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Chapter 397(1/2)

Everything continues.

On the sixth day of the eighth month, the prince, accompanied by the ministers of the four Guru, led all officials to hold a military parade at Chengtian Gate. Because it was still during the national mourning period, the review ceremony was very simple. Thirty thousand Beiyang soldiers and horses in Beijing finally selected more than 3,000 troops to form a total of 18 phalanxes, cavalry, cannon, craftsmen, and baggage, and walked past Chengtian Gate in turn.

This is the first time that Prince Zhu Cilang has seen such a mighty and majestic army, with uniform equipment, neat square formations, and powerful steps. The young prince is so excited.

Zhou Yanru and other officials were secretly shocked to see it. As far as they knew, Beiyang Town was a navy. In the hearts of the court officials, the navy was naturally equivalent to a second-line auxiliary force. However, they did not see how powerful Liu Jun's Beiyang Navy's sailing warship gunboat was, but they saw that the Beiyang Navy also had a majestic cavalry and a mighty artillery team.

The muskets carried by the infantry on their shoulders, the bright and sharp bayonets, shone dazzlingly.

The tall horse dragged the cannon carts, one by one, one iron cannon with a dark blue luster, a copper cannon with a yellow light, and even a bronze cannon with a green color. Even though Beiyang only pulled out the field cannons from the ordinary field cannons and did not pull out the heavy cannons, it still made the prince and officials standing on Chengtian Gate sigh.

No wonder Liu Jiye was invincible in Liaodong, killing the Tartar emperor, breaking Liaoyang, and besieging Shenyang. The Chu army had a completely different aura from other official troops they had seen before, just as neatly as the armor on their bodies. They were so neat that they were amazing, and the square formations were like a whole.

After the simple review ceremony, the prince was very satisfied and ordered that all soldiers in the Beiyang Town were rewarded.

"How much is it rewarded? Your Highness?" Wang Chengen still served as the eunuch in charge of seals and continued to be the first general manager in the palace.

The prince had no exact concept of gold and silver. He thought for a while, "Everyone would be rewarded with ten taels of silver."

Wang Chengen hurriedly approached a little and whispered to the prince that there were more than 3,000 Beiyang troops on the parade today, each with ten taels of each, which would cost more than 30,000 taels of silver. And we cannot only reward the Beiyang soldiers on the parade, there are more than 20,000 Beiyang troops in Beijing."

"Don't we have no money?" asked the prince, "Didn't the emperor just send two million silver to Beijing?"

"Your Highness, although the prince gave two million silver dollars, two million silver dollars is only equivalent to one million taels of silver. Moreover, this silver must be used as the cost of the emperor's funeral and building mountain monuments." Wang Chengen had to remind again, "The national treasury is only 200,000 silver dollars left, and the treasury is less than 100,000 yuan, but more than 200,000 soldiers and horses in the nine towns in the capital are owed three months. The military pay owed by these nine towns alone is no less than one million silver dollars, and more than ten towns in the other five military regions owed more."

Zhu Cilang frowned, "Then remember to remember the silver reward first, and what if you have the silver?" He used to do this in the palace. When he had no silver to reward the palace servants, he would ask someone to keep the bill.

Wang Chengen lowered his head, "Your Highness, you must not reward silver like this. Otherwise, it is better not to reward. Since you want to reward, you have to fulfill it. Otherwise, it will cause resentment."

"What do you think you should do?" Zhu Cixuan was a little unhappy and his voice became a little higher.

"It is better for each soldier to be given a silver dollar and a silver dollar when the officers to be given a silver dollar. The soldiers and officers who are not on the parade will each give wine and meat."

Ten taels were changed to one piece, which was reduced by twenty times at once. More than 3,000 people only had 3,000 silver dollars. Moreover, if the other more than 20,000 Beiyang soldiers only rewarded wine and meat, a few thousand silver dollars would be enough.

However, Zhu Cilang was very dissatisfied with each person, and how could he take advantage of this reward?

Just when the prince was unhappy, the other three ministers on the side saw it. But they were also clever women and cooked without rice. They wanted to use money everywhere, and they wanted to give up a penny without rewards, so that those thousands of silver dollars could be saved.

"Your Highness." Liu Jun spoke at this time.

"Emperor Brother." Zhu Cixuan was still a little embarrassed when facing Liu Jun.

Liu Jun smiled at him and stuffed a stack of paper into his hands. Zhu Cixuan looked down and saw that there were a stack of large silver notes, 10,000 yuan a piece, a total of twenty silver notes.

Zhu Cilang had never personally mastered so much money, and was in a daze with that handful of silver notes.

"Your Highness, these are silver notes issued by Sihai Bank and can be exchanged at any time. There are also their branches in the capital."

"So much money?" Zhu Cixuan whispered.

"Your Highness, you are the lord of a country, and the whole world is yours. These are some filial piety to your ministers. You will keep it for rewarding them."

Zhou Yanru, Wu Yan, Liu Zongzhou, and Wang Chengen all stared at them in a daze. They didn't expect that Liu Jun would openly give the emperor money and even give him 200,000 silver dollars at once, which was a bribe to the new emperor.

This Zhu Ciye is such a big deal.

Looking at the prince again, hesitated for a while with the money, and finally showed excitement on his face. Then he directly drew three silver notes worth ten thousand yuan to Wang Chengen, "When the Beiyang officers and soldiers were paraded, each of whom was rewarded with ten yuan in silver dollars." Then he thought about it and drew three more, "When the Beiyang officers and soldiers who were not paraded, each of them was rewarded with a silver dollar, and they were rewarded with wine and meat."

Wang Chengen looked at the 60,000 yuan silver notes handed over, and he didn't accept them. In the end, he still took them. Although he felt that the prince was generous, the money was the treasury given to the prince by the prince. Whatever the prince was willing to spend was his business.

Zhou Yanru and the other two were also heartbroken. They lost 60,000 yuan at one move. The prince was really luxurious. Liu Zongzhou endured that he didn't come out to criticize the prince. Forget it, I'll give the prince a face today.

Wang Chengen hurriedly stepped forward and loudly announced the prince's reward to the Chu army who was being paraded.

Ten yuan per person is equivalent to five taels of silver. Even the previous Beijing army was basically equivalent to two monthly salary. However, the officers and soldiers of Beiyang did not take this amount of money seriously. The people who could come to the parade today were basically the old nine-headed birds, and the black flag army that supplemented them were not included. Most of them were non-commissioned officers.

In recent years, everyone has made a lot of money. Although the basic salary of the Chu army is not high, various allowances, military merit rewards, etc. are very generous. Especially since entering Liao, they have captured cities and land, demolished and moved one city after another. Although the spoils of war will be returned to the public, Liu Jun will eventually give out a lot of rewards.

Fortunately, the officers led by the team were very smart. At this time, even if the prince only rewarded a bronze gold, he would never show a disgust expression, so he had to be grateful for it.

"Hurry up, thank the Crown Prince for the reward." Liu Yunsheng, the general general of the Beiyang Navy, said hurriedly.

The officers at all levels reacted quickly and quickly made their subordinates correct their attitude.

"Thank you Your Highness for the reward, thank you Your Highness for the reward. Thank you Your Highness for the reward!"

The cheers rang over and over again, neatly and loudly.

At Chengtian Gate, Zhu Cilang immediately felt very happy when he listened to the thank-you voice. The money was not spent in vain, it was worth it.

Later that day, 30,000 Chu troops retreated from the inner and outer cities of the capital in an orderly manner. Seven outer gates and thirteen inner gates were all handed back to the imperial guard camp one by one.

After evacuating from the capital, the Beiyang Navy was stationed in Lugou Bridge and Xishan. Anyway, the soldiers had arrived, and Liu Jun would not easily withdraw these soldiers.

Liu Jun proposed to Zhu Cixuan and other ministers to stay this army for the time being, with the reason to maintain stability in the capital to prevent the officers and soldiers who owed the salary from making money at this important time. Zhu Cixuan had a good impression of the Beiyang Navy and directly agreed, and Zhou Yanru and others also reluctantly agreed.

Nominally, the crown prince has not ascended the throne yet, and the military and national affairs of the court were handled by the Siguru Minister. He was waiting for him to ascend the throne. But before he took power, the major affairs of the court were still handled by the Siguru Minister.

But no one is willing to be unable to live with the prince immediately at this time. Let the prince first, and the life will be long in the future.

On the eighth day of the eighth month, three days after Chongzhen's death, the funeral was a grand ceremony.

Then all officials followed the system and were led by the ministers of the four guards and ordered the emperor to follow the government.

A grand funeral. A dress.

"The sage is filial to the great filial piety, and the importance of the utmost duty and the prosperity of the country. If you are willing to inherit it, you should not be ungrateful. The day changes the moon and the moon. Only the old rules should be used. The emperor should listen to the government for three days, the thirteenth day, the thirteenth day, the thirteenth day, the thirteenth day, the thirty-fiveth day, and the thirty-seventh day."

During the Han Dynasty, when the emperor died, the prince had to mourn for three years. Later, some ministers thought that three years were too long, so they had a day and changed the month, and the prince only mourned for thirty-six days. Later, there was a new system of three days to rule the government and twenty-seven days to release the ward. It has been used to this day.

It was already noon, and the incandescent sunlight shone on the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City, reflecting the sunlight.

The weather is still hot, the Qianqing Hall has been completely renewed, and many furnishings have been replaced. Even the palace maids and eunuchs have been replaced with new ones. Emperor Chongzhen's coffin has been removed from Fengxian Hall, and the prince has officially moved to Qianqing Hall.

Crown Prince Zhu Cilang has been in charge of the government, but has not yet officially ascended the throne. A grand ceremony for the formal ascending throne will be held. Under the auspicious ministers of the Four Guardians, the ceremony for the new emperor's ascendance is in full swing.

A country cannot be without a king for a day.

Zhou Yanru, who was also the chief minister of the cabinet, made an ritual according to the ritual system, and hoped that the crown prince would ascend the throne as soon as possible. Then Wu Yan, who was the chief minister of the cabinet and the second assistant of the cabinet, also made an ritual note.

Ten days ago, all civil and military officials came to Huijimen to express their opinions to advance. These are all procedures in "all etiquette". Although they are empty, they have to be carried out meticulously. After receiving the "Etiquette for Advocation", the crown prince also gave an answer according to the etiquette. This answer was also drafted by the Chief Gushi Zhou Yanru: "Reading the notes and seeing you and others worry about the country, they are concerned about the grief. How could you bear to hear about the matter of maintaining the ruling system? What if you ask for it?"

Conventionally, such persuasion must be done with three persuasions and three remarks.

After repeating this for two rounds and turns, on August 12, Zhu Ciliang was in Wenhua Palace and accepted the persuasion of all officials again.

For the twelve-year-old Zhu Cilang, this was a boring and boring red tape, but this was an etiquette system and could not be violated. He sat in the hall like a wooden man, listening to the third profound and difficult warning statement offered by all officials, and then listening to the serious discussions of the ministers in the hall, the cabinet finally drafted the vote. After the four ministers ordered the ministers, an imperial edict was issued.

This time, I finally agreed.

"Your and others have already expressed their loyalty since the end of the third poem. The throne of heaven is so high that it is hard to be in vain for a long time. Besides, the destiny is still in my mind, so I dare not be inferior, so I reluctantly follow what I ask."

After three persuasions and three remarks, the Imperial Heaven Supervision began to choose auspicious days for the ascension of the throne.

The day of ascending the throne is set on August 18th, which is also to hold the throne ceremony as soon as possible and cannot be delayed for a long time.

On the third day after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhu Cilang ascended the throne.

Early in the morning, the prince sent Duke Ding Guo, Duke Cheng Guo, Duke British and other nobles to the southern suburbs, northern suburbs, Taimiao, and Sheji altar to pay tribute.

Zhu Cilang came to the Chongzhen Spirit to confess his orders, and then changed his crown to tell the heaven and earth and the ancestors.

Then he bowed to his father's coffin and his mother. After this ceremony, he came to Zhongji Hall and received congratulations from all officials amid the sound of drums and music in the mountains. He also sent an envoy to report to the world, announcing that next year is the first year of the Ganqing year.

"Absolutely amnesty the world!"

The official ascension of the crown prince also means that the four ministers of the regent formally praised all government affairs. From then on, until the emperor takes power, all military and national affairs of the Ming Empire will be handled by these four ministers of the regent.

They will replace the young emperor in charge of government affairs, whether it is the cabinet, the Si Lilin or the Six Ministry, they will obey the four of them from now on. In fact, the new emperor has no actual power to deal with the government until he takes power.

Next to the imperial city cabinet, a newly garage was erected as the office of the ministers of the Four Guardians.

The four ministers of the regent have other positions, Zhou Yanru is the chief minister of the cabinet, Wu Yan is the second assistant of the cabinet, Liu Zongzhou is the left censor of the Censorate, and Zhu Ciye is the governor of Zhili and the affairs of the Central Army Governor's Office.

From now on, every day, the four ministers would meet in this courtyard first, discuss the memorials of the cabinet's drafted votes, and then hand them over to the Sili Supervisor for approval.

Today is also the first time that the Siguru-Shi’s Minister has discussed matters.

"How to determine the posthumous title?" Zhou Yanru asked.

Wu Yan picked up a page of paper and said, "I first planned to honor the posthumous title: Shao Tianyi Dao Gang Ming Ke Ke Qi Jing Feng Jing Wei Feng Jing Jing Wu Dun Ren Mao Xiao Lie."

"Where is the temple name?"

"The temple name is Sizong."

"Sizong?" Liu Jun frowned. The temple name is not good. According to the posthumous law, moral purity is called thought. A great province is called thought. Thinking outside and inside is called thinking. Replying the past is called thinking. Thinking is not derived from the plan. It is obvious that Chongzhen's word "Thinking" means "Thinking".

The temple title is the final conclusion for every emperor. Chongzhen's life was a very tragic life. After fourteen years of being in the world, from the beginning of his succession to his death, the Ming Empire was in troubles internally and externally. There was the Later Jin outside, there were bandits and chaotic chieftains inside, and there were never peace in the world.

He even allowed the Later Jin Dynasty to fight into the pass several times, and even once the troops arrived at the capital. Even Fengyang's ancestral tomb was poached by bandits.

If Liu Jun hadn't turned the tide in Liaodong last time, the Qing army might have entered the pass again.

"Sizong is not worthy of Emperor Daxing." Liu Jun spoke directly. Although he was the last of the four ministers, he was also the minister of Religious Affairs.

"The prince has any objection?" Zhou Yanru looked at Liu Jun, and even had ridicule in his eyes, as if he was saying, "Do you understand this?"

"Sizong is not worthy of Your Majesty. Since the beginning of his ascension, the Ming Dynasty has fallen into internal and external chaos. However, Your Majesty has been in power for fourteen years and has worked hard to make a night of clothes and food, and has been slacking off for a moment. I think the temple name can be powerful." Liu Jun said slowly.

"Fortitude is called power, formidable is called power, formidable is called power, formidable is called power!" Liu Zongzhou said while stroked his beard.

"Reward and persuad punishment, punish and punish, use Congo to force, and submit to far-reaching consequences with resoluteness, and hold the right path to justice." Wu Yan also lit and pondered.
To be continued...
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