"It seems like I was dreaming about my ancestors."
Zhu Cixiang did not say anything to death at the beginning. Although Wang Chengen was honest, he was definitely not a fool. Emperor Chongzhen would use honest people, but he would never use a fool to be the eunuch Bingbi and the superintendent of the East Factory. To deal with this person, you have to slowly coax him with half-truths and half-falsehoods. It is best to let him slip into the trap on his own.
"Oh." Wang Chengen responded, "What does the ancestor Qiantiusui dreamed about look like? Is it the same as the Taizu Emperor Gao in the painting?"
"It's different," Zhu Cixiang shook his head and said vaguely, "Much younger, he looks very fierce."
Wang Chengen nodded, noncommittal, "Perhaps Qiansui Master is worried about state affairs, so he has a dream at night, right?"
He didn't believe that Zhu Yuanzhang would really entrust his dream to the young prince who was only sixteen years old, because the Ming Dynasty still had a wise emperor in power. Even if the ancestors had some way to turn the situation around, they should still entrust their dreams to the emperor.
"Maybe that's the case," Zhu Cixiang looked at Wang Chengen seriously, "but I still saw a way out in my dream."
"A way out?" Wang Chengen was a little confused, "Whose way out?"
"Of course it's Daming's way of life!" Zhu Cixiang said firmly, word by word, "Wang Banban, doesn't he think that Daming is wandering between life and death right now?"
Wang Chengen remained silent. Who doesn't know now that Ming Dynasty is on the line between life and death? In fact, as early as the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, after the Battle of Zhuxian Town, the governor Hou Xun said that he would abandon the Central Plains and put the country, the country, and the country first.
In the spring of the 16th year of Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen himself had private discussions with Zhou Yanru, who had been reinstated as chief minister, about moving south.
In June of the 16th year of Chongzhen, when Emperor Chongzhen repeatedly urged Sun Chuanting to leave Tongguan to fight the decisive battle with Li Zicheng, who was in the limelight, Queen Zhou also proposed moving the capital. She was "anxious" and tested Chongzhen, saying: "I still have a family in Nanzhong." Wang Cheng'en was by Chongzhen's side at that time.
Seventeen years after entering Chongzhen, more ministers have realized that "border bandits are intertwined, and the Central Plains is out of control", so the proposal of moving south has been openly discussed in the court.
However, Emperor Chongzhen could not make up his mind and used Qian Gang to promote the southward migration. Most of the courtiers were unwilling to bear the crime of abandoning their ancestors' tombs, so they always expressed opposition when the court discussed moving south.
Wang Chengen thought to himself: The prince was probably in favor of moving to the south, but he was afraid that he would be young and reticent, so he used Taizu's dream to propose the move to the south, right?
"Did our ancestors mention the southward migration in their dreams?" Wang Chengen asked tentatively.
Zhu Cixiang did not answer the question, but handed the chart he had made before to Wang Chengen, "Take a look."
Wang Chengen took the chart respectfully and was stunned again. In the form of charts and matrices, various major internal strengths, weaknesses and external opportunities and threats closely related to the research object are listed through investigation, systematically analyzed, and then the various factors are matched with each other for analysis. The method was obviously not something that the sixteen-year-old Zhu Cixiang could master... and it seemed that Zhu Cixiang's teachers and the chamberlains around him didn't know how to do this either.
Zhu Cixiang looked at Wang Chengen and said eloquently: "My Ming Dynasty's difficulties are clearly caused by defeats and defeats. But if you look closely, it is actually due to finances. If the court has money that cannot be spent, rogue bandits will It has been smoothed out long ago, and Lu Chou has been trapped by the fortress wall for a long time."
"That's what Mr. Qiansui said." Wang Chengen replied while frowning and looking at the chart given by Zhu Cixiang.
This chart mainly analyzes the financial status of the Ming Dynasty.
Daming's financial situation is generally relatively healthy!
There are two small problems: depletion of cash reserves and imbalance of payments... Of course they are small problems in the eyes of future generations of financial dogs!
Because the Ming Dynasty basically had no debt, and it also had huge cash flow and monopolized a vast market - the tax market of Jiangnan, Jianghuai, Fujian, and Guangdong and Guangxi!
This was the largest tax market in the world in the seventeenth century! And the growth rate is good. Through the large-scale export of silk, porcelain and other commodities, silver from the New World is continuously flowing into the tax markets of Jiangnan, Jianghuai, Fujian, and Guangdong and Guangxi. Therefore, these places can afford higher taxes... Of course, the premise is that Zhu Cihong goes to Jiangnan to collect money!
As long as he can come to Jiangnan and take power, he will have a way to receive money from the richest maritime merchants and Sanwu landowners...or defraud money! This is what he will do in the future!
Zhu Cixi stood up, with his hands behind his back, pacing in the hall and talking eloquently: "In the sixteenth year of Chongzhen, various taxes and additional payments totaled more than ten million taels of silver. Because the Central Plains, Shaanxi, Huguang and other places Falling into war, Northern Zhili was plundered by the captives in the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, so they all defaulted heavily. Of the more than 10 million received last year, most of them came from Nanzhi, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other southeastern regions. place.
However, the sacred land in the southeast has borne so many taxes and increased stipends, but it is stable as usual, and there is no disaster of refugees. This shows that Southeast Asia has money, enough to bear all kinds of taxes and extra stipends!
The southeast is stable, with no rogue bandits, no captives, no vassal kings, and no major disasters. Even the sea pirates were put down by Zheng Zhilong. It is a scene of peace and prosperity. Therefore, while the imperial court collected huge taxes in the southeast, it did not need to spend much, and the income was almost pure profit! "
Zhu Cihong paused and then asked: "Wang Banban, do you know where the court's money is mainly spent?"
"Alas," Wang Chengen sighed, "I spent it on the Liaodong war and the suppression of bandits in the Central Plains. In addition, the feudal prince also spent a lot of money."
Zhu Cixiang nodded, "Yes! The imperial court collected huge taxes in the southeast, and spent huge sums of money in the Central Plains, Northwest, and Liaodong... The income from the southeast was not enough to meet the expenses of the Central Plains, northwest, and Liaodong, and the finances were out of control. The finances were out of control. Then the soldiers will be short of pay and weapons, the refugees from the Central Plains and the Northwest will not be able to receive relief, and they will have to revolt, and there will be no money to strengthen the Liaodong Pass wall. The war will naturally be corrupt and cannot be done for any reason!"
Wang Chengen was speechless.
Zhu Cixi then asked: "Wang Banban, how much money do you think the court will need to defeat Chuangtei and Lu Chou, who have become big at the same time?"
"This..." Wang Chengen still couldn't answer.
Zhu Cixi smiled bitterly, "In battles between the army and the bandits, they actually won more than they lost. If it weren't for natural and man-made disasters and the court had no money to provide relief, the bandits would have been put down long ago. But when the army fought against the bandits, there were few victories, and There were also many huge defeats and miserable defeats! As a result, all the elite officers and soldiers who could be used to suppress the bandits were left on the battlefield fighting the ugly bandits.
It is not difficult to conclude from this that the combat power of the elite army is stronger than that of the rogues, but much weaker than that of the captives. If you want to use the official army to fight against the enemy, you need to have elites several times that of the enemy.
According to Tang Bao, the governor of Jiliao, the so-called Eight Banners of Manchuria by Choulu now has 80,000 soldiers, and the troops of Sanshun Puppet King have more than 10,000. The number of elite soldiers should be around 100,000! In addition, there are tens of thousands of Mongolian troops who rely on Lu Chou. A total of hundreds of thousands of soldiers can be dispatched!
If our officers and soldiers can fight two against one, we will need 300,000 elite soldiers! If three enemies are to be fought against one, 450,000 elites will be needed!
In addition, the bandits have grown bigger and are coming with an army of tens of thousands! If you want to destroy it, you will probably need hundreds of thousands of elites.
Taken together, the imperial court needs 600,000 elites to quell Liao and destroy the invaders! How much does it cost to raise 600,000 elites? Can the court get it? Even if the situation is not destroyed and the situation is maintained, two to three hundred thousand elites are still needed. If we pay according to the salary of Guan Ningjun, how much will it cost for two to three hundred thousand elites? Is it possible for the imperial court to take responsibility? "
Wang Chengen shook his head.
Zhu Cixiang stopped, looked at Wang Chengen and said: "Since we can't take it out, we can only temporarily abandon the loss-making Central Plains and Liaodong, and retreat to the southeast until we can still make a lot of money. As long as the southeast is in hand, we can earn an income of 20 million a year. It can still be run. With 20 million, there is still hope for ZTE in Ming Dynasty!"
This is actually the simplest asset reorganization, giving up unprofitable markets and businesses and focusing the main energy on profitable businesses and markets.
"But..." Wang Chengen frowned deeply, "But if we abandon Beijing, can Southeast be defended?"
"Yes!" Zhu Cixiang was very sure, "The battles in the Central Plains and Liaodong relied on the horse army that came and went like the wind. And the water network in the southeast is spread all over, including the Yangtze River and the Huanghuai River (at this time, the Yellow River takes the Huaihe River and flows into the sea, and the Huanghuai River is downstream (integrated into one), the canal as the backbone, and the sea as a reliance. Therefore, the advantage of fighting and defending in the southeast lies in the navy. However, the captives and rogue bandits do not have a navy, but our Ming Dynasty has Fujian, Guangdong, and Tianjin navy to rely on, and canal transportation There is also a fleet under the governor, which can also be converted into a navy. As long as it is used properly, we can rely on the Yangtze River, Huanghuai and the sea to protect the security in the southeast of the Ming Dynasty."
The Navy is the core competitiveness of the Ming Dynasty! What do Dorgon and Li Zicheng, two landlubbers, use to fight?
Zhu Cixiang continued his analysis: "In addition, once the rogues enter Beijing, then Chuangni will have to face the captives directly! With Chuangni fighting against the captives in the north, why can't we, the Ming Dynasty, recuperate in the southeast? This is the former Taizu Gao What a situation it was like when the emperor started in the southeast and established the world!
Now there is no money in the Central Plains and Liaodong. After fighting for so many years, all the money they had has been reduced to nothing. There is nothing in the hands of the imperial court, but there is money in the hands of Chuangni? Chuang Ni was still shouting about equalizing land and exempting taxes, and no conscription for three years. When he entered the city of Beijing and faced the fiercely approaching ugly bandits, he should know the pain. When the time comes, it will be too late to fight against the rebels, so how can they have the energy to march south?
But when the imperial court went to the southeast, it didn't have to fight with the captives, nor did it need to support the feudal clans everywhere. Even the bandits were unable to go south. "
The Zhongyuan market is not easy! The competition is fierce! Moreover, the cash flow that can be generated is very small, and various expenditures are very huge, which is difficult to maintain.
Zhu Cixiang's tone was excited, his eyes were far-reaching and long, he looked at an unknown place in the sky, and slowly opened his arms, "So as long as the imperial court moves south, the captives will become the Meng Yuan of the past, and the rogue bandits will become the Red Scarf Army of the past. And my Ming Dynasty will be able to revive in the southeast just like Taizu Emperor Gao did!
Wang Banban, this is my dream! This is also the path of survival pointed out by Emperor Taizu Gao for our Ming Dynasty! Do you think the path pointed out by Emperor Taizu Gao is right or wrong? "
Wang Chengen already felt like he was suffocating - he was suffocated by his dream!
The old eunuch cried with joy: "Emperor Taizu Gao really had a dream! The Ming Dynasty is saved! The Emperor is saved..."
