Wuchang, Huguang Governor's Office.

Du Yinxi was paced back and forth in the middle hall, his eyebrows were filled with sorrow.

A few days ago, he received a secret decree from Nanjing, and the emperor ordered him to always pay attention to the situation in Huguang and to surrender the remaining troops of the Shun Army if necessary.

This imperial edict was not a clear edict issued through the official channels of the cabinet and the six departments, but a central edict.

If it were other civil officials, they could directly refuse to accept the orders, so as to show their integrity and not fear the imperial power.

But Du Yinxi didn't. He knew very well what the emperor sent him this secret decree.

The current situation in Huguang can be described as a word of chaos.

There was Zuo Liangyu's mutiny in front, and Li Chuang behind, and Jianlu invaded one after another.

Du Yinxi used a knife to remove the firewood from the bottom of a pot, instigated Jin Shenghuan and Ma Jinzhong, and cooperated with Yuan Jixian. Huang Degong then quelled the rebellion of the Left Army.

The emperor was so kind that Du Yinxi was ordered to serve as the governor of Huguang.

These days, Du Yinxi was full of thoughts on how to reorganize various battalions and rectify defense. After all, Ajige's army was still pursuing Li Zicheng near Tongshan County, Huguang. Once the Qing army solved the problem of Li Chuang, it was likely that he would turn around and attack the Huguang prefectures.

At this time, the emperor issued a secret decree to order Du Yinxi to find an opportunity to surrender the remaining troops of the Shun Army. This imperial decree is very intriguing.

For the Ming Dynasty, Li Zicheng was undoubtedly a traitor. No matter how many reasons he found, he would not be forgiven for raising troops and causing chaos.

What's more, Li Zicheng also led a large army to attack Shenjing, forcing Emperor Lie to death...

It should be said that no one hates Li Zicheng more than Dang Tianzi. If Li Chuang had not caused trouble, how could Jianlu have the opportunity to take down Shanhaiguan and then get involved in the mountains and rivers in the north?

So for the emperor, Li Zicheng must die, and he could not accept Li Zicheng's surrender in any form.

Then he contacted the secret decree sent by the emperor, Du Yinxi realized it for a moment.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Li Zicheng is now a stray dog ​​and was chased by the Qing army to Jiugong Mountain. It is only a matter of time before he fails and dies.

So, does the emperor’s attention to the situation in Huguang in the imperial edict mean that he is paying attention to the situation in Jiugongshan?

Or the emperor asked Du Yinxi to keep an eye on when Li Zicheng would die. Once Li Zicheng died, it would be when Du Yinxi took action to surrender the remaining troops of the Shun Army?

The more Du Yinxi thought about it, the more he felt that the emperor was like this.

For the emperor, Li Zicheng was undoubtedly an enemy who killed his father and lord. As long as Li Zicheng lived for one day, the emperor would not be able to surrender to the Shun Army. Otherwise, even if the civil and military officials in the court did not say anything, the emperor would not be able to overcome the hurdle in his heart.

If Li Zicheng dies, he can all blame Li Zicheng for raising troops and forcing Emperor Lie to death. The other generals of the Shun Army will only blindly follow, and the blame will be much smaller.

What the emperor really valued was the troops of the Shun Army. After all, compared with most of the official troops in Huguang, the combat effectiveness of the remnants of the Shun Army was significantly higher than that of one level.

Once Li Zicheng dies, the Shun Army will definitely be divided. If the court surrenders at this time, the possibility of them surrendering is still very high.

Let’s not talk about Zhang Xianzhong from Sichuan. This battle for the world will most likely start between the Ming Dynasty and the Jianlu.

Taking advantage of all opportunities to attract good generals to improve their strength is very important for the Ming Dynasty. As a major grain-producing province, Huguang will inevitably covet its own strength, and there is a great possibility of a war breaking out here in the future. Du Yinxi must prepare early.

Of course, all this is Du Yinxi's inference, and the emperor did not make it clear in the imperial edict. If Du Yinxi failed the matter, the emperor would not have any damage to his reputation. Everything was Du Yinxi's own contempt.

This reminded Du Yinxi of Chen Xinjia back then.

As the Minister of War, Chen Xinjia secretly sent someone to discuss the matter of peace talks with the Donglu. Later, his servant accidentally handed over the secret letter to the peace talks as a report to the various yamen for copying.

This incident immediately caused an uproar in the court. A group of court officials submitted memorials and impeachments, requesting Emperor Chongzhen to execute Chen Xinjia.

Emperor Chongzhen wanted to suppress this matter at first, and he kept all the memorials of impeachment of Chen Xinjia.

But later, there were too many court officials who impeached Chen Xinjia, and even Emperor Chongzhen could not withstand the pressure and finally issued an order to execute Chen Xinjia.

In addition to secretly communicating with the East Lieutenant to negotiate peace, there is another one charge, that is, the loss of the relatives.

At that time, a total of seven princes were executed after being conquered by the peasant army. Emperor Chongzhen also placed this crime on Chen Xinjia.

Strictly speaking, there is nothing wrong with this. After all, Chen Xinjia's official position at this time was the Minister of War and he was responsible for military affairs across the country.

But the real reason why Emperor Chongzhen wanted to kill Chen Xinjia was that he needed a scapegoat to push the jar.

After all, it is not the emperor's idea to negotiate peace with the Donglu.

Chen Xinjia was beheaded in the market on September 22, the 15th year of Chongzhen. Almost no one in the court sympathized with him except for a few people including Zhou Yanru.

This is how you do things for the emperor. You must be trembling as if you are walking on thin ice in the abyss.

If you take a wrong step, you may be pushed out as a scapegoat.

Du Yinxi's current situation is actually very similar to Chen Xinjia back then.

Although the emperor ordered them to do something completely different in nature, it is essentially not made public or secret.

His Majesty the Emperor could not tell the people of the world that it was not that I did not want to surrender to the remaining troops of the Shun Army, but because Li Zicheng was not dead, and my revenge for killing my father was not avenged, so it was impossible to surrender to them. As long as Li Zicheng was killed, I will order people to surrender to his remaining troops, right?

If that were the case, where was the Regal?

Therefore, someone must be willing to do this for the emperor, and no news can be leaked.

The emperor finally chose Du Yinxi.

Du Yinxi was both worried and happy about this.

What he was happy about was that the emperor trusted him very much and gave him such important and secret matters to do. It proved that Du Yinxi had already achieved the goal of being a master in the emperor's heart and became the most important minister in the emperor's heart.

What he was worried about was that if the matter was done, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility. If an ordinary mediocre minister, the emperor will naturally not let them do such an important thing, but they will not be in danger of life.

This is also the reason why there are many mediocre ministers during the Chongzhen period.

If you don’t seek merit, you just want to be without mistakes. If you can make money every day, you will be an official and make money every day. When you retire, you will return to your hometown to live a happy life.

What does family, country and the world have to do with them?

However, Du Yinxi could not tolerate himself becoming one of these mediocre ministers.

Nowadays, state affairs are difficult, and more loyal ministers and generals need to stand up, rather than shirk their responsibilities when they encounter problems.

Du Yinxi knew very well that if this matter was done, Chen Xinjia would be his fate.

But he decided to try his best to promote the surrender of the Shun Army.

After all, this is a great thing that benefits the country and the people. He tried his best to do it for a hundred years and would not leave any regrets.

.....
Chapter completed!