Chapter 5: The City of Sorrow in Nanjing (I)

Tang Shilong's 50,000 army lost 30% of the confrontation in more than ten days, and the 60,000 reinforcements headed by Yan Mingtai were barely comparable to Xiong Tingbi. Just when he was ambitious, he shot his troops on the battlefield and defeated Xiong Tingbi in one fell swoop, but found that most of his subordinates had rebelled. With the connection of deputy general Xu Yunzhen, a good show of mutiny in front of the formation was staged. The reinforcements commander Yan Mingtai was even captured by the personal soldiers arranged by Xu Yunzhen in an inexplicable situation. The 60,000 reinforcements became prisoners without firing a single shot and an ammunition.

The reinforcements commander Yan Mingtai had a premonition that this time he sent him to help Tang Shilong, he would go but not return. After Huli was captured, everything understood. How could Tang Shilong be the opponent of the peerless general Xiong Tingbi? It was clearly a trap designed by others, luring out the limited forces of the Nanjing defenders to minimize the pressure of resistance for future siege operations.

After solving Tang Shilong and Yan Mingtai, there was basically no resistance west of Nanjing. After the limited integration, Xiong Tingbi left behind 50,000 troops with weak combat power temporarily stationed in various prefectures and counties to maintain local public order. The remaining 140,000 troops were left. Apart from the organization of an artillery regiment, they dispersed all the prisoners and organized them into the army, quickly advanced eastward, and gradually completed the strategic goal of encircling Nanjing.

In order to cooperate with Xiong Tingbi's army's eastward siege plan, Moling Pass had already captured. Xiong Zhaolian, who occupied Niushou Mountain, temporarily suspended his attack on Jubao Mountain and constantly sent people to surrender the defenders of the pseudo-Ming Dynasty on Jubao Mountain.

Soon the spirit of the guards outside Nanjing was shaken, and soldiers fled out of the barracks at night every day. This trend of escape from the barracks became more and more intense. As one fell and the other increased, the troops guarding Nanjing continued to decline.

Soon Xu Yunzhen surrendered in a mutiny, and the two generals Tang Shilong and Yan Mingtai were captured alive one after another. The news that the 100,000 troops were wiped out to Nanjing. In an instant, Jing Yangzhong, who was alerted in the Huangji Palace, was ringing by the busy eunuch.

The Empress Dowager Xu Rongrong, a female, tried her best to remain calm, but she was in a panic. The only people who could rely on were eunuch Gao Qiqian and others.

"Empress Dowager, the emperor, I am willing to go out of the city to negotiate with King Xin. Since ancient times, my brothers have ended up with brothers and brothers. After the death of Emperor Taizu Zhao Kuangyin of Song, he passed the throne to his younger brother Emperor Zhao Guangyi. Now King Xin has stole the throne, but he has never appointed an empress, nor has he appointed a crown prince. If King Xin respects the queen mother-in-law, and has made the son of the late emperor the crown prince, the country of the Ming Dynasty, and the hundreds of thousands of officers and soldiers in Nanjing, King Xin has always loved the people. If he could not use weapons, he could break the siege of Nanjing and keep the bloodline of the late emperor without harm. I think, King Xin will not refuse in front of Dayi." Qian Qianyi's words were reasonable, and his thoughts of surrender were obvious.

"Master Qian Ge, you are too naive. At that time, King Xin raised an army to rebel. If we hadn't been to protect the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager, I'm afraid the world would have been King Xin. If you were to send the Empress Dowager to King Xin and let him slaughter him?" Cui Chengxiu stood up and retorted loudly.

"What Lord Cui said is bad. If King Xin agreed to our conditions, we and other loyal ministers assisted the prince. If King Xin wanted to assassinate the Queen Mother, the prince would be impossible!" Qian Qianyi argued according to reason.

"It's ridiculous. If King Xin ascended the throne and became emperor with justification, how could he be willing to enthrone the emperor as the crown prince? Don't say that he would not agree, and the traitors who followed him would not agree. Master Qian Ge, are you so confused?" Cui Chengxiu pointed at Qian Qianyi's nose and scolded angrily.

"Mr. Cui, under great justice, the son of the late emperor is a legitimate crown prince. As long as we fight with reason, no matter how strong the king is, he can't beat the scholars of the world!" Qian Qianyi's neck turned red and he argued loudly.

"The winner is the king and the loser is the enemy. Mr. Qiange should not forget the Jingnan Incident!" Cui Chengxiu turned his head and said.

"Crash", there was no voice in the hall for a moment. "The Jingnan Change" was the deepest taboo hidden in the minds of the monarchs and ministers of the Ming Dynasty. No official dared to talk about this matter publicly, and he couldn't even think about it. When the King of Yan seized the throne of his nephew Zhu Yunwen, the Jingnan Change caused great harm to the founding Ming Dynasty. Although it was already history, it was always a taboo and was so secretive.

The situation in front of us is so similar. Is the suffering Ming Dynasty really going to have another Jingnan Change? Many timid officials can no longer control their calves and are trembling. No one knows the exact number of great scholars and officials who died in that palace disaster.

"Random, the Ai family and the emperor summon you to hear how you surrender?" Empress Dowager Xu Rongrong swept her sharp eyes over the ministers in the hall and shouted coldly.

Cui Chengxiu knew that he had made a mistake, so he bent down and knelt down to apologize and said, "The Empress Dowager forgives the crime. In a hurry, he made a mistake. Please ask the Empress Dowager, the Emperor to punish him!"

"Mr. Cui is calm, the Ai family knows that you have a sincere heart." Xu Rongrong's voice slowed down, and then continued, "Although Master Cui's words are taboo, what he said is true. Do you really think that if King Xin accepted Lord Qian's conditions, he would let us mother and son go, and let you ministers go?"

There was silence, and Xu Rongrong's words came to the hearts of the ministers in the palace.

"The Ai family also knows that Nanjing City cannot be defended, but we cannot stop it. Surrender is just a stagnant. All the families are all the pillars of my Ming Dynasty. Do you still understand this principle?" Xu Rongrong asked.

Many officials' faces flushed with shame, and Qian Qianyi even knelt down and apologized: "I am confused, please ask the Queen Mother, the Emperor allows me to resign from the position of chief minister of the cabinet!"

How could Xu Rongrong let Qian Qianyi resign as the chief minister of the cabinet? She immediately scolded him severely, not allowed!

Qian Qianyi was greedy for power, and under the situation, he was just a gesture. As for Xu Rongrong's rebuke, he didn't care at all.

Moreover, under the current situation, a new cabinet chief is not allowed. Therefore, Cui Chengxiu and Wei Zhongxian's minions did not take the opportunity to attack. Instead, the Kebaba party controlled a small number of military officials to covet the position of cabinet chief minister. However, no one could compare with Qian Qianyi in terms of talent and prestige. Naturally, Xu Rongrong scolded him and soon stopped.

Zhu Yinglong was naturally willing to take Nanjing without bloodshed, but his conditions were obviously not something Wei Zhongxian and the pseudo-empress Dowager Xu Rongrong could agree. Zhu Yinglong asked Wei Zhongxian and a group of eunuchs' minions to kill him. For his own life, Wei Zhongxian would never be able to cut his head for himself. The resentment between the two sides had reached the point of death and there was no possibility of peaceful negotiation at all. The negotiation conditions set by Qian Qianyi were simply foolish. Benevolence, righteousness and morality may be useful to gentlemen. No one who is an emperor has ever been a gentleman. Human nature is selfish. No emperor's mind is a degree. What is righteousness? The big fist is righteousness. Qian Qianyi has not understood this truth for more than ten years in his official career. It is really pedantic.
Chapter completed!