In the evening of that day, a large number of civilian men recruited by the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Husbandry arrived in the suburbs of Beijing. In order to ensure the success of this battle and ensure the supply of money and food for the army, the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Husbandry recruited more than 600,000 civilian men, distributed from the capital to Shanhaiguan, and then Everywhere along the way to Ningyuan City. The distance from Ningyuan City to the Jinzhou front line needs to be transported by the Ming army departments themselves.
The next morning, Liu Yan dressed up carefully, put on fine armor and a red cloak, but did not bring his saber. He mounted his horse and led a group of guards to the Chinese army camp.
At this time, Wang Pu, the chief soldier of Datong Town, Yang Guozhu, the chief soldier of Xuanfu Town, Tang Tong, the chief soldier of Miyun Town, Bai Guangen, the chief soldier of Jizhou Town, Cao Bianjiao, the chief soldier of ASEAN Town, Ma Ke, the chief soldier of Shanhaiguan Town, and former The commander-in-chief of the garrison, Wang Tingchen, the commander-in-chief of Ningyuan Town, Wu Sangui, the commander-in-chief of Shanxi Province, Li Fuming, and the commander-in-chief, Zuo Guangxian, were all fully dressed and were exchanging excited greetings in the Chinese army's tent. It was obvious that everyone was excited. Even the faces of the two supervisors, Ma Shaoyu and Zhang Ruoqi, were smiling.
Hong Chengchou was wearing a big red robe and talking to everyone with a cheerful face. When he saw Liu Yan arriving, he greeted him enthusiastically: "Come quickly, Mr. Liu, he will enter the palace to face the saint soon."
"yes."
It was also the first time for Liu Yan to meet Emperor Chongzhen, a famous tragic emperor in history. He would be lying if he said he was not excited. After greeting everyone, Liu Yan stood together with Yang Guozhu, Wang Pu, Cao Bianjiao, and Li Fuming.
At this time, Yang Guozhu came over and whispered: "General Liu, this time you led more than 80,000 troops to help. Although it is a good thing, commanding 80,000 to 90,000 troops in one town is too conspicuous. If it weren't for the chaos in the world now, , it is estimated that the censors in the court and those in the Ministry of War have already rushed to impeach you. Therefore, when you go to the palace to face the saint, General Liu must be careful in your response and not to cause trouble for yourself. "
Liu Yan was moved, clasped his fists and said, "I understand, thank you General Yang for your advice."
In the blink of an eye, at the beginning of noon, people came from the palace. Xuanhong Chengchou and others entered the capital. They entered the capital through Deshengmen, and the accompanying guards also entered the capital.
From Deshengmen Street to the front of Bei'anmen in the Imperial City, the streets and alleys were filled with crowds of people watching. They all cheered enthusiastically to everyone, and Liu Yan kept waving as he looked at the people in the capital.
Soon everyone arrived outside the imperial city. The guards of the generals stayed outside and were entertained by special personnel, but they were not allowed to enter the imperial city. None of them carried weapons. After being inspected by a group of eunuchs, they followed the leading eunuch into the imperial city. However, they turned around and came to the Chengtian Gate in the south of the Forbidden City, and then entered the palace.
At this time, eunuchs came to read out Emperor Chongzhen's special honors. Hong Chengchou led the generals to ride horses in the palace corridor square to show their favor to everyone. Of course, it won't work when everyone arrives in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
At this time, there was an endless stream of civil and military officials attending the banquet, and dazzling ramie clothes gathered in the square of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Officials and generals who knew each other kept saying hello to Hong Chengchou, Ma Shaoyu, and Zhang Ruoqi, and then entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony one after another. However, Liu Yan and other generals wanted to be summoned by Emperor Chongzhen before they entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony in front of everyone.
At this time, all the civil and military officials had entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony, leaving only a dense guard of Jinwu soldiers and Jiaofangsi band dancers outside the hall. There are also officials below the fifth rank. Their drinking and dining tables are located on the east and west corridors of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
At the end of noon, Emperor Chongzhen's car drove from the right gate to Fengtianmen Danbi. Liu Yan and others heard the sound of great music and the sound of whips in the palace, and they all looked over.
I also listened to the officials of Honglu Temple leading hundreds of officials to praise and worship, and then the dancers from the teaching workshop came in one after another, playing a song of longevity, a second song of appreciating the grace of heaven, a third song of gratitude to the earth's virtues, and a fourth song of folk music. , five pieces of music to express gratitude to the emperor.
After several drinks. The dancing in the Hall of Supreme Harmony stopped and the music stopped. Yang Guozhu had been in the palace to meet the saints and had experience, so he whispered to Liu Yan: "We should be here soon."
Sure enough, not long after, martial music was played, and the Jiaofang Division played a song to calm the world. Waves of voices came out in the Hall of Supreme Harmony: "Your Majesty has an edict: Xuan Commander-in-Chief Yang Guozhu, Liu Yan, Wu Sangui, Cao Bianjiao, Wang Pu... Everyone, come into the palace."
Liu Yan and others hurriedly arranged their clothes and armor, and then, with their heads held high and their chests held high, they entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony from the steps.
As soon as he entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony, he saw countless eyes on him. Liu Yan glanced around and saw that the majestic Hall of Supreme Harmony was neatly filled with banquet tables with exquisite wine vessels and tableware, and there were many people sitting on the sides. All the officials, both civil and military, did not look sideways and only glanced at Liu Yan and the others from the corners of their eyes.
On both sides of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, there are densely arranged musical instruments such as Hui, Zhi, Sheng, Chi, etc., and there are many Jiaofangsi musicians dedicated to playing music.
"This grand banquet in the palace is indeed majestic, solemn and extraordinary. It is far from comparable to the so-called cocktail parties of the rich in later generations!"
Emperor Chongzhen was standing high above the imperial banquet. When he saw the generals coming in in formation, he couldn't help but cast his eyes over. After scanning everyone, he stopped at Hong Chengchou and Liu Yan and Wu Sangui beside him.
At this time, Liu Yan and other military generals were greeted by the officials of Honglu Temple and shouted long live. Emperor Chongzhen said: "My lords, please stand up and sit down."
Under the guidance of the internal officials, Liu Yan and others sat down in front of their own desks. Wen and Wu were on the left and right, and they were all closest to the emperor's desk. As expected, there was a grand banquet and the treatment was different.
At this time, thirty-two dancers entered the hall. They all held the stem in their left hand and held their hands in the right hand. They were divided into four rows, with eight people in each row. Under the influence of the music, the dance is vigorous and vigorous, sitting in the posture of striking, and there are two dancers, holding the banner to lead it, performing a dance to calm the world.
When he was happy, Emperor Chongzhen said loudly: "The king's army set out to conquer Liaodong in the north. Now Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao, led Qinglai Town Chief Military Officer Liu Yan, Datong Town Chief Military Officer Wang Pu, Xuanfu Town Chief Military Officer Yang Guozhu, Miyun Town Chief Soldier Tang Tong, Jizhou Town Chief Soldier Bai Guangen, ASEAN Chief Soldier Cao Bianjiao, Shanhaiguan Town Chief Soldier Ma Ke, former Tunwei Chief Wang Tingchen, Ningyuan Town Chief Soldier Wu Sangui, Shanxi Chief Soldier Li Fuming sent 5,000 troops, the chief military officer of the reinforcements and suppression, Zuo Guangxian, and the chief military officer of Liaodong Town, Liu Zhaoji, went out to quell the captives. They are commendable for their loyalty and bravery, and are willing to sacrifice their lives. They will surely return with good results, and everything will be worry-free from now on!"
Then Emperor Chongzhen raised his imperial cup and said, "All your ministers and generals, please drink this cup to the full to congratulate me on the Ming Dynasty."
The civil officials were led by Fan Fucui, the chief minister of the cabinet, and the military commander was led by Hong Chengchou, the governor of Jiliao. Everyone stood up and shouted loudly: "Congratulations to me on the Ming Dynasty."
Everyone drank it all.
Emperor Chongzhen drank wine, and in the excitement, a trace of red appeared on his originally pale face. At this time, the Jiaofang Si knelt down to perform the dance to appease the barbarians. Sixteen Jiaofang Si dancers entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony, and inside the Middle East Four people from Yi, four from Xirong, four from Nanman, four from Beidi, and two dancers held banners to lead them.
During the dance, a majestic music played: "Little general, great Mingjun. He rules the universe, the saint's grace is broad, and controls the country. Capture the Xirong in the east, the barbarians in the north and south. Hold your hands high, hold the treasure tray, and rejoice in front of the palace. The Wuyun Palace is connected to the Han Dynasty, The golden light illuminates the eyes. The sound of the golden water in the jade ditch gurgling, looking down at the fontanel, staggering to look. The yiluan is solemn and intimidating in all kinds of ways, intimidating people... Long live my emperor, pass through the door, fix the universe, fix the universe. Palm the country, Caressing hundreds of barbarians, singing, worshiping, dancing and praising, may the emperor's career be safe for thousands of years!"
During the dance, Emperor Chongzhen couldn't help but nod his head, fascinated, apparently imagining the grand occasion of the Ming Dynasty being revived in his own hands, and the emperor's career lasting tens of thousands of years, pacifying all the barbarians.
After the dance ended, Emperor Chongzhen had a smile on his face, glanced at Liu Yan and others, and said loudly: "Come here, get the golden bowl. I will personally give it to the generals to drink and strengthen their conduct."
Soon, a group of internal officials brought many golden bowls. Emperor Chongzhen personally gave a golden bowl to each of Hong Chengchou, Liu Yan, Wu Sangui and others, and poured wine for everyone.
Hong Chengchou, Liu Yan and others were so excited that they took the imperial bowls one by one and raised them high.
Emperor Chongzhen looked at everyone, his eyes full of expectation, and he said: "The battle of Jinzhou is related to the destiny of our emperor Ming Dynasty. Whether we can severely defeat Dongnu will be fought here. I hope all the soldiers will be loyal and not let me down." see."
"I will do my best, be loyal and loyal, and bravely kill the thieves to repay the country's favor!"
Emperor Chongzhen said happily: "Okay, now that everyone has said this, I feel relieved."
Afterwards, the atmosphere in the palace was warm. Headed by the cabinet, congratulations continued, and Emperor Chongzhen happily accepted the continuous toasts from the officials.
When the sixth wine was served, the priest knelt down and played the song "Driving the Six Dragons" for nine times, and then the banquet was completed. Guanglu Siguan withdrew from the imperial court, and all the ministers attended and stood facing the north, bowed four times, whips were blown, great music started, Emperor Chongzhen drove out, and all the officials came out one after another.
However, Hong Chengchou, Liu Yan, Wu Sangui and others did not leave the palace because Emperor Chongzhen issued another decree to summon the supervisory army and the generals to have a small banquet in Xiyuan.
Under the guidance of the internal officials, Liu Yan and others changed into casual clothes in a side hall. Liu Yan put on his own python robe, and then the internal officials took them to Cuihua Garden.
At this time, the eunuch Wang Chengen, the military supervisors Zhang Ruoqi and Ma Shaoyu and others had arrived early, and Chen Xinjia, the Minister of War, accompanied Emperor Chongzhen.
Emperor Chongzhen also changed into the imperial uniform, with a coiled collar, narrow sleeves, gold coiled dragon patterns embroidered on the front, back and shoulders, and a Yishan crown. He is now in his thirties, but he looks as if he is in his forties or fifties. His temples are gray and his face is abnormally pale. However, he looked excited at this time, and his face had some normal color.
Some seats were also set up in the garden, and each table was served with four side dishes and brown rice, even on the emperor's desk.
When Hong Chengchou, Wang Pu, Yang Guozhu, Zhang Ruoqi and others saw this, their faces were full of emotion and choked with emotion. They even said that the emperor was frugal and treated him so badly, which made the hearts of his subordinates pierce. Judging from their performance, there may not be any element of performance involved, but there is only genuine regret on Wang Chengen's face.
Liu Yan knew that Wang Chengen's feelings for Emperor Chongzhen were very unusual. Emperor Chongzhen may not have felt like a father and brother in his subconscious towards Wang Chengen. Their relationship was not simple. It was quite rare for the royal family.
Regarding Emperor Chongzhen's frugality, Liu Yan also sighed in his heart. It is indeed commendable that you, the respecter of a country, can still live such a life.
However, Liu Yan was more lamenting that Emperor Chongzhen was born at the wrong time, and was not as pretentious as Hong Chengchou and others.
Seeing everyone's expressions, Emperor Chongzhen just waved his hands and said: "The finances cannot make ends meet. If I don't take the lead in frugality, how can the country turn around?"
Then Emperor Chongzhen looked at Liu Yan again and said with a smile: "I have heard that Governor Lu and Governor Hong mentioned that General Liu is not only good at fighting and training troops, but he is also good at making money. This rescue also brought more than 80,000 elite soldiers. The new army is actually the stronghold of the country. But I wonder if you can teach me how to make money?"
Everyone laughed, Liu Yan was shocked, but looking at Emperor Chongzhen's eager expression, he breathed a sigh of relief, pondered for a long time, and said: "Then I have the courage to offer advice to your majesty, but I can't say anything." , please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"I said it, and my words are innocent!"
Liu Yan said: "Your Majesty, 90% of the financial resources of our Ming Dynasty are owned by gentry, officials, merchants, royal families, nobles, etc. The country is generous, but they pay very little tax, accounting for almost only 10% of the court's annual income. One percent.”
"Ninety percent of the population of our Ming Dynasty are ordinary people, but they only account for 10% of the financial resources, but they have to pay 90% of the imperial court's annual income!"
Hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen shook his head and sighed. He was a very smart man. If he had been born in a peaceful and prosperous age, he was afraid that Emperor Jiajing would not be able to defeat him. How could he not know what Liu Yan meant? However, Emperor Chongzhen was determined to be a sage king. Who can support him as a sage king? Literati.
Who controls the national finances? Most of them are literati, collect taxes from them? Now I am afraid that Emperor Gao is still alive. In the past, he showed his power as an emperor, but in the end he had to stop serving as a tax envoy, and he was brought up to make excuses year after year.
If nothing else, everyone here, can Emperor Chongzhen receive money from the heads of Chen Xinjia, Hong Chengchou, Wu Sangui and others?
When Liu Yan saw this, he knew the result and said: "The reason why I can have money and food to train my troops is entirely because of the implementation of the New Deal in Qinglai Town. Merchants have to pay commercial taxes, and the gentry has to check their fields and pay taxes truthfully. Even the generals under my command We must also pay taxes honestly, and in addition, I encourage business, workshops, etc., and it is only through many obstacles that we can achieve the strength of the new army today. The hardships involved, every time I think about it, I am horrified!"
In this way, Liu Yan was able to push the New Deal in a small area and rely on the strength of the new army, but Emperor Chongzhen was unable to implement it within the court. Otherwise, with the intertwined power of civil servants in the DPRK and China, Emperor Chongzhen's throne would be unstable.
In the end, Emperor Chongzhen sighed and stopped talking about the matter.
Some people died, but not completely...
