Chapter 152: Emperor Chongzhen is both happy and sad
In the Nuan Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen, who was very interested, pointed to the memorial on the imperial case and said: "You all know about Kaifeng, right?"
The Chief Assistant of the Cabinet, Fan Fucui, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, stood up and bowed hurriedly after hearing this: "I congratulate your Majesty on the great victory in Kaifeng City. The rebel army was defeated in one battle. It was because of the joint efforts of the city guards and the bravery of the generals who joined in the reinforcements. Your Majesty, The blessing, the blessing of the Ming Dynasty!"
Then the second assistant, Chen Yan, the Minister of Hubu, Zhang Sizhi, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, Wei Zhaocheng, the Minister of Industry, Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, and others also stood up to congratulate Emperor Chongzhen.
Facing the congratulations of several cabinet ministers, Chongzhen's face was full of smiles, and his heart blossomed with joy. At this moment, he felt like an emperor, and he seemed to see that there was some hope of reviving the Ming Dynasty.
He also circulated the eyebrow review he had just written on the memorial of Gao Mingheng during his tour in Henan to all the cabinet ministers.
After seeing it, Chief Assistant Fan Fucui first said: "All the officials in Kaifeng have used their lives. If it were not for the strong defense of the city, Zhang Cheng, Chen Jiugao and other generals would not be able to defeat tens of thousands of bandits in one battle. They should indeed be rewarded."
Emperor Chongzhen looked at the ministers and suddenly asked: "If the official cities in Kaifeng are well defended, they must be rewarded. I have called you and other ministers today to discuss how to reward Zhang Cheng, Chen Jiugao and others!"
Hearing this, Fan Fucui just coughed a few times, but did not answer Emperor Chongzhen's question. He just looked at Chen Xinjia, Minister of War, who was bowing his head in silence.
But Zhang Sizhi, the right minister of the Ministry of Rites, said at this moment: "Your Majesty, although Zhang Cheng has a small merit, the matter of taking concubines in front of the battle has been widely spread in the court, and many censors and ministers have been impeached. Bring me the chapter."
Wei Zhaocheng, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, then took over and said: "Your Majesty, this trend cannot last long! There are bandits making trouble inside, and Dong slaves outside are besieging Jinzhou, endangering Liaodong. Just when the generals are fighting bravely to kill the enemy, if everyone follows suit , everyone takes wives and concubines in front of the battle, how can they still work together, kill the enemy bravely, and be loyal to the king!"
Emperor Chongzhen was in a very good mood, but was disturbed by the words of the two of them. He looked up at his first assistant, Fan Fucui, and saw that he had no intention of speaking. He then looked at his second assistant, Chen Yan, until When he looked at Chen Xinjia, Minister of the Ministry of War, he coughed twice.
Chen Xinjia had been sitting there with his eyebrows lowered and his eyes lowered. Although the emperor was in high spirits now that the news of Kaifeng's victory had come, he was still pounding in his heart.
Since the previous time when Yang Sichang, the cabinet minister, said in the military report that he was leading troops out of Sichuan to pursue and suppress the two Xian Cao thieves, there has been no news, and there has been no movement from the two Xian Cao thieves.
Although all the officials in the Ministry of War were discussing: "Even if Xiancao breaks through from Shu to Chu, he will not have many men and horses, and he will not be able to do anything big. When the commander-in-chief and the army enter Chu from Shu, they will be able to encircle and annihilate them." Almost exhausted!"
However, Chen Xinjia could not completely relax. Once the bandits suddenly emerged, or there were changes in the suppression situation, he, as a soldier, would be the first to bear the brunt.
Therefore, he has always adhered to the principle of caution. Apart from paying close attention to the movements of thieves in Henan and Chu provinces, he never came forward on weekdays to avoid being caught by those idle officials and ministers, which would lead to calls for impeachment.
Today, he did not want to participate in the discussion. Even if the finger was pointed at Zhang Cheng, Chen Xinjia had no intention of coming forward. However, Emperor Chongzhen looked at him and coughed continuously, so he had to speak out to share the emperor's worries.
"Ahem!"
Chen Xinjia also coughed twice. When all the court officials looked at him, he stood up and clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, Zhang Cheng is taking concubines in front of the battle. This trend cannot be encouraged."
Emperor Chongzhen showed no expression, just looked at Chen Xinjia coldly, and listened to him continue: "But since the eleventh year of the Qin Dynasty, Zhang Cheng has repeatedly made extraordinary achievements, and now he has been favored by the Holy One and given the important task of suppressing thieves. He can also remember the emperor's favor, fight bravely on the battlefield, and serve the country.
Since entering Henan Province, Li Ji first recruited bandits and encountered tens of thousands of bandits. He also attacked Yanshi and the cities of Luoyang. He even rescued the prince of Fu clan and returned. Now he captured the thieves' heads alive in an earthen jar at the gate of Kaifeng. He beheaded and captured many thieves. With a force of thousands, we defeated tens of thousands of rebel troops in one battle, which is a great service to the country."
When he said this, he stood up and walked to the middle, knelt down and worshiped: "Your Majesty, you are clear about rewards and punishments. Don't let the hearts of the soldiers on the front line who are working hard to kill the thieves be chilled!"
Chen Xinjia's words were so emotional that he was very moved. Emperor Chongzhen did not wait for the ministers to speak, but directly asked Chen Xinjia based on Chen Xinjia's words: "According to Chen Qing, how should I be punished and how should I be rewarded?"
The hot potato was kicked back to Chen Xinjia again. He knelt on the ground and pondered for a moment before replying: "Your Majesty, I am stupid and thought that there was a strict decree to punish him for taking concubines in front of the battle, but it cannot be wrong because of this." The soldiers who bravely killed the bandits on the front line will be rewarded."
He took a peek at Emperor Chongzhen's expression and then added: "In order to make Zhang Cheng feel the majesty of God's grace, after being harshly reprimanded by a strict decree, Zhang Cheng was awarded the rank of Zhaoyong General, the third rank, and the special honor was promoted to the third rank. The commander of the light chariot.
To encourage them to bravely kill thieves and achieve special feats! At the same time, reward the meritorious officers and soldiers under them so that they can work together and kill the enemy with all their strength."
Emperor Chongzhen said in a deep voice: "Yes, let's handle it according to Chen Qing's wishes!"
He raised his voice and continued: "There is also Chen Jiugao, the commander-in-chief of the Beijing camp. He has also made great achievements and has not embarrassed me. I want to reward him as well."
Chen Xinjia immediately responded: "My lord, take the order!"
The emperor's golden words and the final words of agreement with the Minister of War were finalized. After Zhang Sizhi and Wei Zhaocheng quietly looked at each other, they both lowered their heads and did not dare to mention the impeachment of Zhang Cheng by the public officials.
At this moment, Wang Chengen, the eunuch who happened to be on duty at the Bureau of Ceremonies, sent an urgent confidential document.
When Emperor Chongzhen saw the secret memorandum sent by Gao Mingheng, he couldn't help but think: "Could it be that Li Zicheng was seriously injured and died?" But on further reflection, if the "intruder" was seriously injured and died, he could expose it and let the world know about it. As we all know, there is absolutely no need for a secret performance.
Is it possible that Li Zicheng was being chased by Zhang Cheng, Chen Jiugao and others in a hurry, so he wanted to chase him, but Gao Mingheng and others did not dare to make a decision, so they sent a letter first to ask for advice?"
He was full of expectations. Under the gaze of all the cabinet ministers, he opened the documents and said to Wang Chengen, who was holding the dental plaque box in his hand: "Wait a moment, don't rush."
When Emperor Chongzhen opened Gao Mingheng's secret memorial with great excitement, it was as if a thunderbolt hit his head. He was shocked, and his face turned pale instantly. He shouted loudly: "This is happening! How could this happen?"
Then he burst into tears. Fan Fucui, the chief minister of the cabinet, was also full of doubts. He didn't know why, but his many years of experience in accompanying the emperor made him immediately get up from his chair and kneel on the ground first. He did not dare to make any sound, for fear that the emperor would be sad. You will blame yourself.
The other cabinet ministers also stood up and knelt down in the palace like him. All the eunuchs and maids in Nuan Pavilion also knelt down. Even the eunuchs and maids waiting in the main hall also knelt down.