In fact, Dolgon had another preparation, that is, under his order, he had already secretly infiltrated Jiangnan and waited for the opportunity to assassinate the Ming Emperor's dead army.

It depends on whether Balza can succeed in the end, if he can really assassinate the Ming Emperor before the decisive battle, then the Qing Dynasty will be 100% sure of winning the decisive battle, and the momentum of dominating the world will be unstoppable.

Thinking of this, Dolgon's face was a little gloomy, except for the time when the Ming Emperor led the troops to conquer in person, he had never even gone out of the palace, Balza wanted to wait for the opportunity, I am afraid it was not easy.

It's up to Providence! Dorgon gritted his teeth, and finally sighed slightly.

Nanjing City Palace, Qianqing Palace.

Because the Manchu Qing Dynasty rested the army, a large number of grain and grass collection was reported by the Jinyi Wei secret agent, Zhu Cihong heard about it, and immediately summoned six cabinet ministers and Li Yan to come to the Qianqing Palace to discuss important matters.

"Qing Lu recruited 400,000 Han Banner troops in various places a month ago, and the total strength inside and outside the pass exceeded one million, and now the main force of the Manchurian and Mongolian iron cavalry has been withdrawn from Shaanxi to rest, and at the same time a large amount of grain and grass has been collected, the intention is unknown, what do you think Aiqing?" Zhu Cihong half leaned on the warm couch and drank a cup of hot tea.

Although Zhu Cihong had already set a defensive strategy with Li Yan more than ten days ago, and the army was also mobilized to the Jianghuai region and deployed, Zhu Cihong felt very awkward every time he thought of this. It is okay if the civil and military officials do not participate, but the important ministers of the six ministries of the cabinet must be involved, otherwise what else will the cabinet do.

Since ancient times, the lord is strong and the minister is weak, but then again, no matter how strong the lord is, he also needs to be assisted by a capable minister, and what Zhu Cihong wants is a capable minister who can assist him in governing the world, not a puppet who can only do things.

Zhu Cihong felt that maybe he had been on the throne for nearly a year, he had been too strong, and most things were almost bent on going his own way, and when he was in the Chongzhen Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen was really too powerful, and he changed his ministers almost every month, making the ministers trembling one by one, and he didn't dare to put forward any opinions, for fear of making mistakes, and he was used to speaking to the emperor, so now among the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, except for a Liu Zongzhou who was a little bold and dared, Zhu Cihong can hardly find another one who is a little bit bold, let alone cultivating a few capable ministers in this way, it would be good not to make the cabinet a puppet.

Zhu Cihong didn't want this, and after realizing this, he decided to change and turn this situation around, and for this reason, he had to solve another matter before the discussion.

"Ma Shiying, you are the first assistant, you speak first." Zhu Cihong looked at Ma Shiying and asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ma Shiying didn't want to speak first, but was named by Zhu Cihong and had to come out. And Liu Zongzhou originally wanted to stand up, but since Zhu Cihong named Ma Shiying's name first, he stepped back and let Ma Shiying speak first.

"Back to the emperor, Weichen feels that the Qing Dynasty may continue to encircle and suppress Li Zicheng, or it may be uh, it is to be unfavorable to my Daming, and the emperor has to guard against it." Ma Shiying was a little hesitant, although the meaning was said, but Zhu Cihong always felt uncomfortable listening to this roundabout.

"Possibly?" Zhu Cihong frowned, looked at Qian Qianyi and the others again, and asked one by one.

"Qian Qianyi, you can also tell me what your opinion is."

"Back to the emperor, the minister's views are the same as those of Lord Shoufu." Qian Qianyi subconsciously didn't dare to speak nonsense, and replied with Ma Shiying's words.

"Zhang Zongyi, tell me." Zhu Cihong looked at Zhang Zongyi.

"Back to the emperor, the minister feels that Qingyu is just a bluff, and he is not afraid." Zhang Zongyi said with a smile.

"Bluffing?" Although Zhu Cihong was still smiling, his tone changed a little, and he said coldly: "Zhang Zongyi, do you really just think that Qingyu is really bluffing, and it won't be bad for my Daming?" ”

"Well, Your Majesty, although the Qing Dynasty is bluffing, it is also possible that it is preparing to be unfavorable to the Ming Dynasty, but the Ming Dynasty is guarded by the Dragon Army, and the emperor does not need to worry." Zhang Zongyi said stiffly.

"Is it possible again?" Zhu Cihong smiled, looked at Sun Ze and Huang Dao and asked, "What do you two think?" ”

"Back to the emperor, the minister agrees with Lord Shoufu's words, although Qingyu may only be unfavorable to my Daming, but the emperor has to guard against it." Sun Ze and Huang Dao glanced at each other and said together.

"Then you don't have any precautions?" Zhu Cihong put down the teacup in his hand, his tone was flat, he couldn't see joy and anger, and continued to ask.

"The ministers are at the discretion of the emperor." Although Ma Shiying and the five of them didn't understand what Zhu Cihong wanted to do, they were careful not to talk nonsense because they didn't say anything good, and they would wait until they figured out what Zhu Cihong wanted to do.

Although he had been prepared, looking at several old and important ministers who looked cautious, did not dare to speak outright, and did not have the slightest courage, Zhu Cihong was panicked in his heart, angry and helpless. Ma Shiying and the others actually understood it very well in their hearts, but they were used to speaking cautiously and timidly.

Zhu Cihong frowned, thinking about how to change.

Li Yan stood behind Ma Shiying and the others, and saw a trace of helplessness and sigh in Zhu Cihong's eyes, his heart moved slightly, and he seemed to understand what Zhu Cihong wanted to do, smiled, but did not speak.

At this time, Liu Zongzhou, the only one who didn't ask Zhu Cihong, listened to Ma Shiying's words, couldn't hold back his anger anymore, sneered, jumped out and said to Zhu Cihong: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that what Lord Shoufu and several pavilion elders said is some nonsense, what is possible, this is simply obvious, the Qing Dynasty must be preparing to use troops against my Ming Dynasty, and the imperial court must immediately mobilize heavy troops to defend, and there must be no slightest slack, otherwise the Ming Dynasty will be in danger!" ”

Liu Zongzhou, as usual, was outspoken.

"Liu Zongzhou, what do you mean!" Zhang Zongyi pointed at Liu Zongzhou and said angrily.

Ma Shiying and the others also looked at Liu Zongzhou one by one, their faces were not good.

"What do you mean?" Liu Zongzhou sneered and flicked his cuffs: "Hmph, Qingyu's actions are so obvious, can't you even see it, don't you feel hypocritical to say so much one by one?" ”

"Liu Zongzhou, you are talking nonsense, I think you Liu Zongzhou is hypocrisy" Ma Shiying and the others were so angry that they were red-faced, and they scolded Liu Zongzhou when they pointed at them.

Liu Zongzhou couldn't get used to Ma Shiying and others talking around the bush, and thought it was too hypocritical, so when facing Ma Shiying and others to speak, Liu Zongzhou always looked sarcastic and disdainful, making Ma Shiying and others angry. And Ma Shiying and others couldn't get used to Liu Zongzhou's discord, and the two sides were sarcastic to each other, and they quarreled in Zhu Cihong's Qianqing Palace all of a sudden.

"Hmph, shut up!" Zhu Cihong slapped the tea table next to the warm couch and said angrily.

Liu Zongzhou, Ma Shiying and others immediately stopped, and secretly observed Zhu Cihong's expression, seeing that Zhu Cihong was angry, they all immediately shut up, and did not dare to quarrel.

Zhu Cihong held back his anger and was about to scold Ma Shiying and the others, but when he thought of what he was going to do today, he endured it again.

"Begonia, come over here and rub my temples. Lan Xiang, you also go and make me a cup of Qingxin Calm Tea. Zhu Cihong said to the two little girls of orchid and begonia who were guarding not far away.

After Lan Xiang half-squatted and saluted, she immediately went to make tea, Haitang glanced at Ma Shiying and the others, and quickly climbed on the warm couch to rub Zhu Cihong's temples.

After a while, Zhu Cihong's anger completely subsided and he regained his calm.

Zhu Cihong glanced at Ma Shiying and the others and said, "I don't talk nonsense with you, do you know what I want to do when I recruited you here today?" ”

"I don't know!" Ma Shiying and the others were also very strange in their hearts, they couldn't figure it out at all, the emperor was really strange today, if they could guess why, where did they still use it so tremblingly.

"Hmph, one by one, you are cautious, how do you look like some important minister in the court, I am not a tiger, and I won't eat you, why do you look like you're afraid of making a mistake." Zhu Cihong sighed as he spoke.

Ma Shiying and the others were at a loss, but after listening to Zhu Cihong's words, the corners of their mouths couldn't help twitching secretly, and they all said that a companion is like a tiger, and the emperor is not a tiger, if they are not afraid that they will be punished for saying the wrong thing, would they be so cautious?

The emperor in front of him has been on the throne for more than half a year, although he is not like the first emperor who punishes crimes and changes ministers at every turn, but there is a father and a son, who knows if the lord in front of him will become like the first emperor one day. You must know that the murderous intent of the lord in front of him is no better than that of the first emperor Liu Zeqing, Liu Liangzuo, Donglin Party, Wei State Mansion, etc., there are no less than hundreds of officials who died in the hands of the lord in front of him, and his temper is exactly the same as that of the first emperor, how can they not be careless to be officials with their tails between their legs.

Ma Shiying and the others were thinking about it, and they heard Zhu Cihong say again.

"Actually, you don't have to be so afraid of me at all, I admit that although I have some temper, but I am not stupid at all, you don't have to talk to me in a roundabout way, take some courage to come out, what to say, what suggestions are put forward, just seek truth from facts, if you say wrong, I will not treat your sins indiscriminately, Liu Zongzhou was right just now, you are hypocritical, it is not as direct as Liu Zongzhou, you see Liu Zongzhou, this old guy talking, it is not once or twice with me, if I am mediocre, There is no room for people, this old guy has been killed by me a long time ago, where is there a chance for him to jump. Zhu Cihong said halfway through and pointed at Liu Zongzhou.

"Your Majesty!" Liu Zongzhou's eyes were wide, his old face was red with anger, and he was about to refute.

"You don't talk nonsense, you old thing, do you think I'm not right? Think for yourself, do you choke less? I always put a stinky face in front of me, and I hate it when I look at it, but when did I really cure your sin and remove you? Zhu Cihong glared at Liu Zongzhou and said.

Liu Zongzhou snorted coldly, flicked his cuffs, and stopped talking.

"I am not a faint king, as long as you are really talented, I will use you, as long as your advice is right, I will also take it. In the future, when I talk in front of me, I don't have to beat around the bush, which really makes me look at it and hate it. I tell you a few of you, from today onwards, whoever will give me a twist in the future, if you say something that has not been clear in more than five sentences, I will immediately return it and let you rewrite it, grandma's, things that can be clearly explained in one or two sentences, but you want to beat around the bush, you are not annoyed by me, I am still annoyed, I am very clear. ”

Zhu Cihong got straight to the point and decided to have a good talk with these elders, he felt that sometimes he could occasionally talk to the courtiers, so that the courtiers could understand his temperament as an emperor, so that they could let go of the mustard in their hearts and speak freely and give full play to their talents.

Liu Zongzhou's heart moved slightly, Ma Shiying and others were even more miscellaneous grains, they understood it, it turned out that the emperor was thinking like this today.

Li Yan nodded secretly, extremely pleased, and gave Zhu Cihong a thumbs up, such an emperor is the master in his heart, and the blessing of the people in the world, even if he is broken in the future, he will die to assist such an emperor.

"I said that I will not treat your sins casually in the future, I will not treat your sins casually, you can speak freely in the future, what to say, stand here and think about it yourself, when you think clearly, when you tell me." After Zhu Cihong finished speaking, he continued to review the recitals that had not been approved today.

There was silence in the entire Qianqing Palace, and Zhu Cihong's words shocked Ma Shiying and the others a lot, making them very distracted for a while, and they didn't react, and they were stunned one by one, not knowing what they were thinking.

"The emperor is wise, he is the hero of the Ming Dynasty, and the ministers are obedient." After a long time, Qian Qianyi was the first to react and knelt on the ground to say.

"Submission!" Ma Shiying and others also knelt on the ground.

Including Li Yan, the seven of them were all convinced and admired, the emperor was only sixteen in more than a month, but he already had such a mind, it was really rare, and it was the blessing of the Ming Dynasty.

"Hahahaha, okay, Zhong Aiqing can figure it out, I am very pleased!" Zhu Cihong laughed.

"In this case, Zhong Aiqing and others will have to speak freely, now the meaning of the Qing captives going south is very obvious, the Qing captives have now occupied nearly half of my Ming Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty is a great enemy of life and death, destined to be endless, I don't want to hear any weak remarks such as peace talks, so let's talk about how to deal with the Qing captives."

Zhu Cihong didn't know if he had solved the mustard in the hearts of Ma Shiying and others, but if such a thing was not in a hurry, he would naturally see the effect in the future.

Although the army has now been mobilized to the Jianghuai and Shandong regions to deploy defenses, in the future war, it is not only necessary to transfer troops and send generals, but also to have grain and grass, medicinal materials such as stopping bleeding and treating wounds, and even more silver, all of which need to be planned.

...