PFC Chapter 6, Part 9, Section 2: The Aerial Shield!
Chapter 6, Part 9, Section 2: The Aerial Shield!
This is the truth.
Although Wei Zhongxian was greedy and wicked, he was not stupid.
He knew that the emperor wanted to train troops and seize military power, and that if Wei Zhongxian wanted to live and keep his position, he had to follow in the footsteps of Emperor Tianqi, Zhu Ming.
Therefore, Wei Zhongxian took out over 100,000 taels of silver from the wealthy regions of Jiangnan and other places in those years, and personally went to the military camp to supervise the troops.
His method was very simple—coercion.
Any general who dared to be negligent would be summoned to the imperial prison by the Embroidered Uniform Guard the next day to drink pre-rain Longjing tea.
Any soldier who dared to slack off would be punished with a beating at best, and expelled from the camp at worst. It was a simple and brutal approach, but effective.
"But the eunuch faction is a knife, I'm afraid it will...!" Sun Chengzong paused for a moment, then continued, "Eight out of twelve, sharp."
"When I need to use this sword, it must be sharp. When I don't need it, it must remain quietly in its sheath," Zhu Ming said, his gaze fixed intently on Sun Chengzong, his tone soft. "Master, in matters of training troops, Wei Zhongxian's sword has been used quite skillfully, hasn't it?"
"Moreover, I need someone who can both keep the eunuch faction in check and suppress the Donglin faction, and who is loyal only to me. This person can only be my mentor. With my mentor in charge of the court, Wei Zhongxian won't be able to cause any trouble! The 12th of 15, suppress him."
Sun Chengzong's heart skipped a beat.
indeed!
With him in power, and the court having both the Donglin Party and the eunuch faction, a delicate balance was achieved among the three forces.
Looking back now, I never imagined that Zhu Ming had thought of so many steps ahead!
He truly admired it.
What impressed him even more was Zhu Ming's composure and calm command during the unexpected incident at the Tianqi Grand Military Parade!
The Apocalypse Explosion!
Upon realizing this, Sun Chengzong was even more astonished!
Sun Chengzong glanced at the chessboard, then at Zhu Ming, and suddenly asked, "How did Your Majesty know about such a massive explosion on the day of the military parade?"
Zhu Ming's expression remained unchanged after he said that.
this.....
The Tianqi military parade a few days ago.
The three battalions stood in neat formation, their armor gleaming, with more than 60,000 men standing on the drill ground, creating a magnificent spectacle.
Zhu Ming, accompanied by Empress Zhang Yan, ascended the platform to inspect the troops. The three armies shouted "Long live the Emperor!" and the people echoed the shouts, their voices shaking the heavens.
Then came that loud bang.
Boom! The sky collapsed and the earth caved in.
A huge fireball rose from the direction of Wanggongchang, and a mushroom cloud shot into the sky.
Sun Chengzong was standing three steps behind Zhu Ming at the time.
He remembered clearly that at the moment the explosion occurred, all the civil and military officials and hundreds of thousands of people panicked, including himself, even though Zhu Ming had warned him in advance that there would be a huge explosion, and even though he had stuffed cotton into his ears beforehand.
So his first reaction was to protect the emperor, and his second reaction was that it was all over, was someone trying to assassinate him?
But Zhu Ming did not panic.
Not only did he quickly protect the Empress by his side, but the moment the aftershocks of the explosion subsided, he returned to the command platform and shouted a reassuring sentence to everyone: "The sun, moon, mountains, and rivers are still here, everyone, do not panic!"
Then, he directly commanded the entire three battalions to mobilize for disaster relief, rescue, and maintaining order.
That day, Zhu Ming stood beside the ruins of Wanggongchang, watching the soldiers clear the rubble, watching the cooks set up large pots to cook porridge, and watching the soldiers erect tents to shelter the people who had become homeless due to the explosion.
Moreover, despite such a massive explosion, the casualty rate was less than one hundred.
After all, a large part of the reason was that the Tianqi military parade allowed most people to attend, thus avoiding the damage from the explosion.
The voices that had previously criticized him as a carpenter emperor, for his favoritism towards eunuchs, and for neglecting state affairs all disappeared overnight.
Instead, they were praised as "the Emperor is wise," "the Emperor is benevolent," and "the Emperor shares the hardships with the people."
"Sometimes I wonder," Sun Chengzong began slowly, "that massive explosion, was it... Your Majesty...?"
He didn't continue.
"Master, what would you like to say?" Zhu Ming asked Sun Chengzong, his gaze sharp.
Sun Chengzong remained silent for a long time before finally shaking his head: "I didn't think of anything."
But Zhu Ming already understood what he meant.
Sun Chengzong suspected that the explosion was orchestrated by Zhu Ming to use a disaster to win over the hearts and minds of the people and the army, so as to legitimately seize military power.
"Does my mentor think I have the ability?" Zhu Ming's voice was much lower. "You know better than I how much gunpowder Wanggongchang has stored. Once that thing explodes, do you know how many people will die? I am the emperor, not a madman."
Zhu Ming knew that Wang Gongchang would explode, but he didn't know how it would happen. He moved all the gunpowder and craftsmen in Wang Gongchang to a safe place from the beginning, leaving only a thousand catties of gunpowder to make a huge "firework". He thought that if there was no sudden explosion, he would arrange for someone to set off a big firework to settle the "account".
But plans can't keep up with changes: a huge and incredibly fast meteorite crashed down, revealing who the hell believed Zhu Ming's arrangements?
After all, Zhu Ming knew he wasn't some chosen one of the universe, Liu Xiu, so what was he doing playing the role of a great magician?! Let alone summoning meteorites!
"This old minister misspoke," Sun Chengzong paused for a moment, then lowered his head. "Fifteen out of ten, the tiger."
After Sun Chengzong finished speaking, he placed a white piece, which was a tiger.
Zhu Ming looked at the encirclement formed by the white pieces on the chessboard and suddenly smiled.
"Master, do you know what the one thing I most wanted to do after the Big Bang was?"
"This old minister does not know," Sun Chengzong looked up at Zhu Ming, momentarily unable to follow the train of thought.
"Expand the army," Zhu Ming's voice was firm, yet also brimming with youthful vigor. "I want to expand the Three Great Camps from 63,000 to 120,000. I want to make the Three Great Camps the most elite army in the Ming Dynasty once again, the sharpest sword in my hand."
Sun Chengzong's heart skipped a beat again.
"Your Majesty, do you intend to...? Absolutely not! Besides, Wang Gongchang isn't...? So that's how it is!"
Didn't they say that after Wanggongchang was bombed, all the gunpowder and weapons were destroyed along with it?
No, no! If Zhu Ming could have imagined the massive explosion at Wanggongchang, he should have already evacuated!
At this moment, an expression of disbelief appeared in Sun Chengzong's eyes.
"Master, you're right!" Zhu Ming, seeing this, laid his cards on the table, "But not now. Right now, I don't have enough soldiers, my generals aren't strong enough, and my sword isn't sharp enough. So I need time, I need you to help me buy some time."
"How can we fight for it?"
"Liaodong." Zhu Ming placed a piece and captured another, "Nine of Thirteen, capture."
Sun Chengzong looked down at the black pieces surrounding the chessboard, his pupils contracting slightly. "Yuan Chonghuan? The great victory at Ningyuan?"
He frowned; the pretext for the grand military parade was the victory at Ningyuan.
Yuan Chonghuan defeated Nurhaci at the walls of Ningyuan, beheading more than two hundred men. Although no open battle was fought, and the result would not have even earned him a guerrilla general rank in the Jiajing era, it was one of the few victories the Ming Dynasty had achieved against the Jurchens in recent years.
"That's right! I want to recall Wang Zhichen and appoint him as the Liaodong Military Commissioner!" Zhu Ming said bluntly. "However, although the victory at Ningyuan was achieved on the surface, the incident at Juehua Island showed that he is more capable of maintaining the status quo than making further progress. He still needs to be refined. He needs his mentor to help guide him!"
"Ziru is indeed a rare talent, but entrusting him with important responsibilities now is probably a bit premature," Sun Chengzong replied after thinking for a moment.
After all, Yuan Chonghuan was his student. Although this student was intelligent, he had a shortcoming—he was too arrogant, too impatient, and too stubborn, which was a major taboo in military strategy.
Moreover, Yuan Chonghuan, who was stationed in Ningyuan City, originally thought that he only needed to defend the city. No one expected that the sea route would be frozen by heavy snow, and the Later Jin cavalry could directly attack Juehua Island!
When he heard the news that the Later Jin cavalry had attacked Juehua Island, he was terrified.
If Zhu Ming hadn't sent people to prepare the defenses of Juehua Island in advance, even if the Battle of Ningyuan had been won, Juehua Island would certainly have been lost.
Later, when Sun Chengzong reviewed the Battle of Ningyuan, he also discovered this point and realized that his student's abilities were not yet mature.
Now, Zhu Ming wants to leave Liaodong to Yuan Chonghuan to guard. Given his personality, he will only defend the city, which is not a good thing for Liaodong.
If Zhu Ming simply wanted to replace Wang Zhichen, a member of the eunuch faction, then Yuan Chonghuan would indeed have been a very suitable candidate.
But if it were that simple, then Zhu Ming wouldn't be Zhu Ming!
Therefore, Sun Chengzong was still somewhat hesitant.
"The duties of the Liaodong Governor and the Liaodong Military Commissioner almost overlap, so it would be better to just put him in that position directly." Zhu Ming also knew that Yuan Chonghuan had some shortcomings, but he couldn't help that this guy really had a bit of luck. He was good at defeating Nurhaci and also Huang Taiji... Hong Taiji.
While his luck was still good, he decided to hold out in Liaodong for another two or three years until firearms that could change the nature of warfare became available on a large scale. Zhu Ming wanted to recover Liaodong while also maximizing his own prestige and military capabilities.
In this way, Zhu Ming would shed less blood when dealing with the gentry in Jiangnan!
"Of course, with his mentor in charge of the capital, he can act more freely and won't be bogged down by the factional struggles at court!"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. I was overly worried!" Sun Chengzong looked at Zhu Ming, his eyes filled with relief. His white piece landed at the 7/15 position, and his tone was firm. "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly assist you and give Ziru a good talking-to, ensuring he and his soldiers work together to defend the Guan-Ning line. 7/15, mark!"
"My mentor truly understands me!" Zhu Ming breathed a sigh of relief, having resolved the potential conflict between Yuan Chonghuan and Wang Zhichen over Liaodong, thus allowing Zhu Ming to take sole control of Liaodong ahead of schedule.
Then, we'll see if this so-called one of the three heroes of Liaodong at the end of the Ming Dynasty can become a true "pillar of Liaodong".
"What about the eunuch faction? They've amassed a lot of money, and now they've even replaced Wang Zhichen, whom they've placed in Liaodong. What if Wei Zhongxian...? After all, he donated 30,000 taels of silver, and these people hold so much money and power in the court. What if..."
Sun Chengzong showed concern at this time.
"What if they rebel?" Zhu Ming nodded. "I know. As for the eunuch faction? Don't worry, Master, they can't cause any more trouble."
Zhu Ming paused for a moment, then said, "I haven't finished using Wei Zhongxian, this fine knife. The Donglin Party hasn't submitted yet, Liaodong hasn't been pacified, and there are too few capable people in the court. Moreover... six out of six, cut off."
"The Embroidered Uniform Guard? The Imperial Guard? The Three Great Camps? Military power? I see!" Sun Chengzong thought for a moment. Unbeknownst to him, his emperor Zhu Ming had already taken control of the entire capital. So he placed another piece, "Five to Seven, sandwich."
"Isn't Your Majesty afraid of raising a tiger that will cause future trouble? Your Majesty is too adept at using Wei Zhongxian as a weapon." He was still a little worried. "So adept that the entire court and the people of the world only know the Nine Thousand Years Old, not the Emperor."
At this moment, Zhu Ming slowly stood up, straightened his clothes, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly smiled.
"Nine thousand years old is still a thousand years less than ten thousand years old! Nine out of twelve, Sky Shield!"
The black piece landed with a resounding clang!
"Your Majesty's move was brilliant! This old minister is no match for it."
Looking at the chessboard and then at Zhu Ming's confident demeanor, Sun Chengzong finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Ming continued to smile without saying a word.
One afternoon in May of the sixth year of the Tianqi reign, a black piece was placed on the chessboard of the Ming Dynasty, a piece that would change everything.
The person who made the move was only twenty-two years old.
And that so-called "Nine Thousand Years Old" Wei Zhongxian at this moment...