In fact, Chongzhen did have many memorials to be processed. The memorials on his desk were all transferred from the cabinet today. This is the amount of a day, not the amount accumulated. Since he ascended the throne, Chongzhen has insisted on reviewing the memorials every day, never night, unless he is sick, he can't even pick up the pen.

Generally speaking, before the memorial arrives at the emperor, there will be instructions from the cabinet to draw up a general handling opinion. After the emperor read it, he felt that there was nothing to modify, so he would just read it. Some emperors even failed to read it themselves and directly handed the memorial to the Sili Supervisor for processing. Liu Jin and Wei Zhongxian's power was extremely inflated.

However, after Chongzhen ascended the throne, he had to personally give instructions after the cabinet's instructions. The reason was very simple, and he could not trust the cabinet. Of course, this was tacit and no one would say it. Chongzhen changed fifty cabinet ministers and fifteen ministers of the Ministry of Justice in 17 years. The changes of ministers were so frequent, how could the cabinet maintain the normal operation?

Because Chongzhen was too hardworking, the cabinet's instructions were basically not responsible, and some were even scolded by Chongzhen. Gradually, the cabinet was too lazy to give instructions, and the memorial was transferred directly to Chongzhen. Chongzhen was not afraid of hard work. As long as there were memorials, they had to be processed before going to bed. Because there were too many memorials, he could only sleep for less than two hours a day.

The memorials transferred from the cabinet were divided into several color labels, representing different types. The red one was military affairs, the blue one was civil affairs, the yellow one was royal family member, the blue one was sent by the Jinyiwei, and the purple one was sent by the Dongchang. There were other colors, which were different.

The most common ones placed on the desk now are red. This fully shows that in the Chongzhen Dynasty, military struggle was the top priority. After 267 years, the Ming Dynasty was already in turmoil. Outside the pass and inside the pass, there was a turmoil.

The Tartars in the Northeast were fierce and fierce, and they became stronger and stronger. Not only did they control the land of Liaodong, they also went deep into the Ming Dynasty to loot. For the Tartars, the Ming army had basically no counterattack power and could only passively defend. The initiative in the war was completely in the hands of the Tartars.

A considerable number of these red memorials were sent from the front lines of Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan. The information showed that the Tartars in Liaodong began to show signs of activeness again, but they didn't know what the Tartars were preparing to do. Gao Qiqian, the Liaodong military supervisor, then reached out to ask Chongzhen for money and food and increased the number of troops, but was scolded by Chongzhen for being "spoiled".

The civil unrest in Shaanxi was not very good. Hong Chengchou was capable, and Lu Xiangsheng was capable. Chongzhen asked the two to work hard to suppress the civil unrest as soon as possible. However, the two of them continued to launch attacks and indeed killed many riot troops, but they had no way to wipe them out. Because the riot troops attacked everywhere and were wandering, it was impossible to encircle them all together.

The chaos in Shaanxi is typical of wildfires that cannot be burned out, and the spring breeze is blowing. The Ming army missed a great opportunity like the Truck Gorge, and there was no such good opportunity in the subsequent battle. Because the chaos army was too cunning, the official army suffered certain losses. Among them, the biggest loss was Cao Wenzhao's death.

Cao Wenzhao was a native of Datong, Shanxi. He joined the army in Liaodong, followed Xiong Tingbi, Yuan Chonghuan and others to fight against the Later Jin army. He served as a guerrilla and general. In July of the third year of Chongzhen (1630), he was promoted to the deputy general of Yansui East Road. In April of the following year, he killed Wang Jiayin, the leader of the rebel army, and promoted to the general of Lintao for his merits. He then defeated many peasant armies in Shaanxi and Jin, and was ordered to control the generals of Shaanxi and Shanxi. Later he was transferred to Datong.

In July of the seventh year of Chongzhen, the Tatars invaded Datong, and Cao Wenzhao defended Huairen. Because he lost his territory, he became a border guard for serving as a border guard. The governor of Shanxi, Wu Qi, recommended him to be the general officer of the aid and suppression, and made his contributions to redeem himself. On June 28, the eighth year of Chongzhen, he was surrounded by peasant troops in Qiutou Town, Zhenning (now Zhengning, Gansu) and committed suicide.

Fortunately, in terms of the overall situation, the official army still had the upper hand. The Shaanxi chaos army could no longer gather hundreds of thousands of troops like when he was in Henan that day. Cao Wenzhao's death was just an accident. Chongzhen ordered Cao Wenzhao to be buried with great pleasure to inspire the morale of other official troops.

And there is also Zhang Zhun from Shandong...

When Chongzhen thought of Zhang Zhun, he became a little annoyed.

He realized that he was already kind enough to Zhang Zhun. He tacitly granted his accomplice to admiring the military affairs of the two prefectures and one town. This was a power that the general officers had never had since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and even many ministers and powerful officials could not do it. However, Zhang Zhun was still not satisfied. Zhang Zhun actually ran to Hejian Mansion again. What did Zhang Zhun come to Hejian Mansion for? Idiots all know that he was a drunk man and was not drunk!

This Zhang Zhun is really a disaster. The court was really worried if he didn't completely eliminate him. I hope Wu Sangui and Xu Dingguo could drive Zhang Zhun out. However, when he thought of the head of the Tartars sent by Zhang Zhun, Chongzhen felt very conflicted. In the Ming Dynasty, there seemed to be no one who could fight like Zhang Zhun. If Zhang Zhun could help deal with the Tartars, that would be great!

"Um?"

Suddenly, Chongzhen saw a memorial. Perhaps the content of the memorial was a bit abrupt, and Chongzhen couldn't help but look surprised. But after reading the memorial, his brows couldn't help but tighten together.

This memorial was sent by Shi Kefa. Shi Kefa got information from Zhang Zhun that the Tartars were about to invade. After returning to the capital, he immediately reported it to the Ministry of War and asked the Ministry of War to verify it. However, Zhang Fengyi, the Minister of War, did not believe it at all, and even mocked Shi Kefa for meddling in other people's business. In anger, Shi Kefa simply wrote a memorial and sent it directly to the emperor.

Logically speaking, this is not in accordance with the rules. Shi Kefa does not care about military affairs, and is a sixth-rank official, not a censor. According to conventional methods, it is impossible to send the memorial to the emperor. Such memorials will be intercepted in the cabinet. If there is no accident, Shi Kefa will be held accountable. However, it may be because the content of the memorial was really a bit terrifying, and the cabinet did not dare to intercept it, so it was sent to Chongzhen.

"Huang Taiji..."

Chongzhen gritted his teeth and said to himself.

Every time the Tartar invaded, it was equivalent to slapping Chongzhen hard. Of course, there was no need to express his hatred for the slave chief Huang Taiji. If the Tartars really launched the third invasion, Chongzhen would be beaten hard again. Such a thing would never be allowed to happen. He still remembered the first two Tartars invasions. It was an unforgettable shame, a shame that he could not bear.

"Call Wen Tiren."

Chongzhen suddenly shouted.

Wang Chengen hurriedly sent the eunuch to invite someone.

Due to Chongzhen's super diligence, he had to review memorials until late at night every day, which led to the cabinet keeping people on duty every night. Several major officials in the cabinet took turns to wait. It is said that the most difficult cabinet in the Ming Dynasty was the cabinet of Chongzhen. It is not only hard, but also dangerous. Life is in danger anytime and anywhere.

The person on duty in the cabinet tonight was Wen Tiren. Soon, Wen Tiren arrived and was given a seat after a simple ceremony. Because he often talked with the emperor, Wen Tiren was naturally familiar with everything about the Western Nuan Pavilion so much that he could not be familiar with it. Wen Tiren was a talented person, reacted very quickly and had a very good eloquence. After sitting down, he carefully observed Chongzhen's expression. He found nothing unusual and immediately felt completely relieved.

Chongzhen handed him Shi Kefa's memorial directly, frowned and said, "Changqing, what do you think of Shi Kefa's memorial?"

Wen Tiren said concisely: "Sensational, you must be careful."

Chongzhen said with a gloomy face: "Speak carefully."

Wen Tiren said in a casual manner: "I have also received rumors that the Tartars were about to invade. I have also sent someone to investigate. The rumors spread from Zhending Prefecture and Baoding Prefecture. Many local people believed it. A large number of people, worried about being harmed by the Tartars, fled south. The local government could not stop it. However, there was no definite information from the Ministry of War and Liaodong, so I dare not draw a conclusion."

Chongzhen said indifferently: "Shi Kefa got information from Zhang Zhun."

Wen Tiren said meaningfully: "Your Majesty, what if it was Zhang Ni's plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain?"

Chongzhen's face became more and more gloomy.

Wen Tiren's words hit his heartache. If the information was transferred by someone else, Chongzhen might believe it. However, the information was obtained from Zhang Zhun, and Chongzhen would be highly suspicious. If he mobilized the troops from the capital to support the border and Zhang Zhun led his army to raid the capital, wouldn't the capital fall? After pondering for a moment, Chongzhen slowly said: "You still need to be careful. Order the localities to transfer more troops to maintain the capital."

Wen Tiren was silent for a moment and said tactfully: "Master, will Jiangnan escort the autumn grain into Beijing as soon as possible? If the training of the various places comes, there will be insufficient food and grass, and the ministers are worried..."

Chongzhen was suddenly a little angry and subconsciously said, "Qiaoqi has not yet entered Beijing? Didn't he urge Yang Yipeng last time? Does he want to be the same as Liu Rongsi?"

Wang Chengen next to him couldn't help but feel a little shocked. The emperor was angry and was about to arrest someone again. Wen Tiren was uneasy and pointed his finger at Yang Yipeng, the governor of the grain transportation. But the emperor trusted Wen Tiren so much, and he was really helpless.

On the third day of the September 19th year of Chongzhen, Liu Rongsi, the Governor of the River Road, was arrested and imprisoned. In the past, Liu Rongsi felt that Luoma Lake was silted and the grain transportation was not running, so he proposed to move from Suzhou to Xuzhou to dig Xinhe, and divert the Yellow River water into it to open the Cao Road. This project cost a total of 500,000 taels of silver and excavated more than 200 miles of Xinhe.

Among them, Pizhou is the old path of the Yellow River. It is about a foot deep, and it is sand. It is dug into a river. After passing through the sand, the rivers are flattened again. There are four such people. When the Yellow River water is drawn into it, the waves flow rapidly and the sand follows the water, so the silt shallow boats. When the canal boats are about to arrive, the collapse of Luoma Lake is about to level, and the boatmen are unwilling to go to Xinhe.

Liu Rongsi personally went to supervise him, wanting to use military law, but those who entered were suffering from shallow silt and complained. Ni Yuyi, the censor of the grain inspector, impeached him and lost his work. Cao Jingsan, the chief minister of Nanjing, repeatedly impeached him, and was imprisoned and died of illness. Later, Luomahu collapsed again and sailed on the new river. Everyone thought of Liu Rongsi's merits.

In fact, Liu Rongsi was arrested and imprisoned because of Wen Tiren. As long as there is a project, there will be oil and water, let alone a river project? Wen Tiren wanted to interfere in the river, but was rejected by Yang Yipeng. Wen Tiren then instructed his subordinates to expose Liu Rongsi and get rid of Yang Yipeng's right-hand assistant. However, Wen Tiren's ultimate goal was still Yang Yipeng, the governor of the canal transportation.

Sure enough, Wen Tiren said calmly: "Yang Yipeng said that the river water in winter is shallow..."

Chongzhen was furious and before Wen Tiren finished speaking, he shouted sternly: "Issue an order! Yang Yipeng will escort the autumn grain into Beijing before the end of the year! Otherwise, the law will be done!"

A sinister smile flashed in Wen Tiren's eyes, and he immediately volunteered to draw an order. Wang Chengen next to him saw it and couldn't help but shake his head quietly in his heart. Chongzhen was too eager for quick success and instant benefits, and was impatient, and he didn't care about his subordinates' feelings at all. It was a fact that the river water was shallow. It was impossible to sail. Even if Yang Yipeng had great skills, he could not deliver autumn grains in time. Wen Tiren took the opportunity to mobilize Yang Yipeng, just to control the position of the Governor of the Valley Transportation.

It should be known that Wen Tiren came up by attacking Zhou Yanru. Zhou Yanru was a member of the Donglin Party. This Yang Yipeng had a very close relationship with the Donglin Party. After the repeal of Yang Yipeng, the Donglin Party would have one more general in the court. Wen Tiren wanted to take over the power and all the Donglin Party members must be cleaned up.

In the past year, Wen Tiren has eliminated two opponents. One is Wen Zhenmeng and the other is Zheng Man. Wen Zhenmeng was originally the left minister of the Ministry of Rites and the Grand Secretary of the East Pavilion, and ranked fourth in the cabinet. He was incompatible with the chief assistant Wen Tiren and repeatedly accused Wen Tiren of committing favoritism and fraud. Wen Tiren said bad things about Wen Zhenmeng many times in front of the emperor. Emperor Chongzhen did not distinguish right from wrong, and angrily accused Wen Zhenmeng of "discipline for personal gain", and he seized his official position on the seventh day of November and returned home. Zheng Man was originally the Shandong Censor and had always had a good relationship with Wen Zhenmeng. This time Wen Zhenmeng was dismissed, and Zheng Man was also implicated.

Wen Tiren planned an imperial edict and handed it over to Chongzhen for a look. After Chongzhen looked at it, he found no problem, so he handed it over to Wang Chengen. Wang Chengen took the jade seal expressionlessly and covered it on the imperial edict. At this point, the imperial edict could be issued. Wen Tiren defeated his purpose, so he said goodbye and left. However, Chongzhen continued to review the memorial.
Chapter completed!