Chapter 600: Chongzhen's Ambition

After Mo Yu resisted the people of the Ministry of Rites, he came back and slept with his head covered, relying on the support of the Tiger Benjun and Zhang Zhun, Mo Yu really didn't take these garbage of the court in his eyes. When the Tiger Ben Army enters the Beijing Division in the future, these officials, large and small, will have to be reorganized. There are too many superfluous officials.

Over there, Liu Huade was also depressed and not angry, so he had to go back to the Ministry of Rites and report to Han Rizan, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites. At that time, the Jingshi was already in chaos, and the Ministry of Rites had no soldiers and no power, so he completely stood aside, and finally there was no follow-up.

As a result, Mo Yu slept until night before waking up. When he woke up, he felt bored, so he simply walked to the entrance of the alley and quietly listened to the movements around Beijing. The Tartar is here again, I don't know how the people of Jingshi live?

The city is very quiet, there is a lantern every short distance, the legend is that the Tartars have conquered Miyun and Huairou, and are coming down from the north, so the direction of Desheng Gate, Anding Gate and the Temple of Earth is particularly tight, and the lanterns on the city head are also relatively dense. Faintly, you can also see a lot of soldiers patrolling back and forth. Behind the city walls, there are also many torches gathered.

In a trance, you can find many fires outside the city, and the sky is reflected in a patch of purple, and from far north, from time to time, there is a rumbling cannon, like summer thunder rolling in the sky. Mo Yu deduced that most of the Ming army was indiscriminately firing artillery. The strikers of the Tartars were all cavalry, and there should have been no artillery. However, the ordinary residents of the city could not get the real situation of the war, and did not know whether it was the officers and soldiers or the cannons fired by the Tartars, so they were particularly nervous.

Of course, this is only for ordinary residents, not for the powerful. Since Chongzhen's ascension to the pole, in the past eight years, the Tartars have been blocked twice, and twice they have approached the city of Beijing. It looks very dangerous every time, but in the end, it was a fluke. The third time should be no exception. Therefore, despite the rumbling of cannons outside the northern city, the flames soaring into the sky, and the patrols of soldiers and horses in the city, and the prohibition of night walks, the deep house compound still lives a life of spending days and drinking.

In those palaces that were closer to the imperial city, for fear of being heard by the palace, they did not use gongs and drums, or even silk and bamboo, when singing and dancing, but only let the courtesans gently point the board with red sandalwood or ivory clappers, and sing in a low voice, sometimes as thin as a hair, as if there was nothing, curling continuously, hovering on the exquisitely painted roof beams, and then flying towards the mysterious space.

The host and the guests paused their glasses in their hands, their toes lightly tapping on the ground, and they listened so intently that they almost stopped breathing. As soon as the singing stopped, they frequently nodded their heads in appreciation, happily persuaded the wine to make the dishes, guessed the fists, few of them paid attention to the sound of cannons and fires outside the city, and no one thought about what plan should be offered to the court, and quickly beat the Tartars back. As if, all this has nothing to do with them in the slightest.

On the contrary, the cranes that lived on the ancient cypress trees in the backyard of the Taimiao Temple and the pine trees on the coal mountain were disturbed by the sound of the cannons, and from time to time they flew up in flocks, hovering over the Forbidden City and the East City, and let out a desolate cry. The crane's chirping, which was originally very peaceful, now sounded like a night owl.

In the past two days, more than 100,000 people have fled from Tongzhou and the eastern suburbs, and there is nowhere to shelter them, and many of them are sleeping under the eaves on both sides of the street, huddled together for fear of freezing to death. They shivered in the biting cold wind, groaning, whining, and sighing. The women whispered to the old man, mourning and weeping. The children shrunk together in their mother's arms, crying and crying out for hunger, tearing apart the hearts of adults. But when the patrol soldiers sent by the Five Cities Soldiers and Horses approached, they were patient for the time being, and did not dare to say anything.

Compared with the cold streets outside, the West Warm Pavilion inside the Forbidden City can be described as warm. Feeling that this year's winter may be particularly cold, Wang Chengen added charcoal fire to it early in the morning to arrange the Xinuan Pavilion warmly. Well, because the charcoal is very strong, it tastes a little hot. Everyone in the Xinuan Pavilion had red faces, as if they were drunk. Among them, Chongzhen, who was in the middle of the charcoal basin, had the most ruddy face.

In front of Chongzhen, there are the first assistant Wen Tiren, Zhang Fengyi, the secretary of the military department, Liang Tingdong, the secretary of the military department, Hou Sui, the secretary of the household department, Qiao Yunsheng, the secretary of the criminal department, Fu Zonglong, the secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Liu Zongzhou, the squire of the Ministry of Works, Cao Huachun of the commander of the Beijing camp, and Yang Yipeng, the governor of Fengyang and the governor of Caoyun, and the title of the secretary of the household department. Wang Chengen seemed to be a shadow, standing behind Chongzhen. Except for Hong Chengchou and Lu Xiangsheng, the core figures of the Ming Dynasty are basically here.

Chongzhen shouted a little impatiently: "High dive! Where did Gao Qi dive to death? ”

Zhang Fengyi hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger, Gonggong Gao will be there soon." ”

Chongzhen was obviously angry, "What about Yang Sichang and Wang Kun? Is it coming? ”

Liang Tingdong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, they should be there immediately......"

While speaking, a high-pitched voice came from outside: "The slave and maid are raising up and sneaking to see the emperor!" ”

Chongzhen raised his eyebrows and shouted, "Get in!" ”

Sweating profusely, he hurriedly came in. He didn't care about looking at other people, so he knelt down heavily and performed the usual pilgrimage of bowing and prostrating three times. If it is an ordinary eunuch, waiting around the emperor all day long, of course, there is no need for so many etiquette. But he is not a eunuch waiting for the emperor in the palace now, but a Liaodong supervisor appointed by the emperor, so he naturally has to be courteous and thoughtful.

It was very cold outside, and there was snow flying from time to time, and Gao Qidun's body was full of sweat. Inside the Xinuan Pavilion, the temperature was so high that his face was suddenly steamed like a boiled crab. Inside the Xinuan Pavilion, it was indeed a little too warm, and the cold air on his body turned into heat, and the heat turned into water, flowing down his backbone, which was very uncomfortable. But no matter how uncomfortable it was, he had to endure it.

Because Chongzhen's edict was very urgent, Gao Qiqian set off from Jinzhou and rushed to Beijing day and night. And because he was a eunuch, he could not ride a horse, so he could only sit in a sedan chair. No matter how fast the sedan chair driver is, it is not as fast as a two-legged horse. Moreover, even if you sit in a sedan chair, you are quite tired after such a bumpy journey. This is evident from his face.

However, after Gao Qi sneaked into Beijing, he didn't dare to make any pauses, so he hurried into the Forbidden City. Gao Qiqian knows very well that Chongzhen is a very impatient master. If he delays a little, Chongzhen may have to cut his head. Therefore, in front of Chongzhen, Gao Qiqian did not dare to show any uncomfortable actions.

What's even worse is that Gao Qiqian once said that the Tartars would not make any big moves in the short term, but as a result, the words were still in their ears, and the Tartars launched the third invasion. One can imagine what kind of anger Chongzhen will have. The first two times of entering the prison have already made Chongzhen's face dull. Now, the third slap is coming again, and it's strange that he can bear it.

"Look at it! Look! Sure enough, Chongzhen didn't ask Gao Qi to dive up, he waved his hand directly, and threw a stack of battle reports in his face. The battle reports were all paper, of course, they couldn't be thrown far, and as a result, they were all scattered in front of the dragon case.

As soon as Wang Chengen of the Chongzhen Dynasty opened his mouth, Wang Chengen walked over, picked up the battle report on the ground, folded it carefully, and then walked to the front of Gao Qidive, and then threw it on his face. Gao Qiqian cried and mourned, and didn't dare to move, letting the battle reports scatter around him.

The people around him were secretly cold, and it was difficult to get up and dive. The anger that Chongzhen had accumulated just now was about to be vented on Gao Qiqian's body. Tartar's sudden entry into the prison this time really made Chongzhen very annoyed. The extermination of the Shaanxi rebel army over there has just improved a little, and the Tartars have come to join in the fun, it is as if the two of them are teasing Chongzhen, and it is strange that Chongzhen is not angry.

"The Tartars have all arrived at the Great Wall, and you still say that the Tartars can't move, they can't move! Now, what are you going to say? Chongzhen didn't wait for Gao Qiqian to read the battle report, so he said coldly. The tone is not high, but it is a heart-wrenching word. As long as the high dive is slightly uncomfortable, it will be a situation where the head will fall to the ground.

"Your Majesty, the slave is wrong, the slave is wrong. It's not that the slave is incompetent, it's really that the Tartar is too cunning! The slave maid has been by the emperor's side before, and what she has learned is the emperor's kindness and forgiveness, where did you think that the Tartar is so cunning and so insidious! Your Majesty, the slave and maid have disgraced you, you can kill the slave and maid. The slave made a big mistake and didn't want to live anymore. ”

Gao Qi dived a handful of snot and tears, lay on the ground, and said in a choked voice. If he were an outsider, he would definitely think that he was really repentant. But everyone around him knows that Gao Qiqian is playing a trick of crying, making trouble and hanging himself, Chongzhen can't stand it for a while, and he is going to soften. If you raise the meaning of the subtext, it is very mysterious.

Zhang Fengyi next to him is the prince Taibao, the secretary of the military department, the governor of Baoding, Jizhen, and Liaodong military affairs, if Gao Qiqian is clicked, he will not be able to escape. He and Gao Qiqian were originally mixed in the same territory, of course, they couldn't let Gao Qiqian be clicked. Seeing that Gao Qiqian's acting was very home, Zhang Fengyi immediately said euphemistically: "Your Majesty, Father-in-law Gao has been by the emperor's side for a long time, and he is indeed a little negligent about the cunning of the Tartars. The ministers thought that if they wanted to blame, they could only blame the Tartars for their vulgar background and ruthlessness. ”

This is a disguised slap on Chongzhen's ass. Your Majesty, your old man is an honest man, kind-hearted, and the slave chiefs of the Tartars are all cunning and cunning. It's not that we're too incompetent, it's that we're not bad enough, not ruthless enough. Your Majesty, you are surrounded by all directions and love the world, and you are much more powerful than the ruthless slave chief.

Sure enough, after listening to Zhang Fengyi's explanation, Chongzhen's face was a little better. He loves face very much, especially likes a good reputation, and likes others to praise him for his loyalty, kindness, affection and righteousness. This characteristic has long been figured out by these ministers under him. Zhang Fengyi praised him for his kindness, and he was indeed very useful. Huang Taiji is just a villain, and he has only gotten to such a point with a little cleverness, of course he can't learn Huang Taiji.

Since the house is kind-hearted, it is necessary to let go of the high diving submerged. If you kill Gao Qiqian, it is equivalent to saying that you want to become as ruthless as Huang Taiji. However, Gao Qiqian is different from other officials, he is just his own domestic slave and a eunuch. Chongzhen used to hate eunuchs the most, but then he slowly changed. Chongzhen wanted to show his majesty, so he said coldly: "You kneel, don't get up!" Is military intelligence child's play? ”

Gao Qiqian suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had barely passed the test. It seems that Chongzhen's personality has not changed much, and the previous set is still very easy to use. Of course, the cooperation between himself and Zhang Fengyi is also good. As soon as the two sang and harmonized, they slapped Chongzhen a few sycophants, and Chongzhen immediately became comfortable.

Chongzhen's eyes turned to Zhang Fengyi, and said slowly: "You are your own soldier, the Tartars have arrived in Changping, Changping is the mausoleum of the ancestors, you must be careful." If the Tartars destroy the tombs of our ancestors, we will all die without a place to bury. ”

Zhang Fengyi immediately said: "Your Majesty, Weichen has arranged enough troops to guard Changping, and it will be safe." ”

Chongzhen said slowly: "Who do you arrange to guard Changping?" ”

Zhang Fengyi said confidently: "Datong General Soldier Wang Pu." ”

Chongzhen hadn't heard Wang Pu's name, so he didn't have any impression of him, so he reminded: "You should be cautious." ”

Zhang Fengyi naturally agreed.

Chongzhen pondered for a moment, and suddenly said, "Why haven't Yang Sichang and Wang Kun been there yet?" ”

Liang Tingdong hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, they should be here soon." ”

The official positions of the Ming Dynasty can overlap. In the same position, there are often several people, even if it is the Six Books of Shangshu. For example, there are several of them. Zhang Fengyi is the secretary of the Ministry of War, Liang Tingdong is also the secretary of the Ministry of War, and Hong Chengchou also has the title of secretary of the Ministry of War. In fact, the biggest effect of these titles is that they can mix an extra salary, and there is no big change in the substantive power, everything depends on the actual position in the back.

Zhang Fengyi's substantive duties are the military affairs of Baoding, Jizhen, and Liaodong, and his main responsibilities are the direction of Liaodong. Liang Tingdong was the governor of Shanxi, Datong, and Xuanfu military affairs, and his main responsibility was to the northwest. Zhang Fengyi wants to help Gao Qiqian speak, and Liang Tingdong certainly wants to help Wang Kun and Yang Sichang speak.

"Minister Yang Sichang asks to see."

"Slave Wang Kun asks to see."

As he spoke, a voice came from outside.

Chongzhen raised his eyebrows and shouted in a deep voice: "Come in!" ”

Wang Kun and Yang Sichang hurriedly came in. Both of them also had beads of sweat on their foreheads. The two of them also hurried to the Beijing Division, and then came to Xinuan Pavilion non-stop to wait for instructions. On Yang Sichang's shoulders, there are still snowflakes that are melting rapidly. Wang Kun is a eunuch, and when he is in a hurry, he can sit in a sedan chair. Yang Sichang rode a horse. It's just that his riding skills are not good, and his speed is not fast, just with Wang Kun. Smoked by the heat in the Xinuan Pavilion, the two of them felt very uncomfortable and had difficulty breathing. But in front of the emperor, it can never be shown.

Wang Kun hadn't seen Chongzhen for more than a year, and after coming in, he couldn't help but quietly glance at Chongzhen. Chongzhen's current appearance is obviously a little angry, and his face is a little ruddy. This made Wang Kun very vigilant, and secretly thought that he had to respond cautiously. Yang Sichang, who entered Xinuan Pavilion for the first time, obviously noticed this, and he also reminded himself that he promised to satisfy Chongzhen.

Yang Sichang is in his forties this year and is in the prime of life. He is of medium height, his temples and beard are still black, and his eyes are shining, giving the impression that he is shrewd and strong. Yang Sichang's Laozi is the original trilateral governor Yang He. Yang He was given death, but Yang Sichang got ahead. The current Yang Sichang is the right attendant of the military department and the right governor of the imperial history of Xuanfu, Datong and Shanxi military affairs. Wang Kun is the superintendent, he is the governor, and the cooperation is okay.

Chongzhen waved his hand so that the two of them didn't have to salute, and then said, "You are from the west, what is the latest news?" Are there any new actions for the Tartars? ”

Wang Kun is the supervisor of Xuanda Shanxi, and it stands to reason that he should answer, but Wang Kun doesn't know what he is thinking, and he may be phrasing, so as not to answer wrongly. There was also a high dive kneeling on the ground, and he couldn't be cautious. As a result, he was preempted by Yang Sichang. Yang Sichang saluted in a proper manner and said: "Your Majesty, the ministers are waiting for the west, everything is fine." ”

Chongzhen said with some disbelief: "Isn't there any situation?" ”

Yang Sichang said affirmatively: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, although the Tartars are approaching Changping, Yanqingwei is still in our hands." ”

Chongzhen breathed a sigh of relief.

Yanqingwei is also Juyongguan. Near it is the Badaling Great Wall. The Ming army stationed heavy troops here to maintain the security of the flanks of the Beijing division. If the Tartars simply went south from Miyun and Huairou, Yanqingwei would seriously threaten the safety of the Tartars' flanks. If the Tartars try to fight in from the direction of Xuanfu, this is the last line of defense. At the same time, the Ming army of Yanqingwei can also echo with the Ming army stationed in Changping to ensure the safety of the imperial tomb.

Liang Tingdong, the secretary of the Ministry of War, glanced at Yang Sichang with some suspicion, but was quietly slapped by Yang Sichang, Liang Tingdong understood and was silent. Obviously, Yang Sichang didn't know much about Yan Qingwei's situation, and his words were purely to comfort Chongzhen. What Chongzhen needs most now is good news, and what they provide to Chongzhen is good news, even if it is good news out of nothing.

Sure enough, Chongzhen's expression was a lot more relaxed. His biggest fear was the destruction of the ancestral mausoleum in Changping. If that's the case, he'll have to go to the temple again to confess. This is a very sad and humiliating thing. Fortunately, Chang Ping was safe and sound. He smiled rarely, and said slowly: "Everyone is here, let's see if there are any good suggestions." The Tartar came twice and was not caught by us, and this time, we had to catch it hard. ”

He said it easily, but the ministers in front of him had blank faces. As if I heard it, and as if I didn't hear it. Grab a Tartar? Is it preparing for a field battle with the Tartars? It's easy to say. The first two times the Ming army did not dare to fight with the Tartars, this time the Tartars were stronger, who would dare to fight with the Tartars? Isn't this looking for death?