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After repeated persuasion from scholars and common people, Qin Mu finally agreed to be crowned king.
At this time, Yang Zhi and her son had also been taken to Wuchang, along with Yang Tinglin's family.
Because the Battle of Luoyang had already begun, the conquest of Jiangnan required intensive preparations and there was no time to waste, so all systems were established according to the Ming system.
Sima An, Zhuge Min and Li Yuan were appointed as assistant ministers; He Liang was in charge of the Ministry of War, Yang Tinglin was in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, Liu Boquan was in charge of the Ministry of Revenue, Song Yingxing was in charge of the Ministry of Works, Du Yinxi was in charge of the Ministry of Rites, Bai Tie was in charge of the Ministry of Punishment, Shao Hua was in charge of the Censorate, Gu Yanwu was in charge of the Imperial Academy, Yang Shen was in charge of the Dali Temple, Song Xiance was in charge of the Taichang Temple, Wu Youxing was in charge of the Imperial Hospital, and Johann Adam Schall von Bell was in charge of the Imperial Observatory;
Gu Jun'en, Wu Jinxi, Yu Dayou, Bian Di, Xie Fan, Tian Yimu, Wu Youcai, Lin Qinghe, Wang Shousu, Tan Qiubai, Yu Hangsheng and others were appointed as assistant ministers, ministers of the temple and directors.
In addition, Meng Ke, Liu Meng, Ma Yongzhen and Li Guo were appointed as the Grand Commander of the Five Military Governorates of the Center, Left, Right, Front and Rear respectively. Among them, the post of Grand Commander of the Rear Military Governorate was temporarily vacant, and Qin Mu deliberately did not appoint him.
The military assistant officer who was originally responsible for rewarding merits and punishing mistakes and implementing Qin Mu's will was transferred to the Ministry of War.
At the same time, Qin Mu took advantage of this opportunity to further strengthen the trunk and weak branches, and sent the reorganized Guanning Army, Su Jin, Li Jiu, and the elite soldiers of the former Li Zicheng's remnants into Liu Meng's Central Army Commander's Office.
Compared with Meng Ke, Ma Yongzhen and Li Guo, Liu Meng is rough but meticulous. He is a brave general brought up by Qin Mu and has always been loyal. Qin Mu can only feel at ease when he is in charge of the most powerful central army.
After the system and official positions were agreed upon, the most important thing was to decide on the name of the country. This matter was actually the first one to be discussed, but due to different opinions, there was a stalemate. Qin Mu followed the principle of doing the easy things first and then the difficult ones and left the name of the country for last.
The party headed by Zhuge Min believed that Qin Mu originated from Jingchu and should take "Chu" as the country's name.
Gu Yanwu stood up and objected, saying, "Any establishment of a country must be based on righteousness. Although the two capitals of the Ming Dynasty have fallen, the King of Lu and the King of Tang have both claimed to succeed the throne. Your Excellency is a Ming minister. It is difficult to establish a country with Chu at this time in the name of righteousness.
The Qin family originated from the Ying family. The First Emperor swept across the country and laid the foundation for the unification of China. After the Han Dynasty, the descendants of the First Emperor took the country as their surname and were called the Qin family.
As a descendant of the First Emperor, how can you use the name Chu as your country name? You should return to your roots, inherit the First Emperor's legacy, and use the name Qin as your country name. Only in this way can you correct your roots and unify the world."
Gu Yanwu's speech made everyone suddenly enlightened. Yes, Qin Mu did not inherit the Ming Dynasty, so no matter what name he took, he would inevitably be known as a traitor.
Now, if we want to win the reputation of righteousness, we must trace back to the source. The First Emperor was the first emperor to unify China. When the nation was facing the fate of the country, Qin Mu, in the name of the descendants of the First Emperor, stood up to inherit the Taoist tradition of the First Emperor. Only in this way can we barely stand firm in the name of righteousness.
After figuring this out, everyone had no objection and decided to name the country "Qin".
The only regret is that we have not yet obtained the imperial seal of the First Emperor. If we could obtain the imperial seal, everything would be more legitimate.
On the first day of July, a grand founding ceremony was held in Wuchang, and Qin Mu was enthroned as the King of Qin. When he ascended the throne, he issued the King of Qin Edict:
I have heard that changing surnames and names is the beginning of the destruction of a country; when benevolence and righteousness are so prevalent that beasts eat people and people are about to eat each other, this is the beginning of the destruction of the world.
Since the fall of the Ming Dynasty, the fall of the two capitals, the suffering of millions of people, the separation of wives and children, have been through the pain of losing their country;
There are also Jianzhou Tartars who are eyeing China. Their regent Dorgon committed adultery with the pseudo Empress Dowager's uncle and sister-in-law, shamelessly; their pseudo-Prince Daishan committed adultery with his concubine's mother, just like beasts; this beastly country, a jackal country, has been destroying our moral principles and destroying our clothes since entering the pass, even to the point that if you keep your hair, you lose your head, or if you keep your head, you lose your hair; those who don't shave their hair are arrested and brought to the military gate, beheaded in the morning and beheaded in the evening, and the great China has become a land of stench.
Wherever the Hu soldiers passed, they burned, killed, raped, and looted, committing all kinds of evil. For ten days, Yangzhou was full of flames, and the sound of killing filled the air. Women had long ropes tied around their necks, piled up like pearls, and fell with every step. Infant corpses were scattered all over the ground, some under horse hooves, some under human feet, and their livers and brains were splattered on the ground. In every ditch and every field, corpses were piled up, with hands and feet lying on top of each other, and the ponds were flat. As for the children, the hundreds of children cried and their wails shook the earth, which was unbearable to the ears and unbearable to the eyes. Hundreds of thousands of lives were killed in vain by the Tartars. In the spring breeze, the ten-mile Yangzhou Road was filled with the cries of lonely souls and wild ghosts.
At this critical moment of life and death, the descendants of the Ming Dynasty did not think about saving the people from danger, but only wanted to survive; the Prince of Lu was a wise and virtuous man, but surrendered to the Qing Dynasty after two days of regent; the Princes of Lu and Tang ignored the foreign enemies and fought against each other. Alas! All the people of integrity and ambition in the world were chilled to the bone.
I was born into the Qin family, a descendant of the First Emperor. I governed a region, pacified the Gu bandits in southern Jiangxi, drove out the Zhang rebels in Huguang, and resisted the Tartars in Jingxiang. I was devoted to the people and never dared to have any unreasonable thoughts.
However, the Ming Dynasty is in decline and human efforts are powerless to reverse the situation. It is hard to find wise men among the descendants of the Ming Dynasty. However, the generals, civil and military officials, military and civilian elders have urged me to ascend the throne and have repeatedly pleaded with me. I cannot bear to see the world fall to the barbarians, so on the first day of July this year, I will announce to heaven and earth that I will inherit the name of the country of the First Emperor, the Great Qin... ... ..
When I governed the areas of Huguang and Jiangyou, I reformed long-standing malpractices, promoted culture and education, and promoted agriculture, sericulture, industry and commerce. The people became more content, food was more adequate, and the soldiers were more skilled. I drew my bow and took up my weapon, but watched the people of the Central Plains fall into the trap of corruption and became deeply ashamed. I respectfully accepted the mandate of Heaven and dared not rest on my laurels. I immediately raised the banner of righteousness, led an army to drive out the barbarians, saved the people from suffering, and restored the Chinese people's customs.
Every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country! All the sons and daughters of China, descendants of Yan and Huang, at this moment of fate, should gather under our righteous banner, unite as one, and resist foreign humiliation together;
My orders are strict and there shall be no violation of the slightest character. When the army arrives, the soldiers and civilians shall not flee. Those who submit to me shall live in peace forever in China, and those who betray me shall abandon themselves to the barbarians. The people of China shall be kept in peace by Heaven. How can the barbarians be governed
Once this edict was issued, it immediately caused a sensation throughout the world. Just like a huge typhoon passing through, scholars and people rushed to tell each other and discussed it. Qin Mu's title of king was completely different from the title of regent by the King of Lu and the King of Tang.
The King of Lu and the King of Tang had no soldiers under their command, but Qin Mu now had hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, and he was very powerful. He had just defeated Ajige and annihilated 100,000 enemies. The Ming Dynasty had not achieved such a brilliant victory since the Yongle period. Most people in the world regarded him as the only hope to resist the barbarians.
The Qin Mu edict mainly included four aspects: first, it declared that the Ming Dynasty had perished and that the descendants of the Zhu family were unworthy and incapable of saving the world;
The second is to point out that the Tartars are worse than beasts, denounce their atrocities, and inspire the people of the world to unite against the enemy;
Third, he made it clear that he was inheriting the orthodoxy of the First Emperor, which was legitimate;
Fourth, he called on people all over the world to unite under his banner, drive out the Tartars, and restore China.
In particular, the slogan "Every man has his share of responsibility for the rise and fall of his country" was put forward for the first time in the edict, which caused a great response.
The brutal scene of the Tartars' massacre in Yangzhou corresponds to the despicable behavior of the King of Lu and the King of Tang who ignored the foreign enemies and fought against their own clan; on the other hand, it also highlights the heroic act of Qin Mu who always stood at the forefront of the resistance against the Tartars and defeated Ajige.
Originally, Qin Mu had set up six government offices, and most of the positions were still vacant. Once this edict was issued, people who wanted to seek refuge suddenly crowded the roads.
Especially the officials in the Tartar-occupied areas, many of them were unwilling to shave their heads and wear strange clothes. They were unwilling to be slaves of the Qing Dynasty, but also afraid that the descendants of the Zhu family would settle their old scores. Now that Qin Mu was the choice, they abandoned their official positions and fled south to Wuchang.
Qin Mu did not bear grudges against those officials who came to surrender voluntarily, and ordered the Ministry of Personnel to employ them based on their talents.
As for the scholars who came from all over the country, he ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the imperial examination and select them through the official channels. But privately, Qin Mu repeatedly told the Minister of Rites Du Yinxi to admit as few Donglin Party members as possible, as Qin Mu did not want to establish a country just to be destroyed by party disputes.
Qin Mu's edict spread throughout the world. Even in Jiangyin City, which was at the center of the storm, some people posted the edict and spread the news of Qin Mu's great victory in defeating Ajige and annihilating 100,000 Tartars.
Since the beginning of June, under the leadership of Chen Mingyu, the historian, Xu Yong and others, Jiangyin righteous people captured the Qing magistrate Fang Heng, beheaded the Qing officials, and raised the anti-Qing righteous flag. It has been a month since then;
During this period, the Changzhou prefect Zong Hao sent 300 soldiers to suppress the rebellion, but they were all wiped out by the righteous people at the foot of Qinwang Mountain.
After receiving the news, Huang Lianshan in Nanjing resolutely sent Li Chongyang and 20 other Yebushou members with combat experience to Jiangyin to assist the rebels in fighting. Under the organization and training of Li Chongyang and others, the rebels repeatedly repelled attacks by small groups of Qing troops.
In anger, the Qing prince Bolo sent the surrendered general Liu Liangzuo to lead 40,000 troops to besiege the city, and shot a letter of surrender into the city. After public discussion, the military and civilians of Jiangyin replied with a letter of refusal, and at the same time sent people to Shaoxing to ask for help from the King of Lu.
Seeing that his attempts to persuade the city to surrender were ineffective, Liu Liangzuo went around hunting down and killing the volunteers outside the city, attempting to cut off foreign aid to the military and civilians in the city, and at the same time began to attack the city.
The city was tightly defended and the Qing soldiers rained arrows down on it. The righteous citizens on the city wall used pot lids to protect themselves with one hand and caught the arrows with the other hand, receiving more than 100,000 arrows every day.
But war is no joke after all. Although the righteous people on the city were organized by Li Chongyang and others, the time was too short to form an army. Under Liu Liangzuo's fierce attack, the situation in Jiangyin became increasingly severe. The people sent to Shaoxing reported that King Lu refused to send reinforcements, which greatly damaged the morale of the people in the city.
At this critical moment of life and death, Li Chongyang advised Chen Mingyu to raise the Qin army's righteous flag to boost public opinion, and at the same time promised to contact Qin Mu as soon as possible and send troops to help.
After discussing with Xu Yong, Huang Lue and others, Chen Mingyu agreed to Li Chongyang's proposal to replace the Qin army flag.
When the people in the city learned that they could contact the Qin army that defeated the Tartars, their confidence increased and their morale was high.
There was a wealthy man in the city named Cheng Bi who made the first donation of 25,000 gold. Under his leadership, many donors gathered there.
Although morale was boosted again, Chen Mingyu knew that it would take some time for the Qin army to come to the rescue. At the same time, he felt that he lacked military organizational skills, so he remembered the wise and brave former clerk Yan Yingyuan. After everyone agreed, he specially appointed 16 people to leave the city overnight and go to Yan Yingyuan's residence to invite him to come out of retirement.
Yan Yingyuan followed the request and led forty servants into the city at night.
Yan Yingyuan enjoyed great prestige in Jiangyin, which was something that Li Chongyang and others could never achieve. In the 14th year of Chongzhen, river pirates attacked Jiangyin with hundreds of ships. The county magistrate, county magistrate, and chief clerk were so frightened that they abandoned the city and fled. The people of Jiangyin were terrified.
Only Yan Yingyuan, who was highly skilled in martial arts, rushed out with a sword, jumped on his horse in the city and shouted loudly: "Good men, follow me to kill the bandits and protect your family!" At once, thousands of his followers obeyed his orders and lined up on the river bank, and repelled the bandits.
As soon as Yan Yingyuan entered the city, he immediately received enthusiastic support from the people of Jiangyin.
The situation was critical. Yan Yingyuan asked each household to send one male to guard the city. He appointed the military scholar Huang Lue to guard the east gate, Li Chongyang to guard the south gate, Chen Mingyu to guard the west gate, and Yan Yingyuan himself to guard the north gate. The twenty people brought by Li Chongyang took turns training the soldiers in the city and launched a desperate battle with the Qing army.
Liu Liangzuo ordered 40,000 soldiers to build ten floating bridges, cross the outer city river together, and climb the city walls with ladders in ten places. Yan Yingyuan ordered the people on the city walls to throw bricks and stones down and use spears to resist the enemy. For a while, rocks flew everywhere, artillery fire continued, and countless people died on both sides.
The Manchu general Abashe was confident in his bravery. He wore three layers of armor, hung two swords on his waist, and carried two swords on his back. He held two swords in his hands, climbed the ladder himself, stepped onto the battlements, and slashed indiscriminately with the swords.
The defenders on the city wall used coffins to block the attack and stabbed their bodies with spears, but they were unable to get in.
Someone shouted, "Stab his face." So everyone stabbed his face. A boy named Tang used an iron hook and sickle to hook his throat. Bamboo craftsman Yao Er cut off his head. Manjiang's body fell down the city. The Qing soldiers came to grab the body. The gongs and drums on the city sounded, and small arrows from bricks and stones rained down. The Qing soldiers suffered hundreds of casualties.
The battle situation in Jiangyin was quickly reported to Wuchang by carrier pigeon. After Qin Mu received the report, he ordered the three armies to speed up their preparations for battle.
He also ordered the Admiral of the Navy, Di Zhongxing, to integrate the naval forces of Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake in preparation for seizing the "right to control the river". At the same time, he ordered the Ministry of War to requisition a large number of civilian ships for transporting troops and food.
Jiangyin is located on the Yangtze River. Once we can control the Yangtze River waterway, we will have the ability to reinforce Jiangyin.
Jiangyin was the first city to raise the Qin army flag. Keeping Jiangyin had both military and political significance.
First, militarily, Jiangyin can be used as a bridgehead to advance into the entire Jiangnan region, thus forming a two-pronged attack on Nanjing.
Politically, the King of Lu refused to reinforce Jiangyin, and the Qin army came to the rescue from a thousand miles away, which would play an immeasurable role in winning the hearts and minds of the people in the entire Jiangnan area.
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ps: Thank you to all the friends who support Ming Yang Tian Xia. Today, the King of Qin ascends the throne. Please drink three cups with all the heroes. It is your support that Ming Yang Tian Xia can persist. Thank you!
I hope you will continue to support me. When everyone adds fuel, the flame will rise high. Please support me with monthly tickets and rewards. Haoyuan bows his head again.
.(To be continued..)
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