Ding Yunyi expanded into Luzon, and Chongzhen suffered from internal and external troubles. At this time, the bandit leaders Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others finally showed their ferocious minions again.
Many courtiers were well aware of the unprecedented crisis faced by the Ming Dynasty at that time, and some were deeply worried about state affairs. The one who was most under pressure from the comprehensive crisis was Emperor Chongzhen. Now he is working desperately to overcome this terrible crisis.
Struggle, but sometimes he still fantasizes about being a "Lord of the ZTE", and he often says so verbally. Although he dare not think about it, let alone talk about the possibility of national subjugation, this infinite worry deep in his heart and the frequent general
The pessimism aroused made him even more headstrong and cruel, and he would never allow any courtiers to criticize or hinder his actions.
In the Forbidden City, after all the civil and military officials were standing in line, a eunuch walked out of the Huangji Gate with a yellow silk whip in his hand. The whip was three feet long, three feet long at the tip, and three inches wide. It was stained with wax.
, with a foot-long red lacquered wooden handle, carved with a dragon's head, and painted with gold paint. He walked to the corner of Danchi and stood there, swung the silent whip, circled it in the air a few times, and lashed hard. The sound of the whip was clear and crisp, resounding through the sky.
After waving it three times, the eunuch put away his quiet whip, walked down to Danchi and stood still. Then, there was silence in the Meridian Gate, with a thick guard of honor and a solemn atmosphere.
After a while, the officer called, "Here we come!"
Chongzhen, wearing a Yishan crown, a round-necked yellow robe embroidered with dragons, and a sad look on his face, came out in a chariot surrounded by a large group of eunuchs in gorgeous costumes. There were four leaders from Hanlin, Zhongshu, Ke, and Dao.
The driving officials led the chariot out from the Huangji Gate, stepped back step by step, and guided the dragon chariot to the throne. All civil and military officials bowed their heads, not daring to look up. Chongzhen got off the chariot and ascended to the throne, which was commonly known as the Golden Platform at the time.
In front of him is an imperial desk with a yellow satin embroidered dragon surrounding the imperial desk. There is a small red lacquer railing three feet away from the imperial desk to prevent an official from kneeling on the ground to suddenly approach the throne and assassinate him.
After Xu sat down, three eunuchs, one holding a yellow satin umbrella cover and two holding two yellow fans, came up from the east and west sides of His Majesty. They stood behind Chongzhen. They held the yellow umbrella cover on the throne, and the two
He held the yellow fan crossed behind him and guarded his safety vigilantly. If he saw any of his ministers trying to assassinate him while performing in front of the imperial court, the two eunuchs holding the yellow fan only had to move their hands to strike an iron blow.
The coil would automatically fall down, revealing a sharp blade from the fan handle. It turned out that there were nine Jinyi warriors holding five umbrella covers and four round fans, standing behind and to the left and right of the throne. Later, because the emperor was not confident about the Jinyi warriors, he asked them all to stand.
Next to His Majesty Dan, standing behind and on the left and right sides of the "Golden Platform" are now only the most trusted deacons and eunuchs.
The official of Hongzhuang Temple, who had a dignified appearance and a loud voice, sang loudly: "Everyone is saluting!" Then all the civil and military officials faced the golden platform, and in accordance with the praises of the Honglu Temple official, they performed the usual ritual of bowing and kowtowing three times in a rhythmic manner, and then
The classes were divided into different classes. A Censor of Correctional Instruments knelt down and played:
"Today, Zhang Zhifa, the head of the Household Department, dropped his wat to the ground when he stood up. This is a breach of etiquette and should be questioned. Please give me your order!"
Chongzhen was tired because he had stayed up almost all night last night. He only whispered one or two words, and none of the ministers heard them clearly. There was a handsome man, wearing a round-collared red court dress, blue parrot patchwork, and a waistband.
The eunuch who was inlaid with a gold belt and was responsible for publicity to the court took a few steps forward from the throne. Like a woman's voice, he announced the decree loudly:
"The Emperor's decree: I don't think he did it unintentionally, so there is no need to question him. He will immediately fine him three months' salary as a small punishment. Thank you!"
Chongzhen's hands and feet were trembling, as if he was very anxious. He absently saw an old minister in his sixties staggering out of the class. He knelt down and sang in a trembling voice: "This humble minister has violated the rules of the class and deserves death."
Your Majesty's heavenly grace is so great that without severe punishment, it will be difficult to repay the lives and deaths of humble ministers. I sincerely thank you for your kindness!" Then he shed tears and shouted in a trembling voice: "Long live! Long live! Long live!" Chongzhen was still absent-minded, with a look on his face.
There is no other expression except the original melancholy look.
When Zhang Zhifa stood up to thank him, Chongzhen's eyes were sweeping towards the class of civil servants on the left. He did not see Xue Guoguan, the chief minister, and understood that he was "registered" at home because he was impeached. Another Honglu Temple official knelt down
In front of him, the names and numbers of the civil and military officials who thanked and kowtowed outside the Meridian Gate today were announced to him. At the same time, an accompanying eunuch unfolded a red paper list and placed it on the imperial desk. He only glanced at the list, and then
He looked outside the Meridian Gate. Because it was far away from the Meridian Gate, he only saw people kneeling outside the door openings on the left and right.
The Honglu Temple official immediately stood up, took a few steps back, faced the Meridian Gate and shouted: "Thank you outside the Meridian Gate, bow to the officials and salute!"
When the civil and military officials outside the Meridian Gate were performing five bows and three kowtows to him from a distance in accordance with the praises of another Honglu Temple official, he looked outside the Meridian Gate again, then raised his head and looked at the afternoon.
The city gates and tall buildings of the gate. The dark clouds were low and the thunder could not stop. He suddenly repeated the vague hope that often floated in his heart and dreams: If Yang Sichang could succeed and capture Zhang Xianzhong and Li Zicheng and liberate the capital, he would lead the prince
How wonderful it would be to go to the morning gate with the other princes and be "captured"!
As usual, Chongzhen didn't pay much attention to the routine rituals of the five government offices, six departments and other yamen officials. He was about to announce the punishment of Xue Guoguan to the ministers when he suddenly heard the faint sound of noisy voices coming from a distance.
It was an extremely rare phenomenon near Chengtianmen. He guessed that it must be the "ignorant people" from Jifu and Shandong who wanted to see him and refused to leave. He couldn't help frowning and feeling angry in his heart, thinking: "They actually
Dare to resist the decree and still stay in the capital!"
But he did not forget to let his subjects see him as "the king of Yao and Shun", so he endured the anger in his heart, called the minister of household affairs and the ministers to him, and said slowly with a compassionate look:
"I have always loved the people like a child. In some states and counties, the disasters are too severe. Please consider the situation and whether the money and food should be reduced or exempted. Let us discuss and report in detail." Following a gust of southerly wind, the faint voices of people from the east Chang'an Gate continued to be heard.
He couldn't help but ask: "Are the people outside here the people who submitted the letter?"
Li Daiwen, the Minister of Household Affairs who was kneeling on the ground, raised his head and said: "They are the common people in Hejifu, Shandong Province. Due to the severe disaster, the conscriptions continued. They came to the capital to express their gratitude to God, exempt them from conscription, and provide immediate relief."
Chongzhen frowned again, was silent for a moment, and said to a eunuch standing beside him: "Go and pass on the imperial edict orally: I already know what the people have said. I know the suffering of the people well. I will never allow the local officials to do anything else.
As for the relief work, we have ordered each department to handle it as soon as possible without any delay. The people are told to return to their hometowns as soon as possible, and are not allowed to stay in the capital, causing trouble, causing violations of law and order, and living up to my great grace."
He immediately called the Wufu, Jiuqing, Ke, and Taoist officials to come to him. In an instant, the summoned courtiers knelt outside the small railing in front of the imperial case, not even coughing softly. His face was particularly cold and filled with emotion. He was angry. There was a murderous look on his brows. All the civil and military officers knew that he was moody, so they lowered their heads and waited for unexpected events. Some timid courtiers could not help but have their calves trembling slightly. It was already bright, and the dark clouds were thicker than before dawn. , lower, pressed against the ridge of the Five Phoenix Tower. There was a dull thunder in the sky. He looked up to the sky, glanced at the ministers, and said:
"I asked you to discuss how to deal with Xue Guoguan. I saw what you said after the discussion yesterday. It was quite lenient and appeasement. Xue Guoguan is the chief minister and cannot assist me in rejuvenating the government. He regulates Yin and Yang and assists me in revitalizing the country. Instead, he pursues private interests. Bribery, what's the point? He should have been questioned and handed over to the Three Justices for serious discussion. Guess his other evil deeds are not obvious. He is about to be removed from his position and he is not allowed to stay in the capital. In the future, you must not imitate this. What he looks like!”
All the civil and military officials kowtowed and returned to the court. Some courtiers originally had many important things to report in person, but seeing the emperor so angry, they fell silent. There was a moment of silence. Chongzhen was about to retreat when suddenly the sound of people in the distance came. It was even more noisy, and it was also mixed with crying. He was very angry, glared, and said:
"Where is the Imperial Guard?"
Wu Mengming, the envoy of Jin Yiwei, immediately walked out of the class of military ministers and knelt in front of him. He first said with emotion to the ministers:
"Since I ascended to the throne, I have respected Heaven and Father, worked diligently and loved the people. I have always taken the heart of Yao and Shun as my heart, and made sure that benevolence and virtue are spread all over the world. Because of the national affairs, I have no food and clothing, and I always want to make the world early. Seeing the peace, the common people went to the polls early. The taxation department is heavy today, so we have no choice. I don't want the common people to only look at the immediate suffering and not think about my eternal country." He turned to Wu Mengming and said, "Go and take a look. Look, I have told the people not to make any noise. If you still dare to disobey, you will all be taken away!"
Those more than a thousand people's representatives who made the emperor angry had "went to Fuque to express their gratitude to God on their knees" from unknown day. They knelt at the right gate of Chang'an and then at the left gate of Chang'an. They could not get the mercy of any minister who accepted their memorial. This book was sent to the emperor. They could only see the Waijinshui Bridge and the Huabiao in front of the bridge, and even the Chengtian Gate could not be fully seen. When they went to court, they heard three faint quiet whips, and then everything was silent. It seemed like the Forbidden City was A very deep sea, and they are far apart overseas. Chang'an Gate, Chengtian Gate, Duanmen and Meridian Gate, each gate is a mountain that cuts off the coast, which is daunting and cannot be crossed. People's legs are numb from kneeling, Knee pain. Some people have to sit down, but most people are still kneeling.
Some people thought about the tragic situation in their hometown, cried out in despair, and shed tears silently in despair. More and more passers-by gathered, and hundreds of people gathered behind them. Some were just watching the fun, while others expressed deep sympathy and continued to express their sympathy. There were whispers on the ground. There were several quarrels because the Jinyi Banner School guarding the left gate of Chang'an wanted to disperse the people. Suddenly, a eunuch came out and shouted in a high voice: "There is a purpose!"
Everyone who was sitting quickly knelt down, and even those watching the excitement hurriedly knelt down because they couldn't avoid it. After the eunuch passed the "imperial edict" orally, he turned around and left. Some people knelt behind, panicking in their hearts, but they didn't Listen clearly to the content of the "imperial edict" and just listen to "I appreciate this" and that's it.
But most people heard it clearly, and when the eunuch left, they couldn't help crying.
An elderly man suddenly felt his heart skip a beat, jumped up suddenly, grabbed the memorial and held it in his hands, and chased towards the left gate of Chang'an, shouting loudly:
"Eunuch! Eunuch! Please take pity on the little people..."
The eunuch didn't look back and walked away. Suddenly a hand grabbed his chest clothes and pushed hard, pushing him five feet away. He fell on his back and fainted. Several people rushed forward to save him.
, some people went to pick up the memorial on the ground. The Jinyi Banner School was afraid that the common people would rush to the left gate of Chang'an, and raised sticks and swords to drive the people back. The citizens of the capital who stood watching from a distance were used to seeing the Jinyi Banner School casually commit crimes.
Beating and arresting people, shouting "Hitting! Beating!" while fleeing in all directions, causing chaos on East Chang'an Street and shops closing one after another. It happened that the patrol censor led a group of soldiers from the Bingma Division
He arrived and drove the panicked, angry and desperate people outside Zhengyang Gate.
When Wu Mengming, the Jinyiwei envoy, walked out of the East Chang'an Gate, the people who had "Fu Que submitted the letter" had been dispersed, leaving a few broken shoes and torn memorials on the ground. He ordered a Jinyiwei commander and comrade to lead the Jinyi Banner School to join the five cities
The military commander had to come to Beijing to send a letter to Shandong and the people of Jifu were expelled from the inner and outer cities.
When Wu Mengming walked down the Danqi of Huangjimen, Chongzhen was about to retire. Suddenly, an old minister in his fifties came out from the class of civil servants and knelt down outside the vermilion railing in front of the imperial case. Chongzhen saw that it was the minister who had gone to court the day before.
Huang Daozhou, who objected to the increase in training pay and attacked Yang Sichang, immediately became angry. Before the veteran minister could open his mouth, he asked sternly:
"I have read your memorial. Is there anything else you would like to report?"
Huang Dao Zhou Fu said: "The humble ministers ask the emperor to stop the military training and pay, punish Yang Sichang severely to thank the world, spread a lenient and benevolent government, and heal the broken hearts."
Because Chongzhen was angry, his hands and feet became even more erratic, saying: "Because of the captives, the bandits are rampant, and the soldiers are short of soldiers, so last year I had to use the advice of my assistant Yang Sichang to increase the number of training. Why don't I love the people like a son? Why don't I not love the people deeply?
Do you know the suffering of the people? However, if you don't recruit and train new soldiers, you can't train new soldiers. If you don't train new soldiers, you can't suppress the rogues internally and defend the Eastern captives externally. Therefore, we have no choice but to adopt Yang Sichang's suggestion and temporarily suffer our people. As ministers, what should I do?
In this difficult time for the country, I have failed to be pragmatic and work in vain to attack the sweat, which is deeply disappointing to me. Today, I have been supervising the division outside, soaking in the rain and wind, and working hard. It turned out that the nine gangs of bandits in Fang County have already disappeared one after another.
Please surrender. After the defeat of Manao Mountain, the Xian bandits have become fish in the bottom of the cauldron. They and Luo Rucai are trapped in the area of western Hubei and eastern Sichuan and cannot escape. Li Zicheng is still besieged in Shangluo Mountain and will be annihilated soon.
Disharmony and constant restraint will definitely make the great task of suppressing thieves fall short. You said in your message the day before yesterday that Yang Sichang's proposal to increase the training salary is poisonous to the world. How can such a wanton attack be for the sake of the country?" He turned to the ministers and continued:
"I sincerely hope that civil and military ministers, whether in court or abroad, can work together as one, and never set up separate factions and only work in vain."
Chongzhen thought that his words would stop Huang Daozhou from fighting with his court and prevent other courtiers from speaking up. But Huang Daozhou was neither persuaded nor subdued by him. Huang Daozhou's character was very stubborn, and
I have been familiar with Confucian classics and history books since I was a child. I just wanted to be a loyal minister and imitate those ancient people who dared to speak out and remonstrate. I regarded the words "Literary advice to the death, military force to the war" as the golden rule of being a minister. I like Su Wu's poem "
"You will die in battle if you are an official." More importantly, he came from a poor family and was often denounced, being close to the lower class of the landlord class.
The imperial court implemented the "one-whip" method of collecting money, collecting the money from the peasants and all the exorbitant taxes and taxes. Most of the big landowners were from the families of the wealthy gentry. They not only enjoyed the right of immunity, but also could use the government and willing officials to cheat.
Part of the burden of land tax is passed on to the powerless small and medium-sized landowners. This class and farmers with small amounts of land are not only targets for expropriation and expropriation by the government, but also targets for large households to acquire land and wells. Coupled with wars and natural disasters, they are in trouble at any time.
The possibility of degradation, even bankruptcy and death and displacement.
This class, plus farmers with a small amount of land, is second only to tenant farmers and farm laborers in number, so their movements will affect the survival of the Ming Dynasty. Emperor Chongzhen regarded the wealthy gentry and large households as the backbone of the country, while Huang Daozhou regarded small and medium-sized landowners
In addition, farmers with small amounts of land are regarded as the backbone of the country.
The "little people" he refers to refer to these two classes of people, who are directly responsible for the increase in land tax. (You are welcome to come and your support is my biggest motivation.)