Simulates history, but Chongzhen is the Divine Emperor at the beginning

Chapter 50: Conquer Yangzhou! Destroy the Famous City!
【Join? Join the team!】

You rolled your eyes at that moment... They're crazy, and you're not. Why join them? Are you looking for death?

You are different from them. You do not harbor any delusions of transcendence or immortality. Your greatest wish in this life is to rectify the world and bring all evil to justice!

[As for killing the Divine Emperor... Although you truly wanted Him dead in the past, strength has always kept you calm. You know you can't kill Him with your own strength, so even if He has committed a grave sin, you must shift the blame away from Him, otherwise you would be courting death...]

After all, you're no longer that newbie who just arrived. As you've grown up, you won't simply go there knowing there's a tiger in the mountain. It's better to stay alive and be useful than to die in vain.

[Furthermore, now that you have become the Prime Minister appointed by the Divine Emperor, you bear the brunt of the hundreds of millions of people in the two capitals and thirteen provinces. Even if it is only for the sake of the people's future, you cannot easily make an impulsive choice...]

[If you truly choose to go against the Divine Emperor, there are only two possible outcomes: one loss, one win!]

If you lose, you and the Yangzhou rebels will surely be crushed to death by the enraged Divine Emperor, and the long-awaited new policies of the people will be cut short. The world will continue to live under the Divine Emperor's oppressive rule...

[And if you win, you can certainly kill the God Emperor, but what will you do after the God Emperor dies? ]

The Ming Dynasty is a mess today. The fact that this long-dead zombie can still exist is entirely due to the Divine Emperor's efforts. He truly carries the two capitals and thirteen provinces on his shoulders... If this sole pillar falls, the Ming Dynasty's three hundred years of accumulated ills will erupt, blasting this rotten zombie to ashes!

[By then, with the intertwined internal and external conflicts, it’s hard to say how many lives will be required before order is restored…]

[So, you, being rational, would never make such a big mistake. Don't even mention that you can't kill the Divine Emperor. Even if you could, you can't kill him!]

[But... you still can't help but wonder: Will the Divine Emperor's power ever really run out?]

[Although you don't quite believe it, Liu Yizhao has presented too much evidence, so it's difficult for you to refute this argument casually...]

[Ding! Faced with the secrets of divine power, you're both curious and concerned, as it concerns the Divine Emperor. Driven by complex emotions, while you're unlikely to agree to Liu Yizhao's joining, you still feel the need to test the Divine Emperor's true strength... Your choice: (?)]

A: Just give it a try! Although you don't want to kill the Divine Emperor yet, His crimes will eventually be dealt with. Testing the waters beforehand can help you understand yourself and your enemy...

[B: Try it and you'll die! The Divine Emperor reigns supreme above all heaven and earth. If He suspects you of being a traitor, you'll be in big trouble...]

……

"Multiple choice?"

Zhou Liang looked at the choice that suddenly popped up, but did not make a choice immediately. Instead, he thought about another question:
Is it necessary for "Zhou Liang" to worry so much about foreign invasion?
"Obviously, there's no need... The West in the early 18th century didn't have the capability to launch a transatlantic expedition against a large empire!"

After all, those involved are often confused, while those who are watching can see things more clearly. Zhou Liang, who had been observing the situation from a third-person perspective on the simulator, shook his head.
"This kid is so worried that he's confused and scared himself..."

In the early 18th century, the West was actually far from reaching the level of the great powers in the late Qing Dynasty. They did not even have steam engines, and their ships were not ironclad ships. At most, they were wooden sailing boats carrying cannons, and the ships' troop transport capabilities were also very weak.

In the original historical line, the most powerful Dutch colonists at that time took advantage of the political turmoil in the late Ming Dynasty to establish a small colony on the treasure island, with an army of at most tens of thousands of people on the island.

Even with such a small number of people, even if they had some technological advantages, they were of little use when facing the attack of the Central Plains dynasty's army... For example, in Zheng Chenggong's battle to recover Taiwan, Zheng's army was still a force withdrawn from the anti-Qing battlefield, and its combat effectiveness was not as good as that of the Qing army that entered the pass at its peak. But even so, Zheng Chenggong still captured the treasure island and expelled the Dutch colonists.

Therefore, "Zhou Liang" obviously overestimated these distant enemies:

There is no way they could have launched the frenzy of partition that occurred in the late Qing Dynasty. Even if they sold everything they had, they couldn't send out tens of thousands of regular troops!
The so-called "alliance aid" was at most sending some instructors to help train the new army, and selling a large number of guns and weapons to Yangzhou at a low price.

Therefore, even if the Divine Emperor was so incompetent that he was slaughtered by mortals, the Ming Dynasty would only start a new chicken-eating war until a new emperor emerged to conquer the world.

Foreigners? They won't get much benefit.

Zhou Liang was clearly triggered by the "foreign invasion" and, as a ruler, was overly sensitive at the time. So, upon hearing about the relevant matters, he subconsciously projected the events of the late Qing Dynasty onto the Ming Dynasty...

However, we cannot blame him too much for this. After all, he is under a lot of pressure now. As the weightlifting champion of the Ming Dynasty, all he wants is to achieve results in reform and innovation as soon as possible. Any slight disturbance at this time will prompt him to predict the worst outcome.

"Ugh……"

Zhou Liang couldn't help but sigh for him:
"Well... I hope you can truly achieve your wish this time and transform the Ming Dynasty into a peaceful and prosperous era..."

But then again, whether the Ming Dynasty can become a peaceful and prosperous era actually depends not only on Zhou Liang's micro-control skills, but more on the Divine Emperor!

As the only purple-gold beam across the sea in the Ming Dynasty, the Divine Emperor's every move will trigger a huge chain reaction. It can be said that the safety of the world depends entirely on him.

When He chose to make the world shout "loyalty" together, hundreds of millions of people in the Ming Dynasty could only struggle in a bottomless quagmire, and He became the source of suffering for the world...

But when he chose to let go of the tangible hand of power and let "Zhou Liang" create a peaceful country, he became "Zhou Liang's" biggest supporter and the only savior of hundreds of millions of people...

True god and devil in one thought!
I suggest that Nongyao release a Divine Emperor skin for Li Xin...

Therefore, whether the God-Emperor who chooses to be a good person can survive for a long time has become the top priority!

"Will the Divine Emperor be killed? Will his divine power be exhausted?"

Zhou Liang frowned briefly, then shook his head decisively:

"Obviously not! At least not before the ninety-ninth year of Chongzhen!"

Why? Because Zhou Liang lived here until the 99th year of Chongzhen, and still didn't see anything happen to the Divine Emperor!

Facts speak louder than words. The Yangzhou insects' assumptions about the Divine Emperor are completely wrong. "They use the Divine Emperor's long period of inaction and the gradual reduction of his divine power salary as evidence, believing that the Divine Emperor will be weakened by exhaustion... But this is actually unbelievable."

"Although I don't know whether the Divine Emperor's divine power will weaken due to the constant salary payments, I do know that divine power is not a non-renewable resource. It can actually be increased!"

The advantage of information is the greatest advantage!

Zhou Liang didn't know much about other things, but when it came to divine power, he obviously knew more than these insects.

"When the simulated characters were overthrowing the Shaanxi officialdom, they discovered that divine power could arise from violence. However, at the time, there was too little evidence, so we couldn't jump to conclusions... But regardless of whether this hypothesis is correct or not, the natural increase of divine power is clearly an indisputable fact."

"So, the reason why the Divine Emperor cut the divine power's salary and tried not to personally take action isn't necessarily because of the decline of divine power. It could be due to other reasons..."

"And now, naturally, I have to find a way to uncover these doubts, so as to collect as much key information as possible, waiting for the day when I will turn against the Divine Emperor..."

After sorting out the logic, Zhou Liang looked at the multiple-choice questions on the simulator again:
"One is to take the risk and test it, the other is to pretend to be deaf and dumb... Obviously, I should choose to test it!"

Anyway, if I die, I can always start over. As long as I gather the key information, it won't be a loss. At worst, I can just start over...

Having made up his mind, Zhou Liang made his choice:

"Choose A!"

[Ding! You chose option A. Just give it a try! Although you don't want to kill the Divine Emperor yet, His crimes will eventually be dealt with. Testing the waters beforehand can help you understand yourself and your enemy...]

【…】

After much deliberation, you decided that once you're back in Beijing, you'd try to find a way to get some indirect information from the Divine Emperor, so you could prepare for the reckoning!

[As for these Yangzhou rebels who are trying to recruit you, you sneered inwardly...]

"Prime Minister, have you thought it through?"

Seeing you deep in thought for a long time without saying anything, the aged Liu Yizhao suddenly perked up: There's hope!

[So he began to tell me all about his side of the story, hoping to use this as leverage to get you to side with Yangzhou...]

"We're not afraid of the Prime Minister finding out. We've already made plans for a fallback. All the nations and vassal kings have promised to find us some distant lands to settle down. It's basically impossible for Zhu Youjian to find us..."

"If you could just let me go, and then flee with us, we could come back and kill Zhu Youjian when his power is exhausted, wouldn't that be enough?"

"Besides, Zhu Youjian is almost ninety years old this year. No one can say for sure whether divine power can extend his life. What if he dies of old age in a few years?"

"Besides, with Zhu Youjian's talent, comparable to that of a king who lost his country, without an honest and capable minister like you to assist him, his mad temper would quickly cause chaos throughout the country... If he wanted to suppress the uprising, he would have to do it himself, or increase the divine power salaries of his officials and soldiers, further depleting his already limited divine power..."

He smiled confidently, "Zhu Youjian will eventually suffer the same fate as him, and the world will be ours!"

"Prime Minister, if you just say so, there's no need to worry about not being rich and powerful in the future. Why would I need to be an honest and upright lackey under Zhu Youjian..."

He grew increasingly excited as he spoke, as if he had already foreseen a bright future. But at this moment, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his neck, and then inexplicably felt himself flying. Then, to his disbelief, he saw a headless corpse spurting blood...

【flutter!】

[There was a muffled sound, and the body fell to the ground.]

[With a stern expression, you sheathed the Imperial Sword in your hand. The majestic golden light of divine power lingered on the sword for a long time, demonstrating the immense strength you exerted!]

In front of the traitor's corpse and the assembled Jinyiwei, the prime minister said coldly, "The Yangzhou traitor is spreading lies and misleading the people!"

“This heart is bright, what else is there to say?”

"All troops, listen to my command! Continue attacking the city!"

Everyone stood in awe: "We obey the Prime Minister's orders!"

【…】

In March of the seventy-fourth year of the Chongzhen reign, Ming Dynasty Prime Minister Zhou Zifang led three thousand elite Jinyi troops to sweep away two hundred thousand rebels in Yangzhou and laid siege to the city!

[This month, the bandit chieftain, the former Shaanxi Provincial Governor Liu Yizhao, was beheaded!]

In June of the 74th year of the Chongzhen reign, after a two-month siege, and with the Prime Minister leading numerous feint attacks that depleted the city's ammunition, the Yangzhou defenders finally ran out of ammunition and food and were forced to surrender...

This month, the Prime Minister relocated 200,000 innocent civilians from Yangzhou City to various locations south of the Yangtze River. They were given farmland and houses, and provided with cattle and seeds, so that everyone could live in peace...

The following month, the Prime Minister massacred the people of Yangzhou! One hundred thousand people died, and the city was piled high with corpses! The city was completely destroyed!

……

(End of this chapter)