Signed to Zhu Cihong, Prince of the Late Ming Dynasty

Chapter 5 5, Cheng En asks the prince to stay, the situation in Cilang Road is critical

Zhu Cihong's carriage had just gone a few steps when a shout came from behind him.

"His Royal Highness, please stay!"

Zhu Cihong frowned, looked back, and found that it was Wang Chengen who ran over.

Zhu Cixiang thought for a while and stopped the carriage.

Wang Chengen said out of breath, "His Royal Highness, where are you going?"

Zhu Cihong said, "Go to Changhua Gate."

Wang Chengen was obviously taken aback, and lost his voice: "Changhua Gate? That's where the camp of the intruders is located."

The reason why Wang Chengen appeared was because Chongzhen wanted him to keep up with Zhu Cihong, so that Zhu Cihong would not cause any trouble.

But now Zhu Cihong actually wants to go directly to Changhuamen, which faces the most military pressure in the entire capital, isn't this a commotion?
Zhu Cixiang opened his mouth and smiled, showing eight teeth: "I am looking for Li Zicheng!"

Wang Chengen hurriedly said: "Your Highness, this Changhua Gate is absolutely forbidden. The Chuangjun has already seized the cannons outside the city and started bombarding the city walls. If the crown prince goes there, his life may be in danger."

The Ming army was able to fight the Manchus and Li Zicheng on two fronts for many years. Of course, it cannot be without confidence. Cannons are one of the trump cards of the Ming army.

In the battle of Ningyuan in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Yuan Chonghuan, the then chief general of the Ming army, used the Hongyi cannon purchased from Portugal to severely wound Nurhachi and won one of the few victories of the Ming Dynasty.

As the capital of the empire, Beijing naturally deployed some artillery on the periphery.

These artillery were originally used to prevent the Manchus from entering the customs, and they did play a role, but I did not expect that after the arrival of Li Zicheng's soldiers, the Ming troops in the defensive strongholds outside the city fled in haste, and the intruders captured several gates without firing a single shot. The artillery, on the contrary, was directly used to bombard the city of Beijing.

Li Zicheng's camp of the Chinese army was just outside Changhua Gate, so Changhua Gate was also the main target of the invading army's attack, and almost all the captured cannons were pulled to Changhua Gate.

While speaking, a flash of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky and earth, followed by thunder that resounded throughout the sky.

"Boom!"

The sky and the earth are covered with dark clouds, and the strong wind blows up the dust, and it feels like the end of the world for a while.

Zhu Cihong looked at Wang Chengen with strange eyes.

After a few seconds, Zhu Cihong finally said: "Eunuch Wang, I ask you, do you think Li Zicheng will automatically withdraw from the army?"

Wang Cheng'en said: "This... I don't think so."

Zhu Cihong chuckled, and said: "I'll ask you again, do you think the current Beijing camp can still hold the city of Beijing?"

Wang Chengen hesitated for a while, then said: "Well, although the Beijing camp has suffered some losses, its combat strength is still there, and it must be able to hold it."

Zhu Cihong said flatly: "Fart."

The atmosphere fell into silence for a while.

Another bolt of lightning passed across the sky, and the gloomy world suddenly lit up, and Zhu Cihong's face became clear in Wang Chengen's pupils.

Seeing Zhu Cihong's half-smile expression, the eunuch, the admiral of the Beijing camp, suddenly trembled.

Where had he seen that look before?

By the way, it is Emperor Wanli!

When Wang Chengen entered the palace, it was the time when Emperor Wanli was in power. His Majesty the Emperor was so indifferent, obviously expressionless, but it gave people tremendous psychological pressure.

Zhu Cihong took a step forward, Wang Chengen subconsciously took two steps back, inadvertently staggered and almost fell.

Zhu Cihong said lightly: "Don't you know what's going on in the Beijing camp now? The morale of the army is weak, the morale is low, and everyone is in danger before the battle. Tell me, how can such an army be able to defend the city of Beijing?" ?”

Wang Chengen's expression was pale, and he said: "Emperor, prince, old slave..."

At this moment, Wang Chengen was shocked.

As the admiral and eunuch of the Beijing camp, Wang Chengen clearly knew that the combat effectiveness of the Beijing camp was really not good.

This is also a helpless thing. The real elites were transferred to Liaodong and the Central Plains to fight against the Manchus and Li Zicheng. Now that the main force of Liaodong, Wu Sangui, has not arrived, the elites of the Central Plains have already been killed by Li Zicheng and stayed in the Beijing camp. The people among them are basically a bunch of ostentatious people, so what can be done?

Although Wang Chengen knew the truth, he did not dare to speak out, because he was worried that Chongzhen would not be able to bear it immediately after hearing it.

He never expected that the prince who had lived in the deep palace for a long time would reveal the truth about the weakness of the main force in Beijing, the Daming Jingying.

Looking at Zhu Cihuang, Wang Chengen recalled the scene in the hall just now, and his heart was constantly turbulent.

Could it be that the prince was hiding his clumsiness before, and only now has he become a blockbuster?
Zhu Cihong laughed suddenly, and patted Wang Chengen's shoulder: "My lord, do you understand now? The Beijing camp is unreliable, and we can rely on ourselves now! Therefore, I must go to Changhua Gate, because if I If the palace doesn’t go, if Changhua Gate doesn’t fall today, it will fall tomorrow!”

What Zhu Cihong said was the truth, because according to the trajectory of history, the admiral Cao Huachun and others stationed at Changhua Gate will soon open the gate to welcome Li Chuang into the city in the early morning of tomorrow!

Another flash of lightning flashed, and there seemed to be faint drumming noises coming from outside the city.

Zhu Cihong's heart sank. You must know that the Forbidden City is extremely far away from the city wall. You can hear voices from that far away. Could it be that something happened?

Thinking of this, Zhu Cihong immediately lost patience, and said in a deep voice: "Okay, I will go to Changhua Gate first, otherwise there will be changes later!"

It was because Wang Chengen followed Chongzhen to commit suicide in Meishan that Zhu Cihong would say so many words to him. If it were someone else, he would have been kicked away.

Zhu Cihong turned around and was about to get in the car when Wang Chengen suddenly said, "Prince, please stay! If you go like this now, you won't be able to get on the city wall!"

Zhu Cihong paused slightly, and suddenly remembered something.

Chongzhen is quite a person, speaking of it.

In the past, Chongzhen relatively trusted the cabinet composed of ministers and officials, so the generals of the Chongzhen Dynasty were rarely constrained by the eunuchs who supervised the army when they fought.

But when the ministers who led the army failed again and again, and finally Li Zicheng's troops came to the city, Chongzhen completely lost confidence in the ministers and handed over all military power to the eunuchs.

Eunuchs such as Cao Huachun, Wang Huamin, and Wang Chengen were originally assistants in handling political affairs in places such as the Inner Court Supervisor of Ceremony. What do they know about fighting?But when the city of Beijing was besieged, it was these guys who were in charge of the military power.

That's not to mention, Chongzhen is even more persistent, directly prohibiting all officials from going up the city wall to inquire about the military situation, such as Zhang Jinyan, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Li Guozhen, uncle of Xiangcheng, can only stay under the city.

The eunuch led the army, and the ministers watched. What happened now was that the eunuchs didn't know how to fight, the ministers were all fluctuating, and the soldiers were even more at a loss as to what to do.

The reason why Beijing City was breached in just a few days was due to Chongzhen's coquettish manipulation.

Although Zhu Cihong was not a civil servant, he was not an eunuch either, so it is conceivable that if he went to Changhua Gate, he probably would not be allowed to go up the city wall.

Zhu Cihong looked back at Wang Chengen, and said with a smile, "It's okay, I have my own ideas."

Zhu Cihong's smile was full of confidence.

Isn't it just Cao Huachun, an eunuch who betrayed his master and surrendered? As the prince of Ming Dynasty, I can't cure him?
Big deal, reward him with a bullet!
Seeing that Zhu Cihong had already boarded the carriage, Wang Chengen gritted his teeth and said loudly: "Prince, wait a minute, please take this old slave to Changhua Gate, maybe we can accommodate the prince!"

Zhu Cihong didn't speak any more, but just waved to Wang Chengen, and then the carriage sped away immediately.

Wang Chengen took a deep breath and shouted at the followers behind him: "Malay!"

Amidst the wind and thunder, Wang Chengen's body rose and fell with the horse under his crotch, recalling the conversation just now, his mood was agitated.

Prince... What a prince!
The head of the Ming Dynasty's ceremonial supervisor Bingbi, the admiral and eunuch of the Beijing camp suddenly felt that maybe——Da Ming could still be saved!

(End of this chapter)