Griffin Commander in the Late Ming Dynasty

Xu Yunzhen groaned a few times, his body swaying, and he barely stood firm by holding on to the city wall. Looking at the blood splashing on his body, he looked up to the sky and uttered his last words: "Your Majesty, I am ungrateful!"

In the Forbidden City's Huangji Hall, Chongzhen was still thinking that he should be able to get a lot of money from these officials to support the front line, when the eunuch Han San came running to report: "Your Majesty, the inner city has fallen, and the bandits are about to break into the imperial city!"

Chongzhen was anxious and asked, "We lost the city? How did we lose the city? Where are the defenders in the city?"

Han San cried and replied, "The Minister of Revenue Zhang Jinyan opened the gates and surrendered the city. The Shenshu Camp and Yulin Guards were wiped out, the Jing Camp was defeated, the Duke of Yingguo Zhang Shize died in the battle, the Duke of Dingguo Xu Yunzhen died in the battle, and the Earl of Xiangcheng Li Guozhen surrendered with the Shenji Camp!"

Chongzhen suddenly collapsed on the throne. In the magnificent Huangji Palace, there were still traces of blood from last night, but there was no minister left.

Chongzhen looked at the bloodstains flowing on the Panlong Danxiong with infinite resentment in his heart. Last night he killed a cabinet chief, a war minister, a university scholar, and some officials from the six ministries. He thought these heads would make them realize the situation and defend the capital well. However, that bastard Zhang Jinyan still betrayed him!

At this time, Chongzhen really regretted not killing them all!

Wang Chengen and several other eunuchs stood silently behind him, with a look of panic on their faces.

Wang Chengen said, "Your Majesty, I have selected dozens of godly sons. You change your clothes and I will ask them to escort you out of the city and hide among the people."

Chongzhen shouted angrily: "I am the emperor of the Ming Dynasty! How can I live among the people when my ancestors' foundation is destroyed in an instant?!"

Wang Chengen cried, "Your Majesty, we can only hide among the people for a while. Let's go south slowly. As long as Your Majesty goes to Nanjing, the orthodoxy of our Ming Dynasty will still exist!"

Chongzhen said sadly: "Nanjing, that Jiang thief's people have already extended their hands to Beijing. Can Nanjing still be there?"

Finally, he said in despair: "I will not be a stray dog, you should run away as soon as possible."

Wang Zhixin came running over and said in panic, "Your Majesty, hurry up, the enemy soldiers have already entered the imperial city!"

"Your Majesty, please leave quickly!" Everyone tried to persuade him.

Wang Dehua said: "Your Majesty, please evacuate from Xuanwu Gate first. I will lead my men to Wumen to stop the bandits and cover your rear!"

He ran outside the palace and said to the eunuchs around him, "Damn it, he's a man, just follow me!"

Surrounded by Wang Chengen and Wang Zhixin, Chongzhen went to Xuanwu Gate, the north gate of the Forbidden City, and arrived at Wansui Mountain.

Without the imperial carriage and ceremonial carriage, Chongzhen walked out of the cage-like Forbidden City for the first time. The distance from the harem of the Forbidden City to Wansui Mountain was only a few hundred meters, but it was the most difficult and longest journey he had ever taken in his life. This was his first time and also the last time he walked out of the Forbidden City.

On Wansui Mountain, he looked out over the entire Forbidden City, seeing the flames of war lighting up the sky, and his mind was filled with thoughts.

Chongzhen was forced by the eunuchs to go up the mountain in a hurry. He even lost one of his red shoes. Halfway through the run, he looked up and saw a sturdy old locust tree. The tree looked quite peculiar, with a trunk that was unusually curved.

After wandering for a long time, Chongzhen suddenly didn't want to run anymore, so he walked over, untied his robe belt, tore off his collar, bit his finger and wrote his will on it:

"I have been on the throne for thirteen years. Although I am a person of low moral character and have offended the gods, it was all my ministers who misled me, allowing the rebels to approach the capital. When I die, I will not be able to face my ancestors in the underworld. I will take off my crown and cover my face with my hair. Let the rebels dismember my body, but do not harm any of the people."

Wang Chengen quickly dissuaded him, "Your Majesty, what are you going to do?"

Chongzhen looked at the gradually darkening sky and sighed, "A monarch dies for his country, which is the right thing to do in ancient and modern times. My mind is set, so you don't need to say any more."

After saying this, she threw a three-foot-long white silk onto a tree, told Wang Chengen to cover his face with his hair, and then hanged herself to death.

At the Zhengyang Gate in Beijing City, there was a loud sound of footsteps. Under the flags, the Dashun Army marched in neat steps, escorting Li Zicheng, the Yongchang Emperor of Dashun, into Beijing City.

Under a few yellow silk umbrellas that were pulled up temporarily, Li Zicheng, wearing a felt hat and light blue clothes, rode a black horse, and was accompanied by hundreds of elite cavalry. He looked down at the people of the capital who were holding incense and kneeling to welcome him on both sides of the streets.

"Long live the Emperor Dashun!"

"Long live!"

The first person to shout slogans to welcome him was the Minister of War Zhang Jinyan, who opened the gates and surrendered the city.

Zhang Jinyan took a peek and saw that Li Zicheng had a murderous look on his face. He immediately knelt on the ground, holding up incense high, and shouted, "Long live the Emperor of Dashun!"

Li Zicheng didn't even look at him and led his army towards the Daming Gate.

Hearing the cheers of the bandits in the city and the overwhelming shouts of "Long live the emperor", Wang Jiayan, the right vice minister of the Ministry of War, wailed and jumped off the city wall.

However, he was very lucky and did not die after jumping from the city wall which was more than ten meters high. Wang Jiayan was determined to die, so he dragged his broken leg to an empty house of a nearby resident and hanged himself.

The pursuing rebel army discovered him and burned his body, mutilating one of his arms. Eventually, Wang Jiayan's servants secretly buried the rest of his limbs.

Li Zicheng led his army into the office area of ​​the six ministries at Chengtian Gate. Grand Secretary Wei Zaode and other officials immediately dressed neatly and knelt down in line to greet him, shouting "Long live the Emperor Yongchang of Dashun".

Seeing this, Meng Zhaoxiang, the right vice minister of the Ministry of Justice, said nothing, slowly drew the sword from his waist, and committed suicide.

The Censor Wang Zhang also banged his head against the wall and refused to follow the thieves.

Li Zicheng was very arrogant and still ignored these officials, whom he considered to be incompetent officials. He continued to move forward without saying a word.

When they arrived at the Meridian Gate, Li Zicheng looked at the two big characters on the plaque of the Meridian Gate and led his generals directly into the Forbidden City.

At this time, Wang Dehua led three hundred eunuchs to kneel and greet them, and also introduced themselves.

Wang Dehua, the eunuch guarding the Meridian Gate, had originally planned to commit suicide. He first hung a white silk scarf on the city gate, but felt that hanging would be an ugly death, so he changed his mind and jumped from a building. He jumped to his death from the more than 30-meter-high tower of the Meridian Gate.

However, when he stretched one leg out of the parapet, he immediately retracted it. He stretched his legs many times but did not dare to jump down. He said he was afraid of heights. It was embarrassing to tell others about his fear of heights.

At that time, Wang Dehua cried and consoled himself: "I don't know where the emperor has gone, but I can't die yet. I have to keep this useful body and continue to serve the emperor."

Li Zicheng came to Nantong and saw that Wang Dehua had a fair and pleasant appearance, so he ordered him to continue to be in charge of the Silijian as usual. The eunuchs in charge of the seals of the other 24 offices would be dismissed from their usual positions if they knelt to greet him.

Wang Dehua immediately prostrated herself on the ground and shouted, "Your Majesty, I will do my best to repay your grace!"

Li Zicheng was satisfied after hearing this and couldn't wait to go to the Huangji Palace.

Grand Secretary Fan Jingwen and his wives and concubines, Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu and his family of thirteen, Left Chief Censor Li Banghua, Deputy Chief Censor Shi Bangzhao, Dali Temple Minister Ling Yiqu, Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice Meng Zhaoxiang and his wife He's son Meng Zhangming, daughter-in-law Wan,

The Zuo Yude Ma Shiqi and his concubines Zhu and Li, the Zuo Zhongyun Liu Lishun and his wife Wan, concubine Li and their son, slaves and maids, a total of 18 people in the family, the Taichang Temple Shaoqing Wu Linzheng, the Zuo Shuzi Zhou Fengxiang and his two concubines, the Censor Wang Wei and his wife Geng, the Ministry of Revenue Jieshi Zhong Wu Ganlai, the Censor Wang Zhang, the Censor Chen Liangmo and his concubine Shi, the Censors Chen Chunde and Zhao Zhuan, the Minister of the Imperial Household Shen Jiayun, the Ministry of Personnel Yu Zhi, the Ministry of War Langzhong Cheng De and his mother Zhang, wife Zhang and son, the Ministry of War Yu Xuan and his mother Zhang, concubine Wang and his brother Xu, and the Minister of Guanglu Temple Yu Tengjiao and his wife.

Xinle Marquis Liu Wenbing and his grandmother and brother, Left Commander Wen Yao and his sister, 16 sons and daughters, Gong Yonggu, the son-in-law of the Princess Le'an and his five children, Zhang Qingzhen, the Earl of Hui'an, and all his sons and daughters, Wei Shichun, the Earl of Xuancheng, and all his family, Wang Guoxing, the commander of the Jinyiwei, Li Ruogui, the commander of the Jinyiwei, Gao Wencai, the captain of the Jinyiwei, and his family of 17 people, Chen Zhenda, the governor of Shuntian Prefecture, Yao Cheng, the deputy military commander, Song Tianxian, Teng Zhisuo, Ruan Wengui, the secretary of the Central Secretariat, Zhang Yingxuan, the experience, Mao Wei, Zhang Rushi, Zhang Shixi, the experience of Yanghe Guard, and his two sons, Wang Mou, the centurion, and five instructors of Shuntian Prefecture School, all of whom lost their names, and Xu Yan, a student of Changzhou, all died. Among the ministers who died, only Meng Zhaoxiang guarded the Zhengyang Gate and died at the gate. Wang Zhang and Zhao Zhuan died by cursing the enemy.

Fan Jingwen, Shen Jiayun, Liu Wenbing, and Wei Shichun jumped into a well, Jin Xuan, Teng Zhisuo, Ruan Wengui, and Zhang Yingxuan jumped into the Imperial River, Shi Bangyao drank poison, Ling Yiqu strangled himself, Gong Yonggu, Princess Le'an, and Zhang Qingzhen burned themselves to death. The rest all hanged themselves.

Apart from these loyal ministers who died for their country, most of the royal family, nobles and palace officials chose to surrender to Li Zicheng in the hope of preserving their wealth and status.

Li Zicheng ignored all this and entered the palace excitedly. He anxiously asked the eunuchs and palace maids in the palace: Where is my emperor?

The palace servants all shook their heads, "Why am I not there?" Li Zicheng was furious and ordered several people to be killed, but it was useless to be anxious, as he still could not find out where the emperor was.

Li Zicheng was very upset. He had conquered the country with great difficulty. What was the point of pretending to be a winner in front of the loser? He just wanted to see Chongzhen's frustrated and helpless look, which would make him eat three more bowls of rice in the evening.

Now I can't find anyone, and all my plans are ruined! I'm having fun, but I can't let myself have enough fun. What do you mean by stopping me?

The rebel army searched the entire Forbidden City but found no trace of Emperor Chongzhen. Even the legendary beauties in the harem were nowhere to be found. This was even more annoying because I had never seen what the emperor’s wife looked like!

Behind Li Zicheng, Niu Jinxing, Liu Zongmin and others all had complicated expressions. The emperor, empress, imperial concubine and others were all gone, even the two princes and two princesses were gone. This was not right! !

Niu Jinxing said, "Your Majesty, please immediately order the closure of all city gates. Don't let them escape!"

Li Zicheng also knew that this was a big deal and should not be taken lightly. If this group of royal blood escaped, it would be a disaster. You know, although he has conquered Beijing, there are still many people loyal to the Ming Dynasty. If he turns around and gathers another team, wouldn’t it be a waste of his efforts? So he ordered: "Immediately block all exits of the capital, set up checkpoints everywhere, and post notices everywhere in the city. Anyone who surrenders the emperor, princes, and concubines will be rewarded with 10,000 gold and made an earl. Anyone who dares to hide them will be exterminated!"

While searching for Chongzhen and his family, Li Zicheng's troops discovered a group of suspicious people.

Volume 399: Chapter Chapter : Roasting and Repairing the Plank Road

In the Huangji Hall, Li Zicheng was lying on the dragon throne with his legs crossed, listening to the civil and military officials of Dashun discussing the next plan.

After ordering the search for Emperor Chongzhen, the Dashun Army searched the entire city of Beijing. Eventually, Chongzhen's body was found on Coal Hill. However, the princes and palace ladies were nowhere to be found, which made Li Zicheng somewhat worried.

Niu Jinxing analyzed: "Emperor Chongzhen is dead, and the princes either fled to Liaodong or to Fujian. There is nowhere else to go."

Li Zicheng nodded in approval. Shandong General Liu Zeqing and Shaanxi General He Renlong had already surrendered to Dashun. Wu Sangui led his troops to Jizhou, and after seeing that the Dashun army was strong and powerful, and heard that the capital had been captured, he led his troops back to Liaodong. Hundreds of thousands of troops went on a tour at public expense and did nothing. Hong Chengchou saw that the situation was hopeless, so he followed them to Liaodong and went straight to his base camp in Ji Liao.

Dashun basically controlled the northern provinces within the Great Wall. Only the generals of Shanxi and Miyun led the remaining troops to flee and resist. Chongzhen and his family would never follow them.

Song suggested: "If Chongzhen flees eastward, it will be easy to deal with. It just so happens that Dashun wants to surrender the Ming army in Liaodong. We can just let Wu Sangui and his men surrender the emperor and the two kings."

Li Zicheng felt that they had no choice but to surrender, and he had already planned to send people to recruit the surrender of Hong Chengchou, the Governor of Ji-Liao, Wu Sangui, the General of Liaodong, and Zu Dashou, the General of Jinzhou.

Li Zicheng believed that they would choose to surrender to Dashun. If the Liaodong Army did not surrender and did not appreciate his kindness, he would have no choice but to add insult to injury and send troops to deal with them. After taking Beijing, everyone present was very confident that as long as the Dashun troops came over in a mighty force, they would be crushed to pieces.

Niu Jinxing was a little worried: "I'm afraid that the emperor has fled to Jiangnan. If Jiang Han colludes with the prince of the Zhu family and uses the emperor to control the princes, it will be difficult to fight him."

Song suggested, "It shouldn't happen. Jiang Han has high standards. I heard that many rebel brothers went to join him but were driven back. His subordinates are always on the same page and will definitely not let the prince of the Zhu family interfere."

Li Zicheng pondered and said, "Prime Minister Niu, go find Wu Sangui's father Wu Xiang and ask him to write a letter to persuade Wu Sangui and Zu Dashou to surrender. As for Hong Chengchou, you write a letter to him in person, explain the pros and cons, and tell him that I can confer him the title of Marquis."

Wu Xiang married Zu Dashou's sister. The two families were relatives, and politically they were even more like one.

Liu Zongmin mentioned it and asked, "What about the Jiannu?"

Li Zicheng said: "Ignore them for now. After we conquer the Ming army in Liaodong, we can discuss how to deal with them."

In Li Zicheng's mind, there was no concept of the Eight Banners Army. Niu Jinxing and others had lived in the interior for a long time and also lacked understanding of Liaodong. In their eyes, Jiannu? What Feiwu? Shanhaiguan had been unconquered for so many years, and the last time they entered the pass, they were beaten by Jiang Han's 10,000 men and 200,000 men like dogs. They were pure noobs. How could they compete with my Dashun?

In the Central Plains, the Dashun Army could easily wipe out hundreds of thousands of Ming troops in one battle. This is what it means to be invincible.

The high-spirited Li Zicheng turned his attention to Jiangnan. He thought that as long as he conquered Jiangnan, the world would be unified. However, when he was in Henan, Jiang Han's army left a deep impression on him, so he still had to pay attention to it.

Just send more troops when the time comes!

After discussing the Liaodong issue, there was still one worrying issue that troubled the entire Dashun court.

When he was a bandit, he could just rob people by phone and rob wherever he went. But now that a new dynasty has been established, he can no longer do that. He needs to spend money to reward and house the soldiers. Where does the money come from to cover the expenses of an army of 500,000 people?

I thought I would get rich after taking over the capital and raiding the national treasury and the emperor's escrow. But who could have imagined that the Ming treasury was so huge that even a mouse would shake his head at it, and the emperor's escrow, which was rumored to have tens of millions of taels of silver, was completely empty. The damn Chongzhen's own bedding was even covered with patches!

For the first time, Li Zicheng felt that he had lost money in this business. However, as a professional traitor and a veteran bandit, he naturally had a lot of ideas. He thought of a perfect way to make money...

In the Forbidden City in Beijing, a sea of ​​officials gathered in front of the Meridian Gate.

Upon hearing that Emperor Yongchang of the Dashun Dynasty would continue to employ officials from the previous dynasty, officials from the capital, both large and small, flocked to the city, vying for the first spot, fearing that they would lose their official positions if they were a step late.

In front of the Meridian Gate, there were more than a thousand officials, headed by the Minister of War Zhang Jinyan, and the Grand Secretary Wei Zaode, officials from the six ministries, etc. They were all dressed in court robes and looked very respectable.

Zhang Jinyan and Wei Zaode were both full of confidence. Zhang Jinyan thought that because of his contribution in opening the city and surrendering it, he would at least continue to be the Minister of War, even if he could not enter the cabinet.

Wei Zaode was proud of his talent as the top scholar and his vast knowledge. Compared with the general cultural level of the Dashun Army who had received three days of prenatal education, he felt like the God of Literature. How could he not be hired?

The others were also waiting anxiously. There were too many officials coming for the interview. Would they be able to be retained?

As for surrender, everyone is standing here, so don't say such shameless words. Don't laugh at the second brother. What's wrong with you not surrendering? No one should laugh at anyone else. We all claim to be heroes who know the current situation.

However, several hours passed and Emperor Yongchang had not yet summoned him. The officials blocking the Meridian Gate became more and more anxious. Several Dashun officials came forward with their chests puffed out, and Zhang Jinyan and others bowed and forced smiles.

Seeing General Quan Liu Zongmin and his party enter the palace, Wei Zaode immediately stepped forward with a flattering smile and asked, "General Quan, I am Wei Zaode, the top scholar in the 13th year of Chongzhen in the former Ming Dynasty, and I am a cabinet minister. I wonder when Your Majesty will come out of the court to summon us?"

"Number one scholar?" Liu Zongmin looked him up and down in surprise. Is the number one scholar like this?

Wei Zaode straightened his back immediately. The top scholar was a synonym for glory and honor. Common people regarded the top scholar as the god of literature coming down to earth. It was like an army of thousands crossing a single-plank bridge. It was the pride of a place for decades. He was so proud of it.

However, it was clear that these people did not include Liu Zongmin, whose style of doing things was quite similar to that of the African region. He yelled at Wei Zaode, "What a bullshit champion, wait here, if you keep talking nonsense, I will kill you!"

Wei Zaode was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he immediately lowered his head, nodded and said yes. Facing the strange looks from the officials around him and the mocking words from the gatekeepers of the Shun army, this top scholar stood there like a puppet and dared not say a word.

The ministers had been waiting here since the morning when Chengtian Gate had not yet been opened, and it was not until the evening when it was almost dark that the palace sent someone to call them in.

In the Huangji Hall, Li Zicheng sat on the throne. Seeing the officials entering one after another, he immediately felt very happy. The civil servants around him, such as Niu Jinxing, were even more proud.

How could they not be proud of themselves when they, with their high academic qualifications of top scorers and Jinshi, were defeated by a group of people including a few juren, scholars, postmen, blacksmiths, and horsemen?

Wei Zaode and others lined up respectfully, performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows to Li Zicheng, and then knelt obediently on the ground.

Prime Minister Niu Jinxing of Dashun walked down and counted the number of surrendered ministers in the hall by touching their heads. Just like the squash on the plate in the field, the ministers in the hall were several dozen years old and were treated as playthings, but no one dared to say anything.

Niu Jinxing asked, "Who is the Minister of the Honglu Temple? Stand up and call out your name!"

The Minister of the Ministry of Rites crawled out and began to call the roll on the spot with trembling hands.

"Wei Zaode, the Grand Secretary of Wenyuan Pavilion..."

Wei Zaode quickly stepped forward, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm here."

Niu Jinxing walked up to him and said, "Oh, Grand Secretary, I am so sorry for not welcoming you so far."

He learned it very well, which confused Wei Zaode. He didn't know what to do for a moment, which made the Dashun officials burst into laughter.

Niu Jinxing cupped his hands again and said with a smile, "Master Wei, please come this way!"

The direction he pointed was actually next to Li Zicheng. Wei Zaode was so frightened that he immediately stepped back and said he didn't dare. It was not until now that he realized that Niu Jinxing was playing a trick on him.

Niu Jinxing suddenly swung his sleeves again and said coldly: "Is there anything you, the top scholar, dare not do? Come on, drag him outside the hall and beat him with thirty military sticks first!"

Niu Jinxing was a juren in the seventh year of the Tianqi reign. In the tenth year of the Chongzhen reign, he had a conflict with a wealthy man from his hometown and was falsely accused of resisting tax arrears and forcibly seizing 18 women. He was stripped of his juren title and exiled to Lu's county to serve as a clerk.

He was stripped of his title and reputation because of these beasts. At this moment, Niu Jinxing was retaliating against them in a fair and open manner.

Wei Zaode was beaten so hard that he screamed in agony. All the officials looked at each other in dismay. Immediately, an imperial censor stepped forward to add insult to injury and said, "Your Majesty, I request that the traitor Wei Zaode and Zhang Jinyan, who have harmed the country, be executed!" Beat them! Beat them to death! If I kill them, I can take the throne!

Li Zicheng sat high on the throne, wearing a pointed white felt hat and a blue cloth horse robe. He shouted, "What the hell have you been doing so far? Why didn't I see you impeaching them during the reign of Emperor Chongzhen? Take them to jail!"

Seeing the cowardly looks on the faces of these surrendered officials, Li Zicheng felt more and more disgusted.

? Is there a way? Does the Emperor of Dashun want to protect him? Zhang Jinyan straightened his clothes, stood up, and sang a song of praise: "His Majesty the Yongchang Emperor of Dashun has comforted the people and punished the criminals, and restored order. It is a blessing for the people of Dashun. We are fortunate to have the honor to look up to the emperor, which is a blessing in three lifetimes..."

Li Zicheng looked at this licking dog and suddenly asked: "I heard that Emperor Chongzhen appointed you as the Minister of War to be in charge of defending the city. Why did you open the gates and surrender the city?"