Zhou Zheng looked at the changes in the Chaozhou situation and the deterioration of the war in the northwest, and focused on his work.

Sun Chuanting came to Beijing many times and asked him some questions.

Zhou Zheng talked with him for a few days, and then went to Tianjin Wei in person, summoned everyone, introduced Sun Chuanting to them, and then determined the reform and promotion arrangements for Yongping Prefecture, Hejian, Laizhou, Dengzhou and other prefectures.

It has been October when Zhou Zheng returned from Tianjin Wei.

The court was worried about the war in the northwest. Hong Chengchou mobilized many troops and encircled and blocked various chaotic bandits, with little effect. The chaotic bandits were too chaotic and affected too many places. They were not destroyed here and there, and they rose again. In the battle with the official army, they continued to grow and learned various tactics.

The scattered bandits gradually showed signs of contacting each other and cooperating with the government army.

Hong Chengchou gradually felt dissatisfied and began to purify all the officials and troops, preparing to deal with the largest ones and kill the "masters".

However, there are dozens of government troops in the five provinces, including governors, governors, generals, generals, and generals. There are also some prefects in some places, and the soldiers are prepared and are not subordinate to each other. Hong Chengchou has difficulty in arranging the arrangements, and various problems still arise.

In the seventh year of Chongzhen, at the end of October, King Gao Yingxiang of the Breaking King issued a heroic post, calling on all the "rebel troops" to come to Xingyang to hold a conference to discuss dealing with the official army together.

All the officials and troops were facing a great enemy and were ready for battle. The court was even more panicked and desperately thought of countermeasures.

Emperor Chongzhen worshiped the ancestral temple in his clothes, cried and told the world, and issued the first edict of guilt!

It can be seen from this that the Ming Dynasty has reached a very dangerous moment!

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the thirteen thirteen 72nd Battalion of the thirteen thirteen families gathered in Xingyang and adopted Li Zicheng's strategy of "dividing troops to determine the direction", no longer fighting in a melee, and more targeted cooperation to deal with the official army.

Once the rioters in the Hunlun had the goal of order, no longer fought alone, divided their troops and targeted them, and responded to the government army in a targeted manner, Hong Chengchou immediately encountered huge difficulties.

On the 16th year of Chongzhen, Gao Yingxiang, Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong and others captured Fengyang, destroyed the imperial tombs and halls, burned Longxing Temple, killed more than 60 eunuchs, and killed thousands of officials and soldiers in the Ming Dynasty.

Fengyang, also known as "Zhongdu", is the hometown of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. It is the so-called place where dragons rise. The dragon veins are destroyed and the court and the country are in great pain.

Chongzhen cried again and paid homage to the ancestral temple, and issued a second edict for guilt.

The entire court suddenly became panic and violently uneasy.

This time, unlike in the past, Fengyang was breached, as if it was foreshadowed something. Not to mention other places, the capital was most terrified, and Fengyang was talked about everywhere, and the topic of "destroying the country" was no longer hidden, and it was full of controversy.

This year's Lantern Festival is probably the most embarrassing thing in recent decades.

Zhou Zheng didn't have the heart to go out to play, so he just took care of his children at home.

On this day, Zhou Qingli came back from outside and did not return to his study, but went directly to Zhou Zheng's yard.

This situation is extremely rare. Zhou Zheng hugged Xiao Deshen and stood up quickly and said: Dad, what's wrong?

Zhou Qingli sat down aside without the joy of seeing her grandson and said: Something to tell you.

Shangguan Qing listened inside, called out and called "Dad", took the little guy away, leaving Zhou Zheng and his son behind.

Zhou Qingli looked calm and his eyebrows were tight. After a while, he said: Hong Chengchou could not support it in the northwest. The court discussed and added a prime minister of five provinces. Hong Chengchou was responsible for the northwest and another for the southeast. There was some controversy at present, and many people tended to be Lu Xiangsheng, while Zhang Tang's troops strongly advocated you.

Zhou Zheng's expression was slightly different when he heard this. He didn't know this yet, obviously it was just in the brewing stage of a few people.

Zhou Zheng picked up the teacup and poured tea for Zhou Qingli, looking thoughtful.

He is very similar to Lu Xiangsheng. Lu Xiangsheng rectified the Daming Prefecture and other armaments back then, and Zhou Zheng simultaneously rectified the Yongping Prefecture. Later, the development trajectories of the two were completely different. Zhou Zheng mainly faced the Jianlu, while Lu Xiangsheng focused on suppressing bandits.

Six years have passed since the second year of Chongzhen. Lu Xiangsheng has made many military achievements and is already in the fourth rank. The army he led is known as the "Tianxiong Army" and is quite famous.

This time, no matter who is the military affairs of the five provinces, he will at least be appointed as the Minister of War, that is, he will officially enter the Ming Dynasty's "management" and become a formal senior official.

Zhou Zheng pondered for a while, looked up at Zhou Qingli and said: Dad, what do you think?

Zhou Qingli looked solemn and her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, making her feel very entangled.

In such a crisis in the Ming Dynasty, he naturally hoped that he or his son could stand up and turn the tide, but he was worried that his son's departure would not only not help the situation, but would also affect himself.

Zhou Zheng looked at Zhou Qingli's expression and guessed what he thought and said: Dad, do you want me to go?

Zhou Qingli sighed lightly and said: From the third year of the Tianqi period to the present, there are many governors and governors, and no one has had a good end. I want you to go, but I am afraid that you will never go back.

Zhou Qingli knew this second son. When facing the rioters in the northwest, he really wanted to go. He was afraid that he would be arrested by the court in a short time. He would be imprisoned for a while and would be executed directly.

Zhou Zheng thought of the ending of Lu Xiangsheng, like Cao Wenzhao in history, he was besieged by bandits, and other officials ignored him, ran out of ammunition and food, and died in the battlefield.

Zhou Zheng couldn't make a decision for a moment, so he thought carefully and then said: Dad, let me think about it.

Zhou Zheng has no official position and does not have the right military force. If he goes to the northwest, he may not be able to mobilize all kinds of people, and this is not within his plan. Zhou Zheng needs to think carefully.

Zhou Qingli nodded gently and said: Dad knows that this is a difficult situation for you. Think about it carefully. No matter how you decide, Dad will support you.

Zhou Zheng responded in thought, suddenly reacted a little and looked at Zhou Qingli and said: Dad, you don’t know, are you planning to become an official?

Zhou Qingli did not hide his worries, but shook his head again and said: The current court is no longer the early years of Chongzhen, and I can't go back. The emperor may not want me to go back.

Zhou Qingli sighed and said lonely: Bi Jinghui will not last long after the letter from the Bi family.

Bi Jinghui means Bi Ziyan.

Zhou Zheng nodded silently. The Ming talents actually had some kind of fault, and these faults were constantly emerging.

In addition to the continuous deaths of military generals, there are also various deaths of civil servants and capable ministers.

By the end of Chongzhen, the saying "The court died, and the Ming Dynasty was destroyed" also showed that the Ming Dynasty had lost all its talents and was irrescueable.

Dad, want to go and have a look? Zhou Zheng asked.

Zhou Qingli was silent for a long time and sighed: How could he not go and give it away? I plan to leave Beijing in a few days.

Zhou Zheng thought for a while and said: I'll send someone to escort my dad.

Although the civil unrest in the five northwest provinces were the most intense, the Ming Dynasty actually had no place to be stable. Even in the prosperous Nanzhili, there were various bandit mutinies, which were extremely unsafe.

Zhou Qingli did not object and stood up and said: Think about it carefully.

Zhou Zheng sent him out, standing under the eaves, with a calm expression.

The Ming Dynasty has reached the crossroads of the country's destruction, and many signs are already very prominent, and the court and the country are pessimistic inside and outside.

Even though he had long been sure and affirmed that the current court was ineffective, Zhou Zheng still felt a strange feeling of depression, emptiness, and uncomfortable breathing.
Chapter completed!