"I'm hungry right now, I'll talk about it later!"

Du Xun was glad that he could return safely, and while saying that he would talk about it later, he couldn't help but say: "Duocheng Sect Master Wang personally led him into the palace and knocked on the emperor at the Ganqing Gate. The proprietor, Master Cao, ordered someone to prepare wine and food on the city tower, but I didn't dare to stay in the city for long, and I only drank a glass of wine and left the city. Now I'm so hungry that my stomach is gurgling. ”

Du Xun's subordinates told him that a table of banquets had already been prepared in the temporary mansion at the city gate, and asked him to go back to the mansion to rest and eat first, and then go to Diaoyutai to show the new master how he entered the palace.

"Nonsense! This eunuch Qin obeyed the holy decree of the new emperor, and went into the palace to persuade the emperor Chongzhen to give way, the emperor is in his body, how can he go back to his mansion to rest first! Go, first go to the Diaoyutai Palace to meet the new monarch, and then come back to the city gate to rest and eat!"

Du Xun's subordinates listened to his grand reasoning, and did not dare to say anything more, so they followed him on the horse. At this moment, they saw that the battlements at the head of the Changyi Gate, four or five miles to the southeast, were crowded with people guarding the city, and some of them were bowing their heads and talking to the outside of the city. I couldn't see the situation under the city clearly, but I knew that there must be many people and horses of King Li standing outside the city gate, shouting to open the city gate. In short, the confrontation between the city and the city is no longer in confrontation, and something amazing is about to happen. Du Xun thought that he heard rumors in Diaoyutai last night and this morning that he was going to break the Changyi Gate first, and he was about to confirm it.

Because he knew that the Dashun army was about to enter the city from the Changyi Gate, Du Xun thought that he had to report to Li Zicheng before the Dashun army entered the outer city that he had entered the palace to persuade Chongzhen to give way, so he added a whip on the horse and galloped in the direction of Diaoyutai along a shortcut.

He went to the Diaoyutai Palace first, met Li Shuangxi in the room on duty at the palace gate, and asked to see the Emperor Dashun. Li Shuangxi was very busy with things, so he called a propaganda officer to go in for a while, and came out to say that the saint was discussing with Prime Minister Niu Cheng, and Prime Minister Niu asked him to go to the military advisor to report the details, and then the military advisor entered the palace again. Du Xun originally thought that Li Zicheng attached great importance to Chongzhen's refusal to concede the country, and would immediately summon him to do everything; although he did not get the thing done, after all, he risked his life to enter the palace to persuade him, and he was almost beheaded, and his loyalty would be praised by the new master. At this moment, after he stood up respectfully and listened to the propaganda officer convey Prime Minister Niu Cheng's instructions, he didn't feel a chill in his heart, so he had to hurry to Jin to see the military advisor.

When he arrived at the Military Division's Mansion, the lieutenant officer went in for a while, and Du Xun was immediately taken to the flower hall in the inner courtyard. Song Xiance, Liu Zongmin, and Li Yan were discussing things around a table of eight immortals. On the table is a woodblock map of the Beijing Division, almost half the size of a desktop, this kind of map is not difficult to buy in the market of the Beijing Division at that time, but this is brought by the Dashun army from Xi'an.

How could Song Xiance have such a map in front of him, but Du Xun couldn't help but be surprised. Du Xun was named Marquis of Ru by Emperor Yongchang because of Liu Zongmin and Song Xiance's high status in the new dynasty, so he quickly knelt down and kowtowed as soon as he came in. Liu Zongmin smiled slightly and did not make a sound.

Song Xiance put down his pen, bowed his hand, and said with a smile: "Please sit down and talk, you don't have to be polite." ”

After Du Xun sat down on a chair a few feet away from the Eight Immortals Table, he immediately asked, "Have you seen Chongzhen?"

Du Xun stood up and replied: "Master Huijunshi, the contemptible people have already seen Chongzhen." ”

"Will he give up?"

He also counted on Wu Sangui to come to the rescue, but refused to give way. ”

Liu Zongmin sneered with his nostrils: "Hmph, daydreaming! The two people he sent an edict to Wu Sangui, urging Wu Sangui to come to Beijing as soon as possible, and our army was caught in Tongzhou. When you entered the city, I said to the saint: At present, the big thing has been decided, and sending Du Xun to persuade Chongzhen to let the country and mountains is actually scratching the itch with six fingers, one more piece. Chongzhen didn't kill you, just come back with your head, hurry up and rest. ”

Du Xun originally thought that he risked his life to enter the city to persuade Chongzhen to let the country, whether he succeeded or not, he would definitely be appreciated by the emperor and ministers of Dashun, but he did not expect that he could neither perform the palace to the new lord, nor could he get the gentle praise of Liu Zongmin, who was the head of the civil and military ministers of the Dashun Dynasty, and his heart suddenly cooled.

He refused to give up, and wanted to talk more about his experience of persuading Chongzhen in person, but at this time, a deputy general of the Chinese army from the military division office hurriedly came in and reported that the Changyi Gate and the Xibian Gate were opened one after another, and the infantry cavalry of the Dashun Army entered the city as a whole team, and the residents in the two city gates welcomed them. Liu Zongmin, Song Xiance and Li Yan jumped up from their chairs.

Liu Zongmin said happily and loudly: "Military advisor, you are really accurate, and sure enough, you entered the outer city on the 18th!"

Li Yan deeply hated the disasters of the eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty, and the two sentences of eunuchs in Li Zicheng's Northern Expedition were all chaff dogs, and by his ears and eyes, Li Yan suggested that they be added. Watching Du Xun come in and kowtow to Liu Zongmin and Song Xiance, as well as sit down and speak, Li Yan sat firmly on a Taishi chair, motionless, and only then did he speak.

"Du Jianjun, we are about to go to the palace to congratulate the Holy Lord on the army's entry into the outer city, and then we will discuss many important matters in front of the emperor. You are very hard, please go back and rest, and when the military master has free time, I will ask you to come again, and listen to you talk in detail about entering the palace and persuading Chongzhen. Today, there is no need to talk about it. ”

Du Xun glanced at Liu Zongmin and Song Xiance's indifferent expressions towards him, didn't dare to stay any longer, and hurriedly took a deep look at Liu Zongmin and the military advisors, and hurriedly withdrew.

Suddenly, the sound of firecrackers rang out from the Diaoyutai area. Immediately, from outside the Xizhi Gate to the Fucheng Gate, and then to the south outside the Changyi Gate, many places where the Dashun army was stationed sounded one after another.

Li Zicheng sat on the temporary throne, and after the ministers congratulated him on the good news, he was full of joy and left the prime minister alone to discuss the major event of entering the city tomorrow. When Liu Zongmin and the others entered the temple, he exempted them from saluting and ordered them to sit down.

"Sure enough, as the advice was given, if there was a light rain, the outer city would be broken on the 18th, and the inner city would be broken at dawn on the 19th. ”

Li Zicheng couldn't help laughing, and then said: "It has been sixteen years since my uprising, and I have experienced a hundred battles, born and died, and blood has flowed like a river. ”

Niu Jinxing said: "Zhu Yuanzhang rebelled, at the beginning of Guo Zixing's personal soldiers, after fifteen years to ascend to the Ninth Five-Year Plan, the establishment of the Ming Dynasty. From the uprising to the last year's entry into Xi'an and the establishment of Dashun, it was also fifteen years, and only the enthronement ceremony was owed. How similar is it for a hero to raise a three-foot sword to determine the world? Dare to say that the emperor's achievements are brilliant, and he will surely go far to Hongwu. ”

Li Zicheng said humbly: "I was born in a peasant family, I have no virtue and no ability, and I have to be where I am today, all thanks to the strength of your civil and military forces." I am looking for you to come now, not for anything else, but to discuss how to enter the city tomorrow and what palace to live in the Forbidden City. After we have agreed, we can pass on the message and hurry up and prepare separately. Zong Min, you are the chief general of the battalion, the first of the hundred officials, what are the arrangements for how to enter the city tomorrow?"

Liu Zongmin said: "Your Majesty, the minister has told Buzhi that tomorrow the inner city will be broken, and he must personally lead a thousand soldiers to enter the Qing Palace in the Forbidden City as soon as possible." First, send troops to guard the four gates of the Forbidden City, strictly prohibit entry and exit, do not allow palace maids and eunuchs to escape, strictly prohibit robbery of palace property, strictly prohibit fire, and do not allow anyone among the eunuchs to hide weapons. All the palaces, in the corners and corners, are carefully inventoried. After Li Guo's battalion of 5,000 men and horses, he was stationed on all sides of the imperial city and was responsible for defending the imperial city. If there is a mistake, he is the only one who asks. ”

Li Zicheng nodded with a smile, his eyes turned to Niu Jinxing and the main and deputy military divisions, especially looking at Niu Jinxing, and asked with a smile: "You are the prime minister, how do you decide?"

"The principle of the five elements of yin and yang, although the minister also dabbles in it, it is better to offer advice. Your Majesty, please ask the military advisor. ”

Li Zicheng turned to Song Xiance: "Xiance, yesterday in Changping Prefecture, you said that when you stay in Beijing, you have to show me your opinions on these things." Now, say it. ”

Song Xiance said: "Your Majesty, if as Wei Chen divided, tomorrow the fifth watch broke the inner city, the minister thought that he should start from the Diaoyu Tai at two o'clock in the morning, and entered the Forbidden City at three o'clock, and was congratulated by the hundred officials who came to Beijing in the palace at noon. ”

Niu Jinxing replied: "Your Majesty, imagine how excited I am to have tens of thousands of soldiers and Manchu Dynasty ministers accompanying the expedition tonight, and wait for tomorrow to enter the city." But tonight, Chongjiao and his many palace dependents and courtiers were just the opposite, crying bitterly and committing suicide one after another. Chongzhen is not an ordinary cowardly monarch of the country, tonight he knows that the inner city will be broken, and he will try to hide the people, and then escape from Beijing in order to recover. If he thinks that there is no hope of escaping, he will definitely commit suicide, or hang himself, or self-immolation, this is what the ancients called the righteousness of the monarch's death. Where will he kill himself?"

"I heard that he also has a family temple in the palace, called Fengxian Palace. Will he commit suicide in the Bongxian Palace?"

"No, it won't. Chongzhen is a person with a very strong temperament, and after taking the throne, he always wants to be the master of Zhongxing. Now that he is dead, he thinks that he will not see his ancestors after death, so the minister thinks that he will not die in the Fengxian Palace. ”

"Do you think he will die in the Ganqing Palace?"

"The minister thought that he would hang himself in the Ganqing Palace nine times out of ten, or set himself on fire in the Ganqing Palace, and some palace dependents would die in the Ganqing Palace. In any case, the Ming Dynasty is newly dead, and the Ganqing Palace will inevitably condense a fierce atmosphere, and it cannot be a place for His Majesty to stay. The two military advisors suggested that His Majesty should be stationed in the Wuying Palace, which was the most appropriate. ”

"Will Chongzhen escape from Beijing?"

"This is what worries the minister the most. Now that the army is surrounded by Beijing on all sides, and the outer city is already in my hands, it is estimated that he will not have a chance to escape from Beijing tonight; the ministers are afraid that he will hide the people and escape as soon as he has the opportunity to escape. Chongzhen is still young, and he does not have a bad reputation among the people, if he guards the land of Nanjing, relying on the wealth and people of the south of the Yangtze River, then it will be very difficult for our dynasty to unify China. ”

Li Zicheng groaned and said: "This is a worthy ......"

Niu Jinxing hurriedly said: "Although this is a major event worth worrying about, please rest assured that the emperor." Offering advice and Li Yan have always been thoughtful, and there must be a comprehensive consideration. How to clear the palace tomorrow, how to find the whereabouts of Chongjiao's life and death, they will not dare to be negligent. Tomorrow, General Li Guo will enter the Qing Palace in the Forbidden City first, and he will definitely give detailed instructions tonight. ”

Although Li Zicheng has been tired from the saddle horse for several days, and he has almost stayed awake all night tonight, he has no sleepiness at all because the city is broken in front of him. The imperial chef of the palace prepared a snack's snack for him, and he ate a little casually, then climbed the rockery in the garden under the escort of his own soldiers, looked to the east for a while, and saw that there was no fire on the Forbidden City, and a series of questions arose in his heart.

"What is Chongzhen doing at the moment? Has he committed suicide? Has his henchman eunuch helped him hide among the people?

For several days, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't swallow and couldn't sleep at night, not only his eyes were deep-set, his face was gray, but he was also dizzy, and his body was difficult to support. But the death of the country is just around the corner, and he can't fall down and leave the fortunes of the country alone, nor can he go to Yangdezhai's royal couch to sleep for a while. He originally planned to swing his sword to kill Du Xun in Ganqingmen, but he came to the spirit temporarily, with a sense of anger, suddenly forgot his fatigue, strode out of the Ganqing Palace, went down the steps from Danqi, walked to Ganqingmen, and sat down on the dragon chair steadily.

The palace maids and eunuchs of the Ganqing Palace saw the young emperor of the past again. But after Du Xun left, Chongzhen's mustered spirit collapsed, and he couldn't even eat lunch, so he returned to the Dongnuan Pavilion of the Ganqing Palace, sat down on the dragon chair, sighed hatefully, and muttered to himself: "Even the house slaves who are raised dare to be so ......."

He regretted very much that he had not executed Du Xun in the Ganqing Gate just now, and he sulked for a while, and he felt that his body could not support it, so he returned to Yangdezhai, and the palace maids served him to lie on the imperial couch, barely closing his eyes to rest. When Wei Qinghui was the only palace maid left in Yangde Zhai, he opened his eyes and gently ordered: "If Wu Sangui's Guanning Iron Cavalry can come outside Beijing today, you will wake me up immediately." ”

Although Wei Qinghui understood that Wu Sangui would never come, she couldn't help choking up and agreed to obey the order. Chongzhen also instructed: "I ordered Wang Chengen to pass on the emperor's relatives and ministers to discuss the contingency plan at Chaoyangmen, and now the meeting should be completed." If Wang Chengen returns to the palace, he will know immediately. I also ordered Wu Xiang to take people to the city to arrest Du Xun, once Wu Xiang comes back, you will also start immediately. ”

"Emperor, since you didn't kill Du Xun just now, and you have already let him out of the city, why do you want to arrest him back?

Chongzhen said hatefully: "Hmph, I don't fall for a day, the state has a punishment, and the ancestors also have family law!"

Wei Qinghui didn't dare to speak anymore, lowered her head, retreated lightly to the outside, sat on a chair and waited for the emperor to move, and no one was allowed to talk in the vicinity. After a while, she heard no sound on the couch, and thought that the emperor was really sleepy and had fallen asleep, so she sighed in her stomach and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

Chongzhen was haunted by nightmares as soon as he fell asleep, and later he dreamed that he was kneeling in front of the god of Emperor Gao of Fengxian Palace. The grandfather of Taizu has appeared, and there are two kinds of portraits of Emperor Taizu Gao in the palace, one is a fat face, peaceful and blessed, and the other is an ugly portrait, with a long face and a prominent chin, which is a pig statue, which is very different from ordinary people.

Since childhood, Chongzhen heard that the portrait of a pig's face was painted according to Hongwu himself. Now it was the old emperor with a pig's face and a majestic demeanor who appeared to him. He was so frightened that he trembled and prostrated himself to the ground.

"The grandchildren are not good, there is no blessing and no virtue, and it is not enough to inherit the country. The thieves are about to break the city, the clan and society will not be protected, and the country will be destroyed. The grandson had no face to see the spirit of the emperor Taizu in the sky, and he had decided to die in Sheji to thank his ancestors and the world. ”