Shandong Governor Qiu Zude looked at the restaurant in front of him with a helpless expression on his face. Just now, a Jinyiwei took a jade sign and found him at the inn in Yingtian Mansion and asked him to go directly to a restaurant located on Xi'an Gate Street. Qiu Zude originally wanted to dig into the bottom of the restaurant, but the Jinyiwei turned around and left.

It has been three days since I arrived in Nanjing. Qiu Zude had long thought of returning to Shandong. The capital was captured by the thief Li Zicheng, and the Northern Zhili was almost completely occupied by Li Zicheng, which means that Shandong is in a dangerous situation. It is rumored that the general of Shanhaiguan Wu Sangui is likely to surrender to the Later Jin Tartars, so Shandong will be even more dangerous.

In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, the Later Jin Tartars swept across Jinan, Qingzhou, Dengzhou and Laizhou in Shandong, causing irreparable trauma to Shandong. After Qiu Zude became the governor of Shandong, he tried his best to reduce the burden on the people and suggested that the court exempt the people from taxes from many places in Shandong. Unfortunately, after his memorials were sent to the court, they were all sank to the sea.

When the emperor ascended the throne, Qiu Zude ignited hope in his heart. When the emperor went to Nanjing to pass by Shandong, he showed his thunderous means, killed Shandong general Liu Zeqing, integrated 50,000 soldiers under Liu Zeqing, and praised Qiu Zude for his actions in Shandong. This time, he even asked Dezhou prefect Han Ye and him to come to Nanjing to attend the throne ceremony.

This shows that the emperor attaches great importance to Shandong.

Who is the restaurant? Is it the emperor's most trusted eunuch Cao Huachun, the eunuch Li Jizhou, Qiu Zhizhong, or Li Banghua, the left censor of the Supervision Court.

Under the guidance of the friend, Qiu Zude went straight to the third floor.

Seeing Shen Chang from afar, Qiu Zude's face changed instantly. Shen Chang was the emperor's personal bodyguard, guarding outside the court, so the one in the court must be the emperor.

Shen Chang bowed to Qiu Zude with fists.

"Mr. Qiu, please go in."

Qiu Zude quickly clasped his fists and returned the salute. When he was about to speak, Shen Chang waved his hand and looked around, his eyes full of vigilance.

Qiu Zude stopped talking, gently pushed open the door of the private room and walked in.

The door of the private room was quickly closed by Shen Chang who was guarding outside.

There were four dishes on the table, two meats and two vegetables, and one soup. The quantity was not very large, but it looked very delicate. Zhu Cilang, who was holding chopsticks, was feasting.

"I am the right assistant censor and the governor of Shandong Qiu Zude, pay homage to the emperor."

"Mr. Qiu, don't be too polite, sit here and have some food together. I was really hungry when I saw these dishes. The dishes in this restaurant tasted good, and it was no worse than the skills in the palace."

Qiu Zude's body trembled. In recent days, he heard some rumors that the emperor's life was very simple. There were no more than five dishes in each meal, two meats and two vegetables, plus one soup dish, and almost no dishes left in each meal, which made the chefs in the imperial kitchen of the Nanjing Imperial Palace have nothing to do.

"I have disturbed the emperor, I have a meal, I will wait outside for a while."

Zhu Cilang looked up at Qiu Zude, and smiled and put down the chopsticks in his hand.

"I have forgotten that there are not many dishes, and the quantity is not enough. Lord Qiu doesn't have to worry. I just ask my friend to add two dishes. Don't waste it. Really don't waste it. How many people in the world are struggling on the brink of death? Not only do they have no food, they even have no food to eat. Whenever I raise my chopsticks, I think of these people..."

Before Zhu Cilang finished speaking, Qiu Zude knelt down.

"The emperor is kind and always thinks about the people of the world. I think that the people of the world will be able to live a good life soon."

Zhu Cilang looked at Qiu Zude who was kneeling on the ground and sighed slightly.

"Mr. Qiu, I am squandering my food and food. If I can let the people of the world live a good life, then I will be Amitabha. Unfortunately, the situation in the north is still deteriorating. I have received a secret report from the capital. The general of Shanhaiguan, Wu Sangui, and the rebel Li Zicheng, are likely to have a feud, and he has shown signs of surrendering to the Later Jin Tartars."

"Once Wu Sangui surrenders to the Later Jin Tartars, the situation in the entire north will become even more chaotic. The first ones that are affected are Shandong, Henan and other places."

"I have always been worried about the situation in the north. At today's court meeting, some people proposed a plan to suppress the enemy in a row, but I mercilessly refuted it. Some people suggested that the army advance northward to encircle and suppress the rebel bandit Li Zicheng, and were also scolded by me."

"It's not that I don't want to save the North, but I have the will but lack the strength."

"Mr. Qiu, let me keep my composure and tell me what you think."

When Qiu Zude stood up, Zhu Cixuan picked up the chopsticks on the table.

"Mr. Qiu, I hope you can speak everything. Some words are hard to say in the court, so as not to be caught by some people with ulterior motives. The flaws in their words will not come down from Taiwan."

Qiu Zude nodded involuntarily. According to the rules, he was the governor of Shandong and was not qualified to participate in the morning court without an imperial edict.

After standing up, Qiu Zude pondered for a moment and spoke.

"Emperor, I think that the chaos in the north will have a huge impact on Shandong. If the general of Shanhaiguan Wu Sangui surrendered to the Later Jin Tartars, Shandong will be even more dangerous. I think that the court must find a way to deal with this situation."

Zhu Cilang nodded and put down his chopsticks again.

"Well, that's right, let's continue, don't have any worries."

Qiu Zude gritted his teeth and spoke.

"I think that even the strategy of capitulating the enemy is not wrong. If Wu Sangui surrendered to the Later Jin Tartars, the Later Jin Tartars would definitely enter the pass to fight. In this way, there would be a life-and-death battle between the Later Jin Tartars and the rebel Li Zicheng. At present, Li Zicheng is in full swing and is known as a million troops. It is in line with the interests of the court that Li Zicheng and the Later Jin Tartars fought each other."

"If necessary, the court can send a large army to encircle and suppress Zhang Xianzhong who is entrenched in Sichuan..."

Zhu Cilang sighed softly, his eyes becoming deeper.

"I don't mean that this strategy is completely wrong. The court itself is not strong enough to defeat Li Zicheng, and even more so that it can't defeat the Later Jin Tartars. The best way is to deal with Li Zicheng and the Later Jin Tartars, let them fight desperately, and the court can get benefits from it."

"Mr. Qiu, have you ever thought about who Dorgon of the Later Jin Dynasty was? He could seize the power of the Later Jin Dynasty under difficult circumstances, lead the army to fight in person, and win the battle. How many people can compare with the strategies that the imperial court could think of? Did Dorgon not think of?"

"Along with Li Zicheng, I can conclude that so far, Li Zicheng has not noticed the Later Jin Tartars and has not fully attached the situation in Liaodong. He also thought that Wu Sangui would surrender to his Dashun court. Originally, there was no big problem for Wu Sangui to surrender to Li Zicheng. Unfortunately, Liu Zongmin, under Li Zicheng, had a bad thing. Not only did he detain Wu Sangui's father Wu Xiang, but he also occupied Wu Sangui's concubine Chen Yuanyuan. This is a great humiliation. Who can bear it?"

"Li Zicheng had no foresight and knowledge. After occupying the capital, he did not think about what to do next. Perhaps Li Zicheng did not expect to completely occupy the capital. He attacked the capital just to get the title of his father and become the King of the Northwest."

"The blacksmith must be strong himself. The court must have a strong army so that it can be independent."

Qiu Zude, who had been thinking nervously, nodded frequently.

"The emperor is wise, and I also think this should be the case. I think that no matter how the situation develops, Shandong is in a dangerous situation. I urge you to return to Shandong as soon as possible."

Zhu Cilang gave a slight look, and it seemed that Qiu Zude could not avoid the vulgarity.

"Mr. Qiu, don't worry. What would happen if the imperial court secretly supported Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong and asked them to fight desperately with the Later Jin Tartars?"

Qiu Zude was stunned for a moment, and an incredible expression appeared on his face.

"Your Majesty, Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong are afraid they will not agree. Besides, they are bandits..."

Zhu Cilang snorted softly. He knew that Qiu Zude had not said anything. Li Zicheng captured the capital and directly bears the responsibility of Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian to commit suicide, which is equivalent to saying that Li Zicheng killed Zhu Youjian. Under such circumstances, Li Zicheng was the irreconcilable enemy of the Ming Dynasty, and it is necessary to get rid of it quickly.

This is the most sensitive topic at the moment, and it is impossible to ask the Chinese civil and military ministers of the court to put aside their concerns.

Zhu Cilang no longer forced Qiu Zude and changed the subject.

"Mr. Qiu, let me talk about your views on Fengyang Governor Ma Shiying, Luzhou General Huang Degong and Xuzhou General Gao Jie. If you are willing to say it, you can also talk about Henan General Liu Liangzuo and Huguang General Zuo Liangyu."

Qiu Zude's face turned slightly pale, and he looked up and saw Zhu Cilang's sharp eyes.

"Your Majesty, I have been in Shandong for many years, and the outside world is not very clear. However, I think that the army in various parts of the south must be directly controlled by the court, including Fujian, Yunnan and Sichuan. I think no matter who it is, if I do not obey the imperial dispatch, I will be severely punished..."

A smile appeared on Zhu Cilang's face, which made Qiu Zude comment on Ma Shiying and others. This was unrealistic. Qiu Zude had not had much contact with these people and could not be very familiar with them. The reason why he asked Qiu Zude to express his attitude.

"Well, Lord Qiu, you're right. All the troops in the south must be controlled by the court. However, the troops in the south are distributed in various places. How should the court control the troops in various places? What suggestions do you have?"

A hint of cruelty appeared on Qiu Zude's face.

"In extraordinary times, I don't care about so many people. If anyone dares to disobey the imperial court's orders, they will be punished. The minor ones will be removed from their official positions, and the serious ones will be beheaded for public display. This will definitely shock others."

Zhu Cilang had no expression on his face and looked at Qiu Zude.

"If the methods are too tough, some people will be anxious and surrender to Li Zicheng, it will be more than worth the loss."

Qiu Zude's face was still cruel.

"It doesn't matter. It's a disaster for such people to stay in the court. It's better to force them to appear..."
Chapter completed!