Ming politicians

Zhu Youjian was sitting alone in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. It was already the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. here.

After Zhou Yanru entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he was about to salute, but Zhu Youjian waved his hand.

"Today's New Year's Eve, I should have had a rest. I thought of something and discussed it with Aiqing, and those etiquettes will be removed."

Zhu Youjian's voice seemed very peaceful, and he didn't feel anything. It seemed that he should have said these words in a stable mood, but Zhou Yanru didn't think so.

In the second year of Chongzhen, Zhou Yanru entered the cabinet, and soon became the chief assistant of the cabinet, and won the trust of the emperor. It can be said that he knew the emperor very well. Before the emperor ascended the throne, there was no hope of becoming emperor at all. His health is not good, and he has no heirs, so the emperor has no chance, so he will go to the fiefdom and live an honest life like other vassal kings. I am afraid that is the reason. In the palace, life was not so easy. At that time, Wei Zhongxian, who was domineering and domineering, did not see the emperor at all. Later, when the emperor ascended the throne, he decisively eradicated Wei Zhongxian. In Zhou Yanru's view, this was actually the root of the disaster that had been planted before. .

The emperor has been in the vortex of power for many years. Before he ascended the throne, he was trembling. He paid great attention to all aspects. The struggle in many palaces is also very clear. If you trust a person so much, many things you do are ultimately self-centered. This is probably the tragedy of the emperor.

On how to deal with Su Tiancheng, this is very clear, Zhou Yanru guessed.The emperor probably thought of Zhang Juzheng in the Wanli period, or even Han Xiandi in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and was afraid of becoming a puppet. There is nothing wrong with such thinking, but it is a pity that Su Tiancheng is too good to give the emperor any chance to do anything.

After the emperor ascended the throne.He has always been strong, pursues perfection in everything, and has the same requirements for himself. He lacks flexibility, and it is difficult to fully trust others. Such a character will inevitably lead to tragedy when placed on the emperor.What's more, the Ming Dynasty was already riddled with holes.

The emperor's attitude is so gentle today, there must be something big.

Sure enough, Zhou Yanru just sat down.Wang Chengen came over with the imperial edict.

Zhou Yanru took over the edict, and just after reading the beginning, his body began to tremble. It turned out to be an edict of guilt and abdication written by the emperor himself. The emperor was going to let the prince Zhu Cihong inherit the throne.

After hurriedly reading the Edict of Guilt and Edict of Abdication, Zhou Yanru stood up, and when he was about to kneel down to speak, Zhu Youjian spoke.

"Zhou Aiqing. I have made up my mind. Over the years, I have worked diligently. I never imagined that the great Ming Dynasty would still be destroyed in my hands. I am sorry to my ancestors. I am not qualified to be the emperor. Today I just think about it." Discuss with Aiqing. I plan to announce my abdication tomorrow."

Zhou Yanru knelt down.

"Your Majesty, I think it's impossible. Your Majesty is diligent and diligent. However, my Ming Dynasty has suffered so many disasters. It is not the fault of the Emperor. The civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty need to bear the main responsibility. I implore the Emperor to withdraw the edict of guilt and abdication. , at this critical moment, if the emperor issues an edict to abdicate, I am afraid that our great Ming country will be shaken."

"Zhou Aiqing, stand up and speak."

Zhu Youjian's voice was still peaceful, but there was a trace of anger in the peace.

"I don't know what to do. The south is completely occupied by Su Tiancheng, and there are not many places in the north. Only the surrounding area of ​​the capital is still under the control of the imperial court. I am afraid that after the Spring Festival, these places will not be under the imperial court's control." I am under control, I have no face, and I will bear the shame of this subjugated king."

Zhou Yanru lowered his head and didn't open his mouth to speak. At this moment, he didn't know what to say. Any words of consolation would be useless. The Jiangning Battalion occupied Tianjin, and I'm afraid it will launch an attack soon. At such a time, unless he could think of a way to defeat Jiang Ningying, the rest would be empty talk.These words spoken by the emperor reminded him of the early years of Chongzhen. At that time, the emperor was only more than ten years old. He suddenly shouldered a heavy responsibility and was full of enthusiasm to revitalize the Ming Dynasty. Years, but ushered in such a situation, the sadness in my heart can be imagined.

"I am not a king of a subjugated country, but in the court, there are all ministers of a subjugated country."

When Zhu Youjian said this sentence, Zhou Yanru's body trembled again, and he couldn't help but kneel down. This sentence was very serious, which was equivalent to completely rejecting the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty.This also shows that the emperor has reached the brink of despair.

I think that when the emperor first came to the throne, he wanted to rely on many civil and military ministers, and he also gave him a lot of trust. The most obvious one was Yuan Chonghuan. But many things happened later, which made the emperor more and more disappointed, especially the court. The party struggles and power struggles in the palace almost made the emperor feel helpless, and he could only start to trust the eunuchs and Jin Yiwei again. The changes revealed in this were actually a precursor to the decline of the dynasty.

Maybe because he felt that his words were too heavy, Zhu Youjian slowed down his tone.

"Zhou Aiqing, Pingshen, I'm not talking about you, I've thought about it for so many years."

After a while, Zhu Youjian slowly recovered his emotions. He didn't mention the edict of guilt and abdication for the time being. In fact, this was also a way for him to vent his inner distress. The emperor is a widow with no friends. The situation is extremely cold, there is no place to express the grievances in his heart, and he can only bear it by himself. In such a situation, venting in front of Zhou Yanru is also a way of relief. He believes that Zhou Yanru can understand and bear it.

"Zhou Aiqing, I have thought about the matter of the Liaodong Frontier Army. The Houjin Tatars are eyeing Liaodong. I know very well that if all the Liaodong Frontier Army is withdrawn, the Guanning Jin defense line will soon fall into the Houjin Tatars' hands." In my hands, the capital is as dangerous as it is, and I don’t want to do the matter of drinking poison to quench my thirst, but what else can I do.”

When it comes to dealing with the Jiangning camp's attack, Zhou Yanru's attention began to concentrate. In fact, he already knew that the emperor faced a situation with no choice. It is impossible to deal with it, no matter which side is staring at the capital.

"Zhou Aiqing, I wanted to ask you if there is another solution."

Zhou Yanru froze for a moment, but didn't speak back in time.

In fact, how did Zhou Yanru know that Zhu Youjian already knew what Su Tiancheng said, that is, after Su Tiancheng took the capital, he would not harm the lives of many members of the royal family, let alone massacre or plunder the city. This was originally a manifestation of goodwill, but in Zhu Youjian's view, it was a great shame. The royal family has a noble status, so how could it suffer such humiliation.

Zhou Yanru didn't know Zhu Youjian's inner thoughts, but he felt that under the current situation, he could take a step back, and maybe there would be opportunities in the future. After hesitating for a while, Zhou Yanru finally spoke.

"Your Majesty, I have an idea. Su Tiancheng has already occupied Tianjin. The next step is to prepare to attack the capital. The Emperor can send officials to discuss with Su Tiancheng. If Su Tiancheng is willing to retreat and control the south, the imperial court will recognize his Great Jin. Dynasty, if Su Tiancheng insists on attacking the capital, there will be nothing but death."

Zhou Yanru spoke very cautiously, and while speaking, he looked at the emperor's expression, and sure enough, he found that the emperor's expression had changed.

"How could Zhou Aiqing say such words? I obeyed God's will and inherited the great order. Even if Su Tiancheng rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor, even if he established the Great Jin court, even if he notified the whole south, Even the Central Plains, how can I approve it, how can the imperial court approve it, don't you think that Su Tiancheng's rebellion is justified, I don't want to discredit my ancestors, I would rather fight to the death with Su Tiancheng... .”

Zhou Yanru lowered his head and stopped talking. In fact, what he was thinking in his heart was that even if the emperor wanted to fight Su Tiancheng to the death, he might not have such a chance. The Jin court had already controlled most of the areas. With strong strength, even if he did not immediately attack the capital, the imperial court would not be able to maintain it. The Ministry of Households could no longer produce money. During the autumn harvest season, Su Tiancheng had already occupied most of the southern regions, and the continuous conquests consumed There is a lot of silver, and the treasury is almost empty. At this time, there is no need for Su Tiancheng to conquer, and the court will collapse if it cannot collect taxes.

Zhou Yanru was even more aware that mobilizing the Liaodong frontier army required a lot of money, at least food and grass needed to be guaranteed, and the court could no longer afford the money, so could they still be expected to fight to the death?

When leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Zhou Yanru was a little confused.

What Wang Chengen said should be related to the mobilization of the Liaodong Frontier Army, but why didn't the emperor directly mention this matter? Could it be that he knew that the treasury was out of money and it was difficult to maintain the expenses of hundreds of thousands of Liaodong Frontier Army? As for other things, it is said that the Liaodong Frontier Army can be maintained for the time being, and Liaodong's salary can be maintained for at least a few months. Don't think about things in the future. If you lose the capital, you will have nothing. You should also consider the Liaodong Frontier Army. What are you going to do in the future.

Although Zhou Yanru has the practice of stepping on two boats, deep in his heart, he still thinks that the Ming Dynasty will prosper. In any case, he has become the chief minister of the cabinet twice. No one else has such an honor. Those who have enjoyed it have to do things after taking the salary. On the basis of being able to think of a way, they still have to consider the survival of the court. (To be continued..)