Chongzhen Daming: Starting from Coal Mountain

Chapter 49 Huanghuai Line of Defense
Wang Chengen answered yes.

Chongzhen went on to say: "By the way, make up the imperial seals and iron coupons of Xu Dingguo, Ding Qiguang, and Wu Batan."

It is a major feature of the Ming Dynasty to give iron coupons to Xungui Danshu.

But there is one thing to say, these Dan Shu Iron Coupons are useless.

"Yes." Wang Chengen replied respectfully, and wrote it down honestly.

Chongzhen said to Huang Jiarui again: "Huang Jiarui, then you should prepare for 500 million shi first, and also prepare the oil, salt, pickles and fodder needed by the soldiers and horses."

"Yes." Huang Jiarui replied again, "But my lord, this silver..."

Chongzhen frowned and said: "Jiangnan is a rich land, and Yangzhou is a thoroughfare from north to south, where merchants gather. Don't tell me that Nanzhi's vassal treasury can't even get this little money out."

Huang Jiarui's face darkened again, and he said with grief and indignation: "Your Majesty, you must speak with your conscience. In the past few years, you have issued many decrees to confiscate Nanzhi's people. The second-highest thief wanted to go to Yangzhou, and the money needed to recruit the bravery of the country was donated by the merchants in Yangzhou."

Chongzhen said: "Just say how much money is left in the treasury of Nanzhi Fan?"

"One or two taels of silver are gone." Huang Jiarui continued to be black-faced, "The monthly salary of the subordinate staff is gone."

Officials in the Ming Dynasty received annual salaries, but subordinate officials did not have official titles, and the imperial court did not provide salary, so the chief officials had to pay for recruitment and received monthly salaries.

On this point, Zhu Yuanzhang did very unreasonably.

This is a typical example of wanting the horse to run, but also wanting the horse not to eat grass.

But in the end, instead of reducing the financial burden, it became heavier.

It can be said that Lao Zhu is in a cocoon, since he has become a villain, he has not yet settled down.

However, the system of subordinate staff has been corrupted for a long time, and it cannot be reversed in a short period of time, and there is no energy to manage it now.

Chongzhen sighed when he heard the words, because he knew that Huang Jiarui was not crying for poverty, it was all true, a few years ago the Ming treasury was in short supply, Chongzhen ordered many times to call for interceptions from various provinces, Nanzhi has always been the big head.

No matter how rich the land in Nanzhili was, it couldn't stand the court scraping the land twice in three days.

At that moment Chongzhen asked Wang Chengen again: "Wang Daban, have you counted the high thief's floating wealth?"

"The inventory has been completed." Wang Chengen reported, "In addition to the floating wealth in the army, the high-ranking thief also has floating wealth hidden in Shugang Town. The two have a total of more than [-] taels of silver, more than [-] taels of gold, and other rare antiques. "

This number is similar to Chongzhen's estimate. Although Gao Jie is very good at robbing, he has never conquered any wealthy cities all the way south from Shanxi, so collecting one million taels is already the limit.

It is estimated that Gao Jie didn't give much money to his generals, guerrillas, and defense.

It's no wonder that Li Chengdong and Gao Jinku were so easily divided and wooed.

Wang Chengen said again: "Long Live Lord, Jin Yuanwai also captured Gao Jie's family members accompanying the army from Shugang Town, and his wife Xingshi has a son, how should we deal with it?"

"Let it go, Daming won't engage in that kind of trickery."

Chongzhen said: "The crime was committed by the thief Gao, and has nothing to do with his wife and children."

Huang Jiarui was stunned when he heard the words. If an official commits a crime, shouldn't his wife and children be made lowly?

But Huang Jiarui quickly realized that the emperor's move was most likely for Gao Jie's old ministries.

Gao Qiqian, who had been beaten twenty times and was carried back to Xingyuan, had a resentful expression on his face. At that time in Hara Hetao, Long Live Lord, you wanted to kill my ten clans.

Chongzhen ordered Wang Cheng'en again: "All the money will be handed over to Huang Futai, including those rare antiques, which will be sold in Yangzhou City. Adding one yuan can almost make up 100 million taels."

Huang Jiarui said: "My lord, one million taels is far from enough."

One million taels is indeed not enough. This year, the price of grain in Beizhi has risen to the sky.

Due to successive years of bumper harvests in South Zhili, the price of rice is relatively low, but it costs 1 stone and 1 tael.

However, once the imperial court buys grain in large quantities from the market, the price of rice will definitely rise, and it is very likely that it will rise to 1.5 taels or even 2 taels to 1 shi.

It is conservatively estimated that 500 million shi of grain would cost 750 million taels!

With the addition of hay, beans, pickles, oil and salt, 1000 million taels would not be enough.

Chongzhen asked Wang Chengen again: "Wang Daban, have Gao Hongtu, Minister of the Ministry of Household Affairs of Nanjing, and Lu Zhenfei, Governor of Water Transport, come?"

"They're all here." Wang Chengen said with a smile, "I heard that you have come to Yangzhou, Long Live Lord, and the officials of the third rank and above in the entire Nanjing officialdom and the officials of Ke Dao have come, and Lu Butang happened to come to Nanjing. This meeting will be outside waiting."

Chongzhen hummed and said, "Go and call Gao Hongtu and Lu Zhenfei in."

Wang Chengen led Gao Hongtu and Lu Zhenfei into Xingyuan after a while.

Both Gao Hongtu and Lu Zhenfei are veteran ministers, and they have a past in Chongzhen's memory.

Gao Hongtu and Lu Zhenfei had already brewed their emotions on the way to the pilgrimage, thinking that after the meeting between the monarch and his ministers, they must beat their chests and feet to show that the monarch and their ministers get along well.

However, Shengjia didn't have this awareness at all.

Chongzhen didn't even bother to deal with the etiquette of the emperor and ministers, so he asked Gao Hongtu first when they met: "Gao Hongtu, I asked you to raise 500 million taels of silver and send it to Yangzhou immediately. Have you ever done it?"

Gao Hongtu withdrew his tears, cupped his hands and said: "Reporting to the Holy Majesty, the veterans can only send 360 million taels for the time being, and the insufficient part of the veterans will go back and find a way."

These 360 million taels are actually this year's grain harvest.

Because Beijing has fallen, there is no need to send grain to Beizhi.

Lu Zhenfei came to Nanjing from Huai'an this time, mainly to discuss this matter.

However, Lu Zhenfei's original intention was to use the 360 million taels of grain to appease the four towns in Jiangbei, but Chongzhen suddenly appeared.

Chongzhen nodded, and then said to Huang Jiarui: "Huang Jiarui, you take half of the 360 million taels, plus the 100 million taels of the high thief, and use it first. I will make up for you when there is any shortage."

"Minister, take the order." Huang Jiarui answered with cupped hands.

After dismissing Huang Jiarui, Chongzhen turned his gaze to Lu Zhenfei.

Lu Zhenfei hurriedly took a step forward, bowed and said: "The minister is here."

Chongzhen said: "How many people and boats are left in the Yunjun?"

For the Huanghuai defense line conceived by Chongzhen, water transportation can be said to be very important.

The reason why Chongzhen wanted to set up the defense line of the Ming Dynasty on the front line of the Huanghuai River was because since ancient times, the defense line of the Yangtze River must be guarded against the Huaihe River.

The second is because of the water transportation of the canal.

The existence of the canal can greatly reduce the loss of materials.

Since ancient times, what are the reasons that have restricted the Central Plains dynasty from using troops abroad?
It's just that the logistical support can't keep up. When every stone of grain is transported to the front line, there is usually only one bucket left!
Such a huge loss, no matter how powerful and rich the dynasty was, it was not able to bear it, nor could the strong man and Tang Dynasty.

Therefore, setting the defense line at Huanghuai can greatly shorten the logistics supply line of the Ming army. If Yangzhou is used as a transit point, the waterway from Yangzhou to Xuzhou will only be [-] miles.

According to an average of [-] miles of waterway a day, it can be reached in a month.

Moreover, the consumption of the waterway is very little. Based on the calculation of 400 shi for a tank boat, ten transport troops can go back and forth in two months, and the theoretical consumption is no more than 8 shi.

Of course, there is still nothing to drift in the actual transportation process. The final loss must be more than this, but it will never exceed 10%, which greatly improves the logistics support efficiency of the Ming army.

The efficiency of logistics support is reflected in the battlefield is the army's durable combat effectiveness.

Therefore, water transport is crucial to the Huanghuai line of defense in Chongzhen's conception.

Lu Zhenfei: "The Hecao Transport Army ordered 12 people, but in the past ten years, the transport army has been impoverished and more and more fleeing, and now less than half of them are left. After the bandits were trapped in Beizhi, Henan, and Shandong, the Northward Transport Army was also affected. , lost thousands of people, and now there are only about 5 left, and more than 4 boats left."

5 transport troops and 4 tank ships are almost enough.

But the most urgent task is to deal with the first wave of Jiannu's attack.

Chongzhen said: "How many transport troops and tank ships can be mobilized within ten days?"

Lu Zhenfei: "Within ten days, we can only mobilize the Yangzhou government and the nearby transport troops. Including the transport troops already in Yangzhou, there are about [-] people and more than [-] tank ships."

Chongzhen asked again: "How many stones can a tank ship carry rice and grain? How long does it take to go back and forth from Yangzhou to Xuzhou?"

Lu Zhenfei said: "A tank boat can carry 400 shi of rice, and it needs to transport 10 troops. It usually takes half a year or even longer to go back and forth from Hangzhou to the capital, but two months is enough to go from Yangzhou to Xuzhou."

Chongzhen silently calculated that he could transport 40 shi of grain to Xuzhou at a time, barely enough.

Immediately Chongzhen said: "First gather the Yangzhou and nearby transport troops to transport grain to Xuzhou, and gather the remaining transport troops and tank ships within one month, and go to Yangzhou to listen to the instructions."

"The minister leads the order." Lu Zhenfei respectfully replied.

Chongzhen said again: "Okay, then you can go to work first."

"Resignation." Lu Zhenfei cupped his hands, turned around and hurried out of Xingyuan.

Chongzhen breathed a sigh of relief, and told Wang Chengen: "Wang Daban, let all the civil servants come in."

Gao Hongtu, who was still in the tent, was immediately refreshed. Hearing the words of the Holy Majesty, he was going to push the cabinet minister.

After a while, the six hall officials headed by Shi Kefa and the officials of Ke Dao came in one after another, almost crowding the Xingyuan.

Among these officials are the six ministers of Jiuqing, the censors of the left and right censors, the Nanjing Guozijian Jijiu, the six departments of the government, and other officials of the third rank or above, such as Zhan Shi of Zhan Shifu, and the servants of the six left and right ministers.

After calling Long live three times, Chongzhen said: "I don't need to say more about the fall of the capital. Except for Wu Linzheng and more than ten people who broke through with me, the rest of the capital officials died or surrendered."

"However, the country cannot be without a king for a day, and the cabinet minister cannot be absent all the time."

"During this extraordinary period, I could have specially promoted officials to join the cabinet as counselors, but considering that the Ming Dynasty's court recommendation system has been implemented for a long time, and I don't want to infringe on the power of the ministers and cabinets, I still follow the usual rule. Officials, I will form a new cabinet after I approve it in court, and I will assist the prime minister to manage the government today."

"The sage is wise and wise, and the Ming Dynasty is expected to rejuvenate."

Shi Kefa and other Nanjing officials resolutely put on their top hats.

Chongzhen waved his hand and said, "Then ask Otsuka Zai to come out and preside over the court push."

Hearing this, Shi Kefa and other Nanjing officials felt a little bit of a pause in their hearts, it's broken.

(End of this chapter)