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

An ambush launched by Gao Jie instantly disrupted the seemingly peaceful situation in the Southern Ming court. This ambitious man would do anything to achieve his goal, but his crazy move ended in an unexpected way.

Gao Jie was captured, and Huang Fei and Huang Degong successfully retreated to the Yizhen camp after overcoming many hardships and dangers.

Gao Jie suffered heavy losses in this battle, with over 2,000 of his men killed or wounded. The bodies scattered across the battlefield spoke volumes about the cruelty of war. The commander's capture became a laughingstock.

Huang Degong's forces also paid a heavy price. His three hundred elite cavalrymen suffered heavy losses in this brutal battle. Over two hundred men shed blood on the battlefield, their blood staining the ground red. The tragic scene was unbearable to watch. The rest were severely wounded, each face etched with exhaustion and pain. Only a dozen or so were able to return to the battlefield.

These men were Huang Degong's personal guards, the sharpest cavalry in his army. Many had been with him since the founding of the Brave Guard Battalion. They had fought countless battles together, forging a deep bond. The loss of nearly three hundred men in a single battle left Huang Degong heartbroken, his grief etched in his heart. Naturally, he harbored a deep hatred for the mastermind behind the tragedy, secretly vowing to avenge his fallen brothers.

"Gao Jie can't be killed first!" Huang Fei suddenly hugged the furious Huang Degong, struggled to snatch the long knife from his hand, and said in a deep voice.

Huang Fei's face was solemn at this time. He knew very well that killing Gao Jie at this time was not a wise move.

"Why? This guy deserves to be cut into pieces!" Huang Degong asked loudly with his eyes wide open.

"You are an official appointed by the imperial court. Gao Jie was indeed at fault for ambushing you. The imperial court will have its own opinion on this matter. But if you had killed him outright, the fault would have been yours. Keep him for now; he might be of great use." Huang Fei smiled, put his arm around his shoulders, and consoled him, "Besides, I have something more important to tell you."

"More important things? What are they?" Huang Degong asked in confusion.

"Send your attendants away, someone wants to see you!"

"Who is it?" Huang Degong couldn't help but feel curious when he saw Huang Fei's mysterious look, and quickly asked the soldiers on both sides to leave the tent.

"Hushan, do you still recognize me..." Chongzhen walked in with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, accompanied by Wang Chengen and Li Ruolian.

"You...you..." Huang Degong looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of him and said in astonishment, "You...you...Your Majesty?!"

Huang Degong's voice was full of surprise and excitement.

Huang Degong had been leading troops abroad for years and had not seen Chongzhen for a long time. During this time, Chongzhen had been in exile and endured countless hardships. He had become darker and thinner, his haggard appearance a source of deep distress. As a person who had traveled through time and space, Zhu Youjian had increased his focus on exercise. Although Chongzhen was now darker and thinner, he was energetic and looked so different from years before that Huang Degong was initially unable to recognize him.

"You are so good, Huang Chuangzi, even I can't recognize you!" Chongzhen scolded with a smile.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, it really is you!" Huang Degong fell to his knees with a plop, his voice choked with sobs: "They said... they said... I thought I would never see you again..."

"Hushan, get up quickly!" Seeing Huang Degong's true feelings, Chongzhen's heart was finally at ease.

Huang Degong came from a military background. After the war, he had been fighting against the Later Jin army in Liaodong. With his outstanding military exploits, he was promoted to guerrilla and later to deputy general, in charge of the Beijing Guard Camp.

Chongzhen, fully aware of the importance of military power, made military reform a top priority upon ascending the throne. Unfortunately, this reform compromised the interests of the nobility and ultimately failed. Following the failure of the reform of the Beijing Army, Chongzhen turned his attention to establishing a new military organization, which resulted in the birth of the Yongweiying (Warrior Guard) Battalion.

At that time, Cao Huachun, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, proposed to select elite soldiers from the four guards under the jurisdiction of the former Imperial Horse Supervisor, namely the Tengxiang Left and Right Guards, the Wuxiang Left and Right Guards, to form a guard named Yongwei Camp.

When selecting generals, Chongzhen, with his discerning eye, saw at a glance the extraordinary military talent and bravery and loyalty hidden in Huang Degong. Therefore, Chongzhen personally promoted Huang Degong and put him in charge of training the Yongwei Battalion along with Sun Yingyuan and Zhou Yuji.

Huang Degong lived up to expectations. On various battlefields, whether suppressing peasant uprisings or engaging in bloody battles against the Qing army, his Yongwei Battalion displayed remarkable prowess, earning him high recognition. Late Ming geographer Liu Xianting even bluntly stated: "Of the 100,000 troops in the capital, only 6,000 were capable of deployment from the Yongwei Battalion." Huang Degong's actions vindicated Chongzhen's vision.

For Huang Degong, Chongzhen not only recognized his talent, but also protected him from the storms in his official career.

Huang Degong was a military officer, known for his forthright character, unconcerned with small matters, and a fiery temper, as evidenced by his nickname, "Huang Chuangzi." Within the officialdom, he easily offended others, but whenever someone reported him to Chongzhen, he always laughed it off, ensuring Huang Degong's continued success. Huang Degong was well aware of this, and he vowed to repay Chongzhen's kindness with his own life.

Because of this, Chongzhen was full of confidence in Huang Degong, after all, he was the one he had trained himself. The trust between them was built through countless tests.

The emperor and his ministers met, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, Chongzhen began, "I fled south from the capital, only to encounter a violent storm at sea. Upon reaching shore, I discovered that the sky over Nanjing had changed color, and Hushan had become one of the four towns credited with supporting the enthronement..."

"Your Majesty, I was just going with the flow. Even without me, those three families would still have been able to push Prince Fu to the throne!" Huang Degong said hurriedly before Chongzhen finished speaking, "Besides, by then, accurate news had already arrived that Your Majesty's fleet had been destroyed in the storm, and I..."

"What choice will you make now?" Chongzhen asked with a smile.

"Your Majesty, please don't test me. Although I, 'Huang Chuangzi', am reckless, my foundation was given by Your Majesty, and I know this well. Just tell me what you want me to do. Even if you ask me to take out my heart today, I will definitely not hesitate!" Huang Degong lifted his clothes and knelt down, patting his chest and said.

"I told you you're Huang Chuangzi. I was just joking with you, why did you take it so seriously?" Chongzhen scolded him with a smile, and hurriedly pulled him up. He sighed and said, "Hushan, I've been worried for a long time, but with your words, I finally feel relieved."

"Your Majesty, I will immediately gather the troops and accompany you to Nanjing to ask that Prince Fu to give up the throne. In our Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty is the legitimate heir!" Huang Degong thought for a moment and said, "I don't think those civil and military officials would dare to have any ideas!"

"No!" Chongzhen shook his head. "How can this be so simple? Aren't the stories of Emperor Yingzong and Emperor Daizong of the previous dynasty a lesson for us? I will take back my throne, but before that, I must control the decisive military power. Now there are only you, and your strength is still a little weak..."

"What should we do then?" Huang Degong frowned.

When it comes to leading troops in battle, Huang Degong is naturally an expert, but if he is asked to use political means, that would be difficult for him.

"Now that we have become enemies with Gao Jie, why don't we take advantage of the situation and send troops to take down his forces?" Huang Fei said after thinking for a while.

"No!" Chongzhen shook his head again, "Our Ming Dynasty is plagued by internal and external troubles. We must not engage in internal strife unless it is absolutely necessary!"

"But if we don't send troops, how can we annex Gao Jie's forces?" Li Ruolian interrupted and asked.

"I have a plan..."