A few days before leaving, Fang Yuan once again made a suggestion to Chongzhen, recommending Zhou Yuji to serve as the governor of Shanxi and Xuanda, and the military affairs of Shanxi, Datong and Xuanfu, and then allocate 2 million taels of silver to create a defense line in Shanxi to contain Li Zicheng's northward advance.

Zhou Yuji was originally the chief soldier promoted by Chongzhen, and as soon as Fang Yuan suggested this, Chongzhen readily agreed, and allocated 1.5 million taels of silver to Shanxi.

Sun Chuanting's 90,000 elites were arranged in Jizhou Town, one of the nine sides, and Wu Sangui, the chief soldier guarding the isolated cities of Ningyuan and Shanhaiguan, formed a double line of defense against the invasion of the Manchus.

Fang Yuan went to Xiangyang Village to inform Jing Jie, and ordered them to rush to Gyeonggi with the sergeants of the third battalion to meet Fang Yuan's group of people traveling south.

This mysterious army could not have entered the Gyeonggi region, but Fang Yuan mobilized this army in the name of the Shenji Battalion, and the marching route was not close to the capital within a radius of 400 li, but instead took the Taihang Eight Mountains into the northern part of Henan, and then went around to Hejian Province at the junction of Gyeonggi and Shandong, and joined Fang Yuan.

In the past few days, Tian Guifei, who had been ill for half a year, was already dying, but she was worried that her death would cause another change in the plan of the two princes to go to Jiangnan, so she relied on taking pills to forcibly continue her life, and repeatedly urged Fang Yuan and the two princes to leave Beijing as soon as possible.

Fang Yuan had to take the two princes to say goodbye to Tian Guifei with tears, and advanced the day of leaving Beijing by five full days.

On the day of departure, Chongzhen personally saw off Fang Yuan at the Chongwen Gate in the south of the city.

Chongzhen unexpectedly took off his dragon robe today, put on a brocade robe and civilian clothes, and called out all the palace maids and eunuchs, leaving only Wang Chengen alone, which surprised Fang Yuan very much.

The two of them stood on the tower of Chongwen Gate, looking at the rows of Jinyi Guards and Shenji Battalions that were neatly arranged and drove out of the inner city of the capital one after another.

Chongzhen suddenly asked, "Fang Yuan, can you and I put aside those big words of the family and the country today, and no longer be monarchs and ministers, but good friends, heart-to-heart exchanges?" ”

Fang Yuan was stunned for a moment, and he had faintly felt that Chongzhen's intention to come to see him off without wearing a dragon robe today, or to use a non-monarch relationship to dig out Fang Yuan's heart. It seems that Chongzhen's heart is still not at ease to hand over the two little princes and the rich land in the south of the Yangtze River to Fang Yuan.

Fang Yuan lowered his gaze and said, "Your Majesty asked, and the minister knew everything. ”

Chongzhen said slowly, "This time you confiscated the eight Jin merchants, you handed over five million taels of silver, how much did you swallow privately?" ”

Fang Yuan was slightly surprised, Chongzhen's first question was so sharp, if he answered carelessly, there would inevitably be a change.

He embezzled such a large amount of silver, how could he leave clues, or there were Jinyi guards and Shenji Battalion's eyeliner to go to the informant and cover it up, which would make Chongzhen even more suspicious.

Fang Yuan said truthfully, "The minister kept three million taels of silver privately. ”

Chongzhen said unhappily, "Fang Yuan, you are so bold, I am so poor that I broke one or two pieces of silver into two petals, and you still came here to scrape oil and water." ”

Chongzhen could even say the words of scraping oil and water, without the prestige of the emperor, obviously he didn't treat Fang Yuan as an outsider.

"Five million taels of silver is enough for Your Majesty to support you for one or two years."

He said this too boldly, Chongzhen was slightly stunned when he heard it, and Wang Chengen was even more dumbfounded.

Fang Yuan turned a blind eye and continued, "No matter how much silver is given to Your Majesty, it is just to fill the bottomless black hole in the military salary; And with this silver, the minister can still do some practical things. For example, you can give Your Majesty more money to go to Jiangnan and come back; You can also recruit and train troops to build an elite army that can compete with the Manchu Eight Banners, and three million taels of silver is far from enough. ”

Chongzhen glared at him, and was about to speak, Fang Yuan had already preemptively said, "This is Your Majesty's need to listen to the truth, if the truth is not good, the minister can also say some clichés." ”

"You!"

Chongzhen was sealed by him first, and said with a smile, "I also heard that you have trained a private army, and your combat power is quite strong, and Zhangjiakou Gong City was actually captured by your artillery battalion." ”

Now that Chongzhen has known about the affairs of the new army, Fang Yuan no longer has to hide it, and honestly admits it, "This private army is the secret weapon used by the ministers to snipe at the Eight Banners of the Manchu Dynasty, and it is a matter of military secrets, and I ask Your Majesty to keep it secret on my behalf." ”

"The secret weapon to defeat the Manchus?"

Chongzhen chanted softly a few times, and his expression became more and more solemn, "Fang Yuan, you said that Zuo Liangyu, Liu Zeqing, and Wu Sangui have long been warlords on one side, and I let you go to Jiangnan like this, just like a dragon entering the sea, it is difficult to guarantee that you are the second Zuo Liangyu, Liu Zeqing, and Wu Sangui." ”

Fang Yuanneng faintly sensed the suspicion in Chongzhen's words, at this critical juncture, if he talked to Chongzhen, who was suspicious and sensitive by nature, he was afraid that it would immediately attract Chongzhen's backlash.

He groaned for a while, and then said honestly, "The minister will not fool Your Majesty by saying those clichés of the family and the country and the common people." The minister's heart is that no matter what situation the war situation in the north turns into, His Majesty's edict, if reasonable, is definitely easy to use here. ”

Chongzhen turned his head sideways and looked at him in amazement and asked, "Unreasonable?" ”

Fang Yuan Zhengrong said, "The minister will fight according to reason, and I believe that Your Majesty must have the vision to identify pearls and jades and tiles." ”

Chongzhen was stunned, and suddenly patted Fang Yuan's shoulder and said, "Fang Yuan, I like to talk to you, because although your words are rude, they are the truth and the words from the heart. And those ministers, one by one, speak in a high-sounding manner, but in fact they are all clichés and nonsense. ”

He stared at the distant troops on the city tower, and sighed deeply, "Fang Yuan, in fact, I am reluctant to let you go, you have only been to Shaanxi for three months, and I will no longer be able to find someone who can speak." As soon as you go to Jiangnan like this, it is far away to return to the capital, and I will be very lonely! ”

Even if Chongzhen's words are a show, they are at least seven points true, which is the so-called confidant is hard to find.

Fang Yuan was moved, and said solemnly, "Even if the ministers stay in the capital, the only thing they can do is to help Your Majesty and those ministers quarrel and fight all day long. ”

"Quarrel? Mouth cannon? ”

Chongzhen suddenly laughed, and affectionately took Fang Yuan's hand and said, "This is really vivid, what I have done all these years is to watch them quarrel, or personally go on the field to quarrel with them, no wonder the first emperors would rather stay in the harem than come out to manage the government." ”

He gradually stopped laughing, and some tears oozed from his eyes, "Fang Yuan, before I ascended the throne, I thought that the world of the Ming Dynasty was becoming more and more chaotic because the imperial brother was too mediocre, so I didn't need those Donglin Qingliu, but reused Wei Zhongxian's kind of treacherous eunuchs. ”

"However, after tossing and turning for so many years, I really discovered that the imperial brother is really too wise, and he can at least get silver by reusing Wei Zhongxian to maintain basic expenses, and he also left me with 10 or 20 million taels of silver in the imperial silver. And the really mediocre is me, who mistakenly believed in the self-proclaimed Donglin Party, which not only lost all the belongings left by the imperial brother, but also caused chaos in the world. ”

"I often think of the emperor's dying words these days, Wei Zhongxian is a loyal minister who can be entrusted with important tasks, and I really scoffed at it at that time. Now it seems that people are about to die, and their words are good, but the last words of the imperial brother before his death have been completely forgotten by me. I can't stand the royal brother! I'm sorry for the ancestors of the Ming Dynasty! ”

Fang Yuan was silent, quietly being a listener. He knew that Emperor Chongzhen in front of him must have too many grievances and dissatisfaction to confide in others, and he Fang Yuan was one of the few listeners.

To be able to become Chongzhen's listener, he was drawn into the circle of confidants and cronies by Chongzhen, at least his father-in-law Fang Zhenghua, and even Sun Chuanting did not have this qualification, it is estimated that in addition to other Fang Yuan, there are only a few people in Queen Zhou and Wang Chengen.

Chongzhen's excited emotions gradually calmed down, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and said with a deep sigh, "Fang Yuan, before leaving, what else do you have to say to me." ”

Fang Yuan thought for a while, and Zhengrong said, "The minister only has two points to inform Your Majesty, one is that if the minister goes to Jiangnan, Your Majesty will definitely receive the impeachment of the inner court and the outer court like a tide, I hope that Your Majesty can not forget his original intention and maintain 100% trust in the minister." ”

Chongzhen nodded and said, "Second?" ”

Fang Yuan continued, "The second is about Your Majesty, there are not a few emperors of the Ming Dynasty who died in vain, Your Majesty must always be vigilant when he is in the deep palace to keep the dragon body!" ”

Sixteen palace maids dared to assassinate Emperor Jiajing, and they almost succeeded; And Emperor Taichang ate the red pill and died in vain, and he couldn't pay it back; And the Emperor of the Apocalypse also died young after taking the immortal medicine.

Fang Yuan suddenly pulled out the precedent of the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, which was to remind Emperor Chongzhen that the emperor seemed to be high, but there were more people who dared to pull the emperor off the horse. If the emperor provokes the enemies of the outer court and the inner court, he may die at any time.

Chongzhen shook suddenly, stared at him deadly, squirmed his lips and wanted to say something, but finally stopped talking, sighed and said, "Fang Yuan, go!" I await your good news. ”

"Your Majesty, take care!"

Fang Yuan once again gave a deep salute to Chongzhen, turned around and got off the city wall, stepped on the prepared war horse, and slowly moved forward with the team.

Among the accompanying palace maids, a dazzling figure caught Fang Yuan's eye, it was Princess Kunxing of the golden branches and jade leaves.

Princess Kunxing was secretly hiding in the crowd, waving goodbye to Fang Yuan gently.

"This little princess really has a heart!"

Fang Yuan suddenly found that this little princess was not so boring when she was not sick with the princess, and when she said goodbye here, she didn't know when she would see each other again, so she bowed her hand to Princess Kunxing's side, and said hello, so he rode away with a whip.