Saving the Ming Dynasty: I can exchange bodies with Chongzhen

Chapter 96: Prince Xiang: My son, you must work hard to change the Ming Dynasty

"Hey!"

Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming sighed as he looked at Chongzhen who was brought back by servants.

After looking at the list, he finally understood why Chongzhen was angry.

"Father will take you to a place, and then you will understand whether Father has lied to you or not."

He brought Chongzhen to the prefect's office.

Chongzhen didn't want to go in at first, but he was dragged by Prince Xiang. Moreover, there were people coming and going in front of the government office, and his face turned red when he was stared at. He wished there was a crack in the ground so he could dive in.

When he went in, he saw that many people were already waiting outside. Turning back, he saw the people from Prince Xiang's Mansion, and they all had grim expressions on their faces.

King Xiang told him, "These are the students who took the exam with you and were admitted."

"They?" Chongzhen stared blankly at these fat and bloated young men in front of him and asked again, "Are they the students who were admitted?"

"Yes, this is the student who came to express his gratitude." King Xiang said, pointing at the two people standing in front.

"That's Mr. Liu's stupid son. He usually hangs out in brothels and can't read a single word. Apart from eating, drinking, having fun, and singing, he's actually ranked third in the A class."

"My Qilin son, is he not as good as him?"

The King pointed to the fifth one from the left and said, "That's Lu Bingsheng's second son. He ranked fifth in the A class. He can't even speak clearly. He wets his bed at the age of 14. He has trouble even saying a complete sentence, let alone writing an article."

"And the second place in the first class, Liu..." This time, without waiting for Prince Xiang to speak, the veins on Chongzhen's forehead bulged.

Because he knew this person, he was the cheating young man he met during the previous county examination.

Chongzhen was also seen at this time, staring at the two of them sinisterly, as if he was still holding a grudge.

At this point, Chongzhen's anger towards Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming suddenly disappeared.

Yes, if people like them can be ranked in the top three, why can't I be the first in the prefectural case? !

His Adam's apple rolled for a long time, and he asked with difficulty:

"The provincial exam requires five people to guarantee, and students also need to guarantee each other. They all went through a strict search before the exam. Aren't they afraid that someone from above will investigate?"

"If someone from above comes to investigate, it will only cost a little more money." Xiang Wang Zhu Yiming sighed and said, "This is the situation for the county and prefectural examinations below. It will be much better for the provincial examinations. To take the exam, you need two students from the imperial academy to guarantee you, and the chief examiner for the provincial examination is appointed by Your Majesty."

The so-called scholar had to take the scholar level examination. After the annual examination, the outstanding ones would be designated as students on government stipend.

It is possible to receive an allowance, about 4 taels per month. Many people will cherish this reputation, so they will be more cautious when acting as a guarantor.

There are quotas for students on government stipends, approximately 40, 30, and 20 for prefectures, states, and counties.

Exceeding this quota is called "extension". If there is a vacancy in the excess quota, the other scholars are called "attached students".

"The Ming Dynasty has become so corrupt..." Chongzhen looked at these deformed things in front of him with great sorrow and trembling all over.

Even the imperial examination has reached such a point, what about other aspects?

He couldn't imagine.

Did Chongzhen suddenly feel that the imperial examination was useless?
His eyes suddenly became confused and helpless.

King Xiang seemed to see something, walked up to him, and patted his shoulder, "How can my son be discouraged? You have to think like this. It is precisely because of this that you are more motivated and work harder to change the Ming Dynasty."

"Work hard to change the Ming Dynasty?" Chongzhen was shocked when he heard this and murmured, "Yes, work hard to change the Ming Dynasty..."

He raised his head, his eyes red, and said in a choked voice: "Father, I will go to the capital with you to take part in the provincial examination!"

After taking two examinations in Xiangyang Prefecture, he only wanted to go to Beijing.

Go to the capital to take part in the provincial examination.

As for the issue of not being a local student, he can first join the Imperial Academy in the capital. With the status of a student, he can then participate in the provincial examination in the capital.

Nowadays, the Imperial College cannot recruit enough students every year.

If I asked other places to recommend me, I would always be declined. But if I recommended myself to go to the Imperial College in Kyoto, I would definitely not be rejected.

There won't be favoritism and fraud in the provincial examinations in the capital anymore, right?
"Go to the capital to take part in the provincial examination? Is it too late?" Prince Xiang Zhu Yiming shook his head repeatedly.

It is now May, and there are only more than two months left until the Autumn Examination.

It is two thousand miles from Xiangyang Prefecture to Kyoto, and it would take at least a month to travel by horse carriage.

In addition, if you suffer from acclimatization, fever or diarrhea, if you take a short rest, you will miss the opportunity.

Once you miss it, you will have to wait another three years.

……

Tongzhou, the military camp of the Manchu-Mongolian army.

"Report!"

"A large number of Ming troops were discovered outside Tongzhou City."

"How many people are there?" Dorgon asked with a frown.

"It is estimated to be around 70,000 people."

"Prince Rui, let's have a good fight with the Ming army. We were ambushed by the enemy last time, and it was in a valley, so the cavalry couldn't launch a surprise attack. There are no strategic locations to defend within thirty miles outside Tongzhou City, so our cavalry can bring out a huge advantage." Yue Tuo requested impatiently.

"Yes, Marshal, let's fight. It's so hard to find an enemy that dares to attack the Ming army head-on. It would be a shame not to fight."

"Let's fight a battle! I don't believe that the Ming army can be as powerful as Yuetuo Beile said."

Two Gushan Ezhens of the Zhengbai Banner under Dorgon said with a grim smile: "These Ming people are really boring. Their muscles and bones are stiff. Fighting the Ming army will loosen up their muscles, right?"

"Haha~~"

Each Gushan Ezhen led 7500 soldiers, all of whom had participated in the war against the Ming Dynasty the year before.

The memory of the last battle to enter the Pass is still vivid. In the capital area alone, 18 people and livestock were captured.

So when they heard that Yuetuo's troops had suffered a defeat, their first reaction was also disbelief. If the Ming Dynasty really had such a magical weapon, why didn't they use it in the capital area last time?
That's the capital. Why do we have to wait until this time in Tongzhou to show it?

That's unacceptable!
"Wait a little longer!" Dorgon, who was sitting in the main seat, never gave in.

His fingers clenched tightly, he had made his concerns clear in the letter he wrote to the emperor.

The fact that the Ming Dynasty was able to defeat General Yue Tuo's army of more than 10,000 men in one battle shows that the Ming Dynasty already had the strength to threaten the Eight Banners Army.

So he secretly requested the Qing Emperor Huang Taiji to change the route and no longer go through Shanxi, but to directly plunder Shandong and return.

Although that might result in fewer people and animals being captured, it is relatively much safer.

But he thought so, but Yue Tuo didn't think so.

Yuetuo suffered a great loss at the hands of the Ming army. If he could not fight a battle to save his face, he would not be able to face Huang Taiji when he returned.

Not only did he not think so, the soldiers of the Eight Banners also did not think so. They all clamored to quickly split their forces and march south.

Why are they here?

They came to capture cities and capture people, livestock and treasures. Now that they had reached Ming Dynasty territory, they were not allowed to send troops to plunder. Their anger was accumulating day by day.

The Qing army had never been defeated in a field battle over the years, which made them even more arrogant.

Therefore, even though Dorgon was a prince, he was unable to suppress them.

……

Cao Huachun was in the central army, listening to Li Banghua and Qin Liangyu discussing the analysis of the upcoming war against the Qing Dynasty.

"General, the Qing Dynasty is not strong enough to sustain a long-term war. We can refer to Yu Qian's strategy for defending the capital..."

One of the main reasons why the Yongwei Camp, the Jing Camp and the Baigan Soldiers were stationed in Tongzhou was that a large amount of grain was stored in Tongzhou. The grain transported through the canal was enough to feed 70,000 people for two years.

Moreover, the three camps did not enter Tongzhou City, but lined up outside the city to welcome them. On the one hand, the Ming Dynasty’s confidence could not be lowered.

What is more important is to maximize the power of firearms. The three battalions have 120 advanced artillery pieces and 6000 musketeers.

If the Ming army defended the city, the fire guns would be useless because they were out of range, so they could only use artillery to bombard the enemy, but the artillery in the hands of the three battalions could not be moved to the wall. It would be better to let the three battalions line up outside the city to meet the enemy, with the front row using artillery and fire guns to hit the enemy, the middle row using archers to shoot the enemy, and the city using artillery to bombard the enemy, forming a three-dimensional defense network, which would greatly increase the lethality and ensure that firearms could be used to the maximum extent to attack the enemy.

Even if all 60,000 cavalrymen of the enemy come over, we can still fight.

Cao Huachun nodded, "The Military Affairs Council means that we should stay in Tongzhou and contain them firmly to the east of the capital, waiting for the troops from Guanning, Denglai, Xuanda, Miyun, and Baoding to arrive."

"Sun Yingyuan, Huang Degong, listen to my orders!"

"The end will be here."

"You lead 20,000 cavalrymen to confront the Qing cavalry. Gather five miles away and harass them continuously." Cao Huachun stood up and said solemnly, "You can engage in battle with them, but not to the death. You can pretend to retreat and attract the Qing soldiers to pursue you. If they don't pursue you, continue to harass them."

"The last general takes command!"

Before other Ming troops arrive, the main focus will be on harassment.

……

In the Qianqing Palace,

Zhu Changgan frowned as he listened to the news reported by Wang Chengen. "Isn't this the first time this has happened in the six ministries?"

The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War allocated only half of the salaries and food to various places after random checks by the East Factory.

"Your Majesty, this..." Wang Chengen said halfway and stopped himself.

Zhu Changgan snorted coldly, "Do you really think that there is no way to deal with the three major camps once they leave the capital?"

Before his death, Chongzhen once said, "My ministers have misled me!"

Most people may think that this statement is an attempt to shirk responsibility.

But if anyone has studied the government affairs during the Chongzhen period, most people will agree how correct this statement is.

To be precise, during the Chongzhen period, there were two types of people who suffered the most.

The first type of people are called Chongzhen, the second type of people are called the common people, and the happiest ones are the officials in the middle.

Their main work can be summed up in four words: "deceiving superiors and concealing the truth from subordinates."

Specific characteristics: Do everything except practical matters; want everything except face.

This was the group of people Chongzhen dealt with every day.

Take the third year of Chongzhen as an example. One hundred thousand shi of grain were sent to the northwest to relieve the famine. However, when they set out from the capital, only fifty thousand shi were left. When they arrived at the local area, there were twenty-five thousand shi left. When they arrived at the grassroots level, only ten thousand shi were left.

In reality, the common people could only receive about 5,000 shi.

All the money and grain allocated by the court, once distributed, no matter whether it was good or bad, everyone had to take a cut of it.

When it reached the local area, it passed through the hands of the governor, the prefect, and the county magistrate. By the time it reached the hands of the people, it was gone.

This matter was too extreme. When Chongzhen found out, he was furious and personally supervised the matter. The first to take action were the officials from the Ministry of Revenue.

As a result, the Ministry of Revenue conducted a thorough investigation for a long time, and pulled out several people who were said to have been derelict in their duties. They were removed from their posts and investigated, and were ready to close the case.

Chongzhen was furious and personally went into battle. He found several main culprits and killed them to vent his anger, but it was still to no avail.

Zhu Changgan stood up suddenly and said, "Wang Chengen, tell Gao Yu to stop spot checking and ask the people from the East Factory to conduct a comprehensive investigation to get to the bottom of this matter."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

When Wang Chengen left, the anger in Zhu Changgan's eyes had not yet dissipated, "It seems that the rectification of official administration should be put on the agenda."

The court during the Chongzhen period was in great chaos. The biggest problem was that there were too many idlers and few who could do practical work.

Take Wen Tiren as an example.

This guy looks very capable, smart, capable, well-read, and good at handling government affairs. He works very hard from morning till night every day, and he can finish things in a few days that others can't finish in several years.

There was a street-long line of people giving gifts at the door, but no one ever accepted a single gift.

But as the saying goes, "A bad guy who leaves his name in history cannot be without ability."

All his time and energy were devoted to party struggles.

In the second year of Chongzhen, he conspired with Zhou Yanru to bring down Qian Longxi and entered the cabinet.

A few years later, he defeated Zhou Yanru and became the capital.

Two years later, he brought down the promising Wen Zhenmeng and consolidated his own position.

There were too many people like Wen Tihen in the Chongzhen period. They only did one thing as officials, which was to make personal progress.

For the sake of personal advancement, they can cheat anyone. They are very shrewd and good at playing dumb. They are also very united and sociable.

Each of them has been in the imperial court for many years and has long since become a demon, with a thick skin that no one can match.

"You want to play the game of occupying the toilet without taking a shit with me?" Zhu Changgan suddenly laughed angrily, and said with a fierce smile: "Then I will play with you."

In times of crisis, these civil servants remained tireless, fighting for their own survival, bullying others, setting traps, and were busy having a great time.

Then don't blame yourself for being cruel and ruthless.

"Come here, how many students are there in the Imperial College?"

"Your Majesty, there aren't many people left in the Imperial College..."

"What do you mean there aren't many people left?"

Under Zhu Changgan's questioning, the eunuch finally told the truth.

It turned out that in the late Ming Dynasty, the imperial treasury was empty. Originally, students in the Imperial College did not have to pay tuition and could also receive a salary. But now, not only did they lose their salary, they also had to pay tuition.

Moreover, the selection of officials became increasingly unfair. For several years, no one who graduated from the Imperial College had passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi.

In addition, the rapid development of private education, such as the rise of Donglin Academy, directly led to the decline of the Imperial College.

There are only a little over a hundred people in the Imperial College nowadays, and they are all from poor families with no family background.

In addition, there were dozens of candidates who came from other provinces to take the imperial examinations but failed, so they temporarily settled in the Imperial College again.

"Two hundred people?" Zhu Changgan hesitated for a moment, "That's enough. Go and summon all the students of the Imperial College to the palace for me."

quickly,

Dozens of teachers and more than a hundred students of the Imperial College were driven out of the Meridian Gate by people from the East Depot.

"What happened? Why did you call us here?"

"Could it be that someone has offended His Majesty?"

"It won't be our turn this time, will it?"

They were all trembling and terrified, not understanding why the emperor suddenly called them over.

Although they were not officials, they knew everything that had happened in the capital during this period. When they were reorganizing the East Factory, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Beijing Barracks, there was no one without deaths.
"Don't talk nonsense. If Your Majesty wanted our heads, the people from the East Factory would have chopped them off long ago. Why did they summon us to the palace?"

"Too……"

While they were discussing this, they suddenly saw a eunuch in a red robe come out, and they immediately fell silent.

Gao Yushun, the supervisor of the East Factory, shouted, "Your Majesty has arrived."

Everyone fell to their knees and shouted, "Long live your majesty! Long live your majesty!"

These scholars and students of the Imperial College put their heads on the ground and dared not raise their heads.

Zhu Changgan slowly walked up to the crowd and said with a pleasant face:
"I want to give you a chance to rise to prominence. I will give you the title of Eighth Rank and ask you to assist me in governing the country for three months."

"After the probation period, those who excel will be promoted to full-time officials."

Ok?
Everyone present was stunned, but more of them suddenly raised their heads, their eyes shining like fire.

(End of this chapter)