Stirring Up Infighting in Southern Ming

In the autumn of the first year of the Longwu reign, both the northern and southern capitals fell. The Hongguang Emperor, Zhu Yousong, was captured, and Shi Kefa, the grand secretary and commander of the armies, died for his country. The Qing troops ravaged the land with brutal cruelty, and the Ming dynasty was on the brink of collapse.

At this desperate hour, the Ming court’s grandees were still locked in endless infighting. The Longwu Emperor, Zhu Yujian, fought with Zhu Yihai, the Prince of Lu and regent; Grand Secretary Huang Daozhou fought with Zheng Zhilong, the Marquis of Pinglu; Huguang Governor-General He Tengjiao fought with Huguang Governor Du Yinxi; and the imperial army fought with the peasant rebels...

They fought whether the dynasty was doomed or not, in wartime and in peacetime. The forces resisting the Qing could not unite effectively, allowing the Manchus to defeat them one by one.

Just then, the soul of a man from a later era possessed Yang Tingzhi, a civil official of the Longwu court. Witnessing the endless infighting, he couldn’t help but roar: “If you insist on fighting among yourselves, then let’s fight to our hearts’ content. Let’s see who can outfight whom!”

Who could have guessed that this fight would let him turn the tide and save the collapsing dynasty? The people of the Southern Ming gradually joined forces, and the Ming dynasty seemed poised for a revival!