Chapter 2, Human efforts are essential, but success depends on fate

Riding at full gallop, he soon arrived at the Ming Gate, which was not far away. There were no guards here, and he dashed through before continuing forward to the Chengtian Gate. Looking at this immensely familiar grand structure, he couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as he moved on, crossing the Jinshui Bridge. There were indeed a few guards here, but upon seeing Wang Cheng'en on horseback, they all focused on saluting him and did not attempt to stop him. Although, in theory, one was not allowed to ride a horse in the imperial palace, Wang Cheng'en, as the most trusted confidant of Emperor Chongzhen and the highest military commander in the city at that time, was not interfered with in such a special period, even if he engaged in some violations of the rules.

"The Supervisor is looking for you, Your Majesty!"

During this period, Wu Sangui would consolidate the Northern Ming army as a separate force as a powerful minister, similarly using the fear psychology of the Southern ministers under the remote control of Chongzhen to gain support. Ultimately, with the backing of the gentry, he would counterbalance Dorgon. The outcome would still likely be a division of the world after defeating Li Zicheng, at most ceding the Northern lands to Dorgon, thus continuing the formation of a Northern and Southern dynasty.

At this time, in the eyes of the vast majority of his subordinates, he was still regarded as a bandit. Among the hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, how many were truly his trusted brothers? It was merely a few thousand from the old camp, while the vast majority were actually affiliated forces, including the surrendered Ming army. These individuals held no respect for him; in their eyes, he was always a bandit. This included those gentry who had surrendered to him, such as the Duke of Yan Sheng, who at this time displayed the tablet of the Emperor of the Great Shun. These people could not genuinely regard him as one chosen by heaven.

He then stated

If you believe in our family, then wait here. Our family wants His Majesty to go to Nanjing even more than you do. If you barge in like this, it will only cause trouble. Our family will find a way to persuade His Majesty to summon you, and then it will depend on your abilities!

However, he would use Chongzhen as a puppet, and then invite Dorgon to enter the pass to borrow troops to suppress the bandits

Yang Qing said

Yang Qing could even see that some members of the Jinyiwei were already fleeing. At such a time, no one would concern themselves with such trivial matters. After passing through the Chengtian Gate, they arrived at the Duan Gate, which also had no guards. Following that was the Wumen Gate, where they encountered several officials, who did not even glance at Wang Cheng'en, treating them as if they were air and hurriedly passing by.

Yang Qing believes that he does not possess the ability to turn the tide

Not long ago, there was a loyal and righteous scholar who went and stabbed the county magistrate he was appointed by, and then proceeded to cut his own throat; this reflects the attitude of the gentry towards him

No.

In conclusion, the most important thing is that Chongzhen must not die here, as this would be the worst outcome of all.

One must give it a try

If he flees to Nanjing, he can at least strive for a Southern Song dynasty. Regardless of which warlord he falls into the hands of, he can at least seek a Han Chinese change of dynasty. Even if he were to fall into the hands of Li Zicheng, it would still be far better than hanging himself on Coal Mountain.

Hmph, to abandon a three-hundred-year dynasty for the sake of a thief? A thief is a thief; there is no thief that does not plunder. Each one guards their vast wealth yet is unwilling to part with a single cent, still hoping to curry favor with the bandits by allowing them into the city in pursuit of riches and nobility. I would like to see how they will weep in the future

Wang Cheng'en said

The supervisor said with a smile that seemed neither fully a smile nor not a smile

Did Wu Sangui want to surrender to the Qing dynasty

However, the reason the Ming Empire has reached its current state is largely due to the significant responsibility borne by Chongzhen. His tragic end cannot conceal his obstinate and incompetent nature. It is indeed not his fault to be a mediocre talent, but as a mediocre talent, failing to recognize oneself clearly and instead repeatedly making foolish decisions is a grave issue

After descending from the city wall and the books, Yang Qing leaped onto a nearby warhorse, immediately pulling Wang Cheng'en onto another horse, and then urged the horse forward, charging straight towards the Great Ming Gate.

In front of the Qianqing Gate, they encountered a eunuch, who spoke with utmost respect.

However, the titles conferred by the legitimate Emperor of the Ming Dynasty are different

Ha, ha, you must first be alive to do that

Li Zicheng will not kill him

You do not even know our home? How did you become a member of the Jinyiwei?

Wang Cheng'en nodded

How should the governor be addressed

Especially, they diligently come up with a series of ineffective strategies

You had better hurry, the inner city will not last until dawn

Then just do what you are capable of doing

Yang Qing said without changing his expression

Do you think that the eternal can hear you

Immediately thereafter, Yang Qing urged his horse and charged straight into the Meridian Gate

But Yang Qing still has to save him

He does not want to

Wang Cheng'en revealed a faint cold smile

This multiple-choice question is not difficult to answer

This individual is quite remarkable, remaining unflinching even with a knife at his throat, and he also signaled to the surrounding soldiers not to obstruct Yang Qing's retreat

As for the defenses of Zhengyang Gate

Man proposes, God disposes

Yang Qing said with a smile

Our family's fate is eternal; if you can persuade the eternal one to grant us fortune, we shall live to witness it. If you fail, our family will descend to the underworld to see it for ourselves

He has fought against the Qing army for so many years, and there is no shortage of hatred between them. If he had any choice, he would not risk being placed on a blacklist in the future. He and Li Yutian abandoned their homes with hundreds of thousands of residents from outside the pass to enter the pass, precisely because they were unwilling to surrender to the enemy. However, Li Zicheng's campaign against the landlords left him with no other choice. This is determined by class position; behind him is a vast network of relationships, including subordinates, relatives, and fellow townsmen, all watching him. Surrendering to Li Zicheng would at most protect himself and, at best, the Wu family, while surrendering to Dorgon could protect everyone behind him. Moreover, having fought against the Qing army for so many years, he is more familiar with them. Joining forces with Li Zicheng may not guarantee victory over the Qing army, but allying with the Qing army would certainly ensure victory over Li Zicheng.

However, he is ultimately just an ancient peasant rebel, and one cannot expect him to have any clear political ideology or long-term plans

For this ethnic group, hanging oneself on Coal Mountain is the worst outcome

Then the Supervisor said

There is little hope left for this situation. Those eunuchs, the Imperial Guards, and the hastily recruited soldiers can barely hold their weapons, let alone confront the elite troops following Li Zicheng who are rampaging across the land. It is merely a matter of when the latter will begin their assault and the former will scatter and surrender. In fact, prior to this, the garrison in the outer city has been firing blank shots, merely loading gunpowder without any cannonballs to make noise. This city is indefensible; it makes no difference whether he is here or not. Moreover, what does it matter if we hold the Zhengyang Gate? There are three gates between the inner and outer cities! The hundreds of thousands of Shun troops are currently blocked outside the other three gates of the inner city, and during this night, they will gradually be opened.

However

Then this is his fault

Wang Cheng'en sneered coldly

Whether he plays Liu Shan or his carpenter brother, or even if he were to be Li Yu or Chen Shubao, the Ming Dynasty would not have reached this point. The latter two at least understood that if things were truly dire, they could yield. Unfortunately, he insisted on diligently acting as a wise ruler. It must be said that the common people of the Ming Dynasty did not require him to be a wise ruler; if he had simply indulged himself in the palace, it would have been a good thing for the people. Yet, he stubbornly refused to do so. Ultimately, through his efforts, the Ming Dynasty, which had just regained a breath of life, was completely exhausted and extinguished.

Uh, I have lost my memory

Since he has arrived in this time and space, Yang Qing must do something. Without mentioning anything else, he must first prevent Chongzhen from committing suicide. As for whether he can escape, that is not important to him. If he can escape, then he will; if he cannot escape, he will hand him over to Li Zicheng. If there are truly no other options, he will send him to Wu Sangui. As for whether Wu Sangui will transfer Chongzhen to Dorgon after receiving him...

However, based on a series of actions by Li Zicheng, it is evident that he may not have genuinely aspired to become the Emperor of the Great Shun. His intention seemed more to stage a coup rather than to overthrow the Ming dynasty. Not only did he attempt to negotiate to become the King of the Northwest before attacking the city, but he also did not accept the persuasion of Grand Secretary Chen Yan and others to ascend to the throne until he found the corpse of Chongzhen. Therefore, even if he had truly captured Chongzhen, it is more likely that he would have used him as a puppet to facilitate his transformation from a bandit to a powerful minister. For instance, he could have been granted the title of a significant vassal king, similar to how Cao Cao once seized nearly one-third of the Han dynasty's territory in a single stroke, allowing him to assist in governance. In the short term, he would continue to let Chongzhen sit on the throne, using the emperor to command the feudal lords, as this was a well-established and reliable method for seizing power.

In fact, once the news of the outer city being breached spread, the fate of this city was no longer in doubt

It cannot get any worse

Although this emperor is somewhat tragic

The actions of Li Zicheng in raising an army are commendable

including for himself

Similarly, no one took the titles and honors he conferred seriously

The reason he ruthlessly targeted the wealthy landowners was that he had to satisfy the interests of those who could only be considered investors. Since the titles and ranks he offered could not possibly meet their expectations, he had no choice but to resort to money. Unfortunately, he only managed to seize a meager amount of wealth from Chongzhen's treasury. If he could not quickly acquire a substantial fortune to appease those under his command, he could not guarantee that they would not rebel against him.

Our family Wang Cheng'en, if you wish to meet His Majesty, you have indeed found the right person, for our family serves His Majesty

Even if one must die, it should be due to an accidental illness much later on

Yang Qing said

If he does not fight against the tyrants

Wang Cheng'en said softly to Yang Qing

Then the supervisor exclaimed in astonishment

Yang Qing certainly would not have any special fondness for Chongzhen

However, they have betrayed the hundreds of millions of people of this nation

Put that knife away; even with your skills, we cannot escape. If you accidentally cut yourself, it will hurt. If you want to meet the Emperor, I can take you there. If you can persuade the Emperor to spare Nanjing, I would even bow to you. However, I must say this: you are not the first; none before you have succeeded.

Even if Li Zicheng had established himself as the Emperor of the Dashun, at most he would have conferred some title of a king upon Chongzhen.

Sir, do you think they are going to welcome the new lord into the city

Yang Qing said

Understood

Even if it is merely a matter of attacking, it would only be under the banner of Chongzhen, targeting specific households for plunder, which would allow for a mutually agreeable outcome. Similarly, Wu Sangui and the Ming armies from various regions would begrudgingly cooperate with him.

Moreover, he also has a sufficiently splendid banner for avenging Chongzhen

It is said that he is also quite helpless when it comes to fighting against the wealthy landowners

At this moment, the palace was not too chaotic, as the Shun army had only breached the outer city, while the core defense of Beijing was actually the inner city. There were even two additional, or more accurately, three layers of walls between here and the inner city. The palace maids and eunuchs had not yet begun to flee, and they quickly arrived at the Qianqing Gate.

He then stated

Then use titles of nobility to satisfy his subordinates, rather than having to fight against the wealthy landowners