Traveling through the Ming Dynasty, as soon as you open your eyes, you will die

Chapter 46 Banquet Platform
  The Forbidden City was built to highlight the majesty of the royal family, and the concave shape gave people a huge sense of oppression. Wu Sangui, who was kneeling on the Meridian Gate Square, felt insignificant in the face of his imperial power. It was as if there were mountains pressing down from three sides, and he involuntarily pushed his body downward again.

The high and mighty Chongzhen stood upright again, raised his thin head high, and then slowly stretched out his hand: "Ping Xibo, please go down without any courtesy."

Wu Sangui kowtowed: "I thank the Lord for your kindness." Then he stood up, and then bowed again and said: "My Lord, King Qin is late, and he is guilty of death. Please be punished by the Emperor."

Chongzhen said slowly: "Ai Qing came to the capital all the way to work hard for the king, and his hard work has made great achievements. He has been rewarded for his crimes. He was rewarded with a python robe and a jade belt, a banquet was given on the platform, and all the ministers accompanied him."

Platform is not Taiwan, it refers to Jiying Palace. The most famous event in history is that Platform Zhao versus Yuan Chonghuan opened the fast track to the demise of the Ming Dynasty.

It is very common to give banquets to ministers. However, giving a banquet on the platform and being accompanied by all the ministers is not a matter of decision-making. This is the highest level of honor.

Wu Sangui was really moved this time. He couldn't help but knelt down and kowtowed again, shouting with a trembling voice: "My lord, thank you for your kindness."

At the end of the review, Wu Sangui took off his armor and put on a python robe and jade belt, and entered the Jiying Hall.

The Jiying Hall is vast and towering, and each pillar must be embraced by a person to support the gorgeous dome, which seems to support the sky and the universe.

There is no Danque, only a one-step-high platform, and Chongzhen is sitting on it waiting. This is the origin of the platform. The atmosphere here is much more relaxed than in other temples.

Here, the banquet is ready.

This banquet is not a shared table, but a separate table. There were not many ministers, only one hundred and forty or fifty, and they seemed scattered and empty in this huge space.

It's not that they weren't invited, it's just that the officials in the court fled and died.

Below the emperor's platform, the first person on the left hand is King Ding, and the first person on the right hand is empty, which is reserved for himself. The second on the left hand is the chief assistant, and the second on the right is his father Wu Xiang, which shows that Chongzhen attaches great importance to Wu Sangui.

Wu Sangui knelt down and worshiped again. Chongzhen said kindly: "This is not a royal court, so there is no need to be polite. My dear, just sit down without courtesy."

One sentence made Wu Sangui feel that Chongzhen at this time was different from before.

The tone was no longer cold and serious, but full of intimacy and calmness. This made Wu Sangui look at Chongzhen carefully. He suspected that the person sitting on it was not the emperor, but another person.

He walked up to his father, asked him to sit down, and changed seats with him.

Wu Xiang said with a smile: "This is the court. You and I are not father and son, but colleagues. The emperor's arrangement is to get closer to you and not to let down the holy grace."

Wu Sangui then walked to his position and handed over his hand again: "Your Majesty——"

Chongzhen no longer had the dead face of the past. Although he was still thin, he waved to him with a faint smile: "My dear, you have come from afar to work hard. Let's not talk about state affairs for now and concentrate on the banquet.

Wu Sangui temporarily put aside what he was about to say, picked up the wine glass, and raised it to Chongzhen: "I thank the emperor for the banquet, and I wish the emperor long life."

The ministers stood up and toasted together.

Chongzhen picked up the wine glass and said with a smile: "My dear friends, drink with me." Just taste it briefly.

Wu Sangui paid such three respects, and after completing the etiquette, the banquet became more lively because of the three drinks.

Putting down the wine glass, Wu Sangui turned sideways and said kindly: "Aiqing is a martial arts examiner in the first year of Chongzhen. She is my true favorite disciple."

Wu Sangui bowed and replied: "Yes. After I passed the martial arts exam, I was promoted and used by the emperor many times. I remember the holy grace in my heart, and I think about how to repay him every day. Now that your father is worried, you should save your father's troubles regardless of life and death. " Chongzhen nodded: "Very good. It has lived up to my expectations. This time, half of Guan Ning was transferred to the pass. It was really out of help. With the arrival of Aiqing, the morale of the people and the army will be completely stabilized."

This time Wu Sangui entered the customs reluctantly. It's not that he really has any objections. He quietly negotiated peace with the Manchus just to avoid fighting. At this time, he didn't want to surrender to the Qing Dynasty yet.

The reason why he hesitated to come was because he was afraid of the bandits.

In the seventh year of Chongzhen and the tenth year of Chongzhen, Guan Ning was transferred twice to 40,000 troops to fight against the bandits in the northwest. As a result, the 40,000 soldiers were constantly consumed and the entire army was wiped out.

At that time, the rogue bandits were still weak, and their combat power was already this. Now, with millions of rogue bandits pressing down on the territory, just thinking about it makes one's scalp numb.

When the world was in turmoil and the waves were strange, what he wanted to do was to wait and see with self-respect.

What he didn't expect was that in order to meet his own departure expenses, Chongzhen, who was even poor and began to beg for food from ministers, would suddenly have money. The prince personally supervised the division. When he arrived in Yongping, he paid the envoy fee and rewarded him. For a time, the troops were at odds with each other.

And Zhao Youhu, the deputy commander-in-chief who had always been loyal to the Ming Dynasty, ignored his repeated attempts to stay and obeyed the imperial edict. In the blink of an eye, he separated half of his soldiers and followed the prince back to Shanhaiguan. In this way, the way back was blocked, which put him in a dilemma. I can only move on slowly.

On the way, he received a secret report from his father. The forbidden army in Wuxiang wiped out all the elite Li Yan, and then took over Liangxiang to annihilate all Li Guo. Only Li Guo's hundred horses were spared. Then he took over Wuxiang, and defeated Li Guo in a battle with King Ding. The 40,000-strong army destroyed half of the enemy and forced the rogue bandits back to Henan.

And his father Wu Xiang secretly told him that Li Zicheng's million-strong army was blocked at Zijingguan by the fierce British general Liu Mao. The imperial court sent additional troops to Liu Mao twice and paid him, so it would be impossible for Li Zicheng to invade the capital, at least for a short time. . The capital still has 60,000 imperial troops that have been reorganized and are still unused, and 30,000 imperial guards are also ready to fight and swear allegiance to the death. It is possible for the Ming Dynasty to survive and come back to life.

This kind of news gave Wu Sangui two insights.

First, the bandits are not as scary as they thought.

Second, the imperial court still has a capable and usable army in its hands.

If he hesitates any longer, the court may become angry and punish him. Now that the prince is in charge of Shanhaiguan, he cannot return, and there are still powerful soldiers in the capital, so he will be in danger.

Only then, urged by his father's secret message, did he rush to Beijing to see what would happen next.

As a result, as soon as he entered Beijing, Chongzhen wanted to review Guan Ning. As a result, instead of reviewing Guan Ning, he asked Wu Sangui to enter the city to observe the army.

After watching the army in Chang'an Street, Wu Sangui completely gave up all ambitions and knelt down to worship Chongzhen.

Seeing that he was so convinced, Chongzhen said a little showily: "At the beginning of this month, Li Chuang's rebels invaded the country with a million troops. It was all thanks to King Ding who collected ample military pay, reorganized the forbidden army, and recruited volunteers from the people to make up for the shortfall. Then he marched out with his army, fought in succession, and drove out the rogue bandits from Zhili in the south. The danger in the south was alleviated."

Wu Sangui rushed to Wang Shili and said: "Your Majesty is really a genius, no less talented than Gan Luo and Zhou Yu. I admire him."

Lu Mou smiled calmly: "Uncle Miao, it's just a matter of having strong soldiers and soldiers using their lives."

He is not arrogant in victory but not discouraged in defeat. He has the demeanor of a general. He doesn't violate the rules, doesn't take credit, and has a kingly mind. This young prince has a future. This Ming Dynasty may really be reborn in his hands instead of the emperor's.

This is Wu Sangui's definition of King Ding in front of him.

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(End of this chapter)