Chapter 127 Zuo Liangyu's Rebellion
The mourning hall had already been set up at the military training ground, though of course, the coffin was empty. Prince Ding's coronation attire was the same costume Zhao Xiaofei had purchased on Taobao. He didn't dare go too far, fearing suspicion would arise if he were too elaborate.
Zhu Cijiong, dressed in black robes and a crown with twelve tassels, knelt before the tablet of Chongzhen and burned incense and kowtowed. Wang Erxi shouted, "Officials, salute!"
All officials knelt on the ground and kowtowed before Chongzhen's spirit tablet. They were supposed to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth, ring bells and drums, and pay respects to their ancestors at the Taimiao. But all of this was dispensed with. Zhu Cijiong was to light a stick of incense before the spirit tablet and kowtow nine times, while all civil and military officials kowtowed in tribute. The emperor issued an edict to announce it to the world!
Zhao Xiaofei knelt on the ground, listening to Zhu Cijiong's stuttering words about ascending the throne, and kowtowed again with everyone else. Everyone shouted: Long live our emperor!
After the ceremony, they began to busy themselves with issuing imperial edicts. The first edict was sent to the six ministries in Nanjing, telling them that the new emperor had ascended the throne and that they should not think about supporting any prince to ascend the throne. The new emperor brought 100,000 soldiers to Nanjing. Let you guys receive him well and don't do anything weird. The first edict was sent by Zhao Xiaokun with Zhaoren and Concubine Yuan. They took 1,500 bodyguards with them in advance, led by General Zhou. In addition, appointment letters were also brought to Zhang Huangyan and Shi Kefa separately. Shi Kefa was the Left Censor-in-Chief, and Zhang Huangyan was the Minister of War. His Minister of War was not the Minister of War in Nanjing but the Minister of War in the central government.
The second edict was addressed to Huang Degong, continuing the historical record by conferring him the title of Duke of Jingguo. He was ordered to garrison Chuzhou and Hezhou, and to send his family to Nanjing. If holding on to the two territories proved difficult, he could retreat to Jiangyin.
The third edict was addressed to Qin Liangyu, the general of Shizhu, conferring the title of Marquis of Loyalty. Zhao Xiaofei returned the title originally belonging to Qin Liangyu to her, allowing it to be passed on to her grandson Ma Wanchun. Her nephew, Qin Yiming, was made Earl of Weitong. He also allocated 100,000 taels of silver, allowing her to recruit troops and eliminate Zhang Xianzhong in Sichuan. However, Zhao Xiaofei knew what 100,000 taels of silver could do. He privately telegraphed Fang Xinyu, asking him to find a way to send another 1.8 million taels of silver to Shizhu.
The fourth imperial edict was addressed to Zheng Zhilong, conferring him the title of Marquis of Nan'an. This was a much faster promotion than in history, directly reaching the rank of Marquis. However, his power was much reduced, as he was no longer in charge of the entire Fujian province. He was only allowed to station troops in Quanzhou and be in charge of maritime trade. He was also expected to wait for court officials to work together to re-establish the customs office. His official title was the General of the South China Sea!
The fifth edict was sent to He Tengjiao, conferring him the title of Earl of Dingxing and Governor-General of Huguang! A letter was also attached, stating that he only needed to hold on to Changsha, Hunan, and the advantageous areas along the Yangtze River. He was also to gather the defeated Ming troops. He was to reorganize local administration and rebuild government offices at all levels. Zhao Xiaofei had no intention of letting him stay in this position for long; he had reserved this position for his eldest brother. He Tengjiao could only assist his eldest brother, govern the area, and collect taxes. He could just act as his eldest brother's advisor! He Tengjiao was a person who was certain of his ability.
First, who would have dared to serve as governor of the mess that was Huguang in the 17th year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign? When Zuo Liangyu kidnapped you and took you east on a boat, did you dare to risk your life by jumping into the river at Hanyang Gate? Eight of the ten prefectures in Huguang couldn't even collect taxes properly, so how could they support the entire loyalist camp? So don't trust the so-called public intellectuals. Even if they were in He Tengjiao's position, they wouldn't necessarily do as well as he did! Even if they did, it would only be because they had the experience and lessons learned by people hundreds of years later.
At this time, Zuo Liangyu was at his residence, gathering several generals. He looked at his officers and said, "News has come from the capital: Li Zicheng has broken through the capital, and the emperor has committed suicide!"
"What? The Emperor has passed away! What should we do then?" Huang Shu asked. The other generals also asked the same question. They were somewhat bewildered.
"Why are you panicking? The new emperor has ascended the throne in Tianjin, and the reign is called Zhongxing! He is the third prince of the late emperor, His Royal Highness Prince Ding!" Zuo Liangyu said.
"Now that we have a new emperor, the Marshal should write a memorial asking the emperor to make up for the debts we have owed him over the years!" Huang Shu suggested.
Zuo Liangyu sneered, "How naive! All these years of your service have been in vain! If the court had money, could it have gotten to this point today? Could the capital be lost? Could the emperor hang himself on Coal Hill?"
"Marshal! Then please give us a solution! Our brothers are almost out of food!" Yuan Jixian said.
"Dad, the world is in chaos now. What should we do next?" Zuo Menggeng asked.
"There are still some valuables at home. Let's distribute them to stabilize the army's morale first!" Zuo Liangyu said.
"I, Yuan Jixian, would like to thank you on behalf of my brothers for your kindness, Marshal!" Yuan Jixian stood up and saluted.
"Me too! Huang would like to thank the Marshal!" Huang Shu saw Yuan Jixian like this and quickly bowed. Giving money would be great! Now whoever pays will be the boss!
"Dad, even if we spend all our wealth, we won't be able to last long. What should we do in the future?" Zuo Menggeng asked.
"I will first ask the court for food and money. If they don't reply within a month, we will find another way! Everyone go back to the camp to appease the soldiers. I will find a way to get the money!" Zuo Liangyu said.
In the evening, Zuo Liangyu called his son to his side and asked, "What are the latest developments in the court?"
"Dad! I heard the court gave He Tengjiao the title of Earl of Dingxing and promoted him to Governor-General of Huguang. They also gave Qin Liangyu the title of Marquis of Loyalty and ordered her to expand her army! Zheng Zhilong and Huang Degong were all given titles and promoted. But they only bypassed us!" Zuo Menggeng said indignantly. If they knew Zhao Xiaofei gave Qin Liangyu 1.8 million taels of silver, they would probably be furious!
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