The prince didn't know that Li Zicheng had renamed Beijing Youzhou, nor did he know the truth or falsehood of Li Zicheng's words, so he bowed his head and remained silent. Because Li Yan often participates in secret discussions, he knows that Li Zicheng's words are from the bottom of his heart.

He said to the crown prince: "Your Highness don't be afraid, the new emperor is the lord of Yao Shun, and he has no intention of killing you." You should be thankful for the grace of not killing. ”

Li Zicheng continued in a sincere tone: "Before entering Youzhou, I discussed with the ministers and decided that if the day when the army came to Youzhou City, your father knew that the Mandate of Heaven had been changed and was willing to give in, I would treat him with special courtesy, so that he could continue to enjoy the honor of the world, travel leisurely, and protect the officials and their dependents. I also announced to the ministers of civil and military affairs at the imperial meeting that on the day when our Dashun army entered the city, if Emperor Chongzhen had committed suicide and found the crown prince and the two kings of Yong and Ding, he would not be killed or abused. ”

"I want to treat the prince with a gift of Qi and Song, and make him a great country. To put it bluntly, King Zhou Cheng named Weizi as the Duke of Song, and I will make you the King of Song. As for your two younger brothers, they are one level lower than your knighthood, one is the Duke of Yongguo and the other is the Duke of Dingguo. I have already decided on this matter, and after I hold the enthronement ceremony, I will make you a king, award you with iron coupons, and live with the country. ”

Wu Ruyi gently pushed the prince: "Hurry up and kneel down and kowtow to Emperor Dashun to thank you!"

Li Yan also said with emotion: "This is an unprecedented benevolence under three generations, Your Highness hurry up and thank you!"

The prince was still stubborn and did not say the word thanksgiving. His two younger brothers saw that he had such an attitude and did the same as him. Li Yan was worried that the stubbornness of the crown prince and the second king would anger the Dashun Emperor and look at the crown prince, while the palace maids eavesdropping outside the window were even more worried that the crown prince and the second king, who could have been immortal, would cause a murderous disaster, and were secretly anxious. Wu Ruyi urged the prince to thank him again, but the prince still did not move. Li Zicheng saw that the stubborn prince's eyes were full of tears, but he just endured to prevent the tears from flowing.

He said to Wu Ruyi: "Forget it, don't force him to thank me." His country has died, his mother committed suicide and martyrdom, and his father does not know his whereabouts, he should be sad in his heart, and he should also hold a grudge against me, and ask him to kneel down and kowtow to thank him, of course he refuses. I have won the world today, so why bother with these small sections. ”

Although Li Yan led the people to revolt six years ago, defected to King Chuang, and broke with the Ming Dynasty, he was after all the son of Li Jingbai, the secretary of the Ming Dynasty's military department, and was once a person in the Tianqi Dynasty. Within the four seas, the subjects of the former dynasty will surely be moved when they hear about it. ”

Li Zicheng nodded and calmed Li Yan, and then said to Wu Ruyi: "You send a team of soldiers to escort the crown prince and the second king to Liu Zongmin and take proper care." You look for a few more old eunuchs from the East Palace and go to serve. ”

Wu Ruyi bowed down and said, "Command!" and went out with the crown prince and the second king.

Li Zicheng was anxious to see the Jinluan Palace, which he had already heard of, and also wanted to see the Ganqing Palace where the emperor lived and the Kunning Palace where the empress lived, but he wanted to go to see it with Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance, and by the way, he could talk about some other things. He asked Shuangxi to order the edict to go to the cabinet to announce that Prime Minister Niu came in, and sent another edict official to the military division to summon the Song military division to come quickly.

Double happiness played: "Back to my father, the military advisor once came to Wuyingmen at the moment of Shen Shi to ask to see the driver, saying that he had something to do to play the emperor. He said: Don't be alarmed, I'll go to the cabinet to discuss with the prime minister, and when the holy driver wakes up, you can call me. At this moment, the military adviser must still be in the cabinet. ”

"Call the military advisor and the prime minister to enter the palace together!" Li Zicheng said softly, he now wants to summon the military adviser and the prime minister, and he no longer uses the word "invite", but uses the word "call".

The cabinet is in a small courtyard facing east in the noon gate, the courtyard gate is facing west, enter the door through a screen, and then enter the cabinet courtyard; there are five bungalows facing south, except for one of which is for Confucius and the four matching gods, the other four are the offices of the auxiliary ministers. In the Ming Dynasty, this was a confidential place, and it was strictly forbidden to meet guests in the cabinet and chat. However, the Dashun Dynasty abolished the auxiliary vassal system and restored the prime minister system, and Song Xiance's status was lofty, so of course he could do business with Prime Minister Niu Jinxing at any time.

Not long after, Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance arrived. After they kowtowed to Li Zicheng, Li Zicheng asked them to sit down, and first asked the military advisor: "What is the important matter when you enter the palace just now?"

Song Xiance made his eyes look and asked Shuangxi to retreat from the palace maid standing outside the window. Shuangxi went out to wave off the palace maids, and he himself went to the duty room of Wuyingmen. Song Xiance knelt down in front of Li Zicheng again, and said: "The minister has received the confirmatory news, Wu Sangui ......"

Li Zicheng said: "Give advice and sit down to talk." ”

Song Xiance kowtowed and got up, sat on the chair, and said: "Wu Sangui's troops should not be underestimated, he took Shanhaiguan as his successor, and some of his men and horses have already entered the Yongping, Yutian and Sanhe areas, which is quite unfavorable to Beijing. At present, the civil and military ministers of our dynasty hope that Your Majesty will hold an enthronement ceremony as soon as possible, and especially the civil ministers who have surrendered in Xiangyang and Xi'an hope that Your Majesty will ascend the throne. ”

"Your Majesty enters Beijing today, and it is estimated that a large number of Ming ministers will surrender and be willing to serve the new dynasty. Once they surrender, they also hope that His Majesty will soon ascend the throne. As soon as His Majesty ascended the throne, they could be regarded as supporting the new dynasty. However, in the humble opinion of the ministers, the major events of His Majesty's enthronement ceremony must be stepped up preparations, and the recruitment of Wu Sangui is even more urgent, so as not to have too many dreams at night. ”

Li Zicheng asked: "How many people does Wu Sangui have?"

Song Xiance said: "In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, Hong Chengchou was defeated in Songshan, although Wu Sangui was one of the eight general soldiers led by Hong Chengchou, and the losses were not light, but Ningyuan was the foundation of Wu Sangui's operation for many years, and it was also the place where Hong Chengchou must defend outside the pass, so the collapse of Songshan only lost the division that came out of the certificate to aid Jin, and his old capital stayed in Ningyuan and was not frustrated. Because Wu Sangui's strength was still there, he was able to hold on to Ningyuan after the defeat of Songshan. The Qing troops entered Tashan and did not dare to advance further. In the past six months, I heard that the Qing soldiers bypassed Ningyuan and captured the castles of Zhonghou and other castles, all between Ningyuan and the Great Wall, but they did not dare to attack Ningyuan or capture Juehua Island. ”

Li Zicheng asked, "Where is Juehua Island?"

Juehua Island, also known as Chrysanthemum Island, is located on the southeast coast of Ningyuan City, which is an important place for transporting grain from the mainland to Liaodong by sea, and is also the lifeblood of Ningyuan. The Qing army did not attack Ningyuan City and Juehua Island, not because they were unwilling to attack, because Wu Sangui was a hard bone in Ningyuan and was not easy to eat. Therefore, at present, Ning Yuan's troops are stationed in the area of Shanhaiguan and Yongping, just like the garrison in Beijing, and His Majesty must not be negligent with Wu Sangui. ”

"Let me ask you, how many people does Wu Sangui have?"

Wu Sangui was originally the chief soldier of Ningyuan, with about 30,000 elite infantry soldiers, and recently he was renamed the general soldier of Guanning, and was awarded the title of Ping Xibo, and Shanhaiguan was also under his jurisdiction. The soldiers and horses guarding the mountain customs are known as elite, not to mention five or six thousand soldiers, so the total number of Guanning soldiers is more than 35,000, plus the soldiers stationed in Qinhuangdao and various places near Guannei, the total number is in the early 40,000s. The Guanning soldiers are the strongest in cavalry and are known as the Guanning Iron Cavalry. ”

When Li Zicheng heard Song Xiance's report, he remained silent on the surface and smiled, but his heart suddenly became heavy. After a moment of silence, he asked Niu Jinxing, "What is the opinion of the minister?"

Niu Jinxing replied: "Although the military advisor has been in the military for several years, he has been very respectful of Liao affairs, and he is always visiting Zhou Consulting, so what he discussed is quite pertinent." In the humble opinion of the ministers, it is currently the best policy to recruit Wu Sangui to demote him. On the one hand, I prepared for the great ceremony, so that the four seas knew that the destiny of heaven had been decided, and I sent appropriate people to Shanhaiguan to persuade Wu Sangui to come and surrender as soon as possible, and not to wait and see. If Wu Sangui can come to Beijing to participate in the emperor's enthronement ceremony or send someone to send a congratulatory watch, he can not only set an example for the northern generals, but also serve as an example for the four towns in Jiangbei. I hope that Your Majesty will send someone to surrender quickly. ”

Li Zicheng said: "If he is willing to surrender, I will not hesitate to be generous." Do you think he can surrender?"

Niu Jinxing was confident, and said calmly: "In the humble opinion of the ministers, Wu Sangui was made an earl, served as the king of Qin, abandoned the management of Ningyuan, and brought 500,000 people into the customs, and Ningyuan was immediately occupied by the Manchus. His troops entered Yongping, and our army had surrounded Beijing, making his plan to serve as the king come to naught. Now trapped between Shanhaiguan and Yongping, the advance and retreat are lost, the military and civilian food, and the source of salt. ”

"Although he has thirty or forty thousand Guan Ning elite soldiers, he is like a wandering spirit, which makes him have to surrender to His Majesty. Since Chongzhen broke through Luoyang in the 14th year, His Majesty has commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the past three years, invincible, and powerful in the sea, and today he easily captured Beijing and captured the Ming Dynasty. The ancients had a cloud to seize people, with the name of His Majesty's current god martial arts, the Qing soldiers may not dare to attack, and Wu Sangui is isolated and helpless. ”

"In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen, Hong Chengchou led the eight general troops to aid Jinba, among which Bai Guangen and Tang Tong have surrendered, and they are quite courteous, and the officials are the same. Bai Guangen is in my dynasty and has been knighted. Wu Sangui saw these examples, how could he stubbornly resist and not surrender and seek defeat for himself? The minister asked His Majesty to be relieved, and tomorrow he could take His Majesty's edict and take the army's silver and goods to Yongping to persuade Wu Sangui to descend quickly. Within ten days, there will be good news. ”

Li Zicheng nodded with satisfaction, and asked again: "Who is more appropriate?"

"The minister thinks that Tang Tong is the most suitable, please consider it from the bottom of your heart. Tang Tong is a famous town general of the Ming Dynasty northerners, and Wu Sangui was named at the same time, and one of the eight general soldiers of Hong Chengchou to aid Jinba, and Wu Sangui is a friend of trouble, and the seniority is older than Wu Sangui, as a persuasion envoy, will be competent. ”

Li Zicheng nodded in agreement, then turned to Song Xiance and asked, "What does the military advisor want?"

Song Xiance replied: "What the prime minister said is extremely true. However, Tang Tong is a martial arts university after all, and his words are inevitably too upright. The minister thought that it would be more appropriate to send Zhang Ruoqi to accompany him, a civil and military partner, Zhang and Chi, and many advances and retreats in case of trouble. ”

Li Zicheng smiled, nodded again and again, and then asked Li Yan, "What is Li Yan's opinion?"

Li Yan thought that Song Xiance's worries were also his worries, and he didn't agree with Niu Jinxing's words, but when he was in Xi'an, he had already been deeply punished for disrupting the lord's intentions too early, and Song Xiance often reminded him that now he had better say less words that would make Li Zicheng and Niu Jinxing unpleasant.

He was conflicted for a moment in his heart, and then stood up respectfully and said, "Weichen was also worried about the situation in the east, but after listening to the prime minister's words, he felt a little relieved. The minister still has some opinions, and after a few days, wait until His Majesty has a little leisure, and then make a performance. As for the dispatch of the envoys, the prime minister and the military adviser were thoughtful, and the ministers had no other suggestions. ”

Li Zicheng was anxious to see several major palaces such as the Three Great Halls and the Ganqing Palace, so he nodded in agreement. Just as he was about to lead Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and others to get up to see the three major halls, Shuangxi walked into the warm pavilion with an excited expression, knelt in front of him, and said in a hurried voice: "Father Qi, Chongzhen, Chongzhen...... Found it! Found it!"

Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance, and Li Yan were all taken aback, and opened their eyes to look at Shuangxi's excited eyes. Li Zicheng jumped up from his chair unconsciously and asked loudly, "Where is Chongzhen hiding?

Shuangxi replied: "It was Chongzhen's body that was found, and he had already hanged himself." ”

Li Zicheng breathed a sigh of relief, sat down again, and suddenly had an inexplicable feeling, and then said in a relaxed tone: "This is easy to deal with, where did he hang himself? How did he find it?"

Shuangxi said: "Father, all the Qing palace soldiers, continue to search everywhere in the imperial city in the afternoon, but there is no clue. Just now, the person who suddenly made up for it said that Chongzhen had hanged himself at the foot of the eastern mountain of Coal Mountain, and the body was found. A middle-aged man with no beard was hanged from a small tree next to him, as if he was a eunuch. For fear that the corpse would not be recognized, the two eunuchs from the Ganqing Palace were also called. ”

"Has Chongzhen's body been removed from the branches?"

"I heard that the two corpses have been unloaded and parked on a grassy field. Supplement just now sent someone to tell his son, please ask your father to go and see in person, and give an order on how to deal with it. Now he sent soldiers to strictly guard the north gate, and did not allow idlers to enter the coal mountain courtyard. He asked his father for an order, asking if he could carry Chongzhen's body to the Ganqing Palace for temporary parking, and find a coffin to hold it. ”

Li Zicheng looked at Niu Jinxing, Song Xiance and others and asked, "Look, what should be done?"

Niu Jinxing bowed and replied: "In the humble opinion of the minister, although Your Majesty takes Beijing as your guide, it is not appropriate to stay for too long. But sooner or later, the Ganqing Palace should be uprooted from the ominous, and before the holy car returns to Chang'an, move to the Ganqing Palace to live for a few days, or summon the ministers in the main hall of the Ganqing Palace, announce the decree, and hear the whole world. For this reason, Chongzhen's body should be parked elsewhere and should not be carried back to the Ganqing Palace. ”

Li Zicheng asked, "Where to park?"

Song Xiance bowed and said: "The minister heard that it is the Shouhuang Palace that is facing the coal mountain, so why not order the eunuch to open the door of the Shouhuang Palace, clean it slightly, and park Chongzhen's body in the Shouhuang Palace for burial." ”

Li Zicheng nodded: "What kind of coffin is used for burial, what clothes are worn for burial, and where are he buried after he and the queen are buried?"

Niu Jinxing replied: "Since ancient times, the coffin of the emperor and queen is called Zigong, which is extremely exquisite, and it can not be prepared in a few days, and Chongzhen is the king of the dead country, so he doesn't need it." There are good ready-made coffins in the palace for the elderly palace dependents, which can be found to decorate Chongzhen and Zhou Hou. Chongzhen can wear the official uniform of the Chang Dynasty, and the queen also wears the dress of the Chang Dynasty. This way of dealing with it is relatively simple, and it does not lose His Majesty's gift to the emperor and queen of the dead country. ”

"How to bury?"

Song Xiance replied: "Since Chongzhen has died in the country, there is no need to build a mountain mausoleum for him. You can open the door of Concubine Tian's tomb, move Concubine Tian's coffin to the side room, put the coffin of Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Chongzhen in the main room, and then seal the tomb door. ”

Li Zicheng asked again: "What is Li Yan's opinion?"

Li Yan bowed and replied: "What the prime minister and the military advisor said is very appropriate, but Weichen asks His Majesty to send craftsmen to build a reed spirit shed outside the Donghua Gate overnight, and place the coffin of Emperor Chongzhen in the spirit shed tomorrow. You can also order the monk Daolu Si to send the monk to chant in front of the spiritual shed to surpass the dead. Seven days later, he was sent to Changping for burial in the tomb of Concubine Tian. Such a disposition shows the benevolence and holiness of our emperor to the previous dynasty. The ministers are unheard, and they don't know whether what they say is appropriate or not. ”

Li Zicheng said happily: "Okay, Li Yan, this matter is ordered to be handled jointly by the Labor Government and the Li Government." Now follow me to see Chongzhen's corpse. ”