Emperor Chongzhen looked at the ministers who were generously speaking in the court, and began to hesitate.

For no other reason, Chongzhen has no money.

The treasury was empty, and the only few million taels of silver in his hand had to be kept for the soldiers who defended the capital.

The money in his hand could not be touched.

What is another reason?

If you encircle and suppress these thieves, when the time comes, you will be rewarded for your merits and deeds, and it will be a lot of silver.

If you don't encircle and suppress these rebels, you have to appease them, and if you appease them, you have to pay for the settlement of their families, so that you still get a lot of money.

Chongzhen looked at the red-faced ministers in the court who were arguing with these anti-thieves, and became silent for a while.

Until the situation in Shaanxi changed.

The thieves who were besieged in Huanglong Mountain scraped together all the gold, silver and jewelry they looted and gave them to Chen Qiyu, wanting to buy Chen Qiyu and let them live, but they were refused.

Chen Qiyu did not accept the bribe, but his subordinates accepted the money and lobbied in front of him all day long, Chen Qiyu hesitated a little, and finally did not hold on, and finally agreed to surrender.

Why is this so?

They pinned their heads to their belts and worked hard for the court, but the court owed them four months' wages.

Food and military pay were in arrears, and many sergeants were hungry and began to dig for the bark of wild vegetables and trees.

The thieves gave them a large sum of gold, silver and jewelry, and his men used the wealth to buy grain and grass for themselves.

Another reason is that the DPRK and China have received news of surrender and pacification.

The court didn't want to fight, what were they doing so desperately.

Therefore, Chen Qiyu could only turn a blind eye, and he couldn't watch his soldiers starve to death.

However, what he didn't expect was that these thieves did not surrender at all, but surrendered fraudulently.

Chen Qiyu successively recruited more than 36,000 thieves from Huanglong Mountain, all of them were comforted, and then sent back to the countryside to work as farmers.

On average, a pacification officer was sent to escort every 100 people, and a letter was issued asking the prefectures and counties they passed through to provide them with grain and grass, and to send them back to their hometowns.

These thieves did not suffer major damage, surrender was not real, after leaving the Huanglong Mountain, they did not accept control, they killed more than 50 pacification officers, and then attacked Sanshui, the guerrilla Gao Conglong was defeated and killed, more than 2,000 officers and soldiers were wounded, and the area around Guanzhong was greatly shaken.

Chen Qiyu regretted his mistake and blamed others for his mistakes.

Chen Qiyu impeached Jiayan and Fengxiang Township official Sun Peng for sabotaging the situation of Zhao'an, and the Fu Guan also had two thoughts about Zhao'an.

Emperor Chongzhen was annoyed, severely criticized the Fu Guan, and arrested Jiayan, Sun Peng, the gentry, and more than 50 people.

Chen Qiyu also asked the imperial court to order the five governors of Shaanxi, Yunyang, Huguang, Henan, and Shanxi to guard the key areas, and punish those who broke the line, in an attempt to share their faults.

Later, he was convicted of practicing state affairs, and state affairs were also arrested and imprisoned.

In the matter, Gu Guobao impeached Qi Yu for delaying the closure of Xinjiang, and Emperor Chongzhen issued an edict to let Qi Yu be relieved of his official position and wait for investigation.

The imperial historian Fu Yongchun impeached Qiyu for falsely reporting the number of enemies killed, and Emperor Chongzhen issued an edict to remove Chen Qiyu's name and let Jinyiwei arrest him and put him in the Jingshi prison for interrogation.

After Chen Qiyu was imprisoned, the court began to impeach Wang Zezhi.

It is said that he is self-respecting, arrogant, does not listen to the orders of the imperial court, and has the intention of establishing himself as the king of the outside world.

After Chongzhen heard this, he angrily reprimanded the courtiers for being ridiculous and walked away.

People who don't know will think that Chongzhen is protecting Wang Zezhi, but in fact he is not trying to protect Wang Zezhi.

He was angry, Wang Zezhi was promoted by him, but the courtiers impeached him in unison, which was a slap in the face.

In addition, Chongzhen is also angry with Wang Zezhi.

After he left the court, he summoned Wang Chengen to the study.

"Bullying the king, bullying the king, the king is not a king, the minister is not a minister, I am an emperor." Wang Chengen bent down, carefully lowered his head, and listened to Chongzhen's tantrum without saying a word.

"I have eyes but no beads, I trust Wang Zezhi, reuse Wang Zezhi, treat Wang Zezhi well, I have poured out my heart to him, but he, how did he treat me? Yes?

He privately beheaded the squires of Datong and plundered the village property, and he seized the seal of the king of Shunyi but did not hand it over to me, but sealed another one privately.

He opened a private market with each other, and crossed over again.

Where did he leave me?

He recommended Chen Qiyu as the governor of the five provinces, and now that Chen Qiyu is out of the basket, I can't punish him anymore, the tail is big, the tail is big.

Now he has 100,000 soldiers, galloping outside, and does not listen to the orders of the imperial court, what is he going to do? Is he going to set himself up as king?

Is my country gone? Is my country gone?

Wang Chengen, you dog slave told me that I had ever treated him badly? ”

"The minister is guilty." Wang Chengen's tremors trembled when he heard this, and he knelt on the ground and didn't dare to move.

Wang Chengen once helped Wang Zezhi say good things, he knew that Chongzhen held a grudge, which was to blame him.

"He beheaded the squire privately, I don't blame him, it's because I have eyes and no beads, I don't know the suffering of the people, and those people should be killed.

Wang Zezhi's killing of the squire passed with one eye open and one eye closed.

But he privately crowned a king of Shunyi, so where did he put me? ”

"Your Majesty, he followed your will to recover the Hetao." Wang Chengen raised his head and glanced at the excited Chongzhen, and reminded him gently.

Wang Chengen knows that whenever Chongzhen drills the tip of the horns, he can't defend himself, and the more you defend Chongzhen, the heavier his suspicions will be.

Just give him a heads-up and let him figure it out for himself.

After listening to what Wang Chengen said, Chongzhen raised his head and said angrily: "I asked him to recover the Hetao, but I didn't let him open a mutual market privately, and I didn't let him go to the king, is this what he can do as a general soldier?"

Wang Zezhi, Wang Zezhi, I want to cut him with a thousand knives, break his corpse, and vent the hatred in my heart. ”

"Yes, yes, what the emperor said is that Wang Ze's death is innocent."

Wang Chengen knows Chongzhen's temperament, as long as everything goes along with him, it will definitely be right.

"Oh? Even do you think Wang Zezhi's death is innocent? When Chongzhen heard Wang Chengen say this, he thought that Wang Chengen's thoughts were the same as his.

"Huh? ... Be... Minister... I didn't dare to say anything, because the emperor felt that Wang Zezhi's death was innocent. ”

"You dog, I have long known that you and Wang Zezhi are in a pit, even now, you are excusing him openly and secretly."

Chongzhen heard Wang Chengen say that after he felt that Wang Zezhi's death was innocent, his face changed, and he said to Wang Chengen seriously.

"Your Majesty, your minister... I don't dare. ”

Wang Chengen knew that his answer made Chongzhen unhappy, and he didn't even dare to kneel on the ground carefully.

"Okay, I ask you something, if you dare to deceive me, I will kill you."

"The minister knows everything, and the words are endless."

"How long have you been in private contact with Wang Zezhi? How many times? ”

"There are only two exchanges between the minister and Wang Zezhi, one is to lift the ban on him by the emperor's will, and the other is to go to him to ask for some briquettes to come back, except for these two times, the minister has never met Wang Zezhi privately."

"Really?"

"The minister guarantees his life with his wealth, and there is no lie."

"Then tell me, when did Wang Zezhi start to have a rebellion? What evil intentions did he harbor in recruiting Mongols into the army outside the Saiwai? ”

"Your Majesty, please forgive the minister, two years to recover Saiwai and Liaodong, not to mention his king, even Yuan Chonghuan, the governor of Jiliao, will not dare to recover it within two years.

According to the news inquired by the minister, Wang Zezhi recruited the Outer Mongolians to fight against the tiger and the rabbit.

At the beginning of April, Tiger Squatting Rabbit attacked Guihua City with 100,000 elites, and Wang Zezhi led his subordinates to fight to the death without reinforcements. ”