Chapter 1, Guandi Temple

Liu Banban, how far is it now to Huai'an Prefecture City?

Zhu Cilang was a history professor in his previous life, and he certainly understood that a significant part of the chaos in the Southern Ming was due to the competition between civil officials and military generals for the credit of establishing policies, which led to the expansion of military generals and the rise of regional warlords

They all ride swift horses, capable of covering seventy to eighty li in a day, and it is estimated that they will reach Huai'an Prefecture City in another three days. Once they arrive in Huai'an City, which is under the actual control of the Ming army, Zhu Cilang's safety will be fundamentally assured. He knows that the ministers in Nanjing supported the Prince of Fu as regent on the third day of the fifth month, and the Prince of Fu, Zhu Yousong, officially ascended the throne on the fifteenth day of the fifth month

During the late Ming Dynasty, cannibalism was not considered unusual; the starving refugees not only consumed corpses but also resorted to eating the living. Initially, they targeted women and children, and once they had consumed them, they turned to those with frail bodies.

After the two attendants helped Zhu Cilang mount the horse, they also climbed onto their own steeds. A group of more than ten people rode southward.

He is truly exhausted; perhaps he can sleep for another two hours tonight

In today's view, the course of history did not undergo significant changes due to his arrival; the only change was that he was ordered by Emperor Chongzhen to go to Nanjing to oversee the state, escaping just before the outer city of the capital was breached

A night without conversation

In this Guandi Temple, there is even no well, and Zhu Cilang, disregarding many things, hastily wiped his face and mounted his horse with the assistance of Zhao Xin and Liu Chuanzong.

His emotions slightly settled, he opened his eyes and said in a gentle voice: "Liu Banban, you go and tell Guard Han that we will set off tomorrow morning at the hour of Yin"

From that moment on, Zhu Cilang was determined to avenge Emperor Chongzhen. Even though the burden of restoring the Ming Dynasty was immensely heavy, he resolved to bear it alone.

The sky gradually brightened, and Zhu Cilang noticed that an increasing number of refugee groups were gathering on the official road, most of whom were fleeing from the direction of Haizhou to Huai'an.

On the following day, at the hour of the tiger, Zhu Cilang was awakened by the eunuch Liu Chuanzong

Zhu Cilang sighed and then closed his eyes again

A sharp voice emerged, filled with sorrow in its tone

The young gentleman closed his eyes and began to contemplate his next course of action

Currently, Jiangbei is under the control of the Ming army. Once one reaches the city of Huai'an, one can request the official troops to escort them to Yangzhou. Upon arriving in Yangzhou, crossing the river will take one or two days to reach Nanjing, the capital of Yingtian.

It is now the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen era, in the month of March, and the rebel leader Li Zicheng is at the gates of the capital, Shanjing. In the original history, on March 19, Li Zicheng captured the capital, leading to the suicide of Emperor Chongzhen at Meishan. Now it is already March 29, and Li Zicheng estimates that he has already breached the city.

If one is targeted by these refugees, it is certainly not a good thing

Most of these groups of refugees consist of dozens of people, walking in a scattered manner, each dressed in tattered clothes with a sallow complexion. Their eyes appear hollow and vacant, and some even have flushed faces with swollen cheeks

After all, by that time, the capital was already in a precarious situation, and the more people attempted to break through, the lower the chances of success. If the emperor were to leave, the number of attendants would be in the hundreds, and with such a large target, the likelihood of being discovered and intercepted by the rebels would significantly increase

I obey your command

Zhu Cilang and his party first rode swiftly from the capital to Tianjin Wei, and then took a boat from Tianjin to travel south by sea to Haizhou. The journey from the capital to Tianjin took three days, while the trip from Tianjin to Haizhou took nine days. Upon arriving in Haizhou, Zhu Cilang and his party abandoned the boat and rode on horseback, heading towards Huai'an Prefecture.

Indeed, having troops in hand is of utmost importance. Zhu Cilang would naturally not place his hopes on individuals like Gao Jie and Liu Zeqing, and the Nanjing Jingying cannot be relied upon either. Given that the three major camps in the capital have become so corrupt, how can one expect anything better from the Nanjing Jingying?

As Liu Banban got up and left, the young gentleman finally let out a long sigh of relief

Although he is also dressed as a prince, the timing for crossing over is indeed not very good

Zhu Cilang understood that this was a sign of having consumed human flesh, and did not dare to be careless. He instructed everyone not to delay and to hurry on their journey

If Zhu Cilang, the legitimate crown prince, were able to come to Nanjing to inherit the imperial throne, the situation would be much better

It is currently only March 29, and if all goes well, it should arrive in Nanjing within ten days, so Zhu Cilang will not be caught in the vortex of the struggle for the throne

The walls of the main hall have also collapsed, but on this chilly March night, it remains a place to take shelter.

Liu Banban was taken aback, her lips parted as if she wanted to say something, but upon seeing the young man's resolute gaze, the words that were on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.

Young master, it is already the third watch of the night, please rest soon, as we need to set off early tomorrow

In response to the young master, it is estimated that there are still about 200 miles to go, and it will take at least three days to arrive

Zhu Cilang and his companions all rode horses, which were also loaded with provisions, appearing to the refugees as a pot of braised meat

Emperor Chongzhen, along with the Empress, Prince Yong, and Prince Ding, remained in the capital to create conditions for Zhu Cilang's breakout

The eunuch is named Liu Chuanrong, and he is the personal attendant of Zhu Cilang, being extremely loyal and reliable. The captain of the guards is named Zhao Xin, who is also one of the veterans among the Eastern Palace guards

Zhu Cilang escaped from the capital on March 16, accompanied only by a eunuch and a dozen guards

His identity is of such high status that it is beyond words; he is none other than Zhu Cilang, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty. To be precise, this is not entirely accurate, as his soul originates from a later time. It was only at the end of February in the seventeenth year of the Chongzhen era that he inadvertently seized the body of the Crown Prince of the Great Ming. In his previous life, he was a university history professor, responsible for teaching precisely the history of the late Ming and the Southern Ming.

Zhu Cilang's intention is to train and establish a new army, firmly consolidating military power in his own hands. However, these are tasks he needs to undertake after arriving in Nanjing to inherit the imperial authority. What he must consider now is how to safely reach Nanjing

This is a Guandi Temple

Although his complexion was somewhat pale and had a hint of a sickly hue, it could not conceal the determination reflected in his eyes

In recent days, he has been living in seclusion, enduring hardships and feeling utterly exhausted. If it were not for a glimmer of hope to the south, he truly fears he would not be able to hold on any longer

The sky was still somewhat dark, and Zhu Cilang was also feeling extremely fatigued. However, he knew he had to set off. In order to reach Huai'an Prefecture within three days, he would need to ride for seventy to eighty miles each day, which posed a considerable challenge for someone like Zhu Cilang, who was accustomed to a life of comfort and ease

Zhu Cilang inherited all the memories of this body, and it is impossible for him to have no feelings for his father in this life. In fact, in Zhu Cilang's memories, Emperor Chongzhen is a very emotional person, and can even be regarded as a loving father

So early

During the recent raid by bandits on the capital, Emperor Chongzhen summoned Zhu Cilang to his side and instructed him to lead a dozen trusted followers to break through the siege and escape to Nanjing to assume regency.

Zhu Cilang was certainly unable to obtain accurate information; in the current chaotic times, news is obstructed. Historically, it was only after mid-April that the ministers of the various departments in Nanjing learned of the fall of the capital.

With the absence of the merchant convoy, the official road appears considerably desolate

The temple has long fallen into disrepair, with only the ceremonial gate and the main hall remaining of its primary structure

I still trust Zhu Cilang.

The road from Haizhou to Huai'an is relatively easy to traverse, but due to the numerous bandits and local thieves that have emerged in recent years, merchants seldom come this way.

... ...

A young gentleman dressed in a lake blue scholar's robe was leaning beside a cluster of firewood, warming himself by the flames. The crackling of the burning wood was audible, and the firelight illuminated his face clearly.