On the tenth day of the sixth lunar month, at the court meeting in Huangji Hall, Emperor Zhu Youjian was in high spirits.
The civil servants on both sides of the hall all had ugly expressions. Last night, news spread that Cao Bianjiao and others had entered the capital at once. Everyone said that the capital camp had regained Huguang Province and that there was no big thief in the world.
Today, the imperial court is completely under the control of the emperor under the threat of the Beijing camp. After Zhu Youjian came to power in the past few years, he was ruthless and ruthless, killing dozens of civil servants in their early years. The civil servants knew that they were no longer Zhu Youjian's opponents, so they only
If you can obey and do your duty as a minister, you will no longer dare to form cliques to deal with the emperor.
The civil servants never wanted the court to continue like this forever. The civil servants even hoped that the Beijing camp would be defeated by the bandits, so that Zhu Youjian would no longer have the power to control the court, and power would return to the hands of the civil servants.
However, the news that Cao Bianjiao entered the capital made the civil servants cry out for help. The emperor's new army was devastated, and Huguang was pacified in a few months. In this way, Huguang was also controlled by the emperor, and the emperor's strength was reduced.
Stronger.
The civil servants want to stand up, but it seems impossible in a short time.
Unlike the gloomy-looking civil servants, Cao Dingxi became radiant. He led Yang Guozhu and Huang Degong to stand in the center of the hall, with Li Zicheng's advisers Niu Jinxing and Song Xiance tied in front.
The rebel army was defeated in Xiangyang and fled in all directions. The cavalry of the Xuanfu pursued the deserters and captured two distracted strategists of the rebel army.
If Niu and Song were determined to follow Li Zicheng and flee to the southwest, the officers and soldiers would not be able to catch up with the two military advisors. But in fact, they saw Li Zicheng defeated again and again, but they wanted to retreat and abandoned Li Zicheng and headed south.
They escaped. The mountains in Huguang are rugged, and both of them lost their way among the mountains. Finally, they were caught by the pursuing officers and soldiers.
At this time, the two people were caught in the court, with different expressions.
Niu Jinxing closed her eyes and remained silent. Song Xiance stared at the emperor on the throne with wide eyes, blowing on his long goatee from time to time.
Cao Bianjiao raised his hands and said: "My minister Cao Bianjiao was ordered by the emperor to attack the bandits in Huguang. Fortunately, he has fulfilled his mission. Now that Li Zicheng has been defeated, he only led thousands of his horsemen to hide in the mountains. It is no longer a good situation. Li Dingguo knew that he was defeated by the emperor's capital camp and had already surrendered.
Prince of Tianjin County."
The civil servants were even more shocked when they heard Cao Bianjiao's words.
Previously, they thought that although Huguang was pacified, the bandit army would retreat to other provinces. But now after listening to Cao Bianjiao's words, the officials knew that Li Zicheng had been completely routed, with only a few thousand people left around Li Zicheng. Another big bandit, Li Dingguo, had also surrendered.
.
Within a few months, the problem of bandits in Ming Dynasty was completely eliminated.
Is the fighting power of the Emperor's Jingying camp so powerful?
Now after the reform, the lives of the people in the three provinces of Beizhili, Shanxi and Shaanxi have been greatly improved. The poorest farmers in the past can now avoid hunger and cold. Now the reputation of the emperor among the people in the north has reached its peak. What's more,
Huguang's achievements in suppressing bandits, how strong must the emperor's prestige be?
Is the so-called Holy and Bright Holy Emperor really going to become a reality? Will there be any place for civil servants to speak in this court from now on?
The civil servants looked at each other for a while, their faces full of pessimism and despair.
Zhu Youjian glanced at a circle of depressed civil servants.
In the Ming Dynasty, officials were recruited through imperial examinations and saints' scriptures. The officials selected were all Confucian scholars and gentry. Although Zhu Youjian was now a man of his word, the civil servants were still full of slander against the reform. The reason why they did not dare to
To stand up and oppose is entirely out of fear of the emperor's butcher's knife.
Zhu Youjian sneered.
He looked at Niu and Song, and asked: "The saint rules the world with loyalty and filial piety. You two are both scholars. Why do you rebel?"
Niu Jinxing looked at Zhu Youjian, raised his hands and said, "We have never rebelled!"
Zhu Youjian frowned and looked at Niu Jinxing without saying anything.
Niu Jinxing cupped his hands and said: "The emperor has learned from this! There are only innocent men with swords in this world, how can there be rebels and rebels? The gentry in the world are greedy, leaving the common people without food and clothing. The civil servants even take advantage of the emperor, kidnapping the court and supporting troops to respect themselves.
, always protecting the powerful gentry who bully the common people."
"We follow Li Zicheng and raise the army not to resist the Holy Emperor, but to help the Holy Emperor deal with the shameless gentry and despicable civil servants in the world. We are against corrupt officials and private parties, not against the Emperor! We are in Henan and Shaanxi provinces.
Tian Mingfu and Quanquan's heart are all to save the suffering people and maintain this miserable world for the emperor."
"If the Emperor does not send a strong army to surround us, we will never attack the Emperor. Even if we are allowed to occupy the capital, we will kill civil servants and gentry, and we will never disrespect the Emperor!"
Hearing Niu Jinxing's sophistry, the civil servants in the court were all stunned. Li Zicheng's military advisor was so quick to talk that he even attacked the gentry and civil servants before he died.
Zhu Youjian smiled when he heard this. He looked at Niu Jinxing and said with a smile: "What a pity you have such a quick mouth."
"Push these two down and kill them!"
Niu Jinxing plopped down on his knees and shouted loudly: "If Your Majesty doesn't kill Niu Jinxing, Niu Jinxing is willing to make suggestions for Your Majesty and pacify Jiangnan!"
Fanzi rushed up and pulled Niu Jinxing down.
Song Xiance blew out his beard helplessly and said with a wry smile: "The so-called 'Eighteen Master Divine Weapon' turns out to be not about King Chuang..."
He didn't wait for the gangsters to come up to arrest him, then turned around and walked out of the hall, feeling very free and easy.
The gangsters took the two of them down, and Zhu Youjian looked at the civil servants in the court.
"Did you all hear what Niu Jinxing said?"
"Without me and without my new army, this rebel army would have tried to punish the gentry to death and kill the civil servants one by one. My dear friends, I know that you are all opposed to my reform. But if
If there is no reform and the people have no food and clothing, how can we not rebel? If the court has no money, how can we quell the thieves?"
"If it weren't for me and the Prince of Tianjin's reform, I'm afraid that all the areas north of the river would have been occupied by intruders, and all your wives, sons and daughters would have been poisoned by the intruders!"
After hearing the emperor's words, the civil officials in the palace looked very ugly.
At this time, Zhu Youjian's reputation had reached high, and he had strong soldiers and horses. When the officials heard Zhu Youjian's words, they did not dare to neglect and knelt down one by one. They knelt on the ground and knelt down to Zhu Youjian.
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
Zhu Youjian looked at the frightened civil servants in the palace and sneered at the cowering appearance of the civil servants.
He waved his hand and said: "Dingxi Bo has made great contributions to defeating the thieves, so he can be granted the title of Marquis, and is named Dingxi Marquis. Yang Guozhu, as a deputy general, has also made great achievements, and is named Zhenxing Bo! Huang De deserves his merits for his meritorious service, and he will be promoted to the crown prince and grand master!"
The generals in the Beijing camp were overjoyed. The three of them knelt down and shouted loudly: "Long live my emperor!"
