"Your Majesty, plus the 200,000 taels from the Taishi Mansion, we have raised a total of 400,000 taels of silver this time, which is enough to pay the soldiers in the capital."

Seeing Emperor Chongzhen's gloomy expression, Cao Huachun, the chief palm seal eunuch and the commander of Dongchang, who was standing on the side, couldn't help but open his mouth to persuade, "As long as the army of King Qin in Nanjing arrives, then this crisis will be naturally resolved." ”

"I hope so."

Emperor Chongzhen bowed slightly when he heard this, now the situation in the north has become a mess, and he can only pin his hopes on the army in Nanjing, if Li Hongyu can arrive in time, Li Hongyu is like a needle in the sea, as long as it appears in the capital, then the situation in the capital will become stable.

At this moment, Emperor Chongzhen really regretted it, if he knew that the generals of the Ming army in Xuanfu and other places were unreliable, he would have been left by Li Hongyu's side, so that those generals with Li Hongyu would not dare to surrender to the enemy so blatantly.

But then again, Emperor Chongzhen was still quite jealous of Li Hongyu, and the Emperor of the Apocalypse used the method of letting Li Hongyu go out to control Li Hongyu, and he would definitely do that to keep Li Hongyu away from the court.

Facts have proved that it is a correct choice to let Li Hongyu take up a post abroad, and Li Hongyu has run the Customs Department well over the years, and Daming has benefited a lot from it.

But at the same time, Emperor Chongzhen also made a big mistake, that is, he completely isolated Li Hongyu from the center of the imperial court, and did not let Li Hongyu return to Beijing once in ten years, and the Emperor of the Apocalypse would never do this, and he would definitely recall Li Hongyu every two or three years to discuss military affairs, and let Li Hongyu assist in Beijing for a period of time, so that Li Hongyu could make the best use of his talents.

"Your Majesty, the situation is critical now, I wonder if the emperor has ever thought about touring south?" Cao Huachun hesitated for a moment, then tentatively bowed down and said to Emperor Chongzhen.

The southern tour here is just a euphemism, Cao Huachun means to let Emperor Chongzhen take refuge in Nanjing, compared with the chaotic north, the situation in the south is more stable, and Nanjing also has more than 100,000 Ming troops available.

Emperor Chongzhen was slightly stunned when he heard this, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face, I have to say that it is the best choice to take refuge in Nanjing now, but as a dignified son of heaven, wouldn't it be a loss of face to go to Nanjing like this?

"Your Majesty, now that the situation is critical, the minds of the people in the capital have changed, the emperor can't live in danger, it's better to make a decision as soon as possible." Seeing that Emperor Chongzhen hesitated, Cao Huachun couldn't help but open his mouth and pleaded, God knows how long this capital can be guarded?

"I have my own decision in this matter." Emperor Chongzhen's face couldn't help but show a helpless wry smile, now the Ming army is still blocked in Juyong Pass, if he proposes a southern tour, it will inevitably affect the morale of the army, and the civil and military officials in the court will not agree.

After all, since the Yongle Emperor set the capital in Beijing, no emperor has ever fled from Beijing Daonan, even after the Battle of Tumubao, in the face of the menacing Mongol Warat, the successor Jingtai Emperor Yu Qian and other ministers assisted to hold the capital.

Moreover, the civil and military officials of the imperial court are all in Beijing, and naturally they don't want Emperor Chongzhen to give up, otherwise their family business will be completely destroyed.

In addition, Emperor Chongzhen also has to worry about whether the road will be caught up by the chasing Dashun army, the emperor is no better than ordinary people, there is a strict system, and it is strange that the marching speed can be faster.

Therefore, the matter of the southern tour is widely implicated, and it is not easy for Emperor Chongzhen to make this decision.

Besides, although Li Zicheng led the Dashun army to Juyong Pass, which is close to the capital, the Ming still has a lot of troops in the south, and the capital is also high and thick, and there are many troops, once the Dashun army is helpless.

"Your Majesty, the big thing is not good, Du Zhizhi, the eunuch of the Juyong Guanjian Army, and Tang Tong, the chief soldier, have defected to Li Chuang, and now Li Chuang's bandit army has attacked the capital."

When Emperor Chongzhen was weighing the pros and cons of the southern tour, an attendant suddenly ran in in a hurry, kneeling on the ground with a panicked look and reporting to Emperor Chongzhen.

"What?" Emperor Chongzhen was stunned when he heard this, his face was full of incredulity, he never imagined that Du Zhizhi and Tang Tong would surrender to the Dashun army.

You must know that Juyong Pass is the last pass for the capital to resist the Dashun army, once Juyong Pass falls, then the Dashun army will reach the capital in a flat manner.

"Shameless villain, shameless villain!" After the initial stunned, Emperor Chongzhen came back to his senses, stood up after slapping the table hard, and said with a grim face, which is equivalent to sending the capital to Li Zicheng.

"What about the Forbidden Army? What about the forbidden army I sent to Juyong Pass? Then, Emperor Chongzhen remembered something, and couldn't help but stare at the servant who reported the news and asked.

Since the Xuanfu and Datong guards surrendered to the Dashun army, Emperor Chongzhen transferred the 20,000 forbidden troops of the forbidden army camp outside the city to the defense of Juyong Pass in order to strengthen the protection of Juyong Pass, which was the last remaining military force in his hands.

Two years ago, in the Battle of Songjin, the forbidden army lost nearly half of its strength, and because the forbidden army selected personnel very strictly, it has now only restored the establishment of 20,000 people.

Emperor Chongzhen didn't believe that the forbidden army would also follow Du Zhizhi and Tang Tong and others to rebel, could it be that the forbidden army was wiped out by the Dashun army?

"Back to the emperor, Du Zhizhi and Tang Tong forged a holy decree, transferred the forbidden army to Bauhinia Pass, and then switched to Li Chuang's bandit army." The chamberlain wiped the sweat from his forehead and replied with a nervous expression.

"Damn!" Emperor Chongzhen was so angry when he heard this, he knew that he would let the forbidden army stay in the capital to hold on, but now it's good, the forbidden army was deceived into going to Bauhinia Pass, and he couldn't return to the capital in time.

"Quickly, close the gates of the city, and summon the members of all ministries and courts to come to discuss the matter." Subsequently, Emperor Chongzhen commanded with a gloomy face, he was now eager to cut Du Zhizhi and Tang Tong with a thousand knives.

"Do you Aiqing have any good strategies to retreat from the enemy?" After the civil and military officials of the capital came to the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen told everyone the news of the fall of Juyong Pass, and then said with a serious expression.

Knowing that Du Zhizhi and Tang Tong actually surrendered to the enemy, the ministers of civil and military affairs at the scene all showed frightened looks, they originally expected Juyong Pass to block Li Zicheng's Dashun army, but they never thought that the Dashun army would take Juyong Pass so easily, so the capital would not be in danger.

"Your Majesty, the situation is critical, please hurry up and hunt south!" After the initial astonishment, a tall and thin minister bowed to Emperor Chongzhen and said urgently.

The meaning of the southern hunt and the southern tour is the same, both are to let Emperor Chongzhen go to Nanjing City, so as not to fall into danger.

"Your Majesty, this move must not be done, now is a critical moment to fight with the bandit army, and the emperor's departure will inevitably lead to instability in the army's morale." Subsequently, another strong minister expressed a different opinion, "Besides, once caught up by the bandits, the consequences will be unimaginable." ”

"The capital has now become a place of death, as long as the emperor is light and simple, how can the bandit army catch up?" When the tall and thin minister heard this, he immediately began to retort.

"Now the division of King Qin in Nanjing is on the way, as long as we stick to the capital, we can solve the crisis as soon as the division of King Qin arrives!" Not to be outdone, the sturdy minister retorted, "What is your intention in letting the emperor out of the city? ”

"This official is brave and loyal, heaven and earth can learn from it, you don't want to humiliate this official!" The tall and thin minister was immediately angry, and pointed at the sturdy minister and scolded.

"It should be immediately hunted in the south, and the emperor will sit in Nanjing to command the overall situation."

"Can't go, if something goes wrong on the road, who can take this responsibility?"

……

As the tall and thin minister and the sturdy minister glared angrily, the ministers on the scene immediately divided into two factions that supported the two of them, and quarreled with each other, making the main hall of the Qianqing Palace suddenly become a noisy vegetable market.

Emperor Chongzhen frowned and looked at the scene in front of him, a helpless look appeared on his face, and his mood was extremely lost, when did those ministers still have the heart to fight?

"Your Majesty, Li Chuang's bandit army has arrived outside the city." While the ministers were chattering and arguing, an attendant walked into the hall quickly and reported to Emperor Chongzhen with a sharp voice.

As soon as these words came out, the hall suddenly fell silent, and the ministers who had been arguing before couldn't help but look at each other, their faces full of horror.

This time, the ministers of the two factions don't have to fight anymore, and Emperor Chongzhen can't leave even if he wants to.

Emperor Chongzhen immediately got up and left expressionlessly, instead of listening to those ministers arguing, it was better to go out and breathe, anyway, those people would not come up with any useful ideas.

The ministers at the scene bowed down to send Emperor Chongzhen off, and after Emperor Chongzhen left, they dispersed in a hurry, and walked out of the main hall of the Qianqing Palace in groups, talking in a low voice about the siege of the capital.

"Alas, why did the good country become like this, did I do something wrong, and God should punish me?"

At midnight, Emperor Chongzhen came to a pavilion in the Qianqing Palace, looked up at the stars in the sky and sighed lightly, he can't be said to be diligent, but why did Daming fall into such a field.

"Those people will only disobey the yang and the yin, fight for power and profit, deceive the superiors and subordinates, and mislead the country and the country!" Then, Chongzhen's face turned cold, and he gritted his teeth and said that the "those people" in his mouth naturally referred to those civil and military ministers who were arguing in the main hall.

"Your Majesty, if Zhongxian is here, current affairs will not come to this!" Hearing Emperor Chongzhen's emotion, Cao Huachun, who was standing on the side, couldn't help but speak.

"Wei Zhongxian!" Emperor Chongzhen's face suddenly darkened, and the "eunuch" who was once hated by him appeared in front of him.

At that time, the young and vigorous Emperor Chongzhen was deceived by the officials of the Donglin Party, thinking that Wei Zhongxian, who had the title of "nine thousand years old", was a scourge, and secondly, he was too conceited and thought that he could control the Donglin Party and courtiers, so he finally killed Wei Zhongxian to appease the Donglin Party.

But now it seems that Emperor Chongzhen is indeed wrong, after the death of Wei Zhongxian, the country's commercial taxes plummeted, so that Emperor Chongzhen had to increase the land tax, which in turn led to the people's complaints and rebellions.

If Wei Zhongxian was here, although the life of the people was hard, it would not have reached the point of rising up to rebel, and the civil and military officials in the court would not dare to deceive him wantonly.

"Loyalty can be counted." Emperor Chongzhen's mouth slowly uttered eight words, and he thought of what the Emperor of the Apocalypse told him before he died, asking him to reuse Wei Zhongxian.

In the past, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't understand the meaning of these eight words, thinking that the Emperor of the Apocalypse was trying to find a way back for Wei Zhongxian.

But now he understands that the more the courtiers hate Wei Zhongxian, the more jealous they are of Wei Zhongxian, Wei Zhongxian is a sharp blade against the courtiers, only he can subdue the treacherous civil and military officials in the court, and then make the emperor's decree smoothly implemented to ensure the interests of the Ming Dynasty.

To be honest, if Emperor Chongzhen had a eunuch like Wei Zhongxian by his side, the situation would not have reached this point.

It's a pity that Emperor Chongzhen is not the Emperor of the Apocalypse, he does not have the heart and courage of the Emperor of the Apocalypse, let alone the vision of the Emperor of the Apocalypse, which has led to today's crisis.

"Pass the order down, collect Wei Zhongxian's bones, and bury them alive!"

After a deep sigh, Emperor Chongzhen commanded Cao Huachun with an expressionless face, he now regretted killing Wei Zhongxian, although Wei Zhongxian was a traitor in the mouth of the Donglin Party, but he was a loyal servant to the emperor.

"Minions, let's do it." Hearing this, a look of relief flashed on Cao Huachun's face, and he replied loudly.

"The ministers inside and outside misunderstand me, and the ministers inside and outside misunderstand me!" Emperor Chongzhen then looked at the stars in the sky, beat his chest and said with a sad expression, he is a diligent king, but the ministers of the Manchu Dynasty are not courtiers who rule the world, and he feels extremely annoyed in his heart.

Two days later, Li Zicheng personally led his army to the city of Beijing and ordered the besieging Dashun army to attack the Pingzemen and Xizhimen in the inner city of Beijing, as well as the Changyi Gate in the outer city.

As a result, in the evening, in order to find a good future for the Dashun army, the defenders of Guangning Gate actually opened the city to surrender to the enemy and enlarged the entry of the Shun army.

At this point, the outer city of Beijing City fell, and the inner city lost the barrier of the outer city and was in a state of isolation.

After conquering the outer city, Li Zicheng sent an envoy to meet Emperor Chongzhen and put forward the conditions for a truce.

This envoy was Du Xun, the eunuch who surrendered to Li Zicheng in Changping, and brought Li Zicheng's conditions to Emperor Chongzhen, Li Zicheng wanted to divide the northwest as the king and a reward of one million taels, so that Li Zicheng would not only withdraw his troops but also help the Ming army eliminate other peasant armies, and even go out of the pass to attack Houjin.

For Li Zicheng's proposal, Emperor Chongzhen was difficult to decide for a while, and it was certainly possible to solve the siege of the capital by reaching this agreement, but what was the face of his son of heaven when he signed this alliance under the city? Where does Daming's face exist?

Therefore, Emperor Chongzhen did not promise Du Xun, after all, he is the son of heaven of the Ming Dynasty, how can he do that kind of thing that insults the majesty of the Ming Dynasty?

If Li Zicheng put forward such a condition outside the Juyong Pass, then Emperor Chongzhen might still agree, after all, there was Juyong Pass to give Emperor Chongzhen a step down.

But now that Li Zicheng's Dashun army has been killed at the doorstep, if Emperor Chongzhen signs this alliance, won't he become a laughing stock for the ages?

Li Ziwei thought that Emperor Chongzhen would agree to his proposal, so that everyone would take what they needed, why not do it, but unfortunately he ignored Emperor Chongzhen's self-esteem, how could he sign such a faceless alliance under the city?

There are more than ten chapters left in the book to finish

(End of chapter)