With a click, the chess pieces landed lightly on the chessboard. A chess game is being fought to the point where it is difficult to solve. However, the two people playing chess seem to be a pair of stinky chess baskets. Because the places where they play are in the middle of the belly, a large area of black and white chess pieces is strangled together, and the four moves are sparse, and the turf in the corners seems to be completely ignored.

The two who are playing against each other are the father and son, it is Emperor Chongzhen and Zhu Cihong, the prince of Fujun. Recently, the relationship between the two fathers and sons has improved somewhat, and Zhu Cihong, who has money in hand, gives gifts to Emperor Chongzhen every once in a while - all of them are good treasures from the four Huaiyang salt masters, some of which are produced in China and some are imported from the West.

And Emperor Chongzhen's favorite is Western clocks! This thing is a black technology thing at the end of the Ming Dynasty! The high-quality things from the hands of Western watch masters are expensive, where is the Chongzhen Emperor who picks the door willing to buy them? And he was also afraid that people would say that he was a plaything, and he didn't even dare to play with the Western clocks and watches collected in the palace and the Apocalypse.

But how can the clocks of Wanli and Tianqi be compared with the things in the salt merchants in Yangzhou? There's nothing like ......

And Chongzhen is also self-indulgent now, not afraid of people saying that he has lost his mind and morality, the more he loses, the safer he is!

So you have no scruples, you can play whatever you like!

While slowly declining, Emperor Chongzhen still did not give up the idea of returning to power. In order to lead the Ming Dynasty one day, Emperor Chongzhen not only used his morale to protect himself, but also quietly learned his son's statecraft......

Although Zhu Cihong is treacherous and cruel, his methods are still very powerful! Not only can they firmly grasp the military power and financial power, but they can also govern the first minister, corrupt officials, anti-thieves, profiteers and warlords with evil intentions!

Although there are basically no good people in the court he controls except for the saint who has been set aside, that is, Chongzhen himself, I have to admit that under the governance of this group of villains, Daming does have signs of Zhongxing......

Is the way to govern the country is to use bad people?

Just when Emperor Chongzhen was playing against his son, he comprehended the way of governing the country. Another bad guy named Li Yan walked in under the guidance of Feng Sizhong, and before he could salute, he was seen by Zhu Cihong.

"The military advisor is here? You don't have to salute, come and talk...... Pang Banban, move a chair for the military advisor. ”

Zhu Cihong was not polite, he didn't treat himself as a prince at all, he directly made decisions for Emperor Chongzhen, and also instructed Da Jue Pang Tianshou, who served Emperor Chongzhen, to do things.

This Pang Tianshou was originally the great master of the Imperial Horse Supervisor, and he was working in Nanjing before the fall of Beijing. So it's not Zhu Cihong's person. When Chongzhen and Zhu Cihong arrived in Yangzhou, he came from Nanjing to defect.

Zhu Cihong had a big heart, and he didn't doubt him, so he asked him to replace Cao Huachun, who was suffering for a long time, to serve Chongzhen - Cao Huachun was used to enjoying it and wouldn't serve people anymore! And now he is also a hero of overcoming difficulties, and he has been crowned a martyr Jing Haibo, what kind of eunuch is he still a eunuch?

Li Yan didn't twist either, and sat directly on the chair brought by Eunuch Pang, which made Emperor Chongzhen's brows furrow.

Such a robber scholar, who has no rules at all, how can he become a military advisor...... Shouldn't the military advisor be like Zhuge Liang? How can a robber be a robber?

"Strategist, what's going on over there in Runing?"

It turned out that on the way south from Yanzhou, Zhu Cihong sent the Red Lady, Feng San and Chen Yingyuan to Runing Mansion together, and also brought 2,000 new troops, 300,000 taels of silver, and the order of the remnants of the Liukou and the Dabie Mountain Bandits in the vicinity of Zhao'an Runing Mansion.

Runing Mansion was once also occupied by Li Zicheng's people, but now Li Zicheng is shrinking his forces and preparing for a decisive battle with the Qing army, so Runing Mansion, which is a leftover material for Dashun, has gradually given up.

"Chitose Lord," Li Yan said with a smile, "The thieves south of the Huai River are almost gone, and now Gushi, Gwangju, Mall, Guangshan, Luoshan and Xinyang are all in our hands!" If King Tang can become a vassal as soon as possible, the Runing Mansion will soon be able to settle down! ”

Zhu Cihong nodded, and suddenly turned his gaze to Emperor Chongzhen, who was bowing his head to study the chess game: "Father, what do you think?" ”

"What?" Chongzhen was stunned for a moment and looked up at his son.

Zhu Cihong smiled, "Father, do you think we should let King Tang go to Runing to become a vassal domain?" ”

Chongzhen was stunned and stunned: I wasn't overshadowed by the rebels, how could I still care about the affairs of the Tang Dynasty? Is the rebel son tempting me?

"You don't have to ask me about this," Chongzhen said, "Brother is in charge." ”

Chongzhen will also be deceived now, and he can pretend that he doesn't care about politics......

Of course, Zhu Cihong understood that this faint old father was pretending, and said with a smile: "The matter of canonizing the vassal king is not trivial, and it still requires the father's holy decree." Moreover, Runing, which Tang Fan is going to this time, is extremely important to half of the Ming Dynasty, and it is almost the same as Denglai. As long as Runing is not lost and Denglai is not dead, Jianghuai's defense will be impregnable! ”

"Really?" Emperor Chongzhen was noncommittal.

Zhu Cihong picked up a chess piece, gently knocked on the chessboard in front of him, and said: "This Jianghuai defense is like the chess game in front of you, Fengyang, Huai'an, Xuzhou, Yangzhou This is the middle section, it looks extremely important, but the place that really determines the outcome is in the corner!" That is, Denglai, Xiangyang, Runing. Now Denglai is firm and stable, and there is Lu Fan sitting on Taiyi Mountain, so it should be safe. But Xiangyang is in the hands of the rogues, and he is unable to recover for the time being. Therefore, Runing and Wuchang have become the barrier of Gongwei Jianghuai's flank, once lost, the northern army will go down the river and reach Jinling! ”

"Is it that important?" Emperor Chongzhen frowned.

His faint monarch is "pretended", and he can't watch half of the screen in the south of the Yangtze River disappear!

"Your Majesty," Li Yan on the side took over Emperor Chongzhen's question and explained, "Runing relies on Dabie, depends on Huaishui, the terrain is dangerous, and the folk customs have always been strong. The so-called Huaixi strongmen, a considerable part of which came from the Runing area. If Runing is in the hands of the imperial court, and there is a vassal king to guard it. Then the Huaixi strongmen can be owned by the country, and the mountains of Dabie can become the barrier of the country. Even if the thieves go down the river from Xiangyang Fuhan, they will be controlled by Runing's soldiers, and they will not be able to let go of their hands and feet.

Moreover, the soldiers of Runing can not only defend, but also attack! Runing Mansion belongs to Henan, to the north is the boundary of Kaifeng Prefecture, and to the west is the boundary of Nanyang Prefecture. If there are 20,000 strong soldiers in Runing, then the enemies of Kaifeng and Nanyang will be difficult to sleep! ”

"Father, as long as King Tang can suppress Runing, the western front of Jianghuai will be able to sit back and relax!" Zhu Cihong said with a smile, "And if Denglai and Taiyi are not lost, Jianghuai's eastern front will be stable." The east and west lines are stable, and we can enjoy peace and prosperity in Nanjing! ”

What the? Do you want to enjoy it in Nanjing? Chongzhen was really a little disappointed, but he still nodded, "Since that's the case, then I'll make an order......"

He spoke very slowly, and peeked at Zhu Cihong.

Seriously, he'd love to make it happen!

Emperor Chongzhen has already seen that Zhu Cihong is not an ordinary rebel, but a rebel of Li Shimin's level! If he is allowed to control the government for a long time, he will not let himself, the Ming monarch, speak out. It won't be long before the people of the world forget their existence......

Zhu Cihong smiled: "The Tang King has to be escorted by the lords to look grand!" ”

"Oh," Chongzhen nodded, "Who does Brother want to go?" ”

"Erchen wants to let Huaiyuan Marquis Chang Yanling and Sincerity Bo Liu Kongzhao escort the Tang King to the domain." Zhu Cihong said with a smile, "Chang Yanling is already in Yangzhou, but Liu Kongzhao is still in Nanjing, and my father will not make a will, let him come to Yangzhou to meet him." ”

What the? Emperor Chongzhen's heart suddenly sounded the alarm bell! The rebel son originally wanted to use the Tang Dynasty to become a vassal and disintegrate Nanjing's loyal ministers!

Zhu Cihong looked at the cheap father and said with a smile: "Father...... Do you really want to watch the Xing Dynasty and the Nanjing Honors meet each other?

We are now in the autumn of crisis, and we can't afford to have any more infighting! Now the Xing Dynasty has a clear advantage, and Nanjing's nobles and ministers are at a disadvantage. However, Erchen has always been lenient, as long as they are willing to bow their heads, Erchen will not be guilty of the past. ”

I see...... Emperor Chongzhen thought to himself: This rebel son turned out to be a soldier who wanted to surrender without a fight! No, this rebel is cunning, he must be cheating again, those loyal ministers in Nanjing are more auspicious!