If the contents described in this booklet were indeed calculated and deduced by the immortal military advisor Liu Bowen, then Hou Fangyu first rebelled against the Ming Dynasty and surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. Not only that, but what he did next was even more outrageous.
For the sake of his official career after surrendering to the Qing Dynasty, he was willing to sacrifice his conscience and put millions of people along the river to death. He was determined to kill him, and he should be beaten to death like a rat crossing the street.
Hou Xun's role was to contain Zuo Liangyu, who was personally promoted by him and commanded troops to suppress the bandits. Now that Zuo Liangyu and his son have been killed by Hong Chengchou's order, Hou Xun has little value to the court.
Even so, Hou Xun will not be implicated in Zuo Liangyu's incident. But to prevent the imperial court from raising commercial taxes again and again and to make excuses for profiteers who evade taxes is to ask for trouble.
If Chongzhen wants to deal with Hou Xun, will he let Hou Fangyu go without any integrity?
Without his father's protection, is this kid just a loser?
There is no chance to settle the matter!
Chongzhen felt that using the name of the immortal military advisor Liu Bowen and the treacherous son's cover, this book might not be very convincing, and it had to be used to deal with thousands of Donglin scholars in a tactful manner.
In other words, the factory guards cannot be sent to imprison or even execute some people in Donglin on charges that they will be cleared of. They must first be arrested for reasons that excuse the profiteers, and then sent to a place.
When you get there, slowly deal with these traitors!
No one can interfere there, you can deal with these scum however you want!
It's best to let the traitor take action to avoid damaging your reputation...
"My lords, there is no falsehood in our family, you can see everything!"
After Wang Chengen finished reading the content, he showed the page about Hou Fangyu in the booklet to the public.
Of course, it is not the crooked calligraphy of a certain prince. It looks very handsome because it was written by Li Jizhou, the eunuch of the East Palace Bingbi.
Li Jizhou did not dare to fabricate such content arbitrarily. If one page came to light, he would be executed. The content that can be seen on the page is naturally the prince's meaning.
After probably reading it, the officials started talking again. The scene in the main hall was just like an ordinary vegetable market, noisy and annoying.
"Quiet~!"
"Your Majesty, can I know the past life from now to our Ming Dynasty..."
The first assistant, Qu Shichun, did not dare to say "Ming Dynasty is dead", but he expressed his meaning very clearly, because his colleagues also wanted to know, so understanding the intermittent content really made the ministers feel like a hundred claws scratching their hearts.
"My great companion, turn to the part from now to the end of my Ming Dynasty, and you can finish reading."
"yes!"
As a result, the ministers had their eyes opened. They knew that there would be no Dragon Boat Festival this year, and Zhang Ni and other bandits who had previously accepted the imperial invitation had revolted in the Huguang area, and then the situation intensified.
Next year will be the time when Li Ni makes a comeback, even sweeping the Central Plains. Then Sun Chuanting's entire army leaves Tongguan for a decisive battle with Li Ni's troops, and is defeated and killed.
Hong Chengchou left Shanhaiguan and led an army of 130,000 to rescue Jinzhou but failed. However, he was surrounded by the Donglu army who came out in full force. The two armies fought a decisive battle and Wang's division was defeated.
After that, Li Ni went north to seize the capital. The emperor hanged himself on Meishan, the queen took the first step to eliminate the damage, and the prince and other princes were captured by rogue bandits and executed.
Then the Qing army marched southward in a large scale, and the rogue bandits were defeated. It was a repeat of the scene in the Northern Season of Zhao and Song Dynasties, except that the Ming army did not stop the enemy from moving southward, and did not even achieve a corner of peace.
"Before, some people criticized the prince for taking a preemptive strike against the bandits and trapping the court in an unjust way. Should he just sit back and wait for death, waiting for the bandits to destroy our Ming Dynasty? If the bandits are not destroyed, how can we deal with the Eastern bandits with all our strength? This time, the king's division is surrounded by dangers in defending the northern capital, which means a large number of troops are divided. That's why! I let all my dear friends know about this, in the hope that the monarch and his ministers can work together to fight against the national calamity! Today, the captive chieftain has not lost his vitality, but the bandits are still on the move. It is so urgent at the front, but the rear is protecting profiteers. Isn't it ridiculous? The extreme? The prince once said frankly that he wants to rule the world with his civil servants and generals. I want to say that civil servants and generals can rule the world with me, except for traitors and traitors, especially those who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty!"
After Wang Chengen finished reading, Chongzhen took the opportunity to talk about the reasons for the current vigorous suppression of the bandits.
Every once in a while, a censor criticized the prince's inappropriate strategy to suppress the bandits, which caused the court to spend a lot of money on support.
If these censors still dare to be so reckless if they know the truth, they have ulterior motives and evil plans.
Now that the imperial court wants to levy additional business taxes, it’s not even about raising taxes. At least merchants must pay taxes in full, and some people can’t sit still!
The merchant is the father of these people, the ancestor of these people, and the Ming Emperor in the eyes of these people!
Whoever dares to touch the interests of merchants, these scum will pounce on and bite them like mad dogs!
"The prince also said that in the five years before the Qing Dynasty conquered the world, the total annual taxes and silver were more than 40 million taels, half of which were farmers and merchants. I want to say that the Qing Dynasty was really good to the merchants. They only had to pay more than 40 million taels a year. Twenty million taels is enough. No wonder many merchants in the south of the Yangtze River have the intention to surrender to the Qing Dynasty! From this point of view, the merchants hate me because the amount of taxes I collect is too small! If I want to please the merchants, I need to recruit more talents. Yes, at least the tax amount must be on par with the Qing Dynasty!"
The Tatars crossed the river and occupied the south of the Yangtze River, and you obediently paid a lot of money.
I moved to Nandu, but you didn't pay me any money, and you came in groups to threaten me!
The treatment of the two is completely different, which is really wonderful~!
In this case, I will use the methods used by the Tatars to deal with you, and I think you will also be convinced!
"..."
The ministers were shocked again. If Donglu could collect 40 million taels of silver in one year, Ming's financial collection would pale in comparison.
"My dear friends, there is no need to be surprised. The total expenditure of the Northern Court under the Crown Prince's control this year is no less than 30 million taels, and it is expected to be the same next year. All the eight areas under the jurisdiction of the Northern Court, except Sichuan, are disaster areas. The Southern Court is Jurisdiction over the eight corners has not been affected by drought, there has not been a large number of minions, and there has not been looting by the Eastern captives. Isn't it the same as a sacred land? How the prince can raise silver coins, I don't want to think about it. However, the southern court supports the northern court with five silver coins. Millions of dollars must be determined! The changes in the current situation are becoming increasingly clear, and the difficulties and dangers have become clear. No matter who dares to destroy our great Ming Dynasty, I will kill them!"
He was once counted out by Liu Bowen, and he lost so badly that he even lost his life. This was already a loss of face.
After being reminded like this, and with the help of the traitor who could defeat Huang Taiji, Chongzhen didn't want to lose a second time.
It turned out that the imperial court was short of money, so Chongzhen raised funds everywhere and frequently paid additional taxes to farmers because he could not find the "root cause" of the disease.
Now it is clear that the place where I moved the car is where the pathogen is. Since the disease has occurred again, it can be cured!
"Your Majesty, I am willing to go to the national disaster!"
"Your Majesty, I am also willing to go to the national disaster!"
"Your Majesty, I am also willing to go to the national disaster..."
As soon as the second assistant Gao Hongtu took the lead, the officials naturally wanted to express their stance immediately.
Use the information obtained from the fairy world to figure out the ins and outs of the demise of the Ming Dynasty.
As long as the monarch and his ministers work together and the prince in the north resists the emperor's chicken, tragedy can be avoided.
"Zheng Sanjun! Zheng Aiqing!"
"I'm here!"
"I will give Aiqing a heavy burden. I wonder if Aiqing dares to take it?"
"For your majesty, for the imperial court, and for our great Ming Dynasty, I will be shattered to pieces, and I will not hesitate to die!"
"Okay! From now until the New Year, Aiqing will send someone to be responsible for calculating taxes and money. If the amount of corruption reaches fifty taels, once verified, he will be punished!"
"I obey!"
Although Zheng Sanjun, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, did not receive the order to collect taxes, he also understood that a large amount of money was about to enter Taicang.
He has no control over who collects taxes, but the money he collects must not be eaten by moths, otherwise he will be the one who gets punished.
"Chen Tailai! Chen Aiqing!"
"I'm here!"
"The Metropolitan Procuratorate will receive a large number of profiteers involved in commercial taxes and tax evasion. Ai Qing must be the leader to verify them one by one. Those whose circumstances are unknown can be handed over to Dali Temple for processing. I hope that the Metropolitan Procuratorate will not misjudge a person. Good people, but don’t let a bad person go!”
"I obey your orders! Don't dare to disobey me!"
Chen Tailai didn't know how many people would be arrested and taken to the Metropolitan Procuratorate. Is it necessary to expand the scale of the Metropolitan Procuratorate's prisons first?
Jiangnan is prosperous, but behind the prosperity, the number of profiteers may be more than the rows of lights...
"Fu Guan Fu Aiqing!"
"I'm here!"
"I don't want the Ministry of Punishments to enrich themselves, and I don't want to hear about suspects escaping from prison or even death row inmates being replaced!"
"I obey your orders! I am determined to fulfill my duties faithfully and do not dare to neglect!"
Fu Guan felt that his back was already soaked. At this moment, as long as the emperor did not declare that he was a second minister and take the lives of himself and his family, he would dare to do anything, and he would definitely be able to satisfy the emperor.
Maybe the famous second minister Qian Qianyi will be the first second minister in the imperial court to be admitted to the Ministry of Punishment. Considering the hatred of the emperor and the officials towards the second minister, it is estimated that it will be difficult for Qian Qianyi to come out alive...
"Yuan Jixian! Yuan Aiqing!"
"I'm here!"
"The Ministry of War must cooperate with the Yongwei Battalion to rectify the original Southern Capital garrison and be prepared to suppress the villains and launch a rebellion!"
"...Yes! I will go all out to prevent his scheme from succeeding!"
This was the signal that the emperor was about to take action against the merchants. The arrow was on the string, and Yuan Jixian could not say anything to stop it.
The emperor had just spoken first, and the ministers heard clearly. If he spoke favorably for the merchants now, it would be the same as actively seeking death.
Merchants evading taxes is a violation of law and discipline, and instigating many scholars to come to petition is disrespectful.
If you still persist in your obsession, you will be guilty of two crimes!
Yuan Jixian was a loyal minister in his previous life, and he has no intention of becoming a loyal minister in this life.
The Jiangnan merchants first felt ashamed of the Ming Dynasty, and then collectively surrendered to the Donglu, so they were determined not to spare them lightly!
If after the change of dynasties, Jiangnan merchants still refuse to pay taxes, they can be considered courageous.
But when he saw Dog Tartar's steel knife, he immediately offered him a lot of money.
This is clearly bullying the weak and fearing the strong!
In the whole world, I am afraid that only Shanxi merchants who collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country can compare with them!
"The rest of you dear ladies should perform their respective duties, and there should be no delay!"
"yes!"
"There are rumors in the market that Zhu Wen was the one who destroyed Li Tang, and Li Ni must be the one who destroyed Zhu Ming! I will crush these rumors in one fell swoop, so that our Ming Dynasty can last for thousands of generations!"
The annihilation of Li Ni was the responsibility of the treacherous son. Originally, Chongzhen still did not believe that the treacherous son had extraordinary abilities, especially in border affairs.
However, when the good news came from Beidu, Chongzhen had to believe it.
Just enough to leave Li Ni, Zhang Ni and a bunch of thieves and bandits to the treacherous son to deal with.
Chongzhen felt that as long as he could take out five million taels of silver a year, the traitor would be able to protect him from the wind and rain.
Li Ni, Zhang Ni, Huang Taiji...
The Ming Dynasty has so many enemies waiting to be dealt with. No matter how capable the traitor is, he must deal with them one by one.
Without ten or twenty years, it would be impossible to eliminate all the enemies.
Yuan Chonghuan once told himself about the events of Ping Liao in five years!
Now it seems that this statement is absolutely unbelievable!
If someone says to themselves at this time that the Ming Dynasty can be revitalized in ten years, it is also a lie!
Thirty years!
If another thirty years pass, the Ming Dynasty will be able to quell internal and external troubles.
By then, I will be in my sixtieth year, and it will not be too late to consider becoming the Supreme Emperor!
Before that, the traitor was still the prince.
He also named him regent and commanded the eight corners of the north.
When a king is granted a title, he is also granted a title to the land, and the land is also half of the country!
This was something that had never happened since the beginning of the dynasty, and I was completely benevolent to him.
"Your Majesty, I led my troops to arrest more than 800 scholars, and found that some of them were mixed with merchants and their servants. In the process, hundreds of people were injured..."
The commander of the Jinyiwei sent Li Ruolian back from an errand to report. During the arrest process, the Jinyiwei injured many people, so reporting was difficult.
These scholars showed no fear in the face of the Jin Yiwei, as if they were confident, and even threatened that the scholars could not be punished, and that the Jin Yiwei's use of force against them would be treason and against the ancestral system!
However, Li Ruolian had already received the imperial edict and was not afraid of any threats from this group of scholars. He had taken lives this time and was acting in accordance with the order.
"It doesn't matter! Now that the country is in crisis, we must take iron-blooded measures to revive the Ming Dynasty! I think I was too kind and cowardly before, which caused scholars and merchants to despise the king's law, ignore the court, and frequently put pressure on me. From now on, I will We will no longer compromise with them, and those who attempt to provoke trouble will be severely punished!"
Chongzhen no longer cares about the other party's background. Anyway, no matter how big the background is, it can't be bigger than himself.
If you are not one of your own, nor of that rebellious son, then you have nothing to rely on.
If you still dare to threaten yourself like this, do you need to elaborate on the consequences? ? ?
"My subordinates are incompetent! The situation just now was so chaotic that a large number of soldiers took advantage of the chaos to escape!"
"It doesn't matter! The scholar has no respect for the king's laws, and he only listens to and believes in others. It is his own fault! I have tolerated him many times before, but the scholar presses harder and harder, and this time I will teach him a lesson!"
Chongzhen didn't want Jin Yiwei to capture everyone, even if he captured everyone present, it would be useless.
Because the money is in the hands of the merchants, if the merchants cannot be caught, the court will not be able to get the tax money.
These scholars are just the swords in the hands of the merchants, and the court now wants to abolish the weapons in the hands of the merchants.
"If the family members are willing to pay five hundred taels of silver, the scholar will be released if he writes a confession. Otherwise, he will be detained in Jinyiwei Prison and then sent to the Northern Court to be punished by the prince! The reason is that the scholar supports the merchants in resisting tax. The Southern Court has no money to support the Northern Court, and it is these bad guys who are causing trouble!"
Aren't you guys here to threaten me when you're full and have nothing to do?
I'll find some work for you!
Those who are willing to write write, and those who are willing to mine mine!
If you don’t want to write or mine, you still have to mine!
"Many scholars don't have the power to restrain a chicken, but they like to talk loudly and point out the country for me! This time, I will invite many scholars to experience the sufferings of the world! Let them know that they should do something and not do something! "
Based on the virtue of the traitor, these scholars would probably not be executed directly. It would be the best thing to send them to mine.
This treatment is also in line with Chongzhen's thoughts. He hates him in his heart and lets him suffer some pain. There is no need to kill him directly.
"Your Majesty, I wonder if I could lower the amount of silver? After all, not all scholars are from well-off families!"
The first assistant, Qu Shishu, thought about it. As a scholar from Donglin Academy, in order to help these young people, he should do his best and have a clear conscience, so he decided to excuse the scholar.
"I am not doing this for money, nor for a confession, but just to let the scholars know that I am doing this to save the Ming Dynasty! Is it too much to ask merchants to pay back taxes? Is it too much to levy additional business taxes? Is it too much for scholars to do their best? How can we protect such profiteers but not be punished?"
It doesn't matter if the scholars are not convinced, just send them all to the traitor. Presumably, the traitor has many ways to make the scholars kneel down and beg for mercy!
If you can make that traitor helpless, I will really admire you!
