Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

Wang Aoyong came to Qingzhou this time with only a few slaves. Although there were many soldiers and generals in Qingzhou City at that time, most of them were surrendered soldiers conquered by Wang Aoyong. There was some sporadic resistance at first, but when they heard that Wang Aoyong had escaped, their morale suddenly dropped to the bottom and they surrendered one after another.

In this false surrender, Zhang Huangyan led 500 cavalrymen with muskets, together with 3,000 Dashun troops stationed outside Qingzhou City by Zhao Yingyuan as the vanguard, while Jiang Xuefeng led 2,000 elite infantry and 3,000 people's army as support.

No one expected the capture of Qingzhou City to be so smooth. By the time Jiang Xuefeng arrived with the main force of the Ming army, the situation in the city had already settled, having already been taken over by Zhang Huangyan and his men. Ming soldiers patrolled the streets and alleys in an orderly fashion. At this moment, an intensive citywide search was underway, targeting the escaped Wang Aoyong. Soldiers were combing every household, leaving no corner untouched.

"Master Zhang is really fast!" Jiang Xuefeng strode into the Qingzhou government office with a bright smile on his face. He joked to Zhang Huangyan, "I was really thinking about following Master Zhang and getting the credit for capturing a city, but I didn't expect that I was so slow along the way that you took the city anyway. Haha!"

Although there was some sarcasm in Jiang Xuefeng's words, he was also full of admiration for Zhang Huangyan.

"Master Jiang, you're joking." Zhang Huangyan, upon seeing that it was Jiang Xuefeng, quickly stood up and walked forward to greet him. He bowed and smiled, saying, "This is all thanks to Yulin's brilliant plan. I just took advantage of it and got a piece of the deal. But then again, how could the victory in capturing the city be without your contribution, Master? Without your support troops, we wouldn't be able to fight so confidently at the front."

"It's just a joke, it's just a joke, Master Zhang, please don't take it seriously." Jiang Xuefeng waved his hand quickly, smiling broadly, but then he put away his smile, his expression tense, and asked, "Has Wang Aoyong been caught?"

"That old fellow is quite slippery," Zhao Yingyuan said with a frown on his face, his face filled with annoyance. "When we first arrived, he was still inside the government office, but as soon as we rushed in, he disappeared in an instant. I don't know where he went to hide."

"Report, the local gentleman Fang wants to see you." While everyone was chatting, a soldier hurried in to report.

"Fang?" Zhang Huangyan frowned slightly, a puzzled expression on his face, and asked softly, "What's going on?"

"Sir, they have captured Wang Aoyong." The soldier hurriedly replied loudly, his tone unable to conceal his excitement.

"Please come in quickly!" Zhang Huangyan's eyes flashed with surprise when he heard it, and he ordered loudly.

Wang Aoyong, courtesy name Kegong, was a Jinshi (Jinshi) in the Tianqi reign. He was upright and capable, a highly competent official. During his five-year tenure as magistrate of Xiangyang, he maintained stable prices, freeing farmers from the burden of increased financial burdens. The people, grateful, erected a stone tablet in the county praising his merits.

It is a pity that with the passage of time, such a capable minister actually surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, which is really a pity.

"Wang Aoyong, my Ming Dynasty treated you well, why did you surrender to the Qing Dynasty?" Zhang Huangyan saw Wang Aoyong standing in the hall with his head held high and chest puffed out, his neck stiff, his face stern, and asked coldly.

"Hmph! The Ming Dynasty is dead!" Wang Aoyong snorted coldly, curled his lips, and spoke with an arrogant look.

"It's in your heart that it's dead." Zhang Huangyan slowly stood up and walked step by step to Wang Aoyong's side. He looked at him with a sharp gaze and said in a sonorous voice: "The Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty is still in Nanjing, and the reign is still Chongzhen. How can you say that the country is destroyed? It's clearly you who are greedy for life and afraid of death, and betrayed your master for glory!"

"Hahaha." Wang Aoyong suddenly threw his head back and burst into wild laughter. His laughter was piercing, and his eyes were filled with disdain. "It's just half of the country in ruins. Even if it's barely surviving, what can it do? Once the Qing cavalry marches south, the Southern Ming's meager forces will be defeated in no time!"

"I didn't expect that." Zhang Huangyan shook his head, his face full of disappointment, and sarcastically said, "My Ming Dynasty treated you like a human being and entrusted you with important tasks, but you treated me like a worn-out shoe. The Qing Dynasty treated you like a dog, ordering you around, yet you remained loyal to them!"

"You!" Upon hearing this, Wang Aoyong's eyes widened in anger, his face flushed red, and he pointed at Zhang Huangyan with trembling fingers.

"Why, was I wrong?" Zhang Huangyan raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of sneer. "Then how will the Qing Dynasty address you? Are you going to call yourselves slaves? Am I wrong?"

"We...we didn't." Wang Aoyong's face turned red and he stammered in retort, but his eyes dodged unconsciously.

"Perhaps, but in your hearts you have already considered yourselves slaves!" Zhang Huangyan pressed on, insisting, "What kind of mentality would someone have to consider themselves a slave?"

"I... I didn't. When two armies fight, they serve their respective masters. There's no need for you to humiliate me like this." Wang Aoyong gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, and said hatefully.

"You're right." Zhang Huangyan nodded, his expression straightening. "We're doing this for our monarch, and you're doing this for your master. You're truly a dog slave..."

"You!" Wang Aoyong was so angry that his whole body was shaking. He clenched his fists, but he was speechless for a moment. He didn't know how to refute and could only breathe heavily.

"Wang Aoyong, I made a point of getting to know you before I came here." Zhang Huangyan looked at Wang Aoyong and sighed softly. "In fact, I used to admire you very much. You were a good official who was dedicated to serving the people and had a strong character. So why did you surrender to the Qing Dynasty? Aren't you afraid of the criticisms of future historians?"

"Humph!" Wang Aoyong snorted coldly, saying disdainfully, "History books? Only the victor has the right to compile history books!"

"Are you so sure that the Qing Dynasty can take over this world?" Zhang Huangyan looked straight at Wang Aoyong with sharp eyes.

"Yes!" Wang Aoyong had calmed down a little at this time and uttered a word coldly.

"Why?" Zhang Huangyan asked.

"It's God's will!" Wang Aoyong said firmly, with a firm look on his face.

"God's will?" Zhang Huangyan was stunned when he heard this, frowning and asking, "How can you tell it's God's will?"

"Did you know that the plague was raging in the capital before Li Zicheng entered the city?" Wang Aoyong said.

"Of course I know." Zhang Huangyan nodded.

"Then you know that after the Qing army captured Beijing, the plague completely disappeared. If this isn't God's will, what is it?" Wang Aoyong said with a sneer, thinking he had grasped the key evidence.

"The current emperor has spoken to us about the plague." Zhang Huangyan, seeing Wang Aoyong pinning this on the Qing as divine will, couldn't help but sneer. "The plague was almost under control. After the Qing army entered Beijing, there was no source of infection, so it naturally disappeared without a trace! What divine will is that?"

Since being summoned to the Grand Council, Zhang Huangyan has been by Chongzhen's side, learning a lot from him. He heard about the plague from Chongzhen. In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen's reign, the plague spread to Beijing like a demon, and for a time, the capital was in dire straits. From the beginning of the plague to Li Zicheng's capture of Beijing, about 200,000 people in Beijing died, accounting for a quarter of Beijing's total population at the time. The Ming army stationed in the capital was not spared. At that time, there were 100,000 troops, but after the plague, only more than 50,000 remained. The soldiers who survived by chance were ragged, looked like beggars, and were so weak that they sat on the ground. Even after being whipped, they didn't have the strength to get up. With such fighting power, how could they defend Beijing?

Of course, these precise analyses were drawn up by Zhu Youjian after his time travel, but they do faithfully reflect the dire situation at the time. Otherwise, with the Ming Dynasty's immense power, how could it have been so easily "robbed" by Li Zicheng, let alone seized by the Qing Dynasty?

In fact, according to Zhu Youjian's analysis, if Emperor Chongzhen had made a prompt decision to move the capital to Nanjing, even if the Southern Ming Dynasty, which had abundant resources, could not quickly regain its homeland, it would at least not have lost its country as quickly as in later generations.

"No matter what, now that the Ming Dynasty has lost its capital, and the Qing Dynasty has taken control of Beijing, this is God's will." Wang Aoyong smiled and tried to emphasize his point again: "My lord, I advise you not to work for that self-willed, eager for quick success, and suspicious of his ministers. Submission to the Qing Dynasty is the right path!"

"Wang Aoyong, Wang Aoyong, you traitor are truly a local diehard." Zhang Huangyan shook his head, his face filled with disgust. "In that case, let's not waste any more time talking nonsense. Come on!"

"Here!" the soldiers answered in unison.

"Before I came here, Your Majesty told me that the relationship between the Ming Dynasty and the Shun Dynasty is an internal matter, and those who surrender to the Shun Dynasty will be treated leniently. The Manchus, on the other hand, are a foreign race. Over the years, they have murdered tens of millions of Ming people. Therefore, for those who surrender to the Manchus, there is only one word: behead!"

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers took the order and quickly stepped forward to take Wang Aoyong away.