Chongzhen's mood in the past two days has been extremely low.

First of all, I dreamed of my grandfather and warned him to escape from the dangerous city and go to Nanjing to revive the dynasty and rejuvenate the Ming Dynasty. However, how to escape, it is a pity that Grandpa Cheng, who moved the capital to Beijing, did not leave any tricks or secret passages for his descendants like Grandpa Tai did for Emperor Jianwen.

The palace maids and eunuchs are also saying that they have heard a loud noise in the temple in the middle of the night, and there seems to be footsteps walking out of the temple. He also heard that there had been a sigh of hatred in the middle of the night in the Bongxian Hall for several days, and sometimes there was a sound of footsteps. For several nights, the eunuchs who waited in the Fengxian Hall heard that in the main hall in the middle of the night, there were often sighs and paused feet; Another old eunuch saw a tall figure walking by candlelight, which made the old eunuch startled, screamed, and sat down outside the hall.

Every time he heard a similar report from the mouth of the eunuch, his emotions were hit to the trough again and again, although he did not say anything, and even sometimes made people find out the so-called rumors to confuse the people to redo it, but in his heart, fear, fear, timidity, panic, and other emotions were intertwined, and he didn't know how to deal with himself. Sometimes, deep down, he lamented in despair: "Is this the image of the country? Am I the king of the dead country?! My grandfather and brother are the kings of the unprincipled, but there are some reasons that can barely be said, how can I be the king of the lost country if I am so diligent in government?!! ”

If it is said that from the perspective of diligence, Chongzhen is indeed very similar to his ancestors, the famous model worker emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, and the fourth master Yongzheng a hundred and ten years later. He succeeded to the throne at the age of seventeen. In the years after his accession to the throne, he worked diligently every day, determined to be a master of the Ming Dynasty. As a day ordered by the heavens and the people of heaven, he got up at five watches every day as usual, freshened up the crown belt under the service of the palace maids, burned incense and worshiped the sky on the Danqi of the Qianqing Palace, prayed for the peace of the country and the people, and then took the chariot to the court, and a busy life began.

But, as the President's words have been falsified and disseminated by countless people, "If the line is wrong, the more knowledge there is, the more reactionary it becomes." (The original sentence goes like this: "If [intellectuals] have a wrong line, the more knowledge they have, the more reactionary they will be") Compared with his grandfather and elder brother, Chongzhen made a fundamental mistake in governing the country, that is, blindly currying favor with the gentry, only wanting to leave a reputation as a benevolent monarch of the ages, and changing the already effective method of using eunuchs to take back some rights and interests that should have belonged to the state and the emperor from the gentry. As a result, we have come to this point.

"I have been working hard for 17 years, and I have come to an end today!"

Seeing that the rivers and mountains handed down by his ancestors are about to die in his own hands, what face will he have to see his ancestors and ancestors after death, especially his grandfather Shenzong Wanli Emperor and his brother Xizong Tianqi Emperor, who are quite dismissive in his mind, if these two people under Jiuquan ask him, how did you lose the country that I passed on to you?! How should he cope?

This kind of self-pride that had been pressing on his heart for many days was especially strong today, and it made him restless. He suddenly walked wildly in the warm pavilion, let out bursts of hatred, and muttered to himself: "I have no face to see my ancestors!" See your ancestors without a face! ……”

But he forgot that in the second year of his accession, he ordered a learned and good calligrapher eunuch Gao Shiming to write a plaque of "Respecting Heaven and Ancestor" and hanging it in the middle of the main hall of the Qianqing Palace. These four words have never been used by other emperors before, and it is he who came up with these four words after repeated deliberation to show his "way of being a king". In his opinion, all things are born in nature, heaven is selfless, and if you can respect heaven, you can love the people, so you are a "prince of Yao Shun", but in his consciousness, those peasants and people who pay taxes for his grain should not be in the category of "people", just like the largest country in Asia today has only 100 million people. Respect for heaven is a matter of course. As for "Fazu", it means that he wants to emulate the founding emperors of the Ming Dynasty, Dazu and Chengzu. These two emperors were known as the "Second Ancestors" and were the role models he aspired to follow. The emperors of all generations after Chengzu were called "Liezong", and he did not intend to follow them, but just showed his respect for them out of ethical thoughts.

However, as he became the emperor for a long time, with the deterioration of the mountains and rivers, everything did not go well, and the spirit of "drinking the three mountains and five mountains to open the way, I came" at the beginning of his reign was gradually worn out, and the number of times he knelt in front of the god of the "second ancestor" in the Fengxian Hall every year also increased. The more frustrated the state affairs, the more pessimistic and desperate he was, the more indignant and sad he was, the more he thought of Fengxian Hall and knelt in front of the gods of Taizu and Chengzu and wept bitterly. He is not a person with a weak character, and he goes to the Fengxian Hall not all to ask for the blessing of the ancestors, as the old saying goes, "begging for the soul to dry bones". He had infinite distress and endless sad words, and he could neither speak explicitly to the courtiers nor confide in the concubines, but could only cry bitterly to the gods of the two founding ancestors. Although he did not speak when he wept bitterly, to avoid being heard by the palace maids and eunuchs, his rushing tears and touching sobs were his heartfelt outpouring.

In the past, ministers of all sizes, in addition to presenting various state affairs in the court every day, also had to ask for a summons and talk about things. Whenever it was time for the court to discuss, everyone was generous and pointed out the country. It seemed that as long as the emperor adopted their proposal, the sea would immediately rise to the level of the sea and the Yan River would be cleared. However, today, when the capital is besieged and the country is dying, why did no one in the Manchu Dynasty ask for a call and offer a strategy?

He suddenly thought of Wu Sangui's visit to King Jingqin, and felt even more annoyed. When the imperial court learned that Li Zicheng had broken Taiyuan, someone suggested that Wu Sangui should enter the customs and return to Beijing. Wang Yongji, the governor of Jiliao, also came from Yongping Mansion to play a secret performance, and strongly advocated the transfer of Wu Sangui back to save the Beijing division in order to consolidate the foundation of the country. At that time, he had already agreed to crown Wu Sangui as Ping Xibo, hoping that Wu Sangui would pacify the Shaanxi thieves who came from the west. However, many of the courtiers fiercely obstructed, saying that not an inch of the ancestral territory could be lost, and reproaching the abandonment of the land outside the customs was a bad idea. The court and the central government debated endlessly over whether to transfer King Wu Sangui Qin, and delayed time in vain. Later, due to the urgency of the situation, the courtiers agreed to summon King Wu Sangui Qin, but said that the people of Liaodong were all the emperor's people, and all the people in Ningyuan must be brought into the pass, so it would inevitably be a missed time.

Not only did Wu Sangui enter the Jingqin King sideways and vertically, but these courtiers also objected to the request of Liang Guogong and his son, Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying and the nobles of Nanjing to go south to stay in the capital. Yu Shiguang Shiheng even jumped to his feet in the court and scolded: "The emperor is going south today, and it is difficult to guarantee that tomorrow will not be the second Emperor of Han Xian!" Chongzhen was so angry that he almost drank and ordered the Jinyi Banner School to drag this rebellious man down to the court staff.

He hated that the court was full of mediocre ministers, and there was no one who had the knowledge and courage to take responsibility for the country! …… Thinking of this, he was furious, smashed a teacup in his hand to the ground, and scolded: "The ministers have mistaken the country and the country, and they all deserve to die!" ”

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind like a flash of lightning, that is, the year before last, the headless post about the civil engineering change appeared in various parts of the capital, which showed how the courtiers sent Emperor Yingzong and many nobles to the place of Tumubao in order to fight for power, and eradicated them one by one through the hands of the Mongols. Could it be that this fang and the others are going to repeat the old trick today, and it will be impossible to hand me over to Li Chuang?! He didn't dare to think about it anymore!

Just thinking about this terrible thing, a eunuch outside the door whispered that Li Banghua, the imperial history of the left capital, asked to see him.

"Sir, flat. Sit! ”

Summoning Li Banghua into the warm pavilion, Chongzhen also wanted to be polite in the face of such an old minister who was already seventy-one years old and had a beard like silver. The eunuch who was standing outside the window and waiting immediately came in and set up a chair diagonally opposite Chongzhen. Li Banghua bowed down to thank him, and then sat sideways, waiting for the emperor to ask. Chongzhen has always treated a learned and ethical minister like Li Banghua with respect, and called Mr. instead of by name. But he understands that now that the Jingshi is besieged, and the horses are handsome, it is not the time to talk calmly, Li Banghua is old, and even if he has the prestige of the old ministers of the four dynasties, it will not help to save the overall situation. Chongzhen felt sad in his heart, sighed, and asked casually: "Sir, today I have no intention of going to court because of the turmoil in my heart, Mr. is already in his prime, how can I come to see me?" I don't know what is important? ”

Li Banghua suddenly left the chair, knelt down and kowtowed, and said in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty! The country has come to this point, and the old minister is not innocent! ”

Chongzhen was suddenly startled, stunned for a moment, and asked, "Why did Mr. say this?" ”

"The minister is guilty of misleading the king and the country."

"Sir, what's wrong with the country?"

"Your Majesty doesn't know about this matter, but the minister knows in his heart that now he can't regret it!"

Chongzhen heard that Li Banghua's words contained deep remorse, but he didn't understand it for a while, and while guessing, he asked Banghua to sit down and talk. After Duhua kowtowed again and sat down, Chongzhen asked, "What is the gentleman referring to?" ”

Li Banghua bowed and said: "At the beginning, the thief crossed the river into Jin, Taiyuan has not yet fallen, but the whole Jin is empty, and the Beijing division is weak, and those who know know that the Beijing division will not be able to hold on. Li Mingrui suggested that His Majesty take advantage of the enemy's army to be far away, quickly drive Nanjing, and then rely on the wealth of Jiangnan and the elite weapons of Liang Guogong to organize the army and fight against the rebels. With the elite of the Southern Guangdong Army, the first along the river and up to the Chu land, followed by Henan, the first sweep of Shaanxi, Jin, this sincere strategy for the country! ”

At that time, some officials were like light, and the Heng generation tried their best to oppose it, and it was confusing. It didn't work, and I regret it now. The hateful officials and ordinary civil officials are ignorant, but they are still empty talk, and many things have been bad for these crows in the past seventeen years, which is very hateful! ”

"Although at that time, some civil servants knew the scriptures but did not know the power, obstructed His Majesty's plan for the southern tour, and misled the king and the country. Danchen was an old minister of the Four Dynasties, and as the capital constitution, he was also worried at that time, and he failed to perform the southern tour, which was also guilty of mistaking the king and the country. ”

"At that time, Qing suggested that the important ministers should be selected to escort the prince to Nanjing, which was also a good way to save the country."

"The minister's original intention was to suggest that the emperor go to Nanjing, but because he saw that Li Mingrui's suggestion was opposed by many people, the minister asked the prince to send the army to Nanjing instead."

"Ahh

"That's true, so the minister also has the sin of losing the country."

Chongzhen woke up like a dream, but he didn't complain to Li Banghua, shook his head and said, "This is the number of qi, the number of qi." After a pause, Chongzhen said, "According to Mr., if I went to Nanjing at that time, what was the journey?" ”

"At that time, the army of Li Thief had just crossed the river into Jin, and it was impossible to intercept the southern tour of the Holy Driver. If you want to catch up from behind, there are still more than 2,000 miles apart. Moreover, there were soldiers and civilians guarding the city everywhere, and the river was blocked, so that the thieves could not drive into the city for a long time. His Majesty only needs to pass through Cangzhou, and there will be an army of the Marquis of Linqing to meet him, and how can anyone dare to drive a young man? Needless to say, waterways. In the Yuan Dynasty, Jiangnan Caoyun, from Yangzhou along the canal to the north, to Huai'an Fu along the Huai River to the east, more than 200 miles to the sea, and then Cao Yun by sea to the north, from Zhigu into the Haihe, to Dajin, connected to the Hui River, to Tongzhou Zhangjiawan. From Huai'an Mansion to Zhangjiawan, the sea journey is 3,390 miles. From Hongwu to Yongle in the early years of our dynasty, the canal was not opened, and the transportation was carried by sea, so there were successively meritorious people who were awarded the title of Zhenhai Hou, Navigation Hou, and Jiajia Hou. Ten years after Yongle, the Huitong River was opened, the north-south canal was connected, and the Caoyun was changed to the canal, but the shipping was not completely wasted. Since the ninth year of Chongzhen, the Nancao provided by Liang Guogong has been transferred by sea. ”

Speaking excitedly, Li Banghua suddenly touched the ground with his head, "The minister implores Your Majesty to leave the palace overnight while the thieves have not yet besieged Beijing, select hundreds of elite and loyal people, and escort Your Majesty to Tianjin to board the ship and go south!" ”

"What about the palace dependents, the hundred officials, and the temple?"

"The holy car was lightly armed and simple, and suddenly left Beijing at night and went straight to Tianjin, which only took two or three days to arrive. The Sixth Palace and Empress Yi'an can come later. When His Majesty arrives in Tianjin, it is like a dragon returning to the sea, soaring clouds and raining, but only in the Sacred Heart. As soon as His Majesty leaves Beijing, he will no longer sit in the city of sorrow, and he can control the thieves but not reduce them. Backed by the sea, there are hundreds of large and small sea vessels, and in the past, millions of stones of grain and rice were transported without worry, not to mention the palace dependents and officials of thousands of people? To the north, Wu Sangui can be named a marquis, and he will be grateful for the picture and lead the Guanning iron cavalry. At that time, the advance and retreat will be controlled by His Majesty alone, and I am not expected to be ZTE?! ”

Chongzhen was moved and said with deep emotion: "If the minister is like a gentleman, he is upright, loyal, and old enough to seek the country, how can state affairs be so bad today!" ”

Wang Chengen, Wang Dehua and others who rushed to hear the news felt for the first time that Li Banghua, the leader of the imperial history of the left capital and the official of the central government, looked so pleasing to the eye! The escape plan suggested by this old man to the emperor coincided with the regulations they had discussed with the envoy of the Duke of Liang!

A few loyal courtiers and domestic slaves were there to plan how the emperor should leave the palace, how to respond to the yamen such as Jingying, Jinyiwei and Dongchang, how to arrange chariots and horses, who to carry with him, and other miscellaneous chores. Chongzhen didn't have to care about these trivial matters, he just walked into the Fengxian Hall again and bowed to the ancestors and gods enshrined in the hall one by one. First in the Taizu Emperor's god in front of the three kneeling nine kowtows, and in the Chengzu Emperor's god in front of the three kneels and nine kowtows, this time to the Fengxian Palace, he knew very well in his heart what it meant, this is the so-called resignation temple! This time may be a hundred years. Therefore, he knelt down and bowed three times in front of each of the previous emperors, the so-called gods of Lizong, but he hesitated a little in front of the gods of his brother Emperor Xizong, and after bowing for a while, he still knelt on the worship mat and bowed three times in a proper manner. The third head has not been knocked over, and it is already in tears.

Feelings of remorse, shame, resentment and other emotions were intertwined, making him involuntarily stay in front of Zhu Youxiao's tablet for a few more moments. "Go, please Empress Yi'an prepare to drive and go to Tianjin with me." Asking himself, Zhu Youzhen suddenly felt that he felt a lot of guilt about his brother. The elder brother and the imperial sister-in-law handed over the Jiangshan Sheji to his younger brother, but how did his younger brother repay them? Needless to say, the status of a queen mother of the imperial sister-in-law is very stingy.

"If my virtue is at a loss, there should be such a calamity." He muttered to himself.

A small convoy left the palace from Shenwu Gate and went east along Jingshan Front Street, preparing to walk out of Donghua Gate to Chaoyang Gate. The convoy consisted of more than a dozen cars, and 100 horses were guarded as a backup.

In the front and rear of the convoy, hundreds of eunuchs, Jinyi Banner School, Dongchang Fanzi not far away and not close to the guards followed, although the car has been removed from the royal logo, but in the eyes of the discerning people, it is clear that this convoy must be a big man among them.

Out of Donghua Gate, there were already seven or eight large cars waiting on Beichizi Street, and one hundred and ten men wearing Longsheng security uniforms jumped out of the cars, each holding knives and guns to join the queue of guards.

More than two dozen carts with wheels crushing the stone pavement, making a rumbling sound, all the way to the east. Just walked to the intersection of Shiwangfu Street, the guards who opened the road in front of the convoy were shocked to find that there were dozens of officials with crowns, robes, and uniforms holding wat boards standing in the black on the road!

The leader is none other than Yu Shi Guang Shiheng!

"The rebels besieged the city, Your Majesty didn't want to live and die with the Jiangshan Sheji, but he was so hidden and showed his tail in micro-clothes, did he want to follow Song Huizong? Or did he follow the example of Emperor Wuzong of this dynasty to patrol the south of the Yangtze River? ”

Sure enough, he was a professional mouth cannon master, and when he saw Chongzhen's patrol convoy coming, Guang Shiheng was angry and dantian shouted full of righteousness, comparing Chongzhen's actions with the two famous emperors of Song Huizong and Ming Wuzong.

Several of the security guards who opened the road in front of Long Shengxing were about to have a seizure at the moment, and they were ready to pull out the sharp blades on their waists to cut people, and the task they received was to take Chongzhen out of Beijing and escort him to Tianjin.

Looking at the security guards and Dongchang Fanzi who pounced on them like wolves and tigers, Guang Shiheng was trembling on his two legs, but he was still arrogant in his mouth: "Even if Your Majesty has minions like Jiang Bin, it is difficult to defeat the blood and righteousness in the hearts of his ministers!" ”

"If Your Majesty pays tribute to the Southern Tour and abandons the Jiangshan Sheji Sect Temple, please pass from the ministers! The ministers are willing to pave the way for the royal driving wheel with their flesh and blood! (To be continued.) )