Zhu Cixiang would not accept Li Zicheng's profession as a minister!
It took a lot of effort to get rid of the blame for the northern market, which had suffered losses for many years. Doesn't it mean that Lao Li surrendered and took the blame again? There are no benefits at all, but the responsibility to protect the land and protect the people is greater than the sky. If he could not defend the north, Zhu Cixiang would be responsible for losing the territory, and would be labeled as not resisting the crown prince by future generations.
Lao Li, on the other hand, could "have no pot and be light", recuperate under the wings of the Ming Dynasty, pass the responsibility of resisting the Qing army to Zhu Cixiang, and justifiably ask Zhu Cixi for money and food, and at the same time find opportunities to plot half of the world in the south of the Ming Dynasty.
If Chongzhen, the emperor who took the blame, was in power now, he might have fallen into Li Zicheng's trap. But how could Zhu Cixiang be the kind of master who only cares about face but not honour?
So the recruitment of Li Zicheng was already in trouble before it even started.
What Zhu Cixiang can discuss here is whether Ming Dynasty and Dashun should become brothers and resist the Qing Dynasty together.
"Gu Jun'en, Military Advisor of Shunguo, respectfully invites Jin An, Prince of Fujun of the Ming Dynasty."
"Wang Cheng'en respectfully invites His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Jin An."
Gu Junen and Wang Chengen met Zhu Cixiang in Dagong Hall, the largest hall in Dagongfang.
The residence Xu Da left behind was the Duke's Mansion, and the buildings inside were not in any way over the standard. However, the Wei State Mansion had been prosperous for two hundred years, and it did not decline at all until the "Nanjing Eunuch Rebellion" . Therefore, most of the buildings in the mansion have been renovated several times, and each time they are renovated, they become more magnificent. The Dagong Hall is no exception. Although it cannot compare with the size or grandeur of the palaces in the Beijing Imperial Palace, it is still more exquisite and luxurious, but it is even better.
"Give me a seat!"
Zhu Cixiang smiled and raised his hand, pointing to the chairs placed on both sides of the Dagong Hall, asking Wang Chengen and Gu Junen to sit down.
"Wang Banban," he then said to Wang Cheng'en, "It's really hard on you... Now that we've arrived in Nanjing this time, there's no need to go back."
Wang Chengen smiled bitterly: "If we don't go back, what will happen to Prince Yong and the Fifth Prince? What will happen to Concubine Yuan Gui?"
Zhu Cixiang smiled and said: "If the draw is successful, they can naturally be released... Military Master Gu, what do you think?"
"Of course." Gu Junen nodded.
Zhu Cixiang said again: "I wonder how Shunguo plans to get along with Ming Dynasty?"
"Two countries..." Gu Junen thought for a while, "How do two countries treat each other as brothers?"
"Okay," Zhu Cixiang smiled and nodded, "From now on, Ming Dashun will be a good brother."
"Can the two countries join forces to fight against the Qing Dynasty?" Gu Junen asked again.
"This..." Zhu Cixiang thought for a while and said, "We, the Ming Dynasty, want to resist the Qing Dynasty! Because the Qing Dynasty is a country of barbarians and has a murderous nature. It also wants to destroy our famous religion, abolish our etiquette, and exhume our Confucius. , the tomb of Mencius, everyone who reads and practices calligraphy must fight to the end!"
Of course Gu Junen knew the contents of "An Exhortation to the Eastern Lu", but he did not believe that the Qing Dynasty would defeat Confucius.
Zhu Cixiang continued: "If the Shun Kingdom wants to join forces with our country to fight against the Qing Dynasty, then it must recognize the content of the "Exhortation to the Eastern Lu" and fight to protect Confucius and the Ming Dynasty... Although Shun and Ming are two countries, But after all, it’s Zhu Xia and not Yi Di, right?”
"That's natural!" Gu Junen nodded heavily.
Zhu Cixiang added: "In addition, are my two younger brothers and my concubine Yuan still okay now?"
"I'm fine," Gu Jun'en said, "My prince is also a benevolent and righteous king, so of course he won't embarrass a young woman."
Zhu Cixiang nodded, "Then when will your country release them? Now that the two countries are brothers, it would be inconsistent with etiquette to hold them captive anymore, right?"
Gu Junen said with a smile: "Master Qiansui must be familiar with the history of the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States. He should know that countries often sent hostages to each other during diplomacy at that time. Since Master Qiansui believes that Shunming is a country of brothers, then the two young princes are guests in Chang'an. Bar."
Zhu Cixiang frowned slightly, this Gu Junen is still a bit cunning!
"During the Warring States Period, no one would take the wives of friendly kings as hostages, right?" He paused, "And you took two princes of our country as hostages, isn't that too much? I only have three brothers in total!
Otherwise, how about King Yong staying in Chang'an as a hostage and releasing Concubine Yuan Gui and the fifth prince back to Jinling? "
"This..." Gu Junen thought for a while and said with a smile, "I can't make the decision, so I have to go back and ask for orders."
Zhu Cixiang nodded and added: "Wang Chengen had no choice but to stay in your country to take care of my two younger brothers and my concubine. His loyalty and loyalty are comparable to Guan Yu during the Three Kingdoms period."
Guan Yu? Wang Chengen smiled bitterly. He, Guan Yu, had tricked Uncle Liu Huang and helped Liu Adou seize his father's power...
Zhu Cixiang continued: "It is better to let Wang Chengen escort Yuan Guifei and my fifth brother back together. As for Prince Ding, your country should also treat him with courtesy."
"Our country is a country of etiquette, and it is certain that the king will follow the etiquette." Gu Jun'en said, "As for whether we can allow the prince to escort Concubine Yuan Guifei and the fifth prince back, it is up to my prince to make the decision."
"That's fine," Zhu Cixiang nodded, "Let's talk about this today. As for how to divide the borders between the two countries, how to join forces to fight against the Qing Dynasty, how to set up embassies, how to conduct trade, etc., we will talk about it later. .”
He then said to Wang Chengen, "Father lives in Xipu now. I will arrange for you to go to see him later and tell him about Concubine Yuan Guifei, Prince Yong and Fifth Brother."
...
Just seven days after Wang Chengen and Gu Junen met Zhu Cixiang, the envoys of the Ming Dynasty arrived in Taiyuan Mansion with great fanfare.
Of course, it was not the envoys sent from Nanjing who arrived in Taiyuan. There are no trains these days, and the Central Plains is in chaos. It is not that fast for a mission to travel from Nanjing to Taiyuan.
The person arriving now is Luo Xiushen, the messenger from Datong Mansion. He is here to deceive Li Zicheng!
Although he objected to Lianqing trying to trick Li, what he said had little weight in Datong. Wang Yongji, Jiang Yu, and Gao Di didn't like to hear it, so there was nothing they could do.
Taiyuan Mansion now looks very bleak, even worse than Datong!
When Luo Xiushen and his party entered the city, it was around noon, the busiest time of the day, but the city of Taiyuan was still deserted and cold, and the market was extremely depressed.
Most of the shops on both sides of the street have closed down, and even those that are barely open have few customers.
"Isn't the market too bad?" Luo Xiushen frowned and asked a Dashun official who accompanied him into the city.
This official was also a second official from Beijing. His surname was Wang and his given name was Baizhou. He was a Jinshi in the 16th year of Chongzhen's reign. He and Luo Xiu Shen knew each other. Because he is from Henan and his hometown is still ruled by Dashun, he has not betrayed Li Zicheng and is still an official of Dashun.
Hearing Luo Xiushen's question, he just smiled bitterly: "It's a war disaster, it's a financial aid, and the most terrible thing is that the farmers in the countryside don't pay rent. So the gentry in Taiyuan are all impoverished, and the gentry has no money. It’s hard to do business, how can the market not be depressed?”
"I see," Luo Xiushen nodded, "Finally, the poor farmers can have food and clothing."
"Indeed," the official replied, "It rained for days in the summer, which finally eased the drought. This year, the people of Taiyuan Prefecture have an easier time living.
In addition, water transportation was blocked due to war disasters, which also prevented silk and cotton from Jiangnan from reaching Shanxi. Shanxi's homespun cloth can also be bought by some people... If the emperor can manage it well, the people's lives will always be easier. "
Small-scale farming requires men to farm and women to weave. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, because silk and cotton were too abundant in the south of the Yangtze River and commercial flow was not restricted, the "women weaving" in the north received a great impact. And "women's weaving" has always been an important means for small farmers to obtain cash income. After "women's weaving" loses the market, it is difficult for farmers to get money. After the reform of Zhang Juzheng's whipping method, the court had to collect more money and less in kind.
For the southeast, where industry and commerce are driven, collecting more money is actually a good thing. However, the situation in the Central Plains and northwest is the opposite. Farmers' handicrafts have lost their market due to the impact of Jiangnan silk and cotton. It is difficult to get money, so they can only sell grain at low prices in exchange for money to pay taxes.
But now King Chuang is not only "exempt from taxes for three years", but he is no longer protecting the interests of the landlords and gentry, and has cut off the transportation channels for Jiangnan handicrafts. For the poor and lower-middle peasants, things are indeed getting better.
But the gentry in Taiyuan hated Li Zicheng's rule deeply!
