The ministers still stood on top of the court without changing their faces and hearts. Looking at the nose, nose, mouth, mouth and heart, even the most picky imperial history can't pick out any fault from their standing posture that is inconsistent with the etiquette.

"Your Majesty, the rebellion has expanded the army, and there are more and more party henchmen, do you want to continue to read this?" Seeing that Emperor Chongzhen's expression was extremely angry, Wang Dehua, who was standing aside, hurriedly asked. As long as Chongzhen is a little bored, he will announce the dissolution of the dynasty, and wait for the emperor to be in a slightly better mood before discussing it.

However, Chongzhen seemed to be competing with the ministers in front of him today, and he waved his hand very resolutely, "Keep reading!" I want you and other ministers to know what kind of situation we have found now! ”

"Raided the northwest, looted the Mongolian, Usi-Tibetan tribes, obtained hundreds of thousands of horses, countless gold and silver goods, and tens of thousands of Mongolians and Tibetans, so the military system was changed."

The names of the five battalions are Zhongji, Left Spoke (Auxiliary), Right Wing, Forward, and Stamina; The front camp is black, the rear camp is yellow, the left camp is white, the right camp is red, and the middle camp is blue. Although the military ranks are still set up as the right general, the general, the general, the general Guoyi, the mighty general, the captain, the brigade, the department general, the sentinel chief and other officers, but the rank seems to have been redetermined, such as in the Xiangyang period, the chief general of the five battalions was awarded the title of general, but at this time it was changed to a general equivalent to the level of the general army of the Ming Dynasty, and other military positions were also adjusted accordingly.

However, Luo Hu's Zhenshan battalion and Zhang Nai's artillery battalion were still directly controlled by Li Zicheng, and among the good horses obtained in various parts of the northwest, more than 10,000 horses were selected and allocated to Luo Hu's subordinates, so that all of them could ride horses to strengthen their mobility ability.

The ministers, however, remained indifferent, their faces as calm as water.

"In their hearts, they have probably begun to think about the time to change the dynasty, and the time is coming, how should they be loyal to the new monarch!" Chongzhen's heart. Suddenly, very sadly, such a terrible thought came out that frightened him!

"Since you don't speak, then don't blame me for being arbitrary!" Chongzhen shouted in a low voice very angrily.

"The emperor is wise!"

At this time, the ministers sang in unison, expressing their loyalty to the emperor.

Wang Chengen, who had been watching the luck of this group of guys for a long time, suddenly sneered and threw a heavy punch at this time: "Emperor, the ceremonial supervisor received the inscription book sent by Liang Guogong's speedboat, since the north of the Yellow River is no longer a quiet place for the holy driver to stay." It is better to ask the holy driver to temporarily move to the south of the Yangtze River, and respectfully ask the holy driver to follow the old practice of Wuzong to tour the south, go to Fengyang, Liudu and other places to worship the ancestors of the past dynasties, and ask the ancestors and gods to bless the army to defeat the rebels. ”

Li Shouhan's meaning is simple. At present, Li Zicheng's Dashun has turned the Yellow River into a boundary river with the Ming Dynasty, and the west and south of the Yellow River to the north bank of the Yangtze River no longer have an inch of land in the Ming Dynasty. Since the north of the Yellow River is not a good place, why do you still want to sit in the city of sorrow? It's better to go to Jiangnan for the time being, and make room for us to fight!

Along with this question book sent to Wang Chengen, there were also fifty of the latest fast guns. and 10,000 rounds of medicine. At the same time, Li Shouhan also wrote in the secret letter that if Emperor Chongzhen was determined to go south, he could adopt the tactics of repairing the plank road in the Ming Dynasty and secretly Chencang, and Luan drove south along the canal, taking the line of Daming and Shandong, escorted by the new army of Beijing, as long as he passed Cangzhou, Luan could be safe. But the emperor himself and the emperor's family can quietly go to Tianjin to get on the ship. Go south on a sea boat, the same. Just get to a few ports in Denglai and you're done.

In the letter, for the emperor's food and daily life, Li Shouhan also specially wrote that he ordered people to prepare food and water in Tianjin and change clothes. As long as the emperor arrives, everything else can be left unattended.

However, Wang Chengen has already made up his mind. These secret preparations must not be told in the court to the group of wine bags and rice bags of the Ming court in front of him, once they are said, the emperor will not be able to leave.

However, he said that Li Shouhan, the Duke of Liang, had an inscription to ask the emperor to go south to worship his ancestors. The court was immediately turbulent, one stone stirred up a thousand layers of, and flies buzzed all over the sky.

Chen Yan, the first assistant scholar of the cabinet, Li Rixuan, the secretary of the ministry, Li Zhiwen, the secretary of the household department, Li Banghua, the imperial history of the left capital, and others took the lead, knelt down and bowed, whimpering in their mouths.

"Your Majesty! Li Zicheng bewitched the public, saying that Kyushu was in turmoil Li Jizhu, didn't he Li Shouhan have such wolf ambitions? ! The Holy Driver was in Beijing, and he was still so arrogant, forcibly taking over various customs, withholding customs duties, and paying the inner court with treasure money like waste paper, which made the price of Jingshi skyrocket. This fang's ambition is no less than that of Cao Apu back then! If Your Majesty is tricked south by him, he will inevitably become a puppet in the hands of his people! Just like Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty! ”

The generous speech to Guang Shiheng in the matter echoed in the main hall, but it tore the last remaining fig leaf between the imperial court, the emperor and Li Shouhan to the point of shattering.

"The ministers are willing to do their best, assist the emperor to be the master of the Ming Dynasty, and try their best to save the crisis and the turmoil, but the ministers are not willing to spend their lives under the obscenity of Li!"

"Your Majesty, you are a generation of virtuous monarchs, at the beginning of your ascension to the throne, you eradicated the Wei rebel party, and even more exterminated the Yuan rebel, how can you no longer eradicate the rebels in the DPRK and the central government and sweep away the rebels in the northwest!"

The noisy words made the Imperial Palace almost turn into a vegetable market.

Chongzhen's face kept changing colors, and he tried to control his expression several times, trying to make it look like Mount Tai was collapsing in front of him without an instant, but in the end he couldn't control it. I saw him suddenly stand up and shouted, "Shut up! This sound was not too loud, but it calmed everyone, and everyone who didn't know what was going on fell silent, and the entire hall was like a cemetery in an instant. At this moment, Chongzhen sneered and asked the ministers: "You guys said one by one, if I am a Ming Jun, what should I do?" ”

However, no one dared to respond, because everyone admired what he meant. Chongzhen saw that no one was talking, so he said: "Shouldn't you just say a word, sit on this dragon chair that you can't rely on left and right, and hear you say that the east and the west are short every day?" How much land did thieves and slaves break down every day? I listen to you scolding me every day, how sorry I am for my ancestors and ancestors! In the end, Chongzhen's voice was as terrible as an evil ghost, and the main hall almost turned into the Yama Hall in an instant.

Maybe it was a little bit of a vent, and then Chongzhen's tone softened a little: "Yes, I'm sorry for my ancestors, but if I really learn from my ancestors." Which of you will come with me? During the Hongwu period, the corrupt officials were killed and the skins were peeled and the taxes were levied, and the big families who levied taxes were dumped, what I really want to ask is, if you follow the old example of Hongwu, how many of you should peel the skin and grass. And how many people should go bankrupt? ”

"You guys take a good look at Li Zicheng's article, although the text is pretended, but there is one thing that he Li Zicheng scolded is right, it is indeed Da Ming who is sorry for him Li Zicheng first. It was I, and you, who forced a good citizen into rebellion. Soon, this good citizen will take my son to Beijing and kill me and those of you who forced them to rebel. Just like the Yellow Nest slaughtered Chang'an back then! ”

Tianjie stepped on the bones of the princess, and there was no half of the Jiadi Zhu Gate.

This is the Tang Dynasty poet described the tragic situation of the princes and nobles in Chang'an City after Huang Chao invaded Chang'an. If it weren't for the fact that Chongzhen was so angry with these ministers who didn't know whether he was alive or dead today, he wouldn't have said such vicious words. Since you compare me to Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty, then I will compare you to those nobles under the Huangchao knife!

As early as before the Chinese New Year, Chongzhen wanted to take advantage of the infighting between Dolgon and Haoge after Huang Taiji's death, and the inextricable infighting between the two White Flag Groups and the Two Yellow Flag Groups, and transferred Wu Sangui's subordinates, who were guarding Liaodong, into the customs. Use it as a mobile force first. As a result, they were obstructed by various means by this group of ministers.

Chongzhen's original intention was that he was optimistic about the scholar Wu Fu. Because Wu Fu had served as the governor of Shaanxi and Shanxi, he had rich experience in fighting against the "Liukou". When he talked about the loss of the Chengtian Ancestral Mausoleum when he summoned the minister, Zhu Youzhen said with tears in his eyes: "I am not virtuous, I am worried about the mausoleum", and then accused the subordinates of improper scheduling, hinting that another minister should be sent out. The ministers, including Wu Fu, were well aware of the situation at that time. One by one, they just kowtowed, but they had no intention of volunteering. Zhu You's strategy of not issuing a report did not materialize, so he had to designate Wu Fu by name when he was summoned again the next day, saying: "Since Yang Sichang's death, there has been no one to supervise the teacher. To have it today. Qing has a history of Yanjiang, and can go to Huguang to supervise the division in order to recover. Wu Fu said that he did not hesitate to die and was willing to serve as a supervisor. However, he pointed out that Li Zicheng and other peasant troops were very strong, and that the officers and troops of Zuo Liangyu's troops were "undisciplined and unwilling to kill thieves with their lives." In order to reverse the defeat, it would be useless to send him to Huguang alone, and it was necessary to allocate him "30,000 elite soldiers and select generals who dare to fight to lead the southern expedition." The specific plan was that he would go to Nanjing first, use the elite troops directly under him to coerce Zuo Liangyu's department, obtain the right to control it, and then promote it to the west into Huguang.

However, these 30,000 elite soldiers can only make up their minds on Wu Sangui. The soldiers and horses under his command that can be used for mobile combat are no less than 50,000 elites according to the Dongchang report!

"Whether or not such a major military aircraft should be carried out should have been presided over by each (us), and there is no prevarication to delay the misconduct." This is Chongzhen's will to the cabinet ministers. However, after a little analysis in the smart minds of the bigwigs, they came to this conclusion:

Although the emperor only wanted Wu Sangui to lead 30,000 horses south to Huguang to rescue the emergency, Wu Sangui's entry into the customs was tantamount to giving up Ningyuan, so that the land outside Shanhaiguan and the Han people fell into the hands of Liaodong thieves. The emperor's move is nothing more than to avoid bearing the notoriety of "abandoning the land", so that we can take the initiative to carry the black pot for the emperor. However, not to mention whether Wu Changbo was willing to go south from Ningyuan's lair to listen to Wu Fu's command to deal with the Huguang thieves. What if Wu Changbo's 30,000 horses and horses are withdrawn, and the Liaodong rebels attack on a large scale? What if Dolgon, in order to alleviate the contradictions among his own guys, use victory to suppress the two yellow flags?

The only remaining Ming army was indiscriminate, unable to resist the attack of Dolgon's greedy wolf-like Eight Banners army. Moreover, with the entry of Wu Sangui's main force, there will inevitably be a situation in which the people's hearts are not solid, and the soldiers and civilians outside the customs flock to the customs for refuge.

These old and sophisticated ministers knew Zhu Youzhen's personality very well, and they tried their best to avoid taking risks for fear of incurring the disaster of death. Shoufu Chen Yan first played the banner of "one inch of mountains and rivers and one inch of gold" and resolutely opposed "abandoning land". In the reciprocal post, Chen Yan and other ministers first complimented Zhu Youzhen, saying that the transfer of Wu's elite troops into the customs "is sincere to destroy the Kou", and then turned the pen: "The first Guan Ning is urgent Shenjing, and it is particularly important." The Sangui Soldiers' Department has always been feared by the slave chieftain Dorgon, and he not only feared it, but also closed the door. Although the urgency may not be able to save each other, there are elite soldiers there, and the people's hearts are strong. If it is transferred, the rest of the troops who are guarding the castles may not be usable. …… In case of mistakes, the meat of the ministers is enough? This is really a big opportunity, and the ministers are urging their knees to discuss secretly, and they really don't dare to discuss it lightly. …… Ministers are foolish. Cheng didn't dare to try to seal the territory, and begged for the holy judgment! ”

Kicked the ball back to Chongzhen's feet! Such a personal skill is enough to completely blow up the national football team that entered the World Cup that year!

Zhang Jinyan, the secretary of the military department, simply picked out the problem and said: "The tone of Sangui is not in tune, and Ning Yuanzhi will not give up, and he will decide between two words." Zhu Youzhen's abacus failed, so he had to decide to give up Ning Yuan by himself. He said. "The effect of guarding the customs (referring to retreating to the Shanhaiguan) has become a swaying work, although it is a policy, it is also a last resort." On the surface, it seems that the policy of transferring Wu Sangui's troops into the customs has finally been determined in Layue, but in fact it is still being argued.

In order to push the responsibility away, Shoufu Chen Yan once again convened the ministers to discuss with the intention of sharing the responsibility. After the court passed the meeting, he tried every possible means to delay time. "Gu Jie, I think that the outside governor may not come, and he should also agree", "Please ask the governor, Fu, and town to discuss how to abide by the law after Ning Yuan closes the door after abandonment?" How do the military and civilians settle down? always wants to finish the situation that he doesn't dare to do. Zhu Youzhen was upset, so he had to send a "holy message" to send the official to get the recital. ”

In this way, repeated consultations and solicitation of opinions have led to various complex contradictions of interests. It is no less than in 1948, when the principal withdrew all the hundreds of thousands of **** in the Northeast to Guannai. Of course, the ending is very clear. Of the 500,000 **** elites, only the 52nd Army, which had been the first to kill Omaha Beach in Normandy to open the passage for the Allies, escaped.

Chongzhen is the same here, all kinds of deliberations and plans, all kinds of tricks and tricks, even if it dragged on for more than a month. Until Li Zicheng beat Zuo Liangyu to the point of holding his head and swallowing Sun Chuanting into his stomach. The anointed places such as De'an Chengtian and Jingzhou have completely turned into their own territory, and Wu Sangui's men and horses are still in place.

Chongzhen had no choice but to abuse the famous weapon and seal the title of military general. He successively enshrined Wu Sangui, the general soldier of Liaodong, as Ping Xibo, Tang Tong, the general soldier of Jizhen, as Dingxibo, Zuo Liangyu, the general of the general of the Ping thief, as Ning Nanbo, and Huang Degong, the general soldier of Fenglu, as Jing Nanbo, and soon added Liu Zeqing as Pingdongbo; But. For the Li family's father and son, there is no word of reward and comfort. is just a strong urging of the Li family father and son to quickly escort the money and grain into Beijing for expenses.

There was no money and food supply, and under the stupid tricks of the courtiers, they offended Li Shouhan, the gold owner. Li Shouhan was good at talking, but he politely ordered someone to take over the customs in Shanghai and other places, and at the same time used an envelope to send several Chongzhen treasure banknotes with a denomination of one million silver dollars to the household department, which was regarded as completing the money and grain report

However, Li Huayu and Li Dagongzi are not so polite.

Under the pretext that the canal was shallow and difficult for grain ships to travel, he ordered the locks of the canal to be closed. Transporting all the grain on the boat into storage. This time, the price of food in Jingshi immediately skyrocketed!

The merchants of Nanzhong are also quite benevolent, and in the face of soaring food prices and the ensuing price surge, they each put up a pretense in front of the store, "According to the order of Liang Guo, this store will not increase the price!" However, it does not accept the treasure money of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty and the Tongbao known as Running Horse Chongzhen, but only collects silver dollars and Nanzhong Tongbao. At the same time, all kinds of people held large amounts of Chongzhen treasure money to buy materials everywhere, regardless of whether they were high or low, regardless of the quality of the purchase. It's a bit of a spending.

In desperation, Chongzhen in order to stabilize the market and stabilize the morale of the army, but also to stabilize his country. Wang Chengen, who had to compromise and beg for perfection, quietly sent a letter to Liang Guogong to cry and complain, and on the other hand, he issued an order to donate money, instructing his relatives, eunuchs and hundreds of officials to report the money, and pay 30,000 taels of silver as the best.

However, in the eyes of the civil and military officials and noble eunuchs, there are millions of silver dollars of money and grain in the emperor's treasury every year, but they come to us to ask for money, and these dignitaries and nobles do not care about each other.

Among the relatives, only Taikang Bo Zhang Guoji lost 20,000 taels of silver and was promoted to marquis. The donations from civil and military officials ranged from only a few dozen taels to a few hundred taels. Zhu Youzhen saw that he had received very little, so he simply implemented apportionment. First, it stipulated that each yamen must donate a certain amount, and later set the number of donations from Shijing bureaucrats in each province according to the place of origin of the officials, such as 8,000 in Jiangnan, 4,000 in Jiangbei, 6,000 in Zhejiang, 5,000 in Huguang, 4,000 in Shaanxi, and 4,000 in Shandong. "The gentlemen have been dismissed."

As the saying goes, fight tigers, brothers, fathers and sons. Although Chongzhen no longer has a brother and father, he still has a father-in-law. Moreover, he is not thin on his father-in-law, Jiading Bo Zhoukui. In the third year of Chongzhen, Zhu Youzhen's father-in-law, Jiading Bo Zhoukui, once "begged for 700 hectares of land, and followed 30 lieutenants." ”

So, Chongzhen's classmates sent Xu Gao, an internal official, to secretly inform Zhou Hou's father, Jiading Bo Zhoukui, and asked him to pay 120,000 taels of silver to set an example for other ministers. Zhou Kui refused to agree, saying that "Lao Chen An has a lot of gold?" "I insisted that I could only donate 10,000 taels. Zhu Youzhen thought it was too little, and asked him to come up with at least 20,000 taels. Zhou Kui sent someone to ask his daughter Zhou Hou for help, and Zhou Hou secretly sent someone to send five thousand taels. Zhou Kui not only did not add a copper himself, but deducted 2,000 of the silver sent by Zhou Hou, and only responded to the order with 3,000 taels.

The internal officials were also ordered to donate money and salaries. The eunuch Wang Zhixin is the richest, and it is said that he has as much as 300,000 taels of silver in his house. Zhu Youzhen asked him to be generous in person, but Wang Zhixin prevaricated: "The family has been lacking for many years", and only offered 10,000 taels of silver. The other eunuchs also pretended to be poor and complained one by one, some wrote "this house is urgently sold" on the door of the house, and some sent antique toys to the market for sale, posing as a broken family and relieving difficulties

Zhu Youzhen's donation farce this time was a big one, and by the end of the curtain he had received only a mere 250,000 taels. Among them, the majority is still from Wang Chengen and Wang Dehua. However, it was only to donate the proceeds from the sale of fruits on South Road for a month. (To be continued.) )

PS: The monthly pass will expire soon, do you still have it?