Chapter 1057 Emperor Chongzhen’s Abdication Edict (2)

(1057)

In the Zichen Hall of the Qin Palace, all the senior officials of the imperial court, senior commanders of various corpses of the Hu Ben Army, representatives of local governments at all levels, and special envoys sent by the Hu Ben Army were all concentrated here. At this moment, the Zichen Hall seemed particularly quiet. Everyone's breathing seemed to be clearly smelled.

In the spacious hall, everyone's faces were different. The people of the Hu Ben Army naturally held their heads high and smiled. They were victors and had enough qualifications to enjoy the joy of victory at this time. On the contrary, the people of the court looked dim. They all hung their heads listlessly.

Of course, not all the court officials were so frustrated. At least, in Cao Huachun's view, this was a kind of relief. In this way, it was indeed the best to resolve disputes peacefully. Cao Huachun thanked Zhang Zhun and Chongzhen from the bottom of his heart. In this matter, both Zhang Zhun and Chongzhen chose a bloodless solution. If the two sides really fought, Guanzhong would probably be bloody.

There are actually many people who have such thoughts as Cao Huachun, especially the officers and soldiers of the three major camps, including the Wujun Camp, the Sanqian Camp and the Shenji Camp. They do not need to fight with the Huben Army, which means they have saved their lives. After the court surrenders, they can go back to their hometown and live a peaceful life.

"Squeak!"

The side door of Zichen Palace was quietly opened.

Emperor Chongzhen slowly came out of it.

His expression was quite calm.

Since the decision to surrender was made, Emperor Chongzhen had no choice. Reading the edict was only the first step in the procedure. After reading the edict, there were still many things to do. However, relatively speaking, reading the edict was still the most important.

The opened side door brought a bitter cold wind, which made everyone in Zichen Hall feel energetic. Scattered snowflakes were blown in by the strong wind and rolled on the ground. Emperor Chongzhen stood in the wind with expressionless face. The cold wind kept blowing his face, blowing his cheeks red, but Emperor Chongzhen did not notice it. Perhaps, only this bitter cold wind could keep him awake!

In front of Emperor Chongzhen, the old eunuch Wang Chengen held the abdication edict in his hand and was ready to read it. This thin edict seemed to be weighing thousands of pounds in his hands. He was already very old and his body was seriously hunched. At this time, his spirit was hit and his body became more and more hunched. People around him could not help but worry, and I wonder if Wang Chengen had the strength to read all the edicts.

Fortunately, after hunching for a while, Wang Chengen slowly unveiled the edict and read it in a low tone. Although it was an edict to abdicate, the court officials present had to kneel down to greet them. Only the officials of the Hu Ben Army were standing all the time. The other person standing was Emperor Chongzhen himself.

"The emperor pardoned the emperor...

Wang Chengen's voice seemed a little weak in the wind and snow. However, the Zichen Palace seemed particularly quiet, and his voice could naturally be heard clearly. The howling wind and snow seemed to have some understanding. When the edict began to be read, it slowly stopped. Finally, the world was quiet, and only Wang Chengen's old voice was echoing.

The content of the edict was quite long, and Wang Cheng'en had been reciting it for a long time. During the middle, he paused several times to accumulate enough energy. At the same time, it also gave the people who listened to the edict enough time to reminisce. In fact, there was only one core content of the edict, which was that Emperor Chongzhen thought he was no longer competent in the position of the emperor, so he decided to abdicate the throne to Zhang Zhun, the general governor of the Hu Ben Army.

In other words, the Ming Empire has come to this point. From now on, the Ming Empire no longer exists. Everything related to the Ming Empire will be separated. A specific example is that after the edict is read out, all forces and personnel under the control of the court should surrender to the Hu Ben Army as soon as possible.

“…I’m convinced of this kindness.”

“…Absolute.”

“… December 25, 12th year of Chongzhen.”

Wang Chengen paused slightly before he read out the last part of the edict with difficulty.

"Thank you, Lord, Long!"

The imperial officials shouted in unison and then slowly stood up.

After the abdication edict was read out, everyone present felt much more relaxed. On the Hu Ben Army, they naturally felt that the dust had settled and no other accidents could happen. As for the court, including Yang Sichang, they all breathed a sigh of relief. In the future, they no longer had to worry about this mess full of holes.

The court was destroyed.

The Chongzhen era is over.

Starting from the first day of the first month of next year, it will be the first year of Xia Wu.

Zhang Zhun originally proposed that the name of the new empire was called the Hu Ben Empire, but later, too many people opposed it, so he had to give up. Finally, the Government Department of the Great Governor's Office of the Hu Ben Army specially organized a national name selection activity. In the end, the national name was designated as the Huaxia Empire. Zhang Zhun was the first emperor, with the year name Xia Wu. The capital of the Huaxia Empire was initially determined to be in Qingdao.

The capital of Qingdao was entirely due to the need for balance. Whether it was Luoyang, Beijing, or Nanjing, there were a large number of supporters. They had arguing about the issue of capitalization. The Ministry of Government organized several investigations, but none of the cities received more than half of the votes. In the end, the decision had to be handed over to Zhang Zhun.

After pondering for a while, Zhang Zhun simply chose Qingdao as the capital of the new empire. This is a completely blank city that can be designed according to his needs. Zhang Zhun is confident that he can build Qingdao into a modern city. At the same time, the Great Governor's Office of the Hu Ben Army does not need to move, and his harem does not need to move, and he is also near the seaside, which is conducive to maritime trade.

From a geographical perspective, the new Huaxia Empire included Korea, the Japanese archipelago, Liaodong, and even the Nanyang region. In the future, the opposite Pacific Ocean and the American continent will also be included in the ruling of the Huaxia Empire. There are also the Australian continent and New Zealand, which will also become part of the territory of the Huaxia Empire. In a sense, Qingdao is also the geographical relative center of the New Huaxia Empire.

Especially in the control of maritime interests, Qingdao has unique conditions. It has enough ports and provides sufficient berths. On the east side of Qingdao, Wulong Bay, Weihaiwei, Dengzhou and other places, there are a large number of excellent ports. The maritime trade of the new empire can be centered on Qingdao and radiate to the whole world.

The capital of the Chinese Empire is right by the sea. If there is no strong maritime power, it will definitely be attacked. Therefore, in the future, no matter who becomes the emperor, he must find a way to continue to strengthen the power of the navy. It is best to maintain the position of maritime overlord for a long time and never waver. This means that you must actively participate in the maritime battle for hegemony.

After Wang Chengen read the edict of abdication, he handed the edict to another eunuch and went to various places in Xi'an Prefecture to read it repeatedly. Then, the cavalry of the Hu Ben Army accompanied the eunuchs holding the eunuchs and went to various places in Sichuan to read it. This edict is not only known to the people in Zichen Hall, but more importantly, everyone in the world knows it.

As the edict was read out, Emperor Chongzhen also removed his emperor Yanfu. From now on, he is no longer the emperor. His life will begin a new page. I wonder what his feelings will be in his heart at this moment?

"Prince Zhu, please."

Yang Qianqiang said with a slightly calmer expression.

Since Emperor Chongzhen agreed to Zhang Zhun's conditions, he would not make things difficult for the other party. However, Emperor Chongzhen must not stay in Xi'an Prefecture. The Hu Ben Army wanted to clean up Guanzhong in a carpet style. It was obviously inappropriate for Emperor Chongzhen to stay here. He will be sent to Qingdao for a while. Some things, Zhang Zhun needs to talk about Emperor Chongzhen - well, now he can't be called Emperor Chongzhen, he should be called Zhu Youjian - to have a careful discussion.

"Let's go!"

Zhu Youxiao said as calmly as possible.

"please!"

Yang Qianqiang made a gesture.

Zhu Youxiao nodded and walked out of Zichen Hall. In front of everyone, Zhu Youjian, who had removed his emperor status under the escort of the Hu Ben Army, left Xi'an City. His departure meant that the Ming Empire had completely ended.

...

Hainan Island, Nanshan District.

The southeast of Hainan Island, which is located in the southeast of Hainan Island, is near Lingshui today. This is the southernmost Thousand Household House at the Ming Empire. Due to the frequent disturbance of pirates, this Thousand Household House seemed very dilapidated. By the Chongzhen period, it was almost abandoned. There were only dozens of desperate old military households who were still waiting to die here.

However, at the end of the 12th year of Chongzhen, the Nanshan Institute underwent earth-shaking changes. The number of people here suddenly increased. The small port was even more crowded with a large number of warships. These huge warships were all military households in the Nanshan Institute and had never seen them before. Even the oldest military households had never seen them.

In addition to a large number of warships, there were also a large number of transport ships, which were continuously sailing into the port and unloading a large amount of supplies. There were also a large number of civilians who kept coming down from the ship and joining the intense engineering construction. For a time, the entire port of Nanshansu was in full swing.

The local military households and surrounding farmers in Nanshan Institute were attracted by anyone who had the ability to work. The price offered by the Hu Ben Army was very attractive. The wages of a day were fifty cents, and they also had two meals. When did the local people have seen such a generous income? Naturally, they flocked to it.

Because the message was transmitted slowly, and the South Island of Shanghai was an island with relatively closed news, the military households in the Nanshan Institute did not know what the Hu Ben Army was going to do here. They only knew that the Hu Ben Army Navy was going to build a port here. As for what they wanted to do after the port was built, they didn't know.

In fact, the logistics department of the Hu Ben Army, whenever he goes to a new place, expands the port like crazy. Nanshan Institute is no exception. The purpose of this is obviously self-evident, that is, to help the navy continue to move forward.

For the Hu Ben Navy, Taiwan Island is still a bit far from the Nanyang Ocean, and Hainan Island is the best. As long as you control Hainan Island, it is equivalent to hanging a sword of Damocles in the north of the Nanyang Ocean. Therefore, after recapturing Taiwan Island, the Hu Ben Navy immediately marched towards Hainan Island and finally chose Nanshan Institute as the advance base.

On December 28, Zhang Zhun's warship slowly docked here. Zhang Zhun arrived at Hainan Island at this time, and was very targeted. It is obvious that he will spend this New Year's Eve with the officers and soldiers of the Hu Ben Army Navy on this island. There is no doubt that such a move did make the logistics department of the Hu Ben Army Navy deeply feel the pressure.

"Governor."

"Governor."

"Governor."

Everyone came forward to say hello.

Since Zhang Zhun came to Hainan Island, of course, the senior management of the Hu Ben Navy cannot be gone. In fact, the senior management of the Hu Ben Navy, Yang Guohua, Li Jicheng, Zhang Haibin, Zhou Zhengyu, Huang Shijun and others, are all there. It can be said that before the arrival of the Hu Ben Army Marine Corps, Hainan Island is now the world of the Hu Ben Navy.

"Thank you all for your hard work."

Zhang Zhun said lightly with a smile on his face.

He took off the white gloves on his hand and let his fingers feel the local temperature in the wind. As a result, what he felt was a warm sea breeze and a warm sunshine. Looking up at the sky, it was blue and the sky was cloudless. Looking at the sea water, it was also blue. The beaches on both sides were also pure white. No matter from any angle, the scenery here was comparable to Taiwan Island.

“The climate is good.”

Zhang Zhun said with a happy smile.

“It’s good.”

Li Jicheng and others all laughed.

In this cold winter, the climate of Hainan Island is indeed good. When snowflakes are already flying in the north, you can still see blooming flowers here. Although everyone has no way to go home and have no way to spend New Year's Eve with their families, it seems that it is a good choice to spend the winter here.

"How is the patrol fleet?"

Zhang Zhun asked with concern while walking forward.

Due to Rezger's defeat, the Dutch Navy has retreated to Batavia and there is no sign of going north. Now, Shixing Seawall (Zhongsha Islands), Wanli Seawall (Xisa Islands) and other places have been included in the control of the Hu Ben Army Navy.

The so-called patrol fleet is actually a pirate fleet, which is specifically responsible for collecting protection fees. This protection fee has a legal name called maritime trade tax. Of course, for foreign merchant fleets, there is only the name that the protection fee is known to the whole world.

"Sir, our plan is like this..."

Yang Guohua will introduce it in detail.

According to the research of senior leaders of the Hu Ben Army Navy, they decided to carry out uninterrupted patrols between the Wanli Seawall, Shixing Seawall, Hainan Island and Taiwan Island. The purpose of patrol is to inspect the merchant fleet that does not pay taxes. Once discovered, they will be seized immediately. Whether it is from the country or from foreign countries, they will be seized.

Taiwan Island, Hainan Island, and Luzon Island form a pin-shaped shape. The distance between Taiwan Island and Luzon Island is the closest. The route between Manila and Yuegang does not need to pass Hainan Island. However, once the Hu Ben Navy conducts uninterrupted patrols between Hainan Island and Taiwan Island, it is equivalent to cutting off the route.

Well, to be precise, it is not about cutting off this route, but about controlling this route. In the past, the Ming Dynasty's own naval power could not effectively supervise this route. Or in other words, protect it. The Zheng family fleet could only play part of the role. Now, the Hu Ben Navy will play all the role.

What are the benefits of controlling this route? It is to monopolize maritime trade. In other words, profits can only fall into the pockets of the Hu Ben Navy and cannot fall into the pockets of others. If the Hu Ben Navy is unhappy, no one can make a penny from it. Similarly, if others want to destroy this route, they should also ask whether the Hu Ben Navy agrees.

The competition for interests on the sea is actually a competition for routes. If there is a route, there will be profits. The more monopolized routes, the higher the profits. Those so-called gold routes are naturally one of the goals that all forces strive for. For example, the Malacca Strait in the South China Sea is the goal that the Western powers continue to compete for.

After the Hu Ben Army took over Taiwan Island, the routes between the Ming, North Korea and Japan were completely monopolized by the Hu Ben Army. The entire profit generated by these routes was of course in the pocket of the Hu Ben Army Navy. Now, if the Hu Ben Army Navy wants to control more routes, it must snatch these routes from others.

However, due to the influence of geographical location, if the Hu Ben Navy set out from Taiwan Island and expedition to the Southeast Ocean, it would be constrained by Luzon. At present, the power to control the largest port of Luzon is the Spanish. Zhang Zhun is not ready yet. While going to war with the Dutch, he also went to war with the Spanish. In other words, at present, the main target of the Hu Ben Navy is the Dutch, not the Spanish.

"Kill the Dutch first."

"Kill the Spaniards again."

This is Zhang Zhun’s basic strategic policy.

Under such circumstances, Hainan Island is very important. Because the Hu Ben Navy starts from Hainan Island and does not need to deal with the Spaniards. No matter what the Hu Ben Army does, the Spaniards cannot interfere. If the Hu Ben Navy has any confidential operations, this is very important.

Moreover, the establishment of a base on Hainan Island by the Hu Ben Navy is also conducive to helping the Sun Chuanting Army, the Sun Chuanting Army, sweeping across Southeast Asia. The important port of Southeast Asia, Ji'ding, is in the southern part of Vietnam. The Hu Ben Navy controls Ji'anting, and can provide the strongest support to the Sun Chuanting Army.

While talking, the group had already arrived at the destination of Qianhu House in Nanshan Institute. This was the only relatively well-preserved house in Nanshan Institute. The Qianhu Lord of Nanshan Institute had moved to Haikou a long time ago and did not come back once a year. After entering Qianhu House, everyone continued to discuss the issue.

"Sir, Mao Huihui and the others are here."

While talking, someone came in to report.
To be continued...