Ming Dynasty entry: I am Chongzhen, the greatest emperor of all time!

Chapter 47 The Ming Dynasty God of War is Coming
Although Li Zicheng's main force of hundreds of thousands of troops were still rushing towards the capital in the distance, once Liu Zongmin's defeated troops returned, it was almost time for Li Zicheng to temporarily suspend his offensive momentum.

The most difficult hurdle has been passed, and the next things become easier.

He stood up from the armchair and stretched his muscles a little.

"Governor Wu, take your men to drive the surrendered soldiers into the city's main parade ground and provide them with a meal. Do not kill or insult them at will. The Five Cities Military Command will increase patrols to prevent any incursions into the city."

"This... Your Majesty, there have been precedents of troops rebelling under the city walls. If we rashly lead them into the city, I'm afraid..."

Zhu Youjian just glanced at him and Wu Xiang fell silent immediately.

Zhu Youjian, who had just personally commanded and won a great battle, was now majestic, not to mention that all the elite troops in the city were under his direct control.

Civil and military officials did not dare to resist at all.

After Wu Xiang left the city, Zhu Youjian did not stop. He flicked his sleeves and left, leaving only a few words.

"Wang Banban, ring the court bell. All civil and military officials above the sixth rank in the capital shall gather in the Hall of Supreme Harmony for court at noon."

Wang Chengen hurriedly accepted the order and followed Zhu Youjian away.

Only the civil and military nobles on the arrow tower were left alone with doubts.

Zhang Fengxiang moved closer to Ni Yuanlu and asked in a low voice.

"Prince, the war is imminent, why is Your Majesty holding another court meeting?"

Ni Yuanlu glanced at Zhang Fengxiang and didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Could it be that Minister Zhang made a mistake in repairing the armor?"

"No, no!" Zhang Fengxiang quickly waved his hands to explain, "Repairing the weapons and armor is of paramount importance. Your Majesty has issued an order in person, how dare this humble servant disregard it? To be honest with you, Prime Minister, I haven't slept a wink in the armory for two days."

God has mercy on him. Ever since the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was replaced by Li Ruolian and he was given a detailed list of his property, he really dared not relax at all!
I was afraid that if something did make His Majesty unhappy, I would end up like Zhou Kui.

Hearing this, Ni Yuanlu chuckled and reminded, "Since Minister Zhang hasn't made any mistakes, don't worry about the court meeting. Instead, focus on repairing the weapons and armor."

"The Prime Minister's words are like a revelation to me. I admire him very much." Zhang Fengxiang flattered him habitually.

Ni Yuanlu didn't buy it. He thought it would be better to use a set of Confucian classics to flatter him, which could at least make him happy.

He straightened his court robes, warmed his hands slightly towards Zhang Fengxiang, then turned and left.

The latter was not embarrassed and set his sights on Fan Jingwen, who was currently the second most popular person in the imperial court.

Unexpectedly, the military supervisor went even further, leaving only one sentence: "The world praises me as a clean gentleman, I can't bear to see the corner of my clothes stained with dirt."

Zhang Fengxiang was so angry that he almost kicked him.

Seeing that the two most useful civil servants had left, everyone had no choice but to follow them downstairs.

Only a few people who had a good relationship with Zhang Fengxiang were left.

Yang Heduan, the Minister of Works, stepped forward, looked at Fan Jingwen's back with disdain, and said sinisterly, "Sir, the Donglin Party has fallen. Do you want to report him?"

Zhang Fengxiang straightened his spine and scolded, "How can I, as an official, impeach a colleague based on my personal likes and dislikes?"

"Ah?" The officials were stunned, not understanding why such words came out of Zhang Fengxiang's mouth.

"Haven't you seen it yet? Your Majesty hates factional strife! There's no good result from tearing your relationship apart!" Zhang Fengxiang explained.

Yang Heduan subconsciously asked, "So let's just let this matter go?"

"What the hell! Fight for favor first!"

……

The sun is high.

The Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, which had been silent for seven days, became lively again.

Although Zhu Youjian executed a group of officials, imprisoned a group of officials, and dismissed a group of officials, there were still as many as three or four hundred officials above the sixth rank in the capital.

According to the Ming Dynasty law, officials from the first to fourth ranks wore scarlet robes, and officials from the fifth to seventh ranks wore blue robes.

Outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there was a sea of ​​crimson and blue.

Because it was a formal court meeting, all the ceremonial guards were present.

Especially the 1,000 imperial guards who were rewarded, now surrounded the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony.

There was a person every five steps, and there were also patrolling Jinyiwei.

Against the backdrop of the magnificent and solemn Hall of Supreme Harmony, it feels quite oppressive.

Some old court officials looked a little dazed. If they had not just witnessed a great battle, they would almost think they had returned to the Wanli Dynasty.

As the clock strikes noon.

The gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was also opened from the inside by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Wang Chengen stepped out and stood by the door. "Officials, come to the court~"

All the officials outside the hall then set off. On the left, there were a large number of civil officials headed by Ni Yuanlu, more than 300 people.

On the right side, there were only a few dozen generals and nobles from the Beijing camp who had not been dismissed.

The most representative figures Wu Xiang and Zhang Shize were not present. The only one who had a decent presence was Li Guozhen.

Although the Hall of Supreme Harmony is large, it is impossible to accommodate so many people.

Only about a hundred officials of higher ranks were allowed to come in and pay homage.

After entering the hall and standing still, the Chief Minister Ni Yuanlu walked to the middle of the civil and military columns and led the way in paying homage.

"I will pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Youjian, still in his patched uniform, raised his hand.

"No need to be polite, everyone. Please stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

This set of procedures is inevitable and was an effective tool for the ancient imperial power to consolidate its rule and deepen the officials' respect for the emperor.

When everyone stood up, they lowered their heads and did not dare to look at Zhu Youjian.

Li Zicheng was approaching, and there were so many imperial guards outside the palace, which was enough to show the importance of this court meeting.

Everyone was even mentally prepared to replace the Prime Minister and force him to pay silver to support the military expenses.

However, Zhu Youjian's first sentence made all the officials feel like they were punching cotton.

"I intend to use the 20,000 surrendered soldiers as a foundation, and recruit another 20,000 civilians to rebuild the Five Army Camps."

The hall was completely silent. Ni Yuanlu stared blankly at the figure on the dragon throne, not knowing what to say.

You hold the military power, the prime minister is your confidant, and we just won a great victory, and you say this?

Who would object!?

Seeing that no one among the officials spoke, Ni Yuanlu had to leave the class and said, "The enemy is numerous and we are few. I think it is feasible to train the surrendered soldiers and the civilians to expand the military strength."

Fan Jingwen, who was following Ni Yuanlu, was about to leave the class to agree, but was beaten to the punch by Zhang Fengxiang, who had been staring at him.

"Your Majesty is wise, this is a great plan! From me down in the Ministry of Works, we will be working tirelessly, leading the people to work day and night to repair weapons and armor. We will be able to assemble enough for the new army within three days!"

Fan Jingwen also added, "I think so too."

Since the three civil servants with the most say have said so, all officials have no objection.

Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction, his face showing no emotion.

"In that case, do you have any candidates for the commanding generals and the training of the five battalions?"

As soon as the words fell, the hall fell into silence again.

Having been accustomed to the emperor's dominance in recent days, he suddenly gave up his power, especially such a heavy power as the commander of 40,000 troops. He couldn't believe it for a moment.

But it was only a moment of daze.

When Li Zicheng was besieging the city, there were only more than 10,000 defenders in the entire capital. When the country was about to collapse, if he could control an army of 40,000, the power he would have would be unimaginable!

The reason why Wu Xiang, a criminal, could become the governor of the capital's defense was because of his son who had 200,000 soldiers outside the Great Wall.

After reacting, all the civil and military officials spoke hurriedly, fearing that they would be one step behind others.

Some recommended nobles, some recommended themselves, some were willing to be a thousand households, and some even recommended Wu Xiang.

The various parties and factions are clearly divided.

Except for a few dozen people with clear vision, the rest were blinded by the temptation of power.

Zhu Youjian shook his head in disappointment. No matter how straight the hook or how salty the bait, someone will bite. No matter whether he is loyal or treacherous, he cannot be reused.

He cleared his throat, and before he could say anything, Wang Chengen beside him called out, "Silence! Remember the court etiquette!"

Only then did all the officials stop.

Zhu Youjian raised his hand and pointed at Fan Jingwen, "Don't worry, tell them one by one. Supervisor Fan will come first."

Fan Jingwen was not at all flustered when he was called upon. "I recommend Zhang Shize, the Duke of Ying, as the commander-in-chief of the Five Army Camps."

This time it was Zhu Youjian's turn to be confused.

(End of this chapter)