Lu Ming

Chapter 470
With the arrival of the first messenger, there was an endless stream of messengers from all walks of life, and they all ran into the Forbidden City.

There are not only the men and horses sent by the three major systems, but also the fast cavalry sent by Sun Chengzong and a general surnamed Cao, holding Lubu along the way.

At this time, it would be foolish for the Donglin Party to jump out and question.Because even the messengers sent out by the civil service system also reported that they had personally verified the heads of the Tartars.

So now there is a lot of excitement in the square of Huangji Palace. Individuals are excitedly discussing the unprecedented victory, including the censor who maintains etiquette. , turned into a vegetable market for the first time during the early dynasty.

It's normal for people to have this reaction.

In the previous siege campaign, it can be said that everyone in the capital was mentally prepared to be rushed in and massacred the city by the Tartars.I don’t know how many people were woken up in the middle of the night by fright, and how many people were ready to kill their wives and daughters, and then hang themselves to death—especially the officials standing in the square today.

So after hearing the good news today, like a drowning man being rescued by a firefighter, the huge psychological gap in the Jedi's counter-killing made Ming officials who had been in a depressed and gloomy state of mind for a long time let go of their restraints, and no longer cared about the rules. .

The big square is like a boiling pot, and the small circle in front of the Huangji Hall is also very lively.

At this moment, Emperor Chongzhen was sitting on the dragon chair with a smile, asking a question to a messenger under his feet.

After unraveling some doubts in his heart, the emperor nodded with satisfaction: "Look and appreciate."

Then the courier kowtowed to take the silver and left, and then the next courier was brought forward, and then the emperor began to smile and ask the same question from another angle.

At the same time, on Danchi, one level lower than the emperor, Old Xigu Wen was sitting on a saddle, stroking his beard with one hand, and watching the emperor play tricks benevolently.

After hearing the letter, the old opera bone was shaken immediately.But this time it's true: From last night to now, Lao Wen seems to be unmoved, but in fact he has been under tremendous pressure. After this release, he can't bear it anymore.

Fortunately, Lao Wen was surrounded by smart people. After realizing who was the winner at the first moment, he stretched out a few hands and supported Lao Wen.

Seeing this situation, the emperor on the stage hurriedly pushed the boat forward, promoted the old opera bone, and rewarded him with a horse tie, and sat at the place closest to the emperor.

The lively scene in front of the hall continued until the emperor finished asking the last messenger.

At this time, the civil official group led by the chief assistant Zhou Yanru organized order, and led thousands of civil officials to officially kneel down and kowtow three times, congratulate the emperor, congratulate the Ming Dynasty, and celebrate this shocking event that has never been seen before. win.

Emperor Chongzhen, who had lost his composure many times today, was overwhelmed with emotion, accepted the congratulations from the officials smugly, and laughed again regardless of his manners.

Only at this time did the officials realize that the emperor, who had always been cold and gloomy, was still a young man!
In the early court that day, from the king to the ministers, there were many irregularities, which can be regarded as creating a new record since Ming Dynasty.But this little matter is a matter of course in front of the shocking victory.

After the morning court ended, before noon, the Ming people in the capital who learned the truth began to set off firecrackers.For a while, fireworks were everywhere in the city, and even the eunuchs and maids in the imperial city set off fireworks, creating a festive atmosphere.

The young emperor, who hadn't closed his mouth since that moment in the morning, made an exception this time.For the first time, he ordered the palace people to give a collective reward on this non-holiday day.

The same program is also staged in various households in the capital.

Except for the working class, not to mention the princes and nobles, but those who have servants in their families have more or less sent happy money, which can be called universal celebration.

Accompanied by the show, several terms that have been on the hot search list in Beijing are spreading-"Caochuan", "Zhangchao Deputy Commander", "Green Jacket Camp", "Tianjin Yicong", "Wagon Car Pulling the Head", "Ah Min" and "Shuotuo".

In the next two days, the people of the capital fell into a kind of happy and anxious waiting.

Whenever a scout with an urgent flag on his back enters the city from the east, the message starts to spread like water waves: The Green Jacket Camp has arrived in Ji Town, the Green Jacket Camp has arrived in Sanhe, and the Green Jacket Camp has arrived in Tongzhou out of town
Santunying is 300 miles away from the capital, and it can be reached in two days at most by Kuaima.

At that time, the sentry from the capital met Cao Zongbing on the way. After that, Cao Zongbing was carrying a van, so the speed was a bit slower.

It was not until the evening of April 4, the second day after the morning court, that the brigade of cavalry led by Chuanzhong passed through Tongzhou and settled down in a house outside Guangqumen on the east side of the capital.

Although some troops had come outside the city before this, including Sun Chengzong and other generals who entered the city ahead of time, none of these people caused any waves.

However, when Cao Zongbing's green-coated army arrived at the station, the capital suddenly became manic, and many people left the city through Guangqumen one after another, wanting to see what the legendary magic soldier looked like.

Afterwards, seeing more and more crowds of onlookers, and seeing that the situation was not good, he hurriedly put out the van with human heads for the crowd to visit, while the troops kept vigilance, except Xue Haiyuan who came to meet, It is strictly forbidden for idlers to approach.

This time there are more people.If a team of officials on horseback hadn't dispersed the aborigines, Guangqumen would probably be blocked today.

This team of officials is Cao Zongbing's theoretical superior, sent by the Ministry of War to deliver the order, and there are also several officials from the Ministry of Rites among them.

The person in charge of passing the decree is the doctor of the military selection department of the Ministry of war.

After setting up the incense table, he knelt down to receive the decree, and the next moment, the doctor read out the rhythmic ancient characters.

Zhang Dongdong has been in and out of the officialdom of the Ming Dynasty for the past two years, and he has already mastered his ancient prose skills, so he understood the will without any trouble.

The content of the imperial decree is very simple: Chongzhen first praised Cao Zongbing a few words, thanked him for his hard work, and then gave the Green Coat Camp wine and meat.

At the end of the imperial decree, it said that the soldiers should have a good rest, and tomorrow morning, a prisoner offering ceremony will be held in the capital!
After kowtowing to receive the decree, the Lang Zhong of the Ministry of War, who instantly switched from the emperor's spokesperson to an ordinary official, was all smiles on his face. While building a relationship with General Cao, he directed his subordinates to unload the drinks and meat from the carriage to work for the army.

At this point, the mission of the officials of the Ministry of War is over, and the officials of the Ministry of Rites will come on stage next.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites were even more enthusiastic: the big boss on their heads this time was gifted by General Cao, and he was about to join the cabinet, so all the subordinates appointed by Wen Tiren came here to avoid any moths.

There are two things on the Ministry of Rites.One is to communicate with Cao Zongbing about the process of tomorrow's ceremony, and the other is training.

What is the training?Facial sanctification.

Like Xinke Scholars, Cao Zongbing also entered Beijing for the first time, so the Ministry of Rites thoughtfully sent people to train overnight, so that Cao Zongbing and the rest of the people who were going to meet the saints knew the rules and etiquette.

In this way, Cao Zongbing's first night in the capital passed in a hurry.

When the sun rose on April 4th, the Guangqu Gate slowly opened, and the last major mission of the crossing people to lead their troops to the north this time: to go to Beijing to offer prisoners, kicked off.

In fact, today's event is no longer "offering prisoners" but "offering heads".

A group of cavalry dressed in Ming army uniforms led a shocking convoy into the city first.The side panels of the original van were removed and turned into a cart, with 4000 human heads neatly placed on the cart.

As the knights and a long line of scooters marched, the natives of the capital who had already crowded both sides of the main street cheered impatiently.

While shouting, the Ming people in robes gritted their teeth and stared at the clear and ugly heads on the cart, showing hatred and fear in their eyes.

Not long ago, these human heads were still raging outside the city, turning the Jingyuan area into a white field.After a few months, almost every family of the aboriginals in the capital brought filial piety, from the princes and nobles to the grassroots, and all of them suffered heavy losses.

Now seeing these robbers handing over their heads, the natives are all very happy.Not long after the convoy moved forward, a woman's tragic cry appeared in the crowd.If it weren't for the obstruction of many yamen servants and soldiers, all the heads on the street at this meeting would have been snatched away by the natives to vent their anger.

The long convoy entered from Guangqumen in the east, went west, walked halfway through the outer city, and then came to the central axis of the capital, the junction of the outer city and the inner city: Zhengyangmen.

This location is probably near the monument of heroes of later generations.

At this moment, both sides of the road, including the windows and roofs of the shops facing the street, are crowded with people of all colors, men, women and children.And starting from the inner city, the clothing and complexion of the Ming people has been significantly improved. It is indeed a city that gathers the most wealthy people in the Ming Dynasty.

From here, the convoy turned north at a right angle and headed towards the imperial city.

Behind Zhengyang Gate is a square square surrounded by stone railings.In the Ming Dynasty, it was a busy street, commonly known as "Qishan Street".

After crossing Qipan Street, the convoy finally arrived at the terminal.

There is a dismounting stele here, and civil servants get off their sedan chairs and military officials get off their horses.On the opposite side is a majestic city gate, which is the symbol of the Ming and Qing dynasties - Daming Gate.

Daming Gate is the south gate of the Imperial City of Beijing. It was called Daqing Gate in the Qing Dynasty and Zhonghua Gate in the Republic of China. In later generations, this place was converted into a memorial hall.

Inside the gate is the royal road, except for the dragon chariots and phoenix chariots of the emperor, empress, and empress dowager, other people can only pass by on foot.

Seeing the convoy approaching, a large number of soldiers who had been waiting here stepped forward one after another and took off the heads on the cart.

These soldiers were agile and skilled. On both sides of the main gate of Daming Gate, they began to pile up pyramids with the heads of the Tartars. The necessary props for Han people to show off their martial arts——Jingguan.

And at this moment, at the Guangqu Gate far to the east, there was another shocking applause: the large army led by Cao Chuan, Zhangchao's deputy commander, began to officially enter the city.

(End of this chapter)