Gao Yingxiang and Monk Wang ran all the way north with the rout army that had been disturbed, and they hurried to catch up, but Emperor Chongzhen, who was still two days late, suddenly pounced.

Originally, when crossing the Wild Boar Gorge, Emperor Chongzhen received a battle report that Gao Yingxiang's rebels were attacking Yan'an Mansion.

Emperor Chongzhen, who has a small history, doesn't know how Gao Yingxiang made his fortune in history, but as long as the name Gao Yingxiang is mentioned, Emperor Chongzhen has an irrepressible excitement.

If you're not excited, you can't do it, Brother Li didn't find it, don't fucking you have already defected to Gao Yingxiang, right?

Therefore, with the idea of killing Gao Yingxiang as soon as possible and solving the problem of courier Li Xiaoge as soon as possible, Emperor Chongzhen simply rushed to Yan'an Mansion with 15,000 horsemen, and when he arrived at the city of Fu, he found that a big drama had ended.

Secretly scolded his mother, Emperor Chongzhen could only lead his troops to advance Yan'an Mansion did not say, Yan'an Mansion chose more people than Xi'an Mansion, this matter has to be asked, if you don't ask clearly, it can't be done.

Yan'an Mansion, in the main hall in the backyard of the government.

After reading the secret report of the Jinyi Wei Thousand Households Office of Yan'an Mansion, Emperor Chongzhen, whose face was as heavy as water, looked at Zhang Yuan, the prefect of Yan'an Mansion, and Zhao Ping, the commander of the Xingdu Division, who were standing respectfully in front of him, and knocked on the table with his fingers, and Emperor Chongzhen ordered: "The edict is according to the imperial history Li Yingji, and Ma Mao, the deputy soldier of Huguang, came to see me." Du Wenhuan, the deputy commander-in-chief of Yansui, returned to Yan'an Mansion to see me, and the soldiers and horses of the department were guarded by the Beijing camp. ”

Fang Zhenghua, who had been serving by Emperor Chongzhen's side, bowed down, and then ordered someone to summon the names that Emperor Chongzhen had just said.

It was not until Li Yingzhi, the governor of the imperial history, and Ma Mao, the deputy soldier of Huguang, came to the backyard of the governor's yamen to see Emperor Chongzhen, but they found that Emperor Chongzhen's face was not good.

The two of them chuckled in their hearts, and they didn't know where they had made this master unhappy, and after greeting Emperor Chongzhen with anxiety in their hearts, they stood aside and waited for Emperor Chongzhen to ask.

If you talk about the people present, only Zhang Yuan, the governor of Yan'an Prefecture, is secretly happy in his heart.

This Li Yingzhi didn't know what was wrong, and he provoked the emperor, so he just beat the side drum next to him, and he didn't get rid of this person, when the time came, who could still participate in his own book?

Sure enough, Emperor Chongzhen opened his mouth and asked, "Li Yingzhi?" ”

Li Yingzhi, who was stubber, replied stiffly: "The minister is here." ”

Emperor Chongzhen snorted, and then said, "I see that you are a Jinshi in the Wanli Bingchen period?" ”

When Li Yingqi heard this, he was a little confused, and he didn't know why Emperor Chongzhen suddenly remembered to ask this: "Your Majesty, the minister is the Jinshi during the Bingchen period of Wanli." ”

Emperor Chongzhen hummed again, and then asked: "The time for you to be promoted to the imperial history of Shaanxi is not short, you come to tell me, what is the cause of the current civil uprising?" And how should it be treated? ”

After thinking about it for a while, Li Yingqi arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty, the land of Shaanxi has been ferocious for many years, and disasters have been disasters one after another, and it is very fierce and abnormal at this age.

To His Majesty's Imperial Pole, since March of the first year of Chongzhen, there has been no rain for several months, so that in autumn, the three dogs are drought, the seedlings are all dry, the grass in the red field is smoking, the people are displaced, and the road is carried in one stream. The ministers traveled in plain clothes, and where they passed, hundreds of victims gathered in groups, and they hugged the road to ask for relief.

And Yan'an's Yi, Luo and other places, Xi'an's Hancheng and other belongings, reported to have a knot back to Luo, Zhang Qi Mingjin, and hundreds of moves. Daylight, the weak eat the strong. Gai was hungry and bored, and took risks. Rather than starving to death, it is better to loot and survive. ”

Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Li Yingqi, and said after a sigh: "Then tell me, now that there are hungry people in Yan'an Mansion and Xi'an Mansion, how should they be treated?" ”

Li Yingzhi pondered it for a while, and arched his hand: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that the Ming Dynasty has its own national law, even if there is a cause of natural disasters, but it is a fact that the thieves rebelled, and the minister thinks that it is appropriate to encircle and suppress the army and destroy it as soon as possible." ”

Emperor Chongzhen was unexpected.

This Li Yingzhi seems to be a royal history of Si Swenwen, and he shouldn't ask for the people's life at this time? Shouldn't you ask yourself to be lenient? What kind of words are there that only punish evil in order to show the greatness of heaven's grace?

It's good now, this guy directly asked the army to encircle and suppress them and destroy them all?

This annihilation is not so simple to say, the general meaning is that as long as the guys who choose, one is counted as one, and they will all be sent to see the king of Yama.

It's just an accident, but Emperor Chongzhen skipped Li Yingqi, looked at Ma Maocai, and asked, "What about Ma Aiqing?" And how do you see it? ”

Ma Maocai's eyes suddenly turned red, and he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, the victims of the disaster in Shaanxi, wow!" ”

After saying a bitter word, Ma Maocai's whole person was already in tears.

Emperor Chongzhen said expressionlessly: "What kind of bitter method, you tell me in detail." ”

Ma Mao responded first, and then wiped his tears and snot with his sleeve, and then choked up: "Your Majesty, the minister's hometown is this Yan'an Mansion, and he only returned to his hometown because of some official duties."

It's just that the minister went to Yan'an Mansion to know, since he went to see, Yan'an Mansion has been a year without rain, until August and September this year, the people compete to pick the mountain grass and eat, its grain like chaff, its taste is bitter and astringent, and the food can only be extended to immortality.

By the end of the month, the grass had been eaten, and the hungry people had to peel the bark of the trees to eat. The elm tree is not good, and it can be mixed with other bark for food, and it can also delay its death a little. ”

After saying this, Ma Maocai stopped crying, but laughed and said, "It's just that how many trees have bark outside the city now?" I'm afraid that the rest is only Guanyin soil that can be eaten. ”

No matter how white Emperor Chongzhen is, he also knows what Guanyin soil is.

This thing was seen more than once in the middle of Emperor Chongzhen's crossing before Emperor Chongzhen, and it is said that as long as you eat a little, you can be full, but after a few days, you have to die of bloating.

Emperor Chongzhen was thinking about the Guanyin soil in his heart, but he heard Ma Maocai continue: "At this point, the people are not willing to eat the soil and start to gather with the dead as thieves, and the people with a little accumulation are robbed by thieves, how can the robbed survive?" Even if you sue the government, you may not be able to catch many strongmen, so what if you catch them?

The most pitiful of all, such as a dung field on the west side of the city of Ansai, shall abandon two or three babies in it every morning, and there shall be those who weep, and those who cry, and those who call out to their parents, and those who eat their dung. By the next morning, the son who had been forsaken had no life, and some of them had forsaken him.

What's more, children and lone wanderers are nowhere to be seen as soon as they go out of the city. Later, I saw that the people outside the door cooked human bones for wages, and cooked human flesh for food, and I knew that the people before me were all eaten by them. And the cannibals will not be able to die in a few days with red and swollen faces, and dry and hot inside. So, the dead pillowed, and the stench was in the sky.

Several pits were dug outside the county, each of which could accommodate hundreds of people, to cover their remains. When the minister came, there were more than three pits, and those who could not hide it several miles away did not know how many of them. This is true for small counties, and it can be known for large counties; If this is true in one place, it can be known elsewhere. ”

Emperor Chongzhen's face could no longer maintain that facial paralysis, and after a sigh, he asked, "Then how can it be calmed down?" ”

Ma Maocai said with red eyes: "Your Majesty please send more grain to help Shaanxi!" ”

When he had finished speaking, he slammed his head on the ground and did not get up.

Emperor Chongzhen hummed again and said, "Get up, I have already prepared the food for relief." ”

Just after saying a word, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly sneered and looked at Zhang Ran: "Zhang Aiqing, you come to tell me, where did the relief food I prepared go?" ”

Zhang Yin was speechless, but Emperor Chongzhen sneered: "Why did you want to summon Li Aiqing and Ma Aiqing to come?"

Or do you still do all the you do, and I don't know about it? Do you regard the factory guard as if there is nothing? ”

After Emperor Chongzhen finished speaking, Zhang Yin reacted at this time, the emperor summoned Li Yingqi and Ma Maocai, not because these two people annoyed the emperor at all, but because they came at him!

Zhang Yin, who turned his brain, was about to speak, but he heard Emperor Chongzhen say: "You sent two calligraphy and paintings to Li Yingzhi, but you never thought that after he accepted them, he turned around and handed them over to Jinyiwei?" ”

Seeing that a cold sweat had begun to break out on Zhang Yuan's forehead, Emperor Chongzhen smiled and said, "I originally thought that this Ming officialdom was rotten, from top to bottom. But it's very good, it still made me see that there are courtiers like Li Aiqing and Ma Aiqing, and I am very relieved. ”

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen was quite a bit talking to himself, and he didn't care if Zhang Ran replied or not, and said to himself: "This mansion is in tatters and has not been repaired, I know this, but how many things are buried under the rockery outside?" ”

After speaking, regardless of Zhang Yin's face like ashes, Emperor Chongzhen directly ordered: "Send someone to pick up the things and take inventory." ”

Zhang Zhiji, who was also in the lobby, gave it up, and then sent someone to the bottom of the rockery in the courtyard and began to dig up.

Emperor Chongzhen saw that Zhang Zhiji had already sent someone, but he just bent his fingers and knocked on the table in front of him one by one, but he didn't speak, and the entire main hall fell silent for a while.

As time passed bit by bit, not to mention Zhang Ran, who was already dead, Zhao Ping, who defended the city and attacked, plus Zhu Yujian, the grandson of the Tang Dynasty who was summoned by Emperor Chongzhen from Xi'an Mansion, and Zhang Zhiji and others, all felt great pressure.

For half an hour, no one spoke in the entire main hall, only the soft sound of Emperor Chongzhen's fingers tapping lightly on the desk was like a giant hammer, ramming heavily on everyone's hearts.

Just when even Zhang Zhiji was about to wipe the sweat from his forehead, Zhang Ziming strode into the main hall, knelt down on one knee and said, "Your Majesty, everything under the rockery has been dug out." ”

Emperor Chongzhen hadn't spoken yet, but he only smelled a smell of urine that began to spread in normal, and then he heard a pop, it was Zhang Ran, the prefect of Yan'an Prefecture, who could no longer bear such a weak pressure, and knelt on the ground, wet between the two strands, obviously having peed his pants.

Zhang Yuan, who knelt on the ground, kowtowed like pounding garlic: "Your Majesty, the minister is guilty, and the minister deserves death, please ask Your Majesty for mercy." ”

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and said with a smile: "Don't worry, let's see how many things there are first?" ”

When Zhang Ziming heard Emperor Chongzhen's words, he arched his hand and said: "Your Majesty, there are a total of sixteen boxes buried under the rockery, and among the eight boxes, each box has one hundred and sixty silver ingots, each with fifty taels of ingots, a total of 64,000 taels. and two chests, each containing thirty ingots of gold, and each ingot, fifty taels, for a total of three thousand taels, or thirty thousand taels of silver.

The remaining four boxes, two of which contain some ancient books and playthings, and the other two contain some famous calligraphy and paintings from the Han Dynasty to this dynasty, the value of which is immeasurable. ”

After listening to these things reported by Zhang Ziji, Zhang Yuan's face became even more discouraged.

Even Zhu Yujian, who had never spoken before, was dumbfounded.

That's right, the officials of the Ming Dynasty thought of getting so many things, but they couldn't do it just because they were rich, and Zhu Yujian, who had always felt that he was not bad for money, began to admire the prefect of Yan'an Mansion.

Emperor Chongzhen smiled and said, "Zhang Aiqing, you come to tell me, is there a mistake in this?" Have there ever been factory guards who framed you? ”

Seeing that Zhang Yin didn't speak, but just acquiesced, Emperor Chongzhen continued: "Just now you said that you should let me be gracious, so I thought about it, can I give you this favor." ”

Listening to the meaning of the banter in Emperor Chongzhen's words, Zhang Ran was already full of thoughts, even if his mind was already blank, Zhang Ran knew that he was finished this time, and it was a proper end for the nine clans together.

Sure enough, I heard Emperor Chongzhen say lightly: "But it can't be done." They all say that I am the Son of Heaven, but a herdsman on behalf of the heavens, and all the people in the world are my people, and you have harmed them, how can you let me show you this favor?

Of course, even if I don't care about this, I want to be kind to you, so what do you think about Huang Liji, the former minister who was skinned by me? What do the other ministers who were hung on the pole gate and Huang Liji's company think? ”

As soon as the words changed, Emperor Chongzhen smiled again: "Look, I'm confused, aren't I?" They don't even have to think about it anymore. ”

Seeing that Zhang Ran had already accepted his fate, Emperor Chongzhen got up from his chair, bypassed the desk, and came to Zhang Ran.

Zhang Yin looked at the upper of Emperor Chongzhen's shoes, and simply gave up the idea of begging for mercy, anyway, he was dead, it was better to keep some dignity as a scholar.

Emperor Chongzhen suddenly raised his foot and kicked Zhang Ran fiercely, kicking Zhang Ran over his head.

The sudden change made Zhu Yujian, who had just stood up from the stool with Emperor Chongzhen, stunned, and saw Zhang Zhiji and Fang Zhenghua, who were also standing, looking surprised, Zhu Yujian had no choice but to give up his hand and say: "Your Majesty is angry, the dragon body is important." ”

Emperor Chongzhen ignored Zhu Yujian's persuasion, and only cared about kicking Zhang Ran one after another, but scolded while kicking: "Bastard! How did Da Ming treat you badly? High-ranking officials have to do it, beautiful concubines have to take it, and you don't lose any of your money?

Now that you're fucking causing chaos in Yan'an Mansion, aren't you afraid that the disaster victims will cook you and eat you after they enter the city? When you're done eating, shouldn't these red-eyed victims rush into the capital and eat me too?! ”

Emperor Chongzhen was kicking and scolding, but he heard the report of the little eunuch outside the door: "Your Majesty, Du Wenhuan, the deputy chief military officer of Yansui, has come to see you." ”