Chapter Ninety-Five, The Death Knell of the Ming Empire (Part II)

North Zhili, Shuntianfu, Tianjin Wei

With the Grand Canal connecting the north and the south, it became the economic lifeline of the country, and after the Yongle Emperor Zhu Di moved the capital to Beijing, Tianjin gradually became the southeast gateway of Beijing and an important shipping hub, and since then it has been closely linked with the defense of the capital and economic prosperity.

In the second year of Yongle, the Tianjin Acropolis began to be built. Because the city wall is long from east to west and short from north to south, it is commonly known as "abacus city". In the fourth year of Hongzhi, the imperial court carried out a large-scale renovation of the earth city of Tianjin, put bricks and stones on the outer part of the city wall, and added the urn city and the city tower on the city gates, inscribed plaques for the east, south, west and north four gates respectively, named "Zhendong", "Dingnan", "Anxi", "Gongbei", with the building standards of the Ming Dynasty, it can definitely be called majestic and tall, indestructible.

But at this moment, under the walls of Tianjin, there are unburied corpses everywhere, and in the wasteland not far from the city, many destroyed chariots and long ladders are still discarded. Even the brick walls were covered with scars, and the brick and timber towers and the houses outside the walls were burned down. Many of the satellite villages and towns around the city were also burned by the war, and the residents either filled in the trenches or fled to other places.

Two miles south of Tianjin, in the barren fields next to the canal, are full of all kinds of camp tents. Outside one of the most luxurious tents of the Chinese army, Hong Chengchou, the governor of Shaanxi Province, pressed his sword with his right hand, looking at the majestic Tianjin Acropolis on the horizon, and a nameless fire in his heart was about to erupt.

-- Beginning in the spring of this year, Hong Chengchou led 50,000 Qin troops to pursue the Liukou, from Shaanxi across Shanxi to Beizhili, and then, because of the grain shortage in Gyeonggi, he was ordered to go south to Shandong to "eat" and support Zhu Dadian, the governor of Shandong, to suppress the demons of the Wenxiang Sect, and once crossed the border to attack the Xuzhou Mansion in Nanzhili...... Along the way, he fought in five provinces in a row, and almost penetrated the entire North China from west to east, which can be called extremely arduous......

After the surrender of the generals in Liaoxi, the Jurchen iron cavalry entered the pass in a big way, and the important places in Gyeonggi were in full emergency, Hong Chengchou, who received a letter for help, led the Qin army to turn around and go north along the canal again, regardless of the long-distance transfer of his troops and the fatigue of the soldiers, in an attempt to enter the king of Jingqin...... If you want to select the "Top Ten Model Workers Who Moved the Ming Dynasty this Year", Hong Chengchou and the hard-working Qin Army under his command will definitely be on the list.

However, how did the government and the opposition of the Ming Empire deal with this loyal and brave army that broke through the dangers of Guanshan and went thousands of miles to the country?

After the victory of the thieves in Gyeonggi before, the imperial court pushed back and blocked the rewards that the Qin army deserved, but they only talked about lotus flowers and promised a bunch of rewards, but they refused to even supply grain, but instead asked for bribes, large and small officials came one after another. After moving to Shandong, although he scraped a little oil and water from the rich gentry and captured some booty, compared with the huge expenses of the army, Hong Chengchou still felt that he was a drop in the bucket and could not make ends meet...... And now the encounter outside Tianjin made Hong Chengchou and his subordinates almost blew their lungs.

-- Before the Qin army arrived, Wu Xiang, a rebel general in western Liaoning, had already led 20,000 soldiers and horses to march straight into the city of Tianjin, not only wantonly plundering the suburbs, but also coercing tens of thousands of nearby villagers, and attacking the city with ants, and soon crumbling the outnumbered Tianjin Acropolis.

Hong Chengchou, who was slowly heading north, heard the news, and immediately personally led the army to Tianjin for reinforcements, and after a fierce battle, successfully repelled the Guanning army and temporarily relieved the siege of Tianjin. Unexpectedly, after the Guan Ning army retreated, Du Sance, the governor of Tianjin, ordered the city gate to be closed tightly, not allowing any of the Qin army to enter the city, and then refused to provide grain and grass on the grounds that there was no food in the city, and only ordered people to throw down a thousand taels of silver from the city and let Hong Chengchou go to buy grain to eat.

This is really a ridiculous thing in the world - after such a tragic military disaster, almost all the villages and towns around Tianjin City have been reduced to ruins, if you refuse to open the public treasury, where will Hong Chengchou go to buy food?

What's more, even if Hong Chengchou has a place outside the city to buy grain, at present, due to the fact that the incense sect demon people have caused trouble, cut off the canal, and the rice in the south of the Yangtze River cannot go north, the price of rice in Jinan, Shandong has risen to forty taels of silver and one stone, and the price of grain in Beizhili will only be more expensive, and it is said that the price of rice in Beijing has reached eighty taels per stone...... How much rice and wheat can you buy for a thousand taels of silver? I'm afraid it's not enough for the 50,000 Qin army to eat a full meal!

Hong Chengchou led the army from Shandong to return to the king of Qin, the grain and grass carried by the army was not enough, the soldiers were hungry and full, only looking forward to a full meal after winning the battle in Tianjin, who knew that even this small wish could not be satisfied! At present, the surplus grain and grass in the army can only allow the soldiers to eat one meal of porridge every day. Even so, it's only enough to sustain a mere five days, and then you'll have to dig up bark and grass roots!

Seeing that the Tianjin Acropolis was not advanced with oil and salt, and there was no way to get food, Hong Chengchou had to order his cronies and staff to go to Jinghai County to mobilize grain with his edict and tokens, but Jinghai Zhixian County also refused to supply grain and grass on the grounds that there was no food in the city, and beat Hong Chengchou's messenger out with a stick!

Unexpectedly, he was loyal to the country, anxious for justice and righteousness, but in the end he ended up with this result, Hong Chengchou, who was not very good-tempered, is even more vigorous these days. In recent days, he has begun to send troops around to "fight the grass valley", how can the war and famine in the north of Zhili continue to be in these years, and the rich families are either hiding in the city protected by the city wall, or moving to the south of the Yangtze River to "avoid the hustle and bustle", so that the Qin army has nowhere to grab food if they want to.

In addition, Hong Chengchou did not forget to write to the Ministry of War and asked the court to find a solution to the problem of grain and grass, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, and there was no repercussion.

This attitude of "not wanting the horses to run, but refusing to give the horses grazing" made Hong Chengchou very sad, since he was ordered to be the king of Qin, he was not afraid to fight with all kinds of bandits, bandits, rebels and even Liaodong Jiannu, but the constraints from within the court made him exhausted.

The soldiers and horses went first before the grain and grass were moved, even if the storytellers in the teahouse knew this truth, but the court always liked to pretend not to know.

Because the grain and grass were running out and the money was not available, the 50,000 Qin troops had to be trapped in the south of Tianjin, unable to continue to advance towards the Beijing division -- as a battle-hardened soldier, Hong Chengchou knew very well that the Qin army had been extremely tired after more than half a year of tossing and turning. Next, they have to face the unprecedented strong enemy of the Jurchen Eight Banners, and no matter what, they have to be fed and drunk enough to rest before they can get up the spirit to go into battle to kill the enemy.

If the soldiers are not fed before they go into battle, then they are not fighting, but they are sent to death.

However, in the face of the lack of cooperation from the local government, it was really impossible to raise food and grass...... Do you want to move the troops to the three prefectures of Jinan and go to Lu Xiangsheng's lair to fight the autumn wind?

But what should the Jingshi side do? With Lu Xiangsheng's remnants of the defeated generals and the waste of the Beijing camp, can he hold the city?

Also, I heard that there was a plague in the Kyoshi recently, and the sergeants and soldiers of the army were worried about it, and they were very reluctant to continue to go deeper into Kisuke.

Just when Hong Chengchou was at a loss and in a dilemma, Hu Dawei, the chief military officer of Shanxi who followed the Qin army to fight, came over mysteriously and asked to see: "...... Master Inspector Rong, although the place in Tianjin is dilapidated, if you want to prepare food, it is not impossible. ”

“…… Oh? I don't know what you think? ”

Although he didn't believe that this vulgar martial artist could come up with a solution, Hong Chengchou still motioned to Hu Dawei to continue.

And Hu Dawei, the chief military officer of Shanxi, really found a way at this time: "...... Recently, Xia Guan sent scouts to investigate, and found that there were sea ships doing business in Dagukou (Tanggu), and they had transported grain from Shandong to peddle it, and the price was okay, only five taels of silver for one stone of wheat. ”

“…… Sounds good! So why not buy it? Hong Chengchou's eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked.

“…… No money! Hu Dawei replied with a look of embarrassment, "...... It has been five months since I was paid, and the reward of the Ministry of War is still owed. ”

-- Hu Dawei's remarks are half-true and half-false: It is true that the salaries of the various departments of the Qin army have been in arrears for a long time, and the military department has also dragged out the rewards for their previous military exploits, but with the looting on the battlefield and the filial piety of the local gentry, the private pockets of the officers are still very sufficient...... However, although the officers' ability to embezzle ink and embezzlement is full of tricks, they have always only been able to enter but not leave, and it is extremely difficult to ask them to pay for military rations out of their own pockets.

In the same way, Hong Chengchou is not willing to pay," ...... Since it was a sea ship from Shandong, it must have been somewhat involved with the Dengzhou traitors -- last month, the Dengzhou sailors were still intercepting the Tianjin merchant ships! You can just requisition the grain, where can you still give them money? ”

Hu Dawei smiled bitterly: "...... If only that were the case, Master. The merchants were shrewd, and they built a stockade by the sea, leading directly to the wharf, and the grain they sold was on the big ships, and the buyers were willing to unload it only when they gave money. If we send troops to rob and send fewer troops, we are afraid that we will not be able to break through the stockade, which is guarded by thieves from Dengzhou Town. If there are too many troops, people will just get on the boat and go to sea......"

-- Obviously, after learning about this, Hu Dawei must have also planned to take grain for nothing and not give money, but unfortunately he failed to do so.

After learning that this maritime merchant selling grain seemed to be unable to rob it, and it did have something to do with the Dengzhou rebels, Hong Chengchou was also a little hesitant for a while, for fear that he would be impeached by the imperial history because of his relationship with the traitors. But now that the problem of food shortage in the Qin army is urgent, I am afraid that if it drags on any longer, it will only mutiny, and the Jingshi side is also crumbling and in danger...... The court shouldn't be nitpicky anymore! Hong Chengchou thought so not too confidently.

In short, in order to solve the urgent need of the army's lack of food, Hong Chengchou finally decided to go to Dagukou to find maritime merchants to buy grain. Then, because now that the Qin army is running out of food and the army's morale is fluctuating, it really can't be delayed for a moment, Hong Chengchou is afraid that he will waste time in the exchange of envoys and bargaining, so he simply took the Chinese army superintendent battalion and rushed to Dagu to raise grain in person.

However, what Hong Chengchou never expected was that as soon as he left with his front foot, a catastrophe broke out on Tianjin's back foot......

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North Zhili, Yongping Mansion, Leting County

Accompanied by the whining sound of bull horns and the earth-shattering rumbling war drums, tens of thousands of troops were like a long winding dragon, slowly advancing towards the southwest along the official road leading to the Beijing Division. Whether it is cavalry or infantry, most of the soldiers look like ordinary tigers, with a thin money rat tail hanging from the back of their bare heads, and many of them still have scars on their faces, and their eyes always reveal a ferocious and tyrannical atmosphere.

Under the warm autumn sun, the endless fields on both sides of the official road are overgrown with wild grass, and the bones of Bai Sensen can be seen from time to time, as well as burnt black ruins. The road, which had fallen into disrepair, was also covered with potholes, so that the fine dust flew up and then filled the eyes, ears, and nostrils of the soldiers and animals, and the soldiers who walked in front could barely endure it, and the soldiers in the rear were completely shrouded in dust, and had to either leave the road and walk on both sides to avoid the dust. Or cover your mouth and nose with your clothes, squint your eyes and rush forward.

However, despite the disgrace of the journey, the whole army of these Jurchen soldiers was still extremely elated, from the Eight Banners Banner Lord, Baylor Dutong, to the Baoyi Han Army, they were all full of excitement about the unprecedented victory today, and even looked forward to and looked forward to the rich booty after entering the city of Beijing.

And the Houjin monarch Huang Taiji, who led this army, was even more complacent, as if he saw that the supreme throne of the world was already beckoning to him in front of him:

“…… Although the Ming Kingdom is big, it has become a rotten wood, and now that it has suffered such a fatal blow, I think it may really be the time to die! ”

――In fact, the current great shape shì is also a complete surprise for Huang Taiji. Until Guan Ningjun suddenly defected en masse, he never expected that the Ming Empire would suddenly collapse like this!

After the victory in the Battle of Dalinghe in the spring of this year, although Huang Taiji used the captured generals of Guanning such as Wu Xiang and Zu Dashou to send many letters of persuasion to the remnants of the Liaoxi generals in Jinzhou and Ningyuan, he did not have any hope of success in his heart - after all, the difference in treatment between the two sides was too great, and the Ming court was able to allocate five million taels of silver per year to the generals of Liaoxi, but Houjin could only give them a few pieces of land outside the Guanxi that had been plagued by famine for many years.

Therefore, when Liaoxi Jiangmen actually turned against him, in the confused Huang Taiji's heart, there were definitely more horrors than surprises.

It wasn't until Guan Ningjun really shaved his hair and changed his banner and offered Shanhaiguan and other pass fortresses to the Jurchen Eight Banners, making way for a shortcut to the Central Plains, that Huang Taiji finally determined that this was not a trap that the Ming Kingdom was playing a bitter trick, but an unprecedented gift package that fell from the sky!

However, although the gift package of "Shanhaiguan + Guanning Army" was good, it also completely disrupted Huang Taiji's original strategic plan: he was planning to personally lead an elite army north to Ningguta after fighting the Battle of Daling River and resting for a few months, so as to relieve the back of the Jurchen Eight Banners...... However, with the sudden opening of Shanhaiguan, the gateway to the Central Plains, all the above-mentioned ideas have been lost - from the owners of the Eight Banners to the ordinary bannermen, they have already been fascinated by the Huahua world of the Central Plains, and seeing that the Liaoxi Corridor has become a smooth road, they have long been red-eyed to enter the customs to grab a vote, where are they willing to go to the deep mountains and old forests on the other side of Ningguta to suffer and suffer?

Although Huang Taiji is relatively calm and steady, he also knows the truth of "if God does not take it, it will suffer from it" - Guan Ningjun's defection is a golden opportunity for the Aixin Jueluo family to enter the Central Plains. If it was because of his hesitation and missed this short opportunity, the Ming court seized the time to recapture Shanhaiguan...... Then Huang Taiji is afraid that he will regret it for the rest of his life to vomit blood......

Therefore, with almost no hesitation, Huang Taiji overturned his previous battle expectations, once again gathered the troops of the country, and marched south. R1148