Naturally, Dorgon didn't know that what he was discussing was eavesdropped and was immediately reported to Emperor Chongzhen.
Emperor Chongzhen did not care about this immediately, but he was going to the capital and had to return to the palace first.
As the previous main force returned to the capital first, the details of the Haizhou battle had also spread throughout the capital. Even because it was passed down by word of mouth, later on, it was different from the original facts and appeared to be even more exaggerated. However, the people in the capital all believe it, because in their eyes, Emperor Chongzhen at this time is the real emperor, a real dragon descending to earth. Otherwise, he would not be so powerful. Since the emperor went on the expedition, every time Wars are miracles.
At this time, when she heard that the emperor was coming to the capital, the queen completely forgot about the emperor's previous instructions not to make a fuss. She still took the prince and the civil and military officials, followed by the people of the city, out of the city to greet the emperor. .
Needless to say, this scene was the busiest of the year.
This time, Emperor Chongzhen was not angry, but looked at the countless heads that warmly welcomed him, and he was actually very emotional in his heart. This year is the seventeenth year of Chongzhen. In the original history, it would have been a year of devastation.
Emperor Chongzhen himself hanged himself, his family was ruined, and countless other people died. In the south, the vassals of the Ming Dynasty competed for the emperor, and the scholar-officials of the Ming Dynasty continued to fight for power with the party, regardless of the life and death of the people; in the north, the bandits and the Manchus fought for the world, and the scholar-officials of the Ming Dynasty defected to the new master one after another, regardless of the life and death of the people;
Throughout the entire land of China, people are dying everywhere and all the time. It is simply a hell on earth!
But it is good now. Since the catastrophe in the twelfth year of Chongzhen, there has been no large-scale military disaster. Of course, the invasion of the northwest by Chai Shihua in collusion with the Jianlu should still be counted. Apart from this, there were basically no large-scale deaths due to military disasters. Although natural disasters continue, he pays attention to disaster prevention and relief. He would rather let the rebels go without fighting, but he must use food for disaster relief first.
In addition, he also turned a clean figure into a "cruel official" and snatched food from the powerful officials and gentry to prevent and provide disaster relief. For this reason, another civil uprising in Changshu was triggered and another major treason case was ordered. For this matter, more than a hundred local officials were removed from office.
With such determination, even if natural disasters continued, not many people died! Just looking at the crowd of people in the capital in front of you can tell you something. And this is also one of the things that bothers Xue Guoguan, the first assistant. He will be summoned later to give him a solution.
Emperor Chongzhen was thinking about it when he suddenly saw a special group of people, all of whom were looking around with tears in their eyes. He suddenly came back to his senses. These were the ones greeting his relatives.
So, he did not go to join the queen to talk, but drove his horse to the front of the group. Facing the people who knelt to welcome him, Emperor Chongzhen got off his horse, strode over, and personally helped up the person in front. The old woman said to the others at the same time: "Let's all be safe! I feel ashamed for you. But no matter what, I went to Liaodong this time and finally rescued people."
These people were all devastated by the Jianqiu, and their families were not allowed to be reunited. It is impossible to say that they have no objections to the imperial court in their hearts.
But a simple thought is that the emperor is good, but there are treacherous ministers in the court. This is also proven by facts.
The traitors were traitors such as Yang Sichang, who colluded with the Shanxi merchants who were traitors to the captives. The emperor got rid of these traitors, and then beat the Jian captives to pieces. Coupled with Emperor Chongzhen's subsequent series of measures to benefit the people, they would not agree to anyone who dared to speak ill of the emperor.
In addition, this time, they heard that the emperor only brought 50,000 troops and was besieged by more than 300,000 captives. He took such a big risk just to save people. Let me ask, is there such a good emperor in the world who cares about the people? It’s been this way since ancient times!
At this time, when they heard what the emperor said, they felt guilty, and they respected the emperor even more. They all knelt down forcibly and knelt down to thank God.
In this regard, Emperor Chongzhen had no choice but to issue an order, asking Wu Zhong, the commander of the Jinyi Guards on his side, to bring the people in and reunite their relatives, while he himself stepped aside and watched all this silently. .
In the past, no one thought that there would be a day when they could return to the Ming Dynasty and see their relatives; here too, no one thought that the relatives who were taken to Liaodong by the Jianqiu would one day see each other again.
It is said that when a fellow villager meets a fellow villager, his eyes well up with tears. Needless to say, this scene in front of me is the meeting of relatives who originally thought they would never see each other again.
Some cried with joy, some hugged their heads and cried, and some even fainted from joy or crying. However, no matter what the situation is, after they recognize each other as relatives, they will kneel down respectfully towards Emperor Chongzhen and kowtow three times seriously: This kindness and virtue can never be repaid. , I can only go back and set up a longevity tablet, pray day and night, and bless the emperor long live!
Looking at this scene, none of the people who greeted him in the capital, including the empress and other civil and military officials, showed any signs of impatience.
Emotions in the world sometimes resonate. In such a scene, even if the human heart is not made of flesh, I am afraid it will still be moved.
Of course, with so many people, is anyone impatient? There must be, but under the general situation, no one dares to risk the world's disapproval and show impatience to seek death!
By the time this scene ended, it was already sunset.
At this time, it was already the end of October or the beginning of November. The sun was setting in the west and there was no warmth at all.
Emperor Chongzhen didn't say any more, and asked the people in the capital to go home quickly, while he and the queen talked outside the city first. It didn't happen that the emperor returned to the palace first, and the people went home last.
This scene once again made the people of the capital feel that the emperor truly loved the people like a son. And this also became one of the motivations for them to criticize the emperor regardless of their own safety. It can be said that at least in the territory of the capital, Emperor Chongzhen has reached the point where he can control any situation in the capital with just a word without the need for troops.
While Emperor Chongzhen was talking to the queen, he naturally wanted to ask about the situation of the prince who was supervising the country next to him.
At this time, the prince Zhu Cihong was already fifteen years old. He was half a child and had begun to grow taller. When the emperor asked him about his situation, he suddenly looked a little unnatural.
The queen looked at him and knew that in front of Emperor Chongzhen, she couldn't even tell a lie, because she couldn't hide it, so she had to give a rough outline of the situation.
Emperor Chongzhen knew something was going to happen when he saw the prince's expression, otherwise, the prince would not have such an expression.
Sure enough, from Queen Zhou's narration, Emperor Chongzhen knew that the prince had reached the rebellious stage, had some resistance to the studies assigned to him, and liked to play.
In response, Emperor Chongzhen did not get angry, but just said "hmm" lightly.
Unexpectedly, the prince saw that his father did not reprimand him, but instead became worried. Under the signal from his mother's eyes, he quickly admitted his mistake.
Emperor Chongzhen did not comment on this, but ordered him to return to the palace.
Just like that, after Emperor Chongzhen entered the city, the civil and military officials were the last to enter the city, and the day ended like this.
Early the next morning, the cabinet's memorial was delivered to the imperial court by the Supervisor of Ceremonies according to urgent procedures.
Emperor Chongzhen held a meeting of ministers in the Wenhua Hall to resolve the matters accumulated during his absence.
In the past, when he was conquering bandits, if there were memorials that he had to deal with, they would be sent to them in a hurry. But this time, Emperor Chongzhen was fighting in the area of Haizhou and Yaozhouyi, separated by a sea, so he could not send it.
At this time, the six ministries and nine ministers, as well as the cabinet secretary and ceremonial supervisor, all officials wearing scarlet robes gathered together. What was different from before was that Emperor Chongzhen also asked all the general officers under the command of the Fifth Military Governor's Office, Beijing Camp and Yuma Supervisor to participate in the hearing.
In this regard, all civil servants knew that military generals were about to rise, but the emperor's prestige was at its peak, and no one dared to advise the emperor to say no. After all, there was no clear statement saying no on this matter. Anyway, the emperor came when he asked and left when he asked.
The first thing Xue Guoguan, the chief minister of the cabinet, reported was an urgent memorial sent by Duke Mu of Yunnan, saying that Ma Xianglin on the front line had captured a rebel spy, and learned important news from it. Annan's people had connections with the rebels. There seems to be a tendency to connect.
In the absence of the emperor, the prince supervises the country. After consultation with the eunuch, the chief assistant and the chief ceremonial officer, they asked the prince to agree. They issued an imperial edict and sent it to Annan to reprimand them, strictly instructing them not to collude with the rebels.
After Xue Guoguan finished speaking, he bowed and said: "Your Majesty, the Shapu Rebellion has not been settled for a long time. The barbarians in the south are afraid of neglecting the Celestial Empire. According to Mu Guogong, there are also rumors in Yunnan that the imperial court will soon have a large-scale reform of the country. Therefore, many chieftains seem to be showing signs of instability. If the court handles it improperly, the chaos in She'an may reappear, and we must guard against this!"
When he was talking about this, Emperor Chongzhen was holding the corresponding copy of the memorial in his hand. He looked at the chief ceremonial director wearing red and was not angry. He just said lightly: "The meaning of the chief ceremonial director and the cabinet is, Do you want to continue to strictly urge Qin Liangyu and Ma Xianglin to put down the Shapu rebellion as soon as possible, so as to deter other people with evil intentions?"
"Exactly!" Xue Guoguan and Cao Huachun both responded.
In their view, this is the safest measure. And this is a rule to follow. The Emperor shouldn't have any objections, right?
If it was before, they would be sure of it. But looking at the emperor's current words and deeds, they were not sure whether this was the most appropriate thing to do.
Sure enough, Emperor Chongzhen shook his head and said: "Returning from the old and returning to the old world is the general trend, and we must insist on this. Since there are unscrupulous people, let them jump out, otherwise, they will always be lurking, and I have not yet Reason to deal with them. In the southwest of the Ming Dynasty, there are many chieftains, and they have become a country of their own. If they don’t obey the king, how can they continue to be like this."
Later, he became more stern and raised his voice: "Draft a decree and order Mu Guogong to look after Yunnan for me. If any chieftain dares to disobey the order, he will be severely punished. In addition, I will also give Qin Liangyu and Ma Xianglin the same Secret decree, if any chieftain dares to rebel, I will wait to deal with them all together!"
At this time, the emperor's ability to lead troops in war was obvious to all. It can be said that as long as the emperor takes action, he will be invincible and invincible. Even the once powerful Jianlu were now beaten to the last breath by the emperor, waiting for Ming Dynasty to collect food and finally deal with them. The southwestern chieftains are not as powerful as the Jianlu. With the emperor's ability, he said that he would deal with them all, so I guess he can definitely deal with them all!
Therefore, no one dares to make sense of the emperor's strength. This matter can be regarded as such a conclusion.
When the general officers below heard this, they couldn't help but feel happy. As long as there were battles to fight, they would have military exploits to achieve. For them, this was a good thing!
And as far as the character of a military commander is concerned, if you can solve things with your fists, don't use your mouth to argue. This is the right thing to do!
Soon the decree was drafted and sent to Yunnan. At the same time, the secret edict written by Emperor Chongzhen was also sent from Jinyi Weixiaowei, and was also sent to Yunnan.
After settling this matter, Xue Guoguan, the first assistant, came forward to talk about the second major event, saying that as the end of the year approaches, statistics from the two capitals and thirteen provinces across the country show that the population of the Ming Dynasty is now over 230 million. , although efforts are now being made to build water conservancy projects, open up wasteland for farming, and the output of potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. promoted by the Agriculture Department is increasing, the food problem is still very serious.
Several disasters this year, including droughts in Shaanxi and Shanxi, hurricanes and floods in southern provinces, are still very serious. Food allocation has been almost beyond our capabilities several times, causing famine. The cabinet is very worried. In the future, when the world is at peace, the population of Ming Dynasty will only increase. This food problem will probably become more prominent. If it is not handled well, or if God is not more discerning, there will probably be another starvation death. Human situations happen. To prepare for a rainy day, I respectfully request the emperor to issue a ruling as soon as possible to resolve the urgent matter.
It was precisely because of this incident that no one in the court objected to the emperor not continuing to conquer Jianlu. Because if we continue to conquer Jianlu, we will inevitably prepare military supplies to be transported to Liaodong, which will require a lot of food. Today's Ming Dynasty cannot continue and cannot afford it. If this causes famine in the country and large-scale deaths, the emperor attaches great importance to this and will definitely punish a large number of officials.
Emperor Chongzhen actually knew this for a long time. Because he had already "rewarded" Xue Guoguan, Queen Zhou, and Cao Huachun for eavesdropping a long time ago. Even if they didn't report it, the emperor actually knew about it.
In the original history, during the seventeenth year of Chongzhen, countless people died in the Ming Dynasty. Even if there were floods in the south and drought in the north, almost everyone would die. The harm of such natural disasters does not seem to be serious. . In addition, the situation in the world was unpredictable this year, and the history books were all about recording the change of dynasties. There was no record of this natural disaster.
But in this plane, the situation is completely different. On the one hand, the population was not lost due to the war; under disaster prevention and relief, the people could survive, and the population growth naturally increased rapidly. In addition, because Zhang Pu verified the exemption of officials and inspected the hidden households, the population increased sharply. It makes sense.
The same is true. Even with the credit of the Agriculture Department and the Zheng family's fleet purchasing large quantities of grain from Nanyang, the rulers of the Ming Dynasty were still worried. I feel that with the current strength of Ming Dynasty, the population has skyrocketed to the extreme, and it is unable to support more people. In the days to come, it is likely to cause unnatural deaths again! And if something like this happens, the emperor will not be lenient, so he can only take precautions and at least let the emperor know about it.
For these reasons, this matter is placed in the second place.
Miaoshuwu
