Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 158 Wang Chengen’s troubles!

On the grassland, with the arrival of dawn, both sides only attacked each other tentatively before returning to the camp.

The Ming army's goal this time was not to fight a decisive battle with the Later Jin army.

On the Later Jin side, Jirgalang's goal of rescuing the six Mongolian tribes had become unattainable. He was wary of the Ming army's artillery and muskets, and had no determination to give up everything and fight to the death.

But he did not leave. With the six tribes of the grassland gone, the Qing Dynasty could not allow the Ming court to roam the grassland like this and break up the other ten tribes.

As a result, a strange landscape appeared above the grassland.

The Ming army and the Qing army were less than ten miles apart. Both sides set up camps, and when one side moved, the other followed.

The Ming army's central camp,

"Let them follow us, but we have to see how long they can follow us." Cao Huachun narrowed his eyes and looked at the Qing army. "This time, our strategic goal has been achieved for the most part, so there is no need to rush."

There were sixteen Mongolian tribes south of the desert. In this battle, six of them were defeated and the Prince of Chahar was captured. Why should he be so restless?
Li Banghua looked unhappy. "This is a competition of logistics. Let's see who can't hold on in the end."

Cao Huachun thought for a moment and sat back at the table. His personal guard had already ground the ink. He picked up a pen and wrote a letter and handed it to the Royal Guard, "Hurry and give this letter to His Majesty."

"Yes, Commander!"

……

When the letter arrived in Beijing, four hours had passed and the afternoon examination for scholars had ended. Zhu Changgan came out of the palace to meet with scholars from all over the country.

It was called a meeting, but in fact it just meant asking all the scholars to sit in a circle.

Then the emperor was in the middle, and everyone was chatting and laughing together, exchanging ideas.

There were tens of thousands of people, but not everyone could get close to the emperor. Only some who were chosen by lottery could sit close to the emperor. The atmosphere was extremely hot.

Zhu Changgan cordially asked them where they came from and their family life, shook hands with them one by one, and gave a speech:

"You are the sun of my Ming Dynasty at eight or nine o'clock, and the hope of my Ming Dynasty. Your glory will eventually shine on the land of Ming Dynasty..."

Unfortunately, there was no microphone and the people at the back couldn't hear clearly. But just because of this, many students were already crying.

"Long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty~"

"Your Majesty, you are wise..."

"Your Majesty is the Holy Lord of the Millennium~"

"Your Majesty finally remembered us..."

They were not officials in the capital, nor were they members of the six ministries or nine ministers in the court, but they were treated with courtesy by the emperor. One can imagine how excited they were.

After the opening remarks, it was time for questions. It was not the emperor who asked the scholars questions, but the scholars who asked the emperor questions.

This made the scholars from all over the country even more excited.

The fire was as hot as a boiler that had run dry, almost carbonizing a person.

"May I ask what your majesty's definition of loyalty and patriotism is?" Someone finally asked this question.

"Loyalty to the emperor and patriotism..." Zhu Changgan pondered for a moment, "I want to ask you, what is the character of a scholar? What is the glory of a scholar?"

Everyone was silent, their eyes flickering.

Zhu Changgan said in a resounding voice: "It is loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, it is the people living and working in peace and contentment, it is the elderly who are well cared for, the young who have a place to rely on..."

"The Ming Dynasty used morality as the foundation of governance. Loyalty, filial piety and respect for heaven were equally important. You all grew up under the Confucian cultural system."

"Looking through Confucian classics such as The Book of Filial Piety, The Great Learning, and The Doctrine of the Mean, we should understand that loyalty to the emperor and patriotism is actually loyalty to the emperor and love for the people."

"It is meaningless to talk about the country without considering the people. To be loyal to the emperor and love the country means to follow the path of the saints and sages of the past with one's own virtues."

"Ministers should serve the people wholeheartedly and be frugal and honest to their superiors. Even if the honest advice is unpleasant to the ear, they should be sincere and honest. The most important thing in the world is the people.

The representative among them is Hai Gangfeng, who is as loyal as an ant and as filial as an animal. It is easy to get money and women as an official, but Hai Gangfeng is like a pillar in the middle, and does not violate any rules..."

By now in the Ming Dynasty, has the administration of officials reached the point where it must be rectified?
How to do it is the key, we must always find a benchmark.

Zhu Changgan found a ready-made example, Hai Rui.

Hai Rui was honest and respected the ancestral system. He suggested restoring the ancestral system of the Hongwu period and governing officials with severe laws and punishments. According to his moral standards, there was almost no qualified statement in the Ming Dynasty, and he offended the entire officialdom of the Ming Dynasty because of this, which is the best proof.

During the Ming Dynasty, Confucian disciples had always been extremely critical of officialdom. Hai Rui's memorial carried on his coffin was regarded as the pinnacle of death-defying remonstrance.

Learn from the barbarians to defeat them, and now Zhu Changgan has adopted this Confucian approach.

"The Ming Dynasty has been ill for a long time, so it needs strong medicine to cure it, and you are the best medicine for the Ming Dynasty."

As the first person dared to stand up and ask, the second person also calmed down a lot, "Your Majesty, the purpose of establishing the Anti-Corruption Department is to rectify corrupt officials?"

"Yes, this is the purpose of my establishing the Anti-Corruption Department. The people of the Ming Dynasty have suffered for a long time. If we don't dig out and crush those termites that are gnawing at the flesh and blood of the people, the people will not be able to live and work in peace. How can the Ming Dynasty prosper?"

Zhu Changgan raised his right hand, "Please do the same as me, raise your right hand and shout with me!"

"The Ming Dynasty and corruption and abuse of power are irreconcilable~"

"..."

In an instant, the cheers were deafening!

“Do you have such determination and perseverance?”

"Have!"

"..."

“Will you rule for the people?”

"meeting!"

"..."

Zhu Changgan asked the Jinyiwei to come on stage and gave each of them a copy of "The Life of Hai Gangfeng" again.

From this moment on, the entire Ming Dynasty officially entered the wave of "learning from Hai Gangfeng".

……

Outside the imperial city, cheers reached the sky. Zhu Changgan finally parted ways with the reluctant scholars and returned to the Qianqing Palace.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. He had to admit that he felt a little excited just now.

"Your Majesty, please have some tea!" Wang Chengen immediately handed the pot of tea he carried with him to the emperor.

The emperor had never made such a request before.

But two months ago, he discovered that the emperor was always thirsty, so he developed this habit.

"Tell Ma Shiwei not to let these scholars leave the capital yet. Let them wait for a few more days and tell them... I want to give them some gifts before they leave."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Wang Chengen glanced at the emperor from time to time, with extremely complicated emotions in his eyes. As the emperor's personal eunuch, he felt more and more tired.

Tired of heart!

How terrible is it that a personal eunuch doesn't even understand the emperor's basic situation? Just like today, when did the emperor have such eloquence? I have watched him grow up since I was a child. In the past, I would blush if he said a few more words.

Even when he ascended the throne later, he was a person who was very frugal with words in the court. He was often annoyed by the court officials' remarks about ancestral rules and the principles of sages, and when he scolded people, he never said a few more words.

Instead, he likes to smash things and order people to be killed when he is angry.

He had never imagined that the emperor would one day be able to chat and laugh with these scholars like this, and incite them to tears and red eyes.

So, if we talk about shock, he was actually the one who was most troubled in the entire meeting.

Wang Chengen was really tired, not only during the day but also at night.

There were a lot of things to do and a lot to worry about during the day, one after another, and he had no idea what the emperor would do.

At night, he was more worried about the emperor's health. He could no longer feel the emperor's pulse. Not only himself, but even the imperial physician kept shaking his head and could not see any illness at all.

The most important thing is that there is a huge difference between day and night. It is unpredictable, absolutely unpredictable...so much so that Wang Chengen couldn't sleep all night and his hair fell out in clumps.

"Wang Chengen?"

"what?"

Wang Chengen suddenly reacted and realized that he had been distracted. "Your Majesty, I'll do it right away."

At this time, Zhu Changgan was thinking about what to give these scholars. "I got it. Go to the Armory and call Wang Hui over to me."

Wang Chengen had not yet left the Qianqing Palace. Upon hearing this, he quickly turned back and said, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Just as he was about to leave, a eunuch ran in, "Your Majesty, urgent news from Mongolia south of the desert."

"bring here."

Wang Chengen hurriedly took it again, trotted to the emperor and handed it to him.

After Zhu Changgan finished reading it, the passion that had just been in the Qing Dynasty suddenly calmed down.

In the urgent report, Cao Huachun first said that he had killed 18,000 enemies and annihilated the six Mongolian tribes south of the desert, and then talked about the confrontation caused by the arrival of reinforcements from the Later Jin Dynasty.

The four major camps tied down 80,000 Qing troops, hoping that the emperor would order troops to be dispatched from Liaodong and against the Qing along the Guanningjin line, forcing the Later Jin Tartar army to return to defend.

Apart from this, there is only one stupid way, which is to procrastinate.

Confronting the 80,000-strong army of the Later Jin Dynasty, the two sides competed in logistical capabilities to see who would be the first to collapse in the end.

Zhu Changgan frowned. It would not be so easy to let the Guanningjin Defense Line, Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui and others go out of the city to fight against the Manchu Tartars.

It cannot be said that the Guanningjin line has been out of the emperor's jurisdiction, but it has become a Liaodong family. Those soldiers are more like their own soldiers than those of the Ming Dynasty.

Asking them to send people out of the city to fight a field battle with the Qing Dynasty and force the Qing army to return to defend is almost equivalent to asking them to send people out to die, which is nothing short of a foolish dream.

As he was hesitating, Zhu Changgan suddenly caught a glimpse of Xiong Wencan's memorial and said, "I got it."

"Wang Chengen, draft an edict for me."

Wang Chengen quickly picked up his pen and wrote a few words before he was stunned. "Recruit Zheng Zhilong's son Zheng Chenggong to Beijing to be awarded a title?"

"Hasn't your majesty already given them titles before?"

"Previously, the title was mainly bestowed on Zheng Zhilong, but this time it is given to his son. I intend to establish the Ming Navy."

It is said that he was giving a title to Zheng Chenggong, but in fact, he was fighting for Zheng Zhilong's purpose. He even appointed your son as the deputy general, so why don't you shed some blood? Fight for the Ming Dynasty?
Who to hit?

Of course it is Dapi Island.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Changgan issued an edict to Governor-General Denglai, asking him to prepare for battle.

After finishing all this, Zhu Changgan came to the Grand Council.

Sun Chengzong and Yang Sichang were both there. When they saw the emperor coming, they hurried to greet him, but were stopped by Zhu Changgan, who directly discussed with them the issue of letting Zu Dashou, Wu Sangui and others send troops to the Guanningjin front.

However, it was not a fight to the death, but harassment to attract the attention of the Qing Dynasty.

"Your Majesty, starting a war on three fronts is a taboo in military strategy. Moreover, banditry is rampant in the heartland of the Central Plains and has not yet been eradicated." Sun Chengzong frowned, twirled his gray beard, and raised his objection.

Yang Sichang also disagreed, "Your Majesty, this is too hasty. To resist foreign aggression, we must first stabilize the country. The rebels and traitors are rampant, and the people are suffering. Your Majesty is still waging war. The Ming Dynasty cannot bear it."

But what he got in return was the emperor's words: "It will take time for Zheng Chenggong to come to Beijing and build a navy. It will take at least a month to go back and forth. Before that, the bandits should have been wiped out."

"Ah?" Yang Sichang was stunned.

Sun Chengzong also paused, and the hand that was twirling his beard suddenly stopped. Could it be that the Jinyiwei had sent back some news?
This shouldn't be the case. He had heard that Chuangtatian was surrendered, but Zhang Xianzhong is not Liu Guoneng. What he did was much more excessive than Liu Guoneng. Even if he wanted to surrender, would Your Majesty agree?

But since the emperor didn't say anything, they couldn't continue asking, so they could only let the people below find out.

……

When he came out of the Grand Council, Wang Hui, the Director of the Armory, was already waiting outside the Qianqing Palace.

"Your Majesty, long live your Majesty!"

"Please stand up. How is the iron smelting in the blast furnace of the Armament Department going?"

"Your Majesty, we are now on track, and steel production is on the rise."

The idea of blast furnace ironmaking was proposed when Zhu Changgan established the Arms and Equipment Department. After two months of construction and improvement, it has finally started production.

It was the birth of blast furnace steel that supported the day and night production of the Armament Department. Otherwise, these artillery pieces and muskets would never have been put into mass production in the four major camps.

Zhu Changgan drew a picture on the paper and said, "You help me cast a batch of badges like this."

Wang Hui took it and found that in addition to the graphics, the ingredients were also marked. "Your Majesty, are copper and silver mixed in?"

"That's right. It needs to be an alloy of copper, tin, and silver... The proportion of copper should be 80%. The silver content should be less, but it must be there. The key is that the pattern on the outside should be beautiful. There are four words written on it: Loyalty to the Emperor and Love for the People. Make two holes like this at the back, similar to this, so that you can pass the needle through and pin it on the clothes."

Not only the badge, but also the surface needs to be shiny and bright. Iron rusts easily, so the proportion of copper is very important.

Lost wax casting and polishing were necessary even if it took more time and effort so that these scholars could return with the emperor's emblem.

what is this?
This is the honor bestowed upon them by the Emperor and this is the trust of His Majesty.

More commemorative.

Let all parts of the Ming Dynasty see that the emperor still cares about them, the scholars, and the people, and really wants to serve the people.

After Wang Hui took the order and left, Wang Chengen offered tea to the emperor again, "Your Majesty, is it useful to go through so much trouble?"

"Don't worry, take your time. Some things will always take root and sprout once they are sown." Zhu Changgan gently pushed away the tea leaves floating on the tea bowl and took a sip.

"This is just the first batch. There will be more every year, and the duration of study will be longer. The next batch will be three months, and the next batch will be six months, and one year... These seeds will grow when they are sown on the earth."

He had read the information of these scholars, and found that most of them were actually from the small landlord class or even from poor families.

Come to think of it, if the children of those real bureaucrats and gentry were scholars or juren, they would not be idle at home until now. Moreover, those people's families usually have elders who are in the court or serve as officials in local areas.

They wish the emperor's decrees could not be implemented, so why would they come out to support them?
Of course, it is not ruled out that some of them are undercover agents from civil servants or noble groups, but in Zhu Changgan's view, they are insignificant.

"The wheels are rolling. If you don't change, you will be crushed into dust."

Imagine they went back with the emperor's insignia, what is this?
This is the honor bestowed by the Emperor and the trust of His Majesty.

"Besides that, I will add fuel to the fire when the time comes..."

　I just realized that tomorrow is the last day. If you have tickets, they will expire if you don’t vote!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)