Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

Emperor Chongzhen had no regrets even if his country was destroyed, and the determination in his words was beyond words.

But how could the ministers let it go?

If the ancestral rules can be easily violated, they are no longer ancestral rules.

Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, there has never been a situation where military power is held by one person. This is not only irresponsible to the country and the people, but also to the lives and property of each of them.

"If Your Majesty insists on doing so, we can only protest until our death!" Zheng Sanjun, the Minister of Personnel, had a solemn expression on his face.

"Your Majesty, please take back your order!"

The chief minister of the cabinet, Liu Yuliang, then bowed down and shouted at the same time.

Led by the Minister of Personnel and the Prime Minister of the Cabinet, almost all of the six ministries, except Fan Fucui of the Ministry of Justice and Cai Guoyong of the Ministry of Revenue, knelt down and begged Emperor Chongzhen to revoke his decision.

The scene was spectacular, even Zhang Shikang had never seen it before.

Since ancient times, there has been a saying that scholars should die for remonstration and soldiers should die in battle, which means that scholars should risk their lives to remonstrate with justice, while soldiers should be willing to die in battle to win the war.

Although this situation has existed in all dynasties, it occurred most frequently during the Ming Dynasty.

As long as the emperor's edict is not in their interests, the court officials will do this. Whether it is out of justice is not the most important thing.

Is it not justice if it is disguised as justice?

Confucius said to sacrifice one's life for benevolence, Mencius said to pursue righteousness. The time has come for them to show their loyalty and righteousness.

When Emperor Chongzhen saw the court officials behaving like this, he immediately became furious.

"Don't force me, my friends!" Emperor Chongzhen frowned and stared at Liu Yuliang and others.

However, the ministers were not afraid at all. As the saying goes, the law does not hold everyone responsible. Now all the civil servants in the court are of one mind. This edict cannot be compromised.

After a moment's silence, seeing that his ministers still refused to agree, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly smiled, and then his expression became cold and stern.

"When I first ascended the throne, I listened to your advice whenever I encountered important matters.

However, the national situation not only did not improve, but instead deteriorated.

When the Jiannu invaded and the country was in danger, I asked you for advice, but you all looked around and talked about other things.

Now the bandits have risen again, and you have not thought of how to deal with them. I want to employ talented people, but you only know how to stop them.

In your eyes, do you still see me as the emperor?"

Emperor Chongzhen's words were very harsh. Zhang Shikang suddenly felt that when his brother got angry, he really had a bit of domineering spirit.

Although it is not yet the eleventh year of Chongzhen, what this brother said is absolutely true, as it is recorded in historical materials.

A few years later, when Li Zicheng besieged Beijing, my brother summoned all the ministers to discuss countermeasures, but the ministers were like dumb and no one put forward any constructive suggestions.

On the day before the city was broken, my brother summoned all the officials to discuss matters again, but not a single official showed up.

They had been waiting for the new owner to come into town.

But Liu Yuliang and others were very persistent this time. Faced with the rare anger of Emperor Chongzhen, they still asked him to revoke his order.

Emperor Chongzhen was furious and said:

"I am not the king of a fallen country, you are all the ministers of a fallen country!"

After saying this, Emperor Chongzhen turned away from the Huangji Hall.

Emperor Chongzhen's words were already very harsh, almost filled with anger and disappointment towards the civil servants.

Zhang Shikang smacked his lips. The old man's last sentence was originally a sigh before the fall of the Ming Dynasty six years later.

I didn't expect that it was only the eleventh year of Chongzhen, but my brother already had this idea in his mind.

After Emperor Chongzhen left, the civil servants present were still filled with indignation and looked at Zhang Shikang with unfriendly eyes. Many of them even pointed fingers at him.

What I mean is, you are a bad boy, and even if the emperor is stubborn, you should have refused. The Ming Dynasty will surely perish at your hands.

These people did not dare to say it in front of Zhang Shikang. Firstly, Zhang Shikang was a scoundrel, and secondly, Zhang Shikang's father, Duke of England Zhang Zhiji, was not someone to be trifled with.

An old scoundrel.

Thirdly, there are not only civil servants in the hall, but also twenty or thirty nobles!

Although this group of noble relatives seldom participated in court affairs and were just there for show most of the time, in terms of official rank, all of them were above the first rank.

When Emperor Chongzhen first announced this decree, most of the nobles and relatives present were a little confused.

However, it didn't take long for them to realize that the nobles and relatives had little say in the court, and it would definitely not be a bad thing for them if Zhang Shikang could control the military power.

Although this kid cheated them out of a lot of money, the situation has changed. Moreover, the money was not taken by Zhang Shikang arbitrarily, but was for the court.

In this time of crisis, as we are all nobles, we should stick together for warmth.

In addition, many of the nobles present had descendants serving in the Beijing camp, so they all wanted to protect Zhang Shikang.

At this time, Zhang Shikang felt particularly safe standing among the nobles and relatives. He even glared back at the civil servants provocatively, making several old men so angry that they jumped to their feet.

"Master Yan, what? Practice here?

Or should all of you come together?" Taining Marquis Chen Yanzuo said to the civil officials.

After Chen Yanzuo finished speaking, Xining Marquis Song Yude also snapped his fingers, making a series of crackling sounds.

Group fights among civil and military officials in the court was a traditional event in the Ming Dynasty, and the number of such fights recorded in historical materials alone could not be counted on one hand.

The ancestors of the nobles were mostly warriors. They might not be able to win in an argument, but when it comes to fighting, they claim that they are not afraid of these old scholars.

"Humph, it's simply disrespectful to fight with you.

Yuanfu, since the emperor does not accept advice, why don’t we kneel outside the Qianqing Palace for a long time? I don’t believe that the emperor will not listen to us. "

As soon as the official surnamed Yan made the proposal, he immediately received the approval of many officials.

The chief minister of the cabinet Liu Yuliang and Zheng Sanjun looked at each other, and immediately led the ministers towards the direction of the Qianqing Palace and attacked in a mighty force.

After the civil officials left, the nobles and relatives present became warm to Zhang Shikang.

"Your Majesty is so kind to me, my nephew will have a heavy burden in the future.

However, since ancient times, those who are capable have to work harder. If you need any help in the future, please feel free to look for me, your uncle."

"That's right. We are all of the same blood. When the court is in danger, we have no choice but to serve. To be honest, my dear nephew, the third son of our family is about the same age as you. It is time for him to serve the country.

I wonder if my nephew can arrange one or two. Ha, of course, I can’t compare with my nephew.”

"Come on, Old Yang, your third son is so fat that he can hardly walk. He won't be able to escape from the battlefield even if he runs.

I heard that my nephew has not yet married. At this age, it is almost time for him to start a family. To be honest with you, I have a daughter at home..."

"Don't listen to him, nephew. His daughter looks like a cow." The mocked Old Yang retorted sarcastically.

The two of them were talking back and forth, and they almost got into a fight.

When people are in a glorious position, they are surrounded by good people. Zhang Shikang suddenly felt something.

However, although his group of noble uncles and old uncles are short-sighted, profit-seeking, afraid of death, greedy and stingy, they are still useful.

Thinking of this, Zhang Shikang just bowed his hands to thank them one by one, but said:

"This matter has not even been decided yet. If those people disagree, Your Majesty will be helpless.

I'm afraid I'll need the help of my uncles and uncles at that time. The current situation is a matter of life and death."

As he spoke, Zhang Shikang looked up and looked around. After finding that all the civil servants had left, he lowered his voice and continued:

"To be honest with you uncles, if the Ming Dynasty is really overthrown by bandits or the Qing army,

Those civil officials would still be officials even if they changed their masters. After all, Li Zicheng and Huang Taiji still needed civil officials to help them govern the world.

But what about the uncles and uncles?"

These words made all the nobles present frown. Everyone understood this truth, but they just didn't think too much about it on a normal day.

How could such a great Ming Dynasty just fall apart?

But when Zhang Shikang said it, and compared it with the current situation, everyone was dumbfounded.

They were shocked to discover that the current situation of the imperial court was already showing signs of national destruction.

Seeing that everyone looked unhappy, Zhang Shikang said:

“But elders, don’t worry too much, everything can still turn around.

But no matter what, we, the nobles, should stand with Your Majesty.

"We should share the joys and sorrows together."

……