I really don't want to be emperor at the end of Ming Dynasty

Chapter 378 How can such a great Ming Dynasty survive?
Chapter 378

On the seventh night of September in the ninth year of Chongzhen, the main force of the Ning Haijun Guards Brigade arrived at the gate of Yongping Fucheng. Later, the main force of the Eighth Brigade arrived at the gate of Yongping Fucheng at noon on the eighth day of the lunar month. At this time, two Ning Haijun Guards gathered at the gate of Yongping Fucheng. The reorganized brigade has a total of fourteen regiments with a total of more than [-] troops.

Before Cheng Shijie had time to order the storming of Yongping Mansion, he saw Zhu Guozi, the garrison officer of Yongping Mansion, being bundled into rice dumplings by the defenders and sent to Cheng Shijie.

"Cheng Shuai, I am willing to surrender and invite Cheng Shuai to enter the city!"

"Enter the city, my commander enters the city, shall I break the cup as a signal, and all swordsmen and axes will come out!"

The guarding generals looked at each other: "We don't dare!"

Speaking of this, the defenders of Yongping Mansion walked towards the outside of the city. They were very conscious and threw the weapons in their hands on the ground. After a while, the weapons outside the city piled up into a hill.

Cheng Shijie looked at this scene with both chills and anger.

"Report!"

Cheng Shijie followed the prestige.

A messenger cavalryman came a dozen steps in front of Cheng Shijie, dismounted, and handed a piece of information into Cheng Shijie's hands.

Not saying it out loud can only mean that this is bad news.

Sure enough, as Cheng Shijie opened the intelligence, he saw that Guan Ning's army successfully captured Zunhua at all costs and adopted the method of attacking the city with ants. However, although Guan Ning's army broke through the city wall, Lei Shisheng and Chen Yongfu remained calm. Command, use the advantages of terrain and weapons and equipment to inflict a round of large-scale destruction on Guan Ning's army. The Guan Ning's army's offensive has been higher and higher, but it has never been able to achieve a breakthrough.

Cheng Shijie sighed. Guan Ning's army had already broken through the city, which meant that Zunhua City was almost doomed. Even if he flew, he probably wouldn't be able to fly to Zunhua. I guess Lei Shisheng, Lu Xiangsheng's confidant general, would also...

"Wu Sheng!"

"The end is here!"

"You lead the Eighth Brigade, advance at full speed, and attack Zunhua..."

"Report!"

At this moment, Cheng Shijie received another bad news.

The vanguard of the Qing army's Zhenglan Banner, which consisted of less than a thousand men, arrived in Jizhou early. Jizhou was an important military town of the Ming Dynasty. Even though the Northern Expedition almost emptied the capital's army, there were still six thousand Ming troops left in Jizhou. There are also fortified city cannons, which are enough to withstand for a while. The problem is that this Ming army has no intention of resisting at all. The Qing army immediately opened the city and surrendered as soon as it arrived, which really made it difficult for them to take two to three hundred lives to win this fortified city. The Qing troops in the city were shocked.

Taking Jizhou means that the east gate of Beijing has been knocked open. The Qing army quickly rushed in along this gap, destroying the city and the stronghold along the way. The Qing army's Zhenglan Banner and more than [-] Mongolian troops have cleared the way from Jizhou. All the obstacles leading to the capital were spread out like a huge iron pincer, one reaching Tongzhou and the other reaching Changping. All the Ming troops surrendered one after another.

"Go forward quickly, target the capital, you don't have to worry about the way back, I am behind you!"

"Yes!"

Regardless of their fatigue and lack of men and horses, Wu Sheng's troops headed southwest and headed directly to Jizhou.

Now, the residents of Beijing can already hear the sound of rumbling guns from afar.

Extreme panic spread like a plague. After all, less than seven years had passed since the Battle of Bokukou. The scene when the Qing army's cavalry marched across the capital and their butcher knives rolled into people's heads was still fresh in the memory of Beijingers. Out of fear, many people dragged their families home. He fled Beijing with his mouth and some meager property, struggling to escape south.

Everyone knows that Beijing may not be able to hold on any longer. If they continue to stay here, there is only one way to die, and they don’t want to die!But there are also a lot of people pouring into Beijing. Most of them are scholars, gentry, and outdated feudal princes from all over the country. These guys flock to Beijing from all over the country like vultures smelling the stench of rotten meat.

The fall of the Ming Dynasty and the rise of the Qing Dynasty seemed to have become a foregone conclusion. They all rushed over to attend the funeral of this aging empire, and at the same time, they tried their best to see if they could find a way in the new dynasty.

Some self-proclaimed guys are busy writing and writing, racking their brains to provide their upcoming master with a clever plan to rule the country and bring peace to the world, so as to be reused and gain eternal fame. In teahouses and restaurants, under the shadow of solitary lamps and candles, guidance is everywhere. The figure of Jiangshan Jiyang's words and the fanatical and joyful atmosphere made the people of the capital at a loss.

The Ming Dynasty had supported them with its own blood for nearly 300 years. Now that the Ming Dynasty was about to die, shouldn't they find a way to turn the tide? How come the slaves hadn't even been brought in yet and they were thinking about how to contribute to the new master?We, ordinary people, have endured hardships and exploitation for nearly 300 years, just to support these wolf-hearted things?

Everyone sets their sights on the Forbidden City.Now Emperor Chongzhen's whereabouts are unknown, his life and death are uncertain, and the whole country is leaderless. However, the prince who is the supervisor of the country has not shown up. Only the queen and the prince come out to listen to the government behind the curtain can this extremely chaotic situation be controlled!

But, why haven't the prince and the queen shown up?
Beijing's east Zhimen, Bei Xiaojie, and Bei Juxianfang are known among the people as Mr. Wang's Hutong, which is named after Wang Cheng'en's residence.

When Wang Chengen arrived in the capital with his troops, he tried to take the opportunity to enter the Forbidden City. Unfortunately, the Forbidden City was now too tightly sealed and they had no chance to penetrate the imperial city.In desperation, Wang Chengen had no choice but to lead people into the mansion.

He took advantage of the darkness under the lamp. Although Wang Chengen's mansion was a single-family house, in fact, the three adjacent alleys in this alley were all entrances and exits. They could enter the mansion through secret passages.

In order to prevent others from discovering that someone is living in this mansion, all the windows are covered with black cloth. In this way, lights can be lit inside without being discovered, and even eating is done in the surrounding houses. , brought here through the secret passage.

But the behavior in the Forbidden City was too weird.

"Father-in-law!"

Wang Chengen looked at the man in front of him dressed as a beggar who was about 50 or [-] years old. He was the eunuch beside Cao Huachun. His original name was Liu An, and his surname was later changed to Cao. He was Cao Huachun's most trusted godson. "How is it in the palace? What happened?"

Cao An said: "My lord, if you are not in the palace, I'm afraid you can't even dream about what happened inside! The gang of thieves in the cabinet mobilized all the elite soldiers from the capital camp, surrounded the imperial city, and even blocked everyone in the palace. Most of the palace maids and eunuchs have been replaced. Now their eyes and ears are everywhere in the palace. There are guards everywhere. The Queen, Concubine Tian, ​​Concubine Yuan and several other highnesses, as well as the adoptive father, are following their every move. Under surveillance, you can't go anywhere! These treacherous officials and traitors are simply crazy!"

Wang Chengen roared angrily: "You actually bully the harem like this while the emperor is not in the palace? These treacherous officials and traitors all deserve to die! By the way, are the Crown Prince and the Queen okay?"

Cao An smiled bitterly and said: "It's okay for the time being. It's just that now the cabinet and the beasts from Taiyuan College are starting to force her to make the third prince the emperor!"

When Wang Chengen thought about it, when such a big thing happened in the capital, it must be legitimate for the crown prince Zhu Cixiang to come out to take charge of the overall situation. Before Emperor Chongzhen's Northern Expedition, Zhu Cixiang was the legitimate prince to supervise the country. There would be no problem even if he ascended the throne.But the biggest problem is that Cheng Shijie is his teacher, which is a scene that civil servants do not want to see.

Therefore, the officials and censors wrote letters every day, preparing to make the third prince Zhu Cijiong the crown prince. However, they knew that Zhu Cijiong was born on August [-]th, the fifth year of Chongzhen. Now he has just turned three years old and cannot even walk easily. What is the intention of a three-year-old child who can barely walk as the new king taking charge of the overall situation?
Wang Chengen was furious: "Establishing a third prince? Are they crazy! Although the life or death of the emperor is uncertain, the prince is still there. If we really want to establish a new monarch to take charge of the overall situation, we should let the prince come back and ascend the throne. It's hard to find a way to establish a new prince." What a kid!”

Cao An sneered and said: "Establish a new monarch to take charge of the overall situation? They are not so kind! They want to establish a new monarch. After Jian Nu enters the capital, they will hold a concession ceremony and abdicate the throne to Chief Hongtai Nanu!"

"Concede...concede! What a concession, it's a shame they thought of it! Their decades of sage books have all been read to their stomachs! Where is the Queen? Have you agreed?"

Cao An shook his head: "Your Majesty has no answer. She just said that the emperor is alive and dead, and the prince is still here. There is absolutely no reason to establish the third prince as the new king. If a new king is to be established, the prince should inherit the throne! The emperor and his ministers are pressing forward step by step. , and even threatened the lives of several of your highnesses. As a woman, I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold on for much longer. My lord, you have to think of a way quickly, otherwise it will be too late!”

Wang Chengen had no choice, he only had [-] cavalry around him.

Ning Haijun's personal guard Wang Shouyi, who was following Wang Chengen, said: "My lord, as long as you can bring the queen and the prince out of the Forbidden City, the general can lead them out of the city!"

Wang Shouyi belongs to the Supervisory Army of the Ning Haijun Supervisory Military Road Office, and his rank is not low. He is now a Metropolitan Supervisor. Knowing Chen Guodong's deployment in the capital, there are six to seven hundred rocket shells. If used properly, he can definitely open a gap. .

Wang Chengen fell into deep thought.

As the saying goes, when a country is about to perish, evildoers will appear.

A country can perish, and the nobles and relatives who live with the country must be the emperor and courtiers of the same dynasty. Their wealth and glory will disappear with the demise of the dynasty.

Just like during the Sui Dynasty, how could Hongnong Yang, Wu Zetian's mother Yang, who was a relative of the emperor, marry the warrior Yi as his wife?What is the family background of the Hongnong Yang family?What is the family background of Samurai Yu?Not to mention filling in the family, even if Li, the Duke of Tang Dynasty, wanted to marry the daughter of Yang, Hongnong, it would be a high-profile undertaking.

But the problem is that when the Sui Dynasty fell, the phoenix of the Hongnong Yang family was no better than a chicken, and the wife of the warrior Yu died. Li Yuan casually married Yang Da's daughter to the warrior Yu. This was actually a humiliation to the Yang family, but the Yang family also Just admit it.

Fortunately, Zhou Kui's daughter was already the Empress of the Ming Dynasty. He actually persuaded Empress Zhou to make the third son of the emperor Zhu Cijiong the crown prince.

This kind of weirdness and short-sightedness is probably unprecedented.

Queen Zhou was trying her best to suppress the anger in her heart, her voice trembling slightly: "Dad, please stop talking. This matter is absolutely impossible, and I will never agree to it even if I die!"

Zhou Kui's gray beard trembled and he shouted: "It doesn't matter if you die, don't implicate our Zhou family! Now the Qing army has reached the outskirts of the capital, and you are still so stubborn. It is simply hopeless! Now the entire capital The danger is high, the Ming Dynasty is about to fall, our Zhou family is in catastrophe, the only way out is to appoint the third prince as the new king, and then become the emperor. Only in this way can we save you, why don’t you understand now!"

"You want to preserve the prosperity and wealth of the Zhou family, right?"

Queen Zhou suddenly stood up and pointed at Zhou Guozhang, Wen Tiren, Wang Yingxiong and other important ministers, "You... and you are all rebellious officials and traitors! You are full of benevolence, justice and morality, and you keep pleading for the people, but you say one thing and do another! That's right! Internally, you have no ability to allow the people to recuperate and make the country prosperous and strong. Externally, you have no ability to defend the enemy from outside the country and avenge the national humiliation. You only strive for power and gain, and corrupt and pervert the law! Your Majesty is really blind when he uses you group of hypocrites to govern the country!"

Wen Tiren shouted: "Demon Empress, how dare you utter such arrogant words even when disaster is imminent? If you hadn't used your sweet words to confuse the Holy One, how could the Holy One have so hastily launched the Northern Expedition, leading to the annihilation of the entire army! You single-handedly destroyed hundreds of thousands of Ming Dynasty's war-ready soldiers. As a result, the enemy troops are approaching the city and the country is about to be destroyed. You just don't know how to reflect on it, but you are still here talking nonsense and confusing right and wrong?"

Queen Zhou's eyes almost burst into flames: "Wen, please don't spit on others! Ask the people in the palace if I have ever had a say in any major national affairs!"

Wen Tiren sneered, and all the civil servants sneered, looking at Concubine Yuan as if they were looking at a fool.Have you ever interjected, did you charm the Holy One and bring about the disaster of the country? When will it be your turn to have the final say?

For thousands of years, it has been them with pens who have the final say, okay?This big country will die immediately. It will definitely not work if no one takes the responsibility. And this responsibility must not be shouldered by gentlemen like them. The final solution is to do what the predecessors of the Xia Dynasty, Shang Dynasty, and Western Zhou Dynasty did. The blame has been placed on the "beautiful woman", and Queen Zhou seems to be a good choice!

Queen Zhou's pretty face turned pale, her expression frightened, she took two steps back and whispered: "Yes, you still have some skills...the ability to bully women! Colluding with foreign enemies to sell the entire country in exchange for their own glory and wealth, and then charged All of them are blamed on women, and the root cause of the country's subjugation is attributed to the disaster of beauty, passed down from generation to generation until everyone is convinced... That's all you have, bah!"

Wen Tiren said pitifully: "Empress, don't you think you talk too much? Women who talk too much never end well! Someone, take the Empress down and let her calm down!"

Immediately, two powerful palace guards came in. One of them held up Queen Zhou with one hand and dragged her out.Empress Zhou knew that these jackals had murderous intentions, and she would not be able to survive once they were dragged out. She struggled hard, but how could a weak female prostitute be a match for two palace guards with strong martial arts skills?
Queen Zhou was dragged off her feet from the ground. No matter how much she struggled and kicked, it was to no avail. She screamed and screamed: "Come here, help me! Someone save me!"

The third prince Zhu Cijiong in Queen Zhou's arms was so frightened that he cried loudly, and the whole palace was in chaos.

Empress Zhou laughed wildly: "These are the ministers of the Ming Dynasty! These are the pillars of the Ming Dynasty! With such talents, how can the Ming Dynasty not be destroyed!"

"Stop, stop!"

Zhu Cixiang shouted hysterically at the crowd. Of course, everyone also shouted at Zhu Cixiang. They saw that Zhu Cixiang was holding a grenade in his hand and he was pulling the string. Under his large dragon robe, there were actually four people tightly tied up. grenade.

PS: I have a splitting headache and feel very uncomfortable, so I’ll leave it at that for now. Sorry, I originally wanted to finish writing it in one go.

(End of this chapter)