The Southern Ming Dynasty was in the same shape as the Southern Song Dynasty, but the Southern Song Dynasty survived for hundreds of years, and the Southern Ming Dynasty was quickly defeated. It is undeniable that Song Gaozong Zhao Gou still has some brains, at least he knows that he knows to recruit the northern Han people who fled south and form the Yuejia army like a tiger and wolf army to fight against the enemy.

In many historical books, the demise of the Hongguang Dynasty is attributed to the formation of traitors such as Ma Shiying and Ruan Dacheng, and the righteous men and gentlemen went together. In fact, the civil and military ministers in power (including Shi Kefa) are all a group of political dwarfs with a small eye of the rat, which is the most fundamental reason for their demise.

During the Hongguang Dynasty, under the wishful thinking of "borrowing from the Pingkou", the officials in power fought for power and profit around the "decision", "reverse case" and "shun case". For them, as long as they can keep the most fertile land in the south of the Yangtze River, it is enough to settle down for their families, and tens of millions of people in the vast territory of the Yellow River Valley have been forgotten.

People are often influenced by traditional ideas and portray Shi Kefa and Ma Shiying with completely different faces. However, it turned out that the difference between Shi Kefa and Ma Shiying was much smaller than many later historians imagined. The quality of the two of them is mainly in terms of personal ethics, but there is not much difference in basic policy, and they are both adherents of the policy of "joint capture and peace".

Loyal ministers also mislead the country. For example, He Tengjiao, who was loyal and unyielding after being captured, maintained his national integrity. Throughout his life, he has not achieved enough and failed more than he has failed. During the Hongguang period, he was subject to Zuo Liangyu and did nothing. During the Longwu period, he teamed up with Zhang Kuang, the governor of Hubei, to squeeze out the rest of the Dashun army, and collected a group of stragglers to act as descendants. When the Ming army won successive victories in the counterattack on Hunan, He Tengjiao, as the commander of the whole army, was selfish and selfish, provoking the Ming army to kill each other and give the Qing army a chance to breathe; and brazenly transferred away the loyal battalion besieging Changsha. single-handedly ruined the overall strategic situation of recovering Hunan and aiding Jiangxi.

Those who are loyal to the country and the nation, loyal to the great cause of resisting the Qing Dynasty, and loyal to the revival of China. If this is hindered, or even obstructed and destroyed, it is to put the society in danger. Trapping the emperor in danger, trapping the people in fire and water, it is a chaotic minister and thief, and everyone will be punished.

Zhu Yongxing once said such a thing, the purpose of which is to liberate the definition of loyal ministers from the narrow scope of being loyal to the emperor only, and it belongs to the concept of adapting to the situation and stealing the concept of changing the situation. Of course, this is also the true loyalty in his mind, not the foolish loyalty to the family.

When Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, first heard this. was quite disapproving, and even thought that Zhu Yongxing was quibbling and deliberately weakening the emperor's wording. But now he saw a living example of it, and he talked about it in front of him.

“…… Although the Min clan was left behind, he monopolized the power, privately granted the name of the weapon, abandoned the emperor in a foreign country, and sent henchmen to block the road to the audience. The order is as follows, Enwei is the only one. It is really a deception to the king, and the treachery of stealing is the same as recklessness and manipulation. Wang Xingguang scolded impassionedly, and looked at Li Dingguo with earnest eyes, "The prince has received great favor from the emperor, is loyal, and has accumulated great power in the army. The crowd admired. As long as the prince is ordered to eliminate the country's troubles, there is the support of the old ministry inside, and the echo of the prince of Yanping outside, and it is easy to punish the traitor. When the emperor is welcomed, the Son of Heaven is on the throne. The soldiers and ministers return to their hearts, and they can drive out the Tartars when they advance, and they can hold on to wait for the enemy to defeat themselves, and they will be ...... for a thousand years."

"That's enough." Li Dingguo slapped the table suddenly, stood up, and reprimanded angrily: "It's nonsense. You keep saying that His Royal Highness Min is equivalent to Cao and reckless, but he doesn't say that it is His Highness's grace to be able to stand here today and talk nonsense. If there is no His Highness to go out of Burma, if there is no His Highness to come to the battle array, if there is no His Highness to command and raise, you and other fools can have a place to stand? Hmph, I'm afraid that you will either fall to the Tartars, or die without a place to be buried. ”

Wang Xingguang was completely unprepared, and was stunned on the spot when he was scolded.

"Punish the adulterer? Bullshit, I think it's sobbing and picking, doing things that help clear up the Ming Dynasty and internal strife. Li Dingguo stretched out his hand and pointed at Wang Xingguang's nose and continued to scold: "It's really stupid to even connect with Zheng Fan." Zheng Fan's dominance has not been a day or two, how can he ever be loyal? If you act like this, won't you create another Sun who can be expected to rebel and destroy the hard-won general trend of ZTE? ”

"Gang Chang is not here, the imperial power is falling, what else is there to talk about?" Wang Xingguang argued: "I have my own ancestors to make the law, and the fortune of the country for hundreds of years depends on it. If he is allowed to sit big, he will covet the big position and perform the reverse act of adding a yellow robe......"

The door was slammed open, and Gao Yinglei, Li Dingguo's cronies, rushed in with a few personal guards, raised his hand and pointed at Wang Xingguang, and shouted: "Tie it up and gag his mouth." ”

Wang Xingguang was caught off guard, he was pushed to the ground by the guards, tied up with five flowers, opened his mouth and just called "Lord Wang", and something was stuffed into his mouth again, and the fishy smell rushed to his nostrils.

"You—" Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, was shocked and angry, glaring at Gao Yinglei.

Gao Yinglei waved his hand and asked the guards to take Wang Xingguang out and detain him, closed the door, turned around and fell to the ground, "Lord Wang, after the reason for the humiliation is explained, is it okay to accept the guilt again?" ”

Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, snorted and turned away slightly, very dissatisfied with Gao Yinglei's unauthorized actions in his heart.

"Lord Wang, do you think that this person came to lobby and bewitch, and His Royal Highness Min didn't know?" Gao Yinglei said straight to the point: "The dark room is deceitful, has the prince thought about the consequences?" said that he had temporarily concealed it from His Royal Highness, but how long could he hide it? Such a fool, frenzied, whether the prince expressed his support or refused sternly, but only two people knew, wouldn't he usurp the words and make it difficult for the prince to argue? ”

Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, turned around slowly, his brows furrowed into a pimple, which showed that Gao Yinglei's words hit his psyche.

"His Royal Highness Min has aroused the hope of the Han people, regardless of whether there is the idea of a yellow robe, if he is moved at this time, it will be the finger of Qianfu." Gao Yinglei continued: "Don't underestimate the power of the Intelligence Bureau—" He suddenly lowered his voice, "Maybe there are eyes and ears of the Intelligence Bureau around the prince." ”

"Lonely with a clear conscience." Li Dingguo said this, but his voice was not so resolute.

"Of course, the prince has a clear conscience, and he has no plot with Xiao Xiaoxing in the dark room." Gao Yinglei sighed and said, "But if His Royal Highness Min is not suspicious, he must not let this surnamed Wang leave." The safest way is to escort him to Guangzhou and hand him over to His Royal Highness Min for disposal. In this way, one can prove his innocence, and the other can clarify his will. Doesn't the prince often say that the great cause of recovering is important, and you must not repeat the mistakes of the past? Now our army is advancing along the river towards Chongqing, and the great enemy is present. Don't let the soldiers centrifuge! ”

Gao Yinglei said this vaguely, but Li Dingguo understood it. At present, the Ming army in western Sichuan is led by him, Gao Wengui and Liu Zhen, and from the usual words of Gao Wengui and Liu Zhen, it can be seen that they will obviously stand on the side of His Royal Highness Min. If they are ambiguous about this matter, Gao and Liu may restrain themselves, if they have already obtained the secret order. It's no surprise to do it yourself. In this way, infighting is inevitable, and all military operations will be aborted. and his son Li Sixing, what the future is, is also in his own thoughts.

"Has His Highness Min been fully aware of his scheme, but he has deliberately indulged in the hearts of others?" Li Dingguo asked with some difficulty.

Gao Yinglei thought for a while, nodded and said, "There is indeed such a possibility." ”

Li Dingguo sighed softly, and said helplessly for a long time: "Just according to what you say." Escort Wang Xingguang to Guangzhou! ”

"Such people talk about righteousness and grace, but ignore the great cause of Zhongxing, which is really selfish. And the scheming is less, the success is insufficient, and the failure is more than enough, the prince does not have to be merciful. Gao Yinglei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw that Li Dingguo had adopted his own proposal.

"With these people by the emperor's side, it's no wonder that the court in the past was decadent. It's hard to cheer up. Li Dingguo smiled bitterly and shook his head again and again, "This loyal minister who misled the country." Lone has seen it today, and only then did he understand that what His Royal Highness Min said was true! ”

Gao Yinglei sneered and said, "Lord Wang, please forgive me for being humble and arrogant. Today's trend has been controlled by His Royal Highness Min, and ZTE is hopeful. The army and the people returned to their hearts, and there is a saying that a saint descended from heaven to save China, who can shake it? Welcome back the holy car and the Son of Heaven will return to his position, and the momentum of revitalization will continue. Or accelerate victory? Hehe, don't say that it is the current Wenchen military general, even the flat-headed people, don't think so, right? Expelled the Tartars and recovered China. No one does not know that this is the first priority, and those who obstruct and sabotage are helping the Qing Dynasty to oppose the Ming Dynasty and betray the country for glory. With this charge, with this momentum, and with this public opinion, what is His Highness Min afraid of? ”

Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, nodded lightly, the people didn't know much, but the atmosphere of admiration and worship for His Royal Highness Min in the army was getting stronger and stronger. The improvement of social status, the generous treatment, the placement and bereavement of the disabled and the dead have all been realized in the hands of His Royal Highness Min. In addition, there are more and more middle- and lower-level officers who have graduated from the martial arts hall, and they gradually grasp the real power of the army, while the senior generals are more and more left with only military command. If you think of a rebellion, how many followers can be pulled out of the army?

From soldiers to middle and lower-level officers, they all read the benefits of His Royal Highness Min, who cares about the eternal calendar of "patrolling"? Looking at the senior generals who led the army, needless to say, the navy, Deng Yao, Chen Shangchuan, and Yang Yandi were all promoted by His Royal Highness Min and were deeply favored; In the army, Zhao Wang Bai Wenxuan, Wei Wang Ma Bao, Xuguo Gong Ma Weixing, Yiguo Gong Ma Zide and others all served His Royal Highness Min sooner or later, and even his son Li Sixing also admired and admired His Royal Highness Min in his correspondence.

Li Dingguo, the king of Jin, thought of this, and his feelings were very complicated. Nanming has a leadership core, and all the armies work together to fight, which is a great thing, which is something worthy of gratification and joy; And what those frustrated officials said was not all slander, the monopoly of power and the reform of the system have indeed exceeded the authority of the imperial court to stay behind. In fact, didn't he see it a long time ago, and the concession was not only for the sake of the overall situation, but also in exchange for the future change of the throne, Can His Royal Highness Min treat Yongli well?

"Lord Wang." Gao Yinglei called softly, and when Li Dingguo turned his head, he said: "The prince should write a letter to show his attitude to His Royal Highness Min." This is not a show of weakness to curry favor, but to take into account the overall situation, and the righteousness is clear, and no one dares to criticize it. ”

Li Dingguo nodded, his eyes moved to the large map on the wall, the small flags marking the movements of the Ming army in various departments showed the current shape of the enemy and the enemy, although the ruling area of the Qing court was still vast, but the strategic initiative of the Ming army could still be seen.

"As long as the Yangtze River can be controlled, the recovery of Jiangnan is just around the corner!" Li Dingguo let out a long breath, and his gaze became firm, "Don't mess up at this time." Gu wrote a letter, asking His Highness Min to rest assured, so that he could focus on the military and complete the great cause of rejuvenation as soon as possible. ”

"The prince understands the righteousness, and he humiliates you to grind ink and lay paper." Gao Yinglei breathed a sigh of relief silently and got busy with his work.

"Huh." Li Dingguo was amused by Gao Yinglei's impatient and hurried appearance, and said with a smile: "What's the hurry? The Intelligence Bureau and the Military Judge Advocate General's Department sent people to arrest them, but I am afraid that they will not be able to come so quickly. ”

Gao Yinglei smiled to himself and said, "Send someone to arrest the Lord, how can His Highness Min be so stupid?" Didn't the prince see the reform of the military system? His Royal Highness Min wanted to re-establish the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion and oversee the naval and land military forces to coordinate the actions of the various armies. When the time comes. His Royal Highness Min granted the prince the position of governor of the capital, which is high and powerful, and the prince deserves his name. Yet—hehe. ”

"The power of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion is too great, well, this mansion is not the other mansion, if it is Xiao Gui Cao. It's not His Royal Highness Min. Li Dingguo came to his senses, nodded and smiled: "Forget it, Lone is not interested in the Metropolitan Governor, it is better to fight outside." ”

……………

Fuzhou was recovered, and Geng rebelled and died. When the expedited war report was placed on Zhu Yongxing's desk, he was signing and stamping the report on the issuance of a new round of war bonds. Zhu Yongxing seems to be accustomed to operating in debt and has no psychological burden.

The Yangtze River Naval Division was dispatched, and the sea route increased troops to the north. A large amount of money and material supplies are needed, which suddenly empties the government's savings. Zhu Yongxing had to borrow money to maintain it, but the merchant group was very enthusiastic, and there were also free donations, just for the title of civil lord, so that they could easily walk on the southeast coast of the Ming army-controlled zhì in the future. However, Zhu Yongxing is still more cautious about the awarding of civil titles, and the issuance of public bonds to the people also has the intention of mobilizing the people.

Zhu Yongxing had a cursory look at the battle. But they concentrated on finding the seized figures. Then he burst into laughter. "This Geng is a good money-maker, but unfortunately he has a bad reputation for tyranny, and he has to give us a big gift in the end."

After Geng Jingzhong was crowned the king, even though his subordinates "sent husbands and extorted silver and rice", and seized the business of agriculture and commerce. "Tyranny in Fujian with taxes". Not only was the people's anger great, but they also amassed huge wealth, but the Ming army not only gained a good reputation for eliminating harm for the people and relieving the people from hanging upside down, but also obtained no less than two million silver in property.

"It's all thanks to His Highness's blessings that this great victory was achieved." Yi Cheng smiled and complimented. He pointed to the document for the issuance of public bonds and asked, "Can this public debt be delayed?" ”

Zhu Yongxing pondered for a moment, shook his head and said: "No, it will be issued as planned, so that the people can contribute strongly, have money to contribute, and participate in this national war together." Well, Kunming was restored, and Yunnan Province was exempted from taxes for one year; The same is true of Guangzhou's recovery; This Fuzhou is still the same as before, and we can't favor one over the other. ”

Borrowing money on the one hand and reducing it on the other side may seem contradictory, but the nature is different. There are borrowings and repayments, and the people have no losses and can earn some interest. But if the Ming army is defeated and the Qing army makes a comeback, it will be hopeless to recover. The reduction and exemption has the meaning of war dividends, so that the people can feel the benefits brought by the victory of the war and feel that their support and support are worth it.

"Fuzhou, Fujian Province can be determined, and our army can directly take Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and then recover Jiangnan." Yi Cheng said as he spoke, looking a little excited, Ke Nanjing, worship Xiaoling, Zhu Yongxing completed an important step in climbing the throne.

"Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the places where money and grain are taxed, I'm afraid it will have to go through a hard battle, right?" Zhu Yongxing didn't make a decision right away, his expression calmed down, and he lowered his head and began to read the battle report again.

Others say that Zhu Yongxing is cautious in his use of troops, but in fact, it is not comprehensive. After all, Zhu Yongxing is not a military professional, and he lacks the accurate judgment of a real soldier, and he does not know how much advantage the Ming army equipped with flintlock pistols and bayonets can have. Therefore, in the plan of each campaign, he always tries to fight as much as possible, and only when the forces are superior, he feels that he is sure.

From a practical point of view, the Ming army now has a great advantage, with both long-range firearms and hand-to-hand combat with bayonets, and its tactics are becoming more and more perfect, and its food and salary are sufficient, and its morale does not fall. However, Zhu Yongxing still stayed in his old thinking, and he would not take risks if he did not fully equip the troops and the ammunition was not sufficient.

Most of Fujian Province has recovered, and the most direct idea is to attack Jiangsu and Zhejiang as Yi Cheng said. With the assistance of the sailors, although the Qing court will inevitably increase its troops in order to protect the land of wealth, the probability of the Ming army winning is still very high.

Of course, the Ming army had two more options. One is to enter Jiangxi by Guangdong troops, and the other is to force Sun Yanling to land and invade Hunan from Guilin. The focus of these two sets of plans was to attack the Yangtze River, and to join up with the Yangtze River Naval Division and the Shuo Army, so that they could be supplemented and strengthened with weapons and equipment, so that the various Ming armies could be united.

Relatively speaking, Zhu Yongxing was more inclined to the plan of entering Jiangxi. Because the combat power of the Qing soldiers in Jiangxi is not strong, and because Jiangxi is a porcelain production area, it can be exported in large quantities, and the sea trade income is considerable. Moreover, since Fujian Province is under the border, attacking Jiangxi is not only Ganzhou Road, but the Ming army of Fujian Province can march from the northwest of Fujian, which is closer to Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi Province, and it is easier to meet with the Shuo army.

"The exterminating army has already captured more than 20,000 surrendered soldiers, and then it will sweep other states and counties in Fujian Province, and this number will increase." Zhu Yongxing said thoughtfully while reading: "With the new soldiers, there should be 30,000 horses to fight in Jiangxi." The expeditionary army is from the south to the north, and the exterminating army is from the east to the west, where can the Jiangxi Qing army resist? ”

"Your Highness, which is more important than Jiangxi Province and Jiangsu and Zhejiang?" Yi Cheng persuaded unrelentingly: "Where wealth is endowed, if you get it, you will be invincible." There is Nanjing, the hope of China and foreign countries, once recovered, His Royal Highness will build a miracle of the world, who can compete with it? ”

Zhu Yongxing raised his head, glanced at Yi Cheng with a smile, then put away the battle report, pointed to the map on the table and said: "From Yi Changshi's point of view, from Jiangsu and Zhejiang to Nanjing, or from Nanchang and Jiujiang downstream, which is faster and more convenient?" If the Qing army gathers in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, isn't it just an opportunity to gather and annihilate it and lay a complete victory? ”

"Your Highness, you-" Yi Cheng was about to speak and stopped, and suddenly understood Zhu Yongxing's thoughts.

…………… (To be continued......)