The East Palace Guards Battalion led by Wang Qi and the Fire Gun Right Bureau of the Kenan Camp led by Wang Zhou are both composed of the so-called "heroes who overcame the difficulties", and their morale is still quite high!
Because these heroes who overcame difficulties were brainwashed by Zhu Cixiang, he believed that after following the prince to Jiangnan, he would have land and a wife. Moreover, they had gained a lot of silver these days, had good meat and rice, and even ate and drank with the prince. They were all the prince's confidants.
In addition, the lies that Zhu Cihong told the thieves last night also deceived the heroes of this gang.
Prince Zhu is so treacherous. Of course he has deceived all his own people. How could he tell his subordinates and Manchuria that the matter of borrowing troops and marrying him was a lie?
This group of heroes who overcame the difficulty all thought that Dorgon was leading the Eight Banners Heavenly Soldiers and Wu Sangui to Beijing together. Now they would be able to escape safely. Can their morale not be high?
And Zhu Cihong asked the Ming army guarding Yongding Gate to leave all the flags on the gate tower to show off, and his East Palace Guards Camp and Kenan Camp Fire Gun Right Bureau did not bring any flags.
So when they walked out of the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Mountains and Rivers and entered the bustling area outside Zhengyang Gate, many people of old and young wearing common people's clothes poured out on both sides of the street, and some people set off firecrackers, which was very lively!
"Hey, why are people setting off firecrackers? There are so many people..." Zhu Cixiang was riding on a tall horse, looking at the people on both sides of the street. Everyone was beaming with joy. There were still people setting off firecrackers. This scene seemed familiar!
This...how is it similar to when the People's Liberation Army entered the city in the documentary when I was a kid? Do the people of Beijing support their crown prince that much? Do they already know that they are wise and powerful and the master of the Ming Dynasty and Zhongxing? It seems that the people of the capital still have a discerning eye!
Just when Zhu Cixi was a little moved, someone suddenly took the lead in shouting slogans, and poured cold water on Prince Zhu's head.
"Eat his mother, live on his mother, if you don't eat enough, there will be a king. If you don't do the job, if you don't pay the food, everyone will have a happy time..."
I don’t know who it was, who took the lead in shouting slogans to welcome King Chuang. Then the people on both sides of Zhengyangmen Street started shouting together, and the more they shouted, the more energetic they shouted. The shouts of "eat his mother, eat his mother" overshadowed the roar of the squatting tiger cannon that sounded again outside the city. Sounded.
It turns out that last night, the intimidating gunfire roared outside the outer city wall of Beijing all night long. People who didn’t know the truth thought that King Chuang’s army was attacking the city!
By this morning, because King Chuang's troops were busy arranging their troops, no more guns or cannons were fired. When the people in the outer city heard this, they all thought that King Li Chuang's side had won the battle, so they all happily ran out to meet King Chuang.
Hearing this shout, the expressions of the soldiers and generals following Zhu Cihong changed.
It turns out these are all unruly people! The streets are full of troublemakers! It's so hateful... I wonder if the Crown Prince will get furious and order everyone to kill and set fires?
Although these people are unscrupulous, they are fellow Beijingers after all...
"Hahaha..." Zhu Cixiang suddenly laughed, as if he was not the prince of the Ming Dynasty, but a real rebel!
"Why is Master Qiansui laughing?" Wang Qi, the foreman of the East Palace Guards, rode beside Zhu Cixiang. When he saw the prince laughing for no reason, he rode up to ask.
Zhu Cixiang looked back at Wang Qi, with a mocking smile on his face, "These are the people of the capital that my father refused to abandon... He was also worried that the thieves would kill the people, which is really ridiculous. These people are so clever. Now, let me do the math for them. In more than a month, they will have to welcome a new master!"
Are there so many new owners?
Wang Qi was confused. Zhu Cixiang didn't explain to him. He just smiled and said, "Let's go to Zhengyang Gate and have a look... Is the gate closed?"
"It's okay," Wang Qi said, "Admiral Wu is guarding there personally. He won't close the door until the Crown Prince comes back."
"Okay!" Zhu Cixi just smiled, "Go to Zhengyangmen to see who else is there?"
"Who else could it be?" Wang Qi sighed, "Aren't they just ignorant and cunning people?"
Zhu Cixiang sneered and said, "Haha, it's not just the common people."
…
Of course, the people of Beijing were not the only ones who opened the door to welcome surrender... Even the people knew that something bad was going on in the Ming Dynasty. How could the officials know?
Therefore, in the official circles of the capital, some people have long been planning to abandon the Ming Dynasty and surrender. The former Minister of War, Zhang Jinyan, was one of the leaders of the capitulation faction. As early as the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, when he took over as the Minister of War, he had already secretly contacted Li Zicheng, the king of Chuang. When he took over as the Minister of War, Emperor Chongzhen was actually desperate. Emperor Chongzhen was killed as a scapegoat.
The Minister of War in the Chongzhen Dynasty was a very dangerous job! During the seventeen years of the Chongzhen Dynasty, there were a total of fourteen Ministers of War, four of whom committed suicide out of fear of crime, one died in prison, one was executed by Emperor Chongzhen's order, one died in exile, one was killed by Li Zicheng's army, and fourteen Eight of them would die badly! Haha, the death rate of the Minister of War must be higher than that of the soldiers below.
However, among the Ministers of the Ministry of War who did not meet a bad end, five were dismissed from their posts and investigated, and only one retired honorably. The one who retired honorably was Zhang Jinyan's predecessor, Feng Yuanbiao. He was old and sick and could no longer do his job. As for Zhang Jinyan himself, he was dismissed from his post and investigated not long ago.
However, because Li Zicheng arrived so quickly, no one went to investigate or deal with him. He was simply dismissed from his post.
After being dismissed, Zhang Jinyan did not leave the dangerous city of Beijing. Instead, he moved around and gathered a group of like-minded disciples and former officials, preparing to welcome the new master together and surrender to Li Zicheng.
And Zhu Cixiang's sudden "talent and strategy" in the past few days really shocked Zhang Jinyan. It's not that I'm worried that Beijing will be fortified by this prince who goes too far, but that he's worried that Zhu Cixiang will find out about his surrender...
This prince is a bit rough in his work. If he were to catch him, he might just die without even having a chance to pay for his life.
But this morning, Zhang Jinyan finally felt relieved. Because the family members he sent to Zhengyangmenwai Street to inquire about the news came excitedly to report that Li Zicheng's army had entered the city!
finally come!
"Hahaha!" Zhang Jinyan slammed the table and laughed three times. "A big deal is done!" He glanced at the officials in the hall who were listening to the news and discussing countermeasures with him. "Everyone, follow Zhang to welcome the new master outside Zhengyang Gate!"
The house he is renting now is not in the inner city, but in the outer city, in Langfang Hutong next to Zhengyangmen Street. He rented a large house, where in addition to living with his own family, he also had many servants, all of whom he had recruited from the Beijing camp when he was the Minister of the Ministry of War. In name, it is to look after the home, but in fact it is to facilitate the surrender.
After the army of bandits arrived in Beijing on the 17th, many officials who had the same idea as Zhang Jinyan also moved their families to the outer city to avoid being captured by Zhu Cixiang, the stupid young prince. This morning, all these people gathered in Langfang Hutong, all in neat robes and stretched out their necks to wait for the good news that Li Zicheng had entered the city.
Now the news is finally here, which is great!
A group of Ming officials followed Zhang Jinyan happily, leading twenty or thirty armed servants out of the house, and soon went to Zhengyangmen Street.
After taking to the street, they soon saw Zhu Cixiang and others coming in formation.
Zhu Cixiang's men did not look like the Ming army. They did not display banners and were not embarrassed. Moreover, slogans to welcome King Chuang were shouted on both sides of the street.
Needless to say, it must be the vanguard of King Chuang who has entered the city.
"Quick, quick, quick," Zhang Jinyan hurriedly called to the officials with him, "They are all arranged according to their official positions... Zhong Zhao, you are Young Master Zhan, come with me."
The official called to his side by Zhang Jinyan was named Xiang Yu. He was forty-six years old. He was currently the young master of Zhan Shifu. He was also an official in the East Palace and was an official subordinate to the crown prince Zhu Cixi. I don't know why I followed Zhang Jinyan and joined the team that abandoned Ming and surrendered.
In addition to Xiang Yu, those with Zhang Jinyan today include Liang Zhaoyang, a common scholar, Zhou Zhong, a common scholar, Wei Xuelian, a common scholar, and Qian Weikun, the Prime Minister of the Imperial Academy. All of them are talented and well-educated people. I think they have their place in Li Zicheng's side...
