Before hanging himself, Chongzhen lifted the table

Chapter 70
Just after noon, all civil and military officials gathered on Chang'an Avenue outside Chengtian Gate and stood on the south bank of the Jinshui River.

Behind them, there were more than [-] cavalry troops gathered this time. They not only filled Chang'an Avenue outside Chengtian Gate, but also extended to Daming Gate, blocking the Central Army, Left Army, Right Army and The former Military Governor's Mansion and the gates of the Zongren Mansion, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Husbandry and the Ministry of Rites on the other side, all the way to the Daming Gate.

The spring breeze is biting, and it seems no different from the cold wind in winter, but the spring flowers are already in full bloom.

Perhaps it was during the court meeting the day before yesterday that the emperor went on a killing spree and still had some power. Although the emperor had not arrived, no one dared to whisper.

As for the cavalry officers, let alone that.

Every cavalry officer stood side by side with his beloved horse, wearing armor and fully armed. He stood as straight as a pine tree. Only when the horse snorted occasionally did there be any movement.

Originally, the emperor's personal expedition required a complete set of etiquette procedures, and the location was definitely not outside Chengtian Gate.

However, the current emperor is arbitrary and orders all civil and military officials to gather here.If it were in the past, there would have been civil servants admonishing him long ago.But this time, no one dared to say it.

After an unknown period of time, Emperor Chongzhen, dressed in military uniform, walked out of the Meridian Gate to Chengtian Gate, surrounded by Empress Zhou, Prince Zhu Cixiang and others.

All the civil and military officers and soldiers in the army shouted: "Long live my emperor, long live, long live!"

Amid the shouts, Queen Zhou, the Prince and others stopped at the Chengtian Gate. Only Emperor Chongzhen continued to ride forward slowly on horseback.The sun shines on the iron armor worn by the emperor, reflecting the dazzling light, truly like the arrival of the son of heaven.

When he stepped into Chang'an Avenue and came to the middle of the civil and military officials, Emperor Chongzhen reined in his horse and stopped. Looking at the civil and military officials kneeling on the ground, he did not let them stand down. Instead, he shouted loudly, which was heard in all directions.

"There is great chaos today, the people are in dire straits, and all lives are in ruins. Why is this happening?"

As soon as he spoke, the civil and military officials who heard him felt their hearts tighten.Everyone continued to lower their heads, and no one dared to raise their head to look at the emperor.

Emperor Chongzhen began to drive his horse forward slowly again, looked down at the civil and military officials kneeling on the left and right sides, and continued to shout loudly: "In the 46th year of Wanli, there was heavy snow in Guangdong. After that, the weather became colder in the Ming Dynasty, with floods in the south and drought in the north, which continues to this day, and even This will be the case for many years to come, this is a natural disaster..."

Hearing this, the civil and military officials couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. From what the emperor said, it seemed that it was caused by a natural disaster, so it would be okay, as it wouldn't kill people again, right?

However, they had just breathed a sigh of relief when they heard Emperor Chongzhen change his tone, his tone became more severe, and he shouted: "However, the chaos in the world today is caused by natural disasters, but it is also caused by man-made disasters. Li The thief was originally a postman, but he had no way of making a living, so he turned around and brought millions of victims to his current position. Listen to what Li thief said!"

"The king is not very secretive. He is isolated and has many fires. His ministers are all selfish, and they are less loyal to the public than the party. Do you hear clearly? This is an accusation against being an official!"

Naturally, the capital had already received Li Zicheng's message when he founded the country.Naturally, most of the civil and military officials present had seen it, and no one cared.But when I listened to the emperor excerpting this passage and saying that there were so many sycophants who took advantage of power, and that the courtiers pursued personal interests and formed cliques and rivalries, it suddenly felt very harsh.

Emperor Chongzhen stared at these civil and military officials on horseback and continued to shout loudly: "What do you mean by being an official? It is to report the kindness of the emperor and to care for the people! But what do I see?" The horse was pacing under his crotch. In the voice, slow but angry shouts resounded through Chang'an Avenue: "Officials, big and small, bully those below and hide from those above, use their power for personal gain, and line their own pockets. In local areas, instead of thinking about disaster relief, they add insult to injury, take the opportunity to annex grain fields, and squeeze the people; In the army, military pay is deducted or even emptied, and the soldiers are enslaved for personal use; in the court, the party is against the same party and does not care about business, and bullies the emperor. Although I am diligent, the country's affairs are getting worse. If Emperor Taizu hadn't suggested it, I would have been deceived and not aware of it. .”

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen had already driven his horse to the end of the team of civil and military officials. He easily reined in his horse and turned around to stop. He looked at the kneeling civil and military officials in front of him and saw them lying on the ground motionless one by one. His eyes showed coldness and he gave a cold drink. He said in a voice: "Everyone, get up and watch the end of these corrupt officials!"

He did not say "flat body", but spoke with anger. The civil and military officials did not dare to neglect and got up quickly, but still lowered their heads and did not dare to look around.

After everyone got up, Emperor Chongzhen nodded to Li Ruolian, the commander of the Imperial Guard who had been waiting for his signal in the distance.

So, Li Ruolian shouted, and then he saw two imperial guards dragging a prisoner out of Chengtian Gate. Prisoners one after another formed a long queue among the civil and military officials.

Every official knows these prisoners.Just a few days ago, everyone was in a high position and everyone was fawning over them, but now they are like dead dogs, with their heads hanging down.

These prisoners include: Wang Zhixin, the former eunuch in charge of the ceremonial department and the governor of the East Factory, Wang Dehua, the former eunuch in charge of the royal horse supervisor, Chen Yan, the former chief official of the Ming Dynasty, Wei Zaode, the former assistant minister of the cabinet, Luo Yangxing, the former commander of the Jinyiwei...

While the civil and military officials were watching, they saw a group of swordsmen and axemen following closely behind. They immediately took up their positions, raised their swords and dropped their heads. The heads immediately fell to the ground, staining Chang'an Avenue with blood.

At this time, Emperor Chongzhen no longer felt disgusted when he saw this scene again.He drove his horse forward on the bloodstains and came to the bank of Jinshui River again. He reined in his horse and turned around. He looked at the civil and military officials who were bowing their heads and shouted in a cold voice: "Corrupt officials will end up like this. I will never tolerate it."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at the officials below and saw blood flowing to the feet of some officials, but those officials did not dare to move. Then he spoke again, but his tone softened and he said loudly: "It is difficult for the country to recognize its loyal ministers, and I am also gratified. , after all, there are ministers who remember the original intention, report the kindness of the king, and care for the people."

Having said this, he looked at the chief minister. When Fan Jingwen saw it, he understood what he meant. He immediately stepped out of the queue and began to read the memorial inscription for Sun Chuanting that he had prepared before.

When the civil and military officials heard this, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. They should not kill anyone again.Then when I heard that the chief minister was reciting, many people, especially those who were loyal and righteous, were a little envious of Sun Chuanting for being posthumously awarded the title of Crown Prince, Grand Master, Minister of the Ministry of War, and the posthumous title of "Zhongjing". This would definitely leave his name in history!

After Emperor Chongzhen waited for Fan Jingwen to finish reciting, he once again drove his horse forward slowly, walking among the civil and military officials, and said in a deep voice: "I, Emperor Taizu, have made a suggestion and led the troops to fight in person, in order to restore peace to the world and revive the Ming Dynasty. Within the Imperial Ancestral Temple, we will build the Zhongxing Pavilion, Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangsheng, and whoever else comes after that, I will also watch."

When the civil and military officials heard that Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng were about to enter the Zhongxing Pavilion, they couldn't help but look up at Emperor Chongzhen. Is this true?

Emperor Chongzhen did not explain too much. At this time, he had already reached the end of the team of civil and military officials on horseback and the front of the cavalry soldiers.

He looked at the cavalry officers in front of him, drew his sword in his hand, and shouted loudly: "For the peace of the world, for the people to live and work in peace and contentment, and to protect the home and country, let's go!"

The sharp sword was swung out, and more than ten thousand cavalry soldiers responded in unison: "I obey the order!"

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(End of this chapter)