Chapter 28 2.And an army of five hundred thousand

The pond newspaper in Zhang Jinyan's hand was handed over by He Qian, the governor who is near Changping.As far as He Qian knew, not only did Datong fail to defend, but Yanghe and Xuanfu also fell into the hands of thieves one after another in recent days. Emperor Chongzhen, who had just issued an edict of sin against himself, suddenly darkened his eyes and almost fainted on the dragon chair. When Wang Chengen saw the sudden change in the emperor's face, he was taken aback. He quickly knelt up straight, looked up at the emperor, and shouted, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's the matter with you?"

But the emperor didn't answer his words, just stared blankly, like a statue, until Wang Chengen yelled three times in a row, and then he suddenly woke up, but before he answered, two lines of hot tears flowed down silently, with both hands Shaking all the time, he said: "Yanghe and Xuanfu have been important military towns in the past, and the cities are very strong, but now they are all lost, so what should I do?" Wang Chengen couldn't answer this question, so he had to say: "Zhang Jinyan is still outside the palace, why not call him in and listen to his ideas?"

Chongzhen said incoherently: "Yes, yes, quickly ring the Jingyang bell with me, call the assistant ministers, no, no, all the six departments and nine ministers will call with me—" First he called Zhang Jinyan, then he called his assistant ministers, and finally he wanted to call six ministers and nine ministers. Wang Chengen was at a loss as to what to do. He didn't want Chongzhen to say to himself: "Hey, what's the use of calling this group of people? Don't call, just let Zhang Jinyan come in." Zhang Jinyan came in staggeringly. After paying his respects, he still couldn't get up, and knelt there quietly, waiting for the emperor to question him.It took Chongzhen a long time to tremble and say:

"Zhang Jinyan, you mean, you said—" The language of the sky was vague, but Zhang Jinyan understood it, and quickly kowtowed and said, "Yes, Yanghe and Xuanfu changed hands three days ago. The bandits are really going to commit Juyong." Although Chongzhen lived in the deep palace for a long time and didn't know the outside world, the map in front of him clearly showed that the three guards of the Xuanfu were already in the territory of Beizhili, and Juyongguan was only a day away from the capital.That is to say, if the cavalry of the rogue bandits is in the mediocre position, it will be within breath to encircle the capital.

"Then, what about Tang Tong, and Wu Sangui?" Chongzhen asked impatiently. Zhang Jinyan shook his head with a handful of goat whiskers, and said after muttering for a long time: "Although Tang Tong has gone to Juyongguan to assist, he only has 20,000 people, which is like a drop in the bucket; Wu Sangui is still on the way. " One is a drop in the bucket, and the other is too late. When Chongzhen heard such an assertion from the Minister of the Ministry of War, he couldn't help but said repeatedly: "This, this, what should I do, Zhang Jinyan, what do you say?"

Looking at the emperor who was in chaos above the throne, Zhang Jinyan walked forward on his knees and said, "Your Majesty, the matter is urgent. Even if there are heavenly soldiers and generals, it may be difficult to retreat the bandit soldiers. What is the best strategy? The emperor should reflect on himself." Chongzhen naturally saves thirty-six tricks, but at this moment, can he succeed? Seeing the emperor staring at him blankly, Zhang Jinyan couldn't help being startled, he kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, before that, the servant Jin Zhijun and others advocated moving the capital. It is suggested that this person talks about military affairs on weekdays and is quite insightful, why not call him here today and see what else he can do?"

The hesitant Emperor Chongzhen no longer remembered what unfeeling words Yin Jin Zhijun and others had said, so he hurriedly nodded and said, "Okay, okay, Xuan Jin Zhijun." Jin Zhijun walked into the palace with heavy steps. Before he came, he had heard the news that Yanghe and Xuanfu were not guarding. He thought to himself that all counties in Hebei and Shandong have been trapped by thieves, and the road to the south has been cut off. Your Majesty What's the point of calling at this time?But he still came, kowtowed to Anbi, then fell on the ground and listened to the emperor's question.

Looking at Jin Zhijun who had been summoned, Emperor Chongzhen finally figured out a clue from the myriad of longitudes and latitudes, and immediately remembered the details of this group of people persuading him to move the capital. So, in just a split second, the already made up idea was easily denied.Now that the bandits are approaching, I asked Ji Yu again, did he get what he wanted and gloat?Thinking of this, the emperor, who was unwilling to be humiliated, felt a little bit of hostility in his heart, but forced himself to calm down, and said in that hoarse voice: "Yanghe and Xuanfu finally broke down, you must know."

Jin Zhijun kowtowed dumbly and said: "I am in the Ministry of War, and He Qian's Tang Bao was the first to read it. The rogues from the west have approached Juyong, and the rogues from the south have crossed Zhending. If you join forces twice, the next step will be a failure." .” Chongzhen couldn't help being annoyed when he heard that he had committed the crime. He slapped the case and said: "Nonsense! Although Yanghe and Xuanfu are not protected, isn't there Juyongguan? In the past, Huainanzi said: There are nine barriers in the world, and Juyong is one of them. Think The rogues are mobs, and most of their subordinates are cowards. How can they overcome this natural danger? In addition, Tang Tong and Wu Sangui have already sent their feathers, and tens of thousands of Ningyuan soldiers have come to help. Tang Tong has arrived in Juyong, and Wu Sangui is about to enter the pass. In addition, Zhili The soldiers from Shandong and Shandong can also be relied on, they are all masters of hundreds of battles, and there are still nearly 500,000 soldiers in total..."

Chongzhen was talking endlessly, Jin Zhijun listened, he couldn't help raising his head, and carefully looked at the emperor on the throne, he looked at the emperor for a long time, although his imperial face was haggard, his eyes were dull, but he spoke words, Still not losing clarity, and his thinking didn't seem to be chaotic, he couldn't help but wondered: "The emperor doesn't seem to be sleepwalking, how can you talk in your sleep?" Chongzhen also seemed to be aware of his gaffe, he stopped suddenly while talking, and said, "Jin Zhijun, are you listening?"

Jin Zhijun kowtowed heavily and said, "Yes, I have been listening to Lunyin." Chongzhen sighed and said, "Where did I talk about?" Jin Zhijun replied: "The emperor said that there are still 500,000 soldiers in Hebei and Shandong!" Chongzhen nodded, and said with grief and indignation: "Jin Zhijun, tell me the truth, don't I still have an army of 500,000, why can't I keep the enemy out of the country?" Jin Zhijun couldn't bear it anymore at this time, prostrated himself on the ground, and suddenly burst into tears: "Your Majesty, the matter is urgent, so why talk more!" Chongzhen urged impatiently: "Tell me, tell me, why can't you keep the enemy out of the country?" Jin Zhijun was helpless, so he had no choice but to play: "Your Majesty, all the ministers who should be said have already said it-first, Datong, Yanghe, and Xuanfu are all defeated soldiers. Judging from the situation where they are waiting for the wind, they may have already communicated with the rogues secretly. Although Juyong Pass is dangerous, although Wang Zhiyin and Tang Tong are willing to defend it to the death, the rogues are numerous, and the soldiers are coming in two ways. It is impossible to stop the rogues in an isolated city. In and out; second, it is said that Ningyuan has elite soldiers, but the number is too small, and there is a great disparity between widows and widows, and it is not urgent; third, the rogues cover Shanxi, Shanxi, and Henan, and there is a continuous supply of food and grass, while the capital does not have much food. , the water transportation has been completely cut off, once the city is besieged, people's hearts will be in chaos. The bandits have these three advantages, and our army has these three disadvantages, how can Shenjing be kept for a long time?" When Chongzhen heard this, he wanted to scold people again, but when the words came to his lips, they turned into a tone of consultation: "Then, then, according to what you said, the country is hopeless, and I, I, have only a dead end!" Chongzhen's four words "a dead end" were almost bitten out word by word. But seeing the emperor come to this point, he felt sympathy without hatred, kowtowed again and again, and played back: "Your Majesty, according to my minister, although the situation is extremely dangerous, it is still not impossible. As long as the Emperor can make up his mind and get rid of distracting thoughts, he can turn the tide and save the country." Chongzhen said: "You mean to move the capital?" Jin Zhijun said: "Your Majesty, at this moment, what is the so-called moving the capital? Although moving the capital is inferior to the imperial conquest, you can still make a big fanfare. Car. Now that the opportunity is gone, it can only be a hasty breakout. As far as I know, although the land route has been cut off, the sea route is still said to be unobstructed. The capital is only more than two hundred miles away from Tianjin. The imperial guards, light cavalry and simple followers, with armored soldiers in front and luan cavalry in the back, headed straight to Tianjin in the dark night, and from Tianjin to the south of Liudu by sea boat, as long as the emperor arrives in Liudu safely, there may be a glimmer of life for my emperor, otherwise—— Otherwise, the courtiers can't bear to say it." As Jin Zhijun talked, he was already tearing up. At this time, Chongzhen certainly understood what the so-called "unbearable to speak" meant, but did he break through in such a haste? Was there any other choice?Jin Zhijun saw that the emperor was hesitating, and was about to show his power again, but the emperor on the throne waved to him frequently, and said: "Don't say too much, I won't be indecisive this time." Jin Zhijun still had a lot to say, but seeing that the emperor was getting impatient, he had to swallow it down. Emperor Chongzhen thought over and over again, and really planned to break out of the siege, but he had to discuss it with the queen before leaving. It is only a few steps from Qianqing Palace to Kunning Palace, usually on foot, but for some reason, at this time, the emperor felt his legs were heavy and it was difficult to move.Wang Chengen on the side saw that the emperor's legs were weak, so he persuaded him to get on the chariot. Emperor Chongzhen stood on the stone steps in front of the Qianqing Palace before stepping on the chariot, and looked around: the first three halls, the last six palaces, layer upon layer of halls, palace walls, embroidered gates, and carved scorpions. .Thinking that from now on, he will go far away to the southern capital, and everything in front of him will be owned by the bandits, who will make a comeback. I really don't know when, his heart suddenly becomes heavy like lead. These days, Empress Zhou has been anxious and anxious every day. When there is no one else, she sheds tears secretly. But when the emperor arrives, she can't help but wipe off the tears at a fast speed, apply makeup again, and welcome the saint with the support of the maid. . The emperor got off the chariot, stepped forward to help the queen up, grabbed the queen's hand, and went straight into the room, the maids behind him stopped when they saw this, and saw the emperor turned back and put down the curtain, and pulled the queen to the edge of the bedroom The maids had no choice but to withdraw, and after confirming that there was only the queen by their side, the emperor said impatiently: "The matter is urgent, I have made up my mind to go south to stay in the capital." The queen was taken aback.Yesterday, she seemed to have heard the emperor say that the bandits were still in Shanxi, so she secretly prayed, please God bless, the generals will use their lives, must keep Datong and Yanghe, why do you have to leave Nanjing today?The emperor sighed and said: "Also, let's return Datong and Yanghe, the rogues are about to break the barrier! Then, again, again, just—" The emperor became anxious and stuttered. But Empress Zhou still understood it, and once she understood it, it was like a bolt from the blue—yesterday Zhou Kui asked the cronies of the mansion to come here in the name of delivering food, in order to get a true letter from the Empress, because Zhou Kui had already heard It was rumored that the capital would be moved. If the emperor moved south, there would be no reason for him, the head of the country, to stay in the dangerous city. Therefore, he had to make preparations as soon as possible.Although the queen had no bottom in her mind at the time, based on her knowledge, the emperor had absolutely no reason to abandon everything in front of him and go south alone.Although she hadn't thought about the twelve ancestral tombs in Changping, she always thought about everything left by her ancestors. Abandon it?Unexpectedly, the word "go" appeared in the emperor's mouth today. The queen came back to her senses and immediately had a trade-off, so she asked impatiently: "When and how?" The emperor regained his composure and stopped stuttering, saying: "The sooner the better, the lighter the car, the easier it is." Zhou Hou said: "So, this group of palace eunuchs cannot be taken away." The emperor was anxious, he paused, and said: "I'm returning to the palace supervisor, I can't even take care of the emperor's wife's family." The emperor's wife refers to Empress Zhang, the original wife of Zongxi Zhu Youxiao. When Chongzhen came to the throne, she passed on the last emperor's will. Chongzhen usually respects this emperor's wife. Thinking of this rush to the south, the Haihe River in Tianjin has not yet thawed. , and in a hurry, can more ships be recruited, that is, how many people can a sea ship hold?The emperor and his personal eunuchs; concubines and their personal maids; princes, princes, princesses and their entourages, as well as the necessary and certain number of guards. In this way, how many people are there?All kinds of assumptions hide unknowable variables. Therefore, Jin Zhijun is right when he said "light car and simple obedience". Except for the guards, the ministers of course ignored it. As for other relatives of the emperor, including the emperor's close relatives, they could only do nothing to help them. But in the queen's heart, although there is no empress Zhang as the emperor's wife, she can't let go of Zhou Kui, the old man of the country, as well as her brother-in-law, nephew's family, and sister-in-law's family.If he left like this, wouldn't the six relatives not recognize him?Thinking of this, the Queen said: "If you go like this, the concubine would rather die for the country." Chongzhen was taken aback, never expecting the queen to utter such bold words, he hurriedly said, "Why?" The queen said: "Just think about it, your majesty, with the honor of Wancheng, he would walk away in such a state of embarrassment, not to mention the stormy sea and the dangerous road, just ignore the cemetery of the ancestors, ignore the relatives of the honored ministers, and ignore the subjects who shared weal and woe. , even if we can reach the southern capital, how will the subjects of the world view the emperor?" The emperor said: "Do you think I want to do this? Isn't this all forced by bandits?" The queen shook her head and said, "According to my concubine, the situation is not the same." The emperor said: "What do you know? According to today's Tang Bao, the rogues have reached Xuanfu in Northern Zhili. If they capture Juyongguan, they can go directly to the imperial capital." The queen still said stubbornly: "This is just a courtier saying this on purpose to shirk responsibility. As far as I know, the most powerful is Hou Jin's braided soldiers. It is said that they are invincible, but Hou Jin's soldiers are not Have you ever made a mistake, and you won’t retreat in the end? No matter how powerful the bandits are, they are no match for the braided soldiers. As long as you stick to it for three or five days, once the King Qin’s soldiers arrive, will they still not disappear?” When the emperor heard this, it made sense—in fact, he really couldn’t let go of all this in his heart. After the queen said this, he couldn’t help but get active again, thinking, since the king’s soldiers will arrive in three to five days, such a strong imperial city, What's the point of guarding for three or five days? Besides, there is still the natural danger of Juyongguan.