The atmosphere in the palace was like New Year's Eve, with happy smiles on everyone's faces.
Even those eunuchs and maids who usually live a cautious life have become more courageous. They don't have to worry about being severely punished for making small mistakes. Even if they accidentally make some mistakes due to carelessness, the eunuch in charge will only scold them a few times.
Even the guilty concubines who lived in the cold palace and the palace maids who were punished to do laundry in the laundry department also had their food conditions improved, and were given some coal for heating stoves and even some reward money.
And this is the change that victory brings.
When an institutional unit or national system continues to achieve victory, the rulers and managers will be generous and benevolent. However, if there is often bad news of failure, the ruler will often be harsh, violent, narrow-minded, and become terrible.
Tyrants are possible.
Because human nature is often like this. If you can't win externally, you can only strike hard internally. Chongzhen had such a character in the past and received a lot of criticism. However, this was not his shortcomings alone, but the shortcomings of a considerable number of people.
It’s just the commonality.
Now the rogue bandits have been hit harder than ever.
At least half of the strategy of suppressing bandits formulated last year has been achieved, and there is still a lot of tens of millions of money and food left, which has not been spent. It will definitely be more than enough to continue to encircle and suppress the remaining bandits. The great problem of rogue bandits in the Central Plains has been basically solved.
eradicated.
Of the three major dangers of the Ming Dynasty, only Jiannu and Xujiazhuang remained.
One of the three mountains was successfully solved, leaving only two.
How can Zhu Youjian not feel happy and relaxed?
but……
He was happy for two or three days.
On the morning of the twelfth day of the first lunar month.
Zhu Youjian was stunned by the collective impeachment of civil servants.
The object of impeachment was not him as the emperor, nor Xu Jiazhuang, who was often targeted, but the three generals of the imperial court, Yang Yufan, Wang Hong, and Deng Qi, and Lu Xiangsheng, the famous prefect and military commander of the Tianxiong Army.
what happened?
These generals clearly fought a great victory, so why were they impeached?
"Your Majesty, the great victory in Taihang Mountain was not at all like what was reported on the front line. It was the result of three general soldiers and Lu Xiangsheng colluding with Xujiazhuang to cooperate. Xujiazhuang provided money, supplies, and troops. The three general soldiers and Lu Xiangsheng commanded
Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses were willing to degenerate into merchant thugs. Driven by Xujiazhuang, they not only arrested and captured the bandits, but also captured a large number of good people and took advantage of their merits. They captured all the people in the Taihang Mountains and paid them all for thirty silver dollars.
The old, weak, women and children were sold to Xujiazhuang as mining slaves for ten silver dollars. The so-called annihilation of more than 500,000 bandits was actually the capture of more than 500,000 good people. This is the truth of this great victory!"
"The three generals Yang, Wang, and Deng, together with Lu Xiang, did not want to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, but had other ideas. They were bewitched and driven by Xujiazhuang. In the name of combating bandits, they carried out human trafficking and harmed the gentry and common people, forcing several people to do so.
One hundred thousand good people are enslaved. In the Taihang Mountains, countless soldiers and civilians are crying, and countless villages are ruined. It is a heinous crime to deceive the people and deceive the emperor! Your Majesty, please send officials to thoroughly investigate this matter and save the people of Li from misery!"
"Your Majesty, this matter is not a trivial matter. They colluded with businessmen, harmed the gentry and common people, and took credit for their good deeds. What Yang, Wang, Deng and other generals have done is shocking. They are like treason. Please call them into the capital as soon as possible.
, were taken for interrogation, and the military inspector Lu Xiangsheng was also taken down. Once it is proven that they have collusion with Xujiazhuang, they will be severely punished, and the three clans will be punished for treason and their property will be confiscated!"
"Thieves are also innocent. It is undeniable that the three generals have exterminated some bandits and made some achievements, but most of them are still ordinary people, good citizens loyal to His Majesty. Now they have become Xujiazhuang's mining slaves. If they are not dealt with properly,
Your Majesty, the imperial court will lose the support of the people and the consequences will be endless!"
"Your Majesty, please send out capable generals to investigate thoroughly, and we must not tolerate adultery!"
"Today Xujiazhuang bribes the soldiers and horses of the imperial court, and tomorrow he can bribe hundreds of officials and imperial guards in the palace. He can bribe the country of Ming Dynasty. This is a more despicable and sinister plan of Tian Chen Dai Qi."
"If these traitors to the imperial court are not severely punished, the Ming Dynasty will be in danger!"
"Your Majesty, please send someone to investigate thoroughly. If it is true, those who colluded with Xujiazhuang will be severely punished!"
"..."
In the court, the civil officials launched the most violent impeachment campaign.
Moreover, it provided a lot of shocking revelations, confirming that Xujiazhuang was involved in this war and played a leading role. As a mere businessman, he used money and materials as inducements to allow tens of thousands of elite troops from the imperial court to obediently become
He became the eagle and dog chess piece of Xujiazhuang and served the interests of Xujiazhuang, turning hundreds of thousands of good people of the Ming Dynasty into victims, causing the Taihang Mountains to become a no-man's land.
Shock.
Chongzhen was extremely shocked.
Although the evidence held by the civil servants is not particularly sufficient, it has shown a large number of clues, is sufficiently convincing, and makes sense logically.
Thirty silver dollars for a young man.
Ten silver dollars for an old, weak, woman or child.
Faced with such a considerable amount of real money and silver provided by Xujiazhuang, how could the imperial army not show active performance and explode with astonishing combat effectiveness?
There seems to be a huge trick in the so-called Taihang Mountain victory. Even though the rogue bandits suffered a huge blow, was this kind of victory what Chongzhen wanted to see?
Could it be that the court benefited the most, not Xujiazhuang?
More than half a million good people were all reduced to Xujiazhuang's mining slaves. Isn't this a huge loss for the Ming Dynasty? From this perspective, the Taihang Mountain Victory was a great victory for Xujiazhuang, but it was a real victory for the Ming Dynasty.
Big defeat!
Thinking of this, Zhu Youjian couldn't sit still, and the joy that was originally filled with joy completely dissipated.
"Fellow ministers, what should we do about this? Do you have any strategies to deal with it?"
In a panic, Zhu Youjian had no choice but to stand up and ask the civil servants how to respond.
"We should send a special envoy to Xujiazhuang to negotiate and let them return these people."
"Stop suppressing the bandits for the time being. First dispatch an elite army of 200,000 to destroy Xujiazhuang in one go!"
"Yes, Xujiazhuang allowed 40,000 imperial elites to obey his orders with a little inducement. If we continue to tolerate it, will there still be troops loyal to the imperial court?"
"There will definitely be a battle between the imperial court and Xujiazhuang, but time is not on the imperial court's side. We should prepare early, otherwise when Xujiazhuang launches, the imperial court will be unable to resist."
A small number of civil servants still use the same old theory of killing and attacking first, which constantly creates a state of anxiety.
Zhu Youjian said that he could give them this opportunity, send them to Jiangnan to deal with Xujiazhuang, form an army to destroy Xu, and entrust them with important tasks.
"Ahem, I'm old. I don't know anything about military affairs, and I don't have the talent to serve as the governor of Jiangnan."
"Your Majesty, I need 30 million money and food and 300,000 troops to be 30 to 50% sure."
"Destroying Xujiazhuang is not difficult, but it takes ten years of planning, ten years of accumulation, ten years of hard work, and a total of thirty years to succeed."
When they heard that the plan was coming, these civil servants no longer dared to talk, and began to emphasize the practical difficulties, even inconsistencies, and confusing logic.
Most of the civil servants mainly targeted the three generals of the imperial court, Yang Yufan, Wang Hong and Deng Qi.
"Your Majesty, there is nothing we can do in Xujiazhuang for the time being, but what can we do about Yang, Wang, and Deng, generals like Yang, Wang, and Deng who are eating the royal salary but betraying the interests of the Ming Dynasty? Please issue an order immediately to summon the three generals back to Beijing, and then
Immediately seize the house, convict and behead him as a warning to others!"
"Yes, as long as the punishments are severe and the people like Yang, Wang, and Deng who have been exploiting others are killed, the later generations will not dare to follow suit, thus cutting off Xujiazhuang's ability to deceive the imperial soldiers."
"From now on, if Xujiazhuang confuses and bribes one of them, we will kill one of them and see how many heads that are not afraid of death will pop up!"
"As long as all the generals who collude with Xujiazhuang are killed, and all the people who are trying to exploit others are dug out and dealt with, Xujiazhuang will not get enough refugees and miners, and its development will slow down. This is the most feasible way to weaken Xujiazhuang.
"
"The famous name Lu Xiangsheng was also beheaded. Although this man is capable, he is also a civil servant. Anyone who has anything to do with Xujiazhuang will be killed and will not be tolerated!"
The civil servants said with murderous intent, which made the other generals and warriors tremble.
That's right.
The idea of the civil servants is very simple: they have nothing to do with Xujiazhuang, but they cannot control Xujiazhuang. Isn't it easy to sanction and punish those military attachés and generals who cooperated with Xujiazhuang?
You can't spank other people's children, but you can spank your own.
Moreover, this method can also create a chilling effect, making military generals afraid to have anything to do with Xujiazhuang, thereby achieving the purpose of weakening and restricting Xujiazhuang.
I heard this suggestion from civil servants.
Zhu Youjian was very hesitant.
He was inclined to adopt this suggestion and immediately recalled the three generals Yang, Wang, and Deng to the capital, and then imposed punishments such as confiscation of homes and extermination of clans. This was because the generals in the court colluded with hostile forces. In the eyes of any emperor, this was an offense against the generals.
Taboo, something intolerable!
but……
The three commander-in-chiefs had just made great achievements and had revealed their flying skills to the world. However, they were suddenly recalled and all imprisoned. How would the world's public opinion view this?
Furthermore, Daming and Xujiazhuang are not publicly declared enemies at present, but have a lot of cooperation. Once they capture the three generals and the famous prefect Lu Xiangsheng, will Xujiazhuang regard them as unfriendly behavior and take action against them?
Sexual action?
Therefore, despite all the hostility of the civil servants, Zhang Fengyi, Minister of the Ministry of War, had no choice but to stand up and advise:
"Your Majesty, the three generals and Lu Xiangsheng have an elite army of 40,000 in their hands. They have cooperated deeply with Xujiazhuang and made huge profits. They have long won the hearts of the soldiers. The imperial court urgently summoned the three generals back to Beijing.
I'm just afraid of arousing suspicion, and Xujiazhuang's intelligence gathering ability is very strong. I'm afraid that what was discussed in the court today has been known to Xujiazhuang, and they can inform the three generals at any time, so that they will be so frightened that they might just betray the court and join Xujiazhuang.
In his arms, if the pressure is more urgent, the three generals and Lu Xiangsheng will fight against each other, and the strength of the 40,000 elite troops will be much stronger than the 500,000 rogue bandits."
"I hope Your Majesty will think twice. This matter should be dealt with slowly and carefully. If you act on impulse, it will only ruin this hard-won situation."
Hear this.
Zhu Youjian calmed down quickly and even broke out in a cold sweat. Yes, once he acted impulsively according to the suggestions of the civil servants and used Xujiazhuang's magical methods, the court would never gain any advantage.
"Retreat!"
Zhu Youjian, who had hurriedly ended the court meeting and felt his mood hit the bottom like a roller coaster, immediately sent someone to call Fang Yizhi and Xujiazhuang commercial representative Qichunnian. He wanted to personally negotiate and question: Xujiazhuang colluded with the imperial army and committed wanton crimes.