Just when Chongzhen was dreaming about the coming of the Holy King and reviving the Ming Dynasty, while his ministers were fighting for power and criticizing endlessly, Hou Jin's army rushed into the sheepfold like an evil tiger.
The rotten nine sides are no longer a barrier to the Ming Dynasty, just like the door of a brothel, allowing people to enter and exit at will.
The benefactor would also give money, but not only would the benefactor not give the money, but his life would also be required.
On October 26, Abatai and Azig made a sneak attack on Longjing Pass. It only took an hour to break through the pass.
At the same time, Jierhalang and Yuetuo captured Da'ankou.
The negative consequences of reducing military pay appeared immediately.
Later, when the Jin army attacked Hanerzhuang, Li Fengze, the left battalion officer, led his troops out of the city to ask for surrender.
The next day, Huang Taiji captured Hongshan Pass, and all the troops of Houjin's third route entered the pass.
The Sanhetun sentry immediately sent a message to warn the people, causing shock to the government and the public.
Ironically, Zuo Mengeng received the military information even two hours earlier than the court.
It can be seen from this that the corruption of the Ming Dynasty reached a shocking extent.
Faced with the situation where tens of thousands of troops from the Hou Jin Dynasty broke through and entered, Chongzhen was in chaos. The first thing that came to his mind was to appoint Sun Chengzong to be responsible for the defense of the capital.
But this idea was jointly opposed by Wang Zaijin, Wen Tiren, Zhou Yanru and others.
The reason was that Sun Chengzong was old and his battle formations had been neglected for a long time and could no longer be used.
Chongzhen suppressed his panic for the time being and waited for the good news to come.
Then the news from the front line was so good that the entire capital was panicked.
On October 29, Shanhaiguan Commander-in-Chief Zhao Shujiao, who was the first to receive the alarm, immediately led four thousand cavalry to return for reinforcements.
On the first day of November, Zhao led his troops to the Santun camp after a long journey. Unexpectedly, the commander-in-chief Zhu Guoyan refused to open the door.
Helpless, Zhao led the army and had no choice but to rush to Zunhua, planning to rest and recuperate in Zunhua while blocking Hou Jin.
On the fourth day of November, when Zhao led the Ministry of Education to arrive at the outskirts of Zunhua, he was suddenly besieged by Azige and other troops of the Later Jin Army.
Zhao led his teachings to death in battle, and his entire army was wiped out.
The next day, Zunhua City fell.
A series of bad news completely stunned the Ming Dynasty monarchs and ministers.
Chongzhen could no longer sit still and immediately held a court meeting to discuss countermeasures.
Hou Xun finished reading the note and threw it into the fire. After the note was completely burned, he stood up and entered the court.
In the court hall, hundreds of officials gathered, and the atmosphere...
Of course they can't get along.
"The ministers have misled the country! The generals have misled the country! Yuan Chonghuan has misled me!"
Chongzhen's furious roar resounded throughout the court, and beneath the splash of saliva were the heads of the ministers buried deeply.
After the Jin soldiers came to the border, everyone felt panic.
Is this another tumultuous uprising, or is the capital city broken and the Ming Dynasty cut off?
Chongzhen cursed for more than an hour, but there was no response at all. All he could feel was sadness.
Although there were many ministers gathered in front of him, Chongzhen was still afraid of the stinging feeling of loneliness.
"Pass an edict to summon Master Sun back to the capital."
Hearing that Chongzhen still wanted to recall Sun Chengzong, all the non-Donglin officials below him were unwilling to accept it. However, facing Chongzhen's lustful eyes, they all couldn't help but shrink their heads.
Originally, Chongzhen had previously revealed his intention to suppress the Donglin Party, which made these people very happy and thought they could take advantage of the opportunity to rise to power.
Unexpectedly, when the crisis broke out, the first thing Chongzhen thought of was Sun Chengzong, who was close to the Donglin Party.
The fame and influence of this two-generation imperial master are too great.
Once he is allowed to return to the DPRK, his life as a non-Donglin family will probably become even more difficult.
But in the face of a crisis, until no one can propose a solution, there is no reason to object.
But Zhou Yanru felt that this was a good opportunity.
Since there is no way to prevent Sun Chengzong from coming back, let's take action on other members of the Donglin Party.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yanru jumped out of the crowd and immediately launched his killing move.
"Your Majesty, today's disaster is due to improper preparations by the military department, negligence in defense, and chaotic deployment in the face of the enemy."
Zhou Yanru's action was like a signal.
There was a tacit agreement with the Ministry of War to review Xiang Yu's actions immediately.
"Your Majesty, today the Eastern captives are rampant because all the armies are depleted and there is no imperial court. In the past when Shizong killed a single Ding Rukui, all the armies were frightened and they all fought to the death. The powerful Tatar enemies were afraid and fled because of this. The situation today is just like in the past.
Without thunderbolts, the armies cannot be inspired."
Poor Wang Qia, the Minister of War, was stunned. He never thought that these people would actually take his own life.
Without waiting for him to make a decision, officials from Zhou Yanru and his group swarmed forward, speaking out in unison, and the mood was high. It seemed that without killing Wang Xia, they could not force Hou Jin to retreat.
Wang Qia was not good at speaking and was unable to resist the siege.
However, Han Xu, Qian Longxi and others were all silent, and no one came forward, allowing Wang Qia to fall into death step by step.
The most worrying thing is that Chongzhen did not show any expression amidst the criticism from the ministers. His face changed mood several times, and his gaze became more and more dangerous.
Finally, Chongzhen issued the verdict.
"Someone is here, put Wang Qia into a prison and interrogate him severely afterward."
"His Majesty……"
Wang Qia was lying on the ground, as if his heart was dead.
The Han general rushed up to him and didn't even give him a chance to speak. He took off his official uniform and hat and dragged him down like a dead dog.
This scene chilled many officials present.
Hou Xun stood among the officials and watched the entire process carefully. This farce-like scene made his anger uncontrollable.
"Your Majesty, Zhou Yanru, Xiang Yu and others are clever and sharp-tongued, specializing in criticism. At this time of crisis, if you don't think of serving the country and retreating from the enemy, but disrupt the government, your crime is inexcusable."
Hou Xun's appearance shocked everyone.
Because he and Zhou Yanru had a very good personal relationship and had frequent contacts. But on such an occasion, they completely fell out.
In fact, even Hou Xun himself didn't know that he had been deeply influenced by Zuo Menggeng, and his way of thinking had undergone a huge change.
If it were him in the past, he would never show up if he had no friendship with Wang Qia.
But after getting the overall response from Zuo Menggeng, Hou Xun couldn't help but feel sad when he looked at the people in the court.
What's the use of such a court that doesn't distinguish between good and bad, and keeps fighting among itself in times of crisis?
Zhou Yanru was called out on the spot and couldn't avoid it, and he was very angry.
"I am stupid. I don't know what the Minister Hou said. As a minister, I should speak up and help His Majesty distinguish between loyal and traitor, but I don't know what the crime is?"
Hou Xun is majestic and full of momentum.
"The Eastern captives are ravaging the capital, ruining the lives of the people, and the country is in dire straits. I dare to ask the Minister of Zhou, what is the strategy for retreating from the enemy?"
Zhou Yanru flicked his sleeves, his expression unchanging.
"I act as the Ministry of Rites and do my own thing. Why should I go beyond the policy of war and defense?"
Hou Xun shouted loudly: "You are neither in charge of the Ministry of War nor a general on the battlefield, so why do you talk about rewards and punishments?"
This moment forced Zhou Yanru into a corner.
You said that you are an official in the Ministry of Rites and cannot ask you about the war. Then why are you talking so boldly about the duties of the Minister of War?
In an instant, there was a lot of discussion in the court, and many people were pointing fingers at Zhou Yanru.
Of course, most of the criticism is not about his transgressions, but his villainous behavior.
Zhou Yanru's face turned red and he couldn't help asking: "Shilang Hou is a member of the Ministry of War, but he doesn't know what strategy he has?"
Hou Xun snorted coldly, stared at him for the last time, and then turned to face Chongzhen.
"Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to deal with the enemy first."
These words made Chongzhen quite excited.
Although what Hou Xun said just now was quite meant to excuse Wang Qia, but now that the court meeting was going on, facing Hou Jin's invaders, all the officials were like a coward, unable to come up with any solution, which completely disappointed him.
Now someone finally talked about strategies to defend against enemies. Regardless of whether they were right or not, at least Chongzhen must reward this courageous spirit.
"Hou Qing, feel free to speak your mind."
Hou Xun took a deep breath, straightened out his thoughts, and then started.
"Now Governor Yuan is returning to the army for rescue. The journey is long and arduous. However, reinforcements from Xuanfu, Datong, Shanxi and other places will arrive soon. Without a co-ordinated plan, the armies will be in chaos and may be defeated individually by the Eastern captives."
His words made Chongzhen frightened, and then he realized that he had overlooked something.
He had previously given an order to Yuan Chonghuan, asking him to quickly return reinforcements.
But now Zunhua, the main road from Shanhaiguan to Beijing, has been captured by Houjin, and Yuan Chonghuan must go around Yongping and Yutian.
No one can guarantee whether they can reach Jizhou before Hou Jin.
If Yuan Chonghuan fails to occupy Jizhou first, he will have to choose a route to march again. By then, reinforcements from all walks of life have arrived, who should he listen to?
Hou Xun said again: "Your Majesty, it is a good idea to revive Sunge Lao. However, Sunge is far away in Gaoyang. Even if he runs at full speed, it will take some time to get back to the capital. We will discuss countermeasures and purge the armies, and the delay will be even longer. At that time,
The overall situation has collapsed and may be difficult to recover.”
Hou Xun first affirmed Chongzhen's approach of recalling Sun Chengzong.
In fact, faced with the critical situation of the late Jin Dynasty's troops pressing down on the country, apart from Sun Chengzong, the Manchu Dynasty could not find anyone else who could coordinate and command the various reinforcements.
The only problem is that Sun Chengzong is now in his hometown in Gaoyang County, Baoding Prefecture.
The old man was nearly seventy years old. Even if he rushed all night, it would still take three days to reach the capital. It would take seven or eight days to discuss strategies with Chongzhen and straighten out the situation and relationships.
But the question is whether Houjin will give Daming seven or eight days to prepare.
Obviously, judging from Houjin's speed, it is impossible for Ming Dynasty to have such a long buffer time.
Chongzhen understood it, and so did the ministers.
For a moment, everyone was helpless and could only place their hope on Hou Xun.