The most powerful patriarch in the late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 204 The end of an era
Chapter 202

"What time is it, still wearing this kind of clothes, quickly, change into ordinary clothes."

The rebels are about to hit the capital,
The Great Ming Dynasty is at stake, but the three sons are still in Huaguan robes,

As exquisite as attending a big banquet,
For a child as old as Prince Zhu Cihong,

Either to help support the family, or to mount a horse to kill the enemy,
But in the eyes of Chongzhen, the prince is still a child.

Chongzhen repeatedly reduced the expenses in the palace, and the empress also took the lead in weaving to save expenses.

But Chongzhen was very kind to his children, and the expenses of all expenses were not reduced.

Like all parents in the world,
I would rather bear hardships myself than give the good to my children.

Zhu Cihong, Zhu Cizhao, and Zhu Cijiong quickly knelt down and obeyed the order.

Chongzhen suddenly said with a serious face: "Change into ordinary people's clothes. It doesn't matter if they are worn out, just clean. Prince, Yongwang, and Dingwang, you three remember, after changing your clothes, someone will take you out of the capital."

"When you are outside the palace, if you see an elder, you will call him old man, and if you see a young woman, you will call him aunt, so don't reveal your identity easily, as it will bring danger."

"The capital has been defended, and I will send someone to pick you up when you come back"

"If the capital falls, you are Daming's last hope. You must contact loyal ministers and righteous men to regain Daming."

"If God's will tricks people, and you fall into the hands of thieves, remember, don't lose the face of the Ming clan."

"Do you still remember the ancestral training?"

"Remember" Zhu Cihong, Zhu Cizhao, and Zhu Cijiong said in unison: "No land, no vassal, no tribute, no peace, the emperor guards the gate, the king dies!"

Chongzhen turned around, unable to bear to look at the three sons again,

Afraid to see it again, let the tears in my eyes fall,
He waved his sleeves: "Go, after changing clothes, go out from the side door, and leave immediately, don't tell anyone, and don't need to go to the harem anymore, I will explain it for you."

"My son obeys the order."

After his sons all retreated, Chongzhen turned around and said to Wang Chengen, "Chengen, leave and accompany me to patrol the city."

The rebels are about to approach the city, but the capital is empty like never before.
Soldiers who died died, those who fled fled, those who surrendered surrendered,

Chongzhen knew that no dynasty used eunuchs to guard the city,

Over 270 years since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there have been sixteen emperors.
I have tried to survive many times, but this time, I am afraid it will be difficult.

Chongzhen suddenly wanted to see the capital he had ruled for 16 years,

Take a good look at what it looks like now.

Turned around on the city wall, encouraged the soldiers, brave, loyal ministers and eunuchs who guarded the city,
When he returned to the palace, Chongzhen's face was so gloomy that he was about to drip water.

There are brave men,
There are high-spirited people,

But most of them are distracted, panic-stricken people,
Many people are still as skinny as a stick, as if they can't hold their weapons steadily.
With these people, the capital might not be able to defend.

At this time, the intelligence system has not completely collapsed.
The situation related to Li Zicheng was sent to Chongzhen one after another.

Li Zicheng's troops have assembled outside the city, ready to attack the capital at any time,
The commander of Jin Yiwei sent Tuo Yangxing to report to Chongzhen: "Your Majesty."

Seeing Tuoyang's speechless appearance, Chongzhen sighed and said: "Luo Aiqing, what time is it, what can I say, I forgive you for your innocence."

"Minister Zunzhi" Tuo Yang said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the Empress led people to inspect the palace, ordered the National People's Congress to open the gate of the palace, and persuaded concubines, maids and others who have a way to escape."

"The matter has come to this, let her go," Chongzhen said with a tired face.

Empress Zhou once hinted that Chongzhen moved to the south,

Chongzhen broke her mind without even thinking about it.
Now that the building is about to collapse, I don't care so much.

If you can't keep it, you should give these people a chance,
Keep it, as long as you give a will, everyone can come back,

Now that disaster is imminent, Chongzhen decides to pamper this wife who has been in love with each other for a while.

"Ministry of obedience"

For the great Ming Dynasty, Chongzhen also went to the ancestral temple to worship the ancestors in person,
Pray for the blessing of the ancestors.

It's a pity that the ancestors didn't seem to show their spirits,
It's getting worse,
Some soldiers secretly opened the gates of the city and let the bandit soldiers enter the city.

Soldiers still loyal to the court refused to surrender,

Desperate to resist,

Anyone with a discerning eye knows that the fall is only a matter of time,
It was late at night when the news reached the palace,

Chongzhen couldn't sit still more and more, the more he thought about it, the more irritable he became,

When you think of the bandit army capturing the mansions of vassal princes everywhere,

When the prince was cooked like a pig and sheep, and his wife and daughter were thrown into the military camp,

Chongzhen couldn't sit still any longer, he stood up abruptly,
Lifting the sword, I first came to the Kunning Palace of Queen Zhou,
Looking at her husband with the sword, Queen Zhou, who knew Chongzhen like the back of her hand, immediately knew what he wanted.
Hanging up the white silk with her own hands, she said with tears in her eyes: "The concubine has served the emperor for so many years, and the emperor has never believed in the concubine. If he could listen to a word of persuasion, he would not be where he is today."

"The concubine is the mother of a country, so she can't bring shame to the Ming dynasty. Forgive the concubine for not being able to serve the emperor."

After Queen Zhou finished speaking, she resolutely kicked away the standing stool,
Suicide by hanging.

Chongzhen looked at the struggling wife on the white silk,

Not a word was said,

Turn around and leave Kunning Palace silently,
After coming out of the Yikun Palace where Concubine Yuan Gui lived, Chongzhen's sword was dripping with blood,

Concubine Yuan Gui didn't have the courage to hang herself, and Chongzhen killed her with a sword.

Not only concubines, but also daughters cannot fall into the hands of thieves,

So as not to humiliate the Ming clan,
Chongzhen was like crazy, he killed his concubines when he saw them,

Six-year-old Princess Zhaoren,
Chongzhen covered her eyes with one hand, and stabbed the sword into her daughter's heart with the other.

Princess Changping cut off only one hand because of a momentary soft-heartedness, and couldn't bear to use the sword again.

left to fend for itself,

They kept killing until dawn, and Chongzhen didn't kill many people with him.

At this time, I could vaguely hear the shouts of the rebel army,
Chongzhen asked the eunuch who had been by his side to ring the bell,

I want to discuss with my courtier how to deal with it,

After knocking for a long time, there was not a single courtier.

Only Wang Cheng'en, the eunuch who guarded the city, took the initiative to ask for his sword.

"Where are people, where are my subjects?" Chongzhen roared like thunder.

"There is no one else." Wang Chengen knelt on the ground and said in tears: "The dead die, the fleeing ones, the surrendering ones, even Luo Yangxing has turned to Thief Li. Your Majesty, let's go. Let the green hills stay. I'm not afraid that there will be no firewood. If you don’t go, it’s too late.”

Wang Chengen wanted to kill the enemy, but he was powerless.

Chongzhen stared at Wang Chengen and asked, "Chengen, why don't you leave?"

"The slaves are deeply favored by the emperor, and they swear to be loyal to the emperor to the death." Wang Chengen said firmly.

"Haha, hahaha" Chongzhen turned around, dragged his sword forward and walked forward, laughing loudly as he walked: "In the year 270 of the foster priest of the Ming Dynasty, the last one who stayed by my side turned out to be an eunuch, which is sad and ridiculous. "

Seeing Chongzhen leave abnormally,
Wang Chengen didn't dare to neglect, and followed behind to protect without saying a word.

Two days later, Chongzhen's body was found on Longevity Mountain, hanging himself on a tree with a crooked neck,

The eunuch Wang Chengen committed suicide and followed him with death.

Chongzhen [-]th May [-]th,
The Ming Dynasty died.

While Li Zicheng was busy interrogating the stolen money in the capital,

In a mansion in Yiju,

Duo Duo is hosting a banquet for Abate.

When Abate arrived with his confidants,
The lamb has been roasted, the beauties have danced,

It's only mid-May now and the weather is already hot,

Plus the fire that roasted the fat sheep,
Wendu will make people uncomfortable,

Dodo sent people to search for ice kilns among the rich households in the city,

Take out the ice, put multiple basins of ice around to cool down,

When Abata entered, he didn't feel any heat,
This made him very satisfied.

Fat sheep, fat cattle, musk deer hunted on the road,

There are also good dishes made by chefs who can cook Mingcai,
Abate is very satisfied with eating,

During the banquet, Duoduo invited Abate to drink many times,
Said that this time to hunt in Daming, everyone has gained a lot,
It was Abatea who led well,

Unexpectedly, Doduo, who was aloof in the past, had to be polite to himself at this moment,
This road is also opened by the people of Duduo,
Abate felt exasperated.

I'm in a good mood, and I've had a good drink,

After drinking, I have a big tongue when I talk,
"Fifth brother, don't worry, Brother Seven will help you if something happens in the future." Abatai said boldly.

Duoduo said with a smile: "Help me? I'm afraid I can't help you."

Every time I drink, Duduo and Abatai are different from cup to cup.

Still very sober.

"Why can't I help you?" Abatai said carelessly, "Although I'm just a small flag owner of the Zhenglan Banner, the Emperor appreciates me and makes me a great general. I've been handed over to the customs and I've gained a lot. Get rewarded."

After Huang Taiji came to power, in order to appease people's hearts,
Many brothers are crowned princes and county kings,
But Abate is still Baylor,

This made him very dissatisfied,
Fortunately, Huang Taiji promised to perform well this time,
Will be promoted to the county king.

Duoduo said seriously: "Because you are going to die."

Abatai froze for a moment, but soon burst out laughing: "Haha, hahaha, fifteenth brother, you are getting better at joking, I understand, I understand, did you choose a beautiful one for your seventh brother?" Woman, it makes me so happy."

Dodo also laughed out loud, tears were about to fall from the laughter,
After laughing, his face suddenly sank, and he shouted loudly: "Come on, do it."

As soon as the words fell, a group of knives and axes rushed in outside.

As soon as he rushed in, he launched an attack on Abate and his men without saying a word.

When Abatai saw the bright scimitars, he still couldn't believe it.
until he was stabbed,

Only then did I realize that Dodo was not joking,

If he hadn't blocked it with his hand, that knife would have killed him.

"Duoduo, are you crazy? I am your seventh brother"

"If you dare to plot against me, you won't be afraid that the emperor will execute you?" Abate picked up a stool and resisted desperately.
He reprimanded loudly.

Duoduo sneered and said: "Idiot, Shengjing is gone, Huang Taiji is dead, Daishan has surrendered, so where is there any emperor?"

"Didn't you ask me why my raised Hai Dongqing suddenly came here and told you that it was my second brother who sent me information?"

"Why does this king open the way for you, a bastard, that is the messenger I intercepted and killed Huang Taiji to deliver the letter to you?"

"After speaking, you can die."

As soon as Duduo finished speaking, Abate was shot in the forehead by a cold arrow.

He fell to the ground with a face of resignation,

To the end of my life, I didn't understand why Shengjing was gone and Huang Taiji was dead.

In less than a cup of tea, Abate and the confidants and guards he brought were all down in a pool of blood.

Many of them didn't even carry weapons,
I can't even figure out why Duoduo suddenly launched an attack,
At this time, the sound of weapons intersecting or screams came from outside.
It was Dodor's men attacking at the same time, seizing control of the army,
After receiving Huang Taiji's order, return to Shengjing to support the army at full speed,
When he returned to Zhili, Duo Duo had received a secret letter from Dorgon,
Hidden along the way, using their own identity and power,

People who secretly buy and win over other banners,

Find another reason to meet up with Abatai, and then kill him in one fell swoop.

The subordinates sent back messages one after another:

"Report, the Zhenglan Banner Department wiped out 100 people, and the rest surrendered"

"Report, kill 15 Xianglan Qizuo leaders, and submit all the rest"

"Report, the Hanzheng white flag and the Han inlaid white inlaid, took down the Han and Han blue flags"

"Report, Zheng Hongqi has put down his weapon, please give orders, master."

With good news coming,
Dodo slowly showed joy,

The Eight Banners Army that entered the customs this time is considered to be under control.

Although some people took advantage of the chaos and fled thousands of people,

Dodo doesn't care either.

As long as Huang Taiji is not around, no one in the Eight Banners is a match for his three brothers,
Besides, both the second brother and the eldest brother said that they took refuge in Fujian Governor Lu Changle,
A figure called God of War,

Some people also call him Pretty Yan Jun.

No matter what, Huang Taiji died too well,

Who made him keep suppressing himself,
I just doted on the wife of a slave,

Huang Taiji made a fuss out of a molehill,
Excuse the matter of fined silver and fined cows,
Now Dodo still holds a grudge,

After receiving Dorgon's secret letter, Dodo didn't hesitate at all,
Start planning your actions today.

When the camp returned to calm,
Some subordinates asked Duoyi for instructions on what to do next,
Duoduo said calmly, "The new master is already on his way, and he is on standby in Yizhou."

After finishing speaking, he quickly said: "From now on, without my order, no one can touch those captives. Anyone who disobeys the order will be beheaded!"

Outside Shengjing City,

Lu Changle stood on the Deshengmen tower that hadn't collapsed yet,

Watching teams of carriages drive away slowly,
On the carriage, some were sitting on the young children of noble families who had surrendered to the Eight Banners,
They went to Fujian as hostages to receive education,
Some carriages contained boxes of gold and silver goods,
Those were all looted by Jianlu from Ming Dynasty,
Lu Changle used a small part to buy people's hearts,
Most of the rest were shipped back to Fujian,
In addition, those Daming people who were taken captive to Jianzhou,
You can also go back with the team,
Of course, some of them have made their homes here and are familiar with Jianzhou.

He didn't want to go back, and Lu Changle didn't force it.

The convoy transported people and property to the Hunhe River for loading,
The boat goes forward along the Hun River, from Hun River to Sancha River,
The Sancha River flows down the river, and at the end is the East China Sea.
The Fujian Navy has been waiting long ago.

With the cooperation of intelligence tabloids, more ships were dispatched to deliver supplies,
Even the boats of Cheng's firm were dispatched,
With naval escort, people and materials can be transported directly back to Fujian.

Wait until the convoy goes far away and disappears,

Just as Lu Changle was about to go downstairs, he saw a carrier pigeon flying from the sky.
Lu Changwei put two little fingers in his mouth and blew hard, making a special whistle,

The pigeon circled twice in the air and landed on Lu Changwei's shoulder accurately.

Soon, a secret letter was handed over to Lu Changle.

Lu Changle opened it and saw that there was only one line on it: On May [-]th, Li Zicheng captured the capital, Chongzhen hanged himself, and died.

After reading the letter, Lu Changle let out a long sigh,

When Li Zicheng conquered Tongguan and attacked the capital,

Lu Changle received relevant information, and even Tang Tong knew that he had defected to the enemy.

Knowing that Chongzhen hanged himself sooner or later,
But seeing the news that Chongzhen hanged himself to death, I still have a very complicated emotion in my heart.

The wind and rain of the Ming Dynasty finally disappeared in the long river of history,

Because of my own appearance,
Compared with the original historical trajectory, it has been shortened by about ten months.

Perhaps, for Chongzhen and Queen Zhou, it was also a relief.

After Lu Changle sighed, he opened his mouth and gave an order: "Pass my order, people above Qianhu and Zuoling, hold a meeting in front of the Dazheng Hall."

(End of this chapter)