nucmednet Chapter 618: Entering Beijing to “face the Holy Spirit”
Chapter 618: Entering Beijing to “face the Holy Spirit”
Apart from Liang Xiaoming, no one understood the meaning behind Liu Ye's words.
Shi Ying asked, puzzled, "The rebel leader? Wasn't Gao Yingxiang sent to the capital by us to be executed by the emperor?"
Liu Ye couldn't possibly say that, as long as the course of history remained unchanged, several years later Li Zicheng would inherit the title of "Chuang Wang" (Chuang King), establish the "Da Shun" regime, capture Beijing, and destroy the Ming Dynasty, while Chongzhen would hang himself on Coal Hill. He vaguely replied, "Gao Yingxiang is dead, but there are other bandits. If they break through the capital and kill Chongzhen, wouldn't it be easy for us to win the hearts of the people by using the banner of avenging the emperor?"
Everyone agreed. In those days, a righteous cause was very important. Using the banner of avenging the emperor was indeed more in line with the people's wishes than usurping the throne. The villains were all blamed on the bandits, and Qionghai Town's reputation was established. What they didn't know was that ten years later, when the Qing army entered the pass, they also used the banner of avenging Chongzhen. Whether the people believed it or not, at least they had a foothold in name.
Liu Ye coughed and said, “Mr. Yan’s suggestion is not entirely without merit. Although the time is not yet ripe for rebellion, it is still possible to go to the capital to demand an explanation on the grounds that Yang Sichang is colluding with the barbarians! We are wholeheartedly fighting the barbarians for the court, but we are treated like this. It is disheartening to see the loyal and righteous people of the world suffer. If Chongzhen does not give me an explanation, I will not let this go.”
Everyone understood the general's meaning: the "purging of the emperor's inner circle" tactic was too difficult; lowering the bar and going to the capital to extort money was perfectly acceptable.
Yan Guang asked, "What does the general intend to do?"
"It's very simple. Bring Panda and two Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) as witnesses to the capital. Oh, and by the way, bring Wang Hong along too. Then, while Ajige and his men are still killing and burning in Beizhili, bring troops to the city gates and send an envoy to tell Chongzhen that he either gives me an explanation or I will announce to the world that Chongzhen's people are pursuing a policy of appeasement and deliberately condoning the Tartars' looting in order to create conditions for peace negotiations."
Everyone gasped in shock; this move was undeniably vicious. Regardless of whether Chongzhen and Yang Sichang admitted it or not, at a time when the Tartars had inflicted widespread anger and resentment in Beizhili, and the people's hatred was at its peak, choosing to expose the peace talks would likely lead most people to believe it, making Chongzhen and Yang Sichang the target of public condemnation—a burden that the face-conscious Chongzhen absolutely could not bear.
"So what conditions will the general propose?" Yan Guang couldn't help but ask.
"I haven't figured this out yet. For now, I can only think of one thing: abolish the positions of Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and Governor of Shandong, and let me control the troops of Guangdong, Guangxi, Shandong and Dongjiang Town, and govern the people with the military."
Yan Guang pondered for a moment and praised, "What a brilliant plan to govern the people with the military! In addition, abolishing the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Governor of Shandong, since the Governors of Guangdong and Dengzhou and Laizhou are both our own people, makes Guangdong and Guangxi and Shandong completely under the General's de facto control. But I don't understand, what use is there in taking that barren land of Dongjiang Town?"
Liu Ye smiled proudly: "When Mao Wenlong was alive, he could use Dongjiang Town to threaten the Tartars' heartland of Shengjing and restrain them from launching a large-scale southward invasion. I can certainly do even better than him. At that time, I will be positioned between three forces. On the left, I can use Shandong to contain the bandits and keep an eye on the capital. On the right, I can use Dongjiang to restrain Huang Taiji. All three forces will be under my control. How the game of the world is played will be up to me! When my Qionghai Town takes advantage of this opportunity to absorb people and train an army of 100,000, neither Chongzhen, the bandits, nor Huang Taiji will be a match for us. Then the world will be at peace!"
Everyone exclaimed in admiration, "General, you are wise!"
"The strategy is settled. Tomorrow, we'll try to procure provisions in the Tianjin area. Once everything is ready, we'll head to the capital to meet the Emperor!"
"Follow the order!"
After everyone left, Liang Xiaoming stayed behind alone. He asked Xia Tiannan, "You didn't explain yourself completely, did you? There should be more to it than that."
Liu Ye laughed and said, "After all, I have hundreds of years more experience than them. I can fool them, but I can't fool you. That's right, my control of Shandong is not just to monitor the likes of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, but to find a way to push Li Zicheng to enter Beijing ahead of time and rewrite history."
Liang Xiaoming was puzzled: "Even if we do nothing, the inertia of history is so strong that Li Zicheng will enter Beijing sooner or later, right? Why bother with all this?"
“According to the original history, Chongzhen was supposed to hang himself on Coal Hill ten years later. I can’t wait that long.” A sly glint appeared in Liu Ye’s eyes. “Since Chongzhen was going to die sooner or later, and was willing to die, why not grant him his wish and let him get what he deserved sooner?”
Liang Xiaoming pondered for a moment, "That sounds reasonable, but how do you plan to get Li Zicheng to enter Beijing sooner? If I remember correctly, he's not even the 'Chuang King' yet, and he doesn't have many troops under his command. He doesn't have the conditions to break through Beijing. Besides, Li Zicheng is a formidable character. He's not a mindless character in a game; how could he be so easily manipulated?"
"It all depends on human effort. Li Zicheng is inherently driven by ambition to conquer the world and become emperor. I don't need to manipulate him; I just need to create some favorable conditions for him. Once his strength grows and his confidence swells, he will naturally attack Beijing. As for his current weakness, that doesn't matter. We'll build him equipment if he lacks it, and send him money and provisions if he needs them. With his abilities and ambition, it's only a matter of time before he takes the throne," Liu Ye explained. "The reason is easy to find: just say that as long as he kills Chongzhen, I'm willing to share the world with him, dividing it into north and south, each enjoying wealth and glory. Before he has enough strength to annex me, even if he knows it's a poisoned fruit, he will still swallow it."
Liang Xiaoming tilted his head and thought for a moment, then sighed, "Your ideas are always unbelievable, but upon closer inspection, they make a lot of sense. You truly are a qualified businessman, having seen through the greed of human nature. If I were Li Zicheng, I wouldn't be able to resist such a great temptation either."
Liu Ye laughed heartily: "Of course! Li Zicheng is still leveling up in the newbie village. My suggestion and help can save him ten years of hard work. It's like having a cheat code. He can reach the top in one step and challenge me one-on-one. How could he possibly refuse?"
The next day, Liu Ye ordered someone to summon Xu Zhong, the commander of Tianjin Garrison, to "discuss" the matter of procuring provisions.
“Commander Xu, you know how hard my troops have been fighting the Tartars these past few days. We’ve run out of rations. We’re all military officers, serving in the same court, so we should be of one mind and one heart. You can’t bear to see my men eating and sleeping in the open, can you?”
Xu Zhong looked at the Military Commissioner's Office, now usurped by a usurper, while the once arrogant Pan Da lay dead, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. He wiped the sweat from his brow and cautiously replied, "I can't bear it, I can't bear it."