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

Although there is little record of Xie Quanfeng in history books, he was an extraordinary man of loyalty and courage!

Historically, after Emperor Chongzhen committed suicide, Xie Quanfeng alone entered the capital and, along with Master Zhan and his teacher Wang Jiaohuan, secretly planned to rescue the crown prince. However, their plan was leaked, and the crown prince fell into the hands of the Shaanxi rebels. With no other options, Xie Quanfeng traveled south to Nanjing and sought refuge with Shi Kefa.

When Prince Fu ascended the throne, the four Jiangbei garrisons, relying on their meritorious service, became arrogant and tyrannical, leading to national chaos. Unable to bear the pressure from Li Zicheng, Zuo Liangyu, under the pretext of the Crown Prince case, attacked Nanjing and attempted to seize Southern Zhili. Xie Quanfeng sailed alone up the river, using his eloquence and wisdom to persuade the garrisons of Hankou, Xiangyang, and Jingzhou to revolt. With Zuo Liangyu's rearguard seized and unable to advance, he died in depression at Jiujiang.

However, the Southern Ming regime was short-sighted and wanted to ally with the Qing army to rebel. Xie Quanfeng understood the situation and believed that it was best to ally with the Qing army to fight against the Qing army. To this end, he stayed in Hubei and, together with He Tengjiao and others, allied with Liu Wenxiu in the north and Sun Kewang in the west, gathering forces from all sides to fight back against the Qing army.

Later, Sun Kewang, Li Dingguo, and others attacked each other, and Xie Quanfeng, seeing the situation, retreated to Hengshan. Obsessed with inner alchemy, he excelled at refining mercury elixirs. While refining, he discovered the optimal ratio of saltpeter, sulfur, and carbon for black gunpowder: thirteen saltpeter, two sulfurs, and five carbons. This ratio produced gunpowder far more powerful than the existing one sulfur, two saltpeter, and seven charcoal. This discovery, made a century before European chemists, was made. Unfortunately, the Qing court at the time strictly prohibited the private refining of gunpowder, and this remarkable discovery was never passed down to the world.

These were the information Zhu Youjian had collected on the Internet. Xie Quanfeng not only possessed extremely high military talent, but was also a scientist devoted to research. Such talents must naturally be firmly grasped in one's hands, so when he heard that Xie Quanfeng was in the army, he was even more surprised!

However, there is no need to rush these things, but some preliminary preparations still need to be carried out first.

"Liheng, I remember hearing someone say that there was a man named Huang Minggang in Qingyang County, who was known as the King of Crossbow Making..." Chongzhen thought for a while and said.

"Your Majesty, this man is indeed the most famous craftsman in the local area. There is a legend that he is the descendant of Mohism. I didn't expect that you also knew about it," Yan Yingyuan said in admiration without any doubt.

"Not only do I know him, I also know that the son of Jiangyin garrison commander Chen Ruizhi is good at gunpowder, right?" Chongzhen naturally couldn't say that these were all obtained from the information he looked up back then, so he could only ask mysteriously.

"Chen Wenkai is indeed good at gunpowder. I have seen the fire brick wooden gun he made. The fire brick is four inches long and three inches wide. It will automatically catch fire and burn when it touches a person. And the wooden gun is similar to a silver sheath, three feet and five inches long and two or three inches wide. It is made of wood, with gunpowder stored in the middle after being hollowed out. When it is thrown from the city wall, it will cause the wood to crack when it hits the ground, and the iron spikes will fly out, killing anyone who touches it..." Yan Yingyuan nodded and said.

"Liheng, you must invite these two people to me. If you need anything, I will ask Lord Shi to assist you," Chongzhen said seriously.

"Your Majesty, I will not fail my mission." Yan Yingyuan bowed and accepted the order.

It was already daybreak, and just as Wang Chengen was urging everyone to go to dinner, Shi Kefa hurried over. His steps were hurried, his face was anxious, and beads of sweat were hanging on his forehead.

"Xianzhi, what happened?" Seeing that Shi Kefa looked unhappy, Chongzhen asked hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, Qu Shangzhong has already spoken," Shi Kefa said with a sigh, "but..."

"Just what?" Seeing Shi Kefa's hesitation, Chongzhen couldn't help but asked anxiously.

"He just said he wouldn't speak until he saw you!"

"Oh? Why do you want to see me?" Chongzhen was a little surprised, and his eyes revealed confusion and curiosity.

"He didn't say anything, he just said that the truth would be revealed when we met..."

"Then let's meet him and see what he is up to!" Chongzhen said after pondering for a moment.

He was very curious about the eunuch who assassinated him and decided to meet Qu Shangzhong in person.

"Alright, I'll have him brought here right away," Shi Kefa said quickly. "Because the man I captured this time is related to the Wang family and someone from the palace, I didn't hand him over to Yangzhou Prefecture. He's temporarily detained in the Commander-in-Chief's Mansion."

When Qu Shangzhong was brought up, although his clothes were stained with blood, he was in high spirits, and even had a look of fearlessness on his face.

"Okay, now that you've seen me, can you tell me?" Chongzhen didn't bother to waste time talking to him and asked straight to the point. His voice was calm, yet it carried a sense of authority.

"Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian, I never expected to see you here." Qu Shangzhong stared at Chongzhen for a long time and said, "You said you were dead, so why did you come back?"

"You... know me?" Chongzhen was surprised when he heard that.

Chongzhen's identity had not yet been made public. After he decided to conquer the four towns first and then take Nanjing, he strictly kept his identity a secret. Today, only a few people know his identity, and they are all loyal to him.

What's more, his figure and facial shape have changed a lot now. Even people who knew him before could hardly recognize him at first glance. I didn't expect that Qu Shangzhong actually knew me.

"Actually, I didn't recognize you at first. You've changed so much," Qu Shangzhong said with a smile, "but you know I'm a eunuch and have been in the imperial palace. Although I didn't recognize you, I know Eunuch Wang..."

"You know me?" Wang Chengen was stunned. He looked at Qu Shangzhong carefully, then shook his head and said, "Why don't I have any impression of you at all?"

"I was just a small eunuch at that time. How could you know me?" Qu Shangzhong smiled faintly and said, "It's enough that I know you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have guessed that it was Emperor Chongzhen!"

"You are quite clever," Chongzhen nodded and said, "Even if you know my identity, what does it matter?"

"That's why I organized this assassination! It's a pity that God blessed you, the emperor who even lost his capital. The thunder bomb didn't explode, otherwise..." Qu Shangzhong shook his head with a wry smile, a trace of regret and unwillingness on his face.

"What else?" Shi Kefa frowned and said.

"Otherwise, I would be sitting high and mighty now," Qu Shangzhong said, staring at Shi Kefa. "If I really killed this emperor, would you still avenge him? Or would you worry that I would report your secret dealings with the previous emperor to the current emperor?"

"You..." Shi Kefa pointed at Qu Shangzhong and didn't know what to say for a moment. His face flushed red, and he was very angry at Qu Shangzhong's words.

"Alright, you just want to sow discord between us." Chongzhen smiled nonchalantly and said, "To be honest, I admire you very much. What I want to know is, when did you recognize me?"

"After I met Lord Shi, I recognized Eunuch Wang in the courtyard and guessed your identity," said Qu Shangzhong.

"From the time they recognized me to the time they assassinated me, it only took a day. You're incredibly efficient," Chongzhen said, somewhat surprised. "But how did you convince the Wang family's head in such a short time?"

"I told him your true identity," Qu Shangzhong said with a smile.

"If he knew my identity, he would be even more afraid to attack me. Assassinating the king is a capital crime punishable by extermination of nine generations of the clan!" Chongzhen said curiously.

"I convinced Wang Zheng that his son's beating was intentional and a conspiracy against the Wang family. You're after their family's wealth accumulated over a century. Do you think they'll just sit there and wait for death?" Qu Shangzhong said. "Besides, you're not the emperor anymore. And if he could really kill you, how would the current emperor treat him?"

"What a good plan! I never thought that there would be such a talent like you in the Ming Dynasty," Chongzhen nodded and gave a thumbs-up. There was a hint of admiration on his face, but a hint of regret in his eyes.

"It's a pity that man disposes, but heaven disposes," Qu Shangzhong sighed and said with a wry smile, "I didn't expect that a century-old family like the Wang family of Puzhou wouldn't even have a team of elite soldiers. But maybe it was because we were too hasty... But what I didn't expect was that even God helped you. That fatal thunder bomb didn't even explode..."

"But I do want to thank you," Chongzhen stood up and walked to Qu Shangzhong, bowed deeply and said, "You are right about one thing. I really want to take action against these salt merchants. I have never been able to find a reason. This time, because of you, I have a reason to deal with the Wang family, and an excuse to deal with the salt merchants in Yangzhou! This gift is my sincere thanks to you..."

"Hahaha," Qu Shangzhong laughed heartily upon hearing this. "Chongzhen, don't be so complacent. I've already reported your presence to His Majesty. The current emperor is the Hongguang Emperor. Who do you think the entire court will side with? Shi Kefa, you are the commander-in-chief and a cabinet minister of the Hongguang Dynasty. You were the one who supported the Hongguang Emperor in the beginning. It's too late to change sides now! What are you trying to do by summoning the various towns in Jiangbei? Are you trying to dethrone the Hongguang Emperor you all supported?"

"To sow discord between us, the emperor and his subjects, is this the reason you want to see me?" Looking at Qu Shangzhong shouting loudly, Chongzhen was not moved at all. After Qu Shangzhong got tired of shouting, Chongzhen said lightly.

"Yes, that's my goal." Qu Shangzhong took a deep breath and said, "Everyone in the world knows that you are suspicious, jealous, and vindictive. Even if you appear calm and composed, it can't hide the hatred in your heart... Shi Kefa, just wait and see what happens to you..."

"Your Majesty, I..." Shi Kefa's face was extremely grim. Although Qu Shangzhong's words were provocative, they made sense if one considered them carefully. Thinking of Chongzhen's previous behavior, he didn't know what to say. His eyes were filled with worry and uneasiness, and he looked at Chongzhen with a hint of hesitation.

"Xianzhi, don't worry about it. This is just his last-ditch effort." Chongzhen interrupted Shi Kefa with a smile and said, "Qu Shangzhong, I really feel sad for Zhu Yousong now. Such a talented person can only be selected as a concubine to satisfy his lust. But this also strengthens my determination to drive him off the throne... You have great talent, but it's a pity that I can't use it... What a pity, what a pity!"

"It's up to you whether to kill or cut me up, don't be so hypocritical..."

"Come, take him away!" Chongzhen ordered Qu Shangzhong to be taken away. There was a hint of fatigue in his voice, and he felt a little bored by this conversation.

"Your Majesty, what should we do next?"

"Calling everyone..."