Seeing the embarrassed expression slowly on the face of the cabinet chief, Emperor Chongzhen directly interrupted: "Okay, you Aiqing, don't embarrass Lord Shoufu...... Without my permission, Shousuke-sama won't tell you a word......"

"Since you want to know the answer, I'll tell you today......"

"Since Emperor Taizu set the capital in Nanjing, a secret passage was built in Nanjing City to connect from the palace to the outside of the city...... When the royal family encounters a critical crisis, they can go out of the city through secret passages......"

"Because this secret passage is related to the continuation of the royal bloodline, since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, no matter who is the emperor, only three people know this secret passage...... One is me, the other is the head of the cabinet for more than three years, and the third person is my queen......"

"So, as long as I want, I can leave Nanjing City at any time......"

After listening to Chongzhen's answer, among the dozens of ministers, many people's eyes lit up.

Because, the appearance of the secret passage directly gave them a feeling of suddenly grasping a life-saving straw in despair.

At this time, in order to survive, these ministers seemed to have been discussed, and at the same time knelt in front of Chongzhen, hoping that Emperor Chongzhen could lurk in the southwest. Of course, in their hearts, there is actually a sentence that has not been spoken, that is, when the emperor leaves Nanjing City, don't forget to take himself and his family with him, and leave this Nanjing City, which may be overwhelmed by war at any time.

In a good sentence, it is difficult for all lives to be ...... Even if Chongzhen is the emperor, in the face of the unanimous persuasion of dozens of ministers in front of him, he can only agree.

Thereupon. Dozens of ministers. In addition to several ministers such as the head of the cabinet. There was a heartfelt smile on everyone's faces.

At this moment, the first assistant of the cabinet suddenly spoke: "Your Majesty, lurking in the southwest is the proposal of the old minister, and the old minister also agrees...... However, what the old minister wants to remind the emperor and all the lords is that once the news of the emperor's departure from Nanjing City is heard, the entire Yangtze River defense line. It's likely to collapse because of this......"

As soon as he finished speaking, the secretary of the military department said: "Your Majesty, the ministers also have the same concern...... The reason why the more than 100,000 soldiers of the New Army on the Yangtze River defense line were able to repel the attacks of the Tiger and Leopard Army again and again. In addition to sufficient equipment and supplies, a big factor is that the emperor is in Nanjing...... As long as you are in Nanjing City for one day, the soldiers will have the confidence to continue to defend it......"

"Under such circumstances, the minister can't imagine that after the news spread, Your Majesty, that you left Nanjing City and abandoned the lives of more than 100,000 soldiers, it would directly cause the direct collapse of the Yangtze River defense line......

"When the time comes. Without the cover of more than 100,000 soldiers on the Yangtze River defense line, even if the emperor left the city of Nanjing. I can't escape the pursuit of the Haw Par Army......"

"Because, from here to the southwest, even if it is fast, it will take ten days...... If it's an ordinary rush, you won't be able to catch up with the southwest ...... in half a month."

After listening to the explanation, everyone's faces, which had just been relaxed, became nervous again.

Emperor Chongzhen, who was sitting on the dragon chair, asked in an unkind tone......

In other words, even if I leave the city of Nanjing and agree to move the capital to the southwest...... The Yangtze River defense line and the city of Nanjing under our feet will also hold out for half a month under the attack of the Tiger and Leopard Army. Otherwise, I who left Nanjing City would still not be able to escape the pursuit of the Tiger and Par Army......"

After receiving the affirmation of the military department, Chongzhen's eyes quickly shot out two fine lights. Then, he asked directly......

"Ladies and gentlemen, I don't know if you have any good solutions?"

After a short silence in the main hall of Nuoda, it was the military department Shangshu who broke this atmosphere and spoke first: "Your Majesty, it is still what the minister said just now, the emperor is in Nanjing City for one day, and the military hearts of more than 100,000 soldiers can be stabilized for one day...... So as long as more than 100,000 soldiers know that the emperor has been guarding the city of Nanjing, and living and dying with the soldiers......"

Easier said than done......

If Chongzhen continues to stay in Nanjing City, then this so-called relocation of the capital will have no meaning.

Of course, some people have thought about putting Chongzhen in the city of Nanjing, defending Nanjing, and fighting a decisive battle with the Tiger and Leopard Army on the Yangtze River defense line. As for the relocation of the capital, the crown prince secretly left Nanjing City with some of his ministers.

If the city of Nanjing is broken and Emperor Chongzhen suffers misfortune, the crown prince will directly inherit the throne to ensure that the rule of the Ming court will continue.

However, when they thought that the crown prince was not yet the age of the weak crown, they directly gave up this idea.

After all, the crown prince is too young, and he does not have the prestige of Chongzhen, just relying on the prince, it is impossible for the Ming court to continue and let the Ming bloodline continue to be inherited.

As a result, dozens of important ministers of the imperial court, under the gaze of Emperor Chongzhen's increasingly gloomy eyes, became silent again.

At this critical moment, the cabinet chief once again became the great savior of all of them......

Under the simultaneous gaze of dozens of pairs of eyes, the head of the cabinet said unhurriedly in his old voice: "Your Majesty, the old minister has an idea...... Golden cicada shelling ......"

"Find someone similar to the emperor, replace the emperor, and continue to sit in the palace...... Commanding more than 100,000 soldiers on the Yangtze River defense line, he continued to fight a decisive battle with the Tiger and Par Army...... As for the emperor himself, take some of the ministers with him and secretly leave the city of Nanjing......"

"As long as the emperor reaches the southwest safely, the old minister will order more than 100,000 soldiers on the defense line to retreat...... And the old minister will also take this stand-in to break through from Nanjing City. If you are lucky, the old minister can still rush to the southwest with some of the soldiers and join the emperor......"

"If God is not on the side of the minister, then the minister can only coexist and die with the city of Nanjing......"

At this time, some people may ask, since it is a retreat and a breakthrough, why not leave at this time, and what kind of golden cicada shelling, so troublesome.

Actually, it's not that Chongzhen is unwilling, but that he has to do it......

Just after receiving the news that the Haw Par Army was besieging Nanjing City, Chongzhen had the idea of breaking through immediately.

However, after thinking about it, it doesn't work at all......

In the case that the Haw Par Army surrounded the city of Nanjing, with less than 20,000 garrisons in Nanjing, the possibility of a successful breakthrough is very small.

Even if the defenders escorted Emperor Chongzhen to successfully break through, the 20,000 defenders would suffer heavy losses. At that time, with the remaining defenders, they couldn't ask the Tiger and Leopard Army to chase and kill at all, and successfully escorted Chongzhen to lurk in the southwest.

As for the more than 100,000 soldiers on the Yangtze River defense line, it looks like a lot on the surface, but it cannot mobilize a single soldier.

Because, as long as there is a gap in the defense line that stretches for hundreds of miles, the tiger and leopard army on the north bank of the Yangtze River will be like a pack of wolves that see their prey, quickly pounce on them, break through the defense line of the Yangtze River, and kill into the south of the Yangtze River.

When the time comes, Emperor Chongzhen, who has left Nanjing City and still has thousands of miles to go, will not be able to ask the Tiger and Leopard Army to chase and kill.

Therefore, if Chongzhen wants to lurk in the southwest, he can only secretly leave Nanjing City without the knowledge of the Tiger and Leopard Army. (To be continued......)