Chapter 700: What is Chongzhen better than me?

Zhang Yan could no longer bear it, and her sharp eyes fell on Zhang Zhun and said angrily: "Zhang Zhun, you whitewash yourself as if you were a saint, as if you had never had any shortcomings or mistakes! Have you never done anything wrong? The Tartars have already reached Shandong, and you are still thinking about digging the corners of the court! What benefits will it do you do this?"

Zhang Zhun said with a smile: "Thank you for your praise from the Queen! Actually, if you don't say it, I think so too. Not only do I want to dig out the corners of the court, I also want to replace the court. What do you think Chongzhen is better than me? Commander, strategy, wisdom, force, and charm, which one is better than me?"

Zhang Yan was slightly stunned.

This is a very direct question.

She was about to answer, but when she spoke, she shrank back.

Damn it, what is Chongzhen better than him? If Zhang Yan had been able to talk nonsense for a few hours, praise Chongzhen's strengths and embellish him. But now, in front of Zhang Zhun, she found that she could never speak nonsense and talk nonsense. Otherwise, once Zhang Zhun caught the loophole, she would be blocked immediately.

Commander? As the supreme commander of the army, Chongzhen had an army of over one million. Compared with the more than 100,000 people in the Great Jin Dynasty, the advantage was too great. However, even with a huge advantage in numbers, the Ming army lost consecutive battles, lost a lot of vitality, lost a large area of ​​land, and consumed countless military expenses.

The most fatal thing is that the Tatars invaded three times in a row, treating the Ming Kingdom as their back garden, coming whenever they want, leaving whenever they want, and bringing a lot of gifts when they go. The chaotic troops in Shaanxi are also like that, wandering everywhere and fighting everywhere, leaving the court exhausted. Anywhere where the chaotic troops in Shaanxi pass by is almost a corruption.

If the commander of Chongzhen, Gao Ming, Zhang Yan, himself would not believe it. Gao Ming was so that the robbers broke into his home to kill and set fire? The thieves in Shaanxi destroyed half of the Central Plains? The refugees in most China appeared? Emperor Tianqi was busy working in carpentry all day, and it seemed that he was not so miserable!

Strategy? As the king of a country, it is indeed difficult to achieve without long-term strategy. However, Zhang Yan is really not sure what Chongzhen's long-term strategy is. When Chongzhen first ascended the throne, he eliminated the eunuch party and activated a large number of backbone members of the Donglin Party. However, later, he found that the Donglin Party members were not good, so he reused the eunuch party members. As a result, the eunuch party and the Donglin Party continued to fight each other, and the party struggle was even more intense than before.

On the issue of eunuchs, Chongzhen also repeatedly and undecidedly. At the beginning, he exiled a large number of eunuchs, which greatly restricted the power of eunuchs. Later, he found that eunuchs were more convenient to use, so he appointed eunuchs in large numbers. As a result, now, the main power of the Ming Dynasty was almost all in the hands of eunuchs. Gao Qiqian, Wang Kun, Zhang Yixian, Cao Huachun, Wang Chengen... Which one is not eunuchs?

As for the cabinet ministers, it was even more complicated. In the ninth year of Chongzhen ascending the throne, nearly thirty cabinet ministers had changed, and several prime ministers had changed. What are the cabinet ministers? They are the emperor's assistants and the continuation of national policies. Frequent changes of national policies will inevitably lead to incomplete government orders and the national policy will not be continued. Different cabinet ministers have different understandings of government orders. The consequence of frequent changes is that the policies cannot be implemented at all, and the officials below are at a loss. Since they are at a loss, they can only mess up.

The bandits in Shaanxi were like bamboo shoots after the rain, constantly emerging, and the government troops were killed continuously, which was absolutely inseparable from the local government's levy and taxes. Even Zhang Yan knew about this. Chongzhen continued to increase the salary, but the imperial court actually only received a few million taels of silver, but the people paid at least tens of millions of taels. Where did the difference in the middle go? Of course, it was in the pockets of officials at all levels. Chongzhen himself was accused of eternal accusations, but he did not get real benefits.

The frequent replacement of cabinet ministers also led to disorders in various government affairs. Generally speaking, there were about six cabinet ministers in the Ming Dynasty. These six people had different divisions of labor. If the cabinet ministers were stable, even if the emperor did not ask about political affairs, the state institutions could still operate normally. The Jiajing and Wanli Emperors did not attend court for decades, and the state institutions entered the market because the cabinet ministers were relatively stable.

To be honest, even if the emperor of the Ming Dynasty was an idiot, as long as the cabinet ministers remained stable, the country would not have any major problems. The problem now is that Chongzhen himself completely disrupted the cabinet system. It seemed that the cabinet ministers had changed the revolving lantern and the role of the cabinet could not be played at all. As a result, he exhausted himself in vain, but he was also thankless. How could his ability alone be stronger than the ability of six people?

In terms of military strategy, Chongzhen was also volatile and basically responded passively. At the beginning, Chongzhen did not care much about the Shaanxi chaos army, thinking that it was just a mustard disease. Not to mention that the three-sided governor Yang He could handle it. At present, as long as the task is to eliminate the Tartars outside the pass. Especially the first invasion of the Tartars, it stimulated Chongzhen a lot, which made Chongzhen's strategic core always lie in the Tartars.

However, as the Shaanxi chaos army became more and more fierce, more and more destroyed places were destroyed, and the impact on the country became greater and greater. Chongzhen's strategic core had to be transferred to the fight against the thieves. Chongzhen replaced Yang He, appointed and removed Chen Qiyu, Hong Chengchou and other fierce people, and surrounded and blocked the thieves. Unfortunately, the thieves were not pacified, and the Daling River Battle broke out again. Chongzhen's focus had to return to the Tartars.

Afterwards, the bandits moved into the Central Plains and gathered in Henan, threatening the heart of the Ming Empire. Chongzhen's strategy had to return to the side of pacifying the bandits. After investing a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources, the court finally forced the bandits into the carbox gorge, but due to a small mistake, the bandit leader escaped. After that, Chongzhen continued to work hard, hoping to create another carbox gorge. Unfortunately, the Tatars invaded the second time and pulled Chongzhen's attention back.

In general, in the face of the two sides of the Tartars and the bandits, Chongzhen's response was always passive. He once formulated a strategy of first resolutely pacifying the country before fighting against foreign countries, and tried to quell the bandits in one fell swoop and then fight the Tartars to death. However, this strategy was not strictly implemented. The consequences of passive response were obviously serious, that is, the army was transferred, extremely tired, and war-weary.

Wisdom? Zhang Yan believes that Chongzhen is a smart person and a very smart person. Chongzhen's cunning is also quite profound. This can be seen from the process of eliminating Wei Zhongxian after he took office. In order to completely eradicate Wei Zhongxian, Chongzhen used a lot of methods. In the end, the eunuch party was eliminated in one fell swoop, and Chongzhen was therefore awarded the title of wise ruler.

However, Chongzhen's intelligence seemed to be used in small places, and he had no achievements in big strategies. He abolished the post station and found a Li Zicheng. He ordered a continuous increase in salary, which aroused more thieves. Not to mention other things, even the current Northern Zhili, which was full of decay and the Tartars rampant, the court had no plans at all.

In addition, for the sake of the government's financial issues, Chongzhen had racked his brains and had no choice but to donate some money. He wanted to donate some money from the royal relatives, but he wanted to take action against Li Guorui's family first, but Li Guorui made a big fuss and had to cancel it in disappointment. As the emperor, he couldn't even handle a small marquis, so he couldn't be considered smart at all, right?

Force? Not to mention this. The big guy in front of him is a regular visitor on the battlefield, and he is said to be covered in blood. However, Chongzhen has never left the deep palace. If Chongzhen and Zhang Zhun met, Chongzhen would be very lucky to not be killed by Zhang Zhun with one punch.

Of course, what others pay more attention to is the force they have, rather than their own force. In terms of the number of troops, Chongzhen is indeed much stronger than Zhang Zhun. At least, the current Chongzhen Emperor has an army of more than 600,000. However, this shows that Chongzhen's force is stronger than Zhang Zhun? Zhang Yan cannot guarantee it.

The number of the Hu Ben Army is not large, maybe only tens of thousands, and certainly not more than 50,000. However, their achievements are real. The Hu Ben Army has eliminated so many Tartars and created miracles that others cannot create at all. In terms of military achievements, Zhang Zhun had to leave Chongzhen several streets. In the battle between the Hu Ben Army and the official army, the official army also suffered consecutive defeats, which was a terrible sight.

Charm? Perhaps, this is the only thing that Chongzhen can win steadily. No matter how he looks at it, it is much more pleasing to the big guy in front of him. He has accomplished music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, songs, and essays. Zhang Zhu definitely has no. If you want to say that Chongzhen's charm can be worth 90 points, Zhang Zhu only has thirty points at most. I don't understand why Ji Yuqing is willing to follow him. She is like a gorilla, which is too ugly.

Of course, Zhang Yan absolutely cannot admit that Zhang Zhun is better than Chongzhen. Zhang Zhun is an enemy of the court, how can she admit that the enemy is stronger than herself? Isn’t this ambition to others and destroy her majesty? Therefore, she said sternly: “You are making a point of reason! The emperor is rich in the world and treats others kindly. How can she be compared with a thief like you?”

Zhang Zhun smiled coldly and said disdainfully: "If he was not your husband's younger brother, could he sit in this position? He is still rich in the world? I dare to promise that he would have to get out of Beijing City in less than five years! I dare say that any person can do better than him!"

Zhang Yan said angrily: "You are squirting with blood!"

Zhang Zhun smiled slightly, looked relaxed, and said indifferently: "The Queen might as well spray me too, everyone is even."

Zhang Yan's eyes were angry and said sternly: "You!"

She wanted to say something but couldn't stand it. She remembered that she and Zhang Zhun had been arguing for a long time. For her former queen, she had never argued with anyone so fiercely. Now she is a little tired and a little thirsty. She needs to take a break before she can continue to argue with Zhang Zhun.

Zhang Zhun did not intend to stop speaking and continued: "In history, there are two types of treatments about the last royal family. One is abdication, and the royal family can start and end well. Although it loses power, it saves its life. The other is that it is all extinction and is covered by the dust of history."

"I think Chongzhen should think of Emperor Xian of Han, Emperor Yang of Sui, Emperor Zhaozong of Tang, Emperor Huizong of Song, Emperor Qinzong of Song, their fate, and their wives and children. If he is a smart person, he should make a wise choice."

Zhang Yan immediately forgot her fatigue and said sharply: "The rebels in history have more people who have been confiscated and exterminated their clans! Think about Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, Zhang Jiao, Zhang Bao and Liang, Li Mi, Wang Shichong and Dou Jiande, Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun, Fang La Zhong Xiang Yang Yao. You'd better stop at the cliff and return to your future."

Zhang Zhun's eyes fell on Zhang Yan without any concealment, and said with a stern expression: "As a woman, you are very beautiful. As a queen, you are the object that many men want to conquer. Whether it is me, Li Zicheng, or Huang Taiji, if you forcibly break through Beijing in the future, you will never be able to have a good end."

Zhang Yan said sternly: "I have prepared three-foot white silk in the morning. If you can't do anything, you will follow your husband and will definitely not fall into the hands of you traitors."

Zhang Zhun nodded and said leisurely: "Since the Empress has such a determination, I won't say much. To be honest, when the Empress was in Tianjin Wei, I was a little worried. If the Tartars attacked Tianjin Wei and the Empress fell into the hands of the Tartars, Chongzhen didn't know what to do."

Zhang Yan said proudly: "Although this palace is a female, it is not a person who winces!"

Zhang Zhun said lightly: "I know the Queen's courage. You don't need to emphasize this. Now, should we discuss my marriage?"

Zhang Yan showed a sarcastic smile and said coldly: "I beg you, you will not agree to anything. Now, it is your turn to ask me?"

Zhang Zhun shook his head and said solemnly: "Zhang Yan, I am not begging you, you came to ask me for help. Did I invite you to come? No. Do I need you to take the lead in marriage? Do you need to give Princess Yang Yinghan the title? To be honest, I don't need it. But why do you want to come?"

"Because, you want to show to the people all over the world that I, Zhang Zhun, are still a member of the court. You, Empress Yi'an, still have the ability to give me glory and wealth. It is you who want to prove the existence of the court, not I want to prove the existence of the court."

Zhang Yan gently bit her lips and stared at the evil thief in front of her.

That's right, every sentence Zhang Zhun said was so heartbroken. Every sentence fell on Zhang Yan's weakness. Now she felt that all her disguise was exposed by Zhang Zhun. She just stood in front of Zhang Zhun empty, without anything to cover up. This feeling was very uncomfortable and embarrassing.

That's right, she was so proactive, to prove that the existence of the court, to prove that the court was still above him, Zhang Zhun, to prove that the court still had the ability to control him, Zhang Zhun, and to prove that the court still had the necessary existence. If Zhang Zhun had completely abandoned the existence of the court, the court would be even more embarrassed.

In the final analysis, it is the territory controlled by Zhang Zhun, a evil thief, that is too close to the capital. No matter how raging the riots in Shaanxi, they dare not run to the vicinity of the capital. In other words, the capital is temporarily safe. But Zhang Zhun is different. Zhang Zhun may be besieging the capital at any time and the entire court will be wiped out.

In addition, the canal transport was also a huge tragedy. Zhang Zhun's territory just cut off the canal transport. The fleet of the Hu Ben Army Navy blocked the Bohai Bay and the grain, food, finance and taxation in Jiangnan, whether it was canal transport or sea transport, were completely blocked. As long as Zhang Zhun was willing, he could completely siege the capital, and then wait for the capital's food to be exhausted and naturally perish.

"I asked you to come not because the Hu Ben Army needs it, but because Yang Yinghan needs it. She is just an ordinary woman, with no other strengths except kindness. If you are willing to give her the title of princess, I welcome you. If you are willing to host our wedding, I welcome you too. However, I want to let you know that this matter will not change the relationship between the Hu Ben Army and the court."

"In addition, from a private perspective, I don't recommend you to follow Chongzhen to be buried with you. To be honest, it's not worth it. The replacement of dynasty is not as difficult as you imagined. When this dynasty can no longer meet its people's needs, it will naturally be abandoned. Just like the Yuan Empire was overthrown by Emperor Taizu. History is just another reincarnation."

Zhang Zhun paused slightly and said slowly.

"Zhang Zhun, do you hate the court so much?"

Zhang Yan slowly calmed down her mood and asked quietly.

From Zhang Zhun, she had already obtained a positive answer, that is, there is no possibility of reconciliation between the Hu Ben Army and the imperial court. No matter how hard Zhang Yan works, this will not be fundamentally changed. The only thing that can be changed is the intensity of the void and the open and secret struggle between the two sides.

Zhang Zhun's eyes were deep, looking at the distant northwest, which was the location of the capital. He said slowly: "To be precise, I hate the person named Zhu Youjian, I hate the entire social system and the people around him. Of course, not including you. Look at who are there around him? Gao Qiqian, Wang Kun, Zhang Yixian, Cao Huachun, Wen Tiren, Yang Sichang, Zhang Fengyi, Liang Tingdong... Which of them are the talents of the pillars? You Zhang Yan asked yourself, do you think they really have the ability to save the court?"

Zhang Yan shook her head and said, "You don't have to tell me this, I don't want to listen."

Zhang Zhun said indifferently: "Since that's the case, why did you come to Dengzhou City? Isn't it better to prepare your three-foot white silk and wait for the ending?"

Zhang Yan suffocated again,

Waiting for the ending?

Waiting for a three-foot white silk hanging on the beam to commit suicide?
Chapter completed!