Imperial City, West Garden.

Zhengde raises leopards here, Jiajing cultivates the Dharma here, Wanli has a party here, and Tianqi works as a carpenter here.

Since Chongzhen ascended the throne, he has hardly set foot in Xiyuan. He was determined to be a diligent ruler, and thought that Xiyuan was demoralized, so Xiyuan became an ornament.

Now, Chongzhen takes the concubine and goes to Xiyuan to visit the lake every day.

The sky is high and cool, and the wind is blowing, and life is so beautiful.

The mess in the imperial court, Chongzhen completely left it alone. The inner court is handed over to the celebrant and the outer court is handed over to the cabinet, no matter how they are organized, anyway, there is no emperor or not.

The queen and the concubines often cry in private, and they know that their lives are numbered.

But in the face of Chongzhen, they forced a smile again. And there is nothing to fight about, the harem has become extremely harmonious, and I actually learned to play mahjong.

Yes, playing mahjong.

In recent years, Wang Tiaoding not only presented books to Chongzhen, but also presented many novelties in the south.

At this moment, the queen and the concubines are playing cards on Qionghua Island in the South China Sea. A few hundred meters to the east is the coal mountain, the place where Chongzhen hanged himself in history, I don't know if he chose the place where he died now.

Chongzhen sat in front of the window, looking at the distant scenery, and behind him was the sound of mahjong.

The sun shone in through the shade of the trees, blowing gusts of lake breeze from time to time, and Chongzhen leaned back on the chair very comfortably.

He sometimes thinks that if he had been born a hundred years ago, he might have been able to live his life like this.

Chongzhen opened the latest version of "Datong Collection", which was left by Wang Tiaoding.

"Three Plains" brought Chongzhen a great shock, he is the "Fengtian Carrying Emperor", and Zhao Han will be the "Fengmin Carrying Emperor" in the future?

Putting aside all prejudices, Chongzhen can now read calmly.

He finally took advantage of "Datong Collection", and finally understood why Zhao Han was in power. But it's useless, it's useless to understand it ten years earlier, "heaven" is the source of his legal system, and he is not an emperor if he puts the people first.

Closing the page, Chongzhen wrote down a decree for the eunuchs to take out, give it to the celebrant and the cabinet for inspection, and then take it to the imperial chamber to write the real edict.

Shoufu Xue Guo was shocked when he saw the content of the holy decree, but he remained silent, and even had a feeling of sudden enlightenment.

No wonder the emperor has ignored the government recently, no wonder the prince and the princess suddenly disappeared.

It turned out that Chongzhen had already lay flat and waited for death, and married the princess to Zhao Han, and wanted to canonize Zhao Han as the king of Wu.

Xue Guoguan carefully drafted the edict, handed it over to the imperial chamber and the celebrant to supervise the edict and seal, and then asked the Ministry of Rites to carve the big seals of "King Wu" and "Horse Duwei".

In a few days, the big seal was engraved.

Ministry of Rites, Department of Ceremonies, Department of Pedestrians, Jinyi Guard...... These institutions broke their heads and rushed to Nanjing to give Zhao Han an edict, first, they could form a good relationship with Xinjun, and second, they could take the opportunity to take refuge in the south.

Xue Guoguan didn't think about leaving Beijing, his floating wealth and industry in the capital were worth at least two or three million taels of silver.

Where can he go if he leaves Beijing?

Will you go back to Shaanxi to die? Or was it robbed by bandits halfway?

He could only squat in the capital, wait for the arrival of the new monarch, and then make meritorious contributions to the city. Li Zicheng is here, Zhao Han is still the same, anyway, whoever comes to Beijing will descend.

Of course, Xue Guoguan preferred Zhao Han to come first.

After all, the imperial court has long been spread all over the country, and King Zhao Tianwang of Jiangxi does not rob silver, but just forcibly divides the land. If Li Zicheng comes, most of them will have to come up with a sum of money, and the rogues are famous for being good at looting.

Because Chongzhen ignored the government, the officials also gave up on themselves.

A large number of officials who did not have much money simply hung up their seals and left, dragging their families and running to Nanjing. They did not go to be thieves, but to take refuge in King Wu of the Ming Dynasty.

The meaning of King Wu is clear to everyone.

Zhu Yuanzhang was the king of Wu before he ascended the throne!

……

Tianjin.

The city of Tianjin was besieged, and the rebels blocked the Grand Canal, and these people came from the Liaodong side.

A large number of Liaodong people, following the garrison soldiers of various forts, fled to Shanhaiguan to seek refuge.

The general army of Shanhaiguan Ma Ke, worried about the lack of troops, took the opportunity to recruit these Liaodong soldiers, and expanded the army by several thousand at once.

But the fleeing people could not be resettled, and Hong Chengchou tried to reclaim the land. But he was short of food, so he could only arrange two or three thousand refugees, and the rest were left to fend for themselves.

These Liaodong refugees scattered and begged in different directions. After moving away from Shanhaiguan, it quickly evolved into two rebel armies in the north and south.

In the north, the leader of the thieves, who had not been exterminated by Hong Chengchou, came out of the mountains to recruit refugees with the remnants of more than 200 people, and once again grew into a force of several thousand.

To the south, with no food to eat, the refugees took matters into their own hands.

A veteran with a broken arm is the leader, calling himself a "beggar army" for the refugee troops. They did not kill the people, not even the landlords, but surrounded the houses of the big landlords and ordered the landlords to hand over the grain as soon as they went.

"Sir, the river is blocked by the rioters." Shizi Xue Zongzhou anxiously entered the cabin to report.

Wang Tiaoding smiled and said, "Don't panic, I'll go out and have a look." ”

Ranxing was a little panicked, and couldn't help but say, "Why don't you return to Tongzhou first?" ”

"Not necessarily." Wang Tiaoding is confident.

Yuan Jixian didn't care about these at all, and sat there to study the prince and princess.

The passenger ship continued on its way and was soon surrounded.

Wang Tiaoding stood at the bow of the boat, and Fu Shan and Xue Zongzhou stood on his left and right.

Wang Tiaoding said loudly: "Call your leader, and I will give him a great fortune." ”

"Who are you?" A rebel questioned.

Wang Tiaoding didn't answer, but shouted: "Plant the flag!" ”

The military flag of the Datong Army was planted everywhere on the passenger ship.

The rebels could not understand it, so they began to board the ship one after another, surrounded Wang Tiaoding, and said, "Hand over the money and grain, and let you go immediately." Our general said that life is not easy, and we will not kill people indiscriminately. If you don't hand over the money and food, you will have to die today! ”

Wang Tiaoding pointed to the Datong military flag and asked, "Do you know, whose flag is this?" ”

"The flag of the emperor Lao'er will also leave the money to buy the road today!" The rebels scolded.

Wang Tiaoding smiled and said: "This is the military flag of King Zhao Tianwang of Jiangxi. Zhao Tianwang has already laid down half of the country, and he will be the emperor in the future. Call your leader, and I will give him a great fortune, and you will be able to be a hero of the dragon in the future. Do you understand from the dragon heroes? It is a noble who follows the emperor to fight the world! ”

The rioters looked at each other, and finally did not do anything more.

After a while, a one-armed man came, and although his body was strong, he was cheap but sunken and thin. He came to the ship and asked, "Is this really Zhao Tianwang's ship?" ”

"You also know Zhao Tianwang?" Wang Tiaoding asked rhetorically.

The one-armed man said: "I haven't heard of it in Liaodong, but after entering the customs, I have admired the name for a long time." I also got a copy of "Datong Collection", and Zhao Tianwang is a well-known man. Don't hide it from Your Excellency, many of me, I didn't kill indiscriminately all the way, just to go south to join King Zhao. ”

Wang Tiaoding was ecstatic in his heart, and said without changing his face: "Follow me to Nanjing, what is your name?" ”

The one-armed man said: "My name is Wu Huapu, and I was originally the deputy chief of the Sanshan Battalion in Liaodong. The forts in Liaodong either surrendered or fled, and I led the soldiers to flee back to Shanhaiguan, and the general soldier Ma Ke incorporated my soldiers. This guy thought I was disabled, and I was missing an arm, so he sent me away with only half a catty of rice. ”

"It turned out to be Wu Ethics," Wang Tiaoding said, "take your people and go to Nanjing with me." ”

Wu Huapu said: "There is not enough food, so we have to borrow grain in Tianjin first, otherwise we will starve to death halfway." ”

Wang Tiaoding smiled: "I'll go borrow grain." ”

Wang Tiaoding's prestige was not enough, so he called Yuan Jixian as well.

When the two came to the city of Tianjin, Yuan Jixian shouted: "Is the governor of Tianjin available?" ”

"Outside the city, Brother Ji Tong?" An official pops his head out of the women's wall.

Yuan Jixian smiled and arched his hand: "It turned out to be a brother with sex, I haven't seen you for a long time." ”

The governor of Tianjin is called Ding Qirui, and the corrupt official Ding Kuichu is his uncle.

Ding Qirui asked, "Why is Brother Ji Tong in the army of thieves?" ”

Yuan Jixian said with a smile: "These chaotic people are willing to go south to join King Zhao Tianwang, and I will take them away." ”

Ding Qirui was pleasantly surprised: "Do the rebels really want to leave? ”

"Ask Brother Ji Tong to give me some food, and leave immediately when you get the food." Yuan Jixian said.

Ding Qirui said: "Okay, I'll give you a hundred stones!" ”

Wu Huapu was furious and drew his sword out of the sheath: "I have thousands of people under my command, and you only give a hundred stone of grain to send Huazi?" ”

"There is not much grain in Tianjin, how about two hundred stones?" Ding Qirui bargained.

Wu Huapu said: "At least a thousand stones!" ”

Ding Qirui estimated that there was really not much food, and scolded: "Three hundred stones, if it's too little, let's fight!" ”

"Eight hundred stones!" Wu Huapu said angrily.

After some bargaining, 500 stone was sold.

Ding Qirui asked Wu Huapu to lead his troops to retreat, at least to the other side of the canal, so that he dared to send people to send food out.

Just when the soldiers were transporting food, something went wrong.

A Tianjin defender complained with grain: "We haven't been paid for half a year, and the rations are hungry and full." So much food, don't give it to your own people, and let us send it out to the thieves. What the hell is the truth about this? ”

"That's it, being an honest soldier was bullied, so let's just rebel!"

"Those thieves outside said that they were going to take refuge in Zhao Tianwang. Why don't you kill the governor and go together? ”

"I don't dare to go, I heard that King Zhao is going to eat people. When his soldiers lose the battle, they will be slain for food. ”

"Fart, I heard that Zhao Tianwang is very benevolent."

"In this world, which one of the soldiers talks about benevolence and righteousness? Zhao Tianwang was able to conquer the south, but he relied on eating human flesh, and the soldiers were afraid of being killed, so they didn't want to die in battle. ”

"The scholars in Tianjin said that King Zhao loves the people like a son."

"Zhao Tianwang eats human flesh, which is also said by scholars."

“……”

Whether Zhao Tianwang eats human flesh or not, this topic is not understood.

But the killing of the governor and the rebellion have reached a consensus.

A group of soldiers who have not been paid salaries for half a year, and they are not even given enough rations, so that they can give food to the thieves, what do you say the soldiers will think?

"Phew!"

Liu Mang pulled out his waist knife: "Brothers, kill the dog official and go to the south to seek refuge with Zhao Tianwang!" ”

Thirteen years ago, Liu Mang was a management team.

Thirteen years later, Liu Mang is still a management team.

Now that he can't even eat, he has no thoughts. Killing officials and rebelling south, no matter whether Zhao Tianwang eats people or not, anyway, he doesn't have to face the Tartars when he gets to the south.

"Kill!"

Hundreds of soldiers who were responsible for carrying food turned around at the city gate and killed them.

first hacked to death the generals who led the troops, and then rushed up to the city tower, chopping the frightened governor into meat sauce.

(Whether Princess Changping was posthumously gifted by the Manchu Qing Dynasty is inconclusive for the time being, and we will not argue, the previous chapter has been changed to Princess Kunxing.) ）