In Datong City, the guard general Guo Deng faced the menacing Mongolian army, and the expression on his face was extremely solemn. With the current strength of the defenders, if the Tartars really attack with all their might, there is little hope of holding on.

When Datong fell, it meant that the northwest door was wide open, and the Ming Empire's Jingshi was directly exposed to the Mongol army!

Guo Deng stood on the city wall, looking at the dense Mongolian army formation in the distance, like a dark cloud pressing down on the territory, and his heart was a little mixed.

I want to think that the Ming Iron Cavalry conquered Mobei, swallowing thousands of miles like a tiger!

Now the offensive and defensive situation is different, and the Tartars at this time are no longer the grassland tribes on the grassland that are subject to the Ming Dynasty, it is showing its claws and fangs, and is developing in the direction of the Great Yuan Empire.

Similarly, Taishi, who was sitting in the center of the military array, also looked at the towering Datong City in front of him, and his face showed a kind of yearning.

After succeeding as the leader of the Tile Spur Tribe, he also looked at Datong City from afar more than once, looking forward to one day capturing the nine-sided town. But every time he felt the height and heaviness of the city wall, he could only "look at the ocean and sigh", sighing at the indestructibility of such a military town.

Time has passed, and he was finally able to lead the Mongolian army to the city, and Datong City is no longer an insurmountable moat!

"Your Majesty, Datong City is right in front of you, but the city gate is closed, and it doesn't seem that you are very welcome to return to Beijing."

Ye Xian's tone was slightly ridiculous, since Zhu Qizhen did not call open the gate of Xuanfu, his respect for this great son of heaven has been "decreasing" day by day.

After all, an emperor who has no value may not be as good as a sturdy slave.

Even on the way to Datong Mansion, he first planned to teach Zhu Qizhen a lesson for his "incompetent" performance. Fortunately, after getting along for a few days, the guard Boyan Timur was impressed by Zhu Qizhen's knowledge of Han culture, and had a heartfelt reverence, and persuaded his brother not to be rude to the Ming Emperor.

But the change of attitude also gave Zhu Qizhen great psychological pressure, worried that after the other party's patience ran out, he would give himself a knife.

The Mongol Tatars did not have the Central Plains Dynasty to treat the enemy emperor, the tradition of two kings and three kings, and even the etiquette of the Central Plains Dynasty began to collapse from the Jin Dynasty. Driven by the desire to survive, Zhu Qizhen's psychology has been greatly distorted, and he has reached the point of doing everything.

"Taishi, don't be impatient, wait for me to send the letter over, Datong calmly open the city and attack the city."

After the words fell, Zhu Qizhen impatiently said to Yuan Bin, who was waiting behind him: "Give this handwritten letter to Guo Deng, and order them to prepare money, wine, and meat, and reward the Mongolian warriors who went out on the expedition." ”

Hearing Zhu Qizhen say this, a trace of strangeness flashed in Yuan Bin's heart.

He was also a member of the Son of Heaven's army, and fought a bloody battle with the Mongol Tatars in Tumubao, and countless brothers in Paoza were buried in their homeland.

Now the Mongol army wants to attack the town of Datong, but it turns out to raise money and delicious food and wine to reward the enemy, which is simply a big joke in the world!

But this strange thing is only fleeting, loyalty to the emperor is more than everything, Yuan Bin took Zhu Qizhen's handwritten letter, and did not hesitate to go to Datong City to deliver the message.

Compared with the body of Yang Hong, the guard of the Xuanfu Guard, he needs an absolute position to offset the guilt. Datong guard general Guo Deng has always been famous, and he is also the in-law of the Ming Emperor, and the situation of the two sides cannot be compared.

In addition, there was a precedent for Xuanfu to be shot, and this time Yuan Bin passed the letter and directly held a dragon flag representing the Ming Emperor.

No matter how greedy Zhu Qizhen is for life and fear of death, no matter how much he betrays the country, as long as the imperial court does not explicitly abolish his throne, this dragon flag represents the supreme status, and no one in the Datong defenders dares to face each other with swords.

"Your Majesty has a handwritten letter, ordering Liu An, the general of Datong, Guangningbo, and Guo Deng, the general of the general to take the order!"

Coming to the city gate, Yuan Bin shouted above the city gate with his throat in his voice, he knew that with Guo Deng's character, he would inevitably go to the front line to command the battle.

"General Guo, how should we deal with it?"

Huo Xuan, the prefect of Datong, was standing beside Guo Deng at this moment and asked a little nervously.

The deeds of Xuanfu Zhu Qizhen calling the door have long been passed on to Datong, so that the nine border guards of the Ming Dynasty are facing a dilemma.

Loyalty, or loyalty?

Yang Hong immediately pretended to be dead, and ordered the defenders to shoot Yuan Bin back, without looking at the holy decree conveyed by Zhu Qizhen, so naturally there was no disobedience.

As a result, now Yuan Bin is directly holding the dragon flag to deliver the message, and it is impossible to imitate the actions of the Xuanfu, and it is necessary to lead the emperor Zhu Qizhen's trustworthiness, and if you refuse the conditions listed therein, it will be equivalent to disobeying the decree.

"Behind closed doors!"

Guo Deng gritted his teeth and spit out these four words, and his face was full of determination.

Even if he is the emperor's in-law, as a border guard, he knows the consequences of opening the door and offering the city.

Loyalty to the monarch means that Datong City will be burned and looted by thorns, and hundreds of people will be enslaved or slaughtered.

Zhongsheji, although it can protect the important town of the Nine Sides, close the gateway to the capital division. But if one day the emperor returns to the Ming Dynasty, then he will be greeted by the end of the ruined family.

The family and the country are in a dilemma, Guo Deng still chooses to be loyal to the world!

"Your Majesty's handwritten letter is a holy decree, and the Datong guards will turn a blind eye, is it because they want to disobey the order?"

Yuan Bin, who was standing under the city wall, was also a little anxious, he was waiting by Zhu Qizhen's side all the time, and he could also feel the change in Yexian's attitude.

If Datong City does not open the city to greet it, then it means that the emperor will completely lose the value of opening the Jingshi Portal, and the consequences are unimaginable!

Listening to Yuan Bin's shouts under the city, Guo Deng held the hilt of the knife at his waist tightly, without the slightest sign of change. But at this moment, a feminine voice came from behind him.

"General Guo, Your Majesty is now suffering at the hands of the Tartars, even if you don't open the city to greet you, at least you have to see what you have written by hand."

"You haven't changed the dynasty yet, so you can't wait?"

It was none other than Guo Jing, the eunuch of Datong Town, who said this.

Many things in the world are full of magic, Guo Jing, the iron ghost who colluded with the tile thorn, not only did not suffer the punishment of the imperial court after the Tumubao incident, but because he reported the news that the Mongolian army wanted to encircle and conquest the army, he was rewarded and reused by the imperial court, and his status exceeded the past.

If nothing else, after the crisis in Beijing is resolved, it is a sure thing that Guo Jing will serve as the palm seal of the twelfth supervisor.

If you are someone else, Guo Deng may ignore it, but if he offends the eunuch guarding the town, even if Zhu Qizhen cannot return to Jingshi, he will definitely be retaliated against afterwards.

Under moderation, I had to bow my head.

"Gonggong Guo, after reading His Majesty's edict, you have to obey the emperor's orders."

"I will have the responsibility of guarding the city, I hope you will forgive me!"

Guo Deng's words have been said very obviously, the premise of resisting the will is to at least receive the order, and he didn't even see the will, where did the disobedience come from?

But once he received the will, he could no longer find any excuse to excuse him, and he was convicted of disobeying the will.

"Could it be that General Guo is not loyal to the monarch?"

After that, Guo Jing didn't wait for Guo Deng to explain, and shouted at the soldiers at the city gate with a cold snort: "Open the door and receive the order!" ”

Hearing the order of the eunuch guarding the town, the soldiers at the city gate looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

As a soldier, he naturally has to obey the orders of the commander, but it is not an exaggeration to call the eunuch the emperor of a land. If ordinary soldiers do not listen to his orders, I am afraid that the end will be extremely miserable.

Looking at Guo Jing's style, the green tendons on the back of Guo Deng's hand holding the handle of the knife burst out, and it was obvious that his inner emotions were extremely intense.

But in the blink of an eye, Guo Deng let go of the hand holding the hilt of the sword, and ordered the soldiers at the city gate in a deep voice: "Open the city gate." ”

With the sound of "creaking", the gate of the thick city slowly opened, whether it was Yuan Bin, who was close to Chi Qiqi, or Zhu Qizhen, who was watching from a distance in the rear, there was an excited smile on his face.

At least the emperor's identity can still command the generals, and he is still the high-ranking tomorrow!

But the Taishi who was standing next to Zhu Qizhen was also first, but his expression was full of disdain. He knew very well that the Datong City Gate could be opened with a chirp, not entirely because of the credit of Zhu Qizhen, the emperor, but by the means he used!

Why did Guo Jing suddenly appear on the city tower?

It is because of this good inner ghost of the tile spur that he has received the order of the Taishi Yexian that he must force the Datong Shou to open and close the city. Otherwise, the fact that he had secretly colluded with the Tile Thorn tribe and privately resold the grain, grass and equipment in the army would have been made public.

On the one hand, he was on the rise, going to Beijing to serve as the eunuch of the twelve eunuchs, and on the other hand, he was dismissed from his post and questioned the guilt, and the glory and wealth became a passing cloud.

Which side Guo Jing will choose, do you still have questions?

In this world, refined egoists are the majority.

Yuan Bin led Zhu Qizhen's edict into the Datong Mansion, and the content of it was actually very simple, that is, to offer the city, food, and money.

Guo Deng originally thought that this kind of edict could be called a loss of power and humiliation of the country, even if the eunuch who guarded the town chose to be loyal to the monarch and obey his orders, Liu Anbo, the general soldier of Datong, would choose to stand in the same camp with him and refuse.

But what Guo Deng never expected was that Guang'anbo Liu An, who was a relative, hesitated to agree, which was a big joke!

At this moment, Guo Deng was a little skeptical about life, is the life of the king really comparable to the society of the country and the people of the world?

Facing the avatars of Liu An and Guo Jing, Guo Deng at this moment finally did not choose to continue to appease, but patted his eyes and said: "The minister was ordered to defend the city, I don't know anything else, it is impossible to switch and dedicate the city!" ”

"General Guo, you are on the emperor's orders, and it is also the emperor who welcomes you!"

Guo Jing replied in a fierce manner, Guo Deng is the third-in-command of Datong Town, and it is not his turn to say what he is ordered to defend the city!

"What Gonggong Guo said is right, the Lu of eating the king, the matter of loyalty to the king. As courtiers, it is impossible for us to watch His Majesty suffer, maybe the Mongol Tatars are sincerely escorted back to Beijing, just for some money? ”

Guang'an Bo and Liu An also persuaded Guo Deng, knowing that the eunuchs guarding the town could resell ordnance, grain and grass, and it was impossible to do it without the cooperation of middle and high-level generals in the army.

Liu An is the accomplice!

With the death of Song Ying, the governor of Datong, the Marquis of Xining, now Guang'an Bo Liu An is the de facto supreme general of Datong Military Town.

The chief military officer of Xun Qi and the eunuch guarding the town exerted pressure at the same time, and he couldn't bear it as any general, so it was likely to be a compromise and sacrifice the city.

But Guo Deng went from a small soldier to follow Ming Chengzu Zhu Di's five expeditions to Mobei, and step by step relied on military exploits to reach his current position.

"I swear to live and die with this city, and those who donate the city have been convicted and beheaded!"

Guo Deng, who had held the handle of the knife several times, pulled out the steel knife on his waist with a "brush", and looked at Liu An and Guo Jing with angry eyes.

Not only Guo Deng walked violently, but even the soldiers of the defenders in Datong Mansion also came behind him with their steps, and their standing position was very obvious!

You must know that after the Yanghe fiasco, Guo Deng always went to the front line to inspire and encourage the soldiers, mourn the deceased, comfort the injured, and even personally wrap wounds and dressings. On the contrary, Guang'an Bo Liu An and the eunuch Guo Jing were still singing and dancing in the city, greedy for pleasure and did not care about the situation of the soldiers outside.

People's hearts are flesh and blood, and whoever stands with the soldiers at the bottom during the war is naturally willing to die for him!

"Guo Deng, if you don't obey the decree, you still dare to threaten Shangguan now, if you really want to rebel, you can't succeed!"

I have to say that the eunuchs who are out of town still have some skills to be more or less violent. At least in this situation, they dare to reprimand them forcefully, rather than directly admit it.

"This general guarding the city is a matter of loyalty to the king, and he is willing to live and die with all the soldiers, how can he rebel!"

Things have come to this point, and Guo Deng is also out of the way.

I have been fighting in the south and north for decades, but at the end of the day, I have to humiliate the city to the Tartar switch, in that case, my Guo Dengmu would rather die!

At the same time, the personal soldiers of Liu An, the chief soldier of Datong, sensed that the situation was not right, and they also rushed over from outside the mansion. Just when the two sides were about to meet each other, a post guard at the post station held a command flag and ran all the way into the Datong Mansion with an urgent report from the imperial court.

"The new monarch ascends the throne, proclamation at home and abroad!"

A new monarch ascends the throne?

Hearing this shout, everyone present was stunned, is Daming going to change the dynasty?

So who succeeded to the throne, the eldest son Zhu Jianshen or the servant king Zhu Qiyu?

Compared with Guo Jing and Liu An, who was full of thoughts about who the new emperor was, Guo Deng said with a heavy burden: "Rely on the spirit of the ancestors of heaven and earth, and the country has a king!" ”

This gentleman, naturally, does not refer to Zhu Qizhen, from this moment on, the Ming Dynasty ushered in a new emperor!

That's right, on August 27, the thirteenth year of orthodoxy, hundreds of civil and military officials of the Beijing division gathered inside and outside the Fengtian Hall, and bowed five times and bowed three times to Zhu Qiyu, who was sitting high on the dragon chair, and shouted long live at the same time.

And on this day, Daming has a new era name for the coming year, called Jingtai.

Shen Yichen is still standing in the camp of the Hanlin officials, wearing a low-key green robe official uniform, but everyone in the Manchu Dynasty knows in their hearts that this son is no longer the small role he was back then, even if the cabinet ministers treat him politely.

If it were the same as before, it is estimated that many people would be dissatisfied, and the yin and yang behind them will be driven by jealousy. But today, even the former rivals He Pingyan, Yang Hongze and others have to lie dormant and avoid their edge.

The times create heroes, Shen Yichen seized this outlet and became the most dazzling new star in Jingshi!

At the time of the national crisis, Zhu Qiyu's enthronement ceremony was simple, and after accepting the audience and worship of hundreds of civil and military officials, he began to read out the decree.

The highest-ranking commander surviving from the Battle of Tumubao, Zhu Yong, Duke of Chengguo, took responsibility for the defeat and was relegated to the rank of commoner after being asked for guilt. It is really embarrassing that the Duke of Daming, who was once a very famous minister, ended up like this.

The only thing that is gratifying is that Zhu Yong's eldest son, Zhu Yi, led the army well, galloped to the aid of the Harrier Ridge and Huailai City, and made great contributions, and was not affected by the seizure of the title of Zhu Yong, the Duke of Chengguo, and was also promoted to the commander of the second grade.

In a sense, this can be regarded as saving some face for Zhu Yong, and at the same time avoiding the fate of the Chengguo Mansion being bullied by dogs in Pingyang.

In addition, Yu Qian officially assumed the post of secretary of the military department, controlling the soldiers and horses of all battalions of the Beijing Division, including the galloping reinforcements led by Shen Yichen.

Zhu Qiyu may not be as good as his imperial brother Zhu Qizhen, but he grew up in the royal family, and the basic way of balance is an innate talent, and it is impossible for Shen Yichen to be "one family" in Beijing no matter what.

Yu Qian, who controls the army, is the counterpoint used by the imperial court to balance Shen Yichen.

After a while, Jingyuan Bo Wang Ji led the Southern Expeditionary Army to return to the dynasty, this real Ming elite garrisoned in Beijing, then Shen Yichen will no longer have the hidden danger of rebellion.

If it is natural for Yu Qian to ascend to the throne, then the next "personnel" transfer will completely play the emperor's balance to the fullest.

Yang Hongze, the attendant of the Hanlin Academy, and He Pingyan, the trial lecturer of the Hanlin Academy, were urgently appointed to the cabinet to participate in the pre-aircraft service, that is to say, from this moment. The position of the elder who should have belonged to Shen Yichen was replaced by them.

For no other reason, behind He Pingyan stood Wang Zhi, the secretary of the ministry, and the remnants of the party support left by Ma Yu, the first assistant of the cabinet who died of illness, and He Pingyan was the successor of Hu Hu, the secretary of the Ministry of Rites.

Emperor Jingtai Zhu Qiyu has no foundation in the court, and if he wants to sit on the throne, he must reach a compromise with the civilian group, and at the same time let them enter the cabinet to participate in the affairs of the aircraft, and also limit Shen Yichen's military power to control heavy troops.

However, by the way, the Hanlin Revision Merchant took over the reading seat, and at the same time, Xiao Yi, the Shuji Shi of that year, was also promoted to the post of Hanlin Academy.

Shen Yichen, these unknown "friends", also walked towards the center of power in the court step by step.

One appointment after another was read out, allowing the court to complete an earth-shaking reshuffle of forces. However, the ministers of civil and military affairs present all knew in their hearts that the real highlight was still to come, and Shen Yichen's appointment was particularly crucial.

Whether this son can continue to dominate the power center, or be marginalized and neglected, may be in the thoughts of the new monarch Zhu Qiyu.

"Fengtian carried the emperor, and the edict said: Shen Yichen, a scholar of the Hanlin Academy, is loyal to the monarch and patriotic, galloping thousands of miles to help, saving soldiers from fire and water, and guarding the lonely city outside the fortress. He was specially promoted to the right squire of the military department and a scholar of the East Pavilion University, and was given a gold belt and a four-grade scarlet robe! ”

When this decree came out, there was an uproar inside and outside the Fengtian Palace.

Shen Yichen entered the palace in the palace to restore his life, and did not accept Empress Dowager Sun's will to promote the bachelor of Hanlin, but there has never been an absolute secret in the Forbidden City, and the news spread quickly.

The civil and military officials all believed that the royal family would be wary of Shen Yichen everywhere, and the final commendation and appointment would probably be similar to the way of promotion and secret demotion, and he would be promoted to an honorary position.

As a result, I didn't expect to leap from the fifth grade to the third grade, giving Shen Yichen the real leading authority. What's even more outrageous is that on the premise of not joining the cabinet to participate in the maintenance of the aircraft, he was promoted to a scholar of the East Court University.

You must know that He Pingyan, Yang Hongze and others who were appointed before did not have the title of scholar of the palace, and in a sense, they were "parallel goods" pavilion elders.

In the case of the shortage of cabinet ministers in history, Zhu Qiyu, the Jingtai Emperor, urgently appointed the champion of the orthodox ten-year businessman, and the champion Peng Shi of the thirteenth year of orthodoxy urgently entered the cabinet, and also set a precedent for the shortest time to enter the cabinet in the Ming Dynasty.

However, Shang Shi and Peng Shi also did not have the title of Diange University Scholar, and when the crisis of the Jingshi Guard War was resolved, they withdrew from the cabinet one after another.

In a sense, it can be considered that the title of a scholar of the palace is a cabinet minister in the real sense!

Xinjun Zhu Qiyu, is this crazy?

Knowing that Shen Yichen had a rebellious move, he dared to give him a large amount of power like this, he was really not afraid that this son would take the opportunity to usurp the capital master?