Chapter 106, The End of the Five Years of Chongzhen (Part 1)
PS: Correction, the order of chapters is wrong, the previous chapter should be Chapter 105.
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In December of the fifth year of Chongzhen, in a courtyard in Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, Wang Dou, the former commander of the Shunxiang fort who had just received an exceptional promotion, and now the commander of the Yulin left guard, was lazily leaning on the soft collapse, sunbathing in boredom. Looking at the sun.
(The Yulin left guard was one of the twelve guards of the emperor's personal army in the Ming Dynasty. Among the twelve guards, the Jin Yiwei was the leader. The combined establishment of the other eleven guards was not as large as the Jin Yiwei. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, in addition to the Jin Yiwei, the number of redundant personnel was as high as seven In addition to the 80,000 soldiers, the remaining 11 guards have been starved of pay. In total, there are only 4,000 to 5,000 soldiers left for one guard. Moreover, these soldiers only exist in theory. Many of them are actually working as slaves in wealthy families. . )
Today is a rare sunny day. The winter sun shines on you, making you feel so warm that you can't help but feel sleepy.
One maid was squeezing Wang Dou's shoulders, another maid was peeling oranges for him, and his child bride wife Xie Xiuniang was sitting beside her, playing the flute. The melodious and sweet music reached Wang Dou's ears, which made Wang Dou very happy. He couldn't help but sigh.
It seems that I haven’t enjoyed such a leisurely life for a long time!
However, as soon as he recalled the Shunxiang Fort that had been reduced to ruins in the war, as well as the familiar faces who died in the war, his mood couldn't help but feel depressed - after traveling so many days, he had really forgotten those The barren land located on the frontier became his home.
But now, that home has been destroyed...
However, there is nothing we can do about it. In the chaotic times of the late Ming Dynasty, everything we want to protect is so fragile.
——At present, the entire Xuanfu Town has been captured by the Eight Banners soldiers, and all the border troops in the town have surrendered and been destroyed. Only Wang Dou, with more than a thousand Shunxiang troops, not only escaped from the desperate situation, but also took advantage of the emperor's imperial chariot "Xixing" to climb up to the high position of the commander of the Yulin left guard like a nouveau riche - along the way, the exiled imperial court He is almost trying every means to recruit soldiers and horses, and he should not be too generous when appointing officials.
As one of the most combat-effective troops around the emperor, the Shunxiang Army trained by Wang Dou also won the favor of Emperor Chongzhen, and was naturally incorporated into the emperor's personal army, becoming the direct force of the imperial court. Its status is simply He flew up like a rocket.
(At the moment, Wang Dou has not noticed that Emperor Chongzhen has changed his soul, and only thinks that it is the butterfly effect caused by other time travellers. And Emperor Chongzhen has not noticed Wang Dou's identity as a time traveler - Shunxiang Castle is too poor, so Wang Dou In addition to being more capable of fighting, the troops have nothing to do with the times.)
Therefore, Wang Dou, who was originally living in poverty all day long in Shunxiang Castle, became pampered and pampered after following his imperial commander into Taiyuan City - not only did he live in the deep compound of an official's family, but he also had a large gentry family take the initiative to give him a living. Gold, silver, wealth, maids and servants, all they wanted was to establish a friendship with the famous person beside him, the emperor. However, although this situation sounds good, the problem is that the current emperor is in a precarious situation... The Ming court has never paid attention to confidentiality, so the matter of supporting the false emperor in Nanjing has already been in Taiyuan City. Passed it all over.
It is difficult to say what kind of reaction the other provinces will have after this incident - Emperor Chongzhen's status as emperor is undoubtedly unquestionable, but the city of Nanjing itself is also a symbol of orthodoxy... Which direction will those local powerful factions fall to? On the one hand, it’s really unpredictable.
But at this point, Wang Dou had no choice but to follow the seemingly ruined Emperor Chongzhen.
While Wang Dou was lying on the soft couch basking in the sun, with his thoughts in his mind, his mother Zhong's call rang in his ears
"...Son, come and have lunch! I cooked your favorite soybean stew today!"
Hearing his mother's call, Wang Dou's sleepiness disappeared immediately. He opened his eyes and looked back, and found his mother, Mrs. Zhong, standing under the eaves with a loving look on her face. My wife, Xie Xiuniang, also put away her flute and stood beside her mother-in-law in a polite manner.
Different from the rough attire of a working woman in the past, today Zhong is wearing a dark red stand-up collared jacket with chrysanthemum patterns embroidered on her upper body, a black flowing cloud bat heddle skirt, and a dark yellow embroidered pine and crane jacket. A brocade cloak with black edges, a Magu bun on her head, and two pairs of red gold A phoenix hairpin with hanging pearls, plus a head flower made of pearls, holding a hand stove as big as a palm in both hands, vaguely showing a string of Buddhist beads on the left wrist, and a pair of jade bracelets on the right wrist , coupled with the string of tourmaline beads hanging on the chest, she looks like a wealthy official's wife.
And Xie Xiuniang is not like she always wore a long washed and faded coarse cloth dress when she was at Shunxiang Castle. Instead, she dresses up carefully, wearing a rouge pink embroidered cloud pattern coat on the upper body and a light red one on the lower body. pleated skirt, A large white plum blossom is embroidered on the lower right corner of the skirt, which extends to the waist. It is covered with a morning glow red cape of rolled white fox fur. The hair is combed into a double bun, with a butterfly gold hairpin inserted, and several sapphire blue silk flowers embellished on it. hair room.
Seeing his wife and mother dressed in such a wealthy way, Wang Dou was in admiration, but also felt a little sad: Was he too harsh on his family in the past?
——When he was at Shunxiang Fort in the past, although Wang Dou was good at business and had some spare money in his hands, he knew that troubled times were coming and that he could only survive by relying on force, so he devoted himself to organizing the army, teaching martial arts, and training troops. In preparation for war, I can't wait to invest every copper coin in the military. Even if the silver mine was developed, it didn't do much to improve my family's life... I didn't feel much about it at the time, but now that I think about it, I really feel that I have wronged my family!
It seems that many military attachés whose status is not as good as theirs, relying on corrupt military salaries, live a luxurious life in deep mansions and with hordes of maids and servants.
But there is nothing we can do about it. In troubled times, if we don't grasp the barrel of the gun, wouldn't it mean that we are being slaughtered by others?
Nowadays, it is no longer that troubled times are coming and the building is about to collapse, but that troubled times are coming, the building is falling, and the world is falling apart!
If you have money but no soldiers, no matter how much money you have, you can only earn it for other strong men; if you have soldiers but no money, you can rob it from others with a knife.
Even if he is living a prosperous and prosperous life now, he did not earn it by relying on his elite soldiers? If he, like other military attachés in the Xuanfu, turned soldiers into serfs and beggars who only knew how to farm but not fight, why would the emperor and the court think so highly of him?
Fortunately, both his mother and Xiuniang understood his difficulties... However, just when Wang Dou happily stood up from the soft couch and was about to enjoy the love lunch cooked by his mother, he heard a burst of rapid drumming outside. He couldn't help but stopped with a solemn expression. Although Mrs. Zhong was a little stunned for a moment, as a family member of a soldier who had been on the border for a long time, he quickly understood what the sound of the drums meant, and his expression suddenly condensed:
"...Is this...beating drums to gather generals? Son, are we going to send out troops to fight?!"
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At the same time, in a small flower hall of the Jin Palace, Lu Xiangsheng, Wen Tiren and other important officials from the exiled court were looking at the latest decision announced by the time-travel version of Emperor Chongzhen. They were all dumbfounded and their minds were broken - sending troops to Luoyang? Kill King Fu? ! !
"...Your Majesty! Please think again! Although King Fu seemed to have evil intentions, the Luoyang government did not join in with him. Instead, they only noticed it and sent someone to report. Therefore, the court only needs to punish him with a small amount of punishment. , there is no need to deal with it so fiercely!”
"...Moreover, King Fu is your Majesty's uncle no matter what. If he punishes you without teaching, I'm afraid people in the world will criticize him..."
"...Your Majesty, now that the capital has fallen into the enemy's hands, and the ministers in Nanjing have established a false emperor, the court is already in an embarrassing situation. It is the time when it needs to be kind and calm. If such a cruel attack results in parricide, How should the people of the world view Your Majesty due to his bad reputation?”
……
In the midst of all the talk, almost no one agreed with Emperor Chongzhen's decisive attack on Uncle Fu Wang, but His Majesty the Emperor remained stubborn.
"...Alas, my dear friends, I also know that this strategy will have great consequences, but other than that, what else can I do?"
Emperor Chongzhen paced back and forth in the room like a caged animal, his tone full of anxiety and impatience, "...the imperial court is currently trapped in Taiyuan, and the whole province of Shanxi is dilapidated, with little income. Shaanxi, The same is true for the provinces of Henan. The officials in Nanjing have rebelled, and Jiangnan's donations can no longer be counted on. Moreover, as soon as the puppet emperor of Nanjing comes out, the vassals in the world are bound to make plans. Only by cutting off the mess with a sharp knife and frightening the monkeys can we deter the little ones! And King Fu had a history of competing with the emperor for the throne in the past, and now he has shown signs of betrayal. Besides, isn't it a good target given to me by God? The Henan government has not yet rebelled, but if it sits idly by and waits until the situation changes again in a few months, what will happen to Henan?
Besides, it is now impossible to go to Nanjing. Taiyuan is isolated in the north and is surrounded by rogue bandits and Tartars. It is really not a place to stay for a long time.
Shaanxi and Gansu have always been barren and the origin of rogue bandits. The imperial court could not stand firm there. And Luoyang is the hub of the Central Plains, the capital of emperors since ancient times. The mountains and rivers are dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. In addition, it is also the only way for imperial troops to go south. How can we just sit back and watch it fall into the hands of people with ulterior motives? ”
——More importantly, there are so many gold and silver in Prince Fu’s Mansion. Instead of taking advantage of Li Zicheng’s gang of Shaanxi bandits, they might as well be given to me to use to revive the Ming Dynasty! After all, the meat was rotten in his own pot... The time-travel version of Emperor Chongzhen thought as he rolled his eyes, and simply made it clear: "...Besides, the imperial court is short of finances now, and it will cost me money to recruit troops to fight against rebellion. , It costs money to resettle hundreds of officials, and the expenses are so huge. Apart from confiscating King Fu’s house, I really don’t know any other way to fill the hole... Let’s just kill the fat pig to celebrate the New Year!”
(Fu Wang was the youngest son favored by Emperor Wanli. In the last years of Wanli, he relied on Emperor Wanli's favor to compete for the throne with Emperor Taichang, Chongzhen's father. After losing, he moved to Luoyang. At that time, Emperor Wanli rewarded Wang Fu with many treasures and it is said that he emptied the Forbidden City. Small half of the inventory)
"... Fat pig... Your Majesty, how can you treat your relatives like this?" Wen Tiren was stunned for a long time before he muttered in a low voice.
"...Wen Tiren! How long has it been? Do you still care about such trivial matters?" Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand irritably, "... In the more than two hundred years since the founding of this dynasty, there have been so many people in the world. Many vassals The royal family is noble. Because they are my relatives, the people below are doing whatever they want and wantonly exploiting them. But because of their bloodline, my ancestors can only accommodate them. Even if the relatives do not make progress, as clan members, the royal family will still be there. They have to take care of them. I don’t know how much money the royal family has spent on these unmotivated relatives, and how much infamy they have suffered! However, among these relatives, who has ever thought about the difficulties of the royal family? Asking for food is like a bunch of debt collectors! Now that the royal family is in trouble, none of them have thought of repaying my kindness for so many years and donated food, rice, and money to the military in Taiyuan!
Humph, either he is pretending to be deaf or mute, or his ambition is growing and he wants to seek power and usurp the throne! Even if I raise a dog, it would be better than raising them!
Now that the world is falling apart, the imperial court is on the verge of desperation. There is no money and food to recruit soldiers and horses, and no salary to support the officials. However, the Tartars are still watching Yan Ji, and the rebels from all directions are sharpening their swords. At this time, what else can we do if we don't take action on several rebellious feudal princes? Do you want me to watch King Fu take out the gold and silver in his treasury to recruit troops and horses in Henan, win people's hearts, and then stir up trouble and take my life? ”
As soon as these words came out, the ministers in the hall immediately did not dare to say anything more. After the time-travel version of Emperor Chongzhen vented his words, he slowly calmed down, turned around and sat back on a carved chair, holding up A pot of cold tea was poured into his mouth.
Alas, it seems that I am still too naive. I originally thought that as long as I escaped from Beijing, I would still have control of most of the world, and I would be able to spread out freely and deal with the Tartars and rebels. Unexpectedly, the situation took such a turn for the worse - the Donglin Party in the south wanted to imitate Fu Bi and Wen Yanbo of the Song Dynasty, and let the emperor's abolition and establishment be in the hands of civilian officials. The ambitions in the heads of the local vassal kings are also booming. They want to imitate the precedent of Emperor Yongle, kill themselves, the "immoral king", and ascend to the throne... Why don't you explain the arrogance of the promised time traveler? Why do I, the time-traveling emperor, have such a miserable life?
In fact, when he learned that Nanjing actually supported a new emperor, he was already in chaos because his original wishful thinking was completely shattered. The current plan to march south to Luoyang and attack King Fu is just an idea he forced out by slapping his forehead - no matter how bad the plan is, it is better than no plan at all! But after receiving the money and food from Prince Fu's Mansion, he had no idea what to do... he could only take one step at a time!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, then stood up and took off the sword from his waist, and solemnly handed it to the hands of his number one thug Lu Xiangsheng, "...Lu Aiqing, my life and death, and the Ming Dynasty are in danger. The country, the country, and the country are all in your hands!”
Lu Xiangsheng raised his head and looked at him deeply with complicated eyes, but in the end he lowered his head obediently: "...I, I obey the order!"
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In December of the fifth year of Chongzhen, the emperor heard that Prince Fu had evil intentions, so he worshiped Lu Xiang as the commander-in-chief. He led 5,000 elite troops under the command of the Taiyuan Palace. They drove south in the snow and starry night, broke into Luoyang on New Year's Eve, took over the Luoyang government office with the emperor's edict, and stormed it. Prince Fu's Mansion, seizing the treasures stored in the Prince's Mansion for national use. In February of the following year, the emperor came south to Luoyang. Lu Xiang promoted King Fu and his family to offer prisoners as prisoners. The emperor was very pleased. He asked for instructions on how to deal with King Fu's rebellion. The emperor said: In troubled times, heavy rituals must be used. Then, for the crime of treason, the whole family of Prince Fu was beheaded and abandoned in the market. Only Prince Fu's son took advantage of the chaos to escape from the tunnel and fled to the Yangtze River and Huaihe River. As soon as this incident came out, the whole country was in an uproar, and local officials and vassal nobles were shocked. However, some scholars denounced the emperor for killing his vassals, being mean and ungrateful, virtuous and incompetent, and not being like a human king. The Nanjing court even invited sages to write a "Call to Depose the Emperor", calling on all the righteous people in the world to crusade against the tyrant...