"Brother Hu, it's not that brothers don't help you, it's just that anyone who helps you in this situation will be pulled out and chopped by His Majesty.
Don't worry, my brother will give you some extra paper money afterwards so that you can continue to be a rich man over there. "
Zhou Yingqiu, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, who was called by name, left the class and muttered a few words silently in his mind.
Then he said fiercely: "Your Majesty, according to the Ming Dynasty law, if there is a disaster in the local area, the state and county will not report the truth, and those who hide it from the superiors and inferiors will be sentenced to death."
After Zhou Yingqiu finished speaking, he said nothing. No one in the court dared to intercede for Hu Yanyan. After all, a dead Taoist friend would never die a poor Taoist.
"Zhou Yingqiu, immediately conduct a thorough investigation of Shaanxi officials. Anyone who conceals or fails to report will be killed without mercy! If anyone is complicit with thieves, their homes will be ransacked and the three clans will be executed."
After Chongzhen finished speaking, he ignored Zhou Yingqiu's response and stared coldly at Cui Chengxiu, Minister of War.
"Cui Chengxiu, the post station belongs to the Chariot and Driving Department of the Ministry of War. The post soldiers defected. Public funds are used for private use. The checkpoints are like child's play. For such an important facility, what crime do you deserve?"
"Your Majesty, I am guilty!"
Cui Chengxiu knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, most of the postmen now are common people near the post station. They have heavy tasks and serious payment arrears. As far as I know, many places owe payment for as much as three years.
In addition, the local natural disaster has failed to harvest anything, and the post soldiers can only defect. This... this is beyond my control! "
Faced with Cui Chengxiu's answer, Chongzhen was silent. What Cui Chengxiu said was the truth.
Why did the postmen and sergeants defect? After all, it's still a question of money.
With no pay, not enough food, heavy tasks, and heavy punishments, no fool would escape.
"That's all. Although you have no main responsibility for this matter, you are responsible for the oversight. You have been demoted to the rank of left minister of the Ministry of War and temporarily led the Ministry of War. If something like this happens again, I will chop off your head."
Without waiting for Cui Chengxiu to express his gratitude, Chongzhen shouted angrily: "Tian Ergeng, as the commander of the Jinyi Guards, the disaster in Shaanxi is so serious that a civil uprising...Tian Ergeng, where are the people?"
In the middle of the rage, he realized that Tian Ergen had not left work and knelt down.
Wang Chengen on the side said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Mr. Tian was punished by the imperial staff for the Chen Derun incident some time ago. His muscles and bones were injured and he was unable to come to court."
Chongzhen was stunned for a moment, so angry that he forgot all about it, but the next moment he started drinking violently again.
"It's just broken muscles and bones, not dead!"
"Since he likes to rest so much, then I will let him get enough rest."
"Come here, the commander of the Jinyi Guards made Tian Ergen slack in his duties, so that civil unrest occurred frequently in Shaanxi without being aware of it, which hindered the military and national plans. Tian Ergen was dismissed from his post and sent to prison. No one is allowed to visit him without my order."
A trace of schadenfreude flashed in the eyes of some ministers in the palace, and the fields were finished.
…
Another two quarters of an hour passed before Chongzhen stopped pursuing blame.
At one court meeting, as many as twenty people were criticized, and half of the six ministers and nine ministers were demoted or fined.
I don’t know if the emperor intended it, but the Eunuch Party and the Donglin Party each accounted for one-third, and the rest of the Qi Party, Chu Party, etc. were also killed.
"Okay, dear friends, tell me how to deal with this matter?"
After a while, Chongzhen calmed down and began to deal with the aftermath.
Most of the ministers were silent, as if the matter had nothing to do with them. At this time, Shaanxi was a hot potato, with little food and money, dozens of civil commotions, and rotten local officials.
If you do it well, you should do it well. If you don't do it well, you may lose your head.
Which ministers are thinking, which ministers are indifferent, and which ministers are gloating about others' misfortune? Chongzhen can be seen clearly on the nine-story platform.
Murderous intent flashed in his eyes. When the white-armed soldiers entered the capital, he was going to kill, imprison, and replace most of the courtiers in the court.
"His Majesty!"
After a while, Guo Yunhou, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, came out: "I think we can proceed in three steps. The first step is to ask your Majesty to issue an imperial edict.
The general content is to persuade the refugees who surrendered to the civil uprising. As long as they give up their weapons, the court can let things go by the wayside. If they persist, they will mobilize a large army to encircle and suppress them and kill them without mercy;
Second, the imperial court sent an imperial envoy to serve as the governor-general of the three sides, responsible for disaster relief work in Shaanxi;
Third, adjust grain from Jiangnan and other places to solve Shaanxi's urgent food shortage. "
"Among them, the first step is the most important. Most of those who rebelled were forced to rebel. As long as they have something to eat, the people will not rebel.
This imperial edict combined grace and power to make them fearful. The subsequent opening of warehouses to provide food relief and adjust food supplies was the straw that broke the camel's back, causing the rebels to give up their resistance. "
"No!"
As soon as Guo Yunhou finished speaking, one of the generals came out and shouted angrily. Chongzhen glanced around and found that it was Zhu Chunchen, the Duke of Chengguo, and murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
The lineage of Cheng Guogong has been passed down to Zhu Chunchen for twelve generations. The first eleven generations were loyal to the Ming Dynasty and served the country with all their loyalty until death.
When Li Zicheng besieged Beijing, Zhu Youjian asked the twelfth Duke Cheng Guo to command the armies and assist the prince Zhu Cixiang. As a result, this guy actually opened the Chaoyang Gate.
It can be said that Duke Cheng Guo should bear the main responsibility for the destruction of Beijing.
"Your Majesty, I think Master Guo's move is inappropriate."
"There is a severe drought in Shaanxi, and millions of people have nothing to eat. Even if warehouses can be opened, how much food will be available? Who can be sure whether the drought will ease next year?
Secondly, it would take at least two months to adjust grain from Jiangnan, and there was not enough time. "
Chongzhen said calmly: "Gong Cheng, what do you think?"
"kill!"
"Kill all the refugees who participated in the civil uprising, including their relatives, until all the people dare not rebel again."
Zhu Chunchen gave a reason, and everyone in the court was shocked, looking at Zhu Chunchen as if he were a madman.
"Mr. Cheng Guo, what you said is simple. Have you ever considered that this move will trigger a greater popular uprising? How should the court deal with it then?"
"so what?"
Cheng Guogong sneered: "My Ming Dynasty has an army of more than two million people. Will it be afraid of a civil uprising involving thousands of refugees?"
"Your Majesty, I believe that the method of becoming a duke can prevent future troubles."
Xue Lian, Marquis of Yangwu, stood up and agreed to Duke Cheng Guo's proposal, explaining: "Shaanxi has a population of eight million. Even if only 10% of the population is affected by the disaster, one person will have to eat one kilogram per day, which is equivalent to 800,000 kilograms per day. Nearly six thousand dan, which is 180,000 dan in one month.
It will take at least eight or nine months before there is a grain harvest next year. Even if it is reduced to half a catty per person per day, we will simply not be able to satisfy the amount of grain. "
After Xue Lian, several nobles stood up and agreed to Duke Cheng's proposal.
"You, you...you are not the son of man in vain."
Guo Yunhou, the Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, turned red angrily, and his fingers trembled as he pointed at Zhu Chunchen.
Kneeling on the ground, he shouted with a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must not do it. Duke Cheng Guo is trying to push my Ming Dynasty into the bottomless abyss. Those are the people of my Ming Dynasty... Your Majesty!"
The voice is so sad and desperate that it makes people cry.
"Guo Aiqing, get up first!"
Chongzhen looked at Guo Yunhou, the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, who was kneeling on the ground with a miserable expression: "Where are the others? Do you have any other suggestions?"
"Shi Fenglai, you are a cabinet minister. Can you tell me?"
Shi Fenglai was shocked when his name was called, and his face looked a little sad: "Your Majesty, I..."
Just as Shi Fenglai was about to say something, Li Ruolian suddenly burst into the Huangji Palace and said in a hurry.
"Your Majesty, I have something important to report!"
