Cutting over the end of the Ming Dynasty: a dog-leg knife at the beginning

Chapter 928 Scarlet Imperial Capital 1
Night shrouded the city of Beijing, and the hustle and bustle of the day gradually fell silent. The lights of thousands of houses were extinguished one after another, and pedestrians disappeared. In the huge city of Beijing, only the sound of wind blowing through the roof and tearing the paper of trees and windows was left.It was windy and snowy again, and the cold was biting. This winter seemed to be particularly cold. Since the beginning of winter, the wind and snow haven't stopped.In this kind of cold night, the rich and wealthy can prepare delicious food and wine, invite friends, drink to their heart’s content while enjoying the snow scene, and sing the wind and enjoy the moon, while those Shengdou people who are struggling with food and clothing are squeezed together on the bed. The quilt, which had been used for an unknown number of years, was riddled with holes and shivered like a piece of iron. As for the refugees, they were even more pitiful. They were homeless, and there was no place for them in this city. They can curl up under the eaves, in the bridge hole, wrap everything they can find that can provide them with a little warmth, endure the cutting of the cold wind, the suffering of hunger, and hope that the sky will soon dawn. At dawn, it all depends on luck.

——Since the Tianxiong Army opened up the Hetao and the Heluo New Army took over Huguang, the homeless beggars in Beijing disappeared for a time. However, with the Northern Expedition, officials at all levels arbitrarily apportioned and exploited them in the name of raising military resources. I don’t know Many people were forced to lose their families and their families. Even many small landowners were impoverished and had to rush into Beijing to try to find a way to survive.When the news came that the Northern Expeditionary Army had been completely wiped out, the entire Gyeonggi region was shocked. People from Huairou, Miyun, Yanqing, Luanping, Qian'an and other towns fled to Beijing. The Northern Expeditionary Army was finished, and North Zhili was no longer Without troops to fight, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the Qing army would enter the Pass and plunder. These peripheral towns could not provide them with any sense of security, and only the towering city walls of Beijing could guarantee their safety.The direct result of the influx of a large number of people is that the price of goods has skyrocketed. The price of food and cloth has changed rapidly every day. It can bite people even if they have little wealth. But the poor are in dire straits. They don’t even have a place to stay. They have to sleep on the streets every day. The government officials had to clear out several carts of corpses that were frozen in the cold.Of course, no one cares about these people who are dying in cold weather. The dignitaries are busy moving around to prepare for the upcoming changes, while the common people are busy selling off their last bits of real estate to raise funds and prepare to flee to the south. Who is in the mood to go? Care about those lives that wither in the cold night?

In these troubled times, human life is really worthless!

The imperial city, which maintained the last hope of the Ming Empire, was also submerged in darkness, like a beast trapped in a cage.The density of troops stationed in the imperial city has hit the highest level since Chengzu moved the capital. There is one sentry at three steps, and one post at five steps. They are all turned out and polished, standing guard against the cold wind and patrolling, full of energy, if you are not an acquaintance, you can hardly believe that these guys who look at people with their nostrils are those old-fashioned soldiers of the Beijing camp!

The entire imperial city was tightly sealed, not even a fly could fly out!As for who is going to go to such a tight seal, everyone knows it well.

One mile away from the imperial city wall, in a mansion, Zhou Ruhu was leaning in front of the window, looking at the imperial city wall with a faint outline in the night, listening to the sound of the watch, his young face full of anxiety.

The imperial city was too tightly sealed. He had been in Beijing for three or four days and couldn't even touch the edge of the imperial city!He couldn't help but be anxious. Hundreds of thousands of Qing troops were roaring from Shanhaiguan with the cold wind from Siberia. His father was leading a mere two thousand people to hold on in Tangshan to the death. They were facing hundreds of times his own strength and fierceness. The Qing army, which had a large number of heavy artillery, could not last long no matter how hard his father could fight, not to mention that other Ming army generals were far less capable than his father!Time is running out. He must rescue the queen and prince before Tangshan falls, and then quickly flee south, otherwise his father's blood will be in vain!But the imperial city was so tightly sealed, and with just a few hundred people like him, even if they were all killed under the city wall, they still couldn't break in. What should I do?
Those servants were not in a hurry, those who were exhausted went to bed early, and those who were energetic were silently cleaning their weapons.They are all veterans who have experienced many battles, and each of them has good martial arts. They may not be of much use on the battlefield where the masters of the war will face head-to-head, but they are relatively handy for this kind of work.No one urges Zhou Ruhu, everyone knows that Zhou Ruhu is racking his brains, trying his best to think of a solution to the problem in front of him, urging him will not help, it will only make him more stressed.

Tuk Tuk Tuk ----

The door was knocked suddenly, the knocking sound was very soft, but in this silent snowy night, it was no less than a thunderclap.All the servants looked at each other and pulled out their flintlock pistols.Zhou Ruhu made a gesture to let everyone be safe and calm, and looked down, there were only three people.He said in a low voice: "My own people!" He went downstairs with a pistol in his hands, and yelled in a low voice through the crack of the door: "Who?"

What responded to him was a shrill voice: "The sun and the moon never set!"

Zhou Ruhu opened the door carefully, and immediately, three men in black, wearing black cloaks and blending in with the night, flashed in. The leader was thin, pale and beardless, and was the little eunuch in the palace.He raised his hand to Zhou Ruhu and whispered: "The villain Cao An is here on the orders of his adoptive father!"

Zhou Ruhu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "So it's the little eunuch, why did you come so late?"

Cao An said: "The gang of thieves surrounded the imperial city so tight that even a fly couldn't fly out. It took a lot of effort for our family to get out... Major General, I don't know your name yet." ?”

Zhou Ruhu said: "Zhou Ruhu, the commander-in-chief of the Panshi Battalion of the Third Corps of the Tianxiong Army is my father!"

Cao An was in awe: "It turned out to be General Zhou Yuji's son, I'm so disrespectful! At the beginning, General Zhou rectified the army in the Beijing camp, strictly drilled, and cleaned up military discipline. The Beijing camp that he took over had a new look, which is really admirable. !" He quickly looked around and said, "This is not a place to talk, Major General, let's go upstairs!"

Zhou Ruhu said: "Please!" and led Cao An upstairs.

Several servants had already covered the windows with sheets to prevent the lights from being exposed to attract attention, and some even brought two cups of steaming ginger soup for Cao An to drink to drive away the cold.The Tianxiong army has been in Beizhili for a long time, guarding the gate of the capital, and Lu Xiangsheng has a lot of friendship with Wang Chengen, Cao Huachun and other high-ranking eunuchs, and naturally operates a special channel. Cao An is Cao Huachun's adopted son, so naturally A node of this special channel.Now that the situation is critical and the imperial city is blocked, Zhou Ruhu had no choice but to seek help from Cao Huachun through a special channel. As a result, Cao Huachun sent Cao An over. dawn.

Cao An drank the two bowls of ginger soup in one gulp, his pale face finally turned a little bloody.He let out a breath of white air and asked, "Major General, who sent you here?"

Zhou Ruhu said: "It's my father! My father found out that the Jiannu army was mobilized, the Guanning army rebelled, the capital was in danger, and the life and death of the Holy Majesty were uncertain, so he sent me to Beijing secretly to pick up the empress and the prince. It’s good to keep a glimmer of hope!”

Cao An sighed: "Father once said that General Zhou is brave and resourceful, and he does everything without leaking water. It is true. Major General, you came too timely, and I'm afraid if you are later..."

Zhou Ruhu's heart skipped a beat: "What happened in the palace? Did something happen?"

"Changes?" Cao An sneered and said angrily, "Young General, if you're not in the palace, I'm afraid you can't even imagine what happened there! The gang of thieves in the cabinet mobilized the best soldiers from the Beijing camp and surrounded the imperial city." Not to mention the leak, more than half of the maids and eunuchs in the palace have been replaced. Now the palace is full of their eyes and ears, brocade guards everywhere, empress empress, concubine Tian, ​​concubine Yuan, and several highnesses, as well as justice. Every move of Father and the others is under their surveillance, and they can't go anywhere! This group of rebellious officials and thieves are simply insane!"

Zhou Ruhu was furious for a while: "How dare you bully the harem like this while the emperor is not in the palace? These gangsters and thieves deserve to die! By the way, is the queen all right?"

Cao An smiled bitterly: "It's okay for the time being. It's just that now the cabinet and those beasts from Taiyuan College are starting to force her to make the third prince the emperor!"

Zhou Ruhu's eyelids twitched: "Third Prince Li? Are they crazy! Although the life and death of the Holy Majesty is uncertain, the Crown Prince is still in Nanyang. If you really want to establish a new king to take charge of the overall situation, you should order the Prince to come back and take the throne. It is not good to set up a road. What a kid is asking for!"

Cao An sneered: "Establish a new monarch to preside over the overall situation? They are not so kind! They want to establish another new monarch. After Jiannu kills the capital, they will hold a ceremony of abdication, and surrender the throne to Hongtai Nana!"

The servants who were listening on the side jumped up one by one. Zhou Ruhu didn't jump at all, but almost crushed the cup. He gritted his teeth and said: "Give in... give in! What a concession, it's a shame they thought of it! There were dozens of them Years of sage books have been read to the point of death! Where is the Queen? Have you agreed?"

Cao An shook his head: "Your Majesty didn't have an answer, but she just said that the Holy Majesty was born, no one died, no dead body, and the prince was in Nanyang, so there is absolutely no reason for the third prince to be the new king. If he wants to establish a new king, he should also let the new army of Heluo escort the prince into Beijing and inherit the crown prince. The throne! The monarch and his ministers are pressing on every step of the way, even threatening the lives of several His Royal Highnesses. I am afraid that the empress, a woman, will not be able to hold on for long! Major General, you have to find a way quickly, or it will be too late!"

Zhou Ruhu punched the table heavily and cursed, "Damn it! These bastards should all go to hell!"

Cao An sighed: "That's right! Although we eunuchs are greedy and selfish, we also know that everything we have is given by the emperor, and we should work for the emperor if we receive the emperor's favor, and the emperor's favor received by these big turbans is much higher than that of us eunuchs." Far more than ten thousand times more, not only do not want to repay, but also do everything possible to make trouble, driving the emperor's family to death!"

Zhou Ruhu said: "It's useless to talk about it now! Little eunuch, can you find a way to bring me into the palace? I want to see the empress!"

Cao An nodded and said, "There is a way, but I have to wrong the Major General."

Zhou Ruhu said: "What time is it, who cares if you are wronged or not! What can I do? Tell me!"

Cao Anlue hesitated, and said: "Wen Tiren and Wang Yingxiong's gang of thieves surrounded the imperial city tightly. Everyone who enters and exits the imperial city will be subject to repeated interrogation. If it is an unfamiliar face, they can be captured on the spot. It would be better to kill them by mistake than to let them go. No matter how much you disguise yourself, General, it’s useless. They don’t check the dung trucks that bring the dung out of the palace every day. If the major general wants to enter the palace, he can only..."

Zhou Ruhu's Adam's apple twitched slightly: "You mean, let me hide in the dung bucket and sneak into the palace?"

Cao An said: "This is the only way, otherwise, unless you have both arms, you will not be able to enter the palace!"

Zhou Ruhu gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, you go back and make some arrangements, I will enter the palace tomorrow night at the latest, time is running out!"

(End of this chapter)