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To build an imperial palace, it is not enough to just build it tall and grand. There are too many requirements, from the shape, location, length and width of each palace to the roof carvings, the color of glazed tiles, and the number of floor tiles.
In particular, the three main halls of the previous dynasty are of particular importance. For example, the Golden Throne Hall must be located at the center of the diagonal of the Forbidden City. Moreover, the architectural style is required to be magnificent, and the courtyard must be bright and open, symbolizing the supremacy of the state power.
Huang Zhenlin studied in detail the records in ancient books such as "Kaogongji of Zhouli", "Book of Rites" and "Book of Changes", and worked day and night with officials and craftsmen from the Ministry of Works to design it.
In addition to the design of the palace, Huang Zhenlin also gave Qin Mu advice from a military perspective: "Taiping Gate controls Zhongshan Mountain and controls the northern suburbs. This place has been a battleground for military strategists since the Six Dynasties. Zhongshan Mountain is a coiled dragon. The east side of Taiping Gate is located on the dragon's neck, so a moat cannot be dug. It is the weakest point in the defense of the entire capital. I suggest building two fortresses outside Taiping Gate to control Taiping Gate and enhance its defense capabilities."
Liu Meng chose to attack Taiping Gate because it had no moat and its defense was the weakest. Therefore, Huang Zhenlin proposed to build a fortress outside Taiping Gate, which immediately received unanimous consent from the ministers.
The construction of the fortress outside Taiping Gate started before the palace was built.
After many battles, more than 100,000 enemy troops were captured, and they will come in handy this time.
Qin Mu ordered that all the captives be taken to Jinling to serve the Ministry of Works. This would save the need to impose labor on the common people and would also save the Ministry of Revenue a large amount of expenses.
These matters were handled by his ministers. Qin Mu quickly left Jinling and sailed straight down to Jiangyin.
If Jinling is the head of Jiangnan, then Jiangyin is its backbone.
In this campaign, the place where the most enemies were killed was not Anqing, not Ma'anshan, and certainly not Nanjing, but Jiangyin.
Jiangyin also paid a heavy price for this. During the 60-day defense of Jiangyin, more than 100,000 civilians died. Almost every family had someone killed in the battle, and many families even had all their members sacrificed.
For the sake of those heroic souls who sacrificed their lives defending national dignity and for the indomitable national soul, Qin Mu must go to Jiangyin in person to preside over the grand sacrifice.
"The battlefield is filled with mountains of corpses and bones, and the lonely city refuses to surrender. I hope passers-by don't cover their noses. The living are not as fragrant as the dead." Looking at the river rolling eastward, Qin Mu was filled with emotion.
According to the original history, Jiangyin held out for 81 days but eventually fell. All the people of Jiangyin either committed suicide or were killed. In the end, only a few people escaped the catastrophe by hiding in a dry well.
However, because the Qing Dynasty eventually ruled China, Jiangyin's indomitable spirit was not promoted and all the people sacrificed their lives in vain.
For this grand ceremony, Qin Mu brought along the Minister of Rites Du Yinxi and the Vice Minister Tan Qiubai, as well as more than ten officials including Yang Shen, and Qin Mingzuo led 3,000 troops to escort along the coast.
Qin Qiubai was originally a Jinshi. He had served as a doctor in the Ministry of Rites during the Hongguang Dynasty and was very familiar with various grand ceremonies. After hearing Qin Mu's sigh, he asked cautiously: "King Qin, please tell me what specifications should be followed for this grand sacrifice so that we can prepare in advance."
Qin Mu thought for a moment and said, "If there is no suitable standard, you can plan a national sacrifice with high standards. From now on, every monarch of the Great Qin must personally go to Jiangyin and Yangzhou to hold a grand sacrifice in the first year of his accession to the throne, otherwise he will not be qualified to inherit the throne of our Great Qin. This is the first ancestral precept of this king;
In addition, the Minister of Rites must personally preside over the annual sacrificial activities; in each civil and military examination, all successful candidates must go to Jiangyin and Yangzhou to pay homage and take an oath before they are eligible to be released. This is to show that they have not forgotten the national humiliation and the suffering of the nation, and to promote the unyielding spirit of the Chinese nation.
"King Qin, this..." Qin Qiubai had never expected that Qin Mu would set such a high standard for the sacrifice. He was a little stunned.
"Do you have any questions?"
"I dare not."
Yang Shen glanced at Qin Mu quietly, and the majesty that Qin Mu inadvertently exuded from his expression became more and more intense;
The black royal robe embroidered with golden dragons is solemn and profound, majestic and serious, further amplifying his majesty;
So much so that even Tan Qiubai, who held a high position as the Minister of Rites, could not help but feel terrified by his indifferent question.
"Jiangyin is not only the city that resisted the Qing Dynasty's rule most fiercely, but it is also the first city in Jiangnan to raise the flag of our Great Qin. It has extraordinary significance. The King of Qin has his reasons for setting such sacrificial standards. I agree with him." Yang Shen's words were meant to give Tan Qiubai a hint.
In Yang Shen's view, the country is still unsettled, and will soon have to face the so-called "orthodoxy" of Longwu in Fujian. The significance of this sacrifice is not only to comfort the dead, but also to win the hearts of the people.
Therefore, Qin Mu not only had to go to Jiangyin to offer sacrifices, but also had to go back to Yangzhou to offer sacrifices. It was not excessive to set a higher standard, which would help to quickly win the hearts of the people in Jiangnan and even the entire world.
The large ship went downstream, riding the wind and waves at a very high speed. There were only more than 20 ships accompanying it. Flags were flying on the ships, and soldiers stood with spears in their hands, providing protection all around.
Minister of Rites Du Yinxi and other officials of the Ministry of Rites, including Tan Qiubai, retreated to the lower levels to discuss the sacrificial rituals.
There were only about ten people left, including Yang Shen, Gu Junen, etc. They sat at different tables, each with a few snacks and a pot of tea on it.
Qin Mu, who was sitting at the head of the table, said in a gentle voice: "Don't just look at them, eat all the snacks. The world is still in turmoil and the people are starving and cold. We can't waste them. These snacks are our lunch."
Qin Mu has always been relatively frugal in his life, and his civil and military officials naturally follow suit. There are rarely any extravagant activities, and replacing lunch with snacks is nothing new for Yang Shen and others.
After everyone had some snacks and poured tea, Gu Jun'en said, "Prince Qin, Zheng Zhilong is still stranded on Chongming Island. In my opinion, he is in a dilemma. We have the letter he wrote to Hong Chengchou to prove that Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. This time he brazenly attacked our navy, which is the best proof. The Prince of Qin's visit to Jiangyin this time is very likely to scare him away, so I think we should first send someone to Chongming Island. If we can persuade Zheng Zhilong to surrender, it would be the best. If he refuses, the Prince of Qin might as well take the opportunity to announce his crime of surrendering to the Qing Dynasty and then launch an army to attack him."
Xiang Zhuang danced with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong. Gu Jun'en said that he was attacking Zheng Zhilong, but in fact, it was the same as the slogan of "clearing the court" raised by Yan Wang Zhu Di.
"Well, it is indeed necessary to send someone to Chongming Island first. Regardless of whether Zheng Zhilong is willing to surrender or not, he cannot be left on Chongming Island. Otherwise, it will be difficult for our navy to leave Jingjiang and fully support Luzhou and Huai'an, which will be extremely disadvantageous for the subsequent war. Who do you think is suitable to send to Chongming Island?"
Song Xiance hesitated for a moment, then came out and said, "King Qin, I am willing to go."
Qin Mu nodded and said, "Okay, since Song Qing has volunteered, then you can go. It's quite dangerous, Song Qing, you have to be careful."
"I am deeply grateful for the love and care of the King of Qin. Don't worry, I will do my best."
After deciding on the envoys, Yu Dayou said, "Zheng Zhilong surrendered to the Qing Dynasty mainly to preserve the Zheng family's maritime interests. From this, we can see that even if Zheng Zhilong agreed to surrender, he would definitely do everything to protect the interests. It is almost impossible for the King of Qin to truly control the Zheng family fleet.
Therefore, I think that regardless of whether Zheng Zhilong agrees to surrender or not, we should send troops to Guangdong as soon as possible to encircle Fujian on three sides. This way, Fujian will become a turtle in a jar, and then we can send troops to attack Zheng Zhilong to avoid future troubles. "
The future trouble that Yu Dayou was talking about was not Zheng Zhilong, but Longwu. First, he would cut off Fujian from other provinces by land, and then send troops to attack Zheng Zhilong in order to eliminate the soil on which Longwu depended for survival. By then, Longwu would have nowhere to go and would have no choice but to give up his title of emperor.
Of course, Longwu could also follow Zheng Zhilong to the sea.
But in this way, Longwu's influence will be minimized.
Moreover, Zheng Zhilong was a "traitor" who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. If Longwu followed him, it would be tantamount to smearing his own face, and it would be even more difficult to gain the recognition of the people. At that point, Longwu was no longer a threat.
Qin Mu picked up the teacup and took a sip. The most important thing next was to make Longwu give up the title of emperor. Otherwise, with him around, those who were loyal to the former Ming would continue to fight against the Qin State. It would be difficult for the Qin State to concentrate on dealing with the Tartars in the north.
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ps: It’s been too quiet these two days, so I have to come out and shout. I’m asking for monthly votes and my brothers’ support.
.(To be continued..)
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