Chapter 51 Li Zicheng Meets Emperor Chongzhen New arrangements for the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala

Emperor Chongzhen heard Zhang Zhimu say on the phone that Li Zicheng wanted to see him, and after a little hesitation, he immediately agreed: "Welcome General Li!" General Li can come to see me whenever he has time! ”

After listening to Emperor Chongzhen's words, Zhang Zhimu was still moved, it is really not easy for Emperor Chongzhen to do this, Li Zicheng dug up the ancestral graves of the Zhu family in Fengyang, the central capital, this hatred is too big, now Emperor Chongzhen can swallow this breath, and it is not easy to agree with Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng was also a little embarrassed when he heard Zhang Zhimu's words from Emperor Chongzhen, "Hey! At the beginning, Lao Tzu hated this dog emperor, and he couldn't wait to drink his blood and eat his flesh! So when they entered Fengyang, they dug up their ancestral graves! ”

"The emperor can let go of the past, so we won't talk about it." Zhang Zhimu said, "We have to do a lot of serious things, and my statement is that we have to look forward to everything!" ”

"Yes, yes! Let's look ahead! Li Zicheng appreciates Zhang Zhimu's words.

On the phone, Li Zicheng and Zhang Zhimu agreed to meet Emperor Chongzhen tomorrow morning.

According to the agreed time, the two came to the front of the Yaogang Hotel together to meet, and then took the elevator together to the floor where the emperor lived, and the prince was already waiting for them in front of the elevator.

Zhang Zhimu hurriedly introduced Li Zicheng and said: "This prince is our good friend!" ”

Li Zicheng knew that the status and skills of the prince were not ordinary, so he hurriedly arched his hand and said: "Oops! I have heard of the name for a long time. I have heard Mr. Zhang say that you have finally met you today! ”

"You're welcome, Lord Chuang!" The prince openly joked, "If it's compared to fame, I'm too far behind!" ”

"Come on! When you have the opportunity to drink, you blow slowly, let's see the emperor first! Zhang Zhimu said.

"Please!" The prince waved his hand.

Li Zicheng walked towards the large suite where the emperor lived, and pointed to a large gift box held by his entourage and said, "Princess, when you go in for a while, you can arrange someone to help you get this gift box!" ”

"Huh?" Wang Gonggong didn't understand, why did I have to arrange for someone to hold Li Zicheng's gift box, but after thinking about it, since Li Zicheng said so, he naturally had his reasoning, "Little thing!" Say! ”

When he came to the outside of Emperor Chongzhen's large suite, the prince arranged for a small eunuch to help him take the gift box, and he went in first. After a while, the prince came out, opened the door and bowed down and said, "The emperor is invited!" ”

Zhang Zhimu led Li Zicheng to the hall, and saw the emperor sitting in the middle, Zhang Zhimu led Li Zicheng to kneel and bow to the emperor, "Long live my emperor!" Banzai! Hooray! ”

"Li Zicheng, knock to see the emperor!"

"Zhang Zhimu knocks on the emperor!"

"Oops! You don't have to be polite! Flat! Look! ”

"Emperor Xie!" Zhang Zhimu and Li Zicheng got up and thanked each other and sat down.

Zhang Zhimu usually comes to see the emperor by himself, and he has already exempted this set of kneeling and worshipping. But today I led Li Zicheng to see the emperor, and I have to finish the big gift! Emperor Chongzhen also knew that Zhang Zhimu had good intentions.

After Zhang Zhimu sat down, he saw that there were still scholars Liu Jiantai and Fan Jingwen here, but they saw that Li Zicheng's eyes were obviously not so friendly. It's no wonder that for a long time, Li Zicheng was their nightmare. They knew better that if it weren't for Zhang Zhimu, they would probably have been imprisoned by Li Zicheng a long time ago.

Seeing Zhang Zhimu and Li Zicheng sitting down, Emperor Chongzhen said: "General Li did a very good job in Annan, I heard what Zhang Dongjia said!" This Annan has always been a very troublesome thing, our army passed, they surrendered, our army withdrew, they reversed, capricious. Don't let up this time, just keep them under control. ”

"Thanks for the compliment!" Li Zicheng said, "Our entry into Annan is also the result of Zhang Dongjia's full support, and we didn't expect to be able to solve Annan so quickly." Zhang Dongjia: Their warships and speedboats are very suitable for use on the Annan side. We not only used force to deal with those who resisted strictly, but also adopted Zhang Dongjia's suggestion and adopted the method of razing to defeat raze, and the effect was very effective. More importantly, we make it possible for people to live and work in peace. When the people saw that they could live a good life with us, they were obedient. ”

"Good! A hundred years of sorrow, you have completely eradicated it, okay! "Emperor Chongzhen is very happy.

"That's right, Your Majesty." Li Zicheng took advantage of Emperor Chongzhen's happiness and hurriedly said, "When we attacked the palace of Annan, we captured a sword of King Lili. I brought it to the emperor, I hope the emperor can like it! ”

"Oh! Check it out! Emperor Chongzhen was very happy when he heard it.

The prince next to him understood why Li Zicheng brought the gift, and asked him to send someone to hold it, the sword he originally brought, Li Zicheng was afraid that there would be something else, so he didn't let anyone else hold the sword. Wang Gonggong was happy in his heart, "This Li Zicheng looks at a rough person, and his heart is still so fine!" ”

The little eunuch brought up the gift box, and the prince came over to bring the wooden box and held it in front of Emperor Chongzhen. Emperor Chongzhen's eyes lit up, and inside the Nanmu box was a sword with a scabbard and a sword inlaid with various gems on the hilt. Emperor Chongzhen picked up the sword, pressed the tension spring, and pulled out the sword with a "dang long". The sword is cold and shining, and the blade is striking. Emperor Chongzhen blurted out, "Good sword!" Then he happily pulled a sword flower. He looked at the sword carefully.

Zhang Zhimu knew that it was hard to say how this sword was, but the gems on the scabbard and hilt were expensive. In particular, the sword was seized from the palace of Annam, which is of great significance here. No wonder Emperor Chongzhen can't put it down with a sword!

After looking at the sword for a while, Emperor Chongzhen thought about it, "Oops! I'm looking at the sword! Thank you, General Lee! You have captured this sword, this is the glory of our Ming Dynasty! ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compliment!" Li Zicheng said, "When I arrived at Yaogang, I heard that the emperor was also here, so I always wanted to meet the emperor." I have done a lot of foolish things before, but the emperor did not hold a grudge and received me. It really makes me feel a little guilty! ”

"Alas!" Hearing Li Zicheng say this, Emperor Chongzhen sighed, "It's because I didn't govern the country well, which caused external and internal troubles." To say that I don't hate you at all is a lie. You shouldn't have dug up the ancestral grave of the Zhu family! ”

"Your Majesty! We're damned! Li Zicheng hurriedly said.

"No, no, it's all over!" Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "What you are doing now has long exceeded the wrong things you have done!" You are the pillars of the world. ”

Seeing that the emperor was so generous, Li Zicheng said: "Your Majesty, if our post station hadn't been abolished back then, as long as we didn't starve to death, maybe I'm still drinking porridge over there!" I really came out to rebel just to survive. What happened after that was completely out of my own hands. In fact, most of the people who came out to rebel were forced, and after they came out, they lived a life with today and no tomorrow. ”

Liu Jiantai, who had not spoken, interjected: "Could it be that you were forced to establish yourself as the emperor?" ”

Zhang Zhimu was very disgusted that Liu Jiantai said such things at this time, and Emperor Chongzhen also looked at him with disgust.

Li Zicheng smiled and said, "Hehe! We run every day, and our greatest desire is to settle down. But are we thieves and settle down? Later, I also figured out that the victor is the prince and the loser is the thief. If our lives are necessary, why can't we fight? ”

Zhang Zhimu also interjected: "The emperor said that the past has passed, and we should not mention the past in the future." It's important that we work together to get things done in the future. ”

"Huh!" Li Zicheng also hurriedly cooperated, "I very much agree with what Zhang Dongjia said, let's look forward!" ”

"Huh!" Emperor Chongzhen also said, "Everything looks forward!" That's a good saying! Turning his head, Emperor Chongzhen asked, "Zhang Dongjia, our Russians from the west are here again, how are they now?" ”

"I was about to tell the emperor about this!" Zhang Zhimu said, "According to our plane reconnaissance, there are tens of thousands of Russians coming, and I think such a small number of people are not enough for Jiang to inlay them." However, we all felt that it was likely that we would have to fight the Russians in the future to finally settle down. ”

"Hmmm! Don't be careless, now that the Mongols in our north are no longer a threat, this is our biggest heart. Emperor Chongzhen said.

"I didn't expect the matter to be solved so easily." Zhang Zhimu said, "What we ask of the generals outside is that by the end of the year, the affairs of Japan and Burma will be resolved. It seems that they can all get the job done. That Burmese king, after we celebrate the New Year, if we stabilize it a little more, we will get it to the kiln. Some of the Burmese people who have surrendered to us, we have gotten to the kiln. After the New Year, we will immediately send troops to Nanyang, and we must first wipe out all the Xiyi troops over there, leaving those who are willing to trade peacefully. Then, we're going to rearrange things on the South Seas side. ”

"Good!" Emperor Chongzhen said a few good words, "If you lack officials, we can send some." Before you came, I was discussing with the two adults, there are still many officials to be sent in our capital, and there are too many idlers in the court. There are also some people who are willing to come to the kiln, and we can also let them come to the kiln to play a role. This will not only allow them to make a difference, but also solve our shortage of officials. ”

"That's great!" Zhang Zhimu said, "Don't hide it from the emperor, we have no military opponents now, but the reason why we can't rush forward is that we have to set military goals according to our governance capabilities." Where we can't be governed, we'd rather not move it. We must not afford to create a place that becomes a burden. ”

Emperor Chongzhen listened to Zhang Zhimu's words, looked at Liu Jiantai and Fan Jingwen, and said with a sigh of relief: "There are still many people who have studied hard for many years in and outside Beijing, and it is a waste of talent for them to be idle if they have no place to arrange. It would be a good thing if I could come to the kiln to help. We are grieving about it! This time it's good! ”

"Your Majesty, the thousands of people you sent over last time, we have arranged for them to exercise below after training, and they will be sent out immediately. That's a big problem. ”

"Good! Make the best use of your talents, good! "Emperor Chongzhen couldn't stop saying yes.

After a pause, Emperor Chongzhen said, "Fang Cai, I and the two adults have discussed one more thing, we know that you are going to drill for oil in Dongying, and we have decided to hand over the places south of the Yellow River to you to govern. For the time being, the Zhongshu Province is still under the direct control of our imperial court. The local officials and soldiers over there should make proper arrangements. If there is a war, there will not be many people over there, but if it is arranged, it is estimated that there will be nearly 100,000 officers and soldiers over there. ”

Emperor Chongzhen's words are equivalent to handing over Xuzhou, Huai'an, and Yangzhou south of the Yellow River to Yaogang.

"Personnel, the emperor doesn't have to worry, we will make the best use of everything. The officers and soldiers are not willing to go home on their own, we can form a reclamation regiment. Facts show that the retired veterans who went to the cantonment are doing well and are very satisfied. Zhang Zhimu said, "Officials, we can also make reasonable arrangements according to the situation and try to meet their wishes." ”

"That's good!" Emperor Chongzhen said, "However, in addition, you have to dredge the canal there immediately, because it has been silted up for a long time, and it will be even more difficult to dredge it in the future." ”

Zhang Zhimu heard that the canal over there was already very unsmooth, and it was cut off during the dry season, and it seemed that the imperial court was really unable to dredge the river. I'm afraid that Emperor Chongzhen handed over this belt and it has something to do with it.

"Good! When I went back, I asked Tang Jingyao and them to formulate a plan to expand the canal. Zhang Zhimu said, "We have always wanted to improve the transportation capacity of the canal, and we want to spend a few years to build our entire canal system more perfectly, preferably with cargo ships of 3,000 tons and at least 1,000 tons." Now that industry and commerce are developing in all parts of our country, the issue of transportation is already a problem of constraint for us. ”

"That's the best!" Emperor Chongzhen said.

Liu Jiantai asked: "I read in the newspaper that your northernmost point has reached the White Sea (Arctic Ocean). I heard that there are no days of civilization there in a year. What's the use of that? Are there still people? ”

"There are so many uses over there," Zhang Zhimu said, "there are all kinds of animals over there, there are very good furs, and walrus skins, walrus ivory and so on are all good things." There were still a small number of people over there. They have adapted to the extreme cold conditions there. But there are not many of them. Not only did we send our troops there, but we also sent our trade caravans there. We can buy their furs and other products. Now I'm not thinking about how much to profit from there. We need to support the people over there, so that they can have as many children as possible, and there must be enough people over there. In the future, it will be more and more useful, and we must not only focus on immediate interests. Including Nuergan and those places on both sides of the Heilongjiang River, we now need a lot of investment silver. If we want to develop that side, we will make a profit later. Now our troops and caravans are stationed in the Trans-Khingan Mountains, the Andong Peninsula (Kamchatka Peninsula), the North Mountains, and the eastern end of the North Strait (Bering Strait). Where we don't have access to roads, we can open boats to that there every year. ”

"Hmmm! All right! Emperor Chongzhen said, "Zhang Dongjia is still very far-sighted in considering the problem. We are going to take a long-term view of these things. ”

Fan Jingwen asked: "Zhang Dongjia, how do you solve the problem of Japan in the east?" ”

"This Japan is different from other places, and we have to get rid of them!" Zhang Zhimu said, "It turned out that they had more than 10 million people, but after they beat them, they killed themselves, and now there are only more than 1 million people left." There are still more than 400,000 captives who can do labor. Leave some of them there, and send the rest back to work. Our strategy for them is to separate men and women and no longer leave them behind, this is a very shameless people and they must be completely eliminated. Some of them fled to the mountains, and our army was also hunting, leaving no trouble. We are responsible for future generations. Their emperor is also in our hands, and I can't leave it behind. ”

"Hmmm! The grass must be cut to the roots. Emperor Chongzhen said affirmatively.

"We can't leave the vacant space over there!" Liu Jiantai said.

"We are ready to immigrate to the past part. However, we want to live better and better for the people everywhere, and they are reluctant to mobilize immigrants to go so far. We have now come up with a way, Wu Sangui and his army will stay in Japan, set up a few large farms, and then recruit workers on our side to work for three years, and after three years, they can come back with a considerable amount of silver. Every year, we recruit workers on a rolling basis, and if there are workers who are used to living there, if their families follow them, we will give some encouragement. This will slowly solve the problem. The key thing is that we can build that side very well, and people can make a lot of money when they get there, so everyone is naturally willing to go! ”

"Hmmm! Tao Li is speechless! Emperor Chongzhen nodded and said, "Okay! Zhang Dongjia, hearing you say this, I feel happy! I can't stay in Beijing anymore. ”

University scholars Liu Jiantai and Fan Jingwen couldn't stop laughing when they heard the emperor say this.

Fan Jingwen said: "Oops! Supposedly, Beijing has become very big now, and many adults have installed electric lights and telephones in their homes. We can just make a phone call and have a chat if we have nothing to do. We also listen to the radio here in Yaogang every day. When the emperor saw us, he had to talk about the affairs of the kiln gang almost every time. But as soon as we heard that the emperor said that he was going to come to Yaogang for the New Year, we were still as happy as children. This time, the emperor allowed us to bring a few family members, and we wanted them to see what the kiln was like. ”

The emperor continued: "Zhang Dongjia, this year's Spring Festival Gala will leave us more places. ”

"No problem, our party this year will be held at the Yaogang Grand Theater, and there can be many more seats." Zhang Zhimu said, "But there is one point, our party should be separated from the commendation meeting, and it will be held later than before, until after the evening." If you don't want to spend time with your family, you can go and see it. ”

"Oops! This is a troublesome matter, who can not go there to watch the party when the family is having a child? Liu Jiantai said.

"This is the can't have both fish and bear's paws!" Zhang Zhimu said, "However, there is an advantage this year, that is, those who do not want to go to the live performance can watch live TV at home." ”

"Oops! This is good, this is good! Emperor Chongzhen said, "Is it okay to eat dumplings and watch live TV at home!" ”

"Yes! Otherwise, this ticket for the annual party is really sad! Zhang Zhimu said, "You said that the people in the kiln, who doesn't want to go to the scene to see?" ”

"In this way, the Spring Festival Gala of the radio station can be combined with this party!" Liu Jiantai understood.

"That's right!" Zhang Zhimu said, "In this way, more families will be able to see the party!" ”

The grinning prince said, "Yo! Zhang Dongjia, in that case, you have to install TVs in all hotel rooms! ”

"It must be installed before the Spring Festival Gala," Zhang Zhimu said, "The original plan was that it would be installed before the emperor arrived, but the motors outside were all broken." Everyone knows that the live broadcast of this year's Spring Festival Gala is rushing to buy TV, which is not enough to sell. I'll let the TVs of Xishan Baozi and Yaogang Hotel go on the market and sell them first. ”

"Huh! This is also because there are too many rich people in your kiln gang! Liu Jiantai said, "In Beijing, I won't snatch the TV so much!" ”

"That's what Lord Liu said!" Zhang Zhimu said, "Those who have been doing business in Yaogang for a few years have basically made a fortune. However, there is one thing about the merchants of the kiln is that they are particularly interested in new things. ”

"Oops! Zhang Dongjia, if we get rich so easily, we will also be interested in new things! Liu Jiantai said with some jealousy.

"Haha!" Emperor Chongzhen and everyone laughed out loud when they heard Liu Jiantai's sour words.

After laughing, Zhang Zhimu said: "This year's New Year, there is still a good thing to tell the emperor!" ”

"Oh!" The emperor knew that it was worth saying something like Zhang Zhimu, it must be a big thing, and he immediately became interested, "Zhang Dongjia quickly talk about it!" ”

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New progress in "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty": the Battle of Yashan, the defeat of the Yuan army, the counterattack of the Song army, and the landing in Fuzhou.