Half an hour later, Shoufu Liu Yuliang entered the inner city from Zhengyang Gate, passed through Qipan Street, Lamp Market, Chenghuang Temple City, Inner City and other lively venues, and then entered the imperial city from the main gate of Li, and then passed through Chengtian Gate and Duanmen, and finally came to the official entrance of the Forbidden City. Pen fun and pavilion www.biquge.info

The weather in early April is sunny, the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant, and the whole palace is full of spring and vitality. In such a warm and pleasant weather, Liu Yuliang, who was looking around, was in a sigh in his heart.

In such a pleasant and comfortable weather, he wants to impeach Li Xiao, who is deeply favored by the emperor and made an earl, and he will definitely sweep the emperor's uproar. But such a thing is an important step that must be done for Liu Yuliang and even the entire civilian-bureaucratic group.

Speaking of which, Liu Yuliang's entry into the palace to impeach Li Xiao this time, although he was suspected of being bribed by Zheng Zhilong, but attacking Li Xiao was the common wish of Liu Yuliang and even the entire Ming Dynasty.

The noble and lowly Ming Dynasty, Li Xiao, a military general who has risen all the way and is rampant, is naturally the enemy of almost all the important ministers in the court.

And now, Zheng Zhilong's letter gave Liu Yuliang a fairly suitable excuse to hit Li Xiao.

Soon, a eunuch came with news that Emperor Chongzhen had summoned him to meet him in the Imperial Garden.

Liu Yuliang hurriedly cleaned up his clothes, and hurriedly went with the eunuch.

Bypassing the majestic front and rear palace complexes, and turning a few bluestone paths, I finally arrived at the imperial garden where the emperor was playing.

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou, their husband and wife, with Zhu Cihong and Zhu Yujiao, had just returned from boating in the Taiye Pool and were resting in the Dongtian Pavilion.

Liu Yuliang saw from a distance that Chongzhen was chatting and laughing with Queen Zhou and a pair of children with a smile on his face, and there was a harmonious atmosphere between the heavenly families.

The reason why Chongzhen is in a good mood is not without reason, the most important point is that from last year to the present, the official army has frequently reported good news of the suppression of bandits.

Especially in February of the 11th year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng failed in the battle with Hong Chengchou and Sun Chuanting in the south of Tongguan, and almost all the troops were wiped out, and fought the biggest defeat since the rebellion, which was much worse than the last time he fled into the carriage gorge.

Seeing that the situation of suppressing bandits throughout the country was gradually improving, the officials and armies continued to win, and the places where the bandits were raging continued to shrink, and the country, which was originally decayed and rotten, began to show a little vitality, Emperor Chongzhen was inexplicably happy in his heart.

Seeing Liu Yuliang coming, Chongzhen signaled Queen Zhou to take Zhu Cihong and Zhu Yujiao to leave first, Liu Yuliang hurriedly bowed to the side, hung his head slightly, and let Queen Zhou and others pass.

Then, he came to the outside of the Cave Heaven Pavilion and knelt on the ground.

"Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

"Liu Aiqing, let's get even."

"Your Majesty."

Liu Yuliang stood up, took out the secret letter of Zheng Zhilong, the deputy general soldier of Fujian, from his arms, presented it with both hands, and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Weichen received a letter from Zheng Zhilong, the deputy general of Fujian, and felt that the matter was important, so he came to make it clear to the emperor. ”

Chongzhen sighed, and then ordered the eunuch to take the letter from Liu Yuliang's hand, and then quickly browsed it.

After reading the letter, the original faint smile on Emperor Chongzhen's face disappeared completely, and was replaced by an inexplicable dignified color.

Liu Yuliang squinted his eyes and glanced at the change in the expression on Chongzhen's face, while quickly brewing the next words in his heart.

"Four major crimes, one of the four major crimes, I didn't expect Zheng Zhilong's opinion of Li Xiao to be so unbearable." Chongzhen's face actually had a wry smile, he sighed and shook his head, and asked Liu Yuliang: "Ji Long, what do you think of Zheng Zhilong's complaint letter?" ”

Liu Yuliang bowed for a long time and said: "Your Majesty, the minister thinks that Zheng Zhilong's words, although the last one of them, saying that Li Xiao robbed him of his trade route to Japan, is because of his personal anger, but the other three, the minister thinks about it, but Your Majesty must not ignore it." ”

"Oh, Ji Long, tell me why."

"Your Majesty, Li Xiao's first crime is to ignore the laws of the country, start a war lightly, and without an order from the imperial court, he privately sent troops to Korea, annexed Taiwan, and occupied Satsuma, Japan.

Chongzhen was speechless, but the feeling in his heart was very complicated.

Although this Li Xiao did not have an edict from the imperial court, but without receiving any food and salary funding from the imperial court, he almost relied entirely on self-reliance to defeat the Qing army that invaded the dynasty, drove away the Spaniards and the Dutch, and completely collected the entire foreign land of Taiwan into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

It's just that compared to Li Xiao's huge exploits, this person ignores the imperial court and starts a war, but it really worries Chongzhen.

China's thousands of years of history have shown countless times that a general with great ability and heavy troops, but ignoring the emperor without the imperial court, may do far more harm to the country and the imperial court than his contribution.

So, do you really want to blame Li Xiao for this crime?

Chongzhen felt very uncomfortable for a while, he took a long breath, and said to Liu Yuliang: "Liu Aiqing, let's talk about this second crime." ”

Liu Yuliang was a little surprised when he saw that the emperor did not express his position, so he hurriedly played again: "Your Majesty, in the opinion of the emperor, Li Xiao's second charge is much more serious than his first charge. ”

"Oh, why?"

"Your Majesty, after Li Xiao defeated the Spaniards and the Dutch, he completely occupied the entire island of Taiwan, so Taiwan has become the land of my Ming Dynasty. Since Taiwan has become the land of our Ming Dynasty, it is necessary to play the court, and the court will set up prefectures and counties and arrange officials. Unexpectedly, this Li Xiao was selfish and selfish, and actually set up his own prefectures and counties and officials, which is really extremely rebellious, and he has no king! If Your Majesty does not hold accountable for such an arrogant act, then the ministers are only afraid that Li Xiao's misdeeds will be more effective than his followers. ”

Listening to the end of Liu Yuliang's aggravated tone, Chongzhen frowned, and his face was even more anxious.

Li Xiao did this, which really embarrassed his own emperor.

Although Taiwan is a foreign country, since the country has taken it back, how can there be a complete failure to show the truth of the emperor and the imperial court, and this private official is absolutely a stain that cannot be washed away.

Chongzhen let out a long sigh, and he still said to Liu Yuliang in a faint tone: "Ji Long, you can talk about this third crime. ”

Liu Yuliang's eyes blinked quickly, and then he continued: "Your Majesty, this third crime, in the opinion of the minister, is even more serious than the second. Because, in the first two, taking 10,000 steps back, Li Xiaoshang can be young and vigorous, ignorant and ignorant to cover up his mistakes, but this third one is that no matter how he confesses, he will never be able to clear himself. ”

"Oh, why does Ji Long think so?"

"Your Majesty, the imperial court has repeatedly strictly ordered and vigorously banned Mongolia's ban on border trade, but Li Xiao has turned a deaf ear, as a general of the Ming Dynasty, he has privately engaged in smuggling trade with the Mongolian Qing Dynasty, which can be described as knowing the law and breaking the law, and his crime is very great. The minister thought that if Li Xiao's smuggling behavior was confirmed, he would need to be severely punished! If the emperor is lenient with this person and does not pursue his responsibilities deeply, then the ministers are only afraid that I will be at the border of the Ming Dynasty, and the generals from all over the country will follow suit, then the border trade ban of the Ming Dynasty will eventually become a false paper. ”

After Liu Yuliang finished speaking, there was no movement on the dragon chair.

Liu Yuliang was suspicious, he thought that after reading this letter and listening to his own explanation, the emperor would immediately be furious, and then immediately ordered Li Xiao to be redone, but he didn't expect that although the emperor was worried, he never said anything.

"The Emperor's 。。。。。。"

Chongzhen waved his hand, stopping his words.

Chongzhen, who was sitting on the dragon chair with a stiff face, had a dull gaze and a very complicated expression.

Finally, he let out a long sigh.

This Li Xiao, who started from a hundred households and let me watch him grow and grow step by step, is he really such a treacherous and loyal man who is obedient on the surface, but who is selfish behind his back?

And this Liu Yuliang showed himself this secret letter, called Let Me Decide, I am afraid that there may not be a suspicion of hiding private goods to attack Li Xiao.

"Ji Long, the words on Zheng Zhilong's letter, in my opinion, are all one-sided words, and there are many exaggerations. Li Xiao has contributed to the country all times, exterminating the Liukou, and resisting the Tartars, which is a real achievement, and he can be a rare important minister of the country. Ji Long said that Li Xiao should be punished severely, but I thought it was impossible. ”

"Your Majesty, you are so benevolent, I am afraid that Li Xiao will become more and more difficult to control in the future, and the harm it will bring to Daming in the future will be more than a hundred times that of now!" Liu Yuliang saw that the emperor was protecting Li Xiao like this, and he was anxious, so he blurted out a sentence: "Your Majesty, do you think that Li Xiao is Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi of the Zhongxing Tang Dynasty, but the ministers look at it, I am afraid that this person is An Lushan and Shi Siming who ended the prosperous Tang Dynasty!" ”

"Shut up! Liu Jilong, you are so presumptuous! ”

Seeing that Liu Yuliang did not choose to speak, he actually compared Li Xiao, who has always served the country and the imperial court loyally, to a thief who has been stinking in history for thousands of years, Chongzhen couldn't help but be furious.

"I believe that I and Li Xiao are a good story of the ancient monarchs and ministers, I will not live up to Li Xiao, and Li Xiao will never fail me!"

After Chongzhen whispered this, he stood up and paced back and forth in the pavilion.

Liu Yuliang pounced and knelt on the ground again.

"Your Majesty, if the ministers eat the king, they must speak out even if they die! Thinking that before An Lushan rebelled, he was like a father and son with Tang Xuanzong, and even pointed to his belly and said that he only had a loyalty in his stomach to serve the emperor, and at this time, I am afraid that no one in the entire Tang Dynasty would believe that such a simple and loyal general would eventually embark on the road of betraying the Tang Dynasty. But the result was that before Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty passed away, An Lushan raised the anti-flag, proclaimed himself Emperor Dayan, and the pro-unified army went south from Yuyang all the way to capture the two capitals, stirring up chaos in the Central Plains, forcing Xuanzong to take refuge in Shu, and the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty ended there. This history written in blood is in the past, why doesn't the emperor learn from it! “

Liu Yuliang paused and continued; "There is a saying that no matter how worn out the hat is, it can only be worn on the head, and no matter how beautiful the shoes are, it can only be worn on the feet, and you must not put the cart before the horse! Even though Li Xiao has meritorious service to the country, how can this become the capital of his domineering and unscrupulous behavior! The minister is only afraid that His Majesty will continue to let Li Xiao go on like this, then Li Xiao will eventually become the second in An Lushan after further accumulating strength and strengthening his strength, and His Majesty is only afraid that he will regret it! “

After Liu Yuliang finished speaking, he kowtowed heavily, and his head slammed on the bluestone slab.

"Don't knock, get up and talk!"

Chongzhen shouted angrily, Liu Yuliang slowly got up, but there were already blood marks on his forehead.

"Ji Long, in your opinion, how should I deal with Li Xiao, is it appropriate?

Chongzhen was silent for a long time, and finally slowly said this.

When Liu Yuliang heard Chongzhen's words, he was overjoyed, but his face was still full of regret and solemnity.

So, he coughed lightly and said loudly: "Your Majesty, there is a way, a hundred-legged insect, dead but not stiff." The minister also knew that Li Xiao, as an earl, was also an important general of the country, and he had a strong army, which was not comparable to ordinary people. If His Majesty wants to deal with him, he must not be ruthless, lest he be injured by the snake instead of hitting the snake. In Weichen's view, the following three measures can be implemented first to divide and disintegrate Li Xiao, and finally subdue him. “

"Say it."

"Your Majesty, this first step is to send a prison army, just like the current officials and armies of various ministries to suppress bandits, and send a prison army to Li Xiao's Tiger Army to monitor Li Xiao's movements, understand the specific military situation, divide and encircle Li Xiao's subordinate generals and officials, and let Li Xiao's group be scattered, and finally let the imperial court smoothly control it."

Chongzhen's eyes lit up, but he didn't say anything immediately, just said lightly: "What about the second one?" ”

"The second article is to send someone to inform Li Xiao that all the newly acquired land in Taiwan is owned by the state, and all the officials appointed by Li Xiao will be dismissed and appointed by the imperial court instead, so as not to give Li Xiao a chance to develop and grow."

Chongzhen snorted noncommittally, and said, "Ji Long, let's talk about this third article." ”

A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Liu Yuliang's eyes, and he said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the most fundamental reason why Li Xiao is so domineering is not because he has a heavy army, so he dares to despise the court so much!" In Yichen's view, after the first two articles have been implemented, the third article can be implemented. This article is that the imperial court needs to suppress bandits, and transfers the elite soldiers of Li Xiao's department to other generals' subordinates, so as to weaken Li Xiao's strength and eventually make him unable to resist the imperial court. After this step is completed, Li Xiao's strength has been greatly reduced, and his strength is insufficient, even if he has the intention to rebel, he can't do anything about it. In this way, wouldn't it be natural for the court to punish him again and punish him severely? ”

After Liu Yuliang finished speaking, he took a long breath, he looked up at Chongzhen, but found that Chongzhen just lowered his head and was speechless.

Liu Yuliang smiled on his face, and said to himself: "The emperor is afraid of the plan of the ministers, is it too manipulative?" If the emperor really has this concern, he can also reward Li Xiao first when he sends out the prison army. In the name of recovering Taiwan and helping the vassal state of Ryukyu, Li Xiao was promoted to marquis, and then took advantage of his great joy to send a supervisor to replace officials and divide his army, so that the resistance was much smaller. ”

After Liu Yuliang finished speaking, his face was smug, but Chongzhen still had a calm face and did not speak.

Finally, he slowly spoke: "Ji Long's strategy, and let me think about it, it's not too late to make a decision." ”

Liu Yuliang's face suddenly turned stunned, and he wanted to say more, but Chongzhen waved his hand and asked him to retreat first.

Liu Yuliang sighed and left the palace.

And Chongzhen himself, in this weather where the grass grows and the warbler flies in the spring, sits alone in the pavilion with a gloomy face, like a puppet.