Chapter 1, The King of a Fallen Nation

The enthralled Emperor Chongzhen, upon hearing a sound, turned around and saw Wang Cheng'en, who was respectfully standing in place with a memorial in hand

A time of many troubles! A time of many troubles indeed!

It is merely the current dire situation that leaves him utterly exhausted.

Since ascending the throne and declaring himself emperor, he has made too many erroneous judgments.

In my memory, the late Ming Dynasty was an era dominated by cattle, horses, snakes, and deities.

The 27th day of the 10th month in the 2nd year of the Chongzhen era, the Forbidden City, the Hall of Supreme Harmony

Emperor Chongzhen displayed a look of surprise, turned to the high-ranking official Gao Qiqian, and extended his hand, saying: "Quickly announce! I wish to summon Sun Chengzong immediately"

In such a situation in the middle, it is no wonder that the tower was stolen by the enemy, the minions were completely wiped out, and various heroes have all come to the mid tower!

Emperor Chongzhen displayed a look of helplessness as he gazed at the cautious Wang Cheng'en, unable to suppress his inner complaints.

The initial transition from a caricatured concept to a more concrete one made him feel somewhat uncomfortable

Emperor Chongzhen appeared somewhat unwell, with a hint of worry reflected in his brows. He casually placed the memorial on the short table beside him and sighed softly, saying: "This battle will not be easy to fight"

Emperor Chongzhen dropped the memorial in his hand and said to Wang Cheng'en, "You, the chief eunuch of the Palace of Ceremonial, what crime could you possibly have? Go and bring me a cup of tea."

Empty talk misleads the nation

Emperor Chongzhen suppressed his anger and muttered a curse under his breath. He then looked at Wang Cheng'en and said: "Wang Daban, where is Sun Chengzong now?"

How did I suddenly travel through time and space?

Return to the Emperor

However, it is not necessary to experience the invasion of the Jianlu bandits right from the start. Emperor Taiji led the Eight Banners of the Jianlu, taking the route through Mongolia, bypassing the boastful Yuan Chonghuan who claimed to have pacified Liaodong for five years. They launched a surprise attack on the Ming Dynasty's Great Wall defense area at Jizhen, and have now breached the defenses, penetrating into the territory of Northern Zhili, threatening Zunhua.

How did I end up traveling through time?

Wang Cheng'en, upon hearing this, lowered his head even further

Here it comes

If Wei Zhongxian had not died, I would have been able to save a great deal of trouble

The weary Emperor Chongzhen sighed at this moment: "The current problem of bandits in Guanzhong has not yet been resolved, and now the Jurchens have invaded North Zhili again.

He has been too credulous of the group of Donglin Party members in the court, as well as the civil officials.

The group of civil officials in the court has lost its deterrent effect, and the court has become completely unbalanced

Fool!

For a moment, his thoughts became hazy, and he wished fervently that this was merely a dream

Donglin Party, party strife, five years of peace in Liao, establishment of the Manchus, frequent disasters, and bandits sweeping across the land

There is not even a single reliable confidant left by my side

Emperor Chongzhen, having taken the teacup, began to drink heartily, chewing on the tea leaves in his mouth. He looked at Wang Cheng'en and said: "Wang Daban, what do you think those ministers in the court are currently thinking?"

Even though Wei Zhongxian held immense power during the Tianqi reign, it is not acceptable to simply resort to killing him

Yu Guang caught sight of the map of North Zhili that he had hung up, which was marked with some strange inscriptions, as well as red and blue paint, causing him to feel suspicious

In his previous life, he was merely an ordinary engineering worker, moonlighting as a non-amateur online writer, with a particular fondness for the history of the late Ming Dynasty. Little did he expect that one day he would find himself transported to that very era.

Isn't it self-defeating to simply and brutally remove Wei Zhongxian from power?

The taxes levied by the court have been decreasing year by year, yet various expenditures have been increasing daily, leaving no choice but to propose an increase in the allocation of silver payments

Well, I... I understand.

The irritable Emperor Chongzhen turned around, picked up the memorial that he had set down, his expression stern, and said in a deep voice: "Those fools in the Ministry of War!"

Upon possessing the body of Chongzhen, upon my initial arrival, I felt a greater sense of confusion and uncertainty regarding the future

Wang Cheng'en respectfully took the tea cup and said cautiously

Give me ... ... Your Majesty.

Given the current environment of the Ming Dynasty, is not doing such things merely exacerbating class conflicts

Especially in the Guanzhong region, this group of unemployed postmen, who have worked diligently and selflessly for the Zhu family for so many years, ultimately faced the outcome of being laid off and dismissed.

Waste

The environment he finds himself in has already confirmed that he has truly traveled through time.

Emperor Chongzhen furrowed his sword-like brows, reached out to take the memorial, and began to peruse it. However, upon seeing the contents above, his mood worsened further.

The revived Donglin Party, under the pretext of rectifying the eunuch faction, began to seize important positions within the court, once again manifesting the dominance of a single party.

Your Majesty, please take a rest for a while

If this can fool the invaders away, then I shall accept it

nonsense

Emperor Chongzhen, gazing at the geographical map before him, furrowed his brow while muttering to himself

Gao Qi Qian cautiously entered the hall, respectfully cupping his hands in salute to Emperor Chongzhen.

Indeed, he is not as good as Wei Zhongxian

Unemployed uncle Li Zicheng, at this time, was likely turning over in his mind, seeking new employment opportunities. Ultimately, unable to endure the poor treatment from the Ming Dynasty, he became a general under Gao Yingxiang's command

These bandits of the Eight Banners are almost at my doorstep, yet you still speak of preserving the imperial body!

What is even more infuriating is that, for a mere few hundred thousand taels of silver, they actually decided to abolish the post stations, resulting in a large number of post runners who relied on the imperial treasury for their livelihood becoming unemployed

The eunuch Cao, leading the Imperial Guards, was waiting on the other side of the Lugou Bridge. Upon seeing Sun Chengzong, he immediately rushed back to the inner court

What can a post station attendant, who has lost all means of livelihood, accomplish?

Very reasonable

Wang Cheng'en approached cautiously, holding a memorial in his hands, bowing slightly as he stepped forward, and respectfully said

Your Majesty, Sun Chengzong has arrived at the Qianqing Palace

He bore all of this.

In recent days, His Majesty has rarely gone to the Wenhua Hall to handle state affairs, remaining in the Qianqing Palace to attend to these matters. Could this be related to the current situation of the war in North Zhili?

Do you think that any random forged memorial submitted to me can be easily passed off?

After all, this is a completely unfamiliar environment for him

Wang Cheng'en, who initially intended to retreat, felt a sudden tightness in his heart and quickly stopped in his tracks, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect and saying: "According to the report from the Eastern Depot, Sun Chengzong has already set out on imperial orders and is currently approaching the Liangxiang area

Party strife

The dream has awakened, and thus it has vanished

Your Majesty, this is the military intelligence regarding the areas of Zunhua and Santunying that you requested

Is it just because I said: "Our Great Ming is invincible under heaven" ?

Looking at Wang Cheng'en kneeling on the ground, the enraged Emperor Chongzhen furrowed his sword-like brows, gazing at the memorial in his hand, his expression turning to one of helplessness

I am guilty!

Get up

At present, to break the deadlock, to avoid following the old path, and to change the structure of the court, only Sun Chengzong can share the heavy burden

This is called making me the king of a doomed nation

This servant obeys your command

Wang Cheng'en's expression changed drastically upon hearing these words, and he lowered his head, not daring to speak. Such words, if spoken carelessly, could bring about a fatal disaster for oneself

Wang Cheng'en trembled as he hurriedly stood up, quickly walking to the side while holding a teacup that still retained some warmth

These are all unavoidable

The Donglin Party, oh the Donglin Party, has already been thoroughly suppressed by Wei Zhongxian, yet how is it that you still do not learn from your lessons!

Seeing his own emperor in a fit of rage, Wang Cheng'en could not help but be greatly alarmed, directly kneeling down on the ground, his body trembling like a sieve, clearly indicating that he had already guessed in his heart that the memorial submitted by the Ministry of War was false

Seeing Emperor Chongzhen's serious expression as he stood with his hands down, Wang Cheng'en approached with a worried look and softly advised: "Your Majesty, you must take care of your health, at this moment..."

How did the Ming Dynasty raise these rice weevils

Chongzhen, this brother who has been both praised and criticized throughout history, will no longer suffer, will no longer be suspicious, will no longer be deceived, will no longer have to replace dozens of cabinet ministers, ... will no longer have to endure hanging from a crooked tree ...

I am unaware

You take away my iron rice bowl, I will create a rebellion against you!

It is now fine

Currently, the urgent military situation arising from the conflict along the Great Wall defense line north of the Changhe River in the region of North Zhili, particularly in the areas of Zunhua and Santunhe, has already caused unrest among the populace in the capital region, leading to growing unease within the imperial court

Isn't that driven by resentment towards the Ming Dynasty, plunging into the fervent uprising movement