Chapter 31: The Battle of the Imperial Capital

  Yuan Chonghuan decided to go to the capital when he found that the main force of the bandits suddenly turned around and rushed straight to the capital. He relied on the strong city walls and artillery of the capital to strike at the bandits, thus repelling them, which would also minimize the losses of the Guanning Army, in line with the interests of the Liaodong Group.

  But He Kexin stood up in opposition: "The great army should welcome the enemy at Jianrui, not enter the capital. Moreover, Jianrui is in the Tongzhou area, our army is stationed at Zhangjiawan, fifteen miles away from Tongzhou, and the grain supply is provided by the Hexi government office. This place is the best for war and defense. If the commander-in-chief directly goes to the capital, according to the Ming dynasty law, it says that the border town soldiers, without receiving a clear order, lightly advancing to under the city wall of the capital, is considered treason. Please, Commander-in-chief, think thrice."

  "It's a critical moment now, we can't stick to the old rules. The enemy's strategy has already been set in place, relying on strong fortifications and cannons for counterattack. You don't need me to say more."

  On the night of November 17, Chongzhen 2nd year, Yuan Chonghuan led the Guanning Army to the outside of Guangqu Gate in Beijing, startling the city's garrison troops and nearly causing them to fire cannons by mistake.

  Yuan Chonghuan requested an immediate audience with Emperor Chongzhen, but was not permitted. The message was only sent to the imperial court at dawn the next day.

  Chongzhen Emperor heard that Yuan Chonghuan had lost the news and brought his army, and he also put down a piece of heart. Although General Ma Gui of Xuanfu had arrived in Beijing with an imperial edict, there were only more than 5,000 people, which was no match for the elite Gengjing Iron Cavalry.

  The Chongzhen Emperor did not mind Yuan Chonghuan's offense of arriving at the capital without an imperial edict, and summoned him for an audience.

  After Yuan Chonghuan received the edict, he changed into a blue robe and black hat. He was bumped into by He Kegang, who was very surprised. Yuan Chonghuan said to He Kegang: "You don't know how to adapt, you need to learn more." After finishing speaking, he ignored He Kegang's questioning and walked away.

  After meeting with Emperor Chongzhen, Yuan Chonghuan directly knelt down and begged for punishment.

  Chongzhen Emperor looked at Yuan Chonghuan kneeling on the ground, and his heart was also uncertain what kind of taste it was; he favored him, yet hated him; hoped to remove him, but now he was looking forward to his arrival.

  On the sidelines, the Minister of Rites, Zhou Yanru, saw this scene and stepped forward to impeach Yuan Chonghuan for indulging in building luxurious houses and gardens within the passes and even in the capital, without firing a single arrow.

  Yuan Chonghuan immediately retorted, saying that Jianchu was so powerful, and his small army in the wilderness clashed head-on with Jianchu, which was like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth, and an arm trying to stop a chariot. Jianchu had made sufficient preparations before launching the attack, with the aim of capturing the capital and becoming emperor.

  Zhou Yanru was so intimidated by Jian Xiu's strength that he didn't dare speak anymore.

  The Chongzhen Emperor sighed in his heart, comforted Yuan Chonghuan not to worry and do a good job, even putting on his own sable coat for Yuan Chonghuan.

  Yuan Chonghuan originally wanted to scare them a bit, to see if he could get the officials of the capital city to come out and negotiate with Jianyu, so that there would be no more trouble. However, it seemed to have no effect, and they didn't dare say anything openly. But now the situation is still relatively satisfactory, at least no one is saying that they want to punish him.

  Both sides had a friendly conversation. Finally, as usual, Emperor Chongzhen asked Yuan Chonghuan if he had any other requests. If not, then go back and lead the troops well.

  "I didn't expect Yuan Chonghuan to have a request, which is also one of the main purposes of his visit: 'Your Majesty, I have a request, and I hope Your Majesty will grant it.'"

  Chongzhen Emperor was taken aback and asked Yuan Chonghuan to speak.

  "Your Majesty, the Gua Ning army has been fighting for days on end, and both men and horses are exhausted. Please allow us to enter the city to rest and regroup."

  "What, I won't hold it against you for bringing troops to the capital without my permission. Now that you've made some progress, you want to enter the city." The Chongzhen Emperor listened, secretly annoyed in his heart, but he also didn't dare to turn against him like this.

  Chongzhen Emperor refused on the spot.

  Yuan Chonghuan thought it wouldn't work, they couldn't enter the city, and would have to fight Jian Wokou outside, which would result in heavy losses. So he persisted again.

  Chongzhen Emperor still did not allow it.

  Just as they were at a stalemate, an imperial attendant came to report that the Jurchen army had appeared outside the city.

  Then, after ending this unpleasant meeting, Yuan Chonghuan hurried back to defend together, and the Chongzhen Emperor ascended the city wall to observe the battle array.

  The construction of the road was a great success, with no resistance encountered. When they met the army, the army fled; when they met the city, the city fell. Their morale boosted, they marched straight to the capital of Ming Dynasty, to see if they could take it down.

  After arriving in the capital of Ming, I found that the city wall was much higher and more magnificent than all the cities I had seen before. The Ming army stood densely on the city wall, and there were two loyalist armies under the city, one of which was an old opponent. My heart suddenly cooled down by half. It seems that there is no chance for me to win, but since I have come here, I will fight anyway. First, let's set up camp.

  The Chongzhen Emperor grew up in the depths of the palace, and had never seen a grand army before. When he arrived at the city wall, he saw the dense rows of enemy troops, and his heart was slightly intimidated, but he did not show it. He comforted the officials and soldiers, then returned to the palace.

  In the following days, a back-and-forth battle of attack and defense began, with both sides having their victories and defeats. However, there were several things that made Emperor Chongzhen extremely angry.

  One, the city wall of the capital was hit by a few big cannons brought back from the enemy and collapsed in a large area. Fortunately, Man Gui led the army to fight to the death, giving the city a chance to repair itself.

  The second is that the Ming army's business on the city wall was unfamiliar with cannons and actually fired at their own troops.

  Thirdly, Jian Yu saw that the Guanning Army was more elite than the Xuanfu Army, so he picked a soft persimmon to squeeze. On this side, they were fighting fiercely, while on the other side, they were chatting and grinding their teeth, pretending to be busy; at one point, the Xuanfu Army really couldn't hold on, so they went around the city to ask for help from the Guanning Army, but instead, they were treated to a round of arrows by friendly forces, and even the main general Ma Gui was injured.

  Man Gui's complaint was presented to the emperor, but at the time it did not receive immediate attention and was put on hold.

  That night, after Emperor Chongzhen finished handling the memorials for the day, he started reading books. Wang Chengen, who was attending to him on one side, took a look at the time and saw that it was already midnight, and seeing the bloodshot eyes of Emperor Chongzhen, couldn't help but feel a bit worried: "Your Majesty, you should go to bed now."

  Chongzhen Emperor put down the book and looked at Wang Cheng'en: "Grand Companion, I couldn't sleep. These days, I haven't been able to sleep."

  It's also true that when the enemy is at the city gate, if you can still eat and sleep as usual, then you're either a pig or a god.

  Chongzhen Emperor might also want to talk to someone, so he said to Wang Cheng'en: "Grand Companion, the enemy army is approaching the city, and I have received reports that the Gansu army has rebelled in Anding, the Shanxi army has rebelled in Jingdi, Yuan Chonghuan has not worked hard, even shooting and injuring friendly troops. The walls of the capital city have collapsed, all these things make me very worried!"

  Here is the translation:

  Having said that, Emperor Chongzhen ordered Wang Chengen to dismiss all the palace maids and eunuchs on both sides, then asked: "Grand Companion, you said Mr. Zhong said I am the king of a fallen country, do you believe it now?"

  Wang Chengen did not expect Emperor Chongzhen to ask this question, and he was taken aback for a moment. However, he quickly reacted and expressed his disbelief, saying that the Tatars had also been at the city gates before, but nothing had happened.

  The Chongzhen Emperor felt slightly relieved, but still worried, saying that the situation was different now, as the national treasury had been depleted for so many years, and yet something like the Loyalist Troops' Riot happened again.

  Wang Cheng'en furrowed his brow, thinking of how to further comfort Emperor Chongzhen. Suddenly, he had an idea. He said that heaven had sent Mr. Zhong to help Your Majesty, and that he himself had witnessed Mr. Zhong appear out of thin air on that day. In the past, it was unheard of for a ruler to have such good fortune as to receive heavenly assistance. Your Majesty's great fortune will surely lead to the revival of the Great Ming!

  Chongzhen Emperor was delighted for a moment, but wasn't Mr. Zhong still in a coma? This guy is really something, being in a coma for so long, not only am I worried, but many people are anxious too, and he still hasn't woken up!!!!!

  Wang Chengen said that the imperial physician estimated that he might wake up in a few days, Your Majesty can rest assured.

  The Chongzhen Emperor finished speaking and felt a bit relieved. He hadn't slept well for days, and now he was feeling sleepy, so he went to bed.

  In the second year of Chongzhen, on November 27th, the bandits had been attacking the capital of the Ming dynasty for many days without success, so they retreated and went to other places to relax and have some fun.

  After the news of the retreat of the rebels, Emperor Chongzhen made a series of arrangements: he appointed Shenyang Liang, Taichang of the Imperial Guard, and Lv Zhidao, Neiguan Taichang, to supervise the nine gates and Huangcheng Gate; and Li Fengxiang, Taichang of the Imperial Guard, as commander-in-chief of the Zhongyongying and supervisor of the Jingying.

  On December 1st, he invited Yuan Chonghuan and Zu Dashou into the city to discuss supplies.

  When Yuan Chonghuan met Emperor Chongzhen, he found that Ma Gui and Hei Yunlong were also present, and he was taken aback.

  Before he woke up, Emperor Chongzhen questioned Yuan Chonghuan about killing Mao Wenyong, the enemy's invasion of the capital and the shooting of Mangui. Yuan Chonghuan was stunned, wasn't it supposed to be a discussion about salary, why did you bring up other things?

  Chongzhen Emperor saw that Yuan Chonghuan was silent in protest and became enraged, ordering Ma Gui to strip on the spot to show off his arrow wounds.

  Yuan Chonghuan was truly silent this time, it's not the right moment to speak, anyway, I still have my 20,000 Gan Ning Iron Cavalry outside, so what if you arrest me now?

  Who would have thought that Emperor Chongzhen was not afraid at all, because he had made preparations in advance: immediately, Yuan Chonghuan was taken to the Jin Yiwei Grand Hall outside Xichang'an Gate and handed over to the Nan Zhenfu Monitoring Department. Another order was given to Zu Dashou to take charge of the Guanning Iron Cavalry, and Ma Gui to lead the Jing Shi King's Army.

  One of the cabinet scholars, Cheng Ji Ming, was shocked by the sight of the Minister of Revenue, Bi Zi Yan, and hastily retreated to persuade him. The rebel leader had not gone far, and handling the situation at this time would be inappropriate.

  The Chongzhen Emperor said: "I should have listened to advice earlier, and things would not have come to this. I entrusted the Liaodong affair to Yuan Chonghuan, but he was arrogant and reckless. As the commander-in-chief, he did not take precautions beforehand, allowing the enemy to penetrate deep into our territory. Although he rushed to provide reinforcements, he restrained his officers and men, watching idly as they plundered and pillaged, their crimes far outweighing their achievements. If I do not deal with him, I will be unable to face my people."

  The various ministers heard this but did not speak.

  Zu Dashou didn't say a word from start to finish, and when he returned to the camp, his legs couldn't stand still. He sat for a long time before recovering.

  He Kezheng heard the result of the disposition and hurried to suggest to Zu Dashou: "The tail is built, taking advantage of its looting, ambushing and killing it, should be able to win a big victory, with this merit redeeming the governor, or maybe it can."

  Zu Dashou furrowed his brow, thought for a moment and said: "You go back first, I'll think about it three times." Then he sent He Kegan away. This strategy is to be used, but it's necessary to stake one's life on it, which makes him somewhat hesitant, so he needs to think carefully.

  After Chongzhen Emperor disposed of the commander-in-chief of Jizhou and Liaodong, Yuan Chonghuan, he began to deal with another matter: the tofu dregs project of the capital city wall. Unexpectedly, after handling such a big thing as Yuan Chonghuan so smoothly, this anti-corruption work encountered great resistance instead.