Han ride

Chapter 383 Li Xin's Conspiracy

"Most of the money I took from Lin Dan Khan and Jian Nu, especially Lin Dan Khan, these Mongolian nobles have saved so much for hundreds of years, it is simply unimaginable." Li Xin took it easy. He said: "Then I went into business again, selling furs, horses, etc. outside the pass to the Central Plains. In this way, I can still support it for a while, but now the 10,000+ elite plus the refugees who migrated to the grassland, the money of the minister I'm afraid it won't last long. So I want to implore the emperor to support me."

"Marquis Zhengbei is really a joke. Now that the court is suffering from internal and external troubles, coupled with the severe drought every year, the court's money has long been unable to make ends meet. If the establishment of slaves this time waits for a while, Hong Chengchou's food and grass will not be able to support them. Marquis, you Wealthy grasslands, with countless gold and silver treasures deprived by Mongolian Lin Dan Khan for hundreds of years, do you still want to ask the court for money?" Wen Tiren said dissatisfied.The finances of the Ming Dynasty have already reached the point of collapse, and it has become a practice to make ends meet. How can there be money to support Li Xin?Wen Tiren is in charge of the cabinet, so he naturally knows the situation of the Ministry of Household Affairs. It is already very good that the imperial court does not ask for Li Xin, so how can they give money to Li Xin?Feed the wolves?If it doesn't work out, after more than ten years, when Li Xin's power expands to a certain extent, he will go south to the Central Plains in turn.What's more, such a small amount of silver from the imperial court is not enough to distribute, and it has to be given to Li Xin. Li Xin's army has less food and salary, and if it is not done well, it will cause mutiny or something.Then the loss outweighs the gain even more.

Emperor Chongzhen also felt a bit embarrassed. According to reason, Li Xin is also an official of the court. He took a tael of silver from the imperial court, and the 10,000+ troops were all robbed by themselves. According to Li Xin, how long can his silver last?
"The general's salary is too high, how will the court recruit soldiers in the future?" Wang Yingxiong said with a sigh.

"Soldiers are fighting on the battlefield, sacrificing their lives, so we must give them a little settling allowance!" Li Xin said with a wry smile.At this time, the soldiers are military households, and they are the bottom class. During the war, those soldiers were working hard with their heads up. For a month of money, those high officials would make irresponsible remarks, but I myself Li Xin disdained to live a life of rich clothes and fine food.

In fact, it has to be said that the reason why the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty were so poor had a lot to do with Zhu Yuanzhang's policies.In the heart of Zhu Yuanzhang, a cowherd boy, scholars, farmers, businessmen, and all classes have their own jobs. The soldiers are all military households. When these military households were founded, Zhu Yuanzhang divided the land and was self-sufficient.But as time went by, the land became less and less, and the population of military households increased, so they became poorer and poorer.During the reign of Chongzhen, 80.00% of the land was in the hands of [-]% of the people.The rest are landless poor and military households.If it is added that the military pay is less, the soldiers will not fight desperately. The failure of the Ming army to fight has a lot to do with the low military pay.

"Hey!" Emperor Chongzhen nodded after listening to it, showing a trace of sadness.Although he is an emperor, he is not a god, and he cannot change much money.

"Your Majesty, I have a treasure, and I would like to invite the Emperor to look at it." Li Xin suddenly thought of something, raised his head to look at Emperor Chongzhen, but actually gestured to Emperor Chongzhen.

"Oh! I want to see it." Emperor Chongzhen saw it clearly, his heart moved, he thought for a while, and said to Wen Tiren and the others: "You wait here for a while, and I will go with Zheng Beihou." What Chongzhen can do Having reached the position of emperor and ruled the world for many years, how could it not be seen that Li Xin had something to say, but he didn't want the officials to know.

"Your Majesty, this?" After hearing this, Wen Tiren's complexion changed drastically, and he looked at Li Xin with suspicion.

"Haha, Marquis Zhengbei has the courage to overlord. If he wants to kill me, how can it be so troublesome and costly? You wait here and wait here, and those who resist the order will be killed." Emperor Chongzhen laughed loudly, waved his hand, and said Leading Li Xin to the other side.Although Wen Tiren and the others were in a hurry, they didn't dare to follow behind, they could only stare blankly at the figures of the two.

"If Marquis Zhengbei has something to say, you can say it now." Emperor Chongzhen stopped after walking for a few feet, looked at Li Xin and said.

"Actually, the imperial court is not short of money, it's just that the emperor didn't think about it." Li Xin thought for a while and said: "The imperial court has a treasure house in hand, and in a blink of an eye, it can get millions of taels of silver every month, or even more."

"Oh!" After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen's eyes lit up and he looked at Li Xin.This sentence deeply attracted Emperor Chongzhen. What he lacks most now is money and food.

"My Ming Dynasty is rich all over the world, but the money is not in the hands of the emperor, but in the hands of the clan, officials, and gentry. Although the emperor has raised wages in recent years, it has increased the burden on the people and made the people more and more difficult. poorer and poorer, but those officials and gentry get more benefits from it. For example, they can exchange land at a low price from the people who have land, so that the land will be more concentrated, and there will be no food, no money, and no land. , Didn't the emperor force these people to rebel?" Li Xin said softly.

"The clan is the backbone of the imperial court, and the gentry is the foundation of the imperial court. There is nothing I can do about it." Emperor Chongzhen also knew that what Li Xin said was true, but he couldn't do anything about it.

"Actually, no matter whether they are gentry or common people, they are all subjects of the emperor. Since this is the case, it should be the same. Whether they are gentry or common people, they must pay taxes and serve the court." Li The letter said softly.He finally stated his purpose, which was to look forward to the fact that "gentry and gentry work together as one and receive food as one" will come out of Chongzhen's hands.Regardless of whether it was successful or not, this matter was first brought out by Chongzhen in the end, and I just continued it.If you want to come to the world, people will not curse yourself.

Emperor Chongzhen was shocked all of a sudden. Looking at Li Xin, he obviously didn't expect Li Xin to come up with such an idea. This was almost against the entire civil servant group. What was he trying to do?Could it be that Li Xin wanted to sow discord between himself and all civil and military officials?But looking at Li Xin's serious face, he didn't want to say what he doubted about Li Xin.

"This matter is of great importance and cannot be done lightly." Chongzhen finally shook his head and said.In the end, he didn't dare to make a decision lightly. After all, after Zhu Yuanzhang, the civil service group almost controlled the administration of the entire country, and Chongzhen really didn't dare to pry this matter lightly.

"Hundreds of officials are not good, how about the clan?" Li Xin said again: "I was in the grassland. I heard that even the night pot of King Fu of Luoyang was made of gold, and the whole palace was magnificent. In the whole of Henan, King Fu's farms are countless. If King Fu is like this, let alone other princes and ministers."

"Don't talk about it." Emperor Chongzhen turned gloomy, glanced at Li Xin, saw the sincerity on his face, and finally sighed: "I can't be charged with abusing the clan, and don't talk about this kind of trick in the future. Tell me, is there any other way?"

"There is another way, which is to open mines." Li Xin spit out another plan, cupped his hands and said: "I have ordered people to search for gold and silver mines on the grasslands, and I want to ask the emperor to allow me to mint silver and gold coins. It may replace many inferior currencies in the Central Plains. It can also increase the silver of the imperial court and ease the imperial finances."

"Are there silver mines on the grassland? Are there gold mines?" Emperor Chongzhen asked curiously.Undoubtedly, he agrees with Li Xin's proposal very much, he can ask for money from the earth without offending anyone, and Chongzhen thinks this is feasible.As for the right to mint coins, he really doesn't care. In the Ming Dynasty, since Jiajing, there have been private mints of money in various places. During the Chongzhen Dynasty, there was also an example of using mint money to obtain gold and silver. For this reason, Emperor Chongzhen Many bronzes in the palace were also sent to the mint for melting and casting coins.Li Xin also wanted to mint coins now, but Emperor Chongzhen did not stop him, but he was concerned about the issue of silver.

"I don't know either." Li Xin hesitated for a moment before saying.

"Then give it a try!" After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen said nonchalantly: "You know the situation of the imperial court, I can't give you too much food and salary, if you find silver mines in the grassland, you can make money yourself. It will be used by the Northern Army. However, you must send troops into the Central Plains to suppress the bandits. As for the number of people, I will discuss with the Ministry of War. What do you think?"

"If this is the case, I want to lead the army myself." Li Xin hesitated again: "I am afraid that those Qiuba will not obey the orders of the generals in the court."

"Yes." Emperor Chongzhen said with a deep look at Li Xin.He knew that Li Xin was preventing the generals under his command from treating Li Xin's army as an army. For example, people like Hong Chengchou had always regarded the guest army as an army of the imperial court.Li Xin is guarding against these people.Of course, these were not big problems for Chongzhen, as long as Li Xin would send troops, it would be easy, and if Li Xin sent troops himself, it would be even better.It is almost universally recognized that Li Xin is brave and knows how to fight. Now as long as Li Xin wipes out all the rebellions in the Central Plains and restores the peace in the Central Plains, the Emperor Chongzhen will be much more relaxed, and the next target will naturally be placed on Li Xin. Xinhe Jiannu.

You must know that the Central Plains has always been the inherent territory of the Central Plains Dynasty. As for the territory outside the Great Wall, it would be better to occupy it. If it cannot be occupied, it doesn't matter.For example, during the Han Dynasty, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was so powerful that after defeating the Huns, he did not occupy the grassland.Although the Tang Dynasty also occupied the grassland, the facts have proved that the grassland is still the grassland of the grassland people.No matter how powerful the Central Plains Dynasty was, it would not be able to rule the grassland for long in the end.On the contrary, although the grassland peoples have repeatedly invaded the Central Plains, the facts have proved that the Central Plains is still dominated by the Han people.So for Li Xin's little calculation, Chongzhen thought he saw it clearly, but he had his own considerations, so he simply didn't take it to heart.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Li Xin held back the excitement in his heart. He could finally send troops to the Central Plains in an open and honest manner. As long as the timing is right, he can take over the Ming Dynasty in an open and honest manner.

"If you have any other demands, please bring them up together." Emperor Chongzhen was very generous this time, as long as Li Xin sent troops, as long as he could do it, he would make promises.

"I want to live in a house in the capital, so I ask the emperor for permission." Li Xin rolled his eyes and said suddenly.

"I can promise you this." After hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen looked deeply at Li Xin and said, "Actually, as long as you help me destroy Jiannu and put an end to rebellion, you don't have to learn from Wang Jian."

"Hehe, the emperor was joking." Li Xin looked a little embarrassed, and said again: "Your majesty, in fact, the capital is the biggest cornucopia! I heard that the emperor is frugal, but officials in the capital are not necessarily frugal. Look Looking at the huge capital, there are rich households everywhere, most of these households are families of officials."

"Unfortunately, I am the emperor, not a bandit." Emperor Chongzhen clenched his fists tightly.He also knew that there were many wealthy households in Beijing, and so did the officials, and some of them lived a life of luxury, which even Emperor Chongzhen envied.It's a pity that, just as he himself said, he is the emperor, not a bandit, but he wants to rob.At this time, the idea of ​​the fierce Li Xin suddenly popped up.But soon they were forced out.All that could be left was a deep sigh.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late. It's time for me to leave." Li Xin glanced at the barracks below. At this time, he saw countless grain carts heading towards the barracks. He didn't know where Hou Xun dug out so many. forage.

"Are you afraid that I will kill you?" Chongzhen said slightly dissatisfied.

"Of course the emperor won't, but the people below don't know. I'm a cowardly person. I don't have a son yet, so it's better to keep incense." Li Xin said indifferently: "The army The soldiers in the army didn't trust the court very much, if the minister is not here, God knows what decisions these guys will make."

"En..." Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Wen Tiren and the others not far away, with a gloomy expression.He knew that it was impossible for Li Xin to stay in Beijing, or in other words, Li Xin still didn't trust the court.Emperor Chongzhen sometimes asked himself whether he could trust Li Xin, and the answer was no.But at this time, he had to rely on Li Xin. Emperor Chongzhen had an account of how many soldiers and horses were left in the court.Originally, Hong Chengchou was about to succeed in exterminating Gao Yingxiang and others, but with the arrival of Jiannu, Gao Yingxiang escaped quickly, and in a blink of an eye, the number of troops under his command increased a lot again. Hong Chengchou's strength alone cannot be wiped out at all. As a last resort, he must transfer Li Xin's troops to the south.

Seeing Li Xin's leaving figure, Wen Tiren and the others glanced at each other, and hurried to Chongzhen's side. After pushing for a while, Wen Tiren said cautiously: "Your Majesty, is this Li Xin?"

"Li Xin has agreed to transfer troops into the customs. He helped the court solve Gao Yingxiang's rebellion." Emperor Chongzhen said lightly.

"The emperor is going to transfer Li Xin's troops to enter the customs? Can Li Xin enter the customs?" Wen Tiren was stunned when he heard the words, and exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, is there any difference between the two?" Emperor Chongzhen sneered, "Li Xin's soldiers and horses have entered the customs, and people are still worried that those generals will ruin his soldiers and horses? Hong Chengchou's 20 troops besieged Jiannu, Let Jiannu run away."

"Your Majesty, Li Xin is also a strong soldier. Most of the soldiers around him are outlaws. Whoever leads his soldiers can win battles?" People must never enter the Central Plains again."

"I have already agreed." Emperor Chongzhen glanced at Wen Tiren and the others, and finally shook his head.At this time, he really remembered Li Xin's words, maybe it should really be like what Li Xin said, the officials and the gentry should pay food as one, and do errands together as one.But then again, Emperor Chongzhen did not have such great courage. Just as Chongzhen said, the foundation of the entire Ming Dynasty was those literati. ?
"It's a pity." Wen Tiren looked at Li Xin who had left the city gate, rolled his eyes, but retreated.He gestured to Wang Yingxiong.

"The grain and grass in Li Xin's army can last for a few days." Wen Tiren said cautiously.

"The emperor's intention should be to give as much as you want." Wang Yingxiong thought for a while and said.

"Tell Hou Xun, once a day." Wen Tiren rolled his eyes and said, "Li Xin must not be allowed to return to the grassland. This Li Xin may have said something to the emperor just now. I saw that the emperor looked at us in a wrong way just now. I'm afraid that what Li Xin said has something to do with us. Unfortunately, we don't know what he said. No matter what, we can't let Li Xin go back alive."

"Li Xin is about to lead troops into the customs. At that time, he will be able to gain a foothold in the Central Plains. This person is a great enemy. The emperor's move is probably wrong." Wang Yingxiong also nodded.

"Now I hope that Hong Chengchou can come back quickly, so that Li Xin can be blocked under the city of Beijing." Wen Tiren nodded, and was about to say something, but saw that Emperor Chongzhen was about to go down to the city, and hurriedly pulled Wang Yingxiong to catch up .

Under the city, Li Xin and Gao Meng had just arrived at the barracks when they saw Shi Yuanzhi and others coming up to meet them, Shi Yuanzhi said: "My lord, the emperor is really good, not only gave food and grass, but also dozens of big fat pigs and fine wine. "

"Hey, he needs us to send troops to the Central Plains." Li Xin laughed.

"Send troops to the Central Plains?" After hearing this, Shi Yuanzhi's complexion changed, his eyes showed surprise, and he said: "God bless my lord, from now on we can send troops to the Central Plains in a fair and honest manner."

"Yes! Thank you Hong Chengchou for this! Hundreds of thousands of soldiers attacked Jiannu, and in the end they didn't even kill Jiannu's fur. I still lost such soldiers and horses. 20 soldiers and horses are the most elite part of the court. Now that tens of thousands of people have been lost, Emperor Chongzhen may not be able to hold on anymore, so he let me send troops." Li Xin shook his head.Regarding his suggestion to Chongzhen, he is not going to say.This issue was discussed with Shi Yuanzhi last time. Unfortunately, Shi Yuanzhi also opposed this matter. Although Li Xin has few civil servants at present, it may not be so in the future.

(End of this chapter)