Listening to Zhu Yi's words, Shen Yichen was silent, he still couldn't accept the cold-blooded and ruthless side of the princely family, but he did slowly understand the identity and situation of Zhu Yong, the prince of Chengguo.

Standing in the position of the head of the family, he has to take care of the inheritance of the clan and the government, rather than his own personal feelings. 10,000 descendants who only know how to eat, drink and have fun are not as good as an heir who can glorify the lintel, and Zhu Yong can only focus on cultivating the eldest son with limited energy.

If Zhu Yi can glorify his ancestors, then Chengguo Gong can "ascend to heaven". On the contrary, if there is no outstanding heir like the Duke of England and the Duke of Qianguo, then the family may not be far away.

This is another explanation for both prosperity and loss!

Seeing that Shen Yichen didn't reply, Zhu Yi didn't say much on this topic, and instead said: "Hurry up and retreat to Huailai City, and it is likely to kill again after reorganizing the soldiers and horses first." ”

"Hmm."

Shen Yichen nodded, and then asked the herald to inform Feng Zheng, the commander of the main formation, and asked him to gather the formation as quickly as possible and lead the main force of the rear army to retreat.

As for the cavalry joint force of Shen Yichen and Zhu Yi, the role is no longer just to prevent the surprise attack of the tile spur cavalry on the flank, but to turn into a broken rear force to prevent the tile spur cavalry from pursuing all the way.

When you arrive at Huailai City, with the basic city walls and fortress defense, you can at least get a temporary respite!

Just when Shen Yichen's whole army retreated, the defenders of Huailai City had already witnessed the tragedy of the Tumu Fort Change. But a small Acropolis general, led by less than a thousand soldiers, had nothing to do but watch.

The only thing that can be done is to send a messenger to quickly whip up the horses and inform the Kyoshi of everything that happened in the Tumu Fort.

On the 17th day of August in the thirteenth year of Orthodoxy, just one day after the fiasco at Tumubao, the rulers of the imperial court learned the news and had only one thought in their minds.

The sky fell!

More than 200,000 elite troops of the Beijing division were wiped out, and the honorable relatives of the middle forces of the imperial court and the civil and military ministers died countless battles, and even the emperor of the Ming Empire was uncertain about his life and death.

If the Jingshi is captured again, and the emperor's relatives and civil and military ministers hunt north together, it will not be comparable, but a complete reappearance of the scene!

In the Fengtian Hall of the Forbidden City, the Empress Dowager Sun and the servant king Zhu Qiyu were on the left and right of the throne, and standing below were the civil and military ministers left behind by the Jingshi, and a touch of panic and fear appeared on everyone's faces. Even the Empress Dowager Sun removed the beaded curtain covering her face and faced the ministers of the court.

After all, only the way of Confucius and Mencius in the Central Plains pays attention to etiquette and law, and it really reaches the point of destroying the country, so that the Mongolian Tartars will not care about the defense of men and women.

Empress Dowager Sun looked at the ministers in the palace with a frightened and expectant face, hoping that who could stand up and give a solution to overcome the crisis faced by the Ming Empire.

But at this time, even the emperor's life and death are unknown, who dares to stand up and say that he can turn things around?

As a result, in the majestic Fengtian Hall, there was only death-like silence.

"Speak!"

"The Lu of the Eater, the matter of loyalty to the King, if the son is killed today, will there be no one to help the Society?"

The depressing atmosphere made Empress Dowager Sun's emotions a little out of control, she only had one son, Zhu Qizhen, and the emperor's life and death were unknown and related to the fortunes of the country and the future direction of power. In the past, the ministers of civil and military affairs who talked about the court have become mute one by one at this time, and if it drags on, I am afraid that the Ming Dynasty will die!

Looking at the angry Queen Mother, Chen Xun, the first assistant of the cabinet, stood up at this moment, and said stubbornly: "The Queen Mother is angry, there are tens of thousands of reinforcements led by Admiral Shen in front, maybe there will be a turnaround." ”

"Turnaround? The defenders of Huailai City watched the pro-conquest army be destroyed, and even the galloping reinforcements that sank to the north fell into the siege of the Tile Spur army. ”

"A rookie of civilians who has never led a battle outside the Saiwai, do you expect him to be able to support the danger?"

Empress Dowager Sun refuted Chen Xun's words on the spot, in addition to the distrust on the surface, she also had a secret in her heart that she couldn't say.

That is, Shen Yichen's move to lead the army to Beijing without summoning it, it is difficult to guarantee this person's absolute loyalty to the royal family. Once the emperor really encounters an accident and the Jingshi is in crisis, it is really hard to say whether the current Admiral Shen will be Yue Fei or Cao Cao!

Empress Dowager Sun's questioning made Chen Xun speechless, and in his heart, he was not very optimistic about Shen Yichen's ability to turn the tide. But the problem is that now the entire northern defense line of the Beijing Division, except for the galloping reinforcements led by Shen Yichen, there are no more soldiers to fight.

If you don't count on him, who else can you count on?

As if to confirm Empress Dowager Sun's words, at the moment when her words fell, the second military emergency report sent from Huailai City informed the latest situation on the battlefield of Tumubao.

Shen Yichen's galloping reinforcements were defeated by the Tile Spur army and were retreating in the direction of Huailai City. In addition, I learned the news from the wounded of the defeated army, and followed the emperor Zhu Qizhen to retreat the ministers of the honorable relatives, except for Chengguo Gong, who led the army to Harrier Ridge in advance, and almost all of them died on the battlefield.

As for the emperor himself, there was no news of the Son of Heaven's pro-army after the guards were completely annihilated, and according to the situation on the battlefield, there is a high probability that there is more luck than luck.

If the first news of the defeat from the front line has made the imperial city turbulent and panicked, then the second news of the destruction of the emperor's ministers has become the last straw that crushes the camel, and there is no room for luck.

Even the Empress Dowager Sun heard the news, and she instantly felt black in front of her, and staggered to the throne.

The appearance of this scene made the ministers in the palace even more panicked, you must know that the emperor's power inheritance still pays attention to a legal system. Zhu Qizhen's son Zhu Jianshen is young and has not been made a prince, and even if he has the status of a prince, it is impossible for the young lord to succeed to the throne in the face of national disasters, at least someone must be the regent of the country.

From the perspective of the legal system, the Empress Dowager Sun is the most suitable candidate.

After all, there was a precedent in the Ming Dynasty, and even after Ming Yingzong himself succeeded to the throne, it was the Empress Dowager Zhang who controlled the court situation for a long time. If Empress Dowager Sun then appears with three long and two short, then the entire Ming Dynasty will really have no leader.

As for letting Zhu Qiyu, the king of servants, become regent and even ascend the throne, no one in the court has dared to come up with such an idea at present, perhaps it may be said that they have not yet turned their thinking to this.

The reason is that the Ming Dynasty has long been on guard against the clan vassal kings, except for the heir to the throne, the crown prince, the other vassal kings have not received orthodox imperial education. What's more, Zhu Qizhen also has a son Zhu Jianshen, even if it is the concubine born to Concubine Zhou Gui, in the absence of other heirs to the throne, he is almost no different from his son-in-law.

After the two brothers of Zhao Kuangyin in the Song Dynasty were bad, the successive dynasties basically did not choose the prince to succeed to the throne.

"Queen Mother, Queen Mother, you have to take care of the phoenix body!"

Zhu Qiyu, the king of servants, watched Empress Dowager Sun fall to the ground, and rushed over in shock and fear to hold her up.

At this moment, King Yu's nervousness and worry came from the heart, Empress Dowager Sun treated him well every day, coupled with his brother's youth and the unique environment of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Qiyu did not have any thoughts about the throne.

So don't say that the courtier's first choice was not to let Zhu Qiyu ascend the throne, even he himself didn't have this idea at the moment.

"Pass the Imperial Doctor, hurry up and let the Imperial Doctor come over!"

The old minister Hu Hu greeted the palace maid and eunuch in the hall loudly, the emperor's life and death are uncertain, and the queen mother is the current optimus prime of the court, and she must not fall at this moment.

Soon, the imperial doctor of the Imperial Hospital in the palace hurried to the Fengtian Hall with the medicine box. After a careful examination, Empress Dowager Sun was fine, only because of her impatience and the hot weather, she was always angry and did not ease her breath.

Seeing that Empress Dowager Sun woke up and improved, the ministers were relieved at the moment, otherwise there was no one in charge of the overall situation, and they really didn't know what to do next.

"Young Sima, how long will it take for the soldiers and horses from Shandong and Henan to come to Beijing?"

Enduring the physical discomfort, Empress Dowager Sun asked Yu Qian about the Qin Wangjun who had been recruited before.

"It may be about ten days."

Yu Qian could not give a specific time, because the current situation is more critical than before, in addition to transferring troops to Beijing to serve King Qin, it is also necessary to requisition grain, grass, weapons and other materials to go to Beijing.

You must know that the pro-conquest army led by Ming Yingzong almost requisitioned and transferred the strategic reserves of the entire Northern Zhili. At present, less than one-tenth of the soldiers of the Jingshi garrison have armor, and there is also a serious shortage of weapons, and it is common for several people to use a knife.

With this level of equipment, it is undoubtedly a fool's dream to resist the Mongol army, and Yu Qian needs to transfer too many things that the Qinwang army cannot be placed in the first place.

After all, people have to eat food, and there is not enough food, grass and armament, and no matter how much Qinwang's army comes, they will also stay in Beijing and wait for death.

"Ten days? Shen Xiangbei, can he hold off the Tile Thorn army for ten days? ”

Empress Dowager Sun's rhetorical question made Yu Qian not know how to answer, the more than 200,000 pro-conquest troops led by the emperor were wiped out in less than a month, and the tens of thousands of people led by Shen Yichen, who dared to guarantee that he could resist the Tile Thorn army?

When Yu Qian was silent, Naiheng, the household servant, came out and said: "Queen Mother, the minister has the courage to speak!" ”

"Shao Situ, do you have a way to deal with it?"

Seeing Nai Heng stand up and speak, a touch of joy appeared on Empress Dowager Sun's face, and she thought that the other party was here to make suggestions.

"The danger of the country, when it is necessary to preserve the vitality and then slowly plan it, the minister suggests moving south to Yingtian!"

As soon as Nai Heng's sentence "moving south" came out, it immediately aroused the approval of many courtiers in the palace.

The Ming Dynasty originally raised troops from the south, and later built the capital Yingtianfu, and now still retains most of the administrative institutions of the capital, such as the Six Ministries and Nine Qings.

If the Jingshi can't hold it, it is better to go to Yingtianfu as soon as possible to protect the royal family. After all, there is an example of Zhao and Song Yiguan crossing to the south in the front, continuing the Song Dynasty's century-old national ancestry, and the Ming Dynasty is psychologically more acceptable to retreat to Nanjing City.

"The minister thinks that Shao Situ Jin's words are feasible, just wait to get through the crisis, and Daming can call back at any time."

"That's right, the Jingshi is in danger, the Queen Mother and the royal family are in danger, if there is any accident, then my Ming Dynasty is really in danger!"

"Shao Situ is far-sighted, and the minister seconded it."

Listening to the words around him agreeing with the southward migration, Yu Qian's face was extremely serious.

It's easy to move south, but if you want to return to Beijing again, it may be difficult to climb to the sky!

At that time, Zhao Song gave up the sixteen states of Yanyun and crossed to the south, and he was in a situation of being beaten and defended for the whole time, and Wang Shi no longer had the possibility of setting the Central Plains in the north.

If the Ming Dynasty also gave up the northern territory, it would mean that he would lose his horse breeding land like Zhao Song, and he would no longer have the ability to step on the Khan's court on the grassland. In the future, the fate will be nothing more than to survive like the Southern Song Dynasty, and finally become a disgrace to the Han dynasty!

This is unacceptable to Yu Qian, who values his family and country and the world.

It's just that before Yu Qian could speak out, at the end of the courtiers in the palace, another person stood up and said: "Empress Dowager Qi, Weichen has changed the sky at night, and found that the Mandate of Heaven has gone by comparing the calendar, and only by moving south can we avoid this catastrophe." ”

It was none other than Xu Youzhen, who was famous in history, who said this.

Of course, at this time, he was still called Xu Hui.

When the East Pavilion was farewell, Xu Hui relied on the water control strategy and Shen Yichen's recommendation to take over the post of revision of the Hanlin Academy, and won the emperor's appreciation.

The follow-up Shen Yichen's success in water control in Shandong Province confirmed the effect of Xu Hui's water control policy from the side, so in the twelfth year of orthodoxy, he was promoted again to the Hanlin Academy by virtue of this merit.

Xu Hui is already talented, and he only doesn't know yin and yang arithmetic, astronomy and geography, and he knows everything, and what he lacks is a chance to get ahead.

With Shen Yichen's recommendation and the emperor's injury, he seemed to leap into the dragon gate, and soon became a political star in the court. He stood up in support of the southward migration, and used celestial phenomena as an argument, and now there were more courtiers who supported the southward crossing!

Just when the voice of moving south would vaguely become the mainstream, Yu Qian could no longer hold back the anger in his heart, and scolded Xu Hui: "Nonsense! ”

"The affairs of the family and the country, don't ask the common people to ask the ghosts and gods, can't the tens of millions of people in the northern Xinjiang of the Ming Dynasty compare to a hexagram?"

Other courtiers supported the move to the south, but at least for the sake of the royal family, fearing that the Jingshi would be captured by the Mongol army.

Xu Hui said something about the "Mandate of Heaven", which simply made Yu Qian unbearable. He never believed in any destiny, only believed that man would conquer heaven!

"Young Sima, the mandate of heaven cannot be violated."

"What is Destiny? This official only knows the shame of Zhao Song's southward migration, and the Ming Dynasty cannot repeat the mistakes of the past. ”

"Who dares to say that those who move south should be beheaded!"

At this time, Yu Qian's body burst out with an incomparably fierce momentum, which instantly deterred the ministers.

You must know that Yu Qian has been out of the town for many years, and naturally carries the majesty of a superior. In addition, Kuang Yu, the former secretary of the military department, died in the battle of Tumu Fort, and he, the left squire of the military department, is already equivalent to the de facto secretary of the military department.

The power of the army in charge during the war is self-evident, and the dignity is as high as the first assistant of the cabinet and the heavenly officials of the ministry, and it is estimated that they have to avoid their edge at this moment.

If you are an ordinary person, it is estimated that you will be cowardly, but Xu Huo is a very ambitious "gambler".

If he can become the leader of the southward migration faction, and finally succeed in Tianfu, then Xu Hui is very likely to ascend to the sky in one step.

He didn't want to miss such an opportunity, so he planned to continue arguing with Yu Qian.

But Xu Huo underestimated Yu Qian's decisiveness and resoluteness, and just when he was about to open his mouth to argue, the other party shouted angrily: "Get out!" ”

did not save the slightest face, and trampled on the dignity of Hanlin Qinggui, followed by the contemptuous and contemptuous eyes of the ministers present.

But what really gave Xu Hui a fatal blow to his self-esteem was Jin Ying, the eunuch of the Three Dynasties standing on the steps, who echoed Yu Qian and said: "Even this eunuch in our family knows that he promises the country with his body, is it that the literati are so weak?" ”

was angrily reprimanded by Yu Qian, at least in the category of literati, being belittled by a eunuch like Jin Ying, and spreading it would be a catastrophe for Xu Hui's reputation.

Before Xu Huo could recover from the ridicule and blow, Jin Wuwei in the hall took his arms and dragged him out of Fengtian Hall. He was paralyzed and starved at the moment, and all that was left in his ears was the sarcasm and ridicule of his ministers.

soaring career, this moment was completely cut off by Yu Qian!

"King Yu, you have been appointed by Your Majesty as the supervisor of the country, what is your decision on the matter of moving south?"

When she was at a loss, Empress Dowager Sun remembered the appointment of Zhu Qiyu, the king of servants, to "live and guard" the Beijing division.

After all, she is a woman, and now when it is time for the survival of her family and country, whether to give up the capital and move south can only be decided by King Yu.

Or rather, this may be too dark and black, and Zhu Qiyu should carry it......

"Erchen...... Erchen ......"

Under the nervousness of Zhu Qiyu, dense beads of sweat appeared on his forehead instantly.

Although he did not receive a complete imperial education, he was born in the royal family, and his vision and knowledge are far beyond ordinary people.

promised to move south, unless he could fight back afterwards to recover the territory, the best result of his reputation in the history books was Song Gaozong Zhao Gou.

The problem is that if you fail to defend the Jingshi, then your future reputation may have to become Zhao Huan of Song Qinzong.

No matter how you look at it and how you choose, it is destined to be infamous.

Just when Zhu Qiyu, the king of servants, was at a loss, his eyes happened to see Yu Qian standing with His Royal Highness, and the two sides looked at each other.

From Yu Qian's gaze, Zhu Qiyu saw a firmness, a kind of integrity, and inexplicable courage.

The times create heroes, although he is not the emperor, but in the royal family, how can he abandon the frontier soldiers and the people of Beijing to flee?

Even if you don't have the ability to reverse the crisis, at least you have to have the heart to go to the national disaster together!

After thinking about this, Zhu Qiyu took a deep breath, looked at the Empress Dowager Sun and replied: "Queen Mother, son-in-law...... Erchen wants to stay in Beijing! ”

As soon as the words of Zhu Qiyu, the king of servants, came out, it caused an uproar in the civil and military forces of the Manchu Dynasty, and even the eyes of many people looking at him changed.

The former servant king Zhu Qiyu was completely covered up under the light of his brother Zhu Qizhen, and never had any dazzling performance. Even if he personally conscripted the country for a period of time, in fact, he only promised to be regent by the Empress Dowager Sun.

But such a seemingly weak prince did not think of escaping to Yingtianfu, and even took a step closer to follow the example of Song Gaozong Zhao Gou Yingtian to ascend the throne and become emperor.

Instead, he chose to stay in Beijing to face the danger!

In many cases, it is only in times of crisis that a person's true nature can be seen.

Yu Qian is still the hard one, and he chose to promise the country with his body and protect his family and country.

The "weak" Zhu Qiyu also showed the responsibility of the royal family in the face of the national crisis, and resolutely stayed behind to defend the country.

Different identities, but the results are the same, save the monarch of the time, and begin to appear on the political stage of the Ming Dynasty.