"No, no, how old is Zhu Bingbu? He's almost 70, right? How can he supervise divisions at such an old age? What if the superintendent fails? Now all the intruders have entered South Zhili. If they can't be exterminated in time, the prosperous land in the southeast will , will be ravaged by intruders... My ancestral mausoleum may not be protected! So I want to go to South Zhili to suppress the thieves!"
Beijing, Xiyuan, Wansheng Palace. Emperor Zhu Youjian of the Ming Dynasty shook his head and rejected the request of Zhu Xieyuan, Minister of the Ministry of War of Nanjing, to supervise the division to suppress the bandits, and also proposed that the imperial commander should go on a personal expedition to suppress the bandits!
It's just that when this long-lived man proposed to conquer in person, why did he have such a greedy expression on his face?
Several Shangshuge elders, six ministers, and Kedao officials who were present looked at Zhu Youjian's face, and they all understood in their hearts... There are not many thieves who escaped to Nanzhili. Millions and tens of millions of military expenditures will never be paid!
The question now is, where does this military spending come from? The Ministry of Finance has no money, and even if it does... it can't be taken out!
"Lao Bige!"
Just as everyone was thinking, Zhu Youjian had already named Bi Ziyan, who was also in charge of the household department.
"I'm here!"
Zhu Youjian looked at him and said: "The expedition to Southern Zhili will definitely cost money! This intruder Gao Yingxiang is very good. Even Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong can't catch him... It seems that we have to send out a large army." , besieged on all sides, we can't fight steadily! I plan to send 50,000 troops, and be prepared to capture it for three years. Can you calculate for me how much military expenditure it will cost?"
"Need..." Bi Ziyan is a smart man, and of course he understands what Zhu Youjian, the "greedy king", is planning.
Now the Ministry of Accounts has no money, and the internal funds have no money. Emperor Zhu Youjian still owes Concubine Wuliangha 8 million and has not paid back. How can he get the military funds to suppress the intruders?
But the intruders had to be suppressed... so Zhu Youjian had no choice but to charge the gentry and common people in the southeast!
Suppressing bandits has now become a paid service for the Ming Dynasty!
The emperor personally went out to help the gentry and landlords to exterminate the intruders. Can they still let the emperor post a copy? You definitely have to pay for it!
And it can’t be given any less! None of them are worth hundreds or tens of millions. I guess the bandits on the Dabie Mountains will never be wiped out in this life, right?
In addition, the emperor's proposal to send 50,000 troops to suppress the army for three years seems a bit too slow... How many people does Gao Yingxiang only have? How powerful can it be? Huang Taiji's 70,000-strong army was defeated miserably by Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangsheng, and Hong Chengchou. It would take 50,000 people to fight for three years to defeat Gao Yingxiang? Can you speed it up?
"Your Majesty," Zhang Fengyi, the Secretary of the Ministry of War, said tentatively, "If we capture the prosperous hometown of Nanzhili for three years, the land will be desolate...can it be done faster?"
"Hurry up..." Zhu Youjian squinted his eyes and calculated, "Then we have to send more troops at once... and it will cost more!"
Yes, if you want to kill the intruder quickly, you have to pay more!
This is an expedited bandit suppression, so you have to pay an expedited fee!
"Your Majesty," Zhang Fengyi said after calculation, "if you send 50,000 troops and capture it for one year, you will need to spend an additional 2 million taels... 3 years is 6 million taels. If you want to rush, 10 million is enough. ?”
How is it possible for 10 million?
Zhu Youjian was not satisfied when he heard this number!
Now the treasury is empty, and the internal funds are also empty... Moreover, after 10 years of Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty will still have to go through a disaster. If he does not save enough 100 million stones, he, the emperor, will be panicked!
How much is stored in Xiangyang warehouse and Nanyang warehouse now? 30 million stone is still a bit of a loss! We are still 70 million stone away from the small goal of 100 million stone!
And now it is the eighth year of Chongzhen...and there are only two Spring and Autumn Periods left since the tenth year of Chongzhen. If we don't make some windfall and rely on Huguang's accumulation, we can only have 40 million more stones at most. Including the 30 million stones previously deposited, there are only 70 million stones.
This is not rice, but millet. After grinding out the rice, it will cost more than 50 million shi... With the grain storage of more than 50 million shi, can we cope with the 7-year disaster?
Not enough! It’s really not enough!
"Not enough!" Zhu Youjian shook his head repeatedly and said, "How can 10 million be enough? Even doubling it is not enough!"
What? 20 million is not enough? Your emperor's heart is too dark, right?
Zhu Youjian looked at the stunned ministers and explained: "Now there are only 30 million shi in the country's preparedness warehouse... and natural disasters are getting worse every year. If Chongzhen hadn't been there ten years ago, If I save 100 million stones, I won’t even be able to sleep well.”
In fact, even if Zhu Youjian saved 100 million shi of grain, it might not be able to help the people of Ming Dynasty survive the famine safely. One hundred million shi of millet milled into rice is only about 60 million shi, and an adult needs to eat three shi of rice a year. More than 60 million shi is only a yearly ration for 20 million people.
If the famine only lasts for one year, these stored grains will be more than enough, but the Chongzhen drought will last for a full 7 years!
As for the hardest hit areas, Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Beizhili, Shandong and other provinces have 20 million victims...
If he wants everyone to survive the famine safely, Zhu Youjian must save at least 700 million shi of millet!
Even if we take into account that relatively cold-tolerant sweet potatoes can be promoted as life-saving food in the disaster-stricken areas of Henan, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Beizhili, Shandong and other provinces, a food reserve of 300 to 400 million tons is still needed.
Therefore, during the 10th year of Chongzhen, the Ming Dynasty encountered great difficulties. It is not an exaggeration to say that it overcame the disaster.
After crossing over, the Ming Dynasty will be able to pacify the Liao Dynasty and eliminate the slaves, and then it will be able to conquer the Nanyang and open up the Western Regions, and continue another wave of prosperity.
If you can't get through it... there may be no future!
Zhu Youjian spoke with a heavy tone, looked at the ministers in Wansheng Palace, and said slowly: "Since I became emperor, I thought that my martial arts and martial arts could be ranked among the top three in this dynasty... However, God has They always give me problems!
Famines in northwest and central China are getting more serious year by year. Last year there was severe drought and locusts, and this year there is spring famine in many places. I am the Son of Heaven and the Father of the King, and all the people in the world are my subjects. I can't ignore them, but I can't make a meal without rice!
What I, the king and father, can do, besides leading the people who have no food to eat, to go to the homes of the people who still have food to eat, is to reserve more rice to survive the famine while the years are still good.
Now the Central Plains and the Northwest cannot be counted on, and the only ones in the world that can rely on are the Southeast, Huguang, and Sichuan... They bring some rice to the people in the Central Plains and the Northwest who have no food to eat. Not only are they saving people, but they are also Save yourself. Because people in the Central Plains and northwest have nothing to eat, they will go to grab food from people in the southeast, Huguang, and Sichuan.
And Gao Yingxiang was the one who led the way for the victims of the disasters in the Central Plains and Northwest China! "
The courtiers present all sighed in their hearts! What Emperor Zhu said is really crooked...
If the emperor Zhu Youjian is worried that natural disasters will become more and more serious, he should restrain himself, restore etiquette, be sincere, and be a wise king who truly conforms to the laws of heaven.
In view of the current situation of disasters every year, he should also issue an edict to apologize to the people of the world and Huang Tianhou Tu - this is the Confucian world view of the unity of man and nature!
To put it simply, people are doing it and God is watching! If this person does not do well, God will send disasters as punishment.
Now the Ming Dynasty has suffered from disasters year after year, and the disasters are getting bigger and bigger, and they are all gone. Can the emperor say that he has no responsibility? How can we not issue an edict to admit our mistakes to heaven?
In fact, many people have already talked to Zhu Youjian openly or secretly about the sinner's edict. But Zhu Youjian didn't listen!
How could he admit that he was wrong? He has been studying with Nizi for decades, how could he still do something wrong?
Besides, if Tianli really thinks that Zhu Youjian is not good, can he let him come back?
In this life, Zhu Youjian is the son of destiny, he can't be wrong!
Zhu Youjian said firmly: "I am the king of destiny, and I have my own senses. I know that today's natural disaster is actually a catastrophe for the Ming Dynasty for three hundred years. If we can successfully cope with the disaster, the Ming Dynasty will be able to extend the reign of Zuo for another three hundred years. If we can't survive this catastrophe, then the Ming Dynasty will stop at the threshold of three hundred years. And the three hundred years of catastrophe is not so easy to cope with... This strange disaster from the sky has not yet begun! I have a premonition that in ten years after Chongzhen, there will be a strange disaster in six or seven years, so we must make more preparations!"
