On a night of heavy rain, streaks of lightning illuminated the capital, and it instantly returned to darkness.
"Cries of death and screams are still coming one after another in every corner of the capital. There are fires and beacons everywhere in the city. The entire Ming Dynasty Imperial City is sobbing in the rainy night.
In front of Chengtian Gate, five thousand armored soldiers lined up in the square. The soldiers stared at the red lacquer door that represented the imperial power with cold faces. There was no respect for the imperial power in their eyes, only coldness and indifference, as if this Everyone inside the door is just prey for their knives, including the emperor.
Ye Jinquan was riding on a horse, surrounded by soldiers. He was also staring at the door, but his heart was not calm, and his broad chest was rising and falling.
It has been more than twenty years. At the beginning, he was just a deputy Qianhu under the command of the Ningxia Dusi. He offended the military commander and gave up his military status and was forced to flee. He killed and hid all the way. He traveled thousands of miles and hid in a refugee camp in the capital. He thought that this There is no hope for his life, and he will live in abject poverty in a refugee camp from now on. Maybe one day, like all the refugees who starve to death, he will fall on the roadside and be eaten by wild dogs, and finally turn into a withered skeleton without a burial place.
Who would have thought that fate would play a trick on a down-and-out military general who fell in love with Qin Kan. He went from being a store boy to a domestic servant, then to being the deputy commander-in-chief of Liaodong and the governor-general of Liaodong. He had 200,000 soldiers and horses in his hands, and he fulfilled his lifelong ambition. For more than ten years, Chen Bing has led his army across the desert grasslands, making the Tatars frightened by the news. Today, after a bloody battle in front of the imperial palace, the little emperor in the palace has become his possession, and the world is about to change
Now that the horizontal sword is standing in front of the palace gate, victory is within easy reach, but Ye Jinquan's eyes are slightly red.
He is the executor, but also a witness. He spent fourteen years witnessing with his own eyes how a gentle scholar overcame obstacles, like a lone wolf in the jungle fighting the enemy again and again in order to survive, and his life was hanging on the line time and time again. The front line, surviving the fighting time and time again tonight. Finally the biggest gamble in his life took place. God had mercy on him, and he won again this time.
Perhaps, we are still a little short of victory, only as thick as a door.
In front of the array in the square, an armored general hurriedly ran over, clasped his fists towards Ye Jinquan and shouted loudly: "Report to the Governor. The soldiers have cleared away the remaining enemies outside the palace. The only stubborn resistance in the city is this palace. There are 2,000 Tengxiang Four Guards Battalion inside, and the Han general There are more than three thousand, eunuchs, eunuchs, maids, etc., please give me an order from the governor!"
Ye Jinquan came to his senses. Looking at the palace gate, his eyes were as cold as iron. He turned his head and looked at the end of Jinshui Street, and then said: "The front formation is setting up artillery, and the rear formation is preparing cavalry. After breaking the palace gate, no innocent people are killed indiscriminately, no property is looted, and no palace maids are raped. Concubines. Violators will be killed immediately!"
Ding Shun, who was standing next to Ye Jinquan's horse, was covered in blood. He had obviously experienced a lot of fighting tonight. Hearing this, he stepped forward and clasped his fists, saying: "Governor Ye, Mr. Qin has an order. After the army breaks the palace, it is up to the subordinates to capture the young emperor. Take control."
Ye Jinquan glanced at him and nodded: "Yes."
While the two were talking, the front line of the frontier troops had already deployed more than ten Franco machine guns. The cold muzzle of the cannon was aimed at the closed palace door. The soldiers stood beside the cannon holding torches, and the suffocating murderous aura spread in the heavy rain.
"Fire!"
Boom!
Boom boom!
In the blink of an eye, the gate of Chengtian Palace was blasted to pieces by artillery. A flag officer in the front row waved the red flag fiercely, and then there was a rumbling and rapid sound of drums from the back row, followed by a uniform collision of armored blades. , the Changge in the hands of the Liaodong frontier army brushed the ground and was leveled at the same time.
"Attack!"
Five thousand border troops turned into a long arrow that destroyed the heaven and earth. Rushing mercilessly towards the palace gate.
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The palace was in complete chaos.
Countless eunuchs, eunuchs, and palace maids were screaming and running, and all the calligraphy, painting, antiques, gold and silver in each palace were swept away, each with luck in their heart, rushing to escape towards each palace gate for their lives. The remaining Tengxiang Four Guards and the Han generals have become the only defense force of the entire palace at present, with a total of less than 10,000 people. The panic-stricken lieutenant general does not know the soldiers, and the soldiers do not know the generals. The organization has been completely disrupted, and the sergeants can only In small groups, they rushed to the Meridian Gate with weapons in hand to resist the border troops from entering the palace, and showed their last loyalty to the Ming Dynasty.
Qianqing Palace.
The huge palace was empty, and all the eunuchs and maids who served Zhu Houcong were gone. Zhu Houcong's hair was disheveled at the moment, and his bare feet were pacing back and forth on the shiny floor. Various memorials, books and manuscripts were scattered on the desks on the floor and on the bed. The delicate porcelain was broken, as if it had just been robbed by thieves.
"They are all liars! They are all traitors! They keep saying they are loyal to the emperor and the country, but when I am facing a great disaster, there is no one there. How could I be wrong? Why should the world abandon me!"
Zhu Houcong looked up to the sky and roared like a wounded trapped animal.
Panic footsteps came from the corridor outside the hall. A young eunuch knelt down outside the threshold of the hall and said hurriedly with a cry: "Your Majesty, the rebels marched straight in after breaking through the Chengtian Gate. The four guards of Tengxiang and the Han generals totaled more than 5,000 people to defend. At the Meridian Gate, there was no way to save the day. The battle formation of the Liaodong frontier army was too powerful. More than a thousand cavalry rushed back and forth to defeat the palace defenders. At this moment, the rebels had entered the inner palace and were about to reach the Qianqing Palace Your Majesty, run away quickly. .¡±
Zhu Houcong's red eyes stared at the little eunuch fiercely: "Escape? Where can I escape? The entire capital has fallen into the hands of the two traitors Qin Kan and Ye Jinquan. Where can I escape? What have I done wrong and why? Want to be chased by traitors and run away in panic?"
"Your Majesty, please keep the green hills"
"Get out! Get out of here! I won't run away, I want to ask Qin Kan, what did I do wrong, why did you treat me like this!"
Outside the Qianqing Palace, the shouts of killing became increasingly clear, and both Zhu Houcong and the young eunuch changed their expressions.
The young eunuch turned his head and glanced at the frontier soldiers who were getting closer and closer to the Qianqing Palace. He was so frightened that he hurriedly kowtowed and cried: "Your Majesty, I just want to survive in troubled times. I forgive you that I can no longer serve your Majesty. Servant, slave"
"Get out! Get out! I don't want you servants like you, who have no king, no father, are unfaithful and unjust, to serve you, get out!"
The young eunuch kowtowed again, then stood up and fled in a hurry. His thin and frail figure flashed and disappeared among the numerous palaces and pavilions.
Zhu Houcong suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed like a madman, with hysterical crying in his laughter: "As the emperor and the courtiers, how can I govern the country if I don't get rid of you? Qin Kan, how can I do anything wrong? How can I do anything wrong!"
Chaotic footsteps approached step by step, and a large group of armored soldiers with weapons in hand gathered at the gate of Qianqing Palace. Everyone was spattered with blood, and everyone's eyes were so cold, like a group of hungry wolves staring at a Fat prey.
Ding Shun stepped into the threshold of the hall. He spat on the ground, grabbed Zhu Houcong's front very roughly, got closer and looked at him carefully, and then laughed.
"The little emperor has been caught, and the matter is settled! Go and report to Mr. Qin!"
It was almost early in the morning, the sky was bright, and the heavy rain that had been falling all night finally stopped. However, the air in the capital city still had a strong smell of blood.
There were corpses lying on the roadside. The soldiers of the Liaodong frontier army were silently carrying the bodies of Paoze who died in the battle. They loaded them one by one into the carriage. Once the carriage was full, they drove the horses and drove them to the city. outside.
Qin Kan watched all this silently as he walked. His cheeks twitched slightly.
After winning, he finally did the next big thing that shocked the world. After a night of bloody battles, thousands of creatures were slaughtered, and he finally won the victory. However, at this moment. Why doesn't he have any joy that a winner should have?
Prosperity, the people suffered, death, the people suffered, the soldiers also suffered, the enemy and our army used their young lives at the cost of satisfying his personal will, it should be a time to laugh and celebrate. But his mouth was full of bitterness, and there was something called "compassion" in his heart that was gnawing at his heart.
At this moment, he finally understood Tang Zihe's feelings standing on the top of the city when Bazhou City was destroyed ten years ago.
I hope this battle can bring peace to the world for a hundred years.
Ding Shun ran towards him with a look of ecstasy, ignoring the corpses lying on the roadside, and laughed: "Master, we caught the little emperor. We won! From today on, the emperor of Ming Dynasty will change his surname"
Qin Kan recovered his messy thoughts, suddenly interrupted him, and said quietly: "Ding Shun. When and where did I say that the emperor of Ming Dynasty was going to change his surname?"
"Uh" Ding Shun's smile froze and he opened his mouth in astonishment: "My lord, if you don't want to be the emperor, who will? You have conquered the capital and the imperial city. Who else but you is qualified to sit on the dragon in the Golden Palace?" chair?"
"Do you remember what I said when I decided to raise an army?"
"You said that the emperor was unkind, so he sent troops to remonstrate"
"That's right, military admonishment, 'soldier' ??is a means, 'admonishment' is the purpose, I only want this purpose."
Ding Shun stayed for a moment, then said anxiously: "But"
Qin Kan smiled and said: "Do you have to usurp the throne if you raise an army? The emperor of the Ming Dynasty is not that easy to be."
Ding Shun was dumbfounded, but could not make a sound.
He is really unpredictable about the thoughts of big shots. He probably has no hope of becoming a big shot in this life.
"Have the remaining enemies been eliminated?"
"My lord, after two hours of fierce battle with the Liaodong cavalry, the 12th regiment camp outside the city was finally defeated. The soldiers of the regiment abandoned their weapons and fled to the countryside. General Song Jie has sent thousands of cavalry to pursue them."After the army captured the nine gates in the city, the Twelve Guards and the Five City Soldiers and Horses Division and other guards were disorganized and their resistance was weak. The elite Tengxiang Four Guards Battalion who defended the city fought fiercely with the border troops in street battles. Resistance could be seen everywhere in the city. The border troops suffered heavy casualties. Later, after Miao Kui, the royal horse supervisor, was killed by a cold arrow, the four Tengxiang guards were finally defeated and could not be separated into an army"
Qin Kan sighed and said: "Song Jie is ordered to withdraw the border troops. There is no need to pursue the escaped enemy troops. Killing them all will lead to peace. Where are the ministers in the city?"
Ding Shun hesitated for a moment and said: "To prevent someone from causing trouble, all the ministers in the city were controlled by the Jin Yiwei last night and were not allowed to go out."
"Let them all out. The world is ultimately a world of civil servants. Can you stop them and the rest of the world?"
"yes."
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The inside and outside of the Qianqing Palace were filled with armored soldiers, holding spears in their hands and staring eagerly at the empty hall.
In the middle of the hall, Zhu Houcong looked pale and defeated, looking blankly at Qin Kan sitting opposite.
Qin Kan¡¯s eyes were calm, as if he were looking at a stranger who had nothing to do with him and had no right to affect his joys and sorrows.
A set of exquisite tea sets was placed in front of the two of them.
This tea set is said to be an antique used by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Because Zhu Houzhao did not like the tea ceremony and only drank tea to quench his thirst, the tea set was not put to use and was hidden deep in the palace treasury until it was seen today. The border troops broke down the door and found it from the warehouse.
On the red peat roaster, boiling water was steaming in the pot. Qin Kan held the pot in his hand and personally filled the two small cups in front of him. He held it in front of Zhu Houcong with both hands and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, this is the pre-rain tongue that your imperial brother gave to me this year. I will lend you tea to offer to Buddha today. Please give it to your Majesty."
Zhu Houcong didn't even look at the steaming cup of tea. His young face was full of determination, as well as a trace of undisguised panic and fear.
"Qin Kan. You win"
"Yes, I won." Qin Kan admitted frankly.
Zhu Houcong stared at him angrily: "I really want to get rid of you after I ascend the throne. Qin Kan, your power is too heavy, so heavy that it would make any emperor feel restless. I will not get rid of you. How can I control the world? What did I do wrong? Already?"
"I am an unknown and down-and-out scholar in Shaoxing Prefecture. He was even expelled from his scholar status for offending the powerful. Originally, he only wanted to spend his life in peace, earn some money by doing some business, buy a few maids, and marry a virtuous man. A gentle wife, and I have children with her. I have lived an ordinary life. For the sake of the word "ordinary", I hide my name everywhere. I never do anything that is in the limelight. Even when I make money, I have to use someone else's name. , I was afraid that a tree would be better than a tree in the forest, but fate played tricks on people, and I was finally pushed to the forefront by God again and again. God gave me troubles again and again, and also gave me opportunities again and again, as if it was given to me secretly. A mission that requires me to do something and change something. I have spent more than ten years doing it and changing it"
"The Ming Dynasty is ill. It's very ill. Civil servants are greedy for money, military generals are afraid of death, and there are only a bunch of impassioned officials who don't know what the so-called. Empty talk harms the country, and you can live with the word 'morality' on your head for the rest of your life. The people cry and turn a blind eye. After that, rebellious people in various parts of the Ming Dynasty frequently rebelled, Tatars repeatedly invaded the border areas, civil servants stood in the Golden Palace and foamed at the mouth, and soldiers in border towns retreated steadily. With such a world and such monarchs and ministers, how many years can the Ming Dynasty Zuo last?"
"So I want to change it, so I have spent more than ten years of hard work. Over the years, I have done many things and killed many people. Maybe I have done wrong, maybe I have killed wrongly, but I have a clear conscience, because the Ming Dynasty is gradually in the palm of my hand. Things are improving, the people have enough food and clothing, there has been no war in the border towns for a long time, and neighboring vassal states from all over the world are rushing to make pilgrimages. I am doing these things one by one. I have almost finished what I should do, and now there is only one thing left to do"
Zhu Houcong sneered: "All we have to do is seek to usurp the throne, right?"
Qin Kan's expression was still calm, not affected by his attitude at all, and he said calmly: "Only the officialdom of the court is left. Your Majesty, the ministers of the court should be cured. Now in the Ming Dynasty, the people have no worries about food and clothing, and business It was prosperous and prosperous, and after the sea ban was implemented, it was able to communicate with all countries. However, the ministers in the court were still those ministers, doing things that harmed the country and the people under the guise of morality, shouting slogans of loyalty to the king and the country, and accepting bribes in private. , plundering merchants and good people, ignoring the prosperity and decline of the country in order to exclude dissidents, and after doing bad things, just shouting "Petition for the people" seems to erase all his crimes. Such a court, such an evil official, even create a despicable person. Compared with the prosperity of the Tang and Song Dynasties, how many years can it last?"
The hatred in Zhu Houcong's eyes grew stronger: "Is this your reason for usurping the throne?"
Qin Kan smiled and said: "I will not usurp the throne."
Zhu Houcong seemed to have been greatly insulted, pointing at the soldiers who were watching eagerly outside the palace, "He said: "Do you think I am a child to be bullied? There are so many rebels pointing their swords at me. The mutiny has already entered the palace and captured the emperor. What is this called usurping the throne?"
Qin Kan looked at him and said slowly, word by word: "This is called 'military advice'. I don't mind if you have murderous intentions towards me. I can escape, far away, to Japan, to Ryukyu, and live in exile from now on." It¡¯s a foreign country, but you absolutely shouldn¡¯t, you shouldn¡¯t ruin the prosperity of the Zhongxing era that it took me and many veterans for more than ten years to turn around. You arranged to eliminate the Qin Party, sent Qian Ning to Tianjin to carry out a killing spree, Luo Zhi The ancestral system of sea ban was restored due to the crimes of many capable ministers I don't know how many people in the world returned to the days of poverty and hardship because of your decision. From then on, they had no clothes to cover their bodies and no food to eat. The landless refugees were once again spread all over the Ming Dynasty, and their lives were The people who refused to go on had to frequently raise flags to rebel, and were then brutally suppressed by the court. The national destiny of the Ming Dynasty came to an end in this repeated cycle"
Qin Kan's eyes were no longer as warm as before, and became more and more gloomy and cold: "You are just dealing with me, Qin Kan. Is it necessary for Your Majesty to bet on the fate of the country? Is it necessary to use the livelihood of tens of millions of people as a bargaining chip? Today's prosperous world, I don't know how many people have paid a great price to get it, but it almost collapsed because of your words. You, a twelve-year-old child, can either be innocent and peaceful as your Taiping Emperor, or you can be deep and cold, and cultivate with scheming minds. At home, you can't pretend to be innocent, but you can't play with others in the city. I don't know who you learned some so-called emperor's mental skills from. You think you can control the court and the people of the world. If I don't give you advice today, How will the world be harmed by you?"
At the end of Qin Kan's words, his tone became more and more sinister and his words became more and more rude. Zhu Houcong's face turned red with anger and his eyes glared at him like fire. His thin chest rose and fell rapidly, obviously extremely angry.
"Qin Kan! You traitor, don't talk so grandly. Usurping the throne is usurping the throne. Even if I am already your prisoner, the dignity of the emperor cannot be insulted by you!"
Qin Kan quietly looked at Zhu Houcong's angry look and said slowly: "I have already said it. I will not usurp the throne. I have no destiny to be an emperor in this life."
Zhu Houcong's anger paused and he opened his eyes wide: "Qin Kan, what do you mean?"
"The king is still the king, and the minister is still the minister. You will continue to be your emperor, and I will continue to be my minister. However, from today on, the palace guards will be taken over by the Liaodong border army, and the commanders and envoys of all the guards in the world will The generals of the capital will need His Majesty¡¯s imperial decree and the Ministry of War¡¯s orders to disrupt and adjust them"
Zhu Houcong was shocked and lost his voice: "You want to be Cao Cao, holding the emperor hostage to order the princes? No! I will never agree! Even if I agree, the civil and military officials of the whole dynasty will not agree. Qin Kan, you have underestimated the people of the world, you have underestimated The civil servants of the world will not yield to you when they are facing great righteousness!"
Qin Kan sneered: "Teach them with virtue, frighten them with power. Support them with official titles and butcher's knives. How can they not surrender? When Wang Zhen brought disaster to the country, did your majesty know that the ministers in the court were servile? In those days, when Liu Jin was in chaos, did your majesty know that in the court? How many ministers flatter and invite favors? What's more, I am neither in chaos nor in trouble for the country. I will personally turn things around and create a prosperous era far beyond the Han and Tang Dynasties. The ministers have eyes and ears, and everything they see and hear is prosperity. People's minds are settled, what reason do they have to oppose me? Your Majesty, you are too young. The complexity of people's hearts cannot be comprehended at your age. The word "righteousness" is very repetitive. It doesn't matter whether something is good or evil, just say it is good. There are more people than those who say it is bad, so it becomes a 'righteousness'."
Zhu Houcong looked at him absentmindedly, his expression full of fear, he shook his head and murmured: "No, I can never agree, I can never agree"
Qin Kan ignored him, picked up a cup of freshly brewed tea, took a shallow sip, and sighed: "Although the tea is good, it's a pity that the wrong people drink it There are so many vassal kings surnamed Zhu in the world. Maybe, I can Find someone to drink tea with me"
Zhu Houcong trembled all over, extreme fear quickly appeared in his eyes, and his hands and feet suddenly felt as cold as falling into an ice cellar.
He understood the meaning of Qin Kan's words. It turned out that he had no leverage at all. At this moment, the capital was under the control of this evil thief. He could completely replace someone as the emperor, and the emperor who was replaced could use this evil thief. How can a thief with his temperament allow him to live?
With a simple word, Zhu Houcong heard a faint murderous intention.
"I, I" Zhu Houcong was trembling all over. The look he was looking at Qin Kan was no longer condescending and unruly. At this moment, he suddenly realized that he was no longer the superior Ninth Five Supreme Being. As long as the person in front of him thought about it, he could change his mind. Can decide his life or death.
Zhu Houcong was afraid. He was just a child. He was the crown prince after he was born in Prince Xing's palace. He was pampered and pitied by thousands of people. He had never suffered at all, and he did not have the courage to regard death as home. He was afraid of death, and he did not want to die.
??????????????????????????????????????????????? backIf you miss the scenery from a high place, you will never learn to look up to others.
Fortunately, Qin Kan is a very considerate person. He can't bear to see others in embarrassment.
Gently picking up the cup in front of him, Qin Kan held it in front of Zhu Houcong with both hands and said with a smile: "The tea is still warm, can your majesty drink it?"
"I, I can drink it." Zhu Houcong held the cup tremblingly, raised his head and drank it in one gulp, then carefully put it back to its place with both hands, thinking of all the grievances and resentments he had, and then looked at the evil thief in front of him. With such a bright and annoying smile, Zhu Houcong finally couldn't bear it any longer, his mouth tightened, and he burst into tears.
Qin Kan smiled, raised his sleeves and gently brushed away the tears on his face, and said: "Your Majesty, from now on, the affairs of the world can be entrusted to me. I will take care of the world's worries for your Majesty. Your Majesty will only study in the harem and be happy for the sake of heaven." Just let the family blossom, don¡¯t cry anymore, others will say that I bully the children"