On August 13, at the court meeting of the Imperial Palace, Zhu Youzhen's face was pale, and his body sitting on the throne was very tired.

Last night, bad news came from Huguang Kuaima, and the new army of Jingying was defeated by the Jiangbei army under the city of Yuezhou. The Jiangbei Army pursued and killed the new army for hundreds of miles. The 100,000 new troops of the Beijing camp could not cross the Yangtze River moat, and there was no way to escape from the territory of Yuezhou Mansion, and it was almost completely annihilated.

Dingxi Bocao Bianjiao crossed the Yangtze River in a small boat and fled to Xiangyang Mansion in the north of Huguang. However, Cao Bianjiao thought that he had lost 100,000 new troops, and he had a nervous breakdown in pessimism and despair, and actually fell ill, and it was said that he was dying.

Originally, the new army in Beijing was like a broken bamboo in Shaanxi and Huguang, and Zhu Youzhen thought that he could rely on the new army to work all day long and be a hero who left a name in history. Unexpectedly, all his battles disappeared overnight, and things returned to the difficult situation at the beginning.

Not only that, but the sentry on the front line even said that the Jiangbei Army was marching north, and it seemed that it was going to cross the Yangtze River and attack the north of Huguang.

Now the 100,000 people of the new army have been defeated, and there are no soldiers to defend from Huguang, Shaanxi to Shanxi and even Beizhili. Is the Jiangbei Army's posture going to hit the capital?

Zhu Youzhen's change of law in the north and the flattening of the fields was the most fundamental interest of the gentry. The Jiangbei Army, as the private army of the gentry, and Zhu Youzhen have become enemies of each other. Shi Kefa and Wu Sangui made a gesture of going north, did they want to abolish themselves as emperors?

Zhu Youzhen had no sleep all night yesterday, tossing and turning in bed, and couldn't sleep.

However, the bleak situation has only just begun.

At this time, the officials in the court have obviously also gotten the news.

Previously, the Son of Heaven launched a large-scale killing campaign in the capital to suppress civilian officials, relying on the force of the new army in Beijing. At that time, the Son of Heaven held a male army, and the hundred officials did not dare to disagree, and the bigwigs of the Donglin Party sat back and watched the same party being killed.

However, at this time, the Beijing camp was defeated, and the Son of Heaven only had 20,000 new troops left to guard the capital, and the situation was very different. Those officials of the Donglin Party were all active.

The power that was originally taken away by the Son of Heaven because of the new army in Beijing, should it be returned to the Donglin Party?

Now that the Jiangbei Army is heading north with the power of a great victory, if the Son of Heaven does not compromise with the civilian officials, then the Jiangbei Army will really do everything.

In the Ming Dynasty, scholars were selected by the imperial examination, and as long as they were admitted to the Jinshi, they were naturally a member of the gentry. According to the previous practice, the Jinshi could collect the fields and donate them freely, and they did not hand over the fields to empty gloves and white wolves. The civil officials inside and outside the court are all Jinshi, and they are all natural spokesmen for the interests of the gentry. Even if Zhu Youzhen has been in power for a few years, the civil officials in the court are still in Cao Ying's heart in Han.

The civil officials in the court, in the final analysis, are all on the side of the gentry, and Zhu Youzhen will not be able to kill them all.

Now that the Beijing camp has been completely destroyed, there is no longer military support for the reform in the north. The civilian officials, especially the members of the Donglin Party, looked at each other, and their faces were full of excitement. The bad news of the Son of Heaven is their good news.

What they have to do next is to launch a general attack on the Son of Heaven and completely abolish the changes in the three northern provinces!

Wang Duo, the first assistant of the cabinet, flicked the sleeves of his official robe and stood up.

This Wang Duo has always been the first rat at both ends, and he will pour it on whichever side the wind is tight. Originally, when the Beijing camp was strong, he watched Fan Jingwen being executed by the Son of Heaven without saying a word. However, at this time, when the new army was defeated and the Jiangbei army moved north, he was about to stand up and speak for the gentry of the world.

"The minister Wang Duo has something to say!"

"Say!"

"The minister thinks that the defeat of the new army in Beijing is a matter of days."

"It is precisely because the Son of Heaven does not cultivate virtue, does not uphold benevolence and righteousness, superstitiously believes in the benefits of firearms, changes the law of the ancestors, and fights with the world's corporals that he is defeated today. The minister thought that the most important thing now was to announce the failure of the reform in the three provinces of Beizhili, Shaanxi and Shanxi, and put an end to the perverse and perverse law of allocating evil. ”

Hearing Wang Duo's words, the eyes of the civil officials lit up. At this moment, it is naturally a good thing to have the first assistant of the cabinet to take the lead.

Zhu Youzhen watched Wang Duo jump out and fire the first shot, his heart was cold, and he couldn't help coughing a few times.

The Son of Heaven saw that Wang Duo had not done anything and had let him go. Unexpectedly, Wang Duo finally repaid his kindness like this.

The civil servants are pressing forward step by step.

"Chen Gao Wenjin thinks that the new law should be abolished!"

"The minister seconded the proposal!"

"The ministers seconded it!"

As if they had said yes, the civil officials jumped out one after another and put pressure on Zhu Youzhen in unison.

Seeing so many people jumping out to attack him, Zhu Youzhen couldn't help but cough a few more times, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Wang Chengen saw that the civil officials who were still submissive yesterday were collectively persecuting the Son of Heaven today, and he was so angry that blood gushed up in his head, and he waved his sleeves and shouted: "The Beijing camp has just been defeated, are you going to rebel?" ”

Wang Chengen shouted: "The Jiangbei Army is still in Huguang!" You're thinking about the three northern provinces? ”

Wang Duo looked at Wang Chengen, laughed, and said, "The nobles don't know anything. ”

"Although the Jiangbei Army is still in Huguang, there are battalions and guards in all parts of the three northern provinces. These local soldiers were all opposed to the change of law. Now that the Beijing camp has been completely wiped out, there is no need for the Jiangbei Army to go north, and the soldiers and horses in these places are enough to wipe out the officials sent by the Son of Heaven to change the law. ”

"If the Son of Heaven takes the initiative to announce the failure of the law change, he can still save some royal face, which is compatible with civil officials and military generals. If the Son of Heaven resists stubbornly, I am afraid that not only the south will rebel, but also the local armies in the north. At that time, I am afraid that the situation will be out of control..."

Wang Duotu saw the dagger and began to threaten Zhu Youzhen.

The generals of the local armies were promoted by civilian officials, and their military salaries and grain were all provided by civilian officials, and all of them became civilian officials over the past few decades. Previously, the Beijing camp was strong, and these local troops did not dare to speak out. At this time, the Beijing camp was defeated, and the local army could raise a counter-flag at any time like the Jiangbei Army.

If Zhu Youzhen does not compromise, it may be a situation in which the soldiers and horses from the north and south attack the northern Zhili together, and the soldiers and horses from all walks of life will "clear the king's side" together.

Gao Wenjin, the servant of the ministry, suddenly shouted loudly: "The matter has come to this, the emperor should not die." announced that the change failed, everyone stopped fighting, and they can still be the son of peace! ”

The officials of the Donglin Party looked at each other for a while, their faces full of excitement. One by one, they stepped forward and said, "The minister seconded the proposal!" ”

"The ministers seconded it!"

"The Son of Heaven should make plans early! Declared a failure of the reform. ”

Zhu Youzhen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Although the Beijing camp has been defeated, Zhu Youzhen is not a person who succumbs so easily. Although the Son of Heaven does not have a new army, he is still the fierce Son of Heaven.

"At least in the capital, I still have 20,000 new troops!"

Patting the armrest of the throne, Zhu Youzhen shouted: "Wang Duo's eyes are deaf, his mouth is full of nonsense, and he can't be an official anymore." From this day on, it will be reduced to a common man! ”

"Gao Wenjin instigated hundreds of officials to fight against me, the crime is unforgivable, he was put in the Dongchang prison and interrogated carefully!"

In the extremely stunned gaze of the hundred officials, Zhu Youzhen waved his sleeves and said loudly: "Who dares to talk about changing the law, it is like the king and the high!" ”

"Retreat!"