Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 4 Donate money?

"Your Majesty, I have no objection, but..." Wen Tiren stroked his beard, "I'm afraid it will be difficult to implement!"

Wen Tiren was a shrewd and capable man. As the Prime Minister of the Ming Dynasty, how could he not know the extent to which the Ming Dynasty's vassal states had occupied the entire Ming Dynasty's land and resources.

Taking Shanxi as an example, the royal family's salary was close to 300% of the local land tax.

In other words, the land tax of three Shanxi provinces would have to fill this hole.

Exhaust all the wealth in the world to provide for the enjoyment of one family.

But no one in the court brought it up because the royal family was making money, the eunuchs were making money, the civil and military officials were making money, and the nobles were making money.

Wen Tiren was good at guessing the emperor's thoughts. Since Chongzhen had already brought it up, he continued:

"Your Majesty, the court has been owing salaries to the vassal states for the past few years. Now that we are asking them to donate money, I am afraid there will be trouble."

"That's right. The imperial treasury has been empty in recent years and it is no longer possible to pay the salaries of the royal family and vassal states in full." Chongzhen frowned and said, "How about this, let the civil and military officials and nobles donate some money?"

Zhu Changgan had no intention of asking for it from the princes and vassals because he knew he couldn't get it.

The vassal states were scattered all over the country and were out of reach.

"Your Majesty, the civil and military officials have no money either. Last year, the officials did not receive their full salaries..."

Before Wen Tiren could finish his words, Chongzhen slammed the table and stood up.

"Lord Wen, this won't work, and that won't work. You are my chief minister, and you should help me raise food and money instead of looking for trouble here."

"Besides, I just asked you to draft an edict. How do you know that the nobles and civil and military officials in the court are unwilling to donate?"

Wen Tiren's expression remained unchanged, and he immediately bowed, "I will draft the decree right away!"

The reason why he stayed in power the longest without leaving any flaws was that he was "advanced at flattery."

He did whatever the emperor said, especially on military affairs and food and salary matters, he never raised any objections to Chongzhen.

Things can be done, I, Wen Tiren, am capable of doing things,

It can't be done. Your Majesty, you can see that I support you.

This is also why Chongzhen favored him so much and kept him in the position of prime minister for eight years. While other cabinet members were dismissed one after another, he was promoted again and again, and his rank became the least tutor and the prince's grand tutor.

The Minister of Personnel and the Grand Secretary of Zhongji Palace were treated with the utmost grace and courtesy.

At this time, Wang Chengen arranged for someone to go and announce Cao Huachun, and he happened to hear this scene.

After Wen Tiren left, he could not help but ask, "Your Majesty, are you going to borrow money from the civil and military officials? Can they give it to you?"

Zhu Changgan smiled and said, "Of course I can't give it to you."

"Ah?" Wang Chengen's eyes widened, "Then the emperor still..."

Zhu Changgan did not explain that this was just his first step.

……

at the same time,

Inside the Prince Xiang's mansion, a young man kept walking back and forth, cursing, "Stupid!"

"Fool!"

"If I could borrow money, wouldn't I borrow from them?"

It was Chongzhen who exchanged bodies with Zhu Changgan.

He could hear what Zhu Changgan, Wang Chengen and Wen Tiren were saying.

When he heard that Zhu Changgan asked all the nobles and civil and military officials to donate money, he couldn't help but blush with anger, "I thought it was such a brilliant idea, but I didn't expect it to be such a broad-minded and incompetent child!"

"What a pretentious and incompetent person!"

Chongzhen sometimes stood up, sometimes sat down, and sometimes walked around.

His eyes were flashing with uncontrollable anger, and his voice was like thunder, "I... was really blind, how could I believe such a shameless person like you."

After cursing, Chongzhen simply chose to turn off the sound on the main body.

I was so angry that I couldn't suppress the anger in my heart.

He was afraid that he would be angry to death.

Several servants looked at "Zhu Changgan" with confusion, "What happened to the prince today?"

He no longer goes out to drink or ride horses with those second-generation rich guys, nor does he go to Hongxiu Pavilion to listen to music and have fun.

At first he asked a few questions about the situation in Prince Xiang's mansion, and then he started cursing and threw out all the tea bowls and plates in the room.

"Did the prince break his brain?"

"Don't tell the prince that the prince fell into a trap, otherwise we will all be in trouble."

……

"Your Majesty! Eunuch Cao is here."

At about noon, a man who looked ordinary but walked very steadily came in.
Cao Huachun.

Zhu Changgan looked at the eunuch who was in charge of the imperial ceremonies, the governor of the Eastern Depot, and the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of the Beijing camp.

The most powerful eunuch during the Chongzhen period.

In later TV dramas, Cao Huachun is always portrayed as a traitor, and some plays even say that he opened the city gate and let Li Zicheng in.

But in fact, Cao Huachun had already retired and returned to his hometown for several years at that time.

After Chongzhen's death, the Qing army entered Beijing and established its capital in the Central Plains.

He made a special trip from his hometown to Beijing again and asked the Qing Dynasty to properly handle the burial matters of Chongzhen and the Queen.

After some greetings, Cao Huachun spoke, "Your Majesty, what do you want from the eunuchs?"

"How many soldiers are there in the Beijing Camp now?"

"There are 7612 soldiers and horses." Cao Huachun said neither humbly nor arrogantly.

"Only over 7,000?"

These are all the military forces that Chongzhen can control. The original Tengxiang Four Guards are now called Yongwei Camp.

Although their numbers are small, their fighting power is still very strong.

Before that, they had been used as firefighters, fighting against the Qing army and winning.

Fought with Li Zicheng and won a great victory.

It's a pity that there are too few.

Doesn’t the Jinyiwei count?

Doesn't count.

The Jinyiwei at this time were no longer the Jinyiwei of the Tianqi period. When Chongzhen hanged himself a few years later, where were the so-called 15 Jinyiwei?
They surrendered.
Jinyiwei commander Luo Yangxing led all the Jinyiwei to surrender to the rebels.

What about the major blood transfusion now?
What if we just kill Luo Yangxing and the others and replace them with some other people?
Even if Luo Yangxing and his men were killed, the Jinyiwei would not return to his hands, because it was not just Luo Yangxing who surrendered, but the entire Jinyiwei.

For example, many senior Jinyiwei generals such as Tangshang Commander Wang Pengchong and Qiao Keyong later became officials in the Qing Dynasty.

Not only that, the Qing Dynasty later incorporated the entire Jinyiwei and renamed it Luanyiwei.

This is also why after Zhu Changgan and Chongzhen exchanged bodies, the first person he summoned was Cao Huachun, not Luo Yangxing.

Seeing that Chongzhen was silent, Cao Huachun spoke first, "Your Majesty, at today's court meeting, Wen Tiren wanted to transfer the Yongwei Battalion to the south to suppress bandits? I think this is inappropriate."

This is also the reason why he came in a hurry.

"..." Zhu Changgan looked at him and still said nothing.

Cao Huachun continued, "Your Majesty, there are 7600 soldiers in the Jingdu area, and Your Majesty only has of them. If you send them to the south to suppress the bandits, Your Majesty will not have any soldiers left."

"If the Later Jin invades the pass again, who can stop their cavalry?"

Zhu Changgan finally took action, "What Cao Gong said is also what I think."

He already had this plan when Wen Tiren proposed to transfer the Yongwei Battalion to the south to suppress the bandits at the court meeting.

Not only will the Yongwei Camp not be split into two, but plans are also being made to expand the force.

Compared to going south to suppress bandits, Kyoto is the foundation.

If Kyoto is lost, what’s the point of destroying Zhang Xianzhong?
Zhu Changgan's call of "Mr. Cao" was like thunder in Cao Huachun's ears. His face changed drastically and he knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty... I am not worthy of your address."

Because of this name,
The last time it appeared was during the time of Wei Zhongxian, when he said, "Duke Wei," "Live nine thousand years."

It shows that he has great power over the government and the country.
It was His Majesty's murderous intention. And he saw Wei Zhongxian's fate more clearly than anyone else.

In recent years, as the emperor's favor has grown, his heart has been more fearful than ever, which is why he has requested to retire and return home twice.

"Ai, I am speaking to you sincerely, without any fear."

Zhu Changgan, without even putting on his shoes, walked over quickly from the stool and helped Cao Huachun up. "The Ming Dynasty is in turmoil, and the only people I can rely on are you. My sincerity is witnessed by the sun and the moon, and the heaven and earth can testify to it."

He glanced at Cao Huachun and also at Wang Chengen.

That means, you are included.

Cao Huachun didn't react much, but Wang Chengen was stunned.

His heart was beating fast, his chest felt like there was a fire, his face was red, and he fell to his knees with a thump, crying bitterly.

"Your Majesty!"

Zhu Changgan helped Wang Chengen up again and said, "If it weren't for you, I would have died a long time ago."

Wang Chengen played an indispensable role in Chongzhen's succession to the throne.

If he had not revealed his identity, disclosed the fact that he was the second of the Thirteen Guardians, and explained Wei Zhongxian's plan, Chongzhen might have been killed by Wei Zhongxian long ago.

But it is also because of this incident,

There has actually always been a rift between the two of them, otherwise why wouldn't it be Cao Huachun, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household, the governor of the Eastern Depot, and the commander-in-chief of the military affairs of the Beijing camp, instead of him?

"Bang bang bang..." Wang Chengen knelt on the ground again, his forehead banging loudly.

Zhu Changgan rubbed his eyes to make them look redder.

"Lord Cao, I want to expand the Yongwei Camp. I wonder how much it will cost?"

"I wonder how many troops Your Majesty wants to expand?"

"First... double it and expand it to fifteen thousand."

Cao Huachun frowned and said, "Fifteen thousand, Your Majesty..."

For an army of 4500, with 4500 war horses and pack horses, each person consumes 15000 dan of grain, each horse consumes 24000 dan of grain, and dan of grass, which means that the monthly consumption of grain and grass is dan, not counting the baggage camp.

"Your Majesty, the annual expenditure is at least three hundred thousand taels."

"Okay, I'll find a way."

"Forehead……"

When Cao Huachun came out of the Qianqing Palace, he was still a little confused and didn't react.

He looked up at the sky, then at the ground. "Your Majesty, what happened? Why did you suddenly summon me to expand the Brave Guard Camp?"

Why did Your Majesty suddenly change?
You should know that he had proposed to expand the Yongwei Camp to 10,000 people before, but it was rejected because of lack of money and opposition from court officials.

But Chongzhen's actions today really left him a little confused.

"No matter what, whether or not Your Majesty expands the Brave Guard Battalion, I will just focus on training."

Cao Huachun called himself "loyal to the country without regard for his own life", and in serving the Ming Dynasty, he was indeed conscientious and devoted his all.

……

In the Qianqing Palace,

"Your Majesty!" Wang Chengen's eyes were red, and the complexity in his heart was like a volcano erupting, difficult to express in words.

He remained on his knees.

Zhu Changgan also sat on the ground at this time, "Don't kneel, come... sit here and talk to me."

"I dare not!"

Zhu Changgan sighed, "I know you are loyal. I didn't help you get promoted because I didn't want anyone else to get too close to me."

"You've also seen that in the court, my words don't count. My words don't count."

"I want to reform the Ming Dynasty, but I have no people and no money."

Wang Chengen looked up and said, "Your Majesty, I have two thousand taels of silver.

Besides, there are two small courtyards outside, which are also worth two thousand taels. If I sell the antiques and calligraphy and paintings at home, I can probably get more than one thousand taels."

"I am willing to donate all of it to Your Majesty to expand the Brave Guard Battalion."

"Forget it." Zhu Changgan smiled bitterly and shook his head. "That's your retirement money. I would feel guilty if I took it. Besides, even if I took five thousand taels from you, it would be a drop in the bucket. It's far from three hundred thousand taels."

Wang Chengen burst into tears and angrily beat his hands and stamped his feet, "This group of treacherous ministers in the court, each of them enriching themselves and living in copper mountains and gold caves, but they make the emperor embarrassed here."

Zhu Changgan suddenly asked, "Wang Chengen, tell me the truth, have you arranged anyone under Wang Zhixin?"

Ok?
Wang Chengen suddenly raised his head and saw the emperor looking at him with burning eyes.

"Your Majesty, I…"

Zhu Changgan interrupted him, "Just tell me whether you have arranged someone."

"Your Majesty, I have arranged for someone to help."

really,

As the second of the Thirteen Guardians of the former East Factory, Wei Zhongxian was the first, Wang Chengen was the second, and Liu Jin was the fifth...any one of them is a capable person.

I was able to reach the second place and also reached my current position by following the dragon.

Wang Chengen's ability is evident. Although he does not have the military wisdom to put an end to the chaos, Zhu Changgan believes that his ability to bully others is definitely not inferior.

"Where is that person now?"

"Replying to the Emperor, I am already the Captain of the East Factory, Liu, and now I am one of the two people that the King relies on the most."

Zhu Changgan nodded and said, "Use him. After the matter is accomplished, I will promote him to be the supervisor of the East Factory."

"Your Majesty, are you going to move the King's Heart now?"

Zhu Changgan shook his head. "No, it's not the right time yet. I just want to use this person to do something. When this matter is done, the time will be right."

Money can't come for nothing.

Nobles, civil and military officials, landlords, common people, eunuchs, and royal vassals.

After some screening, Zhu Changgan decided to start with the eunuchs and target the East Factory.

One, because of this goal, there is a lot of money.

After Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he extorted more than 70 million taels of silver from nobles, officials, eunuchs and rich people. The nobles took the most, accounting for four-tenths, followed by eunuchs with three-tenths, and officials and rich people together accounted for 30%.

Second, you are not on the same page with me.

When Li Zicheng reached the capital, the eunuchs of the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard changed sides and opened the city gates to welcome the rebels before Chongzhen died.

When the Qing troops entered the pass, they surrendered again.

Three, the most stable.

Who do eunuchs rely on?
It's the emperor.

To put it bluntly, they serve the emperor.

Since the Ming Dynasty, there has always been collusion between nobles, civil officials and eunuchs.

However, civil officials and meritorious officials have always been on guard against eunuchs, preventing them from becoming too powerful and once again riding on the heads of the nobles and civil officials.

In the eyes of civil servants and nobles, eunuchs have always been tools used by the emperor to suppress civil servants.

Even though the eunuchs are weak now, they are still on guard like they would thieves and never let their guard down.

Eunuchs are destined to be unable to communicate with other forces and become part of the same camp.

On the other hand, if the emperor personally stepped in to suppress the eunuchs.

In the eyes of civil servants and nobles, the emperor was hitting his own people and slapping himself in the face, and they were happy to see it happen.

……

The only point is that no trace can be left, otherwise it will cause fear and strong backlash from other forces.

Put stability first.
"Wang Chengen, find me some eunuchs you can trust and who are skilled in martial arts to protect me personally."

The problem of falling into the water must be solved first.

(End of this chapter)