His question is, the situation in Ming Dynasty has become so bad, how to break it?
When Zhang Mingwei was about to answer this question, he was interrupted by Wang Dehua.
Anyone with a little bit of discernment can actually see that the Ming Dynasty was already terminally ill at this time. Even if the main force of the Ming Dynasty was not destroyed, for people of this era, there was no way to save it. Because of this, even Emperor Chongzhen, who had never left the capital and was most unwilling to see the Ming Dynasty perish, already felt the aura of national subjugation.
This is not alarmist. A very simple example can illustrate this situation.
The background of the Battle of Songshan was that Zhang Wenheng, who had defected to Jianlu and served as the deputy director of the Jianlu Internal Secretariat, reported the situation of the Ming Dynasty to Huang Taiji, which triggered Huang Taiji to attack the Ningjin defense line again.
The traitor said: "Both the civil and military officials, big and small, are bought with money. The civil servants have no plan, the military officers have no courage. Those who manage the army and horses lose the army's money; those who make the equipment lose their official money. The soldiers have no time to make a living, and the equipment is useless. Practical, why do soldiers want to use their lives? Every time they go on an expedition, they take advantage of the diligent king and blindly loot. As the saying goes: "Tatars and bandits are like combs, and our own soldiers and horses are as good as grates." "There are so many soldiers and horses, what's the use? What's more, the eunuchs are monopolistic, love money and flattery, and rewards and punishments lose the hearts of the people. Good officials who are on duty can't do the right thing; good people who are not on duty are unwilling to stand out. Up and down, inside and outside, They all tell lies and everything is terrible."
Zhang Mingwei saw this description when he was checking information, and was very impressed.
When Emperor Chongzhen asked again, he first quoted this passage, and then said to Emperor Chongzhen with a serious face: "This passage is really not an exaggeration, it has been proven by history. Therefore, after careful consideration, I expressed to Your Majesty suggestion……"
Emperor Chongzhen had already recovered from the blow of the subjugated king, but after hearing these words, his face still turned pale, and then he quickly responded to Zhang Mingwei: "Sir, please speak!"
After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei turned to look at Zhu Cixiang and said: "First, the Crown Prince's southern tour. If Your Majesty and I try our best, but ultimately fail, Ming Dynasty will still have a backbone, and there will be no more incidents in the history of Southern Ming Dynasty. The kings are vying for the throne, the officials are vying for power, and the enemy is still at war with itself."
Emperor Chongzhen has seen the history of Southern Ming through documentaries. Therefore, he did not have the slightest objection to this proposal and immediately nodded and said: "Just do as Mr. said!"
As for the prince's southern tour, this has never happened before, but he doesn't care at this time. After all, the Ming Dynasty is about to die. It would be silly to still have all kinds of scruples!
In fact, since the past few years, Emperor Chongzhen has stopped caring about everything in order to save the situation.
For example, in the eleventh year of Chongzhen's reign, Zhang Renxue, the censor of Henan Province, saw that thieves were spreading all over the country and harming the people, but the generals were afraid and dared not fight. Therefore, he submitted a memorial requesting to "change to a military position, with a spear and a horse, and for the The imperial court suppresses the bandits."
However, this incident immediately triggered strong opposition from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of War and the Metropolitan Procuratorate, saying that "there is no precedent for a civilian official to be transferred to a military position, and he can be allowed to still be in charge of the military in the name of the censor of the army." However, Emperor Chongzhen finally went his own way and approved Zhang Renxue's performance, making him the governor of Qianshi and the chief military officer of Henan.
History says that Emperor Chongzhen wanted to tour the south, but was eventually dissuaded by civilian officials. It can only be said that if he really decided, no matter what reason he used, it would be impossible to stop Emperor Chongzhen from moving south. In the final analysis, it was just that he didn't want to leave.
At this time, Zhang Mingwei proposed that the prince visit the south to prepare for unexpected events. Emperor Chongzhen, who already knew the historical results, agreed immediately regardless of whether there was any precedent.
After Zhang Mingwei heard this, he still asked with a serious face: "Your Majesty, how is the tax revenue in the north of the Yangtze River now?"
Upon hearing this, Emperor Chongzhen's face darkened, and he looked up to the sky and sighed: "How much tax can we still collect when thieves are wreaking havoc everywhere!"
"Then don't collect it!" After hearing this, Zhang Mingwei immediately took over the topic and said something shocking, which immediately attracted the attention of several people in the palace. "Anyway, we can't collect it. Your Majesty, why don't you decree that the taxes of the states north of the Yangtze River will be levied by The local officials halved the money and collected it, and the money and grain they received were used to strengthen the city's defenses and recruit people to defend the city. This approach has three major benefits."
Emperor Chongzhen's face was serious and he asked for advice seriously: "Please give me some advice, sir!"
"First, win the hearts and minds of the people!" Zhang Mingwei said very seriously, raising his voice and emphasizing, "If the Ming Dynasty wants to revive, the hearts and minds of the people are the most important."
After a pause, he immediately explained: "The prestige of the imperial court has been harmed by the local tyrants and evil gentry, especially the thieves-like officers and soldiers. If I remember correctly, the reason why the outlaw Li Zicheng finally stood out from the many outlaw thieves , because he put forward the slogan of equalizing land and exempting from taxes, which was supported by the people. Your Majesty, the people's support cannot be overemphasized. The imperial court must regain the people's support! "
"Your Majesty, please think about ordinary people. On top of the taxes they usually pay, they have to pay three more taxes, but there are also natural and man-made disasters. You can imagine the hardship of life for those people who are not thieves!" Zhang Mingwei said seriously! He stared at Emperor Chongzhen's face and said, "At this time, there is a rumor that if you open the door to welcome King Chuang, King Chuang will not accept food when he comes. You said, one side can't survive, and the other side can survive, what will ordinary people choose? ?”
The tragic situation among the people has actually been reported by imperial historians, and Emperor Chongzhen also saw it. Therefore, although Zhang Mingwei did not describe in detail the exchange of children for food, he immediately thought of those memorials.
"Father, what you said makes sense!" Zhu Cihong, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke in agreement, "Mencius said that the people are the most important, the country is the second most important thing, and the king is the least. We must pay attention to the interests of the people, so that the country can be stable. "
Mencius's words do not mean that the common people are more important than the king. Rather, it is concluded that if the king's rule is to be strong, he must attach great importance to people's livelihood issues. Otherwise, Mencius would not have been revered by feudal emperors as a saint who was also known as Confucius and Mencius.
Although Zhang Mingwei had made it clear enough, he did not expect the prince to say these words. For a moment, he couldn't help but nod to Zhu Cihong with approval.
Emperor Chongzhen didn't expect it either. He nodded with some relief and said, "Well, listen carefully to your teacher's teachings!"
When the prince saw that his insights were praised, he couldn't help but feel a little happy, so he quickly agreed and continued to listen attentively.
Emperor Chongzhen turned to look at Zhang Mingwei, still worried in his brows: "What you said is very true, sir, but if you don't collect taxes, how will the government expenses be obtained? Where will the military pay come from?"
"I think I can get a lot of short-term salary from someone like Wang Dehua. The Ming Dynasty has fattened up so many traitors and corrupt officials, unscrupulous nobles..." Zhang Mingwei said with a hint of ruthlessness, "Just do it step by step, first If you install the inner palace and the capital, they will all be fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered!"
Emperor Chongzhen certainly hated these people to death. He wants to be the king of a subjugated country, and it was these moths that caused him harm! Therefore, he certainly would not have a problem with this proposal.
"Reducing or reducing taxes will win the support of the people. At the same time, we must publicize the harm caused by bandits and expose their lies. If we really want to equalize the land and exempt taxes, can bandits survive by drinking the northwest wind?" Zhang Mingwei said with a sneer. He said, "We should pay attention to the war of public opinion, which is the most important part of winning the hearts and minds of the people. In addition, we should summarize the experience of defending the city in various places, compile it into a book, and distribute it to local officials. At the same time, we should give local officials greater power. In the event of encountering bandits or construction, If the captives attack the city, in this case, they are allowed to requisition all the supplies in the city, including those of the feudal lord, officials and gentry. After all, once the city is broken, these will be easy for thieves to build and build captives."
Emperor Chongzhen was a little hesitant at first when he heard what he said. Thinking about this, will there be a disobedient feudal town?
However, as soon as this idea came up, he rejected it himself.
Because the local chief officials of the Ming Dynasty all worked in different places, and they could not stay in the same place for many years, there was no way for them to lose their tails. Even if it does appear, its power will be limited to one city and one pool, and there is no way to fight against the imperial court.
Besides, he thought Zhang Mingwei was absolutely right. Instead of worrying about the possible "vassal town" situation, it is more practical to think about what would happen if the city was breached by bandits or bandits.
Therefore, after Zhang Mingwei finished speaking, Emperor Chongzhen immediately nodded in agreement and said: "What you said is absolutely true. If the city is destroyed, it will only be in vain to gain advantage for the bandits and captives, and increase their strength."
In the original history, local officials did not have such authority. Only a few ruthless people would do this when bandits attack the city. Most officials, however, considered that if the city was saved, it would be attacked by the powerful feudal kings, and they would not get any good results in the end. Therefore, most officials did not dare to offend the powerful vassal king, and the result was that many cities and lands were destroyed.
Zhang Mingwei then turned to look at Zhu Cixiang and said: "The prince's side is not just a simple tour of the south, there are also very important things to do!"
When Zhu Cihong heard this, he immediately became more respectful and respectfully asked for advice: "Please give me some advice, sir!"
To be honest, Zhu Cixiang, a little kid, had a sense of mission and was very excited that he could revive the Ming Dynasty and save the Ming Dynasty from the danger of national destruction.
