A century-old family that runs through the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 382 The War Situation in the Northland
"The remaining territory of the Ming Dynasty has been divided into two halves, and it is no longer possible to communicate with each other. It is difficult to exchange taxes and documents. However, there are a large number of King Qin's troops staying in Beizhili, numbering as many as one hundred thousand. , if you include the border troops and the garrison troops in the capital and various places, the number should reach more than 200,000, which is only slightly higher than Wang Chongzu’s great surplus."

Yan Shishu analyzed:

"But judging from the current situation of the Ming Dynasty, it is wishful thinking to want to support such an army for a long time."

"The Ming court is now in a dilemma. If the troops are reduced, they will be directly penetrated by Wang Chongzu's Dashun, and their lives will be in danger. If they are not reduced, the treasury will be dragged down by this army. "

Yan Hongliang also said:

"I heard that although Emperor Hongguang has some minor problems, he still hopes to restore the current situation and has made certain achievements. But judging from the current situation, it is estimated that there is still no way to save the day."

The reality was exactly what they expected.

The increase in gold and silver revenue from the suppression of wages could not last for long, and as Shaanxi was captured by Dashun, the Ming court lost contact with several southern provinces, which also resulted in their taxes and other taxes being unable to be transported at all.

Emperor Hongguang is pretty good. He is also saving money on the palace expenses, and even stopped his favorite female talent show. But in the face of this huge gap, this little saving is simply a drop in the bucket.

All this stems from the loss of Guanlong land.

"Your Majesty." Just when Zhu Yousong was thinking about whether to have a drink at this time, a minister finally stood up:
"The plan for now is to immediately order Governor Hong to lead the army and launch an attack immediately while there is still the last remaining balance in the treasury. If we can defeat the hypocrites and re-open the connections with various places, then everything can be easily solved .”

His mood became more and more irritable, and his eyes couldn't help but focus on the golden cup in front of him. The wine inside exudes a strong aroma, which is a liquid that can make people forget their worries.

"I obey." The minister bowed down confidently.

"In addition, you can also issue a decree to ask the ministers and nobles to donate gold and silver to help the court tide over this crisis."

"Your Majesty, my previous judgment was wrong and it was my fault. Please forgive me."

Looking at the quiet court in front of him, Zhu Yousong couldn't help but feel a flash of disappointment and then some despair in his eyes.

"Is this just a mistake in judgment that can cover up the past? You have wronged the country and a hundred deaths will never redeem you. How can I forgive your sin! Pull him down and put him in jail!"

These are all practical ideas.

"As Aiqing said, you are solely responsible for this matter." Hope reappeared in his heart.

I appoint generals who fight bravely, hoping that they can repel the traitors and open up the situation.

The emperor said angrily:

Unexpectedly, it has reached this point now...

However, when faced with such a situation, all the ministers looked at each other in shock. Those Qingliu people who usually talked loudly were silent at this time.

Hearing this, Zhu Yousong couldn't help but raise his head, and his eyes flickered again.

In order to reorganize the court, I employed a large number of Qingliu literati with a good reputation among the people, as well as direct ministers who were known to be virtuous.

Then he said a little tiredly:
"My dear friends, the current situation in the world is rotten. Is there any way to save it?"

There was a hint of hope in his voice, hoping that the minister in front of him could surprise him.

The next day, he led his men to the residences of the ministers and nobles in the capital and asked them to collect donations.

As a result, Chen Yan became the target of thousands of people, and Liu Yuliang also took the opportunity to add insult to injury. Under the pressure of the officials, he finally said to the emperor in the court:

"In this critical time of life and death, the Chief Assistant, as His Majesty's most trusted minister, should set an example for all the ministers."

The minister urged in his hand.

"This is natural." Liu Yuliang put on tattered clothes at some point. Around him, the courtyard that was magnificent yesterday was now in dilapidated condition. After hearing his words, he took out a hundred taels of silver and gave them to several people:
"Please tell your Majesty for me that I am a poor man and I only have some money left, but I am willing to donate it all to do my part for the great Ming Dynasty."

Everyone was dumbfounded.

But this was a fundraiser after all, and he couldn't say anything, so he had no choice but to leave and go to the residences of other officials, hoping that they could give more.

But those officials also made similar remarks.

Crying poor, he took out some money and gave it to them to send away. The few are only dozens of taels, and the many are only about one thousand taels.

The most important thing is that after Emperor Hongguang came to power, in order to revitalize the imperial court, he appointed a large number of "virtuous ministers". Therefore, many of the people in the imperial court now are "clean people" with good reputations. If you take too many, wouldn't it prove that you are in power? corruption?

In this way, unless there are officials who really sacrifice their lives to serve the country, or their families are really wealthy, most people will not spend too much.

Only Duke Yingying and Duke Liang actually donated money. One gave 50,000 taels and the other gave 30,000 taels, bringing the total to just over 100,000 taels.

But what can one do with one hundred thousand taels when money is scarce everywhere today?
"Your Majesty, this humble minister is incompetent!" The minister knelt down in front of Zhu Yousong, crying.

He really wanted to share the emperor's worries.

Zhu Yousong saw this and sighed deeply.

"Hurry up and order Governor Hong to go west and re-establish contact with the southern provinces as soon as possible."

he whispered.

The minister choked and resigned.

Emperor Hongguang grabbed the golden cup in front of him and drank the liquid in it.

Now, only this drink can make him forget his worries...

……

The Ming army at the junction of Zhili and Henan has strengthened its vigilance, preparing to resist the Shun army that may move north at any time.

Hong Chengchou led his army to the west, with a total force of 140,000, including a large number of firearms. It was so powerful that it had the potential to regain the northwest in one fell swoop.

But Gu Junen saw that the Ming army was strong on the outside and capable on the inside. He said to Wang Chongzu:

"Although the Ming Dynasty has many people, it is just a diseased tiger. If you only need to stand firm without fighting, in a few months, the Ming Dynasty will be in chaos."

Wang Chongzu laughed and said:

"Even if the false emperor has all kinds of schemes, he can't escape the eyes of Prime Minister Zuo. He is really the minister bestowed upon me by God to rule the world."

"Send the order, the garrison will hold on to the city, the walls will be strong and the fields will be cleared, and no battle will be allowed!"

Although Hong Chengchou was capable, he was like an iron bastard on the opposite side. He would not raise his head even if he was beaten to death. In this case, although he relied on military power and gnawed several cities, it had no impact on the overall situation.

Liu Zongmin still occupies Xi'an, and the general trend is still on Dashun's side.

Months later, the channel still has not been opened.

The Ming Dynasty's treasury could no longer support such a campaign.

The Ming army was forced to withdraw.

(End of this chapter)