On the tenth day when Zhou Renyuan's army escorted Lu Xiangsheng's coffin back to Beijing, Dolgon on the Mongolian steppe was also escorting Yue Tuo's coffin back to Shengjing. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Zhou Renyuan's arrow hit Yue Tuo, not Dolgon. After Dolgon's army was defeated, he gathered nearly 10,000 defeated troops in Julu City and retreated to the gate overnight. Yue Tuo finally died of his injuries in the Mongolian tribe on the third day.

Dolgon was extremely sad, he didn't expect this attack on the Ming Kingdom to win first and then lose, although he destroyed Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of the Ming Dynasty, but a prince died on his side, which was really worth the loss.

When Huang Taiji, who was far away in Shengjing, learned the news, he was sad and happy, and he had long wanted to get rid of Yue Tuo. Yue Tuo had no reverence for himself, the Qing Emperor, but opposed him everywhere. Today, he died on the battlefield, and he was replaced by Lu Xiangsheng, the governor of the Ming Dynasty, especially when I heard that this Lu Xiangsheng is still the victorious general of the Ming Kingdom, this deal is worth it!

"Where Prince Cheng died!" Huang Taiji muttered to himself. Fan Wencheng, who was sitting on the side, didn't hear Huang Taiji's words clearly, and asked, "Your Majesty, what did you say?" ”

Huang Taiji was stunned for a moment, and then smiled, "Oh, it's nothing." Scholar Fan, do you know which general is the reinforcement of the Ming army this time? Defeated the elite of my fourteenth brother!"

Fan Wencheng touched his gray beard and replied, "According to the detailed report, it was Wu Xiang who led the troops this time, but it was a county king of the Ming Kingdom who really defeated Prince Lian, named King Yongming, and was the cousin of the emperor of the Ming Dynasty!" ”

"What?" Huang Taiji was stunned for a moment, and said strangely, "Could it be that the emperor of the Ming Kingdom also wants to learn from my Qing Dynasty, go into battle as a father and son soldier, and fight tiger brothers?" Didn't the Ming Kingdom have an ancestral system that did not allow vassal kings to get involved in politics and interfere in the military? ”

Fan Wencheng spared his head and said in a deep voice, "It is said that although this King Yongming is young, he has not yet reached the age of a weak crown, but he is very trusted by the Emperor of the Ming Kingdom, and often enters the palace to discuss state affairs with the emperor, and the Emperor of the Ming Kingdom can be said to be obedient to him!" ”

Huang Taiji touched his chin and smiled when he heard this: "Interesting! Interesting! ”

"What? Could it be that the emperor has a plan in mind? Fan Wencheng has followed Nurhachi and Huang Taiji for many years, and when he saw Huang Taiji's smile, he knew that Huang Taiji had a way to deal with King Yongming of the Ming Kingdom.

"Come here with your ears." Huang Taiji beckoned to Fan Wencheng and whispered a few words in Fan Wencheng's ear. Fan Wencheng's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he praised, "The emperor is wise, and the old minister is not as good as it!" Then the two of them laughed.

When Zhou Renyuan and Wu Xiang's army passed through Hengshui City, Zhending Prefecture, the 2,000 Qing troops left behind by Dolgon had already fled, and all the captured Han people and materials were lost in the city. Wu Xiang hurriedly ordered someone to inform the government of Zhending Mansion and asked them to send civil officials to deal with the affairs of the city and take over Hengshui again. These rescued people fell to their knees and shouted together: "We, the grass people, thank you for the life-saving grace of Sergeant Daming!" ”

Wu Xiang sighed at Zhou Renyuan: "The state affairs are difficult! How innocent are the people? To suffer from this war? ”

Zhou Renyuan was at the head of the city, holding a horse whip and pointing at the vast wilderness, and said to Wu Xiang, "Wu Laojunmen, you see why this great river and mountain of the Ming Dynasty has fallen to such a point?" ”

Wu Xiang looked into the distance with a gloomy face and replied, "Natural disasters and man-made disasters!" Plus the thieves and the Tartars outside the gates! ”

"What Wu Laojunmen said is right, but this king thinks that man-made disasters are the main reason." Zhou Renyuan said loudly: "Since the founding of Taizu in this dynasty, for more than three hundred and seventy years, the civil and military generals of the imperial court have long been gone, and the civil officials do not love money, and the military generals are not afraid of death. Act of God? Yes, the natural disasters of my Ming Dynasty over the years are indeed very serious? But which dynasty and generation have not encountered natural disasters, as long as the court and the people work together, there is no hurdle that cannot be overcome. But why did the thieves rebel, it was because they lost trust in the officials of the Ming Dynasty, which means that they lost trust in the court and the country, and once the people deviated from morality, the country would perish! ”

Wu Xiang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said nervously, "Although the old minister thinks what the prince said is reasonable, but please be cautious." ”

Zhou Renyuan smiled bitterly and said, "Since I saw Governor Lu martyred, maybe these days, this king has been depressed in his heart, and he also asks the old military to forgive his sins." He said and gave a salute to Wu Xiang.

"Nope! No! The old minister definitely didn't dare to think about it. Wu Xiang hurriedly grabbed Zhou Renyuan's sleeve. The prince is worried about the country and the people, and the old ministers admire him very much. If there is a chance in the future, please also ask the prince to give some advice to the dog Sangui. Don't hide it from the prince, the three sons of the old minister, it belongs to Sangui is the most proud of the old man, Sangui has always had great ambitions since he was a child, both civil and military, presumably he will be able to talk to the prince! However, this kid is a little arrogant, not as commanding as the prince, and has the style of a commander! ”

"I don't dare to say it, since General Wu is my sister-in-law's husband, I will have the opportunity to get close in the future." Zhou Renyuan smiled, but he was thinking in his heart, "I tried my best to win over your old Wu family, it's not just for this Wu Sangui!" ”

Kunning Palace, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen has not slept well since Zhou Renyuan set out on the expedition, of course, he has not slept well since he ascended the throne, he only sleeps for two or three hours every day, and the rest of the time is working hard for this declining Daming. But this scene is different from the past, he sometimes wakes up from his dreams, dreaming that Zhou Renyuan is covered in blood and coming to him, and he dreams that Lu Xiangsheng is shouting, "Your Majesty, the old minister died unjustly!" ”

Empress Zhou, who was beside her, looked at Chongzhen, who was awake, sweating profusely, and helped him wipe his sweat with pity, "Your Majesty, are you having a nightmare again?" ”

Chongzhen smiled bitterly and said, "I really should listen to the queen, I shouldn't let the fourth brother lead the troops to the battle, so that I am always worried about him in my heart." ”

Empress Zhou comforted: "Your Majesty, since you have sent the fourth brother to go, don't think about it anymore, think that the fourth brother is wise and brave, bold and careful, and it will be fine." It's still early, so the emperor is resting for a while. ”

Chongzhen shook his head, "I'd better get up, see that the sky is already dark, and the time for the early dynasty is coming." ”

Empress Zhou had to get up and help Chongzhen get dressed.

As soon as the Yongding Gate of the capital was opened, a messenger rode in and shouted, "Great victory!" Announce a great victory! Governor Lu was martyred, General Wu Xiang, and King Yongming beheaded the enemy's 10,000th rank! ”

"What? Governor Lu was martyred? General Wu and Prince Yongming killed so many Tartars? The people in the streets began to talk with sorrow and joy.

"What?" Chongzhen learned the news in the main hall and exclaimed bitterly, "Lu Qing, I hurt you!" After saying that, he burst into tears.

His Royal Highness's ministers hurriedly knelt on the ground, kept kowtowing and crying, "Your Majesty! It is the sin of the subordinates. ”

Lu Daqi, the acting secretary of the military department, said, "Your Majesty, please mourn!" General Wu Xiang and King Yongming's victory this time can be regarded as a consolation to Governor Lu's spirit in the sky! ”

Chongzhen wiped his tears and nodded, "What Lu Qing said is very true!" But I will never let go of those who trapped Lu Qing to death! ”

Everyone knows that Chen Xinjia, the former secretary of the military department, is finished!

Ten days later, Chongzhen received an urgent report from Shanhaiguan that Huang Taiji sent someone to negotiate peace, and specified that the Ming Yongming King was the special envoy for the negotiation, and the reason they gave was to show that the negotiation envoy sent by the Qing Dynasty for the negotiation was the prince Haoge, and the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty was young, and hoped that the person with the same status would be the envoy, and the Qing Dynasty considered only the Yongming King as the most suitable for the Ming Dynasty.

Chongzhen took this urgent report and hurriedly recruited Lu Daqi of the Ministry of War and Huang Daozhou, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites.

"Look at this urgent report, what do you mean?"

After reading this urgent report, Lu Daqi and Huang Daozhou looked at each other, and Lu Daqi said, "What does this Tartar mean?" It's contempt for my Ming national prestige, and even the candidates have been specified! ”

Huang Daozhou stroked his beard and said, "This tartar is so insidious!" Knowing that my Ming prince is young, and deliberately sent his so-called prince as this negotiation envoy, I have never recognized the so-called Qing Kingdom of this Tartar! ”

Chongzhen rubbed his head, and his heart was also extremely contradictory, refusing to free up his own hands to deal with the thieves, and the Tartars continued to attack, it would be a big threat to himself. Accept it, I always feel that it is not in line with the system of the imperial court, think about my crown prince Zhu Cihong grew up in this deep palace since he was a child, although he went to the south with his fourth brother and made progress. But if he wants to face Haoge, a wolf from the grassland, I'm afraid he still can't deal with it, and if he loses the national prestige of the Ming Dynasty, his prestige will definitely drop greatly, which is not a good thing for the crown prince Zhu Cihong.

"I think it's better to wait for King Yongming's class to return to Beijing, and then listen to his opinion." Chongzhen said.

Lu Daqi sensed the loosening of Chongzhen's heart, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, this matter must not let King Yongming be the special envoy for negotiation, this is a plan of the Tartars to kill two birds with one stone!" ”

Chongzhen frowned and asked, "What does Lu Qing mean?" ”

"Your Majesty, why did the Tartars appoint King Yongming as the special envoy for the negotiations?" Lu Daqi said slowly, "I have long had the ancestral training that the vassal king is not allowed to interfere in politics in the Ming Dynasty, and the ministers of the court have long criticized what the prince of Yongming has done before. Yes, the prince is indeed quite talented, useful and resourceful, and he is really a rare talent in my Ming royal clan, and the minister is also admired. However, Tartar's approach this time is to put me in a dilemma, the prince led the troops to rescue Lord Lu Xiangsheng, there is a way to save people like fire, things are urgent, there is no delay, the situation is critical. And this negotiation is not an urgent matter, the prince's appointment as this special envoy will definitely cause a strong backlash from the courtiers, how can the emperor convince the ministers at that time? This is one of them. Second, once this negotiation fails, the Tartars repeatedly violate the border, and the courtiers impeach, how will the emperor deal with the prince of Yongming? Third, if the negotiation is successful, the prince of Yongming will definitely rise in momentum, this vassal king can make such a great contribution to the government, won't the vassal kings in the world be ready to move? Can you honestly stay in your own domain? At the same time, it also shows that there is no one in my Ming Dynasty. Of course, the minister does not think that the prince of Yongming has the heart of disobedience, and the minister is worried that if the negotiation is successful, how should the emperor treat the king of Yongming and then crown the king of Yongming as the prince? But then King Gui himself is a prince, and besides, the prince of King Gui is still there, where is there a house with two princes, and the title of the concubine is higher than the precedent of the concubine? If you don't reward it, it will chill the hearts of the people in the world, how will King Yongming deal with himself then? Your Majesty, this is the plan of the Tartars to divide my Ming monarch and ministers! ”

Huang Daozhou bowed to Lu Daqi and said, "The old man is really impressed by Lord Lu's remarks, I didn't expect Lord Lu to analyze it so thoroughly!" ”

Chongzhen also nodded constantly, praising "Lu Qing is thoughtful, and what he said is very true!" Among the Manchu Dynasty, only my fourth brother can compare with you. However, do the two Aiqing have good candidates? ”

Huang Daozhou and Lu Daqi thought hard for a long time, but they couldn't think of a countermeasure. Chongzhen had no choice but to give up and return to the palace itchingly.

Back at Kunning Palace, Queen Zhou saw that he was frowning, so she asked the reason. Chongzhen said that today's Emperor Taiji sent Haoge to negotiate peace with himself, and the question of the candidate hurt the heads of the two of them and the minister.

Empress Zhou chuckled and said, "Your Majesty, you are all blind to Mount Tai, and you have been confused by this Tartar word game." ”

Chongzhen smiled and said, "Queen, what good way do you have?" ”

Empress Zhou said: "Negotiation envoy? Your Majesty, won't you send a deputy envoy? ”

Chongzhen had a flash of inspiration, and said happily, "Does the queen mean to send the fourth brother as a deputy envoy?" ”

"Since ancient times, negotiations have been just an identity, so aren't the specific negotiations and things that are done by the deputy envoys?" Empress Zhou said with a smile.

Chongzhen happily kissed Empress Zhou on the face, and said with a smile: "I didn't expect that there is a female Zhuge by my side." ”

Empress Zhou's face was blushing and she said happily: "Our children have reached the age of marrying a daughter-in-law, why is the emperor still like a child?" ”

Chongzhen didn't mind, "It's so decided, let the prince be the envoy, and the fourth brother be the deputy envoy." ”

Empress Zhou was a little worried, "Will these four brothers work too hard, this is the south, and the north is the expedition, this is not the class teacher has returned to the capital, and we have to negotiate with the Tartar, aren't we too indebted to him." Besides, doesn't the fourth brother still have to go back and marry Miss Wang? ”

Chongzhen nodded when he heard this, and sighed, "I don't think so, but in this Manchu Dynasty, there is really only the fourth brother who does things, so I feel at ease." ”

Empress Zhou took the opportunity to say, "The emperor trusts the fourth brother so much, why don't you leave him in the capital in the future, and when he and Miss Wang get married, they will live in the capital together, find a good place in the capital, and build a palace, won't you have it?" ”

Chongzhen's mind moved, he looked at Queen Zhou, shook his head and said, "This matter is not appropriate!" Although I also want to keep my fourth brother by my side to listen to it, but this ancestral system! Besides, if you leave him in the capital, what do the clans in the world think of me? It's good to know, this is my exception to appoint talented people, and those who don't know still think that I want to detain the fourth brother as a proton! There is also this Manchu Dynasty civil and military, and the few things that the fourth brother helped me do before were all in a hurry, and he did not step on the bottom line of these ministers. If I really want to blatantly appoint the fourth brother, I'm afraid that the excerpts of impeachment will fill my imperial study every day! ”

Empress Zhou listened and stopped talking, she also knew that Chongzhen had a lot of difficulties, although he was the emperor, it involved the reaction of the ancestral system and the courtiers, and many things were difficult to do. Queen Zhou criticized in her heart: "When is this?" Return the ancestral system to the ancestral system. He sighed and prepared a meal for Chongzhen.