe. ”

Yang Xuan smiled, looked at the first queen (Empress Zhu Shuying) and the first concubine Liu Lian'er in front of him and said: "For more than two hundred and seventy years in the Ming Dynasty, although the prestige has been accumulated for a long time, Emperor Sizong Hongguang, Emperor Longwu, and Emperor Shaowu have been killed one after another, and the Duke of Neijiang only knows how to blindly escape, so it is so smooth."

The queen, the lotus concubine, the change of dynasty, the dynasty weighing system is only the first step in the establishment of a new dynasty, after that, the road is still very long. ”

Empress Zhu Shuying was puzzled, blinked her eyes and asked: "Since Your Majesty is now called the emperor, then you should act like an emperor and establish corresponding regulations, does Your Majesty think there are more things in the world than this?" ”

Yang Xuan shook his head and said: "The queen's words are very wrong, as the saying goes, there are no two heavens and no two people, and the most important thing now is to complete the feat of expelling the Tartar slaves and restoring China, and everything else can be done slowly."

Empress, on the same day, the Manchu Qing Tartars abducted Emperor Hongguang from Jinling, abducted the eight princes of the Ming Dynasty, and finally found a reason in Beijing to cut these emperors and princes with a thousand knives. ”

Queen Zhu Shuying was shocked, the coffee table in her hand fell to the ground, and she looked at the other party for a long time and said, "Your Majesty, this, this..."

shook the other party's jade hand, patted it gently, and then said: "Queen, you and I are husband and wife, and the most important thing now is to assist the husband to stabilize the rear, complete the expulsion of the Tartars, and restore the grand event of China."

On that day, Sun Quan persuaded Cao Cao to be the emperor, and Cao Cao said to the surrounding ministers that Sun Quan persuaded him to be the emperor, that is, to bake it on the fire.

Now that I am in power, I will not only bake myself, but also the whole family, young and old, on the fire. ”

Thinking of how glorious the Shu Wangfu was that day, when the Great Western Army controlled Sichuan, tens of thousands of Shu clan clans died in the hands of the rebellious army, Queen Zhu Shuying was gloomy for a while, and said for a long time: "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, husband and wife work together, and their profits are cut off, you say, what do you want your concubines to do, just tell me." ”

Yang Xuan smiled and looked at everyone: "Nothing else, it's just to help the husband stabilize the rear, and it's just to set a frugal example to the surrounding ministers." ”

Withdrawing her little hand and looking at each other coldly, Zhu Shuying said: "Your Majesty, the concubine also knows that you were born in cloth clothes, and you have suffered a lot in the past, and you have been quite frugal in following Your Majesty in the past few years.

Now there are only five or six hundred eunuchs and maids inside and outside the palace, not to mention that compared with the Ming Dynasty in the past, even compared with ordinary vassal kings, it is still inferior.

His Majesty said that the concubines were extravagant, but His Majesty didn't believe it, so he went to ask the prime ministers on the left and right, and asked the ministers who went to the Ming Palace. ”

The Daming Palace is equivalent to a large state-owned enterprise, all-encompassing, everything, there are twelve prisons, four divisions and eight bureaus, the eunuchs and palace maids of the Daming harem plus other users and more than 10,000 people, why are there more than five or six hundred people now?

Zhu Shuying was quite unconvinced, and counted them one by one, when she got the news of being called the emperor, she was the lord of Shu Domain, and when she was young, she was familiar with it, and she understood it thoroughly.

Looking at Yang Xuan, Zhu Shuying asked these yamen in a loud voice:

The celebrant? It will be replaced by the newly established Secretary for Administration, and will be held by an outside civil official.

The Imperial Horse Warden? Replaced by the Chamberlain.

The internal official supervisor, the Shang Shan supervisor, the Shang Bao supervisor, the seal silk supervisor, the direct palace supervisor, and the internal affairs department of the front hall of the direct regulation.

Salary Division, Bell and Drum Division, Treasure Money Division, Mixed Hall Division; War Bureau, Silver Bureau, Huanyi Bureau, Towel and Hat Bureau, Needlework Bureau, Inner Weaving and Dyeing Bureau, Wine and Vinegar Noodle Bureau, Siyuan Bureau.

Although these are very important, there is no need for the royal family to set up a special agency, it is completely possible to establish a corresponding agency outside the palace, and when the royal family needs things, they just purchase them according to the market price.

Zhu Shuying initially took it for granted, but then Yang Xuan refuted them one by one, and she couldn't imagine that her hard work in studying the twelve prisons, four divisions and eight bureaus of the Ming harem was useless.

Looking at the other party's rather unconvinced look, Yang Xuan smiled and said: "Empress, after Jianyan crossed to the south (Southern Song Dynasty), why did he fail to recover the lost territory in the Northern Expedition, it is really because everyone only regards Hangzhou as Bian Zhou, and everyone lives in luxury.

For more than 270 years in the Ming Dynasty, why did a husband make trouble in Nanping for decades? It is true that the state has no money to quell rebellions and resettle displaced people.

The Ming Dynasty has two capitals and thirteen provinces, why is there no money?

The main thing is that one people raise two soldiers, and the state not only sets aside a large area of land to support the guards, but also needs to raise hundreds of thousands of imperial troops to quell the rebellion.

The main reason is that there are too many kings of the Ming Domain, not to mention others, there are more than 50,000 clansmen in the Shu Domain in Guangchuan Province.

Coupled with corrupt officials and corrupt officials, Daming is like a sick old tree, so Li Zicheng gently pushed, why didn't it collapse violently?

Although we have reduced the expenses in the palace, although the money and food saved are not much, it can show our ministers our determination to go on a northern expedition and recover the northern homeland.

From this day onwards, the number of people I use will be halved, including the palace maids and eunuchs, to a hundred. ”

Zhu Shuying shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, this is too little, if you deduct the laundry, cooking, cleaning and other aspects of the palace, you can really summon only forty people."

In this way, there are only 30 people who serve during the day, and only 10 people at night, Your Majesty is the pillar, is there too few people around? ”

Yang Xuan smiled and said, "Queen, there are a lot, in addition to the eunuchs and palace maids serving, there is a battalion of Praetorian Guards in the palace who are ready to listen to the tune, so there are a lot of people around to serve like this." ”

Yang Xuan practiced himself, it was impossible for the queen and the others to be indifferent, and slightly calculated that there were forty people in the queen's palace, twenty people in Ma Guifei's palace, and 10 people in the lotus concubine's palace...., so there were less than three hundred people in the palace.

Roughly calculated, the annual royal family spends only 60,000 taels of silver, and the money saved is less than two or three percent of what it used to be.