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Outside Changsha, the spring scenery is bright and everything is full of vitality. The fields are full of people busy with spring plowing, and there are cheering shouts everywhere.
After being busy, some people who took a rest under the shade of the trees sang songs to express their joy:
How many bends has the Liuyang River passed? There are dozens of miles of waterway to the Xiangjiang River.
What county is there by the river? Someone happened...
Last year, Qin Mu drove away the rebels, provided relief to the people, divided the fields, carried out water conservancy projects, and reduced taxes and levies, benefiting countless people.
This year, Qin Mu distributed grains such as corn, sweet potatoes and other grains, and promoted them vigorously, portraying to the people a vision of a warehouse full of grains and millets.
Qin Mu is like a god in the hearts of the people in Huguang. Out of their trust in him, the people happily sow seeds.
Amidst people's joyful singing, the rapid sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the official road leading to Changsha, and the people in the fields couldn't help but straighten up and watch;
But I saw a horse galloping towards me. The man on the horse was covered in yellow dust and had chapped lips. He was still gritting his teeth and beating the horse as he rushed towards Changsha City.
It is not difficult to see that this is a messenger. The horse is so urgent that there must be something important to report. People can't help but guess what happened? A few days ago, I heard that Master Qin sent troops north to attack the rebels. It was probably because there was a battle report coming from the front.
People have great confidence in the Qin army and do not think there will be any bad news.
When the messenger rushed towards the Changsha city gate, the war horse finally fell to the ground from exhaustion. The messenger took out the expedited token. When the soldiers guarding the city saw it, they quickly found the horses, asked the messenger to transfer and went straight to the governor's Yamen;
The people on the street gave way to the messenger's roar, and then pointed at the messenger's background and talked about it.
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In the third department hall, Qin Mu, Sima An, Liu Boquan, Shao Hua, Li Yuan, Yang Shen, Liu Meng, Huo Sheng and others sat attentively.
The messenger below, Li Linfa, poured the whole pot of tea and then continued: "On the night of March 19th, the Dashun army broke through Changyi Gate and the capital fell. On the morning of the 20th, Li Zicheng rode into Chengtian Gate on horseback, and Prime Minister Niu Jin Xing, the minister of the Song Dynasty, was accompanied by Yu Shangyou, his minister Li Zhisheng, Zhang Jiran and others on horseback. Then Li Zicheng ordered the emperor to restrict all officials to appear in court for three days.
The prince went to the father-in-law Zhou Kui's house, but Zhou Kui refused to accept him, and the two kings could not hide. She was captured by the Dashun Army and imprisoned in the palace by Li Zicheng. The eldest princess injured her arm. After she regained consciousness, Li Zicheng gave it to Liu Zongmin.
During this period, the palace maid Wei took the lead and jumped into the river. More than 200 people from the palace and her followers all jumped into the water and died for their country. The corpses were blocked and the flow was stopped. The elephants in the elephant room all roared and shed tears.
Soon after, he was searched by Dashun Army. Knowing that the emperor and his wife had all left, Li Zicheng ordered people to carry the body out through the palace gate, put it in a willow coffin, and place it in the open outside the east gate. No burial was made.
The next day, Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Chengguo, and Wei Zaode, the chief auxiliary of the cabinet, led hundreds of civil and military officials into the palace to pay homage to Li Zicheng, but Li Zicheng did not come to see him. The officers and soldiers of the Dashun Army humiliated Zhu Chunchen, Wei Zaode and others, poking their spines and taking off their hats. Or he would raise his legs and neck to humiliate him wantonly, and all the officials would lie on the ground and not dare to move;
The eunuch Wang Dehua scolded the ministers: "The country has perished and the emperor is mourning. As ministers, you don't want to bury the late emperor, but you came here first. Are you still human?" Dozens of people in the chamberlain cried when they heard this.
Gu Junenjin persuaded Li Zicheng, and Li Zicheng changed the burial method of the emperor, using a Yan crown and a Yi Zhai, and adding a reed plant to cover the coffin. Chen Yantian, a bachelor, shamelessly persuaded Li Zicheng to ascend the throne, but he refused. He ordered the prince to be renamed King of Song Dynasty and released into Jinyiwei Prison.
Later, Li Zicheng met with the surrendered ministers and awarded them official positions in three grades. In the old dynasty, people from the fourth rank and below, such as Shao Zhanshi Liang Shaoyang and Yang Guanguang, etc., all accepted Li Zicheng's official positions. For those with third rank and above, Li Zicheng only used the old minister Hou Xun.
The remaining relatives, civil and military ministers, such as Zhou Kui, Zhu Chunchen, Chen Yan, Wei Zaode and more than 800 people, were sent to Liu Zongmin's military camp to be tortured and extorted gold and silver. Those with a family fortune of tens of thousands of gold were asked for 20,000 to 30,000 yuan. If the number is slightly dissatisfied, they will continue to compete harshly, and they will be beaten and burned with extreme cruelty and will not stop until death.
At the same time, Li Zicheng also ordered the formation of protective armor, with five families raising one soldier. If a family fled, all the armor would be killed together. If there are wealthy households within the ten families, Dashun's army will seize them and confiscate them on their own. The lower houses among them will be divided and plundered by the thieves. All folk horses, mules and bronzes were ordered to be handed over to the military camp, and the city was full of people, and every family was exhausted..."
Qin Mu and others listened silently, with solemn expressions and without saying a word. The Ming Dynasty, which had lasted for three hundred years, had been destroyed. The bodies of the emperor and queen were thrown on the roadside without anyone to bury them. It was an indescribable sadness. .
After a long time, Sima An said quietly: "Many people compare Li Zicheng to Liu Bang of the Han Dynasty. It is true that Liu Bang also came from a humble background. When he first entered Guanzhong, he also looked down on scholars. When he met Li Shiqi, he actually Sitting on the bed and letting two women wash his feet, Li Shiqi said to Liu Bang: If you want to punish the Qin Dynasty, you should not see an elder like this. After Liu Bang heard this, he immediately stood up and tidied his clothes and asked Li Shiqi. Eat and sit on it... Alas!
No wonder Sima An lamented that Li Zicheng's behavior after entering Beijing was not worthy of carrying Liu Bang's shoes.
The rise and fall of dynasties is the general trend of the world, and no one can do anything about it. But as a new dynasty, its actions are not as good as those of the old dynasty. How can the world return to its heart
Open the door to welcome King Chuang, but King Chuang will not accept food when he comes.
Maybe some people were still singing such songs a few days ago. It's really a great irony. King Chuang is here now, and he not only wants you to pay for your food, but also your life.
Before everyone could get out of their desolate mood, Qin Mu suddenly said: "Immediately announce the fall of the capital and the death of the emperor and empress. In addition, my order is passed, and all the officers and soldiers of the three armies and state officials will immediately rise to serve as emperor." There should be no mistake in mourning and setting up a mourning hall and a monastery in front of the governor's office to pray for the emperor and his wife's salvation."
"Here!" Li Shi answered outside the door.
Qin Mu said in a deep voice again: "Yang Shen, please immediately draft a message to criticize Li Zicheng for humiliating the body of the late emperor and empress, and reveal the atrocities committed by the traitor to the capital."
"Yes, sir."
"I have ordered that all generals must not leave the camp and control the army to prevent chaos. Military officers must do a good job of caring for the lieutenants, persuade the soldiers to turn grief into strength, and strengthen training to cope with the changes in the world."
"Yes, sir."
"I have ordered that all state and county officials, except for the chief official who will stay to commemorate the Daxing Emperor, all other officials will visit the people to appease the people and tell the people that no matter how drastic changes occur in the world, our army has the ability and determination to ensure the stability of Huguang and Jiangxi. Let the people not panic and farm with peace of mind. Well, Yang Shen, in your name, write a notice with this content and distribute it to every state and county to appease the people."
"Yes, sir."
"Mr. Sima, order all members of the General Staff to prepare. After the memorial ceremony, they will immediately move to Wuchang with my officers to guard the northern gate of Huguang."
"Don't worry, sir. I will take care of it now."
As Qin Mu issued orders one after another, notices were posted one after another. First, the music and singing in Changsha stopped, the whole city was austere, the temples rang bells to announce the funeral, and a dojo was quickly set up in front of the governor's office.
Then each state and county followed suit one after another, and the chief official set up a dojo in the Yamen to commemorate Chongzhen and Queen Zhou. Officials at Tongzhi and county magistrate levels visited the people to appease the people.
In military camps across the country, military officials who were responsible for propaganda and appeasement recruited soldiers one after another to publicize Li Zicheng's evil deeds in Beijing, and analyzed in detail the reason why Li Zicheng's actions were unpopular and destined to defeat. At the same time, in the name of Qin Mu, he called on the soldiers to train hard in order to eliminate these ghosts and ghosts in the future.
The mourning hall in Changsha City was grand and solemn. Eminent monks and Taoist priests from nearby temples and Taoist temples were invited to hold a grand memorial ceremony. Qin Mu, who was also fully clothed, took Sima An and others to pay homage in person.
Thousands of people in the city sacrificed together, and there was a lot of crying.
The feelings of the people are very simple. Chongzhen's repeated payment of wages may have brought heavy disasters to them, but Chongzhen is the king's father after all and the sky in the hearts of the people. Now, the sky has collapsed. One can imagine the panic and confusion in the hearts of the people.
The reason why Qin Mu acted so grandly and solemnly was simply to appease the soldiers and civilians in Huguang and Jiangxi.
You must know that until the fall of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, ordinary people were still so panicked. They didn't know what to do without the emperor. If the Chinese have faith, then the emperor is undoubtedly the faith of ordinary people. When faith collapses At this time, you must be good at comforting them, otherwise chaos will occur.
Fortunately, the people of Huguang and Jiangxi had a new belief in Qin Mu early on. They believed that with Qin Mu around, Huguang and Jiangxi could continue to ensure stability.
Qin Mu issued proclamations and proclamations, and ordered all states and counties to set up mourning halls. All these measures were taken to show his presence to the soldiers and civilians in Jiangxi and Huguang, and to tell the soldiers and people that although the Ming Dynasty had died, the emperor needed to die, and he, Qin Mu, Don't panic, everyone.
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ps: One monthly ticket for three days is miserable! Dear friends, please support me and vote if you have a monthly vote. Lack of support from parents, lack of motivation!
.(To be continued...)
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