Chapter 254: Human Heart

Emperor Chongzhen was a very complicated person. Call him weak. He was merciless in killing people. In the more than ten years of his reign, his chief ministers changed one after another, which was the most in history. Most of them died easily.

Call him strong, but when faced with gentry, merchants, and frontier generals, he couldn't make up his mind to fight hard, and often ended up compromising.

The chief assistants were replaced quickly, but the changes could not escape the category of moths that gnawed at the foundation of this dynasty. No matter how much they hated the frontier generals, they had to pinch their noses and reduce the transportation of food, clothing, and wages.

Emperor Chongzhen was a diligent emperor, but he was not a hero. Born in a deep palace, raised in the hands of women, and deceived by the gentry and civil servants, he did not have enough means to suppress everything. The dynasty was riddled with holes, and there was no room for him to act. Everyone from top to bottom was against him, and he was also against the civil and military officials from top to bottom. There is no use in working hard, and you can only watch the country decline and decline day by day.

Emperor Chongzhen had never thought about moving the capital. The emperor guards the country, and the king dies in the country. However, at certain critical moments, it may not be impossible to avoid it. As long as he could preserve his ancestral heritage and preserve this country, Emperor Chongzhen would not fail to do it if possible.

When Li Chuang was wreaking havoc in Henan and blocking the north and south, Emperor Chongzhen discovered the crisis. At that time, he had vaguely proposed the idea of ​​moving the capital to Nanjing. But he was rejected by the ministers, and the excuse was that the emperor defended the country, and the king died for the country.

And he brought it up more than once. On the eve of the two armies of Ying Yi's Northern Expedition approaching the capital, Emperor Chongzhen hinted at the idea of ​​moving the capital to his ministers. But they were ignored by the ministers.

Wu Zong, the second assistant to the cabinet, once quarreled with Chongzhen in the court, his face covered with blood. He only said that the laws of the ancestors were immutable. The king died in the country, and the emperor had to guard the country.

At this time, the Beijing camp was defeated, and King Qin's Tang Tong was defeated. The rebels camped openly outside the gate of the capital, but the cabinet ministers came and asked him to move the capital.

How ridiculous is this?

When I had the chance, I would hold him down and fight him hard, but now I have no chance!

Move the capital? How to move?

If we don't deal with the three thousand rebels outside the city gate, how can we move? Isn't this a sheep entering a tiger's mouth?

Emperor Chongzhen was expressionless.

The emperor guards the country, the king dies in the country, and when the country is destroyed and the family is destroyed, I must keep the last bit of dignity, right?

"Your Majesty... the main force of the rebels is going east, it must be for the garrison of Guan Ning. By the time the main force has defeated the garrison of Guan Ning, it will be too late!" Zhou Yanru's mind changed and he shouted: "While the garrison of Guan Ning and the Liaodong Army are here, it will be too late!" We can still contain the rebels, so we should quickly set off and drive south, and the king will come to the sky!"

Wu Di also said: "The Donglu troops outside the Pass are also approaching, just in time for the rebels to have a bloody encounter with the Donglu!"

Emperor Chongzhen sneered again and again: "This is not a good idea. Both the rebels and the Eastern captives will suffer losses. Shouldn't I stay in the capital to wait for the fishermen to benefit?"

Wu Di was startled and suddenly speechless.

Zhou Yanru said sincerely: "Your Majesty, the capital has been repeatedly plundered by the Eastern invaders, and the people's livelihood has been ruined. Now it is cut off from the north to the south. No matter gold, silver or food, it can no longer support it. If the capital is not moved, both the rebels and the Eastern invaders will lose, and it will not help. "

Emperor Chongzhen sneered even more - you know everything, so when I wanted to move the capital, why did the ministers oppose it? !

He flicked his sleeves and stood up: "I have made up my mind, no need to say more. The emperor guards the gate of the country, and the king dies in the country. Even if I die, I will die in the capital!"

After saying that, he turned around and walked away, leaving all the ministers on the ground looking at each other.

Zhou Yanru, Wu Yan and others had no choice but to retreat. When they left the Qianqing Palace, they all lamented.

When it came to moving the capital, it was not that they had never thought about it when Emperor Chongzhen vaguely proposed it. These people are able to sit in the position they are in now. Maybe they don't have any powerful methods when handling the country's major affairs, but they are very smart and are superior to most people.

But moving the capital involves a very serious issue, and that is power.

Moving the capital must be accompanied by a transfer of power. Yingtianfu Nanjing also has a set of dynasty teams, including ministers, ministers and so on. If the capital is moved south to Nanjing, there will be two sets of teams. How will power be distributed at that time?

In the north, they are local snakes. When we arrived in Nanjing, the Nanjing Sixth Department was like a local snake. And they moved the capital because of the decline of the situation. They are not even considered as dragons crossing the river. When you arrive in Nanjing, you will definitely be suppressed by the local snakes of the Six Ministries of Nanjing. Not only will your power be reduced, but you may even lose your life.

If they weren't poor, how could they agree to move the capital?

Personal desires for power and interests have overridden the safety of the country. With the demise of the Ming Dynasty, every civil and military man in the dynasty must die.

The higher the power, the greater the responsibility. If you receive the benefits of the system, you must pay for the system. As for them, they are desperate to reap benefits. As for what will happen to this system, maybe they think that sooner or later they will have to retreat. That is a matter for latecomers.

Real heroes, while enjoying power, must also bear responsibilities equal to their power. On this basis, to realize the needs of the country and the people and promote the high-spirited development of history, there has been no shortage of such figures in all dynasties. But unfortunately, often they will not exist within a completely rotten system.

The dynasty is coming to an end and has rotted to the core. Those who stay inside are almost all rotten people. Even if you are not a rotten person, there is no room for you to show off in the quagmire of rottenness.

The closer they are to defeat, the more they fight for power and gain. The last madness, the last supper.

This is the most realistic portrayal of the civil and military officers in the capital today.

"Your Majesty is unwilling to move the capital, what should I do?"

Zhou Yanru sighed: "Does the Second Assistant have any thoughts?"

Wu Di frowned and said, "The traitors are just outside the city. I think Your Majesty has some concerns..."

Zhou Yanru said: "It is inevitable to be scrupulous. Who would have expected that the rebels would be so powerful? With only three thousand soldiers and horses, the Beijing camp was defeated, Tang Tong was killed in the battle, and seven or eighty thousand soldiers were killed and scattered all over the ground. ,Eh..."

When it comes to worries, these two also have them. After all, if the capital is destroyed and the Ming Dynasty is destroyed, as the cabinet ministers of the Ming Dynasty, where can they get it?

Don't talk about power, whether you can save your life is a matter of two things.

The key is that the rebels have more than three thousand soldiers and horses, but tens of thousands! If everyone had such fighting power...

Although the main force of the rebels went east, God knows what the result will be? It is impossible to say that things will change tomorrow, but there will be no room for change.

The two of them were silent, and several ministers beside them were silent.

After a long time, someone said: "It is rare for the rebels to be so powerful. If they want to attack the city, this...may not be unbreakable. But why do they stand still outside the city?"

Wu Di pondered and said: "Maybe we are waiting for news from the east."

Zhou Yanru said, "Or do you want a complete capital?"

All the officials were startled and suddenly realized something.

Zhou Yanru said again: "If you were a traitor, what would you think of the capital?"

"This person... I'm afraid he is also a heroic figure. If he wants to be the capital, he must come to get it in person... Entering the city with a big horse will be very powerful." Wu Zong sighed.

"A complete and orderly capital is much more valuable than a chaotic and dilapidated capital."

Zhou Yanru said thoughtfully.

All the officials showed a hint of surprise, yes, getting a complete capital, or even capturing the emperor, all clans and ministers, for a 'rebel', that would be the most perfect ending.

For a time, people's hearts were in a state of confusion.