Li Zicheng Chapter 22 2

Although Chongzhen was annoyed in his heart, he also felt ashamed that he was not good at punishing the courtiers on this issue, so he was silent for a moment and had to say: "Now that the soldiers are deep, all my subjects should fight with the enemy and carry out the work to defend the society." The money is out of rumor, needless to say, go ahead. After saying this, he quickly withdrew from the dynasty and returned to the palace by chance.

Now, ten days have passed, and the stubborn spirit of Yang Tinglin when he knelt in front of him at that time was still clearly floating in front of him. "Alas, there is really no way for such a person!" He said in his heart, make a gentle gesture for Wang Cheng'en to read again. Wang Cheng'en was afraid that the emperor would be angry and would punish Yang Tinglin, and when he saw that the emperor had asked him to read it again, he was slightly relieved, quickly cleared his throat, and read:

"His Majesty was furious, and he was righteous in his sin of peace with the Lord, and beheaded the head of the courtiers hanging at the gate of the country, in order to show that he was incompatible with the Eastern Yi. In this way, the soldiers are afraid of the law, know allegiance, and have no two hearts. Summoning all the ministers, large and small, to consult with the strategy, the emperor of the Chinese and foreign ministers and workers' community has the intention of war and peace, and he is angry and tries to be strong. I hope that His Majesty Lu Xiangsheng will gather all the roads to help the divisions, take the opportunity to go to the enemy, and not from the middle system (1). This is today's urgent task! ”

(1) Not from the middle system - this is the ancient political term, that is, the battle plan and action of the commander are not interfered with by the court.

The Chongzhen Emperor turned around and listened word for word as Wang Cheng'en read Yang Tinglin's recital. There are also some specific military suggestions in Yang Tinglin's recital, but the central meaning is to oppose the negotiation of peace, believing that only after winning a military victory can we consider peace, and although the hardened Chongzhen can see that Yang Tinglin's performance is out of loyalty and patriotism, he hates Yang Tinglin's attack on Yang Sichang, hates that some words are too fierce, and hates Yang Tinglin speaking for Lu Xiangsheng. He sat down and took Yang Tinglin's recital and looked at it, intending to keep it in the middle (1), but then dismissed the idea. He knew that his grandfather, Emperor Shenzong, often left some dissatisfied music in the middle, causing dissatisfaction among his subordinates, so in his hands, he rarely used this method. He strives to be a "Holy Lord" who is diligent in governing the country and is serious in everything. In order to express his disagreement with Yang Tinglin's opinion, he mentioned Zhu Bi and approved a few words:

(1) Liuzhong - ancient political wooden language, according to normal procedures, after the emperor has read the chapter, approved the emperor's opinion, and sent it to the cabinet and relevant yamen. If you leave the song in the palace, you will not send it out. Leave it alone, and it is called staying in the middle.

"Got it, Chin!"

According to Chongzhen's idea, Liu Yuliang saw his hand command after breakfast, and in the afternoon of the same day, he would go to Xie En, ask for his majesty's resignation, and quickly rush to the battlefield, he thought, although Liu Yuliang was a civilian minister, he heard that he was good at fencing, and when he used to serve in the Hanlin Academy, he used to have fun fencing with his children every day, and he looked like he was not an outsider to fighting with soldiers. He did not ask Liu Yuliang to be able to charge into the battlefield, but he hoped that he would be able to look into the army with the prestige of the first assistant, so that morale would be boosted, the generals would no longer cower and stagnate, and the prefectures and counties would no longer meet the Qing soldiers and hope that the wind would collapse. As long as Liu Yuliang did this, even if it was a great credit, it was enough to satisfy him. Before and after lunch, he asked Wang Cheng'en twice: "Has Liu Yuliang not asked for his resignation?" When Wang Cheng'en replied that Liu Ziliang had not yet asked for his resignation, he was not happy in his heart and said:

"The ancients 'do not live at home' (1), how could he be so slow?"

(1) The king's life does not stay at home - this is a simplified saying of the ancients, which means that after accepting the king's order, you should leave quickly, not even go home for a night. This sentence comes from the Book of Rites and Rites: "Whoever is an ambassador of the king has been ordained by the king, and does not live at home." ”

About the beginning of the touch, Liu Yuliang's Xie Enshu was indeed sent to the palace. But this letter greatly disappointed the emperor. In addition to thanking the emperor for his kindness, he begged the emperor to send him to supervise the armies, encourage morale on behalf of the emperor, and urge the marshals to fight, rather than having him succeed Lu Xiangsheng as the governor of the armies. At this time, Chongzhen suddenly realized that the "Inspector Army" and the "Governor General Army" were different. Liu Yuliang's Yuan Shu only asked to inspect the various armies, not to governor the various armies, just because he was eager to send them

The man took the place of Lu Xiangsheng to save the situation, so he did not find out and hurriedly issued a hand edict. However, Liu Yuliang's thoughts of wanting to make meritorious contributions and being afraid of directly leading the troops to fight also showed him through.

What to do? Did he agree to Liu Yuliang's request or did he maintain his edict? He couldn't decide for a moment. Just at this moment, the eunuch Wang Dehua, the superintendent of ceremonies, came in and instructed him: Yang Sichang, the assistant minister, asked to be summoned. Chongzhen asked:

"What's his urgent matter?"

Wang Dehua leaned forward and echoed, "The slave doesn't know." Probably for the university scholar Liu Yuliang's supervisor. ”

Chongzhen understood, and thought in his heart, it would be better to listen to their opinions.

"Tell him to wait for the summons at the Mandarin Hall." He said.

At the beginning of the late Shen Dynasty, Chongzhen took the ride to the Wenhua Hall. Yang Sichang had been waiting for a long time. After performing the ritual of the Common Dynasty, Chongzhen asked:

"Sir, what's the matter?"

Yang Sichang knelt down again and said, "The minister asks to see His Majesty for the matter of Inspector Liu Yuliang, a university scholar." ......”

"He has already seen his neglect, what is mr. Mister's opinion?"

"His Majesty saw Yu Liang's performance, and immediately commanded Jia Mian and ordered him to quickly go to the former enemy, to reinforce the governor of Zhuzhen on behalf of Lu Xiangsheng, and to fight against the captives, which showed the importance of the emperor's dependence on Yu Liang and the great expectations of him. Ran Yuliang, with the dignity of the first assistant, the false Heavenly Son Wei Ling, the inspector of the various armies, his status is really above the governor. If only Lu Xiangsheng was promoted to the military affairs of the governor, his status was no more than that of the governor's ear, and the person he referred to was only the tired ear of Lu Xiangsheng's existing remnant army. This lost the intention of the first assistant emperor to see the master. ”

"Won't you let him go to the Overseer?"

Liu Yuliang originally requested to supervise the various armies, rather than appointing himself as governor. In fact, although Lu Xiangsheng had failed in his division, missed the opportunity, and was deeply responsible for the appointment of the emperor, the current military situation was urgent, and it was not appropriate to face the enemy and change the commander, which affected the morale of the army. Ask the emperor to show a slight punishment to him, so that he will still be the governor, and wear the sin to see the aftermath. ”

"What about Liu Yuliang?"

"Your Majesty still sends Liu Yuliang to inspect the armies at his request."

Chongzhen thought about it and felt that Yang Sichang's words were also reasonable, and he regretted that he had no master in his heart for a while, and his hand was too hasty.

"Well," he said, "according to Qing's performance, if the former edict is abandoned, send Liu Yuliang to inspect the various armies." ”

"Obey!" Yang Sichang said, prostrating his head.

Chongzhen also said, "Now that the horsemen are riding deeply, the county of Qifu prefecture and the wind are disintegrating, and the worries of The Emperor are burning." Now the first assistant Liu Yuliang is willing to act as a master, and he is very relieved. I hope he will complete the trip as soon as possible, and do not delay it. Sir please up! ”

Yang Sichang did not get up and said, "Your Majesty has something to do with the subject." ”

"What?"

"Yang Tinglin's bullet seal was sent to the cabinet by the Emperor of Meng, and the courtiers saw it. Subjects who are blunt and bear the weight of the emperor's appointment are really guilty of death. The Emperor is gracious and does not condemn. Non-grass and trees, can not be grateful to the zero! As long as it is beneficial to the country, the subject will be crushed to pieces and will be willing. ”

"This matter has its own opinion, and the secretary of state does not have to pay attention to it."

"The subject was born on the holy pilgrimage, and was deeply blessed with knowledge, but he did not mind this, and he was willing to take this opportunity to recommend talents for His Majesty and serve the country."

"Who are you going to refer?"

"The minister intends to recommend Yang Tinglin as the chief of the Military Department (1), and Zuo Luxiang praises the military affairs to show what he has learned in his lifetime."

(1) Functional Division - an important organ of the Military Department, in charge of the world map books, the records of the distances and proximity of the local roads, and the number of soldiers in various places.

"Does he understand the matter of marching and fighting?"

"Yang Tinglin usually pays close attention to the study of the scriptures, and is also very familiar with ancient and modern military strategies, which is not comparable to ordinary Confucian courtiers. If he can help Lu Xiangsheng to strategize and manage the military, he can exert his talents and serve the country more than he serves in the Hanlin Academy. ”

Chongzhen saw that Yang Sichang's attitude was sincere and there was no thought of revenge, and he was greatly praised in his heart, and said with a smile:

"The secretary of state can donate personal grievances, recommend talents for the imperial court, and have the style of an ancient minister, which is really gratifying." He knew that Yang Tinglin was a bone-boned minister who dared to speak, but it was just a little extreme. ”

"Your Majesty Shengming, who knows Tinglin well, does not wantonly attack the crime. In fact, Ting Lin just misheard the gossip and did not know the truth, but his intentions were excellent. ”

The Emperor nodded and said, "Well, according to Qing's performance, I will give him the post of Chief of the Department, and he will quickly go to Lu Xiang to praise the painting before he is promoted." ”

"Obey!"

Yang Sichang withdrew from the Wenhua Hall, crossed a passage, returned to the cabinet, and first walked into Liu Yuliang's room and told him how he had seen the emperor. Liu Yuliang was very happy and threw up his hands one after another, thanking him for his help. When he told him about the recommendation of Yang Tinglin, Liu Yuliang and several other assistant ministers who came to inquire about the news in unison praised him for having the style of an ancient minister, and Xue Guoguan, whose status was second only to that of the first assistant, was a very scheming person, and saw through Yang Sichang That the real purpose of recommending Yang Tinglin was to drive this Hanlin official who dared to speak out of the imperial court and send him to a place where the soldiers were in danger. But he smiled and said:

"Brother Wen, rare, rare!" As the saying goes, 'the prime minister travels in the belly of the boat', which is also called. ”

Yang Sichang replied: "The student and BoXiang originally had a family friendship, and there was really no mustard in their hearts, and they had always admired his learning and style. People in their thirties will inevitably have some anger, and students will not only not pay attention to them, but will also greatly borrow from others in the future. ”

"Rare! Rare! Colleagues said in unison.

Yang Sichang returned to his room, changed into his imperial clothes under the service of the long class, sat down in the Taishi chair, took a cup of fragrant tea, took a sip, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, saying in his heart:

"Yang Beard, go to Viceroy Lu's army to praise the paintings, Don't let go of the empty cannons in the imperial court, go to the army and ask you to learn the lessons, it is not easy to fight with the Manchu Tartars!"

The Chongzhen Emperor was still in the Wenhua Hall, casually flipping through the Zizhi Tongjian while waiting for Wang Cheng'en to draw up a plan for him. Not long after, Wang Cheng'en held up the draft of the upper edict. The manuscript contained two things: one was to send Liu Yuliang, the first assistant, to supervise the various armies, and the other was to reassign Yang Tinglin as the chief of the military department and praise the painting before Lu Xiang was promoted. Chongzhen looked at the manuscript, changed two words with his pen, and added a content, that is, to severely rebuke Lu Xiangsheng for fearing the enemy and failing to live up to the favor of the country, so he was immediately dismissed from the rank of Shangshu of the Bingbu, demoted to the rank of waiter, and continued to serve in order to see the after-effects.

"Send it out now, don't delay!" He said, leaning wearily toward the back of his chair.

He originally needed to stay in the Wenhua Palace to rest for a while, but there were still many important documents waiting for him to deal with on the imperial case of the Qianqing Palace, how could he rest? So he yawned, stood up, and whispered:

"Go back to the Qianqing Palace!"

In addition to the original documents that had not yet been approved, two new emergency tang reports were issued on the imperial case of the Qianqing Palace. He picked up a copy of the Tang newspaper on the top, saw that it was from Tongguan, and did not open it immediately, thinking to himself, Perhaps the dead bodies of "giant thieves" such as Li Zicheng and Liu Zongmin have been found? It turned out that he hoped that it would be best to capture Zicheng and hold a great ceremony at noon to boost the morale of the army and the people, followed by beheading in the battle, and verify that it was correct. Unexpectedly, after the Battle of TongguanNanyuan, Li Zicheng and his wife and their important leaders were unexpectedly unaccounted for; although the officers and troops were indeed victorious and the "Liukou" army was indeed completely destroyed, because he had not captured Li Zicheng and his important leaders, he finally felt relieved. He had always been half-convinced of this statement, doubting that it was inevitable, but wishing it could be so. Fortunately, it is winter, the plateau climate is particularly cold, and the dead bodies on the battlefield cannot be corrupted for a while. Now, before he opened the Tang Bao, he hoped to find the corpse of Li Zicheng and others. However, this hope of his was only fleeting in his heart, and he thought that if the corpse of the "rebel thief" was found, the new Inspector of Shaanxi and the Tongguan Provincial Department would rush to Beijing. In the blink of an eye, a dark cloud hung over his mind, but he could not open the tang newspaper with a nervous mood. When he looked at it, it was like a scoop of cold water toppings, and he couldn't help but tremble and lean back on the back of the chair.

The palace maid standing next to him saw the emperor's change in appearance and quickly held a cup of fragrant tea and placed it in front of him.

After a while, Chongzhen picked up the second Tang newspaper, and saw that it was from Henan Province, and he knew what the newspaper was doing without reading the contents, but the matter was over, so he had to open it. The eunuchs and palace ladies standing beside him saw that his look was even more ugly, his eyes were burning with anger, and his sideburns had a green tendon pulsating slightly. Fearful, they held their breath and withdrew on tiptoe. Unexpectedly, as soon as they withdrew, they heard a roar, and the emperor smashed the teacup in his hand. So they quickly ran in, knelt down in front of Chongzhen, and said in a trembling voice:

"Please stop the Emperor's anger!"

"Call Yang Sichang!" fast! fast! ”

A royal sign had just run to the Rijing gate of the Qianqing Palace, and was chased by another eunuch and called back. He thought that it was useless to call Yang Sichang into the palace today, there were no soldiers to adjust, what could he do? He hated Sun Chuanting so much that he gritted his teeth in hatred, suddenly jumped up from the dragon chair, kicked the palace maid who was kneeling on the ground, and shouted, "Get up! So he wandered around the pillar in the Qianqing Palace, almost knocking down the three changes of Furong. After a long time, he returned to the imperial case and sat down, lifted zhu pen, and planned to issue a decree to Hong Chengzu severely, demote the official to three levels, arrest Sun Chuanting and send him to Beijing, and hand him over to the Ministry of Punishment for serious discussion. But I thought about it again and put the pen down.

Hong Chengyu and Sun Chuanting had already led 50,000 Qin Wang soldiers out of Niangziguan and into Kifu. Chongzhen understood that if Hong Chengzu was demoted at this time and Sun Chuanting was arrested and charged, this Qinwang army might collapse. Moreover, he thought that the ministers had high prestige and experience, and that the only person who would be able to defend himself against the Qing soldiers in Liaodong in the future would be Hong Chengzu, and he had better forgive his minor transgressions and make him more aware of the thanksgiving map; as for Sun Chuanting, he would never forgive him, but it was not the right time, and after the Qing soldiers had retreated, he would call Sun Chuanting into Beijing to punish him.

He picked up the two tang newspapers again and looked at them, and the anger in his heart subsided a little, but he felt extremely anxious and heavy. He threw down the newspaper, leaned back in his chair, looked up into the air, and whispered to himself:

"Oh, what to do? It turned out that the thief was not dead, and fled in the Kunhan Mountains! Since he was able to attack Tongguan and Lingbao County, it was obvious that the entire army was not destroyed. Henan is full of hungry people, and if this net-slipping anti-thief is not quickly extinguished, the spark of the stars can burn the plains! ...... Oh my God, what to do? ”

Thinking about it, he asked a eunuch to go to the military headquarters, and urged Tong Guandao and the deputy general He Renlong to quickly go out of the pass to "suppress the thief", and the "remnant thief" was extinguished in the Kunhan Mountain, "Do not make the vine". The eunuch had just left, and the eunuch Wang Cheng'en came in with a letter and respectfully placed it on the imperial case.

"Whose sonata?" Chongzhen asked.

"It's high."

"What's the matter?"

"He played Lu Xiangsheng to support the army to avoid the battle, and sat and watched the prisoners ride deeper, and the qifu was eroded."

Chongzhen narrowed his eyes, picked up the high-dive song and took a cursory look, then understood the whole content, and scolded with hatred:

"Lu Xiangsheng ... Damn it! ”

Wang Cheng'en knew how unreliable Gao Qi's words were, and secretly cried out for Lu Xiangsheng, but he did not dare to reveal a word in his mouth.