"At this time, you don't need to be so polite. I'm just here to see the loyal and brave men of our Ming Dynasty. The prince-in-law has already told me that you are all the elites of our Ming Dynasty's army and the leaders of our country.

A pillar of strength, a loyal minister who will never change." Chongzhen looked around, his tone was calm, and he comforted him in a gentle voice:

"It is true that the strong wind knows the strength of the grass, and the distance of the road knows the strength of the horse. Only when the country is in crisis can we see the true loyalty. When I come to Nanjing in the future, I will never treat you badly, and I will not give you any promotions, gold or silver rewards.

Cherish.”

On this trip south, the only people Chongzhen could rely on were these soldiers and generals. Therefore, even though he was the emperor, he did not dare to show any neglect. Encouragement and promises were indispensable. At least the pie had to be drawn first.

And these dozens of officers, after listening to Emperor Chongzhen's words, were also inspired and their hearts were surging. As I said again, the opportunity to be escorted by the dragon is probably only once in this life!

It can only be said that once Emperor Chongzhen opened his mouth, these two sentences alone were more effective than what Zhou Shixian said no matter how much he said.

The status of Zhou Shixian's consort and Li Banghua's imperial envoy was not enough, but Emperor Chongzhen only needed one sentence, which was enough.

Now that Emperor Chongzhen has appeared, there is no need to discuss the matter of recruiting elite soldiers from the four military commanders to form a "military/guard camp". There are even officers vying to go, such as Sun Hu and Weng Dajie.

The two of them even wanted to take the opportunity to show off.

However, at this time, Zhou Shixian suddenly asked Liu Xin, who had shrunk aside:

"General Liu, Your Majesty is here, do you still want to sneak away on the road with your military pay and food?"

When Liu Xin heard this, his heart suddenly tightened, and he immediately realized that Zhou Shixian's spy was around him. His legs went weak, and he quickly knelt down, not daring to hide it anymore, and begged for mercy: "Prince-in-law, please spare your life, I will be obsessed with you for a moment.

Never again."

Of course Liu Xin did not dare to hide it. At this time, Emperor Chongzhen was right in front of him. If he said something wrong, it would be the crime of deceiving the emperor. Even if he lost his head because of it, it would not be unjust.

Moreover, there is a traitor all around, so what's the point of making excuses?

Liu Xin still understood this truth. Now he could only hope to escort him south. It was the right time to hire someone, and Chongzhen could forgive him and let him perform meritorious service.

"That's why you have repeatedly obstructed my consort, right or wrong?" Zhou Shixian asked again.

"Your Majesty, Wei Chen was confused for a moment. Your Majesty, please spare Wei Chen. Wei Chen will never dare to do it again." Liu Xin crawled directly towards Emperor Chongzhen, crying and begging as he climbed.

However, before he could climb a few steps, he was stopped by Wang Chaodong. How could Zhou Shixian let such a person get close to Chongzhen at this time?

However, what Liu Xin never expected, and what was beyond everyone's expectations, was that Emperor Chongzhen, who was originally sitting on top, suddenly said:

"I have already left all matters in the army to my prince-in-law. From now on, when generals see my prince-in-law, they must treat me as if they are seeing me, and they must not offend me!"

"Your Majesty!" Zhou Shixian naturally wanted to evade it first.

"Shixian, I don't know as much about military affairs as you do. How should this matter be handled? You will personally preside over it and make sure that people are convinced and don't let me down." Emperor Chongzhen said again.

"I accept the order!" Zhou Shixian couldn't shirk anymore at this time, so he responded immediately.

But this time, as soon as Emperor Chongzhen opened his mouth, no one dared to make any noise. The only response to Emperor Chongzhen was the sound of cloth rubbing together and a neat "hey" made by the officers who raised their hands and cupped their fists.

They all understood what this meant. Emperor Chongzhen wanted to hand over the command of the entire escort army to his consort Zhou Shixian. What kind of trust and favor this must have!

Chongzhen reigned for seventeen years and Ming Dynasty lasted for nearly three hundred years. When was there such a precedent?

At this moment, the officers present all understood the truth - there is absolutely nothing wrong with following the unfathomable prince-in-law in front of you.

After all, they are just small soldiers and generals in the Beijing camp. They are not the military leaders in western Liaoning who command thousands of troops and have seen the world. They are not the peasant army who rebelled early and later accepted the recruitment. To them, Emperor Chongzhen

, full of intimidation.

"Your Majesty, the guilty general Liu Xin not only did not want to serve the country when the country was in crisis, but instead conspired to lead his soldiers to wait for an opportunity to escape from the escorting army. Once this happens, it will definitely cause the morale of the army to collapse.

Fortunately, the soldiers and generals under his command were all loyal to the country and sacrificed their lives to thank the emperor for his kindness. They all sternly refused, so such disasters were not allowed to happen."

Zhou Shixian wanted to deal with Liu Xin, but he didn't want to kill too many people, so he had to take out the others when convicting Liu Xin. In this way, the military leader was isolated.

With that said, he took another step closer and shouted sternly: "Liu Xin, the Holy Spirit has opened his mouth. Do you admit this crime or not?"

"Your Majesty, it's not like this, it's not like this, he, he, and he, the three of them also agreed that night, not just Wei Chen."

Knowing that he could not escape, Liu Xin cried out and pointed at the officers under his command behind him, as if he was planning to drag more people into the water, so as not to blame everyone: "There is also Kong Tao, the minister asked him that night, he

..."

"What the hell, you bastard is such a mouthy bastard!" Kong Tao didn't wait for Liu Xin to finish his words. As soon as he got angry, he rushed up and beat Liu Xin, completely forgetting that Emperor Chongzhen was still here.

"Bold, Your Majesty is here, who dares to roar?"

Zhou Shixian immediately shouted to stop the chaos. Sun Hu and Weng Dajie also hurriedly stepped forward to stop Kong Tao. However, the three officers who had just been pointed out by Liu Xin were simply at a loss for the moment and hurriedly knelt down.

At this time, in front of Zhou Shixian's big tent outside the city, most of the generals and officers escorting the army gathered here. Xue Laoer, Zhang Hong, Wu Xingye, and Wang Chaodong, the four old men with stable positions, were all observing with cold eyes.

Just in case something unexpected happens.

The three newcomers, Sun Hu, Weng Dajie, and Kong Tao, as well as the officers behind them, were nervous, fearing that they would be affected by this matter.

Emperor Chongzhen looked like he was watching a play. He did not show timidity in such a scene, but rather he was curious about how Zhou Shixian would handle it in order to convince everyone.

"Shixian, have you investigated this matter clearly?" Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand, signaling Sun Hu and Weng Dajie to let them go, and then frowned and asked.

At this time, Chongzhen showed his power as a king for seventeen years, and the situation was brought under control in an instant.

"Your Majesty, I have found out clearly that Liu Xin is a slanderer now." Zhou Shixian replied without changing his expression, cupping his hands and cupping his fists.

As soon as these words came out, not only Kong Tao, but also the three officers who had just been pointed at suddenly breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time they all glared at Liu Xin's back.

"Your Majesty..." Liu Xin was in a state of embarrassment at this time, with runny nose and tears, but he still wanted to quibble.

"Shut up, you are such a coward. When did I ask you a question?" Emperor Chongzhen shouted angrily, and then turned to look at Zhou Shixian: "Then, Shixian, how are you going to handle this matter?"

Let's say that after the night when the capital city was destroyed, Emperor Chongzhen seemed to have really repented a lot. At this time, he did not make his own decisions and give blind orders like before.

Wang Chengen on the side couldn't help showing a surprised expression when he saw that Emperor Chongzhen actually asked Zhou Shixian's opinion on such a matter, but he quickly restrained himself.

"Your Majesty, this matter should be handled in accordance with military law, so that people can be reassured." Zhou Shixian paused, and then said: "The more times this happens, the more rules must be followed. Matters in the military should be handled in accordance with military law."

"Well, that's a good point." Emperor Chongzhen nodded in agreement. "The state has national laws and the army has military regulations. This matter will be governed by military law. I'm sure."

But as soon as he heard Emperor Chongzhen's words, Liu Xin was completely disheartened, and even his head hung down helplessly.

"According to military law, Liu Xin's crime should be beheaded in public as a warning to others!" Zhou Shi showed Chongzhen's affirmation and immediately turned around: "What are you three doing in a daze? Arrest Liu Xin for Your Majesty."

The three officers who had just been involved were stunned when they heard this, and then quickly stood up and lifted up Liu Xin who was kneeling on the ground. However, Liu Xin had no power to resist in such a situation and could only speak with his mouth.

He kept begging for mercy and soon lost his voice.

When Sun Hu, Weng Dajie, and Kong Tao saw this, they did not dare to act rashly. After all, Zhou Shixian's move was justified. According to military law, this crime should be executed.

As Zhou Shixian said, the more times like this, the more we must abide by the rules, and the more we must abide by military regulations in the army. This is where the authority of the Ming Dynasty lies, where the authority of Emperor Chongzhen lies, and what is more, the sense of security in chaos.

.

In other words, these newly attached military leaders are also afraid that they will be killed without knowing when. They also need to know clearly what they can and cannot do.

If we follow military law, we will naturally have a sense of security and less suspicion.

And this is Zhou Shixian's "strategy to defend the army". It not only requires restraint and balance, but also requires reasoning to make people convinced.

However, at this moment, Liu Xin, who was being held up by two people, suddenly shouted like crazy:

"This Holy One is fake. This Holy One is definitely fake. He broke into an army of hundreds of thousands of thieves. How could His Majesty escape? This is definitely false... Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh..."

"

Before Liu Xin finished shouting, his mouth was immediately blocked by another officer. Although the three of them were originally his subordinates, at this time, they already wanted to cut him into pieces.

As for Zhou Shixian, after obtaining Chongzhen's consent, he had already drawn a Qi Dao, and he wanted to personally chop off this soldier with evil intentions.

At this time, Zhou Shixian naturally could not be soft-hearted. Those who deserved to be killed must be killed, otherwise he would be like Emperor Chongzhen, who could not control his military leaders at all. What's more, the other party just said such nonsense.

Now is not the time to rely on kindness to win military morale. Whenever you do something, you must be realistic and look at the person. Otherwise, it will be self-defeating.

When the two officers who had restrained Liu Xin saw this, they simultaneously kicked Liu Xin's knees from behind. Liu Xin was in pain and immediately knelt down. His whole body was already weak at this time.

But another officer, in a hurry, grabbed Liu Xin's hair and pulled it forward, exposing the other man's neck to Zhou Shixian's eyes.

These three confidants of Liu Xin are now involved in the beheading. If they have different intentions from now on, Liu Xin's old subordinates may not believe them either.

"Ah!" screamed.

In the dark night, a trail of black blood flew out and fell on the loess. Liu Xin's headless body moved on the ground a few times, then completely stopped moving.
Chapter completed!