Chapter 1024 The world map has been delivered to Chongzhen

(1024)

【Today's second update is delivered!】

Shaanxi, Xi'an Prefecture, Prince's Mansion, and Yeting Hall.

The huge courtyard is empty. In spring, the courtyard has been decorated with green, and there are plants such as creeping creepers everywhere. In the turquoise green, there are also a few bright red flowers, which is pleasing to the eye. Under normal circumstances, seeing all this will only make people feel cheered up. However, in this courtyard, it is full of a dilapidated atmosphere. In spring, it still looks so desolate.

Chongzhen slowly came out of the hall, walked unconsciously, staring at the surroundings with his eyes blank. In fact, his eyes were very empty. He actually didn't see everything around him. Even if he saw it, he wouldn't pay special attention to it. Simply put, he didn't take everything in front of him to heart. He was indeed too much of his thoughts.

All the people who were serving around were driven away by him. Now he doesn't want to see anyone at all. His fragile heart, as long as he sees others, feels that others are mocking him. Even if others are kneeling on the ground with a proper manner, respectfulness, and fear, he feels that others are actually mocking him in their hearts.

The king of the country is the king of the country is the king of the country! These four words are like thorns on the back, making Emperor Chongzhen restless. As soon as he thinks of these four words, Emperor Chongzhen feels boring. He really wants to find a place to hang himself quietly. Every time he walks in the courtyard, his eyes can't help but look for those trees that can be used to hang. He even learned that trees about one meter tall with forked trees are the easiest to hang.

What did Emperor Chongzhen have the idea of ​​hanging himself? Emperor Chongzhen himself didn't know it. He felt that the idea of ​​hanging himself was getting stronger and stronger. Since the time of ascending the throne, Emperor Chongzhen has been determined to be the leader of revival and to cheer up the declining Ming Dynasty again. He wanted to surpass Taizu and Chengzu and become the most powerful emperor in the history of the Ming Dynasty. He handled government affairs day and night, for this goal.

However, reality is too cruel. His goal has not been achieved, and he has suffered a cruel blow. Reality has hit him hard. The harder he works, the faster the country will perish. Now, it is finally on the verge of destruction. The current court is surviving in Xi'an Prefecture. As long as the Hu Ben Army launches an attack, the court will be completely destroyed.

It is said that waiting for death is the most sad. Emperor Chongzhen now deeply felt this feeling. If the Hu Ben Army immediately attacked Shaanxi and attacked Xi'an Prefecture, perhaps Emperor Chongzhen could still make up his mind to hang himself early and kick his legs, leaving the world. It is said that long pain is worse than short pain. As long as you die, you will be completely over. Anyway, he will not let himself fall into the palm of the Hu Ben Army alive. He can't afford to lose this face.

But the Hu Ben Army's troops have been staying in Luoyang, without any movement. The information from the Dongchang and Jinyiwei also shows that the Hu Ben Army in Luoyang has no plans to attack Tongguan for the time being. This made Emperor Chongzhen very confused. He wanted to die, but he was a little unwilling to accept it. If he didn't die, it would be meaningless to live like this.

Especially recently, Emperor Chongzhen has become even more depressed. He has received a lot of news that he doesn’t know what it feels like. Some news he wants to express his emotions, but he doesn’t know how he should express it. For example, the news of Zhang Zhun’s marriage. He doesn’t know how he should view this matter.

When Chongzhen heard the news, his first reaction was that the damn Zhang Zhun was not married yet, which was incredible. Not getting married means that he was indeed too young. No wonder when he was rewarded by Zhang Zhun and awarded the title of Zhang Zhun, he did not mention the issue of the decree wife. It turned out that this guy had never gotten married at all.

According to information, Zhang Zhun seemed to be only twenty-three years old when he got married. In other words, when he first rose, he was only about eighteen years old. At such an age, he made such a big noise. Even if he hated him, he had to write a big word "天". It should be noted that Zhang Zhun's object of trouble included the brutal Tartars.

In the past, Emperor Chongzhen felt that he was young and promising. He ascended the throne at the age of 20, eliminated Wei Zhongxian, and controlled such a large country. In this country, no one was better than him. However, when compared with Zhang Zhun, he seemed to be compared. Zhang Zhun had gone from nothing to something, but he went from nothing to nothing. It was really angering for him to compare people!

What's even more hateful is that now, the Hu Ben Army is booming and has a bright future, but the court is dying. Looking at everyone around him, none of them are more capable. Those who are more capable seem to have gone to the Hu Ben Army. Lu Xiangsheng, Sun Chuanting, and all of them have gone to work hard for the Hu Ben Army.

In fact, the news of Zhang Zhun's marriage and Sun Chuanting's rebellion were hidden for a long time before slowly reporting it to Emperor Chongzhen one by one. Times have changed, things have changed, and it is impossible for Emperor Chongzhen to figure out what is going on.

To be honest, Sun Chuanting's rebellion made Chongzhen very angry. He never thought that Sun Chuanting would rebel. He asked himself that there was no place where he was sorry for Sun Chuanting. Sun Chuanting and Lu Xiangsheng were very different. He never had suspicion of Sun Chuanting. Emperor Chongzhen had suspected many people, and even suspected Sun Chuanting's teacher Hong Chengchou, but he had never doubted Sun Chuanting. Even he himself felt that this was rare.

When Sun Chuanting captured Gao Yingxiang, the court also praised him vigorously. Sun Chuanting was young and was already the crown prince Taibao and the sword of Shangfang. At that time, Emperor Chongzhen thought that he finally had a capable tiger general. It was finally possible to wipe out the bandits in Shaanxi and wipe out the Tiger Ben Army. Unexpectedly, within two years, Sun Chuanting became a member of the Tiger Ben Army. All his efforts and hopes were wasted.

If Sun Chuanting's rebellion made Chongzhen very angry, Zhang Zhun's wedding made Chongzhen very uncomfortable. It seemed that it was hard to say anything he wanted to say. Nothing else, the person who hosted the wedding was Queen Yi'an Zhang Yan. He wanted to express some opinions and make some moves, and it was difficult for him to take action. As long as Empress Yi'an was involved, he would not be able to take action. If he wanted to slap Zhang Zhun in the face, he would hit Zhang Yan in the face. It was really a dilemma.

Emperor Chongzhen judged that Zhang Yan should not be ready to come back. She was so active in organizing Zhang Zhun's wedding, so she naturally wanted to stay with the Hu Ben Army and enjoy her old age. Originally, Zhang Yan had no children and no children, and did not have much contact with the court. Apart from the title of Queen Yi'an, she was indeed a very free person. The only person who had connections with her was probably her father Zhang Guoji. Chongzhen wanted to blame Guoji, but in the end he was reluctant to make up.

At this time, the cabinet would not agree with the punishment of Zhang Yan's father. Maybe they would also protest strongly. After all, Zhang Yan's reputation was quite perfect. After all, she was a woman who had fought with Wei Zhongxian for seven years. Among the people and in the eyes of local officials, Empress Yi'an was simply the embodiment of a perfect woman. If something happened, the court, which was originally walking on thin ice, would all fall apart.

"Tell me that Yang Sichang is here!"

Chongzhen suddenly shouted weakly.

A hidden eunuch turned out from behind the pillar and agreed to go.

After a while, Yang Sichang arrived. After a while, he disappeared. After half a year, Yang Sichang became much haggard and aged a lot. His hair turned white and his cheeks were full of wrinkles, just like the gullies on the Loess Plateau. In fact, he was only less than fifty years old at this moment, but he looked over seventy years old.

He was all troubled by the court. Since the court evacuated the capital and temporarily lived in Xi'an Prefecture, he has not lived a stable life. As the chief minister of the cabinet, Yang Sichang had to work hard for the survival of the court. He had to find ways to keep the court going. However, the pressure he faced was unprecedented.

The Tiger Army swept through the remaining clouds and continued to erode the imperial territories from multiple directions. The Qinglong Army had already gone south to Jiangxi and attacked the southern part of Huguang. The White Tiger Army had already gone south to the Yangtze River and prepared to go up the river. Others were Li Yan Army, Zhuque Army's troops... The Tiger Army was scattered everywhere and marched all over the country.

Now, Huguang, Guangdong and other places have been lost. The area controlled by the imperial court is getting smaller and smaller, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to replenish financial resources. Countless Hu Ben troops are like fishing nets ready to be pulled up, covering the imperial court tightly. Yang Sichang, Chen Xinjia and others feel that they are already in a state of failure.

At present, only Yunnan and Sichuan can barely control the imperial court. The Bozhou area has high mountains and dense forests and rugged roads, so it basically does not obey the imperial orders. Fortunately, Qin Liangyu is still alive and can barely intimidate the Bozhou area and prevent them from causing even greater chaos. However, with the arrival of the Hu Ben Army, it is still unknown how long Qin Liangyu can last!

"I bow to the emperor."

Yang Sichang knelt down respectfully.

"How is Wang Dou's situation?"

Chongzhen suddenly asked.

"Wang Dou?"

Yang Sichang felt a little surprised.

Why did Chongzhen suddenly ask about Wang Dou's situation? He thought that Chongzhen was concerned about the situation of the Hu Ben Army. Unexpectedly, he actually asked about Wang Dou. However, it is no wonder that Emperor Chongzhen was concerned about Wang Dou, mainly because of this Wang Dou, which poses the greatest threat to Xi'an Prefecture. Wang Dou's troops were indeed too close to Xi'an Prefecture.

In Yan'an Prefecture and other places in Shaanxi, Wang Dou had already formed a team, and was banned by the Hu Ben Army. Although the intelligence from the Dongchang and Jinyiwei showed that the number of troops in the Wang Dou army was only three or four thousand, and the weapons and equipment seemed to be different from the ordinary Hu Ben Army. There are also reports that Wang Dou's purpose was not to deal with the court, but to deal with the Shaanxi uprising army. However, who dared to take it lightly?

In any case, the Wang Dou Army was a knife of the Hu Ben Army, after all, or a knife hanging above the head of Xi'an Prefecture. This knife is only less than three days away from Xi'an Prefecture. There is no natural obstacle in the middle. Who can guarantee that in the near future, this knife will not fall on the head of Xi'an Prefecture?

Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia have been very worried about this Wang Dou Legion recently. If the Wang Dou Legion in the north of Xi'an Prefecture and the Xuanwu Legion in the east launch an attack on Xi'an Prefecture at the same time, the court will have a good show. With the current strength of the court, it will be a bit difficult to deal with the two corpses of the Hu Ben Army at the same time!

Fortunately, the main forces of the Hu Ben Army have all gone to Japan and have not continued to make trouble for the time being. However, once the main forces of the Hu Ben Army come back from Japan, the fuss will be huge. Where will the imperial court go in the future? Continue to go west? Enter Sichuan? Once the Hu Ben Army occupy Yunnan and Sichuan, the situation of the imperial court will be even more difficult.

"I and others discuss and prepare to send Wu Sangui to deal with Wang Dou."

Yang Sichang pondered for a moment and said cautiously.

This proposal was actually not what the cabinet thought of, but Wu Sangui asked for it. Wu Sangui said that he was born in a military family and was deeply grateful to the emperor's grace, and fighting for the court was a talent. When the court was so difficult, his troops were watching the fun behind Fengxiang Mansion. This made him feel very uncomfortable, and heroes were useless!

Wu Sangui eagerly expressed that he was willing to attack the Wang Dou Legion of the Hu Ben Army. He was confident that within three months, he would completely drive the Wang Dou Legion out of Shaanxi. Wu Sangui calmly analyzed that the Wang Dou Legion had basically no cavalry. His troops were all cavalry. Using cavalry to deal with infantry will naturally collapse in one blow.

At this time, it was indeed rare to have such a loyal general. Therefore, after receiving Wu Sangui's letter of war, Yang Sichang and Chen Xinjia immediately made a decision to transfer Wu Sangui to attack Wang Dou's army. Whether or not Wang Dou's army can be wiped out, at least they must be driven out of Shaanxi.

"Wu Sangui?"

Chongzhen said to himself.

Subconsciously, he felt something was wrong, but he didn't accurately grasp it. This wrong feeling soon disappeared in his mind.

“Okay.”

"Let's solve Wang Dou first."

Emperor Chongzhen nodded and said thoughtfully.

"Then the Ministry of War will order Wu Sangui."

Yang Sichang said cautiously.

Chongzhen nodded and said there was no objection.

“Is there anything new happening recently?”

After a while, Chongzhen said a little annoyed again.

"this……"

Yang Sichang was timid and seemed to be scruples and did not dare to say it clearly.

"After saying this!"

"The sin is not in you!"

Chongzhen said impatiently.

"Xiangyang... is lost."

Yang Sichang said in a low voice.

"What did you say?"

"Xiangyang... is lost?"

Chongzhen felt like he was struck by lightning again, feeling a little dizzy.

After a while, Chongzhen slowly recovered. His eyes became a little hollow and a little sad. Xiangyang was the gateway to Sichuan. The Hu Ben Army occupied Xiangyang, and it was just around the corner. Since the Hu Ben Army controlled Xiangyang, it seemed that he was looking for death when he entered Sichuan again.

The Hu Ben Army controlled Xiangyang, and there was another serious consequence, that is, the territory east of Hu Guang was no longer part of the imperial court. Xiangyang was a strategic location in the Central Plains, controlling the southeast half. Losing Xiangyang would be equivalent to losing the entire southeast half. The Hu Ben Army controlled Xiangyang would be equivalent to controlling the entire southeast half.

"Where is King Xiang?"

Chongzhen had no time to hold him accountable and asked hurriedly.

Among so many vassal kings in the Ming Dynasty, the one with the closest relationship with Chongzhen was King Xiang. Although King Fu was powerful and famous, he had no close connection with Chongzhen. King Fu was killed and lost the face of the court, and Chongzhen himself would not be particularly sad. Troubles such as crying spirits were all for people to see. However, King Xiang was killed, which involved brothers' flesh and blood. These were two completely different feelings.

“Surrendered…”

Yang Sichang said arrogantly.

"This bastard..."

Chongzhen subconsciously scolded him.

King Xiang actually surrendered to the Hu Ben Army? Heaven, it would be fine if Sun Chuanting surrendered to the Hu Ben Army, but even members of the royal family surrendered to the Hu Ben Army. It was incredible. However, when even Empress Yian was willing to stay with the Hu Ben Army, she didn't want to come back, it seemed that everything could be explained. Alas, my sister-in-law...

Yang Sichang looked up accidentally. Seeing Chongzhen's face, he knew that Chongzhen was in a complicated mood. When the emperor was in a state of excitement, he was not suitable to continue saying some words. If Chongzhen was so excited that he was angry, he would be asking for trouble. In fact, King Xiang's surrender was closely related to Zhang Yan. Think about it, even the empress of the previous emperor surrendered to the Hu Ben Army. What other taboos do these vassal kings surrendered to the Hu Ben Army?

It can be said that it was Zhang Yan's example that the royal family of the Ming Dynasty suddenly lost many constraints and many concerns. Except for King Xiang, almost all the vassal kings in the Jiangnan region surrendered to the Hu Ben Army. One or two stubborn people could not withstand the energy of their descendants and surrendered obediently.

"He's here again..."

Yang Sichang suddenly said again.

"What?"

Emperor Chongzhen's face was full of tranquility.

What does it mean to be here again? Is the Hu Ben Army coming again?

"King Xiang..."

Yang Sichang said bitterly.

To be honest, every time he talks to Emperor Chongzhen, Yang Sichang feels very stressed.
To be continued...