Chapter 187 The emperor returns to the capital: protect loyal ministers and kill traitors! (2-in-1)
Big win!
This is indeed a great victory!
Spring has returned to the earth, the snow on the grasslands has just melted, and the ground outside Yulin City has become green and full of butterflies.
Only then did Zhu Houzhao learn the news that Qiu Yue led the Ming Dynasty cavalry to defeat the 50,000 cavalry of the little prince on the left wing of Mongolia, and successfully rescued the Mongolian right-wing Tuxie tribe and the Ordos tribe.
Zhu Houzhao himself did not expect this. He was even prepared that Qiu Yue would return without success.
But now, when he saw Qiu Yue bringing back more than 5,000 prisoners who were as frightened as lost dogs, and countless baggage, Zhu Houzhao had to believe that the Ming Dynasty cavalry had indeed won a great victory!
Looking at the Tuxie Tribe and the Ordos Tribe, who already had a look of shock on their faces, and whose subordinates were no more than a thousand remnant cavalry, Zhu Houzhao was even more happy, and he could also imagine what mysteries were hidden in that war.
The little prince was defeated, and the two Mongolian tribes that surrendered to him were also seriously injured. With such a battle, the Ming Dynasty could undoubtedly maintain peace for decades.
In other words, even if Zhu Houzhao himself does nothing now and can be a free king with peace of mind, he will no longer have to worry about border troubles for decades.
But Zhu Houzhao knew that now it was the turn of the powerful gentry to be unhappy. Without the powerful foreign power of the little prince, how would they support the captives and make profits in the future?
Zhu Houzhao, who was able to draw an eagle bow like a full moon, was full of pride at this moment, as if he was really going to compete with the world for supremacy. Even though he was hunting outside Yulin City, he was even more excited, chatting and laughing with the leaders who came to pay homage, and the wine glasses were filled with wine. It never stops.
Of course, on the day when Zhu Houzhao learned of the Ming army's victory, he immediately summoned the civil and military officials in Yulin City and ordered: "Now, the most important thing is to recover the Hetao. While the little prince was defeated, he immediately issued an order Give Ma Wensheng and Caikuan, and order the border troops from all over the country to immediately march to the Hetao and recover the Hetao!
"As your Majesty said, now is a once-in-a-lifetime time to recapture the Hetao. All the Mongolian tribes are severely weakened. If we don't recapture the Hetao at this time, it will only be more troublesome in the future!" Jiao Fang, the chief assistant of the cabinet, replied.
At this time, Wei Ming, a guard in Jinyi, rushed to Zhu Houzhao with an urgent delivery, and barged in directly: "Your Majesty! News suddenly spread in the pass that your Majesty's personal expedition was defeated. It was said that you had hunted in the north and had not returned. Ma Wensheng and others had to be on guard for this reason. Town, strictly order all border troops to act without authorization!”
Zhu Houzhao also guessed at this time that important military information was coming. After all, the Jin Yiwei who could break in directly to see him could only be the person from Beizhen Fusi who was responsible for reporting military intelligence.
But what Zhu Houzhao didn't expect was that the military intelligence passed on was news of his defeat in Guan Nei. For a moment, he couldn't help but ask: "Who is spreading rumors?!"
"However, I don't have time to pursue this question now. The troops in the border towns must not stay still. Recovering the Hetao is the top priority! Hurry 800 miles to Ma Wensheng and send troops to recover the Hetao immediately. Otherwise, I will severely punish those who neglect their duties. People!”
Zhu Houzhao then ordered Qiu Yue: "You will personally lead the two cavalry regiments to Wuhai Mountain first! Continue to hunt down the remnants of the little prince, find the whereabouts of Zhang Lun and the imperial guard camp, pass on the decree, and control Ningxia!"< br>
"Your Majesty!"
Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet, suddenly shouted loudly, his expression extremely serious, contrary to his gentle attitude in front of Zhu Houzhao.
Zhu Houzhao was quite surprised when he saw this, even a little angry, because Jiao Fang's current behavior obviously ignored the courtesy of a monarch and his ministers, and he was too excited: "Jiao Aiqing, what are you doing?"
"Your Majesty! The most important thing right now is not to let Qiu Yue lead the Guards to find Zhang Lun, but to assemble the Guards and return to Beijing immediately! Your Majesty!"
Jiao Fang was a civil servant, so he naturally understood the thoughts of the civil service group better than Zhu Houzhao. As soon as he heard the news of the defeat of His Majesty's personal expedition in the customs report of the Imperial Guard, he felt something was wrong, and at this time he was already aware of the possible changes, so Uncharacteristically, he shouted loudly and tried to stop Zhu Houzhao by force.
……
Beijing.
Xu Jin did not expect that one day he would be so intimidated by these civil servants. At this moment, he truly felt the battle that His Majesty had faced, but he knew that he was not the emperor after all, and he could not be as desperate as the emperor. He was just a second timer. auxiliary.
The Thirteenth Censor Li Tiantian and the Science and Technology Officer He Tai threatened Xu Jin again, which once again gave Mao Cheng, the Minister of Rites, the courage to continue directly to Xu Jin:
“Mr. Let Mao ask to see the Queen Mother!”
Mao Cheng turned around and walked away as he spoke.
"Stop!"
Xu Jin shouted loudly and warned: "Uncle Zong, I have already spoken before. If you dare to act without permission again, I will kill you first and then report you!"
After saying that, Xu Jin shouted to other civil servants: "The same is true for you. Without an order from the cabinet, you must not act rashly!"
"Hmph! I am the Minister of Rites, the ninth minister of the imperial court, and I am not a member of your cabinet. Even if you are the second minister of the cabinet, what can you do to me! Do you really dare to kill me? Don't say that I Even if the official is not guilty, it is not your cabinet that will punish you!”
Mao Cheng walked out first as he spoke, and shouted: "Everyone, do you think that since the Ming Dynasty, civil servants have no backbone? Now that foreign invaders are approaching, Your Majesty is hunting in the north. You must ask the Queen Mother to establish a new king and punish the eunuchs." "Nie Chen!"
Phew!
Xu Jin stabbed Mao Cheng, the Minister of Rites, in the back with a sword. He knew that if he didn't kill Mao Cheng now, Mao Cheng would really make things worse. Although he didn't know the whereabouts of His Majesty, he must Follow His Majesty's orders, seek stability in everything, and prevent chaos in the capital!
Mao Cheng never thought that Xu Jin would dare to stab him! He looked at Xu Jin in shock: "You, you, you dare to kill me!"
The other civil servants present were also mute, and those who originally wanted to echo Mao Cheng, the Minister of Rites, also instinctively retreated.
Xu Jin pulled out Shang Fang's sword. Immediately, the blood from Mao Cheng's body was splashed on his official uniform. The imperial python uniform was smeared with blood, making it look even more majestic; there were still blood stains on the sword's blade. , dripping into the hall drop by drop.
It seems that Xu Jin at this time is not a cabinet minister or a civil servant, but a warrior who defends the order of the empire.
Xu Jin turned around with the bloody sword and asked coldly: "Who dares to take this opportunity to cause trouble?!"
The civil servants who wanted to cause trouble did not expect that Xu Jin would be so arrogant and dare to directly kill the Minister of Rites. They were all cowed and did not dare to make any more speeches.
The civil servants never expected that Xu Jin, who is now in charge of the court, would be so ruthless!
I didn’t expect Xu Jin to be so unwilling to cooperate with people like him!
But because of this, these civil servants knew that they had to get rid of Xu Jin first!
Seeing this, Commander-in-Chief Cai Zhen couldn't help shouting: "Xu Cifu! You are so good at killing ministers! If His Majesty is really defeated and captured, and the new emperor ascends the throne, aren't you afraid of being punished?!"
< br>
When the prince-in-law Cai Zhen shouted, the thirteen imperial censor Li Tiantian also gained some courage and hurriedly echoed: "That is, if your majesty is really defeated and captured, the new emperor will ascend the throne! You are good at killing ministers! You are not afraid. Will he be punished in the future? ”
"If this is really the case, Xu must confess his crime before the law. No need to ask any more questions! But now, if any of you dares to step even half a step into Cining Palace and threaten the Queen Mother to abolish the throne, I will make him splash with blood within five steps." ! So what if you are a relative of the Duke! Who is greater than your Majesty!”
Xu Jin carried Shang Fang's sword, without sheathing the blade, and walked straight towards the Prince Consort Cai Zhen and Li Tiantian step by step, and with every step he took, he left a trail of bloody footprints, which made the entire hall look... Even more chilling, the Prince Consort Cai Zhen, Li Tiantian and others, who had the courage to ask questions just now, could only retreat in a hurry, murmuring:
"We are just, just reminding you that you are so stubborn. When the definite news comes that His Majesty's personal expedition was defeated and captured, you'd better be able to plead guilty to the law as you said!"
"Eight hundred miles urgent!" "Eight hundred miles urgent!"
"Eight hundred miles urgent!"
At this time, the rapid sound of horse hooves sounded, and a messenger hurriedly ran in: "Report! Supervisor, General Manager, urgent delivery!"
"It must be the news that His Majesty's personal expedition was defeated and captured! This is the news after Ma Wensheng and Caikuan confirmed it, otherwise it would not have been expedited for 800 miles!"
"That's right! Your Majesty's capture is a misfortune for the country, but Xu Jin is a traitor to the country because he kills ministers and steals Tai'a!"
said Li Tiantian, the censor of the Thirteenth Dao, and He Tai, the Daoist official.
Xu Jin glared at the two people, who did not dare to speak anymore. Immediately, Xu Jin said to Liu Yu, the Minister of War: "Da Sima, it is an urgent delivery from the Ministry of War. Come and ask."
So, as soon as Liu Yu came in with the messenger, Liu Yu asked: "Is it an urgent delivery at the border?"
"Your Majesty, it's right. Lord Ma, the Superintendent, and Lord Chief Cai jointly sent a letter to the Ministry of War, saying that His Majesty was defeated and captured. It was a rumor and was misinformed. This battle was a great victory! The little prince was captured by Zhang Lun. Captured! Fifty thousand cavalry of the little prince, almost The entire army was wiped out! Your Majesty has not personally fought, but this battle is still the greatest victory for the Ming Dynasty since it regained Hamiwei! Now the commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief have invited your Majesty to send troops to recapture Hetao today."
< br>
The messenger replied.
Big win?
How is that possible?
Commander-in-law Cai Zhen almost lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Li Tiancai, the thirteenth censor, was also stunned.
He Tai, the science and technology official, even murmured: "This, how could this happen!"
Liang Chu sighed secretly and thought to himself: "Is he really favored by heaven because he is the emperor?"
Xu Jin burst out laughing at this time, but then his face became ferocious and he loudly questioned the civil servant in front of him:
"You all heard it, you all heard it! Your Majesty was not captured, it was a great victory! A great victory! You bunch of rebellious officials and traitors! You still want to establish a new emperor, and you want your Majesty to be the second Yingzong. Do you still want to Lock your majesty into Nangong!”
The civil servants were silent.
At this time, Tu Fu, the censor of Zuodu, saw this and knew that the situation was clear and he did not need to remain neutral, so he decisively came out and said to Xu Jin: "Master Cifu! Now that your majesty is safe, and he has won a great victory. , it’s up to you to take charge of the situation in Beijing!”
"You will be in charge of the situation in Beijing!"
At this time, Min Gui, Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and Ye Heng, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, both stood up to express their support for Xu Jin. Even the British Duke Zhang Mao also stood up with a smile on his face. After all, it was said in the express delivery that his grandson had been captured alive. little prince.
Next.
No one dared to listen to Xu Jin's words. The capital was still under martial law, but he never mentioned the matter of establishing a new king.
A month later, Zhu Houzhao rushed to the capital and saw that the capital was still as orderly as usual. However, through observation of the city defense, he found that it was obviously loose on the outside and tight on the inside. He couldn't help but think to himself:
"Jiao Fang is worried that someone will take the opportunity to spread rumors, or use rumors to cause trouble and seek to establish a new king. It is not unreasonable. I wonder if Xu Jin can stabilize the situation."
"Send the order! If the gates of the capital are closed later, let me attack the city. If they have appointed a new king, then kill the new king!"
After Zhu Houzhao said this, tens of thousands of Guardsmen responded in unison: "I obey the order!"
Zhu Houzhao rode his horse and came over first. He was also wondering whether Xu Jin, Wang Hua and others would really betray him as Jiao Fang said, or be forced to betray him. If it was the latter, Jiao Fang said Xu Jin will definitely apologize when he learns that he has entered Beijing.
Just as he was thinking this, Zhu Houzhao saw an old man kneeling in the center of the capital city gate. He had a silver thread hanging from his head and white spots on his temples. His forehead touched the ground and his appearance could not be seen, but his voice was very loud and loud. He shouted:
"My minister, Xu Jin, is good at killing ministers, so he went outside the city gate to plead guilty to your majesty!"
Zhu Houzhao heard Xu Jin's voice, felt a little relieved, and smiled, thinking that in the Ming Dynasty, there were still loyal ministers since Yu Qian's death.
The guards came over in rows, and Zhu Houzhao also rode close to Xu Jin.
At this time, several officials also appeared, holding the bloody official uniform of Mao Cheng, the Minister of Rites, and crawling in front of Zhu Houzhao.
Among them, there were Li Tiancai, the censor of the Thirteenth Dao, and He Tai, the official of the Department of Science and Technology. He only heard them shout:
"Your Majesty, Li Tiantian/He Tai, I would like to ask your Majesty to punish Xu Jin, the second assistant, for killing an official without permission! Mao Cheng, the Minister of Rites, was an important minister of the country, but Xu Jin stole Tai'a and killed him in the main hall in front of all the officials. This is the Ming Dynasty. What a traitor!”
Zhu Houzhao rushed back to the capital in a hurry, and only brought the guards with him. Neither Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet, nor Liu Jin, the chief minister of rites, followed him. In order to save time, he now only had military generals and no civil servants around him, so he did it simply. He shouted directly: "Cut it off!"
With tears in his eyes, Xu Jin kowtowed again: "Thank you, Your Majesty, and I will be a minister of the Ming Dynasty in the next life!"
Li Tiancai and He Tai were secretly happy, thinking that Xu Jin would definitely die!
But the officers and soldiers of the Guards followed Zhu Houzhao's gesture and walked up to Li Tiantian and He Tai, and mentioned them directly.
Li Tianfa and He Tai were greatly surprised!
"Your Majesty! This, this, we are not guilty! Your Majesty!" the two men shouted hurriedly.
"I have known about the affairs of the capital for a long time. You two were the first to instigate everything. Today, you dare to slander a loyal minister and stop a driver to file a complaint. This is simply unreasonable. Are you bullying me for not knowing?! Pull him down and chop him down!"
Zhu Houzhao had already speculated with Jiao Fang, the chief minister of the cabinet, that whether Xu Jin would be killed or rewarded would depend on whether Xu Jin refused to enter the city and refused to plead guilty or was willing to go to the law and plead guilty. Xu Jin obviously did the latter, so Zhu Houzhao didn't need to ask more. , then you will know what Li Tiantian and He Tai are.
"Your Majesty, spare my life!"
Click!
The two of them were splashed with blood on the spot!
Xu Jin himself looked at a loss, thinking, Didn't His Majesty kill him to appease the anger of the ministers? But to cut off Xiaoxiao in order to set the right course?
But when I thought that His Majesty was so willing to understand me and would not use his own life to appease the civil servants, which showed how much he relied on me, I was even more moved. I bowed to the ground again and cried out: "Your Majesty, Xu Jin, thank you for not killing me." Long live my emperor!”
Thank you to the book friend Wandering Demon for the 500 starting coin reward. I updated two chapters in one breath tonight and posted them together. Book friends will enjoy it
(End of chapter)