Wang Chengen knocked on the door of Qianqing Palace and waited for a response from inside.
He asked cautiously: "Your Majesty, are you still going to the morning court today?"
A tired voice came from the Qianqing Palace.
"Not going."
When Wang Chengen heard this order, he continued to wait outside Qianqing Palace.
The emperor has always been a very diligent person.
I haven't missed every morning court. Since when did the emperor start not going to the morning court often?
It should be the thieves in yellow who took over the Guangdong and Guangxi regions.
The governors of southern Zhili, Zhejiang and other places wrote letters requesting that taxes be retained locally and used to train troops to deal with the threat of yellow-robed thieves.
The emperor disagreed, and in anger he replaced several local governors, but they failed to collect taxes.
The Ming Dynasty's already precarious finances had lost Guangdong and Guangxi, tax revenue from the southeast could not be collected, and the Ministry of Household Affairs no longer had a tael of silver.
Officials' salaries have not been paid for half a year, and many officials do not come to the morning court.
As soon as the emperor went to the morning court, many officials cried out about poverty and asked the court to distribute their salaries as soon as possible.
There is some money in the internal funds, which is the money collected from mining taxes. It is mainly used to pay the military salaries of Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting, the two armies.
These two armies are the best at fighting. They are one of the few strong armies of the Ming army that can defeat Hou Jin head-on.
"Eunuch Wang, this is the question book handed over by First Assistant Wen Tiren."
Wang Chengen opened the question book and found some very bad news.
The Ming army was in arrears with pay for a long time, and the Ming army in Datong Military Town collectively protested for pay and was suppressed by the local generals. If the pay was not paid, it would lead to a mutiny.
During this period of time, there had been pay mutinies in many places.
But it has not yet developed to the extent that the three major military towns mutinied in the early years of Chongzhen.
Wang Chengen predicted that if wages were not paid, there would be more mutinies in the army.
Datong Military Town, an important city on the nine sides, is making trouble. This is an extremely dangerous signal.
Wang Chengen gently knocked on the door of Qianqing Palace.
After getting permission from Emperor Chongzhen, he walked to Chongzhen with the title book.
When Wang Chengen saw Emperor Chongzhen, his eyes were bloodshot and two very thick dark circles hung on his face.
Her hair was a mess and her clothes were all wrinkled.
Emperor Chongzhen looked very decadent.
Wang Chengen knew that Emperor Chongzhen had not slept well for a long time and woke up from time to time in his dreams.
"Your Majesty, this is the question book handed over by First Assistant Wen Tiren.
The officers and soldiers of Datong Military Town made a noise and attempted a mutiny. "
Emperor Chongzhen took the title book handed over by Wang Chengen and simply flipped through a few pages.
The news reported during this period was all bad news.
"Let Wen Tiren find a way to raise money on his own. If he can't think of a way, he won't have to be the first assistant."
Emperor Chongzhen simply threw the question book aside.
He has tried his best to solve it, but Ming's current expenses are too high and his income is too little, and he has already been unable to make ends meet.
Mainly because of the war, the cost was astonishing.
The imperial court has raised taxes many times, reaching the point where there is no more money left to add.
"Call Yang Sichang, the imperial censor of Zuo Qian of the Metropolitan Procuratorate, over here."
When Wang Chengen heard Emperor Chongzhen's order, he immediately sent someone to call Yang Sichang to Qianqing Palace.
Yang Sichang was promoted quickly, and he was a staunch anti-yellow thieves faction.
He advocated negotiating peace with Hou Jin, doing his best to recruit the rebels, and using all the power of the Ming Dynasty to deal with the yellow-robed thieves.
Yang Sichang disappeared in the capital some time ago, and no one knows where he went.
At Yang Sichang's home, he looked at a group of gentry and said excitedly: "There are as many as 24,768 gentry killed in Guangdong and Guangxi.
This is the number published by the yellow thief himself in Guangdong Daily and Guilin Daily.
When the thieves in yellow come over, we will have no way to survive.
The rise and fall of a country depends on the kings. We must mobilize more people to resolutely oppose the thieves in yellow.
Some people say that the greatest enemy of the Ming Dynasty was the Hou Jin Dynasty, and they were just nomads.
Some people say that they are rebels in Huguang and Henan. These are ignorant people with mud legs. They rise quickly but also die suddenly.
Only the thieves in yellow now occupy nearly half of the Ming Dynasty.
He wants to dig up our own roots and cut off the roots of famous religion.
We, the famous priests, are at odds with the thieves in yellow. "
Yang Sichang was giving a passionate speech to mobilize more scholars to support him.
A servant at home quickly walked up to him.
"Sir, someone is coming from the palace. The Emperor invites you to come into the palace."
Yang Sichang clenched his fists, he had finally waited for this day.
He asked his friends to entertain these scholars, and under the leadership of the young eunuch, they came to Qianqing Palace.
Emperor Chongzhen asked all the maids and eunuchs to stay away from the Qianqing Palace, and he summoned Yang Sichang alone.
"Yang Aiqing gave me a seat in person, how did things go?"
"Back to Your Majesty, Hou Jin doesn't want to continue the fight. After many rounds of consultations between us.
We and Houjin have reached an agreement.
The Ming Dynasty and Hou Jin Dynasty officially had a truce.
We don’t need to issue a formal edict to recognize Houjin’s status, and we don’t need to give any money.
The two parties just need to maintain sufficient tacit understanding.
Houjin has withdrawn his troops from the Ningjin defense line. "
Yang Sichang was a staunch fighter against the yellow-robed thieves, and a staunch capitulator against Hou Jin.
Later Jin first sent Fan Wencheng to Liaodong, hoping to negotiate peace with Ming Dynasty.
Sun Chuanting sent Fan Wencheng directly to the capital.
Chongzhen discovered that Sun Chuanting was in Liaodong and they could hold the Ningjin defense line.
Sun Chuanting is no longer in Liaodong. If he is replaced by a civil servant who knows the military, he can also hold the Ningjin defense line.
With Sun Chuanting's strength, he could not launch a large-scale attack to regain the lost ground now.
He should be used where it is more needed.
Chongzhen saw that Hou Jin sent Fan Wencheng to negotiate peace, but many ministers in the court opposed the peace negotiation.
He openly refused to negotiate peace and secretly sent Yang Sichang to negotiate peace.
If this matter is exposed and Yang Sichang goes to negotiate peace privately, he will undoubtedly die.
At first, Hou Jin had a great appetite and asked them to admit that Hou Jin was an equal force to Ming Dynasty.
Houjin was given half a million shi of grain and 20,000 bolts of silk every year.
The Ming Dynasty gave the Later Jin Dynasty firearms technology and the craftsmen who made firearms.
When Emperor Chongzhen received this condition, he was extremely angry. This was giving him a yearly coin to be the emperor.
Daming could never agree. He directly asked Yang Sichang to state the bottom line. The two parties would only shrink their defense lines and would not agree to any other conditions.
Emperor Chongzhen has received a report from the Jin Yiwei, and the thieves in yellow have inflicted heavy losses on Hou Jin.
One of the Eight Banners was lost, Huang Taiji's sons died on the battlefield, and Hou Jin was now extremely weak.
Things turned out as he expected. Hou Jin saw that Daming would never give in, so they had no choice but to compromise.
During the negotiations, Emperor Chongzhen had already asked Sun Chuanting to take part of the Guan Ning Army south to Henan.
Now that the peace talks are successful, part of Guan Ning's army can be dispatched to the pass, so that he can let Huang Degong take part of the forbidden army to the southeast region.
Let the army supervise tax collection and see who dares to resist taxes.
…………………………
Shenyang, Houjin Palace.
Huang Taiji's face was pale and he was leaning on the recliner. His breathing was extremely rapid.
To say a word, I have to gasp two or three times, and I may not be able to take a breath at any time.
Dorgon and other Eight Banners leaders all came to Huang Taiji's bedroom.
Now Huang Taiji is not in good health, and the Eight Banners are in charge and assisting in politics.
This is also the method Huang Taiji uses to check and balance these ambitious brothers.
He controls four of the Eight Banners. The Xiangyang Banner has not yet been rebuilt and is the weakest.
The other three banners are the Shangsan Banners, the most powerful of the Eight Banners.
Huang Taiji gasped and said: "What...do you...come here...for...?"
Ming Dynasty...promised...to discuss...peace.
We...can concentrate all our forces to deal with the...threat...of the thieves in yellow. "
Dorgon said directly: "Great Khan, I just received news that the thieves in yellow have united with the Chahar tribe and have attacked the Horqin area to the west of us.
We mobilized heavy troops to resist the thieves in yellow.
At that time, Dahan was in a drowsy state.
We sent 20,000 Mongolian Eight Banners and 20,000 Han Army Banners to support them, including our carefully trained heavy cavalry.
It was hoped that the heavy cavalry would be able to overwhelm the formation of the yellow-robed thieves.
We just received news that the Eight Banners soldiers and the Horqin tribe's cavalry we sent were all defeated by the thieves in yellow.
They had a firearm that could fire repeatedly, and the heavy cavalry charged them, most of them falling in the process.
The firearms of the thieves in yellow are well-deserved. They are much more powerful than the firearms of the Ming Dynasty.
The thieves in yellow and the Chahar tribe's cavalry have rushed into the Horqin tribe in the southwest.
According to the accounts of the Horqin tribesmen who escaped, most of the Horqin tribe were captured by thieves in yellow.
There is news that Buhe was killed in battle. "
Standing beside Huang Taiji and taking care of Huang Taiji, Dafujin Erdunqiqige heard the news.
"Aha."
She passed out immediately.
Dayu'er watched Aunt Zhezhe unconscious, and she also suppressed the grief in her heart.
"Quickly call the doctor to treat my aunt."
Her father was killed in battle, the Horqin tribe was severely damaged, and her family's power weakened, which also had a great impact on her.
When Huang Taiji heard the news, he was greatly stimulated, vomited a mouthful of blood, and then passed out.
When many Eight Banners leaders saw this situation, their eyes flickered.
A seriously ill Khan cannot lead the Eight Banners to glory.
After discussing the ownership of the Khan position, no consensus was reached, and they finally broke up unhappy.
Da Yuer took advantage of the chaos and walked out of the palace.
She came to a side hall outside, and someone quickly came in.
"Dorgon, what are your thoughts?
You three brothers are the most powerful and are jointly targeted by others, so there is no way you can become the Great Khan.
Your other brothers become great khans, and they can spare your three most powerful brothers.
The Great Khan came to power and executed many brothers under house arrest.
The four banners now controlled by the Great Khan will definitely not accept any of your brothers to take over.
Choosing a son of the Great Khan to take the throne is now a result acceptable to all parties. "
Dorgon thought for a moment and said: "What can I gain by supporting Fulin as the Great Khan?"
"The supreme right, and me."
With the current strength of the three Dorgon brothers, he can also forcefully ascend to the throne.
But it will inevitably lead to internal strife among the Eight Banners. In the face of a formidable enemy, they are not allowed to fight among themselves.
"good."
Dayuer breathed a sigh of relief. In order to save his son and his own life, he had no choice but to do whatever it took.
Except for their son who becomes the Great Khan, they will not end well if anyone becomes the Great Khan.
The last time Huang Taiji was seriously injured and vomited blood, she specially supported the weak Aunt Zhezhe.
He used strong medicine to revive Huang Taiji and prevent these people from snatching the throne. Now it is impossible to stop Huang Taiji and he is critically ill again.
I can only do my best to push my son to the throne.
The current situation of the Eight Banners, with a little baby unable to hold power, is in the interest of everyone.
But Huang Taiji also has many sons. These Eight Banners leaders have a great say in which son should be appointed as the Great Khan.
…………………………
Su He was having lunch when a female guard came to inform him that Su Changsheng had something to see.
He immediately put down his bowls and chopsticks and met Su Changsheng in the study.
"Your Majesty, we have figured out the reason why Ming Dynasty and Jian Nu negotiated peace."
When Su He heard that Ming Dynasty and Jiannu were really negotiating peace, he asked in surprise: "The Ming Dynasty court is too quiet.
If the Ming court did not quarrel for a year and a half on such a major matter as peace talks, then we should look at the efficiency of these Ming officials. "
"Your Majesty, Daming and Jian Nu secretly negotiated a peace and reached a verbal tacit agreement without formally signing a contract.
The First Cavalry Division captured Zhangjiakou and captured eight Shanxi merchant families.
We learned from the eight Shanxi merchants that Yang Sichang, an official of the Ming Dynasty, went to Shenyang City to discuss peace matters with Jiannu.
The Fan family saw with their own eyes that Yang Sichang left Shenyang City with a smile on his face.
After the establishment of the slaves, the eight Shanxi merchant families were asked to collect craftsmen who made firearms.
The level of craftsmen these merchants could find was extremely low.
If the Jiannu could obtain craftsmen from the Ming Dynasty, they would not do this.
It can be inferred from this that they negotiated peace, but the degree of cooperation was not deep. "
Su He said with some melancholy: "Daming and Jiannu have finally made peace.
It started as just a verbal agreement, but if it continues to develop, I wonder what can be achieved?
The civil servants of the Ming Dynasty were for their own interests, and they did not care about the interests of the country and the nation. "
"Ergou, you found out what prompted Ming and Jiannu to negotiate peace."
Su Changshenghui reported: "Your Majesty, we speculate based on the current situation.
The Ming Dynasty's finances are not optimistic, and the tax revenue of the southern provinces can no longer be collected.
The Ming army in many places has been in arrears with pay for a long time, and military rebellions have broken out in many places.
A military rebellion broke out in the military town of Datong, and all the eunuchs supervising the army were killed, but they were quickly suppressed.
At Jiannu's place, I heard that Huang Taiji, the bandit chieftain, was going to die.
The banner lords of Jiannu are all vying for the throne, and now they have no intention of expanding their power. "
"So that's the reason."
Su He knew that this was an excellent opportunity. Both Daming and Jiannu were at their weakest moment.
He immediately summoned Li Fengming and Wang Zhongce.
"How are we preparing for war during this period?"
Li Fengming immediately replied: "Your Majesty, the Guangdong and Guangxi regions are not very stable now, especially Guangxi.
The contradiction between the natives and the foreigners is very deep, and conflicts between the natives and the foreigners often break out.
The mountainous areas of Guangxi are returning to their old ways, which is also the time to tackle the tough problem.
We defeated the Portuguese and Vietnamese. They may pose a threat to Guangdong and Guangxi, but the navy can protect the sea and the threat is not great.
The Ninth Army now guards Guangxi, and the Ninth Army in Guangxi cannot move lightly.
In the Guangdong and Guangxi areas, the First Army and the Eighth Army can be mobilized.
The troops in other places have no external enemies and can go out at any time.
After a short period of training, the new recruits can serve as second-line troops such as the garrison. On the battlefield, they can only be used as cannon fodder.
But our regular army is already strong enough to take down the Ming Dynasty and Jiannu, and can support two or even three front lines of operations. "
Wang Zhongce waited until Li Fengming finished speaking and said: "Your Majesty, we have already prepared the silver coins for the war.
But in a large-scale war, enough young people must be removed to be responsible for logistics and transportation.
Especially in the Daming area, the roads are muddy and rugged, requiring the use of poles and wheelbarrows for transportation.
I suggest that the time of war should be after the autumn harvest. "
After Su He listened to the two people's opinions, he ordered: "We have been raising troops for six years. After such a long time, it is time to dominate the world.
The time to prepare for war is after this autumn harvest.
The General Staff Department made strategic plans, starting with the north and then the south.
The main battlefield is Henan, and the secondary battlefield is Huguang.
The Guangdong and Guangxi regions will not move for the time being and let Su Xiong wait.
We also need to leave enough reserves so that if the war situation goes unfavorably, we can deploy troops from Guangdong and Guangxi to fight.
If too many fronts are opened, the logistics will be insufficient. "
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