In the early morning, just after the third watch, the area near the palace was already crowded with the carriages and horses of dignitaries of all sizes who came to attend the morning court.
Following the orange lights in front of the palace gate, a large area of darkness filled the small square outside the palace gate, which was as crowded as a vegetable market!
Of course, these powerful people are not as noisy as the poor people in Caishikou. They have the unique arrogance and reserve of scholars. They just rely on their own circles to gather together in twos and threes and discuss something in a low voice!
Emperor Chongzhen can be said to be the most diligent emperor in the Ming Dynasty since Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang!
It is now the thirteenth year of Chongzhen's reign. During these thirteen years, no matter whether it was windy or rainy, or the mountains were shaking, the number of times Emperor Chongzhen was absent from the morning court could be counted on one hand!
As a result, although the general trend cannot be changed, the lazy official atmosphere that has been handed down since the Zhengde and Jiajing years has been changed!
From the princes and nobles to the old bachelors, down to the officials and censors, no one dared to "strike" for Lord Chongzhen in the early morning!
After the Ming Dynasty became the ancestor and took over the throne, the restrictions on the princes and royal family became more and more strict, and it can even be said to be extremely harsh. From the time of birth, the children of the clan, unless they can reach the great treasure, are almost insulated from politics!
But the requirements for these courtiers who are well versed in poetry and etiquette are quite loose. Although they are not as generous as the "scholar-officials who cannot be punished" in Zhao and Song Dynasties, they are almost the same!
This also made the partisanship among officials in the Ming Dynasty almost the highest in China!
The most famous ones are the representatives of the elite class of Jiangnan scholar-bureaucrats, the Donglin Party members!
They claim to be the "clean stream" and influence the general trend of public opinion in the world!
They advocate opening up the 'road of speech', oppose eunuchs interfering in politics, oppose mining taxes, and form cliques to safeguard their own interests through various relationships such as regions, fellow villagers, teachers and students, etc.!
But this will inevitably touch the interests of the "Eastern~Lin~Parties" in North Korea and Central Africa, so that other officials who are not "Eastern~Lin~Parties" will also form cliques, according to the region, teachers and students, and rural residents.
The relationship between the party, with senior officials as leaders, forms a self-protection!
We are constantly attacking each other with the ‘Dong~Lin~ Party members’!
At the beginning, the conflicts between the Donglin Party members and non-Eastern Lin Party members were limited to differences in political opinions. However, after more than ten or twenty years of evolution, they have formed
As long as they have political opinions that are not their own, the "Eastern~Lin~Parties" will attack them vigorously!
It used to be 'do it right, not the person', but now it means 'do it right, not the person!'
The Chongzhen Dynasty experienced the era of "Nine Thousand Years Old". Although the power of the "Eastern Lin Party" was greatly weakened, it was still a political force that cannot be underestimated!
~~~~~~~~
At this time, in an open space beside the palace moat, Wang Xinyi, the left minister of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty, was whispering something to several senior officials around him!
Wang Xinyi is a native of Suzhou, Nanjing. He passed the first degree in the Kwai Chou year of Wanli. He was once a disciple of the great painter Chen Huan. His paintings are elegant and pleasing to the eye. He is famous among the scholars in the south of the Yangtze River!
In later generations, his paintings were often auctioned for tens of millions of dollars!
However, at this time, Wang Xin had a stern face and a rather stern expression. It was obvious that he was in a bad mood now!
The officials around him also had solemn expressions and kept nodding, obviously feeling the same way!
Several people whispered for a long time. At this time, the palace door opened a crack, and a young eunuch shouted in a high-pitched voice: "The auspicious time has come, please come to the court!"
"The auspicious time has arrived, please come to court, sirs!"
Wang Xinyi quickly glanced at his companions, cupped his hands and whispered softly: "Brother Wang, Brother Xu, Brother Liu, Brother Zhao, this matter is of great importance, I leave everything to you!"
"Brother Wang, don't worry! At the critical moment, we will all stand by Brother Wang's side!" Several people quickly responded with their hands in hand!
Wang Xinyi breathed a sigh of relief. He winked at a few people, held his head high, and walked towards the palace with big steps like a standing green pine!
In the Qianqing Palace, Emperor Chongzhen leaned on the dragon chair a little tiredly, with a look of exhaustion on his face!
Jinzhou Zu Dashou has sent several more battle reports asking for reinforcements. Huang Taiji continues to increase his troops, and the situation outside the customs is already in danger!
Emperor Chongzhen also understood that the situation in Jinzhou was of great significance. If Jinzhou was lost, it would not only lose the defense line that the Ming Dynasty had worked hard for decades in Liaodong, but most importantly, the Ming Dynasty would no longer have a stronghold outside the Great Wall, and it would have no control over the Manchurians. There will no longer be a threat to the Qing generals, and the thousands of miles of rivers and mountains within the pass will become a racecourse for the Manchu Eight Banners soldiers as if they were undefended!
However, the most important thing in a war is money!
But what Emperor Chongzhen lacks most right now is money!
The emptiness of the Ming Dynasty's treasury is no longer a matter of a day or two!
The original savings of our ancestors had been almost completely replenished during the 'Three Great Conquests of Wanli'. However, since the Wanli Year, the arrival of the Little Ice Age has almost destroyed most of the Ming Dynasty's agriculture!
"It's hard for a clever woman to make a meal without rice!" At this time, Emperor Chongzhen was also quite "incompetent"!
However, Emperor Chongzhen still had some illusions about the Liaodong war situation at this time! After all, the Ming Dynasty had worked hard on the Liaodong defense line for decades, with high walls and numerous fortresses!
And Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui and others are even more famous generals in the world!
Faintly, Emperor Chongzhen always felt that Huang Taiji's troops besieging Jinzhou this time should be more probing!
On the contrary, the disaster in Henan and Li Chuang's imminent moves made Emperor Chongzhen worried! Especially the safety of his younger brother King Fu was always on Emperor Chongzhen's heart!
However, even so, Emperor Chongzhen did not dare to reveal even the slightest bit!
The battle situation in Liaodong has almost become the most basic national policy of the Ming Dynasty in the past few decades of the late Ming Dynasty. In everything, Liaodong must be given priority!
Even if it's not for the Manchus, it's still for the more than 100,000 soldiers of the Guanning Army who have been stationed in Liaodong all year round!
Last night, Emperor Chongzhen talked with Xue Guoguan, the Minister of Household Affairs, for almost a whole night, but the result was not satisfactory. Fortunately, Liu Ruyi had promised to give Emperor Chongzhen a one million tael of silver notes, which made Emperor Chongzhen feel a little better. Confidence!
‘One million taels, plus the 1.5 million taels in the treasury, should be enough to deal with the crisis in Liaodong, right?’ Emperor Chongzhen rubbed his temples tiredly!
While he was concentrating on his thoughts, Wang Chengen, a confidant and eunuch, walked gently to Emperor Chongzhen's side and said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the time has come. It's time to go to court early!"
"Eh? Well!" Emperor Chongzhen was stunned and nodded quickly, "Daban, let's get started!"
"Yes!" Wang Chengen bowed respectfully and winked at the little eunuch beside him!
The little eunuch shouted loudly at the top of his lungs: "The morning court begins, and all officials enter the court!"
"The morning dynasty begins and all officials enter the dynasty!"
Soon, hundreds of officials divided into two columns and slowly approached the hall!
Immediately, they knelt down in large groups, and after kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times, they shouted in unison: "Kowtow to my emperor, long live my emperor!"
Emperor Chongzhen took a deep breath, and the shrewdness and confidence of the past appeared on his face again. Although his face looked a little tired, he was very heroic!
"Everyone is at peace!" Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand slightly, his imperial posture was clearly displayed!
"I am waiting to thank you for your kindness!" All the ministers in the audience shouted in unison, and then they stood on both sides according to their status!
Emperor Chongzhen glanced at the ministers, cleared his throat, and said: "Dear dear friends, this time the Manchu and Qing siege of Jinzhou, the ambition of the Manchu and Qing dynasties is clearly exposed! I, the Ming Dynasty, must make a strong counterattack! Right now, I
Elite reinforcements from all walks of life have gathered in the capital! We must not neglect the food, wages, and luggage! Xue Aiqing, it is up to you to explain this matter in detail to all my dear friends!"
Beside the audience, Xue Guoguan, the chief minister of the Ming Dynasty Cabinet and the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, hurriedly came out of the queue, cupped his hands to Emperor Chongzhen, and then cupped his hands to the ministers, and then said: "My colleagues, the importance of this crisis in Liaodong has been made clear by the emperor.
, I will not go into details! However, I will explain the division of labor to everyone in detail..."
Xue Guoguan is nearly sixty years old, but he still has good energy. He speaks with a strong Jiangnan accent, soft and gentle, and after a while, he clearly assigns everyone's tasks!
Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but nodded. Although Xue Guoguan's ability was not outstanding, he was very handy as a 'big housekeeper' and could be regarded as one of his arms!
The situation in Liaodong was the basic national policy of the Ming Dynasty. No one dared to neglect it, at least on the surface. As a result, Emperor Chongzhen's orders were implemented very quickly. Before long, everyone had already accepted the order and was ready to put it into practice.
Implement!
However, despite this, by the time everyone's tasks were assigned, it was already dark and Emperor Chongzhen was a little tired. The eunuch Wang Chengen on the side looked a little distressed and hurriedly whispered: "Your Majesty, if nothing happens, then I will go first
Are you leaving the court? You might as well go down and rest early!"
Emperor Chongzhen nodded, Wang Chengen quickly cleared his throat and said: "If you have something to do, please leave the court. If there is nothing, you will retreat!"
Just when Wang Cheng'en thought that today's court meeting was about to end, Wang Xinyi, the left minister of the Ministry of War, suddenly came out of the queue. He cupped his hands, raised his hand and said: "I have something important to report, and I ask for the emperor's permission!"
Emperor Chongzhen was about to fall asleep with his eyes closed, but when he heard this, he quickly opened his eyes and said, "Wang Aiqing, tell me!"
Wang Chengen also didn't expect that Wang Xinyi looked like a dog on weekdays, but at the critical moment, he turned out to be so expressionless and glared at him hard!
But Wang Xinyi did not look at Wang Chengen's face at all. He cleared his throat and said as if it were inhumane: "Your Majesty, I want to impeach General Zhendong, Shandong Chief Military Officer Liu Ruyi!"
"What?" Now not only Wang Chengen, but also Emperor Chongzhen, his eyelids jumped!
The faces of all the officials in the court also changed drastically, and they all looked at Wang Xinyi, who was standing in the middle, like a green pine!
