031 Allied with the Southerners to Pacify the Bandits

Nanjing, also known as Jinling, has a name whose origins are shrouded in diverse legends. It is said that when Qin Shi Huang unified the realm, he toured the region and passed through Moling Pass (present-day Nanjing). Seeing the majestic mountains and sensing an aura of imperial power, the Emperor grew suspicious that a monarch might one day arise from this land. He ordered his men to chisel through Fangshan Mountain and flood the area with water mixed with gold and silver, intending to suppress the "kingly aura."

While these folk tales are unreliable, one fact has been clear throughout history: Jinling, the ancient capital of six dynasties, was no mere coincidence. Over the past five millennia, whenever foreign powers occupied the Central Plains and the Han people faced extinction, successive Han rulers chose Jinling as a temporary refuge to recuperate and await the chance to reclaim the north. Even the Southern Song dynasty, lacking any ambition for recovery, designated Jinling as its "traveling capital." Thus, the city became synonymous with the revival of the Han people.

The Ming Dynasty had lost half its empire, yet as the imperial banners were unfurled in the secondary capital of Jinling, the dilapidated Fengtian Hall—left vacant for two centuries—was patched up to once again become the center of Ming power. Today’s Fengtian Hall lacked the majesty of the Hongwu Emperor’s era, resembling an aging man making a final, desperate struggle. Yet, though the sparrow is small, it possesses all the vital organs; the Ming court’s Six Ministries and Nine Ministers, along with the full assembly of civil and military officials, packed the hall to capacity.

Ma Shiying, who only days ago was the Junior Grand Secretary, now stood at the head of the court, having usurped the position of Shi Kefa. With a face full of arrogance, he stood before the imperial throne, back to the Hongguang Emperor, gesturing wildly as he spoke incessantly to the officials. Behind him, the Hongguang Emperor sat on his throne, brows knit in frustration, unable to find an opening to speak.

Clad in the crimson robes of a first-rank official, Ma Shiying glowed with smug satisfaction as he addressed the assembly. "Gentlemen, I have stated my proposal. Let us speak freely in this imperial audience today. To avoid complications, since Eunuch Han of the Directorate of Ceremonial is here, we should settle on a plan and submit it for His Majesty’s final decision." He turned and bowed to the Hongguang Emperor, who promptly turned his head away to gaze at a young palace maid in the corner.

The civil and military officials stood in their respective ranks, silent. With the Grand Secretary having set the tone, none dared to speak. Under the previous Chongzhen Emperor, it would have been unthinkable for military officials to stand alongside civil ones, but as this current emperor owed his throne to the military, their presence was unavoidable.

After a long silence, the Minister of War, Shi Kefa, finally broke the stalemate. He stepped forward and declared, "Your Majesty, the rebel Li Zicheng is our primary enemy. Following the rebel's defeat at Tongguan, our dynasty should immediately march north. We must not allow him to die at the hands of the Qing forces. The vengeance for the late Emperor and the destruction of our two-hundred-year-old palace must not be delegated to others. As for the Qing, we should send envoys to the camp of Wu Sangui, ordering him to lead his troops south to pay homage to the new Emperor, while demanding the Qing forces retreat beyond Shanhai Pass. The affairs of the Han people must be decided by our own Emperor. As for the Grand Secretary’s proposal to 'borrow the barbarians' to suppress the rebels, I cannot agree. It is a plan that invites the wolf into the house; once the rebels are gone, we shall face the disaster of the Qing. The Ming will be in grave danger."

Many officials chuckled inwardly at this. Expecting the Qing to retreat just because one asked was delusional. Furthermore, despite their defeat at Tongguan, Li Zicheng’s forces still dwarfed the Ming’s. Which general would be foolish enough to abandon the comforts of Jinling to fight in the war-torn north?

No sooner had Shi Kefa finished than Liu Kongzhao, the fourteenth-generation descendant of the Ming’s founding hero Liu Bowen and the current Duke of Chengyi, stepped forward. "Your Majesty, Minister Shi’s words are those of a defeatist. The rebels are indeed traitors who must be destroyed. The Qing forces have reclaimed Beijing for the Ming and aided General Wu Sangui in crushing the rebels at Tongguan. This is a golden opportunity for our restoration. I believe the Grand Secretary’s plan does not go far enough. We should unite with the Qing to suppress the rebels. We must send envoys north, offer heavy rewards to the Qing to exterminate the rebels for us, and promote Wu Sangui to the rank of Duke of Dingxi. If this succeeds, our national grudge will be avenged without the loss of a single Ming soldier. Is that not ideal?"

Ma Shiying nodded in approval. "The Duke of Chengyi is correct. This is a strategy of using wolves to fight tigers; it is brilliant."

Shi Kefa, displeased, moved to speak again, but was cut off by Qian Qianyi, the Junior Minister of Rites. A prominent figure and leader of the Donglin faction in Nanjing, Qian had been unhappy with the succession but, lacking the support of the military generals backing Ma Shiying, the Donglin faction had lost its voice. Fearing expulsion, they had begun to curry favor with Ma Shiying to ensure their own safety.

"Your Majesty, Grand Secretary," Qian said, "our court is newly established and the people's hearts are unsettled. If we can use the Manchus to remove the rebels, it would indeed gladden the people. I support the policy of uniting with the Qing."

Shi Kefa knelt, his robes trembling. "Your Majesty, Wu Sangui holds seventy thousand iron cavalry—how did the Qing enter the pass? Whether he has surrendered or is merely borrowing their aid is unpredictable. Who can guarantee that the Qing will not seize our Han realm? If we rely on them and they grow too powerful to control, how will we answer to the people? This is feeding the tiger. I implore you, Your Majesty, issue an order to march north to deter the rebels and hold the Qing at the border. The Manchus are rustic nomads; once they see the richness of the Central Plains, they will never leave!"

The Hongguang Emperor glanced at Shi Kefa and smirked, thinking, "When I ascended the throne, you accused me of seven crimes. Now you play the loyal subject? Let them fight; let us see who destroys whom." He remained silent, watching the two sides clash.

Ma Shiying’s face darkened. He stepped down from the dais and knelt. "Your Majesty, our Great Ming has tens of millions of people. These barbarians number less than a hundred thousand; how could they dare harbor designs on our realm? Even if they did, what is there to fear? Minister Shi speaks of marching north, but our treasury is empty. Moving hundreds of thousands of troops will cost millions. Why not seize this heaven-sent opportunity? I maintain that we should unite with the Qing, reward Wu Sangui, and let them finish the rebels."

Shi Kefa rose, his voice deep. "Grand Secretary, money can be found, but uniting with the Qing is absolutely forbidden. The soil of the Ming must not be trampled by foreigners. That is the bottom line. If the Manchus refuse to leave, can you bear the responsibility?"

Ma Shiying retorted arrogantly, "This is an expedient measure! When the Qing and the rebels have exhausted each other, the Ming will strike and sweep them all away!"

Shi Kefa did not back down. "That is wishful thinking! I am the Minister of War; the terrain of the Central Plains is flat and indefensible. Are you going to wait until the Qing occupies it to fight? With what? The Four Garrisons of the North claim two hundred thousand troops—ask them if they dare claim they can block the Qing. We must seize the heartland first to force the Qing back to Shanhai Pass."

Ma Shiying was livid. He pointed at Shi Kefa’s nose. "You are destroying our morale for the sake of the enemy! When has the Qing ever shown disrespect to the Ming? These are merely your guesses!"

Shi Kefa turned to the Emperor. "The affairs of state are not about the courage of a single man. If we cannot plan for the future, how can we speak of restoring the Ming?"

The grand hall of the Ming had turned into a shouting match. News had arrived yesterday that Wu Sangui and the Qing had routed the rebels at Tongguan, and Li Zicheng had fled west. Everything was happening too fast. Two months ago, Li Zicheng had taken Beijing; now, he had lost it, and then lost the strategic fortress of Tongguan. The Great Shun was crumbling.

After hours of arguing, the court remained deadlocked. The Donglin faction, led by Ma Shiying, insisted on allying with the Qing, while the regional officials supported by Shi Kefa demanded an immediate military occupation of Shandong and Hebei to control the Yellow River.

The Hongguang Emperor, having remained silent throughout, was exhausted by the bickering. He dared not support either side, fearing both the ire of Ma Shiying and the potential loss of his throne. Suddenly, a eunuch entered, kneeling. "Your Majesty, Grand Commander Zheng Hongkai has brought back Vice Commander Wang Lanping, the top scholar, and he awaits outside."

The Emperor’s face lit up. He stood, his corpulent body swaying, and waved his sleeve. "Summon him! The late Emperor praised this man as the greatest martial scholar of our Ming. Since I ascended, the rebels have moved south unopposed. Wang Lanping is the one man who has truly struck back at them. My ministers, follow me to welcome him!"