Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 94 Chen Yuanyuan's Ambition
Zhu Changgan raised the wine glass in his hand and said, "My lords, I am counting on you for the great plans of the court."

"Your Majesty, long live His Majesty, long live His Majesty!"

"Your Majesty, long live..."

50 militia ministers knelt on the ground one by one, their faces flushed with excitement.

You should know that they only held sinecure positions in the court before, and because they had no power in the court, they had never been promoted. But now His Majesty directly promoted them three levels and added the title of deputy general.

what is this?
This is an honor.

It is like walking in the night while wearing fine clothes if you don't return to your hometown when you are rich and powerful. While they are promoted, they can also protect their hometown and take the opportunity to promote their children, nephews, brothers and friends, so most of them are still very excited.

Even if the power is small and there is no salary.

Even if it was just to assist local governors in organizing militia, for these bureaucrats and local gentry who would never have a chance to make a breakthrough, they cared more about fame and reputation than food and wages.

Therefore, when Zhu Changgan proposed to organize militia, many officials signed up. These fifty were selected from more than four hundred after several rounds of selection.

In later times, during the Jiaqing reign, the White Lotus Sect prevailed throughout the country, and the Eight Banners and the Green Camp were unable to resist.

Under such circumstances, the Qing government adopted the method of fortifying the countryside and training militia, and finally put down the White Lotus Sect.

What Zhu Changgan wanted was for them to cooperate in combat and play a certain role in it, rather than training them into a regular army like the Hunan Army, which was too powerful to be eliminated.

As for weapons, they were also asked to use local materials.

If they are willing to spend money, they can also purchase them from local border construction bureaus, but the quality cannot be guaranteed.

"The East Factory will send someone to go with you." How could Zhu Changgan not send his own people?

In addition, he also determined the military songs and salutes.

loyalty!

All the soldiers, except those who are paying homage, should salute in unison!

It should be promoted not only in the Yongwei Camp, the Beijing Camp, and the White Spear Soldiers, but also in their militias as well.

……

The Yongwei Battalion, the Beijing Battalion, and the White Spear Soldiers rested in the capital for two days, and then became busy again, loading food, fodder, ammunition, etc. onto vehicles in preparation for another expedition.

Because the Tartars have not been eliminated yet, they are still on the land of Ming Dynasty
The Armory and the Ministry of War were also busy.

In two days, 14,000 horses had been distributed to each camp, and the cavalry's strength had almost doubled.

In addition, as the news of the three major camps' victory spread, a wave of people signing up to join the army suddenly emerged in the Gyeonggi region.

The three major camps recorded 2500, 1800, and 800 people respectively.

Not only did they make up for the previous staff, but they also added 5,000 more people.

"Report, the Qing army is not heading towards the capital. The troops are gathered together and are still in Tongzhou."

The military reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard were sent back one after another and summarized in the Grand Council.

The emperor, Sun Chengzong, Yang Sichang, Cao Huachun, Li Banghua and others looked at the map on the table. "As Your Majesty said, the Tartars did not arrive near the capital as expected, but instead joined forces?"

"This is a bit difficult to fight. The enemy still has 60,000 cavalry, and we only have 30,000 at most. We can't catch up with them at all." Li Banghua couldn't help but speak.

"Even if we have artillery and muskets, we can't catch up with the enemy and they won't be able to exert much power."

Song Yingxing also attended the meeting and stood up at this time, "Sir Li, our craftsmen from the Arms Department have made a batch of tractors for the artillery carriages, which can be towed by horses, greatly enhancing the mobility of the artillery."

This was also the solution for artillery transportation that Song Yingxing and the craftsmen from the Armory came up with after the last war.

"Oh, how much can it carry? And how many miles can it travel per day?" Zhu Changgan turned his head and asked.

"Your Majesty, six horses can carry three cannons and travel a hundred miles a day."

"How many have been made?"

"50 vehicles. Even if some are damaged, they are enough for artillery pieces." Song Yingxing replied truthfully.

There were 100 guns when they set out before, but 20 more were built during this period and were delivered directly to the White Rod Army this time.

"Okay, let's do this for now. I trust you."

Zhu Changgan just listened throughout the whole process and hardly participated in it. He won the last game by chance because he knew the inertia of history.

This time he directly handed over the leadership to those below him and refused to micro-manage unless he was sure of the situation.

After the small court meeting ended, Song Yingxing did not leave. He looked at the emperor with hope, knelt down and saluted, saying: "Your Majesty, I want to follow you this time..."

"No!"

Zhu Changgan flatly refused this time. Although he arrested many Tartars and traitors in the capital, no one could guarantee that all the arrests were complete.

The first time he was sent to the battlefield, it could be said that he caught the enemy by surprise. But if Song Yingxing went to the battlefield again the second time, it would be like pushing away a popular opportunity. If he suffered a loss, he would have no place to cry.

"That's right, I have something I need you to do."

Song Yingxing's face was bitter. He followed the emperor all the way to the Qianqing Palace and wanted to make another request.

But the emperor asked Wang Chengen to close the door, pointed to a bunch of leaves on the ground and said, "Do you know what this is?"

"This..." Song Yingxing was a little confused, "Vegetables? Or flowers?"

"This is not a dish." Zhu Changgan said with a faint smile: "This is the elixir that brought the Ming Dynasty back to life. It produces 3000 kilograms per mu."

In later generations, the yield of hybrid sweet potatoes per mu can generally reach more than 6000 jin, and high-yield ones can even reach tens of thousands of jin.

Song Yingxing's eyes suddenly widened, "Three...three thousand?"

As an expert in this field in the Ming Dynasty, he knew very well the grain yield per mu in the Ming Dynasty. The rice yield per mu in the Ming Dynasty was 280 jin, and the wheat and millet yield per mu was 240 jin.

But the emperor asked for 3,000 kilograms, which was more than ten times the output. How could he dare to believe it?

"It's too late to harvest spring potatoes. What I want you to do now is to raise seedlings as soon as possible and plant summer potatoes. I have already prepared land for you. I have requisitioned 10,000 hectares of land in the Beijing camp for you in two days."

"I have found someone who has been growing sweet potatoes for thirty years."

Outside the Qianqing Palace, a man in his forties was sweating profusely, his Adam's apple rolling, and he kept swallowing saliva but did not dare to look up.

Qianhu? He never dreamed that he would become a Qianhu.

"Chen Shanqing comes to the palace to meet the emperor!"

A few seconds later, another sentence came, "Chen Shanqing came to the palace to meet the emperor!"

The eunuch's mouth twitched, and he hurried over and whispered, "He's calling you! His Majesty is waiting for you to come to the palace to see him."

"Oh..." Chen Zhenlong's grandson Chen Shanqing suddenly realized what was happening and hurriedly walked towards the palace under the guidance of the eunuch. More than 30 years ago, his grandfather Chen Zhenlong discovered this crop in the Philippines that could provide food and clothing for the locals and had a huge yield. With a sense of justice, he tried many times to transport sweet potatoes back to China.

But the Spanish colonists regarded it as a strategic material. After discovering it, they almost beat Chen Zhenlong to death and even made him a key "attention" object.

Unable to steal sweet potato chunks, he turned his attention to sweet potato vines. After bribing a local indigenous chief with a large sum of money, he obtained a few sweet potato vines. He wrapped the vines around cables and painted them black with mud. He was able to evade the search and bring the sweet potatoes back home.

Now, thirty years have passed. Disasters have hit various parts of the Ming Dynasty, people are starving to death, civilians are displaced, and people are rising up in rebellion... Only Fujian is silent.

This is because sweet potatoes have been widely promoted in Fujian.

At that time, Fujian Governor Jin Xue commended Chen Zhenlong for his "righteous act" and said that "although it was a human act, it was actually a blessing from heaven."

"Grandfather, my grandson is truly blessed by God!" Chen Shanqing said in his heart with red eyes.

……

After finishing these things, Zhu Changgan went to Chen Fei's place and sat, stood, and then lay down for a while.

Touching her white silk-like back, "You seem a little different today than before."

"..." Concubine Chen's eyes sparkled under her brows, like a fire in a bush of thorns, "Father told me that if you let him become an official, a high-ranking official, I will...I will serve you well."

Concubine Chen blushed, her ears and nose flushed, she glanced at the emperor, and suddenly her eyes glowed with a strange light, and she looked at the next door, "Your Majesty, the Empress came this morning and asked me to move to the harem, which has a separate courtyard."

The one who said this was Changzi, and her face became even redder because of embarrassment.

Normally, she could hear the woman next door talking, so naturally, what was happening here could also be heard by the other party. She felt embarrassed and depressed every time, so when she saw an opportunity, she thought about moving away from here as soon as possible.

"Wait a little longer, I will build you a separate yard when the time comes." Zhu Changgan said softly: "Come on, continue!"

……

Next door, Chen Yuanyuan was reading a book. Her bright and smiling face suddenly stopped smiling. Then an inexplicable sense of restraint came over her heart, and her cheeks turned red as blood.

She bit her lip, but her heart was surging like a raging sea wave.

Scenes from the past came to my mind.

Her parents died when she was young and she was adopted by her aunt. She later entered the opera theater and learned music, chess, calligraphy and painting. Because of her beautiful appearance, she became a famous actress in Wuzhong.

Every time he appeared on stage, the men below went crazy and surrounded the place.

I never get tired of it, and sometimes customers even chase me backstage and ask directly: "How much do you want to spend a night with me?"

But she is a famous actress, not a prostitute.

But the other party is a local tycoon, and you dare not offend him at all, so you can only say, "I sell my art but not my body."

Most of these people will leave after hearing this. After all, just being able to meet you once is enough for them to brag about it for several days.

But some powerful and dissolute young men may not buy into this. Their fathers were officials in the court and they had long been tired of playing with the women in brothels and among wealthy businessmen. How could they not be drooling over such a gorgeous woman?

After one of the performances, the nephew of a third-rank official in the court stopped Chen Yuanyuan, put a large bag of gold in front of her, and asked her to do him a favor.

Chen Yuanyuan refused several times, but the other party remained unmoved. Instead, he became more aggressive and wanted to use force.

Fortunately, she found an opportunity and used an excuse to run out, but was dragged back by the other party. In fear, she touched a candlestick and pointed the needle tip at her neck. "If you must do this, then spend the night with the corpse!"

Seeing that he could not succeed, the other party said harshly, "It is your blessing that I like you, don't be ungrateful."

Fortunately, the madam had backers behind her, and she got a few sisters to drink with the man so that he could escape.

But there will always be customers who cannot be dealt with. The madam said, "Whether you lose your virginity or not has nothing to do with me. If you offend a customer, I will not forgive you."

This time the old man was drunk as a mud, so I escaped.

Finally, you listened to your sisters and decided to find someone you like as soon as possible before you were abused. Even if it was just as a concubine, it would be better than continuing to waste your youth here.

Chen Yuanyuan has seen a "sincerely affectionate" wealthy businessman who spends a lot of money on you, but he can't even read a few words and doesn't understand the melody of playing.

Especially when he was drunk, he spoke without restraint... So she knew that in the eyes of such people, she was just a commodity like furniture and would never be treated well.

I have also seen children of officials who swore to each other on the surface, but never heard from them again after they returned.

Finally, Chen Yuanyuan met the person she liked.

He was well-read and fond of music. Every time they talked, they had a great time and developed a good impression of each other.

"I already have a wife."

"I never expected to be the first wife."

So Gong Ruofu, the son of Gong Xiuling of Jiangyin, paid a large sum of money to redeem himself as a concubine. However, when the sedan chair had already arrived at the door of his house, he was beaten out by his wife's family. The beating was so severe that he almost died.

Later, she was adopted as a daughter by Zhou Tong, Earl of Jiading, and brought to the capital.

I thought my life was settled.

But soon, Chen Yuanyuan discovered Zhou Tong's intention. He wanted to give you as a gift to Wu Sangui.

At this point, she knew that her life had no other way to go except tragedy.

No matter how exquisite I am, I am just a plaything, but now... the situation seems different. Now that I have entered the palace, why not control my own destiny?
Chen Yuanyuan bit her lips and listened to the noise from next door, "Lucei, bring me my rouge box."

……

“Ahem…”

In the examination room, Chongzhen was patting himself hard because he had finished all the water, but he was too hungry, so he could only stuff some dry food into his stomach, which almost choked him to death.

Just when he was hesitating whether to drink some water from the Gongyuan, a figure suddenly stood in front of him.

"Zhu Changgan?"

Chongzhen swallowed the dry food in his mouth with great effort and nodded.

The master placed a bamboo tube and a food box in front of him, "This is what the master gave you, eat it."

"For me?" Chongzhen stared at the other person blankly, and then thought about the treatment he had suffered in the county before, "No way? Could it be a mistake?"

The master smiled and shook his head, "Zhu Changgan, the prince of Xiangwang Mansion, can't be wrong."

“……” Chongzhen opened the lunch box with a confused look on his face and found that the food inside was quite rich, with two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes.

But the next sentence from the master made Chongzhen's brain buzz and his hand stopped in mid-air.

"Here, I would like to congratulate the prince in advance for his admission to high school!"

　Recommend a book, a new work by Da Luo Luo
　　
　
(End of this chapter)