In the recent period, Chongzhen has been very anxious to get angry. On the one hand, he was worried about the siege of Kaifeng, and on the other hand, he began to worry about the vacancy of the position of chief assistant.
Zhou Yanru's downfall was by no means an ordinary issue, because it also represented the collapse of his power and involved a large number of officials in the court. Therefore, Chongzhen hesitated at first as to whether he should punish Zhou Yanru for this matter.
Hold on tight......
But the problem is that after Wu Changshi confessed, Prince Lin Jing and a large number of ministers in the court were unwilling to tolerate Zhou Yanru, and Chongzhen did not want to go against the ideas of most people for such a person.
So, at the moment, the most important issue is naturally the candidate for the new first assistant.
"Chen Yan? Zhang Sizhi?"
Chongzhen hesitated between the two candidates, but before he could finish thinking, Lin Jing came to the palace gate and asked to see him.
As soon as he heard that the prince was coming, Chongzhen thought of Lin Jing's fight with him a few days ago, and felt a little unhappy. He deliberately said to Wang Chengen: "I am not feeling well, so let the prince go back to study first."
Wang Chengen hesitated for a moment. When he originally wanted to persuade him, he saw Chongzhen's cold expression and could only lower his head and said: "Yes, Your Majesty."
When Lin Jing was rejected, he couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "My father is unwell, so I should personally serve the soup and medicine."
"Master, don't you understand yet? This is what His Majesty means..." Wang Chengen was a little anxious, so he reminded him in a low voice.
Of course, Lin Jing knew that it was because of the previous issue of withdrawing troops that Chongzhen felt a little dissatisfied. After the emperor became more angry, nothing would happen, but he had to say these words now, otherwise it would be a great unfilial piety.
Wang Cheng'en saw that Lin Jing's attitude was very determined, so he had to turn around and re-enter the palace, and reported Lin Jing's intentions to Chongzhen.
However, just when Wang Chengen thought that Chongzhen would be angry, he found that Chongzhen's stern face showed a look of helplessness, as if he had the attitude of a strict father when his children are naughty.
"Let him in."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
After Lin Jing received permission, he walked into the palace with a very respectful attitude and saluted facing the emperor.
"My son, I pay homage to my father and ask him to take care of his dragon body."
"I am indeed sick, but it's just a mental illness. You should understand."
Chongzhen glanced at Lin Jing angrily and said coldly: "Let me ask you, you have been arguing with me for so long and asked the frontline officers and soldiers to evacuate Zhuxian Town. What will happen next?"
"The fortified city of Kaifeng is defended by 20,000 elite soldiers. It cannot be easily captured by rogue bandits."
Lin Jing said very calmly: "Li Zicheng also understood this very well. He surrounded Kaifeng for a long time just to besiege the city and bring reinforcements. His purpose was actually to rescue our army... If Ding Qirui, Yang Wenyue and others
If we fight again, I'm afraid we will fall into the trap of the rogue bandits."
Speaking of this, Lin Jing couldn't help but sigh in his heart. In fact, thanks to the fact that the cities built by the Ming army in this era were very strong, and the siege methods were relatively backward, neither the Qing court nor the bandits were usually willing to
Instead of heaping human lives, he prefers to play the trick of besieging a city and calling for reinforcements.
But in contrast, the Ming court was very keen on various large-scale battles, and even refused to change its ways even after suffering losses many times.
Chongzhen looked at him closely and continued: "Are you sure that Kaifeng will not be lost?"
"I am not sure, but I am very confident that Kaifeng will not be lost before October."
"That's good, I'll spare you for now..."
Chongzhen paused, feeling slightly relieved, and continued: "Who do you think is more suitable to be the first assistant at the moment?"
coming!
Lin Jing's heart skipped a beat. He knew this was a trap. If he answered any name, not only would that person not be able to be the chief minister, but he would also be in a lot of trouble, because once the relationship between the prince and the chief minister was established, wouldn't it be
Can I ask, what do you want to do?
"My son is too stupid to get involved in such an important matter... I can only ask the Sacred Heart to rule."
Chongzhen shook his head impatiently and said: "Then just say it briefly, I won't blame you."
Lin Jing's heart was moved and he said: "Since my father asked my son to speak, I dare to speak out. It is a troubled time now, and ordinary ministers may not be able to assume such an important position. Why not ask your majesty to select an experienced minister in the court to take the position."
"Old minister?"
There was a hint of suspicion on Chongzhen's face. He had to start thinking more about something at this time. He even felt that the original candidates Chen Yan and Zhang Sizhi needed to be considered more... Who knew these two people
Among them, are there any princes?
Lin Jing stopped talking and did not continue talking. He did not even mention Jiang Dejing's name, but he had already planted a seed in Chongzhen's mind.
After Lin Jing left, Chongzhen quickly ordered to summon Chen Xinjia, Minister of War. He would not really place all his hopes on Lin Jing. Rescue of Kaifeng would be a major event no matter what.
After Chen Xinjia arrived, he put forward several suggestions on the issue of Kaifeng. First, he suggested that Liu Zeqing, the commander-in-chief of Shandong Province, be ordered to rescue Kaifeng, camp on the south bank of the Yellow River, and control the grain road that feeds Kaifeng. Since Kaifeng is only eight miles away from the south bank of the Yellow River, food can be
Ship it to the south bank to support the city, and Kaifeng can hold on for a long time. He is also afraid that Liu Zeqing's troops are not enough, so he suggests ordering the eunuch Liu Yuanbin to lead the troops from the capital guarding Fengwan to rush to the west of Shangqiu to support Liu Zeqing, and then orders Xu Dingguo, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province
Quickly leave Taihang eastward, cross the river from Mengjin, and go straight to Zhengzhou.
Chongzhen nodded slightly. He still recognized Chen Xinjia's methods. Then he waved away the other eunuchs and asked in a low voice: "What happened to that matter? Why haven't Ma Shaoyu's people arrived in Beijing yet?"
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, this matter has already been settled."
Chen Xinjia whispered: "Actually, Ma Shaoyu sent someone to send a secret letter to Wei Chen last night. The settlement has been drawn up, and all the people involved in the peace agreement can be sent to the capital in about one or two days. I thought that
Whether it is appropriate or not will be decided by the Holy Spirit, Your Majesty."
After finishing speaking, Chen Xinjia took out a Huang Ling memorial from his arms and presented it to Emperor Chongzhen.
After Chongzhen took the memorial and read it carefully, he asked curiously: "There is nothing wrong with the terms, but why don't I see the signature of the slave chief Taiji?"
Chen Xinjia said helplessly: "Your Majesty, the slave chief will not agree to the painting unless he sees the edict in your Majesty's hand."
"Huh, as long as the funds negotiated are generally acceptable, we can let Ma Shaoyu draw the pledge as soon as possible. In order to make the captive chief grateful and not change his mind midway, I can issue an edict to you."
Emperor Chongzhen sighed slightly, with a slight look of loneliness on his face. This chapter has been completed!