Chapter 1052 Chongzhen’s final choice (1)

(1052)

When Zhang Zhun set foot on Taiwan Island and admired the beautiful scenery of the treasure island, the temporary residence of the imperial court was in a bleak cloud of sorrow in Xi'an Prefecture, Shaanxi, thousands of miles away.

In Xi'an Prefecture in deep winter, the north wind kept whistling, rolling up gusts of wind and sand, covering the entire Xi'an City. If you look down from the sky, there is only a yellow area. The north wind also makes a chilling howling sound, stimulating everyone's nerves.

If you stand on the city wall and look down, you will not see people at all. Everyone is already hiding in their homes to avoid the blowing of wind and sand. In fact, even if the wind and sand are not coming, there will not be many people in Xi'an Prefecture. Since the court moved here, Xi'an Prefecture has soared prices and supplies are difficult. Where can ordinary people still live?

The soldiers standing guard on the city wall were also listless. They held their weapons weakly in their arms and curled up behind the battlements to prevent the wind and sand from hitting them directly. A burst of wind and sand blew, as if they covered them all. Only when the wind and sand were slightly calmed down and they could see that they were still living people. However, when the wind and sand came again, they immediately retreated and became dead again.

The military flags above the city tower were shaking and shaking by the strong wind, as if they would fall down at any time. The flags were pulled by the wind, straight and straight, and it felt like they would be torn apart at any time. In fact, soon after, there were indeed flags that were blown apart by the strong wind. Some broken flags were blown away by the north wind and rolled into the gray sky, and they didn't know where they went. Of course, no one cared about this.

Many people seem to be numb to the future. Even without the violent wind and sand, they will not react. They stand guard every day, just like wooden people. In fact, for the vast majority of the imperial army, they are now in a walking corpse state. No one knows where the way out is and what should be done in the future.

Some sentries always pay special attention to the surrounding terrain when they are on the whistle. Their narrow eyes always seem to be particularly focused. This is particularly obvious when there is no wind and sand. However, if you think they are performing tasks with high spirits, you are very wrong. They are not observing whether the Tiger Army is coming, but looking for a secret path that can quietly escape.

For most people in Xi'an Prefecture, the only way to survive is to find a way to escape from Xi'an Prefecture and escape from this damn place. There is no food or clothing. If you continue like this, even if the Hu Ben Army does not come, they will be frozen to death by the cold winter. The little money and food given to the superiors every day is not enough for three-year-old children!

Walking on the streets of Xi'an Mansion, you will find that everything around you has completely changed. All the wood and all the supplies that can make fire have been taken away. All the houses are broken, without roofs, doors and windows. All the trees have been cut down.

In fact, since Emperor Chongzhen fled to Xi'an Prefecture, the atmosphere in Xi'an Prefecture has never been better. Even when the Shaanxi Uprising Army was at its peak, Xi'an Prefecture had never been so decadent. This was a silent despair of decadence and no possibility of improvement. From Emperor Chongzhen to the update of the update, I don't know what the Xi'an Prefecture will become in the future.

Difficulty in supplying materials is the biggest and most fundamental problem at the moment. Under the pressing of the Hu Ben Army, the areas controlled by the imperial court kept changing hands, and there were fewer and fewer places that could provide financial and grain resources. Naturally, there were fewer and fewer materials available. There were still hundreds of thousands of people in Xi'an Prefecture and surrounding areas. Such a huge group of people had to rely on external supplies, so how could this be met?

In the east, the Xuanwu Legion of the Hu Ben Army had already oppressed the front line of Tongguan. The imperial army could only rely on the natural dangers of Tongguan to confront the Hu Ben Army. It was absolutely impossible to fight. In other words, if you want to transport materials from the east of Tongguan, don’t even think about it.

In the north, the Wang Dou Legion of the Hu Ben Army has also entered the position of Yan'an Prefecture. Yan'an Prefecture is really too close to Xi'an Prefecture. It is like a sharp sword hanging above the head of Xi'an Prefecture, which can be chopped down at any time. In other words, Xi'an Prefecture will be attacked by the Hu Ben Army at any time.

As the Hu Ben Army conquered Yunnan, Xi'an Prefecture became even more sad. The court's last support was Sichuan. Now, Sichuan has been strictly surrounded. This is the only exporting place for the imperial court to be financially and grain-producing. Once occupied by the Hu Ben Army, all the imperial officials in Xi'an Prefecture will starve to death.

Even the most optimistic court officials were already depressed at this time. There was no hope, and there was no hope. As long as the Hu Ben Army came, Xi'an Prefecture would fall into the hands of the enemy. Without money or food, no weapons, and even worse than the Hu Ben Army. As long as the Hu Ben Army charges, the court will completely collapse.

Even if the court wants to continue to retreat, there is no way to retreat. Sichuan must not be able to go. The Hu Ben Army is about to conquer Sichuan. What else do they do in Sichuan? The only possibility is to turn around and go west, and run as far as possible.

However, to the west, there are Liangzhou, Ganzhou and Suzhou. This generation has become increasingly desolate places. Here, except for the remnants of the Mongols, there are almost not many Han people. Most of the places are dry and barren lands. When the imperial court retreats here, it is known whether they can obtain sufficient supplies.

What's more, the Hu Ben Army would definitely chase after him. There is enough intelligence to show that the main cavalry of the Hu Ben Army had retreated from Japan. Most of the Hu Ben Army's cavalry were heading south from Taiyuan, preparing to cross the Yellow River in Puzhou and other places, and together with the Wang Dou Army, they launched an attack from north to south to Xi'an Prefecture.

Thinking of the madness of the Hu Ben Army cavalry, the court couldn't help but tighten. Even the brutal Tartar cavalry was not the opponent of the Hu Ben Army cavalry. The current cavalry of the imperial court was not the opponent of the Hu Ben Army cavalry? Once the Hu Ben Army cavalry entered Shaanxi, it basically means that Xi'an Prefecture could not continue to stay.

If the court retreats westward, it will inevitably be surrounded and intercepted by the Huben Army cavalry. How can infantry run past the cavalry? Instead of falling in the vast wind and sand, starving to death or thirst, it is better to think about how to solve the problem peacefully with the Huben Army.

Yes, the war cannot continue. Idiots know that if we continue to use force, the court is no match for the Hu Ben Army at all. I believe no one has any fantasies about the imperial army. The key now is how Emperor Chongzhen accepts the conditions set by Zhang Zhun. Although Madagascar is far away, it is always much better than the desolate desert.

"The situation is difficult, what do you think?"

Yang Sichang said bitterly.

It is estimated that today is the last meeting of the cabinet. Chen Xinjia, Fu Zonglong, Wang Qiaonian and others are all there. Since Emperor Chongzhen came to Xi'an Prefecture, there are only four of them. They are all hanging their heads and listless. Fu Zonglong's body still has a lot of wind and sand. Outside, wind and sand are still raging.

"What else can I think?"

"Anyway, I can't continue to fight."

Wang Qiaonian patted the wind and sand on her body and said dejectedly.

Among the four major ministers, he was the one with the least confidence and the one who actively advocated a peaceful resolution. At the beginning, he still kept it a secret and dared not speak out. Now, he has no scruples. In fact, he almost didn't say the words "unconditional surrender".

Wang Qiaonian's words made everyone present feel very bad. The court was so down and out, they all felt that they were very frustrated and a little dissatisfied, and always felt that God did not favor him. Yang Sichang wanted to say something in the scene, but it was hard to say. If he said that the court still had hope, he would be deceiving himself.

"How is the situation with money and food?"

A moment later, Yang Sichang asked in a stiff tone.

"Ten days ago, Shuzhong sent a batch of money and grain, totaling 43,000 taels of silver, 150,000 shi of rice, and 60,000 shi of flour. The person who sent the grain said that this was the last batch of old grain. If you want to have new grain, you will have to get the summer harvest in June."

Fu Zonglong frowned and said in a dry tone.

He is no longer the Minister of Works, but the Minister of Revenue.

If it were in the past, the Minister of Revenue would be a fat man. All the money and food in the world were in his own hands, and it would be a matter of wind and rain. Except for the Minister of Personnel, no one could be more glorious than him. I don’t know how many people asked grandpa to worship grandma and ask him to allocate money and food. But now, this job is roasted on the fire.

Fu Zonglong now had no extra grain of money and grain in his hands. On the contrary, he lost tens of millions of taels of silver and hundreds of millions of stones of grain. He really wanted to break every grain of rice into 100 servings and hand over it, otherwise it would not be enough. Now, even the grain of money and grain in Shu had dried up, and he really had no source of money and grain. What does it mean if there was no money or grain? Idiots knew.

Although the court tried hard to cover up the news about the exhaustion of money and food in Shu to avoid causing the Xi'an Prefecture to suffer a blow, there was no airtight wall in the world. Soon, the relevant characters still knew the truth. Moreover, the relevant truth and the rumors born from the truth were spreading wildly in Xi'an Prefecture as if they had wings. I believe that it won't take long for everyone to know.

"The King of Shu... really has no food?"

Yang Sichang sighed slightly and said with a frown.

When he said this, his eyes were obviously a little angry and helpless.

Everyone present had no choice but to look at me, and I looked at you, and I wanted to say something, but it was hard to say. In fact, everyone knew the truth. But even if they knew the truth, so what? The King of Shu must have money and food. However, the King of Shu was unwilling to take out all the food, and they seemed to have no better way.

Shuzhong is known as the country of Tianfu. It has a large amount of fertile land and a large amount of grain harvest every year. Among them, there are at least 500,000 hectares (about 7.5 million mu) of land under the name of Shuwang Mansion, which produces at least 500 stones of grain annually. Over the years, the Shuwang's hands have at least tens of millions of stones of grain. However, under the urging of Chongzhen, he only transported more than 3 million stones, and said that there was no money or grain.

"Are we talking to the emperor?"

Chen Xinjia frowned and said with a little unwillingness.

"I've said it twice, is it useful?"

Wang Qiaonian said coldly.

The King of Shu clearly had a lot of food in his hands, but he refused to transport it to Xi'an Prefecture. In his opinion, such behavior was simply to be executed by the whole family. Even the prince had to be executed by the whole family. However, this matter changed when it came to Chongzhen. At this time, Chongzhen was still unwilling to be charged with coercing relatives.

Without the edict of Emperor Chongzhen, how could they have the ability to ask the King of Shu to contribute all the food? The King of Shu probably had the courage to tell them that the food in Shu had been transported all.

"What did he keep so much food? Do he want to offer it to the Hu Ben Army? Don't he know that after the Hu Ben Army comes, he will never be able to take anything away?"

After a moment of silence, Chen Xinjia said a little disappointed.

The eyes of the King of Shu are really worthy of sympathy!

"Short-eyed."

Wang Qiaonian said coldly.

"Everyone, don't say much."

Yang Sichang said helplessly.

Chen Xinjia was very indignant, and naturally he would not shut up his mouth just because of Yang Sichang's words. His opinions on the King of Shu were indeed too big. If Emperor Chongzhen's permission was allowed, he would definitely copy the Shu Palace without hesitation and take out all the wealth of the Shu Palace. Unfortunately, he did not have such an opportunity.

At this moment, there were rapid footsteps outside. A moment later, Shi Kefa, who was appointed as the Minister of Rites, hurried in. Obviously, his face was a little panicked, and he wanted to try his best to control his emotions, but he never controlled it well. He looked at Yang Sichang and others and said arduously: "Sir... something big happened..."

Yang Sichang frowned and said, "Talk slowly, don't worry."

Shi Kefa stammered: "Wu, Sangui, Wu, Sangui...rebelled!"

"What?"

"Wu Sangui?"

"He's back?"

A stone stirred up a thousand waves, and all the members of the cabinet were shocked.

Even the calm Fu Zonglong couldn't help but stand up suddenly. As for the other three, they had already stood up. Chen Xinjia subconsciously clenched the fists in his hand. The atmosphere inside the room suddenly became tense.

If they were not particularly surprised that Sun Chuanting rebelled, if they could bear it, then they would really not be able to bear it. Because Wu Sangui was almost the last straw that was pressed on them.

Sun Chuanting's subordinates did not have officers and soldiers whom he was directly under. He also had Hong Chengchou. Therefore, when Sun Chuanting surrendered to the Hu Ben Army, he did not take away the military and horses of the court. However, Wu Sangui's subordinates had 5,000 Liaodong cavalry! Wu Sangui rebelled and must have rebelled all the 5,000 Liaodong cavalry together.

Wu Sangui's 5,000 Liaodong cavalry were almost the most powerful force among the court's army. The cabinet always relied on Wu Sangui. The court has always tried every means to win over Wu Sangui, ensuring his supply of money and grain as much as possible, and ensuring the combat effectiveness of his troops. However, unexpectedly, Wu Sangui turned against him in the end.

"calm!"

Yang Sichang shouted in a deep voice.

Chen Xinjia and others looked at me, and I looked at you, but they couldn't calm down quickly. They walked around anxiously in the house. Chen Xinjia also hit each other with his hands from time to time, looking very depressed and excited. Obviously, he couldn't calm down at all. In fact, even Yang Sichang himself could calm down quickly?

The morale of the imperial army around Xi'an Prefecture was already extremely low, and many soldiers secretly abandoned or fled every day. The number of troops was reduced by several hundred every day. No matter how the officers controlled it, it could not be stopped. Later, even some officers even ran away with established troops.

The only thing the imperial court could control was the relatively high-level officers. Especially after Sun Chuanting defected, the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang strengthened their surveillance of senior officials in the army to prevent the emergence of a second Sun Chuanting. However, no one expected that Wu Sangui, whom they valued the most, would defect silently.

It is conceivable that once Wu Sangui starts, what will happen. Now, the imperial army is just a little bit. Part of it is in Hong Chengchou's hands, part of it is in Wang Kun's hands, and part of it is in Cao Huachun's hands.

However, no matter who the army is in, people's hearts are already fluctuating. Most officers are quite desperate about the court. As long as there is a chance, more officers will probably join the ranks of defectors with their own troops.

Money and grain are the most basic needs of the army and the basis of the combat effectiveness of the army. Without money and grain, it is impossible for you to be appointed as princes for all the soldiers. But what is fatal is that the most scarce thing in the current court is money and grain.

What's even more terrible is that with the example of Wu Sangui, the court could not trust any officer. In this case, including Hong Chengchou. When Wu Sangui defected, the first thing everyone thought of was whether Hong Chengchou would also defect. If Hong Chengchou also defected, the court would be doomed.
Chapter completed!