I was living at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and I dealt a brutal blow to the Eight Banners!

"Good news from Liaodong!?"

The captain in charge of guarding the palace gates couldn't believe his ears when he first heard about the great victory in Liaodong, and could only confirm it with the postman repeatedly.

The courier presented the report of victory with both hands and said, "This is the official seal of Liaodong!"

When the captain saw the seals of "Liaodong Commandery" and "Liaodong Prefecture" on the bandage, his expression changed, and he snatched the victory report and ran towards the palace.

"Great victory! Great victory! Great victory in Liaodong!"

The captain ran and shouted all the way.

Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, who was waiting to meet the Emperor outside the Wenhua Hall, went to greet him in surprise when he heard the shouts of the Palace Gate Commandant.

Upon seeing that they were high-ranking officials, the captain presented the victory report with both hands and respectfully said:

"My lords, this is good news! A great victory in Liaodong!"

For a time,

Chen Xinjia was somewhat lost in thought.

The ministers behind him all burst into tears of joy, some clenching their fists, others shouting loudly.

Chen Xinjia, realizing what was happening, didn't dare to delay. He picked up the report of victory and headed straight for the Wenhua Hall. He didn't care about the eunuchs' attempts to stop him and broke down the door.

Chen Xinjia held up the victory report and walked solemnly toward Emperor Chongzhen on the dragon throne.

When Zhu Youjian saw Chen Xinjia burst through the door, he was initially angry, but when he saw the victory report that Chen Xinjia was holding high, his heart skipped a beat.

Chen Xinji, head held high and chest out, strode confidently to the center of the hall, knelt on both knees, presented the victory report with both hands, and proclaimed loudly:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on the great victory in Liaodong!"

The assembled officials behind him also knelt on both knees and respectfully said, "Congratulations, Your Majesty!"

Zhu Youjian abruptly stood up, disregarding his impoliteness in front of his ministers. He pushed aside the eunuch who wanted to step forward to receive the victory report, took the report from Chen Xinjia, and hurriedly opened it after seeing the seal on it.

When he saw Zhang Jingchuan, the general of Liaodong, cross Liaodong Bay to launch a surprise attack on Jinzhouwei, the heartland of the Qing Dynasty, and successfully capture Jinzhouwei, a look of joy appeared on his face.

Then,

After Zhang Jingchuan, the general of Liaodong, annihilated several thousand elite Qing troops at Donghai Fort, he was in high spirits.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Zhu Youjian exclaimed loudly, "Who said that our Great Ming Dynasty has had no good generals since Sun Chengzong? Look, our Great Ming Dynasty has produced another military genius!"

At this point, Zhu Youjian paused, glanced at the name of Zhang Jingchuan, the General of Liaodong, frowned, and looked at Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, asking, "Who is this Zhang Jingchuan?"

Chen Xinjia was momentarily speechless, then explained: "This Zhang Jingchuan was originally a personal guard of Wu Sangui, the general of Ningyuan. Because of his repeated military achievements, he was promoted to a guerrilla commander under Wu Sangui."

Later, Jinzhou fell again. Your Majesty ordered Ma Shaoyu to lead the main force to retreat to Ningyuanwei. Zhang Jingchuan volunteered to stay in Donghaibao and became a thorn in Huang Taiji's side.

"I have seen that this man not only possesses the talent of a general, but is also so loyal to the court and Your Majesty, so I have promoted him to Commander-in-Chief of Liaodong."

"Oh~" Zhu Youjian nodded thoughtfully.

He then smiled and said to Chen Xinjia, "You really know how to judge people!"

"I am only doing this to share Your Majesty's burdens," Chen Xinjia said respectfully.

Zhu Youjian glanced at the victory report again, becoming happier with each reading. He grinned and said, "This Zhang Jingchuan is a talented general! I like him! I like him! Hahahaha!"

"What about the rewards bestowed upon Zhang Jingchuan..." Chen Xinjia probed.

According to the letters from Ma Shaoyu and Zhang Ruoqi, although Zhang Jingchuan was Wu Sangui's man, he secretly intended to serve under them.

If Zhang Jingchuan could be supported and given a major role in Liaodong, it would be quite beneficial for me.

At the very least, his influence in the court will increase, and His Majesty will rely on him more and more.

"Issue the imperial decree!" Zhu Youjian said in a deep voice: "Zhang Jingchuan, the general of Liaodong, has rendered meritorious service in pacifying the barbarians. He is hereby promoted to the position of General of the Vanguard Commander-in-Chief, appointed by imperial decree to act expediently in pacifying Liaodong, and granted the title of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince!"

Chen Xinjia was overjoyed and said, "On behalf of Zhang Jingchuan, I thank Your Majesty."

"Wait a moment," Zhu Youjian pondered for a moment and then said, "Such a young and loyal general is extremely rare. What do you think of bestowing upon him a title, Earl of Pinglu?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers said respectfully.

"Hahahaha," Zhu Youjian laughed loudly, "Issue my decree: I grant a general amnesty to the world!"

……

Midnight,

The eunuch led Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, toward the Imperial Study.

Chen Xinjia followed behind the eunuch, head held high and chest out, his steps upright. At this moment, he felt extremely happy.

The news of the victory from Liaodong spread throughout the capital, causing great excitement among the people.

Despite the internal and external troubles that plagued the Ming Dynasty in recent years, the lives of the people were extremely difficult.

But I have to say,

The people of the Ming Dynasty were still proud at heart, at least in their eyes to the barbarian invaders in Liaodong.

Although there were many rebel armies causing trouble in Shaanxi, so what?

When brothers fight at home, it doesn't matter to these ordinary people who win or lose. After all, they are of the same clan and share the same ancestor, so it doesn't matter who is in charge!

But the bandits in Liaodong are different. As the saying goes, those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts. How can we let outsiders take charge of our family?

The Ming Dynasty lasted for more than two hundred years. Back then, Emperor Hongwu relied on a bowl to not only drive out the Yuan Mongols but also seize the world.

The past two hundred years have been incredibly difficult, yet we have persevered. We fought against the Tatars to the north, the Annamite to the south, the Japanese pirates to the east, and the Westerners at sea.

They fought on and off, stopped and fought on, but never lost their momentum.

Putting aside other things, at least the national confidence has been built up. It's just that in recent years, due to bad luck, foreign bandits have taken advantage of the Ming Dynasty's internal troubles to plunder and loot.

In the last one or two decades, when we were fighting against the invaders, yes, the Ming Dynasty didn't win much, but that doesn't mean the Ming Dynasty couldn't win.

This is not,

Our Ming army not only dealt a heavy blow to the enemy, but also recaptured Jinzhou Garrison.

After entering the imperial study, Chen Xinjia bowed to Emperor Chongzhen.

Zhu Youjian looked at Chen Xinjia and asked in a calm tone, "How much of the good news from Liaodong is true and how much is false?"

In the imperial court, facing so many officials, one still had to put on an act when necessary. After all, the atmosphere in the court had been oppressive for a long time, and good news was desperately needed to lift spirits.

right now,

Those who are behind closed doors are all on the same side, so there's no need to pretend; let's just tell the truth.

It's no wonder that Zhu Youjian solemnly inquired about the authenticity of Chen Xinjia's victory report; he had been dazzled by the magnificent military reports from Liaodong over the years.

A sneak attack on a few Qing scouts could be reported as a minor victory, but the annihilation of a single Qing army unit could be reported as a major victory...

In any case, victories on the front lines continued, but territory was constantly being lost.

Faced with Emperor Chongzhen's questioning,

In the past, Chen Xinjia would have stammered and made excuses to smooth things over.

And today,

He can finally stand up straight and say:

"Your Majesty, the great victory in Liaodong is confirmed!"

……