On the eighth day of June in the first year of Guangde, the Emperor's palace once again moved eastward to Anqing Fucheng.
Chizhou Prefecture looked down on the wind, and the main force of the Qi army marched all the way to Tongling County, and on the other hand went upstream along the Zhenjiang River, launching a siege on Nanjing City from the east and west sides of the Yangtze River.
On the 9th day of June, Qian Qianyi, a scholar of the Qi State, led Zhu Youxiao, the chief of the Ministry of Industry, and his bodyguards. They set out from Tongling County, Chizhou Prefecture, took a small boat and went east along the river to Stone City to persuade the Hongguang court to surrender.
When Liu Zhaosun was still worried about the lives of Qian Qianyi and others in his palace in Tongling County, what the Emperor did not expect was that the Nanming officials who were trapped in Nanjing were already ready to surrender to the new dynasty.
"I hope I can persuade Zhu Changhui to avoid a killing in Jinling."
At dusk on June 11, Qian Qianyi and his entourage arrived at the outskirts of Nanjing in a nervous yet excited mood.
The Daqi envoy's ship docked at Dashengguan Pier in the eastern suburbs of Nanjing. After a brief but intense discussion among the envoys, Zhu Youxiao was the first to step off the sampan.
Zhu Youxiao was the king of the previous dynasty and a distant relative of Emperor Hongguang (although the blood relationship was far away), so the defenders on the shore would not be so mad as to shoot him to death without saying a word.
Just when Qian Qianyi and others were preparing to die for Da Qi,
What greeted them was not a tense army or red barbarian cannons arrayed and loaded, but a sizable honor guard team.
Two Ming Dynasty censors stood in front of the team. Jin Yiwei and soldiers from the Wucheng Army and Horse Division formed a square formation. Behind them were more than a hundred Southern Ming civil servants led by Zhao Zhilong, the minister of the Ministry of War (all the six officials had fled). They greeted the team. There are also a dozen elephants wearing silk flowers on their heads.
Zhao Zhilong stepped forward and explained to the Qi envoys that the officials of the Southern Ming Dynasty had long wanted to abandon the dark side and join the Ming Dynasty and join the new dynasty.
However, with the persecution of thieves like Ruan Dacheng and Zuo Liangyu, we had no choice but to postpone it until now. Now that Ruan Dacheng is dead, Zuo Liangyu has fled to the sea like a bereaved dog. Half of the cabinet ministers have fled, and the other half committed suicide in fear of crime. In Nanjing, everyone is looking forward to Wang Shi (Qi Jun) entering the city as soon as possible.
The time has come to turn from darkness to light.
Qian Qianyi heard that a minister committed suicide out of fear of crime, and said with regret: "Hey, why is it so? The Holy Emperor has a kind heart and treats his ministers very generously. The former had no choice but to suppress Hui Deng's rebellion. He never killed innocent people indiscriminately. As long as you surrender wholeheartedly, Daqi will naturally forget the blame, so why seek short-term consequences!"
"Also, I and King Shunyi (Zhu Youxiao) are here to discuss peace with our emperor. You have arranged such a grand pomp, and you are overstepping your bounds!"
The Minister of War stood aside, nodding like a chicken pecking at rice.
After Qian Qianyi finished speaking, he pointed to the gorgeously decorated and well-trained elephants behind him and carefully explained:
"Your Majesty, what we are doing today is just a dress rehearsal to welcome the Grand Emperor of Qi into Nanjing. The Emperor of Qi is the ninth emperor. If anything goes wrong in the surrender ceremony, everyone will look bad."
"Oh, that's it. You all have good intentions. I will tell the truth to my emperor when I go back. It's rare. Let them withdraw first. We can't bear such a grand courtesy, so withdraw quickly!"
Zhao Zhilong quickly ordered the honor guard to disband. Elephants from Southeast Asia swung their butts and walked past Qian Qianyi. The horses lowered their heads, as if they knew that their side had completely failed, and looked a little downcast.
Qian Qianyi looked at these behemoths and couldn't help but sigh:
"My young man is studying in Jinling. I have always heard that there is a mythical elephant in Runan Bay on the outskirts of Stone City. I have never seen it. Today I saw it. It is really a mythical beast."
During the Yongle period, during every court meeting, all civil and military officials had to pass by the "elephant wall" composed of elephants.
The elephants were separated on both sides, with their trunks stretched out and crossing each other, forming obstacles to prevent anyone from approaching the emperor.
Once the emperor announces that he is going to court and invites someone to come to see him, the elephants will put down their trunks in order until the minister passes, and then raise their trunks again to cross guard.
As Qian Qianyi spoke, he reached out and touched the female elephant closest to him. The female elephant immediately shook its trunk and made a high-pitched and melodious cry. Qian Muzhai stroked his beard and laughed.
In fact, in the original history, from Yongle to Wanli years, elephant honor guards existed in the Ming court. On the one hand, they provided majesty to the court, and on the other hand, they also satisfied the curiosity of the royal family.
"Your Majesty, please come to Nanjing first to welcome you all!"
Several sedans stopped in front of the envoys. Zhao Zhilong asked everyone to get on the sedan. Qian Qianyi decided to ride into the city, so Jin Yiwei and the Wucheng Army and Horse Division opened the way in front. Qian Qianyi and Zhao Zhilong walked side by side, Zhu Youxiao and Lin Yu Go to the back.
"Since Jinling is safe and a massacre has been avoided, what I'm worried about now is the safety of Emperor Ming's mausoleum, in case someone takes advantage of the troubled waters..."
Zhu Youxiao turned his head and did not continue to listen to the secret conversation between the bachelor and Zhao Zhilong. He was riding on horseback, with Lin Yu and two imperial guards guarding him on his left and right. The elephants responsible for the ceremonial guard gradually moved away.
I don't know what the head of the Ministry of Works suddenly remembered, his eyes seemed to have sand in them, and they turned slightly red.
The team soon left Dashengguan Pier, and the post road leading to Nanjing City was already filled with people from Nanzhili who came to watch.
Although thousands of people from the Jinyi Guards and the Military and Horse Division were trying their best to block it, some people still threw flowers and silks at the mission to show their welcome.
The so-called eating pot of pulp to welcome the king is probably like this.
Qian Qianyi was still discussing the details of the surrender with the Minister of War, turning a deaf ear to the cheers of the crowds on both sides. The bachelor occasionally raised his arms with a professional smile on his face, and then lowered his head to whisper to Zhao Zhilong.
Zhu Youxiao looked calm as he sat on his horse and stared blankly at the crowd eating pots of pulp.
Lin Yu and the guards of the Imperial Guard were as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They were guarding the two envoys. Each of them held a sharp knife in his hand and looked around with vigilance. Lin Yu had undertaken similar escort tasks many times, but this time the stakes were high. , he was afraid that something unexpected would happen at this juncture.
The accident didn't happen.
It may be that those who wanted Nan Ming to continue to resist have been killed by the coir raincoat guards in advance.
However, after experiencing this protracted war and the continuous burning, killing and looting by Zuo Liangyu and Zheng Sen's troops, the common people hoped that the war would end soon.
It wasn't until the majestic city wall appeared in front of him, the road under the city wall had been cleared, and there were no more people watching the excitement around, and a large group of Ming troops kneeling with weapons in hand, that Lin Yu relaxed a little.
Several of Lin Yu's guardsmen were silent along the way. They couldn't hold it in any longer. Seeing that there was no danger now, they started chatting.
At this time, a guard was still immersed in the shock of the group of behemoths. This guard came from Liaodong. If it weren't for this escort mission, he would never have the chance to see those mythical beasts from South Asia and Southeast Asia.
"Hey, Captain Lin, is that an elephant? It's so big! It's like a wall!"
Another guard, who was probably from Nanzhili and knew more about it, said disdainfully: "They are all left behind by Emperor Chengzu. What's the elephant? There was a small country named Tamerlane who even gave a lion to the Ming Dynasty. "
"Lion, what is a lion?"
"They are similar to tigers. Their hair is curled and there are no tiger stripes. The emperor rewarded them with 30 large boxes of utensils, such as silks, cloths, armors, ironware, porcelain..."
The Liaodong guard opened his mouth wide. He didn't expect that this magical beast called a lion could be exchanged for so many things.
"This mythical beast is very rare!"
The Southern Zhili guard was riding on horseback and said disapprovingly: "What's so strange! It's everywhere in the Western Regions, it's not a rarity at all! Those foreign envoys send one over every now and then. They are not satisfied with the reward, and their appetite is getting bigger and bigger. , claiming that the lion was bought from the Kingdom of Huariz at a high price and was "worth 20,000 taels of silver." After seven years on the road, the freight cost "five thousand taels of silver", and the emperor asked the emperor to reimburse them 30,000 taels of silver... ··”
All the guards laughed.
"When Emperor Hongzhi comes, I won't give it away anymore, and I won't want all kinds of mythical beasts."
"Why?"
"I have no money!"
Lin Yu raised his head and glanced at Zhu Youxiao's lonely back in front of him, and yelled loudly: "Aren't you done talking about it? If you like the story of the previous dynasty so much, just stay in Nanjing and don't go back!"
Seeing Lin Yu's anger, the guards quickly shut up and stopped talking. They held their scabbards, straightened their backs, and looked around cautiously.
~~~~
Accompanied by the squeaking and sliding sound of the hinges of the thousand-jin gate, the heavy and solid Xuanwu Gate was opened.
Zhao Zhilong, the Minister of War of the Southern Ming Dynasty, wore a red silk suit and rode at the forefront, guiding the Daqi envoys to slowly enter Nanjing.
Zhao Zhilong and his colleagues had already made preparations before Qian Qianyi and his entourage entered the city.
The soldiers and horsemen and the Jinyiwei went from house to house and ordered the people of Nanjing to prepare incense burners, and wrote on the yellow banners the words "obedient to the people", "Long live the Emperor of Daqi and the Supreme Emperor", "the destiny of Daqi" and "welcome the king". Or on paper, neatly posted at the door of your home.
It is said that this can avoid nuisance from the Qi army.
More than a dozen mounted Qi imperial guardsmen all laughed as they passed by these banners. The people of Nanjing obviously regarded the Qi army as an army of bandits like Zuo Liangyu and Zheng Sen.
At the beginning of Shenshi, Qian Qianyi and his party arrived at the Forbidden City Palace.
The bachelor met with the demoted officials of the Southern Ming Dynasty at the Meridian Gate and discussed the next surrender with this group of officials who were eager to serve the new dynasty.
The surrendered protagonist, the emperor himself, was pushed aside.
Zhu Youxiao couldn't bear it any longer. Under the protection of Lin Yu, he asked an old eunuch to take him to Qianqing Palace to visit his relative, the now lonely Hongguang Emperor Zhu Changhui.
Lin Yu held a long sword in his hand and was covered in armor. He looked like a giant steel beast, walking in the Forbidden City.
The roads in the palace were in a mess, with a lot of gold, silver and utensils scattered on the ground. The palace maids and eunuchs were running around. The Qi army had not yet entered the city, and the palace was completely out of order.
In the main hall of Qianqing Palace, Zhu Youxiao saw Zhu Changhui with disheveled hair and a sword in his hand.
If ranked in terms of seniority, Zhu Changhui is still Zhu Youxiao's uncle.
Emperor Hongguang looked up at the tall Lin Yu without showing a trace of panic.
"So, Qi Lu has already entered the city? Are you here to capture me or to kill me? No, according to Liu Zhaosun's method, you should first set a fire and burn me to death, and then I will be killed by Ruan Dacheng killed·····"
"kill!
All civil servants can die! kill! Kill Zuo Liangyu! Kill Zheng Chenggong! Kill Ruan Dacheng! Kill Shi Kefa, kill... kill Liu Zhaosun! "
Zhu Changhuan was walking back and forth in the hall with his bare feet. He was talking to himself and waving his long sword to cut the air.
Zhu Youxiao whispered: "You haven't killed the queen and the prince, have you?"
Lin Yu walked into the inner hall, took a look, and saw the Queen Zheng and the Prince cuddling together.
Zhu Youxiao winked, Lin Yu stepped forward and grabbed the sword, and together with Zhu Youxiao, he controlled the crazy Zhu Changhui.
Zhu Youxiao asked Lin Yu to step back first, raised his head and said to his uncle from far away:
"Uncle Emperor, open your eyes and look. I am Zhu Youxiao. The State of Qi asked me to persuade you to surrender..."
"Emperor Chongzhen!" Zhu Changhui suddenly came to his senses and grabbed his nephew as if grabbing a life-saving straw.
"You, follow me out and kill them all! Let's go to Yunnan, to Guangxi, to find..."
Zhu Youxiao looked back at Lin Yu standing in the distance, shook his head and said:
"Uncle, the Supreme Emperor is half human and half god. Huang Taiji is no match for him. Li Xianzhong is no match for him. Even if Taizu is reborn, he is no match for him! Wake up!"
"I have known Qi for a long time. I have seen soldiers on the battlefield using their bodies to block cannons. I have seen craftsmen drilling gun barrels in the workshop and exhausting themselves to death. I have seen students staying up all night to study regardless of the cold. Da Qi is not a violent Qin Dynasty. , nor Li Tang, the Supreme Emperor’s ideal is the stars and the sea, and what he is doing is unprecedented and unprecedented,”
Zhu Changhuan looked at the former emperor who had disappeared a long time ago with a look of horror. Unexpectedly, when he saw this man again, he had become Liu Zhaosun's lackey.
"Isn't Emperor Chongzhen already burned to death by the fire? Are you a human or a ghost?"
Zhu Youxiao held the emperor's uncle's wrist tightly.
"After surrendering to Daqi, you can go to Jianghua Island like Zhu Cixiang, where all members of our old Zhu family are."
Zhu Changhui pushed Chongzhen away and shouted: "Nonsense, how did the late emperor die?
Zhu Youxiao let go of his uncle, who was controlled by fear, and sighed: "It's a long story. Back then, my brother Zhu Youjian couldn't bear to lose power, so he spent a lot of money to bribe a close servant of the Supreme Emperor. He poisoned the Emperor's porridge, but he never thought that he would not poison the Emperor, but instead poisoned Queen Zhang... Zhu Youjian wanted to die, and the Emperor finally had to fulfill him.
"Nonsense! The late emperor was obviously killed by Liu Zhaosun, a thief! Your brother was killed by Liu thief, and you still want to speak for him, Zhu Youxiao, you are still not a human being!"
Zhu Youxiao grabbed the emperor's uncle.
"Uncle Emperor, do you want to die now?"
"I don't want to die."
"My brother has a strong personality and would rather die than get rid of powerful officials. He knew that poisoning Liu Zhaosun would mean his own death, but he still did it."
Zhu Youxiao looked at his uncle seriously.
"Uncle Emperor, go to Ganghwa Island and do what you want to do, like me. I like to do carpentry. His Majesty is kind-hearted, so he asked me to help build Tianxin City and work as an official in the Ministry of Works... Liu Zhaosun It can be said that he is more kind than any emperor in the past dynasties. As long as you don't seek death like Zhu Youjian, he will never kill you. On the contrary, you can live a rich life for the rest of your life."
Zhu Changhuan squinted his eyes and recalled what Zhu Youxiao said. After an unknown amount of time, his anxious look finally relaxed.
