Chapter 71: Where Is the Chongzhen Emperor? (Please Bookmark, Please Recommend)

The moment he heard there were over a hundred seagoing vessels, a thousand firelocks, two thousand naval officers and men, two thousand sailors, and a thousand guards, Zhu Cilang's mood immediately lifted.

"Are there still many troops in the Tianjin Guard city?" Zhu Cilang asked with a smile.

"My father has a thousand men in his governor's escort battalion, and Regional Commander Cao Youyi of Tianjin has four thousand soldiers under him," Feng Kaizhang replied. "When I left Tianjin, my father was reorganizing the troops and had sent orders to Dagu for Su Guansheng and Shen Tingyang to bring their two naval forces up the Wei River to the Tianjin Guard city."

"Good, good. Feng Yuanyang is truly a minister devoted to the public good." As Zhu Cilang heaped praise on Governor Feng, he beckoned Wang Qi, the Battalion Commander of the Eastern Palace Guard Battalion, to come help him dismount.

His Highness the Crown Prince clearly still lacked training! After galloping just over thirty li, his legs were sore, his backside ached, and he could no longer dismount on his own.

"You three, come with Us." Having finally gotten off his horse, Zhu Cilang waved to Wei Zaode, Song Quan, and Feng Kaizhang, then limped over to the carriage carrying the Chongzhen Emperor and Empress Zhou.

The carriage Chongzhen and Empress Zhou rode in was an ordinary two-wheeled cart with iron bands nailed to the wheels, very sturdy. But the passenger compartment at the rear looked extremely shabby, without the slightest trace of finery — just a common carriage of the sort used to haul passengers among the people.

Using this cart to carry Chongzhen and Empress Zhou was clearly something Wu Xiang had put thought into — if danger struck, this carriage could not only run, but also presented a small target.

Standing guard beside the carriage were two women in their early thirties, comely in appearance, dressed in plain blue cloth. They were palace maids from Qianqing Palace — one named Wei Qinghui, the other Wu Wanrong. Both had entered the palace in the same selection as Empress Zhou. Their luck had simply been poor: they had not been chosen as consorts, and had only served as palace women. Still, they had attended Chongzhen for over a decade, and not only knew his every comfort and chill, but had also won considerable trust.

On this whole flight they had followed along as well, loyally standing guard at Chongzhen's side.

Seeing Zhu Cilang approach, the two palace women performed a curtsy, then announced him. From inside the carriage came Empress Zhou's voice: "Raise the curtain."

At these words, the palace woman named Wei Qinghui lifted the curtain. Inside sat Chongzhen and Empress Zhou side by side, dressed in plain cloth.

Chongzhen's face was grim, his gaze dull, and there were traces of tears on his cheeks. Empress Zhou, by contrast, was composed — on her lovely face there was even a hint of relief.

"Your son respectfully inquires after the sacred well-being of Imperial Father and Imperial Mother." Zhu Cilang hastily bowed to Chongzhen and Empress Zhou.

Song Quan's gaze swept over the Chongzhen Emperor's face, and he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

This Chongzhen Emperor was the real one!

He was the Governor of Shuntian, and had previously served as a Censor in Beijing, where he had often been able to see the Emperor. So he recognized him at a glance... The Chongzhen Emperor really had been rescued by the Crown Prince — and he was still the Emperor!

That proved His Highness the Crown Prince was a true filial son... and if he himself obeyed the Crown Prince, then of course he was a loyal subject!

"Your subject Song Quan, Governor of Shuntian, respectfully inquires after the Emperor's sacred well-being!"

"Your subject Wei Zaode respectfully inquires after the Emperor's sacred well-being..."

Song Quan and Wei Zaode at once performed the grand obeisance, loudly hailing the Chongzhen Emperor.

This was to tell the attendants guarding the area and the troops of the Shuntian governor's escort battalion that the Emperor himself was still here!

The significance of whether Chongzhen was present or not must not be underestimated! Confused as he might be, he was still the Emperor, the sovereign and father of all subjects under Heaven, the symbol of the Great Ming realm. So long as he had not died and had not fallen into Li Zicheng's hands, then even if Li Zicheng broke through Beijing, he could not claim to have destroyed the Great Ming dynasty.

For the Emperor being driven from the capital by an enemy and then fighting his way back had occurred many times in history. Several of the Tang dynasty's Sons of Heaven, for example, had been driven out of Chang'an... yet no one treated the flight of the Son of Heaven as the mark of the Tang dynasty's end.

So the fact that Chongzhen had left Beijing alive proved that the Great Ming was not finished yet!

And for the overwhelming majority of civil officials who had come up through the examinations, so long as Chongzhen remained, and they themselves had not been captured by Li Zicheng or the Qing, they had to keep wearing the badge of loyal Ming subjects. Otherwise they would surely be cast aside by the scholarly world, and would no longer be worth much.

The civil officials of the Ming today were not like the military officers who held troops. Those officers were essentially all warlords now, propping up their standing with household retainers who could fight. So long as they had soldiers in hand, they could eat well and drink well wherever they went.

But civil officials did not directly control the army, so it was very hard for them to become warlords. What they relied on was their prestige and reputation in the scholarly world. If their reputation was ruined, then unless they were a formidable figure like Hong Chengchou, they were of little value. Surrendering would only preserve their lives and earn them a bowl of rice — they could not expect any important appointment.

Therefore, the great majority of the officials guarding the various regions who had not been captured by Li Zicheng or the Qing troops would remain loyal to the Chongzhen Emperor — which was to say, loyal to Zhu Cilang, the Crown Prince overseeing the army. After all, Zhu Cilang bore the surname Zhu and was the lawful heir to the throne; he could not be compared to a warlord like Cao Cao, who held the Son of Heaven hostage to command the nobles...

Looking at Song Quan kowtowing before him, the Chongzhen Emperor said only two faint words — "Rise" — and then had no further chance to speak.

Because Zhu Cilang had already hurriedly cut in: "The roving bandits' pursuers are twenty li away. How many troops are in Tongzhou? Have dry rations been prepared? When can we set out? Also, are there any grain-transport boats here in Tongzhou we can use?"

At this, Song Quan had no mind to say anything more to the Chongzhen Emperor, and quickly answered Zhu Cilang: "Your Highness, this subject has one thousand men in the governor's escort battalion, and has prepared tens of thousands of catties of dry rations — all baked wheat cakes. In addition, meals have been prepared for the Emperor, the Empress, Empress Zhang, and the Crown Prince.

As for grain-transport boats, none have been prepared..."

In truth, Tongzhou had originally had many grain-transport boats, but on the seventeenth and eighteenth, they had all been hired away by nobles, imperial relatives, and officials fleeing from inside Beijing. So by the time Zhu Cilang left the city, there were no boats left to use.

"Then there is no need to supply the meals," Zhu Cilang said. "The procession will not stop, but will go around the city... Huang Dabao! Take Governor Song to collect ten thousand taels of silver. This is a reward for the governor's escort troops — ten taels per man, with another ten taels once we reach Tianjin."

Song Quan was stunned, and could not help glancing at the Chongzhen Emperor. He thought: Your son is certainly generous! He's giving away twenty thousand taels just like that?

While he stood dazed, several loud-voiced guards beside Zhu Cilang bellowed: "By order of His Highness the Crown Prince, the officers and men of the Shuntian governor's escort have rendered meritorious service in guarding the imperial procession. Each man is rewarded ten taels of silver, with another ten taels upon reaching Tianjin!"

Hearing these men shout, Song Quan's brow tightened. Was Zhu Cilang distrusting him? Worried that he might embezzle the money?

At that moment Zhu Cilang stepped forward, took Song Quan's right hand, and as he walked toward his own warhorse, explained: "It is not that We distrust the Governor. It is that in extraordinary times, We use extraordinary methods, solely to boost the troops' morale."

Hearing Zhu Cilang's explanation, Song Quan quickly replied: "With the Crown Prince's reward, the Shuntian governor's escort, high and low, will surely serve with loyal hearts."

Zhu Cilang nodded and added: "As for having seen the Emperor and Empress — speak of it to no one else!"

"This subject obeys."

Having finished his instructions, Zhu Cilang mounted his horse with Wang Qi's help. Then, without entering the city, he rode directly along the moat, skirting the south side of Tongzhou, and then followed the canal southward without pause.

...

Chen Yongfu stood on West Sanlihe Street outside the outer city of Beijing. This was a broad avenue running parallel to the southern wall of Beijing's inner city. The street was wide, lined on both sides with shops built tall and sturdy — just tall enough to shield against arrows and musket balls fired from the inner city wall. Solid shot from the red-coated cannons, of course, could not be stopped. But the red-coated cannons mounted on Beijing's walls all lacked carriages that could adjust elevation, and moreover they were all set behind the battlements, so they could not fire downward. They could only shoot far, not near, and posed no threat to targets close to the wall.

Chen Yongfu, who had been ordered to lead the assault, was a general of Capital Camps background who had fought in many defensive battles and understood the limitations of cannon elevation very well. So after receiving Li Zicheng's military order, he had used the darkness before dawn to move his troops onto East and West Sanlihe Street, close to the wall.

His force was a mix of old and new. Its backbone consisted of veterans who had followed him since his days as Vice Regional Commander defending Kaifeng, while many new recruits had also been raised in Henan. Now, old soldiers and new alike were all eager for action.

Their target today was Zhengyang Gate itself! The Zhengyang Gate of Beijing's inner city! Fight their way in, and they could take Beijing, capture the Zhu Son of Heaven alive, destroy the Great Ming dynasty, and at the same time found the Great Shun dynasty!

Every one of them would then be a founding hero of the dynasty!

Walking past his high-spirited soldiers, Chen Yongfu, with somewhat complicated feelings, reached the junction of West Sanlihe Street and Zhengyang Gate Street. Leaning against the base of a wall, he took another look at the Zhengyang Gate arrow tower.

The yellow dragon banner symbolizing the Ming Emperor still flew high above the arrow tower... In theory, the Chongzhen Emperor ought to be directing the battle atop Zhengyang Gate at this very moment!

(End of Chapter)