In the emperor's anger and helplessness, the day's court meeting ended in a hurry.
Early the next morning, Zhu Youjian took out the map of the capital in the Qianqing Palace and began to study the defense.
After looking at the map on the throne for a long time, Zhu Youjian pointed to Chaoyang Gate and said: "Wang Chengen, do you think I can defend the capital with 20,000 new troops from the capital, how many days can I hold it?"
How could Wang Chengen dare to answer when he heard this? He knelt on the ground with a plop and said: "Your Majesty, be careful, be careful! Once you start a war with Li Zhi and break your skin, the situation will be irreversible. By then Li Zhi will really attack. In the Forbidden City, I'm afraid he will do something unspeakable!"
"Your Majesty, those civil servants and gentry are not good people. Maybe if Confucianism is abolished, the people of the world will still support the Holy Majesty? Li Zhi wants to abolish the imperial examination, so just abolish it!"
Zhu Youjian was not satisfied with Wang Chengen's answer, so he looked at Wang Dehua.
Wang Dehua trembled and said: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for speaking frankly. Although the 20,000 new troops are equipped with Rumi muskets and explosive cannons, I heard that King Qi's Huben army has already used tanks and rifled cannons. The walls of the capital city , I’m afraid it won’t be able to withstand a burst of bombing from the Tiger Army.”
"If a fight breaks out, the New Army may not be able to defend it for a day."
Zhu Youjian frowned when he heard Wang Dehua's words.
After a long while, he slapped the map in his hand on the desk and sighed helplessly.
Looking to the south, he seemed to still have the last glimmer of hope and said: "Let's go and see what the civil servants can do."
"Go to court!"
Zhu Youjian carried an umbrella guard of honor and set off from the Qianqing Palace and walked to the Huangji Palace. Zhu Youjian was looking forward to it all the way, wondering whether the civil servants would come up with any effective method to force Li Zhi retreat.
Wang Chengen and Wang Dehua carefully waited behind Zhu Youjian, but they were uneasy. They were afraid that the civil servants would say something and try their best to fight Li Zhi, which would intensify the conflict between Beijing and Tianjin.
Halfway through, Wang Chengen couldn't help it anymore and said: "Your Majesty, if the civil servants break the jar and let the Holy One take refuge in the south of the Yangtze River, Your Majesty will definitely not obey."
Zhu Youjian's face was as dark as water and he said nothing.
Wang Chengen said: "Your Majesty, the civil servants hate Li Zhizhi because they want your Majesty to fight with Li Zhi to death. If your Majesty declares Li Zhi a rebel and takes refuge in the south of the Yangtze River, I am afraid there will be no possibility of easing the relationship with the King of Qi. ""The south is the stronghold of the gentry. None of those civil servants are reliable. When the time comes, my lord, you will arrive on the territory of the Jiangnan civil servants without any soldiers or horses. They will treat them as a useless memorial tablet and throw it away. On the other hand, I’m afraid that when the time comes when the North doesn’t listen to the Emperor, and the South doesn’t listen to the Emperor, the situation will be completely out of control.”
Zhu Youjian frowned and couldn't help but sigh.
Wang Chengen said: "Your Majesty, King Qi's soldiers and horses are so strong that they even captured Siam and Burma, which are tens of thousands of miles away. If your Majesty breaks up with him, I'm afraid he will only be able to conquer Jiangnan in one or two What happened in the year. Even if Your Majesty escapes to the south, he will eventually be chased by the Tiger Army."
"The King of Qi now has a strong army and horses. Whether to rebel or not is just a matter of a thought. Your Majesty should really hold your ground and never give Li Zhi a reason to rebel. No matter what the officials say, your Majesty will not listen."
As Wang Chengen talked, he knelt down on the corridor and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, for the sake of the country and the country of the Ming Dynasty, you must endure this and don't fall into the trap of the civil servants!"
Zhu Youjian looked at Wang Chengen, who was earnestly speaking, and said slowly: "Wang Chengen, don't panic. I won't listen to Li Zhi for the sake of Confucianism. Let's see what the civil servants can do. With more people, power, maybe those civil servants can come up with some ideas.
come out."
No longer caring about Wang Chengen who was kneeling on the ground, Zhu Youjian waved his hand and walked into the Huangji Hall.
But as soon as he entered the Huangji Palace, Zhu Youjian was stunned.
Standing at the inner door of Huangji Hall for a long time, Zhu Youjian didn't even react.
Wang Chengen saw the emperor standing motionless at the inner door and didn't understand what had happened. He got up, walked quickly to the emperor's side, and took a look inside the Huangji Hall.
The Huangji Hall, which was supposed to be full of civil and military officials, was empty. Except for Yang Guozhu and other Beijing military attachés who were still standing there, none of the hundreds of civil officials who were supposed to attend court came.
It can’t be said that none of them came. Cui Changwu, the second assistant to the cabinet, and Zhang Guanghang, the bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion, did come. There was also someone who shouldn’t have come. He was the secret guard leader of the nine provinces in one town, Anping of the Ming Dynasty.
Bo Han Kim Shin.
When Zhu Youjian saw the empty court meeting, his heart suddenly became cold. He staggered a step forward and almost tripped on the threshold and fell. Finally, he sat down on the throne with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Zhang Guanghang...the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty...how come they are all missing?"
Zhang Guanghang reluctantly bowed his hands and said, "I don't know."
Han Jinxin walked to the center of the hall holding a dental plaque and said loudly: "Your Majesty An Ping Bo Han Jinxin has something to say."
Zhu Youjian looked at Han Jinxin and sneered.
None of the civil servants came to attend court. In this empty court meeting, Li Zhi's secret guard leader took etiquette seriously.
"Say it."
"Your Majesty, according to my informant's report, the civil servants of the Manchu Dynasty stayed up all night yesterday and gathered at the home of Dongge University Scholar Hu Yongnian to discuss countermeasures. Chen Yuanbu, the Minister of Household Affairs, said that if Li Zhi attacks the capital this time,
, there will be a bloodbath among the civil servants and a repeat of the bloody massacre by the Tonghui River. So as soon as the gates of the capital were opened this morning, the civil servants took their wives, concubines, children, property and money and fled towards Shanxi."
"By this time, I'm afraid the civil servants have already fled fifty miles away."
Hearing Han Jinxin's words, Wang Chengen couldn't help but stare like bells.
He also thought that civil servants would fight to the death at critical moments that mattered the life and death of the imperial examination and the rise and fall of Confucianism, and would even take the emperor to the south to fight with Li Zhi. However, he did not expect that these civil servants were greedy for life and afraid of death.
They were all frightened to death by Li Zhi's massacre in March.
Seeing Li Zhi's army coming to the capital again, these civil servants were like mice seeing a cat, so frightened that they could only run away to save their lives.
At this time, there were only a dozen people standing in the huge Huangji Hall, which looked very embarrassing.
Zhu Youjian closed his eyes helplessly, his face turned red and white.
After a long time, he opened his eyes.
"What King Qi said about the abolition of the imperial examination is true. I have thought about it repeatedly and realized that current events have changed and the laws of our ancestors are not immutable. I intend to suspend the imperial examination for one year to see the effects."
Cui Changwu's face was filled with joy, and he secretly said that the emperor finally figured it out and abolished the imperial examination according to King Qi's memorial.
Looking at the gate of the Huangji Palace, Zhu Youjian said again: "Cui Changwu, the second assistant to the cabinet, is old enough to seek the country. He is loyal and conscientious in his work and is worthy of a great responsibility. From now on, Cui Changwu will be the first assistant to the cabinet and preside over cabinet affairs!"
Cui Changwu and Han Jinxin looked at each other.
The two knelt down and shouted loudly: "Long live my emperor!"
