A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 384 Great Change
"Isn't Li Zunzu here yet? It's time to arrive..."

Amidst the gunfire all over the sky, Zhu Yousong stood on a high building, looked into the distance, and murmured to himself.

Li Zunzu, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong, still has an elite force under his command. Although it cannot reverse the general trend, it can at least make the capital hold on for a little longer.

The eunuch accompanying him hesitated to speak.

Li Zunzu will probably never come again.

What he was thinking now must be whoever wins the battle, whom should he surrender to? Since he has tens of thousands of soldiers and horses commanding all the lands in Liaodong, everyone has to win over him.

Why didn't Emperor Hongguang know this? He just kept a glimmer of hope in his heart.

The capital's current defense strength is insufficient and can only rely on troops from various places to come for reinforcements.

Although the garrison in the capital suffered some losses in the last battle, they were quickly replaced.

But now, with the national treasury empty and unable to pay out money, no matter how many troops there are, it is useless. Even the soldiers in the capital began to flee one after another.

Everyone was silent for a while. They understand what Wei Zaode means, and none of you here are loyal ministers who are willing to die for the Ming Dynasty.

"When things change, you should also consider ourselves."

Later, he was blocked by Wang Chongzu's general Tian Jianxiu at Juyong Pass.

Sometimes, he didn't even want to count his troops. Every time he ordered an inventory of troops and horses, he could find a large number of non-combat attrition.

He had already begun to sell off his belongings in the palace to prepare money, but it was not enough at all.

By the time Wang Chongzu led the Shun army to the city walls of Beijing, the total strength of the Beijing army was only more than 60,000, and this number was still decreasing day by day.

Wei Zaode said calmly.

This fortified city that usually protected the Ming Dynasty had been breached by Dashun from within, and instead became a life-or-death line blocking the survival of the Ming Dynasty.

"I think there's no need to hesitate."

But having said that, if you stand up and express your attitude directly, you will be inferior and will be laughed at. After a long silence, Wei Zaode took the lead and said:
"His Majesty the Emperor Dashun has taken over a large area of ​​​​the country, and the people's wishes are the same. On the other hand, the land controlled by the imperial court is in a state of chaos, and the fate of destiny has been determined. It is not our wish to assist the holy king to bring peace to the world. ?"

"The capital cannot be defended for much longer. With such a fierce battle and the loss of troops and generals, there are only more than 40,000 people left in the capital army. All the nobles' servants have been killed and injured. It is only a matter of time before the city is defeated."

……

The morale of the soldiers has become increasingly low, and there is not much food in the city.

As a result, due to the Shun Army's attack, not much tax revenue reached the capital at all. Many were intercepted on the way, and some were not sent out at all. Now all the money in the treasury has been spent.

At night, a group of civil servants gathered in a secret room. The person in charge was Wei Zaode, who had just succeeded Chen Yan as the second assistant to the cabinet.

Hong Chengchou led more than 80,000 troops back to the capital to aid the capital, but his troops continued to flee during the march. By the time they entered Beizhili, only more than 60,000 troops had escaped.

But the gap in military strength is too big, and there is no money on hand to stimulate military morale. When the Shun army attacked, it was supposed to be the time when taxes from various places were transported to the capital. Although it was not much, there was still some.

The nobles sent their elite servants to increase the number of troops. These soldiers were all excellent people, well fed and well-fed, and dared to kill and fight. They curbed the offensive of the Shun army in a short time.

Relying on the capital alone, Zhu Yousong knew that there was a high probability that the capital would not be able to withstand this calamity, but the other places... were either overwhelmed by the military might of the Shun Army, or they were preparing to see the battle situation before deciding to join one side, and really rushed to the capital's aid. There are only a few armies, and the grand occasion of King Qin is no longer there.

After the words were spoken and an excuse was made, all the ministers also spoke in agreement:
"For what the people of the world want, it's time to change ownership..."

"I choose a wise master to serve, and I must not be foolish and loyal..."

So the plan was decided. Soon after, Wei Zaode sent out his confidants, secretly bribed the generals who defended the city, and took advantage of the darkness to escape from the city, entered Wang Chongzu's camp, and sent his letter, expressing his willingness to cooperate internally and externally. , seizing the city in one fell swoop.

Wang Chongzu looked at the letter and still didn't believe it, so he asked doubtfully:

"Your master is such a great official and has received so much favor from Emperor Ming. Why do you come to surrender to me?"

The steward said flatteringly:
"Your Majesty is the son of destiny. Wherever your sword goes, there is no one in the world who dares to do it. How can my master dare to go against heaven?"

Wang Chongzu laughed loudly after hearing this, and his doubts disappeared, so he agreed to raise a fire as a signal at the third watch, and the ministers would open the city and surrender.

At the third watch, the city guard general who had been bribed by Wei Zaode opened the gate of Beijing. A group of courtiers dressed neatly knelt down in front of the city gate to welcome the arrival of the Dashun Army.

The leader of the vanguard rode into the city. Seeing this situation, most of his suspicions were gone. After entering the city, seeing that the traffic was clear, all doubts disappeared. Overjoyed, he immediately sent out a signal to guide the army to come.

The solid city defense was broken. Although there were still more than 40,000 Ming troops in the city, there was no way to recover.

When Emperor Hongguang was awakened from his deep sleep, he saw flames shooting into the sky in Beijing, and shouts of killing were everywhere.

He knew the end had finally come.

A bitter smile appeared on his face and he drank the last glass of wine in his life.

"Good wine, good wine!"

He muttered, then closed his eyes.

Hongguang four years, the first month.

The city of Beijing was destroyed.

……

Yan Shizhao took one last look at the city of Beijing. Although it was far away at this time, he could still see the giant beast-like city under the light of the sky.

He has been under house arrest in his mansion for twelve years since his uncle's accident.

After the uprising in his hometown, the court's supervision became even stricter.

The emperor did not kill him, but he would not use him again. People from Chen Guogong's lineage could no longer be hired, and they were all under strict guard.

He thought he would die here of old age.

Unexpectedly, it would end like this in the end.

Someone around me urged:
"Mr. Chen Guogong, let's go quickly. The capital is about to fall. The army is in chaos and this place is not safe."

Yan Shizhao glanced at the people around him. Not long ago, during the chaos in the city, the Jinyi guards who were guarding them disappeared. Then they came to the door, claiming to be spies from the Intelligence Department, and were ordered to take their family to Dahua. towards.

Near the city gate, these people from the Intelligence Department took them into a tunnel. When they came out again, they had already emerged from the encirclement of Shunjun, and there were also carriages, horses and clothes that had been prepared.

"Let's go."

He turned around and led the crowd eastward.

There were ships waiting for them, ready to set sail.

(End of this chapter)