Without Zuo Menggeng's stimulation, Chongzhen's paranoia would have continued.
Just like in the original history, constant mistakes and blame-shifting eventually led to betrayal and separation.
All the huge empires were lost.
But Zuo Mengeng suddenly appeared, and the blade of the knife was already at his throat.
At the moment of life and death, the young emperor finally made a little progress after repeated setbacks.
Knowing that he couldn't do anything, he still shouted to fight and kill, and even tied up all the ministers and led him to fight personally.
Does he know the consequences of this?
Of course he knows.
And what he wants is not to be destroyed together.
This move...
It’s called advancing to retreat.
As the most domineering and violent founding king in history, Zhu Yuanzhang firmly imprinted his character on this dynasty.
Zhu Di completely learned from his father, which once again strengthened Ming's character.
As a person who would rather break than bend, and become stronger when encountering strength, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that people in the Ming Dynasty cannot lack integrity.
Especially the civil and military officials, as the pillars of the country, once they lack integrity, the Ming Dynasty will not be able to stand up.
Therefore, he has been focusing on shaping this integrity.
As a result, in the next two hundred years, loyal ministers and righteous men of the Ming Dynasty emerged in endlessly. Even when the Ming Dynasty fell, there were still countless people who chose to sacrifice their lives for righteousness.
But what Zhu Yuanzhang did not expect was that this approach would cause great trouble to future generations.
The dispute over the Great Ceremony certainly strengthened Jiajing's imperial power. But at the same time, the ministers who preferred to bend rather than bend began to alienate from the emperor.
Especially when dealing with state affairs, if anyone is a little weak to the outside world, he will be criticized immediately.
From reputation to body, complete destruction.
However, politics cannot always be rigid.
Politics is the art of compromise.
Whether internally or externally, means are the only way to safeguard national interests.
For example, at the beginning of Chongzhen's succession to the throne, if he could really lose face, he would adopt a policy of appeasement toward the late Jin Dynasty.
The spit and the face dry themselves, and the gallbladder tastes while lying on the firewood.
If we first concentrate all our efforts on solving the civil unrest in the northwest, and then we have no worries, then we can devote all our efforts to the whole country, I am afraid that a catastrophe will come soon.
However, Chongzhen, the emperor, had a good face, but the ministers of the Ming Dynasty were too hard-boned and did not allow him, the emperor, to show weakness.
As a result, Ming Dynasty was forced to live in a cocoon, trapped in a cocoon, as if stuck in a quagmire, sinking deeper and deeper.
This time, the crisis brought about by Zuo Menggeng made Chongzhen truly feel the disaster of annihilation.
He had to think about how to get out of the current besieged city?
Through the intelligence of Gao Qiqian, Zuo Liangyu, Wang Zhilong and Jin Yiwei, Chongzhen knew very well that among these opponents, although Zuo Mengeng was a rising star, his strength was also the most terrifying.
Naturally, the strategy of doing the easy things first and then the hard ones is the optimal solution.
But he thought of the virtues of the officials of the Ming Dynasty, and knew that once he showed his intention to compromise, people would definitely attack him and put him on the fire.
These officials are not good at work, but their words are excellent.
How to solve this situation, Chongzhen thought thoroughly during the moment when he pretended to faint.
The way he came up with was to lead his ministers towards the fire together, assuming a posture of perishing together.
He knew very well that these ministers were actually most greedy for life and afraid of death.
If he really wants these people to go out with him and go to the battlefield in person, I guarantee that many people will rack their brains to stop him.
In this way, the person who chose to make peace with Shandong changed from him, the emperor, to these ministers.
No matter what the outcome is in the future, no matter how much infamy he gets, he doesn't need to bear it.
Chongzhen's move of moving a thousand pounds with four or two hands was extremely beautiful, and all the ministers fell in love. On the contrary, they were lucky and felt that they had saved the crisis.
"Your Majesty, after deliberation, the candidates to go to Cangzhou are Zhang Sima, Zhang Duyuan and Fu Shilang."
Zhou Yanru and Wen Tiren jointly asked for an audience and reported the above list.
They are Zhang Fengyi, the Minister of the Ministry of War, Zhang Yandeng, the censor of the Zuodu Procuratorate, and Fu Shuxun, the minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs.
Zhang Fengyi is the minister of the Ministry of Industry, so he is in charge.
Zhang Yandeng was the head of the public speaking officials of the department, and was named deputy second. He was actually a supervisor, and was also used to silence the speaking officials.
As for Fu Shuxun, the minister of household affairs, it was for the 700,000 taels of tax silver.
Nowadays, the imperial court is in a dilemma, the world is huge, and the biggest thing is money.
Valley Pavilion
Without this money, the entire court would be shut down, and without Zuo Mengeng calling, it would probably be disbanded immediately.
However, this meaningful list is actually dispensable in Chongzhen's eyes.
He has left the problem to the officials. In fact, it is no longer important to him who to send to Cangzhou.
"allow."
Zhang Fengyi, Zhang Yandeng and Fu Shuxun, carrying the civil and military hopes of the Manchu Dynasty, left the capital with an air of rustling wind and cold water, and headed south to Cangzhou.
They didn't know what was waiting for them in Cangzhou, so they even wrote suicide notes for this purpose.
It's not that they are not afraid of death, but that many times, death is already the easiest.
When they die, they can still leave a name behind them, and their families can be preserved.
Otherwise, it will really be reduced to ashes and will remain in disgrace for thousands of years.
The situation suddenly became strange.
It was obvious that there was a rebellion that would threaten the capital, but on the surface the court was calm and never mentioned the crusade.
It's as if the rebellion was nothing.
Only the core figures in the DPRK knew that Chongzhen had sent a secret decree to Hong Chengchou, the governor of the three sides, and issued the sternest order.
Flood-limiting Chengchou must wipe out the northwest bandits in Shanxi within this year.
Jiangnan, Suzhou.
On a tree-lined path full of peach blossoms, a scribe ran very fast and finally rushed into a cottage.
"Mr. Ximing, urgent report from the north."
Inside the cottage, Zhang Pu and Zhang Cai were sharpening their articles.
From the fourth year of Chongzhen to today, the debate between Fushe and Liu Zongzhou, Huang Zongxi and others, represented by them, has become more and more intense, and the rhetoric of both sides has become increasingly explosive.
Zhang Pu and Zhang Cai enjoyed this kind of debate.
Because this has made them both more and more famous, what they want most now is to win the battle and then advance to the World Wen Sect.
Seeing Ji Yingzhong running in, the two of them couldn't help but stop writing. They didn't ask each other, they just waited.
Ji Yingzhong was out of breath from running, and he calmed down for a while before explaining the whole story with a green face.
"Shandong Zuomengeng expelled local officials for no reason, appointed additional officials, and treated Shandong as private property. Now that the news has spread, the world is in an uproar."
Zhang Pu was startled, and his face turned a strange mellow red color due to excitement.
His health has never been good, especially in winter, when he would cough continuously and almost couldn't survive several times.
It will only get better in spring.
But at this time, his body was still very weak, and he was still shocked when he suddenly heard such a big event.
Seeing that he was unsteady, Zhang Cai quickly supported him and spoke for him.
"How is this kind of behavior different from treason? I wonder if the court can make a judgment and whether it has already sent troops?"
Ji Yingzhong shook his head in despair.
"No troops were sent."
Zhang Pu had already recovered. Hearing this, he said anxiously: "Why didn't the imperial court send troops? What's the point of sitting back and watching the rebellion cause trouble in Shandong?"
Ji Yingzhong was speechless and unable to answer.
He was just an ordinary scholar, and he was far away in the south of the Yangtze River. He heard a lot about the situation in the imperial court and did not know the details.
On the contrary, Zhang Cai interacts with senior officials and dignitaries on a daily basis and knows more.
"The imperial court's troops are now either in Liaodong or Shanxi. There are really no troops left to send."
When Zhang Pu thought about the location of Shandong, his veins popped out and he was frightened.
"In this way, if Zuo Menggeng sends his army northward, wouldn't it mean that your Majesty and the imperial court are in great danger?"
Zhang Cai and Ji Yingzhong were as silent as stone, obviously having thought of this situation.
Zhang Pu couldn't sit still, and at the same time he felt that this was a golden opportunity.
"I, the scholars of our generation, have been taught by saints and honored by the emperor. Since the day we studied, loyalty and righteousness have been our flesh and blood. Now that the Ming Dynasty is in danger, how can we not shed our heads and blood? So what?
Cherish this body?"
After an impassioned speech, he shouted: "Come here, prepare your car. I will go to Nanjing to talk to you sirs."
Zhang Cai quickly grabbed him and asked, "Do you have any clever ideas?"
Zhang Puyi said righteously: "Since the imperial court is short of major generals, we in the south of the Yangtze River must shoulder the important task of protecting the country. We should mobilize all the troops from the south of the Yangtze River and go north to fight Zuo Mengeng to protect the imperial court."
Zhang Cai's heart beat wildly after hearing this.
Just rely on those weak troops in the south of the Yangtze River...