Travel back in time and become Chongzhen, watch me turn the tide

"At the moment Beijing was captured, Wang Daban accompanied me up Coal Hill," Emperor Chongzhen said, his expression bleak, his eyes filled with endless sorrow. He smiled faintly and spoke slowly, "At that time, I was completely despairing and felt ashamed of my ancestors. After much thought, I concluded that only death could free me from the guilt and pain in my heart."

"I carried a three-foot-long white silk with me. As I resolutely hanged myself from the crooked tree on Coal Hill, I fell into a long and bizarre dream. In my dream, I saw mountains and rivers shattered, and foreign races invaded like a surging tide. I watched helplessly as the Qing army wantonly occupied the territory of my Great Ming and brutally slaughtered my people. The backbone of my descendants of Yan and Huang was bent and broken by their brutality. I was filled with anger, and the resentment burned like a raging fire, and the heartache was like a sharp knife piercing my heart. Until the end, I dreamed of Emperor Taizu! He cursed me loudly, scolding me for my cowardice and incompetence... and finally, he kicked me hard."

"This kick seemed to possess magical power, instantly waking me from my dream. At the same time, the branch that had been supporting me suddenly broke, and I miraculously survived."

"Your Majesty..." Shi Kefa hesitated, not knowing how to respond. What Emperor Chongzhen said was too bizarre to be believed.

"I don't know if this was a dream or an illusion. Perhaps it was my illusion that made me struggle and break the branch..." Chongzhen smiled. After all, it was just a story, so he could say whatever he wanted. "But after experiencing this, I know I can't die. I can't let the Ming Dynasty fall into endless chaos, and I can't watch my people being slaughtered like pigs and sheep... Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Shi Kefa stood up and saluted, saying solemnly, "This is exactly what I am trying to do now."

"Xianzhi, I know that you are a loyal minister who is upright, honest, loyal to the emperor and patriotic. Your actions are enough to set an example for other ministers!" Emperor Chongzhen nodded slightly and said with praise.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your compliment!" Shi Kefa quickly responded, "I am deeply apprehensive."

"Sir Shi, you deserve these evaluations!" Chongzhen said with emotion.

Others might not know this, but how could Chongzhen not know it? When it comes to national heroes in history, Shi Kefa undoubtedly holds a special place. His character and patriotic integrity have been universally recognized by later generations.

"But, Xianzhi, although you are a loyal minister, you are not a capable one." Emperor Chongzhen changed the subject, his words becoming more serious.

"I consider myself diligent, but I don't know if there is anything I haven't done well enough?" Shi Kefa was stunned. He was quite dissatisfied with what Emperor Chongzhen said, and asked.

"Let's not talk about anything else, let's just talk about how many mistakes you made in supporting the new emperor?" Emperor Chongzhen looked calm, but his words hit Shi Kefa's heart like a heavy hammer.

"I..." Upon hearing this, Shi Kefa fell silent.

"First, you made a fatal mistake in establishing a new emperor, allowing Ma Shiying and the military officers of the Four Garrisons to steal the credit for 'making decisions'. This caused you to lose power and be kicked out of the center of power, allowing those military men to control the government. This was your first mistake. After the establishment of the Four Garrisons, you managed Jiangbei for such a long time as a commander-in-chief, which consumed a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources. But what did you do in military deployment? Did you go north to conquer the lost territories? Did you consolidate the defense line of Jianghuai? Now facing the Dashun and the Qing Dynasty, do you have any countermeasures?" The more Emperor Chongzhen spoke, the colder his expression became. At the end, his voice unconsciously rose a lot.

"Not... not yet..." Shi Kefa was startled and stood up, his voice trembling slightly. "But... but I did try my best. But the military power is in the hands of the four garrisons. When these people asked for money and food, they were very polite to me, but when asked to send troops, they all had excuses to shirk. I really... can't do it!"

"Hmph, Four Towns!" Emperor Chongzhen sneered and said, "That was a good idea of ​​yours, but now it's become too big to handle..."

"Yes..." Shi Kefa was so shocked by what Emperor Chongzhen said that beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He said shamefully, "I didn't think it through at the beginning."

"I can solve the problems of these four towns," Emperor Chongzhen said after a moment's silence. "But I need the help of Lord Shi. I wonder if Lord Shi is willing to help and recognize my position as such!"

"This!" Shi Kefa only realized at this time that although Emperor Chongzhen did not ask him to choose sides between himself and Emperor Hongguang, all his previous words were to persuade him.

Shi Kefa couldn't help but fall into deep thought. He was well aware of the affairs of the previous emperors, Yingzong and Daizong. It was impossible for him to not offend both sides. No matter which side he considered, he had to make a choice, otherwise, this half of the country would be plunged into turmoil.

On one side is the former orthodox emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and on the other side is the new emperor who has just been supported by civil and military officials.

"Before being welcomed onto the throne, Prince Fu Zhu Yousong wandered around with no source of livelihood left and could only beg for mercy from the more affluent princes and bureaucrats. Now that he has ascended to the throne, do you think he will be as frugal as I was? Moreover, I know that he is a drunkard and a womanizer. Can I entrust the Ming Dynasty to such a person?" Emperor Chongzhen said with a sneer.

"This..." As soon as Emperor Hongguang ascended the throne, he sent eunuchs to Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Yangzhou and other places to select "ladies" in the name of "grand wedding". Although these things were done in secret, Shi Kefa also knew about it.

Emperor Chongzhen stood up, staring intently at Shi Kefa. He said, "Xianzhi, I understand the loyalty and perseverance of civil officials like you. Your loyalty isn't to the Zhu family, but to the Ming Dynasty and its hundreds of millions of people, right? Can you bear to see the Ming Dynasty fall into the hands of foreigners and its people suffer? For the sake of the Ming Dynasty and its people, who will you choose?"

"Your Majesty..." Emperor Chongzhen's words deeply moved Shi Kefa. He hesitated for a moment and said, "But now I have no power at all. The military and political power are in the hands of others. I have the will but not the strength!"

"Xianzhi, what I want is your character and reputation. As for military and political power, I have my own way..." Emperor Chongzhen laughed and said, "Otherwise, how could I dare to meet you here?"

"Your Majesty, Huang Degong is your man?" Shi Kefa finally realized that without Huang Degong's consent, how could Chongzhen appear quietly in this study!

"Danban, let Hushan and Wenlu come in," Emperor Chongzhen smiled and gave orders without answering.

"Commander-in-chief, have you made up your mind?" Huang Degong asked excitedly after Huang Degong and Huang Fei came in to greet Chongzhen.

"I...hi...of course I have thought it through." Shi Kefa stood up, straightened his clothes solemnly, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I, Shi Kefa, pay my respects. If Your Majesty has any command, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"Xianzhi, please stand up quickly!" Seeing that Shi Kefa finally stood on his side, Emperor Chongzhen's heart finally settled down and he laughed happily.

"If I can get the constitution, great things can be accomplished!"