The rebel army in western Zhejiang was defeated. Yuling Pass, Huizhou, Jixi, and the cities of Ningguo all fell one after another in just three to five days. Coming down from Ningguo, there was a flat river, and the door leading from western Zhejiang to Jiangning suddenly opened, and Jiangning
Shocked...
Xie Chaozhong and Liu Zhi fled back to Jiangning on horseback. They were captured by the guards of the Royal Horse Prison under the city and imprisoned pending trial.
Chen Xiyan was angry at Xie Chaozhong for leading the army and fell ill at home to recuperate. When news of the fall of Huizhou reached Jiangning, Emperor Yongxing was forced to bow his head. In one day, his imperial concubine visited Chen's house twice in person. Only then did Chen Xiyan manage his illness and return to politics.
He also served as the governor-general of the imperial camp and military affairs, with Cheng Yuqian as the associate administrator, responsible for the defense of Jiangning.
The imperial camp army was expanded based on the original Jiangning garrison and the guard camp of Prince Ning's mansion. Although the system of the imperial camp generals is complicated, it can be roughly divided into the garrison army department and the guard camp department.
After autumn, nearly half of the imperial camp troops followed Xie Chaozhong south to Huizhou, and most of them were Xie Chaozhong's close associates from the guard camp. Therefore, the imperial camp troops who stayed in Jiangning were almost all members of the old Jiangning garrison.
Although Cheng Yuqian is mediocre, he has served in the Jiangning Military Department all year round and is quite familiar with Jiangning's defense and the generals. Although the original Jiangning garrison was weak in combat, it was defeated by Li Zhuo, Gu Wuchen com, and the Zhejiang and Fujian rebels stopped in Ningguo.
, did not attack in one go. After Jiangning experienced the initial panic, under the leadership of Chen Xiyan, Cheng Yuqian and others, the defense did not collapse all of a sudden.
After the defeat of Huizhou, even Emperor Yongxing had no hope for the combat power of the imperial army. He gave up the idea of defending the enemy from outside and withdrew all his troops to the city to defend the army with all his strength, thereby repelling the Zhejiang and Fujian rebels.
The hope is pinned on the head of Qin Wangjun.
The naval forces originally stationed at Longzangpu in the south of the city also entered the city through the water gate. Forty thousand defenders spread out under the city walls and in the streets and alleys, which can calm people's hearts a little - in fact, no matter how stable the people's hearts are, there is a limit to it. Jiangning City
There has been no military disaster in the past two hundred years. The Zhejiang and Fujian rebels captured Huizhou and opened doors to move north to Jiangning. How could the city not panic?
On the night of November 12th, a curfew was implemented in Jiangning City after dark, and the streets seemed particularly cold. Groups of soldiers guarded the streets and alleys, staring at the empty long streets. Occasionally they would look up at the towering city walls, not knowing what to do.
The frightened crows there hovered over the east city. Under the reflection of the cold moon, the guards who were still standing at the top of the city in the cold night were particularly weak.
Although no one could be seen walking on the street, there were many people sleeping close to each other under the eaves on both sides.
After the fall of Huizhou, the news quickly spread like a plague from Huizhou to the north, and the refugees who fled were like a flood. Initially, it spread from Xuanzhou, Liyang, and Lishui, and in the past two days, Moling, Changning and other counties were also affected.
Involved in this, hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Jiangning City.
Too many refugees had no place to settle, so they could only huddle together under the eaves of the street. It happened to be a severe cold weather, and the biting cold wind hovered at the top of the city, howling, and covered the eaves with white frost.
It seemed that he didn't care about the heart-wrenching cries under the eaves.
Emperor Yongxing Yuan Jianwu ate in his palace, Taiqian Palace, at night. Under the palace lamp, his eye sockets were dark and his face was pale. Although the Zhejiang and Fujian troops stopped in Ningguo, the disastrous defeat on the Zhejiang West Middle Road was like a heavy blow.
He severely smashed his previous high spirits to pieces, and even had to lower his head, run to Chen Xiyan's house, and ask him to come out to take charge of the affairs.
Yuan Jianwu would not admit that he was wrong, nor would he admit that the majestic imperial army in Yanwu was so vulnerable. It must be Xie Chaozhong. Liu Zhi betrayed his trust and made him a joke to the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty. But Chen Xiyan
Before waiting for others, didn't he just kowtow in front of the palace and say that Xie Chaozhong couldn't use it?
Bastard, bastard! Yuan Jianwu was thoughtful while eating, his face tightened, and his gray face made him look very ugly under the lamp. Even though Concubine Chen who was accompanying the meal was usually the most favored, she did not dare to do so at this time.
Say something more.
After eating, his body recovered a little after a tiring day. Yuan Jianwu stretched and his face looked a little better. Concubine Chen moved her seat, knelt down in front of Yuan Jianwu and said: "
The slave family has composed a new piece of music. The emperor said that he wanted to listen to it but has not listened to it yet. If he hadn’t taken a break tonight..."
Yuan Jianwu shook his head. He was so anxious that he still had the time to listen to any new music. But Concubine Chen had a charming face and a small expression in her eyes, like a pug trying to please her master. Although she spoke inappropriately, she still couldn't.
Unable to get offended, Yuan Jianwu took Concubine Chen's hand, walked to the imperial case and sat down, and said: "Please help Rourou's neck..." Yuan Jianwu was asked to read the memorials and newspapers full of scandalous cases.
I was so upset that I wished I could burn it with fire. I closed my eyes, leaned against the dragon chair, and enjoyed Concubine Chen's smooth and tender breasts. I squeezed the tendons on my neck to make my heart feel a little more comfortable. I thought of something.
, asked the eunuch standing next to him: "Where is Meng Yishan?"
"Your Majesty, Meng Yishan came to the city after dark. At the residence of Prime Minister Chen, he said that he would come to see you early tomorrow morning..."
"I'm all worried. I can't wait until tomorrow morning. Send someone to Chen Xiyan's house to deliver the decree. Summon Chen Xiyan and Meng Yishan to the palace together and ask them to come over immediately..." Yuan Jianwu said eagerly, and then said, "
Call Zhang Yan over too."
The eunuch who delivered the order quickly left and returned, and the eunuch Zhang Yan followed him and knelt down to report: "Prime Minister Chen, Prime Minister Cheng and General Meng are all in the political hall. When the emperor summoned them, they all went to the front hall to wait.
It’s on…”
When Yuan Jianwu arrived at the front hall, Chen Xiyan, Cheng Yuqian, and Meng Yishan greeted him on the white corridor in front of the hall: "Your Majesty, Chen Xiyan, Meng Yishan will meet you!"
Yuan Jianwu went straight to the first room of the wing at the east end of the front hall, sat on a couch covered with brocade mattresses, and gave seats to Chen Xiyan, Zhang Yan, and Meng Yishan. He had been eagerly looking forward to Meng Yishan before, but now he saw Meng Yishan.
However, they did not want their impatient mood to fall into the eyes of Chen Xiyan and the others. They pressed their arms on the armrest and asked Chen Xiyan: "Is there any reply from Huaixi?"
"Prince King Ye Jiduo led 40,000 cavalry and rebel Chen Zhihu down the vortex and entered Yanling. Their troops were pointed directly at Huaixi. Dong Yuan crossed the Huaihe River to supervise the army in Guoyang. The imperial decree was probably not received by Dong Yuan until today. It is not so
There will be a response soon..." Chen Xiyan replied, his voice was hoarse with extreme weakness, and his body was extremely exhausted, but his eyes were just struggling to support him. Fortunately, Meng Yishan entered Jiangning City in time, and the Hanghu Army left Jiangning City.
It is also closer to Jiangning City than the rebels, which gives him a little peace of mind.
"What's the news today?" Yuan Jianwu asked, looking at Cheng Yuqian. If anyone above the temple knew something about military matters, it was Cheng Yuqian.
"The rebels are still stationed in Ningguo, and only a few troops have entered Xuanzhou," Cheng Yuqian replied, "but the rebels are stationed in Ningguo to gather forces, and they will invade Jiangning depending on the situation."
"Can Xuanzhou be defended? Coming down from Xuanzhou is Liyang and Lishui. How can we defend it? Have you come up with a plan?" Emperor Yongxing had his own pride. Of course, he was eager to know whether he had negotiated peace with the She family.
There is a possibility that Anshe might be recruited again, but she would never ask him about it first.
Unfortunately, no one down there knew what he was thinking. Maybe someone knew what he was thinking, but raised it for him inconsiderately.
Meng Yishan has entered Jiangning City, but what to do with the Hanghu Army? Should they be transferred into Jiangning City to assist in defense, or sent to Liyang and Lishui to block the rebels' sharpness? Yuan Jianwu has no idea in his mind. These days
He was completely panicked. He spent the whole day thinking about these simple questions, but still had no clue.
"Huaidong's advance in eastern Fujian is very profitable. It is reported that Jin'an Prefecture will be captured on the fifth day of the lunar month, and the main troops are returning to the army," Chen Xiyan said. "At the moment, the troops in Huaixi and Jiangzhou are not suitable for large-scale movements. Xuanzhou
, Liyang and Lishui do not have extra soldiers and horses to defend. As long as the city of Jiangning is defended, as long as Huaidong soldiers and horses return to the army and King Qin, the crisis in Jiangning will be solved. The veteran thought that the rebels were stationed in Ningguo, so he was worried about Huaidong's actions.
, the old minister asked the emperor to allow the Hanghu army to enter the capital to defend the holy chariot..."
Yuan Jianwu frowned and ignored Chen Xiyan. He looked at Zhang Yan and Cheng Yuqian and said, "What do you think?"
"The Hanghu army defended Jiangning, and Wei Chen also believed that it could ensure that Jiangning would be safe, but the root of Jiangning was outside the city, not inside the city," Cheng Yuqian said. "The rebels stopped in Ningguo and did not go north. On the one hand, they gathered troops and horses;
On the other hand, the refugees are also driven to Jiangning city. What will happen if Huaidong does not come to Jiangning for three to five months?"
Cheng Yuqian and Chen Xiyan were on the same front when it came to Xie Chaozhong leading the army, but when Meng Yishan led the Hanghu Army into Jiangning City, Cheng Yuqian held opposing views.
When Meng Yishan entered Jiangning, he naturally had to replace Xie Chaozhong, who was imprisoned, as the commander of the imperial camp and be responsible for the defense of Jiangning.
Cheng Yuqian had a suitable candidate to recommend to Emperor Yongxing, and since Meng Yishan entered Jiangning, Emperor Yongxing and Chen Xiyan would only pay attention to Meng Yishan's opinion on the issue of Jiangning's defense, and Cheng Yuqian would give him the edge.
Hua——How could he agree to let Meng Yishan lead the Hanghu Army into Jiangning?
"I also thought that if we did not defend Xuanzhou and Liyang at all, and allowed the rebels to flow in, the vitality of the imperial court would be greatly damaged, which would be detrimental to the future..." Zhang Yan said, the emperor's attitude was obvious, but it was inconvenient to directly refuse Meng Yishan's advance.
Jiangning is coming.
This time the emperor had no choice but to bow his head and ask Chen Xiyan to take charge of the situation, but the emperor was absolutely unwilling to hold his head high in front of Chen Xiyan forever. Although Xie Chaozhong and Liu Zhi were imprisoned, the emperor had no intention of holding Yu Xinyuan, Wang Xueshan, and Wang Tian accountable.
, Zhang Yan could more or less guess what he was thinking, so how could he allow Meng Yishan to lead his army into Jiangning City at this time and let Chen Xiyan completely take the initiative?
Although Chen Xiyan strongly advocated ensuring that Jiang Ning was safe first, the reasons given by Cheng Yuqian and Zhang Yan were difficult for him to refute.
Xuanzhou is at the northern foot of Yishan Mountain, and there are some terrains that are easy to defend. From Xuanzhou, to Jiangning in the north, and to Pingjiang Prefecture in the east, there is a vast plain. These places are precisely the core areas that the imperial court can directly control, the Jinghua area.
.
Huaidong is not trustworthy. This is a lice on a bald man's head. It is obvious. Here we will defend Jiangning. Who knows when Huaidong soldiers and horses will come to help? Furthermore, even if the She family cannot capture Jiangning, they only need to surround Jiangning and Danyang Mansion.
Pingjiang Prefecture was destroyed more thoroughly than the one in Chongguan ten years ago, and before retreating to Huizhou, Jiangning's foundation was almost hollowed out.
The foundation of Jiangning has been hollowed out. Where can Dong Yuan raise the money and food to guard Huaixi? Yue Lengqiu still has 60,000 soldiers and horses in Jiangzhou waiting to be fed. Of course, Huaidong will completely ride on it to cause trouble - the She family only needs to hollow out Jiangning.
The foundation can make Yue Lengqiu change from strong to weak in Jiangzhou. Jiangning can't ask Huaidong to send troops to defend Jiangzhou on Yue Lengqiu's behalf, right?