Great time travel

157 Chapter [-]
When the news of the defeat of the Wuhu front line came, the city of Nanjing suddenly fell into a panic.

Although the Nanjing cabinet, headed by Zhou Yanru, was still biting the bullet and swollen his face to pretend to be a fat man, he sent people to announce the "Wuhu Great Victory", claiming that "killed countless enemies" and "victory turned into a big victory".However, given the Ming Dynasty's habit of keeping any political talk from that day, at the latest at night, the "well-informed people" in various places in Nanjing had already known the real situation, and then the whole city was in an uproar.

Although the city of Nanjing was still in a state of martial law in theory at this time, neither the yamen guards nor the soldiers guarding the city were in the mood to maintain law and order.There are even watchmen and yamen servants colluding with bandits, secretly spreading rumors that "Emperor Chongzhen has killed in" everywhere, in an attempt to stir up chaos, and then take advantage of the fire to rob - before the Western Army came, Nanjing City itself was rapidly collapsing It's broken.

And in towns and villages outside Nanjing, the rice-grabbing commotions broke out one after another. From Zhenjiang to Liyang, wars broke out everywhere.

The people are already so undercurrent, and the situation in the court is even more unbearable.In the past, there was always more noise than the market when going to court every day, but after receiving the news of Wuhu's defeat, for three consecutive days, there was a dead silence during the court.Even the eunuch's yelling of "report to court if there is nothing to do" has become weak.What's even more frightening is that fewer and fewer ministers come to court, and even those who come to court generally have strange eyes.

As for the fact that the local officials of Taiping Mansion, Chizhou Mansion, Luzhou Mansion and even Ningguo Mansion have changed their banners and defected to the enemy, no one cares anymore.

In desperation, the chief assistant of Zhou Yanru had no choice but to continue bragging and not drafting. He cheered up the officials above the court, shouting loudly, "...the imperial court has only suffered a small setback in Wuhu, and there are still strong soldiers under Lu Shangshu's command. Wan, relying on the great victory over the natural barriers, we will surely be able to defend against the enemy outside the capital! When the emperor's soldiers are exhausted and our army waits for work, we will be able to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop! At that time, not only will we regain the lost ground in Nanzhili, but we will also attack the enemy in one go. What about Huguang!"

While saying this, Zhou Yanru, still assuming himself as his ancestor Zhou Yu and Zhou Gongjin, who did not know how many generations ago, clapped his hands and read aloud: "...the great river goes east, and the waves wash away. He is a romantic man through the ages. To the west of the old base, the human way Yes, Zhou Lang Chibi of the Three Kingdoms..." It's a pity that this encouragement has no effect at all. Everyone didn't think how "majestic and heroic Zhou Shoufu is, with a feather fan and a scarf, and the mast and scull are wiped out in smoke while talking and laughing", but they all thought of another A famous poem through the ages: "Wang Junlou's boat went down to Yizhou, and Jinling's royal spirit was sadly lost. Qianxun's iron lock sank to the bottom of the river, and stones came out of a piece of falling flags..."

As a matter of course, Zhou Yanru's next action to persuade him to donate food and salaries did not receive any positive response. The civil and military ministers who had expected this had long changed into rags and ragged clothes, and all cried poorly.Some said they were pawning their clothes to survive, some said that their family had not been able to eat for a few days, and some said they were selling their mansions in Beijing to raise money... In the end, Zhou Yanru only raised 300 taels of silver, and the rice grain was even more expensive. Not a single stone.

On the other hand, outside the Wuhu Daying Gate of the Western Army, there was an endless stream of secret envoys from Nanjing. Some wanted to turn to the light to negotiate prices, some agreed to open the city gate of Nanjing with internal and external cooperation, and some offered their family property to pray for pardon. Yes, some people talked about friendship with Lu Xiangsheng, the coach of the Western Army, with relatives.As a result, before the Western Army arrived at Dasheng Pass, Lu Xiangsheng counted and found that a total of 63 envoys came, and the amount of gold and silver sent was as much as [-] taels!
Although the situation was so desperate, Zhou Yanru still wanted to struggle again, so he went into the palace to discuss countermeasures with the emperor, but unexpectedly there was another bolt from the blue——the "Emperor of Yonghe" Zhu Yihai, on this day's break After the imperial court, she sneaked out of the palace and disappeared!

——The emperor didn't even want the country, so he ran away by himself. What is he, the chief assistant, doing?

Although the Yonghe Emperor was forced to be promoted by the Donglin Party, given the current situation, is there still time for another person to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor?
So, when Zhang Pu found him, Zhou Yanru was wearing a set of stained red official robes, sitting cross-legged on the floor of the cabinet class, warming a half-old tin pot on a small red clay stove. Wine, his expression was full of indescribable despair and decadence, as well as resentment and bewilderment.

"...Yo! It's you! Let's have a drink with Wei Shi!" Zhou Yanru raised his cloudy eyes, glanced at Zhang Pu, who was busy in the world, and then took out a small wine cup, and poured it for Zhang Pu too. A glass of wine, "...I want to drink now, but I can't find anyone to accompany me! Our emperor is as missing as Emperor Jianwen, and Qian Muzhai (Qian Qianyi) has also fled to his hometown in Suzhou! Could it be that he thought Will I be able to avoid being pursued in the future?"

Listening to Zhou Yanru's bleak babbling, Zhang Pu held a wine glass in his hand, his eyes were sour and weeping, his face was full of sorrow, and his chest was full of resentment, "...Men! We are all dedicated to promoting righteousness and building a life for the people of the world. ! Why did you end up like this? It’s really unfair! It’s unfair!”

——In fact, even at this moment, Zhang Pu and the vast majority of Donglin Party members still don't think there is anything wrong with supporting the new emperor in Nanjing.Ever since Emperor Chongzhen appointed the treacherous official Wen Tiren and dismissed the gentlemen of Donglin, which made the Beijing court no longer have the atmosphere of "all beings and prosperous courts", in Zhang Pu's eyes, Emperor Chongzhen was no longer a "natural sage" but " The culprit"!

And after that, with the gentlemen of Donglin leaving the court sadly, the fate of the Ming Dynasty really changed from declining to falling apart.Beijing, the majestic imperial capital, was actually occupied by rogues and Tartars in turn. Some of the most elite imperial army in the world either rebelled or surrendered to the enemy, or were completely wiped out.The Central Plains, Henan and Shaanxi are all overwhelmed by countless bandits and thieves.Huangshi, the No. 1 general in the world guarding Fujian in the south, also colluded with the bandits to rebel and swept across several southern provinces in one go.In Shandong, there are also Dengzhou rebels and Wenxiangjiao rioting one after another. It can be said that the four sides are on fire.
From Zhang Pu's point of view, all of this is obviously the fault of Emperor Chongzhen, who turned the world into this state because he didn't listen to the honest and honest teachings of our Donglin Party gentleman!He is no longer worthy to be the lord of the world!That's why we have to set things right, set up a worthy new ruler, and help protect the great Ming Dynasty!

Who knows that not only Zhu Ming's clan in the world can't understand the painstaking efforts of the Donglin gentleman, even the heinous Chongzhen abolished emperor refused to die obediently, but jumped out to destroy the Donglin party's hard work!It's really unreasonable!God can't tolerate it!
However, compared to the resentful Zhang Pu, his teacher, Zhou Yanru, the chief assistant of the cabinet, is quite calm, "... Alas, we have already reached this point, so why bother to blame others? Anyway, as a teacher, I have already seen Open, as a teacher in my life, what other glorious things have I not experienced? I was named on the gold list, won the top spot, sat as the chief at the Qionglin Banquet, and Dai Hua rode a horse in front of the imperial street; he was successful at a young age, had a prosperous official career, entered the cabinet at the age of 36, and was 37 years old. As the chief assistant, he ruled the world twice, even if he was ruined in the end, he has already lived a vigorous life, and this life is not in vain..."

"...Master! I don't accept it!" Zhang Pu slammed his wine glass on the ground with a wave of his hand, "...Why did things end like this?"

"...Not convinced? Haha? As a teacher, why are you willing to admit defeat? But even if you don't accept it, so what? It's the end of the road right now!"

Zhou Yanru drank the warm rice wine in his cup, wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve and said with a wry smile, "...Wuhu suffered a disastrous defeat, the three armies disintegrated, and after Lu Shangshu retreated to Dasheng Pass, there were only a few thousand soldiers left under his command. They are fleeing every day, even if they are rewarded with a lot of money, they can't stabilize the morale of the army! Now even the commander-in-chief Lu Shangshu has been discouraged and has dismissed his family early.
As for the city of Nanjing, even our emperor ran away, and the gentlemen of Donglin also escaped in sevens and eights, leaving only the top tank for the teacher and a few people who could not escape.What's more, those nobles who hold military power in Nanjing City, such as Wei Guogong, An Yuanhou, and Long Pinghou, are also secretly joining forces at the moment, waiting for Emperor Chongzhen's soldiers and horses to hit the city, and they will fight back!Faced with such a desperate situation, what else can we think of? "

Speaking of this, Zhou Yanru couldn't help feeling sad again when he recalled the aggrieved and difficult times when he encountered obstacles everywhere in the government and politics before, "...even if the teacher wants to stick to Liudu and fight to the end, this soldier never Where did it come from? Where did the food and payment come from? As the saying goes, the general situation is over, and there is nothing we can do!"

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However, in the face of the desperate cry of Zhou Yanru, the chief minister of the cabinet, his student Zhang Pu's eyes were still shining, "... If you talk about food and salary, the students can't help it, but there are still soldiers. Let's see if the respected master is willing to borrow his master's help to suppress his face!"

"... Borrowing teachers to help suppress?" Zhou Yanru blinked his eyes in confusion, and then suddenly realized, "...Could it be to appease the Australian bandits? Let them send large iron ships deep into the Yangtze River to intercept the enemy navy? It's feasible, but I'm afraid it may not be able to convince them?!"

"...No! No! The student is not talking about Australian thieves!" Zhang Pu shook his head repeatedly when he heard the words, "...not to mention that the Australian thieves are short-sighted, despise scholars, and wantonly kill gentry in Zhejiang, and their methods are outrageous. Even if we are willing to endure humiliation and beg for their help, the thief is far away in Hangzhou, far away from Liudu, and the time it takes for the envoys to travel is already too late! "

"...Since it's not an Australian bandit, could it be...the Jurchen Tartars from Jiangbei?" Zhou Yanru frowned deeply at first, and then panicked, "...how could this be? This is causing chaos in China. Ah! Have you forgotten the distinction between Hua and Yi?"

"...Respecting the teacher is too much worry! It's just borrowing the help of the teacher to suppress it." Zhang Pu replied lightly, "...at least compared with the Australian bandits, the Jurchen Tartars treated me and other gentry and scholars more or less courteously. Besides, if you lure thieves into the south of the Yangtze River, you may be in danger of changing the color of the country. Although the Tartars used to be famous, they have now become bereaved dogs, and they can slowly disintegrate and disintegrate. ..."

——At this time, although the Nanjing court did not have a clear grasp of the inside story of the northern turmoil, at least it knew roughly that the homeland of Liaodong, where the slaves were established, had changed hands, and that the Guanning rebel generals such as Zu Dashou and Wu Xiang once again fought with the Tartars. The sons parted ways, and the Dengzhou army broke through Jinan, compressing the Qing army to the south of Lunan and the Huaihe River. For a while, the whole family was isolated in the Central Plains and became a tree without roots... So Zhang Pu naturally became aroused. The thoughts of foreign aid.

"...However, this Jiannu is my old enemy of the Emperor Ming anyway, and now he is arrogating himself as the emperor..." Zhou Yanru still hesitated.

"...Respected Master, just as you said before, the imperial court is now at the end of its rope, and there is nothing to do. Now that we have reached such a field, how can we pay too much attention? We can only choose the lesser of two evils! Respected Master You should also know that the deposed Emperor Chongzhen has always been mean and ungrateful, he is not a generous and benevolent master! If he is allowed to enter Nanjing and sit in the Dragon Court, where in the world will there be room for us?"

Zhang Pu stood up and said to Zhou Yanru very sincerely, "...Although the Jurchen Jiannu is indeed a barbarian outside the Great Wall, the ancients also said: if you enter the barbarians, you will be the barbarians, and if you enter the Huaxia, you will be the Huaxia. Now they have lost In the hometown of Liaodong, even the way back to the north is blocked. It can be said that the situation is extremely embarrassing. Even if you don’t want to enter Huaxia, you can only enter Huaxia. Moreover, I recently heard that the emperor of the Tartars, Huang Taiji, was in Qufu and Yanshenggong’s mansion in Shandong. We got married and accepted Miss Kong's family as a concubine, which shows that she really has the heart to accept the teachings of saints! If we can use her for our own use, not only can we save the crisis in Nanjing, but also let the great Confucian scholars in the south of the Yangtze River give them advice, Professor Dao of saints, so as to truly subdue this generation and turn them into summers!"

——Facts have proved that some people's receptivity and nerve resilience are always stronger than many people imagined.

For example, the Jiangnan literati represented by the Donglin Party, although they blatantly talk about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, are actually just a group of shameless people who have no loyalty, no conscience, and no integrity.The more these people care about the affairs of the world, the messier the affairs of the world will become.

For example, the biggest crisis of the imperial court in the late Ming Dynasty was never the rogues and Tartars, but financial bankruptcy, and the only solution was to collect business taxes. Anyone with a discerning eye could see this.But the Donglin Party members are trying their best to oppose this, because it will tax them and the backstage funders, and damage their short-term profits.Therefore, even if they know that if the financial crisis is not resolved, the whole country will soon fall apart, but they still would rather destroy the country that gave them countless privileges and honors with their own hands, but also desperately poach the corners of the court and seek their own Self-interest, and even take the initiative to push the country into the abyss of destruction!

Even if it means the final death together, but for the benefit of the moment, these death masters will not hesitate!

Of course, the capitalists of later generations actually have the same virtue, otherwise, why would they sell the rope that hanged themselves for profit?
Therefore, after Zhang Pu threw out a sufficiently high-sounding step, Zhou Yanru, who was also lacking in integrity, immediately climbed down the pole, and accepted the proposal of "borrowing teachers to help suppress" the Manchu Eight Banners without any objection. He asked with some concern: "...Since the Tartar Emperor was still married to his concubine at Yanshenggong Mansion in Qufu, Shandong Province not long ago, it seems that he is far away from Liudu, is it still too late to send an envoy to ask him for help? "

But Zhang Pu confidently assured: "...the students have already sent people across the river to make contact, and the emperor of the Tartars is now stationed in Yangzhou! As long as the court's Yangtze River Navy can provide a ferry, the Qing Dynasty's Eight Banners Iron Cavalry You can cross the south of the Yangtze River in a short time, and come to rescue the danger of Jinling, the capital..."

——However, when they were carefully planning how to attract the soldiers of the Eight Banners into the south of the Yangtze River and recruit them for their own use, they seemed to have forgotten that as early as in the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Emperor Wu of Liang Xiao Yan also asked a Northern Dynasty Hu Hu Famous generals, handed out olive branches for solicitation.

And that famous barbarian general of the Northern Dynasties was Hou Jing, the "General of the Universe" who had a super-explosive title...