Ming Dynasty: A mere unruly commoner is rebelling against the heaven?

Chapter 210: Never Move the Capital! The Ming Dynasty Will Never Take a Step Back!
"Yu Shen, you..."

Xie Qian walked into the Fengtian Hall cursing, but when he saw the people in the Fengtian Hall clearly, he immediately shut his mouth in shock.

After a long time of absence and no news, Empress Dowager Zhou, who had completely disappeared, actually sat on the throne again.

Also inside the hall were the eunuch Fu Dahai, the seal-holder of the Imperial Household Department, two cabinet ministers, a chancellor, and several high-ranking officials of the court standing in front of Zhou.

Faintly, there seemed to be a confrontation with Zhu Youlu and Yu Shen.

Seeing Xie Qian and other southern officials arrive, northern officials such as Liu Jian and Li Dongyang felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Li Dongyang, in particular, felt mixed emotions when he saw Xie Qian, who had once been very close to him, standing against him.

A year ago, they had not yet entered the cabinet and were still working in the Hanlin Academy.

At that time, they were in low positions and had little power. There was no conflict of interest between them. They could still get along well and had a very good relationship.

But only a year had passed, and both of them had entered the cabinet, becoming extremely honorable elders, and the power in their hands was growing.

But because of this, with power comes benefits.

Where there are interests, there are also conflicts of interest.

In the end, they each represented the interests of officials from the North and the South and stood on opposite sides of each other.

Li Dongyang sighed in his heart, and Xie Qian was also filled with emotion.

But the two of them remained expressionless. After looking at each other, they quickly looked away.

"Your humble servant greets Her Majesty the Grand Empress Dowager."

Xie Qian and the others quickly calmed themselves down and bowed to Zhou.

At this moment, it was not difficult for these southern officials to see that in the end it was the northern officials who took the lead, brought out Zhou, and seized the initiative.

After learning that Zhou had the support of the Imperial Household Department and a group of northern officials, these southern officials sighed in their hearts.

With the support of the Imperial Household Department and the two cabinet ministers, Zhou was essentially in control of the government.

Then the idea of ​​these southern officials to issue the order to move the capital directly through Zhu Youlang was completely ruined.

Zhou looked at these aggressive southern officials and spoke calmly and calmly without panicking.

"Since all the senior officials in the court have gathered here, let's talk about what we should do next."

"Your Majesty, I beg you to move the capital. I beg you to move the capital!"

As soon as Zhou finished speaking, Xie Qian stood up and strongly demanded that the capital be moved.

"Your Majesty led so many troops to the battle, but they were all attacked at Tumubao and suffered a great defeat. Until now, we have not yet obtained the exact number of Wala troops."

"After the Oirat defeated Your Majesty, the next step will definitely be to head for the capital. With so many troops attacking the capital, the capital will be in danger!"

"Besides, the capital is a very dangerous place. Two emperors have been attacked by the Oirat people in Tumubao while on their way to the battlefield."

"Plus, the Forbidden City has been plagued by fires since its construction. It is really not suitable to be an important place in the capital!"

"I will move back to Nanjing. It was the place where Emperor Taizu Gao established his capital. It is the place where the dragon rises!"

"Moving back to Nanjing will ensure the long-term prosperity of the Ming Dynasty and its longevity!"

No one in the audience took Xie Qian's words to heart.

This is pure alarmist talk, and its main purpose is to move the capital.

With the current national strength of the Ming Dynasty, it can easily transfer hundreds of thousands of troops back to the capital without having to worry too much.

Xie Qian may also feel that the excuse of the Oirat people attacking the capital was a bit far-fetched.

So later on, he even added some metaphysical excuses like Feng Shui.

As soon as Xie Qian finished speaking, Li Dongyang immediately started to refute.

"The capital is an important place. The tombs of several previous emperors are built here. The Imperial Ancestral Temple is also here. How can we just move it?"

"After losing the battle, you are thinking of running away. How do you want future generations to see us?"

"Aren't you afraid that future generations will poke your spine and call you a spineless coward?!"

"Fight! We must fight!"

"How can we, the great Ming Dynasty, be afraid of a group of grassland people who bow down to us?"

"Back then, Wala Yesen failed to capture the capital. How can these little thieves really think of taking over the capital?!"

"If he dares to come, the Ming Dynasty will make sure he never returns!"

Li Dongyang's words made Xie Qian's face turn red and he became furious.

The thing that civil officials hate most is to use their future reputation to speak for themselves.

After all, they are people who are both responsible and independent and who value their reputation.

For a time, the debate in the court on whether to fight or migrate resounded throughout the Fengtian Hall.

These people are the so-called war faction and capital relocation faction.

Basically, northern officials are all in favor of war, and southern officials are all in favor of moving the capital.

This has nothing to do with having backbone, having no backbone, being hawkish, being dovish, advocating the use of force, loving peace... and other empty talk.

In essence, it is a struggle for interests.

There was a lot of debate in the court, but Yu Shen was the only one who remained unmoved. He neither supported nor opposed moving the capital.

Because no matter what, there are pros and cons for him.

His hometown is Zhejiangzhou, why would he oppose moving the capital?
If he really moved back to Nanjing, he would also be a beneficiary.

He wouldn't mind if he stayed in the capital.

After all, his core interest was still with Yang Tong in the north. In the end, it was Zhou who made the final decision.

"Okay, don't mention moving the capital anymore!"

"The five previous emperors of my Ming Dynasty were buried in the capital. Emperor Xuanzong and Emperor Xianzong both stayed in the capital. How can I just leave?!"

"I still hope that after a hundred years, I can be buried together with Emperor Yingzong. I will not leave!"

"No need to say more, I have made up my mind and will never move the capital!"

"Da Ming, never take a step back!"

After Zhou finished speaking, Liu Jian, Li Dongyang and others immediately echoed: "Your Majesty is wise!"

"The officials of the Ming Dynasty are all men of integrity. Even if it means death, we will defend the capital to the death!"

"The emperor guards the gate of the country, and the king dies in the country!"

"This is the ancestral precept of the Ming Dynasty! Even the emperor will not retreat, so how can we, as ministers, talk about moving the capital so easily?"

"If we move the capital, won't future generations laugh at us and call us spineless cowards?!"

Xie Qian, Peng Shao and other southern officials all looked livid.

They thought that after the Zhou family came to power, their plan to move the capital might not go so smoothly.

But I didn't expect that Zhou would oppose it so firmly.

In this case, if the capital is to be moved, the obstacle of the Zhou family must be eliminated.

Thinking of this, Xie Qian and others became even more upset that they had not seized the opportunity first.

They really never imagined that the northern officials were so shameless that they actually went to the harem and carried out Zhou, who had long been stripped of her title by Zhu Youtang.

These southern officials had never expected this to happen.

This put them in a passive position.

At this time, Yu Qian suddenly stepped forward, clasped his hands and asked for permission: "Your Majesty, now that His Majesty's life or death is unknown, the country cannot be without a king for a day, and a crown prince should be appointed as soon as possible."

"Your Majesty has no heir, so I request that Prince Xing be made the Crown Prince. If Your Majesty really dies, then he can ascend the throne as soon as possible to ensure the safety of the country."

Hearing that Yu Shen was determined to support Zhu Youju as the emperor, Zhou curled her lips in disgust: "How could I not know that a country cannot be without a ruler for a day?"

"It's just that King Xing is young and not a good choice."

"I have asked the Imperial Household Department to draft an imperial edict and send it to Runing, urgently summoning Prince Chong to the capital to supervise the country."

"Prince Chong has always been virtuous and strong. If Your Majesty really dies, he will be the most suitable person to succeed you."

Upon hearing the news, the southern officials present, including Yu Shen, were all shocked.

They all knew that Prince Chong was Zhou's biological son. If Prince Chong was really allowed to ascend the throne, the power of the government would be taken away by Zhou.

"Your Majesty, it is against the rules for the prince who has already been enfeoffed to return to the capital to supervise the country..."

Yu Shen wanted to refute, but the situation was stronger than him. He was alone and weak, and his words had no influence, so it would have no effect at all.

"Special times call for special treatment!"

In this way, Empress Dowager Zhou quickly finalized the most important matter of relocating the capital and selecting the regent.

Afterwards, after discussing a few minor and minor matters, the first emergency meeting in the capital came to an end.

In this confrontation, the Northern faction led by Zhou, Liu Jian and Li Dongyang won a complete victory.

However, the Southern faction led by Xie Qian and Peng Shao missed the opportunity and ended up in a miserable defeat.

As for Yu Shen's rebel faction in the capital, he still has a chance to turn the tables.

In fact, despite the complex forces and various factions in the capital, there are many conflicts between the two.

But in reality, only these three factions have the real ability to influence the affairs of the capital.

On the way out of the palace, Yu Shen took the initiative to approach Xie Qian and seek cooperation.

"Join hands? What's there to cooperate with you?"

When Yu Shen expressed his desire to cooperate, he was met with a cold stare from Xie Qian.

In Xie Qian's eyes, Yu Shen was a traitor who betrayed the southern civil service group.

He actually secretly took Zhu Youlang away in advance, which showed that he simply did not take these southern officials seriously.

"Our goals are the same. As long as it allows King Xing to succeed to the throne smoothly, King Xing will definitely be happy to agree to move the capital."

"You should know that Concubine Chen is also from Zhejiang. We are both from Jiangnan. There is no reason to refuse to move the capital."

Yu Shen lowered his voice and spoke to Xie Qian.

When it comes to letting Prince Xing succeed to the throne, the interests of the two forces are indeed consistent.

Southern officials needed Prince Xing to order the relocation of the capital, while Yu Shen needed Prince Xing to control the government.

Xie Qian looked Yu Shen up and down and asked, "What plans do you have? Tell me about it."

Yu Shen pointed around and said, "This is not a place to talk. If you don't mind, you can come to my humble abode and have a seat."

Xie Qian and others exchanged glances, nodded, and followed Yu Shen back to Yu Shen's house.

Arriving at Yu Shen's study, after a group of southern civil servants sat down, Xie Qian knocked on the table and said, "Can I tell you now?"

"What is your plan? What do you need us to do?"

After Yu Shen served tea to everyone, he explained his plan to these southern officials.

(End of this chapter)